Lord of the Desert

Chapter 484 Decision
"The founder passed away three months ago. The sect is bewildered and devastated. The grief in our hearts is beyond words. We can only take care of the funeral affairs at a loss. We don't know what we do every day."

Xin Wencheng spoke slowly.

"Fortunately, during the period of rest, heroes from all over the world gathered together, and finally there were more than 600 distinguished guests present, which made our Zhenzong mourn with great honor and excited everyone."

"I feel it deeply!"

His eyes were slightly red and he looked a little out of control. After he finished speaking in a hoarse voice, he drank three cups of wine.

Many people in the room responded with “I dare not,” “You are too kind,” “My condolences,” etc., while many more people silently raised their glasses in response.

"I still remember the first day I joined the sect with seventeen fellow apprentices thirty-nine years ago. It was in this Guangyin Hall. At that time, the master had white hair and a youthful face, and he gave us clothes and swords..."

Xin Wencheng waited until everything was quiet, then smiled and talked about the old stories of his ancestor. Unfortunately, he was unable to complete a sentence, so he had to cover his face with his hands and turn his head away.

Some people at the table were already wiping away tears.

"I am Jiang Zimo, the head of Hongsheng Sect in Yuepo City, Qingzhou. My master founded the sect seventy years ago. At that time, he was short of money. It was Senior Yang who generously donated money to help the sect overcome the difficulties."

A big man saw that Xin Wencheng was unable to calm down for a long time, so he spoke loudly to ease the situation.

This statement was like an introduction, immediately inspiring more people to express their thoughts.

"I am Kong Bin, the 'Li Zhenzi' of the Zhenyang Sword Sect. My master and I have both received guidance from Senior Yang. Without this kindness, I would not have achieved the level of Qi cultivation I have today."

"My uncle suffered a broken spine twenty years ago and thought he would never recover. Fortunately, Senior Yang took the initiative to give him medicine. It's like a new life..."

The stories he told were real and detailed, and when he got emotional, he shed tears. It was obviously not fabricated, so that all the more than 70 tables in the venue were immersed in the atmosphere of remembering the deceased.

"Thank you all, I am Zhenzong..."

Xin Wencheng recovered, his face excited, but his beloved disciple suddenly stood up and interrupted him.

"There is something that I was ashamed to talk about, and it has kept my teacher awake at night. I have no choice but to speak of it."

Zhang Angxiong drank a glass of wine in one gulp, stood up, looked around the room, and spoke loudly.

"Not long after the ancestor passed away, someone took advantage of the situation, threatened and oppressed him, and forced him to commit a crime before the mourning period was over."

"Brother Zhang, are you talking about Blazing Star?"

Someone in the corner pointed out loudly, it was Jiang Zimo from Hongshengmen.

"Exactly!"

Zhang Angxiong bowed towards that side.

"What does Senior Brother Zhang want us to do?"

The second person passed the message.

"My Zhen Sect cannot stand alone, so I would like to ask all the heroes to speak out together, find that Blazing Star and confront him face to face, and seek justice!"

Zhang Angxiong replied immediately, ignoring his master's angry glare.

"Oh, that's all; please help me."

Upon seeing this, Xin Wencheng sighed, bowed and asked, his voice low and heavy, blowing the candlelight.

There was silence inside and outside the hall for a moment, then there were a few responses, which gradually became noisy, and finally a hero smashed his wine bowl and shouted, "Go now!" For a moment, the crowd was in an uproar.

Just when Zhang Angxiong was secretly happy, a loud voice came from the audience.

"Our Hongsheng Sect is a family friend of the Zhenzong Sect. We will certainly lend a helping hand if the Zhenzong Sect is in trouble! However, there are many of us here, so we must first set some rules before we go. May I ask whether Master Xin is not allowed to investigate the request of the Zhangwu Academy, or wait until after the mourning period?"

This question may seem mild, but it is actually crucial.

If Xin Wencheng only said to postpone the investigation, the force would be too weak and it would seem too drastic. If he insisted that the investigation was not allowed, it would be blunt and unreasonable and arouse suspicion.

It should be noted that group behavior is mostly carried out by temporary incitement. As the saying goes, once the minds of most people turn from emotion to rationality, things can no longer be pushed forward.

"Master Xu, this matter is not just a matter of timing."

Xin Wencheng calmed down and replied.

"The Ministry of Martial Arts is responsible for the establishment and abolition of sects, the production of martial arts, and the circulation of elixirs, but it has never been in charge of private property. If the court really wants to inspect taxes, it should naturally be led by the officials of the Inspectorate. How can they send the imperial guards at will?"

This was a forced rebuttal.

