Chapter - 15 Within the Apricot Forest, Discussing Ones True History (2/2)

Granny Tan asked again, ”Chief Qiao, who in the world has the audacity to stab you with these knives?” Qiao Feng laughed. ”I did it to myself.” Curious, Granny Tan asked, ”Why would you stab yourself? Are you tired of living?” Qiao Feng smiled. ”I stabbed myself for the fun of it. The flesh on my shoulders is thick and tough. I didn't harm the sinews or the bone.” Elders Song, Xi, Chen, and Wu, hearing Qiao Feng conceal the real story, felt both moved and ashamed.

Granny Tan let out a laugh. ”What type of lies are you spewing out? Oh, I know! You clever little imp, you heard that Grandpa Tan created a brand-new, incomparably efficacious ointment for wounds, using a mixture of 'Frozen Jade from the North Pole' and the 'Mysterious Ice Toad', and you wanted to give it a test run, right?”

Qiao Feng was noncommittal. He only smiled a little, then thought to himself, ”This old granny is extremely simple and tactless. Who in the world could be so bored as to stab themselves with knives, so as to test out your new medicine?”

The sound of hoofbeats could be heard once more, as a donkey charged into the apricot forest. On the donkey was seated a man mounted backwards. His back was facing the front of the donkey, while his front was facing the donkey's tail. Granny Tan's face was immediately wreathed in smiles. She shouted out, ”Martial-brother, what type of crazy game are you up to now? I'll spank you!”

When everyone looked at the rider, they saw that he had shrunk his body into a ball, as though he were a seven or eight year old child. Granny Tan stretched out with her palm, slapping at his buttocks. That person immediately rolled down to the ground. As he stretched his hand out to steady himself, he suddenly became both big and strong. Everyone was a bit startled. Grandpa Tan, however, had a rather unhappy look on his face. With a hmph, he tossed a side-glance at the man while saying, ”I was wondering who it was. So it's you.” He immediately turned his head to stare at Granny Tan.

If one were to say that the man who was riding the donkey backwards was very old, it didn't seem he was all that old. But it would be equally impossible to describing him as young. He appeared to be somewhere from thirty to sixty years of age, and could not be described as ugly or as handsome. He stared raptly at Granny Tan, displaying a boundless concern and fascination with her. In a gentle voice he asked, ”Little Juan, has your life been happy recently?”

Granny Tan was as large as a horse and built like an ox. Her hair was as white as silver, and her face was filled with wrinkles. Unexpectedly, her name was actually 'Little Juan' ('Juan' literally means graceful/beautiful). Such a delicate, pretty name was totally opposite to her appearance. Everyone within hearing range thought this was very funny. However, it was true that every old lady was once young. If she was called 'Little Juan' when she was young, it wouldn't be appropriate to change it to 'Old Juan' later on, right? Just as Duan Yu was thinking that exact thought, once more the sound of hoofsteps could be heard as multiple horses sped their way. This time, however, the speed of the horses didn't seem to be particularly urgent at all.

Qiao Feng was sizing up the donkey-rider, but was unable to determine just who he was. He was Granny Tan's elder martial brother, and while riding the donkey, he displayed an extremely brilliant usage of the 'bone shrinking technique'. Naturally, he must be an extraordinary character. However, Qiao Feng had never heard of him before.

The pack of riders arrived at the apricot forest. Riding in front were five youths, all with thick eyebrows and large eyes. They all looked very similar to each other. The eldest appeared to be over thirty years of age, whereas the youngest was a bit over twenty. Clearly, the five of them were brothers born of the same mother.

Wu Changfeng loudly called out, ”The Five Heroes of Mt. Taishan have arrived! Wonderful, wonderful! What propitious wind has blown all five of you brothers here at the same time?” The third brother of the Five Heroes of Mt. Taishan was named Dan Shushan, and he was extremely close to Wu Changfeng. He immediately seized the first chance to reply and said, ”Fourth Uncle Wu, hello! My father came as well.” The look on Wu Changfeng's face changed slightly. He said, ”Truly? Your father…” He had just acted in a way which violated the rules of the Beggar's Clan, and still felt uneasy about it. Upon hearing that the 'Iron Faced Judge' Dan Zheng of Mt. Taishan had suddenly arrived, he couldn't help but suddenly feel flustered. The 'Iron Faced Judge' Dan Zheng hated wickedness as though it were his personal foe. If ever he heard that something unfair had occurred within the jianghu, he would definitely intervene. His own skills in martial arts was very formidable, and aside from his five sons, he also had many disciples under his tutelage, numbering over two hundred people. Everyone was in awe of the fame of ”Mt. Taishan's Dan Family”.

Following this, another rider galloped into the apricot forest. The Five Heroes of Mt. Taishan simultaneously brought the horse to a halt, as the rider, an old man who wore a long silk robe, floated down from his mount. He clasped his hands towards Qiao Feng, saying, ”Chief Qiao, Dan Zheng has arrived without being invited. Please forgive me for interrupting.”

Qiao Feng had long heard of Dan Zheng, but this was the first time they had met in person. He saw that Dan Zheng's face was filled with a healthy red glow. The man lived up to his reputation of having 'white hair and a rosy complexion'. However, he had a very mild expression on his face. It didn't seem as though he were as ruthless a person as the rumors of jianghu made him out to be. Qiao Feng hastily cupped his fists in response and said, ”If I knew that you, elder Dan, were going to grace us with your presence, I would have welcomed you long ago.”

The man who rode in on a donkey suddenly let out a weird shout. ”Hah, great! So you should welcome the 'Iron Faced Judge' from afar, but when I, the 'Iron Arsed Judge' arrived, you didn't pay me any mind at all!”

Upon hearing the bizarre nickname of 'Iron Arsed Judge', everyone present laughed uproariously. Although Wang Yuyan, Ah Zhu, and Ah Bi all felt that laughing was improper, they couldn't help but let out beautiful smiles as well. Upon hearing these words, the Five Heroes of Mt. Taishan knew that this man was trying to mock their father. They immediately became upset. However, the family rules of the Dan family were extremely rigid. Since Dan Zheng himself had not said anything yet, none of his children dared to speak out of turn.

Dan Zheng possessed very good self-control. He couldn't immediately determine the origins of this weirdo, and so pretended to not have heard his words. In a clear voice, he called out, ”Madame Ma, please come out and speak with us.”

From behind the grove appeared a covered sedan. Two strong men were carrying the sedan, and they moved so quickly as to appear to be flying. Arriving within the forest, they set down the sedan, then parted upon the sedan curtain. From within the sedan, a young madame all dressed in mourning clothes slowly stepped out. The young madame bowed her heads towards Qiao Feng, paying her respects to him. She said, ”The widow of the Ma family pays her respects to the chief.”

Qiao Feng returned her salute. ”Sister-in-law, I greet you.”

Madame Ma said, ”My late husband had the misfortune to pass away. Thankfully, the many uncles of the clan have helped to arrange his funeral rites. I am sincerely grateful to you all.” Her voice was extremely clear and melodious. Evidently, she was very young. However, this entire time her eyes stared down at the ground, preventing others from seeing her face.

Qiao Feng believed that Madame Ma must have found an important clue in the matter of her husband's death, which is why she had suddenly rushed here. But for her not to bring such important information to the chief of the clan, and to approach the Iron Faced Judge and elder Xu instead, was an indication that something was very fishy here. Turning around, he glanced at the law-enforcing elder, Bai Shijing. Bai Shijing had just turned to glance at him as well. Their gazes met, and both of their eyes were filled with suspicion regarding the proceedings.

Qiao Feng decided to properly receive the guests first before handling internal affairs. He said to Shan Zheng, ”Elder Shan, the married couple of Mt. Taihang's Cavern of Flowing Clouds are here as well. I wonder if you know them?” Shan Zheng cupped his fists towards them. ”I've long heard of the great fame of the Tan family. It is my great fortune to meet you.” Qiao Feng said, ”Elder Tan, could you introduce this other old gentleman to me, so that I might pay him proper respects?”

Before Grandpa Tan had a chance to reply, the donkey rider replied, ”My family name is 'Shuang', and my personal name is 'Wai'. My nickname is the 'Iron Arsed Judge.'”

No matter how good 'Iron Faced Judge' Shan Zheng's temper was, he couldn't prevent his rage from rising at this point. He thought to himself, ”My family name is 'Shan' [Single], and he chooses the family name 'Shuang' [Double]. My personal name is 'Zheng' [Straight], and he picks the name 'Wai' [Crooked]. Isn't this clearly directed at me?” Just as he was about to let loose his rage, Granny Tan said, ”Elder Shan, don't listen to Zhao Qiansun's nonsense. He's a bit crazy. There's no point in getting worked up over him.”

Qiao Feng thought to himself, ”This man is named Zhao Qiansun? That can't be his real name.” He said, ”Everyone, there's no seats here, and so I'll have to ask you all to make do with the ground.” After seeing everyone sit down, he said, ”If I had known a day ago that I would meet with so many distinguished elders and friends, I would have felt extremely honored and fortunate. Might I ask why all of you have graced us with your presences?”

Shan Zheng said, ”Chief Qiao, your respected clan is the largest clan in the jianghu, and for centuries has had a world-spanning heroic reputation. Whenever anyone in the wulin says the words 'Beggar's Clan', they do so with great awe and respect. I, Shan Zheng, have always greatly admired the clan as well.” Qiao Feng said, ”You are too kind!”

Zhao Qiansun interjected, ”Chief Qiao, your respected clan is the largest clan in the jianghu, and for centuries has had a world-spanning heroic reputation. Whenever anyone in the wulin says the words 'Beggar's Clan', they do so with great awe and respect. I, Shuang Wai, have always greatly admired the clan as well.” His words were exactly identical to the words of Shan Zheng; only, he change the name from 'Shan Zheng' to 'Shuang Wai'.

Qiao Feng knew that many of the elders of the wulin had strange temperaments and dispositions. He didn't know why Zhao Qiansun was making fun of Shan Zheng every chance that he got, but he decided that the only thing which truly concerned him was not offending anybody. Thus, once more Qiao Feng said, ”You are too kind!”

