Nāgata: Infernal Night, Qinghan and I are True Love

Chapter 24 The Xu Family's Betrayal

When a man and a woman are alone together and they recognize each other, their feelings naturally begin to grow stronger.

Xu Tianyi has truly succeeded in finding a partner.

Sure enough, Gu Qinghan also had calluses on her hands.

After all, one should practice swordsmanship regularly; it would be abnormal not to.

There are even faint scars on the back of his hands, which are not noticeable unless you look closely.

She explained casually that these were scars left from the burns she suffered years ago.

The fire poison inside tormented her for more than ten years.

Every time, she would think of that fire, and the King of Qi and that terrifying Grand Tutor Xue Mantian remained her inner demons.

It wasn't until she returned to Wuji and faced the siege of the bandits that she finally woke up.

Although the scars have begun to heal and repair, a complete transformation is only possible by breaking through to the realm of Grandmaster or higher.

After the convoy entered Anlu again, Xu Qian actually took the initiative to greet them at the gate this time.

He led Gu Feixue and the others into the Xu family's main hall.

He was much more enthusiastic than last time.

This made Xu Tianyi somewhat wary.

It's really unreasonable that he was so enthusiastic when he had clearly hit his beloved grandson.

Either they're good at putting on a show, or they have ulterior motives.

When they met Xu An again, Xu An actually bowed and apologized, even kneeling down.

This surprised Gu Feixue greatly.

Xu Tianyi immediately realized that Xu Qian had probably told Xu An about Gu Feixue's identity.

He was also somewhat worried; it seemed that the Xu family was not far from abandoning their investment in the Crown Prince.

Thinking of this, Xu Tianyi felt that time was even more pressing.

The Xu family was extremely hospitable, and Xu Tianyi proposed to pay respects to his father today.

Xu Qian began to make excuses in various ways, saying that he needed to find his father's grave, and then he said that he needed to bathe and change clothes, that there was some special ceremony, that he needed to prepare some clothes for him, and that he needed to be recognized as a member of the family.

The entire process takes at least three to five days.

Such obvious delaying tactics made Xu Tianyi completely certain that the Xu family was going to betray Gu Feixue.

After the banquet, Xu Qian earnestly invited Gu Feixue to stay at the Xu family home.

At Xu Tianyi's prompting, Gu Feixue agreed.

As night fell, when the three of them gathered together again, their expressions all became serious.

Gu Feixue was somewhat worried: "You've already sensed that Xu Ju has ill intentions, so why did you still choose to move into the Xu family's residence?"

Xu Tianyi sighed: "There's no other way. We have to dispel the Xu family's suspicions. If we force our way out, it will only make the Xu family more frantic. We can get away, but what about the twenty-odd trusted men who are with us? Are we really going to abandon them and run away on our own?"

When this was brought up, Gu Feixue also became worried.

Gu Qinghan was somewhat angry: "Those who betray their master should be killed!"

Xu Tianyi gave an awkward smile: "Can we not bring this up..."

"Uh...Junior brother, I wasn't talking about you..."

Gu Feixue quickly asked, "Tianyi, you've always been intelligent. What do you think is the reason the Xu family kept us here?"

Xu Tianyi frowned.

"It was actually quite easy to guess."

They've developed ulterior motives; they've definitely sent people to the prefectural capital to try and betray your identities to the prefect or Xue Mantian.

Then use your status as a stepping stone for the Xu family's advancement.

Back then, Xu Qian was willing to slaughter a large number of his own clansmen to avoid being executed along with his entire family; he was a ruthless person to begin with.

I suspect that he originally thought it wouldn't hurt to invest in the Crown Prince, since the Xu family wouldn't lose out no matter who won.

But now that Xu An is injured, and the main force of the bandits trained by the Xu family has been killed by us, it's normal for him to feel uncomfortable with the reduction in his power.

So he simply pledged allegiance to the King of Qi.

But he's afraid we've killed five hundred bandits; perhaps we're very strong.

