Chapter 414: The Autumn Moon is Hard to Come Full
Life never stops and time passes by like a stream.

During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, Prince Xian's Mansion was far less lively than in previous years. There wasn't even a single banquet table.

Luo Hongxuan was half dead, his life hanging by a thread. Ling Xiaoxiao had just recovered from a serious illness and her body had not yet fully recovered, so Luo Tianjin had no intention of celebrating the reunion.

The master of the mansion is depressed, how dare the disciples in the mansion make noise?

It’s a pity that the bright moon in the sky shines down on the bleak world.

At night, Liu Xunyi returned from the central hall after receiving orders and instructed the disciples of the three lower sects on matters related to the martial arts conference.

Xu Heng, Ling Qing and Luo Ningyu led the three disciples to gather in the East Hall, awaiting the order from Hei Zhishan.

"Tomorrow, I will set off for Huashan to find out the itinerary for the Palace Master in advance. Ling Qing will lead fifty disciples to accompany me. Ten days later, Xu Heng and Ning Yu will lead people to accompany the Palace Master to protect him all the way and make sure he does not make any mistakes."

"Yes!"

"The martial arts conference has nothing to do with us. Our primary task is to ensure that the owner of the mansion has no problems with clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Therefore, you must not lose sight of one thing while focusing on another, or lose the big picture because of a small one. After arriving at Huashan, you must not get carried away and ignore your own mission. After I leave, Xu Heng will be in charge of the Lower Three Gates." Liu Xunyi said solemnly, "Ten days later, the remaining disciples of the Lower Three Gates will be temporarily led by Master Huang Liu. Before Xu Heng leaves the mansion, he must make sure that all matters of the Lower Three Gates are settled properly, and don't let Master Huang Liu laugh at us for being unruly."

"As you command!" Xu Heng gladly accepted the order, then changed the subject and said worriedly, "Hei Zhishan is only bringing Sect Master Ling and fifty disciples. If something goes wrong along the way, will there not be enough people?"

"Don't worry, I have already made an appointment with Master Shen, and his people will meet us in Huashan Town." Liu Xunyi waved his hand and said, "Besides, the Palace Master ordered me to go ahead so that I can secretly find out the strengths and weaknesses of various sects. Too many people will only attract attention."

"Then... Hei Zhishan, be careful."

"it is good!"

Liu Xunyi seemed to be preoccupied with something else. He was absent-minded from beginning to end, and his words and actions were somewhat perfunctory.

"If there is nothing else, go back and prepare! Ling Qing, prepare the carriage and wait for me outside the mansion at the beginning of the morning hour tomorrow."

"no problem."

"It's gone!"

After giving a nonchalant order, Liu Xunyi suddenly stood up and quickly left the East Hall under the gaze of all the disciples.

Luo Ningyu looked at Liu Xunyi's back, a trace of worry in her eyes, and asked: "Master Xu, Master Ling, Hei Zhishan seems to be absent-minded today, do you know why?"

In response, Xu Heng and Ling Qing looked at each other in confusion.

"Maybe he's just a new official and hasn't gotten used to it yet." Ling Qing seemed to see what Luo Ningyu was thinking and said straightforwardly, "Master Luo, don't worry. I will do my best to protect Hei Zhi Shan and won't let him lose even a hair."

At this moment, Luo Ningyu's mind was all on Liu Xunyi. She ignored Ling Qing's comfort and did not respond at all.

Seeing this, Xu Heng and Ling Qing couldn't help but look at each other, with helplessness on their faces.

After coming out of the East Hall, Liu Xunyi returned to the villa, where he drank and looked at the moon alone, his face full of worry and his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Is Liu Zhishan worried about the fate of Mansion Master Luo? Or is he worried about his own future?"

Suddenly, a silver bell-like laughter sounded from outside the door. Xunzhen walked in uninvited and said jokingly: "After the martial arts conference, no matter whether Lord Luo succeeds or fails, I believe that the day when Lord Liu returns to the court is not far away. Therefore, I guess you worry about your own future more than you worry about Lord Luo. I wonder if I am right?"

"Cough cough!"

Hearing the words "Lord Liu", Liu Xunyi's face suddenly changed. He coughed twice and said in a reprimanding tone, "This is the Xianwang Mansion. Please be careful with your words."

