Chapter 1498

Chapter Liu 164 【Deceitful Father and Son】 (Upper)

Many of the Beggar Gang disciples had been driven out from Tianxiang Country; they had previously made a living there comfortably and at ease, and the Beggar Gang's decision to locate its main altar in Tianxiang Country was not without reason, for the Tianxiang Country's court and populace have always been quite tolerant of beggars, never discriminating against them as other countries do; yet this time, because of the prince‑consort selection affair, not only did the Young Gang Leader Guan Yun Chong incur the charge of abducting and plundering the king, but the whole Beggar Gang in Tianxiang Country was implicated and reduced to street rats that everyone shouted at and beat.

When the gang's interests and their own personal interests were all placed in jeopardy, the Beggar Gang disciples instantly flared up with a shared hatred for the enemy, shouting to eradicate Hu Xiaotian and revive the gang's prestige, while interspersed with many vicious curses; these beggars' skill at swearing was no less than that of market‑women, they exhausted the most vicious language, cursing Hu Xiaotian's ancestors eighteen generations over; Hu Xiaotian heard every word clearly, yet remained calm and composed, whereas Long Xi Yue found it hard to bear, secretly feeling sorry for Hu Xiaotian in her heart; taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, she quietly took hold of Hu Xiaotian's hand, and Hu Xiaotian gave her a faint smile—if a person lacks this breadth of mind to endure humiliation and bear burdens, what great deed could they possibly accomplish?

Long Xi Yue would rather suffer injustice herself than let Hu Xiaotian endure even the slightest injustice; she valued his honor more than her own life, and while holding Hu Xiaotian's hand she trembled with icy anger, Hu Xiaotian felt moved and, using voice transmission, told her: "Just treat them as if they were all farting!"

Long Xi Yue nodded.

On the stage, Zhao Shenxiong again said: "Next, we invite the Young Gang Leader to come up and say a few words for everyone."

The chaotic scene fell silent in an instant; Guan Yun Feng slowly walked onto the Wind‑and‑Wave Platform, his right arm having been cut off by Ji Feihua's light sword, yet he did not have the luck of Zhan Peng, and there was no physician nearby to help reattach that arm—now his right arm is missing at the elbow. A temporary wooden prosthetic was fitted. Guan Yun Feng came to Zhao Shenxiong's side, surveyed the senior Beggar Gang members below, and spoke with a sorrowful voice: "Elders of the gang, brothers, I, Guan Yun Chong, have come today to personally expose a great conspiracy within the gang, the reason why the Beggar Gang has fallen into such dire straits in a short time is not merely external threats but also internal worries; there is a traitor among us."

Upon hearing that the Beggar Gang had a traitor, everyone began to whisper among themselves.

Guan Yun Feng said: "This time I went to Tianxiang Country to compete for the prince‑consort position not for personal gain but for the Beggar Gang's future development, as everyone knows. Tianxiang Country is where the Beggar Gang's main altar resides; to let the gang develop greatly, we must lay a solid foundation, and it is precisely out of this consideration that I have endured others' accusations of flattering the powerful and seeking wealth and honor by running for prince‑consort, yet I never imagined that someone would use this matter to bring disaster upon the Beggar Gang."

He paused here and said: "Since I arrived in Tianxiang Country, every move of mine has been under others' surveillance. Hu Xiaotian, using the pretext that his relatives were harmed by our Beggar Gang, opposes me everywhere. He even struck Elder Tong to provoke me; for the sake of the bigger picture I did not immediately settle scores with him, yet this scoundrel not only failed to restrain himself but went further, actually kidnapping the Tianxiang Country king and then framing me for it. It is true that we found the king in the Fu Gui Hall, but all of this happened without our knowledge—there is a spy within our ranks!"

The crowd's passions flared, and they shouted loudly: "Who is this traitor who eats inside and steals outside? Find him!"

Guan Yun Feng raised his left hand to signal everyone to quiet down, then said: "Bring him up!"

