Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 146 Sworn Brotherhood in the Apricot Grove

"Qiao Feng, you! I, I..."

Elder Xu's face turned ashen. Elder Song suddenly spoke up: "Elder Xu, you've dedicated your life to our gang; the brothers naturally trust you. Just read that military intelligence report, and the rumors will crumble on their own."

Elder Xu suddenly realized and immediately said, "That's right, that's right, brothers. The reason I didn't look at this military intelligence report is because I suspect that Qiao Feng heard some bad news and had someone create a false impression..."

The Beggars' Sect disciples sent to Western Xia were all from the Daxin branch, and the Daxin branch leader was furious upon hearing this.

Before he could finish speaking, he shouted sternly, "Elder Xu, I respect you as a highly respected senior, but how can we respect you after you say such things? Our brothers from the Daxin branch risked their lives, their horses died from exhaustion, to send back this news. You not only don't take it seriously, but you also question us like this? If all the elders of our gang are as confused and disoriented as you, which brother will be willing to work hard in the future?"

Once the leader spoke, the disciples of the Daxin branch began to curse angrily.

Few of the Beggars' Sect disciples were literate, so in their anger, foul language was inevitable.

In an instant, he was cursed with terms like "old lecher," "old kidney deficiency," and even "old incestuous lover." Elder Xu's face turned from green to purple, then from purple to black. Suddenly, he lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.

This old man was eighty-seven years old this year. He was a nine-bag elder, so his martial arts skills were naturally superb. But no matter how superb his skills were, he couldn't withstand the severe kidney deficiency that comes with being nearly ninety years old. As soon as he spat out this mouthful of blood, his vision went black and he collapsed with a thud.

Elder Lü Zhang, who possessed extraordinary lightness skills, strode over and caught the man, then snatched the crumpled paper from his hand and shouted, "Shut up, all of you! Doesn't the Beggars' Sect have any rules left?"

Bao Butong was overjoyed and immediately said: "Your Beggars' Sect either frame good people, plot against the leader, collude with the Western Xia, or are lecherous and commit incest. What kind of rules do you have?"

He knew that once he said this, it would immediately lead to a fight to the death. For the sake of the Murong family's great cause, he gritted his teeth and tried his best to restrain himself, feeling so frustrated that he almost vomited blood.

Below the Beggars' Sect leader and deputy leader, the two elders, the Transmission of Skills and the Enforcement of Law, are the most respected. The Transmission of Skills is slightly higher than the Enforcement of Law, which is equivalent to the difference between the left and right prime ministers. Therefore, Lu Zhang shouted angrily, and the whole place immediately fell silent.

Lu Zhang had Bai Shijing help Elder Xu up, then unfolded the paper and read aloud: "Reporting to the Chief: I have learned that General Helian Tieshu of Western Xia, along with a large number of elite First-Rank Hall fighters, is coming to the Central Plains to deal with our gang. They possess a potent poison gas that leaves no trace when released, rendering people immobile without them even realizing it. When you encounter them, be sure to plug your nostrils first, or knock their heads off and snatch the horribly foul-smelling antidote, otherwise it will be extremely dangerous. It is urgent, urgent. Your subordinate Yi Dabiao reports this urgently from the Great Trust."

Everyone in the Beggars' Clan knew Yi Dabiao; he was a seventh-bag disciple of the Daxin branch, and the group of beggars sent to Xixia were led by him.

After Lü Zhang finished reading, Jiang Mingzhe looked at Qiao Feng and chuckled, "Brother Qiao, what did I say earlier?"

Today, Jiang Mingzhe shone brightly, and the elders no longer dared to underestimate him in the slightest. They all looked at Qiao Feng with curiosity, wanting to know what Jiang Mingzhe had told him beforehand.

Qiao Feng looked ashamed and sighed, "Qiao Feng is as foolish as an ox and did not understand your good intentions. I was rude just now. If you are not happy, I will kowtow to you to apologize."

After saying this, he knelt down and kowtowed heavily to the ground, causing the beggars to gasp in surprise.

Jiang Mingzhe was startled. He thought to himself that Old Qiao had just refuted his words from the perspective of the Beggars' Sect leader, which was perfectly reasonable. If he had just said it and let it go, he wouldn't have cared. But he made such a big gesture to apologize, which showed that he was upright and honest. He was right and wrong, and he did not deceive Heaven, others, or his own conscience. He was a true hero!
His heart warmed, and he quickly said, "I address Brother Qiao as a brother, how can an elder brother kneel before his younger brother?"

He immediately knelt down opposite Qiao Feng, about to kowtow in return, when suddenly someone shouted, "Good! Brother, you've become sworn brothers with Chief Qiao, how can you leave me out?"

He then said, "Miss Abi, I'm back! Wait for me while I help my elder brother and Chief Qiao become sworn brothers, then I'll come and talk to you!"

Jiang Mingzhe turned his head and saw Duan Yu. He saw Duan Yu darting in and out, his sleeves fluttering, like a fairy prince, and he even turned his head to greet Abi.

His lightness skill was astonishing, and the Beggars' Sect members all looked over. Following his gaze, they looked at Abi. Abi was so embarrassed that she quickly hugged Azhu and buried her face in her shoulder.

