Chapter 426: Night Talk between Father-in-law and Son-in-law
"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Palace Master, Taoist Qingfeng is here."

"squeak!"

Before Xie Xuantong finished his report, the door opened.

When Luo Tianjin saw that Qingfeng was the only one outside the door, he was stunned at first, but then under Xie Xuan's indescribable strange look, he suddenly understood. At that moment, a bitter feeling arose spontaneously.

Tonight is the first time Luo Tianjin and Qingfeng meet since the Dragon Boat Festival, so they both have very complicated feelings.

"Dad, please come in. I have made a pot of good tea for you."

While letting Qingfeng into the room, Luo Tianjin ordered Xie Xuan to guard outside the door and not allow anyone to disturb him.

After closing the door, Luo Tianjin respectfully served Qingfeng a cup of fragrant tea, but he stood aside, nodding his head without saying a word. He looked nervous and reserved, like a junior who had made a mistake and was ready to listen to teachings from his elders.

Qingfeng is not only Luo Tianjin's father-in-law, but also his master and the benefactor who helped him to become a successful person.

Therefore, no matter how glorious Luo Tianjin is today, or how respected his status in the martial arts world is, he is still a junior in front of Qingfeng.

When there were outsiders present, the two of them sat on equal terms and treated each other with respect. But when they met alone, Luo Tianjin was still as respectful to his mentor as he was in the past.

The fragrance of tea was so refreshing. Unfortunately, facing such a cup of good tea, Qingfeng had no interest in tasting it.

After a long silence, Qingfeng finally broke the awkwardness, sighed, and said softly: "Xuan'er's injury...has it improved?"

"I have invited Granny Peach Blossom, the 'world's number one doctor', to the Xianwang Mansion. With her help, Xuan'er's life is safe." Luo Tianjin said, "Also, Xiaoxiao is fine, Dad doesn't need to worry."

"That's good." Qingfeng said with regret, "It's a pity that Xuan'er, such a good kid, actually... Alas!"

Mentioning Luo Hongxuan's injury, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart, and said: "I am now fully committed to training Yu'er, and I hope she can live up to everyone's expectations and take over Xuan'er's important responsibilities as soon as possible."

"Yu'er is a girl after all." Qingfeng said helplessly, "How can you bear to let a weak woman get involved in the ups and downs of the martial arts world?"

"If it weren't for the situation, I wouldn't want to drag Yu'er into this. The Xianwang Mansion cannot be left without a successor, and it can't fall into the hands of outsiders. Right now, I can only find a suitable husband for Yu'er, so that she can keep this family business for her."

Qingfeng's eyes moved, and he asked curiously, "Do you have a candidate?"

"Liu Xunyi." Luo Tianjin answered truthfully, "This boy is brave and resourceful, and is good at both civil and military affairs. He is a rare young talent. Most importantly, Yu'er is infatuated with him. If the two of them can get married, they will surely be able to live in harmony and treat each other sincerely."

"You want to recruit Liu Xunyi as your son-in-law?"

"What do you think, Dad?"

Qingfeng pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly and said, "Although this boy is of humble origin, the Xianwang Mansion is rich and powerful, and we don't want anything from him. As long as he is sincere to Yu'er, it is worth considering."

"Dad is right."

Having said this, the room fell silent again. Qingfeng absentmindedly sipped his tea, while Luo Tianjin had a hesitant look in his eyes, as if he was struggling with something.

"Tianjin." After a moment, Qingfeng suddenly put down the teacup and said bluntly, "Do you have something to ask? If it's about the change of mind at the last minute..."

"I already know about this. It was Yuwen Xiu who used the power of the court to do things in secret. Dad can't be blamed." Luo Tianjin continued, "The six leaders and the four family heads just followed the trend. It was a wise move."

"I am very pleased that you can understand." Qingfeng said with a smile, "In fact, we are just embarrassed to take direct action due to the face of the court. Don't worry, we have reached an agreement with Yuwen Xiu. If he fails in the martial arts conference, we can send our disciples to help him."

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin's eyes narrowed and he asked, "So, the other sect leaders and family heads are the same?"

"We are just giving the court some face and promising not to stand in Yuwen Xiu's way." Qingfeng said, "But if Yuwen Xiu doesn't live up to his expectations, I believe the court will have nothing to say if we intervene again."

"It is so." Luo Tianjin thought, "In that case, only by getting rid of Yuwen Xiu first can I break free and seek strong support." "Not only you think so, Jin Fuyu also thinks so." Qingfeng reminded, "You want to use Jin Fuyu to get rid of Yuwen Xiu, and Jin Fuyu also wants you and Yuwen Xiu to fight each other to lose, so that he can reap the benefits. In this game of chess of the martial arts conference, you have me and I have you. If you make a wrong move, the whole game will be lost. Tianjin, I don't want you to fall into the trap and lose everything, so you must be careful at every step."

There was something else in Qingfeng's words, which made Luo Tianjin stunned. He asked suspiciously, "Dad, do you have something to say to me?"

Qingfeng's expression changed slightly, and after hesitating for a while, he said meaningfully: "Tianjin, you are no longer the same as before. There are some things I shouldn't say. But since you call me 'Dad', I can't abandon you. It's really... really a dilemma."

Luo Tianjin's expression straightened, and he said respectfully: "You are not only my father-in-law, but also Tianjin's mentor. You can tell me anything. Even if you point your finger at me and scold me, Tianjin will never complain. What I fear most is that you and your disciple will become alienated and have a rift. Dad, if you want to help me, please speak frankly."

