Chapter 459

Hu Xiaotian said: "If you insist, I'll have no choice but to bite my tongue and kill myself."

The old beggar chuckled: "What a chaste and resolute young man. Though I am lustful, I'm not so desperate as to take whatever comes my way, nor would I force you. Please get up."

Hu Xiaotian covered his mouth and sat up, his buttocks hastily scooting backward a distance. Am I offending the Tai Sui? How unlucky, to encounter an old pervert. Looks like I was born with a pretty boy's face, danger lurks everywhere.

The old beggar said: "The skill you just used to climb the tree was the Golden Spider Eight Steps, right?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; the old beggar, well-versed and knowledgeable, immediately recognized the source of his martial art.

The old beggar shrugged his shoulders, rather disdainfully: "The Golden Spider Eight Steps is not bad as footwork; it's fine for scaling walls and sneaking through windows, but hey, on flat ground it's useless."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Then what footwork is formidable on flat ground?" He still covered his mouth, speaking in a muffled tone.

The old beggar said: "When it comes to life-saving skills, we beggars are the best in the world. How about I teach you a set of footwork for escaping?"

Hu Xiaotian blinked his eyes, thinking there's no such free lunch in the world, yet he didn't know what scheme the old beggar was hatching—would he demand some excessive condition again? If he wanted to exchange teaching me footwork for a kiss, that wouldn't do either; I, Hu Xiaotian, am not that casual.

The old beggar said: "Your speed is too slow, not fun at all. I'll teach you a footwork that will make catching you interesting."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "What footwork?"

The old beggar pondered and said: "Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps."

"What?" Hu Xiaotian stared, dumbfounded. He had only heard of the Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms before; today was the first time he'd heard of Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps.

The old beggar said: "This footwork of ours was developed by synthesizing the escape experiences of generations of beggars. Look closely—the first step is called, 'Dog catches rat!'"

Hu Xiaotian stood up. Although he didn't understand why the old beggar wanted to teach him the footwork, he sensed in his heart that the other meant him no harm.

The old beggar spoke while demonstrating: "Dog leaps over the wall! Chickens fly, dogs jump, dog snatches food..."

The old and the young moved back and forth in the cemetery. Hu Xiaotian started feeling a bit apprehensive, but as his understanding of this footwork deepened, his expression grew increasingly solemn. Don't let the name Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps fool you—its footwork is exquisitely unparalleled in the world.

The old beggar taught meticulously, and Hu Xiaotian studied earnestly. Despite his exceptional aptitude, it still took him a full hour to roughly memorize the footwork.

The old beggar smiled narrowly: "Not bad, not bad—being able to remember this much in an hour is already quite rare."

By now Hu Xiaotian realized the old beggar sincerely wanted to pass on the skill to him, and he respectfully said: "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

The old beggar chuckled: "Don't thank me. Now that you've learned the footwork, I'll try to catch you. If I manage to grab you this time, you'll honestly let me kiss you."

Upon hearing that, Hu Xiaotian's face changed: "Again!"

The old beggar said: "I'll count to five—one, two..."

Hu Xiaotian slipped away, and the two chased each other in the cemetery. At first his footwork was unskilled, and the old beggar caught him repeatedly. This time it wasn't a scare; after catching him, he planted a hard kiss, reeking of wine, almost making Hu Xiaotian vomit his previous night's meal.

Under such immense psychological pressure, Hu Xiaotian naturally exerted all his strength. His inner universe erupted fully, his steps became ever more agile, his footwork ever more proficient, until finally it was not so easy for the old beggar to catch him.

This time Hu Xiaotian ran three full circles in the cemetery before the old beggar intercepted him. The old beggar gave a hehe smile, puckered his lips and leaned in, but Hu Xiaotian performed a "dog leaps over the wall," vaulting over the old beggar's head.

The old beggar laughed heartily: "The young can be taught!" This time he didn't continue the chase, took off his dog-skin vest, drew his wine gourd from his waist, unscrewed the stopper, and took a swig of wine.

Seeing the old beggar suddenly stop pursuing, Hu Xiaotian ceased fleeing, approached him, and knelt respectfully: "Thank you, senior, for imparting martial arts to me." By now even a blind person could see the old beggar harbored no ill will toward him; his true purpose in appearing at the mausoleum was to teach him martial arts.

The old beggar spat and said: "Pah! Great luck and prosperity, but this is a cemetery—you're kowtowing to me, are you cursing me to die?"

Hu Xiaotian felt a bit embarrassed by his words, quickly stood up, and smiled: "Senior, I certainly mean no curse; I sincerely thank you." He secretly wondered why the old beggar would teach him such exquisite footwork, and who had commissioned him to do so.

