Ming Feizhen didn't have so much as a drip of blood on him, but his strike which caused all the blood inside Zhao Qi's body to spray into the atmosphere was vividly seen, so his words only added to their confusion, and contributed nothing towards enhancing the credibility of his words.
The strong man was scared beyond his wits: "G-great hero, since you've retired, why do you still care about matters in the martial world?"
"You're wrong. I don't care about the martial world's matters, but if it involves the Divine Moon Sect, then it's my business."
The strong man cried aloud, reached out for the sabre Zhao Qi left behind and cut his throat. Finally, his corpse fell to the ground. He didn't die too painfully.
Ming Feizhen turned his attention to Tian Wen.
"You're the most honest and earnest one in Lan Jun Zhu Kong, that's why you're still alive, and even became a bishop. Those two don't know me, but you met me back then. Do you still not recognise me?"
Tian Wen shivered like he was buried in ice.
He didn't use witchcraft to kill Zhao Qi, he killed him using martial arts. It was a style that would terrify anyone who heard of it.
He'd seen that style before. There are no more than three people in the world who can use that style, but he only knew of one person who could use it on such a god-tier level. And the young man before him slowly fit the image of the person he knew of.
"Spring Wind Night Rain Divine Arts… Y-you're Lord San Shen… Sir… Sir Ming?"
"Oh? You can recognise me without my mask? It looks like there are still some who remember me."
Ming Feizhen gave a friendly laugh. His laugh was so nice it was like bathing in the spring breeze. His tone and attitude were the exact same as the person back then.
Tian Wen's eyes suddenly felt warm as he said: "I remember, I remember! But didn't you already, already…"
"Die? Guardian Lord San Shen and Sect Leader Ximen both died in the battle four years ago at Lawless and Boundless, is what you thought, right?"
"The heavens have blessed out sect!"
Tian Wen dragged his virtually incapacitated body over and knelt before Ming Feizhen: "The heavens have blessed out sect! The heavens have blessed out sect!"
He kept repeating that phrase until he was choking on his tears and eventually became a silent whisper.
"Men can cry but shouldn't prostrate themselves so easily. Bishop Tian, what are you doing?" He didn't know whether he was supposed to laughed or cried at Tian Wen's reaction. Ming Feizhen came here to get rid of the disciples running amok.
"I… I'm just so glad. Our sect will one day have its glorious revival with you still alive." Tian Wen got sadder after saying that. He continued: "But, my lord… Why, why didn't you appear sooner if you were alright? Our great leader died unjustly. The sects of justice poisoned the well which killed our great leader's wife and kid. They then continued to challenge him while he was grieving and insulted all of us. They angered our great leader to death."
The Divine Moon Sect consists of two groups: The Bright God and the Dark Moon factions. Both control a separate area. The great leader Tian Wen mentioned was the Dark Moon Faction's leader. After Ximen Chuideng went missing, the Bright God Faction went underground, while the Dark Moon Faction became wanderers because of the death of their leader. It was hard to revive the group.
Ming Feizhen greatly pitied the death of the great leader of the Dark Moon Faction. He couldn't help but feel sad over it. He then changed the topic: "I've looked over Liu Shan Men's records in their library recently. You've all done well. You guys have gone about your days quite economically after Leader Ximen went missing. But as I said before, the Dark Moon Faction's members are not to kill for money, rape, commit adultery, and certainly not hurt other sect members. Bishop Tian, what happens to offenders again?"
"…Decapitation."
"I can turn a blind eye to the Bright God Faction because their leader is still alive, so I don't have to waste my time on them. But the Dark Moon Faction's leader is dead, so I have to look after it. Zhao Qi and Fang Bian were your subordinates. One of them raped women, the other raped the wife of a fellow sect member. I must punish you for your poor management and bringing harm to fellow sect members."
Ming Feizhen grabbed Tian Wen's right arm. As soon as he exhausted his energy, he'd be reduced to nothing but blood like Zhao Qi.
"Any last words?"
Tian Wen didn't resist and only sadly begged: "Divine Lord! Please have mercy. I accept my punishment. It's just… I have a wife, son and daughter in the village of the city outskirts. No matter how much of a scumbag I may be, I still love my family. Please. Please let me return to them for one night. I will return for my punishment on my own. Please have mercy, Divine Lord. Please give me one night."
Ming Feizhen paused for a moment after he heard him, but didn't stop exuding his internal energy.
"Please show mercy, Divine Lord!" After his plead, he shut his eyes as though awaiting death. A sudden burst of internal energy rushed into his destroyed meridians. It was strong but it wasn't Spring Wind Night Rain Divine Arts. The energy seemed to have properties which could repair occluded meridians. The qi energy opened up his occluded meridians which were a result of destroying his own martial arts skills.
Tian Wen felt like a seed was planted in him and now growing rapidly. The energy was like sunlight and spring, giving him life.
"Divine Lord! I do not deserve to be healed by you!"
Ming Feizhen didn't answer. He just gently added some qi to help regulate the excess qi in his body.
Tian Wen couldn't believe the internal energy was healing his severe injuries. It was like he was bathing in a hot spring. His body felt amazingly comfortable. His wrinkled skin and white hair were returning to normal. When he went to touch his face, he understood what had happened.
Tian Wen was shocked and said to himself: I knew the Divine Lord's martial skills were beyond comprehension, but I never knew his internal energy pool was like an ocean, as though it was infinite as well as extremely powerful. I think he's the only person in the entire world who can return an old man his youth. No wonder why he was ranked equally with our sect leader when he's so young.
It took him less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea to heal Tian Wen.
He stared at Tian Wen for a long while before saying: "Treasure your son and daughter."
Ming Feizhen took out a stack of money from his shirt, which was all his savings, and threw it to Tian Wen. There was roughly one-thousand dollars there.
"Look for somewhere to retire to."
Tian Wen was so moved he was in tears and knelt down. Just as he raised his head was about to ask the Divine Lord when he'd call back the former members, and when he'd revive the Faction to their glory-days, he found that Ming Feizhen had already left. Tian Wen ran his hands over the money in his hands and remembered Ming Feizhen's words: "Treasure your son and daughter. Look for somewhere to retire to."
In that moment, he thought of his two year old son and daughter, his kind wife, and home. In that moment, he kept asking himself what he wanted to do.
His martial arts had returned, but he let go of his ambitions. He was left with nothing but infinite comfort and peace of mind. This was the first time he truly stopped fearing and felt at peace since his days in seclusion.
Disciples of the Divine Moon Sect are to never leave the sect after they join, unless someone like Ming Feizhen allows them to go off and do what they want. What he wanted to do wasn't become a star of the martial world, but merely spend his life with his beloved family.
He looked at where Ming Feizhen stood before with his tears rolling down his face and kowtowed three times.
Ming Feizhen had left, and he wasn't going to bother with any matters in this courtyard again because he'd done what he came to do.
"Wen Jun is elegant, yet doesn't know of Lan Jun bamboo."
From this day forth, that phrase became a historic phrase that'd never appear again.
Ming Feizhen wanted to retire.
But he didn't want to just retire.
He wanted everything that was caused by him, all the chaos caused by him and the people in a mess to come to an end. Lan Jun Zhu Kong created many issues during its existence, and has left behind many troublesome issues after it vanished. It may take him the remainder of his lifetime to resolve all the matters, but he had to do it.
This is Ming Feizhen's retired life.
