manynovel Chapter 111 Kidnapping
Chapter 111 Kidnapping
Ding Mian stared at Zhao Yu warily for a long time, and only when he saw that Zhao Yu really had no intention of interfering did he feel a little relieved.
There's no turning back now that things have come to this.
The Songshan Sect has been planning for this day for a long time, and it is absolutely impossible for them to give up halfway just because of Zhao Yu's existence.
He composed himself, turned to Liu Zhengfeng, and shouted sternly, "Liu Zhengfeng! Do you know your crime?"
Liu Zhengfeng remained calm: "I, Liu, have no idea what crime I have committed?"
"What crime have you committed?"
Ding Mian sneered: "You colluded with Qu Yang, an elder of the Demonic Sect, secretly plotted against him, betrayed the Five Mountains Sword Sect, and betrayed the righteous path of the martial world. Isn't that a grave crime?"
"The other day, we learned of this information and, in order not to alert you, we hid and did not show ourselves immediately, all to expose your evil deeds."
He spoke with righteous indignation, as if he were truly acting in the name of justice.
Regardless of whether others believe it or not, as long as he believes it, that's enough.
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand.
Dozens of disciples from the Songshan Sect escorted Liu Zhengfeng's family members out of the backyard.
Liu Zhengfeng's wife, two children, and several elderly servants all had swords held to their necks, their faces pale and trembling.
"Liu Zhengfeng!" Ding Mian pointed at the family members and said sternly, "Look at yourself. If you still want their lives, you'd better obey the orders of Alliance Leader Zuo. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Ding Mian, how dare you!" Liu Zhengfeng's eyes were bloodshot as he took a step forward.
"Stop!" Stendhal, who was holding Liu Jing hostage, immediately thrust his longsword forward, the blade slicing through Liu Jing's neck and drawing out a bead of blood.
Liu Zhengfeng paused, staring intently at Ding Mian, his eyes practically spitting fire.
Abbess Dingyi abruptly stood up and angrily said, "Your Songshan Sect is so arrogant! You can't deal with the Demonic Sect, so all you can do is use other people's wives, children, and elderly parents as hostages?"
As she spoke, she was about to step forward to argue.
"Master, please calm down."
Yue Buqun reached out and pressed her arm, shaking his head calmly: "Let's wait and see. Taking action now will only make things worse."
Master Dingyi frowned, glanced at Yue Buqun, and finally reluctantly sat back down.
Although she was upright and straightforward, she knew that Yue Buqun had a point.
The Songshan Sect came prepared and outnumbered the others. If a fight really broke out, Liu Zhengfeng's family would be the ones to suffer.
Ding Mian smiled smugly and said slowly, "Brother Liu, a wise man knows when to yield. The Left Alliance Leader has ordered that as long as you kill Qu Yang within a month and send his head to Mount Song, then today's matter will be forgiven."
Liu Zhengfeng remained silent, his head bowed, making it impossible to discern his expression.
Ding Mian gave Fei Bin a wink, wanting him to add fuel to the fire.
But after waiting for a long time, he still didn't see Fei Bin make any move.
He turned his head and saw Fei Bin standing there motionless, his eyes glazed over, seemingly lost in thought.
Ding Mian cursed inwardly.
He glanced at Zhao Yu, then his tone softened slightly: "Brother Liu, why are you so stubborn? The Demonic Sect and my Five Mountains Sword Sect are sworn enemies. Why do you have to protect that demon Qu Yang? If you kill him, you can not only save your family, but also make a name for yourself in the martial world. It's a win-win situation."
"Moreover, now that Young Hero Zhao has personally killed Dongfang Bubai, the Demonic Sect is leaderless, which is the perfect opportunity for us to launch a counterattack. Killing Qu Yang at this time would be a great achievement, and Alliance Leader Zuo will certainly not treat you unfairly."
Liu Zhengfeng slowly raised his head, a bitter smile on his face: "You don't need to say anything more."
"Brother Qu and I are the closest of friends I've ever known. Our friendship is solely based on music, unrelated to the martial world. Although he's a member of the Demonic Sect, he's far more upright than many so-called righteous people. For me to secretly harm him—such a despicable act—how is I any different from those demonic cult members?"
"I, Liu Zhengfeng, would rather die than do such a treacherous thing!"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resounding.
"Very well, very well indeed!" Ding Mian's face was so gloomy it could drip water. "Liu Zhengfeng, I advise you not to make a mistake. For a demonic cult member, you will not only lose the lives of your entire family, but also ruin the reputation of the Hengshan Sect, which has been built up over a hundred years ago. Do you think it's worth it?"
"Reputation?" Liu Zhengfeng gave a bitter laugh. "If you have to betray your friends for the sake of so-called reputation, then you might as well not have that reputation at all."
"Brother Qu is devoted to music and has long since withdrawn from worldly affairs. I made a promise with him that after I retire from the martial world, we would live out our days in seclusion in the mountains, playing the zither and flute. We have never done anything to harm the martial world, so how can you say we colluded with the Demonic Sect?"
Ding Mian roared, "Even now, you still dare to argue? It seems you're determined to collude with the evil cult!"
Liu Zhengfeng ignored Ding Mian and turned to look at the Hengshan Sect disciples standing behind him, his eyes filled with guilt.
"I have let you down, and I have let down the ancestors of the Hengshan School."
Liu Zhengfeng sighed, "My association with Brother Qu was indeed my own fault, and had nothing to do with the Hengshan Sect. If any of you are willing to stay, I, Liu Zhengfeng, will be extremely grateful. If any of you want to leave and sever ties with me, I will not stop you."
Silence fell over the hall.
The disciples of the Hengshan Sect looked at each other, their faces showing signs of struggle.
After a long while, a young disciple finally stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Master, I... I have an elderly mother at home who needs to be cared for, so please forgive me for not being able to stay with you."
After saying that, he lowered his head and quickly walked out of the hall.
Once there's a first one, there's a second, and a third.
Within moments, more than thirty disciples of the same generation chose to leave.
Actually, you can't blame them for this.
Liu Zhengfeng could disregard sectarianism and become confidants with the elders of the Demonic Sect, but they couldn't.
The Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Demonic Sect have been locked in a standoff for over a hundred years, and countless elders of the sect have died at the hands of the Demonic Sect.
They were utterly unable to accept the sudden news that their master had become close friends with an elder of the Demonic Sect.
Moreover, the Songshan Sect's current posture clearly indicates their intention to exterminate Liu Zhengfeng's entire family.
Staying means dying.
It is human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.
Watching the departing figures, Liu Zhengfeng's face showed no blame, only deep remorse.
"Master!"
Xiang Danian stepped forward: "Disciple has received immense kindness from Master, which I cannot repay. Today, I am willing to live and die with Master!"
"Disciple Mi Weiyi is also willing to live and die with Master!"
"And me!"
"I'd like to too!"
Several of Liu Zhengfeng's personal disciples stepped forward and stood in front of him.
Although the number of people was small, they all had firm expressions and showed no fear whatsoever.
Liu Zhengfeng looked at them, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.
He nodded, his voice choked with emotion, and said, "Good, good, they're all good kids."
"Hmph, a deep bond between master and disciple? How touching."
Ding Mian sneered, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and then gave Lu Bai a wink.