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

Chapter 156 The chaos is always caused by people's hearts.

That is why, even though the Azure Dragon Society used to only do its own business, many forces in the martial arts world felt relieved when the Azure Dragon Society was dismantled and disappeared.

Zhang San Niang shook her head and said, "I never expected that after decades, the Azure Dragon Society would make a comeback, and this time, they've joined forces with the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion."

"This martial world is probably going to be in chaos again."

Shen Ping'an said calmly, "The martial world has never been in chaos; what has always been chaotic is the human heart."

Hearing Shen Ping'an's words, both Zhang San Niang and Yao Yue, as well as Lian Xing, sensed a special meaning in them.

After a moment, Zhang San Niang, having collected her thoughts, looked at Shen Ping An.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Sanniang asked with a hint of confusion, "While Shenjian Manor may have made mistakes, did Young Master Shen really need to go to this extent?"

In fact, it wasn't just Zhang San Niang.

Even when Yaoyue and Lianxing learned that Shen Ping'an had come to the Divine Sword Manor, all they wanted was an explanation.

At worst, we can break into the Divine Sword Manor and kill a few people as a warning to others.

At worst, they could kill Xie Wangsun, the master of Shenjian Villa.

Instead of intending to deal with the entire Divine Sword Manor as it is now.

Shen Ping'an picked up the wine glass in front of him.

The cup contained wine that Gongzi Yu had sent over.

Taking a small sip, Shen Ping'an nodded gently.

It has a mellow and smooth taste, a soft mouthfeel, and a long-lasting aroma.

Century-old Shaoxing wine is becoming increasingly rare.

After finishing his drink, Shen Ping'an finally spoke.

"Because all of this was decided from the moment Shenjian Villa arranged for Xie Wangchen, a third-level Celestial Realm cultivator, to break into the Shen family at night with the intention of attacking me."

After speaking, Qu Feiyan placed the wine glass on the table and immediately picked up the wine pot to pour wine for Shen Ping'an.

After drinking another cup, Shen Ping'an asked, "Miss Zhang has traveled the martial world for many years. I wonder if you have ever been to Divine Sword Manor, or met any of its disciples?"

Zhang San Niang nodded and said, "Although Shenjian Manor does not recruit disciples from the outside world, as a martial arts family, after hundreds of years of development, the number of Xie family disciples in the manor has exceeded one thousand."

“Every year, some disciples of the Xie family also travel the world to gain experience. Over the years, Third Sister has indeed met several disciples of the Xie family.”

Shen Ping'an asked, "If I'm not mistaken, all the Xie family members take pride in Divine Sword Manor?"

Zhang San Niang looked thoughtful, as if recalling the Xie family disciples she had met a few years ago.

After a moment, Zhang San Niang nodded and said, "That's right!"

In response, Shen Ping'an said calmly, "The biggest difference between martial arts families and Jianghu sects is the difference in family bloodlines."

"It is also because of family bloodline that martial arts families have two more things than Jianghu sects."

"Cohesion and a sense of belonging."

"It is also because of these two things that disciples of martial arts families are more loyal to their families and less likely to betray their families compared to disciples of sects."

The three women nodded slightly in acknowledgment, without offering any objection.

After all, that is the truth.

While sects are good, they are far inferior to martial arts families in terms of sense of belonging and cohesion.

Throughout history, nothing in the world has been closer than the bond of blood.

Those who dare to slaughter their own relatives for their own benefit are extremely rare.

Naturally, compared to sects.

These martial arts families in the martial arts world are often the most united.

Zhang San Niang and the others still didn't know why Shen Ping An was asking this question.

Meeting the gazes of the group, Shen Ping'an continued, "For a martial arts family that stands at the pinnacle of the martial world and ranks among the top forces, hundreds of years of glory have made the Xie family members' sense of cohesion and belonging to the family extremely high."

"No one in the Xie family would be proud of this."

"With this mindset, the Xie family members will not flinch, even when facing top-tier forces like the Wudang Sect or the Northern Shaolin." "Naturally, when faced with an outsider like me who comes seeking an explanation, there are only two possibilities?"

