Chapter 180: When Clouds of Doubt Descended Back Then

In the main hall, there were nearly thirty martial arts veterans. They were all leaders of various martial arts factions in Mobei, or highly respected martial arts masters.

At this moment, upon hearing Zhuo Qingfeng's words, everyone present showed varied expressions. Many involuntarily looked towards Han Xiren, the leader of the Tongshan Sect.

Han Xiren remained silent, his gaze fixed downwards, as if meditating.

He felt helpless. In the Mobei martial arts world, he was a prominent figure, and his sect was among the Eight Great Sects of Mobei. Yet, in the end, his reputation was tarnished.

At a time when all martial arts factions had tacitly agreed to collectively resist the Six Doors, he was the first to openly support them. Although he had reasons, having been forced into it, no one cared. They only knew he was the first to side with the Six Doors, and secretly, they cursed him.

He felt bitter, but there was truly nothing he could do.

Several of his disciples had fallen into the hands of the Six Doors. More critically, his eldest disciple, on whom he had placed great hopes, had been killed by Zhuo Qingfeng's sword. Yet, he was helpless and even had to apologize to Zhuo Qingfeng.

Han Xiren said nothing, neither agreeing with nor opposing Zhuo Qingfeng.

Everyone then looked towards a handsome man in his thirties seated at the right end of the hall. This was Lin Duanyun, the leader of the Qiongshan Sect.

Lin Duanyun felt quite helpless, knowing he couldn't avoid it. The Qiongshan Sect was currently recognized as the largest sect in Mobei martial arts, considered the leading elder brother. While being a leader was comfortable, at critical moments, one also had to bear the responsibility of a leader.

Immediately, Lin Duanyun stood up and said, "Lord Zhuo, we are deeply saddened by the calamity that has befallen the Blade-Wielding Sect. However, investigating cases is not our forte. This matter entirely relies on the Six Doors. If there's anything we can do to assist, Lord Zhuo, please do not hesitate to command us."

For a moment, all the martial arts veterans felt quite disappointed. Although they knew Lin Duanyun was not foolish enough to openly confront the Six Doors, they still secretly hoped he would suddenly lose his mind and stand up to declare, "Martial arts matters should be settled within the martial arts world, with no need for the Six Doors' intervention!"

As long as Lin Duanyun dared to shout it, they would dare to respond.

Lin Duanyun also knew that if he dared to make such a declaration, everyone present would support him. But he understood even more clearly that if the Six Doors were truly provoked and decided to make an example of his Qiongshan Sect, it would cause huge trouble. While the Six Doors might face difficulties, and even potentially disband their Mobei branch and revert to the old county-based governance, at that point, even if the Mobei martial arts community "won," the Qiongshan Sect would be gone.

Moreover, with the esteemed Hero Gu Mo of Yunzhou present, what good would his shouting achieve? Could he still command the heroes?

In the hall, the various veterans had different thoughts, and the atmosphere was very oppressive.

However, Zhuo Qingfeng was satisfied. He had genuinely feared that Lin Duanyun, being a hothead, might directly defy him, leaving him in a difficult position. Now, seeing Lin Duanyun's stance, he immediately said, "Sect Leader Lin, my Six Doors will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly and ensure the culprit does not escape justice. However, for now, I have some questions I wish to consult you about."

Lin Duanyun cupped his hands and replied, "Please speak, Lord Zhuo."

Zhuo Qingfeng sat down and slowly said, "Over two hundred members of the Blade-Wielding Sect were killed, all by having their blood drained. Based on the scene, it can be concluded that the killer practices the 'Zombie Skill,' a technique lost for thirty years. I wish to inquire about the specific circumstances surrounding the destruction of the Flower Stream Sect thirty years ago, to see if any relevant clues about the killer can be found."

Lin Duanyun said, "Lord Zhuo, for this matter, you would need to ask the seniors who participated in the siege of He Changqing back then. Coincidentally, two of those seniors are present here now. You may ask them directly."

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded.

Immediately, everyone looked towards the two elderly seniors seated in the center.

Thirty years ago, seventy-nine martial arts veterans participated in the siege of He Changqing, but only seventeen returned alive. Now, three decades later, that group has either grown old or passed away, leaving only six or seven individuals. And recently, Yu Chi Feng also died.

The two individuals present in the hall were Ma Qingxiong, the leader of the Cold River Sect, and Reverend Jing Ci, the abbess of the Plain Heart Convent. Both the Cold River Sect and the Plain Heart Convent were among the Eight Great Sects of Mobei.

Ma Qingxiong and Reverend Jing Ci were both quite old, well past sixty.

The two remained silent for a while, both seeming reluctant to speak of the events from that year.

After a long pause, Reverend Jing Ci slowly spoke, "Lord Zhuo, what aspects of the events do you wish to know?"

Zhuo Qingfeng cupped his hands and said, "Reverend Jing Ci, the current situation is clear: either He Changqing has a successor who has been secretly preparing for years and is now seeking revenge, or He Changqing never truly died and is now certainly about to unleash a martial arts catastrophe in Mobei. Therefore, I hope you can recount the events of that year in as much detail as possible."

Reverend Jing Ci sighed and said, "This humble nun is not very willing to speak of the past. That battle was truly horrific, causing our Mobei martial arts community to suffer a devastating blow from which it has yet to recover to this day.

"Back then, the 'zombie incidents' caused a great stir in the martial arts world. All major sects were actively searching for zombies and trying to ascertain their identities. However, no clues were ever found, yet the blood-draining incidents never ceased. At that time, many of us actually suspected that the zombie was someone from one of the righteous sects, which was why they could consistently evade detection. But we never found out who that person was.

