Chapter 209: Palace Master Appoints
On the eve of dawn, Luo Tianjin summoned Liu Xunyi to his study for a chat alone.

On the desk, the candlelight flickered, casting a faint yellowish glow, reflecting Luo Tianjin's slightly tired face.

Liu Xunyi, full of doubts, stood respectfully in front of the table, looking anxiously at Luo Tianjin who was drinking tea in silence. The dark study was completely silent, so quiet that it made people feel cold.

"Xunzhen is really an extremely smart woman."

Suddenly, Luo Tianjin said something out of nowhere, which made Liu Xunyi slightly stunned. He quickly responded, "Yes, Miss Xunzhen is indeed very smart. Her remarks in the hall just now were like a revelation to me, which opened my eyes."

"So, you also suspect that the mastermind behind this is... the person who once pretended to be Qin Tianjiu?" Luo Tianjin asked with a smile.

"Yes." Liu Xunyi answered truthfully, "If everything is really as Xunzhen speculated, then we must find this person. Otherwise, we are in the light and this person is in the dark, and it will be a disaster sooner or later."

"I want to let you do this." Luo Tianjin said straight to the point, "After daybreak, you will go back to Yingchuan with Pan Yun and take good care of the Pan family's affairs."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi was stunned and asked in astonishment: "Me?"

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin smiled faintly, "First, you are meticulous and have extraordinary martial arts skills, I believe there will be no mistakes. Second, you are the only one who has seen the 'fake Qin Tianjiu' from beginning to end. I'm afraid it will be useless if someone else goes. Third, you are Mr. Pan Ba's 'grandson-in-law' after all. Although it is in name only, it is still a fate. Mr. Pan Ba ​​appreciated you very much when he was alive, so if you end this matter, I believe Mr. Pan Ba ​​will be relieved in his netherworld. What do you think?"

Liu Xunyi thought for a moment, then bowed and said, "I will obey the orders of the Palace Master!" After that, Liu Xunyi's eyes moved slightly, and then he changed the subject and said, "I wonder if the Palace Master has any other instructions for this trip?"

Liu Xunyi has always been smart. He thought that Luo Tianjin summoned him to the study alone at this moment, not just to give him a task, but also to have other instructions.

Luo Tianjin's eyes flashed with approval, and he nodded and smiled: "As Xie Xuan said, this matter can be big or small. Although I asked you to find out everything, I don't want you to fall into someone else's trap. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand." Liu Xunyi pondered, "The Palace Master means... we can't let this matter provoke a conflict between the Xianwang Palace and the Hexi Qin Clan."

"Smart!" Luo Tianjin laughed, "Although the Hexi Qin family has always claimed that they want to seek justice from Shaolin and the Pan family. But in fact, the person Qin Ming really wants to deal with is me. He knows that I have a close relationship with the six major sects, and he knows that in this Shaolin battle, I am the instigator who stands behind the Pan family and Shaolin. So the person Qin Ming suspects the most is me, not Shaolin. In his heart, Shaolin and the Pan family are just baits I threw to him."

Liu Xunyi frowned and asked in confusion: "Why doesn't Qin Ming come and cause trouble for us directly? Instead, he goes against Shaolin everywhere?"

"There are two reasons." Luo Tianjin said softly, "First, the sword manual was lost in Shaoshi Mountain, and the last person who handled it was also a Shaolin disciple. It is reasonable that Qin Ming should ask Shaolin for it if he wants to get the "Xuan Shui Xia Juan" back, instead of me. He has a legitimate reason to target Shaolin, so he can naturally get the support and solidarity of the martial arts heroes. On the contrary, if he targets me, it would be unreasonable. Second, Qin Ming knows that Shaolin is in trouble, and I will never sit idly by, so the harder he presses Shaolin, the greater the pressure on us. I think Shaolin will send someone to ask me for help in a few days. After all, this matter was caused by me. Shaolin was originally an outsider, but unexpectedly it caused itself a lot of trouble, so I think it is impossible to ignore Shaolin's trouble. During this period, the Qin family spread rumors that were unfavorable to Shaolin. Abbot Xuanming attaches great importance to his reputation and will not swallow his anger, otherwise he would not try his best to track down the whereabouts of "Xuan Shui Xia Juan."

Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly and said, "Qin Ming's 'psychological attack' is really vicious. They obviously lost the duel that day, but now he is the first to complain, not only to win the sympathy of the martial arts heroes, but also to slander Shaolin everywhere, leaving Shaolin speechless. Before, when Mr. Pan Ba ​​was alive, there were still people who could compete with him for the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan'. Now that Mr. Pan Ba ​​is dead, Qin Ming can legitimately take the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' for himself. Shaolin has become the target of public criticism. If we rashly wade into this muddy water, I am afraid that the Xianwang Mansion will be deeply mired in the quagmire and unable to extricate ourselves."

"This is exactly what Qin Ming wants." Luo Tianjin said quietly, "I dare to assert that this 'psychological attack' was definitely not Qin Ming's idea. He was just being instructed by someone else."

"It wasn't Qin Ming's idea?" Liu Xunyi was shocked and asked hurriedly, "Who was that person?"

“The Hexi Qin family alone would never dare to be enemies with Shaolin and the Xianwang Mansion. Now Qin Ming is making a big fuss and is fearless. He even dares to threaten to seek justice from Shaolin. Do you think there are other people behind him helping him?” Luo Tianjin said with a mysterious smile.

Liu Xunyi suddenly had an idea and exclaimed, "Golden Sword Dock!"

"That's right." Luo Tianjin snorted lightly and said contemptuously, "Although Qin Ming is cruel, he is not vicious. Among the people I know, Jin Fuyu is the only one who can come up with such a vicious mind-attack. This person has always been good at using underhanded tactics and rarely fights with others openly. The incident with Wang Xutong and the incident of the 'Qin Mo Wu Yao' going to Mongolia to inform on others were all done by this person. He failed to harm me twice, and now he has come up with a third plan."

"Then the person pretending to be Qin Tianjiu... could he also be from Jinjianwu?" Liu Xunyi speculated, "And the person who stole the 'Xuanshui Xiajuan' from Wuchan, could he also be..."

"It's hard to say." Luo Tianjin hesitated, "But it shouldn't be the case. Otherwise, if he used the Hexi Qin family so much, how could Qin Ming continue to help him bluff? Unless... he concealed the Qin family as well. In short, if it were me, I would never do this."

"Why?"

"Jin Jianwu's biggest support is the four great families in the martial arts world. Offending the Hexi Qin family will not only not benefit Jin Fuyu in the slightest, but will also implicate the other three families and create a rift with him." Luo Tianjin analyzed, "Although Jin Fuyu has always wanted to deal with me, I think he should be able to tell which is more important, me or the four great families."

Liu Xunyi frowned, as if lost in thought, and muttered to himself: "If Jin Jianwu was behind this, everything would be simple. But if it's not Jin Jianwu, there must be someone hiding in the dark that we don't know about... and this person has no good intentions towards us..."

"This is also the reason why I made friends with the Young Qin King." Luo Tianjin nodded and said, "As the saying goes, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. The Xianwang Mansion is a big tree in the martial arts world, which inevitably attracts a lot of jealousy and frame-ups. The reputation of the Xianwang Mansion was damaged after the battle with Shaolin. At this moment, I urgently need a powerful outsider to help. And this person is the Young Qin King!"

"A bystander sees more clearly than an insider." Liu Xunyi replied with no objection, "The Xianwang Mansion is in the center of the vortex, and we don't know where the disaster is hidden. We really need an outsider to help us figure out the situation, or even help us solve some problems that are inconvenient for us to solve. So this is the real reason why the mansion master made friends with the young Qin Wang. I admire you!" Luo Tianjin raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile: "Xunyi, you have been in the mansion for several months. Do you think Xie Xuan and others are sometimes too conservative? Even... weak?"

Facing Luo Tianjin's teasing, Liu Xunyi didn't dare to respond and could only smile awkwardly as a sign of agreement.

