Chapter 75

Xin Ma's Selection (75)

The faces of the martial artists were suddenly covered in curses, confusion spreading across them. However, that was just the beginning.

To make matters worse, the beggar in front of them started rolling on the ground.

"Give me my bowl! It's a family treasure passed down from my great-grandfather!"

"What a crazy beggar?"

One of the martial artists approached Er Li with a threatening attitude.

Usually, just the momentum would be enough to make someone cower.

But something unexpected happened.

As if he had been waiting for it, the beggar started pulling at his pants.

No matter how hard he tried to shake him off, it was no use. The beggar clung to him like a leech, refusing to let go.

"Oh, people of the neighborhood, come out and see! These ignorant fellows are tormenting a poor and pitiful beggar!"

"…!"

The martial artists were completely taken aback.

The beggar's incessant cursing had left their ears ringing.

Moreover, the attention of the people around them was not welcome.

"Enough."

A man who seemed to be in charge stepped forward.

A long scar ran from his right forehead, across the bridge of his nose, to the opposite jaw.

He was a man who naturally gave off a chilling vibe.

Clang.

He threw a pouch of silver coins to the ground.

The sound suggested that it contained a considerable amount of money.

"This is the price of the bowl. Now, back off."

Er Li quickly snatched the pouch, opened it to check the amount, and then put it in his pocket with a smirk.

The martial artists frowned at this.

But they knew causing a commotion would not be beneficial, so they tried to move on.

"Sir."

Er Li suddenly extended his hand.

"The money is not enough."

"What?"

Er Li grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth.

"Go on, look. It has been passed down for fifteen generations."

"Don't lie! You just said it was passed down from your great-grandfather!"

"Oh, the name of that fifteenth ancestor is my great-grandfather. Great-grandfather is written with the character 'great' and 'father'."

The martial artists were speechless at this ridiculous excuse.

To confront a beggar in broad daylight, and to brazenly try to scam them, the members of the Pasa Squad of the Martial Arts Alliance!

The man with the scar on his face.

Wang Kun's patience had run out.

"Get lost. If you don't, next year today will be your memorial day."

The chilling, murderous tone made Er Li shudder.

"Oh, how scary. Look at those raised eyebrows? He's going to kill someone!"

"Boldly…."

Wang Kun's hand gripped his sword hilt.

But the sword was never drawn.

A ghostly hand suddenly grabbed Wang Kun's hand that was about to draw the sword.

"…!"

Wang Kun felt a sudden chill.

A master.

One who had surpassed his own realm by a wide margin!

The cold, piercing gaze that cut through the dirty rags and the overwhelming presence that pressed down on the surroundings were suffocating his heart.

Wang Kun's eyes widened in shock.

Seeing this, Er Li laughed and said.

"Hehe, relax your eyes, will you? Keep this up and you'll have a staring contest with him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Er Li pulled off the rags he had put on Hong Jikmun.

"…Kuai Shou Yei!"

The name that burst from Wang Kun's mouth made all the Pasa Squad members freeze on the spot.

'That means…?'

Wang Kun finally got a good look at Er Li's face.

'Damn!'

To have the leader of the Beggar Sect right in front of him and not recognize him.

The situation had been so chaotic that his judgment had been clouded.

"Would you like to break this one too?"

Er Li suddenly extended a cudgel from his waist.

A symbol of authority of the Beggar Sect.

The Beggar's Staff.

Wang Kun quickly bowed.

"I, Wang Kun, the leader of the Pasa Squad's Ninth Team, greet the leader of the Beggar Sect."

Hearing this, the Pasa Squad members hurriedly bowed as well. Er Li waved his hand as if he didn't want to receive their greetings.

"Ah, that's fine. Just give me the money for the bowl quickly."

Wang Kun gritted his teeth.

"…How much will do?"

"Let's see, one… ten million taels?"

Wang Kun, who had been speechless with indignation, finally regained his composure after a moment.

"What do you want?"

Only then did Er Li stop smiling and look Wang Kun in the eye.

"Go back."

"Excuse me?"

"Is the young man already deaf? I said turn around and leave."

"But we are here to carry out the order of the Martial Arts Alliance…."

"What order?"

"That is…."

"Has someone been bad-mouthing your leader? Or has one of the Ten Great Evils appeared?"

"…."

"Wouldn't it be interesting to see what expression your leader would have if he knew you interrogated the doctor who saved his daughter? Oh, and the reason was to pressure the Zhencheng Clan, right?"

Faced with Er Li's relentless questioning, Wang Kun could only sweat profusely.

"Is my word a joke to you?"

"No, no, it's not!"

Er Li pointed to Hong Jikmun.

"See this person?"

Wang Kun flinched, and Er Li smiled meaningfully.

"At my level, it's just words. But with this guy…."

Er Li left the sentence hanging, and Wang Kun's face contorted.

"Ugh!"

The pressure on the hand that gripped his sword hilt suddenly increased.

