Qingsha Sect, Again

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. It came from a man in his early forties who was standing at the front of the Qingsha Sect platform. His eyebrows were sharp and made him look perpetually angry. He had a receding hairline that couldn't be hidden by the teal cap he wore, a slight beer belly, and a face that would immediately be recognized as the villain in dramas. The more Wang Jingyuan looked at him, the more she didn't like him.

"He must be the chief of Qingsha Sect." Mo Xian leaned over and said quietly to Wang Jingyuan. "Can you senior brother defeat a chief?"

Wang Jingyuan's brows knitted together as she frowned. "I don't know," she said. "If Qingsha pupils are any indication of their mentor's skills, this chief of Qingsha Sect shouldn't be too hard to defeat. But my senior brother had already fought so many people in a row; he's bound to be tired."

"True. And from the looks of the chief, he doesn't seem like the type to play nice." Mo Xian scrutinized the chief of Qingsha Sect. "He has the face of a bad person."

Wang Jingyuan remembered something. "My mentor died from Qingsha Sect's Eight Trigrams Soul-Extraction Palm. It's most likely him who delivered the fatal blow!"

"Does your senior brother know that?"

"I don't think so. Maybe I should go down there and tell him." Wang Jingyuan started to get up again, but Mo Xian pulled her back down.

"You definitely cannot go down there right now. Qingsha Sect has been hunting you for weeks. If you appear right now, you will only cause more problems for your senior brother," Mo Xian persuaded. "It is better for you to watch how your senior brother handles things and then react accordingly."

With a slight huff, Wang Jingyuan sat back down. She knew that Mo Xian was right, but she hated how he was always right.

During this time, the chief of Qingsha Sect had arrived on the stage. He and Liu Xiaochen stood about twenty meters apart, facing each other.

"Liu Xiaochen, I didn't know you were so bold as to dare to show your face after Xuanyan Sect was destroyed," the Qingsha chief sneered. "I can't believe we missed some of the vermin in our sweep. No matter; today, I will send you to reunite with the rest of your sect!"

"Chief Tian, I came here today especially to find you," Liu Xiaochen said calmly. "As the head disciple of Xuanyan Sect, I believe you owe me an explanation—why did you organize and lead the attack on Xuanyan Sect?"

"Because Xuanyan Sect deserves it!" Chief Tian glared at Liu Xiaochen. "Your mentor, that no-good Luo Qingye, should have known what was coming when he decided to murder the chiefs at the Hero Assembly six years ago! He killed my father, the then-chief of Qingsha Sect. How can I rest easy when I need to get revenge for the unfair and untimely death of my father? If Luo Qingye didn't use his demonic skills to kill people, he wouldn't have incited public hatred!"

"Demonic skills? Murder?" Liu Xiaochen laughed humorlessly. "Tian Haiwei, don't spout your lies. I was there six years ago, and I am sure that many people here today were also at the Hero Assembly six years ago. My mentor did not 'murder' the chiefs; it was an accident, and he only severely wounded them. They died later. Your father was how old? Seventy? Not being able to handle a hit from a martial artist half his age is normal. If you insist that my mentor was the reason why the chiefs died, fine. But if they hadn't all tried to fight him at the same time, if they hadn't tried to force him to give up the Song of the Phoenix, would my mentor have been driven to such desperate measures?

"You call the Song of the Phoenix 'demonic skills', yet Qingsha Sect is the one sect who has tried every method possible to get their hands on the scroll. You tried to poison us, you tried to rob us, and you even tried to infiltrate Xuanyan Sect with spies! How shameless must you be, Tian Haiwei, to use such lowly methods?"

"How can the martial arts sector let you Xuanyan Sect have sole possession of such a powerful secret skill?" Tian Haiwei argued. "It is unsafe; we all saw how it could kill in an instant six years ago. That's why we proposed for Xuanyan Sect to share it with everyone and let the martial arts sector as a whole keep it safe. But Luo Qingye wouldn't and he tried to keep it all for himself. That's why we—"

"Why should my mentor give you the scroll?" Liu Xiaochen's eyes spat fire. "Song of the Phoenix is my mentor's entire lifetime's work. It was made from his blood and sweat and tears. Why do any of you deserve to enjoy the fruit when none of you did any work for it?"

"Look at this: like mentor, like disciple." Tian Haiwei pointed a disappointing finger at Liu Xiaochen as he looked at the other sects. "Luo Qingye was just as arrogant and egotistical six years ago. His overconfidence brought him his downfall. Originally, I was going to consider letting you off the hook since you are still young, but you've been testing me one too many times."

"As if. Chief Tian, you were clearly the one who started the insults and accusations." Liu Xiaochen was so furious he laughed. "Are you willing to swear, in front of the entire martial arts sector, that if I bring out the Song of the Phoenix you will have nothing to do with it?"

"What? Liu Xiaochen has the Song of the Phoenix?"

"He brought it with him?"

"No way! I want to see it!"

The crowd burst into an uproar. Wang Jingyuan's eyes widened. Luo Qingye told her that he burned the scroll; where did Liu Xiaochen get another one? Were there two copies? Did Luo Qingye lie, or is Liu Xiaochen lying?

Tian Haiwei was stumped. Everyone saw clearly from his expression that no matter what he said, he still wanted the Song of the Phoenix. He tried to regain his composure. "Impossible. Luo Qingye said he destroyed the scroll. You're lying!"

"My mentor would rather destroy his life's work than to let it fall into the wrong hands. I think that speaks volumes about your character, doesn't it, Chief Tian?" Liu Xiaochen smirked. "But if I do have another copy of the scroll, what will you do to get it from me? Kill me like you killed the innocent pupils of Xuanyan?"

"Those are different things! Wiping out Xuanyan Sect was for revenge!" Tian Haiwei argued.

"Please, Chief Tian. We all know that the only reason the five sects attacked Xuanyan Sect was to get the Song of the Phoenix. After all, you've all been eyeing it hungrily for years. So when you couldn't get it, you killed everyone." Liu Xiaochen's expression was cold and furious. "My mentor is already dead. You've gotten your revenge for your father. If revenge was truly your goal, why are you still after me?"

Tian Haiwei stuttered a bit before answering, "Just as Luo Qingye wasn't allowed to keep the Song of the Phoenix, a young, inexperienced martial artist like you can't keep it either. You should give it to us seniors to keep it safe!"

Liu Xiaochen raised his chin defiantly. "Chief Tian, if you can win me today, I will give you the Song of the Phoenix."