Blood sedge

Chapter 1209 Mother and Son's Farewell (Part Two)

For Xiao Zhirou and Teng Sanshi, Buzhengmen was like a wife they had married into the family. Although they hadn't raised her, she was firmly bound to their family until death, so naturally they had to help her more and be closer to her.

The Prince Xian's Mansion is like a son who marries into a wealthy family; even if he takes charge of the household one day, he is still managing someone else's business.

Ultimately, they are not of the same surname; there will always be a layer between them.

For Xie Xuan and the Prince Xian's Mansion, the analogy is exactly the opposite. Liu Xunyi's entry into the Prince Xian's Mansion is a true succession of the family business, a direct line of inheritance. His creation of the Buzheng Gate, independent of the Prince Xian's Mansion, is more like a daughter waiting to be married. Although she is a member of the family, she doesn't know when someone else will capture her heart and cause her to become estranged from the main family.

Therefore, neither the Prince Xian's Mansion, nor the Valley of Heartbreak, nor the Teng Clan of Xiangxi dared to pressure Liu Xunyi too much in the future, nor dared to go too far away, lest they benefit others for nothing because of their own mistakes.

This is also a major reason why Liu Xunyi insisted on starting her own business.

In truth, only he himself knew that the establishment of the Buzhengmen was not out of arrogance, but to reduce mutual suspicion and unnecessary infighting, and at the same time to avoid becoming a puppet of any faction.

However, everyone is calculating their own gains and losses right now, so how many people know his true intentions? And how many can understand them?

"So good!"

Liu Xunyi knew that Xiao Zhirou had other considerations besides family ties, but he didn't mind, because he also had his own plans, which was only human nature.

Seeing Liu Xunyi's nonchalant attitude, Xiao Zhirou couldn't help but feel worried. She said, "Xunyi, establishing a sect is no small matter. You must not be reckless or careless. Right now, you need people, so I should stay by your side..."

"What 'founding a sect'? Valley Master Xiao, you're exaggerating. There's no need for me to interfere with your own affairs," Liu Xunyi politely declined. "Brother Tang has already told me that Kunlun Sect Leader Yin Baimei has repeatedly invited Valley Master Xiao to Kunlun Mountain for a meeting. Now that Valley Master Xiao has finally put aside his prejudices and agreed to go, if anything changes because of me, I'm afraid Leader Yin will hate me to the core, and perhaps… he might even lead a group to demand an explanation." Haha…

Faced with Liu Xunyi's teasing, Xiao Zhirou shook her head slowly with a serious expression: "In my heart, only your and Ping'er's affairs are the important matters, and the most important matters at that."

Having said that, seeing that Liu Xunyi still insisted on not letting her stay, Xiao Zhirou didn't press the matter further. Changing the subject, she continued, "Actually, I have no interest in the Kunlun Sect. My decision to accept the invitation wasn't for Yin Baimei, but rather because I happened to be passing through Kunlun Mountain and thought it wouldn't hurt to go. Firstly, it's to give Senior Ye Tong an explanation. He came from Kunlun and taught me martial arts, showing me great kindness. Out of respect for him, I shouldn't be too cold to the Kunlun Sect. Secondly, you've just established yourself in the Central Plains martial arts world and urgently need to cultivate good relationships with these powerful and prestigious sects. My trip is also to help you win over Yin Baimei, lest he be fickle and cause trouble in the future."

Liu Xunyi was deeply moved and quickly stood up, cupping her hands in a respectful bow: "Valley Master Xiao has always been considerate of me; I am truly..."

“You are my son, why bother with these formalities?” Xiao Zhirou helped Liu Xunyi sit down and continued, “The reason I had the opportunity to pass through Kunlun Mountain is ultimately because of you.” As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Tang Afu, who was sitting upright and listening attentively, “Of course, Afu also deserves credit.”

"What do you mean?" Liu Xunyi frowned, clearly not understanding Xiao Zhirou's meaning.

“Wu Shuang has already told me the whereabouts of Master Kongsheng,” Xiao Zhirou answered directly. “He also said that Xu Qingnian once traveled a long way to visit his old friend, but was turned away because he came uninvited and almost got the door closed.”

"I've heard about this too..."

“Grandma Peach Blossom is Master Kongsheng’s adopted daughter, and their bond is extremely deep. Her only wish in this life is to see Master Kongsheng again and reminisce about our father-daughter relationship. Therefore, I don’t want her to end up like Xu Qingnian, traveling a long and arduous journey only to return disappointed.” Xiao Zhirou calmly expressed her thoughts, her expression and tone quite firm. Clearly, she already had her own arrangements and plans for this matter. “Moreover, Grandma Peach Blossom is quite old, and the long journey and arduous travel will greatly damage her health. I’m worried that she won’t be able to handle it.”

“Valley Master Xiao is right.” Liu Xunyi only half understood and could only nod slowly. “So, what Valley Master Xiao means is…”

“I think we should not disturb Granny Peach Blossom for now, so as not to trouble her. I will go to the Western Regions to visit Master Kongsheng on her behalf, and then try to persuade him to come out of seclusion.”

"Leaving the mountain?" Xiao Zhirou's answer surprised Liu Xunyi greatly. "I didn't know what 'leaving the mountain' meant..."

"It's about inviting Master Kong Sheng to personally travel to Changbai Mountain to have a chat with Granny Peach Blossom!" "This..." Xiao Zhirou's audacious idea almost made Liu Xunyi's jaw drop. He stared blankly at the serious Xiao Zhirou, blinked hard, and tugged at his ears, afraid that he had misheard. "Master Kong Sheng is over a hundred years old and is Granny Peach Blossom's elder. To ask him to travel thousands of miles to Changbai Mountain to see his adopted daughter... Valley Master Xiao, are you joking?"

