Film and Television World Life Record

……

The matter was finally explained, and Abbess Dingyi was clearly also full of anger. Unable to vent her anger, she snorted heavily and led her disciples away in a whirlwind.

Chapter 548 Planning

As the sun sets in the west, Hengshan City is brightly lit and bustling with activity.

In a large two-courtyard house in the west of the city, figures were moving about, and sentries were stationed along the walls, indicating that the area was heavily guarded.

At this moment, in a secret room inside the house, three people are sitting facing each other.

The man at the west end was a tall, thin man in a yellow robe, Lu Bai, the third-ranking member of the Songshan Sect, known as the Crane Hand. He suddenly spoke up, saying, "Senior Brother Ding, I don't quite understand. Our Songshan Sect is now powerful enough to command a large following in the martial world. With just a call to arms, we can attract countless followers. Why bother with the merger of the five sects, which is such a waste of time and effort?"

"Putting aside other things, look at the Hengshan Sect. They only have three nuns, Dingjing, Dingxian, and Dingyi, and their second-generation disciples are also not particularly talented. The Huashan Sect only has Yue Buqun and his wife, plus two rather talented disciples. The Hengshan Sect only has Mo Da, Liu Zhengfeng, and a few others who are presentable, plus that fool Lu Lianrong. The Taishan Sect has some strength, but it is constantly embroiled in internal strife. None of them have anything worth mentioning."

"On the contrary, our Songshan Sect is strong and well-equipped, and its leaders are of one mind. If the Five Sacred Mountains were to be united, it would certainly help the Songshan Sect, but it would inevitably cause factional chaos and make it difficult for the leaders to be of one mind. In fact, it would not be of much benefit to our Songshan Sect. I don't know why we have to do this merger."

Upon hearing this, Ding Mian, the Pagoda Bearer, laughed and said, "Junior Brother Lu, you must not be arrogant. Our Songshan Mountain certainly has strength, but if we want to take the lead in the righteous path, we still have a long way to go. The merger of the Five Mountains is the first step."

Lu Bai said, "What first step? Do we, Songshan, still need to rely on those four sects? Actually, there's no need for such trouble. When we become the number one sect in the martial arts world, they will be honored and will probably be begging to join our Songshan sect."

Ding Mian shook his head. He knew that this Junior Brother Lu was too honest. He said, "That's true. But our Songshan Sect is not as profound as Shaolin and Wudang, nor as large as the Demonic Sect. If we want to expand our strength, we must be inclusive and absorb other sects in the martial arts world."

"Our Five Mountains Sword Sects have been allied for a hundred years, and Senior Brother Zuo is the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. If we want to expand our power, the other four mountains are the first to be affected. Even if their strength is insignificant, they are still unavoidable. Just imagine, if you can't even unite your own Five Mountains Sword Sect, what face do you have to integrate the various sects in the martial arts world and take control of the martial arts world!"

"Moreover, Junior Brother Lu, the other sects are not as weak as you think. Not to mention the Hengshan Three Ding, Yue Buqun and his wife, Master Mo and his brothers, and Tianmen Tiandao and his fellow disciples, their strength is no weaker than our Thirteen Protectors. Even among the second-generation disciples, there are many talented people."

Lu Bai snorted, "How powerful can they be? When all thirteen of us are mobilized, we're not afraid of them. Let alone any second-generation disciples, we'll see when they've grown up."

Ding Mian hesitated for a long time before saying, "With our Thirteen Protectors mobilized, we are naturally not afraid of him, but... but Uncle Feng..."

Lu Bai was startled and said, "You mean Feng Qingyang... Uncle Feng... But we haven't heard from him for over twenty years. Wasn't he supposed to have passed away long ago? How could that be?"

It's no wonder Lu Bai was so surprised, because when Feng Qingyang challenged the world with his sword, they were young and full of youthful passion. They had all heard of this martial uncle of the Five Mountains Sword Sect and admired him greatly.

Even now, having mastered superb martial arts, they still look up to Feng Qingyang, who was a peerless master decades ago, and would never naively believe that their current martial arts skills can compare to his.

The gap lies not only in martial arts skills, but also in temperament and realm of understanding, which are beyond their reach.

