Blood sedge

Chapter 1180 Threading the Needle (I)

"General Zhang, please come in!"

Under the protection of dozens of Mongolian soldiers armed with swords and knives, the humble old man led the suspicious Zhang Xiong through the bustling streets of Luoyang and came to the Donghai Teahouse, which was crowded with cars and horses.

"What is the connection between your master and Prince Hu Lie? How could he receive the Three-Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang bestowed by the prince himself?"

"I am not deliberately keeping you in suspense. I just don't know the details." Zhang Xiong had asked the same question four or five times, but the old man was extremely vigilant. No matter how much he hinted, hinted, or asked indirect questions, his answer was always flawless. "My host is waiting for you in the private room on the second floor. I believe he can answer the general's questions."

"Then lead the way..."

"General, wait!"

Before the resentful Zhang Xiong could lead his men upstairs, the old man stopped him first and said with an apologetic smile, "My master only wants to see the general. As for the general's entourage... please have some tea and rest in the lobby. All expenses will be charged to my account."

"What do you mean? Are you on guard against me?" Zhang Xiong became more and more dissatisfied.

"Things are accomplished through secrecy, and ruined through disclosure." The old man replied cryptically, "Some things... the fewer people who know about them, the better."

"This……"

Seeing that the old man was determined and had no intention of explaining too much, Zhang Xiong did not waste any more words. He looked down at the three-flame golden hoop wolf tooth in his hand, and confirmed again and again that this wolf tooth was indeed a token given by Hu Lie to the distinguished guest, and not a fake. Only then did he abandon his distracting thoughts and decided to go upstairs to find out.

"This wolf fang..."

"The general will return it to my master in person."

The old man did not accept the Three-Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang handed over by Zhang Xiong, but bowed to him and turned to walk towards the stairs.

"My men will not covet the money for a cup of tea." Zhang Xiong looked at the old man's back and said lightly, and then ordered the soldiers, "You retreat outside the teahouse and wait for orders. Do not enter without my summons!"

"General, that old man's origins are unknown, beware of fraud..."

"No problem! The one who can take out the Three Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang must be someone the prince trusts very much and will definitely not murder me."

"But……"

"Go back!"

"As ordered!"

Following Zhang Xiong's impatient urging, the Mongolian soldiers dared not say any more and left the Donghai Teahouse one after another.

Zhang Xiong looked at the old man standing at the stairs waiting for him, and subconsciously clenched the Three-Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang in his hand tighter, then took a long breath and walked upstairs with big strides.

Not until Zhang Xiong's figure completely disappeared around the corner of the second floor did the tea drinkers in the lobby on the first floor, who had been frightened by the armed Mongolian soldiers, gradually relax their tense nerves, and the slightly depressing atmosphere returned to its former bustle.

In an inconspicuous corner of the teahouse lobby, a tea drinker dressed as a porter and wearing a bamboo hat kept looking in the direction where Zhang Xiong disappeared, turning the teacup in his hand around, and did not take a sip until the tea had become cold.

He raised his head casually, revealing half of his handsome face with clear edges and corners of his mouth with a harmless smile, but a captivating light flickered in his eyes.

This person was none other than Liu Xunyi, who had been secretly following Zhang Xiong's trail.

"The skills are getting more and more powerful, but the methods are becoming more and more dishonorable."

Just as Liu Xunyi was absentmindedly playing with the teacup, a teasing voice quietly rang in his ears.

"Xunzhen?"

Compared to Liu Xunyi's surprise, Xunzhen, with a smile as beautiful as a flower, was not polite at all. He sat directly opposite Liu Xunyi and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Everyone in Danfeng Garden is like an ant on a hot pot, but you are sitting here leisurely drinking tea." While speaking, Xunzhen raised his eyes and glanced at the second floor, teasing, "What? Liu Xunyi, who has always been upright, is now engaged in disguised assassinations?" "Upright? Ha! These 'disgraceful activities' are my livelihood for more than ten years in Tianji Pavilion."

After saying that, Liu Xunyi flicked his finger in the tea lightly, which immediately caused a string of crystal clear water splashes. He then turned his palm in the air and caught the freely falling water drops. He clenched his five fingers, and a stream of extremely cold internal energy instantly gathered in his palm. In the blink of an eye, he condensed the drops of warm water into piercing ice needles.

Then, he casually swung his hand, and several ice needles "bang bang bang" pierced deeply into the table top, shrinking and melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"How is it? Can my little tricks catch the young lady's eye?"

"Amazing!" Xunzhen looked at the row of needle holes left on the table with astonishment, and couldn't help but exclaimed, "If the ice needles are shot into the vital points, it can kill people without leaving any trace."

"There are many ways to kill people, and leaving no trace is not difficult." Liu Xunyi laughed at himself and changed the subject, "How did you find this place?"

"Follow Zhang Xiong and we will naturally find you." Xunzhen said, "Palace Master Xie and the others are so concerned that they think your target is Guo Xian and even start planning to siege the General's Mansion. But I guess... your target should be Zhang Xiong."

"Oh?" Liu Xunyi asked curiously, "Why do you think so?"

"You went to the general's mansion without saying a word. It's obvious that you want to solve all the problems by yourself and avoid involving other people." Xunzhen smiled calmly, "If that's the case, how could you possibly attack General Luoyang? Guo Xian is the lord of Luoyang appointed by the Mongolian court. If he died at this critical moment, the impact would be no less than Sui Zuo's death. Even more people would be implicated. Isn't that contrary to your original intention?"

"Will Zhang Xiong's death not implicate innocent people?"

"That's why you went to see Guo Xian alone before you took action, in order to ask him to help you clean up the mess." Xunzhen's beautiful eyes stared straight at Liu Xunyi who was listening attentively, and asked with a smile, "Everyone in Luoyang City knows that Guo Xian is greedy by nature. As long as you promise him huge profits, he will be shaken. Have you and him... reached some kind of agreement?"

"amazing!"

Xunzhen's words hit the nail on the head, causing Liu Xunyi's expression to change quietly, and the look he gave her became more intriguing.

"That's right! I've heard that Guo Xian is greedy for money and cowardly as an official. Since he took office, he has always been tolerant and kind to the underworld forces. He avoids trouble as much as possible, and even turns a blind eye to the Anti-Traitor Conference. How could such a person who is so greedy for comfort order people to besiege Danfeng Garden and become enemies with the Xianwang Mansion?" Liu Xunyi nodded lightly without denying it, without hiding anything from Xunzhen. "Something is fishy, ​​I have to go to the general's mansion in person to find out the truth. As expected, I found that Guo Xian and Zhang Xiong have always been at odds. The two of them secretly compete for power and have a deep rift. So I took the opportunity to propose to help Guo Xian solve Zhang Xiong and help him regain power. In exchange, he must help me clean up the mess and solve Sui Zuo's trouble."

"Guo Xian agreed?" Xunzhen frowned slightly, and his tone was quite questioning, "He has never met you before, why would he trust you?"

Liu Xunyi's deep eyes flickered, a cold light looming in them, and he said faintly: "Because he has no choice, either agree to cooperate with me or die."

"hiss!"

Not sure whether it was because of worry that Guo Xian was forced to cooperate, or because of surprise at Liu Xunyi's resolute attitude, a deep melancholy welled up between Xunzhen's brows.

"Don't you realize that there are many hidden concerns in this matter?" Xunzhen knew that Liu Xunyi was increasingly affected by the evil power, and his temperament became more extreme and difficult to control. Therefore, she did not argue with Liu Xunyi as she did in the past. Instead, she carefully observed the changes in his expression and expressed her concerns in a gentle tone and tentative words. "Let's not talk about whether Guo Xian is sincere in cooperating with you. As for Zhang Xiong, he is just a puppet who acts on behalf of the superiors. Even if you kill him... I'm afraid it will only treat the symptoms and not the root cause."

"Whether the root cause can be cured depends on Guo Xian's ability."

"You don't even know Guo Xiansu, so why do you trust him?"

"I……"

"As for Sui Zuo's death, anyone with a discerning eye can see that you were framed. This matter... still has room for mediation. But if you kill Zhang Xiong, if Guo Xian turns against you and uses you as a shield in front of the Mongolian court, then it will be irrefutable evidence." Xunzhen thought quickly and explained the danger of this matter to Liu Xunyi. "If that happens, even if you say that you and Guo Xian are secretly cooperating, I'm afraid no one will believe you. Even if someone believes it, it will be Guo Xian's fault, and what benefit will you get? Mongolia will still regard you as a mortal enemy, and the Central Plains martial arts world... will no longer have a place for you. In this way, wouldn't it be like shooting yourself in the foot?"

"As early as when I sent my bride away... at that time, the Mongolian court had been eager to get rid of me. How could they have regarded me as an enemy overnight? This time, Jin Fuyu dragged me into the water, and Zhang Xiong couldn't wait to attack, which shows that they have no intention of letting me go." Liu Xunyi admitted that Xunzhen's worries were not unreasonable, but he was not a reckless man. He had already weighed the pros and cons, so he had the current obsession. "As for the Central Plains martial arts world, all the sects are staring at me now. If I do nothing, or if I try every means to prove my innocence... , they will all regard me as a cowardly rat who is afraid of Mongolia. Not only will I, Liu Xunyi, become a laughing stock of the world, but even the reputation and prestige that the Xianwang Mansion has worked hard to build up for decades will be gone. Since I have already torn my face with the Mongols, I am not afraid of offending them again. If Zhang Xiong leads people to cause trouble, I will kill Zhang Xiong. If Guo Xian turns against me in battle, I will kill Guo Xian. At least I can prove to the Central Plains martial arts world that I, Liu Xunyi, am not a coward who is afraid of death, and that the Xianwang Mansion is not a two-faced fence-sitter. "

"You are playing into Jin Fuyu's hands by doing this, aren't you?"

"Resistance is wrong, and it offends the Mongols. Not resisting is even more wrong, and not only will it offend all the Han people in the world, but the Mongols will also not let it go. This is an open conspiracy, and I have chosen the lesser of two evils. What can you do to me?"

"This……"

Faced with Liu Xunyi's distressed and helpless question, Xunzhen, who had always been smart, couldn't help but look embarrassed. Although she was eloquent, she had to fall silent at this moment.

Indeed, Jin Fuyu delivered the body first, and Zhang Xiong attacked later, and with everyone watching and gossiping, everything happened too suddenly, leaving them no time to prepare, nor a chance to turn the situation around.

……