Chapter - 29 Bug Congealing Cold, Palm Shooting Frost (1/2)

You TanZhi carried the gourd and travelled quickly back to Nanjing, he reported back to AhZi, saying that he has caught the frost silkworm.

AhZi was overjoyed, she ordered him to rear the silkworm in the clay urn, currently it is mid-summer, the weather is burning hot, but when the frost silkworm is being kept in the urn, the Palace gradually got colder and colder, not long after, even the teapots, cups and the tea water all turn into ice. During one night You TanZhi shivered in his bed, he was freezing and could not sleep, he thought: ”This silkworm is really strange, it rarely seen in this world. If Miss really let it suck my blood, even if i don't get poison, i will also freeze to death.”

AhZi caught several poisonous snakes and bugs to fight with the silkworm, the silkworm simply move around and all the bugs freeze to death, the silkworm feasted on their juice, this went on for ten days, not a single poisonous bug was able to resist. One day AhZi came into the main hall of the Palace and said: ”Iron Clown, we will kill this silkworm today, go stick your hand into the urn and let the silkworm suck your blood!”

You TanZhi was worried about this day, when his dreaming at night, he feared this exact moment, eventually AhZi did not show any mercy and wanted to sacrifice him along with the frost silkworm, his heart is dejected, he gaze at AhZi, he did not move or reply.

AhZi pondered: ”I acquired this treasure by accident, the poison palm skill i am training now, it might be even more powerful than my master.” She said: ”Stick your hand into the urn!” You TanZhi was tearful, he knelt and kowtow, he said: ”Miss, when you mastered this poison palm, please don't forget your subordinate who died for you. My surname is You, my name is TanZhi, i am not Iron Clown.” AhZi smiled and said: ”Fine, you are called You TanZhi, i will remember it, you are very loyal to me, very good, you are a loyal and devoted lackey!”

You TanZhi listen to her praise, he felt comforted, he gave another two kowtow and said: ”Thank you Miss!” but he was not willing to give up without a fight, immediately he flipped his body upside down, his head went between his legs, his left hand clutched his leg, right hand reached into the urn, in his mind he is thinking about the small arrowheads on the two words beside the monk in the book's drawing, suddenly he felt an itch on his index finger, a stream of cold energy shot out like an arrow, it started from his arm and swiftly went to his chest, You TanZhi kept thinking about the direction of the small arrowheads, the stream of cold energy followed the meridian path directed by his thoughts, it went from his finger to his arm, and from his chest to the top of his head, the cold energy chilled him to his bones wherever it goes.

AhZi saw his odd posture, she found it funny, after a long time, he still maintained the posture, she became curious and approach his body, the frost silkworm is still biting his index finger. The frost silkworm body is transparent like crystal, she saw a thread of blood entering its mouth, it pass by its left body , made a u-turn, and pass by its right body and back to its mouth, flowing back into You TanZhi index finger.

After a while, a thin layer of frost formed on You TanZhi's iron mask, clothes and limbs, AhZi pondered: ”He must be dead. A living person will have body heat, how can frost form on him?” but she saw blood still circulating within the frost silkworm, apparently it's still sucking blood, suddenly, wisps of hot steam issued from the frost silkworm.

In the midst of her surprise, there was a gentle clattering sound, the frost silkworm fell off You TanZhi index finger. AhZi had already prepared a stick, she ram down hard. She thought this super natural frost silkworm would not die with this one stroke, but who knew that when it fell into the urn, its belly face the sky, it just stayed there and did not turn around. The silkworm was pounded into pulp in one move.

AhZi rejoiced and quickly stuck her hand into the urn, she stuffed the silkworm's fluid and blood onto both her palm, closed her eyes, circulated her energy and absorbed all the blood and fluids.

She channeled for half a day, stretch out her hands and stood up, she saw You TanZhi was still upside down his head between his legs, body covered with frost. She is extremely astonished, she reach out and touch his body, his hands emit a strange coldness, his clothes frozen stiff. She is shocked but found it funny at the same time, she summoned the attendant and ordered him to bury You TanZhi.

The attendant led a few Khitan soldiers and they put You TanZhi corpse on a horse carriage, they went outside the city. AhZi did not instruct them to give a proper burial, thus the attendant did not bother to dig a grave and simply threw the corpse into a small brook, they went back to the city.

This act of laziness from the attendant actually saved You TanZhi's life. When You TanZhi was bitten by the silkworm, he immediately used the energy circulation method from the [Tendon-Changing Sutra], the poison gas was neutralized, his blood was suck by the frost silkworm and return back into his finger and the deadly frost poison of the silkworm was absorbed by him. Thus, the blood and fluids absorbed by AhZi was completely ineffective and she wasted her effort. If You TanZhi had completely mastered the energy circulation method of [Tendon-Changing Sutra], he would be able to slowly neutralize the frost poison absorbed by him and greatly increase his internal energy, but he only learnt one method, thus he can't expel the poison. The strange frost poison is the number one most Yin and cold element in the world, it froze his body solid immediately.

If the attendant really buried him in the soil, even after a few hundred years, he might not defrost and might not actually die. Currently his body is submerged in water, it slowly flow downwards, after around 10 li, the creek made a turn and his body was trapped by reeds at the side. After a while, the water surrounding his body all turn into ice, forming a crystal coffin. Water continued to rush and wash over him, bit by bit the cold air wash away, eventually the ice covering his body started to melt.

Luckily, his wearing an iron mask on his head. Iron transfers heat and cold quickly, thus ice covering his mask melted first. Water rush onto his head and he started coughing, he was conscious and clear headed again, he climb out of the brook, ”Ding Dang” sound came from his body, evidently he still carried a lot of ice on his body. Initially when his body froze, he did not lose consciousness, but he was stuck in the ice and could not move. After being frozen for a long period of time he lost consciousness, now that he safely escaped, he felt as if he just woke up from a long dream.

He sat by the side of the brook, he thought about his loyalty and devotion to AhZi, he willingly risk his body to feed poisonous bugs to help her practice her skills, but when he died, AhZi did not even give a sigh, looking out from within the ice, he saw her beam with pleasure and took all the silkworm's fluid and blood, spread it on her palm and practice her skills, she only look sideways at him, thinking that he died in a fun and strange way, there wasn't the slightest bit of pity from her.

He pondered: ”This frost silkworm is exceptionally poisonous, it's worth more than a thousand poisonous bugs and snakes, after absorbing the poison into her palm, Miss will naturally master her poison palm. If i go back and see her ...” Suddenly, his body trembled, his heart grew cold and he thought: ”Once she sees me, she will definitely test her poison on me. If she mastered the poison palm, she will naturally kill me with one stroke. If she has yet to master it, she will definitely ask me to catch more poisonous bugs and snake until she mastered her palm, until she can kill me with a single palm stroke. I will die either way, why should i even go back?”

