11 Chapter Six: Hand-Washing(2/3)
Liu Zhengfeng knew the man in front of him. His name was Fei Bin, and he was the fourth apprentice brother of Zuo Lengchan – the Head Master of the Songshan Sword School. His outstanding skills in "Great Songyang Palm" earned him great fame in the Martial World. Obviously, people sent by Songshan Sword School to deal with him included more than just second-generation apprentices. Since the gold basin had been destroyed, there was no way to continue the Gold Basin Hand Washing ceremony. Should he fight with all his might or temporarily endure humiliation? Liu Zhengfeng could not make up his mind. Then he quickly thought, "Even though the Songshan Sword School has the Command Flag of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, they are so overbearing. Among the one thousand or so heroes here today, someone had got to stand out and uphold justice." So he cupped his hand to salute back.
"Apprentice brother Fei, why didn't you join us and enjoy a cup of wine, but would rather hide on top of the roof to suffer from the sun? Probably there are even more masters from Songshan Sword School here today. Please all come out now. If you want to deal with me, apprentice brother Fei is more than enough. If you want to wipe out all these heroes here today, the power of the Songshan Sword School probably is not yet enough."
"Apprentice brother Liu," Fei Bin said with a slight smile, "you don't need to foment discord. Just to fight apprentice brother Liu you alone, I wouldn't have a chance defending myself against the 'Slight Geese Landing' Kung Fu you have just showed. The Songshan Sword School would never dare to offend the Hengshan Sword School, and would never dare to offend any hero here today either; we wouldn't even dare to just offend apprentice brother Liu. We are only here to beg apprentice brother Liu to not Wash Hands for the sake of thousands of fellow martial people's lives."
Hearing these words, everyone in the Big Hall was greatly surprised. "Whether or not Liu Zhengfeng has his Gold Basin Hand Washing, how could it affect thousands of fellow martial people's lives?" They all pondered the question.
"Well," Sister Dingyi cut in again, "brother Liu wants to wash his hands and accept that tiny sergeant title. To be frank, I really didn't approve that idea. But everybody has his own will. Heck, if he wants to win promotion and get rich, as long as he does not harm people and do not go against the chivalry side, then no one has the right to prevent him. I don't think brother Liu has the kind of ability to harm so many fellow martial people."
"Sister Dingyi," Fei Bin said, "you are a devout Buddhist, that's why you don't understand the kind of dirty tricks that are used by others. If this big conspiracy got through, then not only will countless of fellow martial people die, a lot of innocent citizens will also be greatly harmed. Please think about it, Liu Sir of the Hengshan Sword School is a famous and well-respected hero in the Martial World. Why would he lower himself and endure the kind of ill treatment by those filthy government officials? Liu Sir already has tons of money, why would he hanker after promotion and money? There is really a sinister reason here."
"That sounds reasonable," everyone thought to himself or herself. "I have felt suspicious earlier: why would someone like Liu Sir accept such a tiny government title? How odd?"
"Apprentice brother Fei, if you want to throw maliciously slanders at me, at least make it sound right," Liu Zhengfeng said with a laugh, holding his anger back. "Other apprentice brothers of the Songshan Sword School, why don't you show yourself now?"
"Fine!" voices came from both the east side and the west side of the roof. Two yellow shadows flashed by in front of everyone's eyes and two men appeared at the entrance of the hall. The Qing-Gong they used was the exactly same type Fei Bin had used earlier when he jumped down the roof. The one standing to the east was a big fatty with broad shoulders. Sister Dingyi and others recognized him to be the second apprentice brother of the Songshan Sword School Head Master, "Tower Holding Palm" Ding Mian. The one standing to the west was a tall and thin man. He was the third apprentice of the Songshan Sword School, "Crane Hands" Lu Bai. "Hi, Liu Sir. Hi, everyone," the two cupped their hands slightly to greet. Ding Mian and Lu Bai both had great fame in the Martial World; everyone stood up to greet back.
Seeing that more and more first-class Songshan masters showed up, all had a gut feeling that this whole thing was not going to end pleasantly. Most likely Liu Zhengfeng would get the worst of it.
