Chapter 14

At this moment, fifty to sixty people rushed out from behind the apricot trees in the east. They were all ragged, with disheveled hair, some holding weapons, others carrying broken bowls and bamboo staffs, all of them members of the Beggar Sect. Soon after, eighty to ninety more disciples of the Beggar Sect emerged from the north, each with a serious expression, not bowing to Qiao Feng but instead showing a faint hostility.

Then, dozens more members rushed in from the west and south, quickly filling the open space among the apricot trees.

Chen Zhen suddenly called out loudly, "Form the Beggar Formation!" From the four directions, dozens to over twenty members of the Beggar Sect rushed out, each holding weapons, surrounding Bao Bu Tong, the short elder, and the others.

The Beggar Sect quickly formed their formation, and the disparity in strength was clear. However, Bao Bu Tong and Feng Bo E continued to fight fiercely, showing no signs of giving in.

Wang Yuyan called out, "Third Brother Bao, Fourth Brother Feng, it's no use. You two can't break the Beggar Formation. It's better to stop now."

Feng Bo E replied, "I'll fight a bit more, and then stop when it really doesn't work."

As he spoke, he was distracted, and with a hiss, his shoulder was struck by the staff of the white-bearded elder, the hooks on the staff tearing his flesh. Feng Bo E cursed, "You damn old man, that move was quite powerful." He attacked with three consecutive moves, as if determined to fight to the death.

The white-bearded elder then guarded his position and stopped attacking.

Chen Zhen sang loudly, "Brothers from the south come to beg for food, oh oh oh oh..."

He was singing the beggars' begging tune, actually giving the order to attack. The dozens of beggars standing to the south each raised their weapons, ready to charge as soon as Chen Zhen's song ended.

However, Qiao Feng waved his left hand and shouted, "Hold it!" He darted to Feng Bo E's side, reaching out with his left hand toward Feng Bo E's face. Feng Bo E quickly moved to the right, and Qiao Feng's right hand followed, grabbing his wrist and snatching his saber.

Wang Yuyan called out, "What a fine move, the 'Dragon Claw Hand' and the 'Three Pearl Seizures'! Third Brother Bao, he's going to hit your chest with his left elbow, slash your waist with his right palm, and grab your 'Qi Hu' point with his left hand. This is the 'Peng Ran You Yu' move from the 'Dragon Claw Hand'!"

Though her words were quick, Qiao Feng's movements were even faster. By the time Wang Yuyan had said her third sentence, Qiao Feng's right hand had already grabbed Bao Bu Tong's 'Qi Hu' point.

Bao Bu Tong felt his whole body go limp and could no longer move. He said angrily, "What a fine 'Peng Ran You Yu'! Big Sister, you didn't say it too early or too late, what good is that? If you had said it a moment earlier, I could have prepared."

Wang Yuyan apologized, "He's too strong, and there were no signs before he attacked. I couldn't see it coming. I'm really sorry."

Bao Bu Tong said, "What's the point of apologies? We lost the fight today, disgracing the Yanzi Wu." He turned around and saw Feng Bo E standing straight. Qiao Feng had taken his saber and, in the process, struck his acupoints, otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped fighting.

Seeing that the leader had subdued Bao and Feng, Chen Zhen abruptly stopped his song.

Qiao Feng released Bao Bu Tong's 'Qi Hu' point and lightly patted Feng Bo E's shoulder a few times with his left hand, unblocking his acupoints. He said, "You two are free to go."

No matter how strange Bao Bu Tong's personality was, he knew that his martial arts were far inferior to Qiao Feng's. He said nothing and retreated to Wang Yuyan's side.

Feng Bo E, however, said, "Leader Qiao, my martial arts are inferior to yours, but I'm not entirely convinced by that move. You caught me off guard."

Qiao Feng replied, "Yes, I did catch you off guard. Let's try a few more moves. I'll take your saber."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the saber on the ground, causing it to jump into his hand. He flicked his fingers, and the saber turned, handle first, and he offered it to Feng Bo E.

Feng Bo E was stunned and said in a trembling voice, "Is this the 'Dragon Seizing Skill'? There really is someone in the world who can use this incredible martial art."

Qiao Feng smiled and said, "I've only just begun to understand it, and I'm not an expert."

Feng Bo E shook his head and said, "I can't beat you. The disparity in strength is too great. Fighting you is no fun. Leader Qiao, goodbye."

He raised his hand to bid farewell to Qiao Feng and then said to Bao Bu Tong, "Third Brother, I heard that Young Master went to Shaolin Temple. There are many people there, and there will surely be fights. I'll go there first. You can come later." Without waiting for Bao Bu Tong's response, he rushed off.

Bao Bu Tong said, "Let's go, let's go! Being inferior in skill, my face is disgraced! Even after ten more years of practice, I'll still lose everything! Better to give up and live in poverty!" He recited these lines loudly and walked away, losing with a certain grace.

Wang Yuyan said to A Zhu and A Bi, "Third Brother and Fourth Brother are gone. Where should we go to find... find him?"

A Zhu lowered her head and said, "The Beggar Sect has important matters to discuss here. Let's go back to Wuxi City and talk about it."

She turned to Qiao Feng and said, "Leader Qiao, we three are leaving!"

Qiao Feng nodded and said, "You three are free to go."

From the east, a beggar with a refined appearance suddenly stepped out, his face stern. He said, "Reporting to the leader, the great vengeance for Deputy Leader Ma's death has not been avenged. How can the leader so easily let the enemies go?"

His words were polite, but his expression was intimidating, showing no respect as a subordinate.

Qiao Feng said, "We came to Jiangnan to avenge the death of Brother Ma. In recent days, I have investigated thoroughly and believe that the murderer of Brother Ma may not be Young Master Murong."

"This is Quan Guanqing. What a waste of a good face."

Li Wuqing coldly observed the refined-looking middle-aged beggar and smiled coldly.

Quan Guanqing, known as the "Ten Directions Scholar," was highly intelligent and skilled in martial arts, holding the position of the Eighth Bag Leader, second only to the sixteen elders, and in charge of the "Great Wisdom Branch."

In "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," Quan Guanqing was one of the few people Li Wuqing despised the most. If not for the current situation, he would have killed him without hesitation.

Quan Guanqing asked, "What evidence does the leader have for this claim?"

Wang Yuyan, A Zhu, and A Bi were about to leave when they heard someone in the Beggar Sect mention Murong Fu. They all cared deeply about Murong Fu and stopped to listen.

Qiao Feng said, "I am only speculating and have no concrete evidence."

Quan Guanqing said, "We would like to know how the leader came to this conclusion."

Qiao Feng said, "When I was in Luoyang, I heard that Brother Ma died from the 'Throat Locking Skill.' This made me think of the Murong family's 'Using Their Own Methods Against Them.' I thought that Brother Ma's 'Throat Locking Skill' was unparalleled, and only the Murong family could use his own technique to harm him."

Quan Guanqing said, "That's correct."

Qiao Feng continued, "However, in recent days, I have increasingly felt that our initial assumption might not be entirely correct. There might be other factors involved."

Quan Guanqing said, "All the brothers wish to hear the details. Please enlighten us, leader."