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

Chapter 483 The aftermath
As long as there are no traitors deliberately concealing intelligence, the Beggars' Sect's ability to gather information is indeed remarkable. The most capable disciples in Hubei are all injured, but the old and young beggars who rely on the Beggars' Sect for a living, despite their lack of combat strength, still have sharp eyes and ears.

Although the Ming Cult members withdrew in batches and changed their appearance, their numbers were too large and they were all carrying weapons, so they could not hide from the Beggar Clan's spies who were spread across most of the world.

On that day, Hong Qigong was still eating. This time it was Ah Ku's best braised pig ears, a whole pot of them.

After the pig ears are braised and cooled, slice them thinly with a small knife, then bake a small cake with a crispy crust. Cut the cake in half, stuff it with layers of pig ears, and sandwich it in. When you bite into it, you'll experience layer after layer of crispiness. The texture is excellent, leaving a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth, and it's not too greasy.

Hong Qigong ate with a beaming smile, while A-Ku looked worried on the side.

"Master, did my brother really leave with the Ming Cult? Is he in danger? Who knows how long he'll be gone this time? Really."

Hong Qigong chewed slowly, finally swallowing with difficulty: "Don't worry, your brother's martial arts have surpassed mine. He's also cunning and full of bad ideas. I really can't think of anyone in the world who can deal with him."

On the contrary, if he were to secretly cause trouble for someone, that person would be extremely unlucky. I reckon the Ming Cult would be thrown into chaos by him. Just wait and see what a show it is.”

After saying that, he turned to look at Lu Youjiao: "I heard you say that you found several of Zhou Quan's trusted confidants and that you are now on your way to catch up with the main force of the Ming Cult. Has this news already been passed on to the young man from the Wu family?"

"Reporting to the leader, the Ming Cult members have been traveling westward from Hubei, and it seems they intend to return to Kunlun Mountain via Sichuan and Chongqing."

That small group of Zhou Quan's trusted confidants, who had narrowly escaped our encirclement, are also heading west. I have already sent a message to the Wu family boy by carrier pigeon.

These people were all originally members of our Beggars' Sect. In my opinion, we must capture these traitors to uphold the sect's rules. I doubt the Ming Cult would dare say anything then.

Hong Qigong ate another pig's ear sandwich, shaking his head as he ate.

"Since the Wu family brat says these people are useful to him, let's give them to him. There are only six or seven of them. If they fall into his hands, it might be worse than if they were brought back to our Beggars' Sect."

This kid will definitely make trouble for these people, who knows what kind of schemes he'll pull. The Ming Cult members are in for a rough time.

The most urgent task now is to properly settle the injured disciples and reorganize the branch sects. Our Beggars' Sect has suffered heavy losses this year and can only recuperate.

As for the Ming Cult, let's leave it to that kid. Anyone he targets is bound to be in trouble; we can't afford to worry about them now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chencang, later renamed Baoji, was a place where Wu Chengyu would buy a roast chicken every time he passed through by train. Over time, he actually came to regard it as a city famous for its roast chicken. Little did he know that before the name change, this was the starting point for Liu Bang to unify the country.

The plank road in Chencang belongs to the Qin plank road. The Ming Cult members traveled westward from Hubei, intending to enter Sichuan and Chongqing from here, and then change their route back to Bright Peak.

It is still one of the most overlooked elements in martial arts novels, especially in the world of Jin Yong's martial arts novels, where people often besiege Bright Peak.

The furthest Shaolin Temple is in Henan. It's a long and arduous journey there. If a monk accidentally breaks the precept against lust, he could be a father by the time he reaches Bright Peak.

The Ming Cult group traveled for several months before finally arriving in Chencang from Hubei. They numbered seven or eight hundred people in total, divided into ten groups. However, since seventy or eighty people traveled together, they were quickly placed under surveillance by the Beggars' Sect.

Jimingzhai is a village before entering the ancient plank road. With the plank road, there will be people coming and going. As the number of people increases, the demand also increases. Over the years, this village has been built against the mountain and has become larger and larger, somewhat like a three-dimensional town.

The passersby were not so particular. There were no large inns here, only many roadside inns. In recent days, the largest roadside inns have been booked out.

The Ming Cult members left in batches, some in front and some behind, agreeing to meet at Jiming Village. Once everyone was gathered, they would enter Sichuan together. Today was the last day before their departure.

The inn was known for its affordable and filling food. In the largest hall, Yang Xu sat at the central table. He took a bite of a sesame seed cake rolled with half a pound of meat, then picked up a large bowl and drank the liquor in it in one gulp.

Yang Xu also approved of the Ming Cult's plan to leave Bright Peak and try to annex the Beggars' Sect. Unlike Nangong Luan, he didn't constantly talk about his grand ambitions, but he also fantasized about raising the flag of rebellion after replacing Nangong Luan. The Ming Cult's rebellious genes were ingrained in their very bones.

Unfortunately, the starting point of this great undertaking ultimately failed. Although Yang Xu betrayed Fang Yu and Nangong Luan one after another and obtained the position of sect leader as he wished, the rebellion would never have another chance.

Without the Beggars' Sect's manpower and resources, and with the Ming Cult experiencing a rebellion, Yang Xu's generation had no chance at all. He would have to follow in his master's footsteps and spend his life obediently hiding in Bright Peak.

Whenever he thought of this, Yang Xu felt a sense of suffocation, as if he was unable to realize his ambitions due to unfavorable timing. In recent days, he had been drinking non-stop.

As they were eating and drinking, a middle-aged man with a cold and sinister aura walked up to them and plopped down next to Yang Xu. The most distinctive feature of this man was that his two eyes were actually dark green.

"Master, the Tiger King and Bear King are getting worse and worse. What kind of monster is that little girl from the Beggars' Sect? Apart from being tall, she's also quite slender."

But like Wu Chengyu, she was born with superhuman strength. The Tiger King and the Bear King were known for their fierceness, and even though the two of them fought one, she managed to severely injure them.

At first, it wasn't too bad, but during the evacuation from Wuchang, their bones and muscles were severely injured, and the bones in both arms were fractured. They had been constantly on the move and hadn't had a proper chance to recover. By the time they returned to Bright Peak, even if their injuries had healed, half of their martial arts skills would be gone.

Yang Xu listened expressionlessly, then finally grinned, his expression ferocious. "Old age is no longer about physical strength. It's normal for the Tiger King and Bear King to be old and unable to recover from their injuries. It's time for them to enjoy their retirement and make way for the younger generation."

The Ming Cult's four current Dharma Kings are the Golden-Faced Fox King, the White-Browed Tiger King, the Red-Haired Bear King, and the Green-Eyed Snake King.

The Golden-Faced Fox King is Zhou Xuancheng, the leader of the Hangzhou branch of the Beggars' Sect. Many years ago, he was ordered to infiltrate the Beggars' Sect. He originally had no mission, but to help the Ming Cult gather intelligence on the Southern Song Dynasty court and the martial arts world. He had been away from Bright Peak for a long time.

Of the remaining three Dharma Kings, the White-browed Tiger King had a completely white forehead; if Wu Chengyu were here, he would know that he had vitiligo.

The Red-Haired Bear King has red hair, while the Green-Eyed Snake King, having played with snakes for many years, has developed dark green eyes due to the venom entering his body.

With the addition of their cultivation techniques, their faces turned into pale gold fox kings. These four Dharma Kings did follow the tradition of the Ming Cult, all being wild beasts with colored features.

However, the four Dharma Kings were also divided into factions. The Bear King and the Tiger King were older and more experienced, and were of the same generation as Nangong Luan. They had always been Nangong Luan's confidants.

The Green-Eyed Serpent King was Yang Xu's childhood friend and always followed Yang Xu's lead.

As for the Fox King, who hadn't returned to Bright Peak for many years, he was always a loyal follower of the leader, Fang Yu. So when Nangong Luan launched his rebellion, Zhou Xuancheng was the first high-ranking member of the Ming Cult to die.