Shan Zheng smiled a little, then said to his eldest son, Shan Boshan, ”Boshan, go ahead and speak to chief Qiao in my stead. If anyone wants to imitate my son, they can go ahead and do it to their heart's content.”

Everyone who heard these words couldn't help but let out a burst of laughter. They all thought to themselves that that although the Iron Faced Judge posed as a man of high morals, he was secretly quite caustic. If Zhao Qiansun imitated the words of Shan Boshan, then it would be said that Zhao Qiansun was pretending to be Shan Zheng's son.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Qiansun said, ”Boshan, go ahead and speak to chief Qiao in my stead. If anyone wants to imitate my son, they can go ahead and do it to their heart's content.” He flipped the situation on its head, as though he were now acknowledging that he himself was Shan Boshan's father.

Shan Zheng's youngest son, Shan Xiaoshan, had the most explosive temper. He loudly cursed, ”Mother****er, are you tired of living?”

Zhao Qiansun mumbled to himself, ”Mother****er, four useless sons such as these are already four too many. There really was no need for a fifth. Heh, I wonder who his real father is.”

Hearing how brazenly Zhao Qiansun was provoking him, even if Shan Zheng were a clay figurine, he would warp and bend. Turning his head, he said to Zhao Qiansun, ”We are the guests of the Beggar's Clan for the moment. If we kick up a fuss, it would be disrespectful to our hosts. After the matter at hand is dealt with, I will naturally seek you out and see your incredible skills. Boshan, just speak!” Zhao Qiansun continued to imitate him and said, ”We are the guests of the Beggar's Clan for the moment. If we kick up a fuss, it would be disrespectful to our hosts. After the matter at hand is dealt with, I will naturally seek you out and see your incredible skills. Boshan, your old man is telling you to speak. Just speak!”

Shan Boshan would have liked nothing better than to rush forward and give him a few nasty chops of the sabre and relieve the hatred in his heart. With a strenuous effort, he reined in his fury and said to Qiao Feng, ”Chief Qiao, the two us, father and son, originally would never have dared to get involved in the matters of your venerable clan, but as my father says, 'a gentleman loves men of character…'” As he said this, he glanced at Zhao Qiansun, wondering if Zhao Qiansun would be imitating him. If he was, he would be forced to also say, 'But as my father says, 'a gentleman loves men of character'. Thus, Zhao Qiansun would be saying that Shan Zheng was his father.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Qiansun really did continue to imitate him. He said, ”Chief Qiao, the two us, father and son, originally would never have dared to get involved in the matters of your venerable clan, but as my son says, 'a gentleman loves men of character'.” He changed the word 'father' to 'son'. Naturally, he was mocking Shan Zheng. Everyone who heard this frowned, feeling that Zhao Qiansun was going too far. They feared that the situation would immediately explode into a bloody confrontation.

Shan Zheng lightly said, ”Sir, you continue to try and make things difficult for me. However, I have never met you before, and do not know how I might have offended you. I would like to ask that you make things clear. If I am at fault, simply let me know and I will immediately admit my error's and offer you my apologies.”

Everyone secretly supported Shan Zheng's words, feeling that he really lived up to his reputation of being a heroic, chivalric figure of the central plains.

Zhao Qiansun said, ”You didn't offend me, but you offended Little Juan. This is ten times worse than offending me!”

Shan Zheng said, ”Who is 'Little Juan'? When did I offend her?” Zhao Qiansun pointed at Granny Tan. ”She's Little Juan. Little Juan is her maiden name. In the whole wide world, no one but me can address her like that.” Shan Zheng was both angry and amused. He said, ”Oh, so that is Granny Tan's maiden name. I didn't know. Please forgive me for any offense I may have given.” Zhao Qiansun said in a haughty, supercilious voice, ”As you didn't know, we won't blame you. Your first offense is pardoned; if it happens again, you won't be.” Shan Zheng said, ”I have long heard of the great fame of the married Tan family, who live in Mt. Taihang's Cavern of Flowing Clouds, but never had the karmic fortune to meet them. I have never gossiped about anyone behind their back. How could I have offended the granny of the Tan family?”

Zhao Qiansun angrily said, ”Earlier, I was asking Little Juan, 'has your life been happy recently?' But before she had a chance to reply, your five precious sons swaggered on in and barged their way into our midst, interrupting her response. Even to this very moment, she hasn't had a chance to reply to me. Brother Shan, why don't you go and ask what type of person Little Juan is? Or what type of person I, 'Zhao Qian Sun Li, Zhou Wu Zheng Wang', am? Are we the type of people who would allow others to disrupt our conversations just like that?” [All of the eight words from 'Zhao' to 'Wang' are surnames; Zhao Qiansun's own name is made up of three surnames, which is why Qiao Feng doesn't believe it could be his real name.]

Upon hearing these bizarre words, Shan Zheng realized that this fellow really wasn't very bright. He said, ”Brother, there's something I don't understand, and I hope you can enlighten me.” Zhao Qiansun said, ”What is it? If I'm in a good mood, I suppose I can help you with a few pointers.” Shan Zheng said, ”Many thanks, many thanks. Sir, you said that you are the only person in the whole world who can address Granny Tan by her maiden name, right?” Zhao Qiansun said, ”Right on! If you don't believe me, call her maiden name out again, and see if I, 'Zhao Qian Sun Li, Zhou Wu Zheng Wang, Feng Chen Chu Wei, Jiang Shen Han Yang,' won't get into a big fight with you right now!” Shan Zheng said, ”Brother, I naturally wouldn't dare to call her name again. But can it be that even Grandpa Tan is not allowed to call her by her maiden name?”

Zhao Qiansun's face turned a ghastly pale color. For a long moment, he did not respond. Everyone thought to themselves that these words of Shan Zheng had stupefied him. Unexpectedly, Zhao Qiansun suddenly burst into sobs, as his tears and snot criss-crossed into a pitiable, heart-broken appearance.

This was wildly outside of everyone's expectations. This person feared neither heaven nor hell, and had seemed determined to squabble with the Iron Faced Judge to the very end. Unexpectedly, just these few simple words caused him to break into a large cryfest which he seemed unable to end.

Seeing how heartbroken Zhao Qiansun was, Shan Zheng began to feel embarrassed. The fury which had curdled up in his heart immediately vanished away. He instead began to console Zhao Qiansun, saying, ”Brother Zhao, I'm the one at fault here.” Zhao Qiansun sobbed and whimpered, ”My surname isn't Zhao.” Startled, Shan Zheng asked, ”Sir, what is your surname then?” Zhao Qiansun replied, ”I don't have one. Don't ask, don't ask anymore.”

Everyone guessed that Zhao Qiansun must have an extremely painful subject that would be awkward to discuss. As to what it was, since he refused to say, it would be inappropriate for others to ask. All they could do was to let him continue to cry, sob, and weep without stopping.

With a composed look on her face, Granny Tan said, ”You've gone crazy again. You are in front of so many friends. Aren't you afraid of losing face at all?”

Zhao Qiansun said, ”You cast me off, then went off and married this good-for-nothing Grandpa Tan. How can I not be miserable and pained? My heart is shattered, and my guts have been splintered. Why would I care about such a small thing as face?”

All the onlookers glanced at each other and smiled. None of them were surprised at the revelation. Clearly, Zhao Qiansun and Granny Tan once shared a romantic history together. When Granny Tan married Grandpa Tan, Zhao Qiansun became so heartbroken that he threw away his very name and would go into insane fits of silliness. The Tan couple were clearly in their sixties. How could it be that Zhao Qiansun was still this passionate, still this heartbroken despite the passage of decades? Granny Tan's face was covered with wrinkles, and her white hair was desolate and dreary. No one present could see how this large and tall old lady, even in her youth, could have caused Zhao Qiansun to be so passionate about her to this very day.

A bashful look appeared on Granny Tan's face. She said, ”Martial-brother, why do you keep on bringing up these bygone affairs? Today, the Beggar's Clan has important matters to discuss. Be well-behaved and just listen, alright?”

These gently persuasive words were very comfortable to Zhao Qiansun's ears. He said, ”If you smile at me, I'll listen to you.” Before Granny Tan had a chance to smile, ten or so bystanders already burst into laughter. Granny Tan didn't seem to notice at all, and smiled directly at him. Zhao Qiansun stared at her as though stupefied. Clearly, he had been totally dazed by her smile, and it was as though his very soul had been frozen.

Grandpa Tan sat off to one side, face filled with fury, but there was nothing he could do. Watching this scene, Duan Yu's heart suddenly trembled. He thought to himself, ”The love and passion between these three people is so strong that they don't pay a care to the fact that others are here and watching. I…I…in the future, in the future, will I and Miss Wang be the way Zhao Qiansun and Granny Tan are? No! No! Granny Tan clearly holds great affection towards her martial-brother. But the person whom Miss Wang constantly thinks about is her cousin, Murong Fu. Compared to Zhao Qiansun, I am far inferior to him, and my situation is much worse.”

Qiao Feng, on the other hand, was thinking about something else. ”So Zhao Qiansun is a false name after all. I've always heard it said that Granny Tan and Grandpa Tan were disciples of the master of the Taihang sect. But judging from the words these three have said, it seems as though they don't come from the same school after all. Does Grandpa Tan belong to the Taihang school, or does Granny Tan belong to the Taihang school? If Grandpa Tan is the one who belongs to the Taihang sect, then which sect did Granny Tan and this Zhao Qiansun fellow come from?”

Zhao Qiansun said, ”I heard that Gusu's Murong family produced a Murong Fu, who 'uses the opponent's skills, exercising them upon the opponent.' I hear that he is brash and audacious, and that he wantonly murders innocents. This old man wants to go a few rounds with him and see what sort of ability that brat has, to reverse his attacks upon me, 'Zhao Qian Sun Li, Zhou Wu Zheng Wang'. Little Juan, you told me to come to Jiangnan. Naturally, I came. Much less I…”

But before he finished speaking, a person could be heard crying loudly. Weeping and bawling, the sound was absolutely identical to that of his own crying a few moments earlier. Everyone present was astonished. That person began to complain while crying, ”My dear martial-sister, how did I offend you? Why did you go marry that horrible old man Tan? This old man's been thinking about you day and night. My stomach has been stretched and my intestines have been knotted. The person I always think about is you, martial-sister Little Juan. When our master was alive, he treated the two of us as though we were his own children. How can you face our master, after you refused to marry me and marry someone else?”

