Chapter 1052: Betrayal and separation
"Is this...really the letter that the four senior brothers wrote to me?"

Xuanming stared at Wu Shuang, who seemed to be smiling, with suspicion in his eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he took the letter with doubt. His solemn and cautious eyes "reluctantly" moved away from Wu Shuang's handsome face, and at the same time, he brought the hastily opened letter to his eyes.

At this moment, the area within a few miles of the Bluestone Square was completely silent, as if dead.

Everyone, filled with curiosity, stared intently at Xuanming who was reading the letter silently, not even daring to breathe.

When Liu Xunyi cast a hesitant look at Xunzhen, wanting to find out the reason from her, Xunzhen smiled mysteriously without saying a word, and only used her eyes to signal Liu Xunyi not to worry and just wait and see.

On the field, Gu Ri and Gu Yue, feeling indignant, wanted to step forward to find out what was going on, but were stopped by Qing Feng, who had a solemn expression.

Don't be fooled by Qingfeng's calm and steady appearance. In fact, his lining has been soaked with sweat countless times.

Looking at Xuan Ming, who was the focus of the whole audience, as time passed, his urgent and anxious gaze quickly shuttled between the lines of text. His breathing became more and more rapid, and his expression became more and more exciting.

At first he was suspicious, then suspicion turned into curiosity, then curiosity turned into astonishment, and then astonishment turned into shock... Finally, his face was filled with horror.

This scene made those who didn't know the truth even more confused and expectant.

"Abbott..."

Before the bewildered Yuankong could ask, the dumbfounded Xuanming suddenly read the letter again, which he had already read once, and then turned the letter over and over again in the surprised eyes of others. When he was sure that the letter was indeed from Xuanyun and the other four, Xuanming looked at Wu Shuang with unprecedented panic and excitement.

"Old monk, do you see clearly?"

Wu Shuang's words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly interrupting all of Xuanming's thoughts and making him stand up suddenly in his upset mood.

"hiss!"

Accompanied by cries of surprise from all directions, Xuan Ming, whose eyes trembled violently due to his inner tension, tried his best to calm his uneasy mood. Under the gaze of Wu Shuang who was smiling, he spoke tremblingly and with difficulty: "So... So you are..."

"Eh!"

Before Xuanming could tell the truth, Wu Shuang suddenly reached out and pressed Xuanming's hands, which were trembling slightly as he clutched the letter, and said nonchalantly: "It doesn't matter whether they know or not. What's important is that you know. What's more..."

At this point, Wu Shuang leaned forward and whispered in Xuanming's ear: "Half a step into the thunder pool is already a tsunami. If you take one step into the thunder pool, won't it be like the sky falling and the earth collapsing? Do you really want the world to know about this?"

"This……"

After Wu Shuang's reminder, Xuanming seemed to suddenly understand. He stared blankly at Wu Shuang, who was serious about what he was saying, and hesitated several times, but in the end he didn't know how to start.

"Now, you should know how to make a choice?"

"I... know." Faced with Wu Shuang's questioning, Xuanming was stunned at first, then nodded bitterly.

"Well……"

"Wait a moment!"

Before Wu Shuang turned around and left, Xuan Ming suddenly grabbed the corner of his clothes and whispered to him in public.

"Old monk, you really have something on them..."

"This is the biggest concession I can make. I hope that Donor Wu...Donor Wu will understand."

"Well... okay!" After a moment's silence, Wu Shuang nodded helplessly, "It's better to give in than not to give in at all."

After saying that, Wu Shuang no longer entangled with Xuan Ming and walked back to Liu Xunyi amid everyone's confused gazes.

"Brother Wu, what were you talking about just now? Shaolin..."

"Amitabha!"

Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, an old and low Buddhist chant quietly resounded between heaven and earth, causing the people who were whispering to concentrate, and the slightly noisy scene quickly quieted down.

"Master Xuanming, Wu Shuang..."

"Alliance Leader Qingfeng, there is no need to say more. I... have already made a decision." Qingfeng was stunned by Xuanming's ruthless interruption, and his worries grew even more.

"Oh?" Teng Sanshi asked in a resolute voice, his eyes like torches, "May I ask what Abbot Xuanming will decide? Will he expel the four monks Xuanyun from Shaolin and let them fend for themselves? Or..."

"Brothers Xuanyun, Xuanfeng, Xuanshan and Xuanhai are high monks of the Zen sect and pillars of Shaolin. Their words and deeds are closely related to the well-being of Shaolin and are also the aspirations of all monks in Shaolin. They cannot be separated. As for drawing a clear line and expelling them from Shaolin, it is even more nonsense. I have neither the courage nor the qualifications to influence the minds of the four brothers, so I can only obey them. Therefore, I have decided that my sect will no longer intervene in any disputes of the "Anti-Traitor Conference" from now on. Whether it is the leader Qingfeng, the donor Liu, or the donor Xie, my sect will not discuss it. As for merits and demerits, good and evil, right and wrong... I believe that all the donors present will have their own opinions and make fair judgments. Today, I only want to say one thing, it is better to resolve grievances than to create them, and I hope all the donors... take care of themselves."

"Hiss!" Xuan Ming's attitude at this time was completely different from just now. He withdrew from the dispute so firmly and decisively that everyone who was imagining things was shocked and amazed.

Some were happy, some were sad, some were emotional, some were sighing... Xuanming's decision was both unexpected and reasonable. After all, the "secret" conversation he had just had with Wu Shuang meant that Xuanming would never make the same decision again.

