Chapter 105: Before You Came, Others Had Already Started Killing
The three poisoned darts, shot in rapid succession, precisely struck Quan Guanqing's Qi Sea Acupoint, Shimen Acupoint, and Guanyuan Acupoint. The damage to these locations meant his dantian was completely crippled.
Compared to the pain, what terrified Quan Guanqing even more was the rapid loss of his internal energy.
"Ah! He destroyed my martial arts!"
Quan Guanqing wailed in agony, glaring venomously at Chu Yang.
Elders Chen, Wu, Song, and Xi turned pale upon hearing this, glaring angrily at Chu Yang. To them, even though Quan Guanqing had been disrespectful earlier, crippling decades of hard-earned martial arts seemed excessively severe.
Huang Rong was also startled, quickly turning to look at Chu Yang.
"Elder Quan was indeed in the wrong first. A reprimand would've sufficed—there was no need to cripple the martial arts he painstakingly cultivated for decades. Such ruthless action... Are you disregarding our Beggar Sect entirely?" Elder Xi clenched his fists, burning with fury.
"Poor Elder Quan had just been promoted from a Branch Leader to an Elder…" Elder Chen sighed, casting a helpless glance at Quan Guanqing.
Quan Guanqing had helped Kang Min frame Qiao Feng and, through underhanded methods, secured the title of Elder. Recently, he had been riding high with success, only to encounter Chu Yang, this harbinger of disaster.
"You people are quite amusing. He used poisoned darts on me. I returned them to him. If he suffers the consequences, that's his own doing. Yet you want to blame me?" Chu Yang remarked with a faint smile. "For so-called heroic and righteous figures, your logic is rather appalling. It seems the title of the Beggar Sect fits you well."
"But one thing you said is correct: without Qiao Feng, I indeed hold no regard for your Beggar Sect."
As these words fell, the gathered martial artists erupted in shock!
The Beggar Sect—the largest sect in the martial world—was outright insulted!
The four Beggar Sect elders trembled with rage, pointing at Chu Yang but unable to form a coherent retort.
"Little Chu, have I caused you trouble?" Huang Rong quietly moved closer to Chu Yang, feeling uneasy. She knew Chu Yang always disliked unnecessary complications.
"Don't overthink it. To me, their nuisance doesn't even reach the threshold for being troublesome. At best, they're just roadside trash."
Chu Yang's voice wasn't loud, but anyone without a hearing impairment could clearly hear his words.
The crowd began murmuring among themselves. Chu Yang's behavior was outright humiliating to the Beggar Sect.
How could this insult be tolerated?
If the Beggar Sect let this slide, they'd lose all face in the martial world!
The hot-headed Elder Xi stepped forward, his fiery gaze fixed on Chu Yang. The surrounding spectators quickly stepped back, afraid of being caught in the conflict.
"Elder Xi is an external martial expert of our sect, skilled in using steel rods and particularly adept at countering hidden weapons. If you beg for mercy now, Elder Xi might spare your life," Elder Wu said bluntly before Elder Xi acted. From the earlier incident of Chu Yang skillfully "returning" the poisoned darts, Elder Wu deduced he must be a hidden weapon expert.
Chu Yang, appreciating Elder Wu's straightforwardness, smiled and replied, "In return for your kind reminder, I won't take his life."
"Scoundrel! Such arrogance!" Elder Xi roared, gripping his steel rod tightly as he leapt into the air. The rod drew a silver arc as it smashed toward Chu Yang's face, his arms trembling slightly from exertion.
As an external martial artist, his physical strength was formidable. A full-force strike could easily crush someone's skull.
Some spectators, unable to bear witnessing such violence, turned their heads away.
Chu Yang, however, remained calm. His confident demeanor radiated in his every move. With a slight shift of his body, he avoided Elder Xi's strike by a hair's breadth, passing him effortlessly.
Elder Xi, short and stout, lacked agility. Unable to turn swiftly, he left his back exposed to Chu Yang, who promptly delivered a kick to his lower back.
In full view of the crowd, Elder Xi fell flat on his face, eating dirt.
The scene fell silent for a moment before the spectators burst into laughter.
Elder Xi quickly scrambled to his feet. Though the kick caused little harm, the humiliation was immense. As a renowned martial artist, his pride took a severe blow.
