Chapter 53 Hard to Say

"Master..."

An elderly nine-bag elder, one of the four grand elders of the Beggars' Sect, named Song Qingxi, pulled Qiao Feng back and said, "Master, this matter is not entirely your fault. Why must you resort to the three-blade, six-hole self-punishment?"

Qiao Feng replied with an upright expression, "Back then, the former master entrusted the Beggars' Sect to my care, and I never expected the sect to fall to such a state."

"I have failed the former master, I have failed the brothers of the sect, and above all, I have failed the heroes of the realm!"

"The three-blade, six-hole ritual is the only explanation I can offer to the heroes of the world and my brethren in the sect."

He spoke the truth. In recent years, the number of beggars throughout the land had suddenly surged, and the ranks of the Beggars' Sect had expanded rapidly, leaving many members unknown to him.

"This..." Elder Song glanced at the other figures beside him.

Just as the others were about to speak, a pale-faced old beggar interjected, "This matter... was indeed a failure of oversight on the Master's part."

He was Bai Shijing, the disciplinary elder of the Beggars' Sect. Always impartial and iron-faced, he struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the sect, high and low, even those who had not broken any rules.

"Not only was it his oversight, it was my oversight as well! Later, I shall also submit to the whip!"

As the disciplinary elder, it was his duty to uphold the sect's code. Now that such a massive scandal had occurred within the Beggars' Sect, he, as the disciplinary elder, naturally shared the responsibility.

Since the disciplinary elder had spoken, the others found it difficult to say anything further.

Consequently, the disciplinary disciples stepped forward once more and performed the three-blade, six-hole punishment upon Qiao Feng yet again.

Looking at the three blades protruding from Qiao Feng's body, no one could utter a single word.

Murong Xing could not, Wang Yuyan could not, nor could any of the other pugilistic folk present!

A man of responsibility and backbone commands respect wherever he goes!

Wang Yuyan gazed at Qiao Feng, who was bleeding profusely yet retained his upright dignity, and thought to herself, "Qiao Feng truly lives up to his reputation as the master of the Beggars' Sect; he is a man of towering integrity!"

Aju looked at Qiao Feng as well, a peculiar radiance gleaming in her beautiful eyes.

Some people, even if seen only once, leave an indelible impression.

Qiao Feng then addressed the crowd, "Let this matter end here. The Beggars' Sect will continue to submit to the supervision of the martial arts heroes! Should any disciple of the sect commit crimes or transgressions, I beg all heroes to inform the disciplinary elder, Elder Bai."

"The Beggars' Sect shall enforce justice impartially!"

Hearing Qiao Feng's words, the martial arts practitioners who had previously been incited by Murong Xing shouted out:

"Very well! It's a deal!"

"Easily said! Easily said!"

With that, the crowd prepared to disperse.

Wang Yuyan spotted Shi Fei sitting nearby on a camp stool cracking melon seeds, and beside him stood Aju holding a watermelon.

Seriously, who brings a watermelon when going out?!

"Cousin, you've come too!" Wang Yuyan said as she walked over to Shi Fei.

The moment she moved, Duan Yu trailed eagerly behind her. Seeing Duan Yu follow, Murong Xing helplessly tagged along as well.

"Indeed! Care for some melon?" Shi Fei asked, pointing to the watermelon beside him.

"Tch..." Murong Xing remarked, "My dear elder brother, your timing for watching the show is always off! Just look at the grand spectacle I made earlier when I denounced the Beggars' Sect, tsk tsk tsk!"

Shi Fei glanced at him with a smile and said, "Hard to say."

"What do you mean, hard to say?" Murong Xing felt that Shi Fei was merely putting up a stubborn front, right before a startled cry echoed from behind!

"Why?!"

It was the voice of Qiao Feng.

Murong Xing and the others turned their heads back to see several great elders of the Beggars' Sect launching a joint attack upon their master.

The techniques they used were none other than the seventy-two supreme arts of Shaolin: the *Great Strength Vajra Finger*, the *Kasaya Subjugation Demon Art*, the *Pluck Flower Finger*, the *Dragon Claw Hand*, and the *Prajna Palm*!

There was no helping it; the seventy-two Shaolin arts were simply too effective!

In the current pugilistic world, one could hardly establish a foothold without practicing a few of the Shaolin seventy-two arts.

