Chapter 630: Court Training
When Liu Xunyi returned to Prince Xian's Mansion from Danfeng Garden, it was already late at night and everything was silent.

On the way back, Liu Xunyi recalled his experience of the day, and couldn't help feeling deeply moved and sighing.

The pain and despair in the early morning, the farewell to Qiu Han, Luo Ningyu's demise to protect him, the unexpected encounter with Luo Tianjin, the verbal battle with Xunzhen, the argument with Zhao Yuan...

On this day, he hovered on the brink of life and death several times and experienced many ups and downs in life.

Sometimes he was imprisoned, sometimes he was saved from a desperate situation, sometimes he was a gentleman, sometimes he was a villain. It was clearly sunrise and sunset, but it seemed like flowers blooming and withering, and he had endured countless springs and autumns.

Outside the mansion, Liu Xunyi put aside all distracting thoughts, adjusted his mood, buried his melancholy deep in his heart, and replaced it with a relaxed look of smugness and satisfaction as if he had survived a disaster.

It was almost midnight, and Liu Xunyi wanted to go back to his room to rest, but unexpectedly, in the silent east courtyard, there was someone who had been quietly waiting for him to return.

"Master of the Palace?"

Upon seeing Luo Tianjin, Liu Xunyi was stunned. He hurriedly ran forward and kowtowed to Luo Tianjin: "Greetings, Lord of the Palace!"

The moment he saw Liu Xunyi, Luo Tianjin had an urge to go forward, but due to the current situation, he had to try his best to restrain himself. But when he saw Liu Xunyi kneeling in front of him, he had an urge to help him up with his own hands, but he still suppressed it.

"There's no one else here, so there's no need for us to be so formal with each other, master and disciple."

"Yes... Master."

When Liu Xunyi uttered the word "Master", his heart felt as if it was pinched hard by someone and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Now, Liu Xunyi and Zhao Yuan conspired to get rid of Luo Tianjin, which was not only a betrayal of the master, but also a betrayal of the teacher. According to the rules of the martial arts world, betraying the teacher and the master were both taboos that could not be tolerated by heaven, and now Liu Xunyi was committing two taboos, which was a capital crime in terms of both emotion and reason.

"Master, I have given the gift to Lord Zhao, but Lord Zhao seems indifferent..."

"Oh!"

Luo Tianjin stared at the respectful Liu Xunyi with a smile on his face and gentle eyes. He seemed to be lost in thought and didn't care about what he said at all.

"Master?"

Liu Xunyi felt uncomfortable being stared at by Luo Tianjin, and secretly wondered in his heart, "Maybe I did something wrong and aroused Luo Tianjin's suspicion again." So he was shocked and said guiltily, "Maybe Master Zhao doesn't understand Master's good intentions, so..."

"No problem!" Luo Tianjin waved his hand nonchalantly, "I'm waiting for you here tonight, not to ask you about Zhao Yuan's reaction."

"That……"

"During this period of time, you and I have been busy with our own things. It's rare that I have some free time tonight, so I want to talk to you..." At this point, Luo Tianjin felt his throat dry due to his excitement, but he was afraid that Liu Xunyi would get suspicious, so he coughed twice and evaded the question, "I want to chat with you about family matters and check if you have been lazy during this period of time."

Liu Xunyi had something to hide, so she didn't dare to look directly into Luo Tianjin's eyes.

Luo Tianjin was worried that if he was too enthusiastic, would it arouse Liu Xunyi's suspicion?
The two of them had their own thoughts, and the atmosphere in the courtyard gradually became awkward.

"Cough cough!"

Suddenly, Luo Tianjin took a step back and said casually: "Let's stop talking nonsense and learn from each other!"

"It is better to obey orders than to be respectful!"

Liu Xunyi didn't want to be immersed in this weird atmosphere, so he readily agreed.

"Let's take action!"

"excuse me!"

