Chapter 980 Luzhou Inn (VIII)

"laugh!"

With a slight sound, Liu Zhong, Liu Yi and others picked up the scattered candlesticks and lit them up. The dark lobby of the inn was once again dimly lit.

At this moment, the entire inn was almost unrecognizable. It looked like a ruin, with potholes all over the ground, holes in the walls, broken doors and windows, rickety stairs, and broken tables and chairs...

Of course, there were also many people with dishevelled hair and blood on their bodies. The tragic and miserable scene made people feel as if they were in another world, as if they were not in the prosperous Luzhou City, but in a scorched earth Shura battlefield.

"Thank you, Lord?"

Seeing that Xie Xuan was in deep thought and had not spoken a word, Gu Ri could not help but frown and called softly, "Master Xie, what do you think?"

“This…” Xie Xuan pretended to be deep in thought, and spoke hesitantly, “Just now… the senior said something very good, God is merciful, and the senior is also tolerant. In my humble opinion, instead of taking revenge for a slight grievance and fighting to the death, it is better to… repay grievances with virtue and make concessions to each other.”

"Repay evil with kindness?" Yan Bugui asked incredulously, "Are you planning to let Liu Xunyi go?"

"of course not!"

"then you……"

“Why don’t you just listen to what I have to say, Fourth Master Yan?” Gu Ri interrupted Yan Bugui’s questioning in a deep voice, and then cast his interested eyes on Xie Xuan who was “full of righteous indignation”, “May I ask, Master Xie, how can we repay evil with virtue, and how can we both make concessions?”

"Since you have asked me, I dare not hide anything. I... dare to express my humble opinion and ask you to make the decision." Xie Xuan put on a righteous attitude, "My opinion... is that each party should take what it needs and not force the other party to do anything."

"To each his own?"

"That's right!" Xie Xuan continued calmly, "You may not know that Xunzhen's background is not simple. She is the trusted general of the Western Regions' Young Qin King. Therefore, her subordinates would rather stay and be buried with her than abandon her. Because once Xunzhen makes a mistake, the Young Qin King will definitely punish them for 'failing to protect their master', making them unable to live or die."

"You mean... the person they really care about is Xunzhen, not Liu Xunyi?" Gu Ri asked thoughtfully.

"That's right." Xie Xuan nodded heavily. "There's no need for me to elaborate on the background of the Young Qin King. I'm sure you already know it by heart. What I mean is... the foundation of the leader of the Qingfeng Alliance is not stable, and the vitality of the Xianwang Mansion has been severely damaged. It is not wise to make an enemy of the Young Qin King at this moment..."

Having said this, Xie Xuan's voice suddenly stopped, as if giving Gu Ri enough time to think.

"Keep talking!"

"Although they no longer have any hostages and seem to be at the end of their rope, it's still not easy for us to resolve the problem without bloodshed with Su He and Tang Afu present. And... there will be endless troubles." Xie Xuan answered carefully while observing Gu Ri's reaction, "But if we continue to follow our promise and... give in a little bit, let them take Xunzhen away and only leave Liu Xunyi. In this way, they will definitely be grateful to us. Even if they are a little reluctant in their hearts... I'm afraid they won't dare to push their luck. More importantly, this is tantamount to showing favor to the forces behind them. Even if we can't be friends in the future, at least we won't become mortal enemies."

"This..." Xie Xuan's frank words made Gu Ri hesitate, and he whispered, "Master Xie, you should understand that Xunzhen's rescue of Liu Xunyi from Lin'an is equivalent to openly opposing the Song Dynasty court. Now, she is a wanted criminal appointed by the court..."

"The authority of the imperial court cannot be challenged. Xie certainly understands this. But in the current situation... we can't create a strong enemy or even sacrifice the lives of our brothers just because of a word from the imperial court. Moreover, the imperial court is rich and powerful, so why would they use us to deal with Xunzhen? Could it be that... they don't want to be enemies with the Young King of Qin, so they push us out as a shield?"

