Chapter 91

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Before long, Fang Yuanshan, with a hesitant look, and Lin Zhengduan, with a frightened expression, were invited down. With Lu Zhongji, the head of the Yunzhou constabulary, taking the lead, these two, no matter how influential they were, did not dare to refuse the favor.

Fang Yuanshan saw the group from a distance and had met the Taoist Qingzheng and others a few times before. However, he had never seen the few imposing figures beside them. He hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Thank you all for inviting me. I am truly ashamed of what happened today. I intended to mediate, but I didn't expect your temple to be so capable, making me worry for nothing..."

Fang Yuanshan was uneasy, not expecting the situation to escalate to such an extent. If he had known, he would have left earlier. However, the subsequent developments made him even more hesitant to act rashly. He wanted to wait until the crowd dispersed before leaving. His senior brother, Lin Zhengduan, was even more delighted to see the embarrassment of the Changkong Sword Sect and did not urge him. The two of them hid in the small building, but they were discovered by the Yunzhou head constable Lu Zhongji and invited out.

"Fang Daxia is too polite. Fang Daxia's warm-heartedness is commendable, and my Qingyun Temple disciples thank you. It just so happens that we have some distant friends here, and it would be appropriate to introduce them to Fang Daxia. Please join us for tea in the temple," Taoist Qingzheng said with a smile. He did not understand why Lin Zhengduan, who was behind Fang Yuanshan, was not introduced, so he did not ask further.

Lin Zhengduan also wanted to hide his identity and pretended to be just a friend of Fang Yuanshan. Given his sensitive position, he could not afford to reveal himself at this time.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they all headed towards the temple. Before leaving, Qingzheng instructed several Qingyun Temple disciples to immediately untie the Changkong Sword Sect disciples. If they were unharmed, they were to be asked to leave the mountain immediately.

Yun Chong and others responded with a loud assent and began their tasks, inevitably landing a few punches on the Changkong disciples as they worked...

As Qingzheng and others led the group into the temple, they passed by the Changkong Sword Sect disciples who were tied to the trees. "Divine Eye Golden Eagle" Huo Dong suddenly burst into laughter, drawing the attention of everyone around. He reached back and grabbed Lin Zhengduan's wrist, who was standing not far behind. Lin Zhengduan was taken aback; with his Third Heaven True Gang cultivation, he could not avoid the sudden move and was instantly seized by the wrist, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Qingyan and others were momentarily confused, looking at Huo Dong with puzzlement.

Fang Yuanshan was shocked and asked anxiously, "Brother, what's the matter?"

Huo Dong laughed heartily and said, "Of course, it's to thank this gentleman. This time, thanks to Brother Lin Zhengduan's help, as a special envoy of the Iron Flag Sect, there should be no problem with the alliance. With the Iron Flag Sect's support, Changkong won't dare to do anything to us..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhengduan's face changed dramatically, and the surrounding martial artists and Qingyun Temple disciples were equally stunned. It turned out that the unremarkable Lin Zhengduan was actually a high-ranking member of the Iron Flag Sect.

The appearance of the Iron Flag Sect, the rival of the Changkong Sword Sect, here meant something significant.

The six Changkong disciples tied to the trees instantly cast hateful glares, filled with enmity towards their arch-enemy.

Chang Jingfan, who had been sitting with his eyes closed and a dead heart, suddenly opened his eyes, which shone brightly as he fixed his gaze on Lin Zhengduan's face. The bleak future suddenly seemed to have a glimmer of hope.

Iron Flag Sect? Great... It seems that heaven has not abandoned me and has left me a glimmer of hope...

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That day, the Changkong Sword Sect disciples were released. Watching their hateful faces, every Qingyun Temple disciple clearly felt that this matter would not end here. At some point, the conflict would erupt again, and when it did, it would be far more violent than now.

"Divine Eye Golden Eagle" Huo Dong had a secret conversation with the temple abbot, Lingxu Zhenren, for the entire night. No one knew what they discussed, but when Huo Dong and his group left the next day, Lingxu Zhenren personally saw them off, all the way to fifty miles outside the temple...

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Fifty miles away, Lingxu Zhenren had already returned, and several second-generation disciples were still accompanying him...

"Up ahead is Qingyang Town. Let's part ways here, fellow Daoists—" Huo Dong resumed his usual half-dead, half-alive demeanor and said softly.

"May your journey be smooth—" Qingzheng and others bowed together.

Hua Zixing and others clasped their hands in return and smiled as they walked away. A day ago, they were in fierce conflict, but a day later, they had become allies who supported each other. Fate could not be more bizarre.

Huo Dong walked slowly, hunched over. As he passed Qingyan, he suddenly stopped and asked with a puzzled look, "Daoist Qingyan, there's something I don't understand. I hope you can enlighten me—"

Everyone stopped and looked at the two with confusion.

"Oh? Mr. Huo, please go on—" Qingyan Daoist did not know what the old man was up to.

Huo Dong thought for a moment, organized his words, and then asked seriously, "When I fought with you earlier, your sword that came towards my chest, was it going to stab my abdomen or cut off my head next?"

"Oh— That's what it is... Why are you asking this, Mr. Huo?"

"Hehe, just out of curiosity, as a martial artist."

"If I... refuse to answer..."

"No problem—" Huo Dong smiled faintly and turned to leave.

Qingyan took a sip of wine, looked at Huo Dong's departing back, and said with a light laugh, "If it's just a friendly exchange of sword techniques, it would be aimed at the abdomen. If it's a mortal enemy, hehe..."

Qingyan left the sentence unfinished, but everyone knew that if it was a mortal enemy, the sword would have aimed for the head.