Just before his fingers were about to break, Wang Kun shouted.

"Stop! That's enough!"

Er Li waved his hand, and the murderous Hong Jikmun suddenly backed off. Wang Kun, still rubbing his hand in pain, growled like a wounded animal.

"I will definitely report to our alliance that your sect has been hostile."

"You broke my precious bowl first."

Wang Kun, who had been glaring at Er Li with a look of injustice, left with his subordinates.

Once they were completely gone, Hong Jikmun asked.

"Is this okay? How will you deal with the aftermath?"

"Would it be better if I cut off your arm? Even so, when I say 'Kuai Shou Yei,' they'll listen."

"Before my arm is cut off, won't the leader of the Beggar Sect's head be broken first?"

Er Li chuckled.

"Really?"

"…?"

"How long do you think the Martial Arts Alliance will last?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's not an exaggeration to say it's already starting to fall apart."

Er Li continued.

"Initially, the Martial Arts Alliance had fulfilled its role after driving out the Devil Sect. But now, despite all the justifications, it's reaching its limits. For example…."

Er Li's gaze drifted to some distant place.

"The Huashan Sect is here based on their own judgment. Otherwise, there would be no need to send the Pasa Squad separately."

Hong Jikmun nodded.

"Even after declaring the extermination of the Hundred Great Evils, how many sects have actively responded?"

Most sects, except for the Five Great Families, have only provided lukewarm support.

"The Martial Arts Alliance, or rather, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, has already crossed the line long ago."

Hong Jikmun pretended to understand.

He had also heard rumors.

"Indeed, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance has been using it like his personal army…."

"The Tianyi Squad has also started moving secretly. They began investigating the leader's personal corruption."

"Isn't the leader of the Tianyi Squad that cunning girl from the Zhuge family?"

"Right. She's not called 'Zhinangli' for nothing. She's incredibly cunning."

Er Li looked up at the cloudy sky.

"Nam Gong Bai has already lost trust. And soon, the division will begin."

"But he's not the type to go down easily."

Er Li couldn't deny that.

Nam Gong Bai was indeed a formidable figure.

"Regardless, our Beggar Sect will take a different path from the Martial Arts Alliance. We can't keep following their lead forever."

"Is there a reason?"

"Seems like it, but if you look closely, there are many."

"For example?"

"Extermination of the Hundred Great Evils."

The list of names for the extermination order issued by the Martial Arts Alliance included many who were not clearly evil.

Among the villains, some had gained popularity, and not a few had close ties with the Beggar Sect.

"Like Meng Yan, the Great Strength Ghost?"

"Right. The Sichuan branch is protecting him now. And it's not just our sect."

The江湖 is a place intricately entangled with countless debts and favors.

Many martial artists who had poor relations with certain families but good relations with other sects were included in the list of the Hundred Great Evils.

"Anyone can see that a lot of personal feelings went into making that list."

The Martial Arts Alliance has been constantly creating external enemies to maintain its influence.

But it has now become a desperate move.

While they were having this conversation, someone approached them.

"Excuse me, are you the leader of the Beggar Sect?"

"Huh?"

Er Li's eyes widened when he recognized the person who had bowed and spoken.

"You…!"

"Hello, I'm Dan Aoxian."

"Oh! I've heard a lot about you. Our sect owes a great deal to Chun Tang."

Er Li approached and shook Dan Aoxian's hands warmly. But then he heard a gasp from behind.

"Ah!"

Turning his head, he saw Hong Jikmun retreating awkwardly.

"Why are you doing that?"

Instead of answering, Hong Jikmun's face turned pale, and his eyes darted around.

It was clear he was terrified.

'Could it be…?'

Suddenly, Er Li felt a chill.

Sure enough.

"Why don't beggars wash themselves?"

"…!"

The sudden voice made Er Li shudder as if struck by lightning.

After a moment, he slowly turned around and saw Han Xuehua standing behind Dan Aoxian.

He forced a smile and greeted her.

"It's been a while."

Han Xuehua frowned.

The moment she opened her mouth, the stench that had been lingering around them intensified. Seeing this, Er Li quickly poked Hong Jikmun's side.

Hong Jikmun hurriedly bowed.

"H-Have you been well?"

Han Xuehua did not respond.

She just raised her sleeve to cover her nose and glared at the two of them.

Feeling awkward and unable to move, the two were saved by Dan Aoxian.

"I came to thank you for helping me."

Er Li waved his hand and quickly responded.

"Oh, no need to thank us! How much does the Beggar Sect owe to the gods? We could spend a hundred years repaying and still fall short!"

Dan Aoxian suddenly felt something was off.

The more they talked, the more Er Li and Hong Jikmun seemed to be distancing themselves.

Then Han Xuehua spoke.

"Stop."

The two froze at her command.

"Follow me."

She turned and walked away, leaving those words behind.

Er Li and Hong Jikmun exchanged pitiful glances and then followed her like lambs to the slaughter.