In both sound and speech pattern, the voice was absolutely identical to that of Zhao Qiansun's. If it weren't for the fact that everyone clearly saw how Zhao Qiansun was stunned and gape-mouthed, and how astonished he looked, everyone would have believed that it was he who spoke. Everyone turned to look as one. They saw that this voice came from a young maiden who wore a light red dress.

That person turned around, revealing herself to be Ah Zhu. Duan Yu, Ah Bi, and Wang Yuyan knew that Ah Zhu had an almost divine ability to mimic the voices of others. They weren't surprised at all. But everyone else present was both amazed and amused. They all thought that after hearing this, Zhao Qiansun would go crazy with rage. Unexpectedly, these words of Ah Zhu stirred his heart. He had almost stopped crying, but upon hearing her words, his eyes reddened once more, his lips drooped downwards, and once more his tears poured down his face, and he once more started bawling in tune with Ah Zhu.

Shan Zheng shook his head. In a clear voice, he said, ”Although my surname is 'Shan', 'Single', I have a wife and four concubines, and my sons and grandchildren fill my home. You, Mr. Shuang Wai, have a surname 'Shuang', Double', but you are a solitary, lonely figure. This sort of affair should have been dealt with long ago. There's no point to bringing it up now. I'm afraid it's rather too late. Brother Shuang, we were invited to come to Jiangnan by the widow of the late vice-chief Ma of the Beggar's Clan. Did we come for the purpose of discussing your marriage and matrimonial status?” Zhao Qiansun shook his head. ”No.” Shan Zheng said, ”In that case, it would be best if we discussed the serious business which brought us to the Beggar's Clan in the first place.” Zhao Qiansun suddenly shouted out angrily, ”What? The business of the Beggar's Clan is serious business, but the business between me and Little Juan is not?”

By this point, Grandpa Tan had reached the ends of his patience. He said, ”Ah Hui, Ah Hui! If you don't hurry and keep him from continuing to act crazy, I won't be able to restrain myself.” After hearing him address her as 'Ah Hui', everyone present realized, ”So Granny Tan has another name after all. 'Little Juan' is a term which Zhao Qiansun alone uses.”

Stamping her foot, Granny Tan said, ”He isn't going crazy. You harmed him and made him become like this. Aren't you content yet?” Surprised, Grandpa Tan said, ”I…I…I…how did I harm him?” Granny Tan said, ”I married you, you horrible old man. Naturally, my martial-brother feels miserable about it…” Grandpa Tan said, ”When you married me, I was neither horrible nor old.” Granny Tan angrily said, ”Have you no shame? Are you claiming that in the past, you were handsome and graceful?”

Elder Xu and Shan Zheng looked at each other, shaking their heads. They thought that these three babies were old, but not at all dignified or mature. The three of them were all senior members of the wulin with a great deal of personal prestige, and yet they were now squabbling over the passions of their youth in front of so many people. It was truly ridiculous.

Elder Xu let out a cough. ”Father and son of Mt. Taishan, husband and wife of Mt. Taihang, and this friend as well, thank you for gracing us with your presences this day. Everyone in our humble clan, from top to bottom, feel very honored. Madame Ma, please tell your tale, starting from the beginning.”

Madame Ma was originally standing still on one side with her head down, her back towards everyone. She had overheard what Elder Xu said, so she slowly turned around and in a quiet voice said: ”My husband was unfortunate and passed away, I only know how to cursed my fate at not being able to born any children to continue the Ma bloodline...” Her voice although quiet, yet clear, caused the words that entered the ears of everyone who heard to shed tears. Her tone until this point was emotional, but now it seemed to be choked by tears. All the heroes in the forest after hearing her talked was touched all the way to their soul. With one cry Zhao Qiansun made everyone laughed, Ah Zhu made everyone amazed, but Madame Ma made everyone sorrowful.

Madame Ma continued, ”After I had buried my husband, I went through the belongings he left behind, in the place with the Buddhist scriptures there was a letter that was sealed with wax. On the cover of the letter it was written: ”In case that I died peacefully, burn this letter immediately. If opened, then my soul in heaven (yellow river) will not be able to rest in peace. But if I died in a suspicious manner, this letter must be handed over to all the Beggar clan elders to read together. This matter is of utmost importance, must not be failed.”

When Madame Ma talked to this point, the entire forest was quiet, a needle falling to the ground could still be heard. She paused for a moment then continued, ”I saw that since my husband wrote seriously thus, I know this matter is important so I immediately searched for Bangzhu to hand over this letter. It was coincidence that Bangzhu along with the clan elders are at Jiang Nan regarding matters of revenge for my dead husband. Because of that I have not yet been able to hand over the letter.

