58: Bai Shijing and Madam Ma with evil intentions (first update)

"Hahaha!"

Ning Yuan looked up to the sky and laughed, gazing at the Beggar Clan Disciples in front of him, "Given your current situation, with those above not obeying those below, and those below not obeying those above, and multiple Elders conspiring with branch leaders to harm the Chief, the Beggar Clan's brotherly harmony is truly an eye-opener for the Murong family!"

"How dare you!"

Wu Changfeng roared. Ning Yuan slightly raised his eyelids, and a Sword Qi burst from his fingertip. Wu Changfeng immediately groaned, a spray of blood splattered from his shoulder blade, and he staggered back several steps, his face full of shock.

"How dare I?"

Ning Yuan sneered, "Under heaven, no one has ever dared to say that word to me."

"You are just a minor Elder of the Beggar Clan. Others respect you to give face to your Beggar Clan, but I, Young Master Murong Fu, have no relation to your Beggar Clan, and thus do not need to respect you in the slightest. If you dare to speak ill of me or order me around again, I will take your life. If I kill you, not even your Chief Qiao could save you!"

"You..."

Wu Changfeng pointed at Ning Yuan, his voice trembling, but ultimately he said nothing.

Although Chief Qiao's expression was not pleasant, he could not say anything at this moment. He could only darken his face and say, "Let him continue."

After speaking, Chief Qiao looked at Ning Yuan, "Young Master Murong said that this was done by someone within my Beggar Clan. Who exactly did it?"

"If you cannot provide sufficient reason, for the sake of the Beggar Clan's reputation, I, Qiao, and Brother Murong, may have to truly fight."

Chief Qiao's words were stern.

After all, such a joke could not be made.

Ning Yuan remained noncommittal, as Chief Qiao's position as Beggar Clan Leader would only last for a few more days. "Brother Qiao's righteousness! Even at this point, he still treats the Beggar Clan as his home and the people of the Beggar Clan as his brothers. Alas, the people of the Beggar Clan, however, regard him as a mortal enemy. What a pity, what a tragedy!"

After sighing, without waiting for Chief Qiao to inquire further, Ning Yuan continued, "One of my subordinates happened to witness this secret of your Beggar Clan. I wonder where your Law Enforcement Elder and Skill Transmission Elder are?"

"What do you mean?"

Chief Qiao asked with a furrowed brow.

The other Beggar Clan Disciples were also extremely puzzled, whispering to each other, "Yes, where are the Law Enforcement Elder and Skill Transmission Elder?"

"They should have arrived long ago!"

Quan Guanqing and his subordinates' faces showed a hint of unnaturalness.

Chief Qiao saw it all.

"That's because they were imprisoned in Taihu by Quan Guanqing."

Ning Yuan continued, "I have to say, your Beggar Clan's Law Enforcement Elder is indeed deeply hidden."

"Young Master Murong, what do you mean by that?"

Chief Qiao turned his head and stared at Ning Yuan.

"Speaking ill of people behind their backs is the act of a villain."

Ning Yuan looked at Chief Qiao, "I think you should find Bai Shijing, and we can invite some fellow Jianghu members to witness and clarify the matter."

"Good!"

After his gaze flickered for a moment, Chief Qiao nodded in agreement, "Young Master Murong's words are reasonable. Since Young Master Murong knows the whole story, that's even better. We will wait until our Beggar Clan has gathered everyone, and then we will discuss it together."

"How about this, tomorrow afternoon, we meet in Apricot Forest."

Chief Qiao's words were firm.

"Alright, see you in Apricot Forest."

Ning Yuan smiled slightly.

Then Chief Qiao turned around, faced the Beggar Clan Disciples, and said loudly, "Today's matter will be temporarily put aside. Whether it's the betrayal of the Four Great Elders, the disappearance of the Skill Transmission Elder and Law Enforcement Elder, or the death of Vice Chief Ma, I will clarify everything tomorrow. If any brother is dissatisfied or thinks I've done something wrong, you can step forward and refute me now."

"As long as you have a better option, I will listen to your opinion."

Chief Qiao said, his gaze falling on Quan Guanqing.

Quan Guanqing snorted, but ultimately said nothing more.

He realized that he wouldn't gain anything today.

However, delaying time was exactly what he wanted. As long as the person who told him Chief Qiao's secret identity appeared and provided evidence, Chief Qiao would be ruined.

"Young Master, are we just letting them leave like that?"

