Unparalleled Double Harmony

Chapter 626 Preparing to Take Action Again

It was a cloudy afternoon.

A teahouse in Yunxi County.

The private room was still the same private room, and Zheng Dongxi was still sitting in the main seat. Even the person he was waiting for was a renowned swordsman in the martial arts world.

However, Zheng Dongxi did not invite many like-minded people to "make friends" today.

Because in just a few short days, many things... have already changed.

As we mentioned earlier, the counties surrounding Wudang Mountain are now a mixed bag, with undercurrents running deep; in such an environment, news naturally spreads very quickly.

For example: Suppose early this morning, a senior disciple from a northern sect and a second-rate swordsman from the south bumped shoulders while walking down the street, and then they got into a fight right there in the street... In less than two hours, the cause and effect of this fight, as well as countless details of the fight, would probably have been served on hundreds of tables within a ten-mile radius, becoming the appetizers for people's lunch.

Moreover, several of these "appetizers" can often be served within a single day...

It can be said that whenever such a "major event in the martial arts world" occurs, as long as you come to the surrounding area and walk into any local inn, you can hear at least seven or eight different voices in the lobby vividly describing all sorts of strange tales that they themselves have not witnessed.

Well... it's actually a kind of fun in "being in the world," just like how modern people sometimes see some "insider gossip" online that may not be reliable, and then they inexplicably feel a sense of superiority and participation as if they are half in the industry. Isn't the world a huge circle, an even bigger makeshift stage...?

However, the rapid spread of information and the large number of people nearby receiving the news can sometimes cause inconvenience for some.

For example, Zheng Dongxi has been having a huge headache these past few days because of the rumor that "Jiang Shouzhen disappeared not long after he had tea with Master Zheng".

Just a few days ago, he had instructed those who had been tricked by Jiang Daxia to spread bad things about Jiang Shouzheng everywhere, and he even made it clear that these words were spread by him, Zheng Daxia.

So much so that after Jiang Shouzheng disappeared, Zheng Dongxi found it difficult to reveal the truth about his disappearance.

He couldn't very well tell the truth, like, "I used the guy surnamed Jiang as bait, but after all that, he and the two people who were suspected to be from the Hunyuan Star Gate disappeared right under my nose," could he?
Putting aside the fact that telling the whole truth would damage his hard-earned image as a chivalrous hero, the credibility of this statement alone is completely unfounded.

But making up lies and trying to cover up one's actions... is also difficult.

For example, Zheng Dongxi said, "The day Master Jiang disappeared, I actually went out of the city with him to fight the enemy together..." Who would believe that? Doesn't that completely contradict your actions a few days ago? Were you and that Jiang guy putting on a show for everyone a few days ago? What was the purpose of that performance? Who were you putting on this show for? You wouldn't be thinking... that it was for those two Hunyuan Star Sect members who only appear in your words but whose existence can't be verified by anyone else, would you?

In short, given the unexpected situation caused by Zhenxiatang's intervention, Zheng Dongxi's actions at the teahouse a few days ago have clearly backfired.

Originally, it was a good move that could have helped him gain more prestige, or at least made those seasoned veterans who knew Jiang Shouzheng's character regard him as a "true hero." But now, it has become a blunder that makes it difficult for him to justify his explanation of the "Jiang Shouzheng disappearance incident."

Fortunately, Jiang Shouzheng had not been missing for long, and Zheng Dongxi's reputation was strong enough, so no one had come to him to demand an explanation for this matter in the short term.

Of course, another possible development is that no one in the righteous martial arts world is willing to be the first to question Jiang Shouzhen, and then everyone drags their feet, and the matter is left unresolved...

At this point, some people might wonder: even if some people in the martial arts world know that Jiang Shouzheng is essentially a villain, there are still quite a few people who buy into his reputation as a "righteous and upright" figure. How can such a famous "righteous" hero just disappear like this, with his fellow practitioners completely ignoring him?
Well, let's talk about a very close example – "Seven Star Sword" Fan Zhengting, you all still remember that name, right?

This man, Fan, who was once known as one of the "Two Righteous Men of Fan and Jiang" alongside Jiang Shouzheng, did things that were not much different from Jiang Shouzheng's. He was also a hypocrite who pretended to "uphold justice" for people everywhere, but secretly sought personal gain.

Even worse than Jiang Shouzhen, Fan Zhengting secretly adopted many orphans and trained them to become his personal assassins, who then carried out all sorts of dirty deeds for him.

