What would the Songshan Sect do?
The livestream chat instantly erupted into a heated discussion.
【World Society Leader Xiongba】: Isn’t it obvious? He colluded with external enemies and remained unrepentant. The only way is to exterminate his entire family to set an example!
【Gourmet Goddess Liu Yiyi】: The Songshan Sect is the leader of the Five Mountain Sword Alliance. They wouldn’t resort to such a massacre; otherwise, as Option C suggests, how would they be any different from the Demonic Sect?
【Gourmet Goddess Liu Yiyi】: Moreover, even if Songshan wanted to do this, other righteous sects wouldn’t just stand by and let it happen.
【Gourmet Goddess Liu Yiyi】: In my opinion, the correct answer is D.
【Swallow Dock’s Bao Buchang】: Nonsense! Women truly have long hair but short insight. Have you already forgotten what happened with the Qingcheng Sect? Weren’t they also considered a righteous sect?
【Swallow Dock’s Bao Buchang】: Furthermore, Songshan Sect has already put their blades to the throats of Liu’s family. If they back down now, wouldn’t that undermine their own authority?
【One of the Four Great Constables, Iron Hand】: Option D is the best choice. It saves face for the Hengshan Sect while also demonstrating Songshan’s sense of propriety. Capturing Liu’s family might just be a means of scaring Liu Zhengfeng.
【Mount Hua Sect Leader Yue Buqun】: Righteousness and evil cannot coexist! However, I trust that Senior Brother Zuo is not a man who indiscriminately kills the innocent.
【Hengshan Sect Leader Mo Da】: If Senior Brother Zuo is willing to hand over Liu to us, then our Hengshan Sect will be grateful for his consideration.
【Sun Moon Cult’s Tong Baixiong】: Ridiculous! Zuo Lengchan is nothing but a hypocrite. The correct answer is obviously A!
[…].
The chat was filled with rolling comments, with arguments for all possible choices.
…
At Songshan Sect, Zuo Lengchan’s face darkened as he stared at the choices on the screen. He already knew what the correct answer was. Since Liu Zhengfeng refused to comply, then his entire family must be exterminated!
Only by doing so could he instill fear in the other sects and pave the way for his plan to merge the Five Mountain Sword Alliance under his rule. He had already instructed Fei Bin, Lu Bai, and the others to carry out this plan.
The Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony was already set in motion, and the Songshan Sect was fully prepared. But now, this unexpected livestream revelation had thrown everything into disarray.
With the truth exposed, Liu Zhengfeng would undoubtedly be on high alert, and the Hengshan Sect would not sit idly by while their second-in-command was slaughtered. Not only that, but the other righteous sects, even if just for the sake of appearances, could no longer turn a blind eye.
“Otherwise, how would Songshan be any different from the Demonic Sect?”
That sentence alone made Zuo Lengchan feel like he had just swallowed a fly. And then there was Yue Buqun and Mo Da, pretending to trust him while actually setting him up for a fall!
The more they flattered him, the more people would scorn him when the truth was revealed. His reputation, and that of the Songshan Sect, would take a massive hit.
“Hypocrites! Damn them all!”
…
Hengyang City, Liu Residence.
“My friendship with Brother Qu has been exposed?”
“Songshan wants to stop my retirement and is using my family’s lives to force me to kill Brother Qu?”
Liu Zhengfeng stared at the grand screen, utterly shocked. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Senior Brother Zuo… wouldn’t be that ruthless, would he?”
“I don’t believe they would really go through with it.”
“But even if… even if they do… I will never betray Brother Qu!”
He swallowed hard, his eyes locked onto the screen with nervous anticipation.
…
Outside Hengyang City, Mo Da’s expression was grim. He wasn’t as naïve or foolish as Liu Zhengfeng. He knew Zuo Lengchan would undoubtedly go for the kill!
“Now that the truth is out, it has stripped away Songshan Sect’s façade. Whether this will turn out to be a blessing or a curse, I do not know.”
With a deep sigh, Mo Da stood up and headed towards the Liu Residence.
…
At the same time, many in the Swordsman universe were eagerly awaiting the answer. Yue Buqun was hoping that Zuo Lengchan’s reputation would take a critical blow.
Yu Canghai, still reeling from the Qingcheng Sect’s downfall, was now eagerly hoping that the Songshan Sect would also “collapse,” so he wouldn’t be suffering alone.
Shaolin’s Fangzheng and Wudang’s Chongxu also had no desire to see Songshan Sect rise to power.
…
Inside the livestream, Ye Luochuan pretended to deliberate for a moment before selecting A. Then, he glanced around at the others.
“Massacring the entire Liu family?”
“No, that won’t happen.”
“If the Songshan Sect were truly that ruthless, it would certainly instill fear in the Five Mountain Sect Alliance. But at the same time, their reputation in the martial world would be utterly ruined.”
“If that happened, people might fear Songshan, but no one would respect them. They would become completely isolated.”
“In the martial world, reputation is crucial!”
Long Xiaoyun, being a hypocrite himself, was a master of deception and always wore a mask in his dealings with others. He valued his reputation deeply.
From his perspective, the Songshan Sect would also use more subtle tactics rather than overt slaughter. So, he immediately ruled out A and B.
“Will they only kill Liu Zhengfeng? Or will they hand him over to the Hengshan Sect?”
“It should be the latter.”
“After all, killing Liu Zhengfeng alone doesn’t accomplish much—it would only make Hengshan resent them.”
“But if Songshan hands Liu Zhengfeng over, they can win Hengshan’s goodwill instead.”
“Songshan Sect is clearly ambitious, but conquering through strategy is superior to brute force. Rushing things will only backfire.”
With that reasoning, Long Xiaoyun chose D.
…
“This question should be A!”
Lianxing made her choice without much hesitation. She didn’t overthink it like Long Xiaoyun. But she wasn’t choosing randomly either—she had her reasons.
Songshan’s way of doing things felt all too familiar to her. It was tyrannical!
Just like Yihua Palace!
Just like her sister Yaoyue!
And Yihua Palace never left enemies alive.
…
“Ah? Extermination? Murder?”
Yilin, with her kind and innocent nature, immediately dismissed the first three options.
Because they were too cruel!
Liu Zhengfeng had only befriended Qu Yang, who had saved Linghu Chong—surely that meant Qu Yang was a good person.
Liu Zhengfeng was merely friends with him, not betraying the Five Mountain Sword Alliance. Surely, that wasn’t a crime deserving death? As for wiping out an entire family?
That was unthinkable!
The Five Mountain Sword Alliance was supposed to be united as one—how could they turn on each other like this?
Just like how Senior Brother Linghu had risked his life to save her upon their first meeting. That was the bond of the Five Mountain Sword Alliance.
Yilin firmly believed that Songshan would never be so ruthless and heartless.
“It should be left to the Hengshan Sect to decide.”
She selected D.