Chapter 513: Expedient Measures
Xiao Zhirou's words were like thousands of arrows piercing his heart. At this moment, the pain in Luo Tianjin's heart was far greater than the injuries on his body.

Deeply disappointed, Luo Tianjin looked at the cold Xiao Zhirou with complicated eyes. He wanted to say something several times but stopped himself. Finally, he let out a silent sigh and then staggered back into the chair like a walking corpse.

"Let's talk about... why you came here today!"

Luo Tianjin, who was facing internal and external troubles, seemed unwilling to make trouble for himself on the issue of feelings, so he changed the subject and said absentmindedly: "As I expected, you are here to plead for Yun Zhuiyue, right?"

"Yes, but not entirely." Xiao Zhirou took a deep breath, quickly hiding the tears in her eyes, turned around and looked straight at the pale-faced Luo Tianjin, and said calmly, "Now that you are the leader of the martial arts world, you must be arrogant and look down on everyone else. Longxiang Mountain and Xianwang Mansion have been at odds for many years, and Yun Zhuiyue has repeatedly disrespected you. Although you keep saying that you are based on benevolence and righteousness, based on my understanding of you, you will definitely find an excuse to deal with Longxiang Mountain and put Yun Zhuiyue to death in the future. Right?"

Under Xiao Zhirou's aggressive gaze, Luo Tianjin snorted with self-deprecating laughter for no reason, and asked instead, "You came to plead for Yun Zhuiyue. Was it your idea? Or Yun Zhuiyue's idea?"

"You seem to be saying something else?" Xiao Zhirou looked cautious.

Luo Tianjin was very secretive and answered the question irrelevantly: "You and I both know Yun Zhuiyue's true identity. As long as he is alive, he will be my enemy. Similarly, if I don't eliminate a powerful enemy who is unteachable and wants to kill me at any time, I will live in fear."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhirou's heart sank, and she hesitated, "Now, you are already the supreme master of the martial arts world. No matter how powerful Yun Zhuiyue is, he is definitely not your opponent. Can you... put aside the past grudges and let him go?"

"can!"

Luo Tianjin agreed without hesitation, which made Xiao Zhirou stunned. She asked suspiciously, "Really?"

"Every word is true."

"Why?" Xiao Zhirou asked puzzledly, "Isn't he your biggest worry?"

"So what?" Luo Tianjin's injury relapsed, and he felt weak, but he still forced a smile, "No one in the world has the right to ask me to let him go, except you. As long as you ask, I will agree to everything."

"you……"

Luo Tianjin's words showed his love for Xiao Zhirou. This made Xiao Zhirou feel mixed emotions and lost.

"I know that Shen Dongshan wrote you a secret letter, saying that Yun Zhuiyue was secretly colluding with the Mongols." Xiao Zhirou explained, "But I pleaded for Yun Zhuiyue, not with the intention of shielding him, but because he has come to his senses and wants to make amends."

Luo Tianjin seemed to have expected this, so he didn't show any surprise. He just smiled and nodded as a response.

Luo Tianjin's performance was too calm, which made Xiao Zhirou a little overwhelmed. She hesitated and asked, "Aren't you curious about how he can make up for his mistakes?"

"I don't believe Yun Zhuiyue, but I believe you."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhirou frowned slightly and added, "Under my father's teachings, Yun Zhuiyue has made up his mind to change his past and will no longer have anything to do with the Mongols in the future."

After that, Xiao Zhirou took out a jade bottle from her waist, placed it in front of Luo Tianjin, and explained, "Jiang Yiwei was injured by Master Tang Xuan and his apprentice last night and was poisoned. This is the antidote, and it is also Yun Zhuiyue's sincerity in giving in."

"If you know your mistakes and can correct them, there is no greater good."

Luo Tianjin's eyes swept lightly over the jade bottle, his expression remained calm, neither surprised nor happy.

