Chapter 659: Kind but Unkind

The stars and the moon disappeared, the red sun began to rise, and a faint red glow appeared at the end of the sky.

In the Xianwang Mansion, Qingfeng handed the unfinished game to Ling Xiaoxiao to deal with, and walked through the houses and courtyards alone, and went straight to the residence of Shaolin Abbot Xuanming.

"Bang, bang, bang."

Strangely enough, Abbot Xuanming drank Ling Xiaoxiao's ginger soup last night, and the effect of the medicine was still there, so he should not have gotten up from sleep. But Qingfeng did not push the door open, but stood in front of the door quite respectfully, slightly adjusted his Taoist robe, and then gently knocked on the door.

The knock on the door was like a thunderclap in the silent guest house. It was loud and harsh.

After the knock on the door, the courtyard fell into silence again.

However, compared with the "dead silence" just now, the "tranquility" at this moment seems a little impetuous.

"Please come in!"

Suddenly, a voice full of vicissitudes of life came from the room, making the "quiet" courtyard even more "lively".

Qingfeng was not at all surprised by this. Instead, he straightened his expression, slowly pushed open the door, and walked into the room with his head held high.

The strange thing was that Xuanming, who should have been drowsy, did not have a trace of sleepiness on his face. Instead, he sat at the table in high spirits, staring at Qingfeng with sharp eyes without blinking.

At this moment, there were two cups of tea on the table, steaming and emitting smoke.

It seemed that Xuanming not only knew that the breeze would come, but also knew when it would come, so he calculated the time very accurately and brewed tea at the right time to wait for him.

There was no light in the room, so it was very dark. Qingfeng and Xuanming were only a few feet apart, but the faces they saw seemed covered with a veil, vague and hazy.

"Master Xuanming, how did you rest last night?" Qingfeng's eyes moved and he bowed to Xuanming.

"Amitabha! Last night I was meditating here, silently reciting the Rebirth Mantra 9,999 times for the innocent souls. May the Buddha have mercy on them and allow them to ascend to paradise soon."

After saying that, Xuanming waved his hand and pointed to the stool opposite him, saying, "Master, please take a seat."

"Thank you!"

Qingfeng's expression froze, but he remained calm and just nodded slightly.

"I had expected that a mere packet of knockout drug would not be able to be hidden from Master Xuanming." Qingfeng sat opposite Xuanming and looked into his eyes. Without any concealment, he said straight to the point, "Before coming here, my daughter repeatedly asked me to bring the antidote with me. It turned out to be unnecessary."

After saying that, Qingfeng took out a thumb-sized jade bottle from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table.

"Last night, the cold wind was raging, and the stars and the moon were dim. Now, however, the wind is calm, and the morning glow is shining in the sky." Xuanming glanced sideways, feeling the faint morning light reflected in the window, and said meaningfully, "Looking at the Taoist's light steps and happy expression, I guess... the great thing has been accomplished."

"That's right." Qingfeng bowed to Xuanming and said, "I came here to thank Master Xuanming for his help. If it weren't for the master's deep understanding of justice and his instructions to the heads of the sects and families in advance, I would have found it difficult to convince them alone. I don't know how high the sky is, how deep the earth is, and how deep the world is. I think that a mere packet of knockout drugs can deceive the eyes and ears of the heroes of the world. It's really naive and ridiculous. Little do I know that the heads of the sects and families who are guests in the mansion are all veterans who have been in the world for decades. How dare I show off my mere tricks in front of them?"

"Although your daughter is not thoughtful, she has a loving father who is willing to help her silently and overcome obstacles." Xuanming said calmly, "With Taoist Qingfeng in charge, why worry about mistakes?"

"Without the help of the master, I am afraid it would be difficult to accomplish the task with my own strength." Qingfeng said modestly, "In any case, the master has deep feelings for Wudang and has done immeasurable good deeds."

"You are too kind! Actually, I did nothing, and the heroes of the world are not fawning on the powerful. They, like me, just don't want to interfere in the family affairs of the Taoist priest and Luo. In fact, if it weren't for your daughter's "petty tricks", we would not know how to deal with it. On one side is the leader of the martial arts world, and on the other side is Taoist priest Qingfeng. We must be in a dilemma and have no way out. Instead of this, it is better to cover our heads and sleep. When we wake up... the overall situation has been decided, the winner has been decided, and it doesn't need to hesitate."

