Best Young Master
Chapter 418 - 371 Southwest Storm 7

Chapter 418: Chapter 371 Southwest Storm 7

The setting sun cast its glow, enveloping Wudang Mountain in a brilliant golden light, resembling a heavenly paradise, capturing the awe and attention of many tourists.

Unlike the tourists, the disciples within the Yuxu Palace of Wudang had little interest in admiring the beauty of the sunset, primarily because they, having spent years on Wudang Mountain, had grown accustomed to the sight. Additionally, they all knew that the mood of Sect Leader Zhang, the Heavenly Master of Wudang Sect, had been quite foul these past few days, filling the entire Yuxu Palace with a shadow that made their hearts leap in anxiety.

"Elder Zhou."

As the sun gradually dipped behind the mountain, a middle-aged man dressed in a Taoist robe approached the entrance of the Yuxu Palace, where the sweeping young disciples promptly put down their brooms and greeted him with a bow.

Zhou Qing, the middle-aged man surnamed Zhou, merely nodded slightly before briskly entering the Yuxu Palace, heading straight to the innermost room.

Heavenly Master Zhang was waiting for him there!

Minutes passed, and Zhou Qing walked along the path of the Yuxu Palace to reach the residence of Heavenly Master Zhang.

"Huff~"

Just as Zhou Qing was about to reach the doorway, he deliberately paused, slowly exhaling a deep breath before saying, "Sect Leader, it’s Zhou Qing."

"Creak!"

The response to Zhou Qing was a light noise, and the door opened instantly.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qing steadied his mind and rushed into the room.

Inside, Heavenly Master Zhang, dressed in a Taoist robe, sat cross-legged on a mat, holding the Taiyi Brush, known alongside the Taiyin Xuan Sword as a treasure of the Wudang Sect. His eyebrows slightly furrowed, he fixed his gaze on Zhou Qing.

"Zhou Qing pays his respects to the Sect Leader."

Zhou Qing promptly knelt to pay his respects, his role as the Elder in charge of external affairs for the Wudang Sect mainly involved handling secular matters. Despite bearing the title of elder, his status within the sect was not particularly high, not to mention compared to the deceased Great Elder Murong Gu, he even fell somewhat short when measured against his peer Xu Longxiang.

Therefore, every time he met with Heavenly Master Zhang, he would perform the kneeling salute as a sign of respect.

"Have you clarified the investigation? What exactly happened?" Heavenly Master Zhang asked coldly.

After sending Xu Longxiang down the mountain, he had been waiting for news without entering secluded cultivation, only to hear neither of Xu Longxiang’s success in assassinating Ye Fan nor of any news from him. Instead, he received news of the Nanming Wudang Martial Arts School being attacked by gunmen and Xu Longxiang vanishing without a trace.

This had greatly worsened Heavenly Master Zhang’s mood over the past two days, prompting him to demand that the Elder of external affairs, Zhou Wu, personally investigate the attack on the Nanming Wudang Martial Arts School and to order Zhou Qing to return to the Wudang Sect and report to him.

"Sect Leader, it has been clarified, it was the doing of Nanqinghong people," Zhou Qing replied, raising his head with a face full of reverence.

"Are you sure?"

Upon hearing this, Heavenly Master Zhang was highly skeptical.

For one, as a centerpiece and guiding star within the Huaxia Martial Arts World, Wudang Sect held a prestigious standing and had hardly faced any opposition from other powers over the past few years.

The Qinghong Organization was one of the largest underworld organizations globally, famous for its abundance of formidable members, and while powerful, its Nanqinghong branch operating within Huaxia had relatively modest strength, nowhere near capable of confronting the Wudang Sect.

Moreover, Huaxia’s regulation of Jianghu members was extraordinarily strict; for Nanqinghong to act in such a brazen manner was like seeking their own demise, breaking the rules established by the Yanhuang Organization.

Furthermore, given what he knew, Ye Fan held a deep-seated hatred against the Wudang Sect, making the enemy of his enemy a friend; thus, it was even less logical for Nanqinghong to strike against the Wudang Sect!

"Absolutely, Sect Leader. Based on the intelligence we gathered, the Southwest police responded by trying to catch the gunmen who attacked our martial arts hall. The gunmen resisted to the death and were all killed," Zhou Qing nodded and reported the information obtained.

Hmm?

