Blood sedge

Chapter 1186 Clearing the clouds and revealing the sun
"Looking for clothes..."

Liu Xunyi's act of stepping forward warmed Su He's heart, and the almost suffocating oppression and discomfort gradually eased under the warmth of this current.

“Brother, I didn’t kill Guo Xian.” Liu Xunyi looked directly into Su He’s eyes and said righteously, “To be honest, I did see him yesterday, and I did want to use him to solve Sui Zuo’s problem, but I never thought of killing him, because I knew very well that the consequences of killing the Luoyang General would be no less than the shock caused by Sui Zuo’s death. I originally wanted to cooperate with Guo Xian and have him get rid of… get rid of the ambitious Zhang Xiong, who might even shake his position, on the condition that he would settle all the troubles for me.”

Although Liu Xunyi revealed his entire plan, he still hesitated when he mentioned wanting to get rid of Zhang Xiong.

His hesitation wasn't about Zhang Xiong's life or death, but about Su He's feelings.

After all, Su He and Liu Xunyi were the same kind of people at heart. No matter how cruel the court was to them or how much suffering they had endured, they always had a deep-seated loyalty to the country and a fervent devotion to their nation.

This is the true nature flowing in one's blood; sometimes it is an invincible weapon, sometimes a weakness that allows one to be manipulated, and sometimes a stubborn ailment that causes one unbearable pain through self-torture.

Faced with Liu Xunyi's frankness, Su He, whose eyes met hers, remained silent and simply nodded.

"So, the person you originally intended to kill was Zhang Xiong?" Xie Xuan pondered Liu Xunyi's words, carefully weighing the pros and cons. "You eliminate Zhang Xiong for Guo Xian, and Guo Xian cleans up the mess for you. In this way, you can preserve your reputation in the Central Plains martial arts world through Zhang Xiong's death, and you can also avoid harassment from the Mongol court by virtue of Guo Xian's status as the General of Luoyang... It's not a bad way to achieve both goals. Of course, the key to success or failure lies in whether Guo Xian is trustworthy and whether he has the ability to switch places?"

"You hit the nail on the head, as expected of Second Master Xie." Liu Xunyi couldn't help but praise, then his eyes darkened, and he sighed, "It's just a pity that things didn't go as planned..."

"The situation was critical. Your plan was clearly worth taking the risk for, so why was Guo Xian the one who died in the end?" Xie Xuan asked, puzzled. "What exactly happened here?"

"I don't know either, because..."

"Because he was stopped before he could even make a move against Zhang Xiong." Xunzhen, the only one present besides Liu Xunyi who knew the truth, took the initiative to help him out. "Yesterday, Liu Xunyi planned to ambush Zhang Xiong at the Donghai Teahouse, but unexpectedly, a Cheng Yaojin appeared halfway and disrupted his entire plan."

"This……"

Like a stone thrown into still water, Xunzhen's words caused a great stir, clearing up everyone's doubts and leaving them all secretly astonished. They never expected that someone would be hiding in the shadows.

"Xunyi, you shouldn't have kept these things from your mother. You should have told me everything yesterday." Xiao Zhirou looked at Liu Xunyi with three parts resentment and seven parts tenderness. "I told you long ago that you don't have to face anything alone, and you don't have to suffer alone."

"It was supposed to be a simple, easy task, I never expected it..."

Seemingly sensing the regret in Liu Xunyi's tone, Xunzhen's expression became somewhat awkward, and a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes.

She knew that Liu Xunyi had already formed a preconceived notion that Wu Shuang was behind it all, and even began to suspect that her appearance at the Donghai Teahouse yesterday was not a coincidence.

"Who is that person?" Xie Xuan asked. "How could he disrupt your plans?"

"actually……"

“It’s Wu Shuang.” Liu Xunyi realized he might have a prejudice against Wu Shuang, so he tried to cover it up. But before he could speak, Xun Zhen’s cold voice rang out, “Yesterday, Wu Shuang instructed his maid Chun Tao to tell Liu Xunyi that he had a way to resolve Sui Zuo’s troubles, and advised Liu Xunyi to remain calm and wait for good news. It was precisely because of his trust in him that Liu Xunyi remained inactive.”

"This……"

"What exactly is this young hero Wu up to?" At this point, the shrewd Xie Xuan, like Liu Xunyi before him, began to suspect Wu Shuang's motives. However, he had a prior agreement with Xun Zhen, and the two held a tacit understanding. Furthermore, Wu Shuang had done a favor for the Prince Xian's mansion. Therefore, even though Xie Xuan knew something was amiss, he had no choice but to feign ignorance and ask Xun Zhen with some skepticism, "So, young hero Wu killed Guo Xian? And he deliberately spread the rumors outside?"

"Well...I'm not sure."

Where is Young Master Wu now? What are his next plans?

“Well… I’m not quite sure either.” Xun Zhen sighed and gave Xie Xuan a wry smile. “Please forgive me, Lord Xie. Although Wu Shuang and I are both under the command of the Young Prince of Qin, I haven’t seen him or had any contact with him since the end of the anti-traitor conference, just like you. Therefore, I know nothing about the ins and outs of this whole matter, and I don’t know whether Guo Xian’s death is related to him or not.”

"What does this mean?" Xie Xuan was increasingly confused. "Could it be that besides Young Master Wu, there is someone else who wants to kill Guo Xian?"

