Chapter 19: Refusing the Beggar Sect

Hong Qigong's eyes were unfocused, lost in some unknown thought; Wu Chengyu paid it no mind, cradling A Ku in his arms as he sat by the fire, occasionally tossing on a few sticks of wood — apart from the crackling of the burning firewood, the City God Temple was utterly silent.

After a long while, Hong Qigong suddenly spoke, asking Wu Chengyu.

"I asked before — what exactly did a disciple like you do to make Huang Laoxie expel you from Peach Blossom Island?"

Wanting to take a disciple, he at least needed to know why Huang Yaoshi had driven Wu Chengyu away, and why he had been so ruthless; Hong Qigong pondered for a long time but could not figure it out — a disciple this good could not simply be treated like a father's darling, but at the very least he should be regarded as a beloved son.

"Huang Yaoshi is a man of unpredictable moods; you know that too — in his eyes, so-called disciples are mere straw dogs; finding a fault and breaking a leg is nothing to him."

In the Song Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism flourished, placing utmost emphasis on revering teachers and honoring the Way — a teacher's kindness is greater than heaven; even someone like Wu Chengyu, who had been cast out of his master's sect, still had to maintain respect toward Huang Yaoshi on the surface at the very least.

That is to say, Hong Qigong could casually call him Huang Laoxie, but for Wu Chengyu to directly speak Huang Yaoshi's taboo name in a dismissive tone, with a hint of contempt, was unfilial; such an attitude immediately made Hong Qigong frown — if a disciple does not respect his master, better not to have him.

Little did he know what exquisite vocabulary Wu Chengyu normally used to describe Huang Yaoshi — the macaque in the watermelon patch, Er Kang's nostrils, Xiong Er's chest hair, or Jia Zhangshi's foot-binding cloths — guaranteed you would not understand the literal words, yet you would grasp the meaning perfectly.

"One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father — Huang Laoxie is ultimately your master; how can you be so disrespectful?"

"A trifling debt of kindness, repaid with this one leg — between me and Huang Yaoshi there is no more kindness or righteousness, only hatred; at least I owe him nothing — rather, he owes me."

Be it Wu Mianfeng's lingering resentment after death, or Wu Chengyu's thoughts from a later life — neither could possibly hold any respect for Huang Yaoshi.

Hong Qigong fell silent; he did not wish to pry further into Peach Blossom Island's family affairs, yet Wu Chengyu's attitude left him torn about accepting him as a disciple — truly like a fish bone stuck in the throat, impossible to swallow down.

He thought for a while, then still felt talent was hard to come by, and finally made a decision.

"What are your plans afterward? You naturally won't return to Peach Blossom Island — do you have a place to go?"

"First let this leg heal; lame is lame, as long as I can walk — then I'll take A Ku and leave this place."

"Wu lad, why not join my Beggar Sect? You've been a beggar for quite some time anyway, and even created a set of Chuibao — destined to have karmic ties with my Beggar Sect."

"As long as you enter my Beggar Sect, I'll take you as a disciple — Huang Yaoshi doesn't want you, I do; the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms will be passed on to you in full, and even passing on the position of Beggar Sect Chief and the Dog Beating Staff Technique to you in the future would not be out of the question."

"At such a young age you already possess such courage and wisdom; your future achievements will surely surpass mine — the Beggar Sect lacks precisely a figure like you."

Hong Qigong truly had his heart moved toward Wu Chengyu; the moment he finished speaking, he fixed his bright gaze on Wu Chengyu, awaiting his answer.

"No need — I will never take anyone as a master again in this life."

"As for the Beggar Sect, incidents like the Gushan Branch are absolutely not few in number; the Beggar Sect spans many regions, numbering tens of thousands — Chief Hong runs about outside year-round, yet how many places can he oversee? Plus the strife between the Wuyi Sect and the Qingyi Sect — the Beggar Sect's problems are truly too many, long since accumulated beyond remedy; without a thorough, sweeping reform, the day of the Beggar Sect's decline is not far off."

"The position of Beggar Sect Chief appears majestic and commands the masses in others' eyes, but in my eyes it is absolutely not a good post — I won't ask for suffering; I also lack the ability to lead the Beggar Sect."

