Chapter 817: Farewell with Regret (Part )

Just these words made Saihan's expression change quietly. A hint of mystery and complexity emerged in his turbid old eyes. He hesitated for a moment and asked instead of answering: "Why do you ask that?"

"Because my mind was in a mess after I woke up. I don't know why. No matter how hard I racked my brains, I couldn't recall the details of what happened at that time. I have no memory of the result of the contest..."

Hearing this, Saihan frowned, his kind face gradually turned cunning, and he asked meaningfully, "Do you really have no memory at all?"

"Absolutely true!"

"If that's the case, even if Su He says he wins today, you won't be able to refute it?"

Liu Xunyi was stunned by Saihan's aggressive questioning. He understood the implication of Saihan's words, but he didn't want to play dumb about Su He's affairs, so he made up his mind and nodded heavily: "Yes!"

"hiss!"

Saihan was secretly surprised by Liu Xunyi's blunt words, and he asked tentatively: "Do you know that Su He can now go to the Khan and the prince to change his mind? By then, not only will you be ruined, but your bet with the prince will also be reversed..."

"I know!" Before Saihan could finish, Liu Xunyi had already accepted it all. "To be honest, before Big Brother showed up today, I always thought I lost the duel three days ago."

"This..." Saihan was stunned by Liu Xunyi's straightforwardness and was speechless for a long time.

"Senior, I am not a person who curries favor with the powerful, nor am I a person who pursues fame and fortune. I just want to seek fair and just justice." Liu Xunyi said righteously, "If it was really Big Brother who lost the competition three days ago, even though I sympathize with Big Brother's experience, I have nothing to say. But..."

At this point, Liu Xunyi paused for a moment, perhaps because of his excitement, and continued, "But if the winner is not me, but Big Brother...how can I have the face to deceive the world and steal the reputation?"

Saihan threatened: "Aren't you afraid that I will tell the prince the secret of your amnesia?"

"If I really lose, I will confess even if you don't tell on me."

"But what if you win?" Saihan said cunningly, "I can make a big fuss about your amnesia, even turn right into wrong, and help Su He take back everything that belongs to him."

"Senior would not do this!" Liu Xunyi said in a loud voice, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Why?" Saihan was stunned. "We have only met a few times. How do you know I can't do it?"

"Because you are my brother's friend." Liu Xunyi said firmly, "My brother is upright and righteous, and he would never do such a despicable thing as calling a horse a zebra. Not only would he not do that, but his friends would not do that either."

Looking at the righteous Liu Xunyi, Saihan's eyes flickered, and the expression on his face kept changing, which was extremely weird.

"Senior, why are you looking at me like this..."

"Because I want to see carefully what kind of great hero is this brother who is willing to share life and death with Su Heyi?"

"This……"

"Haha... good boy, Su He really didn't make a mistake about you. You are not only a martial arts expert, but also a good person." Suddenly, Saihan's attitude changed drastically. The sinister and cunning on his face disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, and was replaced by endless relief and emotion. "Su He, Su He, your vision is really sharp. The friends you make are all as chivalrous and heroic as you. Liu Xunyi is so sincere, it's worth it for you to give up everything to help him achieve his wish!"

"what?"

Saihan's last words were like a blow to Liu Xunyi, and he was stunned.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No... but... I..." At this moment, Liu Xunyi was flustered, with countless thoughts flashing through his mind, so that his thoughts were complicated and his words were incoherent. "Senior said that my brother risked everything... what did he mean by that? Could it be... that I really lost the fight three days ago?"

"As for the details of the competition, I cannot tell you because of Su He's request." Saihan said meaningfully, "But I can tell you clearly that Su He has not been disloyal to the Khan or Mongolia because of you, nor has he deliberately lied because of you. This afternoon, every word he said at the 'Nadam' venue was the truth that he had carefully considered and was reasonable. Therefore, you don't have to feel guilty, and you don't have to foolishly run to the prince to confess anything."

"This..." Saihan's vague words made Liu Xunyi confused and even more bewildered. "I really don't understand what you mean, senior. You are unwilling to tell me the details of the competition, which means that other things happened that night. And I... am definitely not better than you, big brother, at least I won unfairly. But you also said that every word you said at the 'Nadam' today was true. Isn't this... contradictory?"

"Things have come to this point, even Su He is just letting things go, why do you have to be so fussy?" Sai Han advised, "Some things are better left unknown than known. Right now, Su He has committed a hundred crimes and is heartbroken. He has finally put you out of this matter, just to save you from the pain of entanglement. Why do you have to dig into the details and waste his hard work in vain?"

"Wait!" Liu Xunyi heard a clue from Saihan's words, frowned immediately, and interrupted him, "Brother, you finally managed to keep me out of this? You let me avoid the pain of entanglement? Could it be that my amnesia... was arranged by you?"

"I……"

Suddenly realizing that he had said something wrong, Saihan's face changed and his slightly trembling eyes betrayed his inner uneasiness.

