Chapter 695: The Hero Still
At the critical moment, the person who pulled Liu Xunyi back from the road to the underworld was none other than the second-ranked master on the Dragon Elephant List, Su He, the "fastest sword in Mobei."

Murong Bai was no stranger to Su He's reputation and methods.

Back then in the Qin Mansion in Hexi, Su He single-handedly calmed the turmoil between the Central Plains martial arts world and the Mongols. The touching scenes at that time still linger in Murong Bai's mind.

With Su He interfering in front and Xu Heng, Ling Qing and others eager to repay their gratitude in the back, Murong Bai knew that it was impossible to kill Liu Xunyi today, and a continued stalemate would only attract pursuit by the government troops.

Therefore, Murong Bai decided to let Liu Xunyi go temporarily on the grounds of repaying the favor of Xu Heng, Ling Qing and others, and then led his men away in a hurry.

Although Liu Xunyi luckily escaped the disaster, he was not happy in his heart, but felt even more depressed.

Facing Su He, Liu Xunyi was uneasy and at a loss. After all, when they last met, Liu Xunyi was still a righteous hero, but now when they meet again, he has become a traitor that everyone in the Central Plains martial arts world wants to kill.

What made Liu Xunyi feel even more guilty was that, to some extent, he had indeed deceived Su He. On the other hand, Su He had always been honest and sincere to him.

In comparison, Liu Xunyi's words and actions seemed increasingly despicable and unkind.

However, before Liu Xunyi mustered up the courage to confess everything to Su He, Su He asked with a serious smile: "Brother Liu, I have just arrived in Lin'an and I am unfamiliar with the place. I don't know where to find good wine. Can you play the role of a good host and find a wine shop so that we can drink and reminisce about the past?"

"This……"

Looking at the serious Su He, Liu Xunyi was full of doubts, but he did not act pretentiously. He nodded and said, "Brother Su, please follow me."

After saying this, the two of them rushed to Langyuan in West Lake, one after the other.

They spoke nothing along the way. When they arrived at Langyuan in West Lake, the sun was setting and the sky was turning a faint yellow.

Find a secluded tavern, choose a table facing the lake, and order a jar of mellow rice wine.

Liu Xunyi and Su He sat opposite each other in the afterglow of the setting sun, with the bustling city on their left and the tranquil lake on their right. The two looked at each other silently for a long time without saying a word.

In an instant, after drinking several bowls of rice wine, both of them had a slight blush on their faces, and their eyes were slightly drunk.

Some things become more confusing the more sober you are, but the more confused you are, the clearer you are. Some things are hard to say when you are sober, and you can only say them out when you are drunk.

"Brother Su!"

Liu Xunyi's heart knot was not resolved, and drinking was like swallowing a knife and swallowing fire, and every sip was spicy. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind. Anyway, "If you stick your head out, you will be stabbed, and if you hide your head, you will also be stabbed", so he might as well be honest and at least ask for a quick relief.

"Brother Su, I'm sure you've heard about me." Liu Xunyi's eyes were vague, not daring to look directly into Su He's eyes, and hesitantly said, "In fact, I am an insider planted by the Song Dynasty court in the Xianwang Mansion..."

"I know." Su He put down the wine bowl, waved his sleeves to wipe the corner of his mouth, and said loudly, "The matter concerning you has been spread to everyone in the world several months ago. I am not deaf or dumb, so how could I not know it?"

Liu Xunyi sighed and said bitterly: "Since Brother Su knew what I did, why did you save me just now?"

"What?" Su He raised his eyebrows and asked in confusion, "Does Brother Liu think he is wrong?"

“Isn’t that right?” Liu Xunyi said self-deprecatingly, “Lord Luo treated me with great kindness, but I repaid him with hatred. I am worse than pigs and dogs…”

"Brother Liu is loyal to the emperor and the country, and he is following orders. What's wrong with that?" Su He said seriously, "When I first heard about this, I was indeed very shocked. But think about it carefully. If it were me, I think... I couldn't make a better choice than you. It's hard to be loyal and righteous. Sometimes you have to make a choice. If you obey one side, you will inevitably wrong the other side. This is forced by the situation. You have no choice, and I can't blame you."

Su He's words made Liu Xunyi's eyes light up, and he asked suspiciously: "Don't you think I'm a despicable person, Brother Su?"

"I am not talented, but I don't want to drink with a despicable person at the same table." Su He laughed heartily, "Perhaps because I am a Mongolian, I am more of a bystander in the affairs of the Central Plains. I can't feel your grievances and hatreds firsthand, and naturally I can't judge who is right and who is wrong."

At this point, Su He's eyes quietly condensed, and the smile on his face became meaningful. He added: "There is a saying that 'seeing is believing, hearing is false'. The Liu Xunyi that Su knows is a great hero and a true hero who is chivalrous and brave, and who is ready to die. He is definitely not the despicable villain who forgets his principles for the sake of profit and sells out his master for glory as rumored in the martial arts world. I believe that everything you do has an irresistible reason, and it is a decision you have considered, hesitated, and weighed again and again. Therefore, I only believe in the Liu Xunyi I know, and I will not believe the Liu Xunyi in the martial arts world rumors. Just now, you swung your sword and committed suicide to seek forgiveness, which is enough to prove that Su did not make a mistake in your judgment. Liu Xunyi is upright, loyal, and a good man!"

