Chapter 384: Love without Loyalty
"A pot of wine among the flowers, drinking alone without a companion. Raising the cup to invite the bright moon, my shadow and I become three people."

Under the moon and stars, Di Mo sat alone in the pavilion, holding a jar of strong liquor in his arms, looking up at the sky, sometimes laughing foolishly, sometimes crying sadly. His eyes were blurred and his mind was in a trance, as if he was already drunk.

The loneliness of being alone and the hustle and bustle of drinking and chatting formed a strong contrast, making Di Mo seem even more lonely.

"Brother Di, I'm here."

Suddenly, Luo Hongxuan's voice sounded from a distance, and at this time he looked at Di Mo with a very complicated look.

However, was Luo Hongxuan's voice too soft? Or was Di Mo deliberately turning a deaf ear? Di Mo was not moved at all by his call, still staring at the night sky like a wooden chicken, and did not respond for a long time.

Seeing this, Luo Hongxuan was filled with emotion. He hesitated for a moment, then put on a relaxed look and walked quickly towards the pavilion.

"Brother Di, I..."

"Go away..."

Being interrupted, Di Mo could not help but get furious and started to curse without mercy. However, before he could finish his words, he suddenly saw Luo Hongxuan's face, and his face changed immediately, and he quickly swallowed back the curse words.

"Sir..." Di Mo shook his head vigorously, as if trying to control his drunkenness, and apologized hurriedly, "I was drunk and spoke rudely. I hope you will forgive me."

"Brother Di, you watched me grow up, and I always regard you as my brother, so please don't be so formal with me." Luo Hongxuan said modestly, "I was rude just now, and I should apologize to Brother Di."

"I dare not." Di Mo spoke solemnly, and his words and actions were all proper.

"Today, all the heroes in the palace have arrived. Daddy is hosting a banquet to entertain the heroes of the world. Why don't you join in the fun, Brother Di?" Luo Hongxuan sat down without being invited. At the same time, he shook the wine jar in his hand and explained, "This is the best realgar wine. Daddy asked me to bring it to drink with Brother Di."

"It's rare that the mansion master still cares about a useless person like me." Di Mo said self-deprecatingly, "Good wine goes with heroes. Isn't it a waste to give it to me?"

"Brother Di, don't belittle yourself! What is a useless person? What is a hero?" Luo Hongxuan's face darkened, pretending to be unhappy, "In the hearts of father and Hongxuan, Brother Di is the most outstanding hero in the Xianwang Mansion. You have fought for our Luo family, and never said a word of 'no'. Without Brother Di's loyalty and dedication, how could the Xianwang Mansion be as prosperous as it is today?"

"As a subject, I eat the salary of my master and share his worries." Di Mo was not surprised by praise or criticism, and replied calmly, "Those are what I should do. How dare I take credit for them? What's more, the master of the mansion has been kind to me. It is human nature for me to work for him. It's nothing to mention."

"Brother Di, are you worried about the promotion?" Luo Hongxuan changed the subject and carefully tested. Without waiting for Di Mo to explain, he added: "Brother Di, you don't have to hide it from me. Although I am not smart, I can see some of the ways of the world."

"Your Excellency is very perceptive. I admire you." Di Mo admitted, "I dare not lie to you. This matter really makes me feel depressed."

"Can you tell me?" Luo Hongxuan opened the wine seal and handed the wine jar to Di Mo, saying sincerely, "Tonight, I am not the young master, and you are not the black fan. You and I are brothers and confidants. On this beautiful day and in this exquisite wine, how about we open our hearts and speak freely?"

Seeing Luo Hongxuan's sincere heart, Di Mo hesitated for a moment, and a resolute look suddenly flashed in his eyes. He stuffed the liquor in his arms into Luo Hongxuan's hands, took the realgar wine, touched the two lightly, and then raised his hand and raised his head to take a few gulps.

Seeing this, Luo Hongxuan did not hesitate. He picked up the jar of wine and gulped the hot and spicy liquor into his stomach.

"Good wine! Delightful!"

The two of them sighed in unison, then smiled at each other, and the gap between them was immediately alleviated.

"Sir, the Palace Master has always been impartial and fair, and he clearly distinguishes between rewards and punishments. He will not hesitate to reward those who have made contributions, and will not hesitate to punish those who have made mistakes." Di Mo spoke out his worries, "During this trip to Longxiang Mountain, not only did I not make any contribution, but I also caused the deaths of 18 disciples. I am to blame and my crime is unforgivable. However, the Palace Master not only did not punish me severely, but also intended to promote me. Tell me... How can I not be uneasy?"

"Brother Di, do you think that dad is promoting you in name only but demoting you in reality? It seems that you are entrusted with an important task, but in fact, you are abandoned."

“Isn’t it?” Di Mo’s eyes darkened, and he asked back, “Now that I have lost one arm, my martial arts skills are not as good as before, and it is difficult for me to succeed the position of Black Fan. The Lower Three Gates are the confidential matters of the mansion, involving a wide range of people and of great importance. The mansion master will never let a useless person lead the overall situation…”

"Brother Di, what you said is wrong!" Luo Hongxuan interrupted cautiously, "Dad asked you to leave the Lower Three Sects, not because you are not competent, but because he doesn't want you to fight and kill all day long and survive. He hopes that you can live a stable life like the Seven Heroes in the Mansion, and only need to come forward to take charge of the overall situation when necessary. Brother Di, you are already in your forties, and have been struggling in the bloody storm for almost half of your life. It's time to move to a higher level. Look at the Seven Heroes in the Mansion, look at my parents, do they carry swords all day long? Are they worried all day long? Are they busy all day long? Fighting and killing should be left to the younger generation. You have reached the level of planning and winning thousands of miles away, and you should go a step further."

