Chapter 919 Planning and Conspiracy ()

After untying the knot in her heart, Liu Xunyi finally put aside her prejudices, let down her guard, and spoke freely to Xunzhen without reservation.

For the entire afternoon, Liu Xunyi revealed to her all the complicated feelings that were buried deep in his heart, including his longing for Liu Xunyu, his reluctance to accept Zhao Xin, his sadness for Qin Wei, and his gratitude to Zhao Xie.

It’s not that Liu Xunyi trusts Xunzhen so much, nor that their relationship is so close, but because Liu Xunyi has too many "burdens" piled up in his heart, and it is rare for him to meet a wise and "sincere" listener. He is depressed and can't help himself for a while, and the heavy and complicated emotions are like the Yellow River bursting its banks, and he can't help but vent out.

I have to admit that Xunzhen is an extremely smart woman. Today, Liu Xunyi's "interrogation" of her turned into her "teaching" to Liu Xunyi. The "cheated" Liu Xunyi took the initiative to reveal many of his thoughts, but she hid her secrets perfectly.

Facing Liu Xunyi's heartfelt words, Xunzhen responded fluently, showing his reasonableness and understanding in both truth and falsehood.

In the end, instead of arousing Liu Xunyi's suspicion, he was regarded as a like-minded confidant by him.

Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen talked heart to heart and enjoyed themselves very much. It was not until night fell and the thatched cottage was plunged into darkness that they suddenly realized what was going on and burst into laughter.

"It's getting late, it's time to light the lamps."

At Xunzhen's reminder, Liu Xunyi slowly got up, groped in the dark, and then used a flint to try to light the half-burnt candle on the table, making a series of "crackling" sounds.

However, since it was pitch dark inside the thatched hut, Liu Xunyi had trouble aligning the positions of the flint and wick, and his efforts were in vain.

"I'll hold the candle for you, and you light the fire."

"That's fine too."

In the darkness, Xunzhen reached out to the table, but after groping for a long time he couldn't find the candle. Instead, his hand accidentally touched that of Liu Xunyi.

"Where are the candles?"

To avoid embarrassment, Xunzhen pretended nothing had happened and gently patted the back of Liu Xunyi's hand, motioning him to hand over the candle.

"here!"

Whether it was a misunderstanding or subconsciously, Liu Xunyi did not hand the candle to Xunzhen. Instead, she held her soft hand and guided her to the table.

"Get it!"

"Um……"

"Snapped!"

"laugh!"

With Liu Xunyi's gentle admonition and Xunzhen's gentle agreement, the flint made a crisp sound. In an instant, a faint yellow light, which was better than nothing, spread out from the wick to the outside.

At the same time, the two of them moved closer to each other, and their faces, which were so close to each other, slowly emerged under the reflection of the dim yellow candlelight.

Under the lamp, the beauty is like a lotus emerging from water, making the swallows jealous and the orioles ashamed.

Xunzhen's fair cheeks were tinged with an alluring pink. She had bright eyes, white teeth, rosy cheeks, green hair, skin as white as cream, and a breath as fragrant as an orchid. She was as exquisite and translucent as a flawless jade, which caught Liu Xunyi off guard and made him feel distracted and as if he had lost his mind.

"Hiss!" I wonder if it was intentional? Xunzhen raised his hand holding the candle slightly upwards, and the gently swaying candle flame just happened to burn the back of Liu Xunyi's hand. The sudden burning pain made him alert. He hastily retracted his gaze, coughed twice, pretended to be absent-minded and threw down the flint, and sat back in his seat.

"Um... Xunzhen, I benefited a lot from what you said. Let's continue with the topic just now." Liu Xunyi stammered, "How can I become more important? How can I defeat Qingfeng?"

Xunzhen took a deep breath and quickly calmed down his inner turmoil. Then he calmed down and asked seriously, "In terms of martial arts and wisdom, you are no less capable than anyone else. In terms of courage and spirit... you are also top-notch. But even so, you still lost miserably. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Under Xunzhen's guidance, Liu Xunyi gradually regained his senses.

"In fact, you didn't lose to one or two people, but to a powerful party."

"One party's power?"

"That's right! No matter how high a person's martial arts skills are or how deep his wisdom is, they can't defeat the word power. Power is easy to get because it is given by others. Momentum is hard to accumulate because you have to fight for it yourself. If you don't know this, even if you are resurrected a hundred times, a thousand times, or ten thousand times, you will still return empty-handed. If you want to break the shackles of fate and live an upright life, you must give up the idea of ​​relying on others or the obsession of fighting alone, and study the strategies of hegemony and the way of power."

"The strategy of hegemony, the way of power..." Liu Xunyi was surprised, "What does this mean?"

"Throughout the ages, power and influence, if you choose one and cultivate it carefully, you can be prosperous and dominate the world." Xunzhen explained calmly, "However, power has its pros and cons. There is no power that can be used forever, nor is there a power that can be enjoyed without doing anything. For example, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, who was in the highest position among the ministers and had tremendous power, was given by the emperor. Yesterday, he was able to look down on the world, but today his family is broken and his people are dead. Another example is Luo Tianjin, whose power is less than that of a seventh-rank county magistrate, but he can make the whole court civil and military officials give way to him. Why? It is because he has great influence. However, great influence means many friends, and many friends mean many enemies. Therefore, last year, a great change occurred in the Xianwang Mansion. Luo Tianjin lost his thousand-year-old Taoism overnight because of his negligence in prevention. He was betrayed by the person he trusted most, and his power collapsed overnight. Let's talk about you. After leaving the court, the word "official power" is thousands of miles away from you. You don't have to regret it, let alone ask for it. For now, you can only enter the rivers and lakes and gather strength."

