The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

The four of them exchanged glances, and each saw self-blame and regret in the other's eyes.

A moment later, the four elders, Song, Xi, Chen, and Wu, stepped forward and walked directly to Xiao Feng.

The four men lowered their stance, kneeling on one knee. Their voices were sincere and tinged with remorse as they addressed Xiao Feng: "Chief, we were foolish, misled by treacherous individuals. In a moment of folly, we contacted disciples from various branch sects and rashly came to Xingzi Forest to demand an explanation from you. This act has violated the Beggars' Sect rules and disrupted the sect's order. We are willing to accept punishment. We beg you, Chief, to punish us to uphold the sect's rules and appease the hearts of our brothers!"

Looking at the four elders kneeling on one knee, Xiao Feng was filled with mixed emotions.

He knew that the four elders were pillars of the Beggars' Sect, who had made great contributions to the sect in the past. Their actions today were merely due to being deceived by treacherous people, and they were by no means truly rebelling against him.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Feng strode toward the table in the center of the apricot grove. Four sharp, gleaming daggers were neatly stuck into the table, their cold light reflecting off the surrounding fallen petals, making them particularly dazzling.

In an instant, all eyes in the forest focused on him, the chatter ceased abruptly, and only the rustling of apricot leaves in the wind remained.

Xiao Feng raised his hand and drew a dagger, the cold blade making his face appear even more resolute.

He declared loudly, "The Beggars' Sect has a set of rules—if a disciple of this sect breaks the rules, he shall not be lightly pardoned. If the sect leader wishes to show leniency, he must shed his own blood to cleanse his sins."

Before he finished speaking, he plunged the dagger into his left shoulder without hesitation, and blood instantly stained the blue cloth robe.

"Whoosh—"

The scene erupted in uproar once again, with cries of surprise rising and falling among the beggars. A'Zhu, standing in the crowd, paled drastically, letting out a cry of alarm. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and anxiety, and her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

Xiao Feng suppressed the sharp pain in his shoulder and turned to Song Qingxi, saying solemnly, "Fifteen years ago, the Liao Kingdom secretly sent cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Yanmen Pass. After Elder Song learned of this, he worked tirelessly for three days, even killing nine fine horses, before finally delivering the intelligence to the Song court, ordering the Song army to make preparations and force the Liao cavalry to retreat. You were seriously injured and coughed up blood because of this, and it took you a year to recover. I will remember this merit of protecting the country and ensuring peace."

Xiao Feng staggered slightly, but still walked straight to Xi Shanhe: "Back then, Chief Wang was captured by the five great Khitan masters, who forced our Beggars' Clan to surrender to Liao. Elder Xi disguised himself as Chief Wang and willingly died in his place, thus saving Chief Wang from danger. Everyone in the Beggars' Clan knows of this loyalty." As soon as he finished speaking, the second dagger in his hand plunged into his left shoulder socket, all the way down to the hilt.

Exclamations of surprise swept through the apricot grove once again. A'Zhu's eyes were already red, and tears streamed down her cheeks, but she forced herself not to make a sound, staring intently at Xiao Feng's bleeding shoulder.

"Master!" Wu Changfeng, who was kneeling beside him, could no longer hold back his tears and struggled to get up.

"You must never harm yourself again!"

Xiao Feng waved his hand at him, revealing a faint smile, and patted his shoulder: "Elder Wu, back then you single-handedly defended Eagle Sorrow Gorge, resisted the masters of the Western Xia First-Class Hall, and protected the Yang Family Generals' defense line from falling an inch of land. The merit gold medal given to you by Marshal Yang alone is enough for me to forgive your crime today!"

Having said that, he pulled out a third dagger and plunged it into his right shoulder socket.

Everyone present was stunned and stood there speechless, except for the faint sound of A-Zhu's sobs.

Xiao Feng's face was ashen, cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and his strong and imposing body was trembling slightly.

When he approached Chen Guyan, Chen Guyan immediately stood up and said loudly, "Chief, we have no relationship; there's no need for you to shed blood for me!"