"If it weren't for the joint pressure from Shaolin and Wudang, how could they be so caught in the middle?" Qingfeng chuckled, "If it were just my daughter, they would definitely help Luo Tianjin."

Having said this, Qingfeng seemed to think of Luo Tianjin's end again, and his expression darkened, with a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.

After all, Luo Tianjin was his most proud student. How could decades of relationship between master and disciple be ended just like that?
But a "disciple" is not as good as a "daughter". Blood ties and family affection often show the selfishness of the heart to the extreme at the moment of life and death.

Seeing this, Xuanming couldn't help but frowned and said hesitantly: "I wonder if Alliance Leader Luo..."

"Tian Jin... has passed away to heaven."

"Amitabha! What a sin! What a sin!" Hearing Qingfeng's answer, Xuanming was shocked at first, then he clasped his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name.

"Tian Jin grew up under my watch. Now he has fallen to this state. My heart is..." Qing Feng was choked with sobs, and his eyes were slightly red. This was not pretense, but sadness from the bottom of his heart.

"Overnight, the world turned upside down. The Central Plains martial arts world will once again be in turmoil, and the martial arts world is doomed to never have peace." Xuanming said with regret, "The donors in the mansion just don't want to interfere in the Taoist's family affairs, but they never expected the outcome of this matter. They don't know the whole story, I wonder if Taoist Qingfeng... can give the world a satisfactory explanation?"

Xuanming's words were full of hidden meanings. It seemed that he was thinking about Qingfeng, but in fact he just didn't want to be implicated.

After all, Xuanming had helped Qingfeng hint to the guests not to meddle in other people's business, and to not look, listen, or speak anything indecent. Now, the leader of the martial arts world has passed away. If this matter gets out of hand, it is hard to guarantee that it will not affect the reputation of Shaolin. How could Qingfeng not know this?
“Master, rest assured. I will personally handle this matter and give everyone in the world a reasonable explanation to silence the gossips.” Qing Feng said solemnly, “Even if something unexpected happens, Wudang will shoulder the responsibility and will never implicate Shaolin and Master.”

"Amitabha!"

"In the final analysis, Tian Jin did not die at the hands of my daughter, but at the hands of the traitor Liu Xunyi." Qing Feng gritted his teeth and said, "If he had not betrayed us and secretly colluded with Zhao Yuan to set up an ambush in the East Courtyard, how could Tian Jin have fallen into such a desperate situation? Alas!"

"Right and wrong will be judged by the public." Xuanming neither admitted nor refuted, but avoided the question and said, "The leader of the martial arts world is the most respected in the martial arts world. He has far-reaching ties and is of great importance. Taoist priest, please do not take it lightly."

"How could I dare to alarm the master without being fully prepared?" Qingfeng nodded heavily, "Shaolin and Wudang are the two major sects of the martial arts world. Although you and I are not the leaders of the martial arts world, we can create a leader. As long as Shaolin and Wudang are of the same blood and have a close relationship, the martial arts world will not collapse, and the martial arts world will not be in chaos. This time, the master helped me. In the future, I will repay you tenfold."

"The leader of the martial arts world is just an empty title." Xuanming sighed, "How many heroes have sacrificed their lives for fame and fortune. Fighting back and forth, in the end, it's nothing. Little do they know that water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. The Central Plains martial arts world has never needed one person to be the master, because most heroes are arrogant and proud, how can they be willing to be inferior to others?"

"Master, what you said is indeed untrue!" Qingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a secretive manner, "Although Shaolin and Wudang do not compete for the leader, they can train and recommend leaders. Similarly, they can also replace and depose leaders. Who said that there is no leader in the world of martial arts?"

After saying this, Qingfeng pointed at Xuanming, and then at himself. Although he didn't say a word, his meaning was self-evident.

In response to this, Xuanming also did not make any statement. He clasped his hands together and chanted "Amitabha" again.

"I came here this time, in addition to thanking the master, I actually have something to ask for."

Suddenly, Qingfeng changed the subject and his tone became deeper, as if he was quite worried.

"The poor monk is all ears."

