Chapter 563: Learning from the Pain
"Boom!"

The deeper the night gets, the more violent the storm becomes.

The lightning and thunder in the night were just like Luo Tian's mood, with ups and downs.

Sitting alone in the study, he wanted to read a book to calm his mind, but unexpectedly, Ling Xiaoxiao's face was everywhere between the lines, which made Luo Tianjin more and more annoyed and bored the more he read.

Finally, he got furious and tore all the books on the table into pieces like a madman, scattering them all over the floor.

"squeak!"

With a slight sound, the door opened and Xie Xuan slowly walked to the desk holding a bowl of ginger tea.

"Master, anger is harmful to your health. Be careful of the recurrence of internal injuries."

Xie Xuan carefully placed the ginger tea in front of Luo Tianjin, and then silently cleaned up the scraps of paper on the table.

He understood Luo Tianjin's personality and knew that there were some things he didn't need to ask too much. When Luo Tianjin wanted to tell him, he would naturally take the initiative to speak.

"Brother Xie, you have a sharp eye. The culprit behind Jiang Yiwei's sudden and bizarre death...is Ling Xiaoxiao."

"hiss!"

Luo Tianjin's weak words made Xie Xuan, who had been as calm as water, gasp for air. It was difficult for him to remain calm any longer, and his face was instantly filled with horror.

"The carrier pigeon..."

"It was written by Granny Taohua herself."

"No wonder!" The confusion that had been lingering in Xie Xuan's mind was finally resolved. "Grandma Taohua knew that this matter was related to Madam, so she kept silent. I guess she didn't want to interfere in other people's family affairs."

At this point, Xie Xuan's eyes suddenly changed, and he hurriedly said: "Madam..."

"She has admitted everything herself." Luo Tianjin said angrily, "Jiang Yiwei and Li Jia both died because of her. Her purpose was to cover up the fact that she sent people to hunt down Teng Rou more than 20 years ago."

"This……"

Although Xie Xuan had long suspected Ling Xiaoxiao, he still couldn't hide the waves in his heart when he heard Luo Tianjin say it himself.

"What is the plan, Lord?"

"I have decided to temporarily place him under house arrest in the mansion." Luo Tianjin said absentmindedly, "As for what to do next... I don't know either. Brother Xie, what do you think I should do?"

"This..." Xie Xuan frowned, feeling confused. "This is the family affair of the mansion master. How dare I interfere? But..."

Xie Xuan seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he had some reservations.

"But what? You can say it anyway."

"However, Madam is the apple of Taoist Qingfeng's eye, and the biological mother of the young master and young lady. If the Palace Master rashly puts her under house arrest, I'm afraid... it's not appropriate." Xie Xuan hesitated, "First, we can't explain to Wudang. Second, if this matter is publicized, it will be extremely detrimental to the Palace Master's reputation."

"Yes!" Luo Tianjin said with a wry smile, "A fire in the backyard is a great shame for any man, let alone the leader of the martial arts world."

Seeing that Luo Tianjin only cared about his own reputation and ignored Wudang, and seemed not worried at all that Qingfeng would come to hold him accountable, Xie Xuan couldn't help but feel suspicious, but he only thought about it secretly without saying a word.

"This is very strange." Luo Tianjin changed the subject and said for no reason, "Jiang Yiwei hunted Teng Rou more than 20 years ago. It has been quite some time since I told Ling Xiaoxiao about Xiao Zhirou's true identity. Why didn't Ling Xiaoxiao take action earlier or later, but waited until we returned from Huashan before taking action?"

"What do you mean by that, Lord?"

"Did Ling Xiaoxiao really want to kill Jiang Yiwei from the very beginning?" Luo Tianjin pondered, "If she was worried that Jiang Yiwei would report her, she would have tried every means to prevent me from being alone with Jiang Yiwei. Why did she allow us to go to Huashan to participate in the martial arts conference together? Why didn't she get rid of Jiang Yiwei earlier? Why did she let him live so long, causing herself so many troubles at night?"

At this point, Xie Xuan finally heard a clue from Luo Tianjin's words, and asked in surprise: "The Palace Master means that even though Madam knew that Xiao Zhirou was Teng Rou, she did not have the intention to kill Jiang Yiwei?"

"There's no need to say more about her anger and dissatisfaction, but she probably never had the thought of killing Jiang Yiwei, otherwise she wouldn't have let Jiang Yiwei out of her sight alive." Luo Tianjin said in a serious tone, "I suspect that Ling Xiaoxiao wanted to kill Jiang Yiwei most likely after she came back from Mount Hua."

"What do you mean?" Xie Xuan looked confused. "Since returning from Mount Hua, Jiang Yiwei has been in a coma and has never met his wife. Why would he want to kill him?"

"This is exactly what's strange." Luo Tianjin said, "Killing Jiang Yiwei in the mansion is nothing short of a risk. After all, killing someone under my nose without revealing your identity is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

"Unless... Jiang Yiwei is a greater risk, and Madam has to choose the lesser of two evils, so she has to take the risk of killing him." Xie Xuan continued, "So, Jiang Yiwei did wake up before his death, and..." "And he met Ling Xiaoxiao." Luo Tianjin said firmly, "That night, they must have talked about something. As for the content of the conversation, it is the real reason that prompted Ling Xiaoxiao to kill to silence the witness."

"What will they talk about?" Xie Xuan said in disbelief, "What could be more risky than the secret of hunting down Teng Rou more than 20 years ago?"

