Chapter 12

Outside Wuxi City, there was a grove of apricot trees. An important plot in *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils* took place in this grove, where Qiaofeng first learned of his true lineage.

The reason Li Wuchang was willing to wait for a long time in Wuxi City, besides wanting to meet Qiaofeng and planning to challenge the Six Pulse Divine Sword, was also to participate in this significant event in the apricot grove.

Led by two men, they walked for several miles, circled around the apricot grove, and heard a strange voice from the apricot blossoms: "My brother Murong went to Luoyang to meet your gang leader. Why are all of you Beggar Gang members here in Wuxi? Isn't this deliberately avoiding him? Even if you are afraid, it's not a big deal, but didn't it make my brother Murong take a useless trip? How unreasonable, truly unreasonable!"

Murong Fu had four major retainers: Deng Bai Chuan, Gong Ye Gan, Bao Bu Tong, and Feng Bo E. In the book, the ones who left the deepest impression were Bao Bu Tong and Feng Bo E.

Bao Bu Tong, in particular, left a strong impression on Li Wuchang. He was a very eccentric person, and his habitual phrase "Not so, not so" was widely known.

Then they heard a man with a northern accent say loudly: "Did Young Master Murong have a prior appointment with our gang leader Qiaofeng?"

Bao Bu Tong replied: "Whether there was an appointment or not, it doesn't matter. Since Young Master Murong went to Luoyang, the Beggar Gang's leader couldn't just leave and let him come up empty-handed. How unreasonable, truly unreasonable!"

The man asked: "Did Young Master Murong send any message to our gang?"

Bao Bu Tong said: "How would I know? I am neither Young Master Murong nor the Beggar Gang's leader. How could I know? Your question makes no sense at all, how unreasonable, how unreasonable!"

Qiaofeng's face darkened, and he strode into the grove, followed by Duan Yu and Li Wuchang.

In the apricot grove, two groups of people stood facing each other. Behind Bao Bu Tong stood three young girls, one of whom was Wang Yuyan. When Duan Yu's gaze met Wang Yuyan's face, he couldn't look away.

Leaving aside Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan's infatuation, in the apricot grove, a group of ragged beggars stood opposite Bao Bu Tong. The leader, upon seeing Qiaofeng's arrival, looked pleased and hurriedly stepped forward. The Beggar Gang members behind him bowed and said loudly: "We greet our leader."

Qiaofeng clasped his hands and said: "Brothers, you are all well."

Bao Bu Tong, still acting arrogantly, said: "Hmm, this is the Beggar Gang's leader Qiaofeng, right? I am Bao Bu Tong. You must have heard of my name."

Qiaofeng said: "It is Bao San, I have long admired your reputation. It is a great honor to meet you today."

Bao Bu Tong said: "Not so, not so! What reputation do I have? I am only known for causing trouble and hurting people with my words. Heh, Qiaofeng, you casually came to Jiangnan, which was wrong of you."

The Beggar Gang members, seeing Bao Bu Tong's rudeness to their leader, were all furious. Behind the leader of the Righteous Branch, Jiang, six or seven people either placed their hands on their sword hilts or clenched their fists, ready to act.

Qiaofeng, however, said calmly: "How was I wrong? Please enlighten me, Bao San."

Bao Bu Tong said: "My brother Murong knew you, Qiaofeng, were a remarkable person and that the Beggar Gang had some talented individuals. Therefore, he specially went to Luoyang to meet you. Why did you come to Jiangnan on your own? Heh, how unreasonable, how unreasonable!"

Qiaofeng smiled slightly and said: "If I had known Young Master Murong was coming to Luoyang, I would have waited for him. I apologize for not being there to welcome him." He clasped his hands in a bow.

Seeing this, Li Wuchang frowned, thinking: As the leader of a gang, Qiaofeng still has such grace, while Bao Bu Tong, though not skilled in martial arts, has quite a temper.

Perhaps due to his preconceived notions, Li Wuchang did not have a good impression of Bao Bu Tong and a faint sneer appeared on his lips.

Unexpectedly, Bao Bu Tong accepted this without doubt, nodded, and said: "You should apologize for not being there. Although it is said that ignorance is no excuse, the decision to punish or not is up to others!"

Just as he was feeling self-satisfied, several people behind the apricot trees burst into laughter, their voices echoing through the air. One of them said: "I've heard that Bao Bu Tong from Jiangnan loves to talk nonsense. Indeed, the reputation is well-deserved."

Bao Bu Tong said: "I've heard that a loud fart doesn't stink, and a stinky fart doesn't make a sound. But the fart just now was both loud and stinky. Could it have been from the six elders of the Beggar Gang?"

The person behind the apricot trees said: "Since Bao Bu Tong knows the names of the six elders of the Beggar Gang, why are you still talking nonsense here?"

As he spoke, four old men emerged from behind the apricot trees. Some had white beards and hair, others had ruddy faces. Each held a weapon and positioned themselves at the four corners, surrounding Bao Bu Tong, Wang Yuyan, and the others.

Bao Bu Tong, perhaps inwardly alarmed, showed no fear on his face and said: "What do you four old men want? Do you want to fight Bao San? Why didn't the other two old men come together? Are they hiding to ambush Bao San? Very good, very good, excellent! Bao San loves to fight."

Suddenly, a voice from the air said: "Who in the world loves to fight the most? Is it Bao San? Wrong, wrong, it's Feng Bo E, the Jiangnan Wind."

Li Wuchang looked up and saw a man standing on a branch of an apricot tree, swaying with the branch.

The man was slender, about thirty-two years old, with sunken cheeks, a thin mustache, and drooping eyebrows, looking very ugly.

Li Wuchang thought: "This must be Feng Bo E."

At this moment, a woman called out: "Fourth Brother Feng, have you heard any news from Young Master?"

Glancing at the woman, he saw she was wearing green and had a beautiful face. She was A Bi, who was deeply in love with Murong Fu.

Feng Bo E called out: "Great! Today I've found a good opponent. A Zhu, A Bi, we can talk about Young Master later." He flipped a somersault from the air and pounced on the short and fat old man from the north.

Feng Bo E, who loved to fight, took turns battling the four elders of the Beggar Gang. He first fought the short and fat old man, then the red-faced old man, followed by the white-bearded old man, and finally the long-armed old man. He bit the long-armed old man's finger with his sharp teeth.

Bao Bu Tong said seriously: "Fourth Brother Feng, your move 'Lü Dongbin Bites the Dog' is truly famous. You have indeed reached a divine level after ten years of hard practice, having bitten to death 1,800 white, black, and spotted dogs to achieve this level of skill."

Wang Yuyan, A Zhu, and A Bi all laughed. Duan Yu laughed and said: "Miss Wang, you know all about martial arts. To which school does this biting technique belong?"

Wang Yuyan smiled and said: "This is Fourth Brother Feng's unique skill. I don't know about it."

Bao Bu Tong said: "You don't know? Heh, you are truly ignorant. The 'Lü Dongbin Bites the Dog Great Nine Forms' has eight different biting methods for each form, totaling seventy-two bites. It is a very profound martial art."

Li Wuchang cast a cold glance at Bao Bu Tong, then turned to Duan Yu and said in a deep voice: "Third Brother, even in the presence of beauty, you must stand on the right side."

Duan Yu was startled and quickly fell silent.

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