The Prodigal Disciple of Mount Hua: Seizing All Opportunities

Just as Liu Zhengfeng received the imperial edict and reached out his hands toward the golden basin...

"Bang!"

A deafening roar, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

The heavy gate of the Liu residence was violently smashed open from the outside.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone's movements froze.

Liu Zhengfeng's hand, hovering above the golden basin, froze.

Outside the gate.

Only the sound of synchronized footsteps could be heard.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Heavy and oppressive.

First, a large apricot-yellow flag came into view, with a solitary and precipitous peak embroidered on it, which was none other than Mount Song, the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains.

But what sent chills down the spines of the assembled heroes was not the Songshan Sect.

A group of people surged in from behind that large banner.

He wore a black helmet and black armor, carried a powerful crossbow, and had a standard long sword at his waist.

Those were government soldiers.

Two hundred fully armed soldiers rushed into the front yard in an instant, spreading out skillfully to surround the entire hall.

Those powerful crossbows, gleaming with an eerie light, were held level in their hands, their arrowheads pointing directly at the people in the hall.

This is a matter of the martial arts world; why are government troops involved?

Moreover, didn't Liu Zhengfeng obtain an official position?

The martial arts practitioners present were filled with suspicion and uncertainty. Even the brute who had been completely unaware before now sensed the danger.

People in the martial arts world are not afraid of fighting alone, but they are afraid of the army.

This organized killing machine is simply not something that flesh and blood can withstand.

The once noisy hall instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The crowd was separated.

Fei Bin came out.

He turned around and respectfully clasped his hands in a salute to the leading black-armored officer: "Lord Zhao, the traitor Liu Zhengfeng and his cronies are all here."

The military officer addressed as Lord Zhao nodded expressionlessly, his hand on the hilt of his sword. His gaze swept over Liu Zhengfeng like that of a hawk, and he coldly uttered a single word: "Surround."

"Splash!"

The sound of armor clashing rang out, and the encirclement tightened even further.

Only then did Fei Bin turn around.

He looked at Liu Zhengfeng, whose face was deathly pale, and slowly curled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

"Senior Brother Liu, why are you in such a hurry to wash your hands?"

Fei Bin's voice wasn't loud, but in the deathly silence, it was jarringly clear.

"This water is too clear; it won't wash away the dirt on you."

Liu Zhengfeng took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

His face showed grief, as if he was not surprised by what had happened.

He glanced at the two officials behind him, whose faces had long since turned ashen.

He could only slowly withdraw his hands, but still straightened his back: "Senior Brother Fei, what is the meaning of this? Today is the auspicious day for me to retire from the martial world. Matters of the martial world should be settled within the martial world. When has the Songshan Sect ever needed to rely on the power of the imperial court? You have brought troops in; do you intend to kill all the heroes here?"

This hat is very large.

There were at least several hundred martial arts heroes present. If a fight were to break out, these hundreds of government soldiers might not be able to leave unscathed.

"The affairs of the martial world? Didn't you retire from the martial world? Is that still a matter of the martial world? Besides..."

Fei Bin scoffed.

He pulled a bright yellow scroll from his pocket and held it high above his head.

"By imperial decree, we quell the rebellion!"

The four words crashed down like four towering mountains.

"Liu Zhengfeng, you colluded with Qu Yang, an elder of the Demonic Sect, in an attempt to rebel. The evidence against you is irrefutable! Today, our Songshan Sect is here on a secret imperial decree to assist the government troops in arresting you! If any of you know what's good for you, stay put. Otherwise—"

"Accomplices will be dealt with accordingly, executed without exception!"

rebellion.

The moment those two words were uttered, even Yue Buqun's expression changed.

Even the biggest feuds in the martial arts world can end in the extermination of an entire family.

However, treason is a grave crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

Moreover, once this charge is proven, it means the imperial court is going to deal with you, and who would dare to interfere?

"fart!"

Before Liu Zhengfeng could speak, Abbess Dingyi couldn't hold back any longer.

She slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly: "Fei Bin! Stop spouting nonsense! Although Liu Zhengfeng lacked the backbone to buy his way into office, he was an upright man his whole life. How could he possibly rebel? You're trying to use the imperial court to intimidate me—what kind of disciple of the Five Mountains Alliance do you think you are!"

"Master, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

Fei Bin gave Ding Yi a cold look. "You're saying he bought his position? Then I'd like to ask, who gave him that official title?"

With that, Fei Bin waved his hand.

Two disciples from Mount Song escorted a person up.

The man was the official who had just read the imperial edict; he was now completely limp.

"explain!"

The official fell to his knees with a thud, crying out, "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! This letter of appointment is fake... Liu Zhengfeng gave me three thousand taels of silver and asked me to forge it! And... and he also asked me to send a message to the Demonic Sect, saying that as long as there is an uprising in Hengshan, the Demonic Sect will... will..."

"So what?" Fei Bin shouted sternly.

"Let's coordinate an attack from within and without, and capture Hengyang City!"

boom!

The hall erupted in chaos.

This testimony is so perfect that it's impossible to find any fault with it.

They forged documents, colluded with the evil cult, and seized cities and territories.

This isn't some kind of江湖 (jianghu) affair; this is clearly a rebellion!

"You...you're making false accusations!"

Liu Zhengfeng trembled with rage: "I don't know you at all! My appointment as a military officer was officially granted by the Ministry of War; how could it be fake?"

"Really?" Fei Bin sneered, throwing the scroll of documents on the ground. "Open your eyes and look carefully! This is the official military tally from the Ministry of War! The one you have is nothing but a forged piece of waste paper from the Demonic Sect!"

Liu Zhengfeng looked down and saw that the document on the ground was stamped with the official seal of the Ministry of War.

Even if he didn't understand the rules of officialdom, he understood them now.

This is a trap.

A seemingly foolproof dead end.

We started planning this six months ago, all to deal with him.

Zuo Lengchan, what a brilliant scheme!

Zuo Lengchan had no intention of talking to him about chivalry or chivalry, nor did he want to hear him argue about music and friendship.

He directly upgraded Liu Zhengfeng from a "righteous scoundrel" to a "traitorous official".

Faced with this force, all talk of retiring from the martial world and the Five Mountains Alliance is as fragile as a piece of paper.

Chen Qianyang watched this scene, his fingers gently stroking the hilt of his sword.

Zuo Lengchan is ruthless.

In the original story, Fei Bin had to go to great lengths to prove that Liu Zhengfeng was associating with scoundrels.

Now, things have gotten even worse; they're using the imperial court to crush people.

The powerful crossbows in the hands of those two hundred soldiers were more convincing than any reason.

After all, there is no doubt that the official position Liu Zhengfeng bought was fake.

"Sect Leader Yue, Daoist Tianmen, and Abbess Dingyi."

Fei Bin turned around, his tone turning playful. "Alliance Leader Zuo has ordered that the Five Mountains Sword Sects, being of one heart and mind, should set an example in the face of this matter of national righteousness. Now that Liu Zhengfeng has betrayed us, he is no longer a member of the Five Mountains. Today, in front of all the heroes of the world, let's clean house!"

Yue Buqun's face was extremely ugly.

Not only him, but even someone as hot-tempered as Dingyi could see that this was a trap set by Songshan.

But so what if you can tell?

Fei Bin's words have put these factions in a very difficult position.

If you help Liu Zhengfeng, you'll be protecting a traitor and immediately be labeled an accomplice.

If we don't take action, wouldn't that be fulfilling Zuo Lengchan's wish from Mount Song?

"Junior Brother Fei," Yue Buqun said with difficulty, "is there some misunderstanding about this matter? I know Junior Brother Liu's character well..."

"Yue Buqun!"

Fei Bin abruptly interrupted him, his voice suddenly rising, "Are you questioning the imperial edict?"

Lord Zhao's cold gaze then shifted to Yue Buqun, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

Yue Buqun's words were stuck in his throat.

I sighed inwardly, feeling a sudden surge of frustration.