Chapter 398: Lost Soul in Tangzhou (I)

May 20th, night.

In a dilapidated courtyard on the outskirts of Tangzhou, the lonely Di Mo leaned against a broken stone mill, his eyes blurred, staring at the moon in deep thought.

At this moment, there were only two things beside him, a sword and a jar of wine.

Half a month ago, he caused chaos in the Xianwang Mansion and almost destroyed Luo Tianjin's family. He knew that he could not escape his fate, so

On the run till here.

Tangzhou was the place that Di Mo and Jin Fuyu had agreed to meet in advance. Once the truth came out, Di Mo would come to Tangzhou for refuge, and Jin Fuyu would send someone to pick him up. For this reason, he had been waiting in Tangzhou for three days, but the people from Jin Jianwu had not shown up yet.

Di Mo knew that the longer he stayed in Tangzhou, the greater the chance that Luo Tianjin would find him. Therefore, he had secretly made up his mind that if the people from Jinjianwu still did not show up at midnight tonight, he would leave alone and flee to the ends of the earth.

When he drank the last drop of wine, the moonlight became brighter and the midnight hour was over. Di Mo seemed to have seen through his fate and couldn't help but laugh at himself. He slowly stood up, holding the sword in one hand, and staggered towards the courtyard gate.

Now, even he himself didn't know where he should go after leaving this dilapidated courtyard. But he knew that Jin Fuyu was reluctant to send people to help, not because he was out of touch with the news, but because he deliberately abandoned him. Therefore, no matter where he went, it was better than staying here and waiting to die.

"squeak!"

With a slight sound, the dilapidated courtyard door slowly opened, and a figure as straight as a gun suddenly appeared in front of Di Mo.

"hiss!"

Di Mo was caught off guard and startled by the uninvited guest outside the door. He subconsciously took a half step back and looked carefully. A face that was both familiar and unfamiliar quietly appeared in his eyes under the reflection of the moonlight.

The two men stood across the threshold, looking into each other's eyes, their faces filled with indescribable solemnity and complexity.

"Liu Xunyi?"

Di Mo, with an unexpected but reasonable bitter look, was the first to break the silence: "When did you come?"

"About an incense stick ago." Liu Xunyi's face was expressionless, and his voice was as calm as water. "You were absent-minded, so you didn't notice it."

Soon, Di Mo calmed down from the shock. He knew exactly why Liu Xunyi came, but he was not panicked, nor did he rush to escape. Instead, he asked with interest: "Since you are already here, why don't you come in?"

"I want to wait for you to finish this jar of wine." Liu Xunyi looked at the empty jar of wine next to the millstone and said lightly, "I don't want you to leave with regrets."

"The Palace Master asked you to kill me?"

"You know the mansion master's character, why do you ask when you already know the answer?"

"That's right!" Di Mo nodded and smiled, "You are the next Black Handling Fan. Before you take office, you really need an opportunity to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the people. I did the same thing back then." Having said this, Di Mo looked Liu Xunyi up and down and praised, "You are more capable than me. You have taken the position of Black Handling Fan in less than two years since entering the mansion..."

"Why?" Liu Xunyi suddenly interrupted.

"what why?"

"Why did you betray the Lord?"

"It is said that a thousand merits cannot make up for a single mistake. I fought bravely for the Xianwang Mansion for more than ten years, but because of a small mistake, all my achievements were wiped out. What would you do if it were you?" Di Mo smiled contemptuously and replied, "As a person who has experienced it, I kindly advise you to never talk about "friendship" with the Lord of the Mansion, because in his eyes there are only "benefits" and "values". He can make you glorious, or he can make you fall into eternal damnation. I am today, and you will be tomorrow."

Di Mo's words made Liu Xunyi feel mixed emotions, and he asked back, "Is it because of this that you caused the master of the mansion to lose his reputation and his family to be destroyed?"

"If not for this, I might not have done it so drastically."

"What do you mean?" Liu Xunyi heard a clue from Di Mo's words, and frowned, asking, "From what you implied, it seems that if you are not ignored, you will also harm the Palace Master?"