Until one day, Fan Zhengting also "disappeared"... neither alive nor dead.

After all, the time and place where Lin Yuancheng killed Fan Zhengting were chosen by Fan Zhengting himself. He must have known that if a person died in this place and was buried in the snow, they would never be found again.

Fan Zhengting's disappearance was ultimately left unresolved.

Ultimately, there are countless people who go missing every year in this world. When you are alive and have common interests or goals with your "fellow travelers," everyone is friendly and harmonious... But if you suddenly disappear, then the world will turn cold and indifferent. In the end, it will be your relatives and friends who will wholeheartedly search for you.

But what kind of true friends does Fan Zhengting have... In the months after his disappearance, only a few orphaned assassins he had adopted and who had been in direct contact with him tried to find him. And their reason for looking for him was not out of concern for him, but because they were worried that they hadn't been assigned any missions for a long time and were going to be silenced...

As time went by, these people all felt that the man surnamed Fan was most likely dead, so they went their separate ways with peace of mind.

As for his reputation and status in the industry... in most people's eyes, it's really nothing special.

In this world, every day some people fade into obscurity, and every day new stars rise. Who will remember someone like Fan Zhengting?

Therefore, as long as Zheng Dongxi keeps quiet about Jiang Shouzheng's matter and keeps a low profile for a while, perhaps... in a year or two, no one will mention him anymore.

However, for now, Master Zheng's situation is still somewhat awkward.

It was precisely at this difficult time for him that Di Bujuan... came knocking on his door.

Others may not know that Zheng Dongxi was wronged, but Chief Di knew very well; with Hu Wenzhi's intelligence first and Qing Feiyun's news later, Chief Di naturally came with a "purpose" this time.

In any case, both Di Bujuan himself and the Zhenxia Hall are now full of curiosity about this "Master Zheng" who has suddenly appeared. Therefore, they can take advantage of the information gap created by the Zhenxia Hall to find out the truth about this person.

This led to today's meeting.

What Zheng and Di were unaware of was that, besides them, there was a "third-party force" present in this teahouse today...

The group consisted of eight people, all of whom were highly skilled in martial arts. Their leader was a tall, handsome man with fair skin, named Park Dae-ryung.

Considering that you've probably already guessed something when you saw the name Park Dae-ryung, we won't keep you in suspense any longer—that's right, Park Dae-ryung, like the "Purple" and "White" characters, is one of the experts sent to Yuxiu Manor by the Wanyuan Sect, and the color he carries is... "Blue".

Let's also take this opportunity to talk about what these colors actually mean.

Actually, it's nothing much... it's just a job classification within the Wanyuan Sect.

The first sect leader of the Wanyuan Sect was a man who was "somewhat cultured, but not much." So when he was designing the positions within the sect at the beginning of its founding, he thought of imitating the official system of the Ming Dynasty.

Your Great Ming abolished the Left and Right Chancellors of the Secretariat and made the Six Ministries directly responsible to the Emperor. I'll do something similar. My sect won't have "Deputy Sect Masters" or "Left and Right Protectors." Let's just have "Six Gentlemen."

Yes, you read that right. The six highest-ranking officials under the Sect Master of the Wanyuan Sect are officially known as the "Six Gentlemen".

To facilitate management and differentiation, these six cadres, who were theoretically of equal rank, were ultimately divided into six colors: red, blue, black, white, purple, and gold.

At this point, some people might say, if I remember correctly, it was clearly mentioned in the previous text that "Chi" and "Hei" are Meng Qi and Wu Mingzi. How could these two people from the Central Plains be cadres of the Wanyuan Sect?
Well, why don't you think about it again...? Why not?

Look at the late Eastern Han Dynasty. How many generals and strategists who had once fought fiercely against him were given various official titles and rewards? How many people who were his enemies were given high-ranking positions and generous salaries? Regardless of whether he settled accounts with them later, at least when Cao Cao needed them, this kind of operation was perfectly normal.

Therefore, given the Wanyuan Sect's intention to advance into the Central Plains, what's wrong with them appointing two Central Plains people as officials to demonstrate their sincerity in deep cooperation with those "enlightened individuals in the Central Plains martial arts world"? In any case, once things are settled, these positions can be adjusted, or they can be completely overturned and a new system created... It doesn't really matter.

Most importantly, with the titles of "Red-Clad Gentleman" and "Black-Clad Gentleman" respectively, Meng Qi and Wu Mingzi can cooperate with you and do things for you with greater peace of mind.

