Seeing the tension between the two, Master Wuya had no choice but to step in and smooth things over: "In my opinion, since Hero Wuying is in imminent danger, whoever in the martial world can find the person who secretly attacked Hero Wuying and rescue him will be honored as the leader of the martial arts alliance, how about that?"
Ouyang Zhen sneered: "What if someone accidentally hits you by mistake, and that person is just some nobody? Or what if that person is a member of a cult in disguise?"
"How about this?" Zhuge Chun stepped forward and said, "To rescue Hero Wuying, one must clearly explain their background in the martial arts world, and whoever can ultimately defeat me will become the leader of the martial arts alliance. What do you say?"
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say!” Shan Jiangchuan agreed. “Our Shenyang Sect supports that.”
As he spoke, he looked at Ouyang Zhen and said, "Brother Ouyang, you wouldn't refuse, would you? Logically speaking, this offer is better for you, since you have already surpassed Brother Zhuge. All you need to do is find the culprit who secretly harmed Hero Wuying and then rescue Hero Wuying."
"That's right. The leader of the martial arts alliance should protect all people in the martial arts world. Although it's unfortunate that Master Wuying was injured, isn't this also a test for the future leader of the martial arts alliance?"
The more they talked, the more reasonable everyone felt the proposal was. Only Ouyang Zhen had a frosty expression, but he had no choice but to agree now, otherwise it would be said that he only cared about the position of the leader of the martial arts alliance and had no heart to protect the martial arts people of the world. How could everyone believe that?
"Brother Ouyang, what do you think?"
Ouyang Zhen had already composed himself: "Then it is as you say. However, if whoever becomes the leader of the martial arts alliance in the end does not surpass me, I, the Valley Master, will not be satisfied."
Everyone was taken aback by his words. It was indeed true. It seemed that unless he saved Wu Ying, whoever saved him would have to fight him. With his current skill, who among the righteous sects could defeat him?
Shan Jiangchuan and Zhuge Chun didn't care who could defeat Ouyang Zhen, since the martial arts alliance leader had already been chosen and it wasn't them anyway, so they might as well drag it out.
Upon seeing this, Ouyang Feng and the other two sighed inwardly. Just as their master's wife had said, this martial arts tournament was a joke.
"Fortunately, we and the masters of the Zizai Sect guarded the water source in advance, otherwise many martial arts practitioners present today would have been poisoned."
"Have you interrogated those suspicious-looking people yet?"
"The masters said no, because they all committed suicide by poisoning themselves."
"It seems that cults are indeed very powerful."
"What are you talking about?" Ouyang Zhen stared sharply at them. "What poison? What water source?"
The three exchanged glances, and then Ouyang Feng briefly recounted what Song Xia had told them earlier.
Ouyang Zhen swept his palm across the room: "Why didn't you tell your master about something so important before?"
Caught off guard, Ouyang Feng coughed up a mouthful of blood. Yin Shihuai and Ouyang Wan quickly helped him up, feeling indignant that their master was being so unreasonable.
Ouyang Feng stopped them and replied, "Master, you said not to bother you during the martial arts tournament, so we didn't say anything. Fortunately, the masters of Zizai Sect managed to control those people in time."
Ouyang Zhen was still furious. He had just missed out on the position of leader of the martial arts alliance, and now that the person had left, what was the point of bringing this up? He could have used this opportunity to further solidify his image as the most righteous person in the hearts of the martial arts community, but now the Zizai Sect had taken the credit.
Sure enough, as each martial arts practitioner left Zizaimen, the masters of Zizaimen told them that a cult had poisoned the water source that day, and that the person who poisoned it had already committed suicide by taking poison, warning everyone to be careful.
Although some masters mentioned the contributions of the Linghe Valley disciples, most people were grateful to the Zizai Sect. Ouyang Zhen glanced coldly at the three disciples, who dared not speak out against his anger.
I just feel that their master's character and behavior are not worthy of being a martial arts leader. He actually took his anger out on them just because they didn't get any credit. What kind of hero is he?
After leaving Zizai Gate, Ouyang Zhen did not want to return to Linghe Valley. What he was most eager to do now was to find that woman and that old woman and to prove his title as the leader of the martial arts alliance.
"From now on, we will split into three groups. Ouyang Feng, you are the eldest brother, you will lead ten disciples to investigate on your own. Ouyang Wan and Yin Shihuai, you are younger, you will lead twenty disciples together. The rest of you will come with me."
With this arrangement in mind, no one could refuse, so they could only obey: "Yes, Master."
Ouyang Zhen went first, while Ouyang Feng watched the two with concern: "Be careful in everything. If you encounter any danger, seek help from Wuhua Tower immediately."
"Senior Brother, we know." Yin Shihuai was actually more worried about him. "You are straightforward and honest, so please don't be fooled."
"No, I will keep my teacher's wife's teachings in mind."
The troops split into three groups: Ouyang Zhen went towards Jinling, while the other two groups went north and west respectively.
Ouyang Feng went to the north, where most of the cult forces were located, and he didn't want his junior brothers and sisters to take the risk.
Upon arriving at a place with a branch of Wuhua Tower, he first went to gather information before setting off.
"Young Master Ouyang, be careful. The cult acts strangely, is good at impersonating others, and enjoys killing righteous disciples. Don't fall for their tricks."
Ouyang Feng had already learned this lesson. He would always remember the serious look on his master's wife's face when she taught them. His master's wife said that in the martial world, no one should be trusted, whether they are old, young or women. Even beggars on the street could be spies for evil cults.
"Miss, isn't that Ouyang Feng, the eldest disciple of Linghe Valley? Why is he coming out of Wuhua Tower?" The innkeeper on the second floor opened a window and looked in the direction of Ouyang Feng.
“It is indeed him.” The woman took a sip of tea, and perhaps because the taste was not good, she frowned. “In the past two years, Wuhua Tower and Linghe Valley have been in close contact. Even Shangguan Jin, who rarely leaves Yangzhou, has personally appeared in Linghe City several times and built a branch there, transporting a lot of resources. This shows the friendship between Wuhua Tower and Linghe Valley.”
"But this old servant thinks Ouyang Zhen doesn't seem to know much about it. What's going on?"
The woman chuckled lightly: "The so-called prestigious sects are nothing more than people with different thoughts. As long as we find their weaknesses, we can defeat them one by one. Ouyang Zhen's martial arts are strong, but according to the reports from the spies planted in Linghe City, it seems that both Linghe Valley and Linghe City are more convinced of Ouyang Zhen's wife, Song Xia."
"Wouldn't that be exactly what's best for us?"
“That Song Xia is a man of ideas. Many of the spies we sent out before have been lost. The ones who are still alive can only contact the outer disciples of Linghe Valley and can’t get any substantial information.”
The old woman was startled: "We've been planning this for years, how did she find out?"
"I don't know, but I suspect that Song Xia must have made some kind of deal with Shangguan Jin."
"Miss, what should we do?"
"The best way to find out what they are up to is to get close to the eldest disciple of Linghe Valley."
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