83 Chapter 1240: The Furious Song Xuan (1/2)

With poison in their hands, they knocked out the tens of thousands of people in the royal palace, rendering them powerless. While it was to save Liu Yang, and Chu Tianxing also deserved it… the problem was that the news was simply too shocking!

If those men had set forth with the intention not to save but to kill, who would have been able to stand against them?

If news spread, there would be unease among the populace. Everyone would start fearing for their lives. The emperors of the other Conferred Empires would also live in fear and apprehension, afraid that those men would come after them one day as well.

This was also why Song Xuan had sentenced them to death without much hesitation, and even Yao Mantian did not think that there was a mistake in Song Xuan's call.

With his Soul Depth of 25.1, Zhang Xuan was able to see through their thoughts and considerations, and he knew that without a suitable reason, there was no way he could free Sun Qiang and the other poison masters from their execution.

Thus, he first gave Elder Xu and the others a formal identity before pinning a heinous crime on Chu Tianxing's head.

This way, he would be able to claim that the actions of Sun Qiang and the other poison masters were not reckless but a planned operation by the Combat Master Hall and Master Teacher Pavilion to save the populace of Qingyuan City.

This way, even if the other Conferred Empires learned of this matter, they would at least view those men as under the control of the Combat Master Hall and Master Teacher Pavilion, so they would not have to worry about a bunch of madmen coming after their lives.

In other words, it was to alleviate the fears of the officials, nobles, and populace so that they would be able to accept this justified assassination. As long as the populace was appeased, Yao shi and the Master Teacher Pavilion would have no qualms with sparing Sun Qiang and the others.

Elder Xu was only taken aback for a moment before realizing all of this. He turned to look at Zhang Xuan once more with deep admiration in his eyes.

To be able to grasp the thoughts of Song shi, Yao shi, the Master Teacher Pavilion, and the populace and find the most suitable reason to appease all of them simultaneously… that was no easy feat at all!

Zhang Xuan's ability to think on his spot was truly frightening!

Elder Xu alternated his glances at Zhang Xuan and Sun Qiang, and he could not help but mutter beneath his breath, ”Why do I feel like that man is our true benefactor instead?”

The benefactor who had saved them had also displayed an exceptional ability to remain composed and think on the spot, coming up with the most rational solution to deal with the problem at hand. This was completely different from that fatty whom they had been locked up with for the past few days!

That fatty Sun Qiang seemed to know nothing but how to eat and sleep. There was really nothing praiseworthy about him at all!

Perplexed, Elder Xu was just about to test Sun Qiang when that fat 'benefactor' he was thinking about suddenly stepped forward.

”Yao shi, I am Sun Qiang, one of the men who was to be executed under Song shi's orders!”

Sun Qiang placed his hands behind his back and lifted his head proudly. With a voice that sounded loudly across the entire square, he spoke.

”I was reluctant to speak too much of this matter for fear that it would cause unease and pandemonium in Qingyuan City, but since our Young Master has already said so much, I'll admit to it. The reason Young Master Liu Yang and I set out to kill Chu Tianxing was due to our uncovering of his depraved ploy to nab the souls of the cultivators in Qingyuan City and nourish himself! I know that we are weak and insignificant, but if our insignificant lives could be traded for the lives of the entire city, we would still do it without any hesitation!”

After saying those words, Sun Qiang walked up to the crowd with a straightened back, assuming the look of an unsung hero who, despite being misunderstood by many, would still stand up valiantly for the sake of mankind.

”I see…”

”They were all willing to sacrifice themselves to save us… It's laughable how we actually thought of them as rebels!”

”I never would have thought that Chu Tianxing would actually kill all of us to nourish himself. This is unforgivable!”

”If not for this matter, I never would have known how noble Sun Qiang and those poison masters—ah no, it should be combat masters—are so noble. We have really wronged them.”

…

Hearing Zhang Xuan's explanation and witnessing Sun Qiang's selflessness, choosing to sacrifice himself rather than let the entire city fall into chaos, the crowd could not help but feel deeply moved.

The master teachers of the Master Teacher Pavilion also revealed faces of embarrassment.

Despite being master teachers themselves, they really came nowhere close to those noble men standing before them.

”This…” Elder Xu's lips twitched uncontrollably.

Setting out to kill Chu Tianxing was due to our uncovering of his depraved ploy?

His death was clearly an accident, alright? More important… you even whipped out a knife, wanting to castrate the other party…

Rather than the other party, you are the one who looks more like a villain!

More importantly… in the time of your captivity, you were either eating of sleeping. I have never seen the valiance and selflessness you spoke of in the time I have spent with you…

Then again… this does seem to resemble our benefactor's way of doing things!

Elder Xu rubbed his glabella in frustration, unable to discern the truth.

He had suspected that Zhang Xuan was their true benefactor, but after hearing Sun Qiang's words, which sounded like they could have come from their benefactor as well, he was confused once again.

On the other hand, upon seeing Sun Qiang rush out and behave in such a manner, Zhang Xuan could not help but shake his head. That fellow only knows how to pose!

Zhang Xuan sighed. If only he was half as humble as I am…

No matter what he did, he always strove to avoid trouble and the spotlight wherever possible. On the other hand, his butler seemed to crave to stand under every single spotlight he could find.

Really, from whom did he learn that bad habit from!

However, Sun Qiang's interjection there was also good in a way.

As long as they could generate sufficient buzz over this issue, the conflict would be resolved by itself. Even if Yao shi found several anomalies with the story, in face of the will of the populace, she would have no choice but to agree to it as well.

Most importantly of all, the betrayal of the emperor of a Conferred Empire was a huge blow to the Master Teacher Pavilion's credibility. If they went along with Zhang Xuan's story, that would make it appear that the Master Teacher Pavilion had been on top of things from the start to the end, making preparations in advance to deal with Chu Tianxing. This way, not only would the reputation of the Master Teacher Pavilion not be impaired, it would even be brought to greater heights!