Chapter 854: Entrusting Life to an Orphan
Since Zhao Yuan's tomb is located in the royal cemetery and is guarded by soldiers day and night, it is not easy for outsiders to sneak in. It is easy for a master like Liu Xunyi, but for Qiu Han, who is seriously injured and paralyzed, it is extremely difficult to enter the cemetery without being noticed.

Fortunately, Wen Tianxiang was generous and kind, and was willing to use the token bestowed by the emperor himself to take them into the cemetery, so that Liu Xunyi and the other two could say their final farewell to Zhao Yuan.

Perhaps it was the will of heaven or it was an unforeseen event, but the bright night sky with a sparse moon and stars suddenly became covered with dark clouds and dim after they stepped into the cemetery.

In a blink of an eye, dark clouds covered the city, releasing rolling thunder, and strong winds swept up the endless dust.

When the carriage swayed through the rugged path and arrived in front of Zhao Yuan's tomb, raindrops as big as beans were already falling from the sky, hitting the ground with a "crackling" sound, accompanied by the whistling of strong winds one after another, as if wronged souls were demanding their lives and thousands of ghosts were howling.

"Crack!"

A thunderous explosion tore the void apart, and bright lightning broke through the clouds, wantonly displaying terrifying thunder that captivated people. The orderly raindrops gradually became crazy and rampant, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into a torrential rain as dense as beans, wishing to wash away everything between heaven and earth, and gathered into streams that meandered like snakes and intertwined like a net on the muddy land.

"Master Hou!"

When the heartbroken Liu Xunyi and Ding Chou pushed Qiu Han in front of Zhao Yuan's tombstone, he, who had already lost all hope and was indifferent to everything, could no longer bear the grief in his heart, and burst into tears in the storm.

Especially Qiu Han's miserable appearance, with a disabled body, a broken spirit and a broken heart, made those who heard it sad and those who saw it shed tears.

"My Lord, Xiao Dingzi sees you coming..."

Ding Chou fell to his knees in the mud with a plop, and together with Qiu Han beside him, he cried out to the sky and wailed.

"My Lord, we cannot avenge you... We are incompetent, and we are sorry for you..."

Hearing Qiu Han's crying, Liu Xunyi, who was worried, was stunned. He knew that Qiu Han and Ding Chou had always been suspicious about Zhao Yuan's death, but he never expected that Qiu Han would dare to be so confident and resounding in front of Zhao Yuan's tomb.

He wanted to ask them the reason, but he saw Qiu Han and Ding Chou crying like they had lost their parents. He could not bear to disturb them and could only stand behind them silently, crying. He was so wet that he could no longer tell which parts of his face were rain and which parts were tears.

After all, Zhao Yuan's funeral was handled by Liu Xunyi. He had already expressed his mourning and reluctance for Zhao Yuan thoroughly. When he came to Zhao Yuan's tomb again today, his reaction was naturally much calmer than Qiu Han and Ding Chou.

I don't know when? Wen Tianxiang came to Liu Xunyi with an umbrella, bowed three times to Zhao Yuan's tombstone, and then looked up at the sky and said meaningfully: "Once you have seen the sea, all other waters are but puddles; except for Wushan, all other clouds are but clouds. Tianji Pavilion has changed its owner, Tianji Hou lies in the coffin, and you loyal ministers...will also flee to the ends of the earth and go your separate ways."

Although Wen Tianxiang's words were plain, his tone revealed his helplessness and sigh about the impermanence of the world.

"Lord Liu, you are very clear about your situation. The outside of Lin'an City may not be safer than the inside of Lin'an City. It may be... even more dangerous." Wen Tianxiang turned his deep gaze to the silent and thoughtful Liu Xunyi, and said faintly, "As I expected, the reason why you are in a hurry to leave the city is not to protect yourself, but to protect them. You want to send them away from the trouble as much as possible while you still have the ability, right?"

Liu Xunyi couldn't help but look embarrassed when Wen Tianxiang revealed his thoughts, and then cast an admiring look at Wen Tianxiang.

"You know very well that you must part ways with them after leaving Lin'an, otherwise you will inevitably implicate them." Wen Tianxiang stared at the miserable and panicked Liu Xunyi and asked curiously, "Master Liu, what are your plans next?"

"It's not that I concealed it on purpose, it's just...some things are better unknown than known." Liu Xunyi said self-deprecatingly, "What's more, even I don't know where I should go next."

"This……"

"Mr. Wen is a man of great talent and valor. Given time, he will surely achieve great success. I would like to ask you a favor..."

"You want me to take care of them for you?" Wen Tianxiang was extremely smart and instantly understood Liu Xunyi's intention.

"No, no, no! It's not them. I just hope that Master Wen will keep Ding Chou by his side, let him turn over books and grind ink for you, and be a companion to your studies. That's enough." Liu Xunyi was worried that Wen Tianxiang would misunderstand, so he hurriedly explained, "As for Brother Qiu... He is seriously injured and can't take care of himself. How dare I cause trouble for Master Wen? I will take him to seek medical treatment everywhere and try to fight for his life."

"Although Ding Chou is young, he has a lot of experience and is quite smart. If he is willing to study hard, he may be a promising talent." Wen Tianxiang looked at the backs of Qiu Han and Ding Chou and said calmly, "Since Lord Liu has asked, I will not refuse. I will teach him myself and hope that he will become a pillar of the country in the future, which will be worth your good intentions."