"Brother Liu, don't worry. All things in this world cannot go against righteousness. Even though they have an overwhelming number of guys, the friends from our Taishan Sword School, Huashan Sword School, and Heng-Shan Sword School aren't just a bunch of good-for-nothing guys either," Sister Dingyi said angrily.
"Sister Dingyi," Liu Zhengfeng said with a wry smile, "this is so embarrassing. It is really an internal affair with my Hengshan Sword School, yet it caused worries for so many friends. It is very clear in my mind that my senior apprentice brother Mo must have complained to Alliance Chief Zuo of the Songshan Sword School, which brought so many apprentice brothers of the Songshan Sword School here to denounce my wrong deeds. Fine, fine, fine! It was my fault that I have not shown good manners to senior apprentice brother Mo. I will apologize to senior apprentice brother Mo and ask for his forgiveness."
Fei Bin glanced around the hall, his eyes squinting, yet appearing to be bright and piercing, clearly showing his great inner energy.
"What does this have anything to do with Great Mr. Mo? Great Mr. Mo, please come out, so we can straighten this out," he demanded.
After his words, the entire hall quieted down, but after quite a while, "Night Rain of Xiaoxiang" – Great Mr. Mo still did not step out.
Liu Zhengfeng let out a wry smile. "Everyone in the Martial World has already known that my apprentice brother Mo and I don't get along, so I really don't have to hide this fact. I am lucky to have been born in a rich family and inherited quite a few assets from my ancestors. My apprentice brother Mo, on the other hand, came from a very poor family. Normally speaking, even friends should be giving loans to each other, not mentioning apprentice brothers, but just because of the difference here, senior apprentice brother Mo loathed about it and never come to my home. We have not seen each other or contacted each other for years. Of course senior apprentice brother Mo would not come here today. What really ticked me off was the fact that simply with the one-sided story from my senior apprentice brother Mo, Alliance Chief Zuo had sent so many apprentice brothers here to deal with me today, even taking my wife and my children prisoner. Don't..don't you think you are making a fuss over a trifling matter?"
"Raise the Command Flag," Fei Bin said to Shi Dengda.
"Yes!" Shi Dengda answered and raised the Command Flag high in the air by the side of Fei Bin.
"Apprentice brother Liu," Fei Bin said grimly, "the matter today has nothing to do with the Head Master of the Hengshan Sword School, Great Mr. Mo. You don't need to mix him into this. Alliance Chief Zuo has ordered us to investigate what secret collaboration does apprentice brother Liu have with the Demon Cult Chief – Dongfang Invincible, and what plot you are developing to attack our Five Mountains Sword Alliance and other chivalrous martial fellows."
Everyone in the Big Hall was greatly stunned by those words. Many could not help but utter a cry of surprise. The Demon Cult was the ultimate enemy of all the martial people on the good side of the Martial World. The two sides had scores tracing back to a hundred year, fighting continuously all these years with exchanging triumphs. Among the thousand or so people in the Big Hall, at least half of them had old scores to settle with the Demon Cult – some lost family members in the fights, and others lost senior masters. Every time the name Demon Cult was mentioned, all would bite their lips hard with hatred. The ultimate reason why the Five Mountains sword schools had formed an alliance was to unite together to fight the Demon Cult. Demon Cult had many followers and did not lack highly skilled elite fighters; that was why even though the chivalrous schools all had unique skills of their own, they still failed to defeat the Demon Cult. Furthermore, Demon Cult Chief, Dongfang Invincible, maintained the title of "Number One in the Martial World." His name was Invincible, and he had never lost after he completed his apprenticeship; that was simply incredible. So when everyone heard Fei Bin criticizing Liu Zhengfeng for collaborating with the Demon Cult, which did relate to everyone's own life, the sympathy they had toward Liu Zhengfeng evaporated instantly.
"I have never seen Demon Cult Chief Dongfang Invincible before in my whole life. Where did you get the idea of the so-called collaboration and the so-called plots?" Liu Zhengfeng asked.
Fei Bin turned his head to the side and stared at his third apprentice brother Lu Bai, waiting for him to speak.
"Apprentice brother Liu, what you just said might be a bit shallow. There's an Elder in the Demon Cult named Qu Yang. I wonder if apprentice brother Liu knows him?" Lu Bai said in a soft voice.