Di Mo's eyes flashed coldly, as if he was irritated by Liu Xunyi's careful observation, and he said coldly: "So what?"

"The Palace Master guessed correctly. There is indeed someone behind you." Liu Xunyi said in a deep voice, "You and Old Jia from Jinming Garden appeared in Luoyang City almost at the same time. You have been colluding secretly for more than ten years, and I don't know how many secrets of the Xianwang Mansion you have leaked. As I expected, you were well prepared from the day you stepped into the Xianwang Mansion. Who is the person behind you?"

"Since you can guess so many secrets, you should be able to guess whether I will tell you the truth?" Di Mo joked, "Liu Xunyi, you are very smart, but unfortunately not wise enough."

"It doesn't take much wisdom to clear out the sect leader for the Xianwang Mansion." Liu Xunyi replied, "You are the one who taught me the rules of the Xianwang Mansion. So, I owe you a favor. I will let you have three moves later as a reward."

"Do you really want to kill me?" The smile on Di Mo's face gradually faded, replaced by a cold look.

"You have been in charge of the Lower Three Sects for many years, and you know the rules better than I do." Liu Xunyi raised the sword to his chest with both hands, slowly pushed the sword out of the sheath, and said word by word, "The orders of the Palace Lord are greater than heaven, and we, the disciples of the Lower Three Sects, will fulfill our duties and die for them. If the Palace Lord wants you to die at three o'clock, the King of Hell will not dare to keep you alive until dawn. You and I... have no room for bargaining."

"In my impression, you have never been a person who obeys orders." Di Mo stared at the cold sword and said faintly, "In Quanzhou, in the Western Regions, in Yingchuan, in Hexi, in Jiangzhou, in Luoyang... You have repeatedly disobeyed the orders of the Palace Master. You didn't kill the people the Palace Master told you to kill, and you killed the people the Palace Master didn't let you kill. Why are you so obedient today? Could it be that you just want to sit on the seat of Hei Zhishan?"

Di Mo's words made Liu Xunyi's eyes darken. He hesitated for a long time but said nothing.

"Did I misjudge you? Or is this just your nature?" Di Mo asked suspiciously, "Your noble character, chivalrous spirit, love for your country, and noble character... everything is just a false appearance you created. Are you actually a selfish, greedy, and profit-obsessed hypocrite? If that's the case, then I have to admire your forbearance and disguise, which are flawless and perfect. In the final analysis, you and Luo Tianjin are basically the same kind of people..."

"Yes!" Liu Xunyi's eyes were fierce, like knives, staring at the aggressive Di Mo fiercely, and said in a fierce voice, "I do covet the position of Black Handling Fan, and I long to be valued by the Palace Master. Di Mo, you have bad intentions and are plotting to harm others. What qualifications do you have to say that I am blinded by greed? You have caused the reputation of the Xianwang Mansion to be greatly damaged, caused Miss Zhongli to die young, and caused the young master to be in danger of his future. You deserve to die!"

"Are you finally willing to speak your mind?" Di Mo sneered, "Don't speak so badly of me. How can you be any better? You are hypocritical, pretending to obey but secretly disobeying, and every time you mention your origins, you are evasive and hesitant. In my opinion, you have other motives for sneaking into the Xianwang Mansion. Sooner or later, you will follow in my footsteps!"

"No point in talking, draw your sword!" Liu Xunyi thrust his sword straight at Di Mo's forehead. "Don't be too confident, you may not be able to kill me!" Di Mo held the sword in one hand and swung it up to the sky. The scabbard flew off with a sound, and a silver light flashed, pointing straight to the sky.

In an instant, murderous intent arose in the broken courtyard, sword energy condensed, and the two sharp swords seemed to have souls. Sensing their master's determination and murderous intent, they couldn't help but tremble slightly.

In the silent night, the sound of swords ringing makes people feel palpitating and frightened.

"I've heard that you have excellent swordsmanship. I wonder how you compare to mine?" Di Mo asked provocatively.

"We'll know once we try..."

"Accept!"

