Villains: Starting with the Landlady

"This conference is spontaneously organized by our Han Chinese martial arts community, so you are not welcome. Please leave, Master Qiao."

"Hahahaha!"

Qiao Feng's hearty laughter, combined with his exaggerated internal energy, reached everyone's ears. Some of those with weaker skills felt dizzy, unsteady on their feet, and terrified!

"I came here for only one thing: to find the murderer who framed me and my good brother Murong Fu!"

“Master Qiao, with me here today, if you leave now, I can let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, all these brothers and sisters here will probably not let you off the hook.” Lü De, dressed in armor, looked solemn as he tried to persuade Qiao Feng to leave.

Because of the prestige of Lü De and Guo Jing, although many people hated Qiao Feng for "harming" the Han people and even glared at him angrily, none of them took the initiative to make a move.

"I, Qiao Feng, act with integrity and uprightness. Even if I am not Han Chinese, don't you all know what I have done over the years? If I really wanted to harm loyal and virtuous people, why would I wait until now?"

"Pah! You treacherous villain, it's just that things couldn't be kept secret anymore and they came to light. Who knows if you did this before?!"

A voice, seemingly appearing from nowhere, echoed above the crowd. Qiao Feng's expression hardened, and he roared to the sky, "Sneaking around like that, come out here!"

His internal force rebounded in the direction of the man's voice, directly knocking back the thin man who was hiding in the crowd and talking, causing him to vomit blood and fall to the ground.

Now that they had started fighting, the crowd slowly approached Qiao Feng in the center of the arena.

"Master Guo, I admire your character, but are you going to become an accomplice in protecting thieves?"

"Qiao Feng, I don't know who harmed you, and Young Master Murong is also my honored guest... Today you have truly injured the brothers here. If I were to push Young Master Murong out as well, how could I still have the face to call myself a great hero?"

Guo Jing stepped out from the crowd and stood opposite Qiao Feng. The two top martial arts masters met face to face. Although they were on different sides, they both felt a sense of mutual respect.

"That's fine."

Qiao Feng sighed, looked at the many martial arts figures around him, and smiled sadly: "If you all believe that I, Qiao Feng, am an accomplice, then I have nothing to say. Today, no matter how much I, Qiao Feng, try to explain, you won't believe me. But since I'm here, I'm a participant in the tournament. Anyone who doesn't like me, come up and have a match with me!"

Qiao Feng's heroic spirit soared to the heavens. Although many people hated him, they were also impressed by his charisma.

Ling Yun put his arm around A Zhu and quietly asked, "What do you think of Qiao Feng?"

"Perhaps he really is innocent," A'Zhu shook her head. "But I think you, young master, are definitely much more capable than him!"

Ling Yun rubbed Xiao A Zhu's head. He didn't go out directly because he was afraid that Qiao Feng would be furious if he saw him and take action.

Qiao Feng's Khitan identity was exposed and he was hated by others for two reasons. First, his biological father, Xiao Yuanshan, killed Qiao Feng's master at Shaolin Temple and his adoptive parents, framing Qiao Feng for all of this. Second, there was the letter left by Xuan Ci thirty years ago, and the letter handed over by that old codger Murong Bo, which bore the Murong family's seal, leading many to mistakenly believe that Ling Yun had reported him.

Although the Qing Dynasty eventually conquered the Central Plains, before that, the Khitan and Mongol cavalry had swept through the Central Plains countless times, killing countless Han people. So even now, many Han people still hate the Liao people.

"Qiao Feng, everyone knows your strength. Let me, Guo, have a go at you!"

When everyone saw that Guo Jing was about to take the field, they all retreated and prepared to watch this top-level match.

After pondering for a moment, Lü De waved his hand and said to his soldiers, "Come, get some wine for these two brave warriors!"

Several soldiers carried over a wine jar. Qiao Feng laughed, picked up the jar with one hand, poured himself a bowl, then clinked glasses with Guo Jing and drank it all in one gulp.

After finishing a bowl, Qiao Feng still felt unsatisfied. He picked up the wine jar, glanced around, and finally fixed his gaze on Ling Yun. His eyes revealed a chilling hatred as he declared loudly, "No matter what, after I drink this bowl of wine today, if we meet again in the martial world, we will no longer be friends!"

