Chapter 558: One Merge, One Divide

The meeting in the central hall ended unpleasantly, and Luo Tianjin returned to the back hall still feeling angry.

"Brother Jin, they don't know your intentions, so they naturally don't understand your difficulties." Ling Xiaoxiao consoled, "As the saying goes, 'ignorance is not a crime'. They are also thinking about you and are worried about causing trouble. Don't blame them."

"I don't blame anyone, except Xie Xuan." Luo Tianjin's face was as dark as water, and he said unhappily, "Last night, Yeluqin and I had a secret meeting in the study, and Xie Xuan clearly heard everything clearly. It's understandable that Deng Changchuan and others don't understand my difficulties, but Xie Xuan... He knew my intentions, but he still contradicted me everywhere!"

"Maybe he has his own plans." Ling Xiaoxiao thought, "After all, Brother Jin didn't express his opinion last night, so Xie Xuan couldn't figure out what you were thinking. He didn't know if you were serious or just pretending in front of Yelu Qin and Xun Zhen..."

"Madam, you don't have to make excuses for him." Luo Tianjin interrupted, "Xie Xuan has followed me for many years, how could he not guess what I am thinking? In my opinion, he is pretending to be confused and deliberately embarrassing me."

"Will not……"

"Xie Xuan wants to see you!"

Suddenly, Xie Xuan's voice sounded from outside the hall, which surprised Luo Tianjin and Ling Xiaoxiao.

The two looked at each other, and a hint of relief flashed in Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes, but Luo Tianjin snorted coldly, his expression still cold.

"Xie Xuan wants to see you!"

Seeing that no one answered in the hall, Xie Xuan's voice rang out again.

"Brother Jin, if you don't even give him a chance to explain, how can you know what Xie Xuan is thinking?"

"Madam, you..."

"Let him in, you two can talk freely and open your hearts." Ling Xiaoxiao smiled gently and walked out of the hall very tactfully. "If Brother Jin wants to achieve great things for the next thousand years, Xie Xuan is indispensable. You two should have a good chat and stop acting like children."

After that, Ling Xiaoxiao did not give Luo Tianjin any more time to hesitate, and left the back hall, saying to Xie Xuan: "Brother Jin has been waiting for you for a long time, go in quickly!"

In and out, the two passed each other. Ling Xiaoxiao's back gradually disappeared from Luo Tianjin's sight, and in her place was Xie Xuan, who looked guilty and complicated.

"Master of the Palace..."

"Humph!"

Facing Luo Tianjin's indifference, Xie Xuan couldn't help but look embarrassed, and said hesitantly: "I'm here to apologize to the Palace Master. Just now in the hall, I shouldn't have contradicted him in public..."

"You still know?" Luo Tianjin said sternly, "You have always been smart and capable, why are you so stupid today? Can't you see what I am thinking at all?"

"The Palace Master has revealed his intentions, how could I not know?" Xie Xuan said with a wry smile, "The moment the Palace Master invited Yeluqin and Xunzhen to be his guests, I had guessed what was going on. I guess... the Palace Master has decided to accept the third gift from the Young Prince of Qin."

"Since you have already guessed everything, why are you trying to obstruct us in every possible way? Do you know that your momentary impatience has earned you the approval of Yan Bugui, Deng Changchuan and others, who just follow the crowd and say what others say?"

"I know that the words the mansion master scolded Huang Yulang were actually meant for me. However, the mansion master was concerned about my face and couldn't bear to speak frankly, so he used Huang Yulang as a scapegoat."

"That's enough!" Luo Tianjin waved his hands impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense. What are you thinking?"

"Actually...actually..." Xie Xuan hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't say the next word, as if he was unable to speak.

"Actually what?"

"In fact, I don't think it's a good thing for the Palace Master to be the Emperor of Central Plains."

"What?" Luo Tianjin was stunned and asked in astonishment, "You mean... you don't agree with me starting a rebellion?"

"Not bad!"

"Why?"

"Sitting in the imperial court is completely different from ruling the martial arts world." Xie Xuan sighed, "The country, the common people, government offices, laws and regulations, scholars, farmers, merchants, civil and military preparations, river engineering and transport, natural disasters, bandits, foreign invasions and diplomatic relations... Everything is extremely complicated and makes the emperor worried. It concerns the life and death of hundreds of millions of people. It is necessary to govern the country and defend against foreign aggression. It is definitely not as easy as the lord of the palace imagines, nor is it as carefree as the world yearns for. I am afraid that the emperor's suffering is far greater than the suffering of the people. The worries of the imperial court are far greater than the worries of the martial arts world."

