Chapter 623: Life on the line (Part )
"This……"

Everyone thought Liu Xunyi was innocent, but unexpectedly he took the initiative to admit the scandal in Lingqiu Stream. Everyone was stunned, and the looks they gave Liu Xunyi became increasingly strange.

Suspicion, astonishment, anger, regret...all kinds of emotions are there, all different.

Lin Fangda looked at Liu Xunyi in astonishment, and said in disbelief: "How is this possible? You and I were clearly drinking in Tianxiang Tower that day..."

"Brother, I'm sorry!" Liu Xunyi said ashamedly, "I took advantage of you being drunk that day and sneaked away to Lingqiu Mountain Stream..."

"Did you hear everything?"

Yelu Qin saw that the time had come, so he struck while the iron was hot and added fuel to the fire: "Liu Xunyi has personally admitted that he was the one who shot and killed the Mongolian that day. If he was not a spy of the court, why would he ambush in the Lingqiu mountain stream?"

"No!" Liu Xunyi defended, "I shot Bater not to serve the court, but to eliminate the disaster for the Xianwang Mansion."

"Oh?" Xie Xuan raised his eyebrows and said disdainfully, "Did the Palace Master ever order you to kill the Mongolian envoy?"

"I... I made the decision on my own." Liu Xunyi whispered, "Master, Second Master, you should know that I have never had a good impression of the Mongolian court. When they came to the Xianwang Mansion, I made my position clear in public. I know what the Mongols are thinking. They want to win over the Master and work for the Mongolian Khan. I said that if the Master agrees to the Mongols' request, he will be despised by the world. I don't want the Master to be charged with treason, and I don't want all the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion to become the running dogs of the Mongols. That's why I made the decision on my own and planned to intercept them halfway, and then intimidate them so that the Mongolian court will give up the plan to win over the Master."

"Liu Xunyi, you are so bold!" Huang Yulang scolded, "When will it be your turn to make the decision in Xianwang Mansion? Do you know that what you did almost brought disaster to Xianwang Mansion?"

"At that time, I only wanted to threaten with words, and had no intention of hurting anyone, so as not to make a deadly feud with the Mongols." Liu Xunyi explained, "But man proposes, God disposes. That day in the Lingqiu mountain stream, Qin Ku was one step ahead of me and took the initiative to kill the group of Mongols, and claimed that he was ordered by the Northern Sage King. I had already noticed a clue at that time. Finally, when I saw Qin Ku deliberately let Bater go, I was sure that this was a carefully planned frame-up. If Bater was allowed to leave alive, the Mongolian court would definitely put this blood debt on the head of the Sage King's Mansion, and the consequences would be disastrous. So, I had to shoot him with a cold arrow to cut the grass and eradicate the roots. In this way, although the Mongols were suspicious, at least... there was no solid evidence."

"In that case, we should thank you?" Xie Xuan sneered, "Because of your self-willed decision, you accidentally saved our lives?"

"I dare not..."

"And you!" Before Liu Xunyi could answer, Xie Xuan suddenly directed his cold gaze at Xunzhen and asked, "What is your intention in framing the Xianwang Mansion?"

"What is my intention?" Xunzhen stared at Luo Tianjin who seemed to be thinking about something, and asked, "Doesn't Palace Master Luo know?"

"This……"

"All right!"

While everyone was speculating on each other's issues, Luo Tianjin's eyes suddenly moved, and he looked back at Xunzhen, who was frowning, with a meaningful look, and said in a very secretive manner: "I just want to ask one question. Can Miss Xunzhen provide solid evidence that Liu Xunyi is a spy for the imperial court?"

"This……"

At this moment, Xunzhen has gradually guessed Luo Tianjin's intentions. He has been avoiding the main issue again and again, and it is obvious that he wants to save Liu Xunyi's life.

Today, even if Xunzhen produced solid evidence, I am afraid Luo Tianjin would not admit it and would still find other excuses to exonerate Liu Xunyi.

