Chapter 391 Abandoning the Car to Save the Commander
Afternoon, study.

Luo Tianjin, with a gloomy face, sat behind the desk without saying a word, playing with an ink stick in his hand over and over again. His five fingers were stained with black ink, but he was still unaware of it.

Xie Xuan waited quietly by the side, his eyes full of melancholy, but he was helpless and could only sigh.

"Disobedient son!"

As if remembering Luo Hongxuan's beastly behavior again, Luo Tianjin's eyes suddenly became fierce, and he clenched his five fingers tightly, immediately crushing the ink ingot into powder.

"Master, please calm down. You might get hurt by getting angry." After saying that, Xie Xuan took out a white handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Luo Tianjin.

With a light wipe, the snow-white handkerchief immediately turned black.

"As the saying goes, 'A red plum surrounds a red plum, a black plum surrounds a black plum.'" Luo Tianjin said self-deprecatingly, "I had high hopes that this boy would become a great man sooner rather than later, but now it seems that he can't even resist the word 'lust'. How can he achieve anything in the future?"

"Since ancient times, heroes have been unable to resist the temptation of beauty. Young Master is young and full of vigor, coupled with the strong effect of Hehuan Powder, it is inevitable that he will make a mistake occasionally." Xie Xuan smiled bitterly, "As the saying goes, 'Every failure makes you wiser.' After this lesson, Young Master's mind will surely improve by leaps and bounds, and he will surely become a talent in the future."

"Alas!" Luo Tianjin sighed, "I taught him everything from childhood to adulthood, but I forgot to teach him that lust is a knife hanging over his head."

"With Taoist Qingfeng mediating, I'm sure that Sect Leader Zhongli will stop while he's ahead and won't continue to complain." Xie Xuan consoled him, "Besides, the young master has already learned his lesson, so the Palace Master doesn't need to be too harsh on him."

"This morning..." Luo Tianjin threw the ink-stained handkerchief on the table, and suddenly changed the subject, saying meaningfully, "It was too close! If Xunzhen hadn't reacted in time, I'm afraid it wouldn't have ended today."

Hearing this, Xie Xuan was slightly stunned, then suddenly realized what was going on, and hurriedly bowed his hands to apologize, "The Palace Master is absolutely right. I was confused this morning and failed to understand the Palace Master's intention in time."

"It's okay! When something like this happens, who in the mansion wouldn't be terrified? It's only natural for you to be careless for a moment, I don't blame you." Luo Tianjin waved his hand and said, "There's nothing I can do. My disobedient son has committed a heinous crime. As the Northern Sage King, if I show even a little compassion, the news will spread all over the city overnight. The most feared thing in the martial arts world is the spread of false information. Once rumors spread, who knows what I will be like? It's normal for a father to love his son, but maybe it will turn into favoritism and even allow his son to commit crimes. But people's words are scary, I can only pretend to be impartial and cold-blooded, and scare you."

Xie Xuan smiled calmly and said, "At that time, Xun Zaishan and a dozen Kongtong disciples were outside the hall, and they heard every word the Palace Master said. In order to prevent the reputation of the Northern Sage King from being damaged and being taken advantage of, the Palace Master had no choice but to sacrifice his relatives for the sake of justice and would rather die than give in. In the end, it was most appropriate for Taoist Qingfeng to come forward to smooth things over. Xie completely understands the Palace Master's difficulties!"

"Xunzhen, ah Xunzhen... This girl makes me look at her with new eyes." Luo Tianjin's eyes were deep, and he murmured to himself, "Today, she was like a worm in my stomach, and she could see through my thoughts bit by bit. I had something to say, and she had something to say back, and every question was answered, without any loopholes. Without any prior arrangement, she was able to cooperate with me seamlessly, and even every sentence and every word touched my heart. Awesome! Really awesome!"

