Chapter 839: Kind but Heartbreaking

Liu Xunyi is not a fool, nor is he blind or deaf.

Although deep down in his heart he still didn't want to admit that his good brother had evil intentions, every move and every word of Ding Chou and Qiu Han had already penetrated his eyes and ears like a sharp sword, leaving a mark on his heart, causing Liu Xunyi's emotions and reason to uncontrollably polarize and gradually become incompatible.

"What is the truth?" Liu Xunyi was in a state of anxiety and worry. "What do you mean by 'bearing humiliation'? What do you mean by 'losing one's conscience'? Why do those men in black want to kill Ding Chou? What does it mean to help the Marquis to 'vindicate his wrongs'? Why am I your only hope? You are looking forward to my return... What do you want me to do? And... is the 'big shot who can call the wind and rain' you mentioned referring to Qin Wei? What does he have to do with the Marquis's death and your ambush?"

Too many, too many, too many confusions, making Liu Xunyi think a thousand thoughts and having a splitting headache. Hidden behind the barrage of questions, in fact, is Liu Xunyi's disbelief and confusion.

"Master Liu, please stop asking!" Seeing that Liu Xunyi was stuck in the quagmire and couldn't extricate himself, Ding Chou hurriedly tried to persuade him kindly, "It's all Dingzi's fault. I shouldn't have gone to Langyuan in West Lake to beg, and I shouldn't have recognized you. Can you... pretend that you have never seen me and have never been here..."

"Xiao Dingzi, how do you make me feel when you say this?" Liu Xunyi said with a wry smile, "You just spoke passionately in front of me, and said a bunch of inexplicable things. How can I pretend that nothing happened? Since you have called me here, why do you have to hide things? Why not speak frankly..."

"Because it's meaningless. Not only can nothing be changed, but the end will be even more miserable." Ding Chou grabbed Liu Xunyi's arm and begged bitterly, "Lord Liu, if you don't want to kill us and yourself, I beg you... go back!"

"Little Ding, you just said you don't want to drag me down with this. Are you worried that telling me the secrets you know will put me in danger?" Liu Xunyi grabbed Ding Chou's arm and said righteously, "You should know me well. If the Marquis's death... there really is some unknown secret, I must know it!"

However, facing Liu Xunyi's determination, Ding Chou just shed tears silently and said nothing.

"Good good!"

Liu Xunyi let go of Ding Chou and cast an expectant gaze at Qiu Han, who had a complicated expression. He asked in the calmest tone possible, "Brother Qiu, you can't tolerate even the slightest bit of sand in your eyes. Tell me, what is the truth?"

"I……"

At this moment, Qiu Han really wanted to speak out, but when he saw Ding Chou's sad expression, his heartfelt words echoed in his ears again. He also thought that he was a dying man, but before he died, he pushed Liu Xunyi, who always respected him, into the fire pit, ruining his bright future, and he couldn't help but feel reluctant and entangled in his heart.

"Brother Qiu..."

“Forget it!” Qiu Han let out a long sigh, and two lines of tears silently slid down from the corners of his eyes. “Xiao Dingzi is right. Maybe I am too obsessed and overestimate my own abilities…”

"Brother Qiu, are you afraid of those powerful 'big shots'? Are you also going to 'lose your conscience'?" Liu Xunyi was unwilling to give in, and carefully tested, "From what you just said, it seems that Qin Wei's mistakes... are far more than just driving you out of Tianji Pavilion, and even more than just sending people to ambush you. These are just the results, and the real reason... is another hidden story. Right?"

Faced with Liu Xunyi's indirect questions, Qiu Han and Ding Chou remained silent.

"You insist that the Marquis died in an unclear manner..." Liu Xunyi ignored the reactions of the two, frowned, and continued to mutter, "Could it be that the Marquis's death... is related to Qin Wei?"

When Liu Xunyi blurted out these words in a trance, even he was shocked by his own thoughts.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Emotions overcame reason once again. As soon as Liu Xunyi had the idea that Qin Wei might be related to Zhao Yuan's death, he immediately rejected it: "Brother Qin and I were both raised by the Marquis. He is grateful to the Marquis for saving his life and raising him. He has always regarded the Marquis as his second parent, so how could he do such a treasonous thing? It's impossible... absolutely impossible..."

Thinking about it now, Lord Qian and Qin Wei's evaluation of Liu Xunyi was indeed correct. He was indeed a person who liked to act on his emotions.

"Brother Qin couldn't possibly have murdered the Marquis. This is all a conspiracy by the West Mansion..." Liu Xunyi continued to comfort himself, "If Brother Qin was guilty, how could the Emperor let him be the head of Tianji Pavilion? And Lord Jia... He is a loyal supporter of the Prime Minister and a friend of the Marquis in times of trouble. If Brother Qin had cunning intentions, how could he sit back and do nothing? Impossible, absolutely impossible..."

Looking at Liu Xunyi who was hesitant and muttering to himself, Qiu Han and Ding Chou looked at each other inadvertently, and a hint of sadness flashed in their eyes at the same time.

It was this scene that made Qiu Han completely abandon his inner obsession and gradually accept and agree with Ding Chou's idea that Liu Xunyi was not their hope to overthrow Qin Wei.

Given Liu Xunyi's deep feelings for Qin Wei, even if the two of them told the truth, if it went against Liu Xunyi's inherent understanding of Qin Wei, he would probably find a thousand or ten thousand absurd reasons to refuse to admit it.

