Chapter 389: Survival in the Cracks
"Master, you must not do this!" Deng Changchuan was horrified and advised, "Although the young master is wrong, his crime is not punishable by death. If the Master hands him over to Kongtong Sect, I'm afraid... the consequences will be disastrous."

Luo Tianjin sneered at this and said coldly: "He should bear the consequences of his own mistakes. If he knew the consequences would be disastrous, why would he lose his moral principles for the sake of momentary pleasure last night?"

"Dad, my brother has admitted his mistakes, we should give him a chance to reform!"

Luo Ningyu knelt in front of Luo Tianjin, begging with tears in her eyes. Seeing this, Lin Fangda quickly knelt on the ground and pleaded for Luo Hongxuan with her.

"All of you stand up!" Luo Tianjin's face darkened and he said angrily, "No one can plead for him today."

Suddenly, Ling Xiaoxiao reached out and took off the golden hairpin on her head, pressed the sharp hairpin tightly against her neck, and said resolutely: "Brother Jin, if you have the heart to push Xuan'er to death, I will die now in front of you!"

Seeing this, everyone in the hall was horrified and tried to comfort him, and the scene fell into chaos for a while.

Ling Xiaoxiao had made up her mind. She let the golden hairpin prick her soft and delicate neck and draw blood. She still insisted, "If Xuan'er really gets into trouble, I will never live alone."

"Nonsense!" Luo Tianjin was upset and shouted angrily, "This has already happened because you and I failed to educate our children properly, and now you dare to make the same mistake again?"

"Xuan'er was wrong, but it's not a crime punishable by death!" Ling Xiaoxiao said excitedly, "He is our son!"

"It is said that 'the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people', let alone my son Luo Tianjin?"

At this moment, Luo Tianjin's expression was resolute and his words were fierce, wishing that every word and every sentence could express his feelings to the utmost. Therefore, Su Tang, Xun Zaishan and others who were guarding outside the hall could also hear it clearly.

Seeing this, Xunzhen's eyes flashed with a strange look, and he turned to whisper a few words to Xu Heng beside him. Xu Heng was startled when he heard it, and then left the back hall silently.

"Master, things have come to this point. Even if we kill the young master, it will not restore Miss Zhongli's innocence." Xie Xuan pondered, "Instead of pursuing the crime, it is better to find a way to resolve this matter."

"That's right!" Yan Bugui said, "Right now, Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, Kongtong, and all the prominent figures in the northern martial arts world are visiting our mansion. We made such a big fuss today, there must be countless eyes watching us closely behind our backs. If we don't handle it carefully, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles."

Deng Changchuan thought for a moment and asked Liu Xunyi, "What is the attitude of Sect Leader Zhongli?"

"The attitude of Sect Leader Zhongli and Madam Zhuang is very clear. They are determined to avenge their daughter." Liu Xunyi answered reluctantly, "Sect Leader Zhongli said... that in order to avenge this, he would not hesitate to risk the extermination of Kongtong Sect."

Luo Tianjin snorted coldly, walked to the window, looked at Xun Zaishan and others outside the hall with complicated eyes, and said quietly: "Being blocked in my own home and not daring to step out of the door is the most embarrassing experience in my life."

"Master of the Palace..."

"You have heard the attitude of Sect Leader Zhongli." Luo Tianjin interrupted without turning his head. "He was invited here as a distinguished guest of our mansion, but he did not expect to suffer such a great humiliation in our territory. As the host, we cannot escape the blame. We are wrong and we cannot deny it. What's more, I have promised before that I must find the rapist and get rid of him as soon as possible. How can I go back on my word and enrich myself just because the rapist is my son?"

"Brother Jin, are you really so cruel?" Ling Xiaoxiao looked at Luo Tianjin's back in disbelief, almost heartbroken, "Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs..."

"If we hand over the rebellious son to Kongtong Sect, Sect Leader Zhongli may not kill him." Luo Tianjin's voice was calm and emotionless. "If we deliberately cover up for him, the reputation of the Xianwang Mansion will be ruined, and we may even become the target of public criticism."

"Ahem! Don't be fooled by Zhonglimu's usual cynical and unruly appearance. In fact, he is a ruthless guy."

