Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 1017 - 632: Public and Private Matters... Really?

Chapter 1017: Chapter 632: Public and Private Matters... Really?

In the end, the two still chose to return to the inn because Li Junwu rejected Xu Yuan’s suggestion to head east of the city to have some fun.

Righteous and resolute.

"The enemy is at our doorstep. Indulging in pleasures now? What kind of conduct is that? Back to the inn!"

"..."

Thinking about how the other was enjoying a drink earlier, carefree and oblivious, Xu Yuan felt speechless. But seeing that his reverse psychology worked, he smiled and agreed.

He wanted to go to the entertainment district in the east, not for leisure, but primarily to find Zhou Chen and arrange for him to handle some matters. Now that Li Junwu had awakened her sense of leadership, he decided to follow along and see what plans this good friend of his would propose.

After Li Junwu left an anchor point at the eye of the city defense array, the group of four turned and headed toward the secret chamber’s exit.

Shadow led the way, Huang Shiwei followed closely at his side, while Xu Yuan and Li Junwu walked two paces behind them.

In the silent and narrow corridor, the sound of their footsteps echoed.

Breaking the silence, Xu Yuan nonchalantly spoke:

"How do you plan to deal with this Zhan Xian’an?"

Li Junwu’s eyes flashed briefly, and she softly countered:

"How do you think I should deal with him?"

Xu Yuan squinted, amused, and said:

"Your family’s matters, and you’re asking an outsider like me?"

Li Junwu slightly shook her head and replied lowly:

"Killing him is certain, but the method and justification must be solid. Otherwise, replacing him so close to battle will inevitably shake the army’s morale."

Xu Yuan gave her a slightly surprised look.

Li Junwu felt insulted and glared back at him:

"What’s with that look? I was just thinking, since you’re here, I didn’t want to bother, but I’m not an idiot. Of course, I’ve considered all of this!"

Xu Yuan chuckled awkwardly, cleared his throat, and said:

"That’s very true. As an old minister who served your father for decades, his network within your Zhenxi Army must be deeply ingrained. Killing him and dealing with his direct subordinates afterward is indeed a tricky issue."

Removing one weed can uproot many others; taking down one leader can collapse an entire chain below them. In desperate times, these consequences can be ignored to seize control first and deal with fallout later. But now, with shoes on their feet, they cannot act recklessly.

Li Junwu took a deep breath and asked softly:

"What do you think... about not announcing his death?"

"Wrong." Xu Yuan shook his head.

Li Junwu froze for a moment, then pursed her lips: "What’s wrong with that...?"

"I didn’t mean your decision was wrong."

Xu Yuan sighed lightly and said earnestly: "Your tone was wrong. In the future, when making decisions, don’t use interrogative sentences—use declarative ones."

Li Junwu fell silent, then pouted and said:

"You just have to nitpick with me, don’t you?"

Xu Yuan remained composed and serious:

"Merely stating a fact. I’ve never seen an heir from a major family hesitate like this. If my words make you doubt yourself so easily, how will you support Zhenxi Prefecture’s future?"

As he spoke,

Xu Yuan observed the complex expression on her turned cheek, then smiled and added:

"Of course, I know you’re not like this with others. After all, you’ve seen my abilities over the years, and it’s normal to develop some dependency."

Li Junwu was amused and let out a laugh, snorting:

"Your smooth-talking habit is clearly incurable in this lifetime."

"Hard to change one’s nature."

Xu Yuan shrugged, then straightened his expression: "Still, Junwu, while I appreciate your trust, there are some matters where you must separate personal from professional."

Li Junwu seemed slightly irritated upon hearing this:

"You’re starting again, aren’t you?"

Xu Yuan remained undeterred, ascending the steps while transmitting his voice:

"Hear me out first. If we were relying solely on our personal relationship, I wouldn’t leave you to die—but escaping with you would be my limit."

"..." Li Junwu’s heart trembled slightly.

Xu Yuan keenly sensed her unease but was determined to finish speaking.

Though it might seem cold, some matters were better addressed sooner rather than later.

The bustling world comes and goes, all for profit.

He lowered his gaze to his palm, his voice soft:

"The Sects have been scheming for decades to replace Zhenxi Prefecture using their trickery. My personal strength is negligible in this scenario, even if I wanted to help."

He continued, raising his hand to point at Shadow and Huang Shiwei ahead:

"My ability to assist you in accessing the array’s anchor point relies entirely on my father granting me the authority of the Prime Minister’s Mansion heir, which enables me to command them."

With that, Xu Yuan withdrew his hand, locking eyes with her, speaking deliberately:

"What is helping you now is neither Xu Changtian nor any personal acquaintance.

"It is the future heir of Minister Xu’s Family.

"His actions are meant to disrupt the Sects’ plans in the Western Desert, aim to secure your succession to Zhenxi Prefecture after earning Marquis Zhenxi’s approval, and tether Zhenxi Prefecture to my father’s wagon through your relationship."