Xie Xuan replied with no objection: "If Xunzhen had not asked Xu Heng to find Taoist Qingfeng in time, I'm afraid no one would be able to step down today. She was the first to see through the mansion lord's self-torture scheme and cooperated with it quietly and secretly, which is indeed eye-catching."

"Today's Xunzhen is of course my savior. But I wonder, will this roundworm who can see through people's hearts one day become my nemesis? Or even... put me in an irretrievable situation." Luo Tianjin murmured in a secretive manner, "I really love and hate her. I love her talent, but I also hate her talent. I am so entangled."

"Until now, she has been helping us sincerely." Xie Xuan pondered, "At least before the martial arts conference, she will not betray the master of the palace."

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin's eyes suddenly flashed with a cunning look, and he smiled faintly: "When I sit on the throne of the leader of the martial arts world, I will no longer need her and the Shao Qin King behind her."

"What the Palace Master means is..." Xie Xuan's voice stopped abruptly, and then he reached out and gently touched his neck.

"If necessary, it's fine." Luo Tianjin replied nonchalantly, "Of course, I hope she can live well. The premise is that she doesn't play any tricks in front of me."

Having said this, Luo Tianjin suddenly changed his expression and said seriously, "It's only one hour left until the beginning of the evening hour. Does Di Mo have any news?"

"Changchuan, Murong Bai and Deng Quan haven't come back yet, so I guess... things are not going well." Xie Xuan hesitated, "After all, Di Mo has been making black fans for more than ten years. If he really wants to hide, I'm afraid it won't be easy for us to find him."

"We can't wait any longer!" Luo Tianjin's eyes flashed coldly, and he said quietly, "We must make plans early to be prepared for any eventuality."

"understand!"

Xie Xuan's face suddenly turned serious. He bowed respectfully to Luo Tianjin and said goodbye, then slowly left the study.

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Qingfeng tried his best to explain the pros and cons of the marriage between the Xianwang Mansion and the Kongtong Sect to Zhongli Mu and Madam Zhuang, but in the end, he only got one sentence in return: "This matter still needs to be considered in the long run!"

After Qingfeng left, Zhongli Mu cast a complicated look at Madam Zhuang, who looked angry. Before he opened his mouth to ask, he could clearly feel the shame and anger from the bottom of Madam Zhuang's heart.

"This is too much!" Mrs. Zhuang waved her hand and immediately shattered the tea table beside her.

"Junior sister, you... take care of yourself."

"Brother, I have never seen such a shameless and despicable person in my life." Madam Zhuang gnashed her teeth and cursed, "It is not enough for this beast Luo Hongxuan to humiliate my daughter once, he wants to humiliate her for the rest of her life? This is intolerable, he is simply insane and cannot be tolerated by heaven!" Zhongli Mu looked at the furious Madam Zhuang with pitiful eyes, and for a moment he did not dare to respond rashly.

"Brother, what do you think?" Mrs. Zhuang calmed herself down and cast a suspicious look at Zhongli Mu.

When she saw Zhong Limu's tangled look of wanting to say something but not being able to, her eyes suddenly changed and she asked in surprise: "Do you want to agree to this marriage?"

"I don't want to either..." Zhongli Mu stuttered back, "I know this is a great humiliation to Ying'er, but... but Qingfeng is not talking nonsense, nor is he exaggerating. Everything he just said... is the real dilemma you and I will face... Junior Sister, although Qingfeng's words are not appropriate, he said one thing that is very right, 'things have come to this point, no one can reverse it'. Hatred and anger can't solve any problems. What about Ying'er's future? What about our future? What about the future of Kongtong Sect? These are all problems we have to face. Although they are difficult, they are unavoidable and there is no way to escape."

Zhongli Mu's words made the always strong Madam Zhuang's eyes redden inexplicably. Then, a tear began to well up in her eye sockets.

When a mother loves her daughter, this great maternal love can never be understood by others, not even the father.

Mother's love is the most selfless and the most selfish. She is selfless towards herself and selfish towards her children.

