The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 462 Mysterious Force
There are only a few martial arts forces in The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Shaolin Temple is closed off, and the founders of martial arts sects like Emei were still minors. Other sects like Wudang, Kunlun, and Kongtong have not appeared.

Besides the Quanzhen Sect, the largest power in the north, there are also second-rate figures like Sha Tongtian who lead the Yellow River Gang, and the Iron Palm Gang, which has already been destroyed by Wu Chengyu. He thought and thought, but he couldn't think of any other gangs or forces in this world.

Those who dare to challenge the Beggars' Sect must not be some small force, nor should they be some newly risen gang.

Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, has no interest in being the leader of a gang. It's not like the Western Poison's White Camel Mountain has moved to Jiangnan. Last time, Ouyang Feng ran away very quickly, knowing that he had offended Hong Qigong and the Beggars' Clan to the death. He probably wouldn't dare to enter the Beggars' Clan's territory again for a while.

Wu Chengyu is now very excited, as if he has found a new toy.

"Tell me more about it. The fact that Hong Qigong sent someone to contact you means that he doesn't have enough skilled men under his command, or that his men have suffered losses. This is quite unusual."

"I don't know the specifics, but when Master Qi was purging traitors, Zhou Quan, the leader of the Hangzhou branch, was also the ringleader. Who would have thought that before he could be arrested, Zhou Quan would disappear first."

When they later investigated his whereabouts, the Beggars' Sect suddenly discovered that this guy was actually a spy infiltrated into the Beggars' Sect by another gang. On the surface, he worked for the Clean Clothes Faction, but in reality, he was an important figure in another gang.

We only realized that Zhou Quan's martial arts skills were extremely high when he was injured by the Dirty Clothes Sect elders who were in charge of investigating him; he was at most a second-rate figure before.

After that, a group of people of unknown origin gradually appeared in the Hubei area. They were few in number but had excellent martial arts skills. Moreover, they were very slippery and could shake off anyone who tried to catch them.

Later, when Qi Gong Teng took action to deal with them, several experts suddenly appeared. Even with their combined efforts, Qi Gong Teng could only defeat them, but they still managed to escape.

Now that they have taken over several branch strongholds in Hubei, the Beggars' Clan has temporarily lost control of this area. Seven Masters has ordered the gathering of experts from various branch strongholds to go to Hubei.

"Brother, Master Qi is, after all, my master, and the person who has been the kindest to me besides Grandpa and my brother. I want to help him."

Wu Chengyu nodded. It was true that A-Ku couldn't stand idly by when the Beggars' Sect was in trouble, but more importantly, Wu Chengyu also wanted to get involved.

And then there was Zhou Quan. I knew he was no ordinary person. He was shrewd and good at acting. Wu Chengyu knew he had a problem, but he couldn't find any evidence against him.

At the time, A-Ku's incident happened in Hangzhou, and now it seems that it was all a well-thought-out plan. This person's cunning is truly extraordinary.

Only now do I realize that this guy was actually a double agent, a real character like Yu Zecheng. Everyone underestimated him.

More importantly, the elders of the Beggars' Sect are generally top-notch masters. Anyone who can defeat an elder of the Beggars' Sect must be at least top-notch. Even Wu Chengyu didn't realize that this guy's martial arts were so powerful.

This person came from another gang and even rose to the position of branch leader in the Beggars' Sect. Wu Chengyu's interest in him increased greatly, and he became even more interested in the gang behind him.

During his time on Xishan Island, he watched the craftsmen and laborers busy with construction, and the instructors training their troops. He himself would occasionally come out to give speeches, acting as an instructor and political commissar, using his persuasive skills to instill loyalty in these young men. Over time, the scenery of Taihu Lake became less appealing.

“Alright, but I’m not comfortable leaving you alone. Hong Qigong has taken care of you for many years. I’ll go with you to meet this gang and have some fun.”

Wu Chengyu decided to leave without hesitation. This time, he didn't want to bring the Beiwei Army with him anymore. With these people around, the momentum was too great, and they didn't feel like they were adventuring in the martial world. They were more like tyrants.

The trip consisted of only Wu Chengyu and Aku. After leaving Taihu Lake, they immediately reverted to their true forms.

