Blood sedge

Chapter 1203 Each with their own thoughts
"This..." Liu Xunyi was completely bewildered by Lin Fangda's question and asked in surprise, "Aren't they at the Prince Xian's residence?"

“The Prince Xian’s Mansion? No…no.” Liu Xunyi’s answer made Lin Fangda’s eyes darken, and he slowly shook his head with a heavy expression. “When was the last time you saw them?”
“Before I went into seclusion.” Liu Xunyi frowned slightly, recalling the last time she saw Murong Bai and Deng Quan, while secretly pondering Lin Fangda’s true intention in suddenly bringing them up. “I thought that Seventh Master and Eighth Master were being managed by Second Master Xie at the Prince Xian’s residence, which is why they haven’t shown up recently. In addition, the matter of Sui Zuo has been keeping me occupied, so I haven’t paid much attention to them. But judging from what you said, elder brother… it seems that the two of them are currently missing?”

"I...I'm not sure either." Lin Fangda's answer was vague, as if he was deliberately avoiding certain questions.

The more cryptic Lin Fangda became, the more curious Liu Xunyi grew. He had intended to ask directly, but Lin Fangda's ambiguous attitude made him subconsciously swallow back the words that were about to slip out. After a moment's thought, Liu Xunyi feigned a nonchalant and relaxed demeanor, and smiled, "It's alright! They must have some important business to attend to, which is why they're not at home. Back in the day, we often went out on official business, sometimes for months at a time. Besides, Seventh Master and Eighth Master are both key figures in the Prince Xian's mansion, so they must be very busy and rarely have time to relax. It's not surprising that you can't find them right now, Brother."

"Did they say goodbye to you before they left?" Lin Fangda once again cast an urgent glance at Liu Xunyi.

“No… that’s not it. Perhaps they didn’t want to disturb my peace and quiet, so they left without saying goodbye.” Liu Xunyi pondered. “After all, Alliance Leader Teng and Lord Qin didn’t say goodbye to me in person when they left.”

"After you left the pass, did Second Master mention their whereabouts?" Lin Fangda was still unwilling to give up.

“No…” Liu Xunyi slowly shook his head. “Perhaps there have been too many troubles these past two days, and Second Master Xie was momentarily negligent.”

Although Liu Xunyi spoke lightly, her heart was already pounding with anxiety.

But what truly unsettled him was not the unknown whereabouts of Murong Bai and Deng Quan, but Lin Fangda's reticence.

Liu Xunyi knew her elder brother very well. He was not a cunning person and could not keep secrets. Seeing him so worried and conflicted, she guessed that there must be something fishy going on.

"Brother, you..."

"Looking for clothes!"

However, before Liu Xunyi could investigate, Xiao Zhirou's voice suddenly rang out from afar.

"Valley Master Xiao?"

"My name is Lin Fangda, greetings to Valley Master Xiao!"

When Xiao Zhirou approached, Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda reacted very differently. Compared to Liu Xunyi's surprise, Lin Fangda seemed to have expected it, and calmly bowed to Xiao Zhirou.

"Sect Leader Lin, they were just mentioning you. So you're here." Xiao Zhirou nodded to Lin Fangda first, then turned her scrutinizing gaze to the bewildered Liu Xunyi and asked with displeasure, "Where did you go last night?"

"Me?" Liu Xunyi's expression changed slightly as she realized she had something to hide, and she hurriedly tried to cover it up, "I was sleeping in my room last night..."

"Lying!" Xiao Zhirou rarely showed anger in front of Liu Xunyi. "I just went to your room. The candles were burned out and the bedding was neatly made. It was obvious that you didn't come home all night. I also asked Wu Hui and the others, and they all said they knew nothing about it."

"I……"

“Afu was so drunk he was completely unconscious. When I woke him up, he knew nothing. Do you know how worried I was?” Xiao Zhirou scolded. “Xunyi, you’re not a child anymore. How can you act so frivolously? Luckily, I was the one who found out first. If others had known you were missing for a night, Danfeng Garden would have been in complete chaos!”

"Valley Master Xiao is right to reprimand me; I was wrong." After saying this, Liu Xunyi cautiously probed again, "Then now..."

"Don't worry! The inner court guards are all disciples of the Valley of Heartbreak. I have just instructed them that no one is allowed to reveal your whereabouts. They know what they're doing."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xunyi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed to Xiao Zhirou to express her gratitude.

"No need for thanks! Why don't you tell your mother where you went last night?"

"I... I had some personal matters to attend to last night." Liu Xunyi stammered nervously, "I swear, it really was a private matter and had nothing to do with anyone else."

Seeing that Liu Xunyi was evasive and silent, Xiao Zhirou couldn't bear to press her too much. So she softened her tone and patiently advised, "Xunyi, I'm not interfering with your freedom, nor am I trying to control your decisions. I just hope that whatever you do in the future, you can at least leave a message so that we won't have to worry unnecessarily."

"I will heed your teachings and remember them!" Liu Xunyi knew that Xiao Zhirou had no ill intentions towards her, so she did not argue but listened respectfully to her teachings and accepted all her admonitions and advice.

This incident also reflects Liu Xunyi's changing mindset towards Xiao Zhirou, from unfamiliarity to familiarity, from resistance to acceptance, from politeness to respect...

Although he still hasn't changed his way of addressing her, he has gradually accepted and acknowledged Xiao Zhirou as his mother, which has led to a subtle change in his words and actions in front of her.

