Martial Champion's Assault

Seeing Feng Dai kneel, Li Qingqiu remained unmoved. He casually replied, "What do you mean by that? Has the County Magistrate already found out the truth?"

In his opinion, Feng Dai and the others' actions were meaningless, merely an attempt to alleviate their own guilt.

Even if Wu Baoyu himself harbored the intention of killing the emperor, without Feng Dai's identification, he would have certainly lived longer.

Zhang Yuchun bringing Wu Baoyu up the mountain only changed Wu Baoyu's fate; it was Feng Dai who truly forced Wu Baoyu to go to the imperial city.

Of course, Feng Dai was not wrong; it was only natural for officials to arrest criminals.

If anyone was to blame, it could only be that emperor.

He founded the Demonic Sect, erased Wu Baoyu's achievements, and slandered Wu Baoyu as an evildoer.

However, the emperor was heaven in this world, and mortals had no right to challenge heaven.

"I investigated as Senior Xiao suggested. The second young master of the Xiao clan was indeed named Xiao Ji. Xiao Ji was chosen as an imperial guard at the age of manhood and followed the previous Crown Prince. After the Xiao clan was massacred, his records stopped, and he disappeared without a trace. Furthermore, I discovered that the former Crown Prince had indeed dispatched a group of imperial guards to infiltrate the Demonic Sect, but there were no subsequent records."

Feng Dai gritted his teeth, his face filled with regret.

The faces of the nine yamen runners were equally grim. After learning about Wu Baoyu's past and hearing that such a hero died under a false accusation, their fighting spirit was dampened.

They could no longer distinguish whether the court they served was as they imagined, or if justice still existed in this world.

If even the emperor was the greatest evil, what could they, yamen runners struggling at the bottom, do?

Li Qingqiu stared at him and asked, "Just this, and you believed him?"

"After Senior Xiao died in the imperial palace, the files concerning Xiao Ji were also destroyed. I asked the Provincial Governor, and he was also puzzled but ordered me not to inquire further. How could such a coincidence occur?" Feng Dai said through gritted teeth, unable to calm his heart.

Li Qingqiu sighed and said, "After Senior Wu came up the mountain, he was taciturn. I didn't interact with him much, and I can't judge the truth. I only know one thing: he is gone, and we should act as if he never came. Regret now is meaningless."

With that, he turned and walked up the mountain.

"Wait, Sect Master, do you think this matter should end here?" Feng Dai quickly called out.

"I am merely the Sect Master of a sect. I only want to protect my disciples. Wu Baoyu did not belong to my Qingxiao Sect, so for me, this is indeed how it should be."

Li Qingqiu did not stop or look back.

Feng Dai's expression shifted between anger and resignation, but he could no longer speak.

After Li Qingqiu disappeared at the end of the mountain path, the yamen runners rose one after another and stepped forward to help Feng Dai.

"Sir, this concerns imperial power, and we cannot interfere. The Qingxiao Sect cannot interfere either," a relatively older yamen runner said in a deep voice. He had served the longest among them, and his heart had long been filled with despair.

Feng Dai took a deep breath. He turned to look at the nine yamen runners, his eyes different from before. He said in an unusually firm tone, "Precisely because no one dares to interfere, I must. I admit this path is fraught with danger. I will not force any of you to accompany me. Even if it means my utter destruction, I will vindicate Senior Xiao and expose the truth of the crime to the world!"

He turned and left, his left hand resting on the hilt of his saber at his waist, gripping it tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

The nine yamen runners fell silent. They did not look at each other, but after a short while, they all began to walk, following Feng Dai's footsteps.

Xiao Ba circled in the sky. Looking down, Feng Dai and the others appeared so small, like ants.

After the New Year, the expansion plan for the Qingxiao Sect continued. Zhang Yuchun became the busiest person, often going down the mountain with Huang Shan and Yu Lin. This also caused Huang Shan and the other two to mature further, their speech and conduct clearly different from other disciples.

Li Qingqiu was only responsible for finalizing major decisions and overseeing the progress of construction in various locations.

As spring drew to a close, Wu Man'er and Li Sifeng successively broke through to the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer, which made Li Qingqiu very happy.

A combatant at the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer was enough to contend with top experts in the martial world, even considered a standout among the top tier.

After achieving the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer, Li Sifeng could not contain himself and found Li Qingqiu, requesting Zhang Yuchun to take him down the mountain next time.

Li Qingqiu hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing. Although Li Sifeng was not yet fourteen years old, his martial skills were far superior to Zhang Yuchun's trio. Moreover, with Li Sifeng present, Zhang Yuchun would have an additional portable signboard when recruiting disciples.

Upon receiving Li Qingqiu's consent, Li Sifeng was overjoyed. He went directly to Zhang Yuchun to inform him of the matter. Zhang Yuchun was also happy, as he was well aware of Li Sifeng's skills.

As a result, the next day, Zhang Yuchun descended the mountain with Li Sifeng, Huang Shan, and Yu Lin.

After noon, Li Qingqiu and over a dozen disciples were in the courtyard, their gazes fixed on Yang Jueding and Wu Man'er.

The two were sparring.

Previously, Wu Man'er had trained under Jiang Zhaoxia. Later, when Jiang Zhaoxia was too busy to teach him, Yang Jueding took over.

Since taking over Wu Man'er, Yang Jueding had poured all his knowledge into teaching him, even more diligently than with Li Sifeng. He had even passed on his improved Nine Heavens Divine Palm to Wu Man'er.

