Chapter 409: Zhongyuan Disturbance (Part )

At noon, nearly a thousand disciples from the three lower sects gathered in the East Hall of Prince Xian’s Palace.

"According to the order of Hei Zhishan, search all inns, restaurants, teahouses, brothels and other places in Luoyang City where outsiders can stay."

Xu Heng stood with a knife in his hand, his figure like a gun, his expression solemn, his voice as loud as a bell, and continued: "The figure, appearance, and clothing of that man have been described clearly by Lord Luo just now. Anyone found suspicious, whether true or false, must be monitored and reported back to the mansion immediately. Before sunset, you must search every corner of Luoyang City, and there must not be the slightest omission. Anyone who dares to disobey orders will be treated as collaborating with the enemy!"

"Yes!" All the disciples responded in unison, the sound was deafening and broke through the sky.

"Without further delay, let's go!"

Following Xu Heng's order, the disciples of the lower three sects quickly left the East Hall and disappeared from Liu Xunyi's sight in the blink of an eye.

"Black fan..." Xu Heng looked at Liu Xunyi with embarrassment, and said hesitantly, "Although we have moved quickly, the carriage was parked in the back alley last night. If we go check it now, will it be..."

"Brother Xu, what do you want to say?" Liu Xunyi interrupted.

"I mean... could the thieves have already escaped from the city?" Xu Heng said bitterly, "Even if we dig three feet deep, it will be a waste of effort in the end."

Luo Ningyu nodded and said, "If the thief really leaves the city, it would be like a dragon entering the sea or a tiger entering the mountains. If we want to find him again... it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"Although we don't know whether the thief is in the city, we must give it a try." Ling Qing encouraged, "Go and check, only then will we have a chance. If we give up easily based on our imagination, the mansion master will be furious... I'm afraid none of us will be able to escape the blame. Of course, the most troublesome thing is the black fan..."

Seeing Liu Xunyi in a trance and silent, Luo Ningyu couldn't help but feel worried, and whispered to comfort him: "Don't worry! I will definitely not let Dad embarrass you."

"Ms. Luo is now the head of the Jing Clan. How can she act like the eldest daughter of the Xianwang Mansion?"

Before Liu Xunyi could speak, a pleasant laugh suddenly came from outside the hall. Then, Xunzhen slowly walked into the hall.

"What are you doing here?" Upon seeing Xunzhen, the gentleness on Luo Ningyu's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a hint of coldness and arrogance. "This is the meeting place of the lower three sects. How can you come and go freely?"

"Miss Luo is really a forgetful person. The Lord of the Luo Mansion asked me to teach you some martial arts experience and strategies." Xunzhen smiled instead of getting angry, and replied indifferently, "In this way, I am also half a master of Miss Luo, so why can't I come?"

"you……"

"Instead of wasting your breath here, you might as well go out and find out the whereabouts of the thief." Xunzhen did not give Luo Ningyu a chance to refute, and turned to urge Xu Heng and Ling Qing.

"What a joke!" Luo Ningyu said contemptuously, "If the thieves have already escaped, what's the point of turning Luoyang City upside down? It's still a waste of time."

"Miss Luo, you are wrong. I can assert that the man must still be in the city." Xunzhen smiled mysteriously.

"Why?" Xu Heng and Ling Qing asked in unison, with surprise on their faces.

"Sending such a big 'gift' to the Northern Xian King in the middle of the night, there can't be no follow-up." Xunzhen said, "The sandalwood coffin, the eight-treasure shroud, plus a carriage... are worth at least a hundred gold coins. I don't think anyone would be so bored as to waste time, effort, and money just to get a few curses from the Xian King's Mansion."

"This……"

"You were able to easily find the source of the sandalwood coffin, and then get information about the buyer without any effort. Was this obvious 'loophole' really hidden?" Xunzhen shook his head and said, "Of course not. With the status and reputation of the Xianwang Mansion in the martial arts world, this person not only dared to send the coffin, but also dared to blatantly leave clues for you to find. There is only one reason."

"What is it?"

"He is not afraid of the Xianwang Mansion, and he has no intention of hiding." Xunzhen said, "The reason why he left such a childish and ridiculous riddle is probably to play a trick on you."

Having said this, Xunzhen's beautiful eyes turned and looked at Luo Ningyu who seemed to be thinking deeply, and asked with a smile: "Miss Luo, do you think that a person who is not afraid of the Xianwang Mansion, has no intention of hiding, and even dares to play tricks on you, will flee in panic like an ordinary thief?"

Facing Xunzhen's question, Xu Heng and Ling Qing both hesitated. Luo Ningyu was angry and annoyed, but couldn't refute it for a while. Only Liu Xunyi's expression remained calm.

It seemed that Liu Xunyi had already understood Xunzhen's reasoning.

"Miss Xunzhen, do you mean... the thieves are still in the city?"

"Not only is he here, but he has been waiting for you to find him." Xunzhen answered confidently, "Three hours have passed since we found the carriage. If you were a little later, you would be laughed at. This is why Lord Luo strictly ordered Liu Zhishan to find the culprit within one day. After all, this is related to the reputation of the Xianwang Mansion, and we can't be careless."

Luo Ningyu was shocked and asked in astonishment: "You mean... Dad already knew that the thieves were still in the city?"

"Who is Lord Luo? How could such a petty trick be hidden from him?"