"Before going to Huashan, everything was normal for them, which means Ling Xiaoxiao didn't have any intention to kill Jiang Yiwei." Luo Tianjin's eyes narrowed slightly, and he rubbed the tea bowl gently with his fingers, thinking, "After returning from Huashan, Jiang Yiwei was silenced by Ling Xiaoxiao the night he woke up, which means Ling Xiaoxiao thought Jiang Yiwei had become his biggest threat. In this way, the trip to Huashan is crucial."

"Jiang Yiwei's experience in Huashan seems to be the key to solving the mystery." Xie Xuan followed the clues and pondered carefully, "Jiang Yiwei met Xiao Zhirou in Huashan and begged her for help... Is it because of this incident? Madam suspected that Jiang Yiwei had colluded with Xiao Zhirou, so she was worried that he would reveal what happened that year, so..."

"It's possible, but I'm not convinced yet." Luo Tianjin waved his hand and said, "If Jiang Yiwei wanted to report it, he could have done it anytime in the past 20 years. Why wait until today? I guess the relationship between Ling Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yiwei is not something Xiao Zhirou can easily shake."

"If not this, what other reasons could there be?" Xie Xuan racked his brains, but still could not figure it out.

"I don't know." Luo Tianjin was depressed and shook his head slowly. "Now it seems that only three people know the secret. One is Jiang Yiwei, but unfortunately he has died. The second one is Ling Xiaoxiao, but it is a pipe dream to get the truth from her. For now, I can only put my last hope on the third person, hoping that she can help me solve the mystery."

"Xiao Zhirou?" Xie Xuan was worried and hesitated, "Will she be willing to tell me?"

"Whether she wants it or not, I want to know!"

Luo Tianjin's attitude towards Xiao Zhirou has always been gentle, but for some reason, today he is more resolute than ever before.

"What is the Palace Master going to do?"

"Right now, the mansion is busy and chaotic, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to get away." Luo Tianjin said tiredly, "I suggest sending someone to Jiangzhou to invite Xiao Zhirou to the mansion for a chat. I must discuss this matter with her in person."

Xie Xuan hesitated and said, "I'm afraid... it won't be easy to get her to come over. She still harbors resentment towards the Palace Master, as was evident when we parted at Luoyan Valley last time. Therefore, facing the Palace Master's invitation, she is very likely unable to refuse."

"I have to give it a try anyway!" Luo Tianjin frowned and muttered to himself, "I don't know why? I always have a feeling that this matter... has something to do with me."

Xie Xuan was shocked and said, "I don't know if it's a good thing... or a bad thing?"

"I don't know." Luo Tianjin said bitterly, "It's a strange feeling that I can't describe or explain. Although I don't know whether it is a blessing or a curse, it is inevitable, so I have to find out the reason."

"In that case, why don't I go to Jiangzhou..."

"No." Luo Tianjin refused. "We are in need of people right now, and the mansion cannot do without you. Moreover, it will take time to make peace with Xiao Zhirou, so we should consider this matter in the long run."

"The Palace Master means..."

"Don't spread what happened tonight." Luo Tianjin thought, "Brother Xie, you should personally arrange for someone to keep an eye on Ling Xiaoxiao, but don't alert the disciples in the mansion to avoid rumors. Also, Ling Xiaoxiao was able to poison Jiang Yiwei and kill Li Jia without anyone noticing, so she must have had an accomplice. Therefore, replace all the servants who serve her and find out who else in the mansion has close contact with her."

"As ordered."

"As for inviting Xiao Zhirou to our house... this matter is of great importance and must not be taken lightly." Luo Tianjin hesitated and said, "In order to avoid being seen by others, we'd better find an excuse."

"Isn't the young lady's wedding a perfect excuse?" Xie Xuan's eyes rolled, a plan came to his mind, and he suggested, "For such a happy event, the Lord of the Mansion should invite heroes from all over the world..." As Xie Xuan spoke, he carefully observed Luo Tianjin's reaction.

"Go on." Luo Tianjin's eyes were vague, as if he was carefully considering Xie Xuan's suggestion.

"The Lord can send a wedding invitation to Jueqing Valley on the occasion of the young lady's wedding." Xie Xuan added, "The Lord has already cleared the reputation of Jueqing Valley as a heretic. Since Valley Master Xiao is a fellow martial artist, it is reasonable for the Lord to invite her to attend the young lady's wedding banquet. As long as Valley Master Xiao arrives in Luoyang City, why should the Lord have no chance to talk to her alone?"

"That being said, Yu'er is Ling Xiaoxiao and I's child after all. I'm worried that Rou'er will be saddened by the scene and won't want to attend the banquet..."

"The mansion master can send the wedding invitation to Patriarch Teng, and let him persuade Valley Master Xiao." Xie Xuan said cunningly, "Patriarch Teng has always adhered to the moral principles of the martial arts world, and now he is the deputy leader, so he will naturally obey the orders of the leader of the martial arts world. Moreover, he also hopes that Valley Master Xiao can integrate into the righteousness of the martial arts world. How can such an opportunity to make friends with heroes all over the world be missed?"

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Thank you, brother. It has opened my eyes. I will do this according to your wishes."

"Yes." Xie Xuan bowed and accepted the order, then changed the subject and said, "May I ask the Palace Master, Qin Ming never comes to the Palace for no reason, how should we deal with it?"

Hearing this, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but raise a sly smile, and said confidently: "I have already made a preliminary plan for this matter, and I have selected the best candidate to deal with Qin Ming."

Xie Xuan was secretly surprised and asked curiously: "What is the Palace Master talking about..."

"Qin Ming's nephew, Qin Ku."

……

(End of this chapter)