Chapter 45: Farce

As if to confirm Qu Yang's words, several staggering figures walked in through the side door of the Liu residence. Someone recognized them and exclaimed, "Aren't these Fei Bin, the Great Greater Sun Hand of the Mount Song Sect, along with the three other senior leaders, Sha Tianjiang, Deng Bagong, and Gao Kexin?"

Fei Bin and the three Mount Song senior leaders entered the courtyard. Their complexions were pitch black, as if they had been poisoned. Fei Bin, leading the group, glared furiously at Qu Yang and chided, "Cult fiend, you actually launched a sneak attack!"

Qu Yang glanced at Fei Bin with utter disdain and replied, "You gathered your disciples and hid outside the Liu residence to ambush me. It is merely a case of you doing it first, and me doing it fifteenth in return."

The expressions of those present turned stern. Qu Yang's Black Blood Divine Needles were fiercely lethal. Since only these four had managed to endure the poison and reach the front hall on sheer force of will, it was not hard to guess the fate of the other Mount Song disciples.

At this moment, however, Liu Zhengfeng seemed to have noticed a blind spot and looked at Fei Bin with some perplexity, asking, "Why didn't Chief Left mention this plan to me?"

Fei Bin opened his mouth, completely at a loss for words. Could he possibly say that they had come for Liu Zhengfeng himself rather than Qu Yang? He had no choice but to change the subject: "Fellow martial brothers of the Five Yue Sword Sects, I ask for your assistance in slaying this villain!"

At this juncture, Wang Jingyuan rushed to the back, picked up the golden basin, and scurried to Liu Zhengfeng's side. "Uncle Liu, do not be afraid. There is only one of him. Besides, he is just an old bastard who only knows how to cheat and launch sneak attacks.

Didn't he try to stop you from washing your hands? Wash them right now, Uncle Liu, and wash them right in front of him. Once we capture him alive later and drag him before you, you can wash them again and again right in his face.

Wash your hands, then wash your feet, and after washing your feet, take a bath, so he can watch... Cough, cough. Uncle Liu, do not overthink it; I bear no ill intentions."

With a face ashen with anger, Liu Zhengfeng glared fiercely at Wang Jingyuan, yet he seized the opportunity to plunge his hands into the golden basin. Seeing this, Fei Bin and the others standing at the front opened their mouths to shout a prohibition.

However, someone was faster than all of them. Qu Yang roared, "Scoundrel, stop! Do not wash them!!!"

With that, he unleashed a massive, indiscriminate volley of Black Blood Divine Needles. Perhaps because too many were fired at once, the force behind them was somewhat lacking, and the sect leaders and high-ranking figures present easily deflected them with their swords. Only a few with inferior martial arts were struck by two or three needles.

Naturally, the Mount Song faction members, who were busy blocking the Black Blood Divine Needles, had no spare time to stop Liu Zhengfeng from washing his hands. When they turned back around, they found that Liu Zhengfeng had already scrubbed his hands several rounds. The golden basin hand-washing ceremony was now a settled matter.

Fei Bin was driven to fury, his expression shifting uncertainly as he stared at Liu Zhengfeng. Realizing he had failed to "prevent" Liu Zhengfeng from washing his hands in the golden basin, Qu Yang felt as though all his energy had been drained. He cast a dejected look at Liu Zhengfeng and spat, "Fine... You have done very well!"

With that, he whirled around and fled directly.

Wang Jingyuan frowned and muttered, "He went through all that trouble to rush over here, so why did he leave with such a fizzle?"

Yue Buqun timely explained to his disciple, "That is because Brother Liu has already washed his hands in the golden basin. Once he has withdrawn from the pugilistic world, all previous grievances and grudges in the martial arts realm are naturally wiped clean."

Wang Jingyuan was immensely shocked. "Isn't he a member of the Demonic Cult? Why is he so observant of the rules? Shouldn't he have taken the opportunity to hide and then launch a counter-attack after we left?"

Yue Buqun shook his head. "The Demonic Cult is called a demonic cult precisely because they act ruthlessly and disregard martial arts morality. However, both the orthodox and unorthodox factions still recognize certain basic rules of the pugilistic world. After all, if even the most basic rules ceased to exist, the martial world would plunge into utter chaos."

