Transmigrating into Murong Fu, may you have many children and much happiness.

Chapter 118 Xuan Ci commits suicide, the man in black saves him.

Standing in the square, Shan Zheng angrily said, "Last year in Xinyang, Henan, at the Bow Gang branch, your Khitan identity was exposed, Chief Qiao. Do you still remember that?"

When Qiao Feng heard the other person mention the darkest day of his life, he naturally nodded and said:

"Senior Shan, that day was quite a blow to me, I certainly remember it."

Dan Zheng snorted coldly, his face showing both indignation and disdain, and continued:

"My old friend, the monk Zhiguang, sent someone to invite me over because of this matter, so that we could discuss important matters together."

I was still quite puzzled. This old monk hadn't been involved in the affairs of the martial arts world for more than ten years, so why did he suddenly say that something important had happened?

Although I am old and nearing the end of my life, I have naturally agreed to this invitation from an old friend, especially since it concerns a matter of great importance to the martial arts world of the Central Plains and even the safety of our Great Song Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, the heroes present nodded in agreement. Shan Zheng's reputation was quite high in the martial arts world; everyone knew that he was public-spirited and righteous, and that he mentored younger generations.

Needless to say, Zhiguang's virtue and benevolence were widespread, and everyone respected him. He once traveled to the Western Regions to collect medicinal herbs and treat the malaria and other diseases of the people in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other areas, saving countless lives.

However, as a result, he also contracted a serious illness and lost all his martial arts skills after recovering.

Such acts of helping and saving people earned him the respect of everyone in the martial arts world. When Master Zhiguang was mentioned, everyone called him the "Buddha of Ten Thousand Families".

Shan Zheng continued:

"That day I took my sons to the temple gate, only to find that the temple was engulfed in flames."

I busied myself helping the young monks rescue people and put out the fire.

I discovered that my old friend Zhiguang was barely clinging to life.

He was beaten and his internal organs were ruptured; it was clear he was not going to survive.

Heroes from all over were shocked to hear that Master Zhiguang had been murdered in such a way. Some cursed, some sighed, and some even wept.

Qiao Feng was startled by Shan Zheng's words and looked towards the Shaolin Temple. He remembered that his master, Xuan Ku, had been injured in the same way and had almost died.

But that person was dressed up as him, deliberately letting the young novice see him and leaving him alive, intending to frame him. So this Master Zhiguang...

"I held him in my arms and said I would call a doctor for him, but he shook his head and said the three words 'Yanmen Pass'."

After saying that, he passed away.

Who in the martial world doesn't know the background of Xiao Feng, the Southern King? What exactly does Yanmen Pass represent?!

After Shan Zheng finished speaking, his gray eyebrows stood up, and he stared intently at Qiao Feng, saying, "Great King Xiao, do you think Chief Wang has entrusted the wrong person?!"

"Did you kill this monk Zhiguang?!"

The voice was filled with resentment, yet also with sorrow.

Qiao Feng felt a pang of sadness, not because Shan Zheng had wronged him, but because he was reminded of his deceased master, Wang Jiantong.

He had already learned from his master's letters that the many difficulties Wang Jiantong had set up for him were because he was not at ease with his identity.

But he never harbored any resentment towards his master for this.

The only resentment was that he believed the rumors and caused the death of his own parents, but this resentment dissipated in the mourning for him.

He then firmly stated, "Chief Wang...he didn't choose the wrong person!"

"I can no longer serve as the leader of the Bow Gang to avoid gossip, but I have never done anything to harm anyone in secret, much less murder Master Zhiguang..."

Before Qiao Feng could finish speaking, an old woman's voice said angrily:

"Did you kill my senior brother Zhao Qiansun?!"

Qiao Feng looked up and saw an old man and an old woman. The man was short, while the woman was very tall. Qiao Feng recognized them as Tan Gong and Tan Po from Chongxiao Cave in Taihang Mountain.

But I only had nodding acquaintances with the two before and wasn't very familiar with them. Now that they're talking about Zhao, Qian, and Sun... I suppose the murderer is impersonating me and killing them.

With tears in her eyes, Granny Tan said, "My senior brother was a witness to the Yanmen Pass incident. Apart from me, no one else knows about this."

But last year he suddenly said he wanted to meet me, and I was both curious and worried...

Suddenly, Tan Gong asked, "Ah Hui, when did you meet her?"

Why didn't you tell me beforehand? You kept it from me and did it secretly.

Granny Tan immediately slapped her husband across the face.

Then tears fell from her eyes, and she sobbed, "I've been married to you for so many years, and you still say such things to me."

"You've been jealous of my senior brother for so many years, how come you're still so petty even after he's dead?"

Tan Gong's martial arts skills were actually far superior to Tan Po's, but when Tan Po struck him with her palm, he neither parried nor dodged, taking the slap without moving an inch. Then he took out a small box from his bosom, dipped his finger in some ointment, and applied it to his face, which immediately reduced the swelling and bruising.

