Chapter 445

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed his bad luck, how was he lured into the beggars' den? Today it's likely he ran into the Beggar Gang; from ancient times to present the Beggar Gang has been the world's number one gang, if he provoked them it would be endless trouble. He furtively turned his head to look, considering his retreat, but saw two dilapidated horse-drawn carriages coming from behind, completely blocking their retreat; on each carriage stood five or six beggars holding dog-beating sticks; upon closer inspection they were slightly different from others', the tips of the sticks were extremely sharp, like spears, presumably for throwing. He silently groaned, never expecting such misfortune on the first day of the new year: not only had his horse been stolen, but pursuing the thieves led him straight into their lair, falling into the enemy's encirclement.

Qiqi saw so many beggars rushing up, also felt a bit nervous, but she had always been unwilling to lose, her eyebrows furrowed, she gritted her teeth and said: "Horse thief, you stole my lord's horses, yet you dare to gather a crowd and cause trouble, believe it or not I will report to the authorities and have your whole gang's homes ransacked and exterminated." Indeed a princess, her threats carry an air of lofty imperial bearing, but unfortunately today the target of her threats seems somewhat off.

The horse thief hearing this, looked left and right, his face full of mocking smile: "Brothers, did you hear that? This young master wants to ransack and exterminate us!" The gang of beggars all burst out laughing. The horse thief snorted coldly: "These two little girls, let them see the might of our Beggar Gang!"

All the beggars raised their dog-beating sticks and planted them on the ground in unison; a single stick touching the ground would be nothing, but dozens striking the ground together created a mighty momentum, and then came a thumping sound, the beggars shouted in unison: "Beggar Gang, Beggar Gang, peerless under heaven, laughing proudly over the four seas. Dominating the eight directions, number one under heaven, only our Beggar Gang! Offend our gang's prestige, and it's either death or injury!"

Hu Xiaotian frowned upon hearing it, his eyes never stopping for a moment as he considered how to escape the predicament. In the meantime, many beggars had also appeared on the roofs on either side. This alley turned out to be a beggar gang hideout in Kangdu. Qiqi had been focused on chasing the horse thief, never expecting to fall into the enemy's encirclement.

Qiqi raised her whip and pointed at the lead horse thief, saying: "What peerless under heaven, dominating the eight directions, you beggars are simply plotting rebellion! Beneath the emperor's feet, the imperial might is vast, yet you utter such treasonous words—why not surrender and confess? Come with me to the authorities to admit guilt!" Hu Xiaotian silently sighed that this girl was also spoiled rotten; the wise adapt to circumstances, and now is not the time to show off—better to feign weakness and flee. Seeking reinforcements is the proper course.

The beggars, hearing her say this, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Hu Xiaotian gently tugged Qiqi's arm and chuckled: "It's the New Year, no need to spoil the harmony; my young master has a bad temper, and if I've offended you brothers today, please forgive. We all make our living in the jianghu—when heads don't meet, eyes don't meet. Being friends is better than being enemies; today's incident can be considered a fateful connection, so I'll give that horse to you brothers." Hu Xiaotian clasped his fists; a wise man doesn't suffer immediate loss. The other side has dozens, we only two; being outnumbered and fighting head-on is hardly wise. When one can crush the opponent with strength, displaying might and bravado shows a clear mind; when vastly inferior, blindly fighting is just foolish.

Though Qiqi is young, her mental agility is no less than Hu Xiaotian's; she certainly understands the principle that the wise adapt to circumstances. She had hoped a few words would scare off this rabble, but seeing the situation, she knew even as the current princess it would be of no use—after all, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst; even if she could summon the 100,000 Feather Forest Army, by the time they arrived it would likely be too late. Qiqi's spirit remained proud; she would not deign to utter Hu Xiaotian's words of yielding, yet she dared not speak recklessly, choosing silence.

Hu Xiaotian gave Qiqi a look, took the horse and turned its head to leave, but discovered that the three dilapidated horse-drawn carriages still blocked the alley entrance, with over ten beggars on them still holding their dog-beating sticks aloft; as soon as their leader gave the order, those sticks would fly like spears at Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi.

"It's too late to leave now!" the horse thief said indifferently.

Hu Xiaotian turned again and smiled: "Step back and the sea widens, the sky opens; yield a little and winds calm, waves still—why fight to the death on New Year's?" He patted the reddish-brown horse Qiqi had seized: "Consider this horse a greeting gift; I'll also give it to you friends." Forced by circumstances, he had no choice but to yield again; if he could leave safely, reinforcements would soon arrive and surely net the beggar gang.

The horse thief looked at Hu Xiaotian with interest, slowly nodding: "Kid, you do count as someone who knows the times. But you've chased me all the way here, and in front of so many brothers, this makes me, Zhu Ba, feel—how can I bear it? So here's the deal: I'll give you a chance—leave the horses, leave all your clothes, strip naked and kowtow three times before me, and I'll let my brothers spare your lives."

