Chapter 22: The Mastermind, The Iron-Faced Judge

Chapter 22: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes, the Iron-Faced Judge

Zhang Fang pointed his spear directly at Shan Zheng, effectively abandoning his original plan to act as a go-between for Qiao Feng and Xue Muhua to facilitate a mutual deal. Instead, he chose to frame Shan Zheng as a great villain, using him to divert the collective hostility of the crowd.

As the saying goes, circumstances change with time.

With Zhang Fang and Qiao Feng having officially sworn brotherhood and triggered the hidden plot line of "sharing blessings and enduring hardships together," the previous approach to solving the problem was no longer applicable.

Zhang Fang had spent much of the previous night deep in thought. He had even considered mystical notions like wearing a mask to change one's luck, so he certainly would not have overlooked more critical matters. For instance, under the condition of "enduring hardships together," he needed to help Qiao Feng overcome his three great tribulations.

While contemplating these, Zhang Fang keenly realized that beyond the three tribulations set by the Samsara Tower, there was another thread in Qiao Feng’s life—one that was likely even more lethal, and perhaps the very root cause of those three tribulations.

That thread was the oath Qiao Feng made at Almond Grove, where he snapped Shan Zheng’s blade and swore that he would never kill a Han Chinese person in this life, lest he meet the same fate as that broken sword.

In worlds with backgrounds in martial arts or cultivation, an oath is a force that cannot be ignored. Once broken, the dire consequences of a solemn vow are bound to manifest.

If one looks at the plot logic, Qiao Feng’s final tragedy was caused by the three tribulations presented by the Samsara Tower. However, analyzing it from the perspective of his oath, it is easy to see that from the moment Qiao Feng killed his first Han opponent at the Ju Xian Manor, his tragic destiny had already been sealed.

Since Zhang Fang was now committed to "enduring hardships together" with Qiao Feng, he could not allow such a thing to happen. Fortunately, there was still time.

Although Qiao Feng had roared and caused the death of Duan Yanqing’s disciple, Tan Qing, at the Ju Xian Manor yesterday, Tan Qing’s status as a Han was uncertain. Furthermore, Qiao Feng had merely broken Tan Qing’s long-distance sound transmission technique, causing the opponent to die from the backlash of his own secret art. While he died because of Qiao Feng, he was not directly killed by him. By this logic, Qiao Feng had not yet broken his oath.

But the strength of Ding Chunqiu was hard to compare to that of Duan Yanqing. If Qiao Feng wanted to finish him off, a mere roar would not suffice; he would have to use lethal force himself. Although Zhang Fang did not know if Ding Chunqiu was Han, he did not want to gamble.

Compared to outcomes that were entirely uncontrollable, Zhang Fang felt that dragging Shan Zheng out to take the fall was a much safer bet.

The first attempt proved highly effective.

Upon hearing Zhang Fang’s words, the gathered heroes were stunned. A chaotic buzz of whispering erupted from the pavilions where the ordinary martial artists were seated. Even Xue Muhua, the host of the assembly, had not realized there were such glaring discrepancies in the letters Shan Zheng had sent him.

Yet, he still found it hard to believe that Shan Zheng would intentionally deceive him. "Tanzhi, I have always respected Master Shan’s character. Perhaps these three letters contain some subjective emotion, but he has been upright and incorruptible his whole life; this may not have been born of malice."

"Upright and incorruptible his whole life? That is only because his personal interests were not at stake!" Zhang Fang sneered. "Most people are willing to do good and uphold justice when it doesn't conflict with their own interests, especially their core interests. But once it touches upon their own survival, it becomes an entirely different matter."

"Don't forget, unlike the other heroes here, Shan Zheng was a participant in the Battle of Yanmen Pass all those years ago!"

"Therefore, if the contents of the late Beggar Sect Leader Wang’s suicide note are true, then regardless of whether Qiao Feng is good or evil, killing Shan Zheng to avenge his parents would be a matter of natural justice."

"But Shan Zheng doesn't want to die, does he?"

"So what does he do? Let Qiao Feng die instead!"

"Qiao Feng possesses profound martial arts. Back at Almond Grove, he was able to snatch the blade from his hand from a distance, showing the vast gap in their strength. Since he couldn't kill Qiao Feng with his own ability, he had to find other ways."

"He used Uncle Xue’s reputation and the Ju Xian Manor to lure the heroes of the world here to fight Qiao Feng to the death. No matter how many heroes die at Qiao Feng’s hands, it has nothing to do with him."

"Because the people were invited by my father, my uncle, and Uncle Xue, and they were killed by Qiao Feng—what does it have to do with Shan Zheng? As long as he achieves the goal of killing Qiao Feng, he can rest easy and continue being his 'Iron-Faced Judge'."

Having said this, Zhang Fang let out a long sigh. "Ordinarily, a junior like me has no right to judge the merits and demerits of a senior like Shan Zheng. But since this concerns the lives of the hundreds of heroes present, I have no choice but to speak what I know and think."

"I know you are all heroes, not people who fear death. But if you are to die, you must die with clarity and for a purpose!"

"Not just to sacrifice your lives for someone else’s selfish gain!"

With that, Zhang Fang took a step back and spread his hands, signaling he was finished.

The performance was officially over!

As Zhang Fang finished, a cold laugh rang out from the courtyard: "I wondered just how selfless the 'Iron-Faced Judge' really was. It turns out he is nothing but a petty, despicable, and dirty character. I’ve learned something today—this Hero Assembly was truly worth the trip!"

Truth be told, the person who said this was not a plant!

Zhang Fang did not need any plants. For decades, Shan Zheng had built a reputation for being a busybody. Since he loved to meddle in others' affairs, he was bound to offend people. There were many who harbored grudges against him, whether for their own reasons or those of their friends and family. These people had previously feared the strength of the Shan family of Mount Tai, but now that they saw him in trouble, why wouldn't they kick him while he was down?

Once the first person spoke up, a second and a third followed.

Gradually, even those who had no prior grievances against Shan Zheng joined the chorus of condemnation. They weren't just kicking a fallen dog; they simply didn't want to fight Qiao Feng to the death—people would die!

In the martial arts world, admitting to cowardice is politically incorrect. Thus, disparaging Shan Zheng was the smartest move. They didn't view Shan Zheng as a miracle doctor like Xue, nor did they expect to need his help in the future. By discrediting him, they could fundamentally negate the legitimacy of the Hero Assembly’s crusade against Qiao Feng.

With Shan Zheng taking the fall, they could later claim that the Miracle Doctor and the You brothers had been deceived by him, and in doing so, they would earn favor from others. It was a deal too good to pass up!

As the voices of the crowd condemning Shan Zheng grew louder, Zhang Fang received an unexpected notification from the Samsara Tower:

[You have successfully exposed the mastermind behind the Ju Xian Manor Hero Assembly and gained widespread agreement from the gathered heroes, successfully completing the hidden mission "The Mastermind Behind the Scenes." Reward: 5,000 points!]

Ding! The Reward Critical Strike System has activated. The host's rewards will receive a 100% critical multiplier!

Reward gained: 10,000 points!