People there noticed a different shift in her tone, emphasizing ”coincidence” and then ”because of that”. Together everyone looked at Qiao Feng from the corner of their eyes.

Qiao Feng all afternoon had dealt with the devious plot directed at himself, although he had suppressed Quan Guanqing and the clan elders' rebellion, he has not yet put this matter to rest. Now after he heard Madame Ma speak, he now felt lighter inside than before, his complexion calm and thought to himself, ”Whatever plot these people are planning, come out and say it and be done with it. In this lifetime I have never done anything to be ashamed of so why would I be scared of someone trying to slander me.”

Madame Ma continued, ”I know that this letter has implications to the clan, and since Bangzhu and clan elders were not at Luoyang, I dare not delay so I immediately went to Zhengzhou to see Elder Xu and ask him to take charge of this matter. As for what this matter is… Elder Xu, please explain to everyone here.

?Elder Xu coughed a few times before speaking, ”This matter if spoken out loud involves matters of gratitude and grudges. I foresee that the consequences are very hard to imagine.” Those few sentences conveyed a deep worrisome meaning. He slowly opened a clothe bag from his shoulders, took out the letter, and said ”This is the will of Ma Dayuan. Great ancestors, grandfather, and father of Dayuan, many generations have belonged to the Beggar clan, and had been if not clan elders then at least 8 bags members. I knew Ma Dayuan since he was little and are very familiar with handwritings of his. The words on this letter are definitely Ma Dayuan's handwriting. When Madame Ma handed me this letter, the wax seal on it has not been touched. I was afraid it held important matters and dare not delay it so I opened it immediately without waiting for the other Elders. When opening the letter, the Iron Faced Judge of Mt. Taishan Shan Zheng was there as witness.”

Shan Zheng spoke up, ”What he said was true. I was there to visit Elder Xu at that moment when he opened the letter.”

Elder Xu opened the envelop taking out the letter and said, ”I examined the letter inside and saw that it was not written by Ma Dayuan and was a little surprised. The beginning of the letter was to: Brother Jiantong, and this is even more weird. Jiantong is the name of Wang Bangzhu - the former Bangzhu of the Beggar Clan. If the person who wrote this letter was not a good friend of his, then they would not addressed him as such. Moreover Wang Bangzhu had passed away for a long time, so who would write a letter to him? At this point I have not yet read what was written in the letter but immediately skipped to the end to see the name on the signature. Upon reading it I was even more surprised. At that point I couldn't contain myself and exclaimed 'So it was him!' Brother Shan was curious and peeked his head over to see and also exclaimed 'So it was him!'”

?Shan Zheng nodded his head hinting that it happened exactly like that.

Zhao Qiansun sneaked in ”Mister Shan, what you did was not right. This is a secret letter of the Beggar Clan. You are not a 1 bag member of the clan, nor a 2 bag, nor even a lowly street beggar who goes around asking for food. How come you dared to peek at a secret letter belonging to others?” Everyone there thought that he was like a madman but now he actually made sense. Shan Zheng's faced turned red and hurriedly said, ”I… I only looked at the signature at the end of the letter and not what was actually written in that letter.” Zhao Qiansun replied, ”If one stole 1000 gold one is a thief, if one stole 1 copper one is still a thief. The amount of money is different. But stealing a large amount is still stealing and stealing a small amount is still stealing. Sneaking a glance at a letter belonging to others is not an act of a gentlemen. If you are not a gentlemen then you are a shameless person, and a shameless person is someone everyone should look down upon. If you are already a shameless person then you deserved to die.”

Shan Zheng raised his hand to keep his five sons from acting rashly. Just let him talk nonsense and see where this goes. Though he was boiling on the inside, he calmly thought to himself that there was something more to this, and asked himself ”This person just met me and he's already trying to stir up trouble, did he already had grudge with me from the past perchance? In Jianghu there are not many who doesn't give face to the name Thaishan Shan jia. Why can't I figure it out?”

Everyone else was waiting for Elder Xu to say the name of the person in the letter to see what kind of person he is that caused Elder Xu and Shan Zheng to both be shocked. While they all were trying to think of this matter, Zhao Qiansun started speaking out of turn with some other nonsense causing many people to stare at him in anger.

Granny Tan suddenly spoke up, ”What is everyone looking at? Every word my senior martial brother said was the truth.” Zhao Qiansun saw Granny Tan spoke up for him, felt estactic inside, and said, ”Everyone look here, even Lian Xiaojuan agrees, so how can I be in the wrong. Whatever Lian Xiaojuan have said or done in the past had never been wrong.”

But suddenly another but shockingly similar voice to Zhao Qiansun cut in, ”That is right. Whatever Lian Xiaojuan says or do has never been wrong. She married Grandpa Tan, and did not married me… she did not married wrong at all!” The person who said that was A'Zhu. Starting at the moment when Zhao Quinsun talked bad about Murong Fu, she was still holding a grudge inside so she couldn't help herself from making fun of him. Zhao Quinsun after hearing that didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and fell victim to the specialty of the Murong famly move – turning one's special move against them. (I don't know how to translate this idiom Help??)

Immediately there were two faces looking at A'Zhu intimately and full with approval, on there right there was Grandpa Tan's and on the left there was Shan Zheng.

