Chapter 930 The balance of grace and power
"What are you standing there for? Are you waiting for the young lady to apologize to you?"

Under Yuan Xiao's urging, Lei Zhen gritted his teeth and bowed to Xunzhen, saying vaguely: "Lei did not discipline his disciples strictly, and his disciples were ignorant and offended the young lady. It is really not a pity that they should die..."

"How dare a mere disciple of the Lei Mansion be so confident? If it's not that you are too indulgent, then someone is backing him up behind the scenes." Abaolu glared at Lei Zhen, who was unwilling to accept the punishment, and sneered, "If it's the former, the one who should be punished with a heavy stick is you, not him. If it's the latter... don't even bother with a heavy stick. I'll send you straight to heaven."

"Abaolu, you don't have to scare me with innuendos!" Lei Zhen was furious. He pushed Yuan Xiao away and said, "I know what you want to say! I swear to heaven that I am loyal to the Shao Qin King and I am willing to go through fire and water for him. If I have any evil intentions, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death. It is precisely because I am loyal to the Shao Qin King that I cannot tolerate the power of the four prefectures in Shangjing falling into the hands of others. Don't throw dirty water on me in a sarcastic way. If there is real evidence to prove that I have ulterior motives, I will chop off my head to apologize to the Shao Qin King and the eldest lady without anyone else's help. But if you can't produce evidence, don't make false accusations and take advantage of others' power!"

"Asshole! Who are you calling a dog who relies on the power of others?" Abaolu was furious and said, "Lei Zhen, I think you have become too arrogant..."

"In terms of age, I am older than you. In terms of experience, I am no less experienced than you. Don't think that you can boss people around and show off just because you are the young lady's side. Others are afraid of you, but I am not afraid of you!"

"Good good!"

Seeing Lei Zhen being so arrogant and ignoring Xun Zhen's presence, and insisting on confronting him, Abaolu laughed in anger, and with a clang he drew his sword out of its sheath, pointing the shining blade directly at the furious Lei Zhen, grinning, "Lei Zhen, your fists had better be as hard as your mouth, and don't kneel down and beg for mercy when you are about to die!"

"Fuck you! Whoever begs for mercy is a son of a bitch..."

"presumptuous!"

"Snapped!"

Just as Lei Zhen and Abaolu were on the verge of a fight, Yuan Xiao, Yan Shun and Hong Si tried to dissuade them earnestly, and the disciples were timid and at a loss, and the situation in the hall was in chaos, Xunzhen, with a gloomy face, suddenly let out a delicate cry and flicked his sleeves, throwing a teacup on the table far away, which fell to the ground with a loud bang, immediately quieting the noisy scene.

"Have you had enough of the noise?"

At this moment, Xunzhen's angry eyes, gloomy attitude, and cold tone were all very rare. Not only did they scare the people from the four prefectures in Shangjing, but even outsiders like Liu Xunyi and Pan Yuyin were shocked by her condescending aura.

"Miss, calm down..."

"Xiao Yang, Su Hu!" Xun Zhen turned a deaf ear to the advice of Yuan Xiao, Yan Shun and others, and shouted, "Abaolu is arrogant and speaks wildly. Slap him hard in the face!"

"This……"

"kindness?"

"As ordered!"

Seeing the hesitation on Xiao Yang and Su Hu's faces, Xunzhen's eyes suddenly changed, which frightened the two of them so much that they trembled and quickly bowed to accept the order.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xiao Yang and Su Hu stepped forward quickly, one on the left and one on the right, and greeted Abaolu, who was keeping his head down and keeping silent, all at once.

"Clap clap clap..."

With the sound of crisp slaps, Abaolu's cheeks gradually became red and swollen, and blood oozed from his mouth and nose.

"Miss..."

"Keep fighting!"

Seeing the blood on Abaolu's face, Xiao Yang wanted to plead for mercy, but he was choked back by Xunzhen before he could finish his words.

He was helpless, and was slapped again. Before he knew it, Abaolu's face had swelled up like a pig's head.

"Miss..."

"You don't know the rules and won't change despite repeated admonitions. I'll beat you again!"

In the depressing atmosphere of the hall, everyone held their breath and watched Abaolu being punished. The loud slaps on Abaolu's face shocked everyone.

