Chapter 925: Coming Out with Power (I)

Huang Yangming accompanied them for ten miles, and Liu Xunyi and his party traveled quickly through the mountains and dense bamboo forests.

Since Liu Xunyi's injury had healed and he didn't need to be carried, and they were gradually getting familiar with the terrain, so they went down the mountain very quickly.
When they went up the mountain, they wandered around in circles for a whole day. Now, it only took them two hours to get down the mountain.

At the foot of Changbai Mountain, Yuan Xiao had already arranged for people and horses to be waiting for the pick-up. When Liu Xunyi and others appeared in the small town at the foot of the mountain, they immediately changed their clothes, boarded the Yuan family's carriage, and rushed all the way to Shenzhou.

Along the way, they met many people from the Central Plains, including disciples of famous sects such as Wudang, Kunlun, Emei, Kongtong, as well as lone martial arts celebrities and green forest heroes from all over the world.

It seemed that the news of Liu Xunyi's appearance in the Northeast had spread like wildfire and became a hot topic.

Xunzhen guessed that it was not Jinjianwu but Kongtong Sect that released the news.

After all, they had only encountered two groups of people after leaving the retreat. One group was Ji Hou and Fu Yin, who ambushed them at Tianyuan Inn, and of course Tang Afu. The other group was the Kongtong disciples they met in the wilderness of Liaoyang on the eve of their arrival in Shenzhou.

Among them, the Kongtong disciples suffered heavy casualties, which was bound to arouse Zhongli Mu's great anger. Therefore, he no longer kept Liu Xunyi's whereabouts a secret, but simply made it public to vent his anger.

Knowing the approximate area where Liu Xunyi appeared, and then following the clues and inquiring from various sources, it was not difficult for these people to guess the purpose of Liu Xunyi's trip, which was most likely to go to the Tiger's Den and Dragon's Pond to seek treatment from Grandma Taohua.

Therefore, while Liu Xunyi was moving away from Changbai Mountain under the protection of the Yuan family, these people from all directions who heard the news also approached Changbai Mountain rapidly like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi and others were all secretly shocked. Fortunately, they left the mountain in time. If they had delayed for another two days, the way down the mountain would have been full of dangers and crises.

It must be said that the power of the Shenzhou Yuan family in the northeast is indeed formidable. The Yuan family's carriage went south with great fanfare, not only did it not encounter any obstacles or difficulties, but it was also protected in every city and town.

No matter whether they were government runners, garrison soldiers, village bullies, or bandits, as long as they saw the Yuan family's flag, they would be respectful and allowed to pass without hindrance.

Of course, some of them were afraid, while others were dependent. Those who were afraid were mostly bullies and bandits, who did not dare to go against the wealthy Yuan family, fearing that they would be wiped out by Yuan Xiao. Those who relied on were mostly soldiers and messengers, who received the filial tribute from the Yuan family every month and were worried about losing their source of income.

Because of this, Liu Xunyi and his party had a smooth journey south to Shenzhou.

No conversation for three days, it is the seventh day of November.

In the morning, three horse-drawn carriages entered Shenzhou with bells and drums beating, and stopped outside the gate of Yuan's mansion in a swaggering manner.

At this time, Yuan Xiao, who had already received the news, personally led his slaves and family members, forty or fifty people of all ages, to greet them outside the mansion gate.

"Master Yuan, the Liaoyang area is not peaceful right now. You put on such a grand ceremony to welcome Liu Xunyi. Aren't you afraid of attracting attention?"

With a question that was neither a joke nor a reproach, Xunzhen, who seemed to be smiling, got out of the carriage first, followed by Liu Xunyi, Tang Afu, Pan Yuyin, Abaolu and others.

"To be honest, I messed up everything the young lady asked me to do. I thought I could drive those uninvited guests back to the interior with a little trickery. But unexpectedly, this group of people were like flies seeing shit. Not only did they not go away, but they kept coming back." Yuan Xiao looked like he had lost all hope in life, and said aggrievedly, "I think since the general trend is irreversible, I should clean up the one-third acre of land in Shenzhou. Otherwise, I will be sorry for the young lady's trust and entrustment. So, as soon as I received your news, I immediately sent people to perform in the city. A few "good shows" made people panic, and then I suggested that the Shenzhou government office temporarily close the city gates in the name of "eliminating the bandits", and only allow people to leave Shenzhou, but not enter. All people in the city must be questioned three times, interrogated five times, and checked ten times. Even the local people cannot be slack. As for outsiders... no matter what the reason, they will all be expelled from the city. Even visiting relatives or returning to their mother's home is not allowed. Therefore, Yuan dares to guarantee with his life that there is no suspicious person in Shenzhou City today. Not to mention leading people to welcome them, even beating gongs and drums and setting off firecrackers is not a bad idea. Hehe."

"Master Yuan, according to what you said, those uninvited guests were at least 'flies', but Liu became..."

Hearing Liu Xunyi's self-mockery, Yuan Xiao, who had been talking freely, suddenly came to his senses and quickly bowed his hands to apologize: "Yuan is a rude man, and I'm sorry, Mr. Liu, please be more tolerant..."

Before he finished speaking, Yuan Xiao's voice suddenly stopped, because he was stunned and speechless by the majestic and energetic Liu Xunyi in front of him.

Little did he know that the Liu Xunyi he saw half a month ago was still dying. At that time, although Yuan Xiao kept saying "hearing about someone is not as good as meeting him in person", he actually felt a little disappointed.

After all, from the rumors he had heard, even if Liu Xunyi didn't have three heads and six arms and a towering stature, he shouldn't be a frail and sickly person.

However, when Yuan Xiao saw Liu Xunyi today, he found it hard to accept the huge difference between the two. His posture was like a spear, his eyes were like torches, his words and deeds were full of charm, and his movements were full of vigor.