The old beggar said: "Teaching you this footwork counts as compensation for consuming the offerings; you needn't thank me. However, you must promise me one thing: you may not pass on this Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps that I taught you to anyone else."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Rest assured, senior, I will certainly do so."

"Furthermore, you must not mention to anyone that I taught you this footwork."

Hu Xiaotian said: "All right!"

The old beggar laughed: "You little brat are fairly obedient."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Senior, seeing how fated we are, why not simply accept me as your disciple and pass on your Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms, your Dog-Beating Staff Technique, and all the rest?"

The old beggar's eyes bulged: "Damn, kid, you've got lofty dreams—do you think I take on disciples just like that!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Good masters are hard to find, and outstanding disciples even rarer. A smart, lively, handsome, and suave disciple like me—you wouldn't find one even if you lit a lantern and searched."

"Pah! Stop boasting. Look at your deceitful face—what good are cleverness and agility? Can handsomeness and suavity feed you? I, the old beggar, value character when taking disciples; I don't want someone talented but lacking virtue."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You just kissed me several times."

"How so?" The old beggar had the expression of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

Hu Xiaotian said: "That was my first kiss; having taken it, you must take responsibility."

"Uh… impossible… you're such a big lad, you've never even kissed a woman?"

"I have, but being kissed by a man is still my first time."

The old beggar said: "In that case, it seems I've taken advantage of you."

"Taking such a big advantage, if this gets out, I'll lose face, and your old face probably won't look good either."

The old beggar hehe-laughed: "I've always been shameless; it doesn't matter, say what you like."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Senior, you are virtuous and accomplished—you must be the chief of the Beggars' Sect!"

"Who told you I'm the Beggars' Sect chief? I'm not! I'm just a poor beggar, barely counting as a single disciple."

Hu Xiaotian thought, you old slickster, even if you're not the chief you must be an elder, definitely a major figure in the Beggars' Sect; today I won't let you kiss me for nothing—I'll demand you squeeze out some more martial arts secrets. He stepped closer to the old beggar and said: "Senior, even if you don't take me as your disciple, I won't press you, but since you've done a good deed by teaching me escape footwork, why not teach me a few self-defense moves to finish the job?"

The old beggar snorted coldly: "Kid, are you trying all sorts of tricks to sweet-talk me? The Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps is your payment; now we owe each other nothing. I haven't taken advantage of you—although I kissed you twice, you also kissed me; the wine is mellow and good, my lips are aged and fragrant, each has its own flavor—being able to kiss this old man, you don't lose out."

Hu Xiaotian thought, let me spit first! Since he's unwilling to teach me more, I can't force him; he respectfully bade farewell: "Thank you for your guidance, senior; I take my leave. In the future, if I'm beaten and forced to flee everywhere, and someone asks who taught me my martial arts, I will never give you away..."

The old beggar scratched his ear: "I didn't teach you any martial arts."

Hu Xiaotian secretly smiled.

The old beggar sighed: "Enough! Enough! Enough! I'll teach you one more secret technique."

Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed, finally achieving his goal of making the old beggar relent: "Thank you, senior."

The old beggar said: "Having learned Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps, you should have no trouble fleeing; as long as you don't meet a top-tier expert, ordinary people can't catch you. But if you do encounter a top-tier expert and can't escape, then there's only one option."

"Fight it out!" Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth.

"Wrong!" The old beggar shook his head: "Totally wrong—according to the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is the best; when you can't flee, the only recourse is to feign death."

"Ah?" Hu Xiaotian's mouth opened wide enough to fit a large duck egg; he had thought he'd tricked the old beggar into teaching him a lethal, battle-winning secret technique, but instead he got this skill.

Old beggar said: "Don't underestimate the skill of feigning death; it's not as simple as closing your eyes and holding your breath. Let me tell you, I, the old beggar, have managed to survive to this day, having faced danger many times, and my final lucky survival is still not thanks to this move!"

Hu Xiaotian, although disappointed in his heart, still had something better than nothing; he thus mustered twelve points of spirit and followed the old beggar to learn this technique that he had boasted was rare under heaven. After listening to the old beggar finish explaining the key points, he then thought to ask: "Senior, what is the name of this move?"

Feigning Death Dog!

Is this considered self-deprecation?

When one is overly focused on a matter, they often overlook other things; even Hu Xiaotian himself never expected to spend an entire day in the Eunuch Tomb Cemetery, first playing a game of chase with the old beggar, then learning feigning death. The old beggar was not mistaken in saying that feigning death is far more than simply closing one's eyes and holding one's breath. Hu Xiaotian spent an hour learning the Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps, but learning feigning death took twice as long, and in the end he had only grasped a superficial sketch, still far from the old beggar's requirements. However, learning martial arts is never achieved overnight; the master leads one to the door, but personal practice determines how far one can go. (To be continued~^~)