Now that Nangong Luan is dead, Tiger King and Bear King have bowed their heads in the face of Yang Xu's power. But Yang Xu has long disliked them. Since they are seriously injured, it suits Yang Xu's wishes even better. Naturally, they will be eliminated as dissidents.

With three of the Four Great Protectors gone, Yang Xu became the new leader, and the positions of the Left and Right Bright Envoys were also vacant. Five positions at the highest level of the Ming Cult were suddenly vacant, enough for Yang Xu to use his methods to completely control the Ming Cult.

Yang Xu squinted and pondered for a moment: "My Ming Cult's top combat force has been damaged, but it is still more than enough to protect itself. There shouldn't be any problems in the short term."

"Once we return to Bright Peak, you will be the new Left Envoy of Brightness. As for the position of Right Envoy, I'll have to think about that carefully."

The Snake King's real name is Wu Du, and he is also a cunning person. When he fought against the Beggar Clan's law enforcement elder on Phoenix Mountain, he was actually just going through the motions. At least he did not use his snake venom, which he was good at. Although he is a little injured now, he is in the best condition.

"Back then, you instigated Nangong Luan to rebel. Although you eventually rectified the situation, many people know the inside story. Even if the old leader passes the throne to you in public, I'm afraid many people will still be dissatisfied. The most urgent task is to stabilize people's hearts."

"The young lady is the old leader's daughter. If she's willing to serve as the Right Envoy of Light, those in the sect who are fiercely loyal to the old leader should be able to be appeased."

Yang Xu was also in a dilemma. Although he had promised Fang Yu to protect Fang Yaning, how could someone as cunning as him keep Fang Yaning as a potential threat? Fang Yaning knew the inside story of Yang Xu's support for Nangong Luan's rebellion and probably already regarded Yang Xu as her father's killer.

However, now is not the time to kill Fang Yaning. Fang Yu's power in the sect is considerable. If Fang Yu hadn't left Bright Peak and hadn't taken so few men with him, Nangong Luan and Yang Xu wouldn't have dared to betray them.

Therefore, Fang Yaning must not only not die, but Yang Xu must also protect her. If anything goes wrong, the Ming Cult may fall apart.

"Snake King, how is Junior Sister Ya Ning doing now?"

"Although we ate and drank very little along the way, we did not go on a hunger strike, but we ignored everyone and probably hated us to the core."

Yang Xu was somewhat troubled. He really had no way to deal with Fang Yaning: "We must find a way to persuade our junior sister to change her mind, even if it's just a superficial gesture. We still need her for a while, but she won't listen to anyone right now."

While talking about Fang Yaning, Yang Xu and Wu Du fell silent, drinking several bowls of wine in silence. Just then, a disciple from the sect came to report.

"Reporting to the Master, a group of the Hou Tu Banner brothers who were separated earlier have returned. I have arranged for them to rest at the nearby inn. However, they brought back a person whose identity is somewhat special, and I dare not act on my own."

"Who are you? Are you from my Ming Cult?"

"This man is the son of the deceased Fox King, named Zhou Dao. It is said that he escaped death by encountering Hou Tu Qi when he was being hunted by the Beggars' Sect, but all those with him were killed by the Beggars' Sect."

The Snake King frowned: "Is the Beggars' Sect going to settle scores later?"

Yang Xu shook his head: "I know this Zhou Dao. He is the son of the Fox King, who was born while he was hiding in Jiangnan under the guise of Zhou Quan. Three years ago, I went to Jiangnan for a trip. The Fox King did not want to show his face, so he sent him to receive me. He is over twenty years old."

His official identity is a fourth-bag disciple of the Beggars' Sect. To the Beggars' Sect, he is a traitor to be hunted down, not someone who is causing trouble for my Ming Cult.

This man is quite shrewd and perceptive, just like his father; he's very worldly-wise, and I used to have some dealings with him.

"Does the leader want him to return to my Ming Cult?"

(End of this chapter)