Chapter 964: Doubtful
"Xiaoxiao, do you think Xie Xuan's news is true or false?"

Xie Xuan took the order and left, leaving only Yan Bugui and Ling Xiaoxiao in the room. At this moment, Yan Bugui could no longer suppress his excitement, and no longer cared about the etiquette between master and servant. He suddenly took a step forward and called her by her name in a very intimate manner.

"I... don't know." Ling Xiaoxiao frowned slightly and shook her head slowly. "Xie Xuan's words and actions today were beyond my expectations. Especially the fact that he agreed to personally deal with Liu Xunyi really surprised me, but at the same time... I was both happy and worried."

"Mixed feelings?"

"That's right!" Ling Xiaoxiao nodded gently. "Because I'm half-believing and half-doubting, I'm happy and half-worried. I'm happy that he finally recognizes his position and knows what to do and what not to do. I'm worried that I can't see through what he's up to. What if he has evil intentions... I'm worried that I won't be able to defend myself."

"No wonder you asked me to go to Luzhou with him. It turns out that helping him was fake, and monitoring him was the real thing."

"Not necessarily! If Xie Xuan has an open mind and what he just said is from the bottom of his heart, you must do your best to help him. After all, compared to Xie Xuan, finding Liu Xunyi is our top priority."

"clear."

"Murong Bai and Deng Quan are loyal fans of Brother Jin, and they are as close as brothers to Xie Xuan. If Xie Xuan has any ill intentions, I am worried that they will not stand firm and will be bewitched by Xie Xuan and turn against us." Ling Xiaoxiao added, "But you are different. Not only are you the person I trust the most, but I have also dealt with Xie Xuan for many years and know his style very well. Therefore, only if you personally come out to distinguish the truth from the false, can I have clear ears and eyes and rest assured."

"Xiaoxiao, don't worry!" Yan Bugui was moved and spoke more firmly, "I will keep a close eye on Xie Xuan. As long as he dares to cheat, I will never tolerate his evil deeds."

"Even if Xie Xuan has evil intentions, you should not confront him head-on. Being away from home is different from being at home. Xie Xuan is cunning and treacherous, and the Gan family in Luzhou is his old friend. It would be easy for them to collude to deal with you. You are unfamiliar with Luzhou, and it is very easy to suffer if you act rashly." Ling Xiaoxiao gently held Yan Bugui's hand, and carefully warned him with concern, "Bugui, you are my last support in the Xianwang Mansion, I... don't want you to make any mistakes."

"No!" Looking at the sincere and affectionate Ling Xiaoxiao, Yan Bugui suddenly felt a warm current flowing through her heart. Unable to control her emotions, she tightly grasped Ling Xiaoxiao's hand and vowed, "I will never betray you, never leave you, and never let you down!
As if she had sensed Yan Bugui's deep affection for her, Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes changed quietly, and she subconsciously withdrew her hand. Before Yan Bugui could show any disappointment, she had already calmly changed the subject: "Just now, when I said I would send you with me, Xie Xuan was neither displeased nor refused. On the contrary, he agreed without hesitation. This shows that... he is not worried about you seeing through his 'lie' at all. In other words, he is quite confident about the news from the Gan family in Luzhou."

"what do you mean……"

"Xie Xuan is mature and prudent. He has never said an empty word in all these years. He is at least 70% sure of anything he confirms." Ling Xiaoxiao interrupted Yan Bugui's speculation and said straight to the point, "Although I have many concerns about Xie Xuan's intentions, I believe in his news... for no reason."

"So, do you believe Xie Xuan?"

"I believe his information, but I don't believe his intentions." Ling Xiaoxiao corrected thoughtfully, "I even suspect... Is Xie Xuan putting on a good show for us? To dispel the rumors in the martial arts world, so that no one will stab him in the back with the name of being incompetent and doing nothing."

"It's possible." Yan Bugui thought, "If so, Xie Xuan must be in cahoots with Liu Xunyi..."

Before he finished speaking, Yan Bugui suddenly had an idea and sneered, "In fact, the way to verify whether Xie Xuan is acting is very simple. We just need to see if he is willing to go all out to hunt down Liu Xunyi..."

"No!" Ling Xiaoxiao waved her hand in a mysterious manner, "I have a simpler method. We just need to see if he can kill Liu Xunyi and bring his body back to the Xianwang Mansion."

"A corpse?" Yan Bugui was horrified. "The leader of the Qingfeng Alliance had warned us many times..."

"Of course I know what Dad is thinking. He just wants to execute Liu Xunyi in public and establish his authority in the Central Plains martial arts world." Ling Xiaoxiao replied with a smile, "It's enough for you and I to know these things. You don't need to tell Xie Xuan."

"This……"

"If I tell him to 'catch him alive', he will find an excuse to 'take advantage of the situation'. Then, if he lets Liu Xunyi go, he can completely put the blame on me. It was me who gave the order to 'catch him alive', which caused him to be hesitant and unable to move freely in front of Liu Xunyi, so he escaped." Facing Yan Bugui who seemed to understand, Ling Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled slyly at herself in the bronze mirror, "Therefore, my order to Xie Xuan is 'I want to see him alive, or his body dead'. This way, he has no reason to be timid, and can only let go and fight with all his strength."