Hearing Zhou Qing’s firm answer, Heavenly Master Zhang’s expression suddenly became somewhat solemnite.

Although he didn’t know why Nanqinghong would attack the Wudang’s Martial Arts Hall, he saw the potential for this matter to provoke lasting hostility between the Wudang Sect and the Qinghong Organization if not handled properly.

With the millennia-old legacy of the Wudang and the deterrent power of the Yanhuang Organization behind him, he wasn’t fearful of Qinghong Organization’s revenge, but he was wary of Qinghong Organization’s leader, Chen Daozang!

As the Sect Leader of Wudang, an exalted strongman ranked sixth on the Divine List in Huaxia, his understanding of Chen Daozang was far more extensive and accurate than the rumors in Jianghu — not only was Chen a master of political and military strategy, but his Combat Power was astronomical!

Meaning, Chen Daozang stood second only to ’Yan’, the leader of the Yanhuang Organization, on the globally recognized ’Divine List’ of Martial Arts World’s finest.

Unwilling to make an enemy of such a powerful, formidable Supreme Strongman, Heavenly Master Zhang was naturally no exception.

"What’s the reason? Why would Nanqinghong want to attack our martial arts hall?" After a brief silence, Heavenly Master Zhang spoke up once again.

"We haven’t found out just yet," said Zhou Qing, who, fearing blame from Heavenly Master Zhang, quickly bowed his head, daring not to look at him.

"What are you even doing?"

Indeed, upon hearing this, Heavenly Master Zhang immediately erupted, unleashing a torrent of reproach.

As his fears materialized, Zhou Qing trembled inwardly, his body tensing up to the point where he didn’t even dare to breathe deeply.

"Ding-dong—"

At that moment, the quiet room was filled with the sound of a ringing phone.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry and investigate, it must be clarified!" Heavenly Master Zhang stood up and commanded sternly.

"Yes... yes, Sect Leader!" Zhou Qing anxiously responded, then prudently scrambled up and left the room drenched in cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Heavenly Master Zhang, holding the Taiyi Brush, briskly entered an inner room, swiftly sliding over to the phone and picking up the receiver.

"Hello, Sect Leader Zhang, this is He Yunting, the Martial Arts Hall Elder of the Yanhuang Organization." The call connected, and He Yunting’s voice clearly reached Heavenly Master Zhang’s ears.

"Elder He, I was just about to call you."

Upon hearing He Yunting’s words, Heavenly Master Zhang asked sternly, "Our Wudang Sect’s martial arts hall in Southwest Nanming was attacked by a group of gunmen. It was said to be Nanqinghong’s gunmen. What exactly happened?"

"Don’t you know the reason, Sect Leader Zhang?" He Yunting countered.

"If I knew, would I still be asking you?"

Since the last time He Yunting had called him to convey the news of Murong Gu and Murong Sheng, father and son, being killed in action, and the Wudang Sect losing the Taiyin Xuan Sword, Zhang had held a great grievance against He Yunting. Now, seeing He Yunting’s tone somewhat forceful, his tone immediately cooled down.

"Sect Leader Zhang, this matter started because your Wudang Sect provoked it first," replied He Yunting, his tone unfriendly.

"Our Wudang Sect provoked it?" Zhang Heavenly Master was somewhat annoyed, "Elder He, you can eat messily, but you mustn’t speak carelessly—how could our Wudang Sect possibly provoke it?"

"Sect Leader Zhang, according to a joint investigation by the Yanhuang Organization Southwest Office, the Southwest Police, and the Security Bureau, the reason the Nanqinghong gunmen attacked the Wudang Martial Arts Hall has been clarified," He Yunting said.

"What’s the reason?" Zhang Heavenly Master asked coldly.

"A disciple of the Wudang Sect assassinated Wu Hu, the leader of Nanqinghong in the Southwest region. In his rage, Wu Hu sent gunmen to attack the Wudang Martial Arts Hall for revenge," He Yunting replied sternly.

"What... what?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Heavenly Master was shocked, then said solemnly, "Elder He, our Wudang Sect is a well-known righteous sect in the Huaxia Martial Arts World, always adhering to Huaxia’s laws and the Yanhuang Organization’s regulations. How could we possibly engage in assassination? Moreover, we have no grievances with the Qinghong Organization, why would we assassinate a member of the Qinghong Organization?"

