Shyly she looked up toward the old beggar’s one eye and timidly asked, “Senior Hero, aren’t you the venerable ‘Serpent King of the East River’ [jiang dong she wang] Li Sheng?”
The old beggar laughed. “You have keen eyes, Miss! I have had the honor of meeting your master, the ‘Sage of Tranquility’ [qing jing san ren]. Even though we are not the best of friends, we’ve always had great respect for each other.”
Guo Jing had also heard the name ‘Sage of Tranquility’ mentioned and was delighted, “The Sage of Tranquility, Sun Bu’Er, is one of the Quanzhen Seven Masters; therefore, this Miss Cheng and those two beggars are not strangers.” He heard Miss Cheng continue, “I am very grateful to receive the Senior Hero’s aid in upholding justice. I will listen to Senior Hero’s instructions.”
“Miss, you are worth a thousand gold taels,” Li Sheng said. “But for this licentious man to look at you, even with one eye, is still too much.” Hearing this Miss Cheng’s face blushed profusely. Li Sheng continued, “Now I suggest you stay overnight in the main house, along with these honorable servants of yours. I will deal with that conceited man alone.”
“Young disciple is not skilled in martial arts, but I am not afraid of that villain,” Miss Cheng said.
“How can I let Senior deal with him alone?”
“Please don’t say such things Miss,” Li Sheng said. “Our Clan Leader Hong and your honorable founder Senior Wang were good friends; that means we belong to the same family. Why do you want to consider it otherwise?”
Actually Miss Cheng wanted to try out her own martial arts, but she listened to Li Sheng since she dare not defy him. So she bowed and said, “Then I will leave everything in Senior Li and Elder Brother Yu’s capable hands.” After saying that, she gracefully led her maidservants downstairs.
Li Sheng walked towards the young lady’s bed, pulled back the embroidered quilt, and without taking off his shoes laid his dirty body on the sweet smelling bedding. “Go downstairs,” he told Yu Zhao, “Be on guard with everyone else. Do not make any moves without my command.” Yu Zhao complied. Li Sheng then hid his entire body under the blankets after extinguishing the candle beside the bed.
“Miss Cheng might not want to sleep under that blanket anymore,” Huang Rong laughed inside.
“The members of the Beggar Clan are just like their leader, they like to deliberately create trouble in a funny way. This matter is actually much more amusing than I originally thought.”
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Because there were other people standing guard, Huang Rong and Guo Jing quietly hid themselves under the eaves. About an hour later she heard the night watch sounding the signal ‘knock, knock, bang, bang, bang …’ at the front of the building. It was the third hour. Then she heard a pebble fall in the flower garden.
A moment later eight people came leaping over the wall and headed straight to the second floor.
They lit a lantern briefly, enough to see the bed, then quickly extinguished it. In that very short time Guo Jing and Huang Rong could see their appearance. It turned out they were the female disciples of Ouyang Ke who dressed like men and all wore white clothing. Four of them pulled open the bed’s curtain and covered Li Sheng’s head with a silk hood; firmly held, they lifted him up. Two of them opened a big sack and in went the blanket with Li Sheng inside it. They quickly tightened the sack mouth and lifted up the sack. They worked swiftly and quietly in the dark, without making any noise. It seemed they were very skilled in what they were doing.
They leaped back downstairs. Guo Jing was about to make a move when Huang Rong whispered in his ear, “Let the Beggar Clan go first.” Guo Jing complied. He stretched his neck and saw four female disciples carrying the sack with Li Sheng in it, while the other four were guarding the rear.
Further back, about ten yards behind them, were the Beggar Clan members, each wielding a wooden staff.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong waited a moment to put some distance between them before they quietly leaped out of the garden and followed from afar. A little while later they arrived at the edge of the town. The eight women took the sack to a big house, while the four Beggar Clan members spread out to surround the building.
Huang Rong pulled Guo Jing’s arm and they walked toward the back of the building; jumped over the back wall and saw that the building was actually an ancestral temple. The main hall was full of memorial tablets. On the main beam hung big banners with the deceased people’s merits and honorable titles written on them. The hall was lit by four or five big red candles; and in the center sat a man waving a folding fan.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong had guessed earlier it must be Ouyang Ke’s doing and they were right.
