Chapter 1602: [Poisonous Hand] (Part I)

Weichi Chong slowly nodded. He had experienced countless battles and had been through any dangerous scene. Although these three beggars appeared very strangely, as long as the enemy had not shown true hostility, our side did not need to rush into attack. For now, they held a great advantage in both numbers and strength. Weichi Chong gave Yang Mingwei a look. Yang Mingwei immediately understood and said loudly, "We are just passing through here to avoid the snowstorm; feel free to warm yourselves by the fire." His voice rang out, making many soldiers' eardrums buzz, obviously emitted after gathering internal energy. The purpose was to display strength and deter the enemy from acting rashly.

The three beggars strode up to the burning front hall. Approaching the roaring fire, they naturally felt much warmer. One of them sniffed and said, "Huh? There's still a smell of roasted meat inside!" Actually, smelling roasted meat was quite normal; the front hall held many dead horses and five soldiers' corpses.

Another beggar said, "This smell seems somewhat special."

The leading old beggar spread the burlap sack he was carrying over the bare stone platform, sat cross-legged on it, then took a large gourd of wine from behind, unscrewed the stopper, took a few gulps, and said, "You two always love to talk too much. Don't you see these are government troops? The officer kindly let us warm ourselves by the fire; stop spouting nonsense, lest you provoke them."

Seeing the number of burlap sacks on the old beggar's body, Weichi Chong knew his rank in the Beggar Sect must be extremely high—a nine‑sack elder. He stepped forward slowly, smiling, and asked, "May I ask, sir, are you members of the Beggar Sect?"

The old beggar raised his head, cracked a smile revealing a mouth full of yellowed teeth, and nodded, saying, "Sir officer, we are indeed members of the Beggar Sect." In fact, this old beggar was the Beggar Sect's enforcement elder, Xue Zhenhai. He and An Zhai had come together to lead the beggars to Da Yong, intending to purge the sect's rebels, the Shangguan Tianhuo father and son. However, his views differed from An Zhai's; Xue Zhenhai preferred that Beggar Sect affairs be handled by the sect itself. He did not want to rely too heavily on Hu Xiaotian's power, for his true aim was to prevent the Beggar Sect from becoming a tool in Hu Xiaotian's bid for world domination, thus avoiding Hu Xiaotian's excessive interference in sect matters. An Zhai, on the other hand, believed that under the current circumstances they must ally closely with Hu Xiaotian. Their differing opinions caused a rift among them. Soon after arriving in Da Yong, Xue Zhenhai decided to act alone. He came to the vicinity of Iron Liang Mountain after receiving news that Shangguan Tianhuo might appear there.

After Xue Zhenhai and his men arrived, they found nothing—the information was wrong. While preparing to return to Yongdu, they unexpectedly ran into a heavy snowstorm. As they trudged through the snow, they happened to see the firelight here and were drawn over.

Weichi Chong suddenly warned, "Be careful!" Only to see a black scorpion, claws brandished, escape from the flames.

Xue Zhenhai narrowed his eyes, shot out his right hand, and in a flash seized the black scorpion, twisting off its tail. He tossed it straight into his mouth, crunching it twice. Washing it down with strong liquor, he kept praising, "Delicious! Truly delicious!"

The other two beggars also perked up, circling the front hall to look for any scorpions that had escaped the blaze, which they caught and used as snacks with their drink.

The soldiers on Weichi Chong's side watched the three beggars devouring live scorpions, each staring in shock. Yet this also saved them a lot of trouble. Seeing Xue Zhenhai's aloof attitude toward him, Weichi Chong found it dull, turned back to Yang Mingwei's side, and Yang Mingwei whispered, "Grand Marshal, go rest first; I'll keep watch out here."

Hearing those words clearly, Xue Zhenhai chuckled, "Generals, there's no need to worry. What trouble could three beggars like us stir up? If it weren't for this rain and snow blocking our way, we would have fled at the sight of you officials."

Weichi Chong smiled slightly and had Yang Mingwei bring some food to send over to the beggars.

Seeing Yang Mingwei bring food, the three beggars merely glanced at it without reaching out. Xue Zhenhai said, "We appreciate the general's kindness, but these scorpions already give us more than enough to eat; we need no other food."

Yang Mingwei knew the three beggars were suspicious and snorted, "Worried we might tamper with the food? Don't worry, our Grand Marshal is a renowned hero; he would never resort to such petty tricks."

Xue Zhenhai asked, "May I ask, is that old general just now the Grand Marshal Weichi?"

Yang Mingwei grew wary at his words and replied coldly, "How do you know?"

Xue Zhenhai laughed heartily, "Across Da Yong, who could earn the title of Grand Marshal? Moreover, judging from the wineskins in your hands, they seem to be Black Hu goods; if I'm not mistaken, they must be spoils taken from the Black Hu."

Yang Mingwei nodded, thinking to himself, "This beggar is truly extraordinary; his eyesight is exceptionally sharp."

Xue Zhenhai said, "If the general would be willing to give us a wineskin of liquor? Our supplies are running low."

Yang Mingwei said nothing more, waved his hand, and signaled his men to bring over a full wineskin of strong liquor. After Xue Zhenhai thanked him, the three beggars continued to circle the burning front hall, looking for any scorpions that had slipped through the net to use as drink accompaniments, and they were quite enjoying themselves.

