Chapter 355: Carving Jade into a Weapon
Late at night, the Xianwang Mansion was pitch black inside and out, with only a faint yellow light still flickering in the study room in the inner courtyard.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The sudden knock on the door woke Luo Tianjin from his deep thoughts. After waiting for a moment, Xie Xuan, with a haggard look on his face, pushed the door open and walked slowly and quietly to the desk.

He looked at Luo Tianjin, who was leaning on the chair with melancholy in his eyes, with complicated eyes. He didn't speak for a long time, as if he didn't want to disturb Luo Tianjin's thoughts, but also as if he was waiting for Luo Tianjin to ask questions.

At this moment, a slightly yellowed scroll was spread on Luo Tianjin's desk. In the painting was a graceful young woman with smiling almond-shaped eyes. She was wearing a purple dress that swayed in the wind, and her long hair was like a waterfall, reaching her waist.

The charming smile of the woman in the painting is vivid and lifelike, and a beautiful soul jumps out of the paper. Her eyes seem to be able to see through people's hearts, making people trance-like, heart-swaying, and even unable to extricate themselves.

"Check it out?"

After an unknown amount of silence, Luo Tianjin's voice rang out. Xie Xuan perked up and nodded, "We've found out. The Emperor personally ordered the execution of the entire Jian family, but it was Jin Fuyu who bribed the imperial officials in advance and saved Jian Zhong's life."

"Why did he save Jian Zhong?" Luo Tianjin stared at the scroll intently and asked casually, "Jian Zhong is a military officer of the imperial court, and Jin Fuyu is a tyrant in the martial arts world. How could the two of them collude with each other?"

"This..." Xie Xuan was slightly stunned, then smiled bitterly, "I only found out that it was Jin Fuyu who saved Jian Zhong, but as for how the two of them met... I have no clue. According to common sense, Jian Zhong was just a young general who led troops to fight in battles. He was stationed outside for many years, so it was impossible for him to know Jin Fuyu."

Luo Tianjin did not pursue the matter and instead asked, "What happened after Jin Fuyu rescued Jian Zhong?"

"According to investigation, Jin Fuyu wanted to recruit Jian Zhong and make him the fifth best master of Jinjianwu, but Jian Zhong did not agree." Xie Xuan reported truthfully, "After that, Jian Zhong changed his name and became a wanderer. He has been to many places, but he has always been a rootless duckweed, wandering around. It was not until four years ago that the court rehabilitated the Jian family, and he dared to show his true face. At that time, he was already quite famous in the martial arts world, and his nickname was 'Nine Lives No Return'."

"I've heard of the name 'Nine Lives No Return'." Luo Tianjin nodded, "Strangely, not long after the court rehabilitated him, 'Nine Lives No Return' gradually disappeared from the world. Some say he has returned to the court to continue serving as an official, while others say he is dead and his body is gone. As for his real whereabouts, no one knows. Have you found out where Jian Zhong has been in the past three or four years? Who has he been with? What has he done?"

Xie Xuan's eyes moved, and he guessed, "The Palace Master means that... Jian Zhong's disappearance is related to Jin Fuyu?"

"If it's unrelated, why did Jin Fuyu send him to the Western Regions?" Luo Tianjin answered without denying it, "I have a very bold guess. Maybe Jian Zhong has been working for Jin Fuyu since he escaped from death. He wandered around in the past few years, maybe he was secretly doing something for Jin Fuyu? And then he suddenly disappeared, which might be Jin Fuyu's deliberate arrangement."

"This..." Xie Xuan was deeply shocked by Luo Tianjin's bold guess, but he had no clues, so he dared neither blindly agree nor rashly reject it.

"Liu Xunyi killed Jian Zhong in Tubo and cut off his head." Luo Tianjin chuckled, "Perhaps this is why Jin Fuyu specifically asked for him."

Xie Xuan was surprised and asked, "The Palace Master means that... Jin Fuyu wants to deal with Liu Xunyi and avenge Jian Zhong?"

"Besides that, I can't think of any other reason that would make Jin Fuyu go to such great lengths to target Liu Xunyi."

"What is the Palace Master's plan?" Xie Xuan hesitated, "Liu Xunyi did a good job in the Western Regions and successfully persuaded Ren Wuya, the old fox, to form an alliance with us. Among the three tasks assigned by the Palace Master, only Liu Xunyi succeeded..."

