Chapter 616 A Thought of Compassion

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Late at night, someone knocked on Liu Xunyi's door, breaking the rare silence in the East Courtyard.

"squeak!"

After a while, the door opened slightly, revealing Liu Xunyi's handsome face full of confusion.

"who……"

Just as he was about to speak, Liu Xunyi's voice stopped abruptly. At the same time, the gentleness in his eyes disappeared in an instant, and was replaced by a hint of vague suspicion.

The person who came was actually Xunzhen.

"You..." Xunzhen came uninvited, which surprised Liu Xunyi. Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind. He secretly guessed her purpose and asked, "Miss Xunzhen, what can I do for you?"

"Let me in!"

Before he finished speaking, Xunzhen had already pushed open the half-open door and rushed into Liu Xunyi's room.

Faced with Xunzhen's strange behavior, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but frown, hesitated for a moment, and then gently closed the door, and the East Courtyard fell into silence again.

"What are you..."

"Liu Xunyi, go and persuade Zhao Yuan to give up the offer of amnesty, and then you can leave Luoyang City together."

Xunzhen didn't give Liu Xunyi any chance to ask questions. He went straight to the point and stated his purpose.

In the room, a dim light was on. Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen stood facing each other, their eyes meeting. Each other's faces were a little blurry.

"In fact, I had expected this day to come. I just didn't expect... that you would come so soon." Liu Xunyi did not show much surprise and replied calmly, "You should know my answer. Recruiting is a major plan of the court and we will never give up easily."

"If you don't leave, you will die tomorrow." Xunzhen glared at her with her beautiful eyes and said angrily, "And it will be an ugly death!"

Liu Xunyi pondered for a moment, and gradually understood what Xunzhen meant. He couldn't help but tremble in his heart, and his Adam's apple moved slightly. He asked back: "Why? Do you want to reveal my identity in front of the Lord of the Mansion?"

"Yes."

Xunzhen agreed surprisingly readily, as if he didn't want to get entangled with it.

"Why?" Liu Xunyi remained calm and said hesitantly, "Didn't we say that the road is wide and we each walk on half of it..."

"The young prince of Qin does not allow the Song Dynasty to recruit Luo Tianjin." Xunzhen said coldly, "You must leave Luoyang City."

"What do you mean?" Although Liu Xunyi knew that Shao Qin Wang and Luo Tianjin were plotting a rebellion, he still pretended to know nothing in front of Xunzhen and asked, "The court offered amnesty to resist the Mongolian army. What does it have to do with Shao Qin Wang? Does he want to watch the Mongols swallow up the Song Dynasty and become the only one in power? If you let the Mongols dominate the world, how can you live a good life?"

"The Song Dynasty is doomed and will fall sooner or later. No matter how hard you struggle, it will be useless." Xunzhen avoided the question and did not directly answer Liu Xunyi's question. "I can only tell you that the young prince of Qin will never allow Luo Tianjin to accept the amnesty from the Song court. Therefore, you must convince Zhao Yuan to leave Luoyang City together."

"Why are we the ones leaving?" Liu Xunyi's mind turned and he chuckled, "It's still unknown who will win. Why can't you be the ones leaving?"

"If Luo Tianjin had the slightest intention of surrendering, we would have left long ago. Why would we stay until today?" Xunzhen looked at Liu Xunyi as if he was looking at an idiot, and sneered, "Wake up! The surrender of the Song Dynasty court is simply a foolish dream, and it will never come true."

"bass!"

Before he finished speaking, Liu Xunyi suddenly swung his right hand, sucking the Wuji Sword hanging on the wall into his hand, and then swung the sword tip, pointing it directly at Xunzhen who was motionless, and said in a cold voice: "If I kill you first and then kill Yeluqin, who will know my secret?"

"If you think you can hide it like this, go ahead!" Xunzhen's almond-shaped eyes stared at Liu Xunyi's eyes without hesitation, his expression firm and fearless, "Luo Tianjin has already known about Zhao Yuan and Ling Xiaoxiao's secret meeting in Xiangyun Silk Shop. If my guess is correct, a huge change will take place in the Xianwang Mansion. Luo Tianjin can't remain indifferent. With his cunning and means, ask yourself, how long can you continue to hide it?"

"what?"

Liu Xunyi was secretly surprised, and a trace of panic flashed involuntarily in his eyes.

Although Liu Xunyi's surprise was fleeting, Xunzhen still saw it clearly, and he became more and more certain that Liu Xunyi was the instigator of Xiangyun Silk Shop.

"You want to cheat me?" Liu Xunyi reacted very quickly, holding his sword and taking a step closer to Xunzhen.

"Why would I deceive you with such an obvious trick?" Xunzhen said disdainfully, "Liu Xunyi, I thought you were always careful and cautious, but I didn't know you would make such a childish mistake. You and Zhao Yuan were so eager to complete the recruitment, but you forgot the principle of 'more haste, less speed', and you made many mistakes. As a result, all your efforts to lurk beside Luo Tianjin for the past two years have become a bubble."

"I……"

"Prince Ning has issued me an ultimatum." Xunzhen seemed not to want to listen to Liu Xunyi's explanation, and said seriously, "If you don't leave before noon tomorrow, your identity as the Junior Guardian of Tianji Pavilion will be made public."