After saying that, he gulped down half a jar of wine and smashed it to pieces.

"Impressive drinking capacity!" Guo Jing praised, because Qiao Feng had drunk so much wine without changing his expression, and his fighting spirit had even increased slightly!

Ling Yun gently waved his folding fan. At this moment, his alcohol buff and rage buff were fully stacked. When the fight started, combined with his [the more you fight, the stronger you become] ability, Lao Guo would probably be in trouble.

The two men bowed slightly, then began to fight!

Martial arts practitioners cheered for Guo Jing, and the great hero did not disappoint them. He used his ambidextrous fighting style to steadily suppress the enraged Qiao Feng in the first few rounds.

However, as Qiao Feng gradually got used to his fighting style, he fought more and more fiercely, turning a slight disadvantage into a draw, and even subtly gaining the upper hand over Guo Jing!

Guo Jing was also very experienced in combat. He calmly dealt with the raging Qiao Feng and unleashed his strongest move, the Dragon's Regret.

"Well done!" Qiao Feng, seeing his move, also used his own move, "The Dragon Regrets." The two palms faced each other, and two golden dragon-shaped lights collided. In the end, Qiao Feng had to take half a step back.

Seeing Qiao Feng at a disadvantage, everyone cheered, as if they could already see Guo Jing killing the Khitan traitors.

"Good work!"

Qiao Feng also praised him. Unlike Qiao Feng's palm techniques, which were exceptionally fierce, Guo Jing had grasped the balance of strength and gentleness from the Nine Yin Manual. Therefore, Guo Jing's palm techniques were both gentle and strong. In his clash with Qiao Feng, he first deflected some of the opponent's palm force, and then launched a fierce counterattack, which gave him the upper hand in the contest!

Chapter 260 Battle with Qiao Feng

As time went on, the battle between the two intensified.

Seeing that Guo Jing was unable to defeat Qiao Feng, the others couldn't help but curse at Qiao Feng, listing his sins in an attempt to break down his psychological defenses.

"drink!"

Qiao Feng suddenly erupted, forcefully forcing Guo Jing back. His eyes widened in fury, bloodshot, and he shouted, "I am not a Khitan! My parents raised me all these years, were all their care for me fake?"

"If it weren't for Master Xuanku of Shaolin Temple, who saved me from the jaws of a tiger when I was chopping wood on the mountain when I was a child and taught me martial arts, I, Qiao Feng, would have died long ago!"

"I, Qiao Feng, have worked diligently for the Beggars' Clan and accomplished the three major challenges and nine great feats set by Chief Wang, leading the Beggars' Clan to great heights. Why then do you want to harm my brothers in the Beggars' Clan?"

"I can tolerate your insults and curses, but you insist that I am not a Han Chinese and try to pin this on me. I, Qiao Feng, will never admit it!"

After he finished speaking, his aura reached its peak. Ling Yun's expression turned solemn. With the support of many factors, Qiao Feng's combat strength had temporarily reached S-. Guo Jing was in danger!

Sure enough, after hearing Qiao Feng's words, many martial arts practitioners fell silent, and even Guo Jing hesitated for a moment.

In a duel between top experts, this hesitation can be fatal!

Qiao Feng charged forward again, drawing a circle on his chest with his right hand. Instead of pushing himself out, he repeated the action three times.

Guo Jing was distracted and didn't pay attention, but he knew that the man was about to use the "Regretful Dragon" technique, so he immediately went to meet him.

With the aid of the Nine Yin Manual and the Ambidextrous Technique, Guo Jing withstood the first two palm strikes of Qiao Feng's Three-Layered Waves of the Yangtze River. However, when the final palm strike was unleashed, a five-clawed golden dragon faintly appeared behind Qiao Feng, bursting forth with a dragon's roar and striking Guo Jing's chest.

Guo Jing coughed up blood and flew away, collapsing to the ground.

The audience was in an uproar. They never expected that Guo Jing would lose, especially to his own famous Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms!

Guo Jing looked somewhat dazed. If he hadn't been distracted, he might not have been defeated so quickly, but it was too late to say anything. However, he was, after all, the face of the place, and he stubbornly got up, ready to continue fighting.

