Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 640 Doubt

When Xie Yuyan mentioned Xie Wenjing, Xu Shu's heart skipped a beat. So her daughter's identity had already been exposed? Xie Yuyan said her daughter had been arrested, but was it really true?

Just as Xu Shu was speechless with astonishment, Xie Yuyan continued, "Does one have to impersonate someone else to achieve wealth and glory?"

Xu Shu's face immediately turned extremely ugly, as if Xie Yuyan had slapped her hard across the face.

Xie Yuyan didn't give her a chance to speak, and continued, "Perhaps you and your mother have long been used to doing these things. So many years have passed, have you become a proper young lady? Have you surpassed Madam Xu?"

Xu Shu retorted sharply, "What Madam Xu? Why should I compare myself to her?"

Xie Yuyan said calmly, "So, even Chief Xu has to deceive himself."

As soon as he finished speaking, people around Xie Yuyan burst into laughter, clearly mocking Xu Shu.

How could Xu Shu not know who Madam Xu is? If she doesn't even dare to admit it, she must have something to hide.

This esteemed leader was completely overshadowed by his wife from the very beginning, putting him at a disadvantage.

Xu Shu looked around and found that there were few people around who could be mobilized. Compared with Xie Yuyan, she was actually at a disadvantage.

Xie Yuyan's voice turned serious: "The imperial court has ordered the arrest of the sorcerers, and the Privy Council has mobilized the local troops to besiege the sorcerer's camp. Once we capture the sorcerer's leader, we can send him to the imperial court to receive a reward."

Xie Yuyan waved his hand, and the guards beside him immediately spurred their horses and charged towards Xu Shu.

Xue Er quickly stepped in front of Xu Shu and urged her, "Your Excellency, please leave quickly."

Xu Shu looked at Xie Yuyan standing not far away, wanting to stay and fight her, but... this thought only lingered in her mind for a moment before she immediately turned her horse around and galloped forward.

Xie Yuyan's side had at least twenty men rush out, while many of her guards were scattered. If a real fight broke out, she had no chance of winning.

Xue Er led his men to block Xie Yuyan in order to buy her time to escape.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency." Elder Zhou's voice came, but Xu Shu did not turn around to look. No matter what was happening behind her, she had no time to care.

Just as they were leaving, several more people rushed out of the darkness, forcing Xu Shu's guards to stop and fight them.

Xu Shu pursed her lips tightly, her palms sweating. Looking around, it seemed as if there were people lying in ambush everywhere in the darkness, ready to rush at her at any moment.

She kept urging the horses on, fearing that she would become a prisoner at any moment.

She hurried on her way, and after an unknown amount of time, Xu Shu finally left the noise behind.

The horse was clearly exhausted, and Xu Shu had to stop; her legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Your Excellency."

A voice came, and Xu Shu almost fell off her horse.

After calming down, she recognized him as Elder Zhou.

Xu Shu took a deep breath; she almost thought that Xie Yuyan's men had caught up with her.

“Your Excellency,” Elder Zhou said, looking flustered, as he approached Xu Shu. “Where should we go? This is the road to the camp. What if… what Xie said is true, and the Privy Council sent people to the camp… wouldn’t we be walking into a trap?”

Xie Yizhi was in charge of the Privy Council, and Supervisor Liang was sent by Xie Yizhi to help her. How could he help her while sending troops to the Holy Church at the same time?
Xu Shu felt that Xie Yuyan was lying, but subconsciously she still wanted to run back and see the situation with her own eyes.

You can't believe anything anyone says; only what you see for yourself is the truth.

“The Xie family deliberately tried to unsettle me,” Xu Shu said. “I’m certain the Privy Council won’t send troops; the chaos within the sect is because of Sun De and his ilk.” Elder Zhou asked, “Then what should we do next?”

“Let’s go to the camp,” Xu Shu said. “Maybe we can gather more people there.”

“What the esteemed leader says is true,” Elder Zhou said. “We have too few people. What if we encounter the Xie family again? Without Attendant Xue to stop us, we won’t be able to escape.”

At this point, Elder Zhou continued, "Although I am not as good as Attendant Xue, I can still help the Supreme Leader clear the way ahead."

Xu Shu was worried about Xue Er, but she could not linger any longer. She instructed Elder Zhou, "In that case, let's set off quickly."

Elder Zhou knew he hadn't stepped forward to help earlier and felt guilty, so he stopped making excuses and actually followed the guards ahead.

Xu Shu could still hear Xie Yuyan's words echoing in her ears.

Xie Yuyan said that her daughter had been arrested.

She didn't believe it, but upon closer reflection, since Xie Yuyan knew the whole truth, how could he possibly let Awan go? But Awan was right beside Xie Yizhi, and with Xie Yizhi's status, she could definitely protect her own flesh and blood, unless... Xie Yizhi didn't want to do that.

Whether Awan has been arrested while she is far away in Bianjing cannot be immediately confirmed, but the fact that the imperial court has besieged the Holy Sect can be verified.

This is why Xu Shu is in such a hurry to get going.

"Your Excellency."

During their rest, Elder Zhou couldn't help but say, "There's something I find strange."

Xu Shu looked up.

Elder Zhou said, "I haven't seen that Supervisor Liang since the Xie family attacked the valley. Besides... where did Xu Lai's men get their leather armor? With so much leather armor missing, how could Supervisor Liang not have noticed beforehand?"

“The people who attacked us weren’t all Xu Lai’s men; I think… some of them were just soldiers.”

Xu Shu's expression changed: "What did you say?"

Elder Zhou swallowed hard: "I'm just guessing. I always feel that there's something wrong with Supervisor Liang. He deliberately lured us here. Maybe Xu Lai was persuaded by him to rebel against the leader."

"Your Excellency, think about it. On the way from the main camp, Xu Lai's men were always protecting you. If Xu Lai had rebellious intentions, why didn't he choose that time?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu clenched her hands. She wanted to refute Elder Zhou, but she had to admit that Elder Zhou was right.

They were in a terrible state on their way there, and Xu Lai could easily have harmed them then. However, Xu Lai dutifully protected her, and the problem only arose after they reached the valley. It seems more plausible that Xu Lai was later persuaded to rebel against the Holy Church.

Xu Shu's mind went blank for a moment. If there was something wrong with Liang, she would start to suspect the master.

Could it be that Xie Yuyan was telling the truth?
The guard carefully examined the area before saying, "Sir, there are many hoofprints on the official road, as well as... fresh horse manure. A group of people should have passed through here not long ago."

"The direction they went... was the place where we had camped before."

Xu Shu's heart sank even further.

Elder Zhou said worriedly, "Are we still going over there? What if we run into soldiers coming to arrest us..."

Xu Shu gritted her teeth: "How can I deal with the Xie family if I don't understand this?" This matter involves Xie Yizhi, and she must find out the truth.

"Your Excellency," Elder Zhou continued, seeing that he could not persuade Xu Shu, "Actually, I have always felt that Your Excellency should be somewhat wary of Master Xie. A person who does not even care about the life of his own brother... can abandon anyone for his own official position."

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　　(End of this chapter)