So he wanted to keep us in Anlu and then call in reinforcements to capture us.

Given the situation with the Qian family, he probably got wind of it and reported it.

Now, it's very likely that the entire city is on high alert, and we will be under complete surveillance.

If they want to leave the city, they have to fight their way out. If they do, they will turn against the Xu family. If they report the news, the entire Yongzhou will issue a warrant for the arrest of Cang Yuge.

Therefore, the situation is urgent for us.

Gu Feixue also became nervous: "Then tell me, what should we do? Are we just going to keep dragging this out with the Xu family?"

Xu Tianyi suddenly stood up, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Strike first and you'll be strong; strike later and you'll suffer! I suggest we launch a surprise attack on the Xu family tonight and force them to tell us the exact time they sent the message. If the message is still a while away, then we should immediately return to Yongzhou Prefecture and save the rest of the Cangyu Pavilion."

If this had already been reported, then we must immediately flee to the southwest to find the Crown Prince!

Gu Feixue and Gu Qinghan trembled.

"Has the situation...become that urgent?"

"Tianyi, what if the Xu family truly feels sorry for us? If we slaughter the Xu family, it's inevitable that the other loyalists who are devoted to the Crown Prince will feel disheartened!"

Seeing that she still had a glimmer of hope, Xu Tianyi immediately shook his head and said, "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me! If it's a misunderstanding, then let it be a misunderstanding to the end!"

In a life-or-death situation, there is no room for leniency.

Moreover, I am already 80% certain that the Xu family harbors rebellious intentions!

If the Xu family were truly loyal, they would never allow Xu An, who had offended us, to know our identities.

Today, Xu An knelt down to admit his mistake, showing exceptional sincerity.

"If he didn't know who we were, how could he be so subservient to a businessman?"

Gu Feixue also thought of this scene.

At the time, Xu An looked down on his mother and daughter, thinking they were just merchants with some cultivation.

That's why they dared to send people to kidnap him.

Now he is so respectful, and his face is so excited to see that his mother and daughter have forgiven him.

You must understand that prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain.

The contempt that the upper class has for the lower class is deeply ingrained.

In the eyes of the gentry, merchants were nothing more than tools, high-class servants.

Xu An could never be happy about being forgiven.

Thinking of this, Gu Feixue slowly nodded, but her expression was still somewhat hesitant.

"Tonight... tonight?"

Xu Tianyi nodded solemnly.

"Take turns on duty, storm the Xu family in the second half of the night, and evacuate Anlu before dawn."

Then, it will depend on intelligence gathered from the Xu family.

Gu Feixue lowered her head in deep thought...

Xu Tianyi said coldly, "Back then, Prince Qi used the same surprise attack to achieve the success of the coup in the Eastern Palace! We must not hesitate! You must know that if Prince Qi really arrests the Xu family, I will die, and the Crown Princess and Qinghan will become tools for him to blackmail the Crown Prince!"

The horrific tragedy of that year was still vivid in her mind: the terrifying shouts of killing, the surging and raging flames, and the old man who sneered on his tall horse. These scenes made Gu Feixue's body tremble slightly.

Then, her eyes hardened: "Fine! Tonight we'll follow your arrangements!"

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, she quickly made up her mind that she never wanted to repeat the tragedy of that year.

She lost her youngest daughter years ago and was forced to flee with her husband. If she doesn't act decisively now, she might lose her beloved daughter instead.

She looked at Xu Tianyi with increasing trust and even reliance in her eyes.

This was also a political maneuver that the Crown Prince taught her.

Don't use people with suspicion, don't use people who are suspicious.

If you encounter something you don't understand, then listen to the advice of talented people.

After spending a few days together, she had come to trust Xu Tianyi and was even more convinced of his talent and insight.

Seeing that he said that, she no longer hesitated.

She is willing to give up everything for the safety of her family, even her own life.

Time passed second by second, and at midnight, Gu Feixue opened her eyes.

Tonight, Gu Feixue, a late-stage Grandmaster, is determined to unleash a massacre!