A player on Mount Hua starts by obtaining the Prism color entry.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to publicly announce that Lu Ming, his disciple and son-in-law, would become the young sect leader was also Yue Buqun's scheming, completely binding him to the Huashan Sect.

Having such an outstanding disciple is a good thing; it provides a safety net. It also allows him to focus wholeheartedly on pursuing his ambitions and aspirations.

Lu Ming had more or less guessed what was going on. He didn't want to change it; this was a living, breathing person, not an NPC without any independent thought. Yue Buqun had always been kind to him, and as long as he wasn't harmed, he'd let Yue Buqun do whatever he wanted.

The process of washing one's hands of the imperial harem continued, and before it began, an eunuch from the Eastern Depot came to announce the imperial decree.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Liu Zhengfeng of Hengshan is of upright character, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and possesses both talent and virtue. He is hereby specially appointed as a military officer to guard the frontier. He shall serve the court in the future and live up to the Emperor's expectations. This decree is hereby issued."

"Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

After Liu Zhengfeng received the imperial decree, his disciple carried a tray covered with red silk to Da Nian.

With a single glance from the eunuch, the guards behind him stepped forward to take the silver. However, the amount of silver was too much and too heavy, almost causing him to strain his back. He stumbled before regaining his balance to avoid making a fool of himself.

"What a generous gift! This is definitely not silver, it's gold!"

The eunuch's eyes grew even brighter: "General Liu, once everything is settled, please go to your post as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. After retiring from this life of crime today, I, Liu, will move my entire family to the frontier to assume my post tomorrow."

For a moment, the people present began to whisper among themselves, as those who belonged to the martial arts world had never been fond of the imperial court.

Some cursed the imperial court's lackeys, while others secretly envied them.

The imperial court's henchmen were officially employed and paid, and their official status added an extra layer of intimidation.

People in the martial arts world can fight and kill each other without anyone interfering, but if they attack government officials or the Six Doors patrolmen, they'll be hunted down.

Lu Ming seemed to be deep in thought. In the original story, an official came to deliver the imperial decree, but this time it was a eunuch. Combining this with Sang San Niang's intelligence and the fact that they were guarding the frontier, could it be that the court infighting had spread here?

They seemed to have grasped a clue, but soon they were plunged into an even deeper fog.

If Yue Lingshan were here, she would definitely say something like, "So Uncle Liu's official position was bought," and then she would be scolded by Yue Buqun.

At this moment, she had no time to pay attention to any of that. Instead, she was whispering in Qu Feiyan's ear behind her, occasionally revealing a sly smile like a little fox.

After the eunuch left, the usually hot-tempered Master Tianmen of the Taishan Sect spoke up: "Junior Brother Liu, everyone has their own ambitions. We have no right to stop you from wanting to become an official. However, Junior Brother Liu has always been a chivalrous and righteous person in the martial arts world, and is highly respected by his fellow practitioners. Now, for a small official position, you are actually bowing and scraping to a crippled person like a eunuch. Aren't you afraid of damaging your reputation for chivalry?"

These words resonated with many and expressed the doubts of the guests present. It was truly puzzling that such a dashing and chivalrous man, with his vast wealth, would choose to take on such a trivial position as a minor general instead of enjoying his life.

Liu Zhengfeng smiled calmly and cupped his hands to the crowd: "I am not greedy for official positions, otherwise I would not have sought the position of lieutenant general. Now that foreign cavalry have invaded the border, the court is recruiting people with aspirations to join the army to resist foreign enemies."

"I was invited to serve at the border, not to become a lackey. From today onwards, I will retire from this life of crime, and all grudges and feuds of the martial world will have nothing to do with me. If you ever come to the border to find me in the future, I will treat you to food and wine. Please forgive me for no longer participating in matters of the martial world."

At any time, guarding the borders against foreign enemies is worthy of respect and commands awe. Although this place is far from the Song Dynasty, the story of the chivalrous Guo and his wife defending Xiangyang against the Mongol cavalry is still told.

Even members of the Demonic Sect held a deep respect for Master Guo and his wife, though the extent of that respect remained unknown.

Everyone turned to look, thinking that Liu Zhengfeng was greedy for official position, but they did not expect him to have such a sense of national responsibility.

Master Tianmen looked ashamed. Although his strength was not high, he dared to take responsibility and stepped forward to bow deeply: "Junior Brother Liu is very righteous, I am far inferior to him!"

Yue Buqun's eyes flickered, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Only Lu Ming felt that something was amiss. Liu Zhengfeng joined the army, Dongfang Bubai consolidated his forces and occupied Blackwood Cliff, and the Dragon Guard Manor and the Eastern Depot were lurking in the shadows. In addition, the Mongol Yuan and Qing armies invaded the border, and a large net was quietly being cast.

