Chapter 1643: then title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== with JSON list of named entities appearing in these lines

Jian Rongxin blushed and said, "How could there be such a coincidence in this world?" Her voice was like a mosquito's buzz; if it weren't for Hu Xiaotian's extraordinary hearing, he would hardly hear what she was saying.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Are you doubting my ability?"

Jian Rongxin was so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to hide in. She was born into a scholarly family; after marriage she wed Li Shen Zhou, who, although a hypocrite, was also polite on the surface. Never had she encountered someone as listless as Hu Xiaotian, who could say anything. Yet hearing him, Jian Rongxin not only felt no disgust but her heart raced uncontrollably; even she herself did not realize the changes she had undergone these past two days. Hu Xiaotian was the man who truly made her a woman; it was he who turned her into a real woman.

Jian Rongxin whispered, "Even if it really happened… it's my own business." Her tone weak and powerless, she almost lost the ability to resist in the face of Hu Xiaotian's shameless advance.

Hu Xiaotian said, "That won't do. If it really happened, half would be yours, half mine. You cannot deprive me of my right to be a father, nor do you have the right to decide that a child never sees his father."

Jian Rongxin summoned her courage, lifted her head, and glared fiercely at him; Hu Xiaotian still wore a carefree smile.

Jian Rongxin said, "You're shameless!"

Hu Xiaotian actually nodded and said, "Always has been."

"I hate you!" Jian Rongxin gritted her teeth, straining to make herself look fiercer.

Hu Xiaotian suddenly pulled her into his embrace, lowered his head, and kissed her lips deeply; Jian Rongxin struggled, saying, "I'd rather die… mm…"

"For the sake of our unborn child, you should still stay strong and live on."

Li Shen Zhou glanced around the study, his face turning green. He could be certain that the person who sneaked into the study must have his wife, Jian Rongxin, and the one who rescued her was undoubtedly Hu Xiaotian. Thinking of this, his inner feelings were as agonizing as being bitten by a poisonous snake. Although he had never truly cherished Jian Rongxin, merely treating her as a beautiful ornament and a tool to use, the mere thought of her being with Hu Xiaotian still ignited jealousy in his heart.

A soldier searching nearby came to his side and reported, "Sir Commander, only the brush is missing; nothing else is lacking."

Li Shen Zhou slowly nodded, his brows knitting tightly. He really couldn't fathom it—Jian Rongxin had sneaked into the scholar's mansion at night, apparently just to take her father's brush? It shouldn't be that simple. At this moment Li Shen Zhou realized he knew little about the Jian father and daughter; he had always regarded Jian Xihe as a die‑hard loyalist of the empress dowager and Jian Rongxin as a meek little lamb who submitted to everything. Now it seemed, just as they did not understand themselves, he too did not understand their world.

"Grand Commander, we have already sent people to investigate; we believe news will come soon."

Li Shen Zhou pressed his lips, quickly made a decision in his heart: "Forget it; since nothing important was lost, there's no need to mobilize a large force. Yongdu has only known peace for a few days; I don't want opportunists to stir up trouble over this."

"Yes!"

Xue Zhenhai's death shocked the Beggar Gang up and down; its law enforcement elder Mu Sheng and Meng Guangxiong, chief of the Xiezhou branch, along with their retinue, gradually arrived in Yongdu. In fact, they did not come this time to mourn; the two of them had already led a group of the gang's elite out a month earlier, having been invited by Xue Zhenhai to go north and jointly eradicate rebel members of the gang, but they did not expect that the reinforcements would not arrive and Xue Zhenhai would already be dead.

The Beggar Gang's northern branch split under the instigation of the Shangguan Tianhuo father and son; this was the first time such a split had occurred since the gang's founding, and to the gang it was already intolerable, let alone now that a major figure has been killed.

Dawn was breaking; inside the Yiyi Villa west of Yongdu, voices already buzzed with activity. Since last night, over two hundred Beggar Gang disciples had gradually gathered here: one purpose was to mourn the deceased Xue Zhenhai and three other gang elders; the other was to meet together to discuss grand plans, to consult on avenging the elders and how to recover the northern branch.

A group of Beggar Gang disciples were arguing when Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming arrived; hearing that Hu Xiaotian had come in person, Law Enforcement Elder Mu Sheng led the crowd out of the hall to greet them.

Seeing Mu Sheng arrive in person, Hu Xiaotian bowed from afar and said, "Elder Mu, I hope you have been well."

Mu Sheng wore a sorrowful face and said, "Thanks to your patronage, old beggar, my health is still fairly sound." After meeting, he then introduced the people behind him to Hu Xiaotian; Hu Xiaotian had hardly seen most of the gang's core strength before, but Meng Guangxiong—he had worked with him in Xichuan and was quite familiar with him, also knowing that Meng Guangxiong possessed outstanding wisdom, making him a rare strategist.

After exchanging greetings with everyone, he first went to the spirit hall to offer incense before the tablets of the three elders; after last night's incident, he followed Mu Sheng to a side pavilion for tea, the person accompanying Mu Sheng being precisely Meng Guangxiong, which shows Meng Guangxiong's standing in the gang.

Mu Sheng said, "Sir Hu, I heard that when the Elders Xue were killed, you were present at the scene?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "That's correct; unfortunately I was a step late and could not prevent the tragedy."

Mu Sheng sighed and said, "Everyone has their fate; some things cannot be changed by human power—blame only Shangguan Yun Chong's wolfish ambition and cruel methods."

