Chapter 993: Working hard
Before dawn, a small light was on in the study of Prince Xian's mansion, emitting a circle of faint yellow, but it still could not hide the darkness before dawn.

Xie Xuan was restless and paced back and forth in the room. From time to time, he went to the window to look out with a worried look in his eyes.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Suddenly, a low knock on the door broke the silence, which immediately perked up Xie Xuan and he walked towards the door in a hurry.

"squeak!"

With a slight sound, the door opened and Murong Bai, with a sad face, came into Xie Xuan's sight.

"came back!"

Seeing Murong Bai alone, Xie Xuan's uneasy heart finally settled down a little.

"How is Yu'er? Is she settled?" Xie Xuan entered the room and poured tea for Murong Bai while asking about the situation impatiently, "From your looks, has she woken up?"

"I will follow your wishes and secretly send the young lady to the outskirts of the city and temporarily hand her over to Xunzhen... for care." Murong Bai's tone was very complicated, because he knew that Xunzhen's so-called "care" for Luo Ningyu was actually "house arrest", so he was somewhat uneasy in his heart, "Xunzhen promised me that Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao would never find the young lady before the end of the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference'."

"With her taking care of Yu'er, we don't have to worry about anything anymore." Xie Xuan said with relief, "Luckily Zhang Songyi went to Ling Xiaoxiao to complain, so Huan'er was able to inform you in time, giving us enough time to properly settle Yu'er, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."

"Isn't this... too cruel for the young lady?" Murong Baiyuan was not as "optimistic" as Xie Xuan. Recalling Luo Ningyu's crying and begging just now, he couldn't help but regret his hard-heartedness. "She now not only knows that her parents have turned against each other, and that she and Liu Xunyi are half-siblings, but she also knows that we conspired to act against her mother and grandfather. This matter..."

"This is indeed a bit cruel to Yu'er, but in order to avenge the lord, to fulfill the lord's will, and to preserve the family business of the Xianwang Mansion... we have no choice." Xie Xuan stuffed a cup of hot tea into Murong Bai's hand and interrupted his sigh with a stiff tone, "Don't worry! Xunyi will definitely treat Yu'er well in the future. After all, they are brother and sister."

"This……"

"I know you can't bear it, but we can't be soft-hearted now. If we switch positions with Qingfeng and his daughter, will they be merciful? Will they be willing to let us go?" Xie Xuan asked righteously, "Now, we and Qingfeng and his daughter are standing on the edge of the cliff. No one has a way out. If we want to survive, we can only fight to the death. Either they die, or we die. There is no third way to choose."

"I... understand." Murong Bai's eyes darkened with melancholy, and he nodded bitterly, "It's just that Xun Yi is the mansion master's flesh and blood, and the young lady is also the mansion master's flesh and blood. We are being partial to one and neglect the other, it's really..."

"Hongxuan is half dead, Xunyi is the only heir who can continue the family line for the mansion master. As for Yuer, I will always treat her as my own and try not to let her suffer any grievances." Xie Xuan said helplessly, "Except for Xunyi, I can take Yuer into consideration for anything in the world. This is the best I can do."

"Alas! If the Lord knows about this, I hope he won't blame us." Murong Bai didn't want to be immersed in sadness, so he changed the subject and asked with concern, "How is Xun Yi?"

"Physical pain is unavoidable, but... his life is not in danger for the time being." Xie Xuan said bitterly, "However, he has learned about his life experience tonight, and his reaction is very strong. The next few days will definitely be extremely tormenting. This kind of thing... outsiders can't help, he can only rely on himself to slowly accept it."

"It's really pitiful..."

"When God wants to give a man a great responsibility, he must first make his mind suffer, his muscles and bones tired, his body hungry and empty, and his actions frustrated, so as to move his heart and endure his nature, and improve his ability to do what he could not do before." Xie Xuan's expression changed, and his words became more and more firm, "I believe that after this disaster, Xun Yi will be able to make further progress."

"Oh, right! Lin Fangda and the others know that the young lady has been to the dungeon. How should we deal with this matter?"

"I have just warned them sternly, I believe they will not talk nonsense." Xie Xuan pondered, "But just in case, I will send them out to do the work, and will not give them the opportunity to contact Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao privately."

"The young lady suddenly disappeared, how should Ling Xiaoxiao explain...?
"Ever since Yu'er found out about the truth about Ling Xiaoxiao killing the mansion master, the relationship between mother and daughter has become increasingly cold and distant. They have a disagreement almost every time they meet, and end up parting on bad terms. In the past few months, Yu'er has left home three or four times out of spite, either lingering in ancient temples or enjoying the scenery. Ling Xiaoxiao is no longer surprised. Right now, Ling Xiaoxiao and Qingfeng are concentrating on the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference', and they don't expect to be distracted too much by Yu'er's 'temper tantrum'. Even if they were to inquire about her, they would probably send people everywhere to look for her like before. Even if they were to become suspicious, they wouldn't think of us for a while."

"The 'Eradication of Traitors' Conference is just around the corner, and there are more and more guests in the mansion. They are too busy to handle everything." Murong Bai had to deny Xie Xuan's analysis. "Right now, I am the hero who captured Liu Xunyi alive. Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao care about their dignity, and even if they are dissatisfied with me, they dare not easily trouble me. Therefore, before the end of the 'Eradication of Traitors Conference', I am enough to deal with their difficulties, you don't have to worry. Tell me... what's the situation outside?" At this point, Xie Xuan's eyes flashed, and his voice subconsciously lowered a few points.

