Chapter 650: Life and Death Determined by Fate (VIII)

"Luo Tianjin, I have set up a net that will trap you no matter how capable you are." Zhao Yuan stared at Luo Tianjin with a bad look and said coldly, "Be smart and surrender, so as to avoid making mistakes again and again and involving innocent people."

"Humph!" Luo Tianjin sneered, "How dare you brazenly talk about 'heavenly net' in my territory? I've heard that Marquis Tianji has ten young guards under his command, and they are all very skilled. I just wonder...how powerful are they?"

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi's face suddenly changed, and he said to himself, "As expected", and his eyes became more and more conflicted when he looked at Luo Tianjin.

"It's just an empty title. I don't deserve it." Zhao Yuan pretended to be humble. "The ten young guards under my command are not that powerful. Compared with the leader of the martial arts world, they are even more insignificant. Moreover, you have already experienced the worst one among them. It is the black fan of your mansion... Liu Xunyi."

Zhao Yuan's move of exposing Liu Xunyi's disguise as soon as they met was bound to catch people off guard.

Especially Liu Xunyi, she didn't know how to face Luo Tianjin tonight?

Liu Xunyi's martial arts and methods are obvious to all in the martial arts world. He is definitely a leader among the younger generation. But in Zhao Yuan's mouth, he became the worst of the ten young guards. This statement seems humble, but in fact it is extremely arrogant.

Little did they know that, looking at the entire Central Plains martial arts world, few people dared to claim to be better than Liu Xunyi.

Luo Tianjin's expression froze slightly, and he turned his mixed gaze to Liu Xunyi beside him, with an indescribable and complex emotion lingering between his brows.

Under Luo Tianjin's gaze that seemed like anger, sadness, resentment and hatred, Liu Xunyi, who was confused and uneasy, could no longer suppress his inner shame. He fell to his knees with a plop in front of everyone and kowtowed three times to the silent Luo Tianjin.

Luo Tianjin, a man of iron will, remained unmoved in the face of ambushes and hundreds of swords. However, when faced with Liu Xunyi's kowtow, his eyes turned red, and a faint trace of tears emitted a faint glow under the reflection of the moonlight.

Although he already knew Liu Xunyi's identity, when the moment came for them to take off their disguises, Luo Tianjin couldn't help but feel sad and filled with emotion.

"Liu Xunyi, why are you kneeling before him?" Zhao Yuan frowned and said angrily, "You are an official, he is a thief, you and he are irreconcilable, fire and water cannot coexist. As an official appointed by the court, how can you be so disrespectful? Stand up immediately!"

Zhao Yuan issued the last sentence in an unquestionable tone, which showed his strong dissatisfaction with Liu Xunyi's kneeling.

After all, a court guard who was entrusted with the emperor's orders actually condescended to kowtow three times and nine times to a traitor who was plotting a rebellion. This was undoubtedly tantamount to serving the enemy. Once the news got out, not only would Liu Xunyi lose face, but the reputation of the Song Dynasty court would also plummet.

However, Liu Xunyi, who always understood the big picture, not only did not obey Zhao Yuan's orders, but turned a deaf ear to them. He still knelt straight in front of Luo Tianjin, motionless for a long time.

"Xun Yi, what are you doing?" Luo Tianjin was also confused and asked hesitantly, "Could it be that... you feel guilty and want to turn from evil to good?"

"Bah!" Qin Wei said angrily, "If Liu Xunyi has any other intentions, it means 'abandoning the light and joining the dark', how can we talk about abandoning the dark and joining the light?" After saying this, Qin Wei cast an urgent and resentful look at Liu Xunyi, urging him, "Liu Xunyi, are you crazy? Do you know what you are doing? Hurry up and get up, don't make the Marquis angry!"

"Master... Master!" Liu Xunyi looked at Luo Tianjin with a frown on his face pitifully, begging desperately, "Plotting rebellion will lead to death. Can you... for the sake of the relationship between you and me, stop before you make a big mistake?"

"Xun Yi, you..."

"I promised Miss that I would save your life no matter what." Liu Xunyi did not give Luo Tianjin a chance to refute, and said, "As long as you are willing to turn back from your mistakes, I am willing to ask the Marquis to plead for you in front of the Emperor and spare your life..."

"Bastard!"

Zhao Yuan was furious, with veins popping out on his forehead. He scolded, "Liu Xunyi, what nonsense are you talking about? Luo Tianjin deserves death, his crime is unforgivable, how can you beg for him? And you are not allowed to make decisions for the emperor!"