Under everyone's gaze, two ragged beggars were brought forward; Hu Xiaotian saw clearly that the younger one was Xie Tianqiong, while the older one was Zhu Ba. He never expected that both of them would become prisoners. Hu Xiaotian remembered that Xie Tianqiong was a disciple of Tong Tie Jin and was not a member of the Beggar Gang, whereas Zhu Ba was the hall master of the Kangdu branch of the Beggar Gang, already a seven‑bag disciple, holding considerable status in the gang. When I first arrived at Dongliang Jun, it was Zhu Ba who led two thousand beggars to render aid, sending charcoal in the snow, and that earned him great merit in helping me gain a foothold on the Yong River.

In Piaoxiang City, Hu Xiaotian and Zhu Ba had met several times, but their positions were different then, their conversations were not pleasant, and Hu Xiaotian even thought that Zhu Ba had already become a close aide of Shangguan Tianhuo. Now, seeing Zhu Ba reduced to this state, Hu Xiaotian understood that Zhu Ba was clearly not on the same side as Shangguan Tianhuo and his son.

Guan Yun Feng pointed at Xie Tianqiong and said: "This person is Xie Tianqiong, the personally transmitted disciple of Elder Tong; it was he who betrayed his master, colluded with Hu Xiaotian, and maltreated his teacher, thus reducing Elder Tong to this state just now."

"Kill him! Kill him!" the crowd's passions flared, and someone already produced a leftover bone to hurl at Xie Tianqiong; the Beggar Gang disciples' skill at throwing trash is truly unmatched.

Guan Yun Feng also had to step back to avoid implicating the innocent, and Zhao Shenxiong hurriedly spoke up to stop them, urging everyone to remain calm and hear the Young Gang Leader finish.

Guan Yun Feng then approached Zhu Ba and said: "You should all recognize this Zhu Ba! He was originally the hall master of our Beggar Gang's Kangdu branch, and as a seven‑bag disciple and branch hall master he ought to have devoted himself to the gang until death, yet he instead played both sides, saying one thing while doing another; surely everyone knows that our Beggar Gang's chief transmission elder, Xu Sansheng Elder Xu, had his journey to Xuanyin Mountain leaked by this very person to Master Kongkong, which ultimately led to his death."

Zhu Ba and Xie Tianqiong are, after all, different; Zhu Ba is a branch hall master and a seven‑bag disciple, his everyday relations are good, and many in the Beggar Gang are on friendly terms with him, so Guan Yun Feng's accusation did not have an immediate effect, and many Beggar Gang disciples continued to whisper among themselves.

Someone in the crowd said: "Zhu Ba's martial arts were personally transmitted by Elder Xu; why would he betray his master?"

"In the past Zhu Ba also rendered considerable meritorious service to our Beggar Gang; is there any evidence for this?"

Guan Yun Feng said: "Of course there is evidence! Zhu Ba and Hu Xiaotian have been secretly colluding for years; when Hu Xiaotian went to Dongliang Jun and fought with the NanYang Water Stronghold of Da Yong, it was Zhu Ba who led two thousand of our gang's disciples to render aid—a fact that many should know."

Such a major event is, of course, known to everyone; in the hearts of many Beggar Gang members, the gang owes a debt of gratitude to Hu Xiaotian, and precisely because of that, his present conduct is all the more unforgivable.

Guan Yun Feng said: "The person who cooperated with Hu Xiaotian in designing the plot in Piaoxiang City, who abducted the Tianxiang Country king and hid him in the Fu Gui Tang cellar, is precisely Zhu Ba!"

Having heard this, the crowd was already seventy‑to‑eighty percent convinced, after all the Fu Gui Mountain Villa is an asset of the Beggar Gang, its defenses are tight, and unless it's an insider it would be hard to conceal the Tianxiang Country king in the cellar without anyone noticing.

Just as the crowd was gradually becoming convinced, a hoarse voice rang out from the throng: "Everything demands evidence; why not hear what he himself has to say? Give him a chance to defend himself!"