Weichi Chong had already gone to rest. Yang Mingwei told Liang Wensheng, "Aside from keeping the necessary watch, let the others rest first."

Liang Wensheng leapt lightly from the roof of the main hall and landed like a falling leaf. Xue Zhenhai glanced at him and inwardly marveled: though young, this man's martial arts were quite formidable. He had thought that commanders like Weichi Chong, who excelled in battlefield warfare, would have subordinates skilled in mass combat but lacking in one‑on‑one duels compared to jianghu fighters. Yet from Liang Wensheng's displayed lightness skill, his ability was fully sufficient to rank among first‑rate masters. Moreover, the earlier speaker, Yang Mingwei, was clearly a person of deep internal strength, showing that Weichi Chong's subordinates truly are many experts.

While Xue Zhenhai observed Liang Wensheng, Liang Wensheng was also looking at him. Xue Zhenhai broke into a grin, lifted his wineskin, and said, "Officer, the night is long; would you like to come over and warm ourselves by the fire, share a drink?"

Liang Wensheng smiled faintly, "I appreciate your kindness, sir, but duty binds me; I dare not act on my own. How about I invite you for a drink tomorrow?"

Xue Zhenhai nodded, "That sounds fine; I'll take it to heart."

At that moment, the two other beggars beside him suddenly clutched their stomachs, faces twisted in pain, and one cried out, "Oh no… there's poison in this wine……"

Xue Zhenhai's heart jolted. He flung the wineskin to the ground, then looked at his two attendants, already doubled over and lying in the snow, clutching their bellies. He shouted, "You wretch! How dare you use such despicable means against us?" Concluding the wine was poisoned, and despite being outnumbered, he raised his Dog Beating Staff, thrusting it like a meteor toward Liang Wensheng's throat, bellowing, "Give me the antidote!" The staff split the air with a sharp whistle; the surrounding snowflakes were forced aside by his powerful internal energy, scattering as if blown by a strong wind.

Liang Wensheng had not expected Xue Zhenhai to move as soon as he spoke; he reached out to grab the tip of the Dog Beating Staff and shouted loudly, "Senior, stay calm!"

Xue Zhenhai's decisive strike was because his side had only three men while the enemy force numbered nearly a hundred, and two of his subordinates had already been poisoned. Outnumbered, he needed to win by surprise. He saw that Liang Wensheng was also an important figure on the opposing side; if he could control him and use him as leverage, perhaps he could exchange him for an antidote.

Seeing Liang Wensheng dare to try to snatch his Dog Beating Staff bare‑handed, Xue Zhenhai snorted, shook the staff, and it blossomed into hundreds of staff shadows that enveloped Liang Wensheng's body. Liang Wensheng reacted swiftly; his body shifted in a flash—so fast Xue Zhenhai couldn't see how he moved—and his image had already vanished more than a zhang away, performing Phantom Shift.

Xue Zhenhai stared at Liang Wensheng, astonishment filling him, and couldn't help but marvel inwardly: Phantom Shift is the unique art of the Traceless Sect, an extremely mysterious school famed for assassins. Given Xue Zhenhai's rich jianghu experience, he instantly recognized Liang Wensheng's school. Although the Traceless Sect and the Beggar Sect are incomparable, no one wishes to provoke a sect devoted to training assassin‑killers. The Traceless Sect has one distinguishing trait: they never use poison.

Liang Wensheng's hand rested on his sword hilt; facing a master of Xue Zhenhai's caliber, he did not dare to be careless, was about to draw his sword when Yang Mingwei gave an order, and more than ten elite soldiers from the army surged forward to surround Xue Zhenhai.

Xue Zhenhai sneered, "You think you can win by sheer numbers?" He raised his Dog Beating Staff; though his face showed no fear, his heart drummed with anxiety. Being outnumbered was only one reason—two of his men had already been poisoned, and he himself had drunk their liquor. Even if his internal energy surpassed theirs, once the toxin took effect he might not be able to suppress it. Feeling his pulse quicken, he resolved: since these Yong troops dare to resort to such vile tactics, today I will kill as many as I can.

Just as the battle was about to erupt, a stern shout rang out from the main hall: "Everyone, halt!" It was Weichi Chong, who had heard the commotion and stepped out from inside.

Weichi Chong strode into the courtyard with tiger‑step, dragon‑mien; the front hall's great fire still blazed, lighting the scene as bright as day. Xue Zhenhai gripped his Dog Beating Staff, glared at the more than ten Yong officers surrounding him, and chuckled coldly, "What so‑called hero who stands heaven and earth? Nothing but a petty villain who uses any means."

Yang Mingwei snapped, "You wretch, shut up!"

Weichi Chong frowned, seeing the two beggars collapsed in the snow, and instantly understood what had happened. He cupped his fists toward Xue Zhenhai and said, "Sir, I suspect you misunderstand us. Our army has a field medic; let me summon him to have a look."

First Update uploaded. After diagnosis, the shoulder was a muscle strain; Zhangyu thought it was just a stiff neck, the doctor told me to rest more, recent updates have been irregular, please bear with me; as long as my condition allows, Zhangyu will surely catch up, brothers, please show some understanding! (To be continued~^~)