Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

As he watched Bai Shijing execute the group of rebellious disciples, Quan Guanqing's face turned extremely ugly.

He was immobilized by Xiao Feng and was now like a fish on a chopping board, but there was still a hint of hope in his eyes.

After all, he was able to become the leader not because of his superior martial arts skills, but because of his ability to distort the truth.

Even the four elders of the Beggars' Sect who cooperated with him in his rebellion were persuaded by him one by one.

After executing those disciples, Bai Shijing turned his attention to the elders and the branch leaders.

"When Chief Qiao succeeded to the position, he neither seized by force nor used any improper means. He solved three major problems and made seven great contributions before Chief Wang bestowed the Dog-Beating Stick upon him. In these eight years, the reputation of our Beggars' Clan has grown ever stronger; who doesn't know it's all thanks to Chief Qiao? You've all been blinded by greed, and you actually dare to rebel!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and released Quan Guanqing's pressure points: "Chief Quan, tell me, what have I, Qiao Feng, done to offend our brothers? You may testify against me in person."

Quan Guanqing leaped to his feet, but after being acupunctured for so long, he was still numb. He couldn't put weight on one leg and could only kneel on one knee, shouting, "You haven't done what you owe our brothers yet, but you will soon!"

"Nonsense, Chief Qiao..."

Bai Shijing's eyes widened. Just as he was about to retort to Quan Guanqing, a ghostly figure appeared in front of Quan Guanqing and delivered two sharp slaps to his face. The sound was crisp and clear, echoing through the forest.

Upon closer inspection, it was Zhou Feng standing in front of Quan Guanqing!

He didn't hold back with those two slaps; they made Quan Guanqing's cheeks swell up so badly that several teeth fell out.

"This...Young Master Zhou, what are you doing?"

Xiao Feng looked at him with some confusion. Although Quan Guanqing's attitude towards him had made him very uncomfortable, he was still a member of the Beggars' Sect. Zhou Feng's rash move left him at a loss.

"Oh, it's nothing. I thought he was going to yell at me in a bit. He hasn't yelled yet, but he'll soon, so I slapped him twice in advance."

Zhou Feng shrugged and relayed what Quan Guanqing had just said back to him.

Several leaders who supported Xiao Feng pursed their lips and said nothing.

They had always respected Xiao Feng, but now that Quan Guanqing had led a rebellion and arrested them all, they were already very unhappy.

Now, Zhou Feng's two slaps actually made them feel somewhat relieved.

As an elder in charge of law enforcement, Bai Shijing felt it was somewhat inappropriate for Zhou Feng, an outsider, to take action against his own leader.

But what Quan Guanqing just said, coupled with Xiao Feng's attitude...

He sighed softly, pretending not to see Quan Guanqing's miserable state, and still said sternly, "You bunch of bastards who have no evidence whatsoever, only know how to incite people behind the scenes and betray the gang leader. Do you think I haven't heard these rumors? I broke three ribs of that farting guy with one punch, but I didn't expect these elders to be so confused as to believe your nonsense!"

Xiao Feng's expression changed instantly.

He always thought that by treating his gang members with sincerity, he would win everyone's support, but he never expected that there would be so many unfavorable words spoken against him behind his back.

Even Bai Shijing had heard it, so it must have been pretty awful, otherwise Bai Shijing wouldn't have kept it from him.

"Master Quan..."

Xiao Feng hesitated for a moment as soon as he opened his mouth.

His face is so swollen, don't bother asking him anything.

So, Xiao Feng turned to the four elders and said, "Elders, since you all oppose me, I, Qiao Feng, must have done something wrong. Why don't you explain yourself in detail?"

Elder Xi, who was bound, snorted coldly: "It was wrong of me to betray you, so just kill me."

Seeing that the four of them were stiff and silent, Quan Guanqing, who had been slapped and was stunned, finally reacted. He stiffened his neck and looked at Zhou Feng, wanting to say something, but the latter casually pointed and an invisible sword aura shot out a thin hole in the ground.

This immediately caused everyone present to gasp and unconsciously squint their eyes.

With this skill alone, no one present except Xiao Feng could do it, yet they were betraying Xiao Feng. If a real fight broke out, Xiao Feng probably wouldn't come to their aid. So he could only continue to target Xiao Feng: "I believe that Vice Chief Ma was murdered at Qiao Feng's behest!"

He was missing most of his teeth, so his speech was slurred and hard to understand.

