Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 33 Persuasion
Lin Xuan was slightly taken aback by the black-robed man's question.

Does he like Aro?

The answer is certainly yes.

Who doesn't like a pretty, well-behaved, and gentle girl?
However, this liking is not romantic love.

Given his current situation, it's impossible for him to have romantic feelings for any woman.

Faced with life and death, he didn't believe anyone could still be in the mood for romance.

All his thoughts were focused on how to escape his current predicament and how to kill the man in black robes in front of him. Before that, he would not consider any personal feelings.

Poisoned by a curse, caught in the infighting of officialdom, and pressured by the Nanzhao Kingdom, he knew that once his identity as a spy was exposed, he would die without a burial place. In his more than twenty years of life, he had never borne such heavy and suffocating shackles.

The slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin.

This beautiful girl was the only ray of light to shine into his dark world, and a safe haven for his spirit.

That's why he acted without considering the consequences at that moment.

Seeing that Lin Xuan did not answer, the man in black robes remained silent for a long time before reminding him, "Feelings... are not a good thing for a spy. Being too sentimental will get you killed sooner or later."

Lin Xuan didn't continue the topic and took the initiative to speak: "Sir, I had already gained Wu Baihu's trust and had access to some relatively important intelligence. Shen Baihu's arrival has disrupted our original plans. I believe we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom..."

The man in black robes sized up Lin Xuan, his gaze turning surprised.

She knew exactly what kind of people her subordinates were.

His heart never truly belonged to Nanzhao. He would procrastinate whenever possible, and was passive and lazy. If I hadn't pressed him step by step and even threatened him with Gu worms, he would still be wasting his days in Jingbian Division...

Shen Qingya was parachuted into Sizhou, sidelining Wu Baihu and pushing him to the edge of power. He appeared angry, but he was probably very happy inside.

He must have been thinking that this way he wouldn't get access to important intelligence, wouldn't have to work for Nanzhao, and besides, it wasn't his fault, so he couldn't be too harsh on him...

This seemingly lazy person suddenly became proactive, which took her a while to adjust to.

After a brief moment of surprise, the man in black coughed lightly and said, "Tell me your thoughts..."

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "In the Jingbian Division, the only one who can rival Commander Shen is Commander Wu. If we can help Commander Wu regain power, he will definitely regard me as a trusted confidant, and we will also be able to access more confidential intelligence..."

The man in black robes chuckled and said indifferently, "I thought you had some good ideas. Shen Qingya has a powerful background. If this Wu fellow could defeat him, how could he have fallen to his current state?"

Lin Xuan said with a serious expression, "How will we know if we don't try?"

The man in black robes looked into his eyes and saw something unfamiliar that he had never seen before.

This made her feel a little surprised.

Could it be that he really has a solution?
The thought flashed through my mind, only to be replaced by a strange anger.

That bastard, if he had a way, why didn't he say so earlier?

If it weren't for what happened today, he probably would have continued living that kind of life...

Realizing the reason behind this, her gaze behind the mask became complex and unfathomable. Looking at Lin Xuan, her tone carried an ambiguous meaning: "It seems you really like her..."

Then, she changed the subject and asked, "What do you need me to do? I'll do my best to cooperate..."

Lin Xuan waved his hand and said, "No need to trouble you, sir. I can handle this alone."

Man in black robe: "..."

He doesn't even need my help, just how much ability is this guy hiding?
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger, and said, "I'm waiting to see your performance..."

……

The following morning, after returning to the Jingbian Division to report for duty, Lin Xuan sat in the duty room for a while before leaving the Jingbian Division.

He strolled leisurely through several streets and alleys, making sure no one was following him, before finally arriving at a tall gate on a secluded street.

Lin Xuan raised his head, looked at the two large characters "Wu Mansion", walked forward, and slowly knocked on the door knocker.

"Squeak..."

The door opened a crack, and an old voice asked from the doorway, "Who is it?"

Lin Xuan said, "Lin Xuan, a flag officer of the Jingbian Division, requests an audience with Wu, a centurion."

The old man was silent for a moment before saying, "Wait a moment, I'll go and inform the master..."

Lin Xuan waited for a while, then slow footsteps came from behind the door. The door was pushed open a crack, and an old voice said, "Come in."