Because if you did not practice them while others did, you would simply be crushed by them!

How many martial arts sects or hereditary family styles could surpass the seventy-two arts?

How many martial artists, previously unknown to the world, rose to instant fame after mastering the Shaolin seventy-two arts?

The Beggars' Sect was no exception. Their ancestral martial arts had paled in comparison to the Shaolin seventy-two arts. Consequently, these elders had taken to practicing modified martial arts, integrating their own understandings into them.

Thus, the Seventy-Two Arts of the Beggars' Sect were born!

Caught completely off guard by the joint surprise attack of the four great elders and the disciplinary elder, Qiao Feng could not suppress a massive mouthful of fresh blood.

His physical wounds were insignificant; it was the betrayal by those he trusted that truly mattered!

"Why?" Qiao Feng asked once more.

At this moment, he looked utterly wretched. First, he had three bloody holes pierced into his body, and then he had been ambushed by five people, vomiting blood.

Shi Fei cracked a melon seed and said to Murong Xing and the others, "See? I didn't come too late after all!"

Murong Xing and his companions remained silent, entirely baffled by the sudden turn of events.

Led by Elder Song, the senior elders of the Beggars' Sect declared, "Qiao Feng, your collusion with the Xixia Yipin Tang to assassinate Deputy Master Ma has been exposed!"

In disbelief, Qiao Feng countered, "When have I ever colluded with the Xixia Yipin Tang to assassinate Deputy Master Ma?"

Just as the Beggars' Sect had a master, it naturally had a deputy master.

The deputy master bore the surname Ma and was named Ma Dayuan. He had always been at odds with Qiao Feng, and not long ago, he had suddenly died a violent death.

Some said he had suffered a deviation in his internal cultivation, while others claimed he had been murdered.

Qiao Feng had wanted to investigate the matter, but due to his strained relations with Deputy Master Ma, he had continually avoided involvement to prevent suspicion.

Elder Song looked at Qiao Feng, sighed, and said, "We have investigated thoroughly. Deputy Master Ma appeared to have died from a cultivation deviation, but in truth, he perished under the *One-Sun Finger*!"

"Ever since the Shaolin seventy-two arts spread throughout the martial world, many have practiced them with only a superficial understanding, so cultivation deviations are hardly uncommon."

"However, Deputy Master Ma was secretly struck in the Dazhuai, Lingtai, and Jizhong acupoints with the *One-Sun Finger*, which deliberately induced his deviation."

"Within the entire Beggars' Sect, there is only one person who knows the *One-Sun Finger*!"

The several elders surrounded Qiao Feng as Elder Song explained the situation to him and the chaotic throng of Beggars' Sect disciples.

"What? Qiao Feng actually knows the *One-Sun Finger*?" Duan Yu, who was currently eating watermelon, couldn't help but be startled upon hearing this.

The watermelon in his hand had been handed to him by Wang Yuyan, and he had found it exceedingly sweet.

Yet he never imagined that he would end up eating melons while being the subject of the gossip himself.

The master of the Beggars' Sect, Qiao Feng, knew the *One-Sun Finger*?

Could such a thing be possible?

Recalling the "palm-as-sword" technique he had witnessed Qiao Feng display a few days prior, he suddenly felt it might not be entirely impossible!

"Qiao Feng, everyone in the world says your sword-like palms are peerless..." Elder Song continued, "We still remember that when you first joined the Beggars' Sect, you relied on a set of Patriarch's Long Fist and a particular fingering technique."

"At first we didn't know, but after recent clashes with the experts of the Xixia Yipin Tang, we finally recognized it."

"That fingering technique was none other than the *One-Sun Finger*!"

"Only, the true *One-Sun Finger* is executed with the index and middle fingers, whereas yours was performed with the thumb!"

"Am I wrong?"

Qiao Feng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and pressed his own acupoints to stem the bleeding. He had already realized that he had fallen into a meticulously woven net today.

"True enough, that was indeed the *One-Sun Finger*!"

Elder Song pressed on, "Do you dare to reveal who taught you the *One-Sun Finger*?"

Qiao Feng shook his head and replied, "It is not that I refuse to say, but rather that it sounds too absurd; you would never believe it!"

"If you don't speak, how do you know we won't believe it?" Elder Song demanded.

Looking around at the surrounding faces, Qiao Feng answered, "That technique... was something I acquired in a dream!"