Chapter 113: The Thousand-Household of Death

While Yong Jie was locked in a life-or-death struggle with the three factions, the others were not idle.

Three first-rate experts who had been acting alone exchanged glances and tacitly gathered together.

The Cao Gang was rather unique; they had barely spoken a word since entering the Tomb of the Miao King. Among the factions present, they were the weakest. At this moment, they wanted to form an alliance with the Beggar Sect, but they hesitated.

They didn't move in the same circles as the others. Strictly speaking, they belonged to the "Greenwood Path," with crude and shallow Wu Gong, a world apart from the major sects with long-standing traditions.

Lao Qifeng sighed, turned, and walked over to Li Miao, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed, watching the show.

"Hero Li, what is your plan?"

Li Miao smiled. "Chief Lao, what makes you ask that?"

Lao Qifeng lowered his voice. "I mean, are you with the Ming Sect, or are you with the Imperial Court?"

"Oh?" Li Miao glanced at Lao Qifeng, noncommittal.

Lao Qifeng knew that if he didn't speak plainly, Li Miao would never be open and honest, so he continued on his own.

"Hero Li must know that my Beggar Sect disciples are everywhere, unlike sects like Emei, Qingcheng, or Kong Dong that focus on a single region."

"They don't know about the events in Tai'an City, but I have received some news."

"Gu, Gu soldiers, Miao territory." Lao Qifeng looked into Li Miao's eyes.

"With Wu Gong like yours, it's impossible for you to have no master, yet you are unknown in the Jianghu. And you appeared here so inexplicably, with such knowledge of Gu insects."

"If you aren't from the Ming Sect, you must be a secret agent for the Imperial Court."

Li Miao raised his eyes to look at Lao Qifeng and chuckled. "And what if I am from the Court? What if I am from the Ming Sect?"

Lao Qifeng did not answer immediately.

He pondered for a moment, prepared himself for a fight, and said earnestly.

"If you are from the Court, I will pretend I know nothing."

"If you are from the Ming Sect... I will have no choice but to fight you to the death."

Li Miao said, "Oh?"

"Does Chief Lao have a grudge against the Ming Sect?"

"No grudge, no enmity."

"Then why fight me to the death?"

"Jianghu righteousness."

"Ha." Li Miao chuckled. "Chief Lao, you've reached the position of Beggar Sect Chief, and you still believe in that?"

"The Beggar Sect's business isn't exactly clean, is it?"

In this world, there is only one kind of clean beggar: those who truly cannot survive and are just begging for a meal or a bowl of water.

When begging becomes a profession, when beggars are organized, and when begging is turned into a business, how clean can the Beggar Sect be? One doesn't even need to think about the filth involved.

"Yes, I don't deny it," Lao Qifeng said.

"In the past, I wouldn't have had any hostility toward people from the Ming Sect. If they were powerful, I could bow my head. The Beggar Sect Chief is also a beggar; there's no shame in bending one's back."

"If I met them elsewhere, I could turn a blind eye."

"But I will not allow a Ming Sect thief to achieve their schemes in the Miao territory."

"If the events of Tai'an were to repeat, I could not bear the weight of those lives."

Lao Qifeng stared fixedly at Li Miao.

"Slaughtering a city, killing innocent people—everyone has the right to punish them."

This was the most basic, simple logic of the Jianghu people of the Great Ming.

"Jianghu matters belong to the Jianghu; the people's matters belong to the people."

So-called Jianghu righteousness, among Jianghu people, is often ignored due to various interests, emotions, and grudges. Even great villains or thieves, like the Seven Ghosts of Meishan, are left alone unless they provoke someone they shouldn't.

But when it involves the common people, especially evil acts like the Ming Sect's city-slaughtering, it triggers this bottom-line rule of the Jianghu—"Involving the innocent, everyone has the right to punish them."

Li Miao laughed. "I said it before: among all these people, I get along best with Chief Lao."

"Rest assured, I am from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Seeing Li Miao reveal his identity, Yin Minjun hurriedly stepped forward and said to Lao Qifeng, "Chief Lao, my sect leader was saved by this lord. Tens of thousands of people in Tai'an City were able to survive because of him."

"Ah," Lao Qifeng responded, his expression changing instantly.

"Could it be... the 'Thousand-Household of Death' in person?"

This time, it was Li Miao's turn to change color.

"Say that again? What the hell is that!?"

"Death... the Thousand-Household of Death?"

"Which 'death'? Which 'passing'?"

Only after Lao Qifeng channeled his true energy and used his finger to carve the two characters into the cave wall did Li Miao laugh powerlessly.

"What a lousy nickname. Why not just call me the 'Death Servant Thousand-Household'..."

He knew it; this was his "Four Seasons Thousand-Household" nickname that had somehow spread, been mangled by these uncultured Jianghu people, and turned into such a tacky title.

Sure enough, after learning Li Miao's identity, Lao Qifeng said cautiously.

"Jianghu rumors say that the Ming Sect's Left and Right Envoys, one Protector, two Flag Masters, and hundreds of disciples all died in one night at the hands of an Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand-Household..."

"I heard this Thousand-Household lord always guarded the capital and never left. This time, upon leaving the capital, everyone he saw died, so he earned the title 'Thousand-Household of Death' within the Guard..."

"I didn't expect it to be you, my lord. Seeing you today, it is truly—"

"Chief Lao, hold on, my head hurts a little."

Li Miao waved his hand, stopping Lao Qifeng's flattery.

He felt as if he had lost all strength and resolve; the expression that usually showed he didn't care about anything now collapsed.

What kind of nonsense is this?

It's so tacky.

If he had known, he would have dragged out everyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard who spread this nickname, beaten them up, forced them to come up with a better one, and then started walking the Jianghu.

To be honest, Li Miao had practiced his Wu Gong to this level before starting to walk the Jianghu, so he certainly had expectations for his nickname.

He had even anticipated a few scenarios.

Clear Wind Sword? Average.

White Cloud Sword? Not bad.

Number One Under Heaven? Nice.

Universal Martial Canon? Pretty good.

Even something like "Reckless Vajra" would have been fine!

Just thinking about how martial arts world people would see him in the future and immediately say, "Is it the 'Whoever Sees Dies', the 'Thousand-Household of Death' in person?", he felt the urge to drop this Miao territory business and go back to work in Shuntian Prefecture.

"Sigh—" For the first time, Li Miao let out a long sigh of "helplessness."

"Forget it, let's talk about business."

Li Miao glanced toward Yong Jie's side; it had already turned into a chaotic mess.

Seeing that Lao Qifeng was ignoring them and talking to Li Miao, the Cao Gang assumed the Beggar Sect was with Yong Jie. After thinking about it, they actually started helping Yong Jie.

The three lone experts, however, were helping no one and fighting chaotically. Li Miao looked closely and saw that while their moves looked fierce, they were only using fifty or sixty percent of their strength, clearly planning to conserve true energy and reap the benefits later.

Li Miao watched the fight while saying.

"I came here this time to cut off the inheritance of the Miao territory's witchcraft and Gu arts."

"Chief Lao spoke so righteously just now; I assume you won't stand by and watch."

"Yes, this was originally the Miao people actively scheming against us, and with the Tai'an City incident, my Beggar Sect naturally must contribute. It's just..." Lao Qifeng hesitated.

Li Miao waved his hand. "I know what you want to say."

"The Imperial Court has been suppressing the Miao territory for so many years, yet they haven't been able to completely eradicate witchcraft and Gu."

"But this matter, if done by the Court, would actually be more difficult."

"Therefore, this matter must still fall upon the Jianghu people."

(End of chapter)