"But……"

"Forget it!" Liu Xunyi suddenly said, "We can discuss it later. The most urgent thing is to find the thief as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Xu Heng and Ling Qing immediately accepted the order and left the East Hall quickly. Luo Ningyu was indignant and hesitated for a moment before muttering indignantly: "You are talking nonsense and making it sound serious. I want to see if it is true or not? Humph!"

After saying that, Luo Ningyu turned and left, seemingly unwilling to fall behind.

Looking at Luo Ningyu's hurried back, Xunzhen said with a hint of meaning: "Miss Luo is a person of temperament, very lovely, Liu Zhishan is really lucky." Hearing this, Liu Xunyi's face changed slightly, and he said seriously: "Don't match us up randomly, this matter is not a joke."

"Mandarin ducks?" Xunzhen pretended to be confused and asked curiously, "What I mean is that Miss Luo is the leader of Jingmen and she is dedicated to her duties. It is a blessing for Heishan and the Lower Three Sects. What are you talking about?"

"you……"

After being teased by Xunzhen, Liu Xunyi was extremely embarrassed and speechless.

The two looked at each other without saying a word, and the atmosphere gradually became somewhat subtle.

"Last time, Miss Zhongli hanged herself..."

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Xunyi was the first to break the silence, saying with shame: "I said some excessive words to you. Thinking about it carefully... I was actually too paranoid. I apologize to you today, and I hope you will not bear grudges and will not bear grudges against me."

"You don't have to apologize to me!" Xunzhen said calmly, "You and I don't owe each other anything."

"what?"

"Half a month ago, Huang Yulang implicated you in the purge." Xunzhen said, "At that time, Lin Fangda and Miss Luo were as anxious as ants on a hot pot and ran to me for help. However, I rejected them on the spot and ignored your life and death. Therefore, you and I are even."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi's expression gradually became a little strange.

"Actually, my elder brother has already told me about this." Liu Xunyi hesitated and said, "As far as I know, not only did you not help them find a way to save me, but you also advised Ningyu not to care about my life or death, so as not to bring disaster upon yourself."

"Indeed." Xunzhen confessed what he had done, raised his eyebrows, and asked jokingly, "So? Does Liu Zhishan hate me to the core now?"

In response, Liu Xunyi just smiled bitterly, neither admitting nor objecting.

Xunzhen changed the subject and asked provocatively, "You apologized to me today. Are you truly repentant? Or are you worried that after we fall out, I will tell your secret to the Northern Sage King?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi's expression suddenly changed. He slowly stood up and stood opposite Xunzhen. The two were only half a foot apart.

"You won't expose me." Liu Xunyi said faintly.

"Why?"

"Because you want me to be alive, at least... for now."

Xunzhen frowned slightly and sneered, "Ignoring your life or death is also called 'hoping you live'?"

"You didn't ignore me, you saved me secretly." Liu Xunyi moved his feet and moved forward a little, getting closer to Xunzhen. The two could almost feel each other's breathing. "Although you keep saying that you don't care whether I live or die, and even stopped Ningyu from saving me. In fact, all this is your way of provoking me."

"Provocation?" Xunzhen pretended to be calm and asked knowingly, "Who am I trying to provoke?"

"You know Ningyu has feelings for me, and you also know her temper. If you persuade her kindly and try your best to save her, she won't dare to openly oppose the Palace Master, let alone save me from the dire situation. Therefore, you deliberately angered her, making her angry and willing to oppose the Palace Master and swear to save me."

At this moment, Xunzhen's expression began to become somewhat unnatural. She swallowed hard and said stubbornly, "If I wanted to save you, I could just ask the Northern Sage King for help. Why would I anger Luo Ningyu?"

Liu Xunyi's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile, and said: "Because you know that only Luo Ningyu can convince the Northern Sage King. No one else has this ability. You took advantage of not only Ningyu's admiration for me, but also the father-daughter relationship between the Palace Master and Ningyu."

Faced with Liu Xunyi's aggressive pressure, a trace of panic flashed involuntarily in the depths of Xunzhen's eyes.

Suddenly, Xunzhen's eyes straightened, he took a step back, and said sarcastically: "Liu Zhishan really has a heart of a bodhisattva. I was clearly trying to harm you, but you were able to justify yourself and imagined that I was saving you. I really don't understand whether you are smart or stupid?"

After saying that, Xunzhen suddenly turned around, with his back to Liu Xunyi, a hint of relief flashed across his face.

"Liu Xunyi, I didn't want to save you that day, not because I wanted to anger Luo Ningyu, but because I didn't want to get into trouble." Xunzhen sneered without even turning his head, "Don't think that just because Miss Luo is obsessed with you, all the women in the world will treat you well. Liu Zhishan is being sentimental, be careful not to be laughed at."

"This matter has nothing to do with friendship. I just want to thank you for saving my life."

"That's not necessary!" Xunzhen said coldly, flatly rejecting the charge. "With so many charges against you popping up overnight, even a fool could guess that someone must have been behind this. I didn't get involved because I didn't want to be used by others, and I didn't want to fall into a trap. Everything I did was for self-protection, and I had no other intentions! If I angered Miss Luo by mistake and saved your life, it would only be a coincidence."

"Is this true?"

"Every word is true!"

After saying that, Xunzhen snorted and laughed, then left quickly.

When she was out of Liu Xunyi's sight, his contemptuous look gradually subsided. He paused slightly, feeling mixed emotions and his eyes were extremely complicated.

At some point, her heartbeat started to accelerate.

……

(End of this chapter)