After saying that, he took a quick step and rushed towards the last dagger on the table. Judging from his posture, it seemed that he wanted to commit suicide to atone for his sins!

Xiao Feng made a grasping motion with his right hand, releasing a burst of energy, and the dagger flew directly into his hand.

What Xiao Feng just used was none other than his ultimate skill—the Dragon Capture Technique!

Although Xiao Feng's face was pale, he said kindly, "Elder Chen, others may not know about your great achievement of assassinating the Khitan Marshal Yelü Bulu, but I do."

At this moment, Chen Guyan's eyes were already red, and his voice choked with emotion: "I, Chen Guyan, owe my fame entirely to the Chief's remembrance. I will never forget this great kindness!"

After saying that, he knelt down on one knee before Xiao Feng again, his face full of excitement and emotion, and his previous aloofness had completely disappeared.

When Li Xiao saw this scene on TV before, he was moved by Xiao Feng's loyalty and righteousness, and his willingness to go to great lengths for his brothers. Today, he was there in person and witnessed this scene, and his feelings for Xiao Feng were even better than before.

He quickly walked up to Xiao Feng and pressed the acupoints on both of his shoulders to stop the bleeding.

After becoming Wu Yazi's disciple, Li Xiao not only learned martial arts but also became very interested in the medicine of the Xiaoyao Sect.

He had learned a lot about medicine from his senior brother Su Xinghe, so he could easily treat Xiao Feng's external injuries.

Li Xiao walked behind Xiao Feng and slapped him on both sides of his back shoulder.

"Swish swish swish swish—"

Four daggers flew out of the wound and embedded themselves in the trunk of an apricot tree more than ten feet away.

Li Xiao immediately took out a needle and thread and stitched up the wound, a move that stunned everyone present.

In fact, the technique of suturing wounds to treat external injuries appeared as early as the Warring States period. However, this method of treatment was relatively rare among the common people, which is why everyone present was surprised.

Li Xiao's hands were extremely nimble. Using the figure-eight stitching method, he quickly stitched up the four knife wounds on Xiao Feng's shoulder. Then he took out a bottle of strong liquor and disinfected the wounds.

"uh-huh--"

The burning pain from the strong liquor made Xiao Feng's body tremble, and his face became even paler.

However, he gritted his teeth and gave Li Xiao a reassuring look.

After disinfection, medication application, and bandaging—the entire treatment course was completed—Li Xiao said softly, "Brother Xiao, don't get the wound wet for at least two weeks!"

Xiao Feng smiled and nodded to him in gratitude.

The four elders beside him also bowed and clasped their hands in greeting to Li Xiao.

Looking at Kang Min and the other two still standing dumbfounded in the crowd, Li Xiao said to the four elders, "Elders, we need you to come up with a plan for how to deal with these three!"

Li Xiao had no liking for these three people, so he directly spoke up to remind them.

Quan Guanqing's face was so dark it could drip water. He knew the situation was hopeless, but he was still unwilling to give up. He suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at Li Xiao, his face full of ferocity.

"It's all your fault for meddling! I'll risk my life to drag you down with me!"

After saying that, he brandished his sword and pounced, his moves ruthless, displaying the madness of a cornered beast fighting.

Xiao Feng's eyes turned cold, and he prepared to step forward, but Li Xiao stopped him with one hand.

Li Xiao's figure blurred into an afterimage, suddenly appearing in front of Quan Guanqing.

"Snap—"

He struck Quan Guanqing on the shoulder with a palm, sending him flying more than 30 feet away. The long sword in his hand flew out of his hand, and he was then pinned to the ground by two Beggar Clan disciples.

Kang Min collapsed to the ground, laughing hysterically as if she had gone mad, her laughter filled with resentment and unwillingness: "I'm not reconciled! I'm not reconciled!!"

Her eyes, as she looked at Xiao Feng, were now filled with resentment and venom.

"Qiao Feng, if you hadn't treated me like I didn't exist back then, how could things have turned out this way? Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will never let you go!"