Chapter 966: Remembering the Old Favor
"boom!"

When Xie Xuan revealed the secret buried in his heart to Murong Bai, Murong Bai was shocked beyond words and horrified beyond words. His mind went blank, his eyes were full of brilliance, his scalp was numb, his back was cold, his stomach was tight, his legs were weak... He stumbled and fell on the chair, staring blankly ahead, unable to respond for a long time.

"Now you understand why Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao suspected me? And why I kept giving short shrift to the matter of hunting down Liu Xunyi?"

Under Xie Xuan's questioning, Murong Bai, who was distracted, gradually woke up from his trance. He stared at Xie Xuan, whose face was as gloomy as water, with complicated and tangled eyes. He wanted to say something countless times, but in the end he couldn't overcome the shock in his heart, so he didn't say a word.

"In the past, I didn't tell you the truth because the time was not right and I was worried that you would do something bad. Now that great things are expected, I urgently need your help. The Xianwang Mansion has been ostracized or bribed by Ling Xiaoxiao, leaving only a few people who still remember the old favor of the Mansion Master." Xie Xuan said indignantly, "Among these people, the ones who are truly worthy of my trust and have the ability to help me... are only you and Deng Quan."

"This……"

"Murong Bai, I'm giving you a chance to choose now." Xie Xuan was serious and righteous. "No matter what choice you make today, I won't blame you. But... it's only for today. Because once you make a choice, there will be no room for regret."

"What choice?" Murong Bai, who was distracted, asked subconsciously.

"Either, you can stand by me through thick and thin, share life and death. Do everything you can to bring down Qingfeng and his daughter, and avenge the mansion master. Or, you can kill me now and hand my head to Ling Xiaoxiao in exchange for wealth and glory for the rest of your life." Xie Xuan said calmly, "If I die in your hands, I, Xie Xuan... will have no regrets."

"Since you know my personality, why do you have to use such childish provocation?" Murong Bai's eyes narrowed, and he looked into Xie Xuan's eyes, and said word by word, "I only want to ask you one question, is Liu Xunyi...really the Palace Master's own flesh and blood..."

"What? Don't you believe me? I have been following the mansion master through life and death for more than 20 years. When have I ever had any selfish thoughts? This matter is of great importance. How dare I take it lightly? Besides, what good will it do me to trick you into becoming an enemy of Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao? If I am willing to submit to them, I can sit on the throne of the mansion master of Xianwang Mansion and live a carefree life with luxurious clothes and food. Why should I risk my life and death to do such an extreme thing? I am doing this only because I am thinking of the mansion master's kindness in the past and I don't want him to rest in peace in the underworld..."

"Swear!" Murong Bai said aggressively with an expressionless face, "Swear a poisonous oath!"

"I swear to heaven, if I have said even a single lie just now, I will be extinct, struck by five thunderbolts, and die without a complete corpse, leaving a bad reputation for eternity!"

"hiss!"

Seeing Xie Xuan swearing the oath without hesitation, Murong Bai's heart seemed to be grasped by someone. His eyes suddenly changed and he took a breath of cold air.

"How...how...how is it possible..."

"boom!"

After muttering for a long time, Murong Bai realized what was happening and became furious. He smashed the teacup on the table to pieces with one palm.

"It's true that 'you can only know a person's face but not his heart'. Madam... Ling Xiaoxiao looks virtuous, but unexpectedly she is as cruel as a snake. She... she dared to murder her own husband. She is totally inhumane and worse than pigs and dogs. I... I, Murong Bai, swear to heaven that if I don't help the Lord of the Mansion to end this hatred, I will not be a human being!"

After saying this, Murong Bai, filled with murderous intent, suddenly stood up and walked towards the door with big strides.

"where are you going?"

"Kill a life and pay a life, debts owed and pay the money! I want to avenge the mansion master and redeem the shame for the 'young master'..."

"stop!"

Seeing Murong Bai acting on impulse, Xie Xuan quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm, scolding: "Regardless of whether you can kill Ling Xiaoxiao or not, even if you succeed... you can't redress Liu Xunyi's name, but instead bear the crime of murdering her master for nothing. After all, Ling Xiaoxiao is the widow of the mansion lord and the daughter of the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world. If you dare to touch her now, you will be an enemy of the Central Plains martial arts world and will inevitably bring disaster upon yourself."

"I am not afraid of death, and I don't care about those false reputations..."

"Don't be angry!" Xie Xuan's face darkened, and he said angrily, "From what you said, I am afraid of death? Do I care about reputation? Don't forget that Ling Xiaoxiao is not only the widow of the lord of the house, but also the mother of Hongxuan and Ningyu, and the mistress respected by all the disciples of Xianwang Mansion. You only want to have a good time. If you cause a big mess and make the Xianwang Mansion uneasy, how can you face the lord of the house in the underworld? How can you face Hongxuan and Ningyu? How can you face the disciples of Xianwang Mansion? How can you face the people of the world?"

"This……"

Xie Xuan's words were full of emotion, which gradually calmed down Murong Bai, who was confused. "What you said makes sense. I... can not kill Ling Xiaoxiao for the time being. But Liu Xunyi is in danger right now. We can't just watch him get into trouble..."

"Sit down first!"

Xie Xuan dragged the worried Murong Bai back to the table and patiently explained: "Leave Liu Xunyi to me, I promise nothing will happen to him. First of all, I have two more important things I want to entrust to you."

"what's up?"

"First, go to the Sanyi Gang in person and tell the three sworn brothers the truth about the palace master's murder, and ask them to lead their men here immediately. When all the heroes in the world gather at the Xianwang Mansion, I hope they will step forward and uphold justice in the name of 'Xianzhi Brother'."

