Chapter 920 Planning and Planning ()

"As the saying goes, 'If you ask for help from others, you will be controlled by them.' In today's world, it is said that if you rely on a mountain, the mountain will fall and if you rely on a tree, the tree will shake. No matter how stable the support behind you is, no matter how loyal you are to them, and no matter how many years you have sold your life for them. In the face of interests, you are ultimately just an insignificant chess piece. Whether to abandon or keep is not based on loyalty, nor on feelings, but on your value." Xunzhen ignored Liu Xunyi's hesitation and exposed his scars without hesitation. "This can be seen from the fact that you were framed by the court. If you don't want to repeat the same mistake, from now on you can no longer pin your hopes on any supporter. As the saying goes, 'It is better to rely on yourself than on others'. You, Liu Xunyi... are your greatest supporter."

"You mean..." Liu Xunyi asked meaningfully, "I can't even trust you?"

Xunzhen was slightly startled by Liu Xunyi's "learning and applying" but she did not show any panic. Instead, she smiled and asked instead of answering: "What do you think?"

"This..." Xunzhen's cunningness made Liu Xunyi speechless for a while, and he smiled bitterly, "I think... I understand what you mean."

"Do you have someone you like?"

"This……"

Liu Xunyi certainly understood what Xunzhen meant by "ideal candidate", but she didn't expect her to be so impatient.

"Let me think about this. After all, I am now like a plague god. Everyone is trying to avoid me. How can they be willing to depend on me?"

"It's true that it's easy to change a country, but hard to change one's nature. Liu Xunyi is still the same Liu Xunyi. Not only does he judge others by his own standards, but he also likes to belittle himself and worry about nothing. In fact, I should have expected your answer long ago." Xunzhen glared at him, pretending to be angry, "You only know that you are surrounded by enemies and everyone is trying to avoid you, but you don't know that strong winds reveal strong grass and true friendship is revealed in times of adversity. If you are in high spirits, how can you tell which ones are true friends with chivalrous spirit and which ones are flattering hypocrites? You are familiar with the principle that fortune and misfortune are interdependent, so why do you only see the difficulties of being desperate, but not the opportunity to cross the river and find a boat?"

"This……"

"Forget it! It only takes ten days or half a month to bring you back to life, but it will take time to transform you. I know you are confused and upset at the moment, so I won't force you anymore." Having said that, Xunzhen took a deep look at the uneasy Liu Xunyi, and then stretched out a slender jade finger, lightly touched it to the wine glass, and drew a few strokes on the table.

"Xunzhen, what are you doing..."

"Before coming here, I have considered for you for a long time. I have to say that although you have made many enemies in the martial arts world, you also have many friends who are willing to stick by you." Xunzhen said without raising his head, "After many inquiries and repeated considerations, I found that this person is not only good at both civil and military affairs, but also wise and brave, and he is also loyal and righteous, which is really rare. Therefore, if you want to succeed, the first person you should look for is none other than him."

While speaking, Xunzhen raised his sleeves and retracted his hands, and two beautiful small words suddenly appeared in front of Liu Xunyi.

"This……"

Liu Xunyi hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and looked at the table in the dim candlelight.

"Su He?"

When Liu Xunyi, who was full of suspicion, slowly read out the word "Su He", his face suddenly changed. He took a deep breath and said in disbelief: "You want me to win over Brother Su?"

"That's right!" Xunzhen answered seriously, "As far as I know, you and Su He have become 'Anda' on the grassland. Now you are brothers of the opposite sex, friends for life and death. Now that you are in trouble, what's wrong with asking him for help?"

"That being said, but..." Liu Xunyi frowned and hesitated, "But I don't want to drag my elder brother down with me. I owed him too much when we were in Mobei. How can I have the face to ask him for help now?"

"That's wrong! This is not only to help you, but also to help him." Xunzhen refuted in a veiled manner, "Do you know where Su He went after the 'Nadam Festival'?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi hesitated, "On the night of the 'Nadam Festival', I went to the grassland tavern where we became sworn brothers to look for him, but I couldn't find him. I thought that my eldest brother must have returned to Chifengling..."

"He didn't go back to Red Wind Ridge."

"What?" Xunzhen's straightforward denial immediately changed Liu Xunyi's expression. When he carefully recalled the conversation he had with Saihan at the Prairie Tavern that day, he became even more worried. "Could it be... that Big Brother has returned home?"

"He didn't come home either."

"This..." Xunzhen's mysterious words made Liu Xunyi panic, "How do you know that my brother didn't come home?"

"The young king of Qin has spies not only all over the Central Plains, but also in Mobei." Xunzhen said, "Who is Su He? He is the famous 'Mobei's fastest knife', a household name on the grassland. It is not difficult to find out his whereabouts. Neither Chifengling nor his hometown of Korqin has found his whereabouts. Therefore, I dare to assert in front of you that Su He has neither returned to Chifengling nor returned home."

