Chapter 916: Getting to the bottom of things
"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Please come in!"

"squeak!"

As Liu Xunyi responded, the door was slowly pushed open. The sun was shining brightly at noon, and a dazzling white light poured into the dim thatched hut. At the same time, two figures, one tall and one short, one big and one small, came in.

"Find me?"

Xunzhen looked around the room with suspicion in his eyes, and finally fixed his gaze on Liu Xunyi who was sitting upright.

"Yes." Liu Xunyi pointed at the wine pot on the table with a smile, "I want to drink with you."

"Drink?" Xunzhen frowned slightly and said teasingly, "As I expected, this is the wedding wine Granny Taohua prepared for you and Miss Pan?"

"It's just a misunderstanding, let's not talk about it."

"But I want to ask, is this bottle of wine to celebrate your survival? Or is it to regret that you missed the beauty?"

"Whatever you want, why do you need a reason?" After saying that, Liu Xunyi gently waved at Abaolu, who seemed to understand, "I want to talk to Miss Xunzhen alone, please step aside."

However, facing Liu Xunyi's expulsion, Abaolu remained unmoved and did not even blink.

"Why? Are you afraid that I will hurt her?"

"I……"

"Abaolu, get out first!"

Looking at Abaolu who stood still, and then at Liu Xunyi who looked calm and composed, a hint of amusement flashed in Xunzhen's eyes.

"I'll be guarding the door, just call me if you need anything!"

Abaolu, hesitant, bowed to Xunzhen, then gave Liu Xunyi a cold look and turned to walk out of the hut.

"Miss Xunzhen, please take a seat!" Liu Xunyi greeted her warmly while pouring wine.

Xunzhen was a thoughtful person. As soon as he entered the room, he noticed that Liu Xunyi at this moment was completely different from the one he had seen in the Zanglongtan in the morning, especially his demeanor and tone, which seemed to have "other plans".

After a moment's hesitation, Xunzhen walked forward and sat down opposite Liu Xunyi.

"Come, let me toast you first!" Liu Xunyi held a glass of wine in his left hand and handed another glass of wine to Xunzhen with his right hand, saying sincerely, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive today. Therefore, the first glass of wine is to thank you for saving my life."

After saying this, Liu Xunyi drank it all in one gulp without waiting for Xunzhen's response.

"You want to get rid of me with just a glass of wine?" Xunzhen glanced at the glass in front of him but was reluctant to take it. "Is your life only worth a glass of wine?"

"Of course not." Liu Xunyi explained seriously, "One thing is one thing, this glass of wine is just a small token of my gratitude. As for your life-saving grace... I will never forget it."

"Liu Xunyi, you are really not good at playing tricks, especially when you are so hypocritical. It's awkward to watch." Xunzhen snatched the wine glass from Liu Xunyi's hand and threw it on the table with a "clang". She let the wine spill all over the table, but she ignored it and said in a deep voice, "Don't say anything against your will. I won't believe it even if you say it. Why don't we be honest and get straight to the point!"

Liu Xunyi was stunned when Xunzhen revealed his thoughts. They looked into each other's eyes, and neither of them dodged at all.

After a long while, Liu Xunyi chuckled, gently put down his wine glass, and said admiringly: "Xunzhen is indeed Xunzhen, as discerning as ever."

"Liu Xunyi is worthy of being Liu Xunyi. He remains calm in the face of danger as always." Xunzhen retorted without any reservation, "No wonder you were able to lurk beside Luo Tianjin for many years without revealing any flaws."

"After knowing you for so long, I find that your praise always sounds... like sarcasm." Liu Xunyi curled his lips.

"If you are honest with me, why should I be so veiled?" Xunzhen raised his eyebrows, unwilling to be outdone, "As the saying goes, 'a man who takes from someone is short-handed, and a man who eats from someone is soft-hearted.' If you don't make your intentions clear, how can I dare to drink this wine?"

