Chapter 41: Old Beggar
Dongling Prefecture, a small courtyard.
The courtyard great door still had the government’s seal.
A woman with a graceful figure and wearing a veil, along with a Jianghu person in black clothes and conical hat with a long saber at the waist, arrived outside the courtyard.
“What does Shopkeeper Qiu mean by bringing me here?”
Ji Qing asked.
The woman was Shopkeeper Qiu of Dongling Prefecture Listen to the Wind Tower.
As soon as Ji Qing arrived in Dongling Prefecture, he went straight to Listen to the Wind Tower.
“The owner of this courtyard was originally a steamed bun seller at the market, known as Liu Baozi, with a total of seven people in the family, including three children.”
“Half a month ago, Liu Baozi’s entire family was poisoned to death, and the yamen couldn’t find out who did it, so they hastily closed the case.”
“But a little beggar provided some clues. Come, bring the little beggar up.”
Soon, people from Listen to the Wind Tower brought a dirty little beggar before Ji Qing.
“Little beggar, tell everything you saw that day.”
“Okay… That day I was begging, and I originally wanted to wait until Madam Liu’s family had sold most of their steamed buns to get some leftover steamed buns and buns. Madam Liu’s family was kind-hearted and often gave food to beggars.”
“But not long after, I saw Madam Liu chasing away an old beggar. That old beggar used his dirty hands to directly take a customer’s steamed bun, and Madam Liu chased the old beggar away with a broom.”
“In the evening, I saw the old beggar sneaking around near Madam Liu’s family, but I didn’t dare to say anything. But the next morning, Madam Liu’s entire family was dead…”
The little beggar was still a bit sad when saying this.
After all, Madam Liu had given him food many times while she was alive.
Ji Qing understood.
“So, Shopkeeper Qiu suspects that old beggar is the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo?”
Shopkeeper Qiu nodded: “That’s right, Great Hero Ji may not know the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo well. This man has unpredictable moods and extreme behavior, sometimes disguising himself as various people, like merchants, old men, scholars, beggars, and so on. Ouyang Bo thinks this is him toying with the mortal world, but once something or someone makes him uncomfortable, he becomes extremely ruthless and often poisons entire families!”
“And Liu Baozi’s family being poisoned to death is very much like Ouyang Bo’s style.”
Ji Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly: “Then where is the old beggar now?”
“Half a month ago, someone saw the old beggar leaving the city heading east.”
“Thank you, Shopkeeper Qiu!”
Ji Qing immediately turned and left the city.
Looking at Ji Qing’s back, a person from Listen to the Wind Tower softly asked: “Shopkeeper Qiu, if this ‘Astonishing Swan Saber’ really finds the Poison Demon, who will be superior between the two?”
This question, now not only the people of Listen to the Wind Tower were curious about it, probably everyone in the Jianghu was very curious.
“I don’t know. But if Ji Qing really encounters Ouyang Bo, there will definitely be a big commotion. Come, you all follow from afar too. If there’s any news, Dongling Prefecture Listen to the Wind Tower must get it first!”
“Yes, Shopkeeper!”
Thus, a group of people from Listen to the Wind Tower also hurriedly left the city.
……
The Zhou Family Merchant Caravan successively escorted more than thirty carts of goods from Dongling Prefecture to Xiling Prefecture.
The person in charge was the Zhou Family’s Thousand Gold.
The Zhou family master was seriously ill in bed, and his son was a playboy who couldn’t be helped, knowing nothing about business.
With no other choice, the Zhou Family’s Thousand Gold had to shoulder the Zhou Family’s business, showing her face in public and personally escorting the goods.
Halfway, the Zhou Family Caravan encountered a dirty old beggar.
He was drunk and seemed to have passed out in the roadside grass.
Miss Zhou was kind-hearted and had people rescue the old beggar, bringing him along with the caravan all the way, and let the old beggar go upon arriving in Xiling Prefecture.
The old beggar was naturally grateful.
But the old beggar had quite a bad temper and didn’t hold back at all on food and drink along the way.
Many in the Zhou Family Caravan were angry at the old beggar, but Miss Zhou saw that he was old and didn’t mind.
The caravan soon arrived at a treacherous terrain.
The Zhou Family’s martial artists immediately became alert.
Miss Zhou also warned: “Be careful, a gang of horse bandits has appeared recently, their leader is nicknamed ‘Old Kite’, said to kill without mercy and not follow Jianghu rules at all!”
Everyone in the caravan nodded solemnly.
Dongling has many highwaymen, greenwood produces heroes!
Dongling Prefecture and Xiling Prefecture actually have quite a few greenwood horse bandits.
But they basically all follow Jianghu rules.
As long as the merchant caravan pays silver, they can generally pass smoothly.
But “Old Kite” broke the rules.
Yet “Old Kite” was ruthless and highly skilled in martial arts; the escort agencies and caravan martial artists couldn’t deal with him.
Traveling the Jianghu is sometimes really unpredictable.
What you fear comes.