Besides, the Manwon Sect is far away in Korea, and many things can be faked. I sent someone to the Central Plains to tell you that I have already honored you as one of the "Six Gentlemen" of our Manwon Sect, but how do you know what I said to my own people?

In fact, this is exactly what the Myriad Origin Sect did, and we can explain it point by point:
First of all, the "gentleman in white" Zhang Douhan, who was killed by Zheng Dongxi, was actually a stand-in.

The real Zhang Douhan never came to the Central Plains. The deceased fake Zhang Douhan was an imposter, a junior brother of "Purple-Clad Gentleman" Cui Youshan. This man was arrogant and thought his martial arts were no less than those of the real Six Gentlemen. He looked down on the masters of the Central Plains. In reality, without the aid of strange weapons, Di Bujuan could probably defeat him.

Secondly, there is "Gentleman in Purple" Cui Youshan, who is the real person, but he was also seriously injured by Zheng Dongxi and has now been captured by the True Hero Hall.

In addition, there are three others: "Golden-Clad Gentleman" Jin Huyong, the true "Red-Clad Gentleman" Jin Hulie, and the true "Black-Clad Gentleman" Han Zhenlei. None of them came to the Central Plains; they were all staying at the headquarters of the Wanyuan Sect.

Finally, there is the "gentleman in blue," Park Dae-ryung, who makes his appearance here. He is indeed the real person, and his martial arts skills are comparable to those of Choi Yoo-san, although he is younger.

Seeing this, some people are probably going to complain again: So it seems that the Wanyuan Sect is a bit weak. Even if we put aside the fact that their core combat force needs the "meteorite buff" to unleash its full strength, just look at the "Six Gentlemen" under the sect leader. Didn't they get beaten up by Gu Qiying? Are these people even capable?
But actually, this wasn't the Wanyuan Sect's dish. Rather, their invasion just happened to coincide with a special time in the Central Plains martial arts world—the Four Demons wreaked havoc across the land.

Any one of these four could be a ruthless villain capable of wreaking havoc on the martial arts world.

Moreover, their personalities, experiences, and fates all destined them to gradually move closer to the "demonic" direction.

But what if we think about it the other way around? What if, under certain circumstances, these people had to do what is right?

At that time, they were all naturally the "pillars of white jade supporting the sky, and beams of purple gold spanning the sea" of the Central Plains martial arts world...

The Wanyuan Sect's misfortune lies precisely in this: if they had arrived a few years earlier or later, the situation they would be facing wouldn't be any worse than it is now.

But it just so happens that this year, things like Song Wu washing his hands of the world and the young master's grand plan have all happened to them. From the perspective of the Wanyuan Sect, if they don't come now, when will they?
So, believing they had been lying in wait and making their plans long enough, they chose a critical juncture when "several world-class bosses, yet unknown to the world, were roaming freely on the map."

As a result, one of the two unlucky guys, Cui Youshan and the fake Zhang Douhan, peeked out first...

Of course, Park Dae-ryung, who led the team to Yunxi County at this moment, also had no idea of ​​Zheng Dongxi's strength.

Park Dae-ryung came because Choi Yoo-san and the fake Jang Doo-han suddenly lost contact with the organization a few days ago. Considering that the possibility of these two betraying the organization is extremely low, it is reasonable to speculate that they must have encountered some kind of accident...

Park Dae-ryung and his group were originally stationed at a place only two days away from Wudang Mountain, ready to provide support if Cui Youshan and the fake Zhang Douhan caused trouble. Now that the situation has changed, these eight people naturally rushed over.

After some investigation, Zheng Dongxi came into their view.

So, from Park Dae-ryung's perspective, this is how the score is calculated—

My strength is about the same as Cui Youshan's, and I came here with a weapon bestowed upon me by the sect leader, so I am definitely stronger than Cui Youshan was when he disappeared.

The seven people beside me are the most skilled retainers of Yuxiu Manor. I personally witnessed their martial arts skills during the raid on Shaoshi Mountain, and they should all be at least on par with that fake Zhang Douhan.

By this calculation, the eight of us are much better off than the two who went missing.

As for Zheng Dongxi, it's hard to say how many people he called when he faced Cui Youshan and his group, but it's impossible that he won all by himself, right?

Today, with our combined strength and the advantage of overwhelming numbers, capturing him will be a piece of cake. Once we've captured him alive, we can ask him questions later.

Now that the accounts are settled, it's time to take action...