But the warriors present all followed the logic in their minds and became rational. Not only did they start arguing at the table, but many of them started to use their true energy to sober up.

"I am Xiang Rui from Hezhou Whiterun City. What Sect Leader Xin said makes sense, but Chixing is the headmaster's trusted cavalryman and has a strong personality. If we go there and he insists on not retreating, what can we do? We can't fight him, right?"

Someone else stood up and spoke. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. If Hong Fan mishandled the matter and made it bigger, Qing Emperor Zhenzong would naturally be pleased to see it.

But Xin Wencheng couldn't tell the truth in his mind.

"How he does it is his business. There is law in the world, and someone must uphold it!"

At this time, Zhang Angxiong slammed the table and replied proudly.

After two rounds of dialogue, the anger in the audience had cooled down by half.

Tang Xingqing was sitting on the left of the second seat. After hearing that she now understood the undercurrent today, she thought about how Hong Fan did not ask for her help when they met before. She felt happy but also a little upset.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Xin Wencheng had no choice but to look towards Chu Jiange.

The latter remained silent as always.

So he glanced around the table and turned to Tang Xingqing.

"I wonder how to see the Thousand Points Star in Huaiyang?"

As a contemporary genius, Tang Xingqing is one of the five or six most prestigious people present. In addition, everyone in the world knows that the Tang family and the Baisheng Army have been at war, and she herself has been defeated and captured by Hong Fan. She will definitely not retreat at this time.

“I think this matter cannot be impulsive.”

Unexpectedly, Tang Xingqing poured a basin of cold water on him as soon as she came up.

"The Zhangwu Academy is powerful and has legal control over all the sects in the world. Moreover, there are many people and many variables today. If everyone rushes to find the Blazing Star, if there is a conflict, wouldn't it just give the Zhangwu Academy an excuse to put pressure on them?"

"Now that Senior Yang's affairs have been settled, let Hong Fan investigate your noble family's character of hanging a sword on a pine branch and making money. If he fails to find anything after a long time, then everyone in the world will speak up for Master Xin to attack the Martial Arts Academy!"

These nice words, which were actually an excuse, reached the hearts of the heroes who had just sobered up. For a moment, they echoed them one after another and were in an uproar.

Xin Wencheng knew that there would be no result today, and he felt as if he was falling into an icy cave while sitting there.

······
The next day, it was night.

The night sky is as deep as the sea, and a few crows are flying silently across the sky.

Xin Wencheng stood woodenly under the eaves with his hands behind his back when he saw his beloved disciple hurrying over to report.

"Master, we have roughly counted and found that about 50% of the heroes who watched the ceremony yesterday are leaving today, and nearly a hundred of them even left overnight."

Zhang Angxiong lowered his head and said, unable to hide his anger.

"Our nine hundred taels of silver for the wine were wasted!"

"I am them. I left last night too."

Xin Wencheng sneered weakly.

"Those small sects, even their sect masters and elders are not as good as Xiantian, what can they resist? Chixing is so famous, and we have seen his methods in the Qingtian Palace. Although he is not yet at the right stage, he is clearly of the same caliber as Gu Yixin and Chu Jiange. Ordinary Xiantians can't stand up to him at all."

"I am angry at other people, those land immortals and heavenly masters in Qingzhou!"

He lowered his voice and his breathing became heavier.

"Although the ancestor was only at the second level of Yuanci during his lifetime, he made many good friends, even the six celestial beings in Qingzhou could be counted as friends. What was the result?"

"'Dahuang Tunyun' is fine, but the other five didn't even show up at the funeral. The only one on the Earth Ranking present was from outside Qingzhou..."

Xin Wencheng gritted his teeth, his voice trembling, and staggered two steps before falling back into the armchair.

The wooden chair creaked.

After a long silence, a twisted and suppressed roar suddenly rang out from the audience: "The Qingdi Zhenzong has a history of 300 years. As the 21st generation leader, if I cannot protect the inheritance, how can I have the face to be buried with the ancestors of all generations?"

Zhang Angxiong's heart tightened when he heard the crying. When he raised his head, he saw his master, who was like his biological father, curled up in a chair with tears on his face and veins bulging.

A flock of birds behind the eaves flew away in fright, and the moonlight outside the courtyard was cut into bone-white fragments by the leaves.

The Qingtian Palace gradually returned to calm.

"Angxiong, go take a shower and change your clothes, then kowtow and burn incense in front of the ancestor's tablet, and come back to my room in an hour."

Xin Wencheng stood up shakily, his voice as decisive as the sound of a broken sword.

"Master will teach you the mantra of the Green Emperor Sword Canon after the Xiantian Liuhe."

(End of this chapter)