“Yesterday at the Donghai Teahouse, a mysterious person did see Zhang Xiong.” Reminded by Xie Xuan, Liu Xunyi couldn’t help but think of the significant Three-Flame Golden Hoop Wolf Fang and pondered, “He could also be the murderer of Guo Xian, and… he is more suspicious than Brother Wu.”

After speaking, Liu Xunyi secretly glanced at Xunzhen. This time, however, her gaze held less suspicion and more guilt.

"A mysterious person?" Xiao Zhirou's curiosity grew even stronger. "How come another mysterious person has appeared?"

“I’m ashamed! At first, I didn’t think this mysterious person would be involved with Guo Xian. I just thought he was meeting with Zhang Xiongyi to deal with me.” Liu Xunyi said helplessly. “That’s why I didn’t dare to act rashly. Thinking about it carefully, Brother Wu… probably wouldn’t plot against me, but this mysterious person is hard to tell whether he’s friend or foe.”

"This……"

"Liu Xunyi, how can you distrust me like this? How can I face you after all the trouble I've gone to to protect you? It's truly heartbreaking!"

Just as the council chamber was filled with whispers and discussions, a clear laugh suddenly rang out from outside.

Immediately afterward, a white figure descended from the sky, gracefully and elegantly leaping into the hall and landing leisurely before everyone. "Brother Wu!"

"Young Master Wu!"

Upon seeing Wu Shuang, everyone was excited and rushed forward to surround him, fearing that he would disappear again.

"Girl, what did I say?" Wu Shuang ignored the surrounding noise and teased the heartbroken Xun Zhen, "Some men are really unreliable. Even if you pour your heart out to them, they will only think you are scheming against them."

"You owe everyone an explanation." Xun Zhen clearly had no interest in joking with Wu Shuang and asked indifferently, "Did you kill Guo Xian?"

"Young Master Wu, what exactly happened?"

"Why did you kill Guo Xian instead of Zhang Xiong? Don't you know that Guo Xian is much easier to control than Zhang Xiong?"

"Guo Xian was the General of Luoyang. The Mongol court will definitely investigate his murder to the end!"

……

"Hey! Everyone, don't panic! Don't be alarmed!"

Faced with a barrage of questions, Wu Shuang didn't rush to explain. Instead, he kept waving his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. Then, he smiled at Liu Xunyi, who seemed hesitant to speak, and joked, "I owe you an explanation, and you owe me a favor."

"Oh?" Liu Xunyi raised an eyebrow and probed, "So, Guo Xian's death was truly Brother Wu's doing?"

“I did take his head, but I was just doing a small favor for someone.” Wu Shuang’s tone was relaxed and casual, as if he hadn’t taken a human head last night, but a cabbage. “The real owner is someone else.”

"What do you mean by that?" Liu Xunyi was secretly alarmed, but remained outwardly calm. "Could it be that the Master is Guo Xian's enemy?"

"We've known each other for quite some time now, so you should know I'm more of a gossip than a decision-maker." Wu Shuang stretched lazily, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, then casually draped one arm over Xu Heng's shoulder and the other over Ling Qing's. He gave Liu Xunyi a meaningful and amused look, and said with a smile, "He had no grudge against Guo Xian, and he killed someone for you. Let's put it this way! Someone wants to befriend you, so they came to me hoping I could use our friendship to introduce them. As for Guo Xian… consider it a gift from him. Of course, if he can handle Guo Xian for you, he'll naturally have a way to smooth things over afterward, so you can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, although those present were still confused and only vaguely understood, they gradually felt more at ease.

They knew that although Wu Shuang was cynical and unrestrained, he was by no means a boastful or careless person.

At this moment, Liu Xunyi had vaguely guessed that the "master" Wu Shuang mentioned was very likely the mysterious person who had secretly met Zhang Xiong at the Donghai Teahouse yesterday, and was also the true owner of that rare three-flame golden hoop wolf tooth.

"Just who is this person who has such great influence that they would actually bring out the top scholar on the Dragon Elephant Ranking to act as his advocate?"

"In front of Liu Xunyi today, I am absolutely unworthy of the title of 'top of the Dragon and Elephant Ranking'. Dragon and Elephant Mountain should reconsider the ranking of the Dragon and Elephant Ranking to prevent people from misleading the younger generation with those outdated almanacs."

"Brother Wu, you still haven't told me who the master is?" Yun Zhuiyue didn't even lift his eyelids in the face of Wu Shuang's banter, but Liu Xunyi was rather impatient.

"You've met this person before, but we're acquainted without any real connection. You've undergone a complete transformation and are far superior to the fugitive Liu Xunyi of the past. Therefore, he thinks you should get to know each other again."

"Get to know him again? It seems I was once penniless and unworthy to be associated with him. Ha, it seems this master is one to treat people differently based on their status." Wu Shuang's words gradually piqued Liu Xunyi's interest, and she grew increasingly curious about this mysterious man. "Who is he?"

"he……"

"Report!"

Before Wu Shuang could speak, a disciple of the Prince Xian's Mansion rushed into the council hall and knelt before Xie Xuan and Liu Xunyi with his hands clasped.

"What's the matter?"

"Reporting to the Lord and Young Master, there is a guest outside Danfeng Garden who requests an audience!"

"If we have guests, we have guests. What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and unseemly?" Xie Xuan said displeasedly. "Who is it?"

"The visitor refused to give his name, only saying...saying..."

"say what?"

“We are all just guests here; he is the true owner of this Maple Garden.”

……