allendalepharm Chapter 124 Have we met somewhere before?
Chapter 124 Have we met somewhere before?
Chapter 124 Have we met somewhere before?
The hall fell silent for a moment.
This possibility forces everyone to reconsider.
If that's true...
Then this Chen Yuan is probably beyond the comprehension of ordinary martial arts figures!
Everyone had different thoughts, but now that Yilin had returned safely, the biggest problem at hand was temporarily resolved.
As the host, Liu Zhengfeng broke the silence first, raising his glass in a toast.
"Let's leave that matter aside for now. Thank you all for coming to witness for Mr. Liu today."
"Please, drink this cup to the brim!"
The atmosphere in the hall eased slightly, and the sounds of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts resumed.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for Liu Zhengfeng to retire from his criminal life.
Inside and outside the Liu residence, lanterns and decorations were hung, guests thronged, and the place was bustling with noise.
In addition to the original martial arts masters, heavyweight figures such as Yue Buqun, the "Gentleman Sword" leader of the Huashan School, and his wife, Zhang Jin'ao, the deputy leader of the Beggars' Sect, and Master Xia of the Zhengzhou Liuhemen Boxing School also joined the event.
More than two hundred tables were set up inside and outside the mansion, with wine cups clinking and voices clamoring, creating the atmosphere of a grand gathering of martial arts heroes.
However, at this lively moment, a scene that left all the heroes of the martial arts world dumbfounded unfolded.
Several officials dressed in official robes and carrying imperial edicts with yellow silk ribbons swaggered through the crowd of martial arts practitioners and entered the main hall. They read the edict aloud to the public, appointing Liu Zhengfeng as a local military commander.
Liu Zhengfeng immediately knelt down to receive the imperial decree, his face filled with gratitude and tears. He then personally presented the officials who were delivering the decree with the lavish gifts of gold and silver that he had prepared beforehand.
Most of the martial arts practitioners in the room wore expressions of disdain, whether overt or covert.
People in the martial arts world are known for their swift justice and quick revenge. Many of them break the law with their martial arts and generally keep their distance from the government and the imperial court, even harboring some contempt for them.
In their view, Liu Zhengfeng's actions were nothing short of self-degradation, a groveling and fawning act towards the imperial court. To make such a nauseating gesture for a minor official position was a disgrace to the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world).
Liu Zhengfeng seemed oblivious to the stares around him. He returned to the hall, his face flushed, and uttered a string of platitudes about "receiving imperial favor and being unable to concern himself with worldly grudges." He then headed toward the golden basin of water that had already been prepared.
"Wait—for a moment!"
A loud shout suddenly rang out from outside the gate!
Before the shout had even finished, five men dressed in apricot-yellow outfits swept into the hall like a whirlwind.
The leader held aloft a dazzling five-colored brocade banner and spoke sternly.
"By order of the Left Alliance Leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect: the matter of Uncle Liu retiring from the martial arts world is to be temporarily postponed!"
The atmosphere on the field suddenly froze.
After a series of seemingly persuasive but actually pressuring words from Abbess Dingyi and others, Liu Zhengfeng's expression changed several times. Finally, he gritted his teeth and reluctantly agreed to postpone washing his hands until noon the next day.
Just as everyone relaxed their guard, a girl's panicked screams and shouts suddenly came from the backyard.
Liu Zhengfeng's daughter and Qu Feiyan wanted to go to the back garden, but were stopped by Songshan Sect disciples who appeared out of nowhere, wielding swords.
The disciple's face was cold, and his voice echoed throughout the hall.
"By order of the Left Alliance Leader, guard the Liu family and their relatives; not a single one may escape!"
"What?!"
These words were like a bolt from the blue, and the entire hall erupted in chaos!
Countless people stood up abruptly, their faces filled with astonishment and anger.
Why should his family be detained if he's just retiring?
This is clearly a show of force to wipe them out completely!
