Chapter 1022: The Anti-Traitor Conference (Part )

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a "poor prisoner" with disheveled hair, tattered clothes, scars and bloodstains, bound by layers of iron chains and shackles, and escorted by the swords of Zhang Songyi, Liu Songli, Hu Songzhi and Ma Songxin, dragged his weak and exhausted body, took heavy and erratic steps, and staggered out of the gate of Prince Xian's Palace, step by step towards the glazed archway in the center of the square.

If everyone didn't know that today's protagonist is the "famous" Liu Xunyi, I'm afraid no one would associate this "prisoner" who looks neither human nor ghost with the tall and handsome "Liu Zhishan" of the past.

In just fifty days, Liu Xunyi had become a completely different person from when he was in Luzhou Inn. His thin face, hunched body, staggering steps, listless spirit, and empty eyes... were all completely different from the past.

His bloodstained face was almost covered by his tangled hair, and his body was covered with shocking whip wounds and bloodstains. His dirty, torn and messy robes were soaked in blood again and again, and only patches of blood could be seen, without the original color.

As he had been locked up in a dark and damp dungeon and had not seen the sun for a long time, when he walked out of the dungeon, he subconsciously raised his arms and tried his best to block out the sun, which was not glaring to ordinary people.

However, when he stepped down the thirteen white marble steps in front of the Prince Xian's palace, his vision was blocked by his arms and hair, and his body was weak and his mind was dazed, so that his center of gravity was unstable and his feet tripped. He fell to the ground with a thump in full view of everyone, and rolled down the steps with a clang.

Seeing this scene, everyone subconsciously let out an unbelievable cry. At the same time, different people had very different mentalities after seeing Liu Xunyi in such a mess.

Some people secretly sympathize, some people gloat over others' misfortune, some people watch from the sidelines, and some people sigh helplessly...

At this moment, the people with the most complicated and excited moods were Xiao Zhirou and Teng Sanshi, who had already taken their seats in the bluestone square. Of course, Qin Ku, Yun Zhuiyue, Xue Huzi and others also had mixed feelings.

In contrast, Jin Fuyu, Lu Tingxiang, Zuo Hongxuan and Miao An who were sitting opposite were not only calm and composed, but also looked at Liu Xunyi with a hint of amusement in their eyes.

"Looking for clothes..."

"Rou'er, a little impatience can ruin a big plan!"

When the worried Xiao Zhirou wanted to stand up and move forward regardless of everything, she was stopped in time by Teng Sanshi, whose eyes were red.

At this moment, she felt extremely upset and heartbroken, and she was sitting on pins and needles. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Liu Xunyi, who was roughly helped up by Zhang Songyi and others, dragged to the bottom of the glazed archway, and tied tightly to a pillar with an iron chain as thick as her wrist.

If it weren't for the white veil covering her face so that outsiders couldn't see her expression, Xiao Zhirou's loss of composure would have probably been discovered by others long ago.

"Qingfeng, you, my grandson, will suffer tenfold or a hundredfold for all the suffering you have caused him! I, Teng Sanshi, will not be a human being if I don't take revenge!"

Teng Sanshi stared at the half-dead Liu Xunyi with eyes as sharp as torches. He swore secretly in his heart and subconsciously grasped the armrests of the armchair tightly with both hands, leaving ten clearly visible dents on the two armrests.

His inner anger can be seen from this.

"The leader of the martial arts world has arrived!"

Just as everyone was astonished at Liu Xunyi's embarrassment, and had different thoughts and imaginations in their minds, a high and loud voice suddenly sounded, which immediately made everyone's minds alert and they all looked towards the gate of Prince Xian's Mansion.

A moment later, accompanied by Xie Xuan, Ling Xiaoxiao, Xuan Ming, Yin Baimei, Zhongli Mu, Tang Yuan and others, Qing Feng with a smile on his face and Qin Wei with a proud look held hands and walked over the threshold side by side.

A group of people appeared in front of everyone one after another, talking and laughing.

It is worth mentioning that although Qin Wei has lived in Prince Xian’s Mansion for many days, today is the first time he met his “good brother” Liu Xunyi.

However, he did not show any concern for Liu Xunyi's miserable condition or their past friendship. His arrogant eyes swept across the dying Liu Xunyi, not only did he not stay there for a moment, but he became even more indifferent.

To this day, whether it is because of his own future or the fact that has already happened, Qin Wei has completely given up on Liu Xunyi.

He knew that being kind to Liu Xunyi was being cruel to himself. Therefore, in Qin Wei's eyes, Liu Xunyi was no longer his colleague, let alone his brother. He was just a criminal wanted by the imperial court, a public enemy wanted by everyone, a lamb to be slaughtered in prison, a stranger who was about to die.

"Who is that immature brat? With the leader of the Qingfeng Alliance here, even Abbot Xuanming and Lord Xie have to step back. How dare he step forward? What qualifications does he have to walk side by side with the leader of the Qingfeng Alliance?"

"This person's name is 'Qin Shang', he is from Yangzhou, his exact origins are unknown..."

"You are ignorant! This 'Young Master Qin' is not a martial artist at all, but... an 'executioner' sent by the Song Dynasty court. Rumor has it that he is a 'Qin merchant' or a 'Yangzhou native'... but a cover for his identity. Leader Qingfeng treated him as a distinguished guest, not to give him face, but to give face to the Emperor of Song."

"Is he really... a member of the imperial court?"

"This matter has long been an open secret in Luoyang City. It's just that you are ignorant of it."

"We have always kept our distance from the imperial court, why is Leader Qingfeng colluding with them..."

