Chapter 657: Dust Returns to Peace (I)

The storm is over and the dust has settled.

In the East Courtyard, apart from Ling Xiaoxiao and the Wudang people, there were only dead and dying people on the ground.

"Xiaoxiao, how do you...plan to deal with Tianjin?"

Looking at Luo Tianjin, who was breathing weakly and his mind was gradually becoming blurred, Qingfeng couldn't help but feel an indescribable regret in the depths of his eyes.

Hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao's body trembled. Her tone was very calm, but her voice couldn't help but tremble: "Kill!"

"Do you really want to kill him?"

Although he had expected it, when Qingfeng heard this word from Ling Xiaoxiao's mouth, he was still shocked by her determination and indifference and broke out in a cold sweat.

"If I don't kill him, do I have to wait for him to kill me?" Ling Xiaoxiao's voice was like crying and laughing, "Don't worry about this matter, Dad. I will solve it myself..."

"Madam, you can't kill the mansion master! You can't!"

Suddenly, Xie Xuan's roar filled with pain and pleading was heard from the courtyard, which immediately attracted the attention of Ling Xiaoxiao, Qingfeng and others.

"you wanna die……"

"and many more!"

Before Zhang Songyi could chop off Xie Xuan's head, Ling Xiaoxiao waved her hand to stop him and said, "Bring him here!"

"Yes, senior sister."

After agreeing, Zhang Songyi and three other Wudang disciples worked together to bring the struggling Xie Xuan in front of Ling Xiaoxiao.

At this time, Xie Xuan was seriously injured and weak. But even so, he still struggled to twist his tightly bound body. If it weren't for the four young and strong Wudang disciples who tried their best to restrain him, he would have broken through the restraints and crashed into Ling Xiaoxiao.

"Thank you...thank you brother..."

Looking at Xie Xuan, who was covered in blood and wailing constantly, Luo Tianjin felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife and tears welled up like a fountain. He opened his mouth with difficulty to call out.

Although Luo Tianjin's voice was as thin as a mosquito's silk, every word was still like thunder in Xie Xuan's ears. His body stiffened immediately, and he looked up suddenly, looking at Luo Tianjin with worry in his eyes.

"Palace Master, how are you... injured?" Xie Xuan asked in the softest voice possible, suppressing his inner grief.

However, facing Xie Xuan's concern, Luo Tianjin's throat felt dry and he could only make a series of "hissing" sounds.

"Madam, please save the mansion master quickly. He is your husband who shares the same bed with you!" Seeing that Ling Xiaoxiao was unmoved by his pleas, Xie Xuan turned his gaze to Qingfeng and urged, "Master Qingfeng, you have always been a man of great justice and understanding. Even if you don't care about the respect of the leader of the martial arts world, you should save his life for the sake of your many years of relationship as master and disciple with him..."

"Xie Xuan, you are Brother Jin's right-hand man. You have made an indelible contribution to the success of the Xianwang Mansion today."

Ling Xiaoxiao ignored Xie Xuan's pleas and said to herself, "Over the years, you have not only helped Brother Jin build a foundation, but also helped him build a plank road in the open and sneak into Chencang in secret. You know more about the scandal in Xiangxi than anyone else."

"No one is perfect, no one is without faults," Xie Xuan said bitterly, "The mansion master was young and hot-tempered back then, so why did Madam insist on it?"

"As a minister, knowing that his master had committed a terrible mistake, not only did he not give timely advice, but he also helped the tyrant to commit atrocities, and even today, more than 20 years later, he is still secretly helping them to make connections. What crime should he be punished for?"

"I..." Facing Ling Xiaoxiao's scolding, Xie Xuan was confused and said in a panic, "The reason cannot be explained in a few words. I beg Madam to put the overall situation first and heal the mansion master first..."

"Snapped!"

Before Xie Xuan could finish his words, Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly raised her hand and slapped him hard in the face.

"Stop beating around the bush in front of me!" Ling Xiaoxiao said in a deep voice, "If he cared about the relationship between husband and wife, how could he have such a shameless idea of ​​'divorcing his wife and abandoning his children'?"

"This... Madam, when did the mansion master ever say that he would divorce his wife and abandon his children? This is completely nonsense!"

