Chapter 20 Farewell
"Xun Yi, I know there are some things you won't tell me no matter how hard I ask. So I won't ask you what you're doing, I'll just ask when you'll be back."

In the back garden of Prince Rong's Mansion, Liu Xunyi stood quietly in front of Zhao Xin. Zhao Xin, who was sitting on a stone bench, leaned her soft body gently on him. Although Liu Xunyi did not explain much, Zhao Xin knew that he had to leave again as ordered.

Because every time Liu Xunyi suddenly came to Prince Rong's Mansion to find her, his purpose was to say goodbye.

"Maybe... this trip will be longer than before..." Liu Xunyi didn't want to lie to Zhao Xin. He knew that sneaking into the Xianwang Mansion and gaining Luo Tianjin's trust would not be achieved overnight, so he didn't dare to say that the return date was too close. Because once he set a return date and failed to return on time, Zhao Xin, who was always sentimental, would definitely have wild thoughts. Liu Xunyi didn't want Zhao Xin to worry about him.

Zhao Xin's arms gently wrapped around Liu Xunyi's waist and asked softly, "Is it dangerous?"

"Not dangerous." Liu Xunyi replied with a smile. These three words were what he would say to Zhao Xin every time he left. But the fact was that every time he went out on business, he would go through swordplay and survive a near-death experience.

"Could it be longer than a month, two months?" Zhao Xin guessed, but she didn't hear Liu Xunyi's answer for a long time, so she thought about it and thought again, "Could it be three months? Four months? Half a year? Or a year..."

Before Zhao Xin could finish her words, Liu Xunyi's fingers had already gently pressed on her lips. He leaned over and looked at Zhao Xin with reluctance, and said, "Xin'er, I will do my best to come back soon."

Zhao Xin was very smart. She was already disappointed when she heard this. She couldn't help but clench her hands tighter on Liu Xunyi's back and said, "No matter how long you are away, I just want you to come back unharmed."

Zhao Xin closed her eyes gently and pressed half of her face tightly against Liu Xunyi's arms, as if trying to remember the tenderness of this moment. Seeing Zhao Xin's reluctance to leave, Liu Xunyi's eyes could not help but flush. He reached out and gently stroked Zhao Xin's black hair, smiling and saying, "Xin'er, when I come back this time, we can be together forever."

Hearing this, Zhao Xin was startled. She looked up at the confident Liu Xunyi and asked doubtfully, "Could it be... that you have already decided to take me away?"

Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly and said, "Of course not. You are the princess of the Song Dynasty. If I take you away without permission, even if we run away to the ends of the earth, the emperor will send people to catch us back. Moreover, if we run away privately, too many innocent people will be implicated. When I say we will be together forever, I mean I will marry you openly and legitimately."

Zhao Xin frowned slightly, looking puzzled, so charming and pitiful.

"Although I cannot tell you too much now, you must believe me. After I come back this time, I will be qualified to propose marriage to the emperor. I ask the emperor to marry Princess Xinde to me." When Liu Xunyi said this, his mind couldn't help but recall the scene in his dream, and the smile on his face became more intense.

"Really?" Zhao Xin showed a happy expression, but before Liu Xunyi could answer, she had already thrown herself deeply into Liu Xunyi's arms and said softly, "I believe everything you say. If you say it is, then it must be true. Xunyi, I'll wait for you to come back!"

With such a beautiful woman who is devoted to him, what more could a man ask for? Liu Xunyi held Zhao Xin tightly in his arms, imagining the wonderful things that he and Zhao Xin would do together after he came back.

"Xun Yi, I don't know why?" Zhao Xin's voice was almost inaudible in the embrace, "I always have a feeling that this time we will be separated for a long time... a long time... longer than the last time our affair was discovered by Prince Rong and Marquis Tianji, and they locked you up for a year and couldn't let you see me..."

"Xin'er, just remember, no matter how long we are apart, I, Liu Xunyi, will definitely come back to find you." Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xin seemed to be in sync. When Zhao Xin expressed her concerns, Liu Xunyi's heart sank for a moment, but he quickly regained his confidence and chuckled, "As long as you are willing to wait for me."

"I'll wait for you!" Zhao Xin nodded heavily and agreed, "No matter how long it takes, I will definitely wait for you!"

After that, Zhao Xin took out a handkerchief from her bosom and gently put it into Liu Xunyi's hand. The fragrant handkerchief still carried a trace of Zhao Xin's body warmth, which made Liu Xunyi's heart tremble. Zhao Xin said softly: "This is what my mother gave me. If you accept this handkerchief today, I, Zhao Xin, will only recognize you in this life."

……

Although reluctant to leave, there was still a parting. After bidding farewell to Zhao Xin, Liu Xunyi devoted himself to the Tianji Pavilion Library and secluded himself for a whole month, with the goal of carefully studying his own martial arts and the methods of various schools, striving to integrate the characteristics of the moves of various schools and then form a set of his own unique fighting style.

Tianji Pavilion used the power of the imperial court to collect martial arts books from many schools for decades. Therefore, Liu Xunyi, who grew up in Tianji Pavilion, practiced a variety of martial arts. He learned southern fists, northern kicks, swords, spears, and halberds. He only practiced to defeat the enemy, regardless of the school. Therefore, Liu Xunyi's martial arts naturally came from different schools.

