Blood sedge

Chapter 1181 Threading the Needle (Part )

"Since you have made up your mind, what are you waiting for?" Xunzhen was speechless and stopped arguing with Liu Xunyi. However, his seemingly calm tone was still mixed with a bit of stubbornness. "With your martial arts skills, it is not difficult to get rid of Zhang Xiong without anyone noticing. From the moment he walked out of the general's mansion, you could have killed him at any time. Why take the risk of following him all the way here?"

"Because after Zhang Xiong was turned away by Guo Xian, he did not rush back to Danfeng Garden, but was brought here." Liu Xunyi answered frankly, "I am curious and worried. I am curious about who can stop the arrogant Zhang Xiong at this critical moment. I am worried about whether Luoyang City has hidden opponents that I don't know about. If I kill Zhang Xiong now, will it alert the enemy? Will there be any complications?"

"Are you talking about... the old man who just led Zhang Xiong upstairs?"

"The person is not the key, the key is the thing he showed to Zhang Xiong." Liu Xunyi recalled thoughtfully, "Zhang Xiong and that person should not know each other, and he was even hostile to his sudden appearance, until that person took out a... pendant. Zhang Xiong seemed to have changed into a different person immediately, and followed him here obediently."

"Pendant?" Xunzhen frowned slightly and asked suspiciously, "What kind of pendant?"

"A wolf tooth pendant." Liu Xunyi said as he dipped his finger in water and drew it on the table. "It has a circle of gold border. Does it look like the craftsmanship of the Central Plains?"

"Wolf fang...gold rim..." He repeated it several times to himself, and Xunzhen suddenly had an idea and asked hurriedly, "Could it be the three-flame golden hoop wolf fang?"

"I did hear Zhang Xiong say something just now... Three Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang, and it seems he also mentioned Hu Lie?"

"Is it really the Three Flame Golden Hoop?" Xunzhen subconsciously let out a cry of surprise, and suddenly noticed that people around him were looking at him curiously, so he quickly lowered his voice and said, "It seems that your guess is right. There is indeed a big man hidden in Luoyang City."

"What does that mean?" Liu Xunyi was confused, "What on earth is that wolf tooth pendant?"

“Three-flame golden hoop wolf fang!” Xunzhen’s expression gradually became serious. “The object itself is not rare, but the meaning it represents is priceless.”

"What does it mean?" Liu Xunyi became more and more confused the more he listened.

"It represents great trust and appreciation from... the Mongolian prince Hule."

Xunzhen emphasized the two words "Hu Lie" to indicate the value and weight of the Three-Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang.

"This..." Liu Xunyi asked, not quite understanding, "Is this wolf tooth a token of Hu Lie? Could it be that Hu Lie has come to Luoyang City?"

"How is that possible?" Xunzhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Liu Xunyi's ignorance. "If Hu Lie came to Luoyang City in person, there would be guards every three steps and every five steps in the streets and alleys. Places like the Donghai Teahouse, where all kinds of people gather, would also be banned. How could we be allowed to sit here and chat?"

"Then it is..."

"It is a token given by Hu Lie to the talented Han people." Xunzhen explained, "Hu Lie knows that talented people are hard to come by. If he wants to achieve great things, he must recruit talented people and make the best use of their talents. Therefore, since he led the Mongol expedition to the south, he has opened his government to the world's talents. In recent years, he has been particularly fond of making friends with talented people from the Central Plains. He particularly appreciates the best Han people. No matter what their backgrounds are, they are treated equally, with little distinction between high and low. Even Hu Lie himself began to learn the culture of the Central Plains, taking the essence from it and discarding the dross, and even proposed a unified strategy of 'ruling the Han with the Han', which has been quite effective. This is also the biggest difference between him and other unruly and arrogant Mongolian commanders."

"Governing the Han with the Han..." Liu Xunyi felt a sense of sadness for no reason, and said bitterly, "Even the Mongols who want to become kings and hegemons know how to learn from our strengths and govern the Han with the Han. But there are many people in the court who are happy to fight for power, and they treat the virtues of their ancestors as trash, and they sneer at the fruits of the Han civilization that have been passed down for thousands of years... It seems that the decline of the country is not entirely due to foreign enemies, but also to itself..."

"Rumor has it that Hu Lie's promotion of Han culture was influenced by Princess Zhao Xin..." Having said this, Xunzhen suddenly realized that he had said something wrong, his face changed slightly, and his voice stopped abruptly.

"You...what did you say?"

Hearing the name "Zhao Xin" again, Liu Xunyi's heart was still shaken, but unlike the previous heart-wrenching pain and deep bondage, today he was more like missing and caring about an old friend whom he had not seen for a long time.

It seemed that the constant passage of time and the new experiences that followed had finally pulled out the thorn that was deeply embedded in his heart and diluted the scar that he dared not face.

As if she had noticed the subtle change in Liu Xunyi's mood, Xunzhen's eyes gradually lost their luster, and she suddenly felt bored and no longer wanted to continue talking. She pretended to be calm and reached out to take the teacup on the table, trying to cover up the inexplicable restlessness, even though her movements and expressions had become extremely unnatural.

"Xunzhen!" Unexpectedly, as soon as Xunzhen's hand touched the teacup, Liu Xunyi held it down without warning. She struggled to break free like a frightened bird, only to find that Liu Xunyi had already tightly grasped her soft and boneless hand.

"Liu Xunyi, you..."