Huang Rong clapped and cheered, "Falling flat like this suits your Beggar Sect identity perfectly. Why don't you thank my Little Chu already?"
Mu Nianci hurriedly covered her mouth.
Hearing this, Elder Xi's temple veins throbbed, his face turning bright red as he entered a state of intense fury.
Even without Observation Haki or the Rinnegan, Chu Yang found it effortless to evade Elder Xi's attacks due to their stark difference in speed.
Elder Xi continued swinging his steel rod furiously, but his once-powerful strikes now appeared clumsy in contrast to Chu Yang's graceful movements.
After a few exchanges, Wu Changfeng realized Elder Xi was no match for Chu Yang. Sensing the fight's futility, he began preparing to intervene.
Group fighting had always been a signature of the Beggar Sect. If ten could gang up on one, they'd never settle for nine. This tradition was well-known across the martial world, and Beggar Sect members took no issue with it.
Despite waiting for Elder Xi to find an opening, Wu Changfeng saw no progress. Finally, he unsheathed his Ghost-Head Blade.
Wu Changfeng, true to his name, moved like the wind, his blade technique masterful. His collaboration with Elder Xi, refined over years, complemented each other's strengths, mitigating the disadvantages of Xi's cumbersome attacks.
However...
Even combined, they failed to shift the tide of the battle. Chu Yang continued to dominate, almost toying with them.
"Elder Chen, Elder Song, if you don't step in, our Beggar Sect's reputation will be ruined today!" cried Quan Guanqing, lying on the ground.
Hearing this, Chen and Song hesitated no longer, grabbing their weapons and joining the fight.
The Beggar Sect's Four Elders, regarded as martial experts, rarely needed to join forces. Yet even with all four attacking, Chu Yang maintained an overwhelming advantage.
The issue was, despite so many martial artists present, no one recognized Chu Yang—a scholarly figure with such formidable skill.
Rumors about him were nonexistent. Judging by his appearance, he wasn't foreign, yet he looked so young.
Amidst the chaos, the spectators grew increasingly curious about Chu Yang's identity.
Mu Nianci, observing the fight, whispered to Huang Rong, "Chu brother could've defeated them long ago. Why is he holding back?"
Huang Rong chuckled softly. "He usually avoids sparring martial arts from the Nine Yin Manual with us, afraid of hurting us. Now that he has these 'sandbags,' of course, he's taking his time."
"Oh…" Mu Nianci suddenly understood, realizing Chu Yang was using the Beggar Sect Elders to test the techniques from the Nine Yin Manual. Her gaze toward them turned pitying.
Chu Yang's elusive movements flitted between the four elders. Over time, even Wu Changfeng understood Chu Yang's intentions.
The strong sense of humiliation hit them hard.
Meanwhile, as the Hero Assembly at Ju Xian Manor was about to commence, more and more martial artists arrived, only to be drawn outside by the spectacle of Chu Yang fighting the Beggar Sect elders. The vast Ju Xian Manor remained empty.
Inside the manor, the You brothers, You Ji and You Ju, exchanged bewildered looks, seeing no one.
"Brother, did we get the date wrong?"
"Nonsense! You might mistake the date, but would the hundreds of people here all do the same?"
The brothers fell silent. If the date wasn't wrong, it meant no one came.
"Master You, trouble outside!" The steward ran into the hall in a panic.
You Ji frowned. First, no one came to the assembly. Now someone dared to cause trouble in their territory. Had their reputation faded?
"Who's causing trouble outside?"
"It started as a clash between Beggar Sect's Chen, Wu, Song, and Xi elders and a young scholar. Details are unclear, but I heard the newly promoted Elder Quan was disrespectful and had his martial arts crippled by the scholar."
"What? Over mere words, he crippled someone? That's too domineering—this scholar doesn't seem righteous."
"That's what I thought too, Master. However, despite the four elders being renowned, they couldn't defeat the scholar even when they joined forces. Like Elder Quan, they were ultimately crippled."
"What?! The four elders' martial arts were crippled?" You Ji and You Ju exclaimed simultaneously.