A-Ku beamed with joy at his appearance and grabbed her brother's hand tightly. Even though they were close before, she still felt a little uncomfortable seeing another face. Now, it suited her perfectly. Ever since she started practicing martial arts, she had been thinking about adventuring in the martial world with her brother.

The two embarked on their journey to Hubei once again, traveling south by boat. This time, the Beggars' Sect agreed to meet in Hankou. After more than a month of travel, they finally arrived at their destination.

The Beggars' Sect branch here has been taken over by that mysterious gang. Following the Beggars' Sect's markings, Ah Ku found the current gathering place of the Beggars' Sect, a warehouse near the Hankou Wharf, which is usually used to temporarily store goods.

When the brother and sister found the place, there were already thirty or forty beggars gathered in the warehouse. When they saw A-Ku, they all stood up and bowed. Only a few old beggars sitting against the wall of the warehouse did not move, but they were also very happy when they saw A-Ku.

This was also the first time Wu Chengyu hadn't attracted much attention since he used his true appearance. There was nothing he could do; these were all beggars, and if they looked at him too much, he would feel uncomfortable. Or perhaps, in the eyes of these beggars, a pretty boy like him would definitely not be well-received.

This also proves A-Ku's status in the Beggars' Sect. The older generation of elders think highly of her, and the people below also respect her greatly. Wu Chengyu vaguely felt that Huang Rong had no chance of becoming the future leader of the Beggars' Sect.

Hong Qigong's personal disciple, with exceptional talent, has become a first-class martial artist in just a few years. Despite her naive and innocent appearance while serving as Wu Chengyu, she demonstrated extraordinary abilities when she was an inspector, uncovering the betrayal of the Clean Clothes Sect.

Therefore, everyone in the Beggars' Sect now considers Ah Ku to be the only candidate for the next leader.
When Hong Qigong took A Ku away, he promised that he would only take A Ku as a disciple and would not bring A Ku into the Beggars' Clan. Now it seems that the old beggar has broken his promise.

"Elders, this is my brother. He came here specifically to help. Where is Master?"

The elders glanced at Wu Chengyu and immediately clasped their hands in greeting. They knew that it was Wu Chengyu who had led the rescue of Hong Qigong; otherwise, the Beggars' Clan might have been overthrown. Therefore, they still had to show proper courtesy.

"We have met Young Master Wu. Our Beggars' Sect will repay your kindness in the past."

Wu Chengyu returned the greeting with a bow, but after a few perfunctory words, he fell silent. Apart from A-Ku, the only people he knew in the entire Beggars' Sect were Hong Qigong and Lu Youjiao, but unfortunately, neither of them were present at the moment.

Of course, if Lu Youjiao were here, given their incompatible personalities, they might have started arguing again.

"Where is Master? I rushed over as soon as I received the summons. Why isn't Master here?" An elder replied, "The gang leader should have arrived by now, but he said yesterday that he wanted to eat Hankou shaomai. You know, he can't enjoy anything without eating this."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chengyu curled his lip. Even though the Beggars' Sect had lost several branches in Hubei, this old beggar still couldn't forget about food.

Ah Ku was also helpless about her master's preferences. She also loved to eat. It seemed that people who had been beggars could never forget food in their lives, but there were really not many people as greedy as Hong Qigong.

"How many people can we gather this time? I heard that the gang that has emerged this time is not simple. Although the number of people is not large, their kung fu is very good."

"As agreed, tomorrow is the deadline. Those who cannot arrive by tomorrow will not be waited for. There are now more than a hundred people gathered here, all of whom are experts from the main headquarters and various branch headquarters."

With Chief Hong in charge and us elders around, and your martial arts skills far surpassing ours, young lady, we can handle any gang that comes our way.

An elder chimed in, "We still shouldn't be careless. According to the information we've gathered recently, these experts should be from the south. Although their numbers are small, Zhou Quan is not the only spies they've planted in our Beggars' Sect."

If it weren't for the rebellion of the Clean Clothes Faction, and since those spies were all members of the Clean Clothes Faction, we might not even know these spies existed.

These spies have been in the Beggars' Sect for quite some time. They've all outwardly claimed to have contributed and even shed blood for the sect, indicating that this sect has been eyeing our Beggars' Sect for a long time. At the very least, they know a great deal about our people.

