The deepest affection in Gu Long's world

Chapter 184 Demon Exorcism Conference
The "demon" in the Demon Extermination Conference naturally refers to Li Xunhuan.

The fact that he ranked third on the new weapon list, coupled with his title as the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits, is enough to make him the most infamous villain in the martial arts world.

There are at least several thousand martial arts figures attending this conference, and this is only a three-day deadline. As a result, some powerful figures from various factions who received the news did not have enough time to arrive on time; otherwise, the number could easily have reached five figures.

Because of the large number of participants, the demon-slaying conference was not held at Xingyun Manor, but rather on a temporary stage set up in an open area outside Baoding Prefecture.

As soon as dawn broke, many martial arts practitioners hurriedly arrived around the platform to wait.

As they discussed this, they watched one after another these prominent figures from the North appear.

"This must be the Wang family patriarch, who is skilled in using the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber. I didn't expect him to be here too!"

"Not only that, there's also the chief镖头 of the Shuofeng镖局, several elders of the Huangsha驼盟, the third leader of the Tieqi会, and then there's Xuesongtang, Songshan Bieyuan, and Yajianmen. These families rarely show up, I didn't expect them to be able to make it to this demon-slaying conference."

"After all, who would have thought that the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits was actually Li Yu, the third-ranked scholar on the Weapon Ranking!"

"Shh! You can't just say things like that. This matter isn't settled yet. There are rumors circulating that this Scholar Li is very suspicious, and also..."

"Then he was caught red-handed. Having designs on your sister-in-law is a major taboo in the martial arts world! Our Master Long is quite tolerant. I heard that just a few nights ago, Master Long was still shouting himself hoarse to defend Li Tanhua's innocence!"

"It's not just Lord Long. I've heard that Nangong Yuan of the Nangong family is known for his genius. Doesn't he also believe that Li Xunhuan is definitely not the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits?"

"These aristocratic families are probably not clean. A few days ago, Tianji Tower joined forces with major sects such as Huashan and Shaolin to expose several people who openly claimed to be great heroes, but in reality, they were just using the name of the Plum Blossom Thief to commit all sorts of dirty deeds in secret!"

Perhaps Nangong Yuan traveled all the way north to join in the fun just to shut Li Xunhuan up. Who can be sure that among the three famous families, there isn't a hidden Plum Blossom Bandit?

After all, even Li Xunhuan could be the leader of the Plum Blossom Bandits; you can know a person's face but not their heart.

"Silence, Nangong Yuan and the young master of the Ding family have arrived."

This time, the two major families did not bring dozens of people with them, because such a small number of people would not be of much use at the demon-slaying event.

During these three days, Nangong Yuan was in great agony. He only had time to send a message back and then received a reply that he would follow Ding Chengfeng's arrangements. This made him pin his hopes on the young master of the manor, whom he did not really respect.

In fact, by now, he was somewhat suspicious of Ding Chengfeng's plans, because the other party hadn't made any arrangements at all!

"Brother Chengfeng, what are you really thinking? Can you give me a straight answer?!"

After noticing the various kinds of gazes fixed on him from all around, Nangong Yuan became increasingly uncomfortable. He originally thought he would enjoy this feeling, but the key was that those people's gazes could not be scrutinizing, disgusted, contemptuous, or suspicious!

Ding Chengfeng walked calmly at the front, still deep in thought even now!
Don't you think there are too many people attending this conference?

Given the Ding family's influence in Hebei, they had already basically confirmed the list of participants in this demon-slaying conference yesterday. Although the scale of this conference is not as large as the previous battle at the summit of Mount Lu, the number of representatives from those small and medium-sized forces is still quite considerable.

Keep in mind that the preparation time for the demon-slaying conference was only three days.

Not every power can make a decision so quickly after receiving the news, and then send a representative of sufficient importance to Baoding Prefecture on time.

"Can you please stop making me guess?"

Nangong Yuan was extremely frustrated. He was unable to think calmly. He could hear some people talking and discussing him with suspicion. He was also certain that the three demons of Xingyun Manor would not let him off so easily!
These are a bunch of mad dogs that won't let go once they've caught them!

"What I mean is, Xingyun Manor thinks it has everything under control, but that may not be the case."

"So what's the truth?"

"Shut up!" Ding Baiyun snapped at Nangong Yuan, who was becoming increasingly frantic.

"Is all of Big Brother's speculation based on Xiao Hong?"