By this time, darkness was falling, and visibility on the ground was already poor. Duan Yu, however, insisted on turning his head to speak, and his foot tripped over a protruding tree trunk. With a cry of pain, he fell to his knees and slid three zhang (approximately 10 meters) across, landing right beside Qiao Feng and Jiang Mingzhe. The Beggars' Sect members, not having seen him trip, were captivated by his incredibly graceful sliding kneel—a rare and remarkable move in the martial arts world—and couldn't help but exclaim, "What superb lightness skill!"

Duan Yu laughed heartily, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "You flatter me, you flatter me, I am unworthy of such praise!"

He then grabbed Jiang Mingzhe's arm and said, "Brother, you two have sworn brotherhood, you must not abandon your little brother."

Seeing his naivety and loyalty, Qiao Feng couldn't help but smile and said, "Brother Jiang, Brother Duan, if you don't mind my crudeness, how about the three of us become sworn brothers? What do you think?"

Jiang Mingzhe was naturally delighted and laughed loudly: "I have been wanting to say this for a long time. It is truly wonderful! Haha, just as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden in ancient times, Qiao Feng, Jiang Ziya, and Duan Qigong swore brotherhood in the Apricot Grove. From now on, we will never change our vows, even in life and death. Heaven and earth, sun and moon, will strengthen our bond. We will follow each other through thick and thin and never be separated!"

Qiao Feng and Duan Yu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and they said in unison, "Good! Heaven and earth, sun and moon, inspire our spirit; we will stand together through thick and thin, never to be separated!"

After saying this, the three men exchanged ages. Qiao Feng, at thirty, was the eldest brother; Jiang Mingzhe, at twenty-five, was the second brother; and Duan Yu, at nineteen, was the third brother. They then offered incense and bowed eight times.

Straightening up, Qiao Feng exclaimed joyfully, "Second Brother, Third Brother!" and placed his hands on their shoulders.
Jiang Mingzhe followed suit, laughing and saying, "Big brother! Third brother!" He also put his arm around the shoulders of the two men.

Duan Yu exclaimed loudly, "Big brother, second brother, I'm so happy!" He also put his arms around Qiao Feng and Jiang Mingzhe's shoulders.

The three of them looked at each other, their blood boiling, and burst into laughter.

If we were to talk about internal strength in the martial arts world today, Qiao, Jiang, and Duan would all be among the top ten. At this moment, they laughed in unison. Although they did not deliberately circulate their internal energy, their breath was long and soared into the sky. The branches and leaves of the apricot grove swayed, and they had the power to change the color of the wind and clouds!

The beggars around were horrified, but when they thought that they had gained two powerful allies, they were also overjoyed.

A'Zhu smiled radiantly, then suddenly pulled the wine gourd from Feng Bo'e's waist, ran to the three of them, handed the gourd to Qiao Feng, and laughed, "How can heroes swear brotherhood without wine? Here comes the wine!"

Qiao Feng was overjoyed and accepted the wine, saying, "Thank you, Miss A'Zhu!"

He pulled out the stopper, took a big gulp, and handed it to Jiang Mingzhe. After Jiang Mingzhe finished drinking, he gave it to Duan Yu, who also took a big gulp and returned the empty gourd to A'Zhu.

A'Zhu went back with a smile and retied the gourd to Feng Bo'e's waist.

Feng Bo said with a wicked smile, "When they became sworn brothers, they didn't invite me, the one who witnessed the ceremony, to drink. Instead, they drank my wine. Third Brother, does this count as girls being outgoing?"

Bao Butong's eyes flickered. He thought that A'Zhu had grown up in the Murong family since she was a maid. In fact, she was spoiled and pampered, just like Murong Fu's sister. If she married Qiao Feng, wouldn't the Beggars' Clan become a powerful ally?
So, contrary to his usual behavior, he reprimanded Feng Bo'e, saying, "Fourth brother, how can you be so stingy? When Chief Qiao swore brotherhood with someone, even I, Mr. Bao, felt my blood boil and couldn't help but think of the brotherhood between us. What's wrong with drinking some wine from you?"

Qiao Feng and his two companions stood up. Qiao Feng, looking refreshed, addressed the Beggars' Clan members: "Brothers, today I'd like to introduce you to my two sworn brothers. This is my second brother, Jiang Mingzhe, who is..."

He was about to reveal Jiang Mingzhe's identity as a disciple of the Starry Sky Sect when Jiang Mingzhe, knowing this, said it. Later, Madam Ma and others arrived, and fearing it would be detrimental to Qiao Feng, they immediately interjected: "I am a retainer of the Dali Duan family! Our third brother is Duan Yu, the heir of the Prince of Zhennan of Dali."

When the Beggars' Sect heard that the people were from the Duan family of Dali, they were all delighted.

Qiao Feng then introduced Lü Zhang and others to Jiang Mingzhe and Duan Yu. When he introduced Elder Xi, the old man said with shame, "I was misled by others and committed a heinous crime. Now I am the one who takes the blame and I am not worthy of the title of elder. However, Chief, before you punish me, could you please let me know what this young master Jiang said to you before? He only said half of what he wanted to say, and I am really at my wit's end."

(End of this chapter)