In the still bustling and lively Beiji City, a rapid sound of horse hooves comes from a distance.
Many martial arts heroes come and go here every day, so the sound of the horse hooves does not attract anyone's attention.
Only Qi Cheng, who is standing at the entrance of the tailor shop, is anxiously rubbing his hands and frequently looking towards the distance. It is not until he sees the figure riding towards him that his eyes light up.
Yu Chi Feng rides his steed and stops in front of him, then dismounts and casually throws the reins to Qi Cheng.
"Hall Master!" Qi Cheng excitedly takes the reins, unable to suppress the excitement in his eyes.
"Let's go." Yu Chi Feng lowers his veil and heads towards the stronghold of the North Dragon Hall.
Qi Cheng excitedly follows behind him. It is not until the stronghold is in sight that he coughs a few times, straightens his back, and puts on a serious and arrogant look.
There are guards at the entrance of the North Dragon Hall's stronghold. When they see Qi Cheng bringing in a person with a covered face, they immediately stop the two of them.
"Who is this?"
"Hey, don't be blind. Get out of the way!"
"No outsiders are allowed to enter!"
"I didn't know when the lackeys of the Cold Dragon Hall dared to bark in front of me. They even dare to stop the person I brought!"
Just as Qi Cheng is about to have a conflict with the guards, Yu Chi Feng raises his hand to stop Qi Cheng's actions and takes off his veil.
When the guard sees Yu Chi Feng's face, his eyes widen immediately. The hand holding the weapon trembles uncontrollably, and even his legs are shaking.
This guard is from the North Dragon Hall. Naturally, he recognizes Yu Chi Feng, but he was bribed by the Cold Dragon Hall after Yu Chi Feng left. Now that Yu Chi Feng has returned, he is naturally frightened and guilty, sweating profusely.
"You...! You... You're still alive?!" The guard stammers and quickly changes his attitude.
Yu Chi Feng has a cold expression on his face. He glances at the guard lightly and then strides into the stronghold.
Qi Cheng takes advantage of Yu Chi Feng's presence and coldly snorts, also quickly following.
Only the guard is left soaked in cold sweat. After a while, he comes to his senses and hurriedly runs into the stronghold to inform others.
Yu Chi Feng walks forward and receives the astonished and frightened gazes of the people in the North Dragon Hall. Among those people, some are indeed excited for Yu Chi Feng's return, while others are panicked. It is not difficult to distinguish the two groups.
With a cold glance from Yu Chi Feng, he realizes that only fifty percent of the people have not been infiltrated by the Cold Dragon Hall. It is indeed a ridiculous thing that only fifty percent of his subordinates can be fully trusted.
Yu Chi Feng stands in front of the main hall, and Qi Cheng opens the door for him.
This is the place where important matters are discussed. Now that several months have passed, the furnishings here have not changed. However, it is unknown who has sat on the main seat.
Yu Chi Feng walks forward, glances at his former seat, and then turns to look at the people who are at a loss in the hall. Suddenly, he sneers.
The Liufeng Sword is suddenly unsheathed, and the deep sword blade makes everyone present gasp.
Yu Chi Feng holds the heavy sword with one hand, and the sword blade swings with a fierce wind. With a loud noise, the main seat shatters.
After the loud noise, there is a terrifying silence.
"Bring a new chair over." Yu Chi Feng says coldly.
"Okay!" Qi Cheng immediately pushes through the crowd and runs out, and some subordinates loyal to Yu Chi Feng also follow. Before long, several people bring a new chair from somewhere, which is even more magnificent and high-profile than the previous one.
"... " Yu Chi Feng looks at the chair with some helplessness, but still maintains a cold attitude, sheathes the Liufeng Sword, and sits down. He looks around with his eyes, sizing up everyone, and does not rush to speak.
Everyone present knows what Yu Chi Feng means. This is called a purge and rectification. If they are not careful, they might end up in the same situation as that chair.
"Hall Master, you're actually still alive..." Someone can't help but speak, but receives cold stares from the others. Only then does he suddenly realize what he has said and sweats profusely.
"If I were to die for two more days, this North Dragon Hall should change its name." Yu Chi Feng crosses his hands and places them on the armrests, his eyes sharp.
The person is scared and trembles. He secretly thinks that the Hall Master seems to be more overbearing than before upon his return.
