Chapter 294: The Participant is Confused, the Spectator is Clear
The moon was faint, the stars sparse.
Zhou Yan and Li Mochou flickered in and out of sight between the densely packed buildings of Zhongdu, their figures stretching and winding under the night sky towards Kaifu Temple. In terms of lightness skill alone, Li Mochou, whose internal force had greatly improved, was not much inferior to Zhou Yan.
Of course, that was assuming Zhou Yan didn’t use the White Camel Mountain peerless skill 《Instant Thousand Li》.
The Beggars’ Sect’s branch in Zhongdu was located in a deserted temple courtyard near Kaifu Temple, a fact Lu Youjiao had informed Zhou Yan of when he visited Zhou Yan’s courtyard.
There were no lanterns hanging from the street arches around the deserted temple. Zhou Yan’s figure silently rose from the darkness and landed on one. He gazed into the distance, his line of sight falling upon a courtyard where firelight flickered.
Suddenly, a faint, fresh scent wafted close. Zhou Yan retracted his gaze and saw a charming, joyful face.
“Are you very happy?”
“Naturally. The first time I met you, I said that traveling down the mountain was for ‘escaping the sharp blades and killing in the mortal world.’ Now that I’m doing these things with you, how could I not be happy? Aren’t you happy?” Li Mochou asked, tilting her head up.
Zhou Yan chuckled, “Let’s go, the Beggars’ Sect branch is ahead.”
“Mm!”
Li Mochou leaped out with graceful agility, floating more than two zhang in the air. As she landed, her lotus-like feet lightly touched the ground like a dragonfly skimming water. Her green skirt flared out like an autumn lotus, her graceful figure seeming to ride the wind as she descended towards the temple roof ahead.
Zhou Yan followed closely, his figure appearing and disappearing in the wind. By the time Li Mochou landed on the fish-scale blue tiles and her skirt settled, Zhou Yan had silently landed beside her.
He half-crouched on the rooftop, holding the Qingfeng Sword. Li Mochou glanced at him from the corner of her eye, finding him steady and dashing.
The deserted temple courtyard was vast, with five to six hundred Beggars’ Sect disciples gathered, each carrying a sack. Looking out, at least each carried four folded sacks.
The lowest rank of Beggars’ Sect disciples who could participate in this assembly was a Four-Bag Disciple.
Eighty percent of the Beggars’ Sect disciples were in rags, clearly belonging to the Dirty Clothes Faction. The remaining twenty percent were gathered separately; though their clothes had patches, they were clean. These were disciples of the Clean Clothes Faction.
Li Mochou’s gaze swept around, finally settling on the Clean Clothes Faction disciples. She asked curiously, “That Elder isn’t here.”
Zhou Yan had already spotted Lu Youjiao among the Dirty Clothes Faction disciples. He saw that Lu Youjiao’s complexion was dark, his attire tattered, and his expression troubled.
“It probably hasn’t started yet,” Zhou Yan retracted his gaze and said to Li Mochou, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”
“Alright.”
The two figures disappeared into the shadows cast by the overhanging eaves and upturned corners. From their vantage point, they had a clear view. When the moon, missing a bite, hung in the sky, the midnight drum sounded from the long street.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan and Li Mochou heard three distinct knocks, followed by three more knocks from another direction.
The Clean Clothes Faction disciples in the courtyard erupted in cheers, “It’s Elder Peng, Elder Jian, and Elder Liang.”
Zhou Yan looked in the direction of the sound. Three figures appeared at either end of the temple’s side corridor, surrounded by a considerable number of Beggars’ Sect Eight-Bag and Seven-Bag disciples. They approached with great fanfare.
“That’s Elder Peng,” Li Mochou’s voice sounded in Zhou Yan’s ear. He followed the direction of her slender, onion-root-like finger and saw an old beggar with a fair complexion and an uncommon demeanor, like a wealthy gentleman, holding a long strip of cloth.
Zhou Yan guessed that the cloth likely concealed the Dog Beating Stick.
Suddenly, a faint sound came from the night.
Zhou Yan turned back alertly. He saw a figure carrying a wine gourd descend from a large, old tree with dense foliage not far away. With a few strides, the figure leaped onto the overhanging eaves.
“Qigong.”
“Qigong.”
