Chapter 41

Liu Zhengfeng put away the imperial edict, walked to the front of the gathered heroes, his face beaming with joy, and invited everyone to take their seats. No one was willing to sit in the chief seat, so the central armchair remained empty. On the left was the oldest martial artist of the Six Directions School, Master Xia, and on the right was the deputy leader of the Beggar Sect, Zhang Jin'ao. Although Zhang Jin'ao himself had no remarkable skills, the Beggar Sect was still the largest sect in the martial world, and its leader, Jie Feng, was highly skilled and respected, earning the admiration of all.

The heroes sat down, and the servants brought in dishes and poured wine. Mi Weiyi placed a tea table, covered with brocade. Xiang Danian held a golden basin, about a foot and a half in diameter, and placed it on the table, filling it with clear water. Outside the door, three gunshots were heard, followed by eight loud firecrackers. The younger generation, who were seated in the back hall and the flower hall, all rushed to the main hall to watch the spectacle.

Liu Zhengfeng walked into the hall with a smile, clasped his hands, and bowed to everyone. The heroes all stood up to return the bow.

Liu Zhengfeng said loudly, "Honorable seniors, dear friends, and young friends. Your presence here from afar is a great honor for Liu Zhengfeng, and I am truly grateful. Today, I am washing my hands of the martial world, and from now on, I will no longer be involved in martial affairs. You must have already heard the reason. I have received the favor of the court and will serve as a minor official. As the saying goes: 'Eat the emperor's rice, serve the emperor's affairs.' In the martial world, we value righteousness; in the affairs of the state, we must be fair and law-abiding to repay the emperor's favor. If these two things conflict, it would put Liu Zhengfeng in a difficult position. From now on, Liu Zhengfeng will withdraw from the martial world and will no longer be considered a disciple of the Hengshan School. If my disciples wish to join other schools, they are free to do so. I have invited you all here to witness this. In the future, when you visit Hengshan City, you will still be my good friends, but I will not be involved in the various disputes and conflicts of the martial world."

The heroes had already anticipated this speech and thought, "He only wants to be an official; everyone has their own aspirations, and it cannot be forced. Besides, he hasn't offended me, so it doesn't matter if he leaves the martial world." Some thought, "This will tarnish the reputation of the Hengshan School; the head of the Hengshan School, Mo Da, must be very angry, which is why he didn't come." Others thought, "The Five Mountains Sword School has been doing good deeds in the martial world, earning much admiration. But Liu Zhengfeng has done this. People may not dare to say anything to his face, but they will surely mock him behind his back." Still, others felt a sense of schadenfreude, thinking, "They say the Five Mountains Sword School is a righteous school, but when it comes to becoming an official, they are just as eager to bow to the officials. What's the point of talking about 'righteousness'?"

The heroes were all lost in their thoughts, and for a moment, the hall was silent. Normally, in such a situation, everyone should have congratulated Liu Zhengfeng, praising him for his "blessings and longevity," "timely retirement," and "great wisdom and courage." However, with hundreds of people gathered, no one spoke a word.

Liu Zhengfeng turned to face the outside and said loudly, "Disciple Liu Zhengfeng, having been admitted to the school by my master and taught martial arts, has failed to bring glory to the Hengshan School, and I am deeply ashamed. Fortunately, our school has Master Mo to lead it. Liu Zhengfeng is mediocre, and one more or one less of me makes no difference. From now on, I will wash my hands of the martial world and focus on my official career. I will not use the martial arts taught by my master to seek promotion. As for the disputes and conflicts in the martial world, I will not be involved. If I violate this, let it be like this sword." He flipped his right hand, drew a long sword from under his robe, and with both hands, snapped it in half with a loud crack. He then casually threw the two broken pieces of the sword, which embedded themselves into the blue bricks with a soft hiss.

The heroes were all astonished. From the sound of the broken pieces embedding into the bricks, it was clear that the sword was a sharp and powerful weapon. Breaking an ordinary steel sword with hand strength was not surprising for someone like Liu Zhengfeng, but breaking a precious sword so effortlessly demonstrated the high level of his finger strength, which was the mark of a top martial artist. Despite his appearance of a well-fed, wealthy man, no one would have guessed his martial skills were so formidable. Mr. Wen sighed, "What a pity, what a pity!" It was unclear whether he was lamenting the loss of the precious sword or the fact that a great martial artist like Liu Zhengfeng was willing to serve the government.

