Chapter 110 - 108: Washing One’s Hands of the Martial World
This day.
The Liu Residence was packed inside and out, with a banquet stretching across the whole street, bustling with noise and excitement.
All because today was the day Liu Dingsheng, a legendary hero, would wash his hands of the gold basin and retire from the Jianghu.
"As many people hate Brother Liu as there are those who admire and respect him. This is the impact he has in the Jianghu," Zhuang Ren dismounted from the carriage, unsurprised by the lively scene.
"This can be considered a successful retirement."
Beside him, Song Changming followed along, carrying the generous gift prepared by Zhuang Ren.
To maintain the Jianghu atmosphere, the two only wore casual attire today, making them inconspicuous among the visitors.
After informing the Liu Family of their identity, they were quickly welcomed inside.
With Zhuang Ren’s status, it was natural that he wouldn’t sit at the street banquet; entering the Liu Residence and joining the hall was appropriate.
"Brother Liu, I’m here." Zhuang Ren greeted Liu Dingsheng warmly as he approached.
Song Changming followed, noticing Liu Dingsheng still dressed simply in plain clothes, his white hair, although aged, was meticulously groomed.
His essence, qi, and spirit were vigorous, showing no signs of decline or muddle-headedness.
"How fortunate to have reached such an age without suffering hair loss..." Song Changming muttered to himself.
At the same time, he deeply realized how profound the depth of this Jianghu elder was.
Just a few days ago, he took action and caused the entire Xu Family to evaporate without trace, yet now he acted as if nothing happened, joyously holding his retirement ceremony.
He didn’t worry at all that the government might pursue him, meeting Zhuang Ren with composure, never mentioning the Xu Family incident.
"Truly a terrifying character..."
Song Changming silently warned himself to avoid provoking this person as much as possible, preferably avoiding excessive contact altogether.
The banquet was arranged into three parts, the street banquet, the courtyard guest seats, and finally the distinguished guest seats in the main hall.
Zhuang Ren, bringing Song Changming, took seats at the main hall.
Liu Dingsheng mostly stayed in the main hall, entertaining distinguished guests from afar.
The Sword Star Sect members seen previously by Song Changming were also present.
Le Fenglin, who had previously challenged Song Changming, raised his glass to him from afar, greeting him in a friendly manner.
Besides the Sword Star Sect, numerous major sects and large factions from the Jianghu also came to show support.
Many famed experts of the Jianghu were also gathered here.
Even among them, despite any past grudges, they were willing to give face to Elder Liu Dingsheng and did not disrupt the harmonious atmosphere of the banquet.
Later, when the selected Hour arrived, Liu Dingsheng began the retreat ceremony process.
His hands in the gold basin, he was laying down the past.
From then on, he retired from the Jianghu, not pursuing fame or fortune.
The ceremony process was not dragged out; it ended quickly.
Everyone stood up, applauding and congratulating.
Just as the retirement ceremony was nearing its end, a piercing voice came from the courtyard.
"Liu Dingsheng, do you truly think washing your hands will cleanse them of bloodstains?!"
"Do you truly believe saying you’re retiring means you can retire?!"
As those words rang out, the initially warm atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
A young man stood up, with no intention of hiding; those words had come from his mouth.
His eyes were filled with bitterness and shade, staring firmly at Liu Dingsheng.
"Who are you!" The hostile intent was apparent, prompting several skilled guards from the Liu Residence to attempt dragging the man away.
Liu Dingsheng did not stop them.
But the next moment, several figures wielding swords and knives employed Light Body Skill to evade and blocked the Liu Residence guards.
Liu Dingsheng looked at them and said with a faint smile, "I said on such an occasion today, how could there be no one seeking revenge? But you appeared too late; perhaps you’ve come with empty stomachs."
Song Changming placed a hand on the knife handle at his waist, glancing at Zhuang Ren.
Although he didn’t wear the Patrol Captain’s armor today, he carried his usual two knives, prepared for such sudden situations.
After all, Zhuang Ren had said beforehand that Liu Dingsheng had many enemies who likely wouldn’t want to see him retire from the Jianghu peacefully.
Perhaps trouble would arise today.
And indeed, the enemies had arrived.
Zhuang Ren stepped forward, stood by Liu Dingsheng, and asked, "Brother Liu, do you need me to call in personnel to handle this?"
"Lord Zhuang’s good intention I appreciate, but this is a matter within the Jianghu; let me handle it," Liu Dingsheng dismissed with a calm smile.
He seemed unconcerned with the few who had come seeking revenge.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Ren said nothing more.
The host today was Liu Dingsheng, and to him, as long as the city’s public safety was not affected, it was fine.
In fact, he had already dispatched the General Patrol Guard before setting off, who were waiting at nearby tavern streets.
Just one signal flare would summon a swarm of patrol guards to address any uncontrollable circumstances.
"Enough talk, I’ve searched for years, and this deep-seated grudge needs blood to be repaid today!"
With those words, more people flipped in from outside the courtyard, heading toward Liu Dingsheng.