He stood up and jump a few times, shaking off all the ice on his body, he thought: ”Where should i go?”

He dare not seek Qiao Feng for revenge anymore. At the moment his undecided, he wandered around the wilderness and mountains, picking wild berries and catching birds and small beasts for food. During the night on the second day, he felt bored, he took out the Sanskrit [Tendon-Changing Sutra], he thought of following the posture of the monk in the drawing.

The book is completely soaked, he flipped the page cautiously for fear that he might damage the page, but he was surprised as he saw drawings of the monk on every single page, their postures all different. After some deep contemplation, he finally understood, the drawings will only appear when wet, he was not save by Buddha. Starting from the first page, he copied the posture, when he thought about the small red arrowhead on the strange words, he felt a faint thread of cold ice traveling around his limbs and bones, it was as if the frost silkworm was alive and crawling in his body. He became fearful and quickly stood up, the frost silkworm inside his body vanished immediately.

For four hours he kept thinking: ”The frost silkworm inside my body, has it left?” but he can't touch, feel or even track it, he couldn't bear it anymore and started to imitate the odd posture and contemplate on the small red arrowhead on the strange words, after a while, the frost silkworm start crawling inside his body again. He gave a loud cry and stopped contemplating on the arrowhead, the frost silkworm vanish again, when he start to think about the arrowhead, the frost silkworm crawls again.

Every time, when the frost silkworm crawls, his body felt comfortable and unrestricted. The book contains many different postures of naked monk, the small arrowhead on the strange words twist and turn, its variation complicated. He followed the various different postures to activate the frost silkworm, his felt cool yet warm, he was comfortable and at ease.

Time flies and a few month pass, when capturing beasts he felt his hands and feet becoming lighter and more nimble, he leap and jump further, his running speed greatly exceeds what he was capable of in the past.

On a certain evening, a hungry wolf came out to hunt for food, it pounced towards him. You TanZhi was shock and fled quickly, the claws of the wolf had already reached his shoulders, it exposed its fangs and bite towards his throat. He panic and randomly threw out a palm, hitting the wolf on the top of its head. The wolf roll and twisted a few times and stopped moving. You TanZhi turn around and move back a few zhang, he saw the wolf did not move at all, feeling curious he picked up a stone and cast it out, the stone hit the wolf's body but it still did not move at all. He was pleasantly surprised and went over to inspect, the wolf was dead. He never expect this effortless palm stroke from him had this much power, he turn and inspected his palm repeatedly but did not see anything special, he cannot help but cry out: ”The spirit of frost silkworm has shown itself!”

He thought that when the frost silkworm died, its spirit resided within his body, resulting in his amazing feat, he did not realize it was purely due to his [Tendon-Changing Sutra], in addition the frost silkworm possess one of the deadliest poison in the world, this Yin-poison had been absorbed by him, combined with the superior internal energy cultivated by the [Tendon-Changing Sutra], his internal energy contains an extremely fierce Yin-strength.

The [Tendon-Changing Sutra] is the most treasured supreme manual of martial studies, but its cultivation method is extremely difficult, it requires the dissolution of distinction between self and others, in addition, the practitioner must not have the slightest desire to learn the martial arts of the sutra. But only first-class martial monks will get the chance to practice the sutra, all of them are valiant and eager for success, who doesn't want to master the sutra as soon as possible and reap its benefits? Hence, it's extremely difficult for them to not have the slightest desire to learn the sutra.

For several hundred years, many Shaolin eminent monks practiced the [Tendon-Changing Sutra], but years after years of diligent practice yielded negligible results, thus all the monks thought the sutra was wholly ineffective, when the sutra was stolen by AhZhu, although the eminent monks were extremely angry, but they did not consider it to be a major loss.

One hundred years ago, Shaolin Temple had a monk, this person became a monk since childhood, his dull-witted and crazy. His teacher could not master the [Tendon-Changing Sutra] and threw it away in anger. The crazy monk picked up the book thrown by his teacher, he laugh and practice the contents, eventually he became a top martial art expert of his generation. Although his martial arts were outstanding, till his death, he did not know the exact reason, and nobody knew it was due to the [Tendon-Changing Sutra]. You TanZhi did not have the desire to learn martial arts, he followed the methods in the sutra purely for the sake of activating the frost silkworm within his body as he found it fun and interesting, unwittingly his martial arts improved day by day, he followed the exact same route taken by the crazy monk many years ago.

Days after, he killed several more wild beasts, he knew his palm strength was exceedingly strong and he became bolder, he kept on travelling south, he feared that if he does not summon the frost silkworm spirit for a single day, the ”silkworm spirit” will automatically leave him, thus he use his palm everyday and dare not stop. The ”silkworm spirit” was marvelous and strange and always came when summoned.

You TanZhi drifted south, on this day he reached the borders of Henan province in Central Plains. He knew his iron head will scare people off, thus during the day he rest in caves within wild forest, as night falls, he came out and stole food from homes. His body is exceptionally agile and nobody detected him.

On this day, he is sleeping in a small dilapidated temple beside the road, suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps, three people entered the temple.

He quickly hid behind a shrine as he dare not let others see his appearance. When the trio entered the temple, they sat down immediately and start chatting. The trio rambled and talked about gossips in the martial world, suddenly a person ask: ”Where do you think Qiao Feng is hiding, one year has pass but we didn't even hear single news about him?”

When You TanZhi heard the word ”Qiao Feng”, his heart grew cold, he immediately paid attention to their conversation. Another person replied: ”He committed all sorts of evils, he felt guilty and hid himself, i guess we will never see him again.” The first person said: ”It might not be true. His biding his time, once someone is down and out, he will strike immediately. Do your math, after the battle at JuXian manor, he killed how many people? Elder Xu, Grandpa and Grandma Tan, Zhao QianSun, Taishan Iron-Face Judge and his entire family, Tiantai Mountain Monk ZhiGuang, Beggars Clan Madam Ma, Elder Bai ShiJing, sigh, countless lives!”

When You TanZhi heard the word ”Battle at JuXian Manor”, his heart ached and he lost his interest in the conversation, after a while, he heard a hoarse voice said: ”Clan leader Qiao has always been benevolent and righteous, i never expect...sigh...i never expect, this is all predestined fate. Let us just go.” He finish speaking and stood up.