As they were talking, Hong Qigong finally returned, his mouth full of grease, followed by Lu Youjiao, who, besides having feet, was also holding two black dogs in his hands.

"My good disciple, you're here. What do you think of these two dogs? As the saying goes, 'One black, two yellow, three spotted, four white.' Dogs should be pure black. Look how fat they are. You're the best at cooking meat here. Can you help me stew a dog meat hot pot?"

"Alright, Master, you wait here." A-Ku took the dog from Lu Youjiao's hands and skipped away.

Hong Qigong seemed to only just notice Wu Chengyu: "Young Wu, what brings you here? Are you here to laugh at my Beggars' Sect?"

"I'm too lazy to watch the jokes. I'll just accompany my sister for a stroll. But what's wrong with you, Old Beggar? I just rescued you from Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren half a year ago. I heard you've suffered another setback this time?"
If a few people working together could escape from you, then those people are probably not just top-tier experts.

"See, I told you you came here to laugh at us. Our Beggars' Sect is having a run of bad luck. We just quelled a rebellion, and now another group of outlaws has emerged."

I still don't know where these guys came from, and they've been plotting against my Beggars' Sect for a long time.

"You don't recognize their martial arts styles?"

"The styles are very diverse, and it is clear that they do not come from the same lineage. Moreover, these martial arts are not simple. If an ordinary martial artist could master one of them, he would definitely be a hero in his own right, and it would be impossible for him to remain unknown."

That day, a total of six or seven people attacked me at the same time. Two of them were no less skilled than Qiu Qianren, and the other four were far from being ordinary first-rate masters.

However, one of them did have a martial arts style somewhat similar to someone I knew, but once we exchanged blows, I realized the underlying principles were quite different.

"What kind of martial art is it? Tell me about it."

"Very well, since you are willing to lend a hand, I, Hong Qigong, am not ungrateful. I will accept your kindness."

This person's martial arts were actually able to deflect my palm strike, which is similar to a friend I met before. His martial arts was called "Shifting Stars and Changing Positions," a signature skill of a martial arts family a hundred years ago, and it could be considered a unique skill in the world.

However, this person's whereabouts are mysterious, and I don't know what kind of conspiracy he is secretly plotting. The things he does are shocking to the world, but he has disappeared without a trace over the years. I still don't know whether he is friend or foe.

Young Wu, if you ever encounter someone surnamed Murong, who is about ten years older than you, and who can deflect other people's palm strikes or moves with a single move, be very careful.

In my estimation, his martial arts skills are definitely no less than yours. After all, Huang Yaoshi, the Old Poison Master, and I are all getting old. In my opinion, in the future, the only one in the martial arts world who can rival you is this person.

Wu Chengyu was speechless. The Murong family had a terrible reputation. Even though Hong Qigong judged from the way he attacked that the person who killed Shi Miyuan was the descendant of the Murong family he believed to be the one, he still thought that the person had ulterior motives.

"You said it can transfer the force of a palm strike, that's quite amazing, why don't you tell me more about it?"

"The Murong family's 'Star Shift' technique can use an invisible force to return the opponent's palm strike, especially palm strikes from a distance, or it can control the opponent's weapon or fists and feet, but in general, it operates from a distance."

As for the person he encountered earlier, his method was more like using his own Yin-Yang power to change the opponent's attack; if the opponent couldn't withstand it, the attack would be transferred to his feet.

In terms of simply transferring force, it's inferior to the Shifting Stars technique. However, in terms of mastery over the changes of Yin and Yang, it surpasses even the Shifting Stars technique. I believe it's because the opponent's skill hasn't been fully developed, forcing them to transfer the unbearable force of the palm strike to the ground.

Wu Chengyu finally realized who was causing trouble for the Beggars' Clan this time. In the world of Jin Yong's martial arts novels, there seems to be only one martial art similar to the "Shifting Stars" technique, except for the essence of Zhang Sanfeng's Tai Chi Chuan, which can deflect a thousand pounds with four ounces of force, a hundred years later.

And a force possessing such skills is indeed qualified to challenge the Beggars' Sect.

(End of this chapter)