Liu Xunyi frowned, not quite understanding: "How do we get together?"

"In fact, gathering power means gathering people. People are divided into 'noble people' and 'capable people'. Noble people are far away, and are often hard to come by. Once you meet them, they can help you make rapid progress. Capable people are close by, and are often hard to reach. Once they are loyal, they will clear all the obstacles for you. Noble people are more about quality than quantity, and capable people are more about loyalty than quality. If you have noble people but no capable people, you will gain power but will not be able to take root. If you have capable people but no noble people, you will not be able to blossom and bear fruit even if everyone is united. Looking at the martial arts world in the Central Plains, anyone who has gathered power has the support of noble people and the assistance of capable people. If one of the two is missing, nothing can be accomplished."

"This……"

"Just like Luo Tianjin, his benefactors are Qingfeng and Teng Sanshi, and the capable people around him include Xie Xuan, Deng Changchuan, Huang Yulang, Murong Bai and other loyal and courageous people. The two complement each other, and the Xianwang Mansion can be prominent for a time." Xunzhen said firmly, "Not only Luo Tianjin is like this, but other heroes are also like this. No one can rise to the top and reach the sky in one step by relying on his own strength alone."

"So that's it!" Liu Xunyi seemed to be thinking about something. "You introduced the 'Four Prefectures of Shangjing' to me just to help me gather strength?"

"As the saying goes, 'It takes three to make a fence, and it takes three to make a hero.' You, Liu Xunyi, are not a god or a ghost, and you don't have three heads and six arms, so you are no exception. It may be out of Xie Xuan's favor, the order of the young King of Qin, or a coincidence. In short, my appearance is to help you gather strength as soon as possible." Xunzhen could not deny it, and smiled, "Only in this way can you have enough weight to compete with Qingfeng and his daughter, and even with the Song Dynasty court... to stand on equal terms. As for your dream of washing away the grievances, taking revenge, and even... taking back everything you have lost, you can't just show off without being practical, and talk about it in vain. If you want to realize your long-cherished wish, you must be strong enough. In other words, the greater your power, the more wishes you can realize. To put it bluntly and whimsically, if your power is so strong that it makes the Mongolian Khan tremble, not to mention taking back Zhao Xin is easy, even taking all the Mongolian princesses for yourself... is not impossible.

"This..." Facing Xunzhen's ridicule, Liu Xunyi was stunned and said bitterly, "Even the current Shao Qin King is far from being able to make the Mongolian Khan fear him, let alone me who is at the end of my rope and has nothing? It took Lord Luo more than 20 years to go from being an unknown person to the leader of the martial arts world. But even so, his power is still a million miles away from the Mongolian Khan. Power, power... It's easy to say, but to really fight and grab it bit by bit, I don't know how much hardship it will take and how many years it will take..."

"Back then, it took only seven years for Emperor Taizu of Han, Liu Bang, to ascend the throne and become emperor from the beginning of the uprising by killing a snake. If you want to accomplish great things, you must first maintain a firm determination and not be fickle." Xunzhen sneered, "The ancients were like this, and so are we today. We are not afraid of your insignificance, of having nothing, of your desperate situation. We are only afraid of your disillusionment and self-deprecation. As the saying goes, 'Man proposes, God disposes.' Some things may not succeed even if you try your best, but if you don't even have the courage to try and the confidence to persist... you will definitely fail."

"Xunzhen, you... are right!" Xunzhen's words were like a revelation to Liu Xunyi, and his expression became more solemn. "It's just that I'm so confused now, I really don't know what to do. I'd like to hear your advice!"

"I've just said that a hero needs three helpers. No matter how many people there are in the four prefectures of Shangjing, they are all supporters of the Young King of Qin, not your confidants, Liu Xunyi. It's okay to let them cheer for you, but if you expect them to help you set up your own business... I'm afraid it's as difficult as climbing to the sky." Xunzhen smiled meaningfully, "The Young King of Qin and I saved you from danger and supported you when you were about to fall, so we are considered your 'nobles'. The most urgent task is to quickly gather some 'capable people' who are courageous, knowledgeable, brave and resourceful, and rely on you for life and death."

"Capable person?"

"That's right!" Xunzhen nodded heavily, "Just like Xie Xuan and Deng Changchuan beside Luo Tianjin, Song Yu and Leng Yiyi beside Jin Fuyu, the four Taoist priests Sun, Moon, Star and Chen beside Qingfeng, and even Yan Bugui beside Ling Xiaoxiao... They are all capable people with unique skills and can handle great tasks. You don't need many such people, but they must be as close to you as brothers and sisters, and they must never betray you in the slightest."

"Why?"

"Because they are your arms that help you to establish your own family and earn your living. They are your weapons that make rivers from your swords and soldiers from beans. They are your saviors that turn danger into safety and disaster into blessing. They are also your wings that help you to conquer the world like a tiger, a cloud or a dragon."

……

(End of this chapter)