"Then one day, I received a secret letter from Bai Qiliao, the then-leader of the Qiongshan Sect. In the letter, he stated that he had discovered the zombie was none other than He Changqing, the esteemed grandmaster and paramount figure of Mobei martial arts at the time.

"Given the gravity of the matter, and to prevent any leaks, I didn't even inform my disciples before secretly going to meet. Seventy-seven others, all righteous martial arts masters from Mobei at the time, had received similar secret letters."

As Reverend Jing Ci reached this point, Zhuo Qingfeng immediately interrupted, asking with doubt, "Reverend, there's something I don't understand. At that time, the Qiongshan Sect was the second-largest sect in Mobei. Although far from comparable to the Flower Stream Sect, it was theoretically a rival sect. Did you all just trust Bai Qiliao so readily back then? Weren't you worried it might be a setup?"

Reverend Jing Ci explained, "If it had solely been a letter from Sect Leader Bai Qiliao, we certainly wouldn't have trusted it so easily. However, the messenger was Grandmaster Jing Kong, the most highly respected martial arts veteran in Mobei. He was a master of martial arts, yet he devoted himself to Buddhism and good deeds, belonging to no sect and uninvolved in the struggles for fame and fortune in the martial world. His delivering the letter already attested to the credibility of the matter.

"Later, after our alliance, Sect Leader Bai presented us with various pieces of evidence. It was then that we realized He Changqing had secretly been cultivating an evil skill, and while publicly pretending to investigate the zombies, he himself was the zombie all along.

"A total of seventy-nine of us then proceeded to the Flower Stream Sect. Initially, some of us were still skeptical, as He Changqing had always been highly respected in the martial arts world with an impeccable reputation. However, to our astonishment, when we arrived at the Flower Stream Sect, we found corpses strewn everywhere. All the Flower Stream Sect disciples had been massacred, all having died from blood drainage.

"He Changqing, meanwhile, had gone mad. He roared and charged at us upon seeing us, and we no longer harbored any doubts, immediately engaging him in battle. But that battle was extremely brutal, because He Changqing had accomplices—several immensely powerful zombies, impervious to blades and spears. He Changqing was a Silver-Armored Zombie, and the others were Bronze-Armored Zombies, all under his complete control.

"In that battle, we paid a terrible price, losing over sixty companions, before finally subduing He Changqing and his zombies. Afterwards, we discovered the 'Zombie Skill' manual within the Flower Stream Sect. No one dared to even look at it; we immediately destroyed it. Despite multiple further searches, we found no other manuals. Furthermore, to eliminate any future threat, we burned the entire Flower Stream Sect to the ground. By all accounts, it should have been highly improbable for the 'Zombie Skill' to still exist in this world."

Zhuo Qingfeng mused for a moment, then said, "But the current reality is that the 'Zombie Skill' still exists in the world. Did He Changqing have any living descendants or disciples?"

Reverend Jing Ci replied, "When the Flower Stream Sect was annihilated, it was close to He Changqing's birthday, and all his direct disciples had returned. After the tragedy, all of He Changqing's direct disciples died at the scene; we verified this. While some outer disciples survived, He Changqing did not even pass on the 'Zombie Skill' to his direct disciples, so it's impossible he would have passed it to outer disciples."

Zhuo Qingfeng thought for a moment and then asked, "By the way, Reverend, you just mentioned that He Changqing had several Bronze-Armored Zombies under his command. Did you investigate the identities of those zombies later? Is it possible they might have passed on the manual?"

Reverend Jing Ci said, "We did investigate. They were three wandering martial artists. We looked into their relatives and friends at the time, but found no trace of them having passed on the 'Zombie Skill'."

Zhuo Qingfeng then asked, "Reverend Jing Ci, are you certain He Changqing truly died?"

Reverend Jing Ci nodded and said, "He Changqing's body was burned by all of us together. We watched him turn to ash with our own eyes, so naturally, we are certain he is dead."

"No lingering doubts?"

Reverend Jing Ci shook her head and said, "No..."

"Yes, there are." Just then, Ma Qingxiong, the silent leader of the Cold River Sect, suddenly spoke. "Actually, when we burned He Changqing's body, it was already battered beyond recognition."

Reverend Jing Ci said, "We all fought him together, so it was naturally in that state. What doubts are there? He never fully left our sight."

Ma Qingxiong explained, "But when he died, he was struck down into the bottom of Broken Sword Cliff. Only Sect Leader Bai, relying on his superior lightness skill, jumped down after him. During that descent, only Sect Leader Bai could see He Changqing. Theoretically, there were also many brutally killed Flower Stream Sect disciples at the bottom of Broken Sword Cliff. If He Changqing wasn't dead at that moment, and acted quickly enough, he could have found a body of similar build, swapped clothes, and it would be plausible."

"This..." Reverend Jing Ci pondered for a moment, then said, "Sect Leader Ma has a point. At that time, we collectively forced He Changqing down into Broken Sword Cliff. Sect Leader Bai, with his exceptional lightness skill, pursued him directly. When we arrived at the bottom, we saw He Changqing's body, and Sect Leader Bai was already there, so no one questioned it further. Only Sect Leader Bai himself would know if He Changqing ever left his sight when he fell to the bottom of the cliff."

Zhuo Qingfeng said, "That's simple enough. Why not just ask the old Sect Leader Bai?"

Everyone looked towards Lin Duanyun, the leader of the Qiongshan Sect.

Lin Duanyun said helplessly, "I don't know where my master is currently. As you all know, eight years ago, after he passed the leadership to me, he began living the life of a wandering recluse. He's either mediating endless disputes or meeting friends somewhere. Unless he contacts us, we have no way of reaching him. It's been half a year since my master last returned to the sect."