When everyone in the hall was hesitant, an old voice suddenly came from outside the door. Then, under Xu Heng's guidance, Qingfeng, with a solemn face, quickly stepped into the back hall.

When they saw Qingfeng, everyone was stunned. Ling Xiaoxiao showed joy on her face and said hurriedly: "Dad, you must find a way to save Xuan'er."

"Don't worry, Xuan'er is my grandson, no one can easily hurt his life!" Qingfeng helped Ling Xiaoxiao and Luo Hongxuan up from the ground and comforted them softly, "What can't we talk about as a family? Why are you kneeling on the ground?"

Luo Tianjin frowned and said thoughtfully: "Dad, Miss Zhongli..."

"Isn't she just a girl?" Qingfeng waved his hand nonchalantly, "Why would you make your family so upset and want to die?"

"Master Qingfeng, this girl is not ordinary. She is the only daughter of the leader of Kongtong Sect..."

"No matter how extraordinary she is, she is still a girl. It's no big deal." Qingfeng interrupted Jiang Yiwei and said to himself, "Since the rice has been cooked, what is there to complain about? For a woman, you want to hand over the young master of the Xianwang Mansion to be dealt with by others. How can this be considered decent?"

"Dad is right." Ling Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly, "Besides, Xuan'er can't be blamed for this. I just hate that someone secretly tampered with it, releasing the smoke and the Hehuan powder, causing Xuan'er to make a mistake."

"That's perfect." Qing Feng nodded and said, "Since Xuan Er is not the culprit, why are you forcing him to do anything?"

Luo Tianjin looked bitter and sighed, "That being said, he was the one who defiled the girl after all."

"It is defilement to have no name or status." Qingfeng said unhappily, "If you are willing to give Zhongli a name, it means we are both willing and it is love between a man and a woman. How can it be defiled? It's just... the wedding night is a few days earlier."

Hearing this, Luo Ningyu couldn't help but feel curious and asked, "Grandpa, what does it mean to give Miss Zhongli a status?"

"Tianjin, Xiaoxiao, isn't this what you meant?" Qingfeng asked with a sharp gaze instead of answering.

"This..." Luo Tianjin and Ling Xiaoxiao both fell into deep thought.

"Good idea!" Xie Xuan suddenly realized, "If we can marry her in a formal way, I believe others will not gossip about her." "Not only that." Jiang Yiwei continued, "We should first find out the truth, hand over the culprit to Kongtong Sect, and then marry Miss Zhongli. By then, not only will we not be criticized, but we may even be known as a man who dares to take responsibility. After all, what happened last night was not what the young master intended, and strictly speaking, he was also a victim. But even so, the young master is still willing to marry Zhongli Wanying for the sake of her and the reputation of Kongtong Sect. In this way, Kongtong Sect should not hate us, but should be grateful to us."

"This is a good idea!" Luo Ningyu agreed. "Giving Miss Zhongli a legitimate status can be considered as compensation to her. Otherwise, how will Miss Zhongli get married in the future?"

"How can such a good thing happen in the world?" Luo Tianjin worried, "I am most afraid that once we bring this up, not only will Kongtong Sect not understand us, but it will make things worse and add fuel to the fire, making Kongtong Sect mistakenly think that we still have evil intentions towards Miss Zhongli, and even go further and humiliate her again and again."

Seeing that the time had come, Xunzhen smiled and slowly said, "If this matter is brought up by the Xianwang Mansion, it will be twice as effective as adding fuel to the fire. But if a highly respected outsider intervenes, this marriage may not fail."

"What do you mean, Miss Xunzhen?" Luo Ningyu asked doubtfully, "Who do you think is qualified to propose marriage for my eldest brother? And at the same time, won't make things worse?"

"Far away in the horizon, yet so close at hand!" Xunzhen looked at Qingfeng with a smile and flattered him, "Master Qingfeng is the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world, and his character and prestige are beyond doubt. At the same time, you are Mr. Luo's grandfather, and you should not turn a blind eye to this matter for both public and private reasons. Rather than waiting for the Xianwang Mansion and Kongtong Sect to fall out, you are stuck in the middle. It is better to take the initiative to resolve the hatred and promote a good thing."

Liu Xunyi hesitated and asked, "Will Kongtong Sect agree?"

