Chapter 1473

Hu Xiaotian said: "Shangguan Yun Chong's martial arts are nothing special." He had fought Shangguan Yun Chong; although Shangguan Yun Chong could be called an outstanding figure of the younger generation, he ultimately still fell short of a top master.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "You've seen him? Have you fought him?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Of course I have."

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Your martial arts may be strong, but you may not necessarily be able to defeat him."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, filled with disdain; Shangguan Yun Chong's inner strength, though strong, still could not match his own; in the short term he might not win, but after a hundred moves the advantage of his deep inner strength would gradually show.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Shangguan Yun Chong is obsessed with martial arts, his will is as firm as a rock, and his attainment in martial arts has already surpassed mine."

Hu Xiaotian thought Qiao Fangzheng's remark was somewhat exaggerated, perhaps he deliberately praised his disciple; Shangguan Yun Chong still could not compare to Qiao Fangzheng.

Qiao Fangzheng seemed to notice Hu Xiaotian's doubt, and said softly: "You may not know, but in this world he also has an identical twin brother."

Hu Xiaotian startled at the words: "What?"

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Shangguan Tianhuo actually has two sons: one is Shangguan Yun Chong, the other Shangguan Yun Feng. Because he once offended a powerful enemy, after the twins were born he claimed outwardly that he had only one son. Shangguan Yun Chong was entrusted to us for training from childhood, while Shangguan Yun Feng was given to his elder brother to raise. His elder brother is a monk residing at the Spirit Sound Temple in Da Yong's Gray Bear Valley; Shangguan Yun Feng grew up there as a novice monk and also learned martial arts."

Hu Xiaotian's heart stirred upon hearing this; when he and Huo Shengnan fled Da Yong earlier, they had once passed by Gray Bear Valley Spirit Sound Temple and there encountered the high monk Master Yuan Mu of Heaven Dragon Temple. He never expected Shangguan Tianhuo to have such a connection with Spirit Sound Temple.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Although Shangguan Yun Chong and Shangguan Yun Feng are twins, their temperaments are completely different. Shangguan Yun Chong is steady and introverted; he takes the supreme attainment of the martial way as his ultimate goal and regards other matters lightly. Shangguan Yun Feng, however, is obsessed with power. Originally Shangguan Tianhuo intended for Shangguan Yun Feng to live in obscurity, revealing his origins only after adulthood through his elder brother; whereas he entrusted Shangguan Yun Chong to us with the aim of cultivating him as a pillar of the Beggar Sect. We did not disappoint him—Shangguan Yun Chong became a genius unseen in the Beggar Sect for a century. Even the former sect leader regarded him as an ideal successor, yet Shangguan Yun Chong has no interest in power."

Hu Xiaotian said: "How could Shangguan Tianhuo let such a perfect opportunity slip? He devised a 'substitute peach for plum' scheme, having the brothers swap places: the power‑hungry, spotlight‑loving Shangguan Yun Feng took on Shangguan Yun Chong's identity, while Shangguan Yun Chong hid his name and continued his cultivation."

Qiao Fangzheng nodded and said: "Indeed, Shangguan Yun Chong explained this to me clearly and plainly, and I increasingly felt he was honest. Moreover, I admired that he, so young, could devote himself to martial study, so I naturally taught him everything I knew. But when he had completely mastered my martial arts…" He trailed off, letting out a long sigh.

Hu Xiaotian needed no asking to guess; it must have been Shangguan Yun Chong who struck against him.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "First, he wanted to help his father become chief of the Beggar Sect, clearing away this obstacle of mine; second, he wanted to extract from me the secrets of the remaining nine techniques of the thirty‑six‑route Dog‑Beating Staff, since he had returned to me the twenty‑seven‑route staff techniques years ago. I hid them here, because I used to come here almost every year, as this was the secret meeting place of myself and the three other transmission elders; besides us four, no one else in the world knew of this place. I had thought those three were dead and that no one else knew this secret, so I stored the remaining twenty‑seven staff techniques here. Over the past ten years I have come here many times, and aside from me, no one else has ever come—until now…"

Qiao Fangzheng sighed again; everything before him proved that all the treasures hidden here had been stolen. Shangguan Yun Chong was not unaware of this place; he had merely endured, knowing the secret and knowing treasures lay hidden, yet he bore it patiently until he had learned everything from Qiao Fangzheng, then he turned on him. Shangguan Yun Chong was only sixteen then—a sixteen‑year‑old boy possessing such unfathomable scheming, truly astonishing.