Master Dingyi, with the most fiery temper, was the first to lose her composure and step forward from the crowd, her voice booming like a bell.
"What kind of logic is this?! The Songshan Sect is going too far!"
The crowd surged toward the scene like a tidal wave, everyone's face filled with surprise and excitement.
Yilin's senior sisters also crowded over to watch the excitement.
Yilin was a beat slow to react, and stood blankly at the edge of the crowd, her mouth slightly open, her clear eyes filled with disbelief.
"How can this be...it's too domineering..."
Suddenly, she noticed that amidst the commotion in the hall, there was one person who remained as calm as a rock.
At a table in the corner, a young man dressed in a blue robe was leisurely picking at his food, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere around him.
As if sensing her gaze, the man suddenly looked up and stared at her.
Eyes facing each other.
Like a startled fawn, Yilin hurriedly lowered her eyes, her heart skipped a beat for no reason, and she vaguely thought to herself.
"This...this person...is really good-looking..."
"Tsk..."
A clear, playful, and mocking sigh suddenly rang in her ears.
Yilin trembled with fright, turned her head sharply, and was so shocked that she almost screamed.
The handsome man who had been sitting several feet away just moments before was now standing silently less than three feet away from her.
She hurriedly turned around and saw that the seat she had been sitting in was indeed empty!
At this moment, another unexpected turn of events occurred.
Three more imposing figures appeared.
They were none other than Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Fei Bin, the junior brothers of Zuo Lengchan, the leader of the Songshan Sect!
The moment these three arrived, their imposing presence instantly captivated the entire audience.
The assembled heroes were well aware that almost all of the top experts from the Songshan Sect had come out, and that today's events would be far from resolved peacefully!
Fei Bin dropped an even bigger bombshell in front of everyone.
The real reason Liu Zhengfeng retired from his criminal activities was that he secretly colluded with the elders of the Sun Moon Divine Cult!
Left Alliance Leader had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure in order to prevent a conspiracy.
Liu Zhengfeng initially denied it outright, until Fei Bin coldly threw out the name "Qu Yang".
He was struck as if by a heavy blow, his face instantly turning ashen. He remained silent for what seemed like an eternity before finally admitting defeat.
He frankly admitted that he and Qu Yang became close friends through music, and there was absolutely no conspiracy involved, but he would never betray a friend.
The last trace of feigned politeness on Fei Bin's face vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.
He solemnly took the five-colored command flag from his disciple, raised it high, and spoke with a resolute voice that resounded throughout the entire venue.
"Liu Zhengfeng! The Left Alliance Leader has ordered: if you are unwilling to bring Qu Yangtou to see us within a month, then the Five Mountains Sword Sect will have no choice but to immediately eliminate you completely, showing no mercy!"
Yilin had grown up in a Buddhist sanctuary since childhood, and had never heard of such a blatant threat of exterminating an entire family. She felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and her delicate body trembled slightly as she murmured.
"How...how could knowing someone lead to...killing their entire family?"
Chen Yuan, who had been standing beside her, smiled upon hearing this, turned his head, and said lazily in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"That's not surprising."
"You supposedly righteous sects love to use this kind of 'those who are not of our kind must have different intentions' rhetoric."
Yilin was taken aback at first, then her pretty face flushed slightly with anger as she turned her head to glare at him.
"When...when did I make a big deal out of this?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that she had said something wrong.
But she found the stranger's tone strange, and couldn't help but look at him suspiciously.
"Hey... senior brother, haven't we... met somewhere before?"
At this moment, Fei Bin had issued an ultimatum, demanding that all members of the Five Mountains Sword Sect stand on the left and state their position.
The crowd began to stir and split, like a tide parted by an invisible hand.
After making their last futile attempts to persuade him, Yue Buqun, Abbess Dingyi, and the others all looked helpless or solemn as they led their disciples to the left.
Chen Yuan seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room, still smiling as he looked at Yi Lin and brought up the old topic again.
Who knows?