"What do you mean by 'flirting'? It's obvious that the court took the initiative to flatter the leader of Qingfeng. Who is Liu Xunyi? He is not only the traitor who killed leader Luo, but also a traitor who colluded with foreign countries. Last winter, the granaries of the three prefectures of Xingyuan were looted by the Mongols, and countless people starved to death. The culprit was Liu Xunyi. In the past year, the court sent people to arrest Liu Xunyi everywhere but failed. Now he has been captured by our martial arts people. The Song Dynasty court has lost face. It is reasonable to send people to pretend to inquire about it. Otherwise, where is the majesty of the emperor? How can we explain to the people of the world?"

"That's right! The leader of the Qingfeng Alliance originally disdained to associate with the imperial court, but out of consideration for the national justice and pity for the people of the world, he reluctantly allowed the imperial court to send people to participate in the "Anti-Traitor Conference". We should understand his good intentions." "I see!"

……

Because Qingfeng had planned ahead, he spread the excuses he had prepared through disciples of famous sects such as Wudang, Shaolin, Kunlun, Kongtong, and Tang Sect. Therefore, most of the heroes in the martial arts world today have already known the true identity of the "Qin merchant". Not only did they have no objection, but they also admired Qingfeng's "deep understanding of justice".

"Everyone, please!"

"Qingfeng Alliance Leader, please!"

At Qingfeng's warm greeting, Xie Xuan, Ling Xiaoxiao, Xuanming, Yin Baimei, Zhonglimu, Tang Yuan, and Qin Wei walked down the steps one after another, and exchanged fists and bows with Jin Fuyu, Lu Tingxiang, Teng Sanshi, Qin Ku and others present. After a false greeting, everyone found their seats and sat down.

A moment later, on this bluestone square, apart from the guards of Prince Xian's Palace and the disciples of various sects who were on high alert, there were only two people still "standing proudly".

One of them was Liu Xunyi who was forced to be tied to a pillar, and the other was Qingfeng who looked majestic and energetic.

Today, Qingfeng was wearing a jet-black Taoist robe, on which were embroidered the lifelike Yin-Yang Bagua with fine dark gold thread. He had a kind face, deep eyes, a calm demeanor, and elegant manners, with a touch of Taoist spirit and the extraordinary artistic conception of a hermit.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looked around with a smile, and said nothing for a long time.

Qingfeng was slow to speak, and no one dared to make a sound. They all stared with bated breath, secretly expecting something.

It is this kind of superior and self-centered spirit, this kind of power that can dominate the world and shock all directions, and this kind of dominance that makes countless heroes crazy about the position of "Leader of the Central Plains Martial Arts World" and they are willing to fight to the death.

This was the case with Luo Tianjin in the past, and it is also the case with Qing Feng today.

No matter how many people are resentful? No matter how many people are eyeing him? No matter how many people pretend to obey but secretly disobey him? The leader of the martial arts world is always the leader of the martial arts world. As long as he is in office, he is the supreme and unquestionable person in the Central Plains martial arts world. He represents morality and orthodoxy, holds the power of life and death, and can turn the whole world upside down with just a stomp of his foot. He is the leader of all the heroes and the supreme master of the martial arts world.

"Ha ha……"

I don't know how long the silence lasted, but Qingfeng, who was looking down on the crowd, suddenly chuckled.

With Qingfeng's smile, everyone felt relieved. Their hearts, which had been hanging high, quietly fell to the ground. They all smiled, and the depressing and solemn atmosphere suddenly eased a lot.

Qingfeng smiled, which meant that he no longer cared about the chaotic situation, and that he would no longer pursue the responsibility of the troublemaker.

"I never expected that a small 'anti-traitor meeting' would attract so many heroes from far away. You gave me enough face, but I didn't give myself enough face, so I was not well prepared and almost made a fool of myself."

Qingfeng's self-deprecation caused laughter from all around.

As for his "small meeting to eradicate traitors", it seemed nonchalant, but in fact he was pretending to be humble.

After all, Qingfeng did everything he could to make the incident bigger in order to attract more attention to the "Anti-Traitor Conference". He wanted to let everyone in the world know that Liu Xunyi died at Qingfeng's hands. In this way, he could restore his reputation and secure his position as the leader of the martial arts world.

"My fellow heroes, I am Qingfeng... I am honored to be here!"

"Meet the leader of Qingfeng Alliance!"

Qingfeng bowed to everyone, which immediately attracted cheers from all directions.

"Today, I represent not only the former leader of the martial arts world, Luo Tianjin, but also my son-in-law who met with an unexpected accident, my daughter who has been separated from her husband, my grandsons who lost their father's love, and all the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion who have lost their pillars... I would like to thank all the chivalrous and righteous people who are full of blood! If it weren't for your perseverance in hunting down the traitors, Liu Xunyi would have been left with nowhere to go, and I wouldn't have been able to capture him so easily. If it weren't for you to uphold justice for the orphans and widows of the Xianwang Mansion, who knows when the revenge for the husband's death would be avenged? Who knows when the hatred for the father's murder would be eliminated? If it weren't for you to expose the traitors and eliminate the tyrants, who knows when the Central Plains martial arts world would be able to avenge the first great shame in thousands of years? You all deserve... I bow three times!"

After saying this, Qingfeng solemnly bowed towards the east, south, west and north in turn. When he stood up, his face was full of sorrow and his eyes were filled with tears.

His attitude was so sincere, his words were so angry, and his tone was so sad, as if the dead person was not his son-in-law, but his own son.

Qingfeng's hypocritical behavior moved countless people who did not know the truth. Some were even overwhelmed with compassion and moved to tears.

At the same time, Xiao Zhirou, Teng Sanshi and others knew that Qingfeng was a double-faced person. Those who appeared to be righteous all hated his hypocrisy and treachery and hated him with gnashing teeth.

……

(End of this chapter)