Qiao Feng glanced at him but showed no mercy. After all, to go easy on a top expert would be an insult to him!

Just then, as Qiao Feng's golden dragon was about to attack Guo Jing again, a white phantom quickly swept to the opposite side of Qiao Feng, gently meeting the attack with a palm strike. An invisible ripple intercepted the attack and returned it with the same force.

Qiao Feng quickly swung out a palm strike to deflect the incoming golden dragon.

"Murong Fu! You treacherous villain!"

It would have been better if he hadn't seen clearly, but when he realized it was Murong Fu, Qiao Feng nearly went mad and pounced on him again.

"Qiao Feng, calm down!"

Ling Yun had hoped to resolve the matter through conversation, but Qiao Feng was completely deaf to it and only wanted to kill Ling Yun.

"The thought that I, Qiao Feng, am mentioned in the same breath as someone like you, and that we were even sworn brothers, makes me want to vomit! Prepare to die!"

At this moment, Qiao Feng's palm technique was even more powerful than before, leaving no way out. He struck one palm after another, and his internal energy seemed inexhaustible.

"Damn it, you won't listen to anything, will you?"

Ling Yun got angry too, so he enchanted his folding fan and used the Dugu Nine Swords.

The ability of "Shifting Stars and Reflecting the Stars" to deflect attacks is passive. Nine out of ten palm strikes from the opponent were deflected back. Moreover, combined with his unparalleled swordsmanship, he quickly suppressed Qiao Feng.

Qiao Feng had expected Ling Yun to be very powerful, but he never imagined that he would be completely suppressed. Seeing Ling Yun's strength, Guo Jing was also filled with awe and stepped aside.

With the encouragement of numerous martial arts figures in his ears and Qiao Feng, a cornered beast, before him, Ling Yun could certainly unleash his full power to kill him and plunder his abilities, but he still refrained from doing so.

If it were anyone else, he would have killed them long ago. "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was his introduction to martial arts fiction, and coupled with Qiao Feng's tragic background—he did nothing wrong, yet was misunderstood by the world—it was truly heartbreaking.

With his final sword strike, he broke through Qiao Feng's palm technique. The fan, imbued with power enough to pierce through boulders, stopped at Qiao Feng's neck. If it had come any closer, it would have killed him.

"Go ahead and do it. It's just that I, Qiao Feng, am no match for you."

Qiao Feng's imposing aura dissipated, and his expression became indifferent, but his eyes still held endless anger as he looked at Ling Yun.

"Brother Qiao, can you listen to me now?"

Qiao Feng was stunned for a moment. When he saw Ling Yun put the fan away, he calmed down and began to realize that something was wrong.

"Brother Murong, you..."

Ling Yun stopped himself from speaking and turned to look at the crowd.

"My name is Murong Fu. I'm sure many of my brothers and sisters know me."

After hearing this, although no one knew what he was up to, they still supported him.

"Where are my brothers from the Beggars' Sect?!"

“Here!” Upon hearing his words, the Beggars’ Sect members immediately responded.

Ling Yun glanced at the empty Shaolin Temple seats and sneered. These bald monks claim that all martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin, yet they don't even dare to come to such a large-scale martial arts gathering, hiding in their own little corner just like the Quanzhen Sect.

Why? Because they were afraid of being punished by the Qing Dynasty later.

"I want to ask the Beggars' Clan brothers, Kang Min keeps saying that Brother Qiao killed Ma Dayuan, but on the night Brother Ma died tragically, did even one person see Qiao Feng entering or leaving his house?"

The group looked at each other and slowly shook their heads.

Ling Yun felt disgusted by Kang Min's pretentious, tearful expression and interrupted her before she could speak: "Qiao Feng has been your gang leader for so many years, and you all know his character. Are you really going to believe what this woman says just because of one sentence?"

“But our Chief Wang’s letter clearly states that Qiao Feng is indeed a Khitan. Those who are not of our race are bound to have different hearts, so it’s not surprising that he did these things!” Quan Guanqing was anxious. He was having an affair with Kang Min, so naturally he was helping her.