"Do you think I don't have the talent to be an emperor?"

"Definitely not." Facing Luo Tianjin's doubt, Xie Xuan hurriedly explained, "Compared to the current emperor, the master of the palace is much more talented than him. But to become a good emperor respected by all people, only literary talent and martial arts and ambition are far from enough, but also need the right time, the right place, and the right people. If there are natural disasters year after year and bad luck, even the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor will find it difficult to rule the world, and the people will complain and curse. How can we talk about a peaceful and prosperous era? If the weather is good and the world is peaceful, even mediocre people can sit in the golden palace and live a safe life. Son of Heaven, Son of Heaven , a child of heaven, blessed by heaven. Otherwise, even if you work hard, you will not be able to accomplish anything, and will only leave yourself with a bad name for eternity. The master of the mansion is now the leader of the martial arts world, with fields stretching across the country, a fortune of millions, a reputation that spreads across the world, and a reputation that is known throughout the world. Although he is not an emperor, he is better than an emperor. In fact, I wonder how much freer he is than the current emperor? Why do you want to be a burden instead of enjoying your free life? I don’t want the master of the mansion to seek the far away, be blinded by the young king of Qin, and embark on a road of no return. "

Knowing Xie Xuan's thoughts, Luo Tianjin's expression gradually softened and the anger in his eyes disappeared completely.

"How could I not know what Brother Xie said? It's just that it happens to be a chaotic time, and the people are living in misery. If I don't stand up to punish the evil and maintain peace, the Han people's country... won't it be in danger? Relying on the Song Dynasty is nothing but a fool's dream. I really don't want to watch the Han people's country being destroyed. Brother Xie, you and I are both Han people. When our country is in trouble, can we really do nothing?"

"This..." Xie Xuan frowned, looking hesitant.

"I admit that I am ambitious and have the ambition to be an emperor." Luo Tianjin said righteously, "So what? Which founding emperor of any dynasty did not stand up in troubled times? I am just following the trend of the times and doing what I can. What's wrong with that? I understand your concerns. As long as the Song Dynasty survives, our uprising will be a rebellion and it will be difficult to win the support of the people. Therefore, I will not be foolish and rush to show my banner. I will patiently wait until the day when the Mongolian army goes south and Jin Fuyu rises up, and then stand up in the name of supporting the troubled times to clean up the mess. Right now, I am eager to establish a new order in the rivers and lakes, in order to accumulate strength for myself and avoid becoming a puppet of the young Qin King in the future. Brother Xie, it's okay if others don't understand me, but you are my closest brother, how can you not understand me?"

"I……"

"You and I are both over 40 years old. How many chances do we have to achieve hegemony in this life?" Luo Tianjin put his hand on Xie Xuan's shoulder, staring at the hesitant Xie Xuan with his deep eyes without blinking, and said earnestly, "Brother Xie, after twenty years of ups and downs, you have accompanied me to build the Xianwang Mansion, become the Northern Xianwang, and sit on the throne of the leader of the martial arts world. Today, I also hope that you can accompany me to leap over the dragon gate, create a great cause for thousands of years, and have eternal fame. Brother Xie, you are my Guan Zhong, my Le Yi, and my Zhang Liang. I, Luo Tianjin, can lose anyone, but I can never be without your help!"

"Palace Master!" Luo Tianjin's heartfelt words made Xie Xuan's eyes fill with tears of gratitude.

Suddenly, Xie Xuan knelt down in front of Luo Tianjin with a plop and said sincerely: "I, Xie Xuan, swear to heaven that I am willing to serve the Palace Master with all my heart and soul, even if it means death!"

"Thank you, Brother!" Under Xie Xuan's astonished gaze, Luo Tianjin resolutely knelt on the ground and swore, "I, Luo Tianjin, swear to heaven that I will share the joys and sorrows with you in this life and will never let you down."

After that, the two of them supported each other and slowly stood up. They looked into each other's eyes and suddenly laughed up to the sky with great enthusiasm.

