The Prodigal Disciple of Mount Hua: Seizing All Opportunities

The Liu Mansion in Hengyang City.

At the entrance of Liu's residence, carriages and horses streamed in, and guests filled the gates to offer their congratulations.

Bright red lanterns hung high, and the two golden characters "Liu Mansion" on the lintel gleamed in the sunlight.

As the second-in-command of the Hengshan Sect, Liu Zhengfeng was very popular in the martial arts world. At this Golden Basin Washing Hands Ceremony, not only did the Five Mountains Sword Sects unite as one, but even famous sects such as Shaolin, Wudang, and the Beggars' Sect sent people to offer their congratulations.

Chen Qianyang stood on the street corner, having already changed his clothes.

At this moment, he was dressed in a coarse cloth short jacket, with a gray turban wrapped around his head and two mustaches pasted on his face, looking like an inconspicuous江湖 (jianghu) man.

Having the ability to disguise himself with the "Crimson Face Transformation" technique, he chose this most ordinary attire to better gather intelligence in order to avoid attracting attention.

"I heard that Master Liu really went all out this time; the banquet alone lasted for three days and three nights!"

"Of course, after retiring from the life of a criminal, Master Liu will be an official appointed by the imperial court. How could he not make a grand entrance?"

"Hey, why would you give up being a proper chivalrous hero to become some kind of damn official? Isn't that just lowering your own status?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Master Liu is just wisely retiring at the height of his career to protect himself! What do you know!"

The idlers around them were talking amongst themselves, their words filled with envy and incomprehension.

Chen Qianyang mingled in the crowd, silently listening to these snippets of conversation.

The fact that Liu Zhengfeng bought his official position was no secret in the martial arts world.

But he always felt that something was wrong.

In the original novel, Liu Zhengfeng chose to retire from the martial arts world and find an official identity to protect himself in order to avoid getting involved in the conflicts of the Five Mountains Sword Sects and to prevent his friendship with Qu Yang from being exposed.

But in reality, Zuo Lengchan was ambitious and would never let you leave. If a weakness appeared, Songshan would take the opportunity to weaken Hengshan and serve as a warning to others.

In this situation, Liu Zhengfeng's desire to remain unscathed is nothing short of delusional.

Moreover, the channels through which he bought his official position seem rather suspicious.

Logically speaking, if Liu Zhengfeng had already obtained an official position, how could the Songshan Sect dare to take such action? Therefore, there must be something fishy going on.

Chen Qianyang's gaze sharpened slightly as he watched a group of richly dressed officials walk straight toward the gate of the Liu residence.

The two men at the head of the group, one fat and one thin, wore official robes but exuded a slick,江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) air about them.

"Make way! Make way! Lord Zhang and Lord Zhao have arrived!"

The steward of the Liu family came out with a big smile and bowed and scraped as he ushered the two "masters" inside.

"These two people..."

Chen Qianyang frowned slightly.

He recognized the rank of the two men in their official robes; they were merely unemployed military officers.

But judging from the butler's attitude, he was even more affectionate than if he were seeing his own father.

Moreover, although the two men deliberately imitated the gait of officials, their walking postures were not quite the same.

How could someone like that be so highly regarded by Liu Zhengfeng, a top-notch expert?

Chen Qianyang's heart stirred, and he followed silently.

Inside the Liu residence, lanterns and decorations were everywhere, and the place was bustling with activity.

Using his superb lightness skills and keen intuition, Chen Qianyang evaded the guards and sneaked into the backyard.

Faint voices could be heard coming from a side hall in the backyard.

Chen Qianyang held his breath, channeling his inner strength to concentrate and listen carefully.

"Third Master Liu, this is the last chance."

"Once this money arrives, the appointment letter for the military commander will be delivered to your residence immediately. At that time, you will be an official appointed by the imperial court, protected by the laws of the court. Even Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect won't dare to do anything to you!"

"Yes, Third Master Liu," another chimed in. "As you know, the world is far from peaceful these days. Feuds and killings happen every day; once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever."

"Rest assured, my lords."

Liu Zhengfeng's voice sounded somewhat tired, "Since I have decided to retire from the martial world, I will naturally not be stingy with these worldly possessions. However, the amount of silver is huge, and it will take some time to raise it..."

"When? Third Master Liu, you'd better think this through!" The official sneered. "The ceremony to wash your hands of your past is just around the corner. If your appointment letter hasn't arrived by then, you might not be able to wash your hands of this business."

"This..." Liu Zhengfeng hesitated for a moment.

"Third Master Liu, we're doing this for your own good. We've heard that the Songshan Sect has arrived in Hengyang City, and their intentions are not friendly. If you hesitate any longer, this 'protective charm' will no longer be effective."

"well……"

A long sigh.

"Enough, enough." Liu Zhengfeng's voice was full of helplessness. "I will have someone prepare the silver notes right away. I beg you two gentlemen to put in a good word for me with the Grand Eunuch and make sure my family is safe and sound."

"Chief Supervisor?"

Chen Qianyang, standing outside the window, felt a chill run down his spine.

There's someone behind this?

He was unfamiliar with the official system of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the martial arts world had never taken the imperial court seriously.