Seeing Lu Bai's shocked expression, Ding Mian couldn't help but smile wryly, "How is it impossible? We martial artists are full of vital energy. If we know how to cultivate our character, living to be over a hundred years old is commonplace. Uncle Feng's internal strength is so profound that such a thing is a piece of cake for him. Besides, he is only about eighty years old now. If there were no accidents, how could he have died!"

Lu Bai raised an eyebrow and said, "But after all, he has been out of contact for more than twenty years. If he had fought with someone in between, it is not impossible that something unexpected happened."

Ding Mian couldn't help but laugh and said, "Junior Brother Lu, do you think there is anyone in the world today who can fight against Uncle Feng?"

Lu Bai pondered for a moment and said, "In the world today... I really can't think of many. However, Dongfang Bubai, the leader of the Demonic Sect, is one."

Ding Mian took a sip of tea and said, "Dongfang Bubai... does have that strength. However, when Uncle Feng was famous all over the world, Dongfang Bubai was still an unknown nobody. By the time his martial arts skills improved and he became the leader of the Demonic Sect, Uncle Feng had already disappeared for more than ten years. They probably didn't have a chance to fight each other. What kind of accident could have happened to Uncle Feng?"

Lu Bai said, "So, Uncle Feng is still alive, and might be living in seclusion somewhere on Mount Hua."

Then he looked like he suddenly realized something.

"No wonder Senior Brother Zuo instructed us to deal with Mount Hua either by doing it discreetly and eliminating it completely, or by using a righteous pretext to slowly and deliberately take action. I thought that Senior Brother's power had increased and his courage had decreased, but it turns out he was afraid that Uncle Feng would interfere."

“I said you insist on going to Zhongtiao Mountain to invite Feng Buping and the others to come out of the mountains. Although their martial arts are nothing special, it is a brilliant move. After all, they are all from the Sword Sect. I think Uncle Feng will not stop the Sword Sect from regaining control of Huashan.”

Ding Mian and Lu Bai both nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Fei Bin interjected, "The unification of the Five Mountains Sects is still a long way off. Right now, we should focus on the present. How should we proceed with the Golden Basin Washing Hands Ceremony in three days?"

Ding Mian laughed and said, "Of course we'll act according to the situation. The stage is already set up, and Liu Zhengfeng has such a big handle in our hands. How well we brothers can put on this show depends on us."

Lu Bai and Fei Bin clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Please give us your instructions, Senior Brother Ding."

Ding Mian chuckled and said, "There's no need for formalities between us brothers. This time, we have two purposes: first, to test the bottom line of each faction, to see who can be won over and who are die-hards, so as to pave the way for the future merger of the Five Mountains."

"Secondly, let's take a city first and take down the Hengshan Sect. I've heard that Liu Zhengfeng has a very high reputation in the Hengshan Sect and is at odds with Master Mo. Now we have something on him. We can threaten him by saying that he has allied with the Demonic Sect and make him go to Songshan to apologize to Senior Brother Zuo in person."

"Senior Brother Zuo has his own methods. If he becomes one of our Songshan disciples and has our support, how can Mo Da possibly hold onto the position of Hengshan Sect Leader? He would have no choice but to obediently step down and hand over the reins to a more capable person. In this way, Hengshan will be completely under our control without lifting a finger."

Lu Bai asked, "What if he doesn't cooperate?"

Ding Mian sneered, "If he refuses to cooperate, then don't blame us for being ruthless and using him as a sacrificial offering to establish our authority. When the Hengshan Sect loses Liu Zhengfeng, how can it be managed well given Mr. Mo's lazy nature? With Lu Lianrong's inside help, by the time our Songshan Sect has established its dominance, even if he opposes the merger, he will be powerless to do so."

Lu Bai and Fei Bin cupped their hands and said, "Senior Brother Ding is brilliant."

Ding Mian smiled and said, "Brothers, you're too kind. I was just following Senior Brother Zuo's plan."

……

After a round of laughter and some discussion, Lu Bai asked, "Are you sure no one from the Hengshan Sect will participate in the 'Golden Basin Washing Hands' ceremony three days from now?"