"Brother Xie, what do you want to say?" Luo Tianjin raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "You and I are brothers who share life and death, so you can speak frankly."

"Yes." Xie Xuan pondered for a moment and said with a wry smile, "What I mean is that Liu Xunyi is a rare talent after all, and he has just made great contributions to the Xianwang Mansion. If the Lord of the Mansion uses him to exchange for Changchuan and Ling Qing, wouldn't it be too..." Having said this, Xie Xuan's voice stopped abruptly.

Luo Tianjin smiled slightly and continued, "Isn't that too inhumane?"

"My Lord, you are wise." Xie Xuan sighed, "Why did the Song Dynasty decline to this point? It's because since Emperor Taizu, there has been a practice of 'giving up military power over a cup of wine', where the rabbit dies and the dog is cooked, and the bow is hidden after the bird is dead. As the saying goes, 'The Qin people had no time to mourn themselves, but later generations mourned them. If later generations mourned but did not learn from them, they would also make later generations mourn later generations'. If we ignore the life and death of our meritorious officials, not only will it chill the hearts of all the disciples, it will even cause the scorn of heroes all over the world."

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin was stunned and asked, "Brother Xie, when did I ever say I would abandon Liu Xunyi?"

Xie Xuan was surprised and said, "If the mansion master doesn't hand over Liu Xunyi, then Changchuan and Lingqing..." At this point, Xie Xuan's eyes suddenly changed, and he hurriedly said, "Although Liu Xunyi has made many contributions, Changchuan and Lingqing are the elders of the mansion after all. They have made countless contributions to the Xianwang Mansion and must not be abandoned. If there is no perfect plan, we can only sacrifice Liu Xunyi in exchange for Changchuan and Lingqing..."

"Brother Xie, when did you become so submissive?" Luo Tianjin said jokingly, "Jin Fuyu only gave you two choices, and you willingly chose one of them? You used to be as hot-tempered as fire, and you wouldn't compromise with anyone. What's wrong with you now?"

Xie Xuan was startled, and said thoughtfully: "The Palace Master means..."

"I'm not Jin Fuyu's puppet, and I don't like being led by the nose." Luo Tianjin sneered, "Jin Fuyu wants to use me as a pawn to get rid of Liu Xunyi, win over Yin Baimei, and at the same time make me bear the stigma of crossing the river and destroying the bridge, killing three birds with one stone, but I just don't want him to get his wish."

"What is the plan, Lord?"

"I decided to go to Jiangzhou in person to meet Jin Fuyu."

"No!" Before Luo Tianjin finished speaking, Xie Xuan shook his head firmly and said, "Jiangzhou is full of dangers. As the Northern Xianwang, you must not put yourself in danger. If you make any mistakes, Xianwang Mansion will be in danger." After that, Xie Xuan's eyes moved, and he said righteously, "Why don't I go to Jiangzhou on your behalf..."

"What are you afraid of?" Luo Tianjin waved his hand and smiled nonchalantly, "It's true that the older you get, the less courageous you become. When I was a nobody, I traveled all over the country without looking back. Now that I'm the Northern Sage King, I've become timid and don't even dare to step out of the gate of the Sage King's Mansion. If being the Northern Sage King means I have no freedom at all, and even become as timid as a rat, then I'd rather be a nobody again. At least I'm willing to risk my life to bring down the emperor. Haha..."

"Palace Master..." "I have made up my mind, no need to say more." Luo Tianjin's smile faded and he asked seriously, "Where are Xunyi and the others now?"

"They entered Yumen Pass half a month ago, so they should be arriving in the next few days."

"I will write a letter later, and you can send someone to deliver it by express horse."

Xie Xuan frowned and asked suspiciously, "The Palace Master is planning to order him to go south?"

"No!" Luo Tianjin smiled meaningfully, "I'll let him choose for himself this time."

"Choose for yourself?" Xie Xuan looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I don't plan to mobilize a large army when I go to Jiangzhou, and I won't make a big fuss." Luo Tianjin said, "This matter is known to heaven and earth, you and I know it. Apart from you and me, don't tell anyone else for the time being."

"The Palace Master wants to sneak into Jiangzhou secretly?" Xie Xuan thought, "That's good. No one knows the Palace Master's whereabouts, which makes it much safer. I am willing to go with the Palace Master..."

