Chapter 41: One After Another

Today's breakfast was very simple: steamed stuffed buns, white congee, and two small dishes of pickled vegetables. Elder Xu was advanced in years and could not eat much anyway; a large portion of the food had been prepared specifically to accommodate Zhang Fang.

Over the meal, Elder Xu quite naturally brought up matters concerning Zhang Fang's two main quests.

It seemed that the Samsara Tower was using the persona of this plot character, Elder Xu, to reiterate the key points of those two main quests. As the old man spoke, many quest details that had originally remained buried deep within Zhang Fang's memory surfaced in his mind one by one.

First was the upcoming competition for the leadership of the sect. Elder Xu placed special emphasis on the formidable nature of Zhang Fang's opponent.

The fellow named Yan Shanhe possessed strength said to be extraordinarily potent, surpassing even that of any current elder in the Beggars' Sect. Exactly how high his martial arts level was remained unknown to anyone, as Yan Shanhe himself rarely made a move. In most cases, it was sufficient for his two personal bodyguards, Yan Qingyun and Yan Caixia, to act in order to settle any trouble.

In the previous year, Yan Qingyun and Yan Caixia had easily defeated Bao Butong and Feng Bo'e, the two primary retainers under the Southern Murong, causing everyone to look upon the strength of this pair with newfound respect.

According to Elder Xu's description, this Yan Shanhe should also be a young man under the age of thirty, possessing a graceful and dashing demeanor, much like a young gentleman of wealth and status. However, no one had ever truly seen his appearance, because this man, along with his two bodyguards Yan Qingyun and Yan Caixia, habitually wore masks and veils in public, never showing their true faces to others.

Originally, for a fellow who hid his head and tail in such a manner to contend for the position of sect leader, the elders of the main sect would have been well within their rights to raise objections. Yet, as fate would have it, these very people had first brought forth You Tanzhi—someone who was likewise fond of wearing a mask in public—leaving them with no grounds to criticize Yan Shanhe, a situation that caused a great deal of helpless frustration.

In response, Zhang Fang remained unconcerned and stated, "Elder Xu need not worry. As for how to deal with that Yan Shanhe, this junior has matters well in hand. Furthermore, although I have worn a mask for years, it is not because my true appearance is unfit to be seen by others; rather, it is simply because my youth is so tender that I fear my face might fail to command respect. Since Yan Shanhe does the same, it likely only serves to prove that there is something questionable about his identity."

Elder Xu had originally intended to warn him against taking the enemy lightly, but reflecting on how You Tanzhi had handled every problem with utmost reliability over the past year and more since coming to the Beggars' Sect, he decided not to dwell further on the matter. Following this, the conversation shifted, turning to the martial arts assembly scheduled to be held at Shaolin Temple a month later.

Speaking of this upcoming Shaolin Temple martial arts assembly, it could well be described as a continuation of that fateful gathering at Julux庄.

Back at Julux庄, although Zhang Fang had temporarily defused the crisis through various maneuvers, he had failed to discover the murderer who killed Ma Dayuan, the couple Qiao Sanhuai, and Master Xuanhu, meaning the root cause of the conflict still remained. Afterward, news continued to spread across the pugilistic world that the martial arts veterans who had participated in the Yanmen Pass battle years ago were being murdered one after another: Dan Zheng, Old Man Tan, Granny Tan, Zhao Qiansun, and Master Zhiguang—not a single one had been spared.

Consequently, the two supreme factions of the pugilistic world, Shaolin and the Beggars' Sect, held a high-level meeting, vowing to investigate this series of martial arts tragedies with all their might, unmask the true culprit, and restore peace to the martial world. They agreed to hold another martial arts assembly on the upcoming Laba Festival, inviting heroes from the Central Plains to attend together, at which point Shaolin and the Beggars' Sect would make the results of their respective investigations public.

However, more than a year had passed, and the investigation on the Beggars' Sect's side had made zero progress. With only a month remaining until the heroes' assembly, Elder Xu was so anxious that he was starting to lose his hair.

Hearing this, Zhang Fang offered sensible and comforting words, "Elder Xu need not fret. If our side has made no progress in the investigation, could it be that the Shaolin side will somehow manage to uncover the truth? Trust me, Abbot Xuanci's head is surely even more bald than yours, Elder."

"Besides, should I happen to lose the competition for the leadership, then you, Elder, won't need to worry about this matter at all; the person who should be worrying would be Yan Shanhe."

"Thinking of it this way, don't you feel your mood has brightened considerably?"

Elder Xu: ……

Elder Xu covered his face with his hand, finding there were simply too many absurd points to even know where to begin complaining. After falling silent for a full two seconds, he finally let out a helpless sigh and said, "Hearing you put it like that makes this old man even more worried!"