"This is not difficult!" Murong Bai agreed without hesitation, "What is the second thing?"

"Secondly, find a chance to tell Deng Quan about our conversation today. He is as grateful to the Lord as we are, and I believe he will not confuse right and wrong." Xie Xuan pondered, "I remember that the Lord ordered you two to secretly train the 'Imperial Guards'. You were planning to cooperate with the Young King of Qin when you started the rebellion, but unexpectedly... I want to ask, where are the 'Imperial Guards' you trained at that time now?"

"This..." Murong Bai was stunned and said hesitantly, "After the palace master got into trouble, the 'Imperial Guards' were leaderless and scattered like birds and beasts." "Then... do you have any way to gather them again?" Xie Xuan asked unwillingly, "If you can, how many people can you call back?"

"At that time, many people did not want to leave, and many people promised to 'return if called'." Murong Bai frowned and recalled carefully, "But you also know the actual situation. On the night when the palace master was in trouble... the 800 most elite soldiers of the 'Imperial Guard' were not spared, and all died in the battle. As for the others... I estimate that it will be extremely difficult to recall 30% of them."

"Thirty percent?" Xie Xuan pondered, "So about a thousand people?"

"almost."

"Whatever!" Xie Xuan made up his mind and made a prompt decision, "30% is 30%; it's better than being isolated and helpless."

"what do you mean……"

"Let Deng Quan do everything he can to recall the 'Imperial Guards' and secretly settle them in the suburbs of the city."

"Recruiting people is easy, but maintaining them... requires a lot of money and food. Right now, the account books and gold books of the Xianwang Mansion are all in the hands of my husband... in Ling Xiaoxiao's hands, and we can't take out a penny."

"Lei Zhen brought countless gold and silver treasures from outside the pass. You can ask him for help."

Murong Bai asked doubtfully, "Is this Mr. Lei...reliable?"

"He is Xunzhen's man. Liu Xunyi has escaped death many times thanks to Xunzhen." Xie Xuan replied, "I am not sure whether he is reliable, but at least... he will not harm Liu Xunyi now, so he is in the same camp as us."

"I understand!" Murong Bai rubbed the broken pieces of the teacup repeatedly with his hands, unable to suppress his emotion. "Until now, I still can't believe that the one who is so cruel is the person closest to me, and the one who came to my rescue is a stranger..."

"Not only you can't believe it, even the master of the mansion has suffered greatly..." Recalling the past, Xie Xuan couldn't help but feel sad.

"When are you going to Luzhou?" Murong Bai put aside all distracting thoughts and changed the subject.

"Three days later, Yan Bugui and I will lead people to Luzhou. As long as I leave the Xianwang Mansion, Ling Xiaoxiao will definitely relax her guard against you. Then, you and Deng Quan will act according to the situation."

"You don't have to worry about us, you should worry about yourself instead." Murong Bai said worriedly, "Yan Bugui is Ling Xiaoxiao's spy planted next to you. After arriving in Luzhou, she will definitely try her best to find out the truth. As for the Gan family..."

"Don't worry! I sent someone to deliver the news last night. Master Gan and I are as close as brothers, and I believe that everything will be properly arranged." Xie Xuan comforted him, "In troubled times, tigers and wolves are rampant. However, in the world of intrigue and greed... there are still some 'old antiques' who always stick to morality."

"So good."

"It's rare that Ling Xiaoxiao is so fond of Huan'er, you should make good use of it." Xie Xuan smiled slyly and teased, "For so many years, she has been infatuated with you, which is extremely rare. It's a pity that flowers have feelings, but water flows mercilessly. How could the famous 'Snow-clad Silver Dragon' be interested in a servant girl who serves tea and pours water?"

However, facing Xie Xuan's teasing, Murong Bai turned a deaf ear to it. He slowly stood up, gave Xie Xuan a meaningful look, and turned to walk towards the door.

"Be careful when you go to Luzhou."

"You too, I know you are confused right now, but remember not to show any clues in front of outsiders."

"I heard that the young lady has been ill for a long time. I... want to go see her. After all, she is the most innocent..."

"The most innocent, and the most helpless." When Xie Xuan mentioned Luo Ningyu, his expression darkened and he said bitterly, "Although I feel very sorry for Ningyu, but... I still want to advise you that it is best not to see her if you can."

"Why?" Murong Bai stopped in front of the door and asked without turning his head, "Are you afraid that I will feel sympathy for Ling Xiaoxiao because of her?"

"No! I'm worried that she might see through your flaws and affect her judgment."

"What do you mean?" Murong Bai was confused and didn't know what it meant.

"Ningyu is a thoughtful person. She can read people's minds by their expressions. Even I... can't hide it from her." Xie Xuan said helplessly, "She has been ill for a long time because her heart knot has not been resolved. The root cause is that she doesn't know who she should help. She has been hesitant and wavering. In fact, this result is what we want. After all, we can't force a girl with a kind nature to murder her own mother and grandfather. Therefore, it is best for us that she remains neutral for the time being because of her depression. If you go there rashly, I'm worried that it will break her inner balance. What if her mind is shaken... won't we fail?"

"Xie Xuan, Ningyu was kind enough to save you, but you schemed against her everywhere. You are really... cruel and heartless."

"I admit that I am cruel and ruthless, but in order to avenge the 'first master', to help the 'young master' clear his name, to let him smoothly inherit the mantle of the palace master, and to let the incense of the Luo family continue. I, Xie Xuan... even if I am torn to pieces and left with a bad reputation for thousands of years, I will not hesitate."

……

(End of this chapter)