Chapter 436: The Heart of Decadence (Part )

"In fact, I have always had a puzzle in my heart, and I hope you can answer it."

Seeing that Liu Xunyi didn't answer the question, Teng Sanshi was stunned and subconsciously asked, "What's the matter?"

"Senior and the Northern Sage King..." Liu Xunyi hesitated, as if he was hesitant, "Is there any conflict between them?"

As soon as these words came out, Teng Sanshi's tiger eyes suddenly widened, and instead of answering, he asked: "Why do you say that?"

"I found that the senior and the Northern Sage King had met several times, and there was a lot of hostility in their words." Liu Xunyi said intermittently, "On the other hand, the Northern Sage King was extremely respectful to the senior. He didn't care even if the senior said...offensive things, and even pretended that nothing happened. From what I know about the Northern Sage King, it is not his nature to be ashamed and endure humiliation. So I boldly speculate, is there some kind of grudge between the senior and the Northern Sage King? Or, does the Northern Sage King owe the senior...something?"

Before he finished speaking, Teng Sanshi waved his hands impatiently and said, "Luo Tianjin is a despicable and shameless villain. I don't want to associate with such a person, that's all."

"Despicable and shameless?" Liu Xunyi knew that Teng Sanshi was deliberately evading the question, so he asked unwillingly, "Why do you have such a prejudice against the Northern Sage King?"

"This……"

Facing Liu Xunyi's questioning, Teng Sanshi was speechless. Seeing that Liu Xunyi still refused to give up, he simply waved his hand and said angrily: "Last night, I let Qin Ku go because of what you said. Today I called you here to ask for the favor back, not to satisfy your curiosity. Boy, don't turn the tables!"

Teng Sanshi's strong reaction shocked Liu Xunyi, who quickly apologized, "I am being rude, senior. Please forgive me."

"Forget it!" Teng Sanshi urged, "You haven't answered my question yet. Where have you seen that ancient zither engraved with the Teng tribe's totem?"

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Xunyi reluctantly said, "Jueqing Valley, Liushang Ferry."

"Desolate Valley?"

Teng Sanshi's face suddenly changed, and the anger just now disappeared in an instant, replaced by a deep sense of shock. However, Liu Xunyi seemed to see a trace of indescribable entanglement and longing in his eyes.

"Are you sure that the pattern on the guqin is exactly the same as the pattern on the jewelry of the women of my Teng tribe?" Teng Sanshi asked tentatively.

"If they were not exactly the same, how could I dare to speak so carelessly?"

"That is to say..." Teng Sanshi didn't care about Liu Xunyi's explanation at all. He muttered to himself with a complicated look in his eyes, "That is to say... the owner of the guqin is... is..."

"Master Jueqing Valley, Xiao Zhirou!" Liu Xunyi looked at Teng Sanshi with curiosity, the confusion in his heart becoming more and more intense.

"Xiao Zhirou... Xiao Zhirou..." Teng Sanshi completely ignored Liu Xunyi's suspicious look, as if he was completely immersed in his own memories. He kept muttering, "Could it really be her? Could she really be Rou'er..."

"Rou'er?"

Liu Xunyi was not unfamiliar with this name. In the past, Granny Taohua also called Xiao Zhirou "Rou'er".

Looking at the sculpture-like Teng Sanshi, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but have a lot of thoughts in his mind: "Grandma Taohua regards Xiao Zhirou as her granddaughter, so she calls her 'Rou'er', which is a nickname between grandparents and grandchildren. But Patriarch Teng has no contact with Xiao Zhirou, why does he also call her 'Rou'er? What does 'Rou'er' mean to him?"

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi suddenly thought of Luo Tianjin's special care for Xiao Zhirou, and became more and more puzzled: "The Palace Master and Xiao Zhirou are entangled, and the Teng clan leader has always been resentful of the Palace Master. Now the Teng clan leader calls Xiao Zhirou "Rou'er". Between the three of them... is there any unknown relationship?"

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi once again cast his hesitant gaze at Teng Sanshi who was in a trance.

When he vaguely saw some tenderness and kindness in Teng Sanshi's old eyes, his pupils suddenly froze and an extremely bold idea suddenly emerged in his mind.

"This look, this tone, this expression... is very similar to the look on King Beixian's face when he learned that Luo Hongxuan still had a chance of survival." Liu Xunyi secretly speculated, "Could it be that... Chief Teng and Xiao Zhirou... are the long-lost father and daughter? King Beixian abandoned her after having an affair with her, and Xiao Zhirou turned from love to hatred, so Jueqing Valley and the Xianwang Mansion have been irreconcilable for many years. And Chief Teng, out of love for his daughter, resented King Beixian..."

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi suddenly found that the many confusions that had been lingering in his heart were solved. The chaotic situation and complicated relationships among the three families seemed to become logical and reasonable.

"A tortuous and bizarre story must have happened more than 20 years ago." Liu Xunyi suddenly realized and was deeply moved.

The two of them were silent for a long time, each with their own thoughts.

Teng Sanshi gradually woke up from his deep thoughts. Seeing Liu Xunyi's strange look of wanting to say something but not being able to, he could not help but frown and asked, "What do you want to say?"

"I...it's nothing..." After hesitating for a long time, Liu Xunyi finally did not speak.

"What happened today is known only to heaven and earth, and only to you and me." Teng Sanshi's face straightened and he said in a deep voice, "Besides this, I don't want any third person to know, especially... Luo Tianjin."

"I will keep my mouth shut."