Watching the Beggar Clan members leave one after another, Feng Boe stepped forward and asked.

Ning Yuan shook his head, "The Beggar Clan is about to have a good show. I'll take you to watch it tomorrow."

"A good show!"

Bao Butong and Feng Boe's eyes both lit up.

"Brother Murong, then I'll follow Brother Qiao to take a look first."

Duan Yu also cupped his fists and said, "I hope Brother Murong will take good care of my mother."

Apparently, he hadn't had enough fun yet.

"Second Brother, don't worry. With me here, you don't need to worry about Auntie. I will take good care of her."

Ning Yuan smiled slightly.

He emphasized the words 'take care' particularly strongly.

But Duan Yu clearly didn't catch the implication.

Upon returning to Apricot Forest, Chief Qiao immediately sent people to find Bai Shijing and the Skill Transmission Elder.

After learning that everything was Quan Guanqing's doing, everyone glared at him with anger.

However, Chief Qiao still temporarily suppressed his anger.

"Elder Xiang, Elder Bai, since Murong Fu said he would give us an answer tomorrow, let's first hear what secret he has to say, and then it won't be too late to enforce the clan rules."

Chief Qiao interrupted Bai Shijing's plan to torture the Four Great Elders.

"Alright, then I'll wait another night."

Bai Shijing's eyes flashed, and he said loudly.

But after leaving, he immediately ordered his subordinates to urge Madam Ma and the Beggar Clan Grand Elder Xu to hurry.

"Did Murong Fu really say he saw the culprit who harmed Vice Chief Ma?"

Inside the Apricot Forest branch, Bai Shijing called a Beggar Clan Disciple who had been at Yanz 塢 earlier into the room and asked.

"Yes, this Disciple heard it with his own ears."

The Disciple below bowed, carefully saying, "He also said that you, Law Enforcement Elder, are two-faced, and his words were full of suspicion towards you, Elder."

"Nonsense!"

Bai Shijing slammed the table in anger, "This Murong Fu is truly sinister and despicable, openly slandering me when I wasn't present."

Bai Shijing angrily rebuked.

"Yes, of course we wouldn't believe it. The Four Great Elders betrayed the Chief, and only you and Elder Xiang were kept in the dark, standing by the Chief. I think that Murong Fu is completely spouting nonsense, deliberately trying to disrupt the unity of our Beggar Clan."

The Disciple below immediately expressed his loyalty.

"Hmph."

Bai Shijing snorted, his eyes flickering, and said, "What did the Chief say?"

"The Chief didn't say anything, only that he would wait in Apricot Forest tomorrow for all the Elders to arrive, and then invite some fellow Martial Forest members to come, and at that time, he would ask Murong Fu to explain the reasons."

After the Disciple finished speaking, he immediately added, "I think he is deliberately stalling for time; he doesn't know who the murderer is at all."

"Alright, I know about this matter. You may leave first."

Bai Shijing didn't say much, waving his hand.

After the Disciple left, there was no one else in the room. Bai Shijing's fists involuntarily clenched, and his face became grim.

He stood up, pacing back and forth, his mind filled with doubt and uncertainty, "Could that Murong Fu have really seen it?"

"Otherwise, why would he suspect me?"

Bai Shijing's mood was difficult to calm for a while. He had a mind to eliminate the future trouble, but he also knew that he simply couldn't do it unless he could persuade Chief Qiao.

In fact, Chief Qiao and Murong Fu were evenly matched, making it difficult to determine a winner.

"No, I must expose Chief Qiao's identity as soon as possible, otherwise, if Murong Fu exposes my secret first, it will be troublesome."

In his urgency, Bai Shijing immediately prepared to leave.

But he quickly paused again, a hesitant look on his face, "No, if I leave like this, and it reaches Chief Qiao's ears, I will inevitably be suspected. It's better to tell him directly that I'm going to meet Madam Ma and Elder Xu."

Soon, Bai Shijing arrived before Chief Qiao.

"Chief, a Disciple just sent a message saying that the widow of Vice Chief Ma Dayuan is on her way. It is rumored that Jiangnan has not been peaceful recently, and there might be foreign experts infiltrating. I plan to personally go and welcome Madam Ma and Elder Xu."

Bai Shijing stood before Chief Qiao and spoke righteously.

"Good. We failed to protect Vice Chief Ma, and his widow must not suffer any harm. I will trouble Elder Bai to personally go and welcome her."

