270: Zhang Sanfeng's worries

"[He] believes that I, his Master, had the strength to act but was unwilling to do so, thus causing him to lose his parents."

"He has a stubborn temperament and wants to use his own power to avenge his parents."

"However, these things happened, and it's normal for his state of mind to be affected," Zhang Sanfeng said with a tone of self-reproach.

"Master, you can't be blamed for this. You were considering the entire Sect; your pressure back then was greater than anyone else's."

"If Master had insisted on standing up to protect Fifth Junior Brother back then, I'm afraid the Sect would no longer exist today."

"That would have meant becoming enemies with the Six Major Sects of the Jianghu, the Six Major Sects led by the Shaolin Temple. If Master had acted back then, the Sect would have essentially become an enemy of the entire Righteous Path."

"At that time, the Sect would have been completely isolated. Once a war broke out, I'm afraid the Sect would have been destroyed in an instant."

"Fifth Junior Brother was also aware of this, which is why he chose to take his own life, in order to preserve the Sect and not put Master in a difficult position," Eldest Martial Brother explained the situation from back then.

"Alas... in the final analysis, it's still because the Sect was too weak."

"If I, your Master, had made too many enemies while I was alive, they wouldn't dare to move against the Sect as long as I was around."

"But once I am gone, how will you manage? At that time, the Sect would Face a catastrophic disaster," Zhang Sanfeng shook his head helplessly.

As the founder of the Sect, he had too much to consider.

If the Sect's strength were enough, rather than just him being strong alone, he naturally wouldn't have considered so much back then.

If anyone dared to pressure his Disciple at his own doorstep, he would have just killed them.

However, back then, only he alone could intimidate the Martial Forest; the strength of the entire Sect was not sufficient.

He could not live forever and could not protect the Sect indefinitely, which is why he chose not to act back then.

This has also been a thorn in his heart all these years, to the point that his cultivation has hardly progressed. Otherwise, his battle with Duan Zhengchun wouldn't have been so pathetic, or rather, he could have won.

After all, Duan Zhengchun only had the strength of the Heavenly Human Realm at that time.

If it weren't for the matters of Zhang Cuishan and Zhang Wuji delaying him for so many years, with his talent, he would have already reached the Peak of the Earth Immortal Realm.

Perhaps he would have even stepped one foot into that legendary stage, a level beyond the Earth Immortal Realm.

According to the original world of 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber', Zhang Sanfeng's sacrifice would have eventually been rewarded. Zhang Wuji became the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult, and his strength was second only to Zhang Sanfeng.

He also became a link in the Alliance between the Ming Cult and the Sect. Among the third-generation Disciples, Song Qingshu, the future successor of the Sect, fell into the abyss because of his unrequited love for Zhou Zhiruo, and eventually, both father and son died.

All of this was a series of chain reactions caused by Zhang Wuji's appearance.

However, because this is a Comprehensive Martial Arts World and Duan Zhengchun is a transmigrator, his appearance has changed many things.

Because Duan Zhengchun intercepted Xiao Zhao, it resulted in Xiao Zhao being unable to enter the Ming Cult's Forbidden Ground with Zhang Wuji to obtain the Legacy, the Heaven and Earth Great Shift.

This ruined his plan to take over the Ming Cult, and thus he grew to hate Duan Zhengchun.

At the same time, he also harbored resentment toward Zhang Sanfeng.

He resented that Zhang Sanfeng, as his father's Master, clearly had the strength to save them but watched his parents die before his eyes without acting.

Consequently, he became an orphan that year. All of this was because of Zhang Sanfeng's inaction and Duan Zhengchun's interference.

Otherwise, all of this would have belonged to him.

It was precisely because of this mindset that he provoked Duan Zhengchun twice.

He believed that with Zhang Sanfeng around, Duan Zhengchun wouldn't dare to kill him.

The first time, Duan Zhengchun indeed did not kill him.

He even said it was for the sake of his Cousin A Li, but he didn't believe it at all.

A Li was just a girl; where would she get such a large Face?

Besides, did he even know Duan Zhengchun?

It was nothing more than being afraid to kill him because of Zhang Sanfeng. Later, the Sect rule announced by Zhang Sanfeng not only failed to make him wary of Duan Zhengchun but instead fueled his resentment even more.

And what caused the resentment in his heart to explode was what happened in the Deaf-Mute Valley—Duan Zhengchun ruined him.

He severed one of his arms. Now that he had lost an arm, even if he was a Great Grandmaster, his combat power would be halved.

He also knew that he had no future in the Sect, so he left without saying goodbye to seek his own Opportunity.

Hearing his Master's words, Eldest Martial Brother finally truly understood that his Master's considerations were far deeper than he had imagined.

He had already thought about what would happen after he was gone and considered everything for them.

It was laughable that when the Fifth Junior Brother and his wife took their own lives in front of them, he had even complained about his Master in his heart, wondering why his Master didn't step in to save them.

Looking at it now, they had misunderstood their Master. Back then, Fifth Junior Brother must have also thought of this, which is why he chose to take his own life at the Sect—firstly, to preserve the Sect's Face and not put his Master in a difficult position.

Secondly, it was to ensure the safety of his Sworn Brother, the Golden-Haired Lion King.

Only in this way could he fulfill both loyalty and righteousness, with the price being his own life.

However, I'm afraid Fifth Junior Brother didn't know that his wife, Yin Susu, because of him, would follow him to the Yellow Springs immediately after he left.

Unfortunately, among their seven brothers back then, only Fifth Junior Brother had thought of this; he, the Eldest Senior Brother, had not.

If Master hadn't spoken up today, he still wouldn't have thought of it.

He really was stupid enough. No wonder among the seven brothers, Master favored the fifth Disciple, Zhang Cuishan, the most.

Fifth Junior Brother was better than him, the eldest Disciple, in every aspect. It's just a pity that he encountered the events of that year and ultimately ended up with his family destroyed.

"Master, it's my incompetence and stupidity. I didn't think of this and made you worry," Eldest Martial Brother knelt before his Master with a thud, his Face full of grief.

"Alright, Yuanqiao, I know your situation well, and I have no intention of blaming you."

"Things have come to this; the Sect still needs you all to take charge."

"Aside from being a bit impetuous, Qingshu can be up to the task after some tempering."

"As for Zhang Wuji, let him be."

"If he is willing to return, the gates of the Sect will still be open to him."

"If he is unwilling to return, then let him go," Zhang Sanfeng said helplessly.

"Yes, Master, I know what to do," Eldest Martial Brother nodded in agreement.

"Alright, time is pressing. I still need to make a trip to Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"I'll leave the Sect to you. If you encounter anything you can't resolve, go find your Junior Martial Uncle Mu," Zhang Sanfeng instructed, then turned and vanished.

At the same time, in the famous Brothel of Jiangnan, the Lichun Brothel, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou were leisurely sitting on the second floor drinking wine.

"Has anything major happened in the Jianghu recently?" Hua Manlou asked calmly.

"Not in the Martial World, but something interesting has happened in the Great Qin Jianghu," Lu Xiaofeng said with a smile, watching the Top Courtesan downstairs exert herself to show off her dance moves just to win a smile from the guests.

"Oh? What happened in the Great Qin Jianghu?" Hua Manlou asked curiously.