Because Wang Anfeng was the killer.
Wang Anfeng also realized this and gripped his sword in his right hand.
He knew the scholar before him was spouting nonsense, yet the situation clearly was one of incontrovertibility, a scenario where the repeated lies of three people become truth.
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Wang Anfeng felt his breathing slightly constricted.
He had killed villains and been in life-and-death situations before, but he had never felt as oppressed as he did now.
When everyone believes what you did was wrong,
right or wrong no longer mattered to these people; all they wanted was for you to submit.
Submit under their definition of right.
Wang Anfeng gritted his teeth and was about to speak when Zhu Jian'an raised his hand to stop him, not letting him speak. Being inherently upright, he felt extreme disdain for the middle-aged scholar before him. Despite trying to restrain himself, his voice was still unavoidably harsh, he said,
"This order was given by me."
"What will you do about it?"
Wang Anfeng looked at the deputy chief arrestor, his expression slightly startled.
The surroundings silenced for a moment.
Then various curses and hostilities, having fermented heavily, exploded all at once, all directed towards Zhu Jian'an. The scholar in gray seemed surprised for a moment, then stepped back, clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and spoke loudly:
"As a person of Great Qin, my strike against you is disloyal."
"However, as the master of the murdered, I must do this, please understand."
Before his words were finished, the scholar's longsword was already slashing out, instantly piercing Zhu Jian'an's right shoulder, blood flowing down. Wang Anfeng's expression was slightly startled, and through the smell of blood, he suddenly detected a hint of medicinal fragrance, coming from the corpses around.
This medicinal fragrance was extremely faint. If he had not been constantly in the company of his second master, he would have been unable to detect it, and even then, it could only be discerned through the scent of blood.
The young man was slightly shocked as if lightning had struck in his mind, illuminating the dim memories. Suddenly, he remembered when he first began studying medicine with his second master, the elder had explained the poisons of the world, some of which when combined, could have the effect of aging the wounds.
At that time, the elder was rather proud, because it was a pharmacological finding he had discovered in his youth, yet Mr. Ying had scornfully mocked it, believing it to be useless to both others and oneself.
Wang Anfeng's pupils widened slightly, his heart racing.
His gaze fell on the red maple that had been scored with marks, and as his thoughts quickly shifted, he was gradually understanding. At this moment, the scholar had already withdrawn his sword, still generously stating his case while Wang Anfeng felt no trace of panic in his heart.
Watching the scholar's earnest words, kind demeanor, and hearing the echoing words of those around him seemed like watching an actor on a stage.
His mind settled down, as calm as still water.
With external disturbances removed and his state of mind stabilized, the characteristics of Buddhism's deep inner strength gradually came into play. Because of the strange noises that had disrupted his balance, Wang Anfeng regained his composure and wanted to speak, but he found that the moods and minds of the people around him, whether those martial artists or Zhu Jian'an and other warriors, were all being manipulated by Xia Changqing's lead.
It was like the Sword Saint's swordsmanship that directs an opponent's moves.
Wang Anfeng understood; he knew that speaking now would likely not attract anyone's attention and would be useless. He then gritted his teeth, called upon the Buddhism Inner Strength, and suddenly, like a character from a story by Libo, he laughed loudly.
Perhaps it was because of the rich nature of Shaolin's Inner Strength, but his voice resonated like a flood dragon's roar or a tolling bronze bell, completely suppressing the sounds that confused people's minds.
Without the secret influence of the strange weapon, the attention of the people was drawn to Wang Anfeng. Watching this young man in blue, holding a sword and laughing loudly, his expression seemed full of disdain. Beside him, Zhu Jian'an, clutching his wound, asked in astonishment:
"Little brother, what's wrong with you?"
Wang Anfeng felt his throat dry and slightly unable to maintain his laughter as Zhu Jian'an spoke, inwardly heaving a sigh of relief, saying, "Good question," then he stopped laughing and said:
"I just saw all these heroes, all renowned figures from the Jianghu of Fufeng, yet all being manipulated by one person, so I couldn't help but laugh."
"Chief Arrestor Zhu, don't you think this is very funny?"
In his words, mimicking Mr. Ying's disdainful tone, many of the martial artists, being strong-willed and quick-tempered, instantly became furious, saying:
"Young boy, don't spout nonsense!"
Zhu Jian'an frowned and pulled on Wang Anfeng, signaling him not to stir up more trouble. He always felt something off about today's events, but his nature being cautious and indecisive, thought that the best plan for now was to smooth over the trouble before investigating further.
But Wang Anfeng, having gained about seventy or eighty percent certainty, did not heed his hint and stepped forward, standing amidst the crowd, his heart uneasy yet not showing it, looking at the man who had spoken, a burly brute, he then clasped his hands in a slight bow and said:
"You say I'm spouting nonsense, big brother, care to make a wager?"
"Bet that I can prove you are being manipulated!"
The brute, furious yet laughing, said:
"Fine! What have I to fear?"
"But what will you wager?"
Wang Anfeng reversed his grip on his longsword strapped to his back, drew it out with a clang, and plunged it upside-down into the ground. Holding the wooden sword with one hand, he circulated energy through it, causing faint sparks of thunder to appear, quite extraordinary. Although he had accepted the teachings of the Confucian Sect, he was definitely no pedant; he then declared aloud: