HSSB559: Great happeningsFeng Yunsheng couldn"t be sure how the Sacred Sun Clan had discovered their movements.
However, carefully thinking back on her experiences, she was certain that it had not been any fault of hers.
Before today, she had not been willing to suspect Yin Liuhua.
However, having seen this Blood Soul Recollection Ceremony, Feng Yunsheng could not help but do so now.
She did not understand how exactly things had unfolded back then. There was no evidence with which she could prove that someone else had leaked the news liked Chang Zheng had asked.
Feng Yunsheng told herself that she had to keep calm.
Feng Yunsheng scanned Yin Liuhua and Hong Jiaqi, saying loudly, “The Blood Soul Recollection Ceremony can similarly be falsified. I ask for the clan to investigate junior apprentice-sister Yin and this Mister Hong.”
Chang Zheng"s expression was as per usual as he said composedly, “This is only natural.”
Feng Yunsheng said, “If, taking a step back, there was nothing wrong with the Blood Soul Recollection Ceremony and that scene did occur, there is also the possibility of Master having been misled by the people of the Sacred Sun Clan at the time, therefore misunderstanding me.”
Chang Zheng said, “While there is indeed this possibility, by what you have just said, you would fall under suspicion of trying to worm your way out of things.”
“Because this is a purely one-sided testimony, it cannot serve as proof for your innocence.”
“Junior apprentice-niece Yin and Mister Hong, the clan will be investigating the two of you some more after this,” Chang Zheng turned and appraised Hong Jiaqi and Yin Liuhua who nodded in affirmation.
Hong Jiaqi said emotionally, “Maligning is equivalent to the crime itself, and it is the same wherever one goes. Since I have dared to come to Broad Creed Mountain, I naturally won"t fear shadows lurking around every corner.”
Chang Zheng nodded, swivelling his head to look at Feng Yunsheng, “Then, junior apprentice-niece Feng, is there anything you can additionally use to prove your innocence?”
“After all, like you said, you were not present when the events in the scene of light unfolded.”
Feng Yunsheng inhaled deeply, saying in a heavy tone, “While I indeed doubt the veracity of the Blood Soul Recollection Ceremony, I myself do not have any way of proving it to be falsified, because I was not there at the time, having been separated from Master and junior apprentice-sister Yin. I only came to learn about what had happened to Master afterwards from the narration of others.”
“However, I had already since broken off all ties with the Sacred Sun Clan, and could never have done something like killing my Master,” Feng Yunsheng said firmly like the driving of a nail into iron, “These few years after having entered the clan, while this disciple cannot claim to have won any achievements for our clan, I was definitely devoted fully to the cause. It was Master and the clan who gave me new life.”
Feng Yunsheng looked up and gazed at them, “In saying that I am a spy of the Sacred Sun Clan, this is merely something in which true and false are hard to distinguish, with only a scene whose cause and background are completely unknown as evidence. Is there any other proof that you have?”
“If I were in league with the Sacred Sun Clan, I should have some channel or method with which to establish communication with them, right?”
“If you say that I leaked information to the Sacred Sun Clan and got someone over to kill my Master, how might I have managed to do that?”
Looking at Feng Yunsheng, Chang Zheng said calmly, “Afterwards, I will be examining your articles as well as lodgings. Do you have any objections to this?”
Feng Yunsheng shook her head, “You are welcome to do so at any time.”
Elder Qin sat there not speaking a word, only sending a sound transmission over to Chang Zheng and Zhang Kun via sound transmission, “Could the Sacred Sun Clan have been willing to send such a talented disciple over as a spy?”
Chang Zheng said, “Her Extreme Yin Physique had originally been crippled. While her talent is extraordinary, it is not like that is impossible. Having managed to regain her Extreme Yin Physique in our clan should have been out of the Sacred Sun Clan"s expectations as well.”
Elder Qin asked, “What about the Extreme Yin Bout then? There are only three months left. You must know that Feng Yunsheng"s chances of winning this time are very high!”
Zhang Jun frowned, while it was Chang Zheng who said, “It should be inappropriate for junior apprentice-niece Feng to partic.i.p.ate in the Extreme Yin Bout this time.”
Elder Qin said, “We still cannot determine that Feng Yunsheng is a traitor now, a deceitful spy who managed to pull the wool over everyone"s eyes. While there was the Blood Soul Recollection Ceremony, those are not sufficient grounds for us saying so. This is unfair towards Feng Yunsheng.”
Zhang Kun and Chang Zheng both looked at Elder Qin.
Elder Qin had a frank look on his face.
It was he who had initially agreed with Yan Zhaoge"s request to take Feng Yunsheng in, even having minded not getting into a conflict with the Sacred Sun Clan in doing so.
If Feng Yunsheng was truly a hidden piece of the Sacred Sun Clan, while it was Yan Zhaoge who would hold the greatest responsibility, Elder Qin would be affected by it as well.