Led by the gatekeeper, Lin Xuan walked through several corridors and arrived at a quiet courtyard.

In the center of the courtyard, Wu Baihu stood with his back to him in front of a large desk, seemingly painting.

Lin Xuan stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinate Lin Xuan greets Commander Baihu."

Wu Baihu paused slightly in his writing, but did not turn around. He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and his tone somewhat complicated: "I never expected that you would be the first one to come to my residence."

He was once incredibly powerful, with countless people lining up at his doorstep to give him gifts.

After he was completely sidelined by Commander Shen, no guests ever came to his residence again.

Including his former confidants.

In his eyes, Lin Xuan was the most astute person in the Jingbian Division, and also the least likely person to come here.

Lin Xuan said sincerely, "I am sorry that I have only come to visit you, Commander, today. Please forgive me."

Commander Wu waved his hand, his movements somewhat weak, and said, "Currently, the Jingbian Division only has one commander, and that is Commander Shen..."

Then, he changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about that anymore. This is my new work, come and take a look..."

Lin Xuan walked to Wu Baihu's side, in front of him was a landscape painting that was about to be completed.

Although he didn't understand painting, he could tell that Wu Baihu's paintings showed some skill.

This is a painting of bamboo in ink, painted with remarkable realism, but it always feels like something is missing.

The whole painting looks lifeless and devoid of vitality.

Lin Xuan looked away from the painting and said in a deep voice, "My lord, I did not come here today to appreciate the painting."

Wu Baihu finally put down his pen, slowly raised his head, and looked at Lin Xuan.

With just one glance, Lin Xuan's heart sank slightly.

Wu Baihu looked even more haggard than a few days ago. His head was covered with many white hairs, his eye bags were heavy, and his eyes had almost completely lost their luster, like two dry wells, exuding a deep, almost deathly stillness.

After just a few days apart, Wu Baihu looked as if he had aged more than ten years.

He forced a smile, his voice hoarse, and slowly said, "I know everything that happened at the Jingbian Division. Shen Qingya has powerful connections, so he won't make things too difficult for a mere banner officer like you. Although Huang Yue is narrow-minded, if you apologize to him and lower your head, you'll only have to pay a little money, and that will be the end of it. When you're under someone's roof, you have to know how to be patient. I believe you understand this principle..."

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, looked intently at Wu Baihu, and asked in return, "It's fine for me to endure for a while, but sir—are you really willing to accept this?"

Wu Baihu's eyelids twitched a few times, his breathing became heavy, and the veins on his clenched fists bulged.

Are you willing?

After more than a decade of wasting time in his deputy position, he had been cautious and meticulous in his work, and just when he was about to see the light at the end of the tunnel, he was easily crushed by a parachuted-in scion of a powerful family and betrayed by a vicious dog he had personally promoted. Even his last shred of dignity was trampled underfoot. How could he accept this?
He wished he could devour its flesh raw!

But what could he do even if he was unwilling to accept it?
Shen Qingya has a powerful background, but his backer is unwilling to make any effort for him.

How can he, alone, contend with the Qingliu Group?

He exhaled a deep breath, slowly loosened his fist, and said, "I'm old now, I can't fight anymore, and I don't want to fight anymore. I just enjoy flowers and paint every day, and that's enough for me, peaceful and carefree..."

Wu Baihu had clearly become withdrawn; Lin Xuan could not sense any fighting spirit from him.

However, in that brief moment, he did see a raging fire in Wu Baihu's eyes.

He stepped forward, his voice even more earnest: "My lord, you are not old at all. At your age, it is the time to strive and fight. As long as you are willing to compete, I am willing to lend you a helping hand..."

Commander Wu closed his eyes, pondered for a long time, then exhaled and said, "I'm tired. You may go back..."

Lin Xuan remained silent for a moment, then slowly clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a heavy voice, "Since you, sir, are unwilling to continue the struggle, I shall take my leave."

After saying that, he turned and left.

However, he took extremely small steps.

The only sound in the entire courtyard was the gentle sound of his footsteps.

Just as Lin Xuan was about to step through the gate and leave the courtyard, a voice, extremely suppressed and seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, finally came from behind him.

"and many more!"

(End of this chapter)