If that's the case, why should Qiu Han and Ding Chou go to such lengths?
Was it just to push Liu Xunyi into a trap, to make him be trapped in the conflict between Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei for the rest of his life? To be caught in a dilemma for the rest of his life? To have a guilty conscience for the rest of his life?

No! This was not Qiu Han's purpose, nor was it Ding Chou's original intention.

"Xunyi, actually, we..." After hesitating for a long time, Qiu Han, who knew that Liu Xunyi was stubborn, finally couldn't help but speak slowly. However, his mood had changed and his attitude was very different from before. "We are just guessing!"

"what?"

When Qiu Han said this, Liu Xunyi and Ding Chou were both stunned.

The difference is that Liu Xunyi's eyes are full of shock, as if he can't understand Qiu Han's sudden change. On the other hand, Ding Chou's eyes are full of tears again when he looks at Qiu Han. Besides sadness, he is more moved and admired.

"Brother Qiu, what do you mean?" Liu Xunyi looked dignified, half believing and half doubting, "Could it be that... the truth you keep saying... is just a suspicion and guess about Qin Wei?"

"Yes." Qiu Han suppressed his shame and said loudly. "Then Qin Wei and the death of the Marquis..."

"It's a guess."

"Qin Wei sent men in black to ambush and kill you in the suburbs..."

“That’s just speculation.”

"hiss!"

Qiu Han answered every question, which shocked Liu Xunyi and made him even at a loss.

"But...but why?" Liu Xunyi asked in confusion, "Why does Brother Qiu have so many doubts about Qin Wei? Why..."

"There are two reasons. I don't want to admit one of them, but... you have already said it." Qiu Han endured the humiliation and replied calmly, "I have always been at odds with Qin Wei. When I was in Tianji Pavilion, I felt that this person had bad intentions. Sometimes he was timid and selfish, and sometimes he was eager for quick success. Therefore, when I learned that the emperor promoted him to the head of Tianji Pavilion... I couldn't help but feel indignant."

"But you just..."

"Besides this, there is another reason, which is also the fundamental reason why I suspect Qin Wei." Qiu Han seemed to know what Liu Xunyi was thinking, so he interrupted directly, "I remember that the Marquis taught us how to distinguish the truth from the falsehood of a conspiracy. When you doubt a person's sudden misfortune, nine out of ten times it is not because of bad luck, but someone is behind it. The most suspicious one is..."

"The person who is most suspicious... is the one who has benefited the most from the suffering of others." Liu Xunyi continued thoughtfully, "You mean... the cause of the Marquis' death is strange, and whoever benefits the most from his death could be the real murderer who killed the Marquis?"

"That's right." Qiu Han nodded without denying it. "That's why I'm so sure about Qin Wei..."

"Wait!" Liu Xunyi frowned and waved his hands hurriedly, "Why did you say that the black-clothed man was aiming to kill Xiao Dingzi? What secret does he know..."

"It's all speculation." Qiu Han was vague and perfunctory, "It's just a mystery."

"This……"

Although Qiu Han's attitude seemed plausible, his explanation was actually full of loopholes. Instead of making Liu Xunyi feel relieved, it made him feel even more conflicted.

Liu Xunyi cast a suspicious look at the uneasy Ding Chou, as if trying to seek clues from him.

However, before Liu Xunyi could speak, Ding Chou could not wait to nod his head repeatedly: "Everything is just as Brother Qiu said, it's all our guess."

"This……"

If Qiu Han and Ding Chou insisted that Qin Wei was guilty, Liu Xunyi would find it difficult to accept and would even find thousands of excuses to refute it. However, when Qiu Han and Ding Chou suddenly changed their minds and stopped being stubborn and even stopped attacking Qin Wei, Liu Xunyi became suspicious and even more suspicious.

Human hearts are complex and changeable, and Liu Xunyi is no exception.

"In the future, you must be more careful around Qin Wei." As if unwilling to compromise, Qiu Han left Liu Xunyi with a veiled reminder at the last moment, "A little-known person was suddenly promoted by the emperor and entrusted with an important task... This matter itself is very suspicious."

"hiss!"

However, before the timid Liu Xunyi could realize Qiu Han's hidden meaning, he had already ordered Liu Xunyi to leave in the name of "fatigue".

As a last resort, Liu Xunyi, who was heavy-hearted, had to leave the City God Temple at Ding Chou's urging.

Although Qiu Han and Ding Chou tried their best to explain, the more they explained, the more suspicious Liu Xunyi became.

At this moment, a bold idea gradually took root in Liu Xunyi's heart and could not be shaken off. The death of Zhao Yuan and the ambush of Qiu Han and Ding Chou were definitely inextricably linked.

Moreover, Qiu Han and Ding Chou must be hiding some secret and not telling him.

As to whether it was related to Qin Wei, Liu Xunyi's heart was still polarized. The more he believed in his good brother, the more the other side kept instilling Qin Wei's past "unjust" deeds into his mind.

In particular, his deliberate attempt to destroy the relationship between Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xin was undoubtedly a thorn deeply buried in Liu Xunyi's heart.

Today, the tragic situation and obscure words of Ding Chou and Qiu Han have caused this long-dormant thorn to be touched again, and it still hurts my heart.

……

(End of this chapter)