Zhou Yan and Li Mochou called out in low voices simultaneously. However, Li Mochou’s voice trembled slightly, as she had learned from Zhou Yan about Hong Qigong’s injury in Yueyang.
In the past, Hong Qigong was a formidable figure; when he used his agility, he moved like a dragon across the sky. Yet, from that old tree to the rooftop was only five or six zhang, and now even Qigong found it difficult.
Zhou Yan’s voice held a hint of surprise. Hong Qigong’s cultivation had recovered considerably since their encounter in Hundred Herbs Valley. It was likely that the 《Yijin Forging Bone Chapter》 had at least reached the completion of its second stage.
Hong Qigong grinned, “You two are here?”
“Yes, when did Qigong arrive?” Zhou Yan asked.
“This old beggar arrived long ago.”
“I have something to tell Qigong.”
Hong Qigong removed the stopper from his wine gourd and took a few hearty drinks before saying, “Is it about the Beggars’ Sect and Manichaeism?”
“Qigong guessed it?”
“This old beggar has overheard Lu Youjiao talking with some little beggars from Yuezhou these past few days.”
“Has Qigong seen Elder Lu?”
“No. Lu Youjiao is too honest and straightforward; he can’t hide things on his face. This old beggar wants to see what these brats are up to.”
Zhou Yan inwardly chuckled and quietly relayed Zhang Sanqiang’s message to Hong Qigong word for word.
Hong Qigong nodded upon hearing this and said, “Self-discipline and returning to propriety. Zhang Sanqiang is a remarkable person. This old beggar owes him a favor.”
“Cult Leader Zhang said he is waiting for Qigong’s reply in the Jingzhou Academy.”
“Understood. After this old beggar finishes dealing with the Beggars’ Sect’s internal affairs, I’ll head over to meet Zhang Sanqiang.”
While they were talking, a commotion arose in the courtyard. The Beggars’ Sect disciples cleared a space, and Elder Peng stepped into the center, saying, “Brothers, a calamity has befallen the Beggars’ Sect, a truly great disaster. Our Gang Leader was schemed against in Yueyang and may be in grave danger.”
The Beggars’ Sect disciples who had traveled from Luoyang and Kaifeng knew nothing of what had transpired at Yueyang Tower. At these words, the beggars fell silent. Suddenly, one person cried out, fell to the ground, and wailed.
Abruptly, cries erupted, and the sound of grief shook the surrounding trees.
Hong Qigong took several large gulps from his wine gourd and said, “These brats, this old beggar is not well, they are all fools.”
“By the way, Qigong, before coming to Zhongdu, I visited a place called the Valley of Unfeeling and encountered Ouyang Feng, Huo Gong Toutuo, Qiu Qianren, and Island Lord Huang.”
“And then?”
“Ouyang Feng schemed against Island Lord Huang, and his methods were similar to how Yueyang Tower schemed against Qigong.”
“Huang Yaoshi is naturally cautious, so he didn’t end up half-crippled like I did.”
“It could have been worse, but fighting Ouyang Feng again aggravated my internal injuries, which were quite severe at the time.”
“It must be that Huang Yaoshi was provoked by Ouyang Feng’s words.”
“Indeed.”
“Huang Yaoshi has this one flaw: he cannot stand being provoked. Once this old beggar’s cultivation recovers, I will definitely find Old Venomous and the Vajra Sect’s leader for a fight.”
“Qigong, invite Island Lord Huang, and bring me along.”
Hong Qigong rolled his eyes.
Amidst the wailing of the Beggars’ Sect disciples in the courtyard, Lu Youjiao’s voice suddenly rang out, “Elder Peng, what exactly happened? Is our Gang Leader lost?”
“Yes, yes! Our Beggars’ Sect has hundreds of thousands of disciples. Even a mouse could be found by digging through the ground, so how can we not find the Gang Leader’s whereabouts?”
Hong Qigong said softly to Zhou Yan, “You know Lu Youjiao. The one speaking now is Li Sheng, who is in charge of the Yangzhou branch.”
Zhou Yan remembered the name. In the Jianghu of Legend of the Condor Heroes, he had rescued Sun Buer’s disciple Cheng Yaojia, but it was Ouyang Ke who had turned the situation to his advantage, and ultimately it was Hong Qigong who resolved the matter.