"Now that Tian Jin is gone, the Central Plains martial arts world is leaderless, and it happens to be a time of turmoil, so there is no guarantee that there will be no chaos. Therefore..." Qingfeng said as he stared closely at Xuanming's reaction. Seeing that he was calm and composed, he mustered up his courage and continued, "Therefore, I am willing to face the challenge head-on, clear the way for the heroes of the world, and stabilize the overall situation..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xuanming's slightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

"Master Qingfeng has always been indifferent to fame and wealth, and has always been calm and far-sighted. Who would have thought... that he would want to leave the mountain today?"

"Master Xuanming is naked and pure, isn't he also burdened by the world?" Qingfeng said in a neutral tone, "I don't like fame, nor do I covet power. I just want to help the weak and the weak, and take on the heavy responsibility. When the world is peaceful and the martial arts world is stable, I will retire and live in seclusion. Therefore, I beg Master Xuanming to help me for the sake of the people of the world, the prosperity of the martial arts world, and the overall situation of the martial arts world."

"This……"

"I promise that when the martial arts conference re-elects its leader in three years, I will follow Master Xuanming's lead." Qingfeng said righteously, "When the time comes, whether the master comes out or Shaolin nominates a virtuous person, I will definitely help him to take the position."

"This……"

"Master Xuanming, can you please tell me the truth?" Seeing Xuanming's hesitation, Qingfeng's heart moved, and he whispered, "A few days ago, when I made an unwelcome request to you, could it be that... Master really could not have predicted Luo Tianjin's ending today?"

"This……"

"Did you not expect this? Or are you pretending not to know? Monks do not tell lies. I hope you can tell me the truth!"

Under Qingfeng's aggressive questioning, Xuanming suddenly sighed and nodded slowly: "To be honest, when I learned that Taoist Qingfeng wanted to intervene in the conflict between your daughter and your son-in-law, I had already anticipated the fate of Alliance Leader Luo."

"If that's the case, why did the master keep silent?" Qing Feng asked, "Shaolin monks are vegetarians and chant Buddha's name, shouldn't they be compassionate? Why did you see Luo Tianjin's life in danger and did nothing?"

"Pindao..."

"In fact, Master Xuanming is also dissatisfied with Luo Tianjin, right?" Qingfeng did not give Xuanming a chance to think, and asked in a barrage of words, "Today, there are only you and me, Master, you can speak frankly."

Staring at Qingfeng's eager eyes, Xuanming hesitated again and again, then put his hands together and said, "Master, what you said is right. I... I really don't agree with Lord Luo's way of doing things. Especially... his sect-level strategy. The Central Plains martial arts world, all the major sects have been nurtured for hundreds of years. Those who follow the will of heaven will be everlasting, and those who go against the will of heaven will collapse midway. This is the way of heaven. How can the order of the Central Plains martial arts world that has lasted for hundreds of years be changed because of the will of one person? How can human will... change the will of heaven?"

"What a 'Martial Arts Order that has lasted for a hundred years'!" Qingfeng nodded repeatedly, praising it highly. "Master, I agree with what you said. The martial arts world has its own order, which is the way of heaven and cannot be changed by human will. Luo Tianjin went against heaven's will, which is really his own fault, and he cannot blame anyone else. I gave up my leisurely life and took the risk to go out of the mountains, just to maintain the order of the martial arts world that Master mentioned, and follow the way of heaven."

Xuanming frowned slightly, as if he only half understood Qingfeng's thoughts.

"Luo Tianjin caused such a big mess when he first became the leader of the martial arts world, which led to people's change of mind and chaos. This shows that the leader of the martial arts world is the respected one in the martial arts world, and it must not be rashly usurped by those who do not abide by the order and respect the way of heaven!" Qingfeng spoke with great righteousness, "On the contrary, all the previous leaders of the martial arts world, those who hold the reins of the martial arts world, should accept the grace and orthodoxy and receive the mandate from heaven."

"Hiss!" Xuanming took a breath of cold air, thinking, "Master Qingfeng means..."

"The orthodox ones are none other than the two martial arts sects, Shaolin and Wudang! Therefore, in my humble opinion, from now on, the position of leader of the Central Plains martial arts world cannot be left to others, but should be nominated by Shaolin and Wudang in turn, and support each other. In this way, the Central Plains martial arts world can follow the rules and maintain order, and peace will be maintained forever."

……

(End of this chapter)