Another person said: ”Old Wang, you said our Clan is recommending someone to be the new Clan leader, who is it?” the hoarse voice replied: ”I don't know! We been recommending numerous people for over a month, but we just can't find a suitable hero that can gain the respect of the entire Clan, sigh, we can only wait and see.” another person said: ”I can read your mind, you are hoping that Qiao Feng will come back and be our Clan leader again. You better abandon that idea and stop dreaming, if these words reach Hall-Master Quan, your life cannot be guaranteed.” Old Wang got anxious, he said: ”Xiao Bi, you said these words yourself, when did i say i want Clan leader Qiao to be our Clan leader again?” Xiao Bi sneered: ”You still address him at Clan leader Qiao, you dare say you don't want him to be the Clan leader again?” Old Wang raged: ”If you keep spewing nonsense i will beat you to death.” The third person step in and mediated: ”Enough, enough, we are all brothers, let's not spoil the relationship. How can Qiao Feng become our Clan leader again? His a Khitan dog, everyone will fight till death if they sees him again. Moreover, even if we invite him to be our Clan leader, you think he will agree?” Old Wang sigh and said: ”You are right.” As he finish the trio left the temple.

You TanZhi pondered: ”The Beggar Clan is searching everywhere for Qiao Feng but they can't find him, how would they know his already the Lord of Southern Chancellery in Liao Empire. I will tell them this information. The Beggar Clan have overwhelming numbers, along with a few experts from Central Plains, we might be able to kill that traitor. I will follow them and kill Qiao Feng.” When he thought about returning to Nanjing he thought of seeing AhZi again, his chest immediately heat up like an oven.

He tiptoed out of the temple, he saw the three Beggar Clan members walk on the road and heading west, he followed behind quietly. It's already dusk, there is no one around, he travelled for a few li and came to a low-lying land, he look to the distant and saw a bonfire within the mountain valley, You TanZhi pondered: ”My iron mask is very strange, they will make a mountain out of a molehill if they see me, i should hide within the vegetation and eavesdrop.” He jump into the grass bush and slowly crawled towards the bonfire. He crawled for a few zhang and stop, he gradually crawled closer again, but he heard a huge commotion, a large number of people gathered at the bonfire. You TanZhi experience great sufferings recently, he dare not be careless, as he got closer to the bonfire he crawled even slower, he crawled behind a large rock and was separated a few zhang from the bonfire, he dare not move closer anymore, he laid low and listen.

Among the crowd by the bonfire, someone spoke. You TanZhi listen for a while, it seems to be members from the Hall of Great Wisdom of the Beggar Clan, they gathered here to discuss who to recommend as the next Clan leader. Some push for Elder Song, some push for Elder Wu. Another person said: ”Speaking of wits and courage, we should recommend Hall-Master Quan, unfortunately Hall-Master Quan was expelled by Qiao Feng, we still haven't settle how to let him rejoin the Clan again.” Another person replied: ”The treacherous affair of Qiao Feng was exposed by Hall-Master Quan, he rendered a huge service to our Clan, it should be easy to let him rejoin. Once the General Assembly starts, we will first settle the matter of letting Hall-Master Quan rejoin the Clan, we will bring up his great contribution and then recommend him as the next Clan leader.”

A cool and bright voice said: ”It's possible for me to rejoin the Clan. But you cannot recommend me for the position of Clan leader, people might gossip and say that i expose Qiao Feng for selfish reason of displacing him as the next Clan leader.” A person said loudly: ”Hall-Master Quan is a person who does not shirk responsibility. Although our Clan Elders have better martial arts, but when it comes to resourcefulness, no one can be compared to you. Against Qiao Feng, we can only pit our wits against him, not force, so Hall-Master Quan ......” Hall-Master Quan replied: ”Brother Shi, i have yet to officially rejoin the Clan, you can't call me Hall-Master Quan.”

Two hundred beggars around the bonfire chip in: ”Elder Song has instructed, temporarily, you are still Hall-Master, so why can't we call you Hall-Master Quan? In the future when you become the Clan leader, you no longer need to care about this Hall-Master position.”

”Even if Hall-Master Quan does not become the Clan leader, at least you can be promoted to Clan Elder, and you can still continue to lead your former Hall.”

”Correct, even if Hall-Master Quan becomes the Clan leader, you can still take up additional responsibility as Great Wisdom Hall-Master.”

As the crowd was getting lively, a Clan member came from the entrance of the valley and said: ”Reporting to Hall-Master, Prince Duan from Dali Kingdom is requesting an audience.” Hall-Master Quan immediately stood up and said: ”Prince Duan from Dali Kingdom? Our Clan normally does not have dealings with Dali Kingdom. Brothers, the Duan family from Dali is well known for its martial arts, since Prince Duan is personally requesting an audience, everyone should go and greet him.” He led all the members to the valley's entrance.

A young man stood smiling at the entrance, his accompanied by seven to eight people. This young man is Duan Yu. Both men cupped their hands and paid their respects, they met each other before at the apricots forest in WuXi. At that time, Quan GuanQing did not know Duan Yu's identity, but his embarrassingly affair of being expelled by Qiao Feng was seen by Duan Yu, he cannot help but feel slightly embarrass, but he immediately calm down, salute and said: ”I didn't expect Prince Duan to come visit, you came from such a far place, i ask for your forgiveness.”

Duan Yu smiled and said: ”Its fine, its fine. Junior receives orders from my father to inform your honourable Clan of a certain matter, i hope it won't be an inconvenience.”

Both of them exchange a few pleasantries, Duan Yuan was accompanied by Gu DuCheng, Fu SiGui and Zhu DanChen. Quan GuanQing invited Duan Yu to sit down on a rock by the bonfire, Clan members brought and served wine.

Duan Yu took a drink and said: ”A few months ago, my father was at the residence of Deputy-leader Ma in XinYang, he encountered a strange affair, he personally witnessed the death of Bai ShiJing from your honourable Clan. But my father had sustained some injuries, he is still recuperating, the movement of your Clan's Elders is not fix and we did not have the opportunity to meet them, thus my father could not present the letter he wrote. A few days ago, we heard that your Hall is gathering here and i was ordered to come here quickly.” He retrieved a letter from within his sleeve, quickly stood up and presented it.

Quan GuanQing also stood up immediately and receive it with both hands, he said: ”I am sorry to have troubled Gentleman Duan to personally deliver this letter, I thank Prince Duan for showing great concern to my humble Clan.” He saw the letter is sealed, it bears the word: ”To Be Personally Opened By Beggar Clan's Elders”, he knew that it was not appropriate for him to open the letter, he said: ”Our Clan will be holding a General Assembly soon, all the old and young will be coming, i will then personally present Prince Duan's letter to our Clan's Elders.” Duan Yu said: ”I am sorry to trouble you, junior will take his leave now.”

