Starting from the time when Mang traveled through Joy of Life, he fabricated the myths of the heaven

Chapter 504 Taking Action (Part 2 Combined)
Liu Zhengfeng walked into the hall with a smile, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to everyone, who all stood up to return the greeting.

Liu Zhengfeng said loudly: "Distinguished senior heroes, dear friends, and young friends."

I am deeply grateful for your presence, everyone. I am honored by your arrival. I will retire from the martial world today and will no longer concern myself with its affairs. I believe you all know why.

Brother, you have already received the imperial favor and become a minor official. As the saying goes, "He who eats the emperor's food must be loyal to the emperor." In the world of martial arts, one should be loyal to the emperor; but in matters of state, one must abide by the law in order to repay the emperor's kindness.

If these two things conflict, it will put Liu Zhengfeng in a difficult position. From now on, Liu Zhengfeng will withdraw from the martial arts world. If any of my disciples wish to join another sect, they may do so as they see fit.

"I, Liu, have invited you all here to be my good friends. In the future, when you come to Hengyang City, you will naturally still be my good friends. However, I will not concern myself with the various grudges and disputes in the martial arts world." He then bowed again.

In fact, some people had already anticipated his words after the government officials arrived; it was all too obvious.

Many people think that Liu Zhengfeng only wants to be an official, but everyone has their own ambitions, and you can't force them. Anyway, he didn't offend me, so from now on, this person will be gone from the martial arts world.

Some thought that his behavior was really damaging to the glory of the Hengshan Sect, and that the Hengshan Sect Leader, Master Mo Da, must be very angry. That's why he didn't come. The Hengshan Sect only sent a child, while Liu Zhengfeng was promoting Mo Xiaobei.

Some people think that the Five Mountains Sword Sect has been doing chivalrous deeds in the martial arts world in recent years and is admired by many. However, Liu Zhengfeng did such a thing. People may not dare to say anything to his face, but they can't help but feel disgusted behind his back.

Some people gloated, saying that the Five Mountains Sword Sects are supposed to be chivalrous sects, but when it comes to promotions and wealth, don't they just kowtow to officials? What's the point of mentioning the word 'chivalry'?
Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and for a moment, the hall was completely silent. Normally, under such circumstances, everyone should have congratulated Liu Zhengfeng and flattered him with phrases like "May he enjoy a long and healthy life," "May he retire gracefully," and "May he be wise and courageous." However, with more than a thousand people gathered in the hall, no one spoke.

Liu Zhengfeng truly had a wide circle of friends; the arrival of so many people from the martial arts world served as a form of public announcement.

Ignoring everyone's thoughts, Liu Zhengfeng turned to the outside and said loudly, "Disciple Liu Zhengfeng was accepted into the sect by my master and taught martial arts. I am ashamed that I have failed to bring honor to the Hengshan Sect."

Fortunately, with Senior Brother Mo in charge of the sect, Liu Zhengfeng is mediocre. His presence or absence makes little difference. From now on, Liu will retire from martial arts and focus on officialdom. He will also resolutely refuse to use his master's martial arts to seek promotion and advancement. As for the grudges and disputes in the martial arts world and the conflicts between sects, Liu Zhengfeng will never get involved.

"If I disobey this, may I have this sword." Liu Zhengfeng flipped his right hand and drew a long sword from under his robe. With both hands, he snapped the sword in two with a snap. He broke the long sword and casually let the two broken pieces fall. With two soft hissing sounds, the broken swords stuck into the blue bricks.

Everyone was astonished upon seeing it. Judging from the sound of the two broken sword pieces piercing the blue bricks, the sword was clearly a weapon capable of cutting through gold and jade. For someone like Liu Zhengfeng, breaking an ordinary steel sword with a mere hand force was not surprising at all.

However, to break a precious sword so effortlessly and with such ease demonstrates the skill of a top-tier martial arts master.

Mr. Wen sighed and said, "What a pity, what a pity!"

It's unclear whether he regretted the precious sword or the fact that a master like Liu Zhengfeng was willing to surrender to the government.

Liu Zhengfeng was also showing that he was not someone to be trifled with. Mo Xiaobei wanted to say something, but Bai Zhantang had already covered her mouth.

Judging from her excited expression, if you don't stop her, she might say something like, "That's really interesting, that's fun, do it again!" treating you like a circus act, which would be quite amusing. Mo Xiaobei is just a child after all.

Liu Zhengfeng smiled as he watched this scene, rolled up his sleeves, and stretched out his hands to put the contents of the golden basin in. Suddenly, he heard someone outside the door shout sternly, "Stop!"

Everyone was slightly startled. Who was so brave? They looked up and saw four men in yellow shirts walking in through the gate.

As soon as the four men entered, they stood on either side, and then a very tall man in a yellow shirt walked in from between them.

The man held aloft a five-colored brocade banner, adorned with pearls and gemstones, which emitted a brilliant light when unfurled.

Many people who recognized the flag were shocked: "The banner of the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect has arrived!"