Yu Chi Feng is briefly lost in thought, thinking that after his trip to Liudu City, he has learned a few intimidating postures from the young master.
At the thought of Feng Tingliu, Yu Chi Feng's expression softens slightly.
Everyone looks at each other, whispering and discussing.
"Silence."
As soon as Yu Chi Feng speaks, everyone immediately becomes silent.
"Although I was seriously injured that day, my life was not in danger. Now that I have returned, I also know what has happened in the North Dragon Hall during this period. He Qi is dead, but I still want to investigate his past." Yu Chi Feng says seriously, "Everyone present, write a confession. I want to know what each of you has done during this period. Hand it over to Qi Cheng beforeHai Hour tonight. Those who confess will be punished leniently. Those who still refuse to confess by then, don't blame me for not considering the comradeship!"
Some are happy while others are worried.
Those who are happy are naturally the loyal ones. They are overjoyed, one is for Yu Chi Feng's return, and the second is that they can finally confess the grievances they have suffered these days.
Those who are worried are naturally the ones bribed by the Cold Dragon Hall. They are likeFence-sitter (literally: grass on the wall, meaning: opportunistic and unreliable people), and seeing Yu Chi Feng's return, they are even more indecisive and at a loss.
Yu Chi Feng doesn't care about their moods. After leaving these words, he leaves the main hall and returns to his former residence.
"You all be honest with me." Qi Cheng also says something harsh, glaring fiercely at those who are not obedient, before following Yu Chi Feng out.
When Yu Chi Feng returns to his residence and sees that his room is still the same as when he left, he relaxes.
"Hall Master, someone always comes to clean your room. Everyone believes that you're not dead and is looking forward to your return!" Qi Cheng says excitedly.
Yu Chi Feng waves his hand, telling him to be quiet. He places the Liufeng Sword on the cabinet and sits at the table and says, "Just now, I saw some new faces."
"Yes, quite a few new people have come these days. There are probably more than twenty."
"Bring the register, oh, and the account book."
"Understood! I'll go get them right away!"
Qi Cheng rushes out of the room like a dog that has broken free from its leash to get things done.
Only then does Yu Chi Feng breathe a sigh of relief and pours himself a glass of water to moisten his throat.
It is quiet around his residence, but the interior of the North Dragon Hall must be in chaos now. Yu Chi Feng sighs. It is already a big project to purge the interior of the North Dragon Hall. He doesn't know yet what the reaction of the people from the Cold Dragon Hall will be if they know that he is still alive.
Now that he knows everything, the people from the Cold Dragon Hall will definitely not let him live easily.
Yu Chi Feng drinks the tea, calms his chaotic mood, and when he calms down, he begins to miss Feng Tingliu.
Yu Chi Feng stands up, unsheathes the Liufeng Sword, places it on his lap, and starts to wipe it repeatedly.
-
In the northeast, inside the stronghold of the Cold Dragon Hall.
"You said the North Dragon Hall Master is not dead?" The woman sitting in the high position covers half of her face with a silver mask and holds a bone flute in her hand, repeatedly rubbing her fingers on it.
"Yes! He suddenly returned to the North Dragon Hall and wants to purge the interior! Our people who were inserted are in great danger!" The subordinate standing below is anxious and paces back and forth. There is a strange sword on his back with barbs on the blade, which is the weapon used by most people in the Cold Dragon Hall. It is also such a weapon that nearly killed Yu Chi Feng.
"It seems that my guess is not wrong..." The Cold Dragon Hall Master plays with the bone flute and suddenly murmurs.
"What did the Hall Master say?"
"Nothing. It is urgent. Quickly send someone there. Only the dead will not reveal secrets."
"But Hall Master, if Yu Chi Feng is killed at this point, we will definitely be suspected!"
"It doesn't matter. The people above will take action soon. By then, no one will care about a North Dragon Hall Master." The Cold Dragon Hall Master curls her lips and says calmly.
"You mean..."
"By then, there will be no place for the North Dragon Hall Master in the entire Exorcism Association. Go."
"Yes!"
-
Hai Hour has arrived.
Qi Cheng holds a bunch of letters and knocks on Yu Chi Feng's door.
"Come in."
Qi Cheng pushes the door open and sees Yu Chi Feng looking through the account books at the desk. The account books that have been read are piled up, and the one in his hand is the last one.