This move made Xiao Zhirou feel dissatisfied. She thought Luo Tianjin's attitude was arrogant and his words were perfunctory, so she said angrily: "Not only that, he also personally killed the Mongolian spy who came up the mountain to deliver the message."

Luo Tianjin secretly said "As expected" in his heart, and at the same time, a cunning light flashed in his eyes. He pretended to be surprised and said: "Is there such a thing? I wonder what news the Mongolian spy passed on to him?"

"The content of the letter is not important. What is important is that Yun Zhuiyue has decided to turn from evil to good and help you through this difficult time."

Xiao Zhirou's words hit the nail on the head, causing Luo Tianjin's calm heart to finally begin to stir.

"Right now, the Mongolian army has surrounded Huashan. How... does he plan to help me?" Luo Tianjin asked tentatively.

"At midnight tonight, you must gather everyone to quietly descend the mountain through the dangerous southeast road and carefully lie in wait in Luoyan Valley. When the signal arrow is launched, you must quickly leave the valley and leave Huashan. The farther you go, the better..."

"and many more!"

Before he finished speaking, Luo Tianjin suddenly frowned and interrupted, "Is this Yun Zhuiyue's plan, or your arrangement?"

"What's the difference?"

"Of course it's different!" Luo Tianjin said, "If this was your arrangement, I would definitely believe it. But if it was Yun Zhuiyue's plan..." Luo Tianjin hesitated to speak, but the hidden meaning was self-evident.

Xiao Zhirou was very smart and naturally understood Luo Tianjin's concerns, so she got straight to the point and said, "This is my plan, and it is also the only way for you to escape from Huashan smoothly." "So, Sui Zuo left a way out for Yun Zhuiyue in the southeast direction?"

Who is Luo Tianjin? In a moment, he had guessed the content of Sui Zuo's letter from Xiao Zhirou's words, and said thoughtfully: "As for the time of departure, it will be midnight tonight."

Xiao Zhirou and Luo Tianjin looked at each other, their eyes sparkling. Was she impressed by Luo Tianjin's intelligence? Or was she annoyed by his lack of trust in her? After a long silence, she uttered a word: "Yes."

"If they only let Yun Zhuiyue and the Longxiang Mountain disciples go, there should be no need to mobilize a large number of troops." Luo Tianjin analyzed, "If my guess is correct, Sui Zuo should be guarding the pass himself, or he should send his trusted men to wait for Yun Zhuiyue to lead his men down the mountain, and then let them go on the spot."

Facing Luo Tianjin's mumbling, Xiao Zhirou neither agreed nor refuted, but just stared at him quietly with an expressionless face.

"There are so many people on Mount Huashan, and there are so many experts, so it is impossible for the Mongolian army to set up only one line of defense around Mount Huashan." Luo Tianjin gently stroked his chin with his hand, and said thoughtfully, "The relationship between the Mongolians and Yun Zhuiyue is very secretive, so it is impossible for everyone in the Mongolian army to know Yun Zhuiyue. In this case, if Yun Zhuiyue wants to pass through the many lines of defense safely, he must confirm his identity with the Mongolian soldiers he meets along the way, so there should be a token, or... a code."

Having said this, an inexplicable gleam of light flashed quietly in Xiao Zhirou's eyes, as if she was moved by Luo Tianjin's meticulous thoughts.

"The Mongolian spy followed Pang Xiaohu and his group to Mount Huashan. If he carried any strange objects, he would be easily exposed. Therefore, I guess Sui Zuo must have brought a secret code to Yun Zhuiyue to pass through." Luo Tianjin was confident and said with a smile, "Rou'er, I wonder if my guess is right?"

"You are very smart, but I didn't intend to hide it from you." Xiao Zhirou replied calmly, "Yes, there is a secret code."

"What is it?"

"No matter what the code is, it can't help thousands of people out of trouble." Xiao Zhirou shook her head and said, "The Mongolian soldiers are not fools. Don't expect a code to help the martial arts sects escape."

