Chapter 25 of 100

Chapter 25

18 min read4,513 words

It was late at night, and a bright moon slowly rose from the eastern hills, its clear light mingling with the glow of countless torches below, creating a wondrous scene.

"Dear friends, fellow practitioners, welcome to the Gathering of the Beggars' Sect on Jun Mountain. Today marks the transition of leadership from the old to the new. Please welcome our former leader, Wang Jian Tong, to speak a few words..."

In the square, countless beggars sat quietly on the ground. In the center, a high platform was set up with many chairs, all occupied by people from various sects and families, including Shaolin, Qingcheng, and Juxian Manor. Almost every major sect and family in the martial world had sent representatives. On one side of the platform, many more people stood, dressed in various attire, having come from all over to witness the ceremony. Among them was Bai Xiaosheng, quietly observing the scene.

Wang Jian Tong was no longer young; he was older than Xuan Ci, with gray hair and a white beard, his face pale, clearly nearing the end of his life.

He slowly walked to the center of the platform, bowed to the crowd, and said, "The Beggars' Sect was founded during the Tang Dynasty and has a history of several hundred years. I have been the leader for thirty-seven years. Although I have not made the sect flourish, I have not tarnished its name, and I am without guilt before our ancestors. Now, knowing that my time is near, I will pass the leadership of the Beggars' Sect to Deputy Leader Ma Dayuan. I ask for the support of all our friends in the martial world, fellow practitioners, and my brothers in the sect. I am deeply grateful."

Wang Jian Tong then turned to the high-ranking monk from Shaolin sitting on the platform and said, "Master Xuan Nan, the Beggars' Sect and Shaolin have always been on good terms. I hope Shaolin will continue to look after the Beggars' Sect."

"Amitabha! Please rest assured, the friendship between Shaolin and the Beggars' Sect is unbreakable. We will stand by each other!" Xuan Nan stood up and spoke softly. His words were a clear message to all the onlookers that any future actions against the Beggars' Sect would be met with resistance from Shaolin.

Wang Jian Tong solemnly replied, "Thank you, Master!" He then turned his attention to the beggars, scanning the crowd, and finally looked at the four elders behind him. He called out loudly, "Bring the Beggar's Staff!"

"Bring the Beggar's Staff!" the four elders echoed in unison, their voices amplified by their inner strength, resonating throughout Jun Mountain.

One of the four elders slowly walked to the back and retrieved the Beggar's Staff from the Xuanyuan Platform. Legend has it that this platform was where the Yellow Emperor cast his tripod and ascended to heaven. Later generations named it the "Xuanyuan Platform" to commemorate the event.

The Beggar's Staff was entirely green, with a green gemstone embedded at the top, shining brightly under the torchlight. It was a bamboo staff, not thick, but this bamboo was extraordinary. Bai Xiaosheng could not identify the type of bamboo, but he knew it must be extremely durable to have been passed down through the ages.

Bai Xiaosheng smiled as he carefully examined the Beggar's Staff.

Over the past two days, he had been traveling, giving alms to beggars who evoked his sympathy. Initially, no one paid him much attention, but by the third day, he noticed that someone was watching him. Although they had not revealed themselves, Bai Xiaosheng knew he had caught the attention of the Beggars' Sect. If his guess was correct, the Beggars' Sect would investigate his background. This pleased him because his background was clean, and once the Beggars' Sect knew, they would likely approach him, allowing him to join the sect as planned.

The gathering on Jun Mountain was not like the one on Mount Tai a few years ago, where there was no disruption. The transition of leadership went smoothly, and everyone dispersed afterward. Of course, the ordinary martial artists who had come to witness the ceremony left, while the prominent figures were retained at the Beggars' Sect headquarters to discuss various matters with the new leader, Ma Dayuan.

Under Wang Jian Tong's leadership, the Beggars' Sect had been helping the Song Dynasty resist the Liao Dynasty, earning a good reputation. Ma Dayuan, as the new leader, would continue this. However, the Beggars' Sect was not foolish; they knew they could not achieve much on their own. Therefore, they hoped to use this gathering to gather support from other martial artists to fight against the Liao Dynasty.

Of course, these matters had nothing to do with Bai Xiaosheng.

After leaving Jun Mountain, he stayed in a nearby town for a day before heading to Luoyang. He traveled slowly, stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery. It took him seven days to reach Luoyang.

On his first day in Luoyang, Bai Xiaosheng recognized someone, though he did not know the person. He clearly remembered that this person was one of those who had accompanied Quan Guanqing.

Smiling, Bai Xiaosheng entered an inn and went to his room. He did not rush, nor did he show any urgency, acting like a novice in the martial world, curious about everything. In fact, his interest in the scenery was genuine, not just for show.

He stayed in his room until evening, then went down to the dining hall for dinner. It was a busy time, and there were few empty seats left. He chose one, and the other two empty seats were quickly taken. Just as he ordered his food and was about to start eating, two beggars entered. The waiter immediately tried to drive them away, but Bai Xiaosheng was amused because one of them was the person he had seen earlier that day.

"Waiter, please bring these two beggar friends to my table," Bai Xiaosheng said at the right moment. The waiter, hearing this, happily escorted the two to his table. The beggars did not hesitate, bowing to Bai Xiaosheng and saying, "Thank you, brother."

"You're welcome. We are all martial artists and should help each other," Bai Xiaosheng said with a smile, then asked the waiter to bring two more dishes and a large jar of wine. He said to the beggars, "We meet by chance, but it is a bond. Today, Bai Xiaosheng will drink with you, my Beggars' Sect friends."

"Great! Brother Bai is generous!"

The three began to drink, and the large jar of wine was quickly finished. Compared to Bai Xiaosheng, the two beggars had much lower tolerance. They were already tipsy after half a jar, while Bai Xiaosheng remained sober, his face flushed but not drunk. He even felt a stronger desire to drink and called out to the waiter, "Waiter, bring me another jar!"

Martial artists are often generous and good at drinking, but few could match Bai Xiaosheng, who had drunk more than half a jar without showing any signs of intoxication. Hearing that he wanted another jar, everyone looked at him curiously.

Bai Xiaosheng paid no attention to the gazes, continuing to drink bowl after bowl while also encouraging the two beggars to drink. Soon, the two beggars were slumped on the table, and Bai Xiaosheng quickly finished another jar, showing slight signs of drunkenness.

His eyes were slightly unfocused, but his mind was still clear.

"Waiter..." Bai Xiaosheng swayed as he stood up and said to the waiter, "Please carry these two brothers to my room. I want to get closer to them." With that, he swayed back to his room, and soon the two beggars were carried in and placed on the bed.

Seeing the dirty appearance of the two beggars, Bai Xiaosheng felt quite annoyed, but he endured it, lying down on the bed. The small bed was soon filled with the three of them.

'To join the Beggars' Sect, I must endure!' Bai Xiaosheng thought bitterly, avoiding looking at the two beggars, fearing he might lose control and beat them up.

---