Chapter 970 Riding a Tiger and Being Difficult to Dismount
Looking at Gan Yonglin, who was worried and nervous, Xie Xuan's face gradually became serious. After a long silence, he uttered two words faintly: "No!"

Gan Yonglin raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was doubtful: "Really not?"

"Absolutely not!"

"call!"

Hearing Xie Xuan's promise, Gan Yonglin, who had been anxious, breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, "That's great! That's great!"

"Brother Yonglin is kind enough to help me solve my problems. How can I let the Gan family fall into ruin?" Xie Xuan said, "After this incident, the Gan family will not only be safe from disaster, but will also receive a reward."

"I help Brother Xie out of friendship, not for reward." Gan Yonglin righteously rejected Xie Xuan's kindness, and then changed the subject and said hesitantly, "It's just that Fourth Master Yan has been urging me three times a day, but I really don't know the whereabouts of Liu Xunyi. This matter...what should I do?"

"I've just said that even if Brother Yonglin doesn't come to find me, I will still come to find you." Xie Xuan answered the question irrelevantly, with a mysterious and sly smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Looking for me?" Gan Yonglin was stunned. After a moment's thought, his expression changed immediately. "Could it be that Liu Xunyi..."

"That's right! I have already found out the whereabouts of Liu Xunyi. Brother Yonglin, please try to delay for two more days. Wait until the afternoon of March 15th, and then tell Yan Bugui the news." Xie Xuan pondered, "By then, Yan Bugui will not blame you for your poor performance, but will instead record your merit in front of the leader of Qingfeng."

"This..." Xie Xuan's mysterious words made Gan Yonglin full of doubts and he felt more and more uneasy.

"On March 15, Liu Xunyi will appear at Luzhou Inn." Xie Xuan said, his tiger eyes fixed on Gan Yonglin who was hesitant to speak, and at the same time lowered his voice very low, "This matter is known to heaven and earth, you and me. Before March 15, I don't want anyone else to know."

"Gulu!"

Gan Yonglin was frightened by Xie Xuan's sharp eyes. He swallowed subconsciously and said hesitantly, "Is this... true?"

"of course."

"But...how did Brother Xie know such confidential information?" Gan Yonglin asked suspiciously, "As you know, there are spies from the Gan family everywhere in and outside Luzhou. All the strange things that happened in Luzhou could not escape my eyes and ears..."

"Brother Yonglin, please don't misunderstand! It's not that the Gan family disciples neglected their duties, but Liu Xunyi has not yet arrived in Luzhou."

"This..." Gan Yonglin suddenly grasped Xie Xuan's arm and asked cautiously, "Since Liu Xunyi has not yet set foot in Luzhou, how can Brother Xie predict the future? Even if you have spies secretly monitoring Liu Xunyi's every move, how can you be sure that he will stay at the Luzhou Inn on March 15th?"

However, facing Gan Yonglin's curiosity, Xie Xuan remained motionless and said nothing.

At this moment, Gan Yonglin's brows were already wrinkled into the shape of a "川" character, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Without thinking, he blurted out impatiently: "Deceiving the superiors and hiding the truth from the subordinates... Brother Xie, could it be that Liu Xunyi's whereabouts...he told you himself?"

Hearing this, Xie Xuan's eyes suddenly changed, and two cold lights like knives and swords burst out. Although it was fleeting, it made Gan Yonglin's heart skip a beat, and a terrifying thought came to his mind uncontrollably, making him shudder and cover his face in dismay.

"Could it be... Could it be that you and Liu Xunyi..."

"Brother Yonglin!" Before Gan Yonglin finished speaking, Xie Xuan, with a gloomy face, spoke first. His voice was as gloomy, low, and cold as his eyes, without a trace of emotion. "I have just said that the more you know about some things, the more dangerous it is. You... shouldn't ask so much."

"hiss!"

Just these words made Gan Yonglin feel like he was hit by a stick on his head, and his body trembled slightly involuntarily. His right hand, which was holding Xie Xuan's arm, suddenly felt a lot of thorns, forcing him to slowly move away.

"Thank you... Thank you, brother. What you said makes sense." Unconsciously, beads of sweat had rolled down Gan Yonglin's cheeks. "I... really shouldn't have asked..."