"This……"

After Xie Xuan's reminder, and recalling Chu Mao's words and deeds when he visited Wu, Gu Ri couldn't help but feel shaken.

"And!" Xie Xuan struck while the iron was hot, "What if something unexpected happened during the melee, forcing Liu Xunyi to die rather than obey. Or even... nothing at all, wouldn't that be a loss?"

"That... makes some sense!" Gu Ri frowned and nodded slowly, "But if we keep Liu Xunyi, will they agree?"

"My guess is... it's almost certain." Xie Xuan analyzed seriously, "The people of the Western Regions only care about Xunzhen, and don't care about Liu Xunyi at all. Tang Afu claims to be free from desire and emotion, and I guess he and Liu Xunyi are in cahoots only for some interests, and they are definitely not devoted to each other. Although Su He values ​​friendship and loyalty, he will not risk the lives of innocent people because of his personal relationship with Liu Xunyi. As for Pan Yuyin... she is a weak woman, not worth a sneer."

Looking at Xie Xuan who was making eloquent arguments and Gu Ri who was gradually compromising, Yan Bugui felt anxious and annoyed, and said frankly: "What the mansion master said is to be cautious and timid, which is really not advisable. I absolutely cannot agree with it! If we let Xunzhen go tonight, it would be like letting a tiger go back to the mountain. Do you think she will be grateful? No! This woman is greedy and cruel. If we spare her life, not only will we not get her gratitude, but we will be despised by her. If Liu Xunyi is useful to her, she will definitely not give up easily, and maybe... she will become even more hostile to us."

"It is undeniable that there is such a possibility!" Xie Xuan responded to Yan Bugui's anger in an orderly manner, "However, how sure are you that you can kill Su He and Tang Afu? How sure are you that Liu Xunyi will not encounter any accidents in the melee? When we just stepped into the inn, we were sure of victory, but suddenly two masters, Su He and Tang Afu, showed up to disrupt the situation and almost turned the tide. If it weren't for Taoist Gu Ri's timely arrival, the consequences would be disastrous. Now, who can guarantee that Su He and Tang Afu don't have other strong reinforcements behind them? Bugui, I am not hesitant, but I am seeking victory in a stable manner. Not being 100% sure means that the situation is unpredictable and unpredictable, and it is not worth our risk. After all, our top priority is to capture Liu Xunyi, restore the reputation of Wudang and Xianwang Mansion, and avenge the previous shame."

"But……"

"No buts!" Gu Ri, who had made up his mind, waved his hand and interrupted Yan Bugui's argument in an unquestionable tone, "Master Xie has thought carefully. In order to be safe, we must make some choices. After careful consideration, I have decided... to put the overall situation first and act according to Master Xie's plan. If they are stubborn, it will not be too late for us to kill them."

After Gu Ri said this, Xie Xuan's uneasy heart finally settled down. He subconsciously looked at Liu Xunyi, and both of them could not hide the hidden excitement in their eyes. After many twists and turns and difficult steps, the clouds finally cleared and the moon appeared. How could one not be ecstatic?

"Did you all hear that?"

With Gu Ri's tacit consent, Xie Xuan coughed twice and said to Su He and Tang Afu righteously: "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor! Taoist Gu Ri is a man of integrity and cannot bear to kill innocent people, so he will let you go and allow you all to leave. Tonight, we only want Liu Xunyi."

Hearing this, Abaolu, Xiao Yang, Su Hu and Xun Budao were all stunned, and a hint of joy at surviving the disaster emerged between their brows.

"Is this true?"

"Master Gu Ri is a famous martial artist. He always keeps his word and is as good as a promise. How could he deceive you youngsters?" Xie Xuan said in a deep voice, "However, I want you to go back and tell Shao Qin Wang. Considering the friendship between us, I will not pursue today's matter. But he colluded with Liu Xunyi without authorization, which is something I cannot tolerate. Therefore, from now on, I and Xian Wang Mansion will sever all ties with Shao Qin Wang. In the future, he will go his way and I will go my way. We will not interfere with each other and will never have any contact with each other until we die. Don't even think about interfering in the affairs of the Central Plains martial arts world. It's best to go back to the Western Regions and never set foot in the Central Plains again. Otherwise, the leader of the Qingfeng Alliance and all the kind-hearted people in the world will be irreconcilable with you and will fight to the death!"