Quan GuanQing quickly said his thanks and said: ”Our Clan's Elder Bai and Madam Ma died under the treacherous hands of Qiao Feng, Prince Duan personally witness this matter?” Duan Yu shook his head and said: ”Elder Bai and Madam Ma was not killed by my big brother Qiao, Deputy-leader Ma was harmed by someone else. My father explained all these in the letter, Hall-Master Quan will know the full details in the future after reading the letter.” Duan Yu thought: ”This matter cannot be explained with just a few phrases, you are not a good person, i don't need to waste time and explain it to you. I don't think you have the guts to hide my father's letter.” He cupped his hands towards Quan GuanQing and said: ”Till next time, you don't have to see us off.”

He turn around and walk to the valley's entrance, he met two Beggar Clan members and two men.

The two men gave each other a look, the move a few steps forward and bow towards Duan Yu, they presented a red invitation card.

Duan Yu took it and peruse it, the card wrote the words:

”Su XingHe respectfully invites all the world's most talented chess player, on the 8th day of the 2nd lunar month, to be at Henan's LeiGu Mountain to play chess” he said: ”Excellent, junior is not burdened with any important matters, i will definitely be at the chess meet. But how did you two find out that i can play chess?” the expression of the two man were delighted, ”Yi Yi Ya Ya” sound came from their mouth, they made huge gestures, it seems both of them are mute. Duan Yu could not understand their gestures, he smiled and ask Zhu DanChen: ”LeiGu Mountain is not far from here right?” and he handed the invitation card to him.

Zhu DanChen took a look at the card, he cupped his hands towards the two man and said: ”The son of Prince ZhenNan of Dali pays his respect to Mr Intelligent, he express his gratitude and he will promptly visit at the appointed date.” He pointed his hand at Duan Yu and made a few gestures.

The two man bow again to pay their respects to Duan Yu, they took out another red invitation card and presented it to Quan GuanQing.

Quan GuanQing took a look at the card, he respectfully gave it back to the man, he wave his hands and said: ”Quan GuanQing from the Hall of Great Wisdom of the Beggar Clan pays his respects to Mr Intelligent, my chess skill is shoddy and laughable, i dare not go to the chess meet, i hope that Mr Intelligent will be understanding.” The two man bow towards him, the bow towards Duan Yu again and they left.

Only now did Zhu DanChen answer Duan Yu's question: ” LeiGu Mountain is to the south of SongXian, North-east of QuYuan Ridge, it's not far from here.”

Duan Yuan took his leave from Quan GuanQing and exit the valley, he ask Zhu DanChen: ”What kind of person is Mr Intelligent Su XingHe? Is he the national Go (Chess) champion of Central Plains?” Zhu DanChen replied: ”Mr Intelligent is also known as the Deaf Mute Old Man.”

Duan Yu gave an ”Ah” sound, he heard his father and uncle discussing about the 'Deaf Mute Old Man' before, his a prestigious expert within Central Plains, his deaf and mute but his martial arts is exceedingly high, his uncle was extremely respectful when mentioning him. Zhu DanChen continued: ”The Deaf Mute Old Man is disabled, but he insist on calling himself Mr Intelligent, it seems he thinks his wits and penmanship will beat people's hearing and debating skills.” Duan Yu nods his head and said: ”It seems reasonable.” After walking a few steps he gave a long sigh.

He listened to Zhu DanChen say that the Deaf Mute Old Man's wits and penmanship will beat people's hearing and debating skills, he cannot help but thought of Wang YuYan's ”Narration Martial Art” beating people's fist and weaponry skills.

After rescuing the Beggar Clan members in WuXi with AhZhu, Bao BuTong and Feng BoE arrived and met up with them, the five of them headed north to search for their Young Master Murong. Duan Yu naturally wanted to follow them. Feng BoE was grateful towards him for sucking the scorpion's poison and he welcome Duan Yu. But Bao BuTong was extremely unforgiving, he blamed Duan Yu for disguising as Young Master Murong and tarnishing his great reputation, later he even threatened to beat him up unless he scram, Wang YuYan was only interested in finding her cousin and discussed endlessly with Feng BoE, she turned a blind eye to Duan Yu's situation.

Duan Yu was helpless and could only grudgingly part with Wang YuYan, but he still travelled north and thought: ”You guys want to go to Henan to search for Murong Fu, it so happens that i am also going to Henan, Henan province does not belong to your Murong Family, if Murong Fu and Bao BuTong can go, why can't Duan Yu go as well? If it so happens that i run into you guys again, then it must be fate and Mr Bao cannot blame me.”

But fate did not want him to meet Wang YuYan just shortly after their recent parting. During the entire month, Duan Yu wandered around Henan, he termed it sightseeing tour but in actual fact his just looking around in all direction, hoping to see a strand of hair from Wang YuYang, or just a corner of her clothes, as for the beautiful mountains and sceneries he didn't even give it a glance.

One day, Duan Yu was at the White Horse Temple in LuoYang, he was discussing ”Agama” with the abbot, they discussed about Buddhist teachings on ”Seven Treasures of the Chakravartin”. Duan Yu was interested in the Jade Maiden treasure that is said to be ”Neither long nor short, neither black nor white, a body that is warm during winter and cool during summer”. The abbot shook his head repeatedly and said: ”Buddhist Duan, this is an analogy in Buddhist teachings, moreover Buddha said that the seven treasures is in impermanence ... ” but he did not finish as three men suddenly entered the temple, they were Fu SiGui, Gu DuCheng and Zhu DanChen.

When Duan ZhenChun left the residence of Ma in XinYang, he met up with Ruan XingZhu and recuperated under her care, when he thought about how Xiao Feng was wronged by the Beggar Clan for killing Ma DaYuan, he had to vindicate him, thus he wrote a letter and ordered the trio to deliver it to the Beggar Clan.

Fu SiGui and company came to LuoYang, they did not see any leading figures at Beggar Clan's main Hall, they gathered information and knew that the Hall of Great Wisdom of the Beggar Clan is gathering nearby, they hope to deliver the letter there, but in a restaurant they heard another amusing news about a daydreaming gentleman, the description of the appearance and behavior of the man seems to be very similar to Duan Yu, they ask the whereabouts of this gentleman and they came searching in the White Horse Temple.

The four of them met up and was very happy, Duan Yu said: ”I will accompany you to deliver the letter, after that quickly bring me to see my father.” When he learn that his father is currently in Henan, naturally his anxious to meet him, but all these days he hope to hear the slightest news about Wang YuYan, he kept thinking about her day and night, he pray that he might be able to meet her at the Beggar Clan's gathering, but this hope eventually came to nothing.

Zhu DanChen saw him sighing, he assume his thinking about Mu WanQing but he can offer no consolation, he thought of diverting his attention and said: ”That Mr Intelligent is widely distributing these cards and inviting people to play chess, his chess skills must be extremely high. Young Master, after meeting Prince ZhenNan, why don't you go and meet this Mr Intelligent and play a few rounds with him?”

