Chapter 961: Secret Meeting with Yan Liu (Part )

"What did you say?"

As soon as Lei Zhen said this, Xie Xuan's eyes suddenly changed. With a crisp "crack", the teacup in his hand was crushed by him.

Xie Xuan ignored the sharp porcelain pieces mixed with hot tea flowing between his fingers. But seeing his eyes trembling, his expression seemed to be happy and worried, he grabbed Lei Zhen's collar without warning and asked impatiently, "Are you serious?"

"How dare Lei deceive Palace Master Xie?"

Lei Zhen seemed to be frightened by Xie Xuan's reaction. He stared blankly at Xie Xuan, whose eyes were as sharp as torches and whose breath was as heavy as an ox.

"When will they come back? Where will they stay?"

Facing Xie Xuan who was extremely anxious and talking like a string of cannonballs, Lei Zhen calmly took out a note from his arms and slowly unfolded it in front of Xie Xuan.

"March 15th...Luzhou Inn?" Looking at the beautiful handwriting on the note, Xie Xuan couldn't help but look suspicious, "What does this mean?"

"Time and place." Lei Zhen answered as he took the note to the candle and burned it to ashes.

"Time and place?" Xie Xuan frowned, not quite understanding, "You mean... Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen will be on the third..." At this point, Xie Xuan's mind moved, and his voice stopped abruptly, and then he hurriedly changed his words, "Will they appear at that place on that day?"

"That's right!" Lei Zhen nodded seriously, "This is what the eldest lady and the deputy sect leader wanted."

"Could it be... that I should go to Luzhou to meet them?"

"It's not about 'seeing' them, it's about 'catching' them."

"Catch them?" Xie Xuan was shocked and even more confused. "What do you mean?"

"The eldest lady and the deputy clan leader know that Lord Xie has always been suspected by Ling Xiaoxiao. Not only is he stretched to the limit and has a hard time in the Xianwang Mansion, but he is also worried about his safety and life. Therefore, they decided to help you 'clear the suspicion'. You can try to reveal their whereabouts to Ling Xiaoxiao, and ask her to personally lead people to Luzhou Inn to capture the deputy clan leader. In this way, Ling Xiaoxiao will surely dispel her doubts about you."

"Let me pretend to catch ..."

"I'm not pretending. I really want you to take the deputy leader back to the Xianwang Mansion."

"Absolutely not!" Lei Zhen's explanation made Xie Xuan's heart sink, and he resolutely refused, "It's too dangerous! Xie would rather be suspected by Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao than risk Liu Xunyi's life. Do you know what will happen to Liu Xunyi if he falls into Ling Xiaoxiao's hands?"

"The eldest lady has already considered this. It is indeed risky to ask you to take the deputy sect leader back to the Xianwang Mansion, but... compared to the danger of failure, our chances of turning defeat into victory are greater. Therefore, after repeated consideration by the eldest lady and the deputy sect leader, they unanimously agreed that this method is feasible..."

"Nonsense!" Xie Xuan said angrily, "If Ling Xiaoxiao sees Liu Xunyi, she will definitely kill him at all costs. How can there be any chance of turning defeat into victory?"

"Ling Xiaoxiao may be crazy, but Qingfeng is still rational." Facing Xie Xuan's strong resistance, Lei Zhen patiently explained slowly, "As the leader of the Central Plains Wulin, Qingfeng's first thing after taking office was to hunt down the deputy leader and avenge the previous leader Luo Tianjin. However, more than a year has passed, and not only has he not 'done what he said', but he has been repeatedly frustrated in hunting down the deputy leader, causing his prestige to plummet and his reputation to be ruined. The heroes of the martial arts world all complained about him. This matter is not only about the honor and disgrace of Qingfeng, but also about the face of the entire Wudang. Therefore, Qingfeng today 'desires' the deputy leader more than anyone else in the world. However, what he desires is not to kill the deputy leader, but to use the opportunity of killing the deputy leader to restore his reputation, prove his strength to the heroes of the world, and thus sit firmly on the throne of the leader of the Wulin."

"This……"

"Qingfeng will never allow the deputy sect master to die too easily, because he will do his best to squeeze out the last bit of usefulness from the deputy sect master!"

"You mean..." Xie Xuan gradually regained his sanity and was no longer as stubborn as before, "Ling Xiaoxiao won't kill Liu Xunyi immediately?"

"For her father, I definitely won't!" Since Xunzhen had already given the order, Lei Zhen acted confidently and said, "The eldest lady asserted that once you imprison the deputy sect leader, Qingfeng will definitely send out invitations to heroes all over the world to gather together to witness him avenge Luo Tianjin and redeem himself. After all, this kind of opportunity to show off and brag is not available every day. Qingfeng, which is on the decline, has finally seized a chance to 'turn over', how can it give up so easily?"

"It seems... there is some truth to it." Xie Xuan pondered, "You just mentioned the chance to 'turn defeat into victory'. Do you want to wait until Qingfeng gathers all the heroes in the world so that we can expose the ugly faces of the father and daughter in one fell swoop?" "That's right!" Lei Zhen grinned, "Not only does Qingfeng need witnesses, we also need witnesses. It would be best if we could settle all the new and old grudges in broad daylight and in front of everyone. This will prevent rumors from spreading in the martial arts world and causing suspicion."

"That being said, but...how do you know that Qingfeng will definitely send out invitations to heroes?"

