Chapter 687: Brothers in Distress (Part )

"Brother Liu, we haven't had a drink together for three years. It's a rare opportunity for you and I to clear up the misunderstanding today. How about we get drunk together?"

Qin Wei dragged the uneasy Liu Xunyi to the table, personally filled his wine bowl, and teased: "I guess those people are definitely running for their lives now, and they dare not come back here, let alone we will continue to stay here to drink. Brother Liu, do you think we are... skilled and brave?"

After that, Qin Wei handed a full bowl of apricot blossom wine to Liu Xunyi and said, "Come, let me see how much your drinking capacity has improved."

Liu Xunyi looked at Qin Wei with complicated eyes. Although he could understand Qin Wei's "helplessness", Zhao Xin was injured by Qin Wei after all, and this inevitably made Liu Xunyi feel resentful.

"I'll do it first as a courtesy!"

Seeing that Liu Xunyi was silent and motionless, Qin Wei didn't act pretentiously. He simply picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

"Brother Liu, you were too careless today." Qin Wei complained nonchalantly, "How can you come out alone to do this? If something bad happens today, how will you let the brothers in Tianji Pavilion deal with it?"

"Yeah! I didn't expect them to find me so quickly." Liu Xunyi said bitterly, "Luckily I have you today, otherwise even if I could break out of the encirclement, I'm afraid they would still skin me alive."

"Oh?" Qin Wei raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "I heard that you fought against hundreds of people alone in Fengming Tower in Luoyang City. Why are you so unconfident facing these people today?"

"Things are different now." Liu Xunyi explained, "Back then in Fengming Tower, the most powerful masters were only Zhuge and his son from the Golden Sword Sect, and their martial arts could only be considered second-rate. As for the others, most of them were mediocre and reckless, so they were naturally not to be feared. But even so, they still beat me to exhaustion with just the human wave tactics, and I couldn't defend myself. When I left Fengming Tower, I was covered in wounds and blood, and I wished I had lost half my life. The people from the martial arts world gathered here today are no less than those in Fengming Tower back then. The difference is that most of the people who came today are people with outstanding martial arts, and there are many first-class masters who are powerful and experienced. Therefore, if I want to break out of their siege, it will be much more dangerous and difficult than it was back then. It's not that I'm being self-deprecating. If you hadn't rescued me in time today, the chances of me leaving alive... are actually no more than 50%."

"hiss!"

Hearing this, Qin Wei couldn't help but take a deep breath and said in surprise: "How could such a master exist among this group of ruffians today?"

"You have never been in the martial arts world, so it is inevitable that you have prejudices against the people in the martial arts world." Liu Xunyi said, "In fact, the people in the martial arts world are also prejudiced against the government. To put it bluntly, they just look down on each other. The people in the government think that the martial arts world is full of uneducated bandits. Even the famous and upright sects are just a mob in your eyes and are not worth mentioning. On the other hand, the attitude of the people in the martial arts world towards the government is the same. They think that the court and the government are all good-for-nothings who only know how to plunder the people and bully others all day long. They have no real talent or knowledge at all."

"So...what about the facts?"

"The fact is, whether in the court or in the martial arts world, there are heroes with chivalrous hearts and great martial arts skills, as well as wise men who are good at planning and making all the plans." Liu Xunyi said solemnly, "Similarly, there are also scum who are muddle-headed and seek fame. Underestimating the enemy is not only the weakness of the people in the court, but also the weakness of the people in the martial arts world. Because of the word 'underestimating the enemy', both sides have suffered a lot."

"That's true!" Qin Wei nodded thoughtfully, "The last time we surrounded and killed Luo Tianjin..."

At this point, Qin Wei's voice stopped abruptly. He looked at Liu Xunyi fearfully, and seeing that he looked the same, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "It was so difficult for so many of us to attack him alone. From then on, I realized that some famous figures in the martial arts world do have the ability to look down on the world. Of course, if these people can work for the court, it would be the best of both worlds and everyone would be happy."

"It's a pity that everyone has their own aspirations and cannot be forced." Liu Xunyi sighed meaningfully.

Qin Wei rolled his eyes and asked tentatively, "Among the group of people just now, is there anyone like Luo Tianjin?"

"No." Liu Xunyi shook his head slowly, "Most of those who appeared just now were elite disciples from various sects. None of the real sect leaders or family heads have arrived yet."

"It seems that they dare not rashly step into Lin'an, fearing that they will never come back." Qin Wei showed disdain.

"That's wrong! Those heads of the sects and families didn't come because they were afraid of death, but because they were worried about losing face."

"What do you mean?"

"The head of a sect or a family is undoubtedly the bottom line and support of a sect or a family." Liu Xunyi pondered, "Such a person's every move and every word is far-reaching and related to the honor and interests of many people. In other words, such a person cannot act lightly. Once he acts, he must gain something. There must not be any mistakes, and he must not return empty-handed. Because once he fails, he will lose not only his own life and face, but also the dignity and honor of the entire sect and family. In the future, their disciples will not be able to raise their heads when walking in the world, and will be ridiculed, rejected, and even bullied."

"This..." Qin Wei said in disbelief, "There are actually such rules in the martial arts world? I didn't realize that these people care so much about face?"