"Stop talking nonsense. If you want to leave the martial world, ignore what others do and wash your hands." A voice that only he could hear rang in Liu Zhengfeng's ears.

He was startled. To be able to use telepathy in such a noisy environment, this person's skill was truly unfathomable. Subconsciously, he looked at Shen Qingzhou. According to the rumors, only he had this ability here.

This was, of course, a reminder from Shen Qingzhou. He told her to wash her hands quickly and get it over with as soon as possible, because getting blocked by various things would only lead to more problems later.

However, some things are simple in theory. Shen Qingzhou thought that as long as Liu Zhengfeng washed his hands of the matter, it would be unreasonable for anyone to do anything to him again, as a lot of people would support him.

It's not that Liu Zhengfeng is truly popular; it's that since there's the act of "washing one's hands of the trade," it means that more than one person will use it, and no one can guarantee that they won't reach that point in the future.

There are rules in the martial arts world too. If everyone breaks them at will, the martial arts world will really be in chaos. What everyone is protecting is not Liu Zhengfeng, but the rules.

However, Liu Zhengfeng thought differently. He couldn't have imagined, or rather, he still harbored wishful thinking, that among the Five Mountains, the Songshan Sect was currently the most powerful, and Zuo Lengchan was a first-rate master with exceptional skills, whose name as one of the Thirteen Protectors resounded throughout the martial arts world.

Even though Liu Zhengfeng knew the other party might cause trouble, he still wanted to resolve the matter. After all, retiring from the martial arts world didn't mean he was truly free of trouble, and he was afraid of offending the Songshan Sect by washing his hands of the martial arts.

Therefore, even though he was grateful for Shen Qingzhou's reminder, he still wanted to know what it was about.

All I can say is that he didn't have God's perspective and could never have imagined that the Songshan Sect would dare to break the rule of not harming family members in front of so many martial arts figures.

Of course, because of his connection with the Demonic Sect, this matter was tacitly accepted by the martial arts world. It can only be said that being associated with the Demonic Sect is truly unpleasant.

The man walked up to Liu Zhengfeng, raised his flag and said, "Uncle Liu, I have received an order from the Left Alliance Leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect: Uncle Liu, please postpone your retirement for the time being."

Liu Zhengfeng bowed and said, "But I don't know what the purpose of this order is, Alliance Leader?" His heart skipped a beat. He should have known better than to ask. He was directly prevented from retiring from the martial arts world.

If you do something without being asked, and then he complains, then he's in the wrong. But nowadays, if you do something after someone has asked, it becomes very troublesome. Shen Qingzhou watched this scene without feeling any disappointment or frustration. Liu Zhengfeng was also a master, and he couldn't control his behavior either. He just felt that the original story was a bit too cruel and wanted to make amends.

In reality, he and Liu Zhengfeng were not related by blood, and there was not much he could do for them. Their previous interactions were limited to getting to know each other and doing business together, but they were definitely not close friends.

The man said, "I was just following orders, I didn't know the leader's intention, please forgive me, Uncle Liu."

Liu Zhengfeng smiled and said, "No need to be so polite. You must be Qianzhangsongshi, my nephew?" Although he smiled, his voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating that this matter had come very suddenly, and even someone as experienced as him was greatly shocked.

He was a little surprised. He had thought the other party was just late and was hoping for the best, but now, the idea of ​​retiring from the trade had caused trouble.

The man was none other than Shi Dengda, a disciple of the Songshan Sect. Hearing that Liu Zhengfeng knew his name and nickname, he couldn't help but feel proud. He bowed slightly and said, "Disciple Shi Dengda greets Uncle Liu."

He stepped forward and bowed to Tianmen Daoist, Yue Buqun, and Abbess Dingyi, saying, "Disciple of Songshan Sect pays respects to all senior uncles and master uncles." The other four men in yellow robes bowed in return.

Master Dingyi was very happy. She bowed and returned the letter, saying, "It's perfect that your master came out to stop this."

"I was thinking, we martial artists value chivalry above all else, living freely in the martial world. Why bother with such wretched official positions? But seeing that Brother Liu has everything arranged and is determined not to listen to the old nun's advice, I'll save myself the trouble of arguing."

Master Dingyi was happy. She also felt that it was a pity that Liu Zhengfeng, a hero of his time, had tarnished his reputation by becoming an official.

Nowadays, apart from Yue Buqun, Nangong Ping, and some other people with deeper thoughts, they know that this matter is abnormal, but for most of the righteous path, this is a good thing.

Liu Zhengfeng said solemnly, "Back then, our Five Mountains Sword Sect formed an alliance, agreeing to help each other in offense and defense, and to maintain the righteousness in the martial arts world. When it comes to matters related to the five sects, everyone must obey the orders of the alliance leader."

This five-colored command flag was jointly made by our five sects. Seeing the flag is like seeing the leader of the alliance, which is true. However, I am retiring from the martial arts world today, which is my private matter. It has not violated the code of the martial arts world, nor is it related to the Five Mountains Sword Sect. Therefore, I am not bound by the leader's flag.