However, Elder Qin being someone with a fiery and tough temper, he seemed not to care about avoiding suspicion or securing his position in the least as he still voiced everything that he was thinking.
Chang Zheng said, “If we had confirmed her guilt, she would already have been officially sentenced to death.”
Elder Qin stared at him, “What do you mean?”
“Everything is still unknown now. While I am personally unwilling to believe that junior apprentice-niece Feng is such a person, hoping that we will be able to prove her innocence afterwards, she is indeed not suited to partic.i.p.ate in the upcoming Extreme Yin Bout,” Chang Zheng said slowly as he looked at Zhang Kun and Elder Qin, “This may sound a little disrespectful, but her problem would not merely be limited to having brought calamity to junior apprentice-sister Fu.”
Hearing these words, Zhang Kun and Elder Qin both fell silent as they seemed to be considering something.
Chang Zheng continued, “Currently, the results of the upcoming Seventh Extreme Yin Bout will be extremely important. The Extreme Yin Crown cannot remain in the hands of the Sacred Sun Clan. Otherwise, when the Heaven Cleaving Axe that they possess has fully recuperated, it would be extremely hard to stand against them.”
“If Feng Yunsheng really is a spy of the Sacred Sun Clan, now that she already knows herself to have been exposed, if she wins the Extreme Yin Bout and obtains the Extreme Yin Crown, who amongst us might be able to stop her?”
“She would definitely betray us and flee on the spot before returning to the Sacred Sun Clan. That would be equivalent to us having freely given the Extreme Yin Crown to the Sacred Sun Clan.”
Elder Qin said, “The Sacred Sun Clan"s Meng Wan was injured over the East Sea this time. It is precisely because they are not confident of obtaining victory that they are trying to strike against our Maiden of Extreme Yin, causing us to get fl.u.s.tered and lose our footing. It is this that would be equivalent to us freely giving the Extreme Yin Crown to the Sacred Sun Clan!”
Chang Zheng nodded, “That"s right, this possibility indeed exists. However, who can say for sure that there is definitely nothing wrong with Feng Yunsheng?”
As Elder Qin was going to say something, Chang Zheng said, “Thus, I propose settling for the middle path.”
Zhang Kun raised his white brows slightly, “Settling for the middle path? How?”
Chang Zheng said, “First and foremost, we have to guarantee that the Extreme Yin Crown does not continue staying with the Sacred Sun Clan.”
Elder Qin and Zhang Kun both nodded, “That"s right.”
“The Sacred Sun Clan"s Meng Wan was wounded, her injuries being serious and definitely not being something that can recover within a short period of time. What happened to her during the Second Extreme Yin Bout will definitely repeat itself again,” Chang Zheng said, “While Feng Yunsheng is unsafe, there are still other people who can defeat Meng Wan.”
Zhang Kun"s expression changed slightly, “You mean?”
Chang Zheng nodded, “While it is uncertain for Jade Sea City"s Chen Suting, Turbid Wave Pavilion"s Fan Qiu stably defeats the Sacred Sun Clan"s Yun Xiuqing, and would be able to defeat the injured Meng Wan as well.”
“Whether or not we can obtain the Extreme Yin Crown is inconsequential. Whatever the case, we definitely cannot let it remain in the Sacred Sun Clan"s hands. It landing in the hands of Turbid Wave Pavilion would, in comparison, be an acceptable result.”
Chang Kun"s gaze swept across Zhang Kun as he said softly, “Master, our clan actually only requires stability right now. Chief is invincible under the heavens. As long as we are able to tide through this stably, when Chief returns from the East Sea, even if Huang Guanglie comes as well, he would also not be our clan"s match.”
“Due to Chief having Transcended Mortality and entered Sainthood with shocking power, Turbid Wave Pavilion might actually be thinking of something. Instead, it would not be beneficial for our clan to remain standing too much in the limelight right now.”
Hearing his words, Elder Qin frowned greatly. However, he knew that the Grand Elder Zhang Kun had always been a conservative person. Meanwhile, the other Grand Elder He Ning who was not present as she was recovering from her wounds was similarly moderate and conservative in her actions.
Back then, they had been rather unused and opposed to the tough, aggressive style of the senior generation of experts that contained Yan Di, Fang Zhun and Shi Tie.
While Shi Tie had perished, following the rise to prominence of Yan Di and Fang Zhun and with the support of Yuan Zhengfeng as well, the clan had grown stronger and stronger, with their moderate faction having gradually become obsolete.
However, after the great battles of the Earth Domain and the East Sea, with the clan lacking experts and protection, that moderate, conservative way of thinking was slowly rearing its head once more.
Elder Qin looked at Chang Zheng. From what he remembered, while Chang Zheng was Zhang Kun"s disciple, his thoughts were rather balanced on the neutral side, never having been purely of the moderate faction.