"Go on!" At this moment, Liu Xunyi looked at Xunzhen with an unprecedented firmness, without any hesitation or evasion.

He knew that he could not make excuses to escape again and again. If he wanted to break free from the shackles of memories, he had to face it calmly.

"Just say it!" Xunzhen was also a proud person in her bones, so she would never be outdone. So, regardless of her increased heartbeat and flushed cheeks, she stared into Liu Xunyi's eyes with wide eyes, pretending to be nonchalant and said, "It is rumored that Hu Lie admired Han culture because of the influence of Princess Zhao Xin. At first, he just loved the Han culture, but later he gradually discovered the exquisiteness of Han culture and took the initiative to study it. As for whether the rumor is true or not, I'm afraid no one can tell for sure."

"Whether the rumors are true or not, the fact that there is such a statement is enough to prove... that Hu Lie must love her very much..."

"So what?"

Xunzhen suppressed her inner turmoil and tried hard to appear indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with her. However, no matter how she tried to restrain herself and conceal her feelings, she still couldn't stop her eyes from turning slightly red, and her bright eyes were sparkling and glittering.

I don't know why? Xunzhen's slightly raised head of pride, her tightly pursed lips of stubbornness, her eyes as strong as a torch, all pierced through her heart and soul like a sharp sword, making Liu Xunyi, who claimed to be numb to emotions, tremble and feel at a loss.

"Maybe Hu Lie is not a good match for Zhao Xin, but... at least he is a man who truly loves her. Even if Zhao Xin had other ideas when she married him, Hu Lie is willing to give up everything to tolerate his woman. He is willing to win back the princess' heart even if he offers the whole world as a betrothal gift. He is indeed a man of integrity." Xunzhen looked directly into Liu Xunyi's deep and complex gaze. Every word was like a knife. It was both a praise for Hu Lie and a criticism of Liu Xunyi. "Unlike some people who indulge in the troubles of the past all day long, they can only sigh and complain, unable to pick up or let go, dare not hate... and dare not love."

Faced with Xunzhen's heartfelt criticism, Liu Xunyi fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Xunzhen couldn't help but let out a sad and angry sneer, and tried to pull his hand back.

But what she never expected was that this time... Liu Xunyi still did not let go, but held it even tighter.

"Liu Xunyi!" Liu Xunyi's actions really annoyed Xunzhen. She was not angry at Liu Xunyi's stubbornness, but at his repeated frivolous behavior towards her. "Listen carefully! I am Xunzhen, not a substitute for anyone, and certainly not a drug that you can summon and dismiss at will in order to numb your heart and redeem yourself hypocritically!"

"I am me, and you... are just you." At this moment, Liu Xunyi's reaction was surprisingly calm. He slightly reduced the strength of his fingers to avoid hurting Xunzhen, but still had no intention of letting her go. "Whether Hu Lie's admiration for Han culture was influenced by others has nothing to do with me. Whether he offers the whole world as a betrothal gift, whether he can win back... win back the favor of the princess, has nothing to do with me."

"So what does it have to do with you?"

"you!"

"You..." Liu Xunyi answered without thinking, which caught Xunzhen off guard and made him feel his mind stagnate. He was stunned and could not make any response for a long time.

At this moment, she had lost her strength and tenacity. She looked at Liu Xunyi with a look of bewilderment and hesitation, like a young girl who had not experienced much of the world. She sat there in a daze, not knowing whether to stay or flee. Where was she, the young lady who could remain calm and plan everything out?

"Ahem! What else do you know about the Three Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang?" Facing the flustered Xunzhen, Liu Xunyi gradually realized his abruptness, but it seemed inappropriate to let go now. He was in a dilemma and had no choice but to change the subject, "After you finish speaking... I will let you go."

"Liu Xunyi... I didn't realize you were such a pervert!" Xunzhen glared at Liu Xunyi angrily, but her hand, which was tightly held by him, had already given up struggling unconsciously. Although Xunzhen's mood was still unsettled, she knew that this matter was serious and the situation was critical. It was definitely not the time to flirt with Liu Xunyi, so she stopped being hypocritical and continued unhappily, "Based on Hu Lie's admiration for Han culture, more and more Han people came to serve him. Some people had no power or influence, and they directly joined Hu Lie's camp, serving him at his beck and call, and risking their lives for him. Some people had already been doing well in the Central Plains, and they were unwilling to give up their own foundation, so they made friends with him as guests in order to seek mutual benefits, and this kind of people was exactly what Hu Lie valued the most."

"How many truly powerful people are willing to be driven around by others? Hu Lie did not force anyone to do anything, but instead treated him with courtesy. He was quite smart."

"More and more people come here because of its reputation, and it's inevitable that there are good and bad people." Xunzhen ignored Liu Xunyi's sigh and said to himself, "Therefore, in order to prevent people from filling the numbers, Hu Lie checked all the guests who took the initiative to come, and then graded them according to their strength, which is upper, middle and lower. Among them, the lower guests are given 'single flame copper hoop wolf's teeth', the middle guests are given 'double flame silver hoop wolf's teeth', and the upper guests are given 'three flames gold hoop wolf's teeth'. Anyone who holds this token will be blessed by Hu Lie, and as long as they are in the territory governed by Mongolia, they can walk sideways. Especially the distinguished guests holding the 'three flames gold hoop wolf's teeth, looking at the world, I'm afraid there will be no more than one hand. When Mongolian officials see this token, it is like the power of heaven, as if they are in front of their superiors, how dare they neglect it?"

……