Chapter 656: Life and Death Determined by Fate (XIV)
"This……"

Zheng Songren cast his hesitant gaze towards Qingfeng, who looked tired, as if asking him what he meant.

"In the Xianwang Mansion, everything will be arranged by your senior sister."

Qingfeng's indifferent answer undoubtedly sentenced Zhao Yuan and the other two to death.

"As ordered..."

"and many more!"

Before Zheng Songren led his men to attack, Yun Zhuiyue, who had been silent, suddenly interrupted them. Everyone was stunned, and the looks they gave him became increasingly strange.

Ling Xiaoxiao was dissatisfied and asked, "I wonder what advice does Saint Yun have?"

"I don't deserve your advice, but I think this matter may be inappropriate."

Yun Zhuiyue's answer was unexpected, and it gave Zhao Yuan, who was already in despair, a glimmer of hope.

"Inappropriate?" Ling Xiaoxiao frowned and asked, "What's wrong? As far as I know, Longxiang Mountain and the Song Dynasty court seem to have nothing to do with each other, and Zhao Yuan is not your relative or friend. The move by Lord Yun... is a bit of overstepping one's authority."

"Mr. Zhao and I hit it off right away and share the same ideals." Yun Zhuiyue ignored the indignant Ling Xiaoxiao and cast a meaningful look at Qingfeng who was watching from the sidelines, saying with a half-smile, "I wonder if the Wudang Sect could give me some face and let them go?"

Yun Zhuiyue knew that although Ling Xiaoxiao seemed to be the one making the final decision today, the person who could actually control the overall situation was the taciturn Qingfeng.

Zhao Yuan was also puzzled by Yun Zhuiyue's righteous words.

As for the sayings of "hitting it off at first sight" and "sharing the same ideals", they were just a few excuses made by Yun Zhuiyue and were completely untrue. Zhao Yuan was clear-headed about this.

"You betrayed Longxiang Mountain and challenged Wudang to a duel, just to save a court official you had never met before?" After a long pause, Qingfeng finally broke the silence after a long thought. "Forgive my stupidity. I really can't understand the deep meaning of Lord Yun."

"Master Qingfeng, your words are too serious. I am just a humble man, how can I have any deep meaning?" Yun Zhuiyue said modestly, "It's just that Lord Zhao and I have an agreement. We are in the same boat and share life and death. Therefore, I have to stand up and fulfill my promise in his time of crisis. If I betray my promise and do not help him, how can I stand firm in the martial arts world in the future?"

"You also care about the world's perspective..."

"shut up!"

Zhang Songyi was so ignorant that he mocked Yun Zhuiyue, which immediately caused Qingfeng to scold him. He was so scared that he trembled, stuck out his tongue in embarrassment, and dared not say another word.

"What do you think? Is Taoist Qingfeng willing to do Yun a favor?"

Ling Xiaoxiao's face changed, and she hurried to Qingfeng's side, whispering in a low voice: "Dad, you must not agree to him! If we let Yun Zhuiyue save Zhao Yuan, the Song Dynasty court will owe him a favor in the future, and will regard us as their number one enemy. In the long run, this matter is not good for us. What's more, our plan is..."

"No need to say more, Dad knows what's going on!" Qingfeng nodded slightly without leaving a trace, staring at Yun Zhuiyue with his old eyes, and asked tentatively, "What if I agree to your request? What if I don't agree to your request?"

"If Taoist Qingfeng is willing to do me a favor, I will be extremely grateful and promise that within three years, Longxiang Mountain will never cause any trouble to Wudang Sect." Yun Zhuiyue said, "If Taoist Qingfeng is not willing to do me a favor, I have nothing to say. I can only follow the previous promise and stand together with Lord Zhao and advance and retreat together."

"How dare you! You dare to be my enemy?"

"Even a clay figure still has some earthiness. If I have no other options, I... can only take a daring try." Yun Zhuiyue said helplessly, "Unless Taoist Qingfeng is sure that he can kill all of us, otherwise we will publicize what happened tonight and tell the world..."

"You dare to threaten me?" Qingfeng was furious. He pointed at Yun Zhuiyue and shouted, "You are a heretic devil and a scum of the martial arts world. Do the heroes of the world believe you or me?"

"I have long been notorious, and Longxiang Mountain has also committed many crimes. Why should I be afraid?" Yun Zhuiyue said with a nonchalant smile, "It's just that Taoist Qingfeng and Wudang Sect have always claimed to be the orthodox and upright martial arts sect. I and Longxiang Mountain are willing to fight to the end in this farce of mutual accusations, but I don't know if Taoist Qingfeng and Wudang Sect can bear it?"

"you……"

"What's more, I have the Imperial Envoy and the Song Dynasty to testify for me. The heroes of the world are not fools. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell the truth of this matter."