Qingfeng frowned slightly and sighed, "I am your 'father', how can I not help you? But you should know that after the Dragon Boat Festival, the reputation of the Xianwang Mansion plummeted, and even your reputation as the 'Northern Xianwang'... is also declining. First, you were entangled in rumors with the master of Jueqing Valley, and then Zhongli Wanying hanged herself in the Xianwang Mansion out of shame and anger, causing the righteous martial arts world to criticize you. At this moment, instead of expecting others to help you, why not think about how to save your face? If the reputation of the Xianwang Mansion in the martial arts world is getting worse and worse, and you are still unable to turn the tide, even if I want to save you, I am afraid I will be powerless. Tianjin, do you understand what I mean?"

Qingfeng's words were rather obscure, which made Luo Tianjin feel that something was wrong, so he asked, "Please explain it to me, Dad."

"Tianjin, you were raised by me, and you are the smartest and most motivated among my many disciples. If not for this, I would not have married Xiaoxiao to you. In fact, I originally intended to train you to be the future leader of Wudang Sect, but unfortunately you are not interested in this. You are unwilling to be inferior to others. You leave the ready-made Wudang 'legitimate son' and insist on establishing your own sect. What kind of 'virtuous king' do you want to be? As early as more than 20 years ago, I warned you that establishing a sect is not as simple as you think. Even if you become the Northern Wise King and control half of the martial arts world, what can you do? Once you make a wrong step, you will be beaten back to your original form overnight and become the target of public criticism. In the martial arts world, no matter what heroes and heroes, famous and upright sects, there are many precedents of 'a thousand years of practice lost in a day'. I don't want you to follow in their footsteps."

There were hidden meanings between the lines of Qingfeng's words. Luo Tianjin was full of doubts and asked for advice: "I just don't know...how should I choose to turn the tide?"

"The most urgent thing is that you should keep yourself clean, be close to virtuous officials, and stay away from villains."

"Oh?" Luo Tianjin's eyes lit up, and he asked again, "May I ask who is the wise minister? Who is the villain?"

"The Twelve Heroes of the Wulin are wise officials. The evil sects and heretics of the Wulin are villains." Qingfeng said bluntly, "But what you are doing now is exactly the opposite..."

"I……"

"Don't rush to explain." Qingfeng waved his hand to interrupt Luo Tianjin's explanation and continued, "The Hexi Qin family was a wise minister, but you confronted them because of the Yingchuan Pan family. Qingcheng and Emei were wise ministers, but you watched them make friends with Jin Fuyu and did nothing. Kunlun Sect was a wise minister, but you stopped them from dealing with Jueqing Valley in Jiangzhou. Kongtong Sect was a wise minister, but you failed to control your subordinates, causing the two families to break up. These are all your negligence and faults."

As Qingfeng spoke, he carefully observed Luo Tianjin's reaction. He saw that he looked solemn and thoughtful, and seemed to agree with his teachings.

"Besides, Jueqing Valley is a villain, but you are rumored to have an unclear emotional entanglement with Xiao Zhirou." At this point, Qingfeng's eyes suddenly straightened and whispered, "And Tianshan Yulong Palace, it is rumored that you sent people to the Western Regions to make friends with Ren Wuya. I wonder... is this true or false?"

"Hiss!" Luo Tianjin was secretly shocked, but he also understood that truth cannot be hidden, so he took the initiative to admit, "It is true."

"Stupid!" Qingfeng scolded, "Tianjin, you know that Yulong Palace is a heretical sect in the martial arts world, how can you have anything to do with it?"

"I want to use Ren Wuya to deal with Jin Fuyu." Luo Tianjin said, "Little did I know that if I didn't make friends with Ren Wuya, Jin Fuyu would win him over to his side. Then, wouldn't we have another powerful enemy?"

"But the fact is, you and Ren Wuya were in cahoots, but Jin Fuyu was not." Qingfeng looked ashamed and angry, and said, "Will the heroes of the world listen to your explanation? Ren Wuya is an old fox, how could he let you use him? You joined forces with him, which is tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger and burning yourself."

"I……"

"And more!" Qingfeng changed the subject and continued, "You secretly teamed up with the Young King of the Western Regions, recruited a group of masters from the Western Regions, and stirred up trouble in the Central Plains. A few months ago, the four great families, Qingcheng, and Emei were attacked one after another. It was these masters from the Western Regions who did it, right?"

"This..." Luo Tianjin was shocked and asked in surprise, "How did Dad know?"

"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself!" Qingfeng snorted angrily, then took out a nameless letter of denunciation from his sleeve and threw it in front of Luo Tianjin, saying in a deep voice, "This letter of denunciation clearly states that you, Ren Wuya, and Shao Qin Wang were secretly colluding. Why don't you admit it?"

"Where did this letter come from?"

"Someone put it in my guest room." Qingfeng said, "Not only me, but also Abbot Xuanming, Master Yin, Master Zhongli, and even all the masters and family heads who came to Huashan to participate in the martial arts conference, all had the same informant letter in their rooms. Tianjin, now you understand why I asked you to keep yourself clean. The most urgent thing is to restore your reputation?"

"Conspiracy!" Luo Tianjin said angrily, "Someone deliberately set a trap to make me feel unjust and unkind."

"Do you think the fight for the leader of the martial arts world is just a duel on the sword arena?" Qingfeng questioned, "Wrong! This fight for the leader started months ago. The undercurrent fighting between various forces hidden under the sword arena is far more dangerous, more cruel, and more unscrupulous than the life-and-death contest on the sword arena!"

……

(End of this chapter)