"Asshole!" Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes turned cold. "I heard it with my own ears, how could it be false? Xie Xuan, Xie Xuan, I thought you were an honest man, but I never expected that until today, you still wanted to lie to me for Luo Tianjin. Do you think I dare not kill you?"

"Madam, if you can kill me to vent your anger, Xie Xuan is willing to exchange his life for the life of the Palace Master!"

"You should have died with Luo Tianjin!" Ling Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, as if to calm her inner emotions, and then said, "But I heard that when the Palace Master was determined to kill me, it was you who repeatedly and patiently advised the Palace Master to leave some dignity for each other out of consideration for our long-term relationship as husband and wife, right?"

"The mansion master is arbitrary. If he really wants to kill my wife, I can't stop him even if I talk my mouth off. This shows that the mansion master was just angry at the time..."

"You don't have to excuse Luo Tianjin. He and I have been married for many years, and I know his character better than you do. He didn't kill me, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't dare to. He was afraid that if he killed me, he wouldn't be able to explain to the Wudang Sect, let alone face the criticism from the world."

"Madam, this matter..."

"Luo Tianjin's situation is over, you should think about your own future!" Ling Xiaoxiao changed the subject and ignored Xie Xuan's explanation, "In fact, I have always admired you. I think you, Xie Xuan, are the most capable person in the mansion. After tonight, the Xianwang Mansion will be leaderless and will undoubtedly be in chaos, and the culprits behind all this are Zhao Yuan and Liu Xunyi..."

"It's true that Zhao Yuan is guilty, but Madam... is she not at fault?" Xie Xuan said sadly, "Madam keeps accusing the Palace Master of being ungrateful, but you yourself... aren't you cold-blooded and heartless? That's it! Madam, you can just say whatever you want to say, there's no need to beat around the bush."

"Okay!" Ling Xiaoxiao said solemnly, "A country cannot be without a king for a day, and a family cannot be without a master for a day. The Xianwang Mansion is a huge foundation, and it cannot be a pile of loose sand. Although I am the wife, I am a woman after all, and it is not appropriate for me to show my face in public. Xuan'er is ill again, and it is hard to predict whether he will live or die, so..."

"So what?"

"So I want to help you take the throne and take charge of the overall situation of the Xianwang Mansion!"

"What?" Ling Xiaoxiao's words not only shocked Xie Xuan, but also made the dying Luo Tianjin's eyelids twitch.

"Xie Xuan, as long as you are willing to give up Luo Tianjin and be of one mind with me, I am willing to follow the example of the Tang Clan in Shu and retreat behind the scenes, and let you be the lord of the Xianwang Mansion. How do you think?"

Xie Xuan had never thought that Ling Xiaoxiao would be so shameless. He was immediately filled with shame and anger. He was shaking with anger and said in disbelief: "I never thought that Madam's ambition... is so terrible? Please forgive me for not being ungrateful. I would rather die than betray the Lord of the House, and I would rather not be your puppet..."

"Today's Xianwang Mansion is not only Luo Tianjin's foundation, but also your hard work. Do you want to watch it destroyed?" Ling Xiaoxiao said, "Besides, you are not a puppet. Although I am the head of the family, I will never interfere with your actions..."

"Enough!" Xie Xuan said impatiently, "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. The mansion master and I have fallen to this point and there is nothing to say. We only ask for death!"

"you……"

"Master, Senior Sister, there are people alive here."

Before Ling Xiaoxiao could speak, Zheng Songren's voice suddenly came from a distance. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw several Wudang disciples carrying Murong Bai, Deng Quan, and Yan Bugui, whose lives were unknown, approaching.

"Not return?"

Ling Xiaoxiao was shocked and hurried forward to check. When she saw that Yan Bugui was still breathing, but just unconscious, she breathed a sigh of relief and ordered people to carry her away to treat her injuries.

"Senior sister, they are only half alive. If we don't rescue them, they will surely die." Zheng Songren pointed at Murong Bai and Deng Quan and asked, "What should we do with them? Give them a quick death or..."

"Xie Xuan!" Ling Xiaoxiao's beautiful eyes turned, a plan came to her mind, and she said to Xie Xuan, "I will leave their lives to you now."

"what?"

"If you are stubborn, I will kill them and put an end to the trouble forever." Ling Xiaoxiao said coldly, "If you are willing to surrender, I will heal their wounds. It is up to you to decide whether Murong Bai and Deng Quan live or die."