At this moment, many people feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and panic.

From beginning to end, Abaolu stood there without saying a word, stubbornly enduring the storm from Xiao Yang and Su Hu. He neither resisted nor dodged, and he didn't even dare to show a resentful look.

Gradually, Abaolu, who was as strong as an iron tower, was beaten to the point of being confused and dizzy. He began to stagger uncontrollably. Fresh red blood gathered on his face like a river, and flowed out along his bruised and broken eyebrows, mouth, nose, lips and teeth.

Seeing this, the flustered Yuan Xiao hurriedly pushed the stunned Lei Zhen, signaling him to plead with Xunzhen.

Even though Lei Zhen was dissatisfied with Abaolu, he couldn't help but feel sympathy when he saw him being tortured, so he knelt on the ground with a plop and begged Xunzhen: "Miss, this matter cannot be blamed entirely on Abaolu. I also said something inappropriate. I hope you will consider his loyalty and... forgive him this time."

"Stop!" As expected, at Lei Zhen's plea, Xunzhen's eyes relaxed and he gently waved at Xiao Yang and Su Hu.

"Thank you, Miss..."

"You don't have to thank me so quickly!" Suddenly, Xunzhen's eyes turned, and his sharp eyes shot straight at Lei Zhen like a sharp knife and sword, "Abaolu has no rules, and you are just as presumptuous, even worse than him. Because you are not only presumptuous, but also rebellious!"

"This..." Faced with Xunzhen's sudden rebuke, Lei Zhen was stunned and ashamed, "Miss, you are right. Lei just..."

"That's enough!" Xunzhen waved his hand impatiently to interrupt, "I don't want to waste words with you now. Just answer me directly, why don't you obey orders? Do you not trust Liu Xunyi... or do you not trust me?"

After this incident, and with Xunzhen's aggressive attitude, Lei Zhen's arrogance gradually faded. He dared to challenge Abaolu, but he never dared to break up with Xunzhen.

After a moment of hesitation, Lei Zhen replied hesitantly: "How dare I not believe you, Miss? I just... think there are many things wrong with this matter..."

"I'm telling you clearly now that this is the intention of the Shao Qin King. No matter how hasty or inappropriate it may be, you can express your own opinions, but it cannot be a reason for disobeying orders."

"This……"

Looking at Xunzhen's righteous words, Lei Zhen thought again and again, and finally mustered up the courage to argue: "How could the Young King of Qin allow an outsider to take charge of the four prefectures in Shangjing? Miss, the four prefectures in Shangjing are the result of the Young King of Qin's years of hard work..."

"Since you know that the four prefectures in Shangjing are the hard work of the young prince Qin, you should understand that it is his freedom to appoint whomever to power, and it is not the turn of others to make comments." Xunzhen said lightly, "I know you are used to being 'local emperors', and it is inevitable that you feel a little unhappy when you go from being above everyone to being under one person. But you should also know that the four prefectures in Shangjing have never planned to live in peace in a corner since the day they were established. It is only a matter of time before they go south to the Central Plains."

"That being said, once we enter the pass, we will never be able to turn back. In my humble opinion, based on the current strength of the four prefectures in Shangjing, although they are unrivaled in the Northeast, compared with those sects in the Central Plains... I am afraid they are still inferior. Therefore, I am not against the alliance, nor against entering the pass, but I think the time is not right..."

"The time has not come yet?" Xunzhen sneered, "The four prefectures in Shangjing have been patient until now, and they should have made a stunning debut and done something earth-shaking for the young King Qin. The ancients said, 'The first effort will weaken the second, and the third will be exhausted.' If you have been complacent and called it 'hiding your strength and biding your time', even if you wait for another five or ten years, I am afraid it will be difficult to compete with the Central Plains sects. What's more, even if the four prefectures in Shangjing are still vigorous ten years later, I am afraid that the four of you... will be old and frail, with the will but not the strength. In this case, what is the point of you recuperating? What is the value of the four prefectures in Shangjing consuming so much effort from the young King Qin? Little do you know that when masters fight, they become stronger when they meet a stronger opponent. Since you have no rivals in the Northeast, you should go to a wider world to make greater achievements."