One was quick to attack, the other quick to heal. Seeing this, Granny Tan suppressed her earlier agitation, sighed, and continued:

"My senior brother said that the monk Zhiguang found him, and that's when he told me what the Yanmen Pass incident was all about. Before that, I only remembered that he suddenly disappeared for a period of time when he was young, and when he came back, his personality had changed drastically. I asked him, but he wouldn't say anything."

Years later, he revealed to me that he had gone to Yanmen Pass to participate in a major event.

It wasn't until last year, during our last meeting before he died, that he told me the whole truth about this matter.

Chief Qiao, I know my senior brother wronged you... but...

But if you really did kill my senior brother, then tell me...

Qiao Feng felt uneasy listening to Granny Tan's words. After learning that Xuan Ci was the leader of the Yanmen Pass incident, he had also considered killing him, wanting to throw all morality and constraints to the back of his mind and kill Xuan Ci to avenge his father.

But after Xuanci took all the blame, Qiao Feng just couldn't bring himself to do it.

He could only sigh at the cruel twist of fate, how a misunderstanding could cause such a huge uproar.

But someone impersonated him, first attacking Master Xuanku, then killing Zhiguang and Zhao Qiansun...

If it was to avenge the Yanmen Pass incident, why frame oneself?

Xiao Feng couldn't understand it; he simply couldn't understand it.

When confronted by Granny Tan, he replied, "Granny Tan, it wasn't me."

I was in the Liao Kingdom during that time, and I didn't kill Zhao Qiansun or Master Zhiguang...

Upon hearing this, Shan Zheng became furious and said, "If you didn't kill him, then did the dog kill him?!"

Xiao Feng, if you still remember the benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness that your master taught you, and understand the principles of being a decent human being, then just admit it openly!

"Even if it costs me my old life, I will avenge the wronged souls who died tragically at your hands."

Before Xiao Feng could speak, Xuan Ci raised his hand to stop him and said:

"Amitabha Buddha, I can testify to everyone that the murderer is indeed unlikely to be Benefactor Xiao."

Everyone was curious as to why Xuan Ci would vouch for the Khitan king. Among them, the most curious were Granny Tan and Shan Zheng.

Both of them had previously regarded Qiao Feng as the murderer, and they came today to identify him and seek revenge. Before coming, they expected the worst outcome to be killed by Qiao Feng, but they never expected Xuan Ci's reaction.

Xuan Ci continued, "The massacre at Yanmen Pass back then was organized by me as the leader. Back then, I fought alongside Chief Wang of the Bow Gang, the invincible swordsman Wang Weiyi, the old hero Wang, the Earthly Sword Master Huangshan Heyun, Master Zhiguang, and Zhao Qiansun."

We ambushed them at Yanmen Pass, first killing many of their followers, and then killing a Khitan woman.

Xiao's father was a peerless martial artist. After seeing his wife and children killed by us, he killed more than a dozen of our heroes with a single move.

But when it was time for him to kill me, Chief Wang, and Master Zhiguang, he looked up to the sky and wept bitterly. He then wrote a suicide note, embraced his wife and child, and jumped off a cliff to his death. Midway through, the child made a sound; it turned out he had only been unconscious, not dead.

He then accurately threw it at Chief Wang.

Only afterwards did we learn that what we initially thought was the Yanmen Pass incident was a plot to thwart the Liao Dynasty's scheme, but it turned out to be a case of mistakenly killing innocent people and costing the lives of many martial arts heroes. Xiao, the benefactor, was the infant of the Khitan couple we mistakenly killed. He was later entrusted to the Qiao Sanhuai couple for adoption and raised by my junior brother Xuanku and Chief Wang of the Bow Gang, who also taught him martial arts...

'

"what?"

The heroes had heard that Qiao Feng was actually a Khitan with treacherous intentions, but they had not heard of such a secret.

Some of them still had doubts about the rumor that Qiao Feng was a Khitan, mainly because rumors in the martial arts world were passed down by word of mouth, and almost all rumors became more and more exaggerated as they were spread.

Yesterday, he was still the hero who fought against the Liao Dynasty. How did he become a servant of the Khitan overnight?

There are also rumors that Chief Qiao was actually a woman with a unique fragrance that captivated many heroes, and that Ma Dayuan and Master Zhiguang were killed because they were not bewitched...

But now, hearing Xuanci's explanation, everything makes sense.

Dan Zheng asked, "Then who killed these heroes and valiant men, Abbot Xuanci?"

Xiao Feng knows his true identity. If he seeks revenge on my old friend... sigh...

"Senior Shan, there are no good people among the Khitans. Master Zhiguang did the right thing!"

