Chapter 767: A Close Friend
About ten miles outside Xijing Prefecture, there is a vast fertile grassland.

On weekdays, Duan Tianhong would bring the horses he raised for the Mongolians here to graze in batches. They would come here at noon and leave at sunset, day after day, without changing for many years.

Whenever night falls, the grassland falls into silence. There is no other scenery except the moonlight, rippling water and swaying grass.

Of course, the only sounds that match it are the rustling of the breeze, the gurgling of the stream and the chirping of summer insects.

The "deserted" night on the grassland is as if the earth is a bed and the sky is a quilt, embracing everything except humans.

It is late at night, the moon is bright and the wind is clear. When you look up, you can see the stars like a bucket, and when you look down, you can touch the green grass.

At this moment, a horse was wandering idly by the stream, drinking a few sips of the clear stream water from time to time, or chewing some lush aquatic grass, feeling leisurely and happy.

Not far away, a thin figure in a black cloak and a bamboo hat was sitting quietly on a grass hill, with his head half tilted back. His deep eyes flickered, and the starry sky was reflected in his pupils. He seemed to be staring in a trance.

He held a long curved water grass in his mouth and a straight sword was stuck beside him.

"drive!"

"Da da da……"

Suddenly, a shout pierced the night sky, followed by the sound of rapid horse hooves approaching from afar, and a man and a horse galloped towards the stream.

As if his meditation was broken by the sudden movement, the person on the grass hill slowly turned his head, and under the jade-white moonlight, Liu Xunyi's handsome face with clear outlines gradually appeared.

"Shut up!"

"Haha, Xunyi, I'm here!"

When they reached the stream, the man hurriedly tightened the reins, and before the horse could stand firmly, he jumped up. A bloated figure flashed across the night sky like a swift fox. His feet stepped several steps on the layers of green grass without bending at all, and in the blink of an eye he flew over the grass hill.

"Brother Qin!"

Looking at Qin Ku's enthusiastic smile, Liu Xunyi's eyes were filled with excitement and he quickly stepped forward.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much!"

Before Liu Xunyi could open his mouth to greet him, Qin Wei, gesticulating with joy, suddenly opened his arms and gave Liu Xunyi, who was caught off guard, a big bear hug.

"I brought two jars of good wine. You and I won't leave until we are drunk tonight!"

Feeling Qin Ku's heartfelt enthusiasm, Liu Xunyi suddenly felt warm in her heart. She hugged Qin Ku and said, "Okay! Tonight, you and I must drink to our heart's content."

"Let me see, how is your injury recovering?"

After saying that, Qin Ku grabbed Liu Xunyi's shoulders without saying anything and looked him up and down, front and back.

"Brother Qin, thank you for risking your life to save me regarding the Weizhou Inn..."

"Hey! Brothers don't talk nonsense." Qin Ku waved his hand nonchalantly, then suddenly raised his eyebrows and said teasingly, "Why? Now that you have become a high-ranking official, you despise me, your poor brother? In the past, you never spoke these 'official words' in front of me."

"Of course not!" Liu Xunyi looked flustered and explained quickly, "Actually, I..."

"Look how scared you are. I was just joking."

Having said this, Qin Ku ignored Liu Xunyi's stunned expression and walked towards the horse. After a while, he came quickly with two jars of fine wine in his arms, and invited Liu Xunyi to sit on the ground. While opening the wine seal, he said confidently: "Poor or rich, an official or a thief, everything in the world can change, but our friendship... will never change."

After that, Qin Ku handed a jar of mellow and fragrant liquor to Liu Xunyi and said jokingly: "A thousand words cannot compare to a jar of good wine. There is no need to explain anything to our brothers. Everything is in the wine."

"That's so painful!"

Liu Xunyi felt guilty and touched. He reached out to take the jar of wine, smiled at Qin Ku, and gulped down several mouthfuls. The two of them shouted in delight.

"Did this matter bring any trouble to you and the Qin family?" After drinking the strong liquor, Liu Xunyi suddenly felt excited, so he spoke without hesitation, "Lu Tingxiang will not let it go even if he failed to kill me."

"Don't worry! How can I let him take the initiative in my territory?" Qin Ku said with a wicked smile, "To tell you the truth, as soon as I came out of the Weizhou Inn that night, I immediately spread the news and exaggerated the scandal of Lu Tingxiang colluding with Qin Da to the public, making everyone hate them so much that they have no time to find fault with me."

"I have heard a little about this, but Wudang..."

"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I actually had no idea of ​​your whereabouts at first." Qin Ku interrupted, "I was able to get to Weizhou Inn on time that day, thanks to Zheng Songren. Although Qingfeng disliked me because I ignored him again and again, he disliked Jin Fuyu and Lu Tingxiang even more. Therefore, he sent Zheng Songren to have a secret talk with me, intending to join forces to take your life, but I certainly didn't agree. But for the sake of the overall situation, I didn't refuse directly, but kept him hanging ambiguously. What's interesting is that this meeting made me realize that Qin Da and Si Kongzhu were secretly flirting with each other, and later they forced Qin Hu and Qin Bao to tell me your whereabouts."

"I see."

"As soon as I got back to Xijing, I went to find Zheng Songren and told him everything that happened at the Weizhou Inn." Qin Ku teased, "When he found out that you were not in Xijing Prefecture at all, his face was so ugly... his eyes almost spit fire."

"You announced to the public that you had joined forces with Wudang. Did Zheng Songren... not cause you any trouble?"

