Chapter 1323: Old Stories

Chapter 1323: Chapter 1323: Old Stories

"That day, during my duel with Zhao Mengzhen, Brother Feng, Brother Situ, and several other sect elders were present to witness the battle. He lost! At that time, I truly felt a passion for talent and gave him another chance to challenge me again. Next time, we would decide life and death! Wan Qianli, do you think there was any need for me to kill him when I had already spared him at that moment?" Liu Xuanji turned back to introduce the individuals present.

"Brother Liu, you’re correct about the situation at that time, and didn’t Brother Wan follow up with us afterwards to verify? I recall Brother Su was also present, wasn’t he?"

Called out by name, Situ Maocai turned his head toward Su Fengchen with a meaningful gaze. Liu Xuanji had purposely omitted mentioning his name earlier, and now Situ Maocai singled him out, making Su Fengchen’s heart sink as he responded with a forced smile, "Yes! That was indeed the situation."

"But my Junior Brother is dead! Dead because of Hongjun Sword Furnace’s cultivation technique! Liu Xuanji, my Junior Brother may not have been as strong as you, but he wasn’t far off. Even if he was wounded, an ordinary person couldn’t kill him. You tell me, besides your brothers and the person from Hongjun Sword Furnace, who else has the capability? Liu Mengyuan is still lacking, and Wei Yizi might have the potential, but he was inside Immortal Palace’s Dao Heart Stone, understanding Dao. People from Celestial Sword Manor can testify. Besides them, only a few Supreme Elders who have secluded themselves from life and death remain. Haha! I think my Junior Brother wouldn’t warrant them taking action! Liu Xuanji, no matter how you look at it, besides you, I truly can’t think of anyone who would commit this deed!" Wan Qianli systematically listed all the suspects, pressing forward step by step.

The case was an unsolved mystery in those days. After Zhao Mengzhen had been sought out for revenge and a duel by Liu Xuanji, as prominent figures of two major Sword Dao sects, their duel was bound to cause a stir. Many sect leaders and elders went to witness the event, and the proceedings were essentially as Liu Xuanji described, with Liu Xuanji, moved by a love for talent, offering the rival a chance to settle life or death in a future duel. If the matter ended there, it could have become a commendable tale in the martial arts world, but fate had other plans. Zhao Mengzhen bid farewell to everyone and returned to his sect. However, shortly after, Celestial Sword Manor received an urgent call for aid from Zhao Mengzhen, so they rushed to rescue him but were too late—Zhao Mengzhen was already dead. Examination of the body showed no poisoning, he had died under the sword moves of Hongjun Sword Furnace.

Facing the outcome, with the fall of a Sword Dao Grandmaster who could support the sect’s future, Celestial Sword Manor naturally wouldn’t let this matter rest. The two sects had numerous conflicts over this but ultimately found no resolution, and until today, Liu Xuanji persistently denied his involvement.

"Hehehe! If it was earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to respond, but now I can! Because days ago, a similar incident occurred, and the aggrieved party is right here, Pei Yan." Under Wan Qianli’s grilling, Liu Xuanji turned to Pei Yan with a bitter smile and said, "This young Pei Xiaoyou is even more challenging than your Celestial Sword Manor’s investigation back then. He forced me, for the sake of the sect, to reveal the truth. Now that the outsiders know, it doesn’t matter if the family’s disgrace is aired. Pei Xiaoyou, could you provide an answer to Wan Qianli’s doubts?"

"Certainly!" Pei Yan gladly agreed, explaining, "Although I can’t be 100% certain! But the real culprit who murdered Elder Zhao Mengzhen years ago is very likely Jue Liunian!"

"Jue Liunian? That loose cultivator?"

"Is it him? Jue Liunian, hated by gods and ghosts?"

"Impossible! He isn’t a disciple of Hongjun Sword Furnace! He has never used the moves of Hongjun Sword Furnace!"

Pei Yan’s words immediately caused an uproar among the sect leaders present, discussing and debating, until Murong Longxiang raised questions to refute.

"This touches on a piece of Hongjun Sword Furnace’s past!" Pei Yan said, looking at Liu Xuanji and asking, "Elder Liu, can I really make it public?"

"Go ahead! There’s no point in hiding it now! No matter what, Hongjun Sword Furnace must provide an explanation to the world, and at this juncture, we can’t care about any reputation." Liu Xuanji remained silent, while Mo Baiqi nodded in agreement.

With the consent of the involved party, Pei Yan recounted what Liu Xuanji had told him about Jue Liunian’s history in the pavilion to the group. After Pei Yan finished his recounting, several sect leaders finally appeared enlightened.

"At the time, we guessed it was that rebellious person who committed the act, but he killed Zhao Mengzhen! I naïvely thought he still had some old affection for the sect, so Elder Liu stepped up to solve this person who posed a significant threat to Hongjun Sword Furnace. Therefore, when Brother Chu came knocking to inquire about the true culprit, I concealed the matter and didn’t mention it." After Pei Yan finished speaking, Mo Baiqi said in self-mockery, "Thinking back, I was sentimentally foolish! If he truly cared, he could’ve hidden Hongjun Sword Furnace’s techniques, but he didn’t. It appears his aim matched his attack on Pei Xiaoyou’s colleagues now; it was to deepen the animosity between our two sects and secretly provoke conflicts."

"That’s merely your side of the story. Whether Jue Liunian is indeed a disciple of Hongjun Sword Furnace, until he’s caught, no one knows the truth. Do you know his whereabouts now?" Wan Qianli asked the question that concerned everyone at this gathering.

"His whereabouts? That would be a question for Su Mountain Master!" Liu Xuanji said, turning to Su Fengchen with a cold smile.

Upon hearing this, Su Fengchen’s previously forced smile instantly turned to a gloomy expression, glaring at Liu Xuanji with displeasure, "Brother Liu, what do you mean by this? Whether your story is true or not! Let’s assume it’s true! But this still is something concerning Hongjun Sword Furnace, what does it have to do with White Deer Institute?"

"Su Fengchen, are you still being elusive? It was you who instructed Jue Liunian to repeatedly provoke trouble under Hongjun Sword Furnace’s name, but you didn’t expect Pei Yan to react so fiercely and swiftly to lock down Immortal Palace, leaving him nowhere to hide. With no choice, you privately opened Immortal Palace Villa’s teleportation array to send him away and subsequently planted the blame on our sect!" Liu Xuanji roared in accusation.

"Hahaha! Liu Xuanji, what you say is rather amusing! The same argument could be applied to Hongjun Sword Furnace itself. Clearly, it was your elder who committed suicide to conceal the true culprit, and here you are, counter-accusing and biting back. Do you have evidence to support this? Without evidence, this is just framing! Like when you previously framed Celestial Sword Manor! With such behavior, I dare ask all fellow Daoists, who would believe your words?" Having torn off the pretenses, Su Fengchen spoke aggressively, hitting Liu Xuanji’s vulnerabilities.

"You! You! You shameless scoundrel!" Liu Xuanji was so enraged by Su Fengchen’s words that his face turned red. If not for the fact that most people present were involved in Pei Yan’s interrogation and investigation last night, then today, the sect leaders might have been deceived, unable to discern right from wrong!