Chapter 62: The Three Fools of the Sword Sect

When Wang Jingyuan returned to the Hall of Upright Qi Reaching the Firmament, he saw a tall, thin elderly man seated at the seat of honor for guests. In his right hand, he held the command flag of the Five Mountains Sword Sects—it was none other than Lu Bo, the Crane Immortal of the Mount Song Sect.

Seated below him were a middle-aged Daoist priest and an elder of about fifty years old. Judging by their attire and the swords at their waists, they belonged to the Mount Tai and Mount Heng sects, respectively.

These were likely pro-Mount Song disciples within their respective sects. Coming along with the Mount Song people this time was probably intended to show that the Mount Song Sect acted impartially and wasn't specifically targeting the Mount Shaan sect (Huashan). As for why no one from the Mount Heng (Northern) Sect was present, it was probably because not a single person in that sect leaned toward Mount Song.

Seeing this, Wang Jingyuan mentally applauded and took notes; he could pull off the exact same trick in the future. After all, he also had acquaintances in the Mount Tai, Mount Heng (Southern), and Mount Heng (Northern) sects.

However, these people were not important right now. Most crucial were the three middle-aged men whose swords were standard Mount Shaan weaponry. They must be the legendary Three Fools of the Sword Sect.

These three fools seemed to be arguing with Yue Buqun. Yet, compared to their red-faced, vein-bulging state, Yue Buqun appeared completely calm and collected. Wang Jingyuan listened in for a moment and realized their argument was closer to a baseless shouting match, completely missing the crucial points.

Wang Jingyuan shook his head. The Three Fools of the Sword Sect were simply foolish, but as for that old fogey Yue Buqun—why hadn't he noticed before that Yue Buqun possessed a talent for acting superior?

Being impatient, Wang Jingyuan had no desire to watch how Yue Buqun would effortlessly turn the tables. He forced a professional smile onto his face and walked up to the three men, greeting them warmly: "You must be the three junior uncles of the Sword Sect, right? I've heard so much about you!"

As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. No matter how much the Three Fools of the Sword Sect detested the Qi Sect, seeing a junior-generation disciple approach them with a warm smile made it awkward for them to resort to violence immediately.

Before they fully registered what was happening, Wang Jingyuan had already shaken hands with each of them in turn. Then, he walked over to Lu Bo, the Crane Immortal, and said with a grateful expression: "Thank you so much, Uncle from the Mount Song Sect, for escorting our senior brothers of the Mount Shaan Sect back home. We have been searching for them for so long."

With this single move, Wang Jingyuan completely baffled the Mount Song delegation. What was this? We brought back remnants of the Sword Sect to cause trouble for you, and yet you are thanking us?

Wang Jingyuan glanced back at Yue Buqun. "Master, where is Uncle-Master Feng?"

Yue Buqun understood instantly. "Elder Feng should be instructing the disciples in sword techniques right now."

Wang Jingyuan nodded, then looked toward Lu Hou'er nearby. "Hurry up and invite Uncle-Master Feng over. He will certainly be overjoyed to see them."

Feng Buqun and the other two were momentarily stunned. If he was Yue Buqun's uncle, that made him a senior of the Mount Shaan Sect. But they had never heard of any member of the previous generation of the Qi Sect still being alive! Wait... the previous generation of the Qi Sect didn't have anyone surnamed Feng. On the contrary...

" Brat, why did you call me over?" The martial arts training ground was just a few steps away from the main hall, and Feng Qingyang arrived shortly.

As soon as Feng Qingyang stepped inside, he spotted the three men of the Sword Sect. Although decades had passed, the sight of them immediately brought memories rushing back. "So it's you three."

Feng Qingyang didn't look particularly happy; his expression was merely complicated. However, the three men of the Sword Sect were now shedding tears of joy, immensely moved. "Uncle-Master Feng! You are still alive in this world?!"

Feng Qingyang's face darkened. "What? Were you hoping I was dead?"

The Three Fools shook their heads frantically. "No! Not at all!"

Feng Qingyang looked at Wang Jingyuan with a questioning gaze. Wang Jingyuan chuckled and said, "These three junior uncles were found and brought back by the Mount Song Sect."