Until this moment, Yuan Xiao finally understood why Xunzhen was full of confidence in Liu Xunyi. If nothing else, just talking about her handsome appearance and awe-inspiring body, she was enough to shame many men in the world.

"Master Liu, there is a saying that goes 'A man should be treated with new eyes after three days of absence'. I almost didn't recognize you just now. You are really...really..."

Yuan Xiao stared blankly at Liu Xunyi who was smiling but not saying anything. His throat suddenly felt dry and his tongue was tied. He stammered for a long time but couldn't say anything further.

Seeing Yuan Xiao sometimes belittling himself and sometimes speaking incoherently, Xunzhen raised his eyebrows and said teasingly, "Master Yuan, we have just got off the horse, and you are already talking so much. Are you worried that I will hold you accountable for your incompetence?"

"I dare not! I absolutely dare not!" Yuan Xiao was shocked and quickly explained, "The eldest lady and Mr. Liu have condescended to visit my humble home. It is a great honor for the Yuan family."

"That's enough, that's enough!" Abaolu interrupted impatiently, "How are you doing the job that the young lady asked you to do?"

"Don't worry, Miss. Someone has already found out where Su He is."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen's eyes lit up at the same time, and they asked in unison: "Where is he?" "I don't know."

"do not know?"

"The one who was trying to find out the news wasn't a disciple of the Yuan family, but someone from the Hong Mansion in Taizhou." Yuan Xiao smiled bitterly, "The eldest lady should know the temper of the Hong Temple. They are very methodical and never flexible. He said that finding out about Su He was a task ordered by the eldest lady, so he must report to the eldest lady in person. No matter how I asked, he just wouldn't let go."

"What do you mean by being so strict? It's obvious that they're afraid that you'll steal the credit." Abaolu sneered.

"Maybe!" Yuan Xiao curled his lips helplessly, "It doesn't matter! I have summoned all the heads of the four mansions in Shangjing to meet the eldest lady and meet the hero Liu by the way."

"Where are they?"

"They arrived at my house one after another last night, and now... they are still sleeping."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but feel suspicious. Taizhou Hong Mansion refused to tell Yuan Xiao what they had found out. Today, the Yuan family had mobilized a large army to welcome Xunzhen, but the other three mansions were sleeping, as if they knew very little about the matter.

In this way, the legendary "Four Prefectures of Shangjing" that supported each other were not a united front, but each had their own thoughts and were wary of each other.

"Send someone to wake them up. I want to catch up with them."

"Miss, Master Liu, please come in and rest!"

After the greetings, Yuan Xiao ordered someone to pass on the message to the other three family heads, and then personally led Xunzhen, Liu Xunyi and the others towards the central hall.

In terms of scale, Yuan Mansion was not grand, at least it could not be compared with the Xianwang Mansion in Luoyang, the Qin Mansion in Xijing, and the Lu Mansion in Quanzhou. But in terms of pavilions, towers, carved beams and painted buildings, the mansion was exquisitely designed.

The mansion has five entrances and exits. The left entrance is the upper entrance, where most of the Yuan family members and trusted disciples live. The right entrance is the lower entrance, where the servants and outside guests live. The middle entrance is divided into the front hall, the middle hall, the inner hall, the study, and the ancestral hall from front to back. The halls and wing rooms in the mansion are well-arranged and clearly laid out, so that even those who visit the Yuan Mansion for the first time can quickly get familiar with it.

The Central Hall is the largest building in Yuan Mansion. It is also where Yuan Xiao "deploys troops and generals". It can accommodate dozens or even hundreds of people at a time for discussions.

Yuan Xiaoxian led Xunzhen, Liu Xunyi and others to a side hall to rest. After they had three cups of tea, the servants came hurriedly to report.

"Miss, Master Liu, the three family heads have arrived, please look..."

"We are all family, no need to act so sophisticated, let's get out!"

"Miss, please!"

While they were talking, Yuan Xiao led Xunzhen and his party out of the side hall and into the central hall which was crowded with people and bustling with activity.

At this moment, there were at least fifty or sixty people in the hall. Judging from their attire, they were clearly divided into three different forces.

Among them, those dressed in green mostly carried long spears, those dressed in black mostly wore short jackets, and those dressed in gray mostly wore long cloth leggings.

In addition, there are some people wearing blue clothes and carrying swords on their waists. They are disciples of the Yuan family.

Although these people came from different factions, they seemed to be very familiar with each other. Not only did they not feel strange at all, but on the contrary, they gathered in groups of three or five, hugging each other and calling each other brothers.

These people were like a pile of loose sand, gathering together in scattered groups, joking and cursing without restraint. The voices of dozens of people mixed together in a chaotic manner, turning into a "buzzing" harsh noise.

Some were shouting, some were bragging, some were arguing, some were fighting... they were lazy and undisciplined, like a mob, with no manners at all.

What’s interesting is that among the fifty or sixty people in the hall, only three were sitting upright with their eyes closed and dozing off, while the rest were all standing.

It’s not that there are only three chairs in the hall, but that among so many people, only the three of them are qualified to sit down.

"Cough cough!"

Accompanied by a cough, Yuan Xiao, with a gloomy face, appeared in front of everyone first.

Upon seeing this, the three people sitting on the chairs raised their eyelids one after another and waved their hands at the same time, signaling their disciples to shut their mouths one after another. The noise in the hall gradually died down, and in the blink of an eye it was completely silent.

"Young King Qin has repeatedly stressed that although the four prefectures of Shangjing are small in area, they cannot be left alone to deal with barbarians. Did the rules I taught you all these years get eaten by dogs?"

……

(End of this chapter)