"People in the Jianghu place no less importance on reputation than those in the imperial court." Liu Xunyi could not deny it. "In fact, the ministers in the imperial court are the same. They always shout about the dignity of the imperial court and the majesty of the Song Dynasty... and so on."

"That's true." Qin Wei curled his lips, then changed the subject and asked again, "Among those people just now, did you see who the core figure was?"

"Tang Yu, the owner of the Tang Sect's Soul Chasing Room, Ning Luo, the Kunlun Sword Master, and Xu Zhun, the Qingcheng Sect's Right Emissary, are the three with the highest martial arts and status, and are considered the core figures in this group of people." Liu Xunyi pondered, "But these are only the ones who have appeared. There should be many more who have not appeared."

"Not showing up?" Qin Wei rolled his eyes and asked suspiciously, "Are you talking about..."

"Shaolin is a vegetarian and compassionate place, so it's not surprising that they didn't send anyone to hunt me down. But Wudang is different. Qingfeng is the leader of the martial arts world, and the Jianghu Hunting Order was issued by him, so it's unreasonable for Wudang not to take action." Liu Xunyi frowned slightly, carefully recalling the people who had just appeared, "In addition, there is also the Xianwang Mansion... As the protagonist of revenge, it is impossible for them not to send people here."

"Brother Liu!" Suddenly, Qin Wei's expression became serious and he volunteered, "It seems that this matter is not as simple as imagined. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to give an explanation to the Marquis within half a month relying on your own strength. Why not... let me help you? Otherwise, if a situation like today happens again, if you are isolated and helpless, the consequences will be unimaginable." "This..." Faced with Qin Wei's self-recommendation, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but hesitate.

"What? Brother Liu doesn't believe me?" Qin Wei's expression darkened, and he said self-deprecatingly, "Are you still worried... that I will betray you again?"

"Of course not." Liu Xunyi said hurriedly, "Xin'er's affairs were beyond your control, how can you confuse them with what happened today?"

"In that case, why don't you give me a chance to make amends?" Qin Wei said stubbornly, "Although I am following orders, I still feel that I owe you too much... Therefore, giving me a chance to make amends will also make me feel better."

"This..." After Qin Wei's repeated requests, Liu Xunyi couldn't find a reason to refuse, so he could only reluctantly agree, "That's fine, one more person means one more person to take care of me."

"Exactly! Exactly! I wish you and I a successful start and immediate success."

Qin Wei showed a look of delight, clinked his wine bowl with Liu Xunyi's and drank it all in one gulp.

"Oh, right!" Qin Wei took the opportunity to pour the wine and moved closer to Liu Xunyi, asking casually, "Why did you come to West Lake Langyuan today? Is there any clue here..."

Qin Wei was frightened by Liu Xunyi's sharp eyes before he finished speaking. At the same time, his hand holding the wine jar trembled slightly, and he laughed dryly: "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there... something dirty on my face?"

"Brother Qin, I only want to ask you one question, and I hope you can answer truthfully." Liu Xunyi's every word was sonorous and powerful.

"What's the matter?" Qin Wei had something to hide and forced himself to smile.

"Did the Marquis send you to monitor me?"

Just these words made Qin Wei's heart sink and his face change color, which was indescribably wonderful.

"Brother Liu, actually..."

"Answer me, did the Marquis send you to spy on me?" Liu Xunyi didn't give Qin Wei a chance to breathe, and asked aggressively, "Don't lie to me!"

"This..." After hesitating for a long time, Qin Wei made up his mind and said frankly, "To be honest, the Marquis did ask me to keep an eye on you, but it's not surveillance. He is afraid that you will do something stupid in the heat of the moment."

"you……"

"But you can rest assured!" Qin Wei interrupted Liu Xunyi before she could speak, "After what happened to Zhao Xin, I already know what is important to me and what is like nothing to me. I promise you today that no matter what you want to do, I will support you without hesitation."

"Is this true?"

"Heaven and earth are my witnesses, the sun and the moon are my mirrors." Qin Wei said solemnly, "Even if you want to sneak into the palace and kidnap the princess, I will risk my life and accompany you to the end!"

Looking at Qin Wei, who was full of sincerity, Liu Xunyi suddenly chuckled and said soothingly, "I have already promised the Marquis that I will not bother the princess anymore, so why would I sneak into the palace? Brother Qin, don't worry, I believe you."

Qin Wei appeared calm on the surface, but in fact, he was already in turmoil. He just casually asked a question, but Liu Xunyi saw through it immediately, and even nearly exposed himself.

At this moment, Qin Wei no longer dared to speak casually. He originally wanted to ask Liu Xunyi about the details of her secret meeting with Zhao Xie, but given the current situation, he had to swallow the words back into his stomach.

"Brother Qin, drink!"

Qin Wei seemed to be interrupted by Liu Xunyi's voice. He was startled and hurriedly picked up the wine bowl, saying perfunctorily: "Drink!"

Although the two of them have seemingly overcome their estrangement and reconciled, in reality, a rift has been left in their hearts that can never be erased.

Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei, childhood playmates, former family members, and today's colleagues, can never go back to the days when they were close friends and inseparable.

……

(End of this chapter)