If the imperial court was indeed involved, then the nature of this matter would be different.

Is it to counterbalance the Five Mountains Sword Sects? Or is there another motive?

Hmph, the war in the north is raging, and these officials are not thinking about how to defend against the enemy, but instead they are focusing their attention on the martial arts world.

Chen Qianyang dared not be careless and continued to listen attentively.

But the people inside had clearly reached a deal, so they stopped talking about serious matters and started spouting pleasantries.

A moment later, the two officials left the side hall, satisfied.

Chen Qianyang secretly followed the two officials all the way to a post station in the north of the city.

Although the inn was not large, it was exceptionally well-guarded.

Besides the soldiers standing guard at the gate, Chen Qianyang also keenly sensed that at least four or five skilled fighters were hiding in the shadows.

These people had long, steady breaths, clearly indicating they were all masters of internal martial arts.

Chen Qianyang did not rush in rashly, but instead went around to the back wall of the inn, found a blind spot, and jumped onto the roof.

He lifted a tile and looked down.

The two officials were talking to a middle-aged man in a yellow shirt.

The man in yellow sat in the main seat, toying with two silver notes he had just received.

Upon seeing the face of the man in yellow, Chen Qianyang's pupils suddenly contracted.

The man was tall and had a sinister face. He had a long sword hanging at his waist and was none other than the Great Songyang Hand of the Songshan Sect.

Fei Bin, whom we haven't seen in a long time!

Chen Qianyang understood.

The Songshan Sect members were indeed secretly colluding with the imperial court.

Moreover, judging from their demeanor, the two officials treated Fei Bin very well, a stark contrast to their arrogant attitude towards Liu Zhengfeng earlier.

"Is everything taken care of?"

"Alright, Liu Zhengfeng is senile and we've scared him half to death. He'll sell everything he owns to raise those 300,000 taels of silver!"

"Hmph, he thinks he can buy peace with money? Not so easy." Fei Bin sneered. "Senior Brother Zuo has already made arrangements. We want Liu Zhengfeng's money, and we want his life too."

"Yes, yes, yes, Alliance Leader Zuo's strategy is brilliant! Liu Zhengfeng is trapped like a turtle in a jar, he can't escape!"

"By the way," Fei Bin suddenly looked up, "what did the Chief Supervisor say?"

The thin official's expression turned serious: "The Grand Eunuch said that as long as Alliance Leader Zuo can successfully integrate the Five Mountains Sword Sects, that matter... can proceed according to plan. What the court needs is an obedient martial arts world, not a bunch of roughnecks who fight all day long. If Alliance Leader Zuo can achieve this, in the future... becoming a marquis or prime minister is not impossible!"

"To be granted titles and honors? Excellent! Go back and tell the Grand Eunuch that the Songshan Sect will certainly live up to expectations! This Hengshan Conference is the first step in the unification of the Five Sacred Mountains! Liu Zhengfeng is the chicken killed to scare the monkey!"

Chen Qianyang, who was on the rooftop, was terrified.

It turns out that all of this was a deal between the Songshan Sect and the imperial court!

This also explains why the official position that Liu Zhengfeng went through so much trouble to buy was useless.

This official position may be fake.

Zuo Lengchan wanted to unite his faction and dominate the world, but he needed the support of the imperial court.

The imperial court needs a powerful proxy to control the martial arts world.

The two parties hit it off immediately!

Liu Zhengfeng was merely a casualty of this deal.

The so-called "buying an official position to ensure safety" is a complete scam!

The Songshan Sect not only wanted to drain Liu Zhengfeng's wealth, but also wanted to use his life to establish its authority and intimidate the other four sects!

What a vicious plan!

Chen Qianyang thought he knew enough about the dangers of the martial world, but he never expected that the waters behind it were so deep.

The imperial court and the martial world should ideally keep to themselves.

But now, that boundary has become so blurred.

"Who?!"

Just as Chen Qianyang was feeling agitated, a loud shout suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a palm strike pierced through the roof and aimed straight at Chen Qianyang's face!

"Great Songyang Divine Palm!"

Chen Qianyang felt a chill run down his spine and reacted extremely quickly.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his body shot backward like an arrow, avoiding the fatal palm strike.

Tiles flew everywhere, and dust billowed up.

A tall figure shot up from the hole and landed steadily on the roof ridge.

It was Fei Bin!

Behind him, the two "officials" also dropped their disguises, drew soft swords from their waists, and moved with agility, showing no trace of their previous frivolous appearance.

He's clearly a skilled fighter!

"Where did this little thief come from!"

Chen Qianyang cursed his bad luck inwardly.

I lost my composure just now and let slip a trace of my presence, which was discovered by this old fox.

He dared not linger in the battle.

This is the stronghold of the Songshan Sect. If we get entangled here, it's a dead end.

Fortunately, I had disguised myself.

"Heh heh, the Songshan Sect is quite arrogant! If they're going to say something, why can't we listen to them!"

Chen Qianyang deliberately lowered his voice, adopted a sharp accent, and with a swift movement, used the [Swift as the Wind] technique to leap directly from the rooftop and disappear into the alley.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!"

Fei Bin snorted coldly, "Chase him! Kill him! We can't let him utter a single word!"