Looking at Xie Xuan, who was obviously very tired but was still forcing himself to deal with the complicated and ever-changing situation, Murong Bai felt both worried and admiring.

In just one year, Xie Xuan looked more than ten years older. How could this not make people sigh?
There were so many things to do, and it was all messy and disorganized. How much effort did Xie Xuan put in? But he never regretted anything from beginning to end, and never complained to anyone. The reason was that he wanted to repay Luo Tianjin's kindness and kindness.

Compared with him, Murong Bai, who also benefited greatly from Luo Tianjin, inevitably pales in comparison.

He wanted to help Xie Xuan share his worries, but he knew that he was not well-educated and had no idea where to start. Especially in matters of life and death, the slightest mistake would lead to eternal damnation.

In terms of insight into subtleties and the ability to recognize opportunities and changes, Murong Bai is far inferior to Xie Xuan.

"When the three brothers of the mansion master learned the truth about Ling Xiaoxiao's 'murdering her husband', they were all furious and promised on the spot to lead the brothers of the Three Righteous Gang to Luoyang City to seek justice for 'Xunyi Nephew'. Counting the days, they will arrive at the end of the month." Murong Bai answered in an orderly manner, "Deng Quan summoned the old members of the 'Imperial Guard', and the situation is almost the same as we expected. The country was destroyed, the family was ruined, all industries were abandoned, and countless people starved to death. Therefore, as long as we are willing to spend real money and can let them have a full stomach every day, these people are willing to give their lives to us. At present, Deng Quan has secretly recruited a thousand people and is now being resettled by Lei Zhen. As for Xunzhen...she didn't mention her plan too much, and only asked me to tell you eight words."

"Oh?" Xie Xuan raised his eyebrows and asked with interest, "Which eight words?"

"Everything is ready, just waiting for the Dragon Boat Festival."

"This..." Xie Xuan was stunned at first, then smiled knowingly, "You are so confident, I believe you have arranged everything properly. During this period of time, you and Deng Quan should stay in the mansion and do your job as much as possible, and never let Qingfeng and his daughter get hold of any handle. As for the things outside, I believe Xunzhen knows how to handle it."

"Actually, I've always been a little worried..." Looking at the ambitious Xie Xuan, Murong Bai couldn't help but look conflicted, "We trust Xunzhen so much, but what if she's unreliable..."

"Right now, she and we are two grasshoppers tied to the same rope. We will prosper together and suffer together." Xie Xuan said dimly, "If she didn't sincerely cooperate with us, she wouldn't have set fire to the Gan family overnight and burned down everything."

"This..." Murong Bai's expression changed slightly when mentioning the Gan family. "Gan Yonglin has a close relationship with you. Wouldn't it be too cruel for Xunzhen to destroy the bridge after crossing the river?"

"Hey!" Xie Xuan waved his hand impatiently, "If you want to accomplish great things, you must know how to make choices. As for the Gan family in Luzhou... it's a done deal, there's no need to mention it anymore. What's more, Ling Xiaoxiao later sent people to Luzhou to secretly find out the whole story of Xun Yi's capture. If Xunzhen hadn't taken the initiative... maybe they would have already found out the flaws. How could I be standing here talking to you today without any harm?"

"Can……"

"In fact, Xunzhen's action against the Gan family is killing two birds with one stone." Xie Xuan added, "First, she killed the witnesses and eliminated the hidden danger for me. Second, she attacked the Gan family at night in the name of revenge, which just proved that it was the Gan family disciples who discovered Liu Xunyi's whereabouts and thus brought disaster upon herself. It also indirectly confirmed my 'loyalty' to Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao. In this way, Xunzhen's move was to anticipate the enemy. Not only can I not blame her, but I should be grateful to her. Even though... her methods are a bit cruel, I have to admit that they are very wise."

"This woman is vicious and only cares about interests. She regards kindness and morality as nothing. She dealt with the Gan family today to protect our plan. Will she... deal with us tomorrow to protect her own interests?" Murong Bai reminded cautiously, "After all, in her eyes, the Gan family is an outsider, and we... are not her own people either. She is promising us huge benefits now, just to use Xunyi's identity to win over various forces in the Central Plains. When the 'Xilu Wuzong' founded by the young king of Qin becomes stronger and stronger, and dominates the Central Plains, Xunyi and people like us will not only no longer have any value, but will become their bondage and burden. By then, will we become 'disciples of the Gan family' with many hidden dangers? Will Xunyi... become the next Gan Yonglin?"

"Young Prince Qin wants to use us, so why don't we want to use him?" Xie Xuan stared at the serious Murong Bai with a deep gaze, and said with a smile, "The Palace Master often taught us when he was alive that we must turn passivity into initiative when doing things, and never let others lead us by the nose. Young Prince Qin and Xunzhen are smart, but we... are not fools either."

"what do you mean……"

"After they help Xunyi deal with Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoxiao, he will naturally inherit everything in the Xianwang Mansion. Then, he can use his status to form alliances and become the largest force in the Central Plains martial arts world. By then, who will help whom cross the river? Who will tear down whose bridge? I'm afraid... only God knows."

……

(End of this chapter)