EFB Chapter 7 Beggars' Sect and Wudang Sect
Chapter 7 Beggars' Sect and Wudang Sect
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the opening day of the Chu Xiang Heroes' Gathering, Fang Weihan once again invited the two members of the Sheng family, one adult and one child, out for dinner.
This time it wasn't the Forget-Worry Pavilion, but an ordinary restaurant very close to the Heroes' Gathering.
Thanks to the influx of people brought by the Chu Xiang Heroes' Gathering, the inns and restaurants in Chu Xiang City were full, which also led to various conflicts. For example, there was an old beggar with a non-local accent who was shamelessly begging from the restaurant owner at the entrance of this restaurant.
"Sir, please have mercy and give me a chicken."
The old beggar was holding a rice bowl, half-squatting on the ground, shaking the bowl with a sincere attitude.
"You're always talking about chickens, but if you want steamed buns, I can give you two."
The shopkeeper shook his head, but fearing that it might be a senior member of the Beggars' Sect, he dared not directly kick the man out.
If they really gave out chickens, every beggar would come asking for them and the shop would go out of business. The martial arts world is full of beggars who pretend to be members of the Beggars' Sect.
Because he was blocking the entrance, this restaurant's business was noticeably worse than the surrounding restaurants; it wasn't even full.
"Hey, how can the shops do business if you beg like this?"
Upon seeing this, Fang Weihan immediately went over, while Sheng Wansong didn't even glance at him, went straight into the restaurant, found a clean empty seat, and sat down, with An Lan following closely behind.
Looking back, Fang Weihan was still arguing with the beggar. Finally, he scratched his head helplessly, took out a few coins and put them into the beggar's bowl.
"Sir, why don't you buy some food and go home? The streets are full of gangsters these days, and one of them might get annoyed with you and slash