Liu Zhengfeng smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and extended his hands to place them in the golden basin. Suddenly, a loud voice from outside the door shouted, "Hold it!"

Liu Zhengfeng was slightly startled and instinctively tried to pull his hands back, but then, remembering the news he had received the night before, he continued to place his hands in the basin, even faster than before.

Just as Liu Zhengfeng was about to complete the ritual, the person who shouted was greatly angered. A silver light flashed, and a small projectile flew through the air, heading towards the golden basin.

Yue Fangxing, who had been holding a pellet in his hand to guard against any interference, immediately released it, striking the silver needle and knocking it away. He then fired another pellet towards the source of the projectile to prevent further interference, shouting, "Who dares to disrupt the affairs of the Five Mountains Sword School! Uncle Liu, don't pay attention to it!"

Liu Zhengfeng, hearing the sound of the projectile, had been about to avoid it, but upon hearing Yue Fangxing's words and the sound of the pellets colliding, he was reassured. He quickly placed his hands in the basin, rubbed them, and pulled them out, water dripping from them.

At that moment, a yellow figure appeared, and a man in his forties, of medium build but very thin, with a mustache, leaped down from the roof, holding a pellet in his hand and looking furious. "Who is blocking Fei's actions? Come out and give an explanation!"

This man was Fei Bin, one of the thirteen protectors of Songshan. He had led Songshan disciples to lie in wait around Liu's residence. Seeing Liu Zhengfeng about to complete the ritual, he tried to stop it, but was unexpectedly blocked and even hit, so he jumped out.

Yue Fangxing stood up and said, "Nephew saw the projectile and thought someone was trying to harm Uncle Liu. I didn't know it was Uncle Fei, and I apologize for the misunderstanding."

Yue Buqun also stood up and bowed, saying, "My son didn't know it was Brother Fei, and it was a misunderstanding. Please don't be angry, Brother! Fangxing, apologize to Brother Fei!"

Yue Fangxing stepped forward, bowed deeply, and showed great respect, being very polite.

Fei Bin, seeing this, could not react, as he had not come with good intentions and had been acting secretly. If he had appeared openly, a junior like Yue Fangxing would not have dared to attack him without cause. Although he was unhappy, he thought that the main goal today was to deal with Liu Zhengfeng, so he coldly hummed, letting it pass, though what he thought internally was unknown.

Liu Zhengfeng then said, "Mr. Fei, why didn't you come in for a drink instead of hiding on the roof and enduring the sun? If there are more people from the Songshan School, please come out! I have already washed my hands of the martial world and will no longer be involved in martial disputes. I can only offer you a small drink!"

Fei Bin shouted, "Ding Da, come in!"

Four men in yellow robes walked in from the door, stood on both sides, and another tall man in a yellow robe walked in confidently. This man held a five-colored banner adorned with precious gems and pearls, which sparkled brilliantly. Many people recognized this banner as the command flag of the Five Mountains Sword School's leader, and they were all shocked, wondering what major event had occurred for the leader to issue a command.

The man walked up to Liu Zhengfeng and raised the flag, saying, "Uncle Liu, by the command of the Five Mountains Sword School's leader, Left, the ceremony of washing your hands must be postponed." He then took a few steps forward and bowed to Tianmen Daoist, Yue Buqun, and Dingshi Nun, saying, "I am Shi Dengda of the Songshan School, paying respects to all my seniors and uncles." The other four men in yellow robes also bowed.

Liu Zhengfeng said, "I have already sent the invitation for my ceremony of washing my hands to Songshan with great respect, and I also wrote a long letter to Leader Left, who did not object. The ceremony has already been witnessed by everyone here. If you want to issue a command, please address it to the members of the Five Mountains Sword School. I am an outsider and will not comply."

Fei Bin sneered, "Liu Zhengfeng, even though you have washed your hands, it doesn't mean your actions are over. For the sake of the lives and families of millions of martial artists, the Songshan School must intervene."

This statement left the heroes in the hall stunned. They thought, "The news of Liu Zhengfeng washing his hands has been out for a while, and the Songshan School didn't say anything. Now, after he has washed his hands, they are trying to stop it and bring up the lives of millions of martial artists. How ridiculous!"

Liu Zhengfeng ignored Fei Bin and said, "I have already washed my hands and will no longer be involved in martial affairs. If you have concerns about the lives of millions of martial artists, please discuss it with the heroes here."