Hu Xiaotian understood: Qiao Fangzheng was clearly under Shangguan Yun Chong's control; all the treasures he had hidden in this cave had already been taken by Shangguan Yun Chong. Consider how formidable Shangguan Yun Chong is—he obtained this secret at sixteen and managed to keep it hidden for ten years. This level of patience seems at odds with the Shangguan Yun Chong I know, whom I have repeatedly provoked successfully in Piaoxiang City; perhaps I have met Shangguan Yun Feng instead, while the true Shangguan Yun Chong has yet to appear.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "They father and son have deceived the Beggar Sect of its martial arts and obtained the Green Bamboo Staff; now the Beggar Sect is entirely under the control of the Shangguan family." His voice carried an inexplicable sorrow, and a sense of helplessness welled up in him; he had once held a sliver of hope for the secrets stored here, but now even that hope has been utterly dashed.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Don't you still have the nine staff techniques?"

A bitter smile touched Qiao Fangzheng's lips: "I passed six of those nine staff techniques to him; with his aptitude… plus the twenty‑seven‑route staff techniques he stole, the Dog‑Beating Staff may now be complete."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Isn't it still missing three moves?"

Qiao Fangzheng nodded: "Three moves are missing, yet even among the last three sect leaders, even if they mastered all thirty‑six routes of the Dog‑Beating Staff, their deepest understanding reached at most twenty‑nine routes, never exceeding thirty; Shangguan Yun Chong has already grasped thirty‑three routes, enough to look down on all heroes."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself: "It should be the beggars, after all—who else besides Beggar Sect disciples would care about the Dog‑Beating Staff?" He glanced at the empty stone cavern; the carvings on the walls had been completely destroyed, leaving no trace of the original. Shangguan Yun Chong's deeds were indeed extreme. He advised Qiao Fangzheng: "Senior, let's go back; there's nothing left to linger for here."

Qiao Fangzheng sighed: "Indeed, there's really nothing to linger for." Arriving at the cave mouth, he felt around, found a spot, brushed away the rubble with his hand to expose the soil beneath, drew the dagger he carried, dug down about a chi, and pulled out an iron bowl caked with mud; his expression finally gained a hint of comfort.

Hu Xiaotian watched from the side, secretly wondering: what is this object that he treasures so? It seems Shangguan Yun Chong has not yet taken everything; however, as an internal matter of the Beggar Sect it is not proper for him to inquire further, and even if he did, Shangguan Yun Chong would not tell.

Returning to the ground, each rested; the night passed without words.

That night Qiao Fangzheng could not sleep, his heart torn by memories of the past. At dawn, as the sky grew light, he rose, heard the faint snoring of Xiao Ou nearby, and a tender smile touched his lips as he tucked the blanket for Xiao Ou, lifted the tent flap and stepped out; he heard the sound of sword practice from the southeast and followed it.

It was Princess Anping Long Xi Yue who rose early to practice swordplay; though gentle in nature, she was stubborn at heart. Since the mishap at the ruined temple, she has been determined to improve her martial ability, aiming to acquire enough skill to defend herself and not become a burden to Hu Xiaotian.

Although Qiao Fangzheng could not see, his ears could hear; hearing Long Xi Yue's sword draw, he smiled: "You seem afraid of that sword."

Long Xi Yue then realized someone stood behind her; she hastily halted her sword, saw that it was Qiao Fangzheng standing behind her, knew her secret sword practice had been discovered, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she whispered: "Please forgive my clumsiness, senior."

Qiao Fangzheng said: "To master a weapon, you must first not fear it; only then can you achieve unity of person and weapon. Although you grip this sword, you fear it, so your heart naturally rejects it—how could you wield it well?"

Long Xi Yue, originally exceptionally bright, instantly grasped Qiao Fangzheng's reasoning; she whispered: "No offense, senior, but I always feel this sword is a killer; the mere thought that it could take a life makes me unable to suppress my fear—I am truly useless."

Qiao Fangzheng laughed: "Not only you—many people are kind‑hearted and cannot bring themselves to take up a killer; indeed, the Beggar Sect was founded merely to earn a meal, not to kill, and even when faced with a vicious dog blocking the road we would not strike to kill, hence the Dog‑Beating Staff; using swords or spears to drive off such dogs would actually be better."

Long Xi Yue said: "Every living being in this world has its own reason to live; no one has the right to take another's life."

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Princess, your heart is benevolent and you cherish all beings, yet your kindness toward others may not be returned in kind. Your Highness, if you dislike the sword, you might substitute another weapon." He broke off a piece of green bamboo from beside him and handed it to Long Xi Yue.

Long Xi Yue took it; indeed, her aversion to the sword vanished. She grasped the bamboo and ran through the Spirit Snake Nine Sword forms once, yet still felt many things were off, and she was about to ask Qiao Fangzheng for guidance.

Qiao Fangzheng had already realized: "Wrong, it's my mistake. You have no fear of the staff, yet you are using sword techniques—this is like wielding a great hammer to practice swordplay, utterly unsuitable." He furrowed his brows, seemed to be thinking, then after a moment said: "Your Highness, if you have no objection, let me teach you three self‑defense moves." (To be continued~^~)