A person's shadow flashed and Granny Tan jumped in front of A'Zhu with a raised palm and slapped her hard in the face and piqued ”Whether I marry right or wrong, what does it have to do with a lowly servant girl like you?” She raised her hand very fast that even though A'Zhu wanted to dodge it, she couldn't. Another person even if next to her wouldn't even be fast enough step in to help. A loud squeak of pain was heard and on the powder white face of A'Zhu there was purple hand print.

Zhao Qiansun laughed out loud, ”This smelly girl deserved her lesson. Who told her to be gossipy about other people's business.”

A'Zhu with tears running down her cheeks started crying out loud. Grandpa Tan stepped up and stuck his hand into his pocket pulling out a small jade box, opened it, and started spreading ointment onto the face of A'Zhu. Granny Tan slapped her skillfully and quickly, raising her palm and pulling it back in just a single motion. Grandpa Tan applying ointment to her face had to use many different motions but it was even faster than Granny Tan's slap. A'Zhu didn't even get a chance to move and the ointment were already on her face, her bruised face suddenly started to heal and feel better. At the same time in her left hand she was holding something. She opened her palm to see a small jade box, seeing that she knew that Granpa Tan just gave her a box of special ointment to treat her injury. A'Zhu, as soon as she started crying had suddenly started smiling.

Elder Xu had no reason to pay attention to Granny Tan bicker with Grandpa Tan, so he lowered his voice and continued, ”My brothers! As for the person who wrote this letter, I can not say at this moment. I have been in the Beggar Clan for over 70 years, have retired to live in seclusion for 30 years and no longer have any dealings with business in Jianghu. I don't have any conflicts with people nor do people have enmities with me. I have lived in this world for a long time, yet I don't have any children nor do I have any students thus I harbor no hidden bias nor agendas. I am about to say a few words, will you all be able to believe what I say?” The group of beggars all said together, ”If we don't trust Elder Xu then who can we trust?”

Elder Xu turned around and looked at Qiao Feng and asked, ”What say you Bangzhu?” Qiao Feng replied, ”I have always respected Elder Xu, elder should know this already.”

Elder Xu then continued, ”After reading this letter, I felt both hurt and anger in my heart. I had doubts that I am mistaken and erred in my thinking so I immediately showed it to brother Shan Zheng. Everyone must keep in mind that Brother Shan and the person who wrote this letter have always been intimate with each other. He can recognize the handwriting of that person. This matter has important implications so I needed to ask Brother Shan to examine this letter to see if it is true or false.”

Shan Zheng looked forward and stared at Zhao Qiansun implying ”Do you have anything more to say?” Zhao Qiansun replied, ”If Elder Xu showed the letter to you, then of course you have a right to look at it. However it still doesn't dismiss the fact that the first time you saw it, it was because you sneaked a peak. No different from a thief swearing in front of Buddha that he will never steal again, and even though he changed his ways, it still doesn't wash away the fact that he was once a thief.”

Elder Xu, paid no attention to Zhao Qiansun trying to stir up trouble, and continued talking, ”Brother Shan! Will Brother Shan please announce to everyone here whether this letter is real or fake?”

Shan Zheng replied, ”The person who wrote this letter and I are good friends and have exchanged letters with each other for many years. In my house I still kept many of his old letters, so I led Elder Xu and Madam Ma back to my place to compare them. Not only the handwriting matches, but also the envelop and the wax seal were all of one kind and does not leave any doubt as to who wrote the letter.”

Elder Xu said, ”I won't live for much longer so everything that I do, I must be careful. Especially since this matter has important implications to the Beggar Clan and the reputation and name of a hero, how could I dare be reckless and take liberty of the matter.”

After hearing him say that, everyone turned their faces to look at Qiao Feng, knowing immediately that the hero that he was implying were Qiao Bangzhu himself. With that being said, no one dared to look at him straight in the eyes opting instead to look down at the ground when their eyes meet.

Elder Xu continued, ”I knew that the Tan husband and wife living on Mt. Taishan and the person who wrote the letter knew each other for many years, so I payed a visit to Cavern of Flowing Clouds. Grandpa Tan and Granny Tan shared with me everything to confirm this matter. I truly didn't dare to come straight out and talk about this matter by myself.”

At this time everyone realized that Elder Xu invited the Tan husband and wife and ShanZheng here to testify and serve as witnesses.

Elder Xu then continued, ”At that time Granny Tan said that she has 'a martial brother that can bear first hand witness to this matter. If we can invite him to testify his account then everything can become clear. This person is mister Zhao Qiansun. But this person acts differently and more eccentric than the average person, he won't accept just anybody's invitation.' But he still holds Granny Tan in high regard. As soon as her invitation letter arrives, Zhao Qiansun immediately agreed to come...”

??Grandpa Tan suddenly got angry and stared at Granny Tan then asked, ”What?? You were the one to ask him to come? Why didn't you tell me first before you two carried out covert exchanges behind my back?” Granny Tan became angry and shouted back, ”What is this 'covert exchanges' you mentioned? I wrote a letter and asked Elder Xu to send someone to deliver it. That is the right and honorable thing that I did befitting a wife. You have a perchance for pointless jealousy, if you knew then you will nag incessantly about it bringing down the house, so that's why I chose not to tell you.” Grandpa Tan replied, ”Hiding something from your husband violates the moral ethics of husband and wife, and that is not right!”