"Today, anyone who dares to disrespect Elder Liu is crossing Thunderbolt Hand!"
"And crossing the Northern Mingyang Sect as well!"
"..."
Many guests angrily slammed the table, drawing their weapons and rising up violently.
Most of them were martial artists with strong abilities, many of whom had made a name for themselves in the Jianghu.
As they took action, they directly intercepted all the enemies attacking Liu Dingsheng.
In an instant, the entire courtyard turned into a chaotic battlefield, with tables and drinks overturned, and bowls and dishes shattered into pieces.
Song Changming stood beside Zhuang Ren, watching the chaos in the courtyard.
The last time he witnessed so many martial arts experts gathering and displaying their martial arts skills in a duel was at the Xiao Mansion, protecting that Second-Grade Official of the Imperial Court.
He never thought he’d see such a scene again, especially at a retirement banquet.
"Liu Dingsheng, hand over your life!"
Just then, a furious shout came from another direction.
Another group of enemies stormed into the courtyard, shouting to kill Liu Dingsheng.
But soon, they were blocked by those Liu Dingsheng had arranged, although the scene became increasingly chaotic.
The solid four-sided courtyard walls also seemed on the verge of being destroyed in this grand melee.
At this rate, the banquet would definitely not continue.
"It seems they came prepared!" Liu Dingsheng’s face turned cold as he began to roll up his sleeves, ready to take action personally.
"Elder, since you have retired, it is not appropriate for you to take action. Leave it to us." Teng Shan Hua from Sword Star Sect suddenly stopped Liu Dingsheng.
"This is my private affair, how can I trouble you all again?" Liu Dingsheng frowned.
"No worries. Before I left the sect, my master specifically instructed me to help you retire smoothly. This is also part of his plan." As Teng Shan Hua spoke, he had already unsheathed his sword.
The disciples from Sword Star Sect who followed him also drew their swords, including Le Fenglin and Du Ling, entering the fray one after another.
"Since we have attended Elder’s banquet, how can we sit by and do nothing? We should help!" In the main hall, another group responded to Teng Shan Hua, wielding knives as they entered the courtyard.
There is indeed such an unwritten rule in Jianghu.
Those retiring would throw a grand banquet, and the guests who partook had the duty to help out and support, aiding the host in a smooth and dignified retirement.
As more people joined in, the two groups of adversaries began to waver, gradually being subdued.
Just when Song Changming thought the matter would end here, the young man who initially leaped out, driven by a deep-seated blood vendetta, roared furiously.
"How long will you just watch?!"
Song Changming was taken aback, "Are there more experts?"
Suddenly, he detected a strange fragrance wafting from outside the courtyard wall.
And along with this scent, the courtyard wall somehow became host to many centipedes, spiders, and ants.
Unlike ordinary insects, these centipede and ant creatures were multicolored and bizarrely shaped.
They varied in size, with some large centipedes as thick as a forearm, and spiders larger than a human hand, making one’s eyelids twitch.
"What the hell are these things?!"
In the courtyard, someone who fell injured was quickly approached by these insects and immediately let out a heartrending scream.
The flesh and blood on his body were torn by these strange insects, quickly turning into a bloody mess.
Smaller insects burrowed directly into his wounds, gnawing at his flesh, blood, and bones!
"Help, help me, I can’t move..." The person cried for help, but the sight was too terrifying, and no one dared to step forward.
In fact, even if they wanted to assist, there was no way, and they could only watch as this person was devoured by the exotic insects.
The battle in the courtyard halted due to the appearance of these strange insects.
The martial artists stepped back, staring at the person covered in insects on the ground, their skin crawling.
The heartrending screams also echoed on the street outside the courtyard, clearly indicating that others were affected by these insects as well.
"Outer Domain Evil Cult?!" Zhuang Ren’s face changed drastically upon seeing these insects, blurting out.
"Outer Domain? Evil Cult?" Song Changming was puzzled, it was the first time he heard about this.
It seemed these insects were controlled by humans.
Whoever could issue orders to insects, what kind of novel skill was this?
Song Changming felt he had learned something new; just seeing the swarm of insects was indeed unnerving.
"They are a bizarre sect active outside the Da Han Dynasty, many among them specialize in studying Gu insects and poisons, and there’s even talk of unique methods to tame exotic beasts!
Moreover, these Outer Domain Evil Cults have a large amount of mist gold, capable of summoning fog beasts to fight..."
Zhuang Ren explained to Song Changming, then turned to look at Liu Dingsheng not far away, speaking solemnly.
"Brother Liu, you know as well that Outer Domain Evil Cults threaten the stability of the Da Han Dynasty and have always been a target for government eradication. I must intervene in this matter now!"
This time, without waiting for Liu Dingsheng to speak, Zhuang Ren had already taken out a signal flare and hurled it into the air.
The appearance of the Outer Domain Evil Cult had changed the nature of today’s event, taking it beyond the realm of Jianghu affairs.
Someone colluding with the Outer Domain Evil Cult to cause trouble in the city was not something Zhuang Ren, as the Public Security Bureau Director of the County City, could sit idly by and ignore.
...