“Yun Zhuiyue, don’t be ungrateful!” Qingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression intimidating without anger, “Don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because you have the Xiangxi Teng Clan and Jueqing Valley backing you up? Little do you know…”

"Little do they know that if the leader of the martial arts world is in trouble tonight, there will be chaos in the world tomorrow." Yun Zhuiyue interrupted, "Now, there are two deputy leaders in the martial arts world. If one of them is criticized, the other will naturally take up the banner of the Central Plains martial arts world. By then... I wonder if Taoist Qingfeng will still dare to underestimate the Xiangxi Teng Clan?"

Yun Zhuiyue's words were like a sharp sword piercing Qingfeng's heart, striking at his weak spot.

Qingfeng assessed the situation and weighed the pros and cons repeatedly. He knew that if he and Yun Zhuiyue were to fight to the death, it would bring immeasurable losses and disasters to both Ling Xiaoxiao and Wudang Sect.

At present, Wudang Sect and Longxiang Mountain are evenly matched, with a 50-50 chance of winning and losing. Once they fight, no one is sure of winning, but the most likely outcome is that the battle will last until dawn, with both sides suffering losses.

When the disciples of Prince Xian's Mansion return from their night patrol, or when the guests in the mansion wake up, Luo Tianjin will be reborn, and the Wudang Sect and Longxiang Mountain will lose all their advantages, or even face a disaster.

Peace is beneficial to both sides, war is devastating to both sides. Yun Zhuiyue and Qingfeng both know this very well.

Tonight, Yun Zhuiyue was determined to save Zhao Yuan, and was willing to perish with Wudang Sect. He seemed to be reckless and willing to risk his life, but in fact, he was just pretending to be fearless.

Because he had already secretly determined that Qingfeng would never put himself and Wudang in danger because of a little Zhao Yuan.

After a moment of silence, Qingfeng's expression relaxed and he reluctantly agreed: "This old man... can let them go temporarily..."

"father……"

"No need to say more, I know my limits." Qingfeng interrupted Ling Xiaoxiao's dissuasion and turned to Yun Zhuiyue and said, "But, I have one condition."

"Please give me your instructions, Taoist priest." Yun Zhuiyue breathed a sigh of relief and agreed happily, "As long as I can do it, I will not refuse."

"Regarding what happened tonight, Longxiang Mountain must keep a close eye on their mouths!" Qingfeng pondered, "If you dare to speak nonsense..."

"Don't worry, Taoist priest. People from Longxiang Mountain have never set foot in Luoyang City, and they don't know what happened in the Xianwang Mansion." Yun Zhuiyue was a smart man, so he naturally understood Qingfeng's concerns, and promised firmly, "No matter what rumors spread in the martial arts world, everyone in Longxiang Mountain will definitely be of one mind with Wudang Sect, and will never..." Having said this, Yun Zhuiyue cast a mysterious look at Zhao Yuan and continued, "We will never join the rebellion! As for what happened tonight, whatever Taoist priest Qingfeng says is the truth, it is what it is."

Yun Zhuiyue's implication was that if Ling Xiaoxiao and Qingfeng pushed all the blame for tonight onto Zhao Yuan, Yun Zhuiyue would not reveal the truth but would follow Qingfeng's lead and join in adding insult to injury to Zhao Yuan.

In this case, even if Zhao Yuan explained himself, no one in the world would believe him.

Yun Zhuiyue spoke vaguely about this part, but Qingfeng and Zhao Yuan heard it clearly.

Although Zhao Yuan was dissatisfied, his life was at stake, so how could he have the leisure to worry about material things?

"Okay!" Qingfeng nodded with satisfaction, "I will believe your promise for the time being, and I am willing to take this opportunity to make Longxiang Mountain and Wudang repair their alliance." Having said this, Qingfeng's eyes suddenly became fierce, and he added, "If you dare to go back on your word, even if I have to sacrifice the century-old reputation of Wudang Sect, I will definitely raze Longxiang Mountain to the ground!"

"Master Qingfeng is a man of great power throughout the world. Yun still has to make a living in the martial arts world in the future. How dare he be ignorant of the current situation and bring about his own destruction?"

"He who knows the current situation is a hero. I hope that Lord Yun can always remember the promise he made today."

"must!"

Seeing that Qingfeng and Yun Zhuiyue reached an agreement, the mentality of Luo Tianjin, Ling Xiaoxiao and Zhao Yuan changed at the same time.

The difference is that Luo Tianjin was relieved that Liu Xunyi escaped. Ling Xiaoxiao was upset because her plan failed. Zhao Yuan, on the other hand, was mixed with joy and sorrow. On the one hand, he was secretly glad that he had survived the disaster, but on the other hand, he was worried because the rebellion was not going well.