Su He's heartfelt words are undoubtedly a timely help to Liu Xunyi today. When no one in the world believed in him, Su He supported him, believed in him, and even understood his difficulties. For Liu Xunyi, this is more important, warmer, and more considerate than any "benefits".

Gratitude filled his eyes, tears welling up uncontrollably. Liu Xunyi never thought that he would meet a close friend in Lin'an City.

"Being able to hear Brother Su's words, Liu Xunyi...will die without regrets."

Liu Xunyi held back her tears of excitement, picked up the wine bowl tremblingly, bowed to Su He, then tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Countless bitterness and humiliation were swallowed down his stomach along with a bowl of strong liquor.

It was not until this moment that Liu Xunyi suddenly realized that what he really wanted was not a clear truth, but the understanding and trust of others. For this, he was willing to endure humiliation and even lose his life.

"Brother Su, if I say... that I did not kill Palace Master Luo, and the truth about what happened in the Xianwang Mansion on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is completely different from the rumors in the martial arts world, do you... believe it?"

Maybe it was because of the alcohol or the emotions, but Liu Xunyi, who had been swallowing his anger and keeping silent, suddenly felt the urge to tell Su He everything.

Su He frowned, staring at Liu Xunyi with a complicated expression. After a long silence, he nodded heavily: "I believe it!"

Just these two words were like a warm current that instantly spread throughout Liu Xunyi's body, making him feel extremely comforted.

"In fact, I have never believed that you would kill Lord Luo, nor do I believe that you could set up an ambush in Lord Luo's territory without anyone noticing." Su He expressed his doubts. "Although I have not had much contact with Lord Luo, I know a thing or two about his carefulness. It is not easy for you to do something under his nose."

"Yes!" Liu Xunyi could not deny it. "Back then, Di Mo had been lurking in the Xianwang Mansion for many years and was highly valued by the Mansion Master, but he still couldn't find a chance to assassinate the Mansion Master. This shows how difficult it is. I have only been in the Mansion for two or three years, how can I assassinate the Mansion Master by my own strength?"

"There is indeed another hidden story behind this matter!" Su He hesitated and said thoughtfully, "In this case, why don't Brother Liu make the truth public to clear his name?"

Facing Su He's reminder, Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "First, I am undoubtedly a traitor and have not been wronged. Second, if I make the truth public, regardless of whether the world is willing to believe it or not, this move will deeply hurt a person... an innocent person... Because of me, she has endured too much suffering that she should not have endured, and I once promised the Lord of the House that I would take good care of her and not let anyone hurt her. Now, let me hurt her again just to survive, I... I can't do it! Therefore, I would rather be ashamed and humiliated and be cursed by the world, and would rather be hunted down to a dead end, than say a single word..."

"So you have been unwilling to tell the truth all this time because you want to protect someone." Su He suddenly realized, and suddenly changed the subject, asking curiously, "I just don't know... who exactly does Brother Liu want to protect?"

"I can't say it, and I don't want to say it..." Liu Xunyi looked angry and murmured, "I just said this only to express my gratitude to Brother Su for his trust and understanding. I want you to know that you didn't misjudge me. As for the truth of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month... let the past be the past! I hope Brother Su won't mention this matter again in the future..."

Facing Liu Xunyi, who was in a trance but determined, Su He did not ask any more questions and said with a smile, "I have no intention of interfering in the affairs of the Central Plains martial arts world, and of course I have no right to interfere in Brother Liu's private affairs. Since Brother Liu has something to hide, I will not ask. Come, let's drink!"

"That's right!" After speaking out the frustration in his heart, Liu Xunyi felt much better. He asked, "Brother Su is not in Chifengling, why did he come all the way to Lin'an City?"

"Su was also ordered temporarily. The Khan sent me to Lin'an City to pick up the bride..."

Su He stopped talking before he finished. When he said the word "bride pick-up", Liu Xunyi, who was originally curious, suddenly changed his expression, and his face froze instantly, and a deep sense of horror surged between his eyebrows.

"Brother Liu, you...what's wrong?" Su He was stunned, as if he knew nothing about the relationship between Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xin. "But where do you feel uncomfortable?"

"Brother Su just said... to pick up the bride..." Liu Xunyi ignored Su He's concern, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and asked word by word, "May I ask, Brother Su... which bride are you picking up?"

"Who else could it be? Of course it's the marriage between the Mongolian prince Hu Lie and the Princess Xinde of the Song Dynasty!"

"Boom!"

Before he finished speaking, the wine bowl in Liu Xunyi's hand fell to the ground and broke into pieces. His face turned pale and he looked like a wooden chicken.

……

(End of this chapter)