"Very good!" Teng Sanshi calmed down and pretended to be calm, and said, "Now you and I don't owe each other anything, and the Teng clan will not cause trouble for Qin Ku in the future."

Liu Xunyi felt relieved and looked happy.

"Since we are destined to meet, I will advise you again. Luo Tianjin is definitely not a good man. You must not get too close to him. Even if you are from the Xianwang Mansion, you still have to stay away from him. Only in this way can you save your life."

Facing Teng Sanshi's advice, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but recall the past events that happened in Hexi Qin Mansion on August 2 last year. Then he smiled bitterly and nodded vaguely, "Thank you for your teachings, senior." "Don't think that just because you are Luo Tianjin's prospective son-in-law, he will treat you sincerely." Teng Sanshi sneered, "This man is cold-blooded and selfish, which is rare in the world. Not to mention you, even his wife and children will be forgotten when he has no choice. In the heart of such a person, nothing is as great as himself, and anyone who goes against his interests will inevitably become his stepping stone. To him, feelings are just a joke."

As if it had hit the nail on the head, Teng Sanshi's facial features became unusually ferocious when he said this.

"Humans are not plants or trees, so who can be heartless?" Liu Xunyi said with a wry smile, "I believe that even the most selfish person in the world has a love that is worth his all, and the same is true for the Northern Sage King..."

"Forget it! Take care of yourself!" Teng Sanshi waved his hands with disdain and said unhappily, "You can leave now."

"Excuse me!"

……

There was no conversation all day until dusk. Mount Hua was brightly lit and full of people.

At this time, all the major martial arts sects and the chivalrous knights who received the invitation had already gone up the mountain. Under the arrangement of the Dongshan Chamber of Commerce, they settled down in various courtyards and rooms on the mountain.

Shen Dongshan is worthy of being the richest businessman in the Song Dynasty. In just one year, he renovated Huashan, which had been abandoned for many years, and made it look brand new.

Not only did they restore many of the Huashan Sect's buildings, but they also expanded hundreds of new courtyards and rooms. They also made proper arrangements for the food and drink expenses of the heroes from all directions.

The top of Mount Huashan is the Sword Discussion Arena, which is so large that it can accommodate thousands of people.

With the Lunjian Arena as the center, courtyards and houses were built extending to the east, south, west and north respectively, thus dividing the architectural layout of the mountain into four major areas, also known as the "four directions".

In each direction, the closer to the Sword Arena, the larger the building is, which also implies the higher the status in the martial arts world.

The four directions of east, south, west and north are all the same. From the sword arena downwards, there are four three-entry villas, each of which consists of a hall, a living room, a corridor, a main room, a side room, a kitchen, a toilet, etc., which can accommodate more than 30 people for food and accommodation, just like a small mansion. This place is exclusively for the first-class martial arts sects in the martial arts world to stay, regardless of whether they are righteous or evil.

Behind the villa are ten houses with their own doors and courtyards, as well as kitchens and toilets, each of which can accommodate ten people. Although the people who can live here are not as powerful as the heroes living in the villa, they are also well-known figures in the martial arts world, mostly from martial arts families and second-rate sects.

Behind the house, there are three rows of side rooms extending downward in the shape of a "川" character, built against the mountain, with at least 30 to 50 rooms in each row, and as many as 70 to 80 rooms. Each room can accommodate three to five people, so it is a place for third-rate sects and wandering knights. There are no separate kitchens or toilets here, so people have to eat and use the same food in the dining halls and toilets interspersed between the side rooms.

According to their status in the martial arts world, the owner of the East-facing First Garden is Luo Tianjin. The owner of the West-facing First Garden is Jin Fuyu. The owner of the North-facing First Garden is Abbot Xuanming. The owner of the South-facing First Garden is Taoist Qingfeng.

However, Liu Xunyi had an agreement with Shen Dongshan in advance that out of consideration for Ren Wuya's health, he gave up the Eastward Courtyard and let Ren Wuya and the disciples of Yulong Palace move in.

Luo Tianjin led the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion to live in the Nanxiang Second Garden, which was located behind Wudang.

This move caused quite a stir among the martial arts heroes. It seemed to indirectly confirm that the relationship between Luo Tianjin and Ren Wuya was extraordinary, which made people think a lot.

Now, the Qin family, the Tang clan, and the Lu mansion live in the west, and their relationship with Jin Fuyu is obvious.

The Teng, Qingcheng, and Emei tribes lived in the north, behind Shaolin.

Kunlun and Kongtong are located to the south, behind Wudang and Xianwangfu.

As for the east, there are Jade Dragon Palace, Peach Blossom Sword Island, Dragon Elephant Mountain, and Jueqing Valley, which have become the territory of the pagan martial arts world.

Tonight, Huashan ushers in the long-lost bustle and bustle.

Friends who have not seen each other for a long time gather together to drink and reminisce about the past, talking about the world, having a great time.

Jin Fu Yu held a grand banquet and invited all the heroes to continue the friendship that had not been completed last night.

The Shaolin and Wudang gardens were also crowded with visitors coming in groups.

Kunlun and Kongtong each had their own guests, and even on Peach Blossom Sword Island, many people tried to make friends with "Wulin Hou".

In comparison, the Prince Xian’s Mansion seemed a little deserted tonight.

Although there were many visitors, they didn't stay long. They just exchanged a few pleasantries and then left in a hurry. There were only a few people who could really calm down and talk to Luo Tianjin from the heart.

This scene is completely different from the lively scene of the past with many guests and friends.

The fickleness of human nature and the cruelty of the world are fully and utterly displayed in this world.

……

(End of this chapter)