Wandering Swordsman |

"It's been widely rumored lately!"

"On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month this year, the master of Jingtian Pavilion, the great hero Situ Dengfeng, will hold a martial arts competition to select a husband for his beloved daughter, and sincerely invites ambitious young men from all over the world to participate."

"The top three young heroes who win the martial arts competition will be able to stay in Jingtian Pavilion, become disciples of the great hero Situ Dengfeng, and cultivate and grow together with Situ Dengfeng's beloved daughter, Situ Meng."

"Once Situ Meng comes of age, one of the three outstanding young talents will be chosen for marriage. If one can marry Situ Meng, he will surely inherit the Jing Tian Pavilion and learn all of Situ Da Xia's lifelong skills, becoming unparalleled in the martial arts world."

......

"Moreover, there are rumors that Situ Meng is already stunningly beautiful at the age of twelve, and everyone in the martial arts world who has seen her calls her the most beautiful woman in the world. If I could marry Situ Meng, I would die without regrets."

Several teenagers sat around a table in a teahouse facing the street, the aroma of tea wafting through the air, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. Zhu Pang sat upright, his eyebrows dancing with excitement as he recounted the latest news circulating in the martial arts world. He tapped the table lightly with his round fingers, as if keeping time for his words.

After listening intently to Zhu Pang's words, the teenagers' eyes lit up, and they all praised him, "Brother Pang, you're amazing! I didn't expect you to know so much about things in the martial arts world."

Hearing such praise, Zhu Pang laughed smugly. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his laughter tinged with pride: "Hahaha, of course! You should know, my father is a bodyguard for the Hongyuan Escort Agency. He often travels the martial arts world escorting goods, so these rumors in the martial arts world naturally don't escape his ears."

Upon hearing this, the young men all looked at Zhu Pang with envy. One of them spoke first, "Brother Pang, your dad is so amazing. His martial arts skills must be very high." His words were full of admiration, and his eyes were filled with longing.

Zhu Pang puffed out his chest, a smug look on his face, and said, "Heh, of course! My dad was able to join the Hongyuan Escort Agency, so you tell me, isn't his kung fu amazing?"

Seeing the envious looks on his friends' faces, Zhu Pang became even more smug and continued to boast, "My dad can not only kill a bull with one punch, but he can also scale walls and leap across rooftops, he's capable of anything. What's even more amazing is that my dad has never missed a target when he's carrying a dart..."

Just as Zhu Pang was boasting smugly, one of the newly gathered teenagers suddenly interrupted his boastful words: "Brother Pang, that stinky beggar is in town again."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Zhu was taken aback at first, then a wicked smile appeared on his face: "He actually dares to come again! Let's go, let's teach him a lesson again."

After saying that, Zhu Pang took the lead in standing up, and several young men immediately followed. The group walked through the teahouse, went out, and jogged along the winding alley. The street under the setting sun seemed a bit deserted at the moment, with only the occasional cry of a vendor coming from afar.

Before long, they arrived at a corner at the end of the street, where they saw a ragged young beggar huddled on the side of the street, holding a broken bowl in his hand, his eyes revealing a trace of confusion and helplessness.

When the young beggar saw Zhu Pang and the others arrive, he unconsciously took two steps to the side, but with a "thud," his back bumped into the two boys who had already blocked his way. Instantly, his face turned even paler.

At this moment, Fatty Zhu, leading several other teenagers, slowly approached, a malicious smile on his face, and teased, "Hey, beggar brother. What brings you to the streets today?"

Zhu Pang's words were full of sarcasm, while the other young men laughed and joked, clearly familiar with the scene. The young beggar lowered his head, offering no reply, only clutching the broken bowl tightly in his hand, his body trembling slightly. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, leaving only long shadows cast by the setting sun and the occasional bark of dogs echoing from the alley behind them.

After Zhu Pang finished speaking, seeing that the young beggar did not respond, his anger flared up. He suddenly raised his foot and kicked the broken bowl tightly in the beggar's hand. The bowl fell to the ground and shattered, shards scattering everywhere, and several copper coins rolled around, making a crisp sound. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and the surroundings were silent, with only the sound of the bowl breaking echoing in the air.

Although the young beggar appeared somewhat frightened, he clenched his teeth and remained silent. His head was bowed, his eyes revealing a stubbornness.

Seeing this, Fatty Zhu became even more enraged. He took a step closer, his tone full of threat: "You stinking beggar, what's wrong? Still planning to ignore me today? It's been so many years, do you still want to be beaten up like before?"

However, faced with Zhu Pang's threats, the beggar remained silent, motionless, as if these people were invisible. Although there was fear in his eyes, he showed no intention of backing down.

This time, Zhu Pang was finally enraged. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force, and the muscles in his face twitched: "Watch closely, I'm about to unleash the Zhu family's fist techniques!"

Upon hearing this, the young men started to grumble: "Fatty, I've seen your boxing routine at least a hundred times. Can't you come up with something new?"

Zhu Pang, his face flushed with rage, roared, "Dealing with this stinking beggar is enough with fist techniques. I'll show you my other legendary martial arts when I meet a truly formidable opponent!"

With that, Zhu Pang charged at the young beggar, unleashing a relentless barrage of punches. The beggar instinctively raised his arms to protect his head, trying to dodge, but each punch whistled through the air, leaving him virtually nowhere to hide. His body swayed under Zhu Pang's onslaught; with each punch, he staggered back a step until his back slammed against the cold wall.

The beggar's eyes were tightly closed, his face contorted in pain, and he frantically waved his hands in the air, trying to deflect the rain of fists. But no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't completely avoid the attacks and was eventually knocked to the ground. He could only hold himself tightly, barely managing to protect his vital parts.

Seeing Zhu Pang take action against the beggar, the young men nearby cheered and clapped, shouting, "Brother Pang is amazing! Brother Pang is really strong..."

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Zhu Pang became even more unrestrained, raining blows upon the young beggar without stopping. After the brutal beating, the boy's old wounds had not yet healed, and many new injuries appeared on his body.

Zhu Pang stopped attacking, panting heavily, sweat streaming down his face. He glared at the beggar and said indignantly, "You filthy beggar, you never fight back or talk back when I hit you. It's so damn unsatisfying. At least you should stand up and 'spar' with me!"

Seeing that the beggar remained silent, Zhu Pang snorted in annoyance, "I'll let it go this time, you stinking beggar! If I see you again and you're still like a mute, I'll kill you with the Zhu Family Knife Technique!!! Humph! Let's go."

After saying that, Fatty Zhu turned and left, ignoring the beggar slumped on the ground. Seeing this, the young men followed suit, walking away triumphantly. Before leaving, they turned back to taunt him, "You stinking beggar, you'd better get out of our town. Otherwise, who knows what Brother Fatty will do to you next time!"