"Now that you are the Black Fan, who dares to eavesdrop outside the courtyard?"

Tonight, Xunzhen is wearing a purple-blue long dress, with bright eyes, white teeth, and a smile as beautiful as a flower. Under the reflection of the moonlight, her beauty is even more charming and attractive.

For some reason, Liu Xunyi seemed to be afraid to look directly into Xunzhen's sparkling eyes. She turned her head away calmly and muttered, "Be careful."

"That's right. You Han people have a saying, 'Better safe than sorry.'" Xunzhen's eyes were full of smiles. He sat down at the stone table and said, "You haven't answered my question yet. Am I right?"

"Why?" Liu Xunyi raised his eyebrows and asked, "You came to visit me late at night just to ask me this boring question?"

"Can't you?"

"Okay." Liu Xunyi smiled carefreely and said, "Actually, after the martial arts conference, I'm not the only one who wants to leave. As I expected, the young king of Qin is also waiting for the result of the martial arts conference, right?"

Xunzhen smiled but said nothing, as if waiting for Liu Xunyi to continue.

"If the Palace Master lives up to everyone's expectations and wins the title of Wulin Alliance Leader, I think the Young Qin King will show up in person to discuss important matters with him, and you won't have to pass on the message." Liu Xunyi stared at Xunzhen and said with a half-smile, "If the Palace Master unfortunately loses, there is no need for you to stay. You might as well return to the Western Regions as soon as possible. But I am very curious, why did the Young Qin King help the Palace Master so wholeheartedly? Is it... just to take revenge on Jin Fuyu, a descendant of the Jin Kingdom?"

"You have already guessed a lot." Xunzhen neither admitted nor denied, and said with a smile, "We are Liao people, so we are naturally hostile to the Jin people. We can support the Northern Sage King and attack Jin Fuyu at the same time, killing two birds with one stone, so why not do it?"

"I understand dealing with Jin Fuyu, but why support the Northern Sage King?" "Looking at the Central Plains martial arts world, it seems that only the Northern Sage King can contend with Jin Fuyu." Xunzhen answered seriously, "More importantly, only the Northern Sage King has the courage and ambition to contend with Jin Fuyu. When the Young Qin Prince makes friends, he values ​​ambition and courage. As for those cowardly rats who muddle through and follow the crowd, they are not qualified to be the Young Qin Prince's friends, let alone deserve our help."

"Courage is nothing surprising. Ambition is your real purpose." Liu Xunyi probed, "I don't believe that the ambition of the young king of Qin is just to deal with a small Jinjianwu."

Hearing this, Xunzhen's smile became even more intriguing, and he pretended to be curious and asked, "Anything else?"

"What do you think?" Liu Xunyi asked instead of answering, with the same gleam in his eyes.

The two looked at each other without saying a word. After a moment, they both smiled strangely at the same time.

"When will Lord Liu be reinstated? Or... are you unwilling to give up the position of Black Handicap? In other words, you are unwilling to give up your hard-earned status in the martial arts world today."

Liu Xunyi said self-deprecatingly, "Fate is determined by heaven. How can you decide whether you are willing or not? Are you willing to give it up?" Suddenly, his expression became serious and he said bluntly, "Tell me! What do you want to see me about tonight?"

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Liu Xunyi was stunned, looking confused.

"This morning, Lord Luo gave me a task. Therefore, I cannot attend the martial arts conference with you, but have to go somewhere else."

"where to?"

"Go south." Xunzhen said bluntly, answering every question, "Jingjiang Prefecture."

"Jingjiang Mansion..." Liu Xunyi pondered for a moment and suddenly realized, "The mansion master wants to take advantage of the martial arts conference and the emptiness of Jinjianwu to take revenge on Jin Fuyu?"

"Jin Fuyu was so focused on participating in the martial arts conference that he would never have expected someone to cut off his escape route." Xunzhen nodded and said, "I will only bring the Western Region experts with me. No one from the Xianwang Mansion will accompany us, so we will not be noticed by the spies of Jinjianwu along the way."

Liu Xunyi seemed to be thinking about something, and said with emotion: "Jin Fuyu has caused so much harm to the Xianwang Mansion. Given the character of the Mansion Master, he will never swallow this breath. Before, I was wondering why the Mansion Master was so slow to act, it turns out that he had a plan in advance."

