Chapter 855: Good Dreams Are Hard to Come True
"what?"

Faced with Li Haitang's devastating news, Liu Xunyi's heart sank immediately and his face became extremely solemn.

"Something happened?" Liu Xunyi grabbed Li Haitang's arm and asked urgently, "What happened?"

"This evening, government officials broke into the Pan family with great fanfare and arrested Miss Pan and her entire family... and took them into custody."

"Hiss!" Liu Xunyi was horrified and said in disbelief, "Why are the government arresting the Pan family? Miss Pan's family are all simple, kind and honest people. What crime have they committed?"

"The Pan family has no worries about food and clothing, and they run a silk business honestly. How could they commit crimes and bring trouble upon themselves?" Li Haitang said indignantly, "The government is simply arresting people at random."

"No!" Liu Xunyi noticed something strange through Li Haitang's flickering eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Even if you are arresting people randomly, you have to make up a crime. Haitang, you must be hiding something from me. What is the crime that the government is arresting Miss Pan's family for?"

"This..." Facing Liu Xunyi's aggressive questioning, Li Haitang was once again entangled and said perfunctorily, "No matter what the crime is, it's a false accusation anyway..."

"Wait!" Liu Xunyi, who was in a state of confusion, suddenly had an idea. He immediately stepped back, held his breath, and covered his face in fear. "Arresting the Pan family is just a bait. In fact... they are coming for me."

"Brother Liu, you must not..."

"What exactly is the Pan family's crime? Can the government release any information?" Before Li Haitang could comfort him, Liu Xunyi's eyes turned fierce and he shouted in a deep voice, "Don't hide it from me!"

"Yes..." Li Haitang nodded worriedly and answered disheartenedly, "The Lin'an government did spread the word that the Pan family was in collusion with you and was guilty of shielding a wanted criminal of the imperial court. If you want to prove their innocence, unless... unless..."

"Unless what?" Liu Xunyi asked impatiently.

"Unless you take the initiative to return to Lin'an and surrender." Li Haitang was full of entanglement and a bitter face. "Otherwise, they will behead Miss Pan's family of four in three days..."

"How can this be possible!" Wen Tianxiang was furious and shouted, "You are ignoring the law and arbitrarily framing others. This is simply lawless!"

"How did the government know that I have a relationship with Miss Pan's family?" Liu Xunyi frowned and muttered to himself, "I have calculated everything, but I still missed one step. I never thought that the court would act so unscrupulously. They would not hesitate to kill innocent people just to catch me..."

"Brother Liu, don't forget that there are portraits of you and Miss Pan everywhere in the martial arts world. How difficult would it be for the government to find out your relationship?"

"It's Qingfeng!" Li Haitang's words awakened Liu Xunyi from his dream, and his eyes became even colder. "Qingfeng secretly colluded with the West Mansion, and he must have leaked the news about Miss Pan to the government. He can hit the snake at its weakest point, and he is the only one in Lin'an who can hit my vital point so accurately."

"Brother Liu, what should we do now?" Li Haitang asked anxiously, "You are not really planning to go back and surrender, are you?"

"The Pan family got into trouble because of me, I can't just sit back and watch!"

"You can't go back and turn yourself in either." Wen Tianxiang reminded him, "If you go back, not only will you lose your life, but you may not be able to rescue your friend. More importantly, if you return to Lin'an, wouldn't that be a waste of the young prince's efforts?"

"Don't worry, Master Wen. I would rather die than betray the young prince."

"Master Liu, you know I have no such intention." Wen Tianxiang said sternly, "If you know a little about the West Mansion, you should know that their usual style is to cut the grass and root it out, rather than let it go. Do you think that if you go back and turn yourself in, the West Mansion will keep its promise and clear your friend's family's name? No! If you go back now, there will be only one result, you die, and they die too."

"Master Wen is obviously a well-educated man. He is as sharp-eyed as a torch and saw through the conspiracy of the West Mansion at a glance." Li Haitang quickly agreed, "If we fight to the death, we can still fight, but if we fall into the trap, there is no chance of survival. Brother Liu, I am not telling you this to persuade you to go back. I just don't want you to regret it for the rest of your life because of your late realization..."

"If I don't save them, do you think I won't regret it?" Liu Xunyi's eyes were fierce. He resolutely interrupted Wen Tianxiang and Li Haitang's dissuasion and said righteously, "You two don't need to persuade me anymore. The Pan family is in trouble because of me. I can't just stand by and watch. No matter what, I will go back to save them."

"How to save him?" Seeing Liu Xunyi being stubborn again, Li Haitang couldn't help but feel angry. "Master Wen has explained the pros and cons of this matter clearly. If you go back, you will only lose your life in vain."

"I won't surrender. I can think of other ways..."

"What can we do?" Li Haitang asked, "There are notices everywhere in Lin'an to arrest you. As soon as you show up, the government will come to chase you. By then, you will have no way to go up to the sky or down to the earth. How can you save people?"

"Even if I have to rob the execution ground, I will rescue them!" Liu Xunyi seemed to be irritated by Li Haitang's aggressive questioning, and his tone was quite impatient.

"But……"

"No need to say more!" Liu Xunyi waved his hand and no longer gave Li Haitang a chance to explain.

Seeing that Liu Xunyi had made up his mind, Wen Tianxiang could not help but shake his head and sigh, without saying anything more.

"Brother Qiu, Xiao Dingzi, I have something to tell you!"

As if worried that Li Haitang would not give up, Liu Xunyi hurriedly called out to Qiu Han and Ding Chou.

