Chapter 72

(72) The Beggar's Selection

Although the New Year had passed, Wuyi was still in the midst of a festive atmosphere.

The New Year celebrations did not end on the day itself but continued until the Lantern Festival, which was held on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

The streets were lined with red lanterns, and every household had spring couplets pasted on their doors, wishing for good fortune.

Red paper cuttings, which were hung in auspicious shapes, decorated various places, and at the temple fairs, lion dance performances were in full swing.

Occasionally, firecrackers would go off here and there to drive away the ghosts that bring disease.

The bustling crowds exchanged well-wishes, fully enjoying the lively holiday atmosphere.

Watching this scene from a distance was a person.

An old man, so ragged that it was hard to count how many times his clothes had been patched, stood there.

He was short and had an ordinary appearance, but his aura was unique.

His complexion was unusually good, almost resembling a ripe persimmon, and he was bald, but his calm and deep eyes carried a dignity and majesty that were hard to imitate.

During this period, even beggars, who usually faced a harsh world, received more kindness than usual.

"Hmm, it's a good time. Tsk."

The man called Yilip, known as Hongduta, revealed his yellowed teeth and walked slowly.

After a while, he reached a shack near a bridge on the outskirts of the village.

"Tsk."

Yilip clicked his tongue.

His gaze fell upon a beggar lying next to the shack, covered in a mat, basking in the sun.

"What are you doing, lying there like that? How do you expect to get alms?"

Yilip approached the beggar.

However, the beggar under the mat did not move.

Yilip nudged his side with his toe, and immediately a rough curse flew out.

"Damn it. Which dog's bastard is disturbing an old man's rest?"

A bony hand suddenly shot out from under the mat.

"If you want to give alms, do it quickly and get lost."

As Yilip stared silently, the face under the mat finally revealed itself.

It was a beggar with completely white hair, as thin as a mummy.

"Huh?"

Their eyes met, and the beggar's eyes showed confusion.

Yilip gave him a look of disappointment.

"What are you doing?"

"Can't you see? I'm begging."

"In that state?"

"What's wrong with my state? I look like a beggar, don't I?"

"Hardly. I thought you were a frozen beggar's corpse. Who would dare come close to give alms, even if they wanted to?"

Yilip's reprimand made Hongjimun stand up reluctantly, his face showing annoyance.

"Leader, aren't you being a bit too much?"

"Ah, greetings? When you see the leader, you should show respect first."

"Shut up. I'm complaining as a close friend, not as a leader."

Yilip chuckled.

"Is that so? Then keep complaining."

"How long do I have to stay here? How old am I? You said I'd be treated like an elder, but look at me. This is no treatment for an elder. I should be in the council of elders, not begging on the street!"

"Are you done?"

"No, far from it. As a senior, shouldn't you give hope to the juniors? What kind of dreams and hopes can young beggars have when they see me like this? Even the elders are reduced to begging on the streets!"

"Tsk. Are we just any beggar group? If we were just a group of beggars, we wouldn't have maintained our lineage for so long. We are the righteous... ."

"Righteous or not, I'm about to die right now."

Hongjimun's whining made Yilip frown.

"Still, you should give back what you've received. The sects of the martial world will surely target the Son of Faith. We need to protect him, don't we?"

When Yilip mentioned Faith, Hongjimun flinched.

It was because this touched on his most painful memory.

"Soon, we'll officially set up a branch here. Just bear with it a little longer."

"Branch? Are you kidding me? You want me to go back to the front lines?"

"What can I do? You're the only person I can trust."

"Damn it! Stop trusting me! I've already wandered through all the major regions of the Central Plains!"

"Hey, hey, the kids are watching."

"Who cares!"

Seeing Hongjimun's defiant attitude, Yilip sighed softly.

"Here, take this."

"What is it?"

"A red envelope. It's the New Year, after all."

Hongjimun's face lit up as he took the red envelope Yilip handed him.

Traditionally, one should bow and receive the red envelope with well-wishes.

"Please accept my bow, Leader!"

Hongjimun, who had bowed, thought of the appropriate New Year's greeting.

'Let's see. Jin Yu Man Tang (a wish for wealth) is too much for a beggar's fate... .'

Chun Jie Kuai Le (Happy New Year)?

Or Ying Chun Jie Fu (welcoming spring and good fortune)?

Then, an appropriate greeting came to mind.

"May all your wishes come true!"

"You too, may your wishes come true quickly."

Kuai Shou Ru Yi (swift hands, as you wish) was Hongjimun's nickname.

Though he looked ragged and was known as Xiao Hai Kuang (Little Sea Madman) for his eccentric personality, he was a recognized top expert of the Beggar Sect. He was even one of the top three fist masters in the Central Plains, albeit in the last position.

Along with Chao E Liang, the head of the Discipline Hall of Shaolin.

The moment Hongjimun opened the red envelope to check its contents, his face turned sour.

"Just this? Who are you trying to fool? It won't even be enough to buy a few buns!"

"The sect isn't in a good financial state..."