"After the Dragon Boat Festival, Jin Fuyu will know that his crime has been exposed and will definitely strengthen his defenses. Therefore, if we act hastily, we will not be able to avenge ourselves, but will fall into Jin Fuyu's trap." Xunzhen said with a smile, "Haste makes waste, and Lord Luo knows this very well. Therefore, he has been patient until today. Jin Fuyu expected that Lord Luo would devote all his energy to the martial arts conference, and Jin Jianwu would inevitably be careless in its defenses. Lord Luo personally acted as bait to attract Jin Fuyu's attention in Huashan, and secretly sent me to attack Jin Jianwu by surprise and catch him off guard."

"Liao and Jin are enemies for generations. The Palace Master has given you this mission. I'm sure you will not refuse."

"I can help Lord Luo get revenge, and at the same time vent my anger, isn't that the best of both worlds?" Xunzhen gave an irrefutable smile.

"When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." I don't know why? Xunzhen was unusually frank tonight, and chuckled, "Tomorrow, you go west to Huashan, and I go south to Jingjiang. No matter whether we succeed or fail, I'm afraid it will be difficult to go back to the past. Therefore, after tonight, you and I will go our separate ways."

Xunzhen's words were lighthearted, but Liu Xunyi's heart sank when he heard them. He naturally understood what Xunzhen meant, so he nodded slowly and said, "After we part tonight, I wonder if we will ever meet again in this life?"

"Even if we meet, we may not be friends anymore." Xunzhen said with a smile, "I'm saying goodbye to you before I leave, so it's worth our acquaintance."

At this moment, her smile was less cunning and more sincere and open.

Ever since the two met, they have been testing each other, guarding against each other, fighting openly and secretly, and each having their own ulterior motives.

In the past, their laughter and chatter were mostly just for show and flattery. It was not until this moment of parting that they could finally speak a few sincere words to each other.

"Even if we meet, we may not be friends anymore..." Liu Xunyi muttered to himself, with mixed feelings in his heart, and smiled bitterly, "Yes! Before the martial arts conference, you and I had the same goal, to assist the Northern Sage King wholeheartedly and help him achieve his hegemony in the martial arts world. Therefore, we supported each other and helped each other out. However, you and I are not on the same path after all, we just serve different masters. After the martial arts conference, you have your intentions and I have mine. It is inevitable that there will be differences and gaps between you and me, and even... mutual hostility."

Having said this, Liu Xunyi's face darkened and he sighed, "Xunzhen, if that day really comes, will you... really become my enemy?"

Xunzhen looked at Liu Xunyi with complicated eyes, and said helplessly: "You just said that fate is determined by heaven. How can we decide whether we are willing or not?"

Perhaps the atmosphere was too solemn, Xunzhen suddenly changed the subject and asked jokingly: "Do you still remember the three rules we agreed on?"

"Of course." Liu Xunyi recalled the past scenes and couldn't help but smile. "First, if you don't expose my identity, I won't stop the alliance between Shao Qin Wang and Bei Xian Wang. Second, you and I will be honest with each other and support each other when encountering problems. Third, as long as you don't murder Bei Xian Wang, I will do my best to protect you."

"However, time flies by, and the past events seem to be right before my eyes." Xunzhen said with emotion, "No matter what, the three rules still apply tonight, and you and I are still friends at this moment. Lord Liu, as a friend, I wish you to complete the emperor's order as soon as possible, retire with honor, and gain both fame and fortune!"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi slowly stood up, bowed to Xunzhen and said, "As a friend, I also wish Miss Xunzhen a successful start and a fulfilled mission!"

After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled, and the haze in their hearts disappeared.

Bright moon, fresh breeze, a pot of good wine, toasts and happy conversation, just like usual.

Unfortunately, on one side is the Western Liao Shaoqin King, and on the other side is the Song Dynasty court, both want to succeed immediately. But unfortunately... there is only one Northern Sage King.

……

　Xunzhen is really smart. After Liu Xunyi has gone through so many things, he has become more and more scheming. The cooperation between the two in the Western Regions and Jiangzhou was perfect and invincible, which frightened their opponents. But if they no longer join forces in the future, but become opponents, who will be better in a battle of wits and courage?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)