Chapter 567: Ominous Signs (I)

Late at night, the Xianwang Mansion was crowded and extremely noisy.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Xie Xuan, with a gloomy face, hurried to the main hall. Luo Qi trotted behind him and reported, "I don't know. Overnight, hundreds of inns, wine shops, teahouses, gambling houses, brothels, and banks in Luoyang City...all encountered trouble. At the least, the shops were smashed, and at the worst, people were killed."

"Human life?" Xie Xuan paused, looked at Luo Qi solemnly, and asked suspiciously, "Who did it?"

"I don't know. They are all new faces."

"What happened to someone's life?"

"The heaviest casualties were in Tianxiang Tower, where dozens of people died and hundreds were injured." Luo Qi replied, "Mingling Yayuan also suffered heavy losses, with more than a dozen people dying suddenly in one night. It is said that it was all because of some trivial matters, which evolved from quarrels into fights."

At this point, Luo Qi's eyes moved slightly, and he suggested: "Should we report this matter to the Palace Master?"

"No need!" Xie Xuan refused categorically, "The Palace Master has not had a good rest for several days in a row. He finally fell asleep tonight. No one is allowed to disturb him."

"clear."

After they agreed, they continued to walk towards the central hall. Along the way, they met many disciples who bowed and saluted, but they did not even blink.

"What's going on in the General's Mansion?" Xie Xuan asked nonchalantly, "After all, they are the Luoyang government office. With so many casualties tonight, it's impossible that the General's Mansion doesn't know."

"The General's Mansion has sent someone to deliver a message." Luo Qi said with a wry smile, "They said that most of the people who got into trouble tonight were Han people, so it is inconvenient for them to intervene. They are willing to leave the matter to the Xianwang Mansion to handle."

"Leave it to us?" Xie Xuan snorted and laughed, "It seems that this new Luoyang general is much more knowledgeable about current affairs than Wang Xutong back then."

"He doesn't want to follow in Wang Xutong's footsteps." Luo Qi echoed, "Less trouble is worse than more trouble. If he can't figure out who is in charge of Luoyang City, he won't be able to stay here for long."

"Well! This will save us a lot of trouble."

"Now, the shopkeepers of all the major businesses in Luoyang City have gathered in the main hall, all of them are at a loss, all of them are confused, and they just hope that someone can take charge of the situation for them." Luo Qi hesitated, "In your opinion, how should this matter be resolved?"

"They are afraid of getting into trouble." Xie Xuan said calmly, "They came to the Xianwang Mansion to complain at night, just to clear themselves and take the opportunity to ask for some compensation from us."

"Yes."

"Who is in charge of the central hall now?" Xie Xuan asked, "and how is it arranged?"

"When there is a fight, it is usually resolved by the lower three sects." Luo Qi pondered, "But the mansion master told me yesterday that Liu Xunyi and Qin Ku need to focus on dealing with Qin Ming, so I dare not rashly divide their attention, so I will hand this matter over to the upper three sects. At this moment, Su Tang is presiding over the situation in the middle hall, and Lin Fangda has led people to various places in the city to check the details of the casualties."

Hearing this, Xie Xuan frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, "This incident seems accidental, but in fact there is another conspiracy. The incident has become so serious that all major businesses have suffered huge losses. I am worried that Su Tang is not strong enough to control the situation..."

"Second Master means..."

"Go call Liu Xunyi." Xie Xuan's eyes were determined and he said seriously, "Leave this matter to him."

"But Liu Xunyi has to deal with Qin Ming..."

"Do you think what happened tonight has nothing to do with Qin Ming?"

Xie Xuan's question immediately made Luo Qi's face change. He asked in surprise, "Second Master, are you saying... everything that happened tonight was done by Qin Ming?"

"It may not be Qin Ming's doing, but it must be related to him." Xie Xuan sneered, "Luoyang City has always been peaceful, why didn't there be trouble earlier or later, but why did it happen the night before Qin Ming's visit? If you say that the two are unrelated, I won't believe it even if you kill me."

"I see." Luo Qi suddenly realized, "Second Master wants to combine the two tasks into one and give it to Liu Xunyi to handle."

"Not bad!"

After saying this, Xie Xuan suddenly stopped, stretched out his hand to grab Luo Qi's arm, and thought: "I'll think about it carefully, and it's better not to show up."

"Why?"

"If I'm here, Liu Xunyi won't be able to do anything." Xie Xuan explained, "Since the Palace Master has given Qin Ming to him to deal with, I should also let him go and not interfere at will."

"But……"

"No need to but." Xie Xuan said with a hint of meaning, "It's a good opportunity to train Liu Xunyi. The more difficult the situation is, the more you can learn."

"What do you mean?" Luo Qi seemed to have heard a clue from Xie Xuan's words, and asked in astonishment, "Why do you want to train Liu Xunyi?"

"What do you say?"

After leaving a veiled rhetorical question, Xie Xuan suddenly turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the hall.

"Second Master, then let's..."

"In the next few days, the Upper Third Gate and the Second Zhongping Gate will temporarily accept Liu Xunyi's orders and assist him well. Don't lose face for the Xianwang Mansion." Xie Xuan instructed without even turning his head. "You must obey orders and don't refuse."

"Yes."

"Go to the East Courtyard and wake up Liu Xunyi. Now is not the time to sleep soundly."

After that, Xie Xuan's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness. Staring blankly at the direction where Xie Xuan was going, Luo Qi was unable to react for a while.

