Chapter 589: Never Stop
"What are you talking about, Madam?" Liu Xunyi pretended to be ignorant. "I have always been in awe of the mansion master and Madam. How dare I disappoint you?"

"Don't be so reserved in front of me. Don't forget that you will soon have to call me 'mother'." Ling Xiaoxiao kept moving her hands, chatting and laughing with Liu Xunyi as if they were chatting about family matters. "Xunyi, I heard that you are an orphan and your parents died when you were young. It's really pitiful when you think about it."

"Thank you, Madam Lao."

"No problem!" Ling Xiaoxiao put down a "coin", took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and personally wiped off some flour on Liu Xunyi's chest under his suspicious gaze, and said softly, "After you and Yu'er get married, we will be a family. I will treat you like Xuan'er, give you everything I have, and take good care of you. From now on, you are no longer an orphan without a father or a mother, and I will be your mother."

Ling Xiaoxiao's words were very sincere, and even the look she gave Liu Xunyi revealed a hint of maternal love.

This move shocked Liu Xunyi, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel emotional.

"Madam, what you said..." Liu Xunyi was both moved and nervous, and said intermittently, "I am really flattered."

"You know Xuan'er's situation. I've already lost a son, and I don't want to lose a daughter." Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes turned red, and she choked up, "I've been married for many years, and I understand the principle of 'marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.' Only by being as close to you as blood can Yu'er stay with me forever. You can say I'm selfish or greedy. Anyway, I hope you can understand my mother's thoughts."

"Thanks to the kindness of the mansion master and his wife, I am able to have the wealth and honor I have today. I have already wished for more, so how could I dare to expect anything else?"

"I used to have a prejudice against you, thinking that you were too mature for your age, too scheming, and far from being as straightforward as Lin Fangda." Ling Xiaoxiao said self-deprecatingly, "But as time goes by, I have gradually changed my opinion of you. Although you are taciturn, you are down-to-earth and steady. Although your mind is changeable, you stick to your principles. Although you are sometimes ambitious, you can always consider the overall situation at critical moments. These are not only what Brother Jin told me, but I have also seen them with my own eyes."

"Madam, you are so kind. I am ashamed to accept your praise."

"Today, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you for my poor judgment of people and my arbitrary assumptions!"

After saying that, Ling Xiaoxiao slowly stood up and wanted to bow deeply to Liu Xunyi.

"Madam, wait a minute. I absolutely cannot bear it!"

Liu Xunyi's face turned pale with fear, and he fell to his knees with a plop. He held Ling Xiaoxiao's arms tightly with both hands, and said in panic, "Madam, are you going to kill me?"

"Xunyi, you get up first."

Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes were filled with relief. She bent down to help Liu Xunyi up and said with a smile, "In this case, neither you nor I need to stick to conventional etiquette."

"What Madam said is absolutely true."

"Xunyi, you have a keen eye. Have you noticed anything different in the mansion in recent days?" Ling Xiaoxiao changed the subject and asked meaningfully.

"Different?" Liu Xunyi looked confused, "I wonder what Madam means..."

"What's the difference between me and Brother Jin?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi secretly guessed Ling Xiaoxiao's intentions, and shook his head slowly with a thoughtful look on his face, "Forgive my stupidity, I wonder what the difference is between Madam and the Lord of the Mansion?"

"Haven't you noticed that Brother Jin and I haven't had meals together for a few days?" Ling Xiaoxiao reminded, "In the past, I often accompanied him to take a walk in the garden, but have you ever seen us go in and out together during this period?"

"This……"

"And the maids who serve me." Ling Xiaoxiao added, "They are completely different from the previous maids. These were all arranged by Brother Jin."

"hiss!"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi finally understood Ling Xiaoxiao's hidden meaning and said in surprise: "Madam means that you and the Palace Master..."

Having said this, Liu Xunyi's voice stopped abruptly, as if he didn't dare to continue.

"That's right!" Ling Xiaoxiao said frankly, "Brother Jin and I had some conflicts and I haven't paid any attention to each other for several days."

"This……"

"A quarrel between husband and wife is a trivial matter, and even more so a private matter. I shouldn't have complained to you." Ling Xiaoxiao said bitterly, "But Xuan'er is bedridden, and Yu'er is young and ignorant. I really don't know who to complain to, so I can only think of you."

"Excuse me for being so presumptuous, but I dare to ask...what caused this matter?"

Ling Xiaoxiao seemed to have been waiting for Liu Xunyi to ask this question, so she moved her eyes and said the words she had already memorized by heart: "Because of one person, a woman."

"Who?" "The Lord of Jueqing Valley, Xiao Zhirou."

When the name "Xiao Zhirou" was mentioned, a fierce murderous intent suddenly flashed in Ling Xiaoxiao's gentle eyes, and her tone became extremely resentful, as if she was both ashamed and annoyed.

"This..." Liu Xunyi was secretly surprised and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"They say that family disgrace should not be made public, but I already treat you as my own son, so I'm not afraid of you making fun of me." Ling Xiaoxiao said indignantly, "In fact, Brother Jin once had an... unclear relationship with Xiao Zhirou. I'm sure you've heard about this."

In this regard, Liu Xunyi neither admitted nor denied it. He just stared at Ling Xiaoxiao silently, as if waiting for her to continue.