They hid themselves under a window, not daring to move at all, while wondering in their hearts,
“Would that Li Sheng fellow be able to fight him?”
They saw the eight women entering the hall and one said, “Young Master, Miss Cheng is here.”
Ouyang Ke sneered coldly. He looked outside and said, “Friends, you have been so kind to visit, why not come in and introduce yourselves?”
Hiding on top of the wall, the Beggar Clan members knew they had been found out, but without Li Sheng’s command they did not dare to make any noises.
Ouyang Ke turned his head and looked at the sack. “I did not expect such a beautiful lady as you would be so easily invited to come here.” He walked slowly forward, waving his folding fan slowly.
When he folded the fan, it resembled an iron pen.
Huang Rong and Guo Jing saw his hand movements and his expression; they were shocked. It seemed Ouyang Ke had already discovered that an enemy was hiding inside that sack and was going to strike.
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Huang Rong instantly put three steel needles into her hand, aimed toward the fan; ready to strike if Li Sheng was in danger. Suddenly there were swishing sounds and a couple of sleeve-arrows flew toward Ouyang Ke’s chest. They were released by a beggar who appeared on the windowsill. They also had seen the danger threatening Li Sheng and launched a pre-emptive strike.
Ouyang Ke moved his left hand sideways, his index and middle fingers pinched one arrow, his ring and little fingers pinched the other, with a ‘crack’ sound the two arrows became four pieces.
The Beggars saw this and were amazed. “Martial Uncle Li, come out!” Yu Zhao called. He had not even finished shouting when the sack was ripped open; out came two blades followed by Li Zheng rolling on the floor. He used the sack as a shield and quickly stood up.
Li Sheng knew Ouyang Ke was a fierce opponent and he was not sure he could defeat him; that was the reason he wanted to attack him by surprise by hiding inside the sack. Who would have thought that Ouyang Ke would foil his plan?
“A beautiful lady turned into a beggar. That was a good sack trick!” Ouyang Ke laughed.
Li Sheng ignored his remark. “This city has lost four girls in three days. All were your doing, I presume?” he countered.
“This Baoying County is certainly not a poor area, how did a law enforcement officer turn into a beggar?” Ouyang Ke smirked.
Li Sheng remained calm. “I am not begging for food here,” he answered. “But I heard yesterday that four adolescent girls suddenly vanished without a trace. My curiosity was piqued, so I took a look.”
Ouyang Ke reluctantly said, “Actually those girls are not exceptional; since you want them and considering we are the people of the martial arts world, I’d like to give them to you. Beggars usually eat dead crabs; so I am sure you will treat these four girls as your treasures.” He waved his right hand, and several female disciples of his went inside to get the four girls. The girls’ clothes were unkempt, their faces thin and pale and their eyes red from crying.
Li Sheng was outraged to see this. He loudly shouted, “What is your honorable name? Whose disciple are you?”
Ouyang Ke still maintained his carefree attitude. “My surname is Ouyang. What is it that you want, my friend?” he nonchalantly answered.
“I want to fight you!” Li Sheng roared.
“Nothing could be better!” Ouyang Ke replied. “Please start!”
“Good!” Li Sheng shouted and moved his right hand. Just before he struck a white shadow flashed with a gust of wind. He was very shocked and leaped up immediately, but his neck was scratched nonetheless. Luckily he was swift, if not; his neck would have a hole in it.
Li Sheng was an eight-bag disciple of his clan; a highly respected position. His martial arts were strong and the beggars in Liangzhe area came to him for advice. In short, he was one of the Beggar Eagle Shooting Hero
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Clan’s elite fighters; who would have thought that he was nearly injured in just one stance. His face flushed with anger and embarrassment. Without turning his body he launched his hand backward.
“He knows the ‘Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms’,” whispered Huang Rong. Guo Jing nodded.
Ouyang Ke could see this move was fierce and did not dare to meet it head-on; he jumped sideways.
By this time Li Sheng had turned his body around and stepped forward. He lifted both hands in front of his chest and with a loud cry pushed them forward.
This time it was Guo Jing who whispered into Huang Rong’s ear, “Is that move from the