"you……"

"I know you have something against me." Xunzhen said nonchalantly, "But today, the relationship between Luo Tianjin and Shao Qin Wang is unbreakable, and there will be no cracks because of your instigation. But once your identity is exposed, not only will your life be in danger, but Zhao Yuan will also not be able to leave Luoyang City. You should understand Luo Tianjin's character. He will never tolerate anyone betraying him."

Liu Xunyi's eyes turned cold, and he said sternly: "You dare to threaten me?" "So what?" Xunzhen took a step forward to meet Liu Xunyi's sword, letting the extremely sharp sword tip press tightly against his heart, and said bluntly, "Either leave Luoyang City or kill me now. But I can guarantee that even if you kill me, it will be difficult for you to stand in front of Luo Tianjin, and you will be exposed sooner or later."

"The Lord may not believe you!" Liu Xunyi said in a deep voice, "You can expose me, and I can also expose you. Therefore, whether it is you who dies or I who dies, no one can make a conclusion before the result comes out!"

"Okay!" Xunzhen smiled instead of getting angry, "Let's try it!"

Looking at Xunzhen who had made up his mind, Liu Xunyi's eyes could not help but tremble slightly. Don't listen to his convincing words, in fact, Liu Xunyi knew in his heart that his sins were far greater than Xunzhen's. Once he and Xunzhen were to fight to the death, he would have no chance of winning.

After a long standoff, Liu Xunyi suddenly sighed, then slowly put down the Wuji Sword, and murmured: "You could have told the Palace Master the truth directly and caught me off guard, why did you tell me in advance?"

Facing Liu Xunyi's questioning, Xunzhen's eyebrows twitched slightly, his eyes filled with complex meanings, but he remained silent.

"I have said what I should say." Xunzhen changed the subject and urged, "After daybreak, if I see you again in the Xianwang Mansion, I will have no choice. When that happens, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After saying that, Xunzhen walked towards the door without caring about Liu Xunyi's reaction.

"More!" When they reached the door, Xunzhen suddenly stopped and reminded without turning his head, "Don't expect Ling Xiaoxiao to help you. She is now in a difficult situation and can't save herself. If you get too close to her, not only will she not be able to help you, but your end will be even more miserable. As for Luo Ningyu... you owe her too much. If you don't want her to live in pain for the rest of her life, don't use her anymore. From now until dawn, you still have five hours to think about it, so take care of yourself."

"stop!"

Before Xunzhen opened the door and left, Liu Xunyi's voice suddenly rang out.

At this moment, the cold wind was howling outside the room, and the candle flame was swaying inside the room. The two of them were back to back, and no one looked back. There were only two blurry shadows, intertwined on the dim wall, sometimes close, sometimes far, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, just like their mood at the moment.

After a long silence, Liu Xunyi's voice finally rang out again: "No matter what, thank you for your compassion and for giving me a chance to escape. It's worth it... We lived and died together in the past, and we knew each other for a while."

Just these words made Xunzhen's delicate body tremble instantly. Unconsciously, her eyes gradually turned red and were quietly covered with a thin layer of tears.

"Now that you know, just leave quickly to avoid...seeking death." Xunzhen's voice seemed a little choked.

"Yes!" Liu Xunyi's tone sounded somewhat joking, but the joking was full of helplessness and sadness. "Miss Xunzhen is so kind to me, how can I not appreciate it? Would it be a waste of your life-saving grace?"

"Liu Xunyi!" Xunzhen raised his head slightly, as if unwilling to let the tears fall, and shouted angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? Quickly pack up your things and get out of Luoyang..."

"I'm sorry!" Liu Xunyi smiled miserably, "I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you."

"you……"

"I can't leave." Liu Xunyi said bitterly, "As long as the amnesty is not completed, I can't leave. Therefore, even if I die, I want to die in Luoyang City. If I retreat in fear, I will lose more than just one life."

"Liu Xunyi, don't force me!"

"Xunzhen, don't force me!"

"you……"

"In fact, neither you nor I are wrong, we just serve different masters." Liu Xunyi took a deep breath and said word by word, "I don't need five hours to think about it, I can answer you now. I will not persuade the Marquis to give up the amnesty, and I will not leave Luoyang City!"

"There is a road to heaven but you don't take it, there is no door to hell but you go there. Since you are so loyal to the Song Dynasty, I will fulfill your wish and let you sacrifice your life for your country."

"Even a clay figure is still a little bit rustic. You should know my character. I will never surrender. If you are determined to expose me, then I will be forced to fight you to the end."

"Don't cry until you see the coffin! Humph!"

After saying this, Xunzhen, who was furious, no longer hesitated, suddenly opened the door, and walked away without looking back.

"call!"

A freezing cold wind blew in through the wide-open door, instantly extinguishing the faint candlelight and plunging the room into darkness.

"Crack!"

Not knowing whether it was anger or sadness, Liu Xunyi swung the sword with all his might. With a loud bang, the tables and chairs, along with half of the bed, were split in half by the sharp sword energy.

Even though the biting cold wind blew in his face, it was still difficult to calm the heat in Liu Xunyi's heart.

"what!"

Suddenly, a roar shook the earth and soared into the sky, echoing in the vast night sky.

In the distance, in the inky black corridor, Xunzhen stood by the railing, gazing at the stars and the moon, letting her crystal tears fall, but she pursed her red lips, her brows were stubborn, and she slowly closed her eyes.

……

(End of this chapter)