Especially his words "I can never give it up" undoubtedly clarified the ultimate position of Shaolin to the world. Respect the intentions of the four monks of Xuanyun, defend their choices, and "follow them carefully." This, of course, includes their mysterious relationship with Wu Shuangnai and at least the King of Qin.

At this moment, the person with the most complicated emotions was Qingfeng, who had already lost the game. When he heard Xuanming's decision, his gloomy face turned pale as paper in an instant, and his trembling old eyes were filled with disappointment.

It seemed that in an instant, he looked more than ten years older.

Although Xuanming did not directly answer whether "making friends" with foreign races is an unforgivable sin, his act of protecting the four monks of Xuanyun is enough to express his true attitude.

As for "no longer interfering in any disputes" and "not commenting on it", it was just the last bit of kindness Xuanming left for Qingfeng.

Maintaining neutrality, neither being an enemy of Qingfeng nor against Liu Xunyi, is the "biggest concession" that Xuanming promised to Wu Shuang.

The root cause of this was that Xuanming gave others a handle and he himself was not upright enough.

At the beginning, when Qingfeng and his daughter planned to deal with Luo Tianjin, Xuanming did not participate in person, but he was not completely ignorant. Even though he was not an accomplice, he could not escape the fact that he was "a cold-eyed bystander".

Obviously, Xuanming's action runs counter to the "compassion" advocated by Shaolin.

Therefore, adhering to the Jianghu order of "If someone respects me one foot, I respect him ten feet". In order to prevent Qingfeng from jumping over the wall and exposing his shortcomings in public, which would bring unnecessary trouble to Shaolin, Xuanming had to be reserved and continue to keep a distance from Liu Xunyi.

We have to admit that Xuanming's move was more or less a show. He pretended to be coerced and had to "part ways" with Qingfeng for the sake of Shaolin's reputation.

However, what is the truth? What is written in the letter? Is Xuanming forced to do so or is he just going with the flow? Perhaps only he knows the answer.

In a nutshell, Xuanming...or Shaolin, no longer interferes in the feud between Qingfeng and Liu Xunyi.

Such a result may not be a generous help to Liu Xunyi, but it is definitely a huge blow to Qingfeng.

"Since this matter involves my four senior brothers, Shaolin has to avoid suspicion temporarily."

Just as everyone was confused and feeling mixed emotions, Xuanming spoke up again to defend himself: "Qingfeng Alliance Leader has determined the guilt for Donor Xie and Donor Liu. I dare not speak rashly about right or wrong, let alone influence the decisions of the donors. Therefore, you can make your own decisions based on your own will, and you must not compromise for the sake of Shaolin's feelings."

At first glance, Xuanming's words may sound well-intentioned, and he took the initiative to win over other sects for Qingfeng in order to save his reputation. But in fact, it gave people an inexplicable awkward feeling.

Especially his last sentence, "Don't compromise for the sake of Shaolin's feelings", it doesn't sound like an encouragement at all, but more like a... threat.

Most of the people who survived in the martial arts world had some "wisdom". Although Xuanming kept saying "just follow your heart", once they agreed with Qingfeng's point of view, they would undoubtedly attack Shaolin and the four monks Xuanyun while attacking Liu Xunyi and Xie Xuan.

At present, Liu Xunyi, Xie Xuan and Shaolin seem to have formed a complicated entanglement that is difficult to cut and sort out. It may be a bit exaggerated to say that they rise and fall together. But at least in a certain form, they do belong to the same kind of people. They are all considered... "friends" of the Shao Qin King.

Under Qingfeng's indescribable gaze and Xuanming's false instigation, Yin Baimei, Zhongli Mu and Tang Yuan looked at each other, with a hint of hesitation between their brows.

After much hesitation, Yin Baimei was the first to break the silence: "Abbot Xuanming, you are too serious! Since the four Shaolin monks can become close friends with Young Master Wu, Young Master Wu must not be a despicable villain with ulterior motives. I guess the King of Qin... is not as vicious as the rumors say. In this case, we should treat them equally. Without solid evidence, it is not appropriate to hastily accuse Palace Master Xie and Young Master Liu of "colluding with foreign races and plotting against the law."

"That's right!" Zhongli Mu nodded heavily. "Now that even Shaolin is no longer involved in this matter, how dare we be so arrogant? As for the grievances and right and wrong between Leader Qingfeng, Lord Xie, and Young Master Liu, I'm afraid only they themselves can explain it clearly. As outsiders... it's better for us not to cause trouble."

"This……"

Seeing that Yin Baimei and Zhongli Mu were taking advantage of the situation to protect themselves, Tang Yuan, who had always supported Qingfeng, did not dare to step forward on his own even though he was unwilling, for fear of becoming the target of public criticism and bringing disaster to the Tang family.

After thinking it over again and again, Tang Yuan, who was unable to stand up alone, took a deep look at Qingfeng, who was in despair. Finally, he sighed and said nothing more.

Tang Yuan's silence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Qingfeng, who was exhausted and mentally tired, felt his internal organs churning, his blood rushing up, his brain going blank, his eyes in chaos, and his ears roaring.

Then, his legs couldn't help but become weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a plop amid the exclamations of Ling Xiaoxiao, Gu Ri, Gu Yue and a group of Wudang disciples.

"Head..."

"father……"

Despite the others' shouting, Qing Feng's eyes were dull and his expression was wooden. Only his lips and teeth were trembling slightly as he opened and closed them weakly: "The heavens help the 'thieves' but not me. This old man...is going to die..."

……

(End of this chapter)