Hu Xiaotian, hearing this, thought it intolerable; these beggars were really pushing too far—they stole our horses and ended up making us seem in the wrong. Even he couldn't accept it, let alone the proud Princess Qiqi. He whispered to Qiqi: "Later I'll draw them off; you look for a chance to escape first." Although Hu Xiaotian didn't have much fondness for Qiqi, after all this little princess came out with him, and whenever trouble arose he'd certainly have to rely on her. So even if unwilling, he'd steel himself and press forward.

Qiqi showed no reaction to Hu Xiaotian's words, merely gripping the reins tightly with both hands, her eyes coldly fixed on the beggars.

Hu Xiaotian strode forward, head high, toward Zhu Ba and said: "Friend, relying on numbers to win—what skill is that? A real man would duel me one-on-one." In ancient times, this trick never failed; ancients had a stronger sense of honor than moderns and cared more for face.

Zhu Ba grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowish teeth, and chuckled: "I hold all the advantages—why would I duel you? Playing with brute force is for oafs; what's my status?"

Hu Xiaotian was both amused and exasperated by this guy: "What status? A beggar still has status? It seems my idea of a duel won't come to pass."

Zhu Ba said: "Since it's New Year and you've made the proposal, I'll indulge you. Dali, you keep him company."

A muffled response came from the crowd, the beggars parted to either side, revealing a path in the middle. Then heavy footsteps sounded, the ground seemed to tremble; Hu Xiaotian could tell from the steps alone that the newcomer was no friend, he looked up and saw a man over ten feet tall stride out of the crowd. His upper body wore a tattered black cotton jacket, bound with a Lan sash; his trousers were indeterminate in color, covered in patches, the legs a bit short, exposing about half a foot of his ankles; he wore no socks, stepping on straw sandals.

He had a square face, thick brows, big eyes, dark skin, a pair of fists like vinegar bowls, stepped out of the crowd, chest out, standing like an iron tower before Hu Xiaotian.

Seeing this guy's appearance, Hu Xiaotian's heart gave a sudden thump; he pointed at Zhu Ba and said: "Hey! I'm talking to you—what do our grudges have to do with dragging others in? If you've got the guts, let's duel one-on-one."

Zhu Ba hehe-laughed: "The provocation tactic is useless! Dali, go!"

The giant stepped forward, his straw sandal hitting the blue-stone road with a crack; the stone split open like a spiderweb radiating outward.

Hu Xiaotian sucked in a breath of cold air, never expecting the beggars to hide such hidden talents—there was actually someone with external training so damn impressive; Hu Xiaotian clasped his hands and said: "Sir, your respects!"

The giant also mimicked Hu Xiaotian, clasping his hands.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I never imagined that someone who begs for food could train his body to such a degree—truly admirable."

The giant said: "Cut the talk, let's go!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "What a shame—you only grow your body, not your brain; he tells you to go up and you go, you're stupid! That Zhu Ba is clearly playing you, he treats you like his dog, eh, making you do whatever he wants, he doesn't respect you at all, sir—you were born of parents, not innately lowly, why should you obey his commands? How can you willingly be used?"

Zhu Ba laughed loudly: "Dali, he's trying to sow discord between us brothers!"

Dali let out a muffled roar: "He's my own brother! I'm born of his parents, trying to drive a wedge between us—I'll beat you to death!" Like a muffled thunder, he gathered power, ready to strike.

"What?" Hu Xiaotian's face flushed with embarrassment; he had intended to sow discord between them, never expecting they were actually biological brothers. Qiqi, who had been a bit uneasy, seeing Hu Xiaotian's embarrassed expression, suddenly found it hilarious and couldn't help but giggle.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Wait!"

Zhu Dali's raised fist paused again in midair.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir, we're both men who value propriety; before the match we should set some terms. Are we doing a literary contest or a martial bout?"

Zhu Dali said: "What?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "A literary contest means you stand still without moving and let me throw three punches, then I stand still without moving and you throw three punches; a martial bout is throwing punches without any pattern, we're all civilized people—I think we should go with the literary contest."

Zhu Dali turned to glance at his brother, Zhu Ba laughed: "Kid, you're really sly and deceitful; Dali, rest assured keeping him company—on our turf he won't get away." He regarded Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi as turtles in a jar, now just looking for some fun. The surrounding beggars shared the same mindset, all standing with arms folded watching the spectacle; everyone should have absolute confidence in Zhu Dali, waiting for the scene where Zhu Dali beats Hu Xiaotian senseless.

Zhangyu has always been selfish in his writing, that pure indulgence for fun—he's not unable to write, he just looks down on it; I write a complete story, neither a level-up monster grind nor a serial drama; the continuity of a long novel must rely on buildup and embellishment to be achieved; the palace plots are a bit suppressed, but the hardest part to write is this section—every plot point, every character's appearance is for later buildup; I've racked my brains writing this book, am I guilty? No way, Brother's getting older, just being willful—asking for votes, what's the deal? I've put in the effort, asking for votes still annoys you? Brother still asks for votes; today I've reached one hundred monthly tickets, I can still do Three More, Brother remains willful! Love it or leave it! (To be continued~^~)