"Then may I ask you, esteemed heroes of the martial world, am I, Murong Fu, a Han Chinese? Have I ever done anything to harm the Han people?"

Everyone remained silent. Ling Yun winked at Huang Rong, and Rong'er immediately came to Ling Yun's side with the dog-beating stick in her arms.

Ling Yun patted Huang Rong's head in front of everyone, took the Dog-Beating Stick from her bosom, and then solemnly handed it to the Beggars' Sect members.

"This is a Beggars' Sect token that Murong found by chance, and today it is being returned to its rightful owner. I no longer wish to dwell on these matters. Since Brother Qiao has left the Beggars' Sect, it is a loss for your sect. Do not let petty people blind you to right and wrong!"

The Beggars' Sect brothers looked at Ling Yun with a mixture of gratitude and conflict as they looked at him again after he had recovered the dog-beating stick.

Ling Yun glanced coldly at Quan Guanqing and Elder Xu. Both of them had been bewitched by Kang Min. He would go to the Beggars' Sect headquarters to deal with this menace, but he couldn't do so in front of everyone.

"Furthermore, the letter that is circulating in the martial arts world, which was written by Murong, was not actually written by me."

That was a matter between the Beggars' Sect and everyone was reluctant to discuss it. But now, Ling Yun has actually overturned the letter that was supposed to be announced to the world, which has shocked everyone.

"Master Zhiguang of Shaolin Temple has not yet arrived today, so I cannot confront him. However, I, Murong Fu, was staying peacefully in Yanziwu when this letter suddenly appeared in the martial arts world. I swear on my integrity that this letter was absolutely not written by me, but rather a slander by someone!"

Ling Yun first overpowered Qiao Feng, then returned the Dog-Beating Stick, and in everyone's eyes, he was already the next leader of the martial arts alliance. Although he was not Han Chinese, he had a very good reputation in the martial arts world, and he also had an otherworldly temperament that made men admire him and women adore him, so everyone believed his words.

Qiao Feng's eyes were also filled with tears, feeling guilty towards Ling Yun and believing that he had wronged a good person.

Just then, heresy was reborn!

A loud laugh rang out, and then a man whose build and appearance were almost identical to Qiao Feng's stepped out.

"Qiao Feng was a Khitan, there's nothing more to say about that!"

When the two, who looked remarkably alike and were of similar height, stood together, everyone was stunned. Qiao Feng immediately guessed what was going on and glared at him angrily.

"It was all because of you!"

Chapter 261 They Appear Together

"Haha, of course it's me!"

The mysterious man removed the human skin mask from his face, revealing his true appearance.

Qiao Feng was still furious, but when he saw the other person's appearance, he was stunned for a moment.

There's no other reason than that the other person looked so much like him! Not only in appearance, but even in aura, they were quite similar. The other person was obviously much older, at least in his 50s, but he didn't look old and decrepit; instead, he exuded a vigorous spirit.

"You, who are you?"

Ling Yun had already consciously stepped aside. He hadn't expected that even though it wasn't Shaoshi Mountain, he would still trigger the scene of Qiao Feng recognizing his relatives.

Then, did Murong Fu's biological father also come?

"Child, I am your biological father, Xiao Yuanshan!"

After saying that, he immediately pulled open his collar, revealing a tattooed wolf's head! This proclaimed his lineage from Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty.

Upon seeing this, Qiao Feng also opened his collar. He had noticed the pattern on his chest as early as he could remember, but even his adoptive parents couldn't explain it to him. Now, he understood everything.

“Good child, 30 years ago, your mother and I brought you to the Central Plains…”

The martial arts practitioners listened quietly to Xiao Yuanshan's account, and only then did they understand the tragedy that occurred at Yanmen Pass 30 years ago. At that time, Xiao Yuanshan, along with the infant Qiao Feng and his lover, rode a carriage to the Central Plains to visit his mentor, only to be besieged by 21 martial arts practitioners from the Central Plains.

He single-handedly defeated numerous powerful figures, but unfortunately, his wife was killed in the end, leaving behind only the infant Qiao Feng.

Xiao Yuanshan felt a sense of despair. He could have killed the other powerful figures, but he still jumped off the cliff with Qiao Feng in his arms and then threw Qiao Feng back up.