Chapter 108 The Rise and Fall of the Beggars' Sect
Shi Potian's figure blurred as he leaped out of the cabin and landed on the bow of the large ship like a bird.
Everyone on the boat was startled and retreated hastily, brandishing their knives and clubs, ready for battle.
"Who goes there!"
"It's Lin Pingzhi from the Fuwei Escort Agency!"
"That god of death!"
A commotion arose among the passengers on the boat, clearly indicating that Shi Potian's name had spread throughout the martial arts world in recent days. His victory over Songshan and subsequent annihilation of Qingcheng had made him the most dazzling and feared name in the martial arts world.
Inside the cabin, Zhang Yuanying saw Shi Potian land at the bow of the ship, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her face was streaked with tears, and she looked pitiful. If she hadn't been immobilized by acupuncture, she would have almost thrown herself into Shi Potian's arms.
Shi Potian was very surprised and thought to himself: Didn't you want to poison me before? Why are you acting like we're old friends now?
"Brother Lin! Brother Lin, help me!"
Ignoring the passengers on the ship who were on high alert, Shi Potian's gaze swept across the cabin, where he saw Young Master Zhang and Venerable Jin Guang slumped in their seats. Unlike Zhang Yuanying, the two did not show any obvious joy upon seeing Shi Potian's arrival.
After all, the two sides had been at odds at the handwashing ceremony, and they were not as naive as Zhang Yuanying, who thought that Shi Potian would definitely offend the Beggars' Sect for their sake.
"What's wrong, Young Master Zhang?" Shi Potian asked.
A middle-aged beggar emerged from the cabin, carrying a dog-beating stick. His clothes were far more refined than those of ordinary beggars, and nine cloth bags hung from his waist—he was none other than the Nine-Bag Elder. His face was grim as he stared at Shi Potian and said in a deep voice:
"Young Master Lin, this is a matter within our Beggars' Sect, none of your business. Please return to your ship and lest you cause trouble for yourself."
Shi Potian asked, "Did Miss Zhang and the others offend you? Why did you kill them?"
The Nine-Bag Elder sneered, "This brat stole our Beggars' Sect's ultimate martial art, the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. We were ordered by our sect leader to capture him. Even if this goes all the way to the Heavenly King himself, our Beggars' Sect will still be in the right. Young Master Lin, no matter how high your martial arts are, you can't be unreasonable, can you?"
Shi Potian tilted his head, looked at Young Master Zhang inside the cabin, and then at Zhang Yuanying.
Zhang Yuanying cried out, "Brother Lin, my brother didn't steal the technique! The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms is a family heirloom! The Beggar Clan only has twelve palms. Where would my brother have stolen it? The Beggar Clan took advantage of our vulnerability!"
The nine-bag elder's face darkened, and he shouted, "Shut up! What do you know, little brat? The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms has been a closely guarded secret of the Beggars' Sect since the Song Dynasty. How could it be something passed down in your Zhang family?"
Shi Potian frowned. He didn't quite understand the rights and wrongs involved, but he could tell that Young Master Zhang's current state was very strange.
"Young Master Zhang's martial arts are so high, how did you manage to capture him?" he asked.
Elder Nine Bags sneered, "We captured them on the lake by our own strength. This is Dongting Lake, and the Junshan headquarters is nearby."
Zhang Yuanying said, "My brother was provoked by you, Brother Lin. He forced himself to cultivate these past two days, which caused a mishap, and now he can't use any of his skills. Otherwise, how could these good-for-nothings be a match for my brother? They were clearly taking advantage of his vulnerability!"
Shi Potian was stunned.
He recalled what he had said to Young Master Zhang at the Liu residence that day—"You've been practicing your martial arts incorrectly; if you continue, you'll eventually suffer a qi deviation."
He meant well by offering this suggestion, but he never expected that after returning home, Young Master Zhang would become even more determined to try to integrate Yin and Yang internal energies.
Inside the cabin, Young Master Zhang suddenly opened his eyes, struggled to lift his head, and looked at Shi Potian at the bow of the ship. He reached out to pick up the folding fan, intending to gently wave it, but discovered it was long gone. He could only smile wryly:
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Young Master Lin. This matter has nothing to do with you; it was my own eagerness to succeed that led to this predicament."
Shi Potian recalled that day at the Liu residence, when Young Master Zhang had stopped him, but later admitted defeat and withdrew, without persisting in seeking revenge for the Qingcheng Sect. Just as Master Lingxu had said, this person was not a bad person, but was simply being polite.