Since Liu Xunyi's martial arts skills had been discovered many times before, he had to work harder. In the martial arts world, stealing martial arts from other sects is a taboo. If you are discovered, you will be despised by decent people, and even worse, you will be killed. Luo Tianjin, whom Liu Xunyi is approaching this time, is known as the Northern Sage King, so he will definitely not associate with a "thief" who steals martial arts from other sects.

Therefore, if Liu Xunyi wants to avoid trouble in the martial arts world, he must not let anyone know that his martial arts come from a different sect.

After January, it was the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Even in the evening, the weather was still hot and humid, making people a little irritated. Under the setting sun, Liu Xunyi, who was ready to go, finally stepped out of the library and said goodbye to Zhao Yuan.

In the study, Zhao Yuan smiled as he stared at Liu Xunyi, who had lost a lot of weight, and nodded, "Xunyi, I didn't expect that you would change so much in just one month."

At this moment, Liu Xunyi looked even more stern than before. His usual smile was restrained, his lips were slightly pursed, and he looked a little serious. His eyes were less peaceful and friendly, and more deep. His edge seemed to be uncontrollable, and he was humble on the surface, but it was hard to hide his arrogance in his bones. This was exactly the sharpness that a young man who ventured into the world should have.

Liu Xunyi couldn't help but smile when he heard this, and said, "If even the Marquis says so, then my careful transformation this month has not been in vain." When Liu Xunyi said this, some shadows of the past could be vaguely seen. After that, his expression suddenly straightened, and he clasped his fists towards Zhao Yuan and said, "My Lord, I am here to say goodbye to you tonight."

Zhao Yuan nodded with satisfaction and said, "Xun Yi, I have long said that you are the most suitable person to do this job in the entire Tianji Pavilion. I thought you would need at least three to five months to prepare slowly, but I didn't expect that you have already prepared everything in just one month."

"Go early and come back early." Liu Xunyi replied, and Zhao Xin's beautiful figure appeared in his mind again. He couldn't help but smile and said, "I don't want to keep the princess waiting too long."

Zhao Yuan smiled lightly and said, "It's best not to keep me waiting too long." As he spoke, Zhao Yuan pointed at Liu Xunyi and said seriously, "Tianji Pavilion can't do without you as its young protector, and I can't do without you as my adopted son!"

"Yes." Liu Xunyi was touched and said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Lord. I will do my best to complete this task, not only for my marriage with the princess, but also to repay your kindness."

"I won't make a mistake." Zhao Yuan changed the subject and asked with a smile, "This matter is known to heaven, earth, you and me. Apart from that, only the Prime Minister knows about it. Even the emperor doesn't know. As for the others in Tianji Pavilion, I will just tell them that you are on duty. I believe no one will ask any more questions. The deeper I hide this matter, the safer you will be when you do things."

"Thank you, Lord!" How could Liu Xunyi not understand this truth? If everyone in the world knew that he was a spy for the imperial court, Luo Tianjin would probably not even look at him straight in the eye.

"What are your plans?" Zhao Yuan returned to the point and asked, "After this farewell, we should try to have as few correspondences as possible to avoid any mistakes. In the future, you and I will not only be separated by two places, but also have different identities. The court is high and the world is far away, so it is best to avoid meeting each other. So I want to hear your plan first, so that I can report it to the Prime Minister in case of emergency."

After hearing this, Liu Xunyi thought for a moment and said, "I will leave for Luoyang City tonight. After arriving in Luoyang, I will try to find Lin Fangda and ask him to introduce me to the Xianwang Mansion to pay a visit to the Northern Xianwang..."

Before Liu Xunyi could finish her words, Zhao Yuan slowly shook his head. Liu Xunyi hesitated to speak, with a puzzled look on his face. Zhao Yuan said seriously, "The Northern Sage King is not just a name, and there are endless guests visiting his Sage King's Palace every day. All of these people want to curry favor with Luo Tianjin as much as they can, and all of them were introduced to the Sage King's Palace by acquaintances. So for Luo Tianjin, it is not strange to meet too many people. Even if Luo Ningyu and Lin Fangda introduce you, I am afraid that Luo Tianjin will only place you in a corner of the palace and will not pay attention to you. Therefore, if you want to get close to him and gain his trust, unless you have a great opportunity, it will take many years."

"This..." Liu Xunyi was awakened by Zhao Yuan's words and laughed in silence. He didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Zhao Yuan couldn't help but smile when he saw this, and waved his hand, saying, "You don't have to be embarrassed. In fact, you just need to meet Luo Tianjin in an unusual way. This is the most likely way to make him look at you with new eyes."

"Please give me some advice, my Lord." Seeing Zhao Yuan's confident look, Liu Xunyi was sure that Zhao Yuan must have a plan, so he asked, "I wonder what 'unusual' way should I use to meet Luo Tianjin?"

"Xunyi, it seems that the heavens also want to help you and Princess Xinde, because a great opportunity is now in front of you." Zhao Yuan said with a smile, "You can leave tonight, but you don't have to rush to Luoyang City..."

Liu Xunyi was stunned and asked, "Why?"

"Because Luo Tianjin is not in Luoyang City at all now." Zhao Yuan smiled meaningfully, "Although I don't know where he is right now, I know where he will appear in seven days."

"where?"

“Quanzhou!”

……

(End of this chapter)