"Besides, I'm not without a place to go — my home is at Wu Family Slope in Gusu; once my injury heals, I'll take A Ku back there, can live as a wealthy scion — why would I become a beggar?"

Wu Family Slope in Gusu? Hong Qigong silently repeated it a few times, committing it to heart, and finally stopped persuading Wu Chengyu — he knew a man like Wu Chengyu had extremely correct ideas and firm will; once he refused, he would not easily change his mind.

Actually, hearing mention of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Wu Chengyu's heart also itched — the number one palm technique in Jin-system wuxia, fierce and exquisite, renowned under heaven — who wouldn't want to learn it? But the Beggar Sect's problems truly cannot be lightly involved in; in his previous life Wu Chengyu was also in management, with over a hundred subordinates — that was already the limit of his capability.

A great sect like the Beggar Sect, to fundamentally solve its problems, would at least require Lei Zong who grows rice, or Zhang Zong who smashes refrigerators, to transmigrate over; failing that, even Dong Auntie Mingzhu Dajie who engages in self-worship and uses herself as a brand would barely suffice.

Wu Chengyu also opportunely changed the subject; holding A Ku in one arm, he said: "That Qingyu Guan colluding with Hao Laosì must be an evil heretical sect — Chief Hong surely won't let them off; but there is another matter — yesterday Hao Laosì's two subordinates came to seize me, and were killed by me and that Elder joining forces."

"Their corpses I hid in a cellar in the Western City Slums; tomorrow I'll take you there — after all, they were your Beggar Sect's people and need to be handed over to you for handling."

"Also, that Elder of mine died because of them; his remains are there too — now that matters are settled, we must go and see to his funeral arrangements."

The words had barely left his mouth when Wu Chengyu felt A Ku's body tremble in his arms — turns out the little girl had been awake all along, hiding in Wu Chengyu's arms secretly listening to them speak, never expecting to hear the terrible news that Grandpa was dead.

"A Ku, you're awake — are you hungry? Want to drink some congee?" Wu Chengyu tried to divert A Ku's attention.

A Ku lifted her head from his embrace, eyes slightly wet yet forcibly holding back tears; she was still smiling — a timid, humble smile, full of hope, as if as long as A Ku kept smiling, those bad things would not happen; she asked in a low voice.

"Brother, when that bad man seized me, two other bad men fought with Grandpa — Grandpa's definitely fine, right?"

Wu Chengyu did not know how to tell A Ku; after a long silence he still decided to answer truthfully — after all, A Ku had already heard the words just now, and though A Ku was only six, her mental maturity far exceeded her age; what she could understand, she understood.

Lies are like anesthetic — once the drug wears off, the wound only hurts more.

"Grandpa was amazing — to save A Ku he killed those two bad men, and saved Brother too; now Grandpa is tired, doesn't want to stay in this world anymore — but he told Brother to take care of A Ku, wants A Ku to listen to Brother; A Ku, will you listen?"

A Ku nodded, spoke no more, shrank entirely into Wu Chengyu's embrace, face pressed against Wu Chengyu's chest, body trembling nonstop; before long Wu Chengyu felt his chest grow damp, yet never heard a sound of crying from A Ku.

Wu Chengyu's heart ached with pity for A Ku; he couldn't help glaring at Hong Qigong, somewhat venting his anger on him — Hong Qigong felt a bit wronged, but those people were ultimately his subordinates, so he was indeed in the wrong; unconsciously he rubbed his nose and turned his face away.

The long night stretched on; Wu Chengyu leaned by the fire and gradually fell asleep; A Ku, frightened these past days, her heart's grief having overdrawn her strength, still curled up in Wu Chengyu's arms like a kitten — but both hands clung tightly to Wu Chengyu, absolutely refusing to let go.

Some things have passed, some people have left, some people remain.

Thanks to Book Friend 9827, Miao Sheng, Gourd Sister, Big Sea Beast, Nickname Is What Thing 123, Book Friend 5546, Lazy Little Light 1, I Am A Boatman, Book Friend 5234, Book Friend 0470, Book Friend 0111, Li Yue Shuang Xue for their recommendation tickets.

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(Chapter End)