Granny Tan not in the mood to argue more, took her palm and punched him in the middle of his face. Grandpa Tan, although his martial arts are higher than his wife, didn't block nor did he dodge, just stood still for his wife to hit him. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box to rub ointment onto his face to stop the swelling. The person who struck was fast, but the person who applied ointment was even faster. The anger of this husband and wife caused everyone to find it ridiculous.

Zhao Qiansun seeing this, gave a long sigh and in a sad hurt voice said, ”So that's how it is. So that's how it is. So regretful. If I had known sooner then in the past I would have allowed her to slap me around a few times. Not a difficult thing to do.” His voice was full of regret.

Granny Tan replied in an equally regretful voice, ”Who told you to hit me back when I hit you in the past? You never once yielded to me.”

Zhao Qiansun looked up in a dumb looking stupor, started to reminiscence the old times about a certain martial sister with a volatile temper. A misstep around her and one would be on defense all day. Every time he got hit for a nonsense reason, he could not endure nor yield so back and forth they go thus killing any chance for love before it had a chance to mature. Now seeing Grandpa Tan withstood her beating without a sound, he was finally enlightened, and now repent bitterly with a heart full of grief. Over the past few decades, he was bitter at his martial sister for choosing another man, thinking it was due to some significant reason, but who would have thought that his rival's only advantage was that he was willing to serve as her whipping post. ”Oy, if I only I had known back then, I would let her hit me more then she would be satisfied.”

Elder Xu spoke up, ”Mister Zhao Qiansun!! Please give some input and say to everyone whether the contents of this letter is true or false.”

Zhao Qiansun, still lost in his thought, muttered, ”I am such an idiot, at that time why couldn't I figure it out? Studying martial arts are for beating enemies, beating evil, beating lowlife bastards, who would have thought to use it for beating a loved one, beating the person of your dreams. If being beaten was love, being scolded was love, being slapped around was love, then what was such a big deal that I couldn't endure it back then.”

Everyone seeing him so infatuated found it slightly touching yet also ridiculous. The Beggar Clan is facing an important matter that needs to be resolved. Elder Xu had invited this person from afar to testify, but who knew this person turned out to be a love struck fool, can what he has to say be taken seriously?

Elder Xu reminded him, ”Mister Zhao Qiansun, we all asked you here so you can talk about what is in this letter.”

Zhao Qiansun replied, ”Oh right, right, elder is asking about the matter in the letter right? That letter though short, is full of meaning: 40 years ago we were fellow students, the memories still fresh. Every time little sister thinks back, I start missing those days. Although martial brother's head is now gray, your smiling face is no different from years past...” Elder Xu was asking about the letter Ma Dayuan left behind, but he actually recited Granny Tan's letter that he memorized by heart.

Elder Xu was speechless and not knowing what to do, turned to Granny Tan and said, ”Madam Tan! Madam please ask him to cooperate.”

Granny Tan witnessed Zhao Qiansun unexpectedly take an ordinary letter of hers and recited it fluently by heart, knew in her soul that he must have read that letter forward and back many times. She was very touched and sweetly said, ”Martial brother! Martial brother please talk about the situation at that time.”

Zhao Qiansun replied, ”I remembered that scene like it was still in front of my eyes, the memories of it were like it happened yesterday. Martial sister had combed your hair into two braids, each one tied by a red string. That day Shifu taught us the move Stealing Dragon Switching Phoenix....”

Granny Tan slowly shook her head and said, ”Martial brother, Elder Xu is not asking about our past. Martial brother once had participated in the bloody battle at Shi Guqian (Quarry Stone Valley) outside Yanmen Guan Pass. Martial brother please tell everyone what the situation was like at that time.”

Zhao Qiansun shakely said, ”Outside Yanmen Guan Pass? At Quarry Stone Valley... I... I....” His complexion suddenly changed color. He suddenly turned towards the southwest direction where there wasn't a single soul and started running away. His lightness skill was strong and fast. He ran all the way into the forest and it would be hard for anyone to catch him so everyone started to yell ”Mister Zhao Qiansun! Don't run! Please come back!” Zhao Qiansun paid gave no heed and ran even harder.

Suddenly there was a loud ringing voice, ”Martial brother's head is now gray, your smiling face is now crooked, different from years past...” Zhao Qiansun immediately halted, turned around and asked, ”Who said that?” That other person continued, ”If it is not so then why upon seeing Grandpa Tan do you feet inferior, turn tail and run away?” Everyone looked to see who spoke, and it was Quan Guanqing.

Zhao Qiansun angrily yelled back, ”Who felt inferior? His kungfu is only good for standing there to take punishment and not hit back. How is that better than me?”

All of a sudden on the other side of the forest an old man's voice was heard, ”Taking punishment but not dishing it back is the hardest kungfu to learn under heaven. It is not a simple, no?”