"Xiao Hong? You mean the presence of that Miss Sun here means there are other experts involved? Couldn't she just be here for fun!"

As soon as Nangong Yuan finished speaking, Ding Baiyun forced him to back down with a look.

The other party looked at Ding Chengfeng seriously.

"That day, the older brother didn't force Xiaohong to give an answer, and Xiaohong didn't give a definite reply either, and then she slipped away."

"It's good that she slipped away. If she had really given us an answer that she was just here to watch the show, it would have been hard to confirm."

"But what Nangong Yuan just said is also true. Brother, you can know through family intelligence that Xiao Hong also participated in the battle at the top of Mount Lu. But that does not mean that the Tianji Tower is deeply involved just because she came to Baoding Prefecture."

Besides, is the Heavenly Mystery Tower really as powerful as you guess, brother?

"The powerful one is not the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, but the master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion."

"Is it because Elder Sun became a guest elder of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion that we judge the Lord of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to be very powerful? Or does it mean that he and Shangguan Jin Hong, who is ranked second on the Weapon Ranking, joined forces to kill the Great Joyful Bodhisattva, which means that he is so powerful that my elder brother was willing to risk the fate of the family?"

From Ding Baiyun's questions, Ding Chengfeng already knew that the other party had no accurate understanding of this matter at all.

Or rather, most people in the martial arts world lack a more accurate judgment on the division of martial prowess. For example, Ximen Rou, who was originally ranked seventh on the original weapon ranking, originally felt that the difference in strength between himself and the previous few was not that great.

However, after witnessing firsthand how Guo Songyang, ranked fourth, killed Zhuge Gang, ranked eighth, with a single sword strike in the original storyline, he was so devastated that he went into seclusion.

Even the powerful figures who have made it onto the Weapon Ranking are unaware that the rankings rise in a curve, let alone these newcomers who have just entered the martial world. They might exchange blows with a few people ranked lower on the Weapon Ranking and realize that although the people in front are strong, they are not so strong as to be beyond their comprehension.

But a legitimate family heir like Ding Chengfeng knows all too well that the experts on the new weapons list are truly like monsters.

If we were to explain the comparison of martial arts to Ding Baiyun, it wouldn't be possible for her to gain an accurate understanding in a short time.

But another thing can prove from another angle just how powerful the current master of Tianji Tower is.

"Isn't it impressive that Elder Sun was able to become a guest elder of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion?"

"That senior always took a different approach. For example, in the original weapon ranking, even if there were experts in our family who reached that level, we would not compete with those wandering martial arts practitioners for that meaningless ranking."

"Exactly, exactly. The key point is that the senior even lost the competition. When the new weapon rankings were released, it was directly kicked from first to fourth, and even the nickname 'Heavenly Secret Staff' was..."

Nangong Yuan, who had been chiming in from the side, suddenly fell silent.

By this point, he had come to a deep understanding of why Ding Chengfeng had given such an evaluation. Even though Tianji Tower ranked Sun Baifa fourth and stripped him of his nickname, Sun Baifa still joined Tianji Tower as a guest elder.

Being unconventional is one thing, but it doesn't mean you have no shame.

Yet, Sun Baifa did something that seemed somewhat self-defeating to those in the martial arts world. Judging from his family's traditional mindset, it's clear that for Sun Baifa, the benefits of joining the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion far outweighed this loss of face. However, compared to the Sun family, which already belonged to the top tier of powerful clans in intelligence gathering, the benefits such an intelligence organization could bring were likely extremely limited. Therefore, there's only one possibility.

Sun Baifa values ​​people.

It is the Master of Tianji Tower.

There's something I'm not sure if it's appropriate to say it now.

At this moment, the members of the two great families had already stepped onto the stage. They were then arranged by the reception staff sent by Xingyun Manor to stand and wait in a position on the left. This treatment of everyone was so severe that no chairs were even prepared. In fact, it was a show of force to these families who valued their reputation.

But until Ding Chengfeng spoke, they could only suppress their emotions for the time being.

"Brother Chengfeng, they're obviously doing this on purpose. I'm afraid what they'll do next..."

Ding Chengfeng stopped Nangong Yuan from speaking and looked at Ding Baiyun.

"What were you referring to when you said something?"

"Xiao Hong told me that she has a man."

"As the eldest grandson of the Sun family, and with such favor from the old patriarch Sun, her choice must be exactly what she wanted. It's just that the timing is a bit tricky, considering the people she seems to have been able to contact recently."