Before he finished speaking, Di Mo suddenly shouted loudly, and at the same time, he moved his feet. The sword fell from the sky, and a silver arc suddenly cut through the night sky and went straight to the top of Liu Xunyi's head.

Before the sword fell, the sword energy arrived first, blowing Liu Xunyi's hair away instantly. The bone-chilling chill spread from far away, making his scalp numb.

"call!"

Liu Xunyi held his breath and stood still, contrary to his usual behavior. He neither dodged nor blocked, but stared at the lightning-like sword, suppressing his inner anxiety and tension, trying his best to stay calm, but his right hand couldn't help but tighten the hilt of the sword.

In a split second, Liu Xunyi wanted to swing his sword countless times, but he suppressed it by himself. Even though his desire to strike was strong, his right hand holding the sword had "bounced" slightly more than a dozen times, but he still clenched his teeth and stood still.

At this moment, Luo Tianjin's earnest teachings repeatedly echoed in Liu Xunyi's ears: "Because your sword is too fast, you don't think calmly when fighting with the enemy... You must learn to control the sword with your heart, and don't let the sword control your heart..."

One zhang, seven feet, three feet, one foot, eight inches, five inches, three inches, one inch...

"It's now!"

Just when Di Mo's sword almost touched Liu Xunyi's hair, his eyes suddenly focused, and at the same time, he moved his feet and turned half a circle. With a light "whoosh" sound, the sharp sword whizzed down close to Liu Xunyi's nose.

The sword flew down, taking away only a strand of hair without hurting any skin or flesh.

"The mansion master really didn't lie to me!" Liu Xunyi was overjoyed and said with emotion, "Think before you act, plan before you make decisions, not only can you avoid the enemy's sharp edge, but you can also save a lot of energy."

"One move!" Liu Xunyi reminded, "I'll let you have two more moves!"

"court death!"

Di Mowan had never expected that Liu Xunyi's martial arts skills were so powerful. He was immediately furious. Before the sword tip fell to the ground, he suddenly turned his wrist, tilted the sword, and went straight to Liu Xunyi's vital parts from bottom to top.

"mean!"

Liu Xunyi cursed inwardly, and suddenly pressed his knees together, instantly clamping the sword. Before the sword could break through the obstacles, Liu Xunyi touched the ground with his toes, flew backwards, and flipped in the air, landing steadily on the millstone in the yard.

"Two moves!" Liu Xunyi said in a serious tone, "You still have one last chance."

“Impossible!” Di Mo was surprised and said in disbelief, “I’ve seen you fight. Although your martial arts skills are high, they are far from this. You…”

"Thanks to the guidance of an expert, I have made some progress."

"Luo Tianjin really thinks highly of you." Di Mo suddenly realized, and there was a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"Come again!"

With a loud shout, Di Mo flashed over, thrusting his sword straight at Liu Xunyi's face. His speed was as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye, the sword had already reached Liu Xunyi's face.

“Simplify the complex?”

Liu Xunyi looked at the ordinary straight stab and could not help but feel surprised. Feeling the sword tip magnified infinitely in his pupils, he wanted to dodge sideways.

However, just when Liu Xunyi's right foot slightly left the ground, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. There was no way he could easily see through Di Mo's moves.

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi's eyes changed, and his right foot returned to the ground. At the same time, he held the sword in one hand, swung it to the side, and blocked the sword diagonally behind himself.

At the same time, Di Mo paused, and soared into the sky almost sticking to Liu Xunyi, instantly leaping over his head, and suddenly stabbed out a sword in mid-air, aiming straight at the back of Liu Xunyi's neck.

"Keng!"

With a loud bang, Di Mo's sword hit Liu Xunyi's sword fiercely. The force was so great that his arm was numb and painful.

Liu Xunyi used the force to fly forward several meters. Di Mo flipped over and landed, standing in the position where Liu Xunyi was just now.

Di Mo stared at Liu Xunyi with his sinister eyes and said coldly, "You can see through my intentions. You really have some skills."

"I've given you three moves, and now we're done. From now on, I'll go all out, and leave life and death to fate!"

……

(End of this chapter)