Bai Shijing's open and honest words indeed did not arouse Chief Qiao's suspicion, and he readily agreed.

Bai Shijing, who left Apricot Forest, did not stop.

He quickly found Madam Ma, who was also rushing in a sedan chair.

"You all step back. I have something to discuss with Madam Ma."

Bai Shijing calmly waved away the Beggar Clan Disciples carrying the sedan chair.

"What is it that makes you so rushed, not even bothering to conceal it? Aren't you afraid of arousing suspicion and making people doubt our relationship?"

Madam Ma lifted the curtain, dressed in plain white, extremely seductive. She gave Bai Shijing a sidelong glance and asked curiously.

"Something bad has happened. I heard that Murong Fu said he saw us harming Ma Dayuan. I specifically came to discuss it with you."

Bai Shijing no longer bothered to flirt with Madam Ma and immediately explained the situation.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Ma was also startled, "How did he know? When we did it, there was no one else around. It's absolutely impossible for anyone to have seen us. Is he trying to bluff you?"

Although Madam Ma was wicked, she did have some cleverness.

"Doesn't seem like it."

Bai Shijing shook his head, his face solemn as he sat down, "Murong Fu's words directly point to me. I'm afraid he really knows something. I need to take you to Apricot Forest immediately to expose Chief Qiao's identity as soon as possible. Delay will lead to complications. If we wait until tomorrow and he exposes our relationship first, it will be difficult to defend ourselves."

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? Is everything Murong Fu says necessarily true?"

Madam Ma snorted coldly, dissatisfied, "When did it become the Murong family's place to decide the affairs of my Beggar Clan?"

Although she said this, Madam Ma still sat back in the sedan chair, preparing to call for people to carry it.

"Don't worry, I've already informed Elder Xu to come forward and also asked him to invite Tan Gong, Tan Po, and Great Master Zhi Guang from Mount Tiantai."

"When his identity is exposed in public, he will have no face to continue as Beggar Clan Leader and will surely become a public enemy of the Martial Forest. At that time, Murong Fu's words will no longer be credible and will not threaten us."

"In fact, Murong Fu will also have to become an enemy of Chief Qiao, otherwise he will be despised by the Martial Forest. Didn't you say that Murong Fu's martial arts are formidable, not inferior to Chief Qiao's? At that time, I will personally seek him out and ask him to join forces with us against Chief Qiao."

Madam Ma's eyes rolled, and she had a plan.

"Are you confident you can persuade Murong Fu?"

Bai Shijing's eyes lit up.

Madam Ma gave Bai Shijing a sidelong glance, "I don't even know Murong Fu, how could I possibly persuade him? I just think that in this world, there's nothing that can't be traded, the only difference is the price. Since Murong Fu didn't directly reveal our secret, perhaps he's waiting for a better offer."

"As long as the benefits we offer are enough to move him, he will surely stand on our side. However, all of this has to wait until we meet Murong Fu. As long as he doesn't reveal the secret on the spot, it means we still have a chance."

"Brilliant!"

Bai Shijing's eyes lit up after hearing this. He sized Madam Ma up and down, "It's a pity you, Bitch, are a woman. If you were a man, wouldn't you become a source of disaster for the Martial Forest?"

"You know it well. If I weren't a woman, how could I allow you useless people to control a force like the Beggar Clan?"

Madam Ma snorted, holding her head high, speaking without ceremony.

"You're getting ahead of yourself."

Bai Shijing also snorted, no longer discussing the topic, "No time to lose, let's go now."

With Madam Ma's words, Bai Shijing also felt relieved. Seeing Madam Ma's turned back and her perky bottom, Bai Shijing couldn't help but give it a hard slap, "Bitch, I didn't notice before, but you in this mourning dress really have a unique charm."

"What, can't hold back?"

Madam Ma turned around with a giggle, pulled down her shoulder to reveal her fair collarbone, and slid her jade hand across Bai Shijing's chest, teasing, "Do you want me to tell them to go further away, and I'll satisfy your craving now?"

Bai Shijing looked tempted, but he quickly calmed down, stood up and said, "It would be bad if someone discovered us, and if we delay any longer, who knows what else might happen. Business comes first."

After speaking sternly, Bai Shijing also showed a smile, "After Chief Qiao is forced away, I will properly deal with you, you Bitch."

"Hmph, old pervert."

Madam Ma snorted coldly, pulled up the clothes on her shoulder, and sat in the sedan chair, "Tell them to come back, we're continuing on."