The two stood ten paces apart, each adopting their stance.

Wu Man'er, just fifteen years old, was already nine feet tall. In the Great Li Dynasty, nine feet was close to two meters in height. He was burly, and even the largest robe appeared tight on him.

Despite his intimidating physique, he had a simple and honest face, always wearing a foolish grin, which he was doing now.

Facing him, Yang Jueding could not smile. Only when facing Wu Man'er directly could he feel the pressure.

"The Yangyuan Realm Second Layer offers such a significant improvement?"

Yang Jueding was inwardly startled. In his eyes, Wu Man'er had no openings. He felt that no matter where he attacked, he would face a terrifying counter.

Li Dongyue held Yuan Li, who was almost two years old, tilting his head and with wide eyes.

Cheng Canghai stood at the edge, also curious about the upcoming battle.

He did not doubt Yang Jueding's strength; he was mainly curious about how strong Wu Man'er was.

Wu Man'er carrying a two-thousand-jin giant log up the mountain earlier had terrified him.

"Man'er, I'm going to make my move."

After Yang Jueding spoke, he lunged at Wu Man'er like an arrow. His palms moved like the wind, striking rapidly at Wu Man'er.

Although Wu Man'er appeared clumsy and heavy, he easily dodged Yang Jueding's fierce assault. His feet constantly shifted, neither advancing nor retreating.

He dodged Yang Jueding's palms while simultaneously blocking his kicks with his hands, managing to stop them.

The Qingxiao Sect disciples couldn't see Yang Jueding's moves at all. They only felt as if Yang Jueding had grown many hands and many legs, dazzling their eyes.

Even if they couldn't see clearly, they could understand the situation.

"Uncle-Master Wu is so amazing."

"Yeah, I didn't expect his skills to be this good. I thought he was just strong."

"What a strong gust of wind, it's blowing right in my face."

"Is this inner energy?"

"This is nothing yet. True inner energy is extremely lethal. They aren't even serious yet."

The disciples discussed in small groups, their eyes never leaving Wu Man'er and Yang Jueding.

Qin Ye gripped his long staff, his gaze fixed on the two sparring.

Ever since Wu Baoyu taught him the Myriad Army Demon Subduing Staff, he hadn't sparred with other disciples. However, anyone could see the change in him. His body had become increasingly robust, his eyes sharper, and he exuded a killing aura that made many disciples afraid to joke with him.

Yang Jueding's momentum suddenly surged, qi force appearing around him. His attacks became even more powerful, kicking up dust and stones. Wu Man'er no longer defended; he met Yang Jueding's moves, and the two began to exchange blows.

Fists and feet met, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out continuously, making the disciples' hearts pound.

The completely serious Wu Man'er no longer wore a goofy smile. His expression was stern, and combined with his physique, the oppressive feeling was immense. Even though Yang Jueding wasn't forced back by the pressure, it felt like Wu Man'er was stronger.

Cheng Canghai swallowed, a storm raging in his heart.

Just with their bare-handed combat, they could generate such momentum. These two had already surpassed first-rate experts!

The Qingxiao Sect didn't have many people, but they truly had hidden talents!

Li Qingqiu nodded slightly as he watched. In terms of momentum, these two had already surpassed Lü Taidou. Even if the Seven Peaks Alliance were to invade in full force, the Qingxiao Sect would have the confidence to deal with them.

After a brief moment of shock, Yang Jueding became excited.

Wu Man'er made him feel evenly matched after a long time. Even though he was already injured, he felt exhilarated.

This was much more satisfying than fighting the Sea Sword Saint!

Neither of them used the Nine Heavens Divine Palm, only fighting with fists and feet, which made the watching disciples' blood boil.

"Stop."

Li Qingqiu's voice suddenly cut through the air. The two immediately halted, frozen in their stances of swinging fists and palms.

Wu Man'er's fist moved downwards towards Yang Jueding, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. Yang Jueding's palm struck out from his waist, upward, like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss.

The expressions on their faces changed instantly. Wu Man'er reverted to his goofy demeanor and turned his head to look at Li Qingqiu.

"We were having such a great fight, why did you stop us?" Yang Jueding asked, tilting his head to glance at Li Qingqiu with dissatisfaction.

The other disciples also looked at Li Qingqiu, their eyes filled with confusion.

They had only just begun to spar.

Li Qingqiu picked up the hot tea on the table and said softly, "A distinguished guest is about to arrive. Let's not disturb them."

Distinguished guest?

Everyone was puzzled and subconsciously looked towards the courtyard gate, but saw no one.

Yang Jueding retracted his palm and was about to complain when a voice echoed from the direction of the mountain gate:

"I am Li Yang, the current Martial Champion. I wish to challenge the top experts of all sects in the martial world to a martial arts exchange. Does the Qingxiao Sect have any masters who dare to accept my challenge!"

Everyone was astonished. Someone was actually coming?

How did the Sect Master sense it beforehand?

Li Qingqiu looked at Yang Jueding and Wu Man'er and asked with a smile, "You two go and greet him. Either of you can fight. Just try not to kill him. After all, he's the Martial Champion, and his background is not small."

Yang Jueding nodded and immediately turned to leave. Wu Man'er and the other disciples followed.

Soon, only Li Qingqiu, Li Dongyue, and Yuan Li remained in the courtyard.

The smile on Li Qingqiu's face vanished. He frowned slightly, lost in thought.

Li Yang... he seemed to have heard that name before. He shared the same surname, Li, so he must be from that family.