Duan Yu nodded: ”Yes, playing chess can relief your worries. But although she is familiar with all the martial arts and all the weaponries, she can't play chess. She definitely won't go to Mr Intelligent's chess meet.”

Zhu DanChen was baffled, he did not know who Duan Yu is referring to, along the way Duan Yu was absent-minded, his speech incoherent, and he dare not inquire anymore.

The group travelled north-west. Duan Yu was frowning and suddenly he nod and smiled, muttering: ”There's a saying in Buddhist scripture: Thinking about beauty, her body filled with blood, a hundred years later, turning into bone and dust', although the saying is true but even if she turns into bones after a hundred years, she's still an incredibly beautiful bone.” As he fantasized about Wang YuYan's skeleton, he suddenly heard the sound of horse's hoof behind him, two people came galloping on horses, but he can't see their appearance clearly in the darkness.

The two horses seemed to be out of control, they rushed towards the group. Fu SiGui and Gu DuCheng stretch out their hands and they each rein in the horses, the riders of the horses were motionless. Fu SiGui was slightly surprised, he lean over to check, the first rider turn out to the messenger of Mr Intelligent, his face revealed a faint smile but he died long ago. Just a few moments ago, this man had personally delivered the invitation card to Duan Yu, how did he die for no reason? The other dead rider is also the messenger of Mr Intelligent, he also died with a strange smile. When Fu SiGui and the rest saw this they knew these two men must have been killed by an extremely deadly poison, they quickly rein in their horses and move back two steps, they dare not touch the corpses.

Duan Yu was furious: ”That Hall-Master Quan from Beggar Clan is really vicious, why did he harm these men? Let's go and reason it out with him.” He turn his horse around and was about to go find Quan GuanQing and interrogate him.

Suddenly a voice spoke out within the darkness: ”Little boy you are ignorant, in the entire world except for the Divine Elder of XingXiu and his sect, who has the ability to kill without leaving a trace? It will be fine if the Deaf Mute Old Man obediently hides himself, if he dares come out, Divine Elder of XingXiu will never let him survive, kid, this matter is none of your concern, its best if you leave quickly.”

Zhu DanChen whispered: ”Young Master, this is the affair of XingXiu Sect, it does not concern us, let's go.”

Duan Yu already lost his interest when he can't find Wang YuYan, if these messengers were in danger he would definitely step in and save them, but since they already died he did not want to stir up more trouble, he sigh and said: ”It's not sufficient to be deaf, their eyes must not see anything, their nose can't smell any scent, their mind incapable of any thought, only then can they break away from their trouble.”

His speech was referring to Wang YuYan, since he already heard her voice, saw her smile and movement, all these etched deeply into his mind, even if he was deaf and mute, he still can't break away from thinking about her. Unexpectedly, the man laughed and applauded: ”Yes, Yes! You are right, i should prod their eyes blind, cut off their nose, and beat them up so badly that they can't even think.”

Duan Yu gave another sigh: ”It's useless to use external force. You need to cultivate your inner self, 'Do not allow colour, sound and smell to stir your heart', but if you can let go of all self, you already reached Buddhahood. I am only a layman, how can i reach such attainment? Resentment, hate, love, parting, powerless, the five evil, the great sufferings of life.”

You TanZhi was hiding behind the vegetation, he saw Duan Yu and his entourage come and go, someone was shouting in front, two Beggars Clan members quickly ran over and quietly reported to Quan GuanQing: ”Hall-Master Quan, the two mute men died for no reason, the perpetrator claims his from XingXiu Sect and his a subordinate of someone called Divine Elder of XingXiu.”

Quan GuanQing got a huge shock, his expression change instantly. He heard of Old Freak of XingXiu, this person employs deadly poison, his martial art is also exceedingly high, he pondered: ”He killed the messenger of Deaf Mute Old Man, this matter does not concern us, its best if we don't stir up any trouble.” He replied: ”Ok, they are ghost, fighting another ghost, we need not bother.”

Suddenly, someone spoke in front of him: ”Scoundrel talking nonsense, how dare you curse me as ghost when you know i am the subordinate of Divine Elder of XingXiu? You are tired of living.” Quan GuanQing was surprised and he cannot refrain from taking a step back, under the light from the torch, he saw someone standing upright in front of him but it was his own subordinate from Beggar Clan, he fixed his concentration and finally saw him, the person had a faint smile, his appearance strange, he was standing right behind another person, he shouted: ”Who are you, pretending to be a ghost, what are you doing here?”

The person behind the Beggar Clan member replied: ”You are really bold, you said the word ghost again! I am the subordinate of Divine Elder of XingXiu. Divine Elder of XingXiu is arriving in Central Plains, he needs 200 poison snakes and 100 poison bugs. Your Beggar Clan is always well-stocked with poison snakes and bugs, offer them immediately. Divine Elder of XingXiu will spare you lot of beggars if you respectfully present the items to him. Or else, heng heng, you will become like this person!”

Bang, the Beggar Clan member in front of him immediately flew off and fell beside the bonfire, his motionless, apparently he died long ago. When the Beggar Clan member flew off, a dwarf wearing poplin shirt was revealed, nobody knows how he killed the Beggar Clan member and then hide himself behind the Clan member.

Quan GuanQing was startled and angry, in a split second, many thoughts came into his mind: ”Old Freak of XingXiu mess with our Beggar Clan, if we don't give in to their demands we have to fight it out. Although it's dangerous, but if i cave in to his threats and offer the poison snakes and bugs, my Clan members will forever look down on me. My hopes of becoming Clan leader will be dash, i can't even maintain my current standings in the Clan. Luckily the Old Freak of XingXiu has yet to arrive, this person is alone, i don't need to be afraid of him.” Immediately he laughs and said: ”So you are from XingXiu Sect, may i know your name?”

The dwarf said: ”I am called Tian LangZi. Quickly go and prepare the poisonous snakes and bugs.”

Quan GuanQing smiled and said: ”It's only poisonous snakes and bugs, small matter, we don't need any major preparation.” He picked up a bag from the ground and said: ”There's a few snakes here, please check it, is it suitable for Divine Elder of XingXiu?”

The dwarf heard Quan GuanQing said ”Divine Elder of XingXiu”, he was very pleased, seeing his expression respectful he thought: ”It's said that Beggar Clan is the number one clan in Central Plains, but when they heard my master's name they immediately turn limp. I will take these poison snakes, master will definitely like it, he will surely praise me for being competent. Nevertheless, it's all due to the fierce reputation of master.” He immediately stretch his neck to look into the bag.