Dingshi Nun interjected, "That's right! Liu Xian-di, washing his hands and becoming a minor official, I don't really approve of it, but everyone has their own aspirations. If he wants to become an official and get rich, as long as he doesn't harm the people or betray the martial world, there's nothing to say. I don't think Liu Xian-di has the ability to harm many martial artists."

The heroes nodded in agreement. Liu Zhengfeng was washing his hands to leave the martial world. If he still had to deal with martial affairs, it wouldn't be a true washing of hands.

Yue Fangxing, however, wanted to scold Dingshi Nun: "Are you really stupid or just pretending? Speaking like this will only give Fei Bin a chance to exploit it! As Linghu Chong said, among the three poisons of the world, nuns are the worst!"

Although he knew that even if Dingshi Nun hadn't spoken, Fei Bin would have found another reason, he couldn't help but feel angry. Now he understood why Dingshi Nun was so poorly regarded in the martial world. Even if she didn't speak, it wouldn't change anything, but since she did, she shouldn't be surprised if people held a grudge.

Fei Bin, not a fool, immediately seized the opportunity and said, "That's exactly the point! If Liu Zhengfeng doesn't betray the martial world, no one would say anything. But if his grand conspiracy succeeds, it will harm countless martial artists and innocent people. How can the martial world not intervene? Think about it, Liu San-yeh is a well-known hero in the martial world. Would he willingly become a corrupt official? Liu San-yeh is wealthy; why would he seek a minor official position? There must be a hidden reason."

Yue Fangxing thought, "Fei Bin is not to be underestimated. These words don't directly point out the reason but lead others to think in a certain direction. When he reveals the truth, it will be more convincing. No wonder the Songshan School sent him to lead the charge."

Indeed, the heroes thought, "That makes sense. I have been suspicious. For someone like Liu Zhengfeng to become a minor official is too out of character."

At that moment, a dispute broke out in the back hall. A woman's voice called out, "What are you doing? We are in our own home; why can't we go anywhere?" Yue Fangxing recognized the voice as Liu Zhengfeng's daughter, Liu Jing, whom he had seen the night before.

The night before, Liu Zhengfeng, upon hearing the news from his daughter, was greatly shocked. However, it was too late to escape, and fleeing would be seen as betrayal. He decided to proceed with the ceremony, hoping that washing his hands would bring peace. He also didn't believe that the Songshan School would use his family to threaten him, but he couldn't take the risk. He sent Qu Feiyun out of the residence and instructed his family and disciples on what to do if something happened. During the ceremony, everyone from the Liu residence gathered in the back yard. When they heard the commotion, they were worried and came to the front, only to be stopped.

A man's voice said, "Miss Liu, please wait here. By the order of the leader, we must keep an eye on the Liu family and not let anyone escape."

These words, though not very loud, were said with arrogance, and everyone in the hall heard them, turning pale. Liu Zhengfeng was already washed of the martial world, yet his family was still being watched. The Songshan School had gone too far!

Liu Zhengfeng was furious, realizing that the Songshan School was indeed using his family to threaten him. He shouted, "Jing, come over! With so many people here, who can do anything to you?"

He then shouted, "How many people from the Songshan School are here? Please show yourselves!"

From the roof, two voices responded, "Alright!" Immediately, two figures leaped out, and from the roof, the door, the corners of the hall, and the back yard, dozens of people responded. On the roof, more than ten people were dressed in yellow robes, while in the hall, they were dressed in various ways, indicating they had been mixed in and were secretly monitoring Liu Zhengfeng.

The two leaders, their figures flashing, stood at the entrance. The one on the east was a large, robust man, the second disciple of the Songshan School, Tuo Ta Shou Ding Mian. The one on the west was very tall and thin, the third-ranked disciple of the Songshan School, Xian He Shou Lu Bai. They both bowed and said, "Uncle Liu, please, and all the heroes, please."

Ding Mian and Lu Bai were both well-known in the martial world, and the heroes all stood up to return the bow. Seeing the skilled Songshan disciples arriving one after another, everyone felt that today's events would not end well, and Liu Zhengfeng, even though he had washed his hands, would likely suffer a great loss.

Dingshi Nun said angrily, "Liu Xian-di, don't worry. The world is governed by reason. Just because they have more people, does it mean that our friends from the Taishan, Huashan, and Hengshan Schools will just sit and watch?"

Yue Fangxing couldn't help but sigh again: "Dingshi, Dingshi, are you and Liu Zhengfeng enemies or something? If Liu Zhengfeng were in the right, wouldn't he speak up? The key is that he is not in the right! Why is