The deepest affection in Gu Long's world

Chapter 175 Li Xunhuan Enters the Game
Sun Xiaohong's feelings for Ding Baiyun are complicated.

The two have been friends since childhood, but because of their different backgrounds, their relationship is not so pure. Moreover, Ding Baiyun has always been self-centered, and getting along with this kind of person is a very tiring thing.

However, it would be an exaggeration to say that there is absolutely no friendship between the two sides.

Just like Ding Baiyun's concern for Sun Xiaohong.

For example, after Sun Xiaohong realized that Fang Yunhua and Lin Xian'er were really eyeing each other, she immediately became weak and started to make excuses for Ding Baiyun.

In short, relationships between women are a very complex subject.

"So you came here just to watch the show?" Ding Baiyun asked, her face full of curiosity.

"That's it."

Watching Li Xunhuan get his comeuppance was also an amusing experience for Sun Xiaohong.

"Perfect timing to come with me~"

Although Ding Baiyun's tone was not forceful, his directness in deciding the matter still made Sun Xiaohong snort with some dissatisfaction.

The key point is that Fang Yunhua has already entrusted her to keep an eye on this restless and wicked woman, so she can only nod in agreement.

"Find an opportunity to introduce me to the most beautiful woman in the world."

"She may not have time to see you."

Ding Baiyun frowned. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she stopped herself from speaking.

Although he had been referring to Lin Xian'er as his sugar daddy with a hint of disdain, he remembered his brother's earlier reminder and the fact that even Sun Xiaohong had to call her "Sister Xian'er."

Even though she thought the other party was likely a kept woman deliberately cultivated by some powerful person, and she truly looked down on such people, she also understood that if she continued to talk nonsense, she might bring a big trouble upon herself and the Ding family for no reason.

This forced her to suppress some of her emotions and say something that seemed somewhat indifferent.

"She will always show up eventually. I don't think it's just a coincidence that the most beautiful woman in the world is here."

Sun Xiaohong shrugged, a sly glint in her eyes. She noticed that Ding Baiyun seemed to have misunderstood something and also discovered the other party's inexplicable fear of Lin Xian'er. This finally gave her an opportunity to tease the other party.

Meanwhile, Fang Yunhua and Afei, who had been eavesdropping on the rooftop, had already left.

Because the conversation between Sun Xiaohong and Ding Baiyun that followed was really pointless, consisting of the little girl's sharp exchanges and bickering, as well as various speculations about his identity as a sugar daddy.

Some high-ranking official in the imperial court.

What kind of deeply hidden powerful clan or tycoon?

And yet another mysterious island owner from overseas.

In short, as they chatted, Fang Yunhua realized that Ding Baiyun's curiosity about Lin Xian'er had inexplicably shifted to him. The key point was that he wasn't the sugar daddy; in fact, he was the one being supported by Lin Xian'er all along.

When the matter was brought up with Lin Xian'er that evening, Lin Xian'er simply smiled.

The other party had actually secretly observed Ding Baiyun, but then easily put him out of their minds. Now, both Lin Xian'er and Fang Yunhua were focusing more on Long Xiaoyun's plan.

For example, the rumors about minotaurs that have already spread in the outside world.

Long Xiaoyun actually still cares about maintaining Lin Shiyin's reputation. He just tells the story of how Li Xunhuan, relying on his relationship with him, repeatedly visited his sister-in-law, but she was cold to him. Yet, Li Xunhuan just had to be so eager to please her.

That's not exactly a lie, because that's exactly what Lao Li has been doing these past few days.

He seemed to have forgotten his current situation.

No one informed him that his reputation was getting worse and worse.

Even though Old Li noticed that the people in the village were becoming increasingly hostile towards him, he didn't care. Given Old Li's inherent arrogance, he probably didn't take these oddballs seriously.

This actually isolates it further.

If he had visited Fang Yunhua more often, he might have attracted the attention of some people in the village, who might have changed their attitude towards him.

But perhaps the psychological blow that Lao Li suffered in the last Tie Chuanjia incident was too severe.

So much so that he himself was somewhat apprehensive about meeting Fang Yunhua.

Moreover, with his adopted son by his side now, he's even less likely to go to Fang Yunhua's place to be abused when he's bored.

Li Xunhuan is a person who is very good at escaping from himself.

Before, when he was in the dilapidated temple, he was thinking about how to handle his relationship with Lin Shiyin. Now, he no longer thinks about those things. He is filled with anticipation of seeing Lin Shiyin every day, and even his sleep quality has improved a lot.

Tonight, he was suddenly awakened by strange noises outside!