Miss Zhou had just mentioned “Old Kite” when the Zhou Family Caravan reached a dense forest, and immediately a group of horse bandits charged out from both sides.
The leader was none other than the infamous “Old Kite”.
“Hahaha, looks like we’ve hit a fat sheep this time, more than thirty carts of goods! Which family’s merchant caravan are you?”
Old Kite shouted loudly.
“We are the Zhou Family Merchant Caravan! If Great Chieftain shows mercy, our Zhou Family is willing to give three thousand taels of silver as road toll!”
Miss Zhou responded.
Old Kite saw the graceful Miss Zhou, his eyes lit up, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and a sinister smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Hehe, three thousand taels of silver? Not enough! Silver, goods, and Miss Zhou, I want them all! Boys, kill any who resist!”
With Old Kite’s order, the horse bandits immediately rushed toward the Zhou Family Merchant Caravan and fought with the Zhou Family Caravan’s martial artists.
Miss Zhou’s face was pale as paper.
This time she had already arranged as many guards as possible.
But she still underestimated Old Kite.
Old Kite led the charge, slashing at anyone he saw.
Among the guards, there was even a third-rate peak expert, but he was killed by Old Kite in three moves.
Clearly, Old Kite was a second-rate expert.
Miss Zhou could hardly believe her eyes.
A second-rate expert not roaming the Jianghu, but becoming a horse bandit leader?
“Stop!”
“Great Chieftain, we’ll give you all the goods and silver, but can you let us leave…”
Miss Zhou steeled herself.
At this point, it wasn’t about goods or silver, but about surviving.
Old Kite stared at Miss Zhou and sneered: “I can let the others go, but you stay!”
Miss Zhou’s heart sank.
She knew exactly what fate awaited her if she stayed.
But what could she do?
If they kept fighting, everyone would die!
So, Miss Zhou gritted her teeth and said: “Great Chieftain, if you keep your word, I…”
Miss Zhou hadn’t finished speaking.
Suddenly, a scream came from among the horse bandits.
“Ah… poison, there’s poison!”
“Where did the poison come from?”
“The cart… there’s poison on the cart.”
“Great Chieftain, save me…”
A group of horse bandits fell one after another.
Everyone in the Zhou Family was extremely stunned.
How could there be poison on the cart?
“Little girl, you’ve treated me well with good food and drink these days, and I’m very satisfied. I’ll help you deal with this gang of horse bandits!”
The speaker was none other than the old beggar rescued by the Zhou Family halfway!
“Thank you, Senior!”
Miss Zhou immediately realized that the old beggar was likely a “high expert” in the Jianghu.
She had also heard some rumors.
Some Jianghu “high experts” liked to conceal their identities and toy with the mortal world.
She never expected to encounter one today?
And he even saved the entire Zhou Family!
Old Kite was also afraid.
In a short time, half of the men he brought were lost.
And the toxin seemed to still be spreading.
Crucially, he couldn’t figure out how they were poisoned, which made Old Kite uneasy.
“Retreat, retreat quickly!”
Old Kite fled backward like mad.
Seeing Old Kite about to escape, Miss Zhou’s expression changed slightly. She hurriedly ran a few steps to the horse carriage where the old beggar was.
“Senior, please take action to eliminate Old Kite!”
Old Kite was a second-rate expert; if he escaped, the Zhou Family would never have peace!
After all, the old beggar wouldn’t stay with the Zhou Family forever.
“Easy…”
The old beggar nodded in the horse carriage.
Suddenly, he seemed to notice something and abruptly looked up toward the front.
“Senior, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t speak, a tough one is coming…”
Hearing the old beggar’s serious tone, Miss Zhou couldn’t help but walk a few steps forward and look into the distance.
That was the direction Old Kite was fleeing in desperation.
“Wait, it seems someone is really coming…”
Miss Zhou saw a fast horse charging toward the crowd.
It happened to encounter Old Kite.
Old Kite was now like a startled bird, single-mindedly wanting to escape, as far from that old beggar as possible.
Seeing someone charging over, he showed a ferocious smile on his face and roared: “Who are you? Get lost! Blockers die!”
Old Kite drew his saber; if the other party didn’t stop, he wouldn’t mind chopping them down.
But the other side seemed not to hear Old Kite’s shout.
Even the fast horse didn’t slow down.
Closer.
The two were getting closer.
Old Kite could already see the other’s attire.
Black clothes and conical hat, with a long saber at the waist.
It looked like a Jianghu person.
But so what if it was a Jianghu person?
Old Kite had killed countless; a mere Jianghu person could be killed!
“Clang”.
Suddenly, the other side drew sword.
A brilliant blade light flashed in the void.
Old Kite had never seen such a magnificent blade light.
Like a glimpse of a swan, the blade light vanished, and Old Kite only felt a chill at his neck.
“Thud”.
A large head flew high into the air, then fell to the ground and rolled.
Old Kite’s headless corpse was even carried by the horse for a distance before falling to the ground.
