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"It's one thing to disagree, but to kick us out of the mountain is another. We've come all this way to help them, and they don't even give us a cup of tea before kicking us out. Are they still allies?!"
"But we came down the mountain on our own."
"What's the difference between this situation and forcing us to come down the mountain?"
Two disciples from Mount Song kept complaining on their way down the mountain. One was Shi Da, who was known as the Thousand-Foot Pine, and the other was a disciple from Mount Song named Di Xiu.
"They even say we're annexing them. What's the point of annexing them? My Songshan Sect is currently the most powerful of the Five Mountains. There's no need for such a thing. The purpose of merging sects is to make the Five Mountains Sword Sects even more powerful in the martial world. Not only do they not understand, but they also disrespect their sect leader and senior uncle. They deserve to die!"
Di Xiu said bitterly.
His words were heard in more than one place among the disciples of Songshan, all complaining about this matter.
Hearing the discussions among the disciples behind him, Lu Bai couldn't hold back any longer. He took two steps to stand in front of Zuo Lengchan, his face grim, and said, "Senior brother, are we just going to let this go like this?"
At this moment, Zuo Lengchan's expression remained calm, as if he had not heard these discussions and was not affected by what had happened before.
After hearing Lu Bai's question, Zuo Lengchan glanced at him and spoke calmly.
"What good will it do to just not count it?"
"I can't take this breath!"
Lu Bai suppressed his anger and said.
"Only those who are magnanimous can achieve great things."
Zuo Lengchan glanced at Lu Baidingmian and the others, and said, "You are all in high positions and should be more shrewd, yet you can't even tolerate a few harsh words. What can you accomplish by shouting and yelling like this?"
Zuo Lengchan remained remarkably calm and even had the composure to educate his fellow disciples.
"You must remember that temporary gains and losses are nothing; a true man is one who can bend and stretch."
"Only by enduring what ordinary people cannot endure can one do what ordinary people cannot do."
Chapter 250: Zuo Lengchan's Way of Dealing with the World
"Yes, senior brother."
Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and others immediately bowed and agreed.
They had great faith in Zuo Lengchan.
After agreeing with Zuo Lengchan, Lu Bai couldn't help but say with some concern, "However, Senior Brother, the other four sects reacted so strongly after we proposed merging the sects today. Dingyi even proposed to withdraw from the Five Mountains Alliance. I'm afraid this merging plan will be difficult..."
Zuo Lengchan glanced calmly at his fellow disciples, his gaze finally settling on Fei Bin, and said, "Do you know why things turned out this way today?"
Fei Bin lowered his head and dared not speak under Zuo Lengchan's gaze.
Although things turned out this way, Fei Bin knew it was all his fault.
Lu Bai, Ding Mian, and the others exchanged glances, then bowed and said in unison, "Please enlighten us, Senior Brother."
Zuo Lengchan turned his head to look ahead, without keeping him in suspense.
"Because you lack power."
"Position?"
Lu Bai and the others exchanged puzzled glances. Han Tianpeng cautiously asked, "Senior brother, what does this 'power' refer to? Does it refer to the power of our Songshan Sect?"
In his understanding, the Songshan Sect's power is now stronger than the four sects combined; this is power.
Zuo Lengchan shook his head slightly.
"The way to conduct oneself in the world lies in the art of adapting to change; one should not be biased towards one side."
"Our Songshan Sect is indeed stronger than the other four sects now. This is a real advantage. However, it is impossible to suppress them and merge the sects based on this alone. Therefore, we need to rely on another kind of advantage, a feint. Only by combining the real and the feint can we be invincible."
"A feint?"
Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and others were puzzled.
Zuo Lengchan seemed to be in a better mood, and his tone carried a hint of a smile.
"What is illusory power? It is ethereal and intangible, yet it is so real that one cannot help but acknowledge its existence."
"The previous siege of Mount Hua by the demonic sect's witch's subordinates was a feint. I originally intended to use this feint and then combine it with real forces to force the other four sects to agree to merge. Only when they know that such things will happen again in the future and that only merging sects can solve the problem will they agree. Otherwise, merging sects will never succeed."
At this point, Zuo Lengchan glanced at Fei Bin again and said, "We're too late this time. Those people have already been dealt with by the four sects and Qingcheng and Emei. Their illusory power is gone. You shouldn't have proposed merging the sects now. Not only will it not succeed, but it will also have the opposite effect. Without the combination of illusory power, relying solely on real power will only provoke a strong backlash from them. Besides, Emei had already allied with Huashan by then, and Shaolin, Wudang, and Kunlun wouldn't just stand by and watch us succeed in merging the sects. Their real power is no weaker than ours. Proposing merging the sects now will only make them wary, and it will be of no use at all."
After Zuo Lengchan finished speaking at length, Fei Bin's head was lowered as low as it could go, his face flushed red with embarrassment and guilt.
"Senior brother, I'm sorry."
Zuo Lengchan shook his head slightly, not blaming him: "I'm not saying this to blame you, but to let you know that you should remember this lesson and not make the same mistake again. You are my junior brothers, and the Songshan Sect still needs you to continue to develop."
Upon hearing Zuo Lengchan's words, Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and others, who were already in their fifties or sixties, couldn't help but tear up. Fei Bin, in particular, felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
This time, not only did Zuo Lengchan's plan fail, but it also put Zuo Lengchan in danger of losing his position as leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. He wished he could commit suicide to atone for his sins. From now on, he would only risk his life to serve Zuo Lengchan and do his utmost until his death. Even if Zuo Lengchan wanted him to die immediately, he would not hesitate.
"All right."
Zuo Lengchan glanced at his fellow disciples.