"But our strength is far from enough. Even if we enter the Central Plains, we will be suppressed and have nowhere to stay." Lei Zhen defended, "Miss, I am not trying to boost others' ambitions and destroy my own prestige. As far as independent masters are concerned, no one in the four prefectures of Shangjing can rank among the martial arts in the Central Plains. Even our four family heads... are not worth mentioning in front of real masters."

"That's why the young prince of Qin invited Liu Xunyi to be the deputy leader and take charge of all the affairs of the Xilu Wuzong in the Central Plains." Xunzhen said calmly, "You are not masters, but he is a real master, and a master among masters. Not only Liu Xunyi is a master, his friend Tang Afu..."

At this point, Xunzhen pointed at Tang Afu and said proudly, "He is known as the 'ruthless swordsman' in the martial arts world. He is the seventh-ranked master on the Dragon Elephant List. And the 'Mobei's fastest swordsman' Su He, who I asked you to find, has always been ranked second on the Dragon Elephant List and is also Liu Xunyi's sworn brother. In addition, the fourth-ranked Qin Ku, the head of the Hexi Qin family, the eighth-ranked Wu Chan of Shaolin Damo Academy, the tenth-ranked Li Haitang, one of the ten impermanents of Longxiang Mountain... They are all close friends with Liu Xunyi. Therefore, with Liu Xunyi as the deputy leader of the Xilu Wu Sect, there is no need to worry about not finding a master who can stand on his own."

"But Liu Xunyi is currently being hunted down by the Central Plains martial arts world..."

"Good fortune and bad fortune go hand in hand. If we help him clear his name, it will be a godsend opportunity for Xilu Wuzong to become famous!"

"But...he is an outsider after all."

"You are wrong! Liu Xunyi is highly appreciated by the Young Qin King and is now considered as his confidant." Xunzhen said confidently, "If not, why would the Young Qin King order me to rescue him from Lin'an at all costs?"

"This……"

Xunzhen answered questions fluently and spoke eloquently, which made everyone present hesitate.

Especially some ambitious young disciples, who seem to be full of expectations for the Central Plains martial arts world with numerous sects and masters, are inevitably shaken.

Although Lei Zhen was unwilling to give in, he was helpless because of his poor tongue and had no ability to resist the eloquent Xun Zhen. For a moment, he was in a state of confusion and was at a loss for words.

"I have said everything I should and shouldn't say." Xunzhen looked around at everyone, and suddenly his expression changed. He said seriously, "Now, in the name of the young king of Qin, I will give you two choices. From the four heads of the family to the ordinary disciples, I will treat you equally. First, follow the arrangement of the young king of Qin and change the name of the four prefectures of Shangjing to the 'Four Branches of the Central Plains' of the Xilu Wuzong, and entrust Liu Xunyi as the deputy master. Second, pack up your bags and take your family to find another place. I will give you a settlement fee, enough for you to buy land or do a small business. Apart from this, there is absolutely no third choice. If someone does not want to obey orders and does not want to leave, and attempts to use the banner of the four prefectures of Shangjing, occupy the territory of the four prefectures of Shangjing, and use the money and food of the four prefectures of Shangjing to set up their own business. I dare to guarantee with my life that every one of these people will definitely not survive this New Year's Eve."

"hiss!"

Xunzhen's words were both kind and serious, which made the people present tremble with fear and have a lot of thoughts.

Especially Yuan Xiao, Yan Shun, Hong Si, and Lei Zhen, they all knew Xunzhen's intentions very well.

On the surface it is "advice", but in reality it is "threat".

They looked at Xunzhen, who was speaking with great force, then at Liu Xunyi, who was frowning, and then at Abaolu, who looked pale but still had a sharp gaze. Finally, Yan Shun, Hong Si, and Lei Zhen all cast hesitant glances at Yuan Xiao, who was in a trance.

After a long silence, Yuan Xiao's eyes darkened and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he was unwilling, bitter, helpless, and self-deprecating... He was stunned and took a deep breath. Amid the unbelievable exclamations around him, he knelt on the ground tremblingly and bowed to Liu Xunyi respectfully.

"Xilu Wuzong, 'Yuanmen Helmsman' Yuan Xiao... greets the deputy patriarch!"

……

(End of this chapter)