Chapter 1577: [Urgency] (Part 2)

Hu Xiaotian never expected Xue Lingjun's actions to be so swift; Xue Shengjing's advice was indeed good, and Xue Lingjun could influence the Empress Dowager—if she hadn't stepped in, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have conveniently fallen ill. Hu Xiaotian's mood, however, didn't relax in the slightest; on the contrary, he felt increasingly urgent, as Xue Lingjun was using this method to tell him that the power of life and death over Liu Changsheng and his son had already fallen into her hands.

This was Da Yong's first snow of the winter; in just a morning, the drifting snow had already whitened the land. Beggar Sect's Law Enforcement Elder Xue Zhenhai and An Di, who had been promoted to Five-bag Disciple for his merit in the Battle of Xingzhou, together with sixteen Beggar Sect experts braved the wind and snow to enter Yongdu. They had come this time to eradicate the Beggar Sect rebels and reclaim the authority of the Beggar Sect's Jiangbei Branch.

To avoid drawing attention, everyone removed their tattered patched clothes and donned ordinary attire, disguising themselves as a tea‑caravan merchant group. Upon reaching Yongdu, their first order of business was to visit Hu Xiaotian, so they settled at the Yongfu Inn.

When Xue Zhenhai and An Di saw Hu Xiaotian, he was about to go out; seeing them arrive, he was very pleased, for he was currently suffering from a severe shortage of manpower. The arrival of the Beggar Sect experts would not only give him added strength, but they could also contact the Yongdu disciples loyal to the Beggar Sect—a force not to be underestimated.

During this period, Hu Xiaotian appeared to be holding back, but in fact he was assessing the situation in Yongdu. Although Grand Princess Xue Lingjun had rescued Liu Changsheng and his son from prison, she did not press Hu Xiaotian to act immediately against Jian Rongxin, nor did she even mention the matter. Since she said nothing, Hu Xiaotian had no reason to seek her out proactively, yet some things cannot be avoided; if he wanted to preserve Liu Changsheng and his son's lives, he had to meet Xue Lingjun's conditions.

After Xue Zhenhai and Hu Xiaotian exchanged greetings, he said angrily, 'Young master, we have already clarified the situation: Shangguan Tianhuo has indeed defected to Li Chen Zhou. Without Li Chen Zhou's support, he could not have split the Jiangbei Branch. During this time, Shangguan Tianhuo and his sons have gone on a killing spree, eliminating dissent and already harming many of our brothers. This time we have come, we must eliminate this villain and cannot let him roam free.'

Hu Xiaotian could understand Xue Zhenhai's anger, after all, Shangguan Tianhuo had done great harm to the Beggar Sect since its founding, and they had never experienced such a split before. Yet eliminating Shangguan Tianhuo was no easy task, for this was Da Yong, and Shangguan Tianhuo and his sons already basically controlled the situation here. Hu Xiaotian said in a low voice, 'Li Chen Zhou is the key; even if we get rid of Shangguan Tianhuo, he still has two sons. Even if we capture the Shangguan Tianhuo father‑son duo, Li Chen Zhou can still produce others to sow chaos in the Beggar Sect.'

An Di's eyes lit up; he deeply agreed with Hu Xiaotian's words. In fact, he had also thought of this, but because his status in the sect was too low, it was inconvenient to voice his opinion before the sect elders.

Xue Zhenhai had come this time merely intending to deal with the Shangguan Tianhuo father‑son duo. Although Hu Xiaotian's words made some sense, in Xue Zhenhai's view Hu Xiaotian was still trying to use them, attempting to steer the sect's internal affairs toward political strife. Although Long Xi Yue had smoothly become Beggar Sect leader and gained the approval of most of the sect's elders, not all those elders believed she was qualified to be their leader. Many realized that the Beggar Sect now faced an unprecedented crisis and could only overcome it with external aid. Choosing Long Xi Yue was actually choosing the Hu Xiaotian behind her; otherwise, the Beggar Sect could not have quickly emerged from the predicament of the Tianxiang Kingdom, nor could it have smoothly made Redwood River its new base for development.

But this does not mean that every member of the Beggar Sect is willing to be used by Hu Xiaotian. Many of the sect's elders do not want to involve themselves too deeply in political struggles. Since the Beggar Sect's influence spreads across the world, if they clearly side with one party, they will offend the other. Jianghu affairs belong to Jianghu; they would rather resolve problems their own way. Hence Hu Xiaotian's words made Xue Zhenhai feel like he was being used.

Xue Zhenhai said, 'Li Chen Zhou is a favorite before the Da Yong emperor, wielding great power over court and countryside, and his martial arts are unfathomable; even the masters of the Sword Palace and Falling Cherry Palace willingly serve him, showing his extraordinary skill. To be his enemy is unwise. Young master, you came only to save people—why invite more trouble?'

Hu Xiaotian gave a faint smile, a hint of displeasure showing on his face, and said softly, 'Elder Xue, you must be tired after your long journey. Why not rest early? We can discuss any matters tomorrow.'

Upon hearing Hu Xiaotian's dismissal, Xue Zhenhai's expression instantly turned awkward; he forced a smile and said, 'Young master, as you say, I am indeed feeling tired—I'll take my leave first.'

Hu Xiaotian rose to see them off, but did not accompany them to the door. An Di and Xue Zhenhai left together; outside, the snow fell harder and deeper, and in just a moment it had already risen past the ankles—a snowfall rarely seen in Dakang.

Not long after, An Di returned. Seeing him come back, Hu Xiaotian was not particularly surprised and smiled, saying, 'Brother An, do you have any further advice?'

An Di bowed deeply and said, 'Young master, you overpraise me; I dare not call it instruction. I merely benefited greatly from your earlier words and wanted to speak with you privately.'

Hu Xiaotian invited him to sit down again.

An Di said, 'Young master, please do not blame the elders; the Beggar Sect has its rules, which have always discouraged involvement in politics. Since Beggar Sect disciples are spread all over the world, to earn a living they cannot afford to offend any faction.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'In times of peace, that approach naturally lets one preserve oneself wisely, but in an age of chaos, wanting to please both sides and offend neither—what possibility is there?'

An Di replied, 'You are right; in fact I know more about the Beggar Sect's Jiangbei Branch. Young master, if you have any orders or needs, just speak up—I will devote my utmost effort.'

Hu Xiaotian looked at An Di, nodded appreciatively—indeed An Di was no ordinary man, no wonder Qiao Fangzheng had specifically recommended him to me. Although the Beggar Sect has many experts, few understand how to assess the situation; An Di's words amounted to him proactively extending goodwill toward me, and I saw no need for courtesy, so I asked in a low voice, 'How many trustworthy people do you have in Yongdu?'

An Di answered, 'I can trust over ten people; I dare not say more, but gathering information should pose no difficulty for them.'

I'll first send two thousand characters; I need to go out tonight, and will continue writing after I get home. I estimate another update will be no problem. (To be continued~^~)