He had a premonition, no, he was certain that the martial arts sects in the Sichuan region were just the tip of the iceberg in a larger network.

Lost in thought, Liu Zhengfeng had already reached the golden basin, preparing to reach inside. A small flag flew through the air and landed firmly on the coffee table.

"Wait a minute!"

A group of disciples from the Songshan Sect walked in through the main gate, dressed in light red robes, with the classic pose of three broadswords on their backs.

A man stepped forward, holding a five-colored brocade banner inlaid with pearls and jade, radiating a dazzling brilliance.

"The Five Mountains Alliance Leader's Command Flag!"

Master Tianmen exclaimed in surprise, and Yue Buqun also frowned. What was Zuo Lengchan up to?

"Junior Shi Dengda, by order of the Left Alliance Leader: The matter of Uncle Liu retiring from the martial arts world will be postponed for the time being."

Such an aggressive stance displeased Liu Zhengfeng. Suppressing his anger, he put his hands behind his back, even forgoing the usual polite gesture of bowing, revealing his fury: "What does Alliance Leader Zuo mean?"

"Uncle Liu, I am acting under orders and am unaware of the Alliance Leader's intentions. Please forgive me, Uncle Liu, and I urge you to obey the Alliance Leader's command."

Shi Dengda felt a surge of pride. Since Wan Daping, one of the second-generation disciples, was crippled, he, as the successor disciple, was naturally groomed to follow suit. Today was his first official appearance on stage, and sooner or later he would trample the four factions under his feet and make them look up to him!

"Greetings to Headmaster Yue, Daoist Tianmen, and Abbess Dingyi."

He then looked at Lu Ming, who was imposing and exceptionally handsome. In front of him, he felt like a clown, and what terrified him even more was that he couldn't muster even the slightest thought of provoking him.

This level of strength has reached a point of near-perfect simplicity, something I probably won't be able to catch up to in my lifetime. A thought formed in my mind: under no circumstances should I engage in conflict with this opponent, or I'll suffer a terrible fate.

"This must be Junior Brother Lu, right? He is truly a handsome man. His Purple Light Sword Qi has been famous for a long time, but seeing him today, I realize that the rumors have been an understatement."

Lu Ming nodded slightly, as if to say hello: "Let's leave the compliments for later. Why did Junior Brother Shi stop Uncle Liu from retiring from the martial arts world this time? Could it be that someone in the Songshan Sect has taken a fancy to Madam Liu and Senior Sister Liu Qing?"

Stendhal nearly coughed up blood. He knew this was a mission to establish his authority, and it had nothing to do with raping other men's wives and daughters. He wore an awkward smile, not daring to offend Lu Ming.

Behind him, the tall and imposing Fei Bin stared intently at Lu Ming, his eyes filled with apprehension. The man had crippled Senior Brother Ding Mian with a single palm strike before the new year; now, he himself feared he wouldn't stand a chance. Seeing Stendhal's hesitant and frightened expression, Fei Bin felt even more displeased. "You chickened out before even making a move! You'll be punished by cleaning chamber pots when we get back!"

Seeing that Liu Zhengfeng was determined to retire from the martial arts world, he stepped forward, drew his broadsword, and blocked the basin, coldly saying, "Senior Brother Liu, are you truly determined to go your own way?"

"Brother Fei is so aggressive. If I, Liu, were to yield to force today, how would I ever face the world again? I may lose my head and shed my blood, but my spirit will never be broken!"

He unleashed a powerful strike with the Great Songyang Divine Palm, aiming straight for the vital points.

Liu Zhengfeng was prepared and countered each move with his palm strike. Everyone thought that the Five Mountains Sword Sect's skills were all in swordsmanship, but they didn't know that each sect also had considerable achievements in fist and palm techniques.

If one does not know martial arts, wouldn't one become a cripple once the sword is no longer in hand?

In the courtyard, palm strikes clashed and shadows danced, the two fighters were evenly matched, and it was difficult to determine a winner.

Lu Ming watched with great interest. With his current skill in fist and palm techniques, and having combined the Hunyuan Palm and Wild Fist into one, he already knew what moves his opponent would use and what weaknesses those moves contained, even before the two had made a move.

Those can be killed with a single blow, while those can be captured.

Outside the crowd in the back hall, Liu Jing pushed through the throng and approached Lu Ming, shamelessly tugging at his sleeve in public: "Junior Brother Lu, please help me!"

Lu Ming's ears twitched slightly; he had already heard the commotion in the back room where someone had taken Liu Zhengfeng's family hostage. Looking at the youthful and beautiful face, he nodded slightly.

Liu Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief and shouted to Liu Zhengfeng, who was fighting in the courtyard, "Father, a group of unknown people have come to the back hall and kidnapped Mother and my younger brother. They won't let us step out of the house!"