Chapter 568: Ominous Signs (Part )

Hearing this, before Liu Xunyi could answer, Luo Qi leaned forward and whispered, "Xunyi, this matter cannot be agreed to rashly. I'm afraid someone will be greedy and take advantage of the situation. Tonight, there are hundreds of businesses in Luoyang City that have been damaged. Add to that the funeral and resettlement expenses for the innocent people who died, and if you really bear it all by yourself, I'm afraid it will be a bottomless pit."

Liu Xunyi nodded slightly without leaving any trace, and said loudly: "Once we have thoroughly investigated the cause and effect of this matter, we will definitely give everyone a satisfactory explanation."

"I wonder when Liu Zhishan will be able to investigate the matter thoroughly?" the madam asked. "One day is enough, ten years is enough. There should be hope. People are in a panic now. Who will patronize our business? Without business, won't we be left with nothing?"

As soon as the madam's words came out, they were immediately echoed by everyone.

"I originally thought they were business rivals, but now it seems that what happened tonight is aimed at the Northern Sage King." Another person said, "As for us... we have all become scapegoats for the Sage King's Mansion."

"There is no evidence, so stop talking nonsense!"

Xu Heng's ferocious appearance frightened the man so much that his face turned pale. The whispering crowd became silent again, and everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"No one can make a conclusion until the matter is fully investigated." Ling Qing said, "Now is not the time to shirk responsibility."

"Master Ling, what you said makes sense." The shopkeeper of Tianxiang Tower continued, "Tonight, so many guests have had accidents in Tianxiang Tower. Tomorrow, many relatives and friends will definitely come to cause trouble. At the very least, they will ask us to pay money, and at the worst, they will ask us to pay with our lives. May I ask Liu Zhishan, how should we deal with this matter?"

"I will send disciples from the three sects to protect you all." Liu Xunyi pondered, "As for the deadline you want... it will be seven days. I will give you a satisfactory explanation within seven days."

Hearing "seven days", Qin Ku's eyes changed quietly, and a hint of speculation emerged in his eyes when he looked at Liu Xunyi.

"Since Liu Zhishan has asked, we should be disrespectful to refuse." Someone said, "But our losses..."

"Don't worry, the Northern Sage King is a man of his word. He will keep his word. The compensation will not be reduced by a single cent."

Liu Xunyi gave everyone a reassurance, and the oppressive atmosphere lingering in the hall gradually dissipated, replaced by a sense of relief.

"Thank you Liu Zhishan!"

Seeing this, Luo Qi's face suddenly changed. Just as he was about to speak to dissuade him, Liu Xunyi explained in a low voice: "Since the mansion master has said so before, you should keep your promise and enforce the order. How can you make promises when collecting money and make excuses when spending money? If you break your promise like this, how can you last long in the future?"

After saying that, without waiting for Luo Qi to persuade him again, Liu Xunyi suddenly stood up, bowed to everyone and said: "It's getting late, everyone please go back first. Liu is a man of his words, and I will give everyone a satisfactory explanation within seven days."

"In that case, we won't bother you any more. Goodbye!"

"Farewell!"

After the greetings, everyone left the hall one after another, and Xu Heng, Ling Qing and the Liao brothers led their people to escort them.

After a while, only Liu Xunyi, Qin Ku, Luo Qi and Su Tang were left in the noisy hall.

Seeing Liu Xunyi frowning and deep in thought, Su Tang couldn't help but look displeased and said sarcastically, "It is of course righteous to be generous to others. Liu Xunyi, do you know how much gold and silver will be spent by the Xianwang Mansion because of your bold words?"

"No matter how much is given out, it is what they deserve." Liu Xunyi said righteously, "When we accepted their gold and silver, we should have thought that this day would come."

"You acted on your own without the consent of the Palace Master. This is really unreasonable!"

"Some people talk without any hesitation." Qin Ku couldn't stand Su Tang's aggressiveness and said, "There is a saying that goes 'take money from others and help them get rid of disasters'. We paid a lot of money in the beginning. Now that we didn't protect them well and caused trouble, shouldn't we compensate them for their losses?"

"Asshole!" Su Tang was furious and shouted, "How many days have you just entered the mansion? When is it your turn to speak?"

"I like to talk naturally, so what do you think?" Qin Ku was provoked by Su Tang, and he curled his lips and challenged, "If you don't agree, let's fight for a few moves?"

"Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

"enough!"

Luo Qi's angry shout interrupted the verbal battle between Su Tang and Qin Ku.

"We are here to share the worries of the mansion lord, not to cause trouble." Luo Qi glared at the livid Su Tang and said in a cold voice, "Su Zhishan, the Second Master has made it clear that this matter is under the sole authority of Liu Zhishan. He will make the final decision on everything. It is not up to you or me to make comments."

"Humph!"

Luo Qi has a long history and high seniority in the mansion. Although he and Su Tang are both fan holders in name, Su Tang has to be courteous in front of him.

Seeing that Su Tang had given up, Luo Qi cast a gloomy look at Qin Ku who was winking at him, and taught him a lesson: "I know that you are a martial arts expert, and there are not many people in the mansion who can catch your eye. But being a martial arts expert does not mean that you can do whatever you want, nor does it mean that you can be arrogant and not distinguish between the superior and the inferior."

"I..." "Brother Qin!" Before Qin Ku could refute, Liu Xunyi suddenly said, "Apologize to Su Zhishan!"