Under Luo Tianjin's provocation, Liu Xunyi straightened his eyes, moved his feet, and rushed towards Luo Tianjin like a gust of wind, with his left fist hitting him in the face.

"Well done!"

Luo Tianjin praised loudly, and at the same time, he moved to the side, barely avoiding Liu Xunyi's fist. Then he made a claw with his right hand and firmly grasped his shoulder, trying to pull Liu Xunyi off the ground.

How could Liu Xunyi show weakness? He rushed upwards with Luo Tianjin's force, and then turned his waist and body horizontally in the air. At the same time, his feet kicked forward like lightning, forcing Luo Tianjin to give up holding Liu Xunyi. He quickly slapped his hands with endless whip kicks, counteracting Liu Xunyi's offensive while looking for his flaws.

"What a great kicking technique, where did you learn that?"

Hearing these words, Liu Xunyi's heart sank. He thought that Luo Tianjin was taking the opportunity to test him again. He was worried that Luo Tianjin would see through him, so he lost all will to fight and his movements became slow involuntarily.

It was during this moment of distraction that Luo Tianjin took advantage of the opportunity and found Liu Xunyi's weakness. With a move of Hidden Dragon Exiting the Cave, he passed his right arm through the gap between Liu Xunyi's legs, then swung it back and punched Liu Xunyi's lower back hard, sending him flying several meters away.

Seeing that he succeeded so easily, Luo Tianjin was stunned, and a hint of worry welled up in his eyes.

Although it was a heavy punch, fortunately neither of them used their internal strength, so Liu Xunyi only suffered some physical pain and it was not serious.

Supporting the ground with one hand, Liu Xunyi flew up, twisting her numb and painful waist, secretly thanking Luo Tianjin for not noticing. "I've taught you that when fighting with others, the most taboo is to be impatient, not to mention absent-minded." Seeing that Liu Xunyi was fine, Luo Tianjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then his face darkened and he taught, "Xunyi, what were you thinking about just now?"

"I..." Liu Xunyi felt abrupt and said perfunctorily, "I thought Master was focused on defense, but I didn't expect..."

"How foolish! The switch between attack and defense only takes a moment. Even children practicing horse-stack fighting know this. As a top-notch master, how could you make such a childish and ridiculous mistake?"

"I know I'm wrong, and I hope Master will punish me!" Liu Xunyi didn't dare to talk back and quickly bowed his hands to apologize.

Seeing Liu Xunyi's nervous look, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but feel sorry for her, so he slowed down his tone and said hesitantly, "Xunyi, are you still upset because of what happened this morning?"

"This……"

Seeing Luo Tianjin taking the initiative to give him a way out, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but feel secretly delighted, but he didn't dare to show it too much, so he said timidly: "Master, please forgive me for making a fool of myself."

"It's not just funny, it's hilarious!" Luo Tianjin pretended to be displeased, "A real man should be able to bend and stretch, to take on and let go, and the worst thing to do is to be sentimental and indecisive. If you want to accomplish great things, you must be open-minded, and you must not be like a little girl who is full of worries and keeps going back and forth. Today's incident is over, why do you have to be so hesitant?"

"Disciple, please remember your master's teachings."

"Forget it!" Luo Tianjin waved his hand and said, "Since you are depressed, it is not appropriate to use force tonight, so as not to go crazy."

After saying that, Luo Tianjin invited Liu Xunyi to sit down at the stone table together.

"Xunyi, today's incident should be regarded as a misunderstanding. I naturally trust you more than Xunzhen." Luo Tianjin said earnestly, "Not only because you are my disciple, but also because... you have fought for me and never complained. How could you be a spy for the court? The reason why I mobilized a large army and put on such a big show to interrogate you is actually to give face to the young king of Qin. After all, it was Xunzhen who accused you in front of me. If I turned a deaf ear, it would inevitably cause dissatisfaction from the young king of Qin. If this matter were changed to someone else, I would not only not trouble you, but also cut the person who falsely accused you into pieces."

