Chapter 447

The beggars scattered in retreat, yet someone among them, unwilling to give up, surged forward to seize that coiling‑dragon gold medal; just as he was about to grab it, Hu Xiaotian unexpectedly turned back, flicked the medal up with his toe, sending it flying into midair—he reached out to catch it, when suddenly a black, withered claw shot from the air and snatched the coiling‑dragon gold medal first.

Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw the old beggar emerge from nowhere, his oil‑smeared left hand seizing the medal while his right hand continued gnawing the uneaten chicken leg.

Seeing the medal fall into the old beggar's hand, Hu Xiaotian lunged to snatch it back, for this medal was an imperial gift from the Emperor, and losing it would be unthinkable.

As he was about to grab the medal, Hu Xiaotian secretly rejoiced, thinking the old beggar's move was still too slow.

The old beggar yawned, reeking of wine, and said, "Here you go!"

Hu Xiaotian grabbed it firmly, feeling hard and slick in his hand—only to find it was the chicken‑leg bone the old beggar had picked clean. He could scarcely believe his eyes; moments ago he had been lunging for the medal, yet he had seized a bone instead, filling him with astonishment and disgust. He never imagined the old beggar was a hidden master.

At that moment Zhu Dalì roared and charged sideways at Hu Xiaotian, hating anyone who schemed against him; he bellowed, "You brat, let's see who's the real lackey!" and threw a straight punch at Hu Xiaotian's face. Hu Xiaotian flung the chicken‑leg bone at him, gave no thought to the coiling‑dragon medal, turned and fled, his mind quick—even in the melee he kept scanning his surroundings, covering three steps in two and, with a scrape‑scrape‑scrape, launched the Golden Spider Eight Steps, instantly scaling the roof.

The beggars scattered and fled, while Zhu Ba shouted, "Dalì, pull back!"

Unexpectedly, Zhu Dalì flew into a rage, heedless of danger as he scrambled up the eaves; though versed in hard‑style kung fu, his lightness skill was lacking, and after several tries he still couldn't climb up. Hu Xiaotian stood on the roof laughing loudly, pointing at Zhu Dalì and saying, "You lackey, come up—let me give you a proper lesson."

Zhu Dalì, his eyes askew and mouth twisted with fury, suddenly bellowed and kicked the wall; the already dilapidated house could not withstand the blow, the wall crashed down, and the roof instantly tilted and collapsed.

Hu Xiaotian fled in panic, sprinting along the sloping roof and leaping onto another roof.

Zhu Dalì burst out with a wah‑yah‑yah roar, charging toward Hu Xiaotian's next landing point like a deity descending, like a tank crushing everything, unleashing his violent assault with the force of tearing apart rotten wood.

Hu Xiaotian, watching Zhu Dalì rave like a mad bull, felt a jolt of alarm—fortunately the troops had already arrived, blocking both ends of the lane. Most of the beggars had fled, leaving only a dozen or so elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who were too slow to escape; of course there was an exception: Zhu Dalì, his eyes blood‑red, had the chance to flee but chose to stay and hunt Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian saw the reinforcements arrive and burst into laughter; in the distance Qiqi, clad in a dog‑skin coat and mounted on a white horse, came like a flash of lightning leading the charge into the lane, shouting, "Hu Xiaotian, don't panic—I'm here to rescue you!"

Several hundred soldiers surged forward together, their awesome presence terrifying the beggars into losing their souls; Zhu Dalì temporarily forgot his pursuit of Hu Xiaotian, turned to look around, and by then it was too late to escape.

Hu Xiaotian waved at Qiqi and opened his mouth to shout, when suddenly a hand from behind clapped over his lips; though he couldn't see who it was, the familiar smell of liquor told him it was the old beggar from before.

Hu Xiaotian startled, he locked the opponent's wrist with his Profound Dark Yin‑Wind Claw, twisted his body, and reached with his right hand toward the old beggar's groin—had it not been a critical moment, he would not have used such a vicious technique on an elder.

Before his right claw could touch the opponent's body, Hu Xiaotian felt his own limbs go numb and lose all strength; the old beggar hoisted him onto his shoulder as if effortlessly, then glanced downward.

Officers flooded the narrow lane, archers taking aim at the beggars who had not yet managed to flee.

Under escort, Princess Qiqi charged into the lane and shouted loudly, "Everyone, surrender and bind your hands, or be killed on the spot!"

Hu Xiaotian also heard Qiqi's voice, but unable to utter a sound, he watched the rescuers approach yet could not join them—a frustration and anguish beyond words. The old beggar bore him on his shoulder, tapped lightly on the roof with his toe, and then rose into the air like a bird.

Hu Xiaotian watched his own body being lifted and then set down, his eyes wide with terror from fright, blaming only his own carelessness for having become the opponent's hostage.