Suddenly all he saw was darkness, the cloth bag had already covered his head, Tian LangZi was shocked, he immediately strike out with his palm but he hit nothing, but at this moment, his cheek and neck felt a slight pain, he was bitten by the poisonous bugs in the bag. Tian LangZi did not have time to remove the cloth bag, he ferociously sent out both his palm and retreated quickly. As his head was covered with the cloth bag he can't see a thing, both his palms were attacking randomly, his face and head received another series of bites, he panicked, he extended his legs and fled, but his legs threaded on empty air, he lost his footing and roll down the steep slope, with a splashing sound he fell into the river at the bottom of the mountain and got wash away by the current.

Quan GuanQing thought of killing him, he didn't expect him to escape, but the person was stung by poisonous scorpion and subsequently fell into the river, his mostly probably dead, but since members of XingXiu sect are poison experts they might have special detoxification method, since they live at XingXiu Sea they would also know how to swim, if the person manage to survive, XingXiu sect will definitely come back and seek revenge. He said to everyone: ”At this moment, we can only deploy the giant python formation and stake it out against Old Freak of XingXiu. Could it be possible that we can't fend for ourselves without Qiao Feng and have to be humiliated by others? XingXiu Sect are experts in using deadly poison, we can't use our weapons and fists against them, we have to use poison to counter their poison.”

The Beggar Clan members shouted out in agreement, immediately they disperse, they arrange into their battle formation a few zhang away from the bonfire, everyone sat down and cross their legs.

You TanZhi saw Quan GuanQing use the cloth bag to defeat Tian LangZi, he pondered: ”There's probably numerous poisonous bugs in the bag, they have so many bags here, are they all filled with poisonous bugs? It's not surprising for the beggars to be proficient in catching poison bugs. If i can steal a few of these bags and present them to Miss AhZi, she will definitely like it very much.”

Once the Clan members sat down, they did not make any sound, everyone had a few cloth bags beside them, some of the bags are extremely huge, some had creatures squirming and moving inside, You TanZhi's hair stood on its end when he saw all these. The atmosphere was silent, if he move now he will surely be detected by the crowd, he thought: ”I won't be afraid if they cover me with those bags, i have the protection of the iron mask, but if they stuff my entire body into the bag then i will be in trouble.”

After a few hours, nothing happen, after a while the sun started to rise, covering the hills and vegetation with bright light. Birds were chirping on the trees, suddenly Quan GuanQing said softly: ”They are here! Everyone be careful!” he was kneeling on a rock outside the formation, holding onto an iron flute.

Music came from the north direction, a group of people walk unhurriedly, they were playing their wood instruments and drums, the music was melodious and pleasant. You TanZhi pondered: ”It is a wedding procession?”

The music got nearer and nearer, when it was 10 zhang away it stopped, several people said in unison: ”Divine Elder of XingXiu arriving in Central Plains, Beggar Clan members, kneel down and greet him!” once they finish, the drums start thundering. After 3 rounds of drum roll, there was a gong sound, the drums stopped, ten people said in unison: ”We respectfully invite Divine Elder of XingXiu to display your great skills, subdue these demons and clowns from Beggar Clan!”

You TanZhi pondered: ”It's quite similar to Taoist ritual.” He quietly peered out from the rock, he saw twenty people lining up in the northwest corner, some holding percussion instruments, some armed with long streamers and banners, red and green colour pleasing to the eye, from afar the banners were embroidered with words such as, ”Divine Elder of XingXiu ”,”Almighty”, ”Limitless Power”, ”Inspiring Awe Throughout The World”, etc. As the music played out, an old man slowly stroll out, a dozen people arranged into two rows, they followed behind him, separated by a few zhang.

The old man was waving a goose feathered fan, sun shine on his face, his face was ruddy, head full of white hair, three silver whiskers on his chin, he really look like an immortal depicted in pictures. The old man walk towards the Beggar Clan crowd and stop moving when he's 3 zhang away, suddenly he issued a few sharp whistle, he flick his fan and wave away the whistle sound, four Beggar Clan members sitting on the ground immediately collapsed.

You TanZhi had a huge shock: ”This Divine Elder of XingXiu really have powerful magic!”

The old man's face revealed a faint smile, with another ”Zi” sound, he wave his feathered fan and another group of beggars collapsed. The old man's whistle seems to be hiding some kind of lethal poison, in an instant, another 6-7 beggars collapsed.

The crowd behind the old man cried out their praises: ”Master's skill will be remembered throughout all ages! These beggars pit themselves against us, it's akin to a firefly pitting its light against the sun! Or a mantis blocking a cart, they vastly overrated themselves, laughable, laughable!”

”Master you only need to laugh and chitchat and these demons and clowns will die immediately, such effortless crushing victory, disciple has never seen or heard such thing before.”

”This is a great achievement never seen before in the world, if Master did not reveal it, the people from Central Plains will never know such skills exists.” They keep singing their praises, feeling very smug, they start playing their instruments again.

Suddenly there was a ”Xu” sound, Quan GuanQing brought the iron flute to his mouth and started blowing. You TanZhi pondered: ”What's he playing the flute for? Supporting the Divine Elder of XingXiu?” suddenly noise came from the ground, a few brightly coloured large snakes slithered towards the old man. The group of disciples beside the old man shouted: ”Snakes, there are poisonous snakes! Master, these snakes seems to be heading towards us!” numerous poisonous snakes came slithering out of the cloth bags, some are big while others are small, all of them rush towards the old man and his disciples. The crowd panic and start screaming and howling randomly.

The disciples of XingXiu sect raised their steel staff, they pounded at the oncoming snakes, the old man's expression was calm, he still carried on whistling and waving his fan to repel his enemies. Quan GuanQing did not stop blowing his flue, his clan members all shouted to show their support.

More and more snakes gathered, within moments, XingXiu sect members were surrounded by a few hundred snakes, 5-6 of these snakes are giant python. A few giant python move near, they coil their tails and immediately trapped two people, another two men was trap subsequently. If these XingXiu members turn their back and flee the snakes will not be able to catch them, but their Master is still fighting and they dare not leave, they can only brandish their weapons and pound randomly, they killed 8-10 snakes but 7-8 of them was also bitten by the snakes. The giant pythons are even more dangerous, their skins are rough and their body thick, they behave as if nothing had happened when stuck by the steel staff, they coil their body around the men and constricted, not letting them go. As the flute keep blowing, more giant python came out of the cloth bags, there's already 27-28 of them.

