The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 730: Chapter 727: Severing Brotherhood Banquet

This statement left everyone stunned; no one dared to continue the conversation.

Afraid?

Haotian Village Chief, a notable force in the Jianghu, though not one of the four great families, it is still highly reputable in a region of the Jianghu.

Moreover, in the Jianghu, one can lose their head, bleed, and even lose their life, but fear is unacceptable. A decapitated head may leave a scar as big as a bowl, but if one shows fear, they are mocked and belittled, never able to hold their head high again.

Even Huangfu Yuxuan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Xia Wanqing sighed deeply and said, ”In the past, would I, Xia Wanqing, be afraid? I’d sacrifice my life without hesitation, daring to even pull down the King Yan! But now it’s different; I fear for my brothers facing imprisonment, for my children facing danger and threats to their lives. I’m old now; if these troubles were aimed at me, I wouldn’t fear a single one, but all these are targeting those around me. How can I not be afraid? I’m very afraid, so I definitely won’t stay in the Capital City any longer!”

Huangfu Yuxuan: ”...”

Is he so frightened by the threat of imprisonment and the abduction of Wenjin that he’s compelled to return to Haotian Village?

Isn’t this a joke? Everything he’s done has backfired?

Gu Hongxin was the first to speak, ”Big brother, that’s only because we’re new arrivals! Once we stay in the Capital City longer, those troubles will diminish. If you leave hastily now, won’t people laugh at you?”

”Laugh at what?” Xia Wanqing spoke sincerely, ”I, Xia Wanqing, am a Jianghu man, and the paths of Jianghu and the officialdom are inherently different. Entering officialdom means abandoning Jianghu, entering Jianghu requires abandoning officialdom! I’ve chosen Jianghu, so there’s no need for your persuasion!”

His gaze swept over everyone present: Hua Yuanming, Gu Hongxin, Zhuo Pengju, Bai Feichen, Li Ling, Hu Zeqi, then he spoke slowly, ”Like you all, if you choose to develop in the Capital City, I wouldn’t persuade you otherwise! And brothers should part on good terms!”

Brothers parting on good terms?

Upon hearing these eight words, Hua Yuanming and Gu Hongxin were taken aback; what does it mean to part on good terms?

Hua Yuanming laughed awkwardly and said, ”Big brother, even if you return to Haotian Village, we are still brothers...”

Xia Wanqing raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, ”Second Brother, I just mentioned, the Jianghu and officialdom are inherently different paths. Since they diverge, how could we still be brothers?”

Gu Hongxin’s lips moved slightly, suppressing his inner displeasure, he said, ”Big brother, what kind of talk is that? Are you implying the bond we swore back then is nonexistent now?”

Zhuo Pengju couldn’t help but smile and said, ”Third Brother, in this world, one cannot have both fish and bear’s paw simultaneously. What Big Brother means is, those who enter the Jianghu abandon officialdom, and those in officialdom abandon Jianghu. Since Jianghu is abandoned, how can those in Jianghu still be considered brothers?”

Hua Yuanming said, ”Old Four, isn’t that too heartless?”

Bai Feichen said, ”This has nothing to do with being heartless or not. The Jianghu has its own challenges, and officialdom has its own rules. Hesitation leads to chaos. Many matters in this world are beyond our control; as we walk, people disperse—it’s fate!”

Huangfu Yuxuan’s face darkened a bit; indeed, Xia Wanqing was talking about the matters of Haotian Village but did not avoid him. He originally thought he was being regarded as one of them, but now it seemed he was overthinking.

Xia Wanqing wanted to tell him that even if he had won over Hua Yuanming and Gu Hongxin, he chose Jianghu. Moreover, he would sever ties with Hua and Gu, who chose officialdom, wanting to cut off previous camaraderie!

He initially thought even if Xia Wanqing returned to Jinzhou, with the connection through Hua and Gu, he could eventually navigate the situation. If those ties were cut, what else could he plan for?

To leave the Capital City, to sever ties with Hua and Gu, he didn’t hesitate to tarnish his own reputation by appearing cowardly!

Gu Hongxin urgently said, ”Big brother, we swore an oath of sharing joys and hardships. Now, you want to sever brotherhood; what was that oath for?”

Xia Wanqing looked at him, his gaze deep yet calm. He said slowly, ”When we swore that oath, we were all Jianghu people. In the Jianghu we supported each other, but since our paths have diverged, it’s better to have fewer interactions!”

Seeing their hearts already leaning towards Huangfu Yuxuan, seeing them aiding him against Wenjin, this brotherhood, then, cannot continue!

Hua Yuanming grew anxious, saying, ”Big brother, after all we’ve been through together, why so resolute?”

”After all we’ve been through!” Xia Wanqing smiled, only there was no trace of joy in his eyes, he said, ”Yuanming, Hongxin, with some events that occurred after arriving in the Capital City, I, as your elder brother, prefer not to speak of it, but it doesn’t mean I’m unaware! This regard is for the brotherhood we once shared.”