Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 154 The Big Boss
Qiao Feng angrily retorted, "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

Zhao Qiansun suddenly said, "Kill him, and then kill me. We are both your greatest enemies. As for the leader, just forget about him since they took good care of you."

After saying that, he looked at Tan Gongdao and said, "Back then, when Xiao Juan hit me, I was determined to hit her back. Now I realize how wrong I was. Your skill of not fighting back when you are hit is excellent. After I die, you must not give up practicing it or make Xiao Juan angry."

Tan Gong stepped in front of Zhao Qiansun and said loudly, "Chief Qiao, if you provoke a conflict between the Han and the Hu people, all the heroes of the Central Plains will want to be your enemy. Please think twice!"

Zhao Qiansun was greatly surprised that his rival in love would speak up for him.

Jiang Mingzhe frowned, stepped forward to stand beside Qiao Feng, grabbed Qiao Feng with one hand, and shouted, "I have something to say!"

Qiao Feng, with tears in his eyes, grabbed Jiang Mingzhe's hand and said, "Brother, tell me!"

Jiang Mingzhe looked at Zhiguang, whose eyes were closed, and said in a deep voice, "Master Zhiguang, I just heard that you sacrificed yourself to save the people. I admire you very much. But people are people, and things are things. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. If a great benefactor who has saved countless lives occasionally does evil, we should not condone his mistakes just because he is a benefactor. If a great villain who has harmed countless people occasionally does good, we should not ignore his good deeds just because he is a villain. What do you think of my argument, Master?"

Master Zhiguang felt a chill run down his spine, opened his eyes, and said, "What you say is absolutely right, benefactor."

Jiang Mingzhe nodded and said, "Alright, thirty years ago, during the battle at Yanmen Pass, the master just said that you were wrong, but he didn't say how you were wrong. He kept saying that he was afraid of ruining the leader's reputation as a hero. Does that mean that if he has a reputation as a hero, then he is not wrong? My brother's parents died because of your mistakes. Are you going to deprive my brother of even the right to know the truth?"

Zhiguang's body trembled slightly. After a long silence, he slowly pulled out a stack of cloth from his sleeve and unfolded it. It was made of countless scraps of clothing haphazardly sewn together, with hollow white characters on it, the handwriting hard and as if chopped by a knife or axe.

Zhiguang said, "These are all Khitan characters. They were carved on the stone wall of Yanmen by Chief Qiao's father, and I made a rubbing of them."

Qiao Feng stared intently at the words for a long time, then shook his head in disappointment and said, "I don't recognize them."

Zhiguang folded up a piece of cloth and handed it to Qiao Feng. Qiao Feng took it, and Zhiguang said, "You can find someone who knows Khitan script to translate it for you later. I also asked someone before, and the meaning of these words is..."

He sighed deeply and recited in a low voice: "When Feng'er turned one year old, my wife and I went to my maternal grandmother's house for a banquet. On the way, we suddenly encountered a bandit from the Southern Dynasty... In the rush, my wife and child were killed by the bandit, and I no longer wished to live. My mentor was a Han Chinese from the Southern Dynasty. I had sworn before him not to be an enemy of the Han people, nor to kill them. Who would have thought that today I would kill more than ten of them? I am filled with shame and pain. I have no face to meet my mentor after I die. Xiao Yuanshan's last words."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Feng burst into tears, murmuring, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is... My father swore never to kill Han people, yet he was killed by them..."

Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but sigh, thinking that it was no wonder Xiao Yuanshan held back in the end. He probably remembered his oath. But if he hadn't held back, Xiao Feng, who was still an infant, probably wouldn't have survived.

"Alas." Zhiguang sighed again: "Benefactor Qiao, this Xiao Yuanshan is your biological father. You should actually be called Xiao Feng. Benefactor Xiao Feng, the truth has been revealed. Now kill this old monk and avenge your parents."

Zhao Qiansun also said, "Your parents have two lives, and today we will repay them with two lives as well. Xiao Feng, let's do it."

Xiao Feng stared at the two of them for a long time before slowly asking, "Who exactly is the leader?"

Zhiguang glanced at Jiang Mingzhe and said in a low voice, "In principle, I should tell you, but Benefactor Xiao, there is also loyalty above all else. The leader is a man of great integrity, and I do not wish for him to die at your hands. Please forgive my selfishness..."

As he spoke, his mouth suddenly moved, and with a "poof," he spat out a bloody tongue.

Elder Xu, Shan Zheng, and the others exclaimed in unison, "Master Zhiguang!"

Tan Gong acted the fastest, prying open Master Zhiguang's mouth. Blood gushed out. Tan Gong quickly took out a medicine box, dipped some ointment in it, and applied it to the broken tongue in his mouth. In no time, the bleeding stopped.

Just as Jiang Mingzhe was marveling at the medicine's efficacy, he felt his clothes being tugged. Turning around, he saw Azi's eyes shining as she whispered, "Big Jiang, the White and Green Demons haven't committed any crimes in a long time. After the show, let's rob this short, stout old man!"

At this moment, Elder Xu suddenly looked at Qiao Feng and said angrily, "Chief, how dare you force Master Zhiguang like this?"

Jiang Mingzhe glared at him and shouted, "Can't you hear me, old man? Master Zhiguang himself said that he should have told my elder brother, but he wanted to be reasonable and compassionate at the same time. In this dilemma, he harmed himself to put his mind at ease. What do you mean my elder brother forced him?"

Zhao Qiansun said, "That's right, I understand Zhiguang's feelings best. Qiao Feng, no, Xiao Feng, I can also give you my tongue."

Qiao Feng looked dejected and shook his head, saying, "No need. I know you won't speak. What use is your tongue?"