Hearing this, Ding Chou slowly suppressed the sadness in his heart, wiped the tears from his face, talked with Qiu Han for a few words, turned around and walked towards Liu Xunyi.

"Xiao Dingzi, Brother Qiu..."

"Lord Qiu wants to have a few words with the Marquis alone." Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, the depressed Ding Chou explained, "Lord Liu, what do you want us to do?" "Come!"

Liu Xunyi pushed the absent-minded Ding Chou in front of Wen Tianxiang and said sternly, "Little Ding, kneel down for Master Wen!"

"Ah?" Ding Chou was stunned, as if he didn't understand Liu Xunyi's intention, "Why?"

"No need to ask any more questions, just kneel down first!"

Seeing Liu Xunyi's serious expression, Ding Chou was full of doubts but still knelt in front of Wen Tianxiang.

"Little Ding, from today on, Master Wen is your master. He will teach you, impart knowledge, and answer your questions. You must treat him sincerely, respect him as a father or brother, and listen carefully to his teachings. You must not contradict or offend him, and you must not disobey or betray him."

"What do you mean?" Ding Chou asked in astonishment, "Lord Liu asked me to take Master Wen as my teacher, this..."

"It is a blessing that you have cultivated for many lifetimes to be able to worship Master Wen as your master. Don't be ungrateful." Liu Xunyi reprimanded in a low voice, "The young prince is also Master Wen's disciple. In this way, you and the young prince are brothers from the same school. This will be of great benefit to your future. It is also a godsend opportunity that many people dream of."

"This……"

"What's this? Why don't you kowtow quickly?"

At Liu Xunyi's urging, Ding Chou, who seemed to understand what was going on, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times to Wen Tianxiang, who smiled and said nothing. Although the process was very hasty, at least he had completed the ceremony of becoming a disciple, and it was legitimate.

"Mr. Wen is honest and kind, and I would like to thank you again and again on behalf of Ding Chou!"

At this point, Liu Xunyi finally felt a little comfort in his desperate situation, and a rare sincere smile broke out on his face.

"Xiao Dingzi, from now on, you and Brother Qiu must follow Master Wen and learn from him with an open mind, strive to become talents as soon as possible, and share the worries of the country."

Looking at Liu Xunyi who looked relieved, Ding Chou suddenly felt sad, tears rolled down his cheeks again, and he choked up and said, "Lord Liu, what about you? You have arranged our fate, but what about yourself? Now not only is the court wanted, but the people in the martial arts world are also hunting you down..."

"Don't worry about me." Liu Xunyi smiled nonchalantly, "I am the best master of Tianji Pavilion, with great martial arts skills and extraordinary courage. Don't worry! No matter what difficulties I encounter, I can easily deal with them. When you succeed in your studies, we will definitely have a chance to meet again. By then, if you succeed, you are not allowed to deny me."

He casually passed over the fear of his life and death while chatting and laughing. Liu Xunyi's arrogance alone was enough to make Wen Tianxiang look at him with a higher regard.

"Brother Liu, I will go back to Lin'an with you." After hesitating for a while, Li Haitang suddenly straightened his eyes and said firmly, "One more person to help means one more chance to save people."

"There is no time to lose. We must return before dawn." Liu Xunyi gave Li Haitang a grateful smile, then turned to Ding Chou and said, "Tell Brother Qiu that it is not advisable to stay here for long. You should leave now. Let him mourn for you."

"it is good!"

The current situation did not allow them to say goodbye reluctantly. Ding Chou suppressed his reluctance and worry for Liu Xunyi, hurriedly agreed, and walked towards Qiu Han who was sitting in front of the tomb.

"If it weren't for Master Wen's help, I would have been in a mess." Liu Xunyi bowed to Wen Tianxiang and said, "Qiu Han and Ding Chou grew up in Tianji Pavilion since they were young. They were always wielding swords and guns, fighting and killing. They have acquired some bad habits. Master Wen is a scholar, so please be more tolerant of them in the future."

"He is in trouble, but he is obsessed with the lives of others. He has finally escaped from the tiger's mouth, but he insists on returning to the wolf's den to save others." Wen Tianxiang sighed, "Sir Liu is a true hero who is ready to take risks and treat death as life. Isn't it a great fortune for me to meet him by chance?"

"It's a shame that Master Wen and I met too late. If the timing was right, I would have had a drink with you."

"The way of heaven is immortal and justice will last forever. The court is full of treacherous officials, so I have no choice but to retreat. I believe that Lord Liu will be able to survive. When the situation turns around and the sun shines, we will have a drink and talk happily again."

After saying this, Liu Xunyi and Wen Tianxiang looked at each other and laughed, regarding all the sinister plots as trifles. For a moment, they were open-minded and full of heroic spirit.

"Lord Qiu!"

"Crack!"

However, just as Liu Xunyi and Wen Tianxiang were saying goodbye to each other, a scream filled with horror and grief suddenly rang out from in front of the tomb.

Immediately afterwards, a loud thunderclap startled Liu Xunyi and the others, and they subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound.

But Ding Chou, crying inconsolably, collapsed like a deflated ball beside Qiu Han's bamboo chair. No matter how strong the wind and rain were, he could not hide his heart-wrenching cries and wails.

"Xiao Dingzi?" Liu Xunyi was shocked and asked repeatedly, "What happened?"

"Qiu... Lord Qiu..." Ding Chou, crying bitterly, slowly pointed at Qiu Han who was sitting on the bamboo chair, his trembling voice full of grief, anger and despair, "He...bit his tongue and committed suicide."

……

(End of this chapter)