Ding Chengfeng did not continue the topic. He simply looked at Zhao Zhengyi and the others who followed their two great families onto the stage.

Zhao Zhengyi stood in the center without hesitation, and Tian Qi and Gongsun Moyun seemed to have no objections. As for Long Xiaoyun, he did not come with them; he should have brought Li Xunhuan here for the trial.

Thinking Brother continued to ponder, while Ding Baiyun then brought up another matter.

"When Li Xunhuan was arrested that night, I saw a person, a person hiding on the roof."

"Hiding on the roof? The roof of Xingyun Manor?"

Ding Chengfeng's thoughts were interrupted, but he felt that the topic Ding Baiyun was discussing was far more important than his own random musings.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!"

This made his tone somewhat impulsive, because such a suspicious matter could be used as important evidence to defend Li Xunhuan.

"What would have happened if I'd said so earlier? He couldn't possibly be the Plum Blossom Thief!"

Ding Baiyun retorted directly.

“You said he hid on the roof, on the night Li Xunhuan was arrested. According to Li Xunhuan’s previous explanation, he saw a dark shadow—”

"It wasn't a shadowy figure; he was dressed in white. Besides, anyone in the world could be the Plum Blossom Thief, but he's the only one who couldn't!"

Ding Chengfeng was speechless looking at his younger sister, who seemed to be having a mental breakdown.

"How come everyone in the world could be the Plum Blossom Thief, but he's the only one who can't? You know, even the famous Li Tanhua is now the prime suspect for the Plum Blossom Thief's leader!"

"You'll know once you see him. Anyone who sees him will never think that he is the Plum Blossom Thief."

At this point, Ding Baiyun turned her head away in a huff. She had just suddenly mentioned the person hiding on the roof, which obviously meant there was more to the story, but Ding Chengfeng's intense reaction silenced her.

Ding Chengfeng is currently facing a major headache. He can only guess about Sun Xiaohong's situation, but he has discovered that the clues he has found about his sister are all becoming more and more important. However, she has started to act up.

He wanted to persuade them further, even to pressure them into revealing more clues.

He may seem calm and collected now, but he's actually quite anxious inside.

After all, if his initial guess was wrong, then any subsequent attempts to remedy the situation would be nothing but a joke.

"Anyone who has seen him could not possibly be the Plum Blossom Thief, so what makes you think you are?"

At this point, Ding Chengfeng seemed to have thought of something.

After arriving in Baoding Prefecture two days earlier than Nangong Yuan, he didn't just stay in that villa; he did learn about the situation in detail.

This includes some recent news from Baoding Prefecture.

There is a mysterious urban legend in it.

When he first heard the strange tale, he couldn't help but find it laughable, because the rumors exaggerated the young master Fang's abilities to an extreme degree, as if he could overcome any difficult problem or obstacle.

If you are fortunate enough to meet the other party, a single conversation can easily help you overcome your difficulties and usher in a new life.

Moreover, this rumor portrayed that young master Fang as if he were a god descended from heaven.

Ding Chengfeng spent a whole day on this and even sought out several martial arts figures who had been in contact with Young Master Fang. They all showed a genuine respect and pride, simply because they were the destined people chosen by Young Master Fang.

Furthermore, it was because they were friends with Young Master Fang for a day.

That's so weird!
Ding Chengfeng originally wanted to investigate the matter in detail, but then Nangong Yuan arrived, and Li Xunhuan was caught in the net that night, which made him have to suppress his thoughts for the time being.

Now, hearing Ding Baiyun recount the story of the person hiding on the roof and react with such a freakish expression, he suddenly felt that if those martial arts figures were to vote on who they believed could not possibly be the Plum Blossom Thief, then that Young Master Fang would likely receive the most votes.

Just as he fell into thought again.

Li Xunhuan, as a suspect, was brought up by the people escorting him: Yi Ku, the ninth-ranked Qingmo Shou, and Yu Xiao Dao Ren, the tenth-ranked Yu Xiao Dao Ren. Seeing Yu Xiao Dao Ren getting so close to Zhao Zhengyi and the others, Ding Chengfeng's face also turned somewhat gloomy.

After all, the other party came with Nangong Yuan, and their eagerness to switch sides now is undoubtedly a disgrace to the two great families.

Then Ding Chengfeng noticed Long Xiaoyun, who was walking at the back.

He had expected the other party to put on that tearful, wailing show again.

But this time, Long Xiaoyun remained calm.

It was like the oppressive calm before a storm.

(End of this chapter)