Zhou Yan mused that in the current Jianghu, Ouyang Ke had visited Zhongnan Mountain twice. This incident of kidnapping Cheng Yaojia should not have happened. Otherwise, the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen would have been searching for Ouyang Ke and his uncle everywhere for revenge.
He looked back at the scene.
Elder Peng said, “The Gang Leader is elusive; we don’t know why he went to Yueyang Tower. Later, we heard that he fought with Manichaeism’s Cult Leader Zhang Sanqiang, Ouyang Feng, the Vajra Sect leader, and others at Yueyang Tower. Afterward, the Gang Leader’s token fell into the hands of Manichaeism.”
“It must be Manichaeism’s Zhang Sanqiang who harmed the Gang Leader,” a Clean Clothes Faction disciple shouted.
“That’s right, that’s right! Avenge the Gang Leader,” another Clean Clothes Faction disciple loudly declared.
In an instant, the crowd became agitated, and shouts for revenge arose.
Elder Peng reached out and opened the cloth bag, revealing the jade green Dog Beating Stick to everyone. He raised the stick and said, “This Gang Leader’s token was recovered by me from Manichaeism, and in doing so, I lost quite a few disciples.”
“Elder Peng is mighty!”
“Elder is a good man!”
Amidst the crying, cheers erupted. Elder Peng continued, “After the incident, Elder Liang and I dispatched disciples to search everywhere, but the Gang Leader remains missing.”
Lu Youjiao stepped forward and said, “Thank you, Elder Peng, for retrieving the Gang Leader’s token. But shouldn’t we be dispatching disciples now and working together to continue searching for the Gang Leader?”
“Searching for the Gang Leader is naturally the top priority. However, since the Jin dogs occupied the north, the Beggars’ Sect’s focus has gradually shifted, leading to many conflicts with Manichaeism, the Iron Palm Sect, and others. Now, with the Gang Leader missing, Manichaeism has become even more rampant, and the Iron Palm Sect is also coveting our territory. Without a leader, we must elect someone to lead everyone to work together. When our rivals attack our Beggars’ Sect branches, we cannot possibly gather from all corners of the land to decide how to respond every time. If it were so, wouldn’t our fallen brothers be disheartened?”
“Exactly,” said a plump, fair-skinned old beggar who stepped forward a few paces. “At the very least, we need to elect a Deputy Gang Leader to lead everyone in their tasks.”
“Yes, that’s the logic,” the Clean Clothes Faction disciples called out in approval, while the Dirty Clothes Faction disciples remained mostly silent.
Lu Youjiao was momentarily speechless.
Zhou Yan watched the scene and asked Hong Qigong, “What does Qigong think?”
Hong Qigong drank his wine, his expression somewhat grave, and said, “The one who spoke just now was Elder Liang. Beside him is Elder Jian. This matter is suspicious; it seems designed to instigate a conflict between the Beggars’ Sect and Manichaeism.”
“Mm,” Zhou Yan nodded.
Suddenly, a Clean Clothes Faction disciple in the clearing said, “Elder Peng recovered the Gang Leader’s token from Manichaeism, so the acting Gang Leader should naturally be the Elder.”
“That’s right, this old beggar also agrees,” Elder Liang said.
“Me too,” Elder Jian stepped forward and said.
Li Sheng stated, “Elder Peng’s retrieval of the Gang Leader’s token is a great achievement, but to decide who will lead the Beggars’ Sect based on this is too arbitrary. If an ordinary disciple had recovered the token, they couldn’t possibly be made to lead. Elder Lu has made repeated contributions to the Beggars’ Sect; I support Elder Lu.”
Hong Qigong on the rooftop muttered to himself, “This Li Sheng is quite clever and discerning.”
“Indeed, he can see the bigger picture,” Zhou Yan said, his eyes fixed on the scene.
Li Sheng’s proposal was met with approval from the Dirty Clothes Faction disciples, but it was immediately countered by the Clean Clothes Faction disciples. The two sides engaged in a heated debate, unable to reach an agreement. Hong Qigong’s expression grew increasingly somber.
“May I say something?” Elder Liang suddenly spoke.
He used his internal force to project his voice, and all the beggar disciples, whether near or far, heard him clearly. The scene immediately fell silent.