"This trip wasn't a complete waste. Consider it a tour for the Songshan Sect. The past cannot be undone, but the future can still be changed. Let's focus on the future."
Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and the others exchanged glances and bowed, saying, "Yes, Senior Brother."
Yu Panzi and Yu Jizi were also in the Songshan Sect's group, and they all heard Zuo Lengchan's words.
At this moment, they were indeed captivated by Zuo Lengchan's charm.
……
"Huh, what about people?"
Feng Qingyang, who had just returned to the foot of Mount Hua, stared blankly at the empty space for a moment.
There were hundreds of people when he came down the mountain, but now there's not a single one left.
Is Shaolin's efficiency really that fast?
At this moment, Feng Qingyang could only think that this was the reason why Shaolin had taken action.
The crisis had been resolved, and a smile appeared on Feng Qingyang's face.
At this moment, his complexion returned to its original rosy hue, as if his pale face at the Xi'an Inn had been an illusion.
Now that the matter was over, Feng Qingyang prepared to return to his Repentance Cliff and continue his reclusive life.
Just as Feng Qingyang was about to go up the mountain, he suddenly saw a large group of people coming down from under the Thousand-Foot Cliff. Feng Qingyang looked at their clothes and found that they were people from the Songshan Sect and the Taishan Sect.
It seems they came to help the Huashan Sect, and now they've finished and are preparing to leave.
Feng Qingyang thought to himself.
He was not surprised by the help from the Songshan Sect. Although he had learned about the Songshan Sect's ambitions from Fang Zheng, he did not believe that the Songshan Sect would stand by and watch the Huashan Sect perish.
Upon seeing this large group of people coming down from the mountain, Feng Qingyang neither showed himself nor had any intention of going up to chat with them.
Since there were people on the front mountain, he decided to go up from the back mountain.
……
"When you met Senior Feng this time, did you notice anything unusual about him?"
night.
In one of the guest rooms on Mount Hua, Fang Zheng was talking to Fang Sheng.
Fang Sheng shook his head: "No, Senior Feng is still healthy and vigorous, and looks to be in better physical condition than us."
Fang Zheng frowned upon hearing this.
Feng Qingyang is now over eighty years old. Most ordinary people would already be buried by now, but Feng Qingyang is still alive and kicking. It seems he can live for at least another twenty years.
Wow, they're really good at surviving.
Fang Zheng couldn't help but think to himself.
"Senior brother."
Fang Sheng looked somewhat troubled: "Senior Feng asked Shaolin to resolve the current crisis of the Huashan Sect. Although he didn't say it, he probably intended to use the favor I owe him. But given the current situation, I'm afraid I can't repay the favor I owe Senior Feng."
Fang Zheng was also somewhat annoyed upon hearing this.
Although Fang Sheng owed this favor, he also had a share in it, but he took all the blame for it.
The matter of them owing Feng Qingyang a favor involves an event that happened decades ago, but that's no longer important.
"In that case, let's leave it at that for now."
Fang Zheng said, "We must repay Senior Feng's favor. Next time, we'll see what Senior Feng plans to ask us to do. As long as it's not too outrageous, I'll agree to it."
"Ah."
Fang Sheng nodded, not dwelling on the matter, and then brought up another issue.
"Senior brother, the Emei Sect..."
Fang Sheng's face showed the same worried expression as before.
Fang Zheng's face began to show signs of annoyance again.
Chapter 251: Two Old Foxes
To be honest, he hadn't received any information about the Emei Sect beforehand, so he was in a state of confusion throughout the day, a feeling that Fang Zheng disliked very much.
"so."
Fang Zheng looked up at Fang Sheng and said, "After this, you will personally go to Sichuan to investigate what exactly happened to the Emei Sect."
"it is good."
Fang Sheng nodded.
After exchanging information, the two fell silent, the dim candlelight in the room illuminating their aged faces.
After a moment of silence, Fang Sheng stood up, bowed, and prepared to leave. Fang Zheng waved to signal him to leave, and only after Fang Sheng left did Fang Zheng's expression relax.
Fang Zheng rested one hand on the table, propped his forehead with his other hand, and kept rubbing his temples, looking utterly annoyed.
"Mount Song...Mount Hua...Mount Emei..."
Fang Zheng kept his eyes tightly closed, muttering these words over and over, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
……
Early the next morning.
"Sect Leader Yue looks refreshed and in good spirits, he seems to be doing well."
Fang Zheng, who had fallen asleep sometime last night, got up early this morning to take a walk on Mount Hua, where he bumped into Yue Buqun, who was also out for a walk.
"Abbot, you're up very early too. How did you rest last night?"
Yue Buqun responded with a smile.
Fang Zheng said with a faint smile, "Mount Hua is a place of spiritual beauty and pleasant scenery, so I naturally slept well."
"That's strange to say."
Fang Zheng laughed and said, "As people get older, their sleep doesn't get very good. In the past, when I was in Songshan, I often suffered from insomnia and couldn't sleep well. I didn't expect to sleep so soundly last night. I think Mount Hua is truly a place where the spirits of heaven and earth are concentrated."
"Haha."
Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun's smile deepened, and he said mischievously, "Since the Abbot loves Mount Hua so much, why don't our two sects switch places? I think Mount Song is the more beautiful and scenic place."
"Sect Leader Yue is joking."
Fang Zheng chuckled.
The Huashan Sect is so poor that all it has left is Huashan itself; what's there to exchange?
After exchanging brief pleasantries, the two took a walk together, from the South Peak all the way to the East Peak. Along the way, Fang Zheng brought up the topic again.
"Sect Leader Yue is so lucky."
"Oh? What makes you say that, Master?"