Framed

Inside Luyang City.

The events of last night were the talk of the town.

Most people didn't believe Feng Qi would do such a thing. If he didn't want to hand over the money, he could have just not issued it in the first place. Why go through the trouble of giving it out only to snatch it back?

Even if he were to snatch it, he did it while wearing Peacekeeping Gang attire. And he didn't even kill anyone after the robbery?

It was too obvious a frame-up.

Even a three-year-old child could see the flaws in the plan.

But this clumsy scheme, so obvious to everyone, severely damaged the public's confidence in the Peacekeeping Gang. If they couldn't even protect themselves, how could they protect others?

What was the point of collecting silver from the Peacekeeping Gang if it was just going to be robbed later, and you'd get beaten up in the process? It was a pointless endeavor.

The Beggar's Sect, Taishan, and other sects searched their ranks all night but found no one suspected of being possessed by Celestial Demon. Upon hearing of the Peacekeeping Gang's plight, they all eagerly awaited Feng Qi's downfall.

Upholding justice?

Did they really think it was a game?

But instead of waiting for Feng Qi to find the culprits, they received an invitation to join a peacekeeping and joint defense initiative.

Elder Ding of the Beggar's Sect looked at the invitation in his hand, utterly bewildered. "What does Feng Qi mean by this? It's obvious that people from the Iron Palm Sect did it last night. Could he be trying to use our strength against the Iron Palm Sect?"

"Perhaps he really does mean that," a dirty old beggar beside him chuckled, having also seen the invitation's content. "Feng Qi has too few capable people. No matter how strong he is, if others deliberately cause trouble, his Peacekeeping Gang won't last. Celestial Demon is nothing special; in our world, you have to follow our rules."

"If Feng Qi's methods are only this simple, then I must have overestimated him," Elder Ding said. "I have a feeling he's not that straightforward."

"Elder Ding, you worry too much. Look at what he did yesterday; it was either violence or throwing money around. His methods are indeed that simple, like a child's, acting without considering the consequences. According to him, Celestial Demon must act according to its attributes, which is completely impractical in the human world and too easy to see through," the old beggar said. "Human hearts are complex; a straightforward path won't get you far..."

"Old Lu, do you think I should go?" Elder Ding asked.

"I think you should. He also invited people from the other three sects and five schools. He probably doesn't have the guts to attack everyone," the old beggar replied. "Watching the show from afar in Luyang City isn't as interesting as being there. We can also observe up close whether he's been weakened. Elder, we know too little about Celestial Demon."

"Alright, Old Lu, we'll go together," Elder Ding agreed with the old beggar's reasoning and smiled as he put away the invitation. "Let's go see what kind of trouble that Celestial Demon brat is causing."

The same scene unfolded at the other sect headquarters.

The representatives of the various sects in Luyang City contacted each other, confirmed they had all received the invitation, and then agreed to head to the Peacekeeping Gang together.

The three sects and five schools were not on the same level as the Iron Palm Sect. A few remnants of the Iron Palm Sect had already given Feng Qi a headache. These people firmly believed that no matter how powerful Feng Qi was, he wouldn't dare provoke so many sects simultaneously.

After all, they all had a colossal power backing them.

The Azure Dragon Gang, Blood Sabre School, Snow Mountain Sect, and Kunlun sects were too far from Luyang City for their influence to reach here. To be precise, only six sects had a presence in Luyang City: the Beggar's Sect, Taishan, Huashan, Emei, Divine Fist School, and Tianshan School.

A total of ten people from the six sects arrived. They sat in the Peacekeeping Gang's meeting hall, chatting and exchanging their views on Celestial Demon, not taking Feng Qi's invitation too seriously.

A moment later.

Du Ge and two others, along with Liu Cheng, entered from outside.

Du Ge and his companions looked composed, but Liu Cheng's expression was somewhat grim, clearly showing his nervousness. However, the attention of these sect representatives was focused on Du Ge and his group, so no one paid much attention to a mere Liu Cheng.

Even if they had noticed, it wouldn't have mattered. A hall master who had just switched allegiances, suddenly realizing his new master was unreliable, would naturally be worried.

"Feng Qi, leader of the Peacekeeping Gang, greets all seniors." Du Ge bowed with a broad smile, clasping his fists. "Seniors represent the three sects and five schools. The Peacekeeping Gang is newly established, and we should have paid our respects at your residences. However, I'm sure you've heard about the recent events. As this is my first time managing a sect, and my subordinates are insufficient, I've been overwhelmed dealing with these matters. Thus, I had no choice but to invite everyone here. I hope all seniors will forgive any discourtesies."

"It's no trouble," the Taoist priest from the Taishan sect waved his hand and said calmly. "The Peacekeeping Gang has taken over the Iron Palm Sect's territory, and Leader Feng Qi has become the master of Luyang City. It is only right that we come to pay our respects."

"You are too kind, Daoist priest," Du Ge replied, returning the bow and looking around at everyone. "May I know your esteemed names?"

"Gao Yong of the Taishan sect," the Taoist priest from Taishan said.

"Ding Wanjie of the Beggar's Sect," the elder from the Beggar's Sect stated.

"Nie Nong of Huashan." The representative of the Huashan sect was a middle-aged man who glanced at Du Ge and gave a perfunctory bow.

"He Yuanan of the Divine Fist School." The representative of the Divine Fist School was also around forty years old. His gaze was cold, and he didn't give Du Ge a friendly look.

Their sect leader was on good terms with Qiu Yuanlang, and among the sects, they had the closest ties with the Iron Palm Sect. Feng Qi's swift annexation of the Iron Palm Sect was equivalent to provoking the Divine Fist School.

