Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Stinking Beggar

In the vast hall of the manor, Jiang Pingchuan sat upright in a chair, while the old master beside him crouched on a seat like a monkey, utterly unable to sit still.

The two of them fell silent and remained in the great hall, gazing past the shattered stone screen at the entrance, waiting for night to descend and for the sky to fill with stars. Waiting for the bright moon to hang overhead.

Jiang Pingchuan did not know what the old master was waiting for, but as for himself, he waited for the little fox in his arms to wake sooner.

“What are you waiting for?”

At last the old master could not hold back and took the initiative to speak. Jiang Pingchuan stroked the little fox’s fur and looked up at the night sky.

“For her to wake up,” Jiang Pingchuan said lightly.

The old master looked at the little fox in Jiang Pingchuan’s arms. It was still deep in sleep, showing no sign of waking. He no longer wished to mention anything else about the Thousand Seals Blade, only knowing that it would be very hard for the little fox to rouse now.

“And you?”

Jiang Pingchuan looked at the old master. With a bitter smile, the old man rubbed his dirty hands together. He had long since returned to normal, yet he had not spoken a word about bathing; in truth, he seemed far more unconcerned than before.

“As for me? I’m waiting for the storm. This rain ought to bring Dongzhou City a new baptism.”

When the old master spoke, a strange light flickered in his eyes. His words carried a hidden meaning, and Jiang Pingchuan understood them only partly.

“It’s here.”

The old master picked up the tea in front of Jiang Pingchuan and took a sip, then said this softly as he rose and patted Jiang Pingchuan on the shoulder.

“What?”

Jiang Pingchuan stood as well, following the old master’s gaze with some confusion. The old man smiled.

“It’s time for you to make your move.”

The old master said this with a grin, but this time he was dead serious. Jiang Pingchuan could hear it; at this moment, the old master was not joking with him.

Nor was he wearing that lazy, roguish expression. Seeing the old man suddenly grow solemn, Jiang Pingchuan found himself at a loss for words.

Then he heard a disorderly rush of footsteps. Someone had entered the manor.

Jiang Pingchuan looked at the smiling old master. At times, this old fellow’s words were truly infuriating and obnoxious; at other times, he seemed unfathomably mysterious.

Cradling the little fox, Jiang Pingchuan watched the group that walked in through the gate. At their head was You Liang. The instant he saw him, Jiang Pingchuan’s body jolted; he knew the Beggars’ Guild was in trouble, and Han Qing must have been in trouble too.

“Second Leader, it’s bad. Something terrible has happened. My father went alone to find Han Zhen!”

The first words out of You Liang’s mouth were that his father had run into trouble. Jiang Pingchuan’s expression stiffened.

“You Liang, where did you get a father from?”

He feigned surprise as he looked at You Liang. He knew full well that Han Qing had already told him not to let You Liang ever learn that Han Qing was his biological father. Han Qing had said he was unworthy of being a father to You Liang, and it would be better if You Liang remained an orphan for life.

The first part of the text is already omitted from the source and should not be included in the translation.

“Second Leader, I was picked up by the Guild Leader. To me, from beginning to end, the Guild Leader has always been my father. Now that something has happened to him, we must save him.”

You Liang said anxiously. Hearing this, Jiang Pingchuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed that, until the very end, Han Qing had still not told You Liang that he was his real father. But as Jiang Pingchuan carefully pondered You Liang’s words, he suddenly noticed a huge flaw.

“How did you know the Guild Leader went to find Han Zhen?”

Jiang Pingchuan’s face turned cold all at once as he stared at You Liang. The change in his expression startled everyone present, and even You Liang looked at him with some fear.

It was as though he had become a different person. Jiang Pingchuan ignored the others and fixed his gaze on You Liang alone.

“I... I...”

You Liang stammered under Jiang Pingchuan’s stare, unable to get a word out. Jiang Pingchuan raised a hand, intending to slap him, but when his hand reached You Liang’s face, he could only let it fall again helplessly.

“You treated him like your own father, yet you betrayed him. Do you know that he is... that going there means certain death?”

Jiang Pingchuan roared angrily at the trembling youth before him. You Liang kept his head down and dared not speak, only blinking up at Jiang Pingchuan.

“Second Leader, I beg you, please save the Guild Leader. I know I was wrong. I was wrong.”

You Liang clutched Jiang Pingchuan’s arm and cried out through sobs. Jiang Pingchuan gave a cold snort, shook off his hand, and strode out of the hall.

“Hey, you little brat. If you don’t mind an old man tagging along, then take me with you.”

Just as Jiang Pingchuan stepped out of the manor hall, the old master’s voice came from behind him. Jiang Pingchuan paused and looked back at the smiling old fellow standing beneath the eaves.

“If you can take a beating, then come along. Consider it doing right by your father.”