"Actually, this cannot be blamed on them." Luo Tianjin explained, "The undercurrents in the martial arts world are surging, and there are murderous intentions everywhere. If Xie Xuan and others had not been careful in everything, how could the Xianwang Mansion have come to this day in peace and stability? If they had just acted on impulse, the Xianwang Mansion would have been wiped out countless times. Hehe...Xunyi, you must remember that when encountering something, you must think about protecting yourself first, and then try to make plans. When making a decision, you must put yourself first, and as for other things, you can give up. Otherwise, you will even lose your life, so how can you talk about your grand ambitions?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi felt a little abrupt, thinking to himself: "Is it really right to 'protect myself' first and give up everything for myself? Shouldn't morality be the most important thing for people living in this world? When walking in the martial arts world, should we sacrifice our lives for morality, or sacrifice morality for life?"

"Haste makes waste. We must learn to counter each move, take each step carefully, and make steady progress." Luo Tianjin was unaware of Liu Xunyi's thoughts and said, "Xunyi, you are very smart. Among the young disciples in the Xianwang Mansion, I am most optimistic about you. Don't let me down!"

Luo Tianjin's words were from the bottom of his heart, which touched Liu Xunyi, but also made him feel a little guilty.

"Going to Yingchuan to mourn is not a big deal. Finding out who is behind this is the most urgent matter." Luo Tianjin warned, "But you don't need to worry too much. I will help you in secret and lure that person to show up again."

"The Palace Master means..."

"Just as Xunzhen said, I just need to hold my ground and force him to attack the Pan family again." Luo Tianjin smiled confidently, "As long as we catch him, we can follow the clues and find this villain who has been hiding in the dark and making trouble for us."

"Yes!" Liu Xunyi agreed happily, "As long as this person dares to show up, I will definitely catch him."

Having said this, a hint of hesitation quietly emerged in Liu Xunyi's eyes, and he turned to ask: "But...what if Xunzhen guessed wrong? What if there is no so-called mastermind at all, then..."

"One month." Luo Tianjin pondered, "After one month, if there is still no movement in Yingchuan, you will return home."

Before Liu Xunyi could speak, Luo Tianjin muttered to himself, "But I have a feeling that Xunzhen's guess is correct..."

Liu Xunyi was surprised and asked tentatively, "Why does the Palace Master trust her so much? Aren't you afraid that she has some plans?"

"She approached me on purpose, there must be some ulterior motive, no doubt about that. But now, she will wholeheartedly help me solve the current trouble."

"Why?"

"Because she and I had an agreement in advance, we can each show our strengths and get what we need!"

Luo Tianjin didn't say it clearly, but Liu Xunyi had already guessed that the agreement between the two must have been a three-hour conspiracy in the study that day.

Suddenly, Luo Tianjin raised his eyebrows and said with a faint smile: "Xunyi, I will let Xunzhen go with you on this trip to help you."

"what?"

Liu Xunyi was horrified, and his eyes became a little flustered. He wanted to avoid Xunzhen as much as possible, but he didn't expect Luo Tianjin to arrange her to be by his side.

"As you said before, Xunzhen is an extremely smart woman. Therefore, with her helping you, you will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort in Yingchuan." Having said this, Luo Tianjin reminded him with a hint of meaning, "But the smarter a woman is, the more dangerous she is. You have to be careful. By the way...keep an eye on her for me."

"Surveillance?" Liu Xunyi was confused and asked, "Doesn't the mansion master believe her?"

"The young prince of Qin and I are just using each other, so how could we trust Xunzhen?" Luo Tianjin sneered, "This woman is very cunning. Even in front of me, her words are half true and half false. You have to monitor her carefully to prevent her from doing anything behind your back."

After saying this, without waiting for Liu Xunyi, who seemed to understand what he said, to respond, Luo Tianjin suddenly stood up, stretched his muscles a few times, walked to the window, looked at the pale sky in the east, and raised a strange and unpredictable smile at the corner of his mouth.

"It's dawn, it's time for you to set off!"

……

(End of this chapter)