To ease the embarrassment, Gan Yonglin hurriedly poured himself tea and water, and tremblingly brought the full cup of tea to his mouth.

Because the cup was too full, his hands were shaking, and he was too nervous, by the time Gan Yonglin brought the cup to his lips, the tea had already swayed and spilled, leaving only half of the cup. Even so, he fumbled and tried for a long time before he finally bit the "beating" wall of the cup with his teeth.

Looking at Gan Yonglin, who was confused and uneasy, Xie Xuan frowned slightly and asked meaningfully, "Brother Yonglin, why are you so... uneasy?"

"Old old man... old old man..."

Gan Yonglin seemed to be in a trance and hesitated for a long time, but he still couldn't say anything. It seemed that he was upset and didn't know how to start.

"Xie and Brother Yonglin have been together through thick and thin. You can tell me what you are worried about. You don't have to be reserved in front of me." "This..." Facing Xie Xuan's encouragement, Gan Yonglin smiled bitterly, raised his head and drank half a cup of tea. There was a hint of tea replacing wine to strengthen his heart and broaden his courage. "As the saying goes, 'the older you are in the world, the less courageous you are'. To be honest, I am a little scared today."

"Afraid?" Xie Xuan was secretly surprised, but he remained calm on the surface, "Brother Yonglin, what are you afraid of?"

"It's not that I don't trust Brother Xie, it's just that... the more I think about this matter, the more strange it seems, and the more I think about it, the more chilled I feel." Gan Yonglin forced a smile and reminded Xie Xuan in a self-deprecating tone, "Forgive my meanness, if what I said is wrong, Brother Xie, feel free to refute it. I would rather lie than let Brother Xie... get stuck in this mess."

"Brother Yonglin, please give me some advice. I am all ears." Gan Yonglin's words were full of hidden meaning, but Xie Xuan turned a deaf ear to them.

"I wouldn't dare to do that!" Gan Yonglin thought quickly in his mind, and after thinking twice, he slowly spoke, "In my humble opinion, Brother Xie is now the lord of Xianwang Mansion, and you should be of one mind and one heart with Alliance Leader Qingfeng, Madam Luo, and all the brothers in Xianwang Mansion, and share the same hatred for the enemy. You shouldn't be ambiguous with the traitor who killed Alliance Leader Luo."

When Gan Yonglin said the last sentence, he seemed to be afraid, so he didn't dare to look directly into Xie Xuan's eyes. He picked up the empty teacup and pretended to drink water, while sneaking a trembling glance at Xie Xuan. He was nervous and expectant, hoping that Xie Xuan would be honest with him, but also afraid that he would be honest with him. He had mixed feelings and indescribable complex feelings.

"Close yet distant, ambiguous..." Xie Xuan repeated in a low voice, and suddenly smiled, asking with interest, "Brother Yonglin, why do you say that? And...what is there to be afraid of?"

"The first family in Luzhou, although it sounds like it, I know in my heart that compared to the huge martial arts world, Luzhou is just a small place. As the saying goes, 'When there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey will be king.' It is precisely because Luzhou has no sects that the Gan family has the opportunity to settle down here. In fact, compared with the major martial arts sects, the Gan family is like a cup of water compared to the ocean, a firefly compared to the sun and the moon, and is not worth a sneer at all." Gan Yonglin said ashamedly, "In this turbulent martial arts world, the Gan family is like a small boat. It is already shaky and in danger even if there is no disaster. If it encounters a big storm... it will surely be reduced to ashes and disappear without a trace. Liu Xunyi's matter is not only related to the grievances of the Xianwang Mansion, but also to the face of the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world and the heroes of the world. Therefore... I am extremely terrified and afraid, worried that I will accidentally cause the Gan family... to die without a burial place."

"Brother Yonglin, what you said... do you regret helping me?" Xie Xuan's tone was thought-provoking.

"Brother Xie and I are close friends. For you... I would rather risk my own life, through mountains of swords and seas of fire, and die without hesitation." Gan Yonglin looked flustered, and quickly stood up and bowed to Xie Xuan, remembering his resolve, "What I care about is not my own life or death, but... the fate of the more than one hundred people in the Gan family..."