"How can Chief Qiao not be considered a good person after all these years of service to our Great Song Dynasty?!"

"How can that be the same?"

Xuan Ci then mustered his inner strength and said:

"No, only benefactor."

I confessed to Benefactor Xiao that I was the ringleader, and asked him to kill me to atone for the mistakes I made back then.

"No, that won't do!"

"Master Xuanci, you mustn't!"

The crowd was immediately excited. Over the years, Xuan Ci had worked diligently and made many contributions to Shaolin and the Central Plains, and was admired by everyone in the martial arts world. Hearing that he had asked Xiao Feng to avenge him and offer his neck for execution, many people were naturally worried for him.

Xuan Ci continued, "But Benefactor Xiao did not kill me; instead, he turned and left."

Lao Ne was the chief culprit in the Yanmen Pass incident, causing the deaths of Xiao Shizhu's biological parents, more than a dozen heroes from the Central Plains, and more than a dozen innocent Khitan followers. Lao Ne's hands were stained with blood.

He often questioned himself why he didn't atone with his death, but always used the excuse of wanting to do more for the Song Dynasty to survive until today. But Lao Ne has finally come to a complete understanding.

It was unreasonable for me to ask Benefactor Xiao to take my life that day. It was my fault, so how could I let Benefactor Xiao's hands be stained with blood again?

Moreover, the reason why Benefactor Xiao did not kill me might be because he was bound by his own chivalrous spirit, feeling that he could not bring himself to harm Lao Ne, who had protected his country for so many years.

"Junior brothers, the future of Shaolin Temple rests on your shoulders. I must take my leave now."

Xuan Ci turned to his junior brother and spoke, then raised his hand to strike the top of his head.

Duan Zhengchun, Xuanji, Xuantong, and the other heroes, including Shan Zheng and Tan Po, all shouted that it was unacceptable.

Ye Erniang, one of the Four Evils, was the most agitated and even used her lightness skill to try and stop Xuan Ci from doing so.

Qiao Feng, who was closest to Xuan Ci, raised his hand immediately, but ultimately did not stop him and let out a long sigh.

His feelings for Xuanci were complicated. In his early years, he naturally admired the abbot of Shaolin, but after learning that Xuanci was the murderer of his parents, he wanted to confront him and seek revenge.

But when the moment actually came, Xuan Ci admitted that he was the ringleader and that he couldn't bring himself to do it when he offered his neck for execution.

Just now, he realized that Xuan Ci held this Heroes' Gathering in order to end this tragedy in public.

He instinctively wanted to stop him, but then he thought that Xuan Ci had harmed his parents. As a child, if he didn't avenge them, he would be worse than a beast. How could he stop his parents' enemy from committing suicide?

But at that moment, a powerful burst of energy came from three zhang away, knocking Xuan Ci back three steps. He bumped into Xuan Tong, who was trying to stop him, and thus prevented Xuan Ci from committing suicide.

The heroes present breathed a sigh of relief, and some even cheered, turning to look for the hero with such amazing skills.

Some people who just watched the battle between Kumārajīva and Qiao Feng, where various bursts of energy were unleashed from a distance, thought it was him.

Some people believe he must be a reclusive high monk from Shaolin.

But Kumārajīva was eager for Xuanci to leave, and with the martial arts world in the Central Plains in chaos, how could he possibly offer any assistance?

But what everyone saw was a person standing abruptly on the pagoda.

The man was bald and dressed in black; he was also a monk. His face was covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of cold, piercing eyes. Although it was broad daylight, he was dressed in black, making him quite conspicuous. However, no one noticed when he had arrived.

While other heroes were giving him thumbs-up and Shaolin monks were thanking him, he said in an aged voice:

"Ye Erniang, do you want to see your child again?"

Ye Erniang, who had already returned to Duan Yanqing's side, was struck dumb upon hearing this. She looked at the man in black with a face full of surprise.

But she was also terrified and said, "Do you know where my child is?"

Who are you? Do you know who stole my child?

The man in black slowly said, "Your child, was it stolen or robbed?"

Where did the scars on your face come from?

Ye Erniang's face changed color again, and she screamed, "You—who are you? How—how do you know?"

The monk in black said, "Don't you recognize me?"

Ye Erniang screamed, "Ah! It's you, it's definitely you!"

He lunged at him, running to within ten feet of him, then suddenly stopped, pointing a halberd at him, gritting his teeth in extreme anger, yet daring not to approach.

The monk in black said, "That's right, I stole your child, and I also scratched you with those six bloody marks on your face."

Ye Erniang cried out, "Why? Why are you trying to take my child? We've never met before, and we have no grudge against each other."

You—you've caused me so much suffering.

For the past twenty-four years, I haven't had a single good day. My child, where did you steal him from?!

The black-robed monk chuckled, "Heh, telling you is easy, but you'll have to tell me who this child's father is!"