The old man saw the situation was unfavourable, he wanted to move back and attack Quan GuanQing, suddenly two small snakes bite towards his face. He shouted angrily: ”How dare you!” he wave his fan and brought down the two snakes, suddenly he felt something soft coiling around his ankle. He knew he is in trouble and quickly leap into the air. He heard another ”Xu” sound from the flute, four pythons raised their tails and coil towards him. The old man was in mid-air, he strike out with both palms, it hit the snake in front and to his left, his body flash and he landed 2 zhang away. At this moment, the tail of the 3rd and 4th giant python attack him simultaneously. Under such pressing situation he exerted his strength and send out another palm, the palm force arrive and one giant python was struck on its head and its brain turn into pulp.

The mass of snakes gush in like flowing river. The old man killed another three python, but his waist and right leg was trapped by two giant python. He gathered his internal energy and gave a loud cry, he clawed open the belly of the python on his waist, his body was splash with blood. But the python is very resilient, even though its belly is split open it endured the pain and constricted even more, the old man's pelvic bone was about to fracture under the pressure. He struggled to break free, but another two giant python wrap themselves around his body, even his arm was trapped, he could not struggle anymore. Seeing such horrifying scene, You TanZhi was so shock that he could hardly breathe.

Quan GuanQing was very happy, his enemies were all trapped and bound by the giant python, they can no longer resist and they cursed in rage, he stop playing his flute, he laugh and said: ”Old Freak Of XingXiu, your XingXiu Sect and my Beggar Clan normally don't mess with each other, why did you provoke us for no reason? What should we settle this?”

This healthy old man is the most hated person in Central Plains, the Old Freak of XingXiu Ding ChunQiu. One of the three treasures of his Sect the [Divine Wooden King Tripod] was stolen by AhZi, he sent out numerous disciples to hunt her down, even his head-disciple Zhai XingZi was dispatched. But the returning news was always very discouraging. He last heard that AhZi had the backing of Qiao Feng and they heavily injure Zhai XingZi, Ding ChuQiu was shock and angry, Ding Chunqiu knew the Beggar Clan is the number one clan in Central Plains and they are not easy to deal with, he also heard the Deaf Mute Old Man is particularly active around Xing Lake in recent years, the Deaf Mute Old Man is a thorn in his side and he can never rest in peace with him around, thus he thought of retrieving the [Divine Wooden King Tripod] and then resolve all these matters once and for all, hence he brought his disciples and personally travelled east to Central Plains.

He practiced the [Great Energy Dissolving Skill] and he frequently require poisonous fluids of poison creatures to be smeared on his palm and absorbed into his body, if he does not absorb any poison fluids for seven days, not only will his internal energy decrease, the poison accumulated in his body will also gradually flare up as its not suppressed by new poison, the repercussion is deadly, the [Divine Wooden King Tripod] has a very special scent, coupled with the incense burnt, it will be able to immediately attract poisonous bugs, all poisonous creatures within 10 li radius will not be able to resist being attracted by the fragrance.

With this tripod, Ding ChunQiu can catch poisonous bugs without any effort, his [Great Energy Dissolving Skill] naturally become more and more profound. Previously, Ding ChunQiu had a very talented disciple, he imparted his skills to him and taught him the [Great Energy Dissolving Skill], but after some achievements in the skill the disciple became self-conceited and was very disrespectful towards him. Ding ChunQiu subdued the disciple, he did not torture him but merely imprison him within a stone house so that he can't capture any poison bugs, eventually the poison within his body flare up, it was extremely unbearable and he cannot help but tear his own muscles off to relief himself, he moaned and wailed and eventually died after 40 days. Although Ding ChunQiu was delighted, he cannot help but feel fear, he guarded himself and never imparted his [Great Energy Dissolving Skill] to anyone. Thus, Zhai XingZi and the rest of the disciple did not know the skill, AhZi wanted to learn the skill and she had to eavesdrop secretly and also steal the tripod.

AhZi was adept at scheming, when her master had finish absorbing fresh poison she bid him farewell and travelled east, when the Old Freak of XingXiu realized the tripod was stolen, it was already 7 days later and AhZi had escape to a faraway place. She only travelled on remote route, even though the disciples pursuing her had higher martial arts, their resourcefulness is way inferior to hers and she managed to bluff her way through, she employed numerous decoy tactics and threw off all her pursuers.

The residence of the Old Freak of XingXiu is a gloomy and damp ravine, the area is rich with poisonous bugs and snakes, although the tripod was lost, it still not too difficult to catch poisonous bugs and replenish his supply of poison, however he can only hope to catch common poison bugs, without the aid of the tripod he can no longer catch rare bugs which possess deadly poison. One matter cause him endless worries, his afraid that experts from Central Plains might discover the origin of the tripod and they will seek to destroy it, thus he hope to resolve this matter quickly so that he can stop worrying.

He met a bunch of his disciples at the borders of ShanXi. His head-disciple Zhai XingZi was fortunate to preserve his life but he lost all his martial arts, he was beaten and humiliated by fellow martial-brothers, his second disciple Shi BiRen temporarily took over the post of head-disciple, all the disciples saw their master and was scared of being punished as they failed to complete their task, fortunately the Old Freak of XingXiu needs all the help he can get and he postponed all punishments and hope his disciples can redeem themselves by performing a good service.

Along the way, the group inquired about the Beggar Clan. But firstly, their appearance was strange and their behaviors deplorable, no one was willingly to reveal the information to them. Secondly, Xiao Feng was in Liao Empire and became the Lord of Southern Chancellery, but people from the martial world did not know about this matter, thus they could not find any news about the Beggar Clan and they can't even find the main branch of the clan.

On this day, Tian LiangZi inadvertently found about the gathering of the Great Wisdom Hall of Beggar Clan, he wanted to claim credit for this piece of information and he infiltrated the Beggar Clan alone, but he eventually fall prey to Quan GuanQing's schemes. Luckily his body already contained essence of poison and the scorpion's poison failed to kill him, he escaped and reported the matter to his master. Ding ChunQiu immediately rush over, but he did not expect that with his deadly poison and profound martial arts, he was subdued by giant python and immobilized.

Ding Chunqiu did not answer Quan GuanQing's question, he said coldly: ”There's a person called Qiao Feng in your Beggar Clan, where is he? Quickly ask him to come out and see me.”Quan GuanQing heart was shaken, he ask: ”You want to see Qiao Feng, what for?” Ding ChunQiu said proudly: ”Divine Elder of XingXiu is asking you a question why aren't you answering? You keep asking useless questions, where is Qiao Feng?”

Quan GuanQing saw Ding ChunQiu was immobilized by the python, he had already lost the power to resist, but his manner is still arrogant and ferocious, such courage is really rare in this world, he said: ”It's said that the Old Freak of XingXiu is all knowing, but i think it's just undeserved reputation, you can't even handle a few small snakes. I am sorry, we have to help the world get rid of a great evil today.”

Ding ChunQiu smiled and said: ”Old man is careless, i fell into the trap of these cold-blooded reptiles, i will die today, its really fate......”