……

"Bang, bang, bang!"

At noon, a low knock on the door broke the tranquility of the guest house.

"The food can be placed in the front hall, no need to deliver it to the room."

Xunzhen's voice came from the room, sounding a bit lazy.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

However, the only response she got was still a cold knock on the door.

"Food doesn't have to be delivered to the room..."

"squeak!"

There was a slight sound, and the door split open. When Xunzhen saw the person outside the door, the crisp sound stopped abruptly.

"Liu Zhishan, you... woo!"

Before Xunzhen could say anything, Liu Xunyi suddenly covered her mouth and nose with her hands, and at the same time stepped forward, forcing the frightened Xunzhen back into the room.

"boom!"

After entering the room, Liu Xunyi closed the door tightly with a "dragon's tail swing", and then lowered his right hand from Xunzhen's mouth and nose to his throat, and pinched it with five fingers, which immediately made Xunzhen's beautiful eyes widen, his face flushed, and he had difficulty breathing for a while.

Today, Liu Xunyi showed no mercy at all and attacked without mercy. If Xunzhen hadn't slapped Liu Xunyi's arms repeatedly, he might have strangled him to death.

Seeing Xunzhen's frowning brows and painful expression, Liu Xunyi could not help but snort coldly, and then pushed forward with force. Xunzhen leaned back and his body hit the wardrobe heavily, causing the wardrobe to tremble and rattle.

"Cough cough..."

Xunzhen coughed violently and incessantly. In just a short moment, he was already gasping for breath and sweating profusely.

However, before Xunzhen could open her mouth to question her, Liu Xunyi suddenly rushed forward and clamped her tightly between himself and the wardrobe.

Although there was a tiny gap, there was a difference between men and women after all, so Xunzhen curled up his body as tightly as possible against the wardrobe, not daring to move at all.

"Say!"

At this moment, Xunzhen could almost feel Liu Xunyi's hot breath. She didn't dare to confront him, but turned her head away in shame, leaving Liu Xunyi with a side profile of her fair, flawless, and creamy skin.

"Liu Xunyi, are you crazy? If Palace Master Luo knew about this, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to bear the consequences!"

"You used the art of disguise to disguise yourself as Miss Pan and stole the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' from Wu Chan. If the mansion master knows about this, you will not be able to bear the consequences! If you don't want to get yourself into trouble, confess the truth immediately."

"What a mess! What do you want me to confess?" Xunzhen was both embarrassed and annoyed. She wanted to struggle to get away, but Liu Xunyi's body was like a rock. No matter how hard she pushed with her hands, she could not push him away even a little bit.

"What's your real intention with Yeluqin?" Liu Xunyi said coldly, "Xunzhen, don't think I don't know what the young king of Qin is thinking. You just want to use the power of the mansion master in the Central Plains to help you make a comeback."

Hearing this, Xunzhen's face changed. She turned around suddenly, staring at Liu Xunyi with her beautiful eyes without any hesitation.

At this moment, the two were only a few inches apart and could clearly feel each other's breath.

"Am I the only one who wants to use the Northern Sage King?" Xunzhen sneered, "Don't forget, you are also using him, Master Liu!"

As soon as these words came out, Liu Xunyi's eyes changed quietly.

Seeing this, Xunzhen couldn't help but show contempt on his face and threatened: "At worst, we can just break up and see who is more unlucky! Although I stole the "Xuan Shui Xia Juan", at least I didn't let it fall into the hands of the Qin family. You are different. If Lord Luo knows that you are a traitor sent by the court, what do you think will happen to you?"

"You are full of lies and schemes. Do you think I will believe you again? I came here today to tell you that no matter what you are up to, I will not sit idly by!" Liu Xunyi said word by word, "You can use tricks to steal the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan'. Now I dare to assert that you must have been the one behind the 'Jing Feng Hua Yu Tu'."

"Liu Xunyi, you and I have already made an agreement. If we can meet again after the martial arts conference, we will each serve our own masters and perform our respective duties. As for who can win over Luo Tianjin, it depends on their own abilities. No one needs to accommodate anyone else when necessary." Xunzhen showed no fear, and spoke in a charming and sonorous voice. "From now on, you go your way, and I go mine. In the future, when we fight, no one needs to show mercy!"

……

(End of this chapter)