"I should have known that playing tricks in front of you is like playing tricks on others. It is futile and will only bring shame upon myself." Liu Xunyi pretended to be wronged and compromised. "Forget it! Since you are so straightforward, I will not beat around the bush. In fact, I have no other purpose in looking for you. I just want to ask you for advice. I have asked you for advice many times before, but you changed the subject every time. Because I was seriously injured and had little energy, I was unable to find out the truth. Now, my injuries are no longer a problem, but the troubles in my heart are getting stronger and stronger, even to the point where it is like a lump in my throat and I can't get it out until I get it out."

"What's troubling you?" Xunzhen was nervous in his heart, but he remained calm on the surface.

"It's just a cliché. Why did the Young King of Qin spare no effort to help me?" Liu Xunyi's eyes suddenly condensed, and he said bluntly, "Don't tell me those high-sounding reasons, and don't tell me that you are just kind-hearted, and don't try to change the subject. I, Liu Xunyi... am not a fool, and I don't want to be treated as a fool!"

"From what you implied, we risked our lives to save you... just to tease you?" Xunzhen's face darkened and his tone became increasingly unfriendly.

“I know you are eloquent, but today I am no longer the dying Liu Xunyi lying on the bed, and I will not be led by you by the nose.” At this point, the expressionless Liu Xunyi suddenly smiled and said cunningly, “Until this matter is made clear, we will not leave the tiger’s den and dragon’s den until the truth comes out.” When Liu Xunyi said the last sentence, although he was smiling, it contained a threat, which made Xunzhen’s face become gloomy and solemn.

"You saved my life, I won't embarrass you, let alone want to embarrass you." Seeing Xunzhen's face as gloomy as water and not saying a word, Liu Xunyi shrugged helplessly, and then put on a melancholy posture that seemed "considerate" but was actually "shameless", "If you don't want to say it today, we can say it tomorrow, and if you don't want to say it tomorrow, you can say it the day after tomorrow. In short, whether it's three to five days, a year and a half, or even ten to eight years... I don't care. Anyway, I have no relatives or friends outside, and I have no ties. Going out will only cause trouble. It's better for me to stay in the tiger's den and dragon's pool and live happily. Miss Xunzhen, you say... right?"

"Ten or eight years? Don't you want revenge? Moreover, you want to stay in the tiger's den, have you asked Huang and Mei if they agree?" Xunzhen sneered, "We went through so much trouble to pull you back from the gates of hell, is it just to let you hide in the mountains and live happily?"

"As the saying goes, 'It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge', so why should we rush to settle the grudge?" Liu Xunyi shook his head nonchalantly, looking like a man who had seen through the secular world. "I have already died once, so what else can I worry about? As for Seniors Huang and Mei, they are now my master and my master's wife, and I promised to take care of Baoer for them. If I choose to stay, I think they will not object. As for you saving my life with so much difficulty... that is exactly my biggest concern."

At this point, the teasing expression on Liu Xunyi's face suddenly disappeared, and he said sternly: "Therefore, the one who decides whether we leave or not and when we leave is not me, but you."

"What an ungrateful Liu Xunyi! I worked so hard to save you, but you want to imprison me in a dangerous place?" Xunzhen was so angry that he slammed the table with his palm.

"If you insist on not telling me the truth, how can I believe that you have no plans for me?" Liu Xunyi saw through Xunzhen's thoughts, so she kept chasing him, not giving her a chance to change the subject. "Do you remember what I said to you at Tianyuan Inn in Shenzhou? I feel like I am becoming more and more like your puppet, being manipulated by you like a marionette..."

"Liu Xunyi, you are obviously judging others by your own standards, why do you blame me?"

"It is precisely because I don't want to be suspicious that I have to find out the whole story." Liu Xunyi said righteously, "Xunzhen, if you were me, would you rashly work with others without knowing their background and intentions?"