The old beggar brought Hu Xiaotian to a ruined City God Temple, tossed him carelessly onto the ground, then sat by a column, letting the sun lazily bathe him as if the recent life‑and‑death struggle meant nothing to him; he drew a jug of wine from his tattered sack, pulled the stopper, took a swig, and let out a contented belch.

Hu Xiaotian tested his limbs and found his acupoints unblocked, allowing him to move freely; he carefully rose from the ground, brushed off the dirt, clasped his fists, and said, "Senior, I, Hu Xiaotian, pay my respects." From the old beggar's earlier display, Hu Xiaotian realized he was a hidden martial master, and against him he possessed not even a shred of counter‑force.

The old beggar split his mouth in a grin, revealing uneven teeth, and said, "Kid, you've got some background!" He drew the coiling‑dragon medal from his bosom and turned it over in his hands.

Hu Xiaotian's eyes lit up at the sight of the coiling‑dragon medal; he stepped forward and said respectfully, "Senior, I was blind to Mount Tai—please forgive my offense. This medal is an imperial gift; I beg you to return it to me, for if I lose it I fear the punishment of extermination of my clan."

The old beggar glanced at him, tossed the medal over casually, and scoffed, "What's so great about it? This old beggar doesn't care for such things."

Hu Xiaotian never expected the old beggar to hand the medal back so nonchalantly; taking it in hand, his heart gradually settled, feeling the old beggar bore him no ill will. He put the medal away and added, "Senior, today's affair is not my intention to oppose your clan…" Judging by the beggar's superhuman skill, his status must be extraordinary—perhaps even the leader of the Beggars' Sect, though one cannot be sure.

The old beggar said, "I couldn't care less about your affairs, but since I've returned the item, shouldn't you do something for me?"

Hu Xiaotian replied respectfully, "Please, senior, give your orders."

The old beggar said, "Today your officials have arrested many beggars, but in truth taking them away serves no purpose—they are not guilty of a capital crime, and locking them up merely wastes your officials' grain."

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "I understand; when I return I will arrange for your people to be released." His words carried a double meaning: he promised to free them, but only on the condition that the old beggar release him.

The old beggar chuckled, "You little brat, you're amusing—when did I ever say I'd let you go?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Senior, your martial prowess is mighty and your bearing broad—naturally you wouldn't stoop to quarrel with a junior." While speaking he furtively observed the old beggar's expression.

The old beggar burst out laughing, his eyes turning toward Hu Xiaotian: 'Your tongue is really sweet, no wonder you can get along swimmingly in the palace.'

Hearing the old beggar say that, Hu Xiaotian felt a sudden jolt in his heart—could this old beggar have known his identity beforehand? Recalling the Panlong gold medal he had just lost and regained, he immediately understood: this Panlong gold medal was no ordinary object; anyone with some insight could easily guess his origins from it.

The old beggar said, 'You may go now; if you're late, those beggars will surely suffer again.'

Hu Xiaotian bowed respectfully to the old beggar and said, 'Senior, rest assured, I will not disgrace my mission.' He turned and took two steps toward the temple gate, but then turned back, smiling at the old beggar and said, 'Senior, I still have one thing I forgot to ask—may I have your esteemed name?'

The old beggar chuckled and said, 'What? You still want to come find me for revenge later?'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'I have no such intention; I simply feel a special affinity with you, senior, which is why I asked.'

The old beggar laughed, 'My surname is Xu; I've forgotten my given name.' He then took a swig of wine, set the wine pot aside, yawned, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and dozed off.

When Hu Xiaotian tried to speak to him again, the old beggar began to snore. Hu Xiaotian shook his head, looking at the old man in the sunlight, and suddenly felt that the old fellow was forlorn and lonely; he also found it strange why he would feel this way. After a moment's hesitation, he unexpectedly took off his dog-skin vest, returned to the old beggar's side, gently draped it over him, and then turned and left.

Hearing Hu Xiaotian's footsteps fade away, the old beggar slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the dogshit vest on his body; his expression unexpectedly showed a hint of emotion, he rubbed his nose, clutched the dogshit vest tightly, and continued his great autumn dream.

Qiqi led the officials to search every nook and cranny of the alley, yet still found no trace of Hu Xiaotian; it cannot be said that the effort was completely fruitless, for they had arrested twelve beggars, including Zhuli, who had just engaged in a verbal contest with Hu Xiaotian. By rights Zhuli should not have been caught by the officials, but having gone berserk, he was intent on seizing Hu Xiaotian and beating him badly to vent his hatred, which landed him in jail.

When Hu Xiaotian circled back to the alley's entrance, Qiqi was already fuming, she shouted sternly: 'Listen up, even if we have to turn Kangdu upside down, I will find Hu Xiaotian. Relay my order: citywide, arrest every beggar you see, subject them to harsh interrogation, and let none go.' This little princess was clearly truly angry.

Two updates delivered, seeking a Monthly Ticket! (To be continued~^~)