Martial Arts: After ten years of sword-drawing, the Sword God must bow his head when he sees me

Chapter 139 The Unlucky Qi Sect of Mount Hua
early morning.

The sun was high in the sky, and its warmth added a touch of coziness to the already wintery weather.

North of the city.

The vermilion gates of the Liu residence were wide open, with a dozen servants standing at either end of the gate. Occasionally, some martial arts figures would arrive with their juniors.

At the entrance, the sounds of servants from the mansion constantly echoed.

"Sect Leader Zhou of the Jade Sword Sect has arrived with congratulations!"

"Master Dingyi of the Hengshan School, He Yi, has arrived—"

"He Yi, leader of the Yu Chang Gang, has arrived!"

"Master Miejue, the leader of the Emei Sect, has arrived."

Meanwhile, in a restaurant on the same street, Shen Qingshan turned his gaze away from the Liu residence diagonally opposite. "He's just a person from a second-rank power, yet his retirement ceremony has attracted so many people to come and watch."

Qu Feiyan, who was also leaning against the railing, said, "Although the leader of the Hengshan Sect is Master Mo, in recent years Master Mo has been devoted to cultivation and music, and Liu Zhengfeng has been handling almost all the affairs of the Hengshan Sect."

"In addition, Liu Zhengfeng is a very upright person with an excellent reputation and good relations with the major forces around him."

"This time, having retired from the criminal world, the surrounding powers will naturally give him some face."

As she spoke, Qu Feiyan glanced at the Emei disciples who had just entered the Liu residence with Abbess Miejue and muttered, "I just didn't expect that the Emei Sect would also come this time to retire from the martial arts world."

Shen Qingshan, standing to the side, continued to scan the surroundings, and after a moment said helplessly, "Speaking of which, the time for the retirement ceremony is almost here, and we still haven't seen your grandfather. Could it be that he didn't come at all?"

Qu Feiyan shook her head and said firmly, "Grandpa and Grandpa Liu are very close friends, but they cannot reveal their relationship due to the enmity between the Hengshan Sect and the Sun Moon Sect. This time, Grandpa Liu's decision to retire from the martial arts world is something he had been thinking about for several years."

"Grandpa will definitely not be absent from such days."

Compared to Qu Feiyan and Shen Qingshan, Shen Pingan and Zhang Sanniang, Yaoyue and Lianxing, the others had indifferent expressions.

Just then, another chanting sound rang out from in front of the Liu residence.

"Sect Leader Yue of the Huashan Sect has arrived!"

It wasn't until the chanting rang out from in front of the Liu residence that Shen Ping'an, who was sipping his tea and continuing to savor the profound mysteries of the Earth Sword Realm, finally raised his gaze to look at the Liu residence in the distance.

Looking out, one could see a group of more than a dozen people standing in front of the Liu residence.

The leader looked to be in his forties, with a thick beard, a handsome face, and an upright demeanor. He wore a light robe and a loose belt, and waved a folding fan in his right hand, looking quite dashing.

It was Yue Buqun, the head of the Huashan Qi Sect, whose cultivation had reached the fourth level of the Returning to Origin Realm and who was nicknamed the Gentleman Sword.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman with a dignified demeanor.

This must be Ning Zhongze, Yue Buqun's first wife and a fellow disciple of the Huashan Sect.

To be honest, even from Shen Ping'an's perspective, Yue Buqun's appearance is quite good.

He exudes an air of refinement and integrity.

If it weren't for the sword in his hand signifying his identity as a martial artist, he would probably only be mistaken for a teacher or scholar.

However, among the disciples of the Huashan Sect, the others were not particularly distinguishable in appearance or demeanor.

Presumably, the Huashan disciple who is considered a traitor is not in this group at the moment.

Although Zhang San Niang, Yao Yue, and Lian Xing appeared to be drinking tea, their attention was actually almost entirely focused on Shen Ping An.

Seeing Shen Ping'an gazing towards the Liu family's gate, Lianxing glanced at the Huashan disciples at the gate and asked, "Young Master Shen, do you know anyone from the Huashan Qi Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ping'an gently shook his head.

"The first encounter was just an accident; I only learned a little about Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Qi Sect."

Zhang San Niang smiled gently and said, "Three years ago, I went to the Huashan Qi Sect for some matters and met this Gentleman Sword."

After a slight pause, Zhang Sanniang continued, "However, although this person's conduct is quite upright, he gives the impression of being overly calculating."

Shen Ping'an said softly, "It is no easy task to save a collapsing building and turn the tide. If it weren't for some cunning, the Huashan Qi Sect would not have been able to rise to prominence."

Shen Ping'an didn't have much ill will towards Yue Buqun.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang San Niang nodded and said, "Young Master Shen's words are not without reason. A hundred years ago, the Huashan Sect was a first-class power, but as Huashan split into the Sword and Qi Sects, it has become increasingly desolate."