Guan Yun Feng followed the sound with his gaze, but the beggars at the scene were simply too many, and being night the light was dim, so he could not see exactly who was speaking; nevertheless, those words had an effect, and many echoed: "Exactly, let him speak for himself!"

Guan Yun Feng's lips curled into a cold smile; he went to Zhu Ba's side, unlocked his mute point, and shouted loudly: "Zhu Ba, now tell everyone plainly—did you hide the Tianxiang Country king in the Fu Gui Hall's cellar?"

Zhu Ba bit his lip, his face showing a painful and tormented expression.

Guan Yun Feng's voice suddenly turned stern: "Is it or isn't it?"

The scene fell deathly silent, everyone waiting for Zhu Ba's answer.

Zhu Ba lowered his head and said: "Yes!"

His answer was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, shocking everyone present, including Hu Xiaotian; Hu Xiaotian knew this matter better than anyone, for it was he himself who personally plotted the kidnapping of the Tianxiang Country king Yang Longjing, had Liang Yinghao dig a tunnel, and cooperated with Ji Feihua to hide Yang Longjing in the Fu Gui Hall's cellar—this affair had nothing whatsoever to do with Zhu Ba; yet why did Zhu Ba confess? To him, admitting this would be a grave crime of harming the Beggar Gang, betraying master and destroying ancestors, a capital offense impossible to escape; why then would he take the blame upon himself? Surely there must be some hidden circumstance.

Guan Yun Feng angrily demanded: "Just what benefits did Hu Xiaotian give you that made you agree to help him like this?"—the very question all Beggar Gang members wanted to know.

The scene remained deathly silent, everyone awaiting Zhu Ba's reply.

Zhu Ba's eyes were bloodshot, his expression filled with sorrow and despair; his heart was shrouded in immense humiliation, and if his kin were not being controlled, how could he have submitted to the lewd might of Guan Yun Chong? He nodded and said: "It is I who lusted after wealth, I who craved vain glory, I who sacrificed the Beggar Gang's interests, I who could not resist the temptation of money and power that Hu Xiaotian offered me; everything is my doing—kill me if you wish, I deserve death, I deserve death!" He struggled to rise, but Guan Yun Feng kicked him in the knee, sending him thudding to the ground as he knelt again.

The crowd's anger flared up again: "Kill this traitor!" "Right! Kill him!"

Guan Yun Feng said: "Brothers, you are oversimplifying the matter; Zhu Ba has exhausted his heavenly nature and brought disaster upon the Beggar Gang, yet he is not the mastermind—there is someone else behind him!"

Everyone had already been stunned by what they had seen and heard; no one expected that Zhu Ba, who had always been wholeheartedly loyal to the Beggar Gang and had rendered countless meritorious services, would turn out to be a traitor who eats inside and steals outside; now hearing that there is a mastermind behind him, every one of them burned with righteous indignation, all eagerly awaiting Guan Yun Feng's announcement of the truth.

Guan Yun Feng said: "This matter must begin with the death of the former gang chief; the late chief and the Kongkong Daoist of Xuanyin Mountain had always been on good terms, yet the Kongkong Daoist attacked him, poisoned the chief, and seized our Beggar Gang's treasure, the Green Bamboo Staff; although the Kongkong Daoist's martial arts are formidable, he is certainly no match for the chief, and if he had not employed vile and shameless means—administering poison first—he could not have succeeded. After the chief's death, no one else knew of it, which is why our Beggar Gang had to mobilize all its strength to search for the truth."

Zhangyu had just returned home when he saw that the Monthly Ticket count had already reached five hundred, with over two hundred extra; Zhangyu's eyes welled up with tears, and although today's Four more installments were finished, he still felt it wasn't quite enough—do you all think Four more is sufficient? If not, keep casting your Monthly Tickets so Zhangyu can feel ashamed; I'm going to get typing now, and whatever I say at midnight I must add another chapter, otherwise I'll feel guilty, otherwise I won't be able to sleep soundly tonight! (To be continued~^~)