"My Lord, please have mercy. Although Lord Luo is a suspect, we have not yet found any irrefutable evidence. Everything is just Ling Xiaoxiao's one-sided statement..."

"Enough!" Zhao Yuan said angrily, "Liu Xunyi, do you want to betray the court and rebel with Luo Tianjin?"

Liu Xunyi was so frightened that his body trembled, and he responded subconsciously: "I dare not..."

"Since you don't dare, then stop talking nonsense." Zhao Yuan scolded, "I order you to take action now and take down Luo Tianjin's head!"

Liu Xunyi was silent, looking at Zhao Yuan with trembling eyes, and said hesitantly: "My Lord, this matter..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Zhao Yuan waved his hands impatiently, "If you still have me, the court, and the emperor in your heart, then kill Luo Tianjin immediately. If you disobey orders, you will be unkind and unjust, disrespectful to your king and father, and you will be guilty of the same crime as a traitor!"

"I……"

Zhao Yuan's words carried great weight. He knew what Liu Xunyi cared about most, and he stabbed him right in the heart, with the intention of forcing Liu Xunyi to make a choice between the imperial court and Luo Tianjin.

In fact, Zhao Yuan was not deliberately making things difficult for Liu Xunyi, but was taking great pains to help her clear herself of suspicion.

Tonight, all the captains of Tianji Pavilion are here, and it is difficult to judge right from wrong. If Liu Xunyi continues to be indecisive and gets entangled with Luo Tianjin, it is inevitable that rumors will arise in the future and give people excuses.

By then, even if Liu Xunyi had made great contributions, I am afraid that someone would dig up tonight's past and falsely accuse him of having evil intentions and protecting traitors in front of the emperor.

Liu Xunyi was raised by Zhao Yuan and was the youngest he had the most hope for. Zhao Yuan could not bear to watch him go astray and ruin his future. Therefore, Zhao Yuan had to be cruel and force Liu Xunyi to make a decisive decision even though he knew that Liu Xunyi was heartbroken.

Zhao Yuan knew very well that the world was difficult and people's hearts were treacherous, and he also understood that "a short pain is worse than a long one." He didn't want Liu Xunyi to fall deeper and deeper, so he had to be ruthless.

How could Liu Xunyi not know this?

"Looking for clothes!"

Just when Liu Xunyi was in a dilemma and in great pain, Luo Tianjin's voice suddenly rang in his ears: "If you want to kill me, I... won't resist."

Liu Xunyi was startled and looked up at Luo Tianjin, whose face was gentle.

He was puzzled. Luo Tianjin knew that he was a traitor sent by the court, so why didn't he get angry? Instead, he was calm and even... looked at him with a bit of kindness in his eyes.

"Master, don't you blame me for deceiving you?" Liu Xunyi asked in disbelief.

Luo Tianjin shook his head slowly and chuckled, "I was wrong, so the fault is mine, not yours. You were just following orders, what's wrong with that?" "But..."

"Xunyi, whether you are from the imperial court or not, you are still my good disciple." Luo Tianjin said bitterly, "In fact, not only did you deceive me, I also deceived you. As early as when Xunzhen exposed you, I already knew your identity. It's just that I really couldn't bear to kill you, so I pretended to be confused."

"Palace Master..." Luo Tianjin's words were so heartfelt that Liu Xunyi was moved but also felt even more guilty.

"Since I can't bear to kill you, I will have no regrets if I die in your hands tonight..." Luo Tianjin continued, "If anyone else attacks, I will kill them back. But if you attack, I will never resist."

Luo Tianjin looked solemn and spoke earnestly. He seemed to believe Liu Xunyi, but in fact he was testing him.

He wanted to take this opportunity to test whether Liu Xunyi really wanted to kill him. If Liu Xunyi couldn't bear to kill Luo Tianjin, it would prove that Luo Tianjin was very important in Liu Xunyi's heart, and the reunion of father and son in the future would be a natural outcome.

On the contrary, if Liu Xunyi does not remember the old friendship, disregards the favor, and does not talk about morality, and ruthlessly kills Luo Tianjin, it proves that Liu Xunyi has regarded loyalty to the emperor as the top priority in his heart, and it would be extremely difficult for Luo Tianjin to rebel.

If this is true, Luo Tianjin will never sit and wait for death as he said. When it comes to the last resort, even if Liu Xunyi is his own flesh and blood, he will not show mercy...