Hu Xiaotian said, "At the time I heard the news that someone would be unfavorable to Weichi Chong on the way, so I rushed over to help him; I did not expect that the Xue elders would also be there."

Mu Sheng furrowed his brow and said, "Previously the Beggar Gang had no dealings with Weichi Chong; why did the Xue elders appear at the assassination scene?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I think Shangguan Yun Chong deliberately set a scheme, luring the Xue elders to the assassination site to kill them, intending to create the illusion of a mutual slaughter where both sides perish, but my appearance thwarted that."

Mu Sheng puzzled and said, "What good would that do him? If Da Yong thus became an enemy of the Beggar Gang, it would bring him and the northern branch no benefit either."

Hu Xiaotian said, "It brings no benefit to the northern branch, but it does benefit him; after the incident I tracked Shangguan Yun Chong all the way and discovered he was meeting secretly with the Black Hu people."

"What?" Mu Sheng glared, eyes wide; the Beggar Gang does not intervene in the disputes of the Central Plains states, yet it bears a deep hatred for the Black Hu people, and one of its precepts forbids disciples from associating with them—Shangguan Yun Chong's conduct is tantamount to betraying master and ancestors.

Meng Guangxiong on the side said, "If that's the case, Shangguan Yun Chong doesn't care at all about the Beggar Gang? Could he be a spy for the Black Hu?"

Hu Xiaotian looked at Mu Sheng and said, "As for the relationship between the Shangguan father and son and the Black Hu, you should ask Elder Mu."

Mu Sheng gave a bitter smile and said, "How would I know? Shangguan Tianhuo has been in the gang for over thirty years, and I'm not clear about his origins either." He was not lying; Beggar Gang members come from all walks of life, most with unclear backgrounds—anyone who has a home and a livelihood would not idly join the gang.

Meng Guangxiong said, "The Shangguan father and son collude with the Black Hu, harming the gang's brothers and damaging the Beggar Gang's reputation; such traitors who betray master and ancestors will surely be punished by everyone."

Mu Sheng said, "Sir Hu, do you know their whereabouts?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head; since that day when he fought Gangba Duo, he had already lost track of Shangguan Yun Chong's whereabouts—first, because Shangguan Yun Chong is crafty and his movements are secretive; second, his own focus is not on finding Shangguan Yun Chong.

Mu Sheng's face showed disappointment.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Elder Mu, I can understand your urgent desire for revenge, but we still need to calm down and plan for the long term; the immediate priority is not to eradicate the Shangguan Tianhuo father and son, but to recover the Beggar Gang's northern branch."

Meng Guangxiong nodded and said, "Elder, Sir Hu is absolutely right; the northern branch still does not know that the Shangguan father and son are colluding with the Black Hu; if the truth came out, I believe the gang's disciples would certainly refuse to follow their example."

Hu Xiaotian secretly admired him; even during the Xichuan affair he had sensed that Meng Guangxiong possessed extraordinary insight, and seeing him again now confirmed it. This man, like An Di and Zhu Ba, is an outstanding figure among the younger generation of the Beggar Sect, and Hu Xiaotian must cultivate good relations with them to lay a solid foundation for Long Xi Yue's future leadership of the Beggar Sect.

Mu Sheng sighed and said, "Recovering the Jiangbei branch is no easy task!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Indeed it's not easy, but it's not overly difficult either. Shangguan Tianhuo and his son now dare not show themselves publicly; firstly, they fear we will seek revenge against them, and secondly, they have offended Li Chen Zhou in Da Yong."

Mu Sheng exclaimed in surprise, "How could they have offended Li Chen Zhou? Didn't they flee to Da Yong expressly to seek refuge with Li Chen Zhou? Li Chen Zhou is their patron!"

Meng Guangxiong said, "Young Master Hu is quite right; Shangguan Yun Chong likely has his own calculations. This assassination of Weichi Chong may not have been ordered by Li Chen Zhou; if it was his own initiative, then he will surely offend Li Chen Zhou. If he dares not show himself publicly, we can just spread the news of his collusion with the Black Hu. Although the Jiangbei branch is dissatisfied with the chief, they may not necessarily submit to the Black Hu, and they would be even less willing to bear the infamy of betraying the Central Plains' interests."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Brother Meng's analysis is not bad."

Mu Sheng nodded and said, "No matter what, we must not let the Jiangbei branch be led astray by the Shangguan father and son."

Hu Xiaotian stayed at Righteousness Manor for about half an hour, then rose to take his leave. Mu Sheng saw him and Xia Zhangming out of the hall, and had Meng Guangxiong escort them out of the manor in his stead. Xia Zhangming went ahead to fetch his mount, while Hu Xiaotian stopped outside the gate of Righteousness Manor, smiled, and said, "Brother Meng, there's no need to see us off so far. Our meeting today was hurried; another day, when we have free time, let us brothers find a place to drink freely and enjoy each other's company."

Meng Guangxiong sighed and said, "The Beggar Sect is in a tumultuous autumn; these days, what we hope for may be out of reach."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I really feel ashamed that I couldn't be of any help regarding Elder Xue's matter."

Old Zhangyu isn't doing anything today, just focusing on typing; if he can break into the top ten, today will definitely be Four more! Don't misunderstand Old Zhangyu, he's just putting some pressure on himself; I actually wanted to say Five more, but I'm afraid I won't be able to write it and will lose the payment! (To be continued~^~.)