Fei Bin continued, "It's common knowledge that Liu Zhengfeng and Mo Da, the head of Hengshan Sect, are at odds. If he were to retire from martial arts, the prestige of the Hengshan Sect in the martial arts world would decline by three points. From Lu Lianrong's secret report, it can also be seen that not only Mo Da disagrees with his retirement, but his other fellow disciples also disagree."

"Since Liu Zhengfeng insists, none of the disciples of Hengshan will appear on that day."

Ding Mian nodded and said, "Without the Hengshan Sect's intervention, although Liu Zhengfeng has good connections in the martial arts world, most of his acquaintances are superficial, and very few are truly close. If we simply use the pretext of Liu Zhengfeng's collusion with the Demonic Sect, we can silence those self-proclaimed virtuous gentlemen. Then, by deploying all our men and using force to intimidate them, I believe few will dare to speak up for Liu Zhengfeng or obstruct our actions!"

Fei Bin said, "My only concern is Qu Yang. After all, he is a member of the Demonic Sect, and there might be some unpredictable changes."

Ding Mian frowned and said, "I am also worried about this. I am not quite sure whether Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng's friendship is based on music or if they have other motives."

Fei Bin said, "Nearly a thousand people attended Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony, which shows how extensive his connections are in the martial arts world. It's quite possible that the Demonic Sect could use this to sow discord among our Five Mountains Sword Sect."

Ding Mian sighed and said, "In recent years, Dongfang Bubai has neglected his duties, giving our Five Mountains Sword Sect an opportunity to develop. But we must not underestimate Dongfang Bubai's strategies because of this."

Lu Bai said, "Does Senior Brother mean that Qu Yang's friendship with Liu Zhengfeng is a conspiracy by Dongfang Bubai?"

Ding Mian laughed and said, "I didn't say that. Such a matter is probably not worth Dongfang Bubai's time. There are quite a few clever and talented people in the Demonic Sect. It is possible that they deliberately set things up for our Five Mountains Sword Sect because they see that it is doing well."

Fei Bin continued, "When Dongfang Bubai first became the leader, he ruthlessly eliminated dissidents. The fact that Qu Yang was able to hold onto the position of elder shows that he is also a direct descendant of Dongfang Bubai."

Lu Bai asked doubtfully, "Even if Qu Yang has impure intentions, how much trouble can Liu Zhengfeng cause?"

Ding Mian laughed and said, "Normally, Liu Zhengfeng can't cause much trouble, but this time we've gotten involved."

Lu Bai continued, "The members of the Demonic Sect are all deserving of death. If Qu Yang dares to show himself, not to mention our Songshan Sect, I'm afraid none of the fellow martial artists present will let him leave so easily."

Fei Bin said, "Junior Brother Lu makes sense. We don't need to worry too much. After all, it's just a guess, and the possibility is extremely small. We shouldn't be overly anxious."

At this point, Fei Bin sneered, "At this point, in the current martial arts world, apart from the Demonic Sect, there are only two or three other factions that can obstruct our plan."

Lu Bai asked, "Oh, which three?"

Fei Bin sneered, "The first two are Shaolin and Wudang. If they send people, we will have to be careful in our actions to avoid arousing their suspicion and ruining our plans. If they plead for Liu Zhengfeng, we might have to give them some face."

Ding Mian said, "Shaolin and Wudang have always valued their status. As for Liu Zhengfeng's retirement from the martial arts world, even if an invitation were sent, judging from their usual behavior, they would definitely ignore it. Now there are still three days until his retirement, but no one from either sect has come. Presumably, they will not come. There is no need to worry about it."

Lu Bai interjected, "Besides the Demonic Sect and Shaolin and Wudang, the most renowned sect in the martial arts world today is our Five Mountains Sword Sect. This third... could it be referring to some people within our Five Mountains Sword Sect?"

Fei Bin nodded and said, "That's right. The Taishan Sect Leader, Daoist Tianmen, led his junior brothers Tianbai and Tiansong and a group of disciples and arrived the day before yesterday. Although the Huashan Sect has only sent a few disciples, it is said that Yue Buqun will also come in person. The Hengshan Sect's Abbess, Master Dingyi of Baiyun Nunnery, has also arrived with her disciples. Although the Hengshan Sect's disciples will not show up, we still have to be on guard."