Zhongli Wanying endured the shame and humiliation, which made Madam Zhuang feel like a thousand arrows piercing her heart. At this moment, she did not want her daughter to suffer the slightest injustice.

However, the cruelty of reality forced her to harden her heart and rub salt into her daughter's wounds. This time, she did it not for others, but for her husband and the sect that gave birth to her.

The cruelest choice in the world happened to fall on her. How could Mrs. Zhuang not feel pain?

"What did Ying'er do wrong?" Madam Zhuang said sadly, "Why let her suffer such an injustice?"

"The girl's virginity has been destroyed. If she doesn't marry Luo Hongxuan, will she have to be a nun for the rest of her life? Will she have to live under the ridicule of the world?" Zhong Limu's lips trembled violently. He was also heartbroken. "For her own sake, for us, and for Kongtong Sect... I can only let her suffer once more..."

Madam Zhuang asked unwillingly, "You were so cruel to sacrifice the pawn to save the king, just because the other party was Luo Hongxuan? The son of the Northern Sage King?"

"Yes!"

Zhong Limu was very excited, and he shouted angrily, "If he is not Luo Tianjin's son, and if the Xianwang Mansion will not bring disaster to Kongtong Sect, then I will not hesitate to cut this beast into pieces!"

Having said this, Zhongli Mu couldn't help but smile miserably, and his tone softened as he tried to persuade her: "Junior sister, if what Qingfeng said is true, then Luo Hongxuan may not be the despicable villain you and I imagined. He may really have been framed... In terms of appearance, status, talent, and martial arts, Luo Hongxuan is actually the best choice. If it weren't for this mistake, maybe I would have taken the initiative to propose marriage to the Xianwang Mansion..."

"Brother, you... are totally unreasonable!" Madam Zhuang looked at Zhong Limu in disbelief and said with contempt, "Do you know how much Ying'er was wronged last night? Do you know what kind of devil Luo Hongxuan is in her heart? Have you ever thought about your daughter's feelings?"

"In the face of major issues, personal feelings... must give in!" Zhong Limu's eyes straightened, and he said without question, "Right now, Ying'er is Luo Hongxuan's woman, can she still marry a second man? There is a saying that 'a good woman does not serve two husbands', it is better to suffer a short pain than a long pain, maybe... Ying'er's knot in the heart can be slowly resolved in the future, and finally they can become a perfect couple. Moreover, with parents-in-law like Luo Tianjin and Ling Xiaoxiao, no one dares to point fingers at her, and it won't take long for this matter to fade away. For her, isn't this a good thing? Junior sister, if you keep holding on to this matter, it will be the greatest torture for Ying'er."

"This……"

“Junior sister!” Zhong Limu suddenly stood up, half-knelt in front of Madam Zhuang, gently held Madam Zhuang’s hands with both hands, and pleaded, “As long as Luo Tianjin can give a reasonable explanation tonight and stop the gossips for us, then… please consider Ying’er’s long-term plan, the life and death of Kongtong Sect, and our honor and disgrace, and please… put the overall situation first!”

At this moment, Madam Zhuang's eyes were filled with tears as she stared at Zhong Limu, who was pleading with him. She seemed to be in a trance and remained silent for a long time. Then she nodded vaguely and said tremblingly, "I understand..."

After saying that, Madam Zhuang slowly pushed away Zhongli Mu's hand, slowly stood up, and walked towards the door like a zombie.

"Where is Junior Sister going?"

"I'll go see if Ying'er has woken up?"

"If she wakes up..."

"I understand! If she wakes up, I, as her mother, will tell her about the marriage in person..."

"Junior sister, I'm sorry for wronging you!"

"I am not wronged. The one who is truly wronged is our daughter. Remember, we will always owe Ying'er justice..."

Looking at Madam Zhuang's gradually receding back, Zhongli Mu finally couldn't hold on any longer. He staggered and sat down on the ground. In his unwavering old eyes, two lines of turbid tears had silently slid down.

……

(End of this chapter)