After saying this, he unfolded the letter in his hand, which was addressed to Wang Jiantong. The gist of the letter was that although Qiao Feng was of outstanding character and exceptional talent, he still felt that Qiao Feng should not become the leader of the Beggars' Sect. After all, Qiao Feng was not of our kind, and once he learned about the Yanmen Pass incident, it would inevitably cause a catastrophe in the martial arts world. He advised Wang Jiantong to think carefully.

After Qiao Feng finished reading, Jiang Mingzhe casually picked it up and glanced at it twice, then laughed and said, "Brother, I feel sorry for Elder Zhiguang's tongue. Hehe, the identity of this leader is actually quite clear!" In an instant, everyone present turned their gaze to Jiang Mingzhe.

Jiang Mingzhe pretended not to see it and said with a faint smile, "Thirty years ago, the Beggar Clan's Chief Wang and this leader were the two leaders. This leader's martial arts, prestige, and power are comparable to Chief Wang's. The fact that Elder Zhiguang and the others are so afraid of your revenge means that this person is still alive."

Everyone's expression changed drastically.

Jiang Mingzhe continued, "The false intelligence said that Khitan masters were going to Shaolin Temple to steal the secret manuals..."

At this point, Elder Xu, Shan Zheng, Zhao Qiansun, and Tan Gong all attacked at once, shouting, "Don't say it!"

Jiang Mingzhe raised his sword fan, layers of cold light protecting his front, blocking the punches and kicks of the four men. He said slowly, "Master Zhiguang just recounted the Battle of Yanmen Pass in detail. It seems that none of the heroes who died in the battle came from Shaolin. So, isn't the identity of this leader obvious?"

With a sharp whistle, Shan Zhengrui and the four of them leaped backward, looking at Jiang Mingzhe with surprise and doubt. They couldn't believe that this young man had so easily revealed this huge secret while being surrounded by the four of them.

Xiao Feng was startled and shouted, "That's right, Second Brother is right! Who else could this leader be but the Abbot of Shaolin? Even if it's not him, he must be one of his fellow disciples!"

Dan Zheng shouted, "Qiao Feng, no, Xiao Feng, don't act recklessly! If the Beggars' Sect becomes enemies with Shaolin, it will truly be a catastrophe for the martial arts world!"

Xiao Feng shook his head and said, "Master Shan, you are overthinking it. How could the Beggars' Sect be enemies with Shaolin? My second brother just said that I have learned the benevolence and morality of the Han people. Do you really think I am a barbarian who does not know etiquette?"

He took a few steps forward and said loudly, "Brothers of the Beggars' Clan, if these seniors have not lied to me, I am not Qiao Feng, but Xiao Feng, and I am not a Han Chinese, but a Khitan! The Beggars' Clan is the number one clan in the world. How can a Khitan sit in the position of clan leader? Therefore, from this day forward, I am no longer the clan leader of the Beggars' Clan."

The moment the words were spoken, the Beggars' Sect disciples erupted in commotion. Some shouted, "Impossible! Our leader is so benevolent and righteous, how could he be a Khitan?" Others yelled, "Even if you are a Khitan, I will only accept you as our leader." Still others whispered, "If our leader is a Khitan, our sect will become a laughingstock in the martial world. How can we let him continue in his position?"

The situation was in an uproar, and all the elders and leaders were at a loss.

Xiao Feng gathered his inner strength and shouted, "Stop arguing and let me finish!"

After his shout, everyone, whether they obeyed him or not, fell silent.

Then Xiao Feng said, "I don't believe that Elder Zhiguang and other seniors would lie to me, but since it concerns my identity, I can't easily believe everything. My second brother just analyzed that the leader from back then was most likely the abbot of Shaolin. He is a pillar of the martial arts world and would never intentionally deceive me. Therefore, after I resign as the leader of the Beggars' Sect, I will go to Shaolin alone to see Abbot Xuanci. If he tells me in person that I am indeed a Khitan..."

Xiao Feng glanced at the gang members with their varied expressions and slowly said, "If that's really the case, I won't be an enemy of the Han people. I'll just find a place to live in seclusion and spend the rest of my life there."

Jiang, the leader of the Righteousness Branch, shouted, "Chief Qiao, if you weren't a Khitan, would you still come back to be our chief?"

Xiao Feng smiled and nodded, saying, "I was reluctant to part with you brothers!"

Upon hearing this, many members of the Beggars' Sect couldn't help but smile, as if they were certain that Xiao Feng would be exonerated and return to the sect.

At this moment, Elder Chen suddenly said, "While you've been away, who will be in charge of our gang?"

Elder Wu roared, “Chen Guyan, you son of a bitch! Whether Chief Qiao is Han or Khitan is still unconfirmed, yet you’re already eager to seize power? I only regret that I’m so easily swayed by your and Quan Guanqing’s nonsense. Today, I’ll just beat you to death!”

After saying that, he drew his fist and threw a punch, but Elder Chen parried it and said angrily, "What power am I trying to seize? What I mean is, since he's not here, shouldn't Elder Xu be in charge? After all, Elder Xu is the most senior elder in our sect."

Elder Song mocked, "Are you trying to curry favor with Elder Xu so much that you want him to share some of the leftover tiger medicine with you?"

Elder Xu was furious and shouted, "You surnamed Song, don't make false accusations!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Feng roared again, his eyes like tigers, his imposing presence overwhelming the entire area: "Our gang is the number one gang in the world, and we cannot be without a leader for even a day. Although I am leaving, I must elect someone to temporarily assume the position of gang leader!"

Elder Wu beamed with joy: "Excellent, wonderful! The one the gang leader has chosen, I will do my utmost to assist him!"

(End of this chapter)