"Don't you think it's inappropriate?" Xiao Zhirou asked seriously.

"Of course that's inappropriate!" Seeing that Xiao Zhirou wasn't joking, Liu Xunyi, in her haste, quickly retorted, "Who is Master Kongsheng? Xu Qingnian has a close relationship with him, and even when he took the initiative to visit him, he was left looking rather embarrassed. Now, Valley Master Xiao actually fantasizes about inviting him to come out of seclusion..."

"Master Kong Sheng may have a transcendent status, but the Valley Master is no nobody either." Tang Afu couldn't stand anyone mocking Xiao Zhirou, so he indignantly interjected, "The Valley Master of Heartless Valley is truly the number one person in the martial arts world today. Isn't her personal visit enough to show her sincerity?"

"This……"

The fact that Xiao Zhirou was so reckless had already left Liu Xunyi in disbelief, but now that Tang Afu, who was equally unpredictable, had appeared, he was even more dumbfounded and speechless.

“It’s not that Mother is ignorant of human relationships, but Wu Shuang told me that Master Kong Sheng has a very strange temper. If he doesn’t want to see someone, even if they kneel to death in front of him, he won’t even lift an eyelid. If he wants to see someone, even mountains of knives and seas of fire can’t stop him. Therefore, my purpose in going there this time is to test how much affection he still has for Granny Peach Blossom,” Xiao Zhirou explained patiently. “Furthermore, although Master Kong Sheng is over a hundred years old, under the protection of his unpredictable martial arts, he has been in good health for decades, and his spirit and strength are no less than those of a young man. If he wants to, he can cross mountains and rivers as if walking on flat ground, and thousands of miles are within his reach. On the other hand, Granny Peach Blossom is, after all, an elderly woman, and is worlds apart from Master Kong Sheng, who possesses unparalleled martial arts.”

"What Master Xiao means is... if Master Kongsheng agrees to come out of seclusion, it means that he still cares about Granny Peach Blossom and is very willing to meet her. If he insists on not coming out of seclusion, it means that he has forgotten his past friendship with Granny Peach Blossom, and even if Granny Peach Blossom comes to visit him, he may not pay any attention to her."

"Exactly!" Seeing that Liu Xunyi was gradually understanding her good intentions, Xiao Zhirou couldn't help but show a happy expression. "If Master Kongsheng has indeed severed his worldly ties, why should I let Granny Peach Blossom risk serious injury and go through all that trouble for nothing? She might even feel depressed and saddened because of Master Kongsheng's 'ruthlessness'."

"Isn't Granny Peach Blossom's wish to see Master Kongsheng again?" Liu Xunyi asked, puzzled. "Since it's just to see him again, why worry about Master Kongsheng being 'heartless'? At worst... we can just sit with Master Kongsheng for a while and have a cup of tea, like Xu Qingnian did. At least we've seen him, haven't we?"

“Xunyi, you don’t know the past between Granny Peach Blossom and Master Kongsheng, nor do you understand her feelings for her adoptive father. If she only has a cold and distant meeting, Granny Peach Blossom, who is full of expectations, will definitely be greatly disappointed, because what she hopes for is to reunite with her adoptive father, not to meet a highly accomplished monk who has severed all emotions and desires. Do you understand the difference between the two?”

"Well..." Faced with Xiao Zhirou's question, Liu Xunyi nodded thoughtfully, seemingly understanding, and then shook her head.

“If Master Kongsheng has no intention of recognizing her as his adopted daughter again, then for Granny Peach Blossom, seeing her... is actually worse than not seeing her.” Xiao Zhirou said helplessly, “Not seeing her will at least allow Granny Peach Blossom to forever retain her inner expectations and beauty. There may be some regrets, but at least she won’t be disappointed. But if the person she sees is not the one she wants to see, the feeling of shattered expectations and no hope left... is far more painful than missing a deceased person.”

"This……"

Liu Xunyi could understand Xiao Zhirou's meaning, but he couldn't completely agree with it. He was about to say a few more words of advice when he suddenly changed his mind. This matter didn't really concern him, and his understanding of Granny Peach Blossom was indeed not as comprehensive as Xiao Zhirou's. If Granny Peach Blossom were to suffer any harm because of his words, then his sin would be too great.

With this in mind, Liu Xunyi stopped pressing the matter and seized the opportunity to change the subject: "So, Wu Shuang will be traveling with Valley Master Xiao?"

“Of course! Without his introduction, how could I have met Master Kongsheng?” After admitting it, Xiao Zhirou’s gaze toward Liu Xunyi suddenly became somewhat conflicted. After hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly spoke slowly, “Actually, besides Wu Shuang, there are two other people who will also be traveling with us.”

"Who is it?" Xiao Zhirou's strange behavior aroused Liu Xunyi's suspicion.

“One is Ping’er, and the other is…” At this point, Xiao Zhirou’s expression became increasingly embarrassed, and a hint of guilt welled up in her eyes as she looked at Liu Xunyi, as if what she was about to say would displease Liu Xunyi.

"Ping'er... Ping'er..."

Seeing Xiao Zhirou's awkward expression as she hesitated to speak, and recalling that one of her companions was Yun Jianping, Liu Xunyi, who was full of doubts, thought for a moment and immediately understood.

"The other person that Valley Master Xiao mentioned, could it be... Yun Zhuiyue?"

……