Until now, Zhao Yuan was still unsure about Yun Zhuiyue's intentions, and didn't know what he was up to. But he was sure that Yun Zhuiyue didn't save him out of kindness, but had other intentions.

Putting aside all distracting thoughts, Zhao Yuan straightened his expression and asked, "Since the matter has been settled, Madam Luo and Taoist Qingfeng, can you hand over Luo Tianjin's head to me?"

"It's not your turn to deal with Luo Tianjin." Ling Xiaoxiao said impatiently, "I will kill him to vent my anger!"

"Luo Tianjin is plotting a rebellion, and the Emperor specifically requests his head. Even if I cannot bring back his head, I will not be at peace until I see his soul return to the netherworld with my own eyes." Zhao Yuan frowned, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Master Zhao, do you think you are the one in charge here?" Qing Feng said unhappily, "I have spared your life, but you are not grateful and are taking advantage of me. Do you really think I dare not kill you?"

"Saint Lord Yun!"

Zhao Yuan looked to Yun Zhuiyue for help. He knew that the only one who was qualified to negotiate with Qingfeng at this moment was Yun Zhuiyue.

More importantly, Yun Zhuiyue dreams of killing Luo Tianjin.

"Master Qingfeng, please listen to me." Yun Zhuiyue sorted out her thoughts and said calmly, "As far as I know, your daughter hates Luo Tianjin to the core and has murderous intentions. Now that you have finally forced him into a desperate situation, you should not be soft-hearted or show mercy. In other words, even if you are merciful, Luo Tianjin may not appreciate it. Once he recovers, everyone present will probably die without a burial place. Therefore, regardless of the difficulties of Lord Zhao, just for the safety of everyone, Luo Tianjin must die!"

"I promise you, Luo Tianjin will definitely die. From tomorrow on, there will no longer be a Luo Tianjin in the world. If I break my promise, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!" Ling Xiaoxiao spoke in a loud voice, and she was not pretending or deliberately shirking responsibility.

Zhao Yuan was skeptical: "If that's the case, why don't you do it in front of everyone..."

"He is my husband. When and how will he die? It is none of your business to comment!" Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly turned hostile and said sternly, "My father has been tolerant of you many times. If you are greedy and keep pressing us, we should just fight to the death and perish together!"

"you……"

"I believe that Madam Luo will do what she says and follow through on her promise." Yun Zhuiyue agreed before Zhao Yuan could make any excuses. At the same time, she shook her head slightly at him, indicating that he didn't need to say more to avoid angering Ling Xiaoxiao.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuan hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed and said no more.

"Master Zhao, it's getting late, let's go!"

In order to avoid any further complications, Yun Zhuiyue kept urging Zhao Yuan to leave.

Zhao Yuan looked at Luo Tianjin and Ling Xiaoxiao unwillingly, and then, with the support of Qin Wei, he limped out of the yard.

Looking around, the East Courtyard tonight feels both familiar and unfamiliar.

Once upon a time, Liu Xunyi and his brothers from the Xianwang Mansion laughed and talked happily in this courtyard. They ate meat with big mouthfuls and drank wine with big bowls. When they were happy, they drew their swords and danced. When they were depressed, they smashed bowls to vent their anger. When they were free, they laughed and talked about the martial arts world. When they were in a hurry, they prepared their armor and weapons.

Black held the fan and called out to hundreds of people, and the three gates were full of brave warriors. Liu Xunyi drew his sword and the virtuous prince's palace was in awe of him.

Here, Liu Xunyi is a thorough martial artist who strictly abides by the ways of the martial arts world and puts chivalry first in all things.

How many human relationships, how many love and hatred between men and women, how many grudges in the martial arts world, how many sword shadows and knife lights...

He could still clearly hear the words "Big Brother Liu" from "Fushou Kangning", "Brother Liu" from Luo Hongxuan and Lin Fangda, "Master Liu" from Liao Chuan and Liao Hai, and "Liu Zhishan" from Xu Heng and Ling Qing...

Of course, the word "looking for clothes" from Luo Ningyu's mouth is also indispensable.

The past is like the wind, like a passing cloud. The scenes seem to be just yesterday, and the smiling faces seem to be right in front of us.

Thinking of this, Liu Xunyi was overwhelmed with sorrow and thoughts. Unconsciously, he was already lost in thought, tears covering his eyes.

After being in a trance for an unknown amount of time, Liu Xunyi finally made up his mind. He suddenly turned around, left the Xianwang Mansion where he had been lurking for nearly three years, and returned to being an official of the imperial court.

After this farewell, we will be far away from the world. I don’t know when we will meet again?

……

(End of this chapter)