"Master Xie, don't forget that Yuan Xiao is right beside Qingfeng right now." Lei Zhen said proudly, "The 'bamboo basket to draw water' in Changbai Mountain is regarded as a great shame by Qingfeng. Yuan Xiao told us... When Taoist priests Gu Ri and Gu Yue came out of the tiger's den and dragon's pool empty-handed, facing the people who kept questioning them, they couldn't bear the humiliation, so they made a promise in public, 'After catching Liu Xunyi, we must cut him into pieces in front of the heroes of the world, and grind his bones to scatter ashes. Let everyone witness together that Liu Xunyi deserves the punishment for his crime, to comfort the painstaking efforts of all sects and to relieve the hatred of the heroes of the world.' Therefore, once the deputy sect leader is caught, Qingfeng will not allow Ling Xiaoxiao to deal with him privately, both emotionally and rationally, and for public and private reasons, but will announce it to the world as soon as possible to show gratitude."

"If that's the case, it wouldn't be a bad thing." Xie Xuan weighed the pros and cons in his mind and nodded slowly, "It's just that... Ling Xiaoxiao is completely heartless and inhumane, and her thoughts and actions are often unexpected. If she goes crazy, even if she doesn't kill Liu Xunyi, she will torture him half to death."

"The deputy sect leader will suffer more or less if he falls into Ling Xiaoxiao's hands." Lei Zhen could not deny it and smiled awkwardly, "The deputy sect leader has been mentally prepared for this."

"No! No!" Xie Xuan hesitated again and again, still unable to convince himself, "I still think this is too risky. It's better to be safe than sorry..."

"What if Qingfeng and his daughter really want to throw away their reputation and kill the deputy sect leader in private..." At this point, Lei Zhen's eyes suddenly condensed, and he said word by word, "Even if that happens, Miss still has a plan to deal with it."

"What's the solution?" Xie Xuan's eyes lit up and he urged, "Tell me everything you know."

"Don't wait for the heroes of the world to witness it together. Fight Qingfeng and his daughter to the death first." Lei Zhen said sinisterly, "In this way, the deputy sect master who is imprisoned has at least three life-saving talismans. The first is himself. The deputy sect master has integrated Huang Yangming's decades of skills. His martial arts are unfathomable and far beyond the reach of ordinary masters. Even if Qingfeng takes action personally, he can't take his life easily. The second is Palace Master Xie. Once the truth is revealed, Palace Master Xie will no longer have to cover up. He can take action and advance and retreat together with the deputy sect master. With your abilities, it shouldn't be difficult to fight your way out of the Xianwang Mansion."

"What about the third one?"

"The third one is Su He, 'Mobei's Fastest Blade.'" Lei Zhen smiled in a secretive manner, "He is the sworn brother of the deputy sect leader and is traveling south with them this time. Lord Xie, do you think... he will watch his good brother get into trouble?"

"So that's how it is!" Xie Xuan suddenly realized, and he admired Xunzhen even more in his heart, "Xunzhen is indeed the capable general of the Young King of Qin. He is really smart and has planned everything perfectly."

"What the eldest lady meant is that when all the heroes in the world gather in Luoyang, Lord Xie will raise his arm and we will respond in unison to overthrow the Qingfeng father and daughter's dominance in the Central Plains martial arts world."

"So good!"

Thinking that he was about to avenge Luo Tianjin, Xie Xuan's heart surged and his blood boiled: "In the past year, Xie has been looking forward to this day. Qingfeng and his daughter are shameless and heartless. They plotted to murder the master of the mansion, turned black into white, and usurped the throne. This is intolerable. Their treacherous and evil deeds are too numerous to list. Only by sending them to the eighteenth level of hell can we comfort the soul of the master of the mansion in heaven."

"The eldest lady and the deputy sect leader hope that Palace Master Xie will cooperate with them and make arrangements early."

"Please tell Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen, Master Lei, that I know what they are thinking and what to do next. Remember to remind them that the Central Plains is not like the outside of the Great Wall. Tell them to be extremely cautious."

"There is one more thing... Miss asked me to ask Lord Xie." Lei Zhen's eyes moved, and he hesitated, "In Luoyang City, besides Lei and his disciples, does Lord Xie have anyone else he can trust? After all, Lei is new here, and I am unfamiliar with the place and people. There are many spies planted by Ling Xiaoxiao around me. Every time I meet Lord Xie, I have to go through 'thousands of difficulties and dangers', which is really... a lot of inconvenience. Moreover, on the day when we have a falling out with Qingfeng and his daughter, we can't just rely on outsiders like us to expose their ugly faces. It would be best if some 'family members' of the Xianwang Mansion stand up and cheer for Lord Xie. In this way, we will have a greater chance of turning defeat into victory, and it will be easier to convince the world."

"At the Xianwang Mansion, ordinary disciples have little influence and their power is very weak. Among the influential people... besides me, there are Murong Bai, Deng Quan, Lin Fangda, Xu Heng, Ling Qing, Liao Chuan, and Liao Hai. They are grateful to the Mansion Master. I am not sure about the others, so I dare not easily entrust them with my confidants. However, not only do I know these people, Ling Xiaoxiao also knows them clearly. Therefore, they have also been secretly monitored, and their current situation... is similar to that of me."

"This……"

"However, outside Luoyang City, there are three very important 'family members'. Although their martial arts skills are mediocre and their power is average, they value friendship and loyalty and are completely loyal to the Palace Master. If Xie can persuade them to stand up, it will definitely be very beneficial to us."

"Thank you, Lord, what you said is..."

"The three sworn brothers that the mansion master made when he was young. They were the three heads of the White Horse Hall, Qingfeng Village, and Happy Forest in the past, and are the three leaders of the Three Righteous Gang today... Xue Huzi, Ma Rufeng, and Yin Sandao."

……

(End of this chapter)