A dark shadow swept past the window, and just then the sound of a night watchman's drum rang out.

Third update!

This is a delicate moment in time. A few days ago, in the middle of the night, he killed Qiu Du and fought with Mr. Tie Di. Afterwards, he was targeted by Zhao Zhengyi, which led to him being unfairly implicated in some suspicious incidents.

And he naturally hadn’t forgotten that this was also the time when the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits always made his move!

Upon suddenly remembering that Xingyun Manor had been targeted by the Plum Blossom Bandits, he immediately got up, dressed, and rushed out of the house without even having time to put on a thick fur coat in the cold winter.

He didn't consider that the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits might be targeting Lin Xian'er, because he knew that if the other party really went headfirst into it, he would probably be beaten to death by Fang Yunhua.

Now, he is more worried about Lin Shiyin.

Although he had met with Lin Shiyin several times in that small building in recent days, their conversations totaled less than ten sentences, yet Li Xunhuan was still very clear about Lin Shiyin's situation.

Because Long Xiaoyun had already proactively told Li Xunhuan some things.

For example, my parents have been living separately since they had a big fight.

For example, Long Xiaoyun has been arranging the defense of the entire Baoding Prefecture in order to capture the Plum Blossom Bandit. Sometimes he may not even return to Xingyun Manor at night.

As for Li Xunhuan, there wasn't much time for him to think deeply. He only knew that it was the third watch of the night, a shadowy figure suspected to be the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits had appeared, Xingyun Manor's defenses were insufficient, Long Xiaoyun might not be inside the manor, and Lin Shiyin might be in some danger.

Having reached this conclusion, he leaped into the air, his speed indescribable!
When he arrived at the small building, he did not see the dark figure that had suddenly disappeared.

This made Li Xunhuan hesitate, wondering if he had just seen things wrong, or if it was just a hallucination in his sleep.

He stopped downstairs at the foot of the small building, looked up, and noticed that the lights inside the window were still on.

It's so late, is Lin Shiyin still not asleep?

Li Xunhuan felt a bit worried. If it were completely dark inside, he might have chosen to leave immediately. But this unusual situation left him no time to think further, so he rushed inside. Upon entering the small building, the first thing he saw was five wine cups on the table where he often sat these days. The bottoms of the cups were embedded in the tabletop, and upon closer inspection, they formed a plum blossom shape!
Plum Blossom Thief!
Has Lin Shiyin fallen into the hands of the Plum Blossom Thief?
Li Xunhuan pressed his hand on the table, his strength penetrating his palm, and the five wine cups bounced up!
As he took the wine glass, his palms were already sweating.

At this moment, Li Xunhuan's mind was completely blank. He dared not continue to speculate, but his body began to tremble due to the overwhelming fear.

Just then, a sharp sound rang out, and the lamp on the table was extinguished. Then, a gust of wind filled the room, and countless hidden weapons came flying at Li Xunhuan from all directions.

But what hidden weapon in the world can compare to Little Li's Flying Dagger!

Li Xunhuan turned his body and caught seventeen or eighteen hidden weapons with both hands. He then leaped into the air. The hidden weapons that he did not catch all passed by his feet.

Only then did shouts and yells rang out from outside the small building!

"Plum Blossom Thief, you can't escape now, come out and die!"

"Even if you have extraordinary abilities, we will make sure you die without a burial place today!"

"To tell you the truth, Master Tian from Luoyang Prefecture has arrived today, along with Hero Gongsun, Senior Green Demon Hand, Master Zhao, Master Qin, and Master Long—"

Li Xunhuan's originally pale face finally regained some color, and his first thought was that Lin Shiyin was alright.

But the second thought that popped into my head was that I had fallen into a trap!
Then another person spoke up.

"Now that my friend has arrived, why won't you come out to greet him?"

Li Xunhuan, whose expression had changed drastically, gradually regained his composure.

He was trying to figure out how to break the deadlock while dealing with the current situation.

He coughed lightly twice, his voice rough: "Now that you've all arrived, why won't you come in and greet me?"

Another commotion arose outside, with people saying, "This kid is trying to lure us into the house."

Then another voice rang out, drowning out all the others.

The voice was clear and loud, proclaiming, "The Plum Blossom Thieves are nothing but a bunch of petty thieves who only steal chickens and dogs in the dark. They dare not show their faces to anyone. Even the so-called leader of the Plum Blossom Thieves is nothing more than the head of a bunch of chickens and dogs."

Instead of asking for a direct answer, they used provocation, and everyone immediately started cursing back.