"If these parties get involved, their numbers are no less than ours, and that would be troublesome."

Ding Mian said thoughtfully, "Junior Brother Fei is absolutely right. If these factions unite, even though we brothers are highly skilled in martial arts, we might not be able to defeat them. But it's unlikely that they would interfere or even sabotage this matter."

"Our Five Mountains Sword Sect has been entangled with the Demonic Sect for nearly a hundred years, and we have long since formed a blood feud that cannot be resolved by a few words. As long as it is confirmed that Liu Zhengfeng has associated with the demonic sect, no one will stand on his side."

"Putting aside everything else, most of the disciples of Master Dingyi's generation died at the hands of the Demonic Sect. Liu Zhengfeng dared to associate with an elder of the Demonic Sect. Given her personality, wouldn't she harbor resentment towards him? Yue Buqun is known as the Gentleman Sword. He is indeed like a gentleman in terms of humility and forbearance, but he is too hesitant and timid. If you ask him to stand up for Liu Zhengfeng, I'm afraid he wouldn't dare. The master of the Taoist Master Tianmen of Mount Tai died at the hands of a female elder of the Demonic Sect. As long as it is confirmed that Liu Zhengfeng associated with a demon of the Demonic Sect, he will also stay out of it. How could they possibly unite to exonerate Liu Zhengfeng?"

Lu Bai continued, "That's right. Our Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Demonic Sect are sworn enemies. Just based on Liu Zhengfeng's willingness to associate with the elders of the Demonic Sect, who would dare to stand up for him? We don't need to worry unnecessarily."

Fei Bin smiled and said, "What my two senior brothers say makes sense. It seems that we should be able to take down Liu Zhengfeng in three days without any major problems."

Ding Mian continued, "As long as we act cautiously, he won't be able to escape our grasp!"

After they finished speaking, they burst into laughter and chatted for a while. Then Ding Mian suddenly asked, "Qingcheng Sect was wiped out. Have you found out who did it?"

Fei Bin said, "Our influence in Sichuan is relatively weak, and we don't have any leads yet. It's unlikely we'll get any results. Shaolin and Wudang haven't reacted for so many days, so they probably haven't found the culprit either."

Ding Mian said, "Using the Qingcheng Sect's Pine Breeze Sword Technique to wipe out the entire Qingcheng Sect, how many people in the martial arts world can do that? They are all very famous figures, and there's no way to investigate further."

"In the end, it's inevitable that the blame will fall on the Demonic Sect, and it's quite possible that the Demonic Sect was behind it."

After shaking his head, he suddenly remembered something and said to Fei Bin, "I heard that Liu Zhengfeng's residence has gathered many guests tonight. Junior Brother Fei, why don't you go on behalf of our Songshan Sect to avoid people saying that we came but didn't show up? Also, take the opportunity to check on the situation at Liu Zhengfeng's residence!"

Fei Bin clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Alright! Senior Brother Ding, I'll go right away."

Chapter 549 Two-Element Sword Technique

The next day, the sky was clear and the sun was warm.

Just as Li Mu was about to leave, Yue Lingshan stopped him.

She stood with her hands behind her back, looking over with a smile.

"Seventh Senior Brother, where are you going?"

Li Mu was exasperated: "Junior Sister, what is it?"

Yue Lingshan laughed and said, "Can't I come to you if there's nothing wrong?"

Li Mu asked, "You didn't play with Da You and the others?"

Yue Lingshan gritted her teeth and said, "They're not going out today. They said Father and Mother are coming soon, and we need to practice our skills properly so that we don't fall behind and get scolded by Father."

Li Mu suddenly said, "Junior Sister, I remember before we went down the mountain, Master's wife praised you for your hard work in practicing these past few years, saying that your internal strength and swordsmanship have greatly improved, and that she wanted to pass on her master's wife's ultimate skill, the Jade Maiden Nineteen Swords."

Yue Lingshan asked with a smug look, "You've already learned it?"

Li Mu said, "Impressive, no wonder you're junior sister."

Yue Lingshan said, "Of course! My mother even praised me for my rapid progress in martial arts over the past few years!"