Liu Zhengfeng had remained calm since the beginning of the disturbance, but as soon as he heard the name "Qu Yang" mentioned, his face changed color. He shut his mouth tight and did not answer the question.
The fatty Ding Mian had not said anything since he entered the hall, but now he suddenly shouted harshly, "Do you know Qu Yang?" His voice sounded like a thunder, echoing in everyone's ears. He was a big and tall guy, yet now he seemed to be even bigger and taller in everyone's eyes, looking like a majestic giant.
Liu Zhengfeng still did not answer. Thousands of eyes stared at his face. Everyone thought the same thing – if he could not think of an answer, then he was really admitting to it.
After a long while, Liu Zhengfeng finally nodded. 'That's right! I not only know big brother Qu Yang, but also consider him the only person that knows my heart and is my best friend."
Instantly, the big hall was taken over by uproar. These words of Liu Zhengfeng caught everyone by surprise. Everyone had thought that he would at least try to deny the allegation, or only admitting that he probably had met that Qu Yang once or twice. No one expected him to claim that this Demon Cult Elder was actually his best friend.
Fei Bin let out a relaxed smile. "It's great that you admit it. A true man takes on his own responsibilities. Liu Zhengfeng, Alliance Chief Zuo has given you two options to choose from."
Liu Zhengfeng paid no attention to him as if he had not heard any word from Fei Bin. He sat down slowly with no specific expression on his face, and poured himself a cup of wine. Raising the cup to his lips, he drank the wine slowly. Everyone could see that his robe and his long sleeves remained dead still, no trembling what's so ever. That was a good indication that he had a very good grip of himself, even in such an emergent situation. It was clearly shown that his courage and his Kung Fu skills were both first-class. Without any one of the two, he would not have behaved in such a calm way. Inwardly, everyone could not help but praise him.
"Alliance Chief Zuo said: Liu Zhengfeng is one with extraordinary talents in the Hengshan Sword School. He just made friends with the wrong kind of people and tumbled down the wrong way. We, as friends of the chivalrous side in the Martial World, only want to help him, so of course we will give him a way to correct his errors. Alliance Chief Zuo asked me to take a message to apprentice brother Liu: If you want to take this option, then within the next month, slay the Demon Cult Elder Qu Yang. Once you come back with his head, we will all forget about this incident, and be good friends and good brothers again," Fei Bin said loudly.
Everyone in the Big Hall thought, "Good and evil are mutually exclusive. Every single time when people from various heretical sects that belong to the Demon Cult meet people from the chivalrous side of the Martial World, fierce fights break out. It was not too much of a request from Alliance Chief Zuo to ask Liu Zhengfeng to kill Qu Yang to show his sincerity."
A sad smile flashed by Liu Zhengfeng's face. "Big brother Qu and I already felt like old friends when we first met," he said. "During the dozen of times when we had long chats late into the night, occasionally we would talk about the different opinions between schools and clans. He would always sigh deeply and consider such fights and conflicts unproductive and ineffective. I only made friends with big brother Qu for the sake of music. He is an expert in zither; I like to play the bamboo flute. Most of the times when we get together, we just played the zither and flute, never discussing Kung Fu skills." He paused, smiled, and then went on, "Maybe you don't believe this, but in the entire world today, I think no one plays the zither better than big brother Qu; and regarding bamboo flute skills, I also consider myself not inferior than anyone else. Although big brother Qu is a member of the Demon Cult, from the music of his zither play, I could tell that he had noble character and the breadth of a man with integrity. Liu Zhengfeng not only admires him, but also looks up to him. Although I am just a coarse guy, I would never agree to harm such a gentleman."
Everyone was greatly surprised by these words. No one had anticipated that he actually made friends with Qu Yang all because of music. From the honest look on his face without a single trace of deceiving, one simply could not help but believe him. Since many people in the Martial World had unusual or out of the ordinary behaviors, music was well known to have fascinating power upon people; it wouldn't be a surprise to know that Liu Zhengfeng had such a hobby. People who knew the Hengshan Sword School well also thought, "Many generations of Hengshan Masters all loved music. Even the current Head Master of the Hengshan Sword School, Great Mr. Mo, has a nickname of 'Night Rain of Xiao Xiang' – a famous music title. He never lets his huqin[2] leave his side, and people described his Kung Fu as 'sword hidden in the Huqin, sword plays the music.' Then it is definitely possible that Liu Zhengfeng made friends with Qu Yang because of his love of playing the bamboo flute."