The butler gave a bitter smile and said, "Master, the four elders—Chen, Wu, Song, and Xi—three of them were severely injured and lost all their martial arts abilities. Only Elder Wu Changfeng's condition is slightly better."
The brothers You Ji and You Ju gasped sharply and asked in unison, "Was Qiao Feng here?"
The butler hurriedly shook his head.
You Ju spoke in a deep voice, "What a formidable expert! Brother, those four elders are no pushovers, not to mention they fought together. Yet three of them had their martial arts abolished."
You Ji nodded, marveling, "How ruthless!"
Then he asked, "You just mentioned that Master Xuannan also fought against that scholar. What happened?"
The butler responded with a fearful expression, "The two masters were no match for him. They were captured by the scholar, who knocked them on the head with a monk's staff, just like a temple monk striking a wooden fish. It was utterly humiliating."
"Later, Master and Madam Tan, along with Zhao Qian and Sun, arrived to help the masters escape."
You Ji broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this and asked, "The two masters are even more skilled than the four elders. Adding Master and Madam Tan and the three seniors Zhao, Qian, and Sun, they should've been able to defeat him."
The butler said miserably, "The two masters and the three seniors also had their martial arts abolished by that scholar!"
Another one had their martial arts abolished!
Who was this demon, acting so rampantly?
The You brothers trembled from head to toe, cold sweat soaking their backs.
The martial artists invited to the gathering didn't even step through the doors of Ju Xian Manor. They all had their martial arts abolished outside the estate. If word got out, it would become a laughingstock in the martial world for decades!
You Ju froze for a moment before suddenly grabbing onto a sliver of hope. "What about Master Shan and his son?"
The butler shook his head. "Master Shan Zheng didn't fight the scholar..."
In the martial world, Shan Zheng, known as the "Iron-faced Judge," was a key figure in revealing Qiao Feng's Khitan origins at Xingzi Forest. His five sons were collectively known as the Five Tigers of the Shan Family.
You Ju finally let out a breath. "That's good. At least the Shan family is safe."
"But something did happen!" The butler explained with a sobbing tone, "Although Master Shan didn't engage with the scholar, his sons fought against a little girl accompanying the scholar. They also had their martial arts abolished."
"Master Shan, overwhelmed with grief, vomited blood and fainted."
You Ji closed his eyes, utterly despairing. This was it—how could they even hold a so-called Heroes' Assembly when all the 'heroes' had been rendered powerless?
Seeing the butler hesitate as if he still had something to say, You Ju's heart sank. He roared, "Out with it! At this point, what's there to be afraid of?!"
The butler trembled and whispered, "During their fight with the scholar, Master and Madam Tan accidentally hit Miracle Doctor Xue with a hidden weapon while he was spectating..."
You Ji snapped his eyes open and glared. "What happened to Miracle Doctor Xue?!"
The butler, not daring to breathe too loudly, continued in a low voice, "Miracle Doctor Xue died on the spot..."
You Ji's face turned ashen. The reason this Heroes' Assembly could even happen was not solely due to the influence of the You brothers but also because of the fame of Xue Muhua, known as the 'Enemy of the King of Hell.'
As the saying goes, "Drifting through the martial world, how can one avoid injury?" No matter one's rank or skill, a severe injury meant seeking Miracle Doctor Xue for survival.
But now? Sigh…
The 'Enemy of the King of Hell' had encountered the real King of Hell.
Xue Muhua's death would inevitably bring blame to Ju Xian Manor. The You brothers would become the target of criticism from countless martial artists, regardless of right or wrong, as people sought someone to vent their anger on.
Thinking of this, You Ji's limbs went numb, and his body turned ice-cold. Blood surged within him.
Pfft!
He suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fainted on the spot.
"Brother!!!"
You Ju cried out, catching the unconscious You Ji.
Moments later, Qiao Feng arrived at Ju Xian Manor, carrying the severely injured Ah Zhu, whom he had accidentally hurt at Mount Shaoshi. He was here to seek Miracle Doctor Xue to save Ah Zhu's life.
Qiao Feng knew the Heroes' Assembly here was meant to deal with him. However, to save Ah Zhu, he could no longer care about such things and decided to face the danger head-on.
Carrying Ah Zhu, Qiao Feng ascended the steps to Ju Xian Manor.