"Hall Master, the confessions are all here. Excluding those who are not back, there are still ten missing." Qi Cheng puts the letters by Yu Chi Feng's hand and arranges them neatly.
"Have you read them?" Yu Chi Feng closes the account book in his hand and places it on top of the pile of account books.
"I've read them and even sorted them out for you! You just need to listen to my report!" Qi Cheng pats his chest and says proudly.
"Then tell me."
"Fifty-four people admit that they have accepted bribes from the Cold Dragon Hall, and twenty of them admit that they have done things for the Cold Dragon Hall. In addition, some of them, even I don't know their backgrounds. It seems that they were scared by you and confessed everything at once!"
"Continue." Yu Chi Feng waves his hand to stop Qi Cheng's nonsense.
"There are five people who are unwilling to admit and hide the facts, but my brothers and I know what they have done. As for the other ten people, I guess they don't even want to hide anymore!"
"Which ten are they?"
"It is the ten people led by Qi Chuan who are relatively close. Qi Chuan is not young. He has been in the North Dragon Hall for a long time. He was already here when the old Hall Master was still around. I didn't expect him to cause so much trouble!"
Yu Chi Feng's fingers tap on the table. He lowers his eyes and thinks for a while before saying, "Leave them here. I'll take a closer look."
"Yes, Hall Master." Qi Cheng nods and looks at the pile of account books, "Are there any problems with the account books? I'll take them back."
"The North Dragon Hall has rather close interactions with other halls, and the capital flow is not small." Yu Chi Feng says, looking up at Qi Cheng, "Is there any movement in the Exorcism Association recently?"
"Well... It's the same as usual, building their reputation. Oh, they also held several Demon Exorcism Conferences. The sound is loud, but in fact, there is not much effect."
Yu Chi Feng suddenly remembers something.
The matter of the Beiji Prefecture Magistrate and the Censor.
"Although I'm not in Beiji City, I heard that the residence of the Beiji Prefecture Magistrate was once raided by the Devil Cult, and the Cold Dragon Hall stepped in to eliminate the Devil Cult. Is there such a thing?"
Qi Cheng frowns and thinks for a while, then suddenly nods and says, "Yes, there is such a thing. At that time, the Cold Dragon Hall happened to come to the North Dragon Hall to discuss the matter of eliminating the Devil Cult. Unexpectedly, we encountered this. We also discovered the situation at the Beiji Prefecture Magistrate's place, but when we arrived, we found that the people from the Cold Dragon Hall had already controlled those Devil Cult members."
"How were those Devil Cult members dealt with?"
"I don't know... The Cold Dragon Hall took those Devil Cult members away."
Yu Chi Feng strokes his chin. This outcome is not different from the initial guess. Those Devil Cult members must have colluded with the Cold Dragon Hall long ago and staged a self-directed and self-acted play.
"Why didn't the people from the North Dragon Hall stop them? The Devil Cult that appeared in the territory of the North Dragon Hall still needs others to handle?" Yu Chi Feng suddenly asks.
"I also wanted to! But those bastards from the Cold Dragon Hall said that the North Dragon Hall has no leader and is not suitable for dealing with the Devil Cult! They are just bullying us!"
Yu Chi Feng falls silent. After a moment, he sighs faintly.
Qi Cheng sees Yu Chi Feng sigh and suddenly realizes that he has said the wrong thing. He quickly covers his mouth.
"It's okay. You can rest first. This matter is not urgent."
"Okay, okay. Hall Master, don't overwork yourself either!"
Qi Cheng quickly holds the account books and walks out, secretly cursing himself for being so talkative.
Yu Chi Feng doesn't dare to stop and opens those confession letters, reading them one by one.
It is late at night, and the cicadas are chirping outside.
Yu Chi Feng's attention is focused on the letters, but suddenly he hears a slight sound coming from the tiles above his head. He immediately becomes vigilant but is not in a hurry to check. Instead, he holds the Liufeng Sword in his hand and listens carefully.
"Five people? They are really desperate." Yu Chi Feng sneers, and the Liufeng Sword is unsheathed.
At the same time, the doors and windows are suddenly broken, and five people dressed in black leap in!
The cold light of the blades directly rushes towards Yu Chi Feng.