"Alliance Chief Zuo clearly knows that you made friends with Devil Qu for the sake of music based on his own investigation," Fei Bin did not object. "He said: The Demon Cult has secret and evil plots. They know that our Five Mountains Sword Alliance is gaining more and more prosperities these last couple of years, and might grow into an opponent they cannot fight. That is why they are trying all kinds of tricks to try to hurt us by fomenting discord. They tempt some with gold and treasure, others with beautiful women. Apprentice brother has been a man of integrity, so they tried to cater your tastes and sent Qu Yang to work you with music. Apprentice brother Liu! Please wake up! Don't you remember how many people on our side had been slain by the Demon Cult? Don't you see that you have fallen into evil's trap?"
"That's right!" Sister Dingyi agreed. "Apprentice brother Fei is right. The terror of the Demon Cult wasn't really because of any high level Kung Fu of theirs. It was because of their various cunning schemes that are so hard to guard against. Apprentice brother Liu, you are a man of integrity. It's all right that you got tricked by an evil villain. You can kill Qu Yang the devil with a single blow. It's just as simple as that. Our Five Mountains Sword Alliance has the same root with different branches. You must not let the villains of the Demon Cult drive a wedge between our fellow martial friends and damage our relationship."
Priest Tianmen nodded with concord. "Apprentice brother Liu, a gentleman's mistake is as easy to spot as the sun and the moon. Once he learns about the mistake and corrects himself, the gain suppresses the harm. All you need to do is to kill that Qu-named devil, then people in the chivalrous side will all raise their thumbs and praise, 'Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sword School is a true man who can distinguish between good and evil.' And we, as your friends, would look good too."
Liu Zhengfeng did not answer. He turned and stared right into Yue Buqun's eyes.
"Apprentice brother Yue, you are a true gentleman who can distinguish between right and wrong. Many of the masters here are forcing me to sell out my friend. What would you say?"
"Brother Liu," Yue Buqun answered, "if he were a true friend, then we martial people wouldn't even frown if we have to die for friends. But that Qu of the Demon Cult obviously has evil intent behind his smiles. With honey on his lips, he really has murder in his heart when he catered to your tastes. This kind of enemy is the evilest kind. His object is to bring disgrace and ruin upon you and destroy your family. The evil intention of him is to the extreme. If such a person can still be called a friend, then isn't it a disgrace to the definition of 'friend?' In history, there were many examples of people placing righteousness above family loyalty. Even family can be disregarded, why cannot such a big devil and a big villain that should have never be considered as a friend be disregarded?"
Hearing his theory, everyone cheered. "Mr. Yue's words have said it clearly. With friends, one of course should consider the code of honor, but with enemies, one should strike down with no mercy. Why restrict oneself with the code of honor?"
Liu Zhengfeng let out a sigh. He waited till the Big Hall quieted down before speaking again slowly.
"At the very beginning when I decided to make friends with big brother Qu, I had expected something like this to happen. After some careful observations, I came upon the conclusion that there will be a big fight between our Five Mountains Sword Alliance and the Demon Cult soon. Once the fight breaks out, there will be apprentice brothers in the alliance on one side and a good friend on the other side. It would be impossible for me to help either side. That's why I came up with this dumb idea to have my Gold Basin Hand Washing ceremony. I just wanted to tell everyone in the Martial World that Liu Zhengfeng would be leaving the Martial World and never be involved in any of the score-settling fights. I just wished I could stay out of everything, and not get involved. Buying this tiny army sergeant title was just a way to disgrace myself and hide my true intentions. But Alliance Chief Zuo is certainly resourceful. This move of mine simply could not fool him."
Hearing his explanation, everyone finally understood. All thought, "So he really had secret intensions behind the Gold Basin Hand Washing event. I figured there would be no way that such a master of the Hengshan Sword School would be willing to accept such a tiny title from the government." After the explanation, everyone found himself or herself having the foresight way ahead of time.
Fei Bin, Ding Mian, and Lu Bai looked at each other and all felt quite contended. "If it weren't for apprentice brother Zuo, who saw through your conspiracy and stopped you in time, your plan would have succeeded," they all thought.