But Xiao Feng and the others present heard it clearly, and his eyes widened immediately: "What did you say? Utter nonsense!"

Quan Guanqing snorted coldly: "You hate the Stableman Gang Leader and wish you could get rid of him as soon as possible. Do you think we don't know that? We came to Suzhou to seek revenge on Murong Fu, but you colluded with the enemy. Who else could it be but you?"

"Which enemies have I colluded with?"

"Still not admitting it! That woman over there said Murong Fu is her cousin! Those two are Murong Fu's maids, what else do you have to say!"

Hearing Quan Guanqing's words, Xiao Feng was stunned. He stammered for a long time, unsure how to explain. Zhou Feng, on the other hand, sighed softly, "Chief Qiao, you've been tricked by him!"

"What do you mean?"

"Persuading the four elders to rebel together is not something that can be accomplished overnight. We've only known each other for today, and A'Zhu, A'Bi, Bao Butong, and Feng Bo'e also only arrived today. Could it be that this Master Quan has the ability to foresee the future and knew in advance that I would bring Yu Yan here?"

"Deriving the cause from the result—isn't that just nonsense?"

Zhou Feng glanced at Quan Guanqing with disdain.

This man was known as a scholar from all directions, but in reality, he was just so-so.

He just relies on being clever and having a silver tongue to fool these uneducated beggars.

"You're talking nonsense! You..."

Seeing Quan Guanqing pointing at him, Zhou Feng simply used his Shangyang Sword to precisely sever the finger that Quan Guanqing was pointing at him.

Seeing that Xiao Feng was about to say something, Zhou Feng quickly waved his hand at him: "Chief Qiao, he insulted me first. It's between me and him, and has nothing to do with the Beggars' Sect."

Xiao Feng sighed softly, nodded, and gave Bai Shijing a wink.

He knew in his heart that Zhou Feng was standing up for him, so he naturally wouldn't point the finger at Zhou Feng. He could only signal Bai Shijing to continue speaking.

The latter immediately understood Xiao Feng's meaning and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Chief, why waste words on such a traitor who doesn't understand the bigger picture and talks nonsense? Just punish him according to the gang's rules against treason!"

Xiao Feng frowned and shook his head: "For the Beggars' Sect Leader to be able to persuade so many people to cooperate with his rebellion, there must be a very important reason. A true man acts according to the principle of right and wrong. If I, Qiao Feng, have truly done something to betray the Beggars' Sect, let's all speak frankly."

Just as Zhou Feng said, he had only met Murong Fu's retainers today. How could it be that this matter caused the four elders to rebel!

Originally, everyone wanted to use Murong Fu as an excuse, but Zhou Feng had already made things clear, so the blame could no longer be placed on the Murong family.

However, Xiao Feng has led the Beggars' Sect for many years without making any mistakes. On the contrary, he has brought the Beggars' Sect to a height that does not belong to them.

It's so bad that you can't find anything wrong with it.

"Chief Qiao, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

Seeing that Xiao Feng was hesitating, Zhou Feng simply stepped forward.

It's not that I want to help him sort out all the messy things about the Beggars' Sect, but the main thing is that the plot is about to move to the point where Xiao Feng stabbed himself in the magic knife for these people.

These four old beggars are not very bright and are incredibly stubborn. Zhou Feng really looks down on them.

Xiao Feng was a hero of his time, so why would he stab himself so many times for the sake of these four fools?

This group of people still doesn't understand that it's the Beggars' Sect that can't do without Xiao Feng, not the other way around.

Even after Xiao Feng left the Beggars' Sect, he remained a top-tier martial arts master. The Beggars' Sect, however, rapidly declined after Xiao Feng's departure, becoming vulnerable to being trampled upon by anyone.

"Young Master Zhou, please feel free to speak your mind."

Xiao Feng nodded to Zhou Feng and breathed a sigh of relief.

There's no problem with him taking action in combat, but he's somewhat at a loss when it comes to unraveling complex issues.

"Since Chief Qiao agrees, then I will speak. The murder of Deputy Chief Ma is definitely a major event, but who exactly committed the murder is still up for debate!"

"Hmph! We all know that Vice Chief Ma died from his signature move. Who else could it be but Murong of Gusu, who used the same technique against him?"

Elder Wu, who was bound, glared fiercely at Zhou Feng. The latter did not tolerate him either, and a Shangyang sword pierced through his shoulder.