With such a big mess in Luoyang City, it would have been fine if Luo Tianjin didn't show up, but at this moment even Xie Xuan refused to show up, and instead handed the power of life and death to Liu Xunyi.

This matter not only concerns dozens of lives and hundreds of businesses, but also the reputation of Prince Xian's Mansion and even its status in Luoyang.

This matter is of great importance, but the Palace Master and Xie Xuan turned a blind eye to it and trusted Liu Xunyi so much, which inevitably caused Luo Qi to have wild thoughts.

But despite his hesitation, Xie Xuan's orders still had to be carried out.

With an uneasy feeling in his heart, Luo Qi looked from afar at the central hall where people were talking and chatting, then turned and walked quickly towards the east courtyard.

After an incense stick of time, under the guidance of Luo Qi, Liu Xunyi led Qin Ku, Xu Heng, Ling Qing and the Liao brothers and strode into the bustling central hall.

Due to Luo Ningyu's special identity, it is inconvenient to disturb her late at night, so Liu Xunyi asked Liao Chuan and Liao Hai to represent Jingmen to discuss matters.

People were coming and going in the central hall in groups of three or five, talking endlessly, making it very noisy.

All the wealthy and prominent businessmen in Luoyang city gathered here, each of them at a loss and filled with fear.

No matter how much Su Tang tried to comfort them, he still couldn't stop the noise and complaints from the crowd.

After all, what happened tonight caused them extremely heavy losses.

Upon seeing Luo Qi, Su Tang quickly stepped forward and asked hurriedly, "Where is the Palace Master?"

Hearing this, Luo Qi couldn't help but look embarrassed, and whispered: "The mansion master is resting, and the second master has ordered no one to disturb him."

"Where is the Second Master?"

"Second Master means... to leave this matter to Liu Zhishan to handle." Luo Qi pointed at Liu Xunyi and forced a smile towards Su Tang.

"what?"

Su Tang was startled, looking at Liu Xunyi in disbelief, and said with embarrassment: "It's not that I don't trust Brother Liu, but this matter is of great importance and involves many people. If we are not careful, it will shake the foundation of the Xianwang Mansion in Luoyang City. Therefore, it is absolutely not something we can decide on our own..."

"Ahem!" Luo Qi coughed twice and corrected, "Su Zhishan, Second Master means that this matter should be handled by Liu Zhishan, not by the three of us together. You and I... must obey your orders."

"This……"

Hearing this, Su Tang's face gradually turned ugly. He still had a hint of kindness towards Liu Xunyi just now, but now it had disappeared without a trace, and what was left was only suspicion and contempt.

As if sensing Su Tang's dissatisfaction, Luo Qi quickly smoothed things over, saying, "The most urgent task is to resolve the current trouble first."

“In that case…” Su Tang pointed to the main seat and said in a sarcastic tone, “Liu Zhishan, please take a seat!”

The main seat in the central hall is usually Luo Tianjin's seat.

According to the rules of Prince Xian's Palace, when Luo Tianjin is not present, whoever presides over the meeting in the central hall can temporarily sit in his seat, implying acting on behalf of the Palace Master and demonstrating his authority.

"From Su Zhishan's tone, he seems a little reluctant..."

"shut up!"

Liu Xunyi interrupted Xu Heng's sarcasm with a harsh voice, and then walked towards the hall.

"Everyone, the palace master has handed this matter over to Liu Zhishan to handle. So from now on... he is in charge."

It was not known whether Su Tang's shout was meant to embarrass Liu Xunyi, but it immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Hearing that Liu Xunyi was in charge, everyone came forward and chattered non-stop. Some were complaining, some were crying out for injustice, and some were asking for an explanation.

The Liao brothers fought left and right, squeezed out a passage through the crowd, and escorted Liu Xunyi to the main seat.

"Everyone, please be patient!"

Ling Qing stood beside Liu Xunyi and shouted loudly, trying to stop the noise, but no matter how hard he shouted, the crowd continued to chatter and talk.

Seeing this, Qin Ku's eyes rolled, and he drew his sword with a "swish". The cold blade reflected a breathtaking cold light under the candlelight, which immediately frightened everyone's face and stopped the argument abruptly. No one dared to make a sound.

At this moment, everyone in the hall stared at each other with wide eyes and tremblingly looked at Liu Xunyi, who had a solemn expression and did not say a word.

Seeing this scene, Su Tang couldn't help but show a trace of embarrassment on his face, while Luo Qi's eyes flashed with relief. He seemed to understand why Xie Xuan said, "Su Tang is not strong enough and is afraid that he can't control the situation, but Liu Xunyi can definitely do it."

"What happened tonight makes me feel the same as you all, and I am deeply ashamed and angry." Liu Xunyi said straight to the point, "You all came here for two reasons. First, you hope that the Xianwang Mansion can help you prove your innocence, severely punish the lunatics, and give you justice. Second, you all pay tribute to the Xianwang Mansion every year according to the rules, and we should ensure that your business in Luoyang City is safe and sound. Now that you have suffered heavy losses, you should ask us for an explanation."

"That's right!" The madam of Mingling Yayuan replied, "We have always been respectful to the Northern Sage King, and we usually do business in accordance with the rules set by the Northern Sage King. We came here overnight not to cause trouble, but to ask the Northern Sage King for an explanation. At the same time, we also hope that... the Northern Sage King can fulfill his original promise to us just as we follow the rules he set. If an accident occurs and causes damage to the business, the Xianwang Mansion will never shirk responsibility, and... is willing to bear it all."

……

(End of this chapter)