"No! You stay here to take charge of the situation and announce to the public that I have been practicing in seclusion for three months and will not see anyone." Luo Tianjin pondered, "If and I are not in the mansion, it will definitely arouse suspicion from outsiders. What's more, the mission assigned to the Western Region master needs to be arranged by you personally."

"Liu Xunyi's place..."

"I won't tell you either." Luo Tianjin said bluntly, "I'm going to Jiangzhou this time. I want to secretly observe this boy's every move."

Xie Xuan's eyes sparkled, and he said with a half-smile: "Seeing is believing, hearing is not. When the Palace Master promoted Murong Bai and Deng Quan to the Seven Heroes of the Palace, and promoted Di Mo and Su Tang to the Black and White Fan Masters, I also followed them quietly and witnessed their abilities with my own eyes. It seems that this time it is Liu Xunyi's turn."

Luo Tianjin said with a smile: "If jade is not polished, it will not become a useful tool. If we want to train these young people to become great things early, we must let them learn to move forward despite difficulties and go against the current. When I hire people, I first look at their courage and then their ability. Right now, Jin Fuyu is holding a Hongmen Banquet in Jiangzhou, and it seems that he is not here with good intentions. I want to see if Liu Xunyi has the courage to attend the banquet alone and the spirit to turn the tide."

"Jin Fuyu is extremely intelligent and ruthless, far from being comparable to ordinary people. Isn't the Palace Master afraid that Liu Xunyi will really fall into his hands?"

"True gold is not afraid of fire. We will know whether Liu Xunyi is a dragon or a worm after testing him."

"The Palace Master is wise." Xie Xuan was convinced, and then he softened his tone and whispered, "There is one more thing, I don't know if I should..."

"Shut up! There are no outsiders here, so feel free to say whatever you want to say!"

"Yes." Xie Xuan laughed at himself, then hesitantly said, "This morning, Huang Yulang contradicted the Palace Master in public. In fact, he did not mean to be disrespectful. He was just impulsive and spoke without thinking. I hope the Palace Master will forgive his offense."

"I know Yulang's temper very well. He is suspicious by nature, speaks his mind, and doesn't know what 'euphemism' means. Haha..." Luo Tianjin smiled faintly, "He is loyal to me. I wouldn't blame him even if he said something back at me or scolded me. In fact, today he not only expressed his dissatisfaction, but also expressed the confusion of others. What I did about the Kunlun Sect and Jueqing Valley was indeed against common sense, so it is not surprising that they don't understand."

Having said this, Luo Tianjin's expression couldn't help but become a little gloomy. He reached out and gently stroked the woman in the painting, and a trace of confusion and sadness appeared in his eyes.

Seeing this, Xie Xuan couldn't help but sigh softly and said bitterly: "For more than 20 years, the Lord of the Mansion was afraid that his wife would be sad after knowing it, so he has buried this relationship deep in his heart. Only when it was late at night and everyone was asleep would he take out her portrait and think of her..."

"I thought Rou'er was dead, but I never expected that she was still alive and well." Before Luo Tianjin finished speaking, two lines of tears could no longer be suppressed and slid down from the corners of his eyes.

When the word "Rou'er" was mentioned, the King of Beixian, who was feared by the martial arts world, burst into tears. What kind of feeling was this?
"Is it possible... that the Palace Master missed her so much that he became sick with longing, and therefore mistook the Lord of Jueqing Valley for her?" Xie Xuan looked at the woman in the painting with complicated eyes, his face also sad.

"No!" Luo Tianjin said firmly, "The song 'Spring River Moon Night' was created by Rou'er and I. No one else in the world knows it except us."

"But the old friend of the mansion master is named Teng, and the master of Jueqing Valley is named Xiao..."

"Whether it's Teng or Xiao, Rou'er is Rou'er after all. Even if the sky grows old and the earth becomes barren, and the sea dries up and the rocks crumble, she will never change!"

"Just with a piece of music, will it be possible..."

Before Xie Xuan finished speaking, Luo Tianjin had already raised his head abruptly. In his pair of black eyes, two wisps of candlelight flickered strangely, just like his state of mind at the moment, silent but not quiet.

"That's why I have to go to Jiangzhou in person."

……

(End of this chapter)