After taking another sip of wine to moisten his throat, Shen Ping'an continued, "Firstly, when Xie Wangchen went to the Shen family, the Xie family vehemently denied it. Secondly, after admitting it, they took the opportunity to use Xie Wangchen's death to launch an attack on me."

"In the first scenario, if the Xie family doesn't acknowledge it, I'll have no choice but to take action."

"The second possibility is that the Xie family admits it and then takes action against me."

"In either case, they will take action, and the one who attacks me will definitely be a Celestial Realm martial artist from the Xie family."

At this point, Shen Ping'an paused.

"Given my style of doing things, the Xie family was in the wrong from the start in this matter. Once I make my move, I will not show any mercy. No matter how many experts the Xie family sends, they will all be killed by me."

"Once I kill the Xie family's experts, even if I spare the rest of the Xie family, do you think, given the Xie family's cohesion and sense of belonging, they will be grateful to me or hate me to the core?"

Faced with Shen Ping'an's question, Zhang San Niang and her two daughters, as well as Shen Qingshan and Qu Feiyan, immediately had the answer in their hearts.

From Shen Ping'an's perspective, killing only the experts from the Xie family and sparing the rest was already considered a sign of leniency and mercy.

From the Xie family's perspective, however, Shen Ping'an was an enemy who deliberately broke into the Divine Sword Manor and wreaked havoc.

From then on, all members of the Xie family would regard Shen Ping'an and even the Shen family as a great enemy.

If it were them, would this leave such a problem in the future?
The answer is yes.

Even Zhang San Niang wouldn't do something like that.

After all, Divine Sword Manor is a top-tier martial arts family that has stood for hundreds of years, with profound heritage that is beyond the reach of others.

Even if it suffers a temporary setback, once it recovers, it will likely rise again in the future, thanks to the foundation of the Divine Sword Manor.

For the Shen family, this undoubtedly means the addition of a lurking enemy who is watching them with predatory intent.

Having figured out the connection, Zhang San Niang sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, he understood why Shen Ping'an said that today's events were already destined from the moment the Xie family sent Xie Wangchen to the Shen family.

Taking in the reactions of the others, Shen Ping'an did not continue speaking.

In fact, in the martial arts world, there is often no absolute right or wrong, only strength and weakness.

The so-called right and wrong are simply a matter of different positions and starting points, and different perspectives on things.

Just like the Xie family's previous arrangement for Xie Wangchen to go to the Shen family to attack Shen Ping'an, if Shen Ping'an put himself in the Xie family's shoes, although the methods were a bit radical, it was indeed for the good of the Xie family and Shenjian Manor.

If there's any mistake, it's that the Xie family misjudged Shen Ping'an's strength and resources.

This has brought this disaster upon the Xie family today.

Ultimately, the three women were merely curious about Shen Ping'an's extreme act of wanting to directly destroy the Divine Sword Manor, rather than opposed to it.

Let's not talk about inviting the moon and pitying the stars.

Even Zhang Sanniang, though kind-hearted, was by no means soft-hearted when it came to trouble. Over the years, she had killed quite a few villains.

In the past, when she was traveling the world, she didn't care about anyone. When dealing with outsiders, Zhang San Niang naturally helped those in the right and didn't help those in the family. Her main principle was to remain neutral.

But now, she has someone she cares about. She's a woman, not a gentleman, so what right does she have to talk about reason?

Suddenly, Shen Qingshan seemed to remember something and said, "Cousin, Shanglin City is within the sphere of influence of Shenjian Manor. Has word of our presence in Shanglin City already reached Shenjian Manor?"

Shen Ping'an said casually, "With Gongzi Yu and Bai Xiaosheng there, how could Shenjian Manor possibly receive any information?"

"If I'm not mistaken, I'm afraid that before we even entered the city, the spies belonging to the Divine Sword Manor in Shanglin City had already been wiped out."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingshan thought for a moment and then remained silent.

After leisurely finishing their meal, and once the horses had eaten their fodder and rested, the group boarded the carriage and headed towards the Divine Sword Manor.

The light drizzle had stopped at some point.

But the dark clouds in the sky still hadn't dispersed.

It was dark and oppressive, which inexplicably made people feel a bit depressed.

(End of this chapter)