Luo Tianjin's words were intended to reassure Liu Xunyi and dispel his doubts.

But in Liu Xunyi's view, Luo Tianjin's unusual closeness to him made him feel confused.

"Thank you Master for your trust!"

"As for canceling your marriage with Yu'er..." Luo Tianjin pondered for a moment, thinking over the words in his mind, and then said, "In fact, it is just a matter of following the flow. It can not only give the world a reasonable explanation, but also save the face of your teacher, so as not to become a person who speaks nonsense. Although you don't say it, I know in my heart that you have no feelings for Yu'er... As the saying goes, 'a forced melon is not sweet', Yu'er is my sweetheart, although you are deeply in my heart, but you are not sincere to Yu'er. Therefore, I don't want her to marry a man who doesn't love her, so as not to regret it for the rest of her life."

"Master, please understand!"

Liu Xunyi nodded repeatedly as if relieved. Canceling the marriage with Luo Ningyu was probably the biggest surprise Liu Xunyi got in today's turmoil.

"Although you are no longer my son-in-law, I have long regarded you as my own... half-son."

Luo Tianjin's words came from the bottom of his heart, which surprised Liu Xunyi and also made him feel inexplicably moved.

The more this happened, the more Liu Xunyi didn't want to put Luo Tianjin to death.

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi changed the subject and asked tentatively: "In fact, Master is a chivalrous and brave man, a hero of the time, why are you unwilling to save the people of the world?"

"Why do you think so?" Luo Tianjin knew Liu Xunyi's thoughts clearly, but pretended to be confused on the surface, "What does it mean to save the people of the world?"

"Forgive my daring, Master. Why don't you accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty and call on the martial arts heroes to jointly protect the Han people's country?"

"Is it the Han dynasty? Or the Song dynasty?" Luo Tianjin asked back, "When the country was in crisis, the emperor remembered that he was the emperor of the Han people, the court was the Han court, and the government was the Han government. But what they did in the past never made us Han people feel the slightest bit of affection. There is no peace in the country, and there are starving people in the wild. Xunyi, you lost your parents when you were young... You should have experienced the feeling of hunger and cold, and you should understand what I mean. The ice is three feet thick, and it is not cold in a day. The bad luck of the country is not a temporary mistake. Now, the Song Dynasty is already in a state of irreversible decline. Do you think that the power of the Central Plains martial arts can turn the tide? No! If I accept the amnesty, there will be only one result, that is, I will die in vain."

"But once a war breaks out, there will be countless casualties and rivers of blood..."

"Just as prosperity comes to decline, good times will also come after adversity." Luo Tianjin said meaningfully, "At the moment of life and death, only by breaking the old and establishing the new can we emerge from the cocoon and become a butterfly!"

"hiss!"

Luo Tianjin's words undoubtedly revealed his rebellious intentions to the fullest. Although his words were obscure, they were able to express his determination to change the dynasty.

Especially for Liu Xunyi, who already knew everything, Luo Tianjin's ambition was clear to him.

And this was also the purpose of Luo Tianjin's heart-to-heart talk with him, to test Liu Xunyi's reaction.

When Luo Tianjin looked at Liu Xunyi with expectation, waiting for him to think carefully and give feedback, Liu Xunyi's expression became serious and he said ten words righteously: "Master, I... dare not agree with what you said."

Although he had expected it, when Luo Tianjin heard Liu Xunyi's answer with his own ears and saw with his own eyes the resolute and stubborn look in Liu Xunyi's eyes that showed he would rather die than betray his country, he still felt an indescribable bitterness and loss in his heart.

How Luo Tianjin hoped that Liu Xunyi could break the old rules and recognize the current situation.

It’s a pity that Liu Xunyi is Liu Xunyi after all, an imperial official who regards “family, country and the world” and “the righteousness between the monarch and his subjects” as more important than his own life.

……

(End of this chapter)