Huo Dong suddenly stopped, looked up at the sky, and remained silent for a moment. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned back with a playful expression, saying, "In that case, I must thank Daoist Qingyan for resolving my long-standing doubt—"

"Huh—?"

Huo Dong's face was full of joy, like an old tree blooming with new flowers. He shook his head and sighed, "Before the New Year, the deputy leader of the Jingnan 'Luoyan Gang,' 'Wanshan Daoke' Jiao Qingtong, was beheaded by a single sword strike. His body was found in a defensive posture, clearly deceived by a feint. The killer first made a slash at his chest, then suddenly swung the sword upwards, delivering a fatal blow! The technique is exactly as you described. A few days later, a masked swordsman brought Jiao Qingtong's head to the 'Wangyue Tower' in Luoyang and exchanged it for a gourd of 'Zhulanxiang.' The gourd, according to descriptions, was about the same size as the one at your waist... Hehe... From this, it's clear that the swordsman who killed Jiao Qingtong is none other than Daoist Qingyan. I congratulate you on ranking 53rd on the 'Dijue List'... Hahaha..."

"Divine Eye Golden Eagle" Huo Dong waved his hand and led his shocked subordinates away, laughing all the way.

Qingyan, left with a helpless expression, held the gourd in his hand but had no desire to drink...

Looking at the strange expressions on his fellow disciples' faces, especially Tie Qingshi, whose face was filled with anger and resentment, clearly saying, "You can do this and still have the nerve to criticize me?"

Qingyan raised his hands in surrender and said, "Alright, alright, I was wrong, I was wrong— I swear, this is the first and last time... But you don't know, that 'Zhulanxiang' is truly the best wine... Hey, hey, listen to me before you leave... Hey, don't tell the master—"

Watching his fellow disciples walk away, Qingyan scratched the back of his head in frustration and groaned, "What bad luck— It seems I've been tricked by that old man."

That old man is really someone who can't stand to lose.

With Huo Dong's character, he would likely enjoy making things difficult for him. With his reputation, he could easily send a message to the "Four Seas Pavilion," ensuring that his name would appear on the latest "Dijue List" within the month.

"From now on, with this reputation, it will be hard to have a moment's peace... Forget it, I won't think about it. I'll go home and practice my sword skills, so I don't end up losing my head for a drink of wine in the future..."

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Lin Zhengduan was filled with anger and resentment. These Qingyun Temple Taoists are really not good people! He had been used as a pawn, and more accurately, the Iron Flag Sect had been used as a pawn... As long as those Changkong Sword Sect disciples aren't fools, they will certainly blame the Iron Flag Sect for their defeat.

Losing to an unknown temple is one thing, but losing to a mortal enemy is another. Most importantly, attributing the defeat to the Iron Flag Sect would give those Changkong disciples a chance to survive.

The Iron Flag Sect would be like a last straw, clung to tightly by them.

Who is that old man who is about to die? How did he know my background?

Lin Zhengduan felt that everything was shrouded in a fog, the more he thought about it, the more he was alarmed. He hurriedly rushed to the Yunxia branch of the Iron Flag Sect.

The events of today should be reported as soon as possible... How to explain it? Telling the truth is out of the question! Sigh... Just say that the Changkong Sword Sect has started a new round of purging of rivals.

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A few days later, Qingzheng, Qingyan, Qingshi, and Qingzhu, the four second-generation disciples of Qingyun Temple, all left the mountain, their whereabouts unknown...

Before they left, Ye Qingxuan, the beloved second-generation disciple, received an unprecedented severe punishment, being confined to the "Scripture Hall" to copy Taoist scriptures for two years, during which he was not allowed to leave the hall.

The other disciples in the temple were also unusually reprimanded, and Lingxu Zhenren personally wrote the "Qingyun Temple Admonition," which the disciples were required to memorize and strictly adhere to...

The news that the Iron Flag Sect helped Qingyun Temple humiliate the Changkong Sword Sect spread throughout the martial world...

The ones who made this judgment, besides the parties involved, were the recorders of the "Four Seas Pavilion." The relevant information quickly appeared in the latest issue of the "Martial World Miscellany," spreading throughout Yunzhou.

The Changkong Sword Sect, humiliated, was not willing to let the matter rest. After a thorough investigation, the news of the Iron Flag Sect's leader, Yang Xingxiong, reaching the Xiantian realm came to light. Additionally, the Iron Flag Sect's actions of recruiting experts and merging smaller sects were also exposed... These actions clearly indicated the Iron Flag Sect's ambitions, which posed a significant threat to the Changkong Sword Sect.

In retaliation, the Iron Flag Sect's three branch headquarters were attacked within a day, resulting in hundreds of peripheral disciples being injured or killed... The Iron Flag Sect retaliated, and a Changkong Sword Sect inner sect elder and three direct disciples were assassinated...

The Yunzhou martial world was plunged into a conflict between the two major sects...

As the birthplace of this disaster, Qingyun Temple was spared due to an imperial edict. The eunuch Liu He of the "Imperial Attendant Office" personally delivered the edict to the Changkong Sword Sect and the Iron Flag Sect, announcing that Qingyun Temple had been conscripted by the imperial court to investigate the "Beast-Driving Silver Treasure" robbery case. Until the case was resolved, no sect could involve Qingyun Temple in their disputes, or it would be considered treason...

This imperial edict was like a "pardon," and neither the Changkong Sword Sect nor the Iron Flag Sect, no matter how powerful, dared to openly defy the imperial court. They had to temporarily set aside their grievances with Qingyun Temple and focus all their efforts on their most formidable enemy...

Qingyun Temple escaped a disaster!

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