……

Amidst their conversation, a disciple suddenly burst in to report, "Elder Xu! Elder You! Something has happened! The parties led by Elder Wu and Elder Chen were ambushed on their way back from handling affairs. Elder Wu and more than a dozen brothers fell victim to the villains' schemes, and their condition is now extremely critical. Elder Chen has brought them back and settled them in their quarters, and specifically dispatched this disciple to inform the two elders."

Hearing this, Zhang Fang and Elder Xu were startled in unison and sprang to their feet. The former casually pulled down the black iron mask that had been resting atop his head, covering his entire face, and spoke up, "Lead the way."

The main steering headquarters of the Beggars' Sect in Luoyang was built on a small hillside twenty li outside the city, where a large gathering of Beggars' Sect disciples had formed a village of considerable scale.

Elder Wu and the others had been assigned to a residential area within this complex. While the environment could not be called luxurious, it was clean and well-kept, entirely different from the dirty, chaotic beggar's nest Zhang Fang had anticipated.

When Zhang Fang and Elder Xu hurried to the scene, Elder Wu and more than a dozen Beggars' Sect disciples were already unconscious. Looking closely, one could see that their complexions were darkened, their eye sockets deeply sunken, giving them an appearance of extreme exhaustion.

Zhang Fang seized Elder Wu's pulse gate at the very first moment. Although he was not well-versed in medicine, the unique advantages afforded by the *Longevity Sacred Qi* allowed him to channel his internal qi into the bodies of the injured and briefly investigate their physical condition.

As the *Longevity Sacred Qi* entered his body, Zhang Fang immediately sensed that an exceptionally potent toxin was eroding Elder Wu's vitality.

If this were allowed to continue unchecked, this martial arts adept among the Beggars' Sect elders would likely lose his life within a single incense stick of time!

At this moment, Elder Chen, who had followed closely beside them, recounted the general course of their ambush in response to Elder Xu's inquiries.

As it turned out, on their way back from handling sect business, they spotted a young maiden in purple roasting fish by the lakeside. Although the girl appeared frail and slender, she was roasting six or seven large carp.

Noticing that she clearly had prepared food far exceeding her own capacity for consumption, a few Beggars' Sect disciples had approached her, intending to employ the sect's traditional skill of "begging" to secure a share of the meal.

Consequently, no sooner had they approached the purple-clad maiden than they collapsed to the ground, poisoned one after another.

Anxious to save his men, Elder Wu attempted to step forward and ended up falling victim to her tricks as well. Realizing that the purple-robed girl was terrifyingly proficient with poisons, Elder Chen dared not show the slightest carelessness and immediately ordered the remaining Beggars' Sect disciples to form a formation to surround her.

His original intention was to capture the opponent and force her to hand over the antidote.

To his astonishment, the purple-clad maiden's lightness kung fu was shockingly high. Not only did the formation formed by the group of Beggars' Sect disciples fail to trap her, but after she used poisonous powder to knock down another seven or eight of their brothers, she floated away unhindered.

Elder Chen attempted to give chase, but found himself unable to catch up to her.

Seeing that the purple-robed girl had vanished into the woods, and fearing further ambush, Elder Chen chose not to press forward rashly, opting instead to bring the poisoned Elder Wu and the others back to the main headquarters for treatment.

Hearing this, Elder Xu furrowed his brow and pursued the questioning, "Elder Chen, could it be that even you are helpless against the poison afflicting Elder Wu and the others?"

This Elder Chen's given name was Chen Guyan, bearing the moniker "Long-armed Elder." His mastery of the *Pounding-the-Arm Boxing* was far superior to that of Tian Meng from Julux庄, and at the same time, this man was an accomplished expert in the use of poisons. Previously at Apricot Forest, he had nearly caused Feng Bo'e's immediate death using a single poisonous scorpion. Since those skilled in using poisons were usually skilled in detoxifying them as well, Elder Xu posed this question.

Upon hearing this, Elder Chen's aged face flushed red as he shook his head helplessly and said, "That little girl's poison is exceptionally bizarre; I have never laid eyes on it before, so how could I possibly have any solution?"

"Elder Chen has done the right thing!" At this point, Zhang Fang had already lifted Elder Wu into a sitting position, cross-legged behind him, while simultaneously channeling the *Longevity Sacred Qi* into his body as he spoke. "The poison afflicting Elder Wu is extremely potent. If it is not treated promptly, I fear his life will be in mortal peril."

"Fortunately, the internal martial art this junior practices is rather unique, allowing it to temporarily suppress the toxicity within their bodies, but this is not a long-term solution."

"Elder Xu, I must trouble you to immediately dispatch men to search the vicinity of Luoyang city for the traces of Uncle Xue. Once found, invite him to the headquarters without delay. Until Uncle Xue is found, I will use my internal qi to sustain their lives!"

Unlike the modest and amiable demeanor he had previously displayed, when confronted with major crises, Zhang Fang very naturally transitioned into his future-sect-leader persona, becoming the backbone and pillar of strength for everyone present.