Liu Zhengfeng continued, "For the last one hundred years, the Demon Cult and our chivalrous side have been fighting with each other back and forth. It would be impossible to go over the reasons behind all these fights. All I want is to stay away from such violent and fierce fights, and live my remaining years in a quiet place, playing the flute and teaching some kids, just like an average law abiding citizen. I think this wish of mine does not violate my school rules and the alliance treaty of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance."
"If everyone thinks like you do, and desert on the eve of a battle, then do we just let the Demon Cult control the Martial World and harm everybody? If you wanted to stay out of this, then why didn't the Qu-named devil stay out of everything?" Fei Bin sneered.
With a slight smile, Liu Zhengfeng answered, "Big brother Qu had vowed to the ancestors of the Demon Cult right in front of my eyes a while back, promising that no matter how the Demon Cult fights with the chivalrous side, he would always stay out of it and never interfere. As long as no one attacks him, he will not attack anyone!"
"Huh, how wonderful!" Fei Bin sneered again. "What if someone from the chivalrous side does attack him?"
"Big brother Qu said that he would try his best to endure and never fight anyone for fame and victory. He would even try his best to mend the gap of misunderstanding between the two sides. Just this morning, big brother Qu sent me a message saying that Huashan apprentice Linghu Chong was wounded terribly by others, and was on the verge of dying. It was him who took the initiative and saved Linghu Chong."
Noises broke out in the crowd again, especially among ones belonging to the Huashan Sword School, Heng-Shan Sword School, and Qingcheng Sword School, who immediately started whispering to each other's ears. Yue Lingshan from the Huashan Sword School could not help asking, "Uncle-Master Liu, where is my big apprentice brother? Is it really..that Qu-named..Qu-named senior master who saved his life?"
"If big brother Qu said so, then of course it's true," Liu Zhengfeng answered. "When you see nephew Linghu later, you can ask him yourself."
"What's so strange about that?" Fei Bin mocked. "Demon Cult members always try to foment discord, using any means they could get their hands on. If he could use every possible means to draw you in, of course he would use every possible means to draw a Huashan apprentice. Maybe Linghu Chong would feel so grateful and want to return the favor. Then we would have another traitor in our Five Mountains Sword Alliance." He then turned to Yue Buqun and explained, "Apprentice brother Yue, I am just using this as a way of analogy. Please don't mind."
"I don't mind," Yue Buqun answered with a smile.
"Apprentice brother Fei," Liu Zhengfeng raised his eyebrows and asked loudly, "you said another traitor. What do you mean by 'another'?"
Fei Bin sneered, "You understand it very well. Do I still need to explain?"
"Humph, so are you calling me a traitor of my own school?" Liu Zhengfeng yelled. "It's my private matter who I want to make friends with. It's none of other people's business. Liu Zhengfeng does not dare to betray my Master and my Hengshan Sword School. I'll send the word 'traitor' right back to you."
Before, he had acted with good manners, just like a local gentleman, rich yet rustic. But now, he had shown a quite different image – one filled with vitality and heroic spirit. Seeing his tit for tat argument with Fei Bin and not giving away any ground, everyone admired his courage.
"I suppose apprentice brother Liu is not interested with this option, right? Are you sure you don't want to rid the evil and kill that big devil Qu Yang?" Fei Bin asked.
"If Alliance Chief Zuo has given you the order, then go ahead, apprentice brother Fei, go ahead and kill my entire family!" Liu Zhengfeng answered with no hesitation.
"Are you thinking that just because so many heroes are visiting you in your home, our Five Mountains Sword Alliance would have scruples and give up on purifying our own group?" Fei Bin mocked.
"Come here!" he beckoned Shi Dengda.
"Yes!" Shi Dengda answered and took three steps forward.
Fei Bin took the five-colored Command Flag from Shi and raised it high. "Liu Zhengfeng, listen carefully: Alliance Chief Zuo has ordered that if you don't agree to kill Qu Yang within a month, then the Five Mountains Sword Alliance will have no choice but to purify our own group. To prevent any future problem, we will have to rid the branches together with the root. You'd better think it through!"