Xiao Zhirou was incredibly perceptive; how could she not notice Liu Xunyi's changes? She was naturally delighted by this.

"Valley Master Xiao just mentioned 'they'..." Lin Fangda, looking embarrassed, seized the opportunity to interject, "But have the others from the Prince Xian's Mansion arrived?"

“Xie Xuan, Su Tang, Luo Qi, Ling Qing, Xu Heng and others have just arrived at the council hall one after another,” Xiao Zhirou replied. “Originally, you were going to discuss the family affairs of the Prince Xian’s Mansion today, and it was not appropriate for outsiders to interfere. However, this matter concerns my son’s future, so as his mother, I have to ask a few more questions.”

"That's right! That's right!" In front of Xiao Zhirou, Lin Fang was terrified and dared not make any rash moves.

“Xunyi, the people from the Prince Xian’s Mansion have come for you today. What exactly Xie Xuan summoned them to discuss… you should know.” Seemingly mindful of Lin Fangda’s presence, Xiao Zhirou couldn’t speak directly, so she offered a meaningful reminder. “I… I can roughly guess,” Liu Xunyi said with a wry smile. “To be honest, I didn’t expect Second Master Xie to be so concerned. Actually, I’m not in a hurry at all…”

“You’re not worried, but Xie Xuan is,” Xiao Zhirou explained. “With Luo Tianjin’s dying entrustment to him and your rise to fame after your battle, if he continues to control the Prince Xian’s Mansion, the rumors circulating in the martial arts world will be enough to ruin his reputation.”

"Ahem!" Lin Fangda, feeling awkward after hearing Xiao Zhirou tease Xie Xuan, coughed twice and took the opportunity to change the subject, "In that case, Valley Master Xiao, why don't you come with us? I believe Second Master will give everyone a satisfactory explanation."

"Alright!"

Xiao Zhirou readily agreed to Lin Fangda's suggestion, and the three of them, without further delay, headed towards the council hall together.

……

"Looking for clothes!"

Just as Liu Xunyi was about to step into the council hall, Lin Fangda suddenly grabbed his arm from behind.

"Is something the matter, brother?"

Faced with Liu Xunyi's puzzled gaze, Lin Fangda hesitated for a moment, then slowly released his hand, forcing a smile: "No...it's nothing, go in!"

After speaking, without waiting for Liu Xunyi to ask any further questions, Lin Fangda had already stepped into the council hall without looking back.

After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, Lin Fangda found a seat near a corner, seemingly afraid of attracting attention.

On the other hand, Liu Xunyi couldn't wait to look around as soon as he entered the room, quickly searching for the beautiful figure that haunted his dreams.

However, all those present were disciples of the Prince Xian's Mansion, and the person he wanted to see was nowhere to be found. After a fruitless search, a hint of disappointment flashed across Liu Xunyi's expectant eyes.

This scene was witnessed by Xiao Zhirou, who was standing next to him.

"Xunyi, you've arrived."

Upon seeing Liu Xunyi, Xie Xuan immediately stopped talking to the others, quickly stood up to greet her, and at the same time, he bowed to Xiao Zhirou. His expression showed no unusualness, as if Xie Xuan was not surprised by Xiao Zhirou's appearance.

The once noisy council hall fell silent from this moment on. Everyone's eyes were focused on Liu Xunyi, but each person's expression was different. Some were excited, some were happy, some were hopeful, some were looking forward to it... while others were confused, some were uneasy, some were worried, and some were gloomy... Each person had their own thoughts, making it quite a fascinating scene.

Seeing this scene, Liu Xunyi finally understood the good intentions behind Xunzhen's "being prepared" and Xiao Zhirou's "having a clear understanding".
"Second Master Xie, what is this all about today..." Although Liu Xunyi already knew Xie Xuan's intentions, she still pretended to be clueless on the surface. Especially when she saw old acquaintances like Su Tang and Luo Qi, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, she made no attempt to hide her surprise.

"Of course it's for you!"

"for me?"

"Not bad!"

Before he finished speaking, Xie Xuan had already grabbed Liu Xunyi's left wrist tightly and pushed him to the main seat in the hall without saying a word, while he himself sat in the auxiliary seat on the right.

"No! Absolutely not..."

"Don't refuse!" Facing the trembling Liu Xunyi, Xie Xuan's expression hardened, and he said righteously, "This position should have been yours originally. I was only temporarily filling in."

"But I haven't officially taken over the seal yet, so how could I..."

"Hey! Although the ceremony for taking the seal has not yet been held, those are just formalities to appease outsiders. Today, everyone here is one of us, so there's no need to be so formal," Xie Xuan said with a carefree smile.

"But……"

"Xunyi, you keep refusing. Do you expect me to lead my men in performing the three bows and nine kowtows before you'll agree?"

"Absolutely not!"

Seeing that Xie Xuan's mind was made up and he didn't seem to be putting on an act, Liu Xunyi didn't want to offend him. He secretly glanced at the composed Xiao Zhirou, and then looked at the preoccupied Lin Fangda. After hesitating for a long time, he finally made up his mind and slowly sat down under the watchful eyes of everyone.

However, before Liu Xunyi's bottom could even touch the chair, an untimely voice suddenly rang out in the hall, immediately interrupting his actions and breaking the tense and solemn atmosphere.

"May I ask, young master, do you truly dare to sit in this position? And are you capable of holding it firmly?"

……