"Sect Leader Zhang, that is exactly what I want to ask you: why would the Wudang Sect send someone to assassinate Wu Hu, the leader of Nanqinghong in the Southwest region?" He Yunting countered.

"Elder He, are you sure the Yanhuang Organization did not investigate wrongly?" Zhang Heavenly Master retorted angrily.

"The Yanhuang Organization oversees the martial artists within Huaxia with the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency. How could it make a conclusion without solid evidence?"

He Yunting retorted sharply, no longer deliberately lowering his posture as he had when notifying Zhang Heavenly Master about the execution of Murong Gu and Murong Sheng.

Hmm?

Realizing this, Zhang Heavenly Master knew that He Yunting must have had solid evidence; otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to be so assertive in front of him.

Understanding all this, he couldn’t help but think of Xu Longxiang going missing, and a ridiculous thought emerged in his mind: Could it be that Longxiang failed in his assassination of the Ye boy, and the Ye boy used Nanqinghong to take revenge?

Impossible!

The thought emerged, and Zhang Heavenly Master immediately dismissed it.

First, he believed that with Xu Longxiang’s strength, if he wanted to sneak attack and assassinate Ye Fan, it would be extremely easy. Moreover, it was impossible for the people of Nanqinghong to help Ye Fan against the Wudang Sect!

"Elder He, I find this matter very suspicious and believe there must be an unknown secret. I suggest that the Yanhuang Organization thoroughly re-examine this matter, clear our Wudang Sect’s name, and give an explanation to our Wudang Sect!" After dismissing the thoughts in his mind, Zhang Heavenly Master spoke again, his tone equally strong.

First, he was dissatisfied with He Yunting’s attitude today, feeling that He Yunting didn’t take him seriously. Moreover, although he didn’t know what evidence the Yanhuang Organization used to conclude that the Wudang Sect disciples assassinated Wu Hu, he firmly did not believe it!

"Sect Leader Zhang, how the Yanhuang Organization should operate is not for you to direct!" He Yunting said coldly.

"He Yunting, what did you say?"

Zhang Heavenly Master trembled with anger, the suppressed fury in his heart exploding.

As the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, who had reached the Gang Qi Realm in both the domains of magic and martial arts and was ranked sixth on the Dragon Ranking, he was one of the towering figures in the Huaxia Martial Arts World, with a high and distinguished status. When had he ever been treated with such disrespect?

"Heavenly Master Zhang, I hope you understand that I am speaking to you on behalf of the Yanhuang Organization," He Yunting reminded coldly.

"Ha, what about the Yanhuang Organization? Can the Yanhuang Organization just slander our Wudang Sect like this?" Zhang Heavenly Master said furiously, "He Yunting, not to mention you, even Yan cannot slander our Wudang Sect like this!"

"Slander? As I’ve said before, we made our conclusions based on solid evidence," He Yunting said with a cold laugh.

"Additionally, Heavenly Master Zhang, I remind you not to think that just because you are a Gang Qi Realm strong person, you can disregard our Yanhuang Organization—according to the regulations of the Yanhuang Organization, all martial artists within Huaxia must be supervised by the Yanhuang Organization, and Gang Qi Realm martial artists are no exception!"

"I called you, only to inform you of one thing: within three days, hand over the Wudang Sect disciple who assassinated Wu Hu to the Yanhuang Organization. Otherwise, all Wudang Martial Arts Halls within Huaxia will be dissolved, and the Wudang Sect will be strictly prohibited from recruiting disciples and teaching martial arts from now on."

"He Yunting, your Yanhuang Organization is going too far!" Zhang Heavenly Master was utterly furious, wishing he could make He Yunting bleed on the spot.

"Going too far?"

"Leader Yan asked me to remind you that the Wudang Sect’s thousand-year inheritance is not easy to maintain, and he hopes it won’t be destroyed in your hands," He Yunting stated coldly.

"Smash—"

Zhang Heavenly Master, unable to control his anger, shattered the handset and the desk with the Gang Qi that surged out.

However—

Amidst his anger, a sliver of sanity told him that even though he was ranked sixth on the Dragon Ranking and a Supreme Strongman, he was still not confident enough to challenge Leader Yan, who was ranked first on both the Divine and Dragon Rankings!

Trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice.

He had no choice but to swallow the broken teeth in his stomach!

...

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