With this in mind, Xunzhen knew that it was impossible for him to get rid of Liu Xunyi. Even if he had a mountain of evidence and a thousand words to say, it would be pale and powerless under Luo Tianjin's willful will and would be of no avail.

In this case, instead of wasting time arguing with Liu Xunyi, it would be better to do a favor and give Luo Tianjin some face.

Most importantly, Xunzhen didn't want to be a clown and waste her time in an impossible-to-reverse situation. Likewise, she didn't want to be manipulated by Luo Tianjin.

After thinking about it, a hint of self-mockery suddenly flashed across Xunzhen's serious face. Under Yeluqin's uneasy gaze, he slowly shook his head and said helplessly: "This matter... I can't produce any evidence."

"call!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Xunyi's heart, which had been beating rapidly, suddenly felt more at ease, and he couldn't help but let out a breath.

Looking at the disciples of Prince Xian's Mansion, they were all stunned by the sudden turn of events. They stared blankly at Xunzhen and Liu Xunyi, unable to recover for a long time.

It seemed that they did not understand what had just happened. They did not understand why the heated debate suddenly died down and ended so hastily.

Upon hearing Xunzhen's answer, Luo Tianjin, Yelu Qin and Liu Xunyi's faces changed at the same time.

Interestingly, Luo Tianjin's face flashed with a hint of relief and approval, while Yeluqin's face was full of disappointment and worry.

As for Liu Xunyi, he had a myriad of emotions, a mixture of feelings: grateful and surprised, moved and guilty; it was indescribably complicated.

"Lord Luo, actually..."

"Don't worry, Prince Ning. I know what you want to say." Luo Tianjin waved his hand and said, "I will check Liu Xunyi's background again and again. I will neither wrongly accuse a good person nor let a traitor go. But he is the Black Fan of the Xianwang Mansion after all, and he is also my disciple. Over the years, he has made countless contributions to me, risking his life without regrets. He almost lost his life several times and has countless scars on his body. These are indisputable facts. If you sentence him to death on the charge of "false" crimes just because of your one-sided words, and erase his achievements over the years, it seems... a bit unreasonable. After all, I didn't see him working for the court, but he worked hard for the Xianwang Mansion, and everyone present saw it."

"The Palace Master is wise!"

Seeing Luo Tianjin give in, Lin Fangda and the others were all excited. Luo Ningyu even cried with joy, secretly thanking the heavens in her heart. "But..."

"Of course, Liu Xunyi is not without fault either." Luo Tianjin interrupted Yeluqin's argument again, "At least, regarding the Lingqiu Stream incident, both he and Xunzhen had selfish motives and were at fault."

"What do you mean?" Seeing that Luo Tianjin wanted to give each of them fifty lashes and had an attitude of peacemaking, Yelu Qin couldn't help but feel dissatisfied and asked, "So, Lord Luo doesn't believe us?"

"Not really!" Luo Tianjin said with an ambiguous smile, "But after all... seeing is believing, hearing is not."

"In fact, it is very simple to verify whether Liu Xunyi is a spy of the court. Lord Luo only needs to send him to get Zhao Yuan's head..."

"Prince Ning!" Before Yeluqin could finish his words, Xunzhen suddenly interrupted, "Lord Luo knows how to handle this matter. There is no need for you and me to say more."

Yeluqin was stunned, as if he didn't understand Xunzhen's thoughts. But when he cast a suspicious look at Luo Tianjin, he saw Luo Tianjin staring at him with an unfriendly look, as if he had just said something wrong.

"I will slowly investigate this matter." After staring at each other for a moment, Luo Tianjin suddenly changed his expression and said seriously, "Before that, I will not wrongly accuse anyone. Come, untie Liu Xunyi and immediately restore his identity as Hei Zhishan."

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Liao Chuan and Liao Hai, overjoyed, rushed forward and hurriedly untied the hemp rope on Liu Xunyi's body.

When Liu Xunyi took off his restraints and regained his freedom, the look he gave Xunzhen was particularly conflicted, as if... he couldn't bear it.