"Brother Yonglin, you don't have to do this. I, Xie, can't bear it." Xie Xuan hurriedly lifted up Gan Yonglin who was bowing, thought for a moment, and comforted him with a smile, "Misunderstanding! It's really a misunderstanding! Brother Yonglin, I can tell you clearly that I know Liu Xunyi's whereabouts. I am not secretly colluding with him, nor am I going against the leader of Qingfeng, his wife, Yan Bugui and others as you think. I led people here with only one purpose, which is to hunt down Liu Xunyi. This is absolutely true, and there is no falsehood!"

"This……"

"As for how I know Liu Xunyi's whereabouts, it is a secret of the Xianwang Mansion. I dare to ask Brother Yonglin not to embarrass me." Before Gan Yonglin, who was half-believing and half-doubting, could speak, Xie Xuan thought and said, "As for why I didn't tell Yan Bugui the truth... To be honest, it was because I was worried that someone in the Xianwang Mansion would tip off Liu Xunyi."

"What?" Gan Yonglin was shocked and said in disbelief, "Brother Xie, what you mean is... there is a traitor in Prince Xian's mansion?"

"Maybe!" Xie Xuan nodded seriously, "Originally, family disgrace should not be made public, but Brother Yonglin has concerns. If I keep hiding the truth, it will only make you more uneasy. So I'll just speak frankly and hope Brother Yonglin will keep the secret for me."

"How can this be?"

"Brother Yonglin, don't forget that before Liu Xunyi plotted to murder the Lord of the Palace... he was doing very well in the Xianwang Palace. Not only was he promoted to the position of Black Fan by the Lord of the Palace, but he also intended to recruit him as his son-in-law." Xie Xuan explained solemnly, "This shows how scheming and cunning Liu Xunyi is. He can even deceive the Lord of the Palace, let alone the other disciples in the Palace? At present, although he is nominally regarded as a traitor by us, there are still many people in the Xianwang Palace who have a good impression of him, and even miss the friendship of the past when they shared weal and woe with him and spent every day together. Therefore..."

“So, the plans of Leader Qingfeng have been frustrated time and time again, is it because someone in Prince Xian’s Mansion is colluding with Liu Xunyi?” Gan Yonglin, who did not know the truth, was stunned by Xie Xuan’s explanation.

"I can only say... it's possible." Xie Xuan pretended to be cautious. "After all, no one has been caught red-handed, so it's not appropriate to wrongly accuse the innocent. Liu Xunyi's appearance in Chuzhou this time is definitely a godsend, and I won't allow the slightest mistake. Therefore, I decided to keep it a secret from everyone for the time being, and after successfully dealing with Liu Xunyi... I will apologize to the leader and his wife of Qingfeng."

"I see!" Gan Yonglin believed it and felt extremely guilty for his suspicion. "Thank you, brother. Just now I..."

"I got some information about Liu Xunyi, but I didn't want to expose my own hidden cards, lest there be a traitor in the mansion and Liu Xunyi would notice it. Therefore, I had to resort to this last resort..."

“No, no, no!” Gan Yonglin waved his hands excitedly. “At this critical moment, Brother Xie, you can think of me and the Gan family. This is enough to show your trust in us. What’s more, if this is accomplished, all the heroes in the world will also think of the Gan family as a favor, and I will get a huge credit for nothing.”

"Brother Yonglin is absolutely right! Before the wild geese return..."

"Don't worry, brother Xie. I know what to do next and I will never let you down."

"Brother Yonglin is so kind. Thank you... on behalf of the Palace Master, I would like to thank you!"

"Hey!" Gan Yonglin laughed heartily after a false alarm, and bowed to Xie Xuan in return, "Sorry for disturbing you tonight, I'll take my leave first, thank you brother... you can continue to dream about Zhou Gong."

"Brother Yonglin, take care!"

Gan Yonglin, who was kept in the dark by Xie Xuan, thought himself blessed by heaven and was in a good mood. Accompanied by the confused Gan Lun, he disappeared at the end of the darkness with great satisfaction.

……

(End of this chapter)