The Legend of the Condor Heroes: I became one of the Five Great Masters by drawing cards

Chapter 218 Femme Fatale
"Later, the Liao man carved a few lines of words on the rock wall of the mountain, then picked up his deceased wife and baby and jumped into the abyss."

By that time, Xiao Yuanshan had killed most of the leader and Master Zhiguang's group, and had subdued the rest. However, he jumped off a cliff and committed suicide at this moment, which was unexpected to everyone.

Master Zhiguang told the whole story in one breath, but when it came to the content of the inscription on the stone wall, he refused to tell anyone.

"My friends, it's not that I'm deliberately concealing something, but if the writing on the wall is indeed the truth, I'm afraid it will tarnish the reputation of the leader and Boss Wang."

Gu Ping'an shook his head slightly and interrupted.

"Master, your words are wrong. You must understand that right and wrong are not judged by humans. If you act in a way that is unworthy of heaven and earth, how can you sleep peacefully every night, no matter how good your reputation is?"

Master Zhiguang looked ashamed and sighed continuously, but he still gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Qiao Feng didn't dwell on the words on the stone wall. His face turned pale and he asked in a trembling voice, "Master Zhiguang, may I ask about the baby that the Liao people threw up?"

"Since you have guessed it, there is no need for me to hide it."

Master Zhiguang nodded slightly, his face showing even more guilt.

"Yes, we later brought you back to the Central Plains and entrusted you to a family named Qiao at the foot of Mount Shaoshi. You know everything that happened afterwards."

Qiao Feng felt as if he had been hit hard on the head. He staggered and almost fell.

He has always considered himself a Han Chinese and has a deep blood feud with the Khitans. How could he remain calm when he suddenly learned of his identity?

The apricot forest fell silent again. After a long while, Elder Xu could not help but speak.

"Boss Qiao, this is the letter that the former leader wrote to Boss Wang, as well as Boss Wang's handwriting. You might want to take a look at it yourself."

Today, Qiao Feng had to rely on Gu Ping'an's help several times, and he had even heard him say before, "Even though Qiao Feng is a Khitan, he is still his sworn brother."

At this moment, Elder Xu handed him two letters, but he did not take them. Instead, he could not help but turned to look at Gu Ping'an.

Although there was no smile on Gu Ping'an's face, his eyes were full of concern. Seeing him looking at him, he nodded slightly.

"Don't worry, big brother. Whether you are Han or Khitan, our sworn brotherhood must stand."

"Brothers!"

Qiao Feng's eyes were filled with tears, and he was deeply moved. He turned to the Beggars' Sect and said.

"Qiao previously did not know his origins, but now, with the advice of all the elders, I must abdicate the position of leader of the Beggars' Sect and let someone more capable take over."

As he spoke, he reached into the outer pocket of his trousers, pulled out a dog-beating stick, raised his hands high, and spoke loudly.

"In the past, Gang Leader Wang valued me so much that he gave me the Dog Beating Stick as a token of his loyalty. Now, I, Qiao, am stepping down. Anyone willing to take on this role, please come and accept it!"

Although the Beggars' Sect is powerful now, no one can compare with him. Even if someone present has the intention to do so, no one dares to stand up.

Qiao Feng asked three times in a row, but no one dared to answer. Among the four elders, Song and Xi looked at each other and suddenly stepped out.

"Boss Qiao is a peerless hero, chivalrous and benevolent. No one in our gang can match him. If you want to change the leader, I, Song, will not accept it!"

"That's right!" Elder Xi also said loudly, "Boss Qiao was willing to die for us and forgive our sin of betrayal. How many people in the world can compare to him in such righteousness?"

With Qiao Feng's prestige in the Beggars' Sect, even if his background was revealed, he still had countless followers.

The two elders took the lead, followed by Elder Wu and the leaders of the three branch gangs, Daren, Dayi, and Daxin. Elder Wu said, "Boss Qiao has never done evil in his life. What's wrong with him continuing to be our leader?"

Seeing that more and more people are standing up, if this situation is not handled properly, I am afraid that such a big Beggar Gang will be split into two today.

Qiao Feng was anxious and was about to speak when suddenly a woman's voice sounded. It was Kang Min, who had been so obedient.

"My dear uncles, my late husband has unfortunately passed away. It's difficult to say for sure who committed the murder. But I believe he was always honest and sincere, not good at speaking, and had no enemies in the martial arts world. I simply cannot imagine why someone would want to take his life."

Seeing that the voices supporting Qiao Feng were growing louder and louder, she finally couldn't help it.

"As the saying goes, 'A slow concealment encourages thieves.' Could it be that my late husband held something important, and someone was afraid he might leak the secret and ruin things, so they wanted to kill him to silence him?"

Although these words did not mention Qiao Feng at all, they undoubtedly pointed the finger at him, accusing him of killing Ma Dayuan in order to conceal the evidence that he was a Khitan.

Qiao Feng turned to look at her and was about to speak, but he saw her kneeling down first and kowtow to him.

"As a woman, I shouldn't be seen in public, let alone accusing others of crimes. My late husband died unjustly, and I beg you to investigate the truth and avenge him."

These words were addressed to Elder Xu and the others, but he kowtowed to Qiao Feng. The smell of tea made Gu Ping'an frown.

"Everyone can understand what Madam Ma means. There's no need to be so pretentious. Besides, your statement is too flawed."

Gu Pingan interrupted, speaking in a calm tone.

"This suicide note from Deputy Gang Leader Ma has never been opened before, and Elder Xu saw with his own eyes that the wax seal was intact. So, may I ask, how could my eldest brother know that Deputy Gang Leader Ma knew his background? If he didn't know, how did the charges of harboring and aiding thieves, and murdering and silencing him come from?"

Kang Min's expression darkened, but she was prepared for this and immediately said.

"Since you are a member of the Qiao Gang, it's only natural for you to defend him. Actually, I had the same thoughts at first, but one night before I received the news of my late husband's death, someone suddenly broke into my house and stole."

"Oh? Did the thief steal anything?"

"The thief used poisonous smoke to knock me and two servants unconscious. We searched everywhere, but fortunately my late husband's suicide note was hidden so well that the thief couldn't find it. He had no choice but to steal ten or so taels of silver to cover up his mistake."

As Kang Min spoke, she seemed to think of her late husband again. She felt sad and was about to cry.

"The next day, I received the tragic news of my late husband's misfortune. Naturally, I had no time to think about the thief stealing the silver."

She was still talking in the same way over tea, but there was something else behind her words, Gu Ping'an said again.

"Madam, just say what you mean. Why beat around the bush? You mean to say that my eldest brother learned about the suicide note from somewhere else and came here specifically to steal it, right?"

Kang Min had cursed him countless times in her heart, but she still spoke timidly.

"I have only revealed everything I know, without hinting at anyone. If that is your understanding, then this is the most reasonable possibility."

"That's strange."

Gu Ping'an sneered and spoke slowly.

"This thief originally went to steal the will, but before he even got the thing, how could he not hold back and kill the person first?"

(End of this chapter)