"Although Liu Xunyi's guilt will not be pursued, he was at fault after all." Luo Tianjin changed the subject and said, "Therefore, the marriage between Liu Xunyi and Yu'er will be put on hold for the time being as a punishment."

"hiss!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone cried out in surprise. Especially Luo Ningyu, after hearing Luo Tianjin's order, she was stunned and didn't know what to say.

"Master, we have already sent out the wedding invitations. All the heroes in the world will gather at the Xianwang Mansion on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. If we cancel the wedding now, will it be..."

"No problem!" Luo Tianjin said with a faint smile, "On that day, I will personally explain to all the heroes in the world. Besides, I have another important matter to announce to the world, and the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the most suitable. As for Yu'er's marriage... we will discuss it later."

Just these words were like a sharp sword piercing Luo Ningyu's heart. On the other hand, Liu Xunyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling lucky that he had turned a disaster into a blessing, so as not to ruin Luo Ningyu's life.

Huang Yulang asked, "Master, since Liu Xunyi is innocent, how should Xunzhen be dealt with?"

"First, the 'Xuanshui Xiajuan' was stolen, then the 'Lingqiu Shanjian' was ambushed, and today she falsely accuses Hei Zhishan without any evidence. This woman has evil intentions and her crime is unforgivable." Deng Changchuan suggested, "If she is not severely punished, it will not be enough to appease the anger."

"This..." Xie Xuan knew the importance of Shao Qin Wang very well, so he seemed more hesitant in front of Huang Yulang and Deng Changchuan who didn't know the truth. He turned to Luo Tianjin and bowed, "Although Xunzhen was wrong, her crime is not punishable by death. What's more, the two times she framed the Xianwang Mansion were before Shao Qin Wang and the Palace Master formed an alliance, so it can't be considered as betrayal. As for framing Liu Xunyi... Even the Palace Master said that he would make a conclusion after a thorough investigation. How can he judge that she was framing her today? Moreover, Xunzhen has made great achievements since entering the Xianwang Mansion. Even if her achievements offset her mistakes, the Palace Master should not sentence her to death."

Luo Tianjin ignored Xie Xuan's proposal and instead cast an interested look at Liu Xunyi and asked, "Xunzhen said you were a spy sent by the court and almost got you into trouble, but now she can't produce any solid evidence. In your opinion, should she die?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi had just escaped death and could not guess what Luo Tianjin was thinking at this moment, so naturally he did not dare to make any speculations.

"How about this!" Seeing Liu Xunyi hesitating, Luo Tianjin waved his hand and said casually, "Xunzhen is targeting you. Now I will leave her life and death to you. You can repay evil with kindness and let her go. Or you can fight back and throw her into the oil pan. How do you think?"

Hearing this, the disciples from the three lower sects all spoke out to instigate Liu Xunyi to throw Xunzhen into the oil pan to vent his shame and anger.

However, Xunzhen, who was at the center of the vortex, remained neither humble nor arrogant. He looked straight at the frowning Liu Xunyi, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

Like a mockery, like a sneer, like a bitter smile, like a miserable smile...

At this moment, Liu Xunyi's heart was extremely entangled. After all, killing Xunzhen was definitely the best opportunity to turn the tide.

As long as Xunzhen is killed, the relationship between Shao Qin Wang and Luo Tianjin will be destroyed, which will be beneficial to the Song Dynasty court. However, no matter how Liu Xunyi paralyzes himself or how hard he tries to be merciless, he still cannot get over the barrier in his heart.

He knew that not killing Xunzhen would mean missing the best opportunity to stop Luo Tianjin from rebelling.

He knew that saving Xunzhen's life today might cost more lives in the future.

Liu Xunyi didn't know whether this choice was worth it or not, but he knew that if he killed Xunzhen, Liu Xunyi would no longer be Liu Xunyi.

Finally, Liu Xunyi's eyes hardened, and he came to Xunzhen with a knife. Under the expectant and nervous eyes of the people around him, he cut off the ropes on Xunzhen with a knife, and while letting her free, he murmured, "We are even now."

……

(End of this chapter)