Luo Hongxuan treated Di Mo sincerely and spoke earnestly, which made Di Mo feel pity and his expression became extremely complicated.

"Brother Di, what I just said was not my own assumption, but what Dad meant." Luo Hongxuan struck while the iron was hot and continued, "I hope Brother Di can put aside his prejudices and open up his heart. Don't misunderstand Dad because of this, and don't let Dad down for his good intentions towards you."

"You are right, sir. I was not thoughtful enough before. I am really ashamed." Di Mo avoided the main point and evaded the question, "I am very confused and overwhelmed at the moment. This matter... let me think about it for a few days and reflect on it slowly. Come, drink!" "Cheers!"

The two men raised their glasses to each other and drank heartily.

"Brother Di, do you remember that when I was a kid, I was always lazy when practicing martial arts. My father ordered you to urge me to practice horse stance and boxing. I didn't obey, so you spanked my butt with a willow branch?" Luo Hongxuan recalled, "At that time, I often daydreamed that one day I would become a martial arts master. I would definitely seek revenge on you first and let you taste the feeling of being spanked."

"Of course I remember!" Di Mo said with a smile, "Young Master has been very smart since he was young, but smart children are usually stubborn and hard to tame. At that time, I was responsible for his life, so I had no choice but to resort to this bad strategy, which made Young Master suffer a lot."

"Yeah!" Luo Hongxuan pointed at his butt and complained, "I still have a few scars on my butt. Every time I take a shower, I think of the embarrassment of the past."

"I'm sorry for offending you in the past. I hope you'll forgive me." After saying that, Di Mo stood up unsteadily, raised his butt high, slapped it with his hands, and apologized, "Now you can take your revenge. I will never dodge."

"If it weren't for Brother Di's strict discipline back then, I might still be a playboy today." Luo Hongxuan laughed up to the sky and waved his hands randomly, "Today, I only feel grateful to you, not hate you. Haha..."

"If we don't fight tonight, I'm afraid we won't have the chance to fight again in the future. Don't regret it, young master."

"A real man's word is as good as his bond!" Luo Hongxuan's face turned red from drinking. He grabbed Di Mo's arm and said affectionately, "Tonight I just want to drink with Brother Di, not to take revenge. Come on, drink more!"

"it is good!"

As they talked, laughed and drank, the two gradually opened up their hearts.

Reminiscing about the past, expressing their passion, talking about the endless childhood days, and expressing their joys, sorrows, anger, and sorrows. Even if they had thousands of words, they could not match the thousands of thoughts in their hearts. The two of them chatted happily and drank heartily.

Before they knew it, it was late at night and the two were drunk, especially Luo Hongxuan, who was already unconscious and half-awake.

"Brother Di..." Luo Hongxuan, who was drunk, snuggled in Di Mo's arms, closed his eyes, burped continuously, and said incoherently, "We haven't had a drink together for many years... It's really fun tonight... Brother Di's wine is really strong... I feel dizzy and sleepy after drinking only a little..."

"It's really refreshing to have a drink with you, young master." Compared to Luo Hongxuan's drowsiness, Di Mo was much more sober.

"Actually... you're not the only one who has troubles, I have them too..." Luo Hongxuan mumbled in a daze, "Dad has high hopes for me... He hopes that one day he will hand over the Xianwang Mansion to me. But I... I don't think I have dad's abilities, and I try my best to prove myself in front of dad, but I can never meet his requirements... Brother Di, tell me, am I a fool? Am I unworthy of being the son of the Northern Xianwang?"

"You are still young, but you will surely achieve great things in the future."

"You are still young?" Luo Hongxuan's tongue was tied, and he stammered, "Not young anymore... When my age was young, my father had already founded the Xianwang Mansion, was a powerful figure, and had the final say... But I, until now, can only be a student beside my father, accomplishing nothing, and unable to shoulder important responsibilities... Sometimes, my father would rather trust Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen, and give them important tasks, than trust me..."

"Sir, you are drunk!" At this moment, Di Mo looked solemn, as if he was worried about something, and said casually, "I will take you back to rest."

"Tomorrow... tomorrow we'll continue drinking..." Luo Hongxuan murmured a few words, then tilted his head and fell into a deep sleep.

"Young Master?" Di Mo gently shook Luo Hongxuan's shoulders and called out repeatedly, "Young Master, wake up. Be careful not to catch a cold."

However, Luo Hongxuan did not respond to Di Mo's call. He began to snore and fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, Di Mo's drunken eyes suddenly straightened, the dejected look on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by a shrewd and cold look.

"Luo Tianjin is unkind, don't blame me for being unjust. Sir, I'm sorry!"

Di Mo made up his mind, quickly reached into his arms, and took out a thumb-sized jade bottle. He brought it to Luo Hongxuan's mouth, and a few drops of crystal clear liquid slowly slid out of the bottle and seeped into Luo Hongxuan's mouth drop by drop.

After a moment, Di Mo carried the unconscious Luo Hongxuan on his shoulders and quickly left the pavilion.

However, the direction they left was not Luo Hongxuan's room, but the villa where the guests lived.

……

(End of this chapter)