Liu Zhengfeng let out a sad smile. "When I make a friend, I value the utter devotion. How could I kill a friend in exchange for my own protection? Since Alliance Chief Zuo does not allow this, I, Liu Zhengfeng, with only little power and backing, do not even stand a chance resisting Alliance Chief Zuo. Your Songshan Sword School has planned everything beforehand, probably even got my coffin ready. If you want to do it, then go ahead and do it. What are you waiting for?"
Fei Bin waved the Command Flag and said in a loud voice, "Apprentice brother Tianmen of the Taishan Sword School, Apprentice brother Yue of the Huashan Sword School, Sister Dingyi of the Heng-Shan Sword School, and apprentice brothers and nephew apprentices of the Hengshan Sword School, according to Alliance Chief Zuo's order: Good and evil can never coexist. The Demon Cult has heaps of scores with our Five Mountains Sword Alliance; the hatred is as deep as the ocean. Liu Zhengfeng associated himself with the devil and submitted himself to the enemy. Everyone in our Five Mountains Sword Alliance is obligated to attack him and kill him. All the ones that will follow the order please stand to the left."
Priest Tianmen stood up and strode to the left without even looking at Liu Zhengfeng. Priest Tianmen's Master had been slain by a female Demon Cult Elder, which was why he hated the Demon Cult to the very marrow of his bones. Once he walked to the left side, all his apprentices followed him over.
"Brother Liu," Yue Buqun stood up, "all you need to do is nod, and I, Yue Buqun, will take care of the business of Qu Yang for you. You said that a true man should not betray his friends, but is Qu Yang your only friend in this world? Aren't people in our Five Mountains Sword Alliance and many people here today your friends too? The thousands of fellow martial people here traveled long ways to congratulate you sincerely when they heard you were having your Gold Basin Hand Washing ceremony. They've shown their friendship. Don't the lives of your entire family, kindness and friendship of your friends in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, and the friendship of those hundreds of fellow martial people outweigh this one individual Qu Yang?"
Slowly shaking his head, Liu Zhengfeng answered, "Apprentice brother Yue, you are a scholar, you should have heard the saying of 'a true man has things he will not do.' I am grateful for your advice and your good words. When others force me to kill Qu Yang, I won't agree. Just like when someone forces me to kill you, apprentice brother Yue, or any one of the friends here, I would never agree even if my entire family would be wiped out as the consequence. It's true that big brother Qu is a good friend of mine, but apprentice brother Yue is also a good friend of mine. If big brother Qu has ever even mentioned about plotting against any friend of mine in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, I would have looked down upon his character and not consider him a friend." These words were said in a very sincere way and moved many people in the Big Hall. Brotherhood was a greatly valued virtue in the Martial World, so even though these martial people did not like the fact that Liu Zhengfeng defended his relationship with Qu Yang, they all praised Liu Zhengfeng inwardly.
Yue Buqun shook his head and argued, "Brother Liu, you said it wrong. Your valuing of brotherhood is very admirable, but you did not distinguish between good and evil or right and wrong. The Demon Cult committed countless number of crimes and harmed many gentlemen and innocent people. Just for the sake of your interest in music, giving your wholehearted devotion to him is a terrible misunderstanding of the definition of 'brotherhood'."
"Apprentice brother Yue, you don't play any instrument, that's why you don't understand me here," Liu Zhengfeng explained with a smile. "A person can lie using words, but the sound of flute or zither is directly from one's heart and can't lie. Big brother Qu and I have played the flute and zither together. We fully understand each other wholeheartedly. I can guarantee you with my life and my reputation that although big brother Qu is a member of the Demon Cult, he does not have any trace of evil of the Demon Cult."
With a long sigh, Yue Buqun walked by Priest Tianmen's side. Lau Denuo, Yue Lingshan, Lu Dayou, and the bunch all followed him over.
Sister Dingyi stared at Liu Zhengfeng. "Starting from now on, should I call you brother Liu or Liu Zhengfeng?" she asked.
"Liu Zhengfeng is bound to die any minute now. Sister, there's no need for either one," Liu Zhengfeng replied with a wry smile.
Sister Dingyi put her palms together, forming a Buddhist greeting posture, and then prayed, "May Buddha preserve us!" She slowly walked by Yue Buqun, saying, "The Demon has added more crimes into the world. What a sin, what a sin!" Her apprentices also followed her over.
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