"Xie Xuan, you dare to threaten us..."

"shut up!"

Xunzhen, who was weak, interrupted Abaolu's rebuttal, stared coldly at Xie Xuan, Gu Ri, Yan Bugui and others with an unwilling look, and said in despair: "It's our bad luck to fall into your hands today... I am willing to accept the defeat, and I have nothing to say..."

"Since there is nothing to say, pack up and leave Luzhou immediately!" Gan Yonglin urged angrily, "You are stirring up trouble in my territory and making Luzhou a mess. Before you leave, don't forget to leave some silver to compensate for the loss of the store..."

"Miss Xunzhen, are you...really going to agree to their terms?" Pan Yuyin tried to hold on to her languishing spirit and asked worriedly, "Are you really going to abandon Brother Liu?"

"It's not that I abandoned him, but I'm... too busy to take care of myself right now." Xunzhen shook his head weakly with the support of Abaolu, his tone very bitter, "You have a saying in the Central Plains, 'Husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but they fly away separately when disaster strikes.' Even couples who sleep in the same bed are like this, let alone us and Liu Xunyi..."

Seeing Xunzhen being so ruthless, Pan Yuyin couldn't help but get angry: "But you saved him at all costs..."

"It's different now, it's different now." Xunzhen sighed, "Miss Pan, listen to me, as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood..."

“Brother Su!” Seeing that Xunzhen could not be relied upon, the flustered Pan Yuyin placed her hopes on Su He again, “You and Brother Liu are as close as brothers, it is impossible for you to stand by and watch someone die without helping…”

"I……"

"You don't have to worry about me!" Before Su He could speak, Liu Xunyi took the opportunity to interrupt him, "I am worthless and my death is not a pity. You don't have to be sad. I don't want to implicate innocent people before I die, and I don't want to deepen my sins. If you regard me as a friend, don't be stupid again..."

"But……"

"If you insist on saving me, I will bite my tongue and commit suicide immediately to prevent others from dying in vain because of me..."

Faced with the touching scene of "separation of life and death", Gu Ri always watched coldly.

Xunzhen's selfishness and cruelty, Pan Yuyin's fear and anxiety, Su He's dilemma, Tang Afu's hard-heartedness... all were seen by him. At the same time, a sneer of disdain quietly rose from the corner of his mouth.

"It has been said that 'a man who knows the current situation is a hero'. Judging from your appearance... I believe you have made a decision. That's great! I am not unkind. Since the effect of the medicine has not worn off and you are exhausted, you might as well stay here and recover slowly." After observing for a while, Gu Ri changed his mind and said quietly, "Thank you, Lord of the Mansion, Fourth Master Yan, please escort Liu Xunyi in person. Let's go!"

After saying this, in order to avoid any more trouble, Gu Ri did not wait for Xie Xuan and Yan Bugui's answers, nor did he wait for Su He and Tang Afu's reactions. He strode out of the inn under the guidance of a dozen Wudang disciples.

Xie Xuan, who was very secretive, and Yan Bugui, who was feeling indignant, looked at each other respectively, and then they held Liu Xunyi, who was dizzy and had weak legs, on the left and right, and chased after Gu Ri under the heavy protection of the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion and the Gan family.

"No! Brother Liu..."

No matter how emotionally excited Pan Yuyin struggled and cried, she was still unable to resist Xiao Yang and Su Hu's resistance.

In the end, she could only stand there blankly with the helpless Abaolu, the sighing Xunzhen, the troubled Su He and the expressionless Tang Afu, watching Xie Xuan and others drag Liu Xunyi out of the inn and disappear into the rainy night.

……

(End of this chapter)