"When has it ever been good? When will it ever be good?"

"Would a beggar be a beggar if he were wealthy?"

"..."

"..."

The two men fell silent, neither knowing what to say.

After a moment, Yilip suddenly handed something to Hongjimun.

Hongjimun's face brightened when he realized it was a bottle of liquor.

He was a man who loved alcohol so much that he boasted he had drunk enough to fill a small sea.

No wonder his nickname was Xiao Hai Kuang.

"It's Fenjiu from Shanxi. I got it directly from Xinghua Village."

"From the Liu family?"

"Yes. I got it with great effort, thinking of you."

Before Yilip could finish, the bottle was already in Hongjimun's hand.

The speed at which he snatched it was invisible to the naked eye, living up to his nickname, Kuai Shou Ru Yi.

"Huh?"

Hongjimun, who was shaking the bottle, gave Yilip a puzzled look.

"There's only a sip left?"

"I only took that much when I received it."

Hongjimun stared intently at Yilip.

Under that silent, pressing gaze, Yilip finally confessed.

"Yes! I only took a sip! I just wanted to taste it since it was hard to get!"

Only then did Hongjimun relax.

He opened the bottle, stuck his nose into the mouth, and sniffed, exclaiming in delight.

"Wow! It's good! Truly Shanxi Fenjiu! Incredible!"

Hongjimun, who had savored the aroma several times, did not drink the liquor but closed the bottle again.

"Why aren't you drinking it?"

Yilip asked, and Hongjimun replied with a shameless smile.

"If I drink it now, I'll have to share it. I'll save it and drink it secretly later."

Yilip burst out in anger.

"You have no sense of righteousness at all!"

"Righteousness? You're talking about righteousness after lying about a sip of liquor?"

Yilip, at a loss for words, turned his gaze to the distance.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he spoke.

"This year has been like this, but let's stay up together on New Year's Eve."

The last day of the year is the most important day of the New Year.

On this night, known as Chuye, the whole family gathers to eat Nianyefan and stays up all night until dawn. They must not sleep until they pay respects to the gods who descend at midnight.

This practice of staying up all night is called Shousui.

"Fine. Drinking together would just lead to depressing stories."

At these words, Yilip and Hongjimun's faces turned somber, thinking of someone who was no longer with them.

In the past, the three of them would drink all night together.

Just then,

"Huh?"

Yilip's face showed confusion.

A lion dance procession was passing over the bridge.

The lion dance, which is believed to bring good luck, is an excellent performance to liven up the holiday spirit.

It mimics the lion's appearance and movements, with a carefully crafted lion mask and skin, inside which two or three people perform the dance.

One person controls the head, and the other controls the tail.

Another person moves a ball attached to a pole to tease the lion.

However, the movements of the martial artists performing the lion dance were not ordinary.

"That's Shenxing Bai bian, isn't it?"

Indeed, it was unusual.

The representative lightness technique of the Huashan Sect was being used in the lion dance. Hongjimun replied indifferently.

"Has it been about a fortnight? Huashan sent a few plum swordsmen here."

"Why?"

"Why not? Probably for the same reason as us."

"Why didn't you report it?"

"Didn't I? The pigeon with the message should have arrived at the main hall by now."

Hongjimun, who had been teasing Yilip for showing up unannounced, turned to Yilip, who was embarrassed and coughed.

"Observing them, I noticed something different about them and us."

"..."

"The Huashan disciples change every ten days. They only need to endure for ten days. Unlike the beggars from other places."

"We don't have enough people, do we? We can't help it..."

"Ha! You say the Beggar Sect doesn't have enough people? By numbers, we're the largest sect in the Central Plains!"

"Ah, lower your voice. Do you want to advertise that the Beggar Sect is monitoring here?"

"Tch."

"By the way, how is the Son of Faith?"

Hongjimun shook his head indifferently.

"He seems to have read the atmosphere and rarely shows up. I haven't even seen his face yet."

"Are you sure?"

"Am I lying now?"

"Then who is that?"

"Huh?"

Following Yilip's finger, Hongjimun's eyes widened in surprise.

A boy walking through the crowd.

His face and features matched the appearance of Duan Yexian perfectly.

But...

"Huh?"

"Whoa!"

Both men's mouths opened in surprise and they gasped.

They had just noticed a woman silently following Duan Yexian.

Yilip and Hongjimun's gazes were fixed on her, unable to look away.

"Lady Bingyu is really alive."

"Shouldn't you go and greet her?"

"Damn it! I'd rather just eat poison and die."

"You seem to have some bad memories with her?"

Hongjimun, who was teasing Yilip with a smile, received a retort.

"Maybe others, but not you. You shouldn't be the one to say that."

Hongjimun laughed bitterly.

"I don't want to pretend to know her either. I had to wash ten times just to greet her once."

Hansuelhua, who was pathologically obsessed with cleanliness, was completely incompatible with beggars like them.

Moreover, she was far superior in martial arts and reputation, leaving them with no other choice but to quietly avoid her.