Hearing this, Feng Qingyang understood the situation immediately and turned to the three men. "When you three were out traveling to gain experience, how could you forget the way home? You actually needed members of the Five Mountains Sword Sects to escort you back. With neither hide nor hair of you for decades, I assumed you had perished out in the world."

Cheng Buyou started to argue in defense: "We were..."

Feng Buqun raised a hand to stop him, then cupped his fists toward Feng Qingyang. "It is due to this disciple's foolishness."

He had brought his two junior fellow apprentices back this time by relying on the backing of the Mount Song Sect. In his heart, he knew very well that the Mount Song Sect harbored malicious intentions. However, the blood feud between the Qi and Sword sects ran too deep; he was unwilling to let go of any opportunity for revenge, no matter how slim.

When his master was still alive, he had often told him how formidable Uncle-Master Feng was. Since Uncle-Master Feng was present now and seemed inclined to gloss over the matter and keep things under wraps, he would simply follow Uncle-Master Feng's lead.

With Uncle-Master Feng backing the Sword Sect, there was no longer any room for Mount Song to meddle. Matters concerning the Mount Shaan Sect should be resolved behind closed doors by themselves, without allowing outsiders to stir up trouble. With that thought, Feng Buqun cupped his fists toward Lu Bo. "Thank you, Senior Brother Lu, for escorting us back to the mountain."

Seeing this turn of events, Lu Bo grew anxious. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! "Junior Brother Feng, you needn't do this. If you have any grievances, feel free to speak up. Alliance Leader Zuo will uphold justice for you."

"I have already returned home now, so there are no grievances left." Feng Buqun rolled his eyes mentally. Alliance Leader Zuo? Could that Zuo Lengchan possibly be stronger than Uncle-Master Feng?

"Yue once again thanks the Mount Song senior brother for your assistance." As the leader of the Mount Shaan Sect, Yue Buqun had already picked up his teacup, signaling the polite conclusion of the visit and the departure of the guests.

Seeing that the three Sword Sect members of the 'Bu' generation had already stepped behind Feng Qingyang, Lu Bo realized there was no saving this particular scheme. However, he had prepared a backup plan for his trip to Mount Shaan.

Lu Bo then spoke up: "My escorting the three junior brothers back to Mount Shaan was merely on the way. In truth, I have an official mission to carry out on this visit."

Hearing this, Yue Buqun narrowed his eyes slightly. Feng Qingyang, who had been about to find a chair to sit on, also subtly adjusted his stance.

Naturally, Wang Jingyuan felt no fear playing on his home turf; he was even beginning to consider plans for destroying the corpses and shifting the blame onto others. "I am Wang Jingyuan. May I ask what business Senior Uncle Lu has with me?"

Actually, aside from Fei Bin, Ding Mian and Lu Bo had also attended the Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony, but the two of them had been tasked with guarding Liu Zhengfeng's family and were subsequently ambushed by Qu Yang. Therefore, Lu Bo had never laid eyes on Wang Jingyuan before. Seeing that Wang Jingyuan's complexion still carried a faint, ashen hue, he guessed the residual poison had not yet been fully cleared.

Thank you for that, Old Qu.

Although Lu Bo had never met Wang Jingyuan, he had heard Fei Bin describe him as a pretty boy. Judging by appearances, this must be him. He slammed his hand onto the table and shouted angrily, "Wang Jingyuan, disciple of Mount Shaan!"

Wang Jingyuan picked his ear with his finger. "Present."

"Confess honestly—where on earth has Tian Boguang gone?!"

Wang Jingyuan spread his hands. "I killed him."

Lu Bo questioned him further: "You have been the only ones claiming Tian Boguang was killed. Before coming here, I went to Mount Heng and Mount Tai. When Daoist Master Tianmen entered the room, he only saw Tian Boguang lying on the ground and did not verify his death. As for our junior niece Yilin of the Mount Heng Sect, she only saw you strike Tian Boguang down with a palm blow and did not check whether he was truly dead. Afterwards, Tian Boguang's so-called corpse was taken away by two members of your Mount Shaan Sect. I ask you, where is Tian Boguang's body?"

"Chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs," Wang Jingyuan replied honestly.

Hearing an answer that matched his worst expectations, Lu Bo sneered, "So you mean there is currently no evidence whatsoever to prove that Tian Boguang is truly dead?"

Wang Jingyuan chuckled. "Evidence? Of course I have evidence."

"Oh?!"