"Now that things have come to this, it's not a bad idea for Taoist Qingfeng to give it a try." Xunzhen replied, "Even if it fails, Kongtong Sect will not be angry with Xianwang Mansion and make further demands. But if it succeeds, the outcome will be very different. Trying, there is a 50% chance of success or failure. If you don't try, you will only end up with a dead end. What's more, Zhongli and his wife are not stupid people. We know the principle of 'the rice is cooked', and they also understand the meaning of 'the wood is done'. If they quarrel over a momentary temper, the impact on Kongtong Sect will far exceed that of Xianwang Mansion. Mansion. Sect Master Zhongli knows this better than anyone else. If not, he would never have given Liu Xunyi face and led his men to retreat easily this morning. His willingness to give in is enough to show that he wants to make peace. The reason why we gave Lord Luo a day is that we want to come up with a proper way to achieve the best of both worlds and turn hostility into friendship. At this moment, no matter what everyone does, what has happened will not change in the slightest. Therefore, for Kongtong and Xianwang Mansion, the most urgent task is not to "die together", but to "live together". "

"That makes sense!" Xie Xuan said with emotion, "Miss Xunzhen is very perceptive and insightful. I admire you!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Second Master." Xunzhen said modestly, "Right now, the Xianwang Mansion and Kongtong Sect are two grasshoppers tied to the same rope. They will prosper together and suffer together. For Zhongli and his wife, in public, they have to consider the future and destiny of Kongtong Sect. In private, they have to consider their daughter's lifelong affairs. Whether in public or private, tearing the relationship apart is not the best solution. The only way to have the best of both worlds is to find the culprit, chop him into pieces, grind his bones and scatter his ashes, and then let Master Luo marry Miss Zhongli in a sedan chair carried by eight people. This is the best way to have the best of both worlds."

"clever!"

Liu Xunyi looked at Xunzhen with admiration as she spoke. Suddenly, she discovered that her wisdom was not all conspiracies and tricks. Occasionally, she would come up with some clever ideas to help others find their way and help those who had lost themselves to find their way.

"But after all, my brother bullied Miss Zhongli, this matter..."

"This matter can only be made up by Master Luo himself." Xunzhen shrugged and said, "Two people who met by chance can become sworn enemies overnight, or they can become lovers overnight. As for whether they are enemies or lovers, it depends on Master Luo's ability."

"I am willing to marry Miss Zhongli and spend the rest of my life apologizing to her!" Luo Hongxuan agreed hastily as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, "As long as this matter can be resolved, I am willing to do anything!"

"Hmph!" Luo Tianjin said contemptuously, "You are willing to marry someone, but they may not be willing to marry you! Rebellious son, you have caused such a huge disaster, and now you have troubled so many people to help you clean up the mess. Are you ashamed?"

"Dad, I'm already too ashamed to face myself..."

"Okay!" Qingfeng said, "Since Tianjin has agreed, I will sacrifice my reputation and ask Kongtong Sect for my grandson's marriage."

"Thank you dad!"

"Thank you Grandpa!"

Ling Xiaoxiao, Luo Hongxuan and Luo Ningyu were overjoyed and hurriedly thanked Qingfeng.

"Deng Changchuan, Murong Bai, Deng Quan." Luo Tianjin's expression straightened up and he ordered, "Dig three feet into the ground to find Di Mo."

"Yes!"

"Master of the Palace..."

Before Liu Xunyi could speak, Xunzhen suddenly grabbed his arm and asked in a low voice, "What do you want to say?"

Liu Xunyi was stunned and asked in a serious tone: "I want to ask, what if this matter has nothing to do with the Black Fan?"

"You don't think it was him?"

"I don't know. But everything must have evidence..."

"You don't have to ask Lord Luo." Xunzhen interrupted, "I can tell you the answer right now."

Liu Xunyi was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Master Zhongli only gave us one day to deal with the aftermath. It's already noon, and it's too late to find evidence. The overall situation is the most important thing, so someone must explain this matter before sunset. And that person will definitely not be Luo Hongxuan."

"what do you mean……"

"No matter if Di Mo did this or not, as long as we find him... he will be the culprit!"

……

(End of this chapter)