"Then... Did the Mongolian Khan keep him in Khorin to serve?" "Even Chifengling and Khorchin have our spies, how could Khorin not have any?" Xunzhen teased, "You have been to Khorin as an envoy, you should know that there are all kinds of people there, it is definitely not a strictly forbidden place where no one can get in."

"Where is my big brother?" Liu Xunyi became more and more anxious as he listened, and the more he felt something was wrong. He looked at Xunzhen who was talking eloquently with anxious eyes and pleaded, "Tell me quickly, where is my big brother? Is he doing well?"

"I... don't know." Xunzhen seemed to have not expected Liu Xunyi to be so concerned about Su He and to have such a strong reaction, so he was subconsciously stunned for a moment and said intermittently, "Before entering Changbai Mountain, the last news I received was... Su He's whereabouts are still unknown, and his life or death is unknown."

"What do you mean?"

Xunzhen's words made Liu Xunyi's heart skip a beat. The blood in his body seemed to freeze instantly. The expression on his face was indescribably terrified. He asked tremblingly, "What do you mean by that? My eldest brother is a chivalrous man with unparalleled martial arts skills. How could he be missing? Not to mention whether he is dead or alive?"

"Perhaps... he couldn't accept the pressure of losing to you, and he was too ashamed to face the disappointed Yan Wuji and the Mongolian Khan. He couldn't bear the abuse and ridicule from the various tribes on the grassland, so he was depressed and couldn't think straight..."

"What do you want to say?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Liu Xunyi flew into a rage and sternly said, "Impossible! My elder brother is upright and honest, and he would never act like a coward."

Facing Liu Xunyi's rebuke, Xunzhen was neither angry nor compromised, but sighed meaningfully: "As far as I know, after the 'Nadam Festival', the Mongolian Khan and Hu Lie never assigned Su He any task again, and even did not summon him... They were already disappointed with him and planned to abandon him. As for Yan Wuji... under pressure from various tribes on the grassland, they had to temporarily remove him from the Red Wind Ridge, and even listed him as a negative example of disloyalty and injustice to remind future generations. On the contrary, Long Yu from the 'Twenty-four Cities of Mobei', who was very close to the Huma Gang, saw that Su He was doomed, and decisively took the opportunity to take the position. Now, Long Yu has been highly regarded by the Mongolian Khan and Hu Lie, and is likely to replace Su He, and gradually become a new 'latecomer leader' and 'youth role model' on the grassland."

"How can this be absurd!" Liu Xunyi said angrily, "My elder brother fought bravely for the Mongols and survived many life-threatening situations. Even if he has made no contributions, he has worked hard over the years. How can his many years of achievements be wiped out just because of a mere martial arts competition?"

"Is it strange?" Xunzhen raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, "Su He's tragic experience, does it sound familiar to you?"

"This……"

"You fought bravely for the Song Dynasty, but because the granaries of the three prefectures in Xingyuan were robbed, your achievements were wiped out and you were even framed as a traitor who sold out the country for personal gain? In comparison, the Emperor of Song is more sinister than the Mongolian Khan, and your experience is even worse than Su He's..."

"I understand!" Faced with Xunzhen's persuasion, Liu Xunyi suddenly realized, "You just advised me to rely on myself rather than others, but the same is true for my elder brother. If he wants to restore his dignity, he can no longer rely on the mercy of the Mongolian Khan and Yan Wuji, but should use his own strength... to take back everything he has lost. This matter was caused by me, and I am his sworn brother. Even if Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao were not in trouble, I can't just sit back and watch my elder brother's predicament."

"That's right!" Seeing Liu Xunyi waking up from a dream, Xunzhen was very satisfied and smiled. "As you said, Su He will not commit suicide, but he will not be so shameless as to go back and ask for forgiveness from everyone. Therefore, I guess he must be hiding somewhere and muddling through, planning to waste the rest of his life."

"No matter what, I must find my brother!"

"Don't worry! Before coming to Changbai Mountain, I have already asked Yuan Xiao and the others to go and inquire. Maybe they have some news by now." Xunzhen said methodically, "We will leave the Tiger's Den and Dragon's Pond tomorrow and head straight to Mobei to find Su He's whereabouts. What do you think?"

"That's great! I find myself really admiring you more and more. You are always one step ahead in everything." Xunzhen's foresight and planning made Liu Xunyi both moved and sighed, "If I can find my brother, I will owe you another favor."

"Don't be in a hurry to thank me! There is one more thing I must remind you of."

"what's up?"

"Besides Su He, there is another person... You must make a decision as soon as possible." Xunzhen said seriously, "It's best to make a decision tonight to avoid any more trouble."

"This..." Although Liu Xunyi knew that Xunzhen had something else in mind, he was puzzled and confused. "You are talking about..."

"Tang Afu!"

"Tang Afu?" Liu Xunyi was stunned, still confused, "What do you mean? What do I decide for Brother Tang?"

"Do you really think he was sent by Xiao Zhirou to visit Granny Taohua?" Xunzhen's eyes narrowed, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by an indescribable weirdness and gloom, "Wrong! In fact... Tang Afu is here to kill you!"

……

(End of this chapter)