"I……"

"Thank you, brother!"

Suddenly, Luo Tianjin's weak and hoarse voice sounded again. It seemed as if he had used up all his life's strength to say these two short words. Due to his excitement, a large amount of blood flowed out of the sword wound in his lower abdomen again.

"Master of the Palace?"

Xie Xuan was shocked and looked up hurriedly, but saw that Luo Tianjin's mouth was full of blood, his lips and teeth were opening and closing, and his throat was stammering, but he could hardly utter a complete sentence.

Luo Tianjin stared at Xie Xuan with eyes wide open, his eyes seemed to contain thousands of words, complex and anxious.

Xie Xuan held his breath and stared back at Luo Tianjin without blinking. They looked into each other's eyes for a long time without saying a word.

At this moment, Luo Tianjin's eyes were filled with tears and affection, and he looked so painful that he couldn't speak. Xie Xuan's heart tightened, and the strong man could no longer control his tears and burst into tears without restraint.

Although no word was expressed, Xie Xuan had been with Luo Tianjin for many years and had a tacit understanding with him. Just a look from Luo Tianjin was enough for Xie Xuan to understand his intention.

"Xie Xuan, what do you think?"

Qingfeng's old voice ruthlessly interrupted Xie Xuan's thoughts, shocking him. He suddenly raised his head and stared blankly at Ling Xiaoxiao, who was full of expectation.

"Madam, why... did you persuade me to surrender?" At this time, Xie Xuan's tone was no longer as firm as before, "I... want to hear the truth."

Ling Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, then said bluntly: "What happened tonight will affect the entire body. Tomorrow, it will cause a huge change in the martial arts world, and the heroes of the world will be shocked. I want to blame Zhao Yuan and Liu Xunyi for this, but I am afraid that it will be difficult to convince the public with just my one-sided statement. If you are here, the heroes of the world will believe it without a doubt."

"Aren't you afraid that I will turn against you and expose your scandal in public?"

"You won't!" Ling Xiaoxiao said firmly, "Although Brother Jin is gone, he still left behind a pair of children. Even if you don't care about me, you should think about Xuan'er and Yu'er. Besides, I still say that you won't watch Brother Jin's hard-earned foundation destroyed overnight."

"You're right..." Xie Xuan replied weakly, "I won't destroy the Palace Master's foundation..."

"Xie Xuan, Luo Tianjin was the first to be unkind, so how can you blame me for being unjust?" Ling Xiaoxiao said seriously, "I hate him, but I have feelings for the Xianwang Mansion. I hope you can distinguish right from wrong, judge the situation, and don't make mistakes."

"Madam, what you said is absolutely right..." Xie Xuan was in despair, muttering to himself, "I really shouldn't go against the will of heaven, and put the cart before the horse."

Hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes moved, and hesitantly said: "Xie Xuan, what you mean is..."

"Xie... is willing to assist Madam and preserve the foundation of the Xianwang Mansion. In the future, I will follow Madam's lead and will not hesitate to die..."

When Xie Xuan said the last sentence, he collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball, crying silently, his heart dead.

However, when Luo Tianjin heard Xie Xuan's answer, the corners of his mouth, which were filled with blood, actually curled up slightly, revealing a relieved smile.

"Brother Xie, you have followed me for many years, and you really know my heart. Today I let you surrender because I hope you can live well and take care of Rou'er and her son for me. Especially Xunyi, before he is fully grown, remember not to expose his relationship with me, otherwise he will be caught in the double pursuit of the court and the martial arts world, and will surely die. I know that death is the real relief at this point, and living is even more difficult. Forgive my last selfishness. I really can't bear to see more than 20 years of hard work go to waste, and I don't want to see Xunyi and his son lonely and helpless, bullied by others. I am very relieved to have you guarding them. After a hundred years, I will set up a good banquet under the nine springs to show my reward. At that time, you and I brothers will drink and talk happily again, and we will not stop until we are drunk. Brother Xie, my son Xunyi will be handed over to you..."

After giving up the thought, the smile on Luo Tianjin's face gradually froze, his eyes shook slightly, and finally lost the last bit of luster.

The supreme master of the world, a giant in the martial arts world.

It collapsed tonight, leaving behind endless sighs.

……

(End of this chapter)