Upon hearing this, Li Xunhuan became even calmer.

He knew very well that with his strength, it was impossible for him to leave safely in this encirclement.

If that's the case, continuing to cover it up would only play into the hands of those who want to harm us.

So he responded loudly:

"Yes, the Plum Blossom Thief is indeed acting suspiciously, but what does that have to do with me?"

The clear voice asked again, "If you're not the Plum Blossom Thief, then who are you?"

Another person spoke up at this moment: "Why is Master Gongsun asking him what he wants? Master Zhao is absolutely certain that this person is the Plum Blossom Thief."

At that moment, Li Xunhuan understood everything.

He suddenly burst into laughter.

"Zhao Zhengyi, I knew all along that this was all one of your tricks!"

Amidst laughter, he darted out of the window like a swallow. Outside, some of the heroes shouted and rushed forward, while others screamed and retreated.

But Long Xiaoyun stepped forward: "Everyone, don't make a move! This is my brother, Li Xunhuan!"

Li Xunhuan turned around and found Zhao Zhengyi. He rushed in front of him and smiled, "Uncle Zhao, you have a very good eye. If I hadn't been quick-witted, I would have been the scapegoat for the Plum Blossom Bandits by now. That would have been a truly unjust death."

Zhao Zhengyi's face turned ashen, and his expression grew even colder: "In the dead of night, someone sneaks into my sister-in-law's place. Considering all the rumors circulating outside, it's hard for me not to suspect you of being the Plum Blossom Thief!"

Upon hearing this, Long Xiaoyun's face turned even more ashen than Zhao Zhengyi's.

He noticed that the gazes of the surrounding heroes were becoming somewhat strange, but he didn't say anything. He just frowned and remained firmly standing beside Li Xunhuan.

Although Li Xunhuan sensed something amiss in those words, he had no time to dwell on it.

"I saw a dark shadow rushing this way, so I chased after it, but I didn't find my sister-in-law. Instead, I saw something on the table."

"A dark shadow? That's absurd!" Zhao Zhengyi sneered, interrupting the other party.

"Even so, it's not too late for you to find out the truth before you take action."

"To deal with someone like the Plum Blossom Thief, the only way is to strike first; it will be too late to make a move once you have a clear understanding of the situation."

Li Xunhuan had already realized that the other party was determined to destroy him. He also recalled the previous Tie Chuanjia incident, which was also due to the other party's betrayal. If Fang Yunhua hadn't intervened in time, his old servant probably wouldn't have had a good ending either.

This made him feel even more hateful towards Zhao Zhengyi's pretentious face of upholding justice.

"Well said, 'strike first and gain the upper hand'! In that case, if I, Li, were to die at the hands of Master Zhao today, it would be my own fault, and I would have no one to blame but Master Zhao!"

Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, Long Xiaoyun quickly coughed twice and said with a forced smile, "In the darkness, anyone can make a mistake, let alone—"

Zhao Zhengyi interrupted Long Xiaoyun directly.

“I didn’t see wrong. Besides, he appeared at your wife’s residence without any reason. Do you think that’s just a coincidence?”

Long Xiaoyun fell silent. Although the two had discussed the matter beforehand and were clear about their respective roles, it was impossible to arrange every line perfectly. Therefore, Zhao Zhengyi's words really stung him.

Seeing this, Li Xunhuan knew he couldn't continue dwelling on the topic of lodging, so he asked in return, "You're not mistaken? Does Master Zhao think that I am the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits?"

"That's hard to say. Everyone knows that the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits has excellent lightness skills and is very fast. As for whether his surname is Zhang or Li, nobody knows."

“Indeed, Li’s lightness skill is not low, and his speed is not slow either. The Plum Blossom Bandit organization was besieged and suppressed, so much so that its leader had to reappear in the martial world. This is precisely the time for Li to enter the pass again. It would be strange if Li Xunhuan were not the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandit.”

He smiled, stared at Zhao Zhengyi, and slowly said, "But since you've decided that I, Uncle Zhao, am the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits, why haven't you made a move yet?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Ding Baiyun and Sun Xiaohong, who were determined to join in the fun, also arrived at the scene.

At first, the two were puzzled as to why Li Xunhuan seemed to have admitted something as they talked.

Later, I gradually figured it out. It was hard to explain why Li Xunhuan was caught in the middle of the night in the small building where Lin Shiyin lived.

By gradually shifting the focus of the incident to the escalation of this personal conflict, and specifically targeting Zhao Zhengyi to avoid being ganged up on, this could be a way to break the deadlock.

(End of this chapter)