"Junwu,

"Consider this an investment—just an investment."

...

...

...

Perhaps to maintain confidentiality, Xu Yuan and Li Junwu did not encounter Commander Zhan even after leaving the government office.

After confirming they weren’t being followed, Xu Yuan issued instructions to Huang Shiwei based on Li Junwu’s orders, and then they parted ways with Huang Shiwei and the others.

The carriage rattled along the Beast Path, shaking slightly. Li Junwu rested her chin on her palm, staring wordlessly at the fast-retreating scenery outside, while Xu Yuan held a crumpled human skin mask in his hand.

Ever since they got in the carriage—or rather, ever since they left the array’s secret chamber—she hadn’t exchanged any unnecessary conversation with Xu Yuan.

Her delicate face remained cold, flawless in its beauty.

Xu Yuan, of course, knew his good friend was upset with his earlier words, but he made no effort to console her.

Compared to the Wrapped Chest Princess’s near-demonic rationality, his good friend was emotionally driven. His words just now likely hurt her feelings, but some truths needed her to adapt early.

Otherwise,

Zhenxi Prefecture would likely fall under Li Junwu’s hands.

"Clatter, clatter..."

The carriage rolled on, leaving the sound of wheels as the only noise in the cabin.

Breaking the silence, Li Junwu’s cold voice suddenly cut through:

"Xu Changtian, I don’t like this."

She didn’t like having camaraderie reduced to cold transactions.

Hearing this, Xu Yuan turned to look at her quietly, his tone calm:

"I don’t like it either, but this is reality."

Li Junwu snorted coldly, her lips curling into a mocking smile:

"That Tian Ye is from Jiatiange, right? What about her? Didn’t you say Jiatiange would participate in this operation too? Is your relationship with her the same?"

Xu Yuan paused briefly before speaking softly:

"Her... situation is complicated."

Li Junwu turned her gaze back to him, clutching the human-skin mask, her lips slightly parted:

"Complicated? By your theory, shouldn’t you just let her stay out of it?"

Xu Yuan met her eyes calmly, remaining silent.

From the moment he learned Jiatiange’s Master was involved, he had pondered Tianyan’s position, but before he could act, the Washboard Saintess had already gone rogue, and the Enchantress controlling her body refused to listen to him.

Seeing his silence, her beautiful eyes shimmered with a strange emotion. She chuckled softly, shaking her head, and murmured:

"Forget it, I don’t want to argue with you about this anymore. Since we’re cooperating, the message I asked you to send to my father earlier—there should be no mistakes, right?"

Xu Yuan gathered his thoughts. Truthfully, Li Junwu’s plan aligned perfectly with his own.

Stalling.

Their victory conditions were entirely different from those of the Sects. The Qin Family and their allies needed to breach the city and kill Li Junwu and Jia Yi. In contrast, they only needed to hold the city.

Although the military formation was unusable, with control of the arrays, they could impose martial law immediately and release the Qilin Wolf’s aura to intimidate the six Saints outside.

But the issue remained: thieves may strike anywhere, but defenses can’t hold forever.

Preventing Saint-level powerhouses from attacking the city required high-intensity operation of the city defense arrays, but with Zhenxi Prefecture City’s current reserves, it was impossible to maintain the array over the long term.

So it was imperative to notify Marquis Zhenxi. As long as Li Junwu’s father returned with his forces, all crises could be resolved.

After internal deliberation, Xu Yuan spoke softly:

"There won’t be any problems."

"How?"

Li Junwu, now treating the matter entirely as official business, asked with an icy expression:

"Six Saints surrounding us—it’s unlikely a messenger could break through. My father’s army also has interference from the Mu Family. Using a Communication Crystal to transmit intelligence? That risks the information falling into their hands.

"When you assure me so confidently, what’s your solution?"

Xu Yuan replied briskly:

"I don’t know."

"You... what did you say?"

"I said I don’t know."

"....." Li Junwu’s eye twitched.

Xu Yuan shrugged, his voice calm and matter-of-fact:

"I’m not omniscient. Specialized tasks should be left to professionals."

With that,

Xu Yuan reached out and patted her thigh, gesturing toward the window with a grin:

"Relax. Since Huang Shiwei didn’t raise objections, he must have confidence in delivering the message."

Li Junwu gripped the human-skin mask in her hand tightly, seeing his carefree demeanor. Her fist faintly clenched:

"Young Master Xu, haven’t you heard that men and women should keep their distance...?"

"Alright, alright. I know you’re no longer angry, so stop pretending."

Xu Yuan directly interrupted her, reasoning that if she were still mad, she wouldn’t only voice a verbal protest. Instead, he affectionately draped an arm around her shoulder, patting it while laughing:

"We’ve arrived. That little Goddess who got tied up and dangled for a whole morning—we should check on her soon."