This guy was quite a man; even with Shangyang's sword piercing his shoulder, he still gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.

"Young Master Zhou! You...you...please don't do this. They are, after all, members of my Beggars' Sect. If they continue to harm others, I'm afraid I will have to intervene."

Xiao Feng looked troubled.

He knew Zhou Feng meant well, but as the leader of the Beggars' Sect, he couldn't just stand by and watch Zhou Feng continue to harm the sect's elders.

After all, he was prepared to stab himself with a legal knife to exonerate these people.

"Chief Qiao, what I just said wasn't to vent my personal anger, but to explain to everyone why it wasn't necessarily Murong Fu of Gusu who committed these evil deeds."

If it were anyone else, Zhou Feng would definitely not bother with him, but since Xiao Feng asked, he still gave an explanation.

"Look at the wound on Elder Wu's shoulder. If I hadn't attacked him in front of you, would you all think it was the One-Finger Divine Skill of the Dali Duan family just by looking at the wound?"

"Similarly, if a master of claw techniques deliberately crushed Vice Chief Ma's throat after his death, wouldn't that also mislead everyone? What do you think, Elder Bai?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Shijing froze on the spot, cold sweat pouring from his forehead: "You... what nonsense are you spouting! My Silk Entangling Hand and Throat Locking Hand are... still different!"

"Why are you in such a hurry? I didn't say anything to you! Look how much you're sweating, are you nervous?"

Zhou Feng raised an eyebrow at Bai Shijing.

With this kind of mentality, how can he learn to steal women and kill to cover it up?

"Young Master Zhou is right, but Elder Bai is the law enforcement elder of our gang, so it's better not to say things that could be misunderstood."

Upon hearing Zhou Feng's analysis, Xiao Feng seemed to have gained some insight. However, given his previously excellent relationship with Bai Shijing, he still offered a reminder upon hearing Zhou Feng's words.

"All right."

Zhou Feng shrugged and didn't continue to refute, because he had already heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves coming from the north, followed by rhythmic whistling.

Now that the plot has progressed to this point, Xiao Feng wouldn't stab himself multiple times, so why should he continue talking?

He doesn't have enough evidence yet to prove that Bai Shijing is the murderer, so saying it wouldn't make much difference.

Seeing that Zhou Feng and the others had focused their attention on the sound of horses' hooves coming from the north, Bai Shijing secretly wiped away a cold sweat and breathed a sigh of relief.

As the saying goes, if you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place.

He truly regretted losing control of his groin and making such a big mistake.

If Xiao Feng were to find out, he would surely be killed by Xiao Feng's palm without any chance of survival.

As the sound of horses' hooves grew closer from the north, everyone could see clearly that a man dressed in luxurious and expensive clothes was riding on the horse.

As he drew closer, the man took off his coat on horseback and put on the beggar's attire underneath.

He galloped close before dismounting and running to the leader of the Daxin branch. He pulled a small package from his robes and shoved it into the leader's hand: "Urgent...urgent military intelligence!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man gasped for breath and fainted.

He was utterly exhausted, but he hadn't fainted; he was holding on by sheer willpower.

Now that the letter has been delivered here, and he relaxed, he immediately lost consciousness.

The horse he rode also let out a mournful cry, fell to the ground, and soon foamed at the mouth, convulsing and dying of exhaustion!

Without the slightest hesitation, the leader of the Daxin branch hurriedly took the package to Xiao Feng's side and presented it: "Chief, urgent military intelligence from Xixia!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng dared not delay. He took out a wax pill from his package, gently crushed it, and took out the paper ball inside.

Just as he was about to check, a loud shout suddenly came from the east: "Qiao Feng! That's important military intelligence, you can't look at it!"

With that shout, a figure flew through the air. The man had white beard and hair; he was an elderly beggar.

The boatman elder and the law enforcement elder bowed slightly at the same time: "Elder Xu, what brings you here?"

It's clear that this old guy holds a very high position within the Beggars' Sect.

In terms of seniority, he was even a generation above Wang Jiantong, the former leader of the Beggars' Sect, but he had been retired for many years and no longer concerned himself with worldly affairs.

I didn't expect him to show up today!

Xiao Feng, holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hand, also bowed and said, "Greetings, Elder Xu."

This action caused Elder Xu's expression to change. He sighed softly, snatched the crumpled paper from Xiao Feng's hand, stuffed it into his pocket, and then looked around: "Vice Chief Ma's widow has something to say, please wait a moment."