"Are you serious?" Liu Xunyi was overjoyed and burst into tears of gratitude. "If Ding Chou can receive Master Wen's teachings, it will be a blessing that he has cultivated for ten lifetimes."

"Not at all! Ding Chou is blessed to have a chivalrous man like Lord Liu who always thinks of him. That is his greatest blessing." Wen Tianxiang changed the subject and continued, "As for Qiu Han... you are taking him to seek medical treatment everywhere, but I am afraid it will not do any good for either of you. You will cause him to be wanted by the government and hunted by the gangsters, and he... is undoubtedly a burden to your exile."

"What Master Wen means is..." Liu Xunyi looked at Wen Tianxiang who was speaking righteously, as if he understood but not really, and an unbelievable thought vaguely arose in his mind.

"If Lord Liu trusts me, how about handing Qiu Han over to me for care?"

"This……"

Wen Tianxiang's words made Liu Xunyi dumbfounded, at a loss, and his eyes couldn't help but tremble slightly. "What's wrong? Is Lord Liu worried..."

“No, no, no!” Liu Xunyi’s expression froze, and he thanked her gratefully. “Mr. Wen is kind-hearted and always treats people with kindness. I, Liu Xunyi… don’t know how to express my gratitude. Just… accept my greeting!”

"Absolutely not! Lord Liu, I am not helping you, I am helping the whole Song Dynasty." Wen Tianxiang hurriedly held up Liu Xunyi who was about to kowtow and bow, and said righteously, "If good deeds are not rewarded, and evil deeds are not punished, then where is justice? Where is morality?"

"I will remember Master Wen's kindness in my heart. If there is a chance to repay you in the future, I, Liu Xunyi, will go through fire and water and will not refuse even if I die."

After saying this, Liu Xunyi cast an ecstatic gaze towards Qiu Han and Ding Chou who were crying in the rain. Just as he was about to call them, he saw a black shadow flash across the night sky like a ghost, breaking through the wind screen and rain curtain amidst lightning and thunder, and flew down a dozen feet away.

"who?"

Due to the heavy rain, Liu Xunyi could not make out the face of the visitor. In order to prevent him from having bad intentions, he drew out his sword in a flash and protected Wen Tianxiang who was caught off guard behind him.

"Brother Liu, I looked around Lin'an City and found you are here!"

The man was soaked all over and stumbled over like a drowned chicken. He lifted the hair that was blocking his face, revealing a face full of anxiety and worry.

"Haitang?" Liu Xunyi was startled. He looked at the disheveled Li Haitang in astonishment and asked suspiciously, "Didn't you plan to stay in Lin'an for a few more days? Why now..."

"Brother Liu, there is something... It's very urgent. I didn't want to tell you, but I'm alone and powerless, and I'm afraid that Brother Liu will blame me in the future, so..."

Under Liu Xunyi's curious gaze, Li Haitang spoke vaguely and hesitantly, and was unable to finish the main text for a long time.

"What's the matter?" Seeing Li Haitang hesitating, Liu Xunyi had a bad feeling in his heart for no reason, so he frowned and asked, "Is it related to me?"

"Yes..." Li Haitang just opened his mouth and quickly shook his head like a rattle, "No, no, no! This matter has nothing to do with Brother Liu, you must not think too much about it..."

"What am I thinking?" The weirder Li Haitang's reaction became, the more anxious Liu Xunyi became. "Tell me quickly! What happened?"

"Excuse me for being blunt!" Wen Tianxiang interrupted, "My dear brother, since you have already chased out of the city in the rain and searched around Lin'an City, it is enough to show your true thoughts. Now Lord Liu is standing in front of you, why are you hesitating and making excuses?"

"You are……"

"This is Master Wen, the man who helped us get out of the city." Seeing Li Haitang looking wary, Liu Xunyi hurriedly introduced him.

"Greetings, Master Wen." Li Haitang absentmindedly bowed to Wen Tianxiang, then turned his tangled gaze to Liu Xunyi and said hesitantly, "Brother Liu, I can tell you the truth, but you must agree to one condition of mine first!"

"What conditions?" Liu Xunyi looked confused. "Tell me now."

"No matter what you hear, you must never return to Lin'an to face danger again."

"This..." Liu Xunyi finally heard a clue from Li Haitang's words and asked in a serious tone, "You mean... this matter may make me return to Lin'an?"

"It's possible..." Li Haitang answered timidly, "You have to promise me first..."

"Don't worry, brother." Wen Tianxiang comforted him, "Lord Liu finally escaped from danger, why would he fall into a trap? For Lord Liu, what else is more important than his own life right now?"

Looking at Wen Tianxiang who was confident, Li Haitang smiled bitterly and murmured, "Maybe it's true..."

"Haitang!" Liu Xunyi's face suddenly darkened as he was impatient. He ordered in an unquestionable tone, "Stop talking nonsense and making up stories. What happened in Lin'an? Tell us the truth!"

"This……"

Seeing Liu Xunyi's harsh words, Li Haitang couldn't help but feel flustered. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind with difficulty, and a hint of bitterness flashed in his eyes.

"Brother Liu, something happened to the Pan family!"

……

(End of this chapter)