Luo Tianjin smiled bitterly and nodded, "That's right! You asked us to lie dormant in Luoyan Valley and flee quickly when the signal arrows are launched. As I expected, Yun Zhuiyue wanted to go down the mountain first, capture Sui Zuo when he saw him, and then force him to transfer the southeastern garrison away, so as to open the door for the heroes to escape. Is that right?"

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Of course not! Yun Zhuiyue has scales on his belly and has ulterior motives. You and Chief Teng are willing to believe his sweet words, but I dare not risk the lives of heroes in the world and trust a traitor who helps the tyrant to commit atrocities."

"you……"

"If I let him go down the mountain first, what if he turns against us after seeing Sui Zuo? Then the Mongolian army will encircle Luoyan Valley. Wouldn't we, the fellow martial artists, be trapped?" Luo Tianjin did not give Xiao Zhirou a chance to argue, and said directly, "Once imprisoned, heroes in the world will only have one way to go, death, and no way to survive."

"My father and I stayed in the mountains as hostages. Isn't that enough to gain your trust?" Xiao Zhirou said unhappily.

"Rou'er, I have no suspicion of you and Chief Teng. But does Yun Zhuiyue really care about your life or death?" Luo Tianjin advised earnestly, "From the moment he colluded with the Mongols, he has been obsessed with greed and is hopeless. This kind of person is selfish and greedy, and will do anything to achieve his goals. Even you and Chief Teng... will become his stepping stones."

"Selfish and greedy, unscrupulous?" Xiao Zhirou sneered, "It's really ironic that you said these words!"

"Yun Zhuiyue is smiling but has a dagger hidden in his heart. I just don't want you to be deceived by him." Luo Tianjin's eyes darkened and he said stubbornly, "Besides, I can't gamble with the lives of thousands of people..."

Xiao Zhirou said impatiently: "What do you mean? Just tell me!"

Luo Tianjin's expression changed, and he refused in an unquestionable tone: "Rou'er, it's not that I don't believe in your good intentions, I just don't believe in Yun Zhuiyue's promise. Right now, he is our only hope to get out of this predicament, so I must keep him in my sight and never let him leave!"

Hearing this, Xiao Zhirou narrowed her eyes slightly, and with a deep gaze that could penetrate people's hearts, she quietly examined Luo Tianjin, who was in a complicated state of mind. After a long silence, she suddenly smiled contemptuously and said sarcastically: "Luo Tianjin is always Luo Tianjin, always likes to think that others are as hypocritical as himself."

"What?" Luo Tianjin was shocked and looked stunned.

"But you are wrong this time!" Xiao Zhirou ignored Luo Tianjin's surprise and said, "Yun Zhuiyue is not you, nor is she as despicable and shameless as you. You are judging others by your own standards."

"What do you mean?" Being ridiculed by his beloved woman, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but feel ashamed and angry, and his tone became a little angry, "How can I become a villain? How can he, Yun Zhuiyue, be considered a gentleman?"

"To tell you the truth, Yun Zhuiyue will not leave the mountain early. He will advance and retreat with you all until we reach Luoyan Valley." Xiao Zhirou said coldly, "In this way, you don't have to doubt that he will pretend to build a plank road while secretly attacking Chencang."

"He won't come down the mountain?" Luo Tianjin frowned and pondered, "How can we break the impasse? Could it be..."

Before he finished speaking, Luo Tianjin's mind suddenly lit up, and his eyes immediately changed. He looked at Xiao Zhirou, who looked indifferent, in disbelief, and said excitedly: "I thought you were just Yun Zhuiyue's lobbyist, but I didn't expect that you would be willing to take risks for him..."

"That's right! Tonight I will go down the mountain for Yun Zhuiyue, hold Sui Zuo hostage, and force him to withdraw his troops." Xiao Zhirou straightened her beautiful eyes and said bluntly, "But the Luo Alliance will remember this credit to Yun Zhuiyue. Let him make amends for his mistakes, and don't use public power for personal gain and plot revenge in the future."

……

(End of this chapter)