"Senior, you must know the truth!" Liu Xunyi suddenly stood up, grabbed Saihan's arm, and asked anxiously, "Tell me, please tell me..."

After saying that, Liu Xunyi actually bent his knees and wanted to kneel down and beg Saihan. "No! Absolutely not! You are an envoy of the Song Dynasty, and I am just an ordinary citizen. If you kneel down to me, wouldn't that be a violation of etiquette?"

Saihan was horrified and hurriedly held the anxious Liu Xunyi with both hands. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind and let out a long sigh.

"The reason why you were in a coma for three days and your memory of what happened three days ago is not only because of your serious injuries, but also because... I put drugs in the wine you drank." Saihan explained hesitantly with a sad face, "In fact, all of this was arranged by Su He long ago."

"This..." Liu Xunyi was so shocked that he had no words to express his shock. However, he had no time to sigh at this moment, because there were still too many questions waiting for Saihan to answer one by one. "So, I actually lost the competition?"

"No!" Saihan shook his head solemnly. "What I said at the Nadam Festival today was also true. You were doomed to fail, but you broke through the shackles at the last moment and saved yourself. You really caught Su He off guard."

"So... I won?"

"Not at all."

Saihan shook his head again, which made Liu Xunyi completely confused. He immediately felt timid and speechless.

"In fact, until the drug took effect, you still hadn't decided who was the winner. In other words, before the fight was over, you were both knocked down by my drug."

"This……"

"It's just that I forced Su He to drink the antidote on the spot, and you... have been sleeping until noon today." Saihan smiled bitterly, "In fact, this was also secretly arranged by Su He. He knows your personality very well, and knows that neither of you will voluntarily admit defeat in this battle, but he doesn't want to fight you to death. Therefore, he agreed with me early on that we will fight until the moment the drug takes effect. If you lose, you lose, and if you win, you win. Regardless of winning or losing, Su He does not intend to lie, and will tell the truth at today's 'Nadam'."

"This……"

"However, even Su He himself did not expect that until the moment when the drug took effect, the two of you were unable to determine the winner."

"Even so, we are tied." Liu Xunyi gradually sorted out the clues from his chaotic thoughts and asked suspiciously, "If it is a tie, why did big brother say that he lost?"

"Because you two had already become brothers before the competition," Saihan said solemnly, "After becoming brothers, you are brothers who will share life and death. According to the rules of the grassland, the elder brother has the mission and duty to protect the younger brother, and should be stronger than the younger brother. If the brothers fight to a draw, it is considered that the elder brother loses and the younger brother wins. Therefore, every word Su He said at the 'Nadam' venue today is the truth that is reasonable and in accordance with the rules. He did not lie because of you, and he did not betray Mongolia because of you."

"This..." As a Han Chinese, Liu Xunyi naturally knew nothing about the rules of the grassland. At this moment, after hearing Saihan's explanation, he was inevitably a little at a loss.

"Don't worry. The rules of the grassland are not just folk rules. Even if it is brought to the Khan and the prince, this rule is still valid." Saihan seemed to see what Liu Xunyi was thinking, so he promised solemnly, "Once upon a time, Genghis Khan's sons and grandsons also competed with each other at the 'Nadam'. At that time, Genghis Khan included this rule in the criteria for judging the winner."

"So, big brother already knew this rule?"

"Of course!" Saihan could not deny it. "If it weren't for this rule, how could Su He admit his defeat in front of the Khan?"

"But..." Liu Xunyi hesitated to speak, as if he had other thoughts.

Saihan raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "But what?"

"Nothing... nothing!" Facing Saihan's questioning, Liu Xunyi was uncharacteristically perfunctory and evasive, "I just... can't accept it for a while."

"Although Su He followed the rules, he lost too much because of you." Saihan sighed, "You are lucky to meet such a brother."

"It's more than just luck, it's simply... God's love."

After saying that, Liu Xunyi drank the milk tea in the cup, then slowly stood up, bowed to Saihan, and said respectfully: "I will leave Helin soon. If I don't have the opportunity to say goodbye to my elder brother in person, I hope that the senior can convey a message to my elder brother after seeing him."

"What?"

"No matter when, no matter where, no matter what troubles I encounter, as long as Big Brother gives an order, I will never say no. I, Liu Xunyi, am willing to go through fire and water for Su He in this life, even if I die!"

After that, Liu Xunyi exchanged a few more words with Saihan, and then led Li Haitang, Feng Tianba and others to leave the grassland overnight.

On the way back, Li Haitang and his friends, who were already full of food and wine, chased and played with each other from time to time, talking and laughing. Only Liu Xunyi was in a trance and didn't say a word.

In fact, after saying goodbye to Saihan, he had been struggling with a question in his mind.

"Since Big Brother already knew that there is a rule in the grasslands that 'brothers should let younger brothers win', why did he become sworn brothers with me before the competition? Is it... just a coincidence?"

……

(End of this chapter)