"I……"

"It's true that you saved me, but that doesn't mean my life belongs to you, and it doesn't mean I have to obey your orders." Liu Xunyi's attitude was firm, and his tone was unquestionable. "It's not that I'm ungrateful, nor am I mean. It's really... the identity of the Young Qin King is special. I have to be extremely cautious, so as not to... make a mistake that will bring eternal regret."

"One misstep leads to eternal regret?" Xunzhen laughed in anger, and said contemptuously, "After all, you still can't forget your loyalty. Even if the Song Dynasty court regards you as a traitor, you will not have second thoughts. Is that right?"

"You're only half right!" Recalling what the court had done to him, Liu Xunyi's fists clenched and creaked, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I am loyal, but not blindly loyal. I am loyal to the blood of the Han people and the ancestors of China, not to the incompetent court that is complacent, corrupt, and supports evil and treacherous people, and harms the country and the people."

"Since you are already disappointed with the Lin'an court, why bother about the identity of the Young Qin Prince?" Seeing that Liu Xunyi had deep-rooted hatred for the Song Dynasty court, Xunzhen was secretly delighted and took the opportunity to add fuel to the flames. "Yes! The Young Qin Prince is a Liao person, and so am I. But so what? Just because we are not Han people, does that mean we must be full of evil intentions and have ulterior motives..."

"Xunzhen, you don't have to talk about other things!" Liu Xunyi waved his hand and interrupted sternly, "You know who the Young Qin King is better than I do, and you are even more familiar with his ambitions and his covetousness for the Central Plains. Although my power is far less than that of the former Northern Sage King, and although I can't guess why the Young Qin King is interested in me, I can be sure that his fundamental purpose of helping me with all his heart... must be similar to the reason you approached Lord Luo back then. Xunzhen, am I right?"

"This..." Faced with Liu Xunyi's aggressive questioning, Xunzhen was caught off guard and inevitably felt flustered, his eyes subconsciously wandering.

"Look me in the eyes!"

Liu Xunyi suddenly stood up, spread his arms, supported his hands on the table, and quickly moved his upper body towards the panic-stricken Xunzhen, until he was face to face, eye to eye, so close that their noses almost touched, and they could clearly feel each other's breathing.

"boom!"

Just when Xunzhen was in a state of panic and speechless, the tightly closed door was suddenly kicked open. Then, Abaolu rushed into the hut with a machete in his hand and put the knife on Liu Xunyi's neck without saying anything.

On the other hand, Liu Xunyi was still staring at Xunzhen without blinking, ignoring the cold and piercing blade.

"Liu, what the hell do you want to do?" Abaolu asked viciously, "Who do you think you are? The black fan of the Xianwang Mansion or the imperial official of the Song Dynasty? Remember! We saved your life. Now you have no power, no money, and you can even say you have nothing. You are not qualified to shout in front of Xunzhen..."

"Abaolu, get out!" Xunzhen ordered without even turning his head. "If Liu Xunyi wants to kill me, do you think you can stop him?"

"But……"

"go out!"

"Humph!"

Seeing Xunzhen's firm attitude, Abaolu could not help but snort, put away his scimitar in dissatisfaction, and walked out of the door angrily. He happened to run into Xiao Yang, Su Hu, and Xun Budao who came after hearing the news, and immediately there was another round of pushing and shoving, and cursing.

"Liu Xunyi, do you really want to know the truth?"

Xunzhen calmed down and regained her rationality. She was no longer as panicked as before. She looked back at Liu Xunyi fearlessly and said word by word: "I can tell you, but you must promise me that if the truth is not as 'despicable' as you imagined, you will not doubt the Young King of Qin in the future, and... you must work together with me."

"As long as you don't let me help the tyrants to commit atrocities and betray my ancestors, I can agree to anything you ask for, just as a way of repaying your life-saving grace."

"Are you serious?" Liu Xunyi's promise made Xunzhen's eyes light up.

"a man of his words!"

……

(End of this chapter)