Qin Ku was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the serious Luo Qi and the resentful Su Tang, stuck out his tongue in dismay, and apologized like chanting a sutra: "I'm a newcomer and don't know the rules of the mansion. I hope Su Zhishan won't blame me."

"If you don't know the rules, you have to learn them!" Su Tang looked at Liu Xunyi and said veiledly, "If you don't know how to teach the lower three doors, you can send me to the upper three doors and I will teach you! Don't forget, I was the one who trained you in the first place."

"Thank you Su Zhishan for the reminder." Liu Xunyi's tone was as calm as water, without a trace of joy or anger.

"And you, Liu Zhishan." Luo Qi looked at Liu Xunyi with complicated eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Don't blame me for being too talkative. If it means spending money to avoid disaster, regardless of gains and losses, any disciple in the mansion can do this job. It's so easy to use gold, silver and jewelry to silence the world's gossips, why does the mansion master need to borrow your hand? I know you are brave and resourceful, and you are highly valued by the mansion master, but young people sometimes act too impulsively and lack careful consideration."

"Mr. Luo, you..."

"I have no intention of teaching you a lesson." Luo Qi lowered his eyes and said calmly, "I am just kindly reminding Liu Zhishan that to bet big on small is stupid. To bet big on big is mediocre. Only to bet small on big is a true talent. I think that in the eyes of the mansion master and all the disciples, Liu Zhishan is a rare talent in a century, and is definitely not a mediocre person."

Luo Qi's words resulted in Su Tang, Qin Ku and Liu Xunyi each being given fifty lashes of the cane, which showed that he was worldly-wise and shrewd.

"Master Lin is back."

Just as several people were silent and the atmosphere in the hall was extremely depressing, a report suddenly came from the courtyard.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Fang led the "Fu Shou Kang Ning" group into the hall in a hurry.

"Where is the master of the mansion?" As soon as he entered the door, the straightforward Lin Fang started shouting loudly.

"Nonsense!" Su Tang scolded, "What are the results of your investigation? Just report it truthfully!"

Seeing Lin Fangda's embarrassment, Luo Qi explained, "Second Master has handed this matter over to Liu Zhishan to decide."

Hearing this, Lin Fang suddenly realized that there was no need for him and Liu Xunyi to stick to conventional etiquette, so he said, "I have carefully checked the causes of death of the guests at Tianxiang Tower and Mingling Yayuan. The former mostly died of knife wounds, and the latter died from taking Wushisan mixed with Gelsemium elegans, which gave people the illusion that they died of 'horse stroke'. As for other places, the injuries were varied and different."

"Has the murderer been caught?"

"Unfortunately, we are one step too late." Lin Fangda said in annoyance, "They seem to have planned everything well. Someone is causing trouble and someone is spreading rumors, otherwise it would be impossible for them to catch every lunatic."

"Coming and going like the wind, without a trace." Liu Xunyi murmured to himself, "If I say there was no premeditation, who in the world would believe it?"

"But we got a piece of news. This group of lunatics has said that they will cause unrest in Luoyang City within half a month." Lin Fangda added, "Such arrogance is clearly a provocation to the Xianwang Mansion."

"You mean... this group of lunatics will cause trouble again?"

"Looking at their attitude, they won't give up."

"After this incident, the news will spread all over the city tomorrow. The people of Luoyang will be terrified and worried. They will be afraid of being hacked to death for no reason when walking on the street." Su Tang said angrily, "What a bunch of arrogant people, how dare they come to Luoyang City to stir up trouble. If I catch them, I will skin them alive."

"What happened tonight is undoubtedly a provocation to the reputation of the Palace Master, so we must not allow any more trouble to happen." Lin Fangda echoed, "Why not... have the General's Mansion send more soldiers to patrol and guard various places in the city."

Luo Qi interrupted, "The General's Mansion has already stated that they will not interfere in this matter. We will handle everything on our own."

"In that case, we can simply dispatch disciples from the palace to patrol various places in the city." Lin Fangda suggested, "Right now, maintaining stability and appeasing the people is more important than anything else."

"I agree!" Luo Qi nodded and said, "No matter what, Luoyang City cannot be in chaos. Otherwise, the foundation of the Xianwang Mansion will be shaken, and the consequences will be disastrous."

"I agree too." Su Tang replied.

After saying that, several people turned their eyes to Liu Xunyi who was in deep thought and waited for him to make a decision.

"I always feel that there is something fishy going on."

"Xunyi, now it's not just about an inn or a teahouse, but the peace of the entire Luoyang City, and even the safety of hundreds of thousands of people." Seeing Liu Xunyi hesitant, Lin Fangda couldn't help but feel anxious, "You have only been in Luoyang City for a short time, and you don't know its true appearance. Do you know how much effort the lord of the palace spent in the turbulent times to turn a place with corpses everywhere and bandits rampant into a prosperous place like today where doors are not locked at night and people don't pick up things on the road? What is the foundation of the Xianwang Mansion? This Luoyang City is it."

"This……"

No matter how much Lin Fangda persuaded him, Liu Xunyi was still uneasy. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he still couldn't figure out where the worry came from.
After hesitating for a long time, Liu Xunyi could only temporarily put aside his doubts and reluctantly agreed: "Since everyone agrees, let's do as you say! Zhongping Second Gate will keep its troops on hold, and temporarily transfer some disciples from the Upper Three Gates and Lower Three Gates. Starting tonight, they will take turns patrolling the city in case of emergency."

……

(End of this chapter)