If the Beggars' Sect were to kill someone for the sake of a martial art, then the Beggars' Sect would be in the wrong.
"Release him." Shi Potian looked at Elder Nine Bags.
Elder Nine Bags' expression changed, and he held his dog-beating stick horizontally in front of his chest: "Young Master Lin, don't push your luck! This is the territory of my Beggars' Sect. The Junshan headquarters is nearby, and hundreds of members can arrive at any time! No matter how high your martial arts are, can you stop my Beggars' Sect's thousands of troops? When your true energy is exhausted, you will not escape your fate either."
Shi Potian said, "I won't fight you. Release the people, and I'll leave."
"Release them?" Elder Nine Bags sneered. "You think you can just release them like that? My Beggars' Sect has been in decline for centuries. Our ultimate martial art to revive the sect is right before our eyes, and hundreds of thousands of members are eagerly awaiting its return. How dare I release them empty-handed!"
He turned to all the men on the boat and asked loudly, "Do you agree?"
The beggars roared in response, "No! Unless you kill us all!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several Beggar Clan elders stepped forward, placing swords and knives at the necks of Young Master Zhang, Zhang Yuanying, and Venerable Jin Guang.
Upon closer inspection, these people all had eight cloth bags around their waists, each belonging to an Eight-Bag Elder.
"Young Master Lin," Elder Nine Bags said in a deep voice, "if you dare to make a move, we will kill them immediately. No matter how high your martial arts are, can you outrun the swords and blades in the hands of us Eight Bags Elders? They are not second-generation disciples of Mount Song."
Shi Potian frowned even more deeply.
He glanced at the gleaming blades, then looked at the three people inside the cabin. Zhang Yuanying's eyes were full of anticipation; in her eyes, Shi Potian was already omnipotent.
Young Master Zhang remained calm and composed, showing no signs of panic.
Master Jin Guang remained silent with his eyes closed.
As they were talking, a large ship turned around and approached from behind.
At the bow of the boat, Lin Zhennan and Madam Wang looked tense. The angry shouts from the Beggars' Sect members had already alerted everyone on board.
Qu Feiyan stood on tiptoe, peering desperately into the distance. Long Kui remained leaning against the ship's railing, utterly bored. Sarutobi Riyue, having finished applying the medicine, returned to the bow and gripped his knife tightly.
"Little brother!" Qu Feiyan shouted at the top of her lungs, "Be careful, they're all from the Beggars' Sect, and Mount Jun in the lake is their headquarters!"
Lin Zhennan's expression was solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "Ping'er, the Beggars' Sect disciples are all over the world, and Junshan is nearby. We mustn't let this damage our harmony!"
Shi Potian glanced back and saw that everyone on his ship was looking at him. He shook his head, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears:
"No need for help."
Long Kui said, "Chief Escort Lin, the Beggars' Sect's Junshan headquarters is skilled in naval warfare. Let's sail our boat further away to avoid them sinking it and becoming a burden to you, Young Escort!"
Mr. and Mrs. Lin Zhennan exchanged a glance and agreed that it made sense. They immediately told the boatman to move the boat further away, but still followed far behind.
Seeing that the situation was under control and that the main headquarters of the Beggars' Sect was about to arrive, the nine-bag elder of the Beggars' Sect, not wanting to cause trouble, spoke up:
"Young Master Biao's martial arts skills are unparalleled. At the Handwashing Ceremony, he demonstrated righteousness and courage, resisting the rising power of the Songshan Sect and rescuing Liu Zhengfeng's family from dire straits. The entire Beggars' Clan admires him greatly."
Our Deputy Chief Zhang holds you in high esteem. If you withdraw now, we promise you that as long as Young Master Zhang hands over the last six moves of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, we will not harm their lives.
Looking at the captured Golden Light Master, Shi Potian said, "Isn't Golden Light Master the leader of the Emei Sect? Why did you capture him as well?"
Elder Nine Bags said, "As for the Emei Sect Leader, we naturally wouldn't harm him. However, since Venerable Golden Light insisted on stopping us, we had no choice but to offend him as well."
Master Jin Guang finally opened one eye, uttered a Buddhist chant, and said in a deep voice, "Elder Bai, it's not too late to let go now, otherwise the Beggar Clan will face annihilation."
The white-robed elder, his expression stern, spoke each word clearly:
"The fate of the Beggars' Sect rests on this one battle. We can't worry about anything else."