"Xiaoxiao, your method is indeed brilliant, but what if... what if..." Yan Bugui hesitated, seeming to be afraid.

"What if?" Ling Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows and said nonchalantly, "It's just you and me here, you can speak frankly."

"What if Xie Xuan is not a traitor... What if he didn't conspire with Liu Xunyi to put on this show..." Yan Bugui gritted his teeth and expressed his concerns, "What if he starts killing people recklessly..."

"If Xie Xuan is loyal to me, you can stop him when he is about to kill Liu Xunyi, and tell him what your father means, and let him take Liu Xunyi back to the Xianwang Mansion alive. But if he is not sincere, you don't need to say anything, just wait and see how he ends up." Hearing this, Yan Bugui, who gradually understood Ling Xiaoxiao's intention, couldn't help but show admiration on his face, and his mind straightened up, and he hurriedly asked: "But how can I judge whether Xie Xuan is 'loyal' or 'speaking one thing and thinking another'?"

"You are in control of the scale."

These eight simple words were full of Ling Xiaoxiao's high hopes and trust in Yan Bugui, which made Yan Bugui flattered and moved to tears of gratitude.

"Xiaoxiao, your trick of throwing a stone to test the waters is indeed ingenious, but... there is still a hidden danger."

"What's the hidden danger?"

"If Xie Xuan and Liu Xunyi are secretly colluding, do we really have to watch them act out? And finally... watch Liu Xunyi escape from under our noses?" Yan Bugui said angrily, "If Xie Xuan is not a traitor, then I am judging him by my own standards. But if Xie Xuan is a traitor, even if it is a carefully planned farce, it is a good opportunity for us to follow the clues. Once we miss this godsend opportunity, it will be even more difficult for us to find Liu Xunyi's whereabouts."

"That makes sense!" Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly, "I didn't think this through. Fortunately, you reminded me in time... If Xie Xuan is really a traitor, you and a few of your cronies are no match for them. If we don't break up, Liu Xunyi will leave safely. If we break up, not only will you fail to capture him, but you will also lose your lives in vain."

"That's right! Once the relationship breaks out, not only will Liu Xunyi be protected by experts from the Western Regions, but Xie Xuan might also turn against him..."

"All right!"

Ling Xiaoxiao, who was upset, waved her hands impatiently and said worriedly, "I already know the pros and cons of this matter. Now I don't want to hear any extra explanations. I just want to hear the countermeasures? Otherwise... can you bring more people?"

"This method is inappropriate! Xie Xuan has said before that a master is more important than quantity. I will lead a large number of troops to Luzhou. If Xie Xuan is not a traitor, it will surely chill his heart and create a gap between him and us. If Xie Xuan is a traitor, it will arouse his vigilance. Once we alert him... Liu Xunyi may not even show up." Yan Bugui said bitterly, "In this way, we won't even have the chance to test Xie Xuan."

"In your opinion, what should we do about this?"

"I suggest that you send your trusted confidant to Wudang immediately to inform the leader of Qingfeng of the whole story and ask him to send a Wudang expert to help secretly."

"But what if the news is wrong..."

“Don’t worry! We will only tell Leader Qingfeng about this matter. He doesn’t need to use his power as the leader of the Wulin to command the heroes, and he doesn’t need to make this matter public.” Yan Bugui explained confidently, “This way, even if the news is wrong, only the Xianwang Mansion and the Wudang Sect will know about it. After all, we are ‘family’.”

"That being said, the round trip will take at least ten days or half a month..."

"As long as Liu Xunyi shows up, no matter if Xie Xuan goes all out or not, I will hold on to him tightly. Even if I can't take him down, at least... I can delay time and wait for reinforcements."

"This……"

Seeing Ling Xiaoxiao frowning and hesitant, Yan Bugui felt nervous and worried, so he held Ling Xiaoxiao's cold jade-like hands again and comforted her softly, "Xiaoxiao, this method is just our double guarantee, not the only way, you don't have to worry too much. Right now, no one can tell whether Xie Xuan is loyal or treacherous. In other words... there is at least a 50% chance that he is a 'loyal minister'. Looking at his performance over the past year and his awe-inspiring attitude today, I guess... his loyalty must be greater than his treachery, and I believe you think so too. Therefore, as long as he has no distractions and spares no effort, we don't have to wait for the Wudang masters at all. Xie Xuan's ability is enough to solve all the problems."

"I hope so."

"We told Leader Qingfeng about this as soon as possible. Besides ensuring that nothing goes wrong, there is another benefit."

Seeing Yan Bugui winking and pretending to be mysterious in order to cheer her up, the uneasy Ling Xiaoxiao forced a smile and asked, "What else is there to gain?"

"Let the leader of Qingfeng make arrangements early and invite heroes from all over the world to witness him avenge the Northern Sage King, eradicate the evil for the Central Plains martial arts world, and punish the treacherous for the Song Dynasty court. From now on, the name of Qingfeng will surely shock the world, serve the people throughout the country, and be praised for its achievements throughout the ages!"

……

(End of this chapter)