The various martial artists present nodded in agreement, recognizing that this was indeed the current state of the pugilistic world. Furthermore, a point Yue Buqun left unsaid was that if the martial world lost all order, its practitioners would simply be viewed as roving bandits by the imperial court—and the court's attitude then would be far from just turning a blind eye.

Wang Jingyuan nodded, half-understanding. "This disciple understands that part, but there is still one more thing I do not quite comprehend."

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and smiled, "Ask freely."

"I remember that this Uncle Liu's..."

"Cough, cough!" Liu Zhengfeng interrupted Wang Jingyuan, cutting in to say, "I have already withdrawn from the pugilistic world, so you must no longer address me as Uncle Liu."

Wang Jingyuan had no objections. "I remember that this old man Liu's family members are still in the back hall, while everyone is out here in the front hall. Why didn't that Demonic Cult fiend go and capture one of old man Liu's family members first? If he had a hostage in hand and used that to coerce old man Liu, wouldn't he have been unable to wash his hands in the golden basin?"

The martial artists present were utterly dumbfounded. So since he couldn't be called Uncle Liu, he was just "old man Liu" now? Could he not even manage "Uncle"? And what was this talk of taking family members hostage—was this truly a tactic an orthodox sect disciple ought to conceive?

Not only the others, but Yue Buqun was thinking the exact same thing. Yet since Wang Jingyuan had already asked, he could only bite the bullet and reply, "People of the Demonic Cult consider themselves overlords of the underworld; while they might slaughter an entire family upon visiting, stooping to the level of taking family members hostage to coerce an opponent is something they still disdain to do."

Hearing this, Wang Jingyuan cheerfully congratulated Liu Zhengfeng, "In that case, doesn't that mean you'll be fine from now on? Congratulations to you, old man Liu."

Liu Zhengfeng's mouth twitched as he responded, "If you put it that way, yes. But shouldn't you, perhaps, address me as Uncle Liu?"

"Tsk, you are full of demands. Very well, Uncle Liu."

Gao Kexin, the Brocade-Haired Lion, wanted to say something upon seeing this scene, but Fei Bin stopped him. They were simply a step too late, and every step after would lag behind. With the master and disciple of the Mount Shan Sect trading questions and answers just now, whatever schemes they had were likely impossible to bring out into the open any longer.

Suddenly, two loud firecracker explosions echoed from outside, followed by roaring drum and music, accompanied by the beating of gongs and clearing of paths. Liu Zhengfeng sneered and instructed his nearby disciples, "Go to the back hall and invite Centurion Chen."

Hearing the deafening gongs and drums outside, and seeing a Brocade-Clad Guard wearing a embroidered uniform walk out from the back hall, Fei Bin's expression altered drastically.

An official clad in official robes, followed by numerous yamen runners, leisurely walked in. Seeing Liu Zhengfeng standing rigidly in the hall without coming out to welcome him, he immediately looked somewhat displeased.

"Commander Liu, why haven't you come forward to receive the imperial decree?"

"Receive an imperial decree? Who are you? What rank do you hold? Since when is an imperial decree proclaimed by anyone other than Hanlin academicians and court eunuchs? Furthermore, if an imperial emissary has arrived in Hengyang, why is this official unaware of it?!" Before Liu Zhengfeng could reply, Centurion Chen stepped forward and demanded sternly.

Upon seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the brocade-robed official immediately trembled at the knees and bolted out the door. Fei Bin, standing right by the entrance, frowned and muttered, "Something is amiss. Where is the scoundrel running?"

With that, despite his severe injuries, he dragged his battered body in pursuit out the door. Shortly after, he was heard shouting outside, "Demonic Cult fiend! How dare you!"

Then, all sound ceased.

When the crowd rushed out after him, they found that Fei Bin had collapsed outside, and the official was also sprawled by the roadside. Daoist Master Tianmen of the Mount Tai Sect stepped forward to inspect them and discovered that a Black Blood Divine Needle was deeply embedded in the pillow-shaped occipital acupoint at the back of the official's head.