"At first, he was really unhappy and almost couldn't help cursing at me several times." Qin Ku recalled the scene with relish, "As the saying goes, 'Don't hit a smiling person.' Zheng Songren was angry, but he couldn't stand my good attitude. I repeatedly emphasized that I was also kept in the dark by Qin Da and his people, and kept apologizing."

"This……"

"It doesn't matter!" Qin Ku knew Liu Xunyi's concerns, and said with a grin, "As long as this matter can be resolved, a few flattering words are nothing. When I think about it carefully, I should really thank Jin Fuyu and Lu Tingxiang. If they hadn't joined forces to put on a big show, Qingfeng probably wouldn't have shown me goodwill, and maybe one day he would have 'laid the gates' and used my head to establish his own authority. Now, after this incident, Wudang not only no longer bothers me, but also took the initiative to win me over, allowing me to escape inexplicably. Do you think it's a blessing in disguise?" "Of course it is!" Liu Xunyi couldn't help laughing and clapped his hands again and again, "You openly publicized your alliance with Wudang, but Qingfeng was reluctant to come out to explain, which is enough to show that he wants to win you over."

After Qin Ku's explanation, Liu Xunyi finally understood the real reason why the Qin family escaped danger and Wudang kept silent. At the same time, he also breathed a sigh of relief for the Qin family's safety, and his heart, which had been hanging high, finally fell to the ground.

"Brother Qin, how will you deal with the 'Three Heroes of the Qin Family'?" Liu Xunyi changed the subject and asked curiously, "You are a family after all..."

"I whipped the three of them and hung them outside the palace gate for three days and three nights as a warning to the public. They haven't come down yet."

Seeing that Qin Ku looked absent-minded, it seemed that the people being hung outside the mansion for public display were not his uncles, but three unrelated outsiders.

"This..." The unexpected answer left Liu Xunyi speechless.

"I'm saving them!" Qin Ku glared and said with a solemn oath, "If I don't punish them severely, firstly, I won't be able to establish my authority in the mansion, and such scandals of selling out the master for fame will surely occur one after another in the future. Secondly, I won't be able to explain to the people they deceived. If they retaliate, it won't be the three of us who will suffer, but the entire Qin family."

"That's true." Liu Xunyi pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said admiringly, "Brother Qin, you seem to be careless on weekdays, but I didn't expect you to be so meticulous. In my opinion, not only are your martial arts skills not inferior to Lu Tingxiang, but your scheming is also comparable to his."

"This..." Qin Ku frowned and pretended to be unhappy, "Are you scolding me for being cunning?"

"Of course not!" Liu Xunyi said with emotion, "How can you be so naive when traveling in the martial arts world?"

"It's simply going to kill you!"

Liu Xunyi seemed to agree with Qin Ku's opinion very much. He nodded thoughtfully and picked up the jar of wine to take a few more sips.

"By the way, I've met Xunzhen." Qin Ku said for no reason, "She asked me to arrange for them to leave."

"Xunzhen?"

When Xunzhen was mentioned, scenes from the past came to his mind uncontrollably, making Liu Xunyi's mood become gloomy again.

"After the palace master got into trouble... I think the young king of Qin also gave up the idea of ​​plotting against the Central Plains."

Qin Ku corrected him, "Young King Qin is determined to restore his country. Even without the help of Palace Master Luo, he will find another way and will never give up."

"Alas!" Liu Xunyi let out a long sigh, then looked up at the smiling Qin Ku. After hesitating for a while, he mustered up his courage and said hesitantly, "Brother Qin, don't you... want to ask about Palace Master Luo?"

Hearing this, Qin Ku was stunned. He stared at Liu Xunyi quietly and did not speak for a long time.

"Brother Qin, you..."

"Lord Luo...did you kill him?"

Faced with Qin Ku's frank words, Liu Xunyi's heart suddenly tightened. He pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head with a firm expression.

"I knew it!"

Although Qin Ku acted calm as if he had expected it, Liu Xunyi could sense a sense of relief from his seemingly casual tone.

"You don't want to ask..."

"What does it have to do with me?" Qin Ku asked back, "The more you know, the more trouble you'll have, isn't it?"

Faced with Qin Ku's frankness, Liu Xunyi felt a little hesitant, but was quickly relieved.

"Xunyi, actually Jingbei Camp is very close to Qin Mansion, but I can only treat you to a drink here..."

"Brothers don't talk about other things!" Liu Xunyi smiled nonchalantly, "It's not convenient for us to reminisce in the Weizhou Inn. When I set off to the north, I don't know when I can meet you again. Therefore, I am very happy to meet you tonight, so why would I care about those trivial matters?"

"When do you plan to leave?"

"Wait until the princess's condition eases a little." Thinking of Zhao Xin's illness, Liu Xunyi's heart was once again shrouded in a haze, and he said bitterly, "It's strange, we have consulted many doctors, big and small, but the princess's illness has been up and down, and she has not recovered."

"The Qin Mansion does have several doctors who are proficient in medicine. I will ask them to go to the Jingbei Camp tomorrow morning..."

"No!" Liu Xunyi interrupted Qin Ku before he finished speaking. "The Qin family has finally cut off ties with me. We must not let anyone catch us at this critical moment. The princess's illness is not life-threatening. She will definitely get better after a few days of rest. At worst... we can just set off a few days later."

"This……"

"Princess, you are blessed by heaven, Brother Qin, don't worry. Who knows when we will have a drink together again? Don't worry too much, just drink while you can!"

"What a saying! Come, drink!"

Qin Ku put aside all distracting thoughts and laughed at Liu Xunyi.

Tonight, the two of them are accompanied by the beauty of nature, the Qingchuan River, and the steeds on the grassland, reminiscing about the past and expressing their heroic feelings.

……

(End of this chapter)