Lu Dingtai stopped his punches and kicks, frowned slightly, "People from the Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall? Who are they all?"
"I... I don’t recognize them, but the leader seems to be around fifty years old, with a very strong presence, clearly not an ordinary person."
Hearing this, Lu Dingtai sneered, "That would be Yuan Chenfeng, then. I didn’t expect the old bastard to come in person, seems like he’s got some hostile intentions."
Saying this, he grabbed a towel to wipe his hands and then calmly said, "Let’s go, let’s take a look."
Zhao Ya naturally went along as well.
The group headed to the front yard, and as they just crossed the courtyard gate, they heard someone laughing loudly.
"Younger Brother Lu, it’s been a long time."
The voice was full of energy, indicating that the speaker’s skills were profound.
Lu Dingtai laughed along, "Brother Yuan, what brings you here, why didn’t you send your disciples ahead to announce your visit?"
As they spoke, Lu Dingtai and Yuan Chenfeng faced each other.
Just as Gu Mingdong said, Yuan Chenfeng was about fifty years old, tall, with especially large hands, like fans.
The two met and exchanged cordial greetings, appearing to be on very close terms.
But whether it was the people Yuan Chenfeng brought or the disciples from Dingtai Martial Arts Hall who came upon hearing the news, they all remained silent, glaring at each other with hostility.
Clearly, everyone understood that this was not going to be a harmonious meeting.
After exchanging a few words, Lu Dingtai led Yuan Chenfeng to the reception hall in the front yard.
The two sat down in guest-host positions, with a young disciple serving tea and snacks.
But neither moved, and they did not speak any further.
It was as if the warm conversation outside never happened.
The two of them were like this, and naturally, their followers were even more on guard.
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly oppressive.
Zhao Ya stood behind Lu Dingtai, observing with cold eyes, silently contemplating something in his heart.
At this moment, Yuan Chenfeng was the first to speak.
As if he suddenly noticed Zhao Ya standing aside, with a look of surprise, he said.
"Younger Brother Lu, this young man is handsome and dignified. He must be the recently famous Young Hero Zhao, Zhao Ya, right?"
Indeed.
The main event had arrived.
Zhao Ya sneered in his heart, knowing that these people from Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall made such a grand entrance just for him.
Lu Dingtai, of course, understood this point even better, but he didn’t show any signs of it, instead, he smiled and said.
"Indeed, this is my newly accepted fifth disciple, Zhao Ya. What? Brother Yuan actually knows him?"
"Know him, of course, I know him!" Yuan Chenfeng replied with a forced smile.
"First, he beheaded bandits at Xiushui Square, then cleverly exposed the rapist Jade Butterfly, becoming famous overnight. How could I not know such a talented young hero?"
Lu Dingtai laughed heartily, modestly waving his hand, "Brother Yuan overpraises him, he’s just a kid, relying on luck to do a couple of trivial tasks, nothing that should catch your esteemed attention."
Yet the more he said this, the more Yuan Chenfeng burned with anger, cursing the old fox in his heart, accusing him of being insincere despite having gained an advantage.
The reason Yuan Chenfeng came here was indeed because of Zhao Ya.
Ever since that Jade Butterfly, Lu Jicheng, was executed in public, the situation for Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall became awkward.
Although Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall explained multiple times that they were unaware of Lu Jicheng’s actions and were themselves victims,
the general public did not buy this explanation.
In their view, Lu Jicheng was able to get away with his crimes for so long because of Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall’s protection.
No matter how many times Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall tried to clarify, no one believed it; the more they explained, the worse it became.
Now, rumors in the streets suggested that the reason Lu Jicheng dared to commit such heinous crimes was because of Yuan Chenfeng’s encouragement and indulgence.
As for why he did it, some said Yuan Chenfeng’s cultivation technique required the blood of girls to break through.
Others claimed Yuan Chenfeng had a perverted nature and enjoyed watching women being brutally killed.
In short, there were all sorts of rumors.
For a time, Yuan Chenfeng and even the entire Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall found themselves in a situation where they were being criticized by everyone.
Although this did not cause Yuan Chenfeng actual harm, and no one dared to say these things in front of him,
the feeling of being blamed for no reason while sitting at home still made Yuan Chenfeng feel extremely frustrated.
Especially since this had caused irreparable damage to the reputation of Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall.
Now, people from Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall dared not hold their heads high when they went out.
Some wealthy merchants and noble clans who originally intended to sponsor the Martial Arts Hall and have their children become disciples all temporarily halted their plans.
All of this made Yuan Chenfeng very angry.
And the primary target of his anger was Zhao Ya.
In his view, Zhao Ya was simply too thoughtless.
Since you found out that Lu Jicheng was Jade Butterfly, why didn’t you come notify the Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall?
If you had, there would have been no need for you to take action; Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall would have captured Lu Jicheng themselves.
In doing so, Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall would not have been falsely accused.
But now you acted on your own, gained fame for yourself, yet put the entire Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall in a passive position.
The second target of dissatisfaction was Lu Dingtai.
Yuan Chenfeng felt that a child might not understand, but you, Lu Dingtai, having roamed the Jianghu for many years, don’t you understand this?
So you did it on purpose.
Adding up all these reasons, Yuan Chenfeng decided to come personally to demand an explanation.
Seeing Lu Dingtai playing dumb, Yuan Chenfeng couldn’t help but sneer coldly.