"That vixen not only seduced married men, but also used her charms to separate us from our wives and children, and destroy our family." Ling Xiaoxiao became more and more sad as she spoke, and her tears could not stop falling. "During the trip to Huashan, Brother Jin could not resist Xiao Zhirou's temptations, and he wanted to rekindle his old relationship with her."

"Old love rekindled?" Liu Xunyi was surprised. "No way? I didn't find anything unusual when I was in Huashan?"

"Silly child, how could an affair like this be discovered by outsiders?" Ling Xiaoxiao said, "You might as well think carefully. If the two of them had no secret connection, why did Xiao Zhirou help Brother Jin at the critical moment? Why did Brother Jin disregard the opinions of the heroes of the world and remove the name of heresy from Jueqing Valley without authorization? And Teng Sanshi is also an old fox who is calculating and scheming. If his daughter had not had an affair with Brother Jin, with his reputation and status in the martial arts world, how could he have surpassed the martial arts elders such as Yin Baimei, Zuo Hongxuan, Zhong Limu, and Miao An and sat on the position of deputy leader?"

"This……"

"As for those high-sounding excuses given by Brother Jin, they are just his rhetoric to whitewash the situation." Ling Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and said, "All of this was caused by Xiao Zhirou behind the scenes. She was the one who confused Brother Jin's mind, disrupted Brother Jin's plans, and used all means to achieve her goals."

"Purpose?" Liu Xunyi asked curiously, "What is her purpose?"

"She wants to kick Xuan'er, Yu'er and me out of the Luo family, and then enter the house and take over our home!" Ling Xiaoxiao said angrily, "She wants to take advantage of Xuan'er's serious injury to bully us orphans and widows and take away everything that belongs to us."

"This... can't be?" Liu Xunyi said in confusion, "I have met Master Xiao several times, and I know a little about her. She is very noble, not interested in fame and fortune, and always keeps a low profile. It seems... she is not the kind of scheming, vain woman that Madam said."

"Don't judge a person by appearance! Xunyi, you are still young and have not experienced the wickedness of human nature." Ling Xiaoxiao taught, "Be careful not to be deceived by Xiao Zhirou's appearance. If she was really as pure and kind as Brother Jin said, how could she have created the famous Jueqing Valley? How could she have sat firmly on the position of the number one female devil in the martial arts world? This kind of woman is very good at hiding herself, and can often give people a fatal blow when it is unexpected, making it hard to guard against."

"Having said that, but..."

"Now, Xuan'er is unconscious and in danger of dying at any moment. Yu'er is inexperienced and a woman. I am under house arrest in the mansion by Brother Jin, and I am under surveillance day and night. I cannot move at all, so I can only watch Brother Jin being dragged into the abyss by that vixen little by little until there is no way back." Ling Xiaoxiao said sadly, "Xunyi, do you know that everything in the Xianwang Mansion today is hard-earned? Brother Jin has gone through many life-and-death experiences to become the leader of the martial arts world, and he must not be destroyed by Xiao Zhirou."

Liu Xunyi frowned and hesitated, "Why did Madam tell me this?"

"Because you are the only person I trust." Ling Xiaoxiao grabbed Liu Xunyi's arm and said righteously, "You are Yu'er's husband and my son-in-law. If you don't help, then sooner or later the three of us will be kicked out of the house and will never be able to turn over. Then, as Yu'er's husband, you will also be implicated."

Liu Xunyi was shocked, but he had already guessed something.

"I understand what you mean, Madam. I just don't know...what do you want me to do?"

"Qin Ku is right. You are really a smart person. You really understood it immediately." Ling Xiaoxiao said with satisfaction, "In fact, it's not that I asked you to do something, but what you should do? In order to... protect your own family business."

"My own family business?" Liu Xunyi was stunned. "Madam, you are talking about..."

"The huge foundation of the Xianwang Mansion will be your future family business." Ling Xiaoxiao said solemnly, "Xuan'er has no hope of waking up, Yu'er is the only heir of the Luo family, and as his husband, you will naturally be the future master of the Xianwang Mansion. Everything that Brother Jin has today will be yours in the future. Are you willing to let it fall into the hands of others for nothing?"

Liu Xunyi's heart was in turmoil, but he pretended to be calm on the surface and asked tentatively: "In your opinion, Madam, what should I do?"

"It's very simple!" Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes were fierce, and she said word by word, "Kill Xiao Zhirou before she enters the house, and cut off the roots!"

"Hiss!" Liu Xunyi took a breath of cold air, and was so shocked that he couldn't express it in words. "How... is this possible?"

"How is it impossible?" Ling Xiaoxiao sneered, "I received news that Brother Jin has sent someone to invite Xiao Zhirou to Luoyang City to attend your wedding with Yu'er. Although Xiao Zhirou is the master of Jueqing Valley, once she leaves Jiangzhou, she will be in trouble. You are waiting for her to tire herself out and attacking her with preparations. There are plenty of opportunities to kill her."

"This……"

"Don't hesitate! This fight is about our future and our life, so we must not be soft-hearted." Ling Xiaoxiao didn't give Liu Xunyi a chance to think, and said without question, "I want you to set up an ambush halfway and stop Xiao Zhirou from entering Luoyang at all costs."

……

(End of this chapter)