It directly affected the Divine Fist School's interests. Why would he give Feng Qi a pleasant expression? If he weren't worried about being unable to defeat Feng Qi, he would have already rushed out to save Qiu Yuanlang.

Han Zuo and others were currently at his headquarters. He was aware of last night's events. His purpose in coming here was to inquire about the specific situation of the old sect leader Qiu. Feng Qi's posting of that notice had made Qiu Feipeng and the others anxious. If he hadn't stopped them, they would have rushed over to rescue their father long ago.

"Yu Yang of the Emei sect." The representative of the Emei sect was a woman, but not a nun. She was likely a lay disciple.

"Xia Mingliang of the Tianshan School." The representative of the Tianshan School was about the same age as the elder from the Beggar's Sect, appearing to be in his fifties. However, his complexion was ruddy, and his belly was protruding, making him look more like a merchant than a martial artist.

"Feng Qi greets all seniors." Du Ge clasped his fists again, performing a full bow, adopting a very humble posture. Then, he sat in the main seat and smiled. "Seniors, I'm sure you've all witnessed yesterday's events. There are too many villains in the martial world who bully the common people and tarnish the reputation of us martial artists, relying on their strength.

Although I am possessed by Celestial Demon, now that I have come to this world, I am a person of this world. Witnessing the hardships of the common people, I cannot help but feel compassion. I, Feng, wish to uphold justice in the martial world, but I face immense difficulties. As you have all seen, as soon as I achieved some success yesterday, scoundrels emerged to disrupt my efforts.

He looked around at everyone and sighed. "The martial world is vast. It is as difficult as climbing to the heavens to uphold justice single-handedly. But seeing the rampant evil forces, I truly cannot stomach it. Moreover, there are hundreds like me who have been possessed by Celestial Demon and are stirring in the shadows. Thinking of the potential chaos in the martial world at any moment, I cannot sleep. After much deliberation, I came up with this idea of peacekeeping and joint defense.

The martial arts world belongs to everyone, and the three sects and five schools are the leaders of the martial arts world. Allowing evil forces to continue their atrocities will inevitably affect the reputation of us martial artists. If we unite and jointly strike down evil, extinguishing Celestial Demon in its infancy, we can surely restore peace and order to the martial world in the shortest possible time, and the common people will praise us whenever they mention us. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

If the Qiao family had said this, we might have considered it.

Who do you think you are?

You just took over a tiny gang, and you dare to lead something like this? Who gave you the courage?

Hearing these righteous words from Feng Qi, the few people present couldn't help but laugh.

Gao Yong of the Taishan Sect spoke relatively gently. He glanced at Du Ge and said, "Sect Leader Feng, this matter of peacekeeping and joint defense is of great importance. I am merely a minor official in Luyang City and cannot make decisions. If the Sect Leader is sincere, you can directly seek out the Taishan Sect Master. If the Sect Master agrees, I will naturally obey."

"Daoist Gao is right," Nie Nong of the Huashan Sect chuckled. "Sect Leader Feng, you've come to the wrong person."

"If you talk about the Celestial Demon causing chaos, Sect Leader Feng, your own position is illegitimate! I haven't seen any other Celestial Demons, only your wicked deeds," He Yuanan of the Divine Fist School was less polite. He sneered, "Who here doesn't know that Sect Leader Feng's Peacekeeping Gang was snatched from Sect Leader Qiu? The gold and silver distributed yesterday were also the property of the Iron Palm Sect. Murder and seizing property, what have you done that relates to justice? To hear you speak of upholding martial ethics is truly laughable. In my opinion, if we are to eliminate the Celestial Demon, we should start with Sect Leader Feng..."

"Senior He," Du Ge looked at He Yuanan and suddenly sighed. "The reason I invited everyone here to discuss joint defense was to give you some face, hoping you would see the error of your ways. Since you remain stubborn, I will no longer show you any respect."

"What error of my ways?" He Yuanan frowned, subconsciously thinking Feng Qi knew about him harboring Qiu Feipeng, and retorted.

"What is this?" Du Ge lifted a bundle from under the table, untied it, and pointed at the contents, asking.

In the conference hall.

Everyone looked over. Inside the bundle were a few crumpled Peacekeeping Gang uniforms. They exchanged glances, none of them knowing what Feng Qi was up to.

"They're just a few Peacekeeping Gang uniforms," He Yuanan said.

"They are indeed Peacekeeping Gang uniforms," Du Ge looked at him and said slowly, "But these uniforms were found by the Peacekeeping Gang, in conjunction with the Beggar's Sect and the Taishan Sect, at your Divine Fist School's stronghold..."

As soon as he spoke, an eerie silence fell over the conference hall.

It's over!

Liu Cheng closed his eyes in despair. Feng Qi was determined to stir up trouble!

"Nonsense," several voices exclaimed simultaneously.

"When did my Taishan Sect cooperate with you?" Gao Yong of the Taishan Sect asked.

"When did the Beggar's Sect cooperate with you?" Elder Ding of the Beggar's Sect widened his eyes, stunned.

He Yuanan was so angry he laughed, shaking his head. "I knew Feng Qi was shameless, but I didn't expect you to be this shameless. Do you really think we're stupid? What happened last night, even if you investigated, wouldn't be this fast. No one would believe you..."

"If I say there was, then there was," Du Ge looked at He Yuanan and stood up. "Today, I, Feng, will have to uphold justice for the wronged people of Luyang City!"

With a bang.

Feng Zhong closed the door to the conference hall.