"Especially the Huashan Qi Sect, which had almost fallen to the third rank in its early years, but in recent years, under the leadership of this Gentleman Sword, the Huashan Qi Sect has shown signs of prosperity."

Shen Ping'an glanced around and his gaze fell once more on Yue Buqun's back as he stepped into the Liu residence. He shook his head inwardly.

In fact, under Yue Buqun's leadership, the Huashan Qi Sect was capable of flourishing and even returning to the ranks of first-class forces.

It's a pity that the Huashan Qi Sect has gained a treacherous senior disciple. Not only does he keep a low-grade Heaven-rank martial art a secret, but he also tries to help his sect rise to prominence, instead constantly bringing trouble to his sect outside.

In the end, they even sacrificed their master, who had endured hardship and humiliation to rise to power, to the heavens.

This caused the Huashan Qi Sect, which should have been revitalized, to decline in one fell swoop, with no chance of recovery.

It can be said that the Qi Sect of Mount Hua was extremely unlucky.

However, whether it's the Huashan Qi Sect or the various forces gathered in the Liu Mansion at this moment, the strongest among them is only a mere second-rank expert.

Normally, she wouldn't even catch the eye of Zhang San Niang, Yao Yue, Lian Xing, and the others.

The three women showed little interest in these forces.

After a few casual words, I gradually lost interest.

Just then, a figure suddenly strolled up to the second floor of the restaurant.

The newcomer wore a dark red robe, her face was rouged, and she exuded an air of effeminacy.

He was quite tall and had a slightly large frame, clearly a male.

Behind him were six servants, five men and one woman.

Each of them was dressed in black, tight-fitting clothes with a yellow belt around their waist, and their brows carried a hint of murderous intent, making them clearly not people to be trifled with.

As the six servants ascended to the second floor, their eyes instinctively swept around their surroundings.

But when their gaze fell upon Shen Ping'an and his companions sitting at a table by the railing, their eyes paused for a moment.

Immediately after being reminded by the servants behind him, the effeminate man at the head of the group glanced at Shen Ping'an and his companions.

When his gaze fell upon Shen Ping'an and the others, the man's eyes also paused slightly, a look of surprise flashing across them.

Seemingly sensing the gazes of the group, Shen Ping'an and the others also turned their heads to look in the direction of the stairs.

Looking at the effeminate man who was neither male nor female, neither yin nor yang, both Yaoyue and Lianxing frowned slightly.

Just as the three women frowned, the effeminate man seemed to sense something, silently withdrew his gaze, and led the people behind him to sit down at another table.

Only then did Yaoyue and the others also turn their gaze away.

However, thanks to the changes brought about by the Earth Sword Realm, Shen Ping'an was able to discern the effeminate man's cultivation level almost immediately upon seeing him, based on the extremely subtle fluctuations of true energy within the man's body.

However, he was a martial artist at the first level of the Heavenly Gang Realm.

Based on the man's appearance and the several Guiyuan Realm servants behind him, Shen Ping'an quickly realized who the man was.

The current leader of the Sun Moon Cult is Dongfang Bubai.

"Interesting. Liu Zhengfeng's retirement from the criminal world has attracted the attention of the leader of the Sun Moon Sect."

As his thoughts wandered, Shen Ping'an seemed to have thought of something.

Immediately, they became curious about what was going to happen next.

After a stick of incense had burned, as the sun reached its zenith, the various forces and martial artists that Liu Zhengfeng had invited to witness the ceremony entered Liu's residence.

Liu Zhengfeng's retirement from the criminal world officially began as the sound of prayers being chanted echoed throughout the Liu family home.

From Shen Ping'an and his companions' perspective, they could see the courtyard full of martial artists gathered in front of the Liu residence, as well as Liu Zhengfeng standing in front of the altar.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out at the street corner, and thirty-six black horses swept in like a whirlwind, their horseshoes slamming against the cobblestones and sending up bursts of golden sparks.

"They are from the Songshan Sect."

Upon hearing the sound, Qu Feiyan immediately recognized the identities of the people on horseback.

Moreover, under the watchful eyes of several people, nearly a hundred disciples of the Songshan Sect, also dressed in Songshan Sect attire, rushed out from houses near the Liu residence and silently surrounded the people of the Liu residence.

At the same time, an old man quietly leaped onto the roof of the Liu residence and crouched on it.

The moment Qu Feiyan saw the old man, her face lit up with joy.

"Young master, I saw Grandpa!"

Upon hearing this, everyone followed Qu Feiyan's gesture and looked at Qu Yang, who was squatting on the roof.

However, as soon as Qu Feiyan finished speaking, Dongfang Bubai, who was on the second floor, suddenly froze in his wine glass.

(End of this chapter)