"Master couldn't bear to kill his disciple... How could his disciple bear to kill his master?" Liu Xunyi muttered to himself with a dull expression, "If I were to be ungrateful and repay kindness with resentment, what difference would there be between me and an animal?"

"Liu Xunyi, don't be fooled by his sweet words!" Zhao Yuan saw through Luo Tianjin's intentions and said sternly, "He said so much just to shake your mind and use you to help him escape. Don't be fooled!"

"That's right!" Qin Wei nodded repeatedly, "Brother Liu, if you don't believe it, why not give it a try and see if he really won't resist?"

"Liu Shaobao, don't hesitate any longer!" Wei Liang was anxious and urged, "The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. What if Luo Tianjin is deliberately delaying and waiting for reinforcements? Wouldn't we miss the opportunity?"

Luo Tianjin put on a fearless look ready to die bravely and encouraged him, "They are right. You don't have to hesitate any longer. If you want to kill me, now is undoubtedly the best opportunity."

"bass!"

Under the urging from all directions, Liu Xunyi's eyes suddenly became fierce, and he drew his sword from its sheath. The extremely sharp Wuji sword pointed directly at the motionless Luo Tianjin.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Yuan and others all held their breath and concentrated. The noisy sounds that came one after another disappeared instantly. Everyone stared at Liu Xunyi and Luo Tianjin's every move with wide eyes, and the East Courtyard fell into deathly silence again.

Luo Tianjin remained calm, with a kind smile on his face, and encouraged: "Go ahead!"

"call!"

Before Luo Tianjin could finish his words, Liu Xunyi suddenly bent his arm and the green sword drew a silver arc in the air.

The next moment, the sharp sword blade was pressed tightly against Liu Xunyi's neck.

"Xun Yi, what are you doing?"

"Liu Xunyi, you..."

The sudden change made Luo Tianjin and Zhao Yuan stunned at the same time. They subconsciously exclaimed, their eyes filled with horror.

"What happened tonight was caused by me..." Liu Xunyi said disheartenedly, "I can neither ignore the court and betray the Marquis, nor repay kindness with hatred and kill the Palace Master. Liu Xunyi is incompetent, unable to serve the country, and unable to abide by human ethics... In this case, I can only die to apologize, and let you guys kill each other..."

Before he could finish his words, Liu Xunyi suddenly swung his sword and cut his own throat.

"Keng!"

"Boom!"

Before Liu Xunyi committed suicide to thank Tian, ​​Luo Tianjin, who was ready to strike, swung his right hand suddenly, and shot out a sharp force, which accurately hit Liu Xunyi's wrist, catching him off guard. His wrist felt numb, and the Wuji sword fell out of his hand, leaving only a shallow blood mark on his throat.

"Master, you..."

"Xunyi, you would rather commit suicide than be my enemy, very good!" Luo Tianjin nodded slowly with relief in his eyes, "Since you are in a dilemma, just stand by and watch, no need to take action."

"what?"

"Zhao Yuan, do you think your petty tricks will work in front of me?" Luo Tianjin ignored Liu Xunyi's surprise and said to Zhao Yuan, "Since I knew you were going to deal with me, how could I be unprepared?"

Seeing that Luo Tianjin was confident, Zhao Yuan's eyes changed, and a trace of uneasiness surged in his heart. He said in a deep voice: "Luo Tianjin, don't bluff in front of me! The disciples of the Xianwang Mansion have already come out in full force, you..."

"Since Lord Zhao doesn't believe me, I will let you see what I can do!"

After saying that, the smile on Luo Tianjin's face suddenly disappeared, and a tremendous murderous intent emanated from his body, like an lingering haze, hanging over the sky above the East Courtyard, making Zhao Yuan and others feel a chill on their backs.

"Murong Bai, Deng Quan, if you haven't shown up yet, when will you show up?"

Following Luo Tianjin's order, a noisy and hurried sound of footsteps suddenly rang out from the dead silent East Courtyard.

In an instant, eight hundred "Royal Guards" wrapped in black and holding sharp blades swarmed in from all directions and surrounded the terrified Zhao Yuan and the three hundred golden sword captains in the blink of an eye.

Murong Bai had a stern expression and cold eyes. He pointed the silver spear in his hand toward the sky. Dozens of torches instantly burned, illuminating the extremely dark East Courtyard as bright as day, and also making the faces of Zhao Yuan and others look as pale as wax.

……

(End of this chapter)