Jiang Pingchuan laughed and cursed at him, then hugged the little fox in his arms and set off toward Han Zhen’s city lord residence. The old master patted You Liang’s shoulder, smiled, and quickly caught up with Jiang Pingchuan.

Judging by the old master’s stride, he did not resemble the half-dead old man Jiang Pingchuan had seen in the woodshed at all. Jiang Pingchuan even began to suspect that the old fellow beside him had some strange taste for suffering.

Sensing the aura about the old master, Jiang Pingchuan felt those iron chains could never have truly bound him. He had no idea what tricks this shabby old man was playing.

You Liang and the others followed Jiang Pingchuan and the old master toward the city lord’s residence. Everyone present was a core member of the Beggars’ Guild and a cultivator as well, though their levels and strength varied. They had all received immense kindness from Han Qing, and now that Han Qing was in danger, they would naturally act without hesitation.

“Old man, what exactly is your strength?”

Jiang Pingchuan looked at the brightly lit city lord’s residence in the distance and asked.

The old master stroked his beard and pondered for quite a while.

“What, even you brat can’t tell? Surely not.”

He looked at Jiang Pingchuan with some surprise. Seeing Jiang Pingchuan nod earnestly and admit that he truly could not discern his strength, the old master smiled smugly, very pleased with the effect.

“You’re hiding it too deeply,” Jiang Pingchuan said with a trace of doubt and a tone of respect.

Hearing this, the old master was quite pleased. But before he could even begin boasting, Jiang Pingchuan had already grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

Then he waved a hand and gathered the hundred or so people who had come with them. Jiang Pingchuan swept his gaze over the crowd; among them, the strongest had only reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

There was not a single Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Such cultivators were not uncommon within the Beggars’ Guild. They simply had numbers. But against cultivators who had already long since entered Foundation Establishment, they would be completely crushed, with no pressure whatsoever.

“Second Leader, just say what needs to be said.”

Someone in the crowd spoke up, and the others nodded along. Jiang Pingchuan glanced at You Liang, who was standing at the front of the group in silence, then waved a hand for everyone to quiet down.

“The city lord’s residence is full of experts. If we charge in recklessly, we’ll gain nothing and won’t be of any help to the Guild Leader either. So we’ll enter in batches. The strongest goes in first to probe the waters; after that, everyone forms groups according to their strength, and each batch goes in at quarter-hour intervals. Understand?”

Jiang Pingchuan gave his instructions quickly. Upon hearing them, everyone said nothing, quickly sorting themselves into teams according to their cultivation levels. Jiang Pingchuan placed the little fox in You Liang’s arms. You Liang nodded and hugged the fox, crouching by the roadside to watch quietly.

“Uh, this... Second Leader, who’s going in first?”

Before long, the old master was eyeing Jiang Pingchuan slyly as he spoke in that annoyingly familiar way. Jiang Pingchuan gave him a cold smile.

“Old man, you’re not a member of the Beggars’ Guild. No need to call me Second Leader. Since no one here but you is qualified to go in first, I’m afraid there isn’t a second person for the job.”

Jiang Pingchuan looked earnestly at the old fellow, whose face had fallen, and patted his shoulder. The old master glared at him, never expecting to be played by Jiang Pingchuan like this.

He was truly too naive, actually believing Jiang Pingchuan’s nonsense. Jiang Pingchuan’s strength had already reached the peak of this continent; how could he possibly fail to see through his true level?

The old master sighed inwardly at how young he still was, having been outmaneuvered by this old fox, Jiang Pingchuan.

“You rotten beggar, bullying an old man like me, you shameless beggar...”

No longer bothering with Jiang Pingchuan, the old master turned around and strode toward Han Zhen’s city lord residence with the air of one marching to his doom, cursing Jiang Pingchuan all the while.

Suddenly, he felt a hand pat his shoulder. The old fellow had lived this long and still could not bear being startled; with a yelp, he turned red-faced to stare at the smiling Jiang Pingchuan beside him.

“What’s the matter, old man? Scared already?”

Jiang Pingchuan said icily as he watched the old master’s pitiful expression. At that, the old master straightened his chest and took even larger steps. But after walking a few paces, he suddenly realized Jiang Pingchuan was no longer beside him.

He turned back and saw Jiang Pingchuan still standing where he had been, looking at him with a teasing smile. Swallowing hard, the old master also stopped and refused to move forward.

A group of Beggars’ Guild disciples standing in the night looked at the pair, one old and one young, not far away, and truly did not know what to say. When had this old master become like this?

Seeing that the old master would not move on either, Jiang Pingchuan looked up at the sky above, sighed, and walked over to his side.

The old master grinned and draped an arm over Jiang Pingchuan’s shoulder as they headed toward Han Zhen’s city lord residence.