Please tell your esteemed master, nephew Shi, that I, Liu, have disobeyed orders and I beg your forgiveness, Senior Brother Zuo.” With that, he walked toward the golden basin.

The Five Mountains Sword Sects are closely connected, and Zuo Lengchan has always wanted to merge them into one. In fact, many people know that although Mount Tai has a large number of members, it lacks talented individuals.

Hengshan is all women, and they lack ambition. Although Huashan has many experts, they are divided and act independently due to the conflict between sword qi. Many of them are just nominal members of Huashan, a disorganized mess whose true thoughts are unknown. Yue Buqun is the universally recognized leader of Huashan, but as the leader, he cannot command Youlong Swordsman and others.

Among the Five Mountains Sword Sects, the most suitable for Zuo Lengchan to take action against is actually the Hengshan Sect. The Hengshan Sect is not simple; it has the Sick Arhat Liao Liao, whom Zuo Lengchan is wary of.

Mo Da doesn't show off his skills, but the martial arts of the Divine Ape Swordsman Dong Hao are definitely above the Thirteen Protectors of Songshan. Ding Mian, the Pagoda-Bearing Hand, and Lu Bai, the Crane-Hand, are known as the Twin Jewels of Songshan, but when they were young, they fought with Dong Hao. They were all of the same generation, and Dong Hao was always suppressed. In the entire Songshan, only Zuo Lengchan could suppress Dong Hao.

Over the years, Dong Hao has taken charge of the Punishment Hall and has become less active, while Liu Zhengfeng has become increasingly famous. However, Zuo Lengchan has never forgotten him.

Among the Five Mountains Sword Sects, Yue Buqun was a significant threat, but the conflict over sword energy had too great an impact. No matter how strong Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze were, they could not fight against four opponents.

In comparison, the Hengshan Sect was the biggest threat. Therefore, after receiving news that Liu Zhengfeng was colluding with the Demonic Sect, Zuo Lengchan knew that his opportunity had come.

If Liu Zhengfeng is exposed for colluding with the evil sect, the Hengshan Sect will definitely be affected. Most importantly, there is no need to worry about the Hengshan Sect taking action; they can easily eliminate Liu Zhengfeng.

To force Liu Zhengfeng in front of the whole world—this kind of prestige will surely make the Songshan Sect's reputation as the head of the Five Sacred Mountains even more glorious.

"Uncle Liu, my master has repeatedly instructed me to postpone retiring from the martial arts world. My master said that the Five Mountains Sword Sects are of one mind and are like brothers."

"My master passed on this banner not only to uphold the friendship among the Five Mountains Sword Sects and to maintain righteousness in the martial arts world, but also for the good of Uncle Liu." Shi Dengda swayed, rushing to block the golden basin, raising the banner high in his right hand, and said.

Liu Zhengfeng said, "I don't understand. The invitation to my retirement banquet has already been respectfully sent to Mount Song, and a long letter has been sent to inform Senior Brother Zuo."

"If Senior Brother Zuo truly had such good intentions, why didn't he dissuade me beforehand? To issue the order to stop him only now is tantamount to openly refusing to acknowledge my word before all the heroes of the land, making me a laughingstock among the martial arts world!"

Liu Zhengfeng understood that this was a deliberate choice of time, a clear indication that they were determined to harm him.

Shi Dengda said, "My master instructed me that Uncle Liu is a true hero of the Hengshan Sect, a man of great righteousness. He is highly respected by his fellow martial artists, and my master admires him greatly. He told me that I must not be disrespectful in the slightest, or I will be severely punished. Uncle Liu's name is well-known in the martial arts world, so there is no need to worry about this."

Liu Zhengfeng smiled slightly and said, "This is too kind of you, Alliance Leader Zuo. How could I possibly have such a reputation?"

Seeing that the two were deadlocked, Abbess Dingyi couldn't help but interject, "Brother Liu, what harm is there in putting this matter aside for now? Everyone here today is a good friend, so who would dare to laugh at you? Even if there are a couple of ungrateful scoundrels who make unwarranted criticisms, even if Brother Liu doesn't hold it against them, this humble nun will let them off the hook for now."

As she spoke, her gaze swept across everyone's faces, conveying a sense of challenge, wanting to see who dared to offend her fellow practitioners from the Five Mountains Sword Sect.

Liu Zhengfeng nodded and said, "Since Master Dingyi also says so, I will postpone my retirement from the martial arts world until noon tomorrow. I ask all my friends not to leave, but to stay in Hengshan for another day so that I can learn more from the virtuous nephews of the Songshan Sect."

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from the back room: "Hey, what are you doing? It's none of your business who I hang out with."

Then a man's voice was heard saying, "You sit quietly and don't move or say anything. After a while, I will let you go." Qu Feiyan said, "Huh, that's strange. Is this your home?"

Liu Zhengfeng's expression changed. Shen Qingzhou watched this scene. What was bound to happen was finally happening. Liu Zhengfeng, sigh. If possible, make a move. Don't let the harm extend to your family.

(End of this chapter)