But he did not finish as one of his disciple who is trapped by the python suddenly shouted: ”Heroes of Beggar Clan, please release me, you will have great benefit. My master is proficient in trickery, you can never guard against him. Just a minor slip-up and you will fall into his trap.” Quan GuanQing said coldly: ”And how do we benefit by releasing you?” The person replied: ”There are three treasures in my XingXiu Sect, they are called XingXiu Three Treasures. Only the Old Freak of XingXiu and me knows its hidden location. If you release me, i will help you kill the Old Freak of XingXiu and offer you the treasures. If you kill me, you will never find the treasures.”

Another XingXiu disciple cried out: ”Great hero, great hero, don't be fooled by him! One of the three treasures is already stolen. It's better for you to release me. I am the loyal one, i will never lie to you.”

In an instant, numerous XingXiu disciples clamoured: ”Heroes of Beggar Clan, its best if you spare me, neither of them are loyal, i will serve you wholeheartedly.”

”Great hero, i know most of the martial arts of XingXiu Sect, i will tell you everything, i won't hide them from you.”

”There's a great conspiracy surrounding our arrival in Central Plains, the main purpose is to deal with Beggar Clan. Great heroes, do you want to know all the inside information?”

”Our XingXiu Sea hides unlimited gold, silvers and rare treasure, i know the hiding spot of every treasure. I will lead all of you there and dig it out, heroes of Beggar Clan you no longer need to beg for food anymore.”

These people kept boot-licking and tried to pledge their loyalty, some tried to offer treasures, some tried to stir up curiosity by revealing secret plans, some of their words are outright lies and completely absurd. Some XingXiu disciples are on the verge of death due to being poisoned and constricted by the snakes, they struggled for air to beg for forgiveness.

Members of Beggar Clan did not expect that the disciples of XingXiu are so spineless, thus they despise them, but their sense of curiosity was aroused and they move closer to listen attentively. Quan GuanQing said coldly: ”You are not loyal to even your own master, how can you pledge loyalty to total strangers? Aren't you ridiculous?”

A XingXiu disciple replied: ”No its different, very different. The Old Freak of XingXiu has lousy skills, what's the future prospect in following him? What the benefit in following him? How can the Old Freak of XingXiu be a match for Beggar Clan?”

”Yea, Beggar Clan taking in disciples of XingXiu Sect, Western and Central Plains will be in shock, who dare not admire the heroes of Beggar Clan?”

”The word 'Hero' is not sufficient to describe you, we have to refer you as 'Chivalrous Hero' ,'Saint', 'Saviour of commoner'!”

”I am articulate and good with words, i will travel to the four corners of the earth and spread the words about your great kindness, the chivalrous heroes of Beggar Clan will be renown throughout the entire world.”

”Pei, the chivalrous heroes of Beggar Clan is already famous throughout the world, why do they even need you to advertise? I thought of the title of 'Saint' and 'Saviour of commoner' for them. They bestow intelligence upon me.”

A five-pouch Beggar Clan disciple frowned and said: ”You lot of scumbags, making so much racket, listening to you lot made us fed up. Old Freak of XingXiu, you are really good for nothing, why did you accept these shameless people as disciples? I'll send you to heaven first, and then i let these lot of scumbags follow you, i am going to slaughter you whole lot today!” as he finish, he gave a shout and send his palm towards Ding ChunQiu.

This palm strike was accompanied by rapid wind, the strength behind it extremely strong and fierce, it landed on Ding ChunQiu's chest. But Ding ChunQiu was completely unharmed, the beggar felt his knees soften and he collapsed onto the ground, he curled up and started twitching, after a while he was motionless. The crowd of Beggar Clan members were surprise, they shouted: ”What happen?”, two beggars came out to help him up. When the two men touched his body, they started shaking and also collapsed after a while. Three nearby beggar clan disciples naturally stretch out their hands to support them, but when they touch the two men, they also collapsed. The rest of the crowd was stunned, they no longer dare to touch their fallen comrades.

Quan GuanQing shouted: ”There poison on this old man's body, we can't touch his body, release the projectiles!”

Eighty nine 4-5 pouch disciples pulled out their hidden weapons, steel darts, flying knives, sleeve arrows, cobblestones, they threw all these weapons at Ding ChunQiu. Ding ChunQiu gave a loud shout and turn his head sharply, he swung his white hair out, his hairs were like soft whiskers and repelled 10 of the projectiles thrown at him. But there was multiple ”Ah Yo” cries, 6-7 beggars were struck by hidden projectiles. These projectiles did not hit their vital spots, some was gazed on their flesh, but these men immediately collapsed and died.

Quan GuanQing shouted: ”Move back, move back!” suddenly there was a swishing sound, it was caused by the shooting of a steel dart, Ding ChunQiu used his hairs to grip the dart and shoot it towards him. Quan GuanQing hastily use his iron flute to deflect it, there was a ringing sound and the dart was repelled far away. He thought this Old Freak of XingXiu is really powerful, he can only rely on his giant python to kill him, he brought his flute to his mouth, as he was about to blow, his lips suddenly felt numb and he instantly became dizzy, he knew something was wrong and hastily threw away the iron flute, there was a thud sound and he collapsed. The Clan members was shock, immediately two men move forward to help him up. Quan GuanQing said drowsily: ”I ... I am poisoned, Every ... everyone...quick...quickly...leave” the Clan members were scared out of their wits, they carried him and fled, abandoning all the bodies, snakes and cloth bags.

You TanZhi is still squatting in the bushes, his so shock by the ongoing that he dare no move an inch. The surrounding was a total silence, a dozen poisoned Clan members curled into a ball like porcupine, apparently they had already died.

The remaining giant python are no long under the control of Quan GuanQing's flute sound, they will not harm anyone and only immobilized Ding ChunQiu and his disciples. No one in the XingXiu Sect dared to move or struggle for fear of provoking the vicious nature of the snakes and getting bitten.

The silence remain for a while, finally someone spoke: ”Master, your divine skill is unrivalled throughout the world, you easily slaughtered all these evil and vicious beggars and drive them all away ...”

Before he could finish another disciple interrupt him and said: ”Master, don't listen to his bullshit, his the one that praised the beggars as 'Chivalrous Heroes' and 'Saints'”

Another disciple said: ”We followed Master for so many years, how can we not know his ability to split the heaven and earth? We talk nonsense and fooled the beggars just now to distract them so that Master can display his unparalleled skills.”

Suddenly someone burst into tears and wailed: ”Master, Master! Disciple deserves to die, disciple is confused, i was afraid of death and surrendered to the enemy, i sincerely regret it now and i am willingly to die with the poison snakes, i dare not ask Master for mercy anymore.”