A Farce

As if to prove Qu Yang's words, several staggering figures came in through a side gate of the Liu residence. Someone recognized them. "Aren't those Fei Bin, the Great Songyang Hand of the Songshan Sect, and the three Imperial Guards, Sha Tianjiang, Deng Bagong, and Gao Kexin?"

Fei Bin and the three Imperial Guards of the Songshan Sect entered the Liu residence. Their faces were dark, as if they had been poisoned. Fei Bin, at their head, glared at Qu Yang and shouted, "Demonic Cult fiend! You actually ambushed us!"

Qu Yang looked at Fei Bin with disdain. "You gathered your disciples and hid outside the Liu residence, ready to ambush me. It's just a case of you doing unto me what I did unto you."

Everyone's faces tensed. Qu Yang's Black Blood Divine Needles were vicious indeed. Only these four had managed to force their way into the main hall despite being poisoned. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened to the other Songshan disciples.

But at that moment, Liu Zhengfeng seemed to have spotted a flaw in the story. He looked at Fei Bin in puzzlement. "Why didn't Alliance Leader Zuo tell me about this plan?"

Fei Bin opened his mouth, at a loss for words. Was he supposed to say they were here for Liu Zhengfeng, not Qu Yang? He could only change the subject. "Fellow members of the Five Great Sword Sects, please help me kill this villain!"

Wang Jingyuan rushed to the back, picked up the golden basin, and dashed over to Liu Zhengfeng. "Uncle Liu, don't be afraid. He's all alone. And he's just an old rabbit who can only lie and launch sneak attacks.

"He won't let you wash your hands, will he? Then wash them right now, Uncle Liu. Let him watch. Once we capture him and bring him before you, you can wash them again and again right in front of him.

"After washing your hands, wash your feet. Then take a bath. Give him a good lo—cough, cough. Uncle Liu, don't get the wrong idea. I mean no harm."

Liu Zhengfeng glared at Wang Jingyuan, his face livid, but seized the opportunity to put his hands in the golden basin. Fei Bin and the others at the front heard Wang Jingyuan's voice and were about to shout for him to stop.

But someone was faster than them. Qu Yang roared, "You dog! Stop! Don't wash your hands!!!"

As he spoke, he flung out a large handful of Black Blood Divine Needles in every direction. Perhaps he had fired too many at once, weakening their force; the sect leaders and senior members present easily deflected them with their swords. Only a few less-skilled people were hit by two or three needles.

The Songshan disciples who had stepped in to block the Black Blood Divine Needles had no chance to stop Liu Zhengfeng from washing his hands. When they turned back, they found that Liu Zhengfeng had already scrubbed them several times. The Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony had become an accomplished fact.

Fei Bin was so furious that his expression darkened and lightened as he stared at Liu Zhengfeng. Qu Yang realized that he had failed to "stop" Liu Zhengfeng from washing his hands. He seemed utterly drained, his face ashen as he glanced at Liu Zhengfeng. "Fine... You've done very well!"

Then he turned and fled.

Wang Jingyuan frowned. "He went to all that trouble to get here, so why did he just leave so abruptly?"

Yue Buqun took the opportunity to explain to his disciple. "That's because Brother Liu has just completed the Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony. Now that he has left the martial world, all the grievances and grudges he had in the past are naturally wiped clean."

Wang Jingyuan was astonished. "Isn't he from the Demonic Cult? How is he so particular about the rules? Shouldn't he have hidden somewhere, then doubled back to kill us after we left?"

Yue Buqun shook his head. "The Demonic Cult is called demonic because its members act ruthlessly and don't care about the honor of the martial world. But there are some most basic rules that both the righteous and unorthodox sides acknowledge. After all, if even the most basic rules disappeared, the martial world would fall into chaos."

The many martial artists present nodded at his words. This was indeed the state of the martial world today. And there was one thing Yue Buqun hadn't said outright: if order disappeared from the martial world,

then martial artists would be seen as bandits by the imperial court. At that point, the court wouldn't simply turn a blind eye.

Wang Jingyuan nodded, seeming to understand. "I get that, Master. But there's something else I don't quite understand."

Yue Buqun stroked his beard with a smile. "Go ahead and ask."

"I remember Uncle Liu's..."

"Cough, cough!" Liu Zhengfeng interrupted Wang Jingyuan. "I've left the martial world now, so you can't call me Uncle Liu anymore."

Wang Jingyuan didn't object. "I remember Old Man Liu's family is still in the back hall, while everyone else is in the main hall. Why didn't that Demonic Cult fiend go and grab one of Old Man Liu's family members first? If he'd had a hostage, he could have used them to threaten Old Man Liu. Then he wouldn't have been able to wash his hands, would he?"

The martial artists present were all at a loss. So he couldn't call him Uncle Liu, and went straight to Old Man Liu? Had he forgotten how to say "uncle"? And what was that about taking hostages? Was that something a righteous sect disciple should even think of?

Everyone thought so, and so did Yue Buqun. But since Wang Jingyuan had asked, he had no choice but to answer. "The Demonic Cult members consider themselves the leaders of the unorthodox side. They might go to someone's home and slaughter the whole family. But they still wouldn't stoop to taking family members hostage to threaten someone."

Hearing this, Wang Jingyuan cheerfully congratulated Liu Zhengfeng. "Then that means you won't have any more trouble, right? Congratulations, Old Man Liu."

Liu Zhengfeng's mouth twitched as he replied, "You may call me that, but shouldn't you call me Uncle Liu?"

"Tsk, you have so many demands. Fine, Uncle Liu."

Brocade Lion Gao Kexin, who had witnessed this, wanted to say something, but Fei Bin stopped him. They'd missed their chance, and now they were behind at every turn. After the exchange between the two master and disciple from the Mount Hua Sect, their plans probably couldn't be brought into the open anymore.

Suddenly, two loud bangs rang out from beyond the gate, followed by a burst of ceremonial music and the sounds of gongs and shouts announcing someone's arrival. Liu Zhengfeng gave a cold laugh and instructed his disciple, "Go to the back hall and invite Commander Chen here."

Hearing the clamor of gongs and drums outside, and seeing an Imperial Guard in a Flying Fish Robe emerge from the back hall, Fei Bin's expression changed dramatically.

A uniformed official entered at a leisurely pace, followed by a number of yamen runners. When he saw Liu Zhengfeng standing straight in the hall without coming out to welcome him,

he immediately looked displeased. "General Liu, why haven't you come to receive the imperial edict?"

"Receive the edict? Who are you? What rank do you hold? Since when has an imperial edict been announced by anyone other than Hanlin Academy scholars and eunuchs? Besides, why wasn't I informed that an Imperial Envoy had come to Hengyang?" Before Liu Zhengfeng could answer, Commander Chen stepped forward and demanded sharply.

The uniformed official saw the Imperial Guard and immediately began trembling. He bolted out the door. Fei Bin, standing right beside it, frowned. "Something's fishy. Where do you think you're going, scoundrel?"

He gave chase despite his serious injuries. Then they heard him shout from outside, "Demonic Cult fiend! How dare you!"

And then there was no more sound.

When everyone ran outside, they found Fei Bin already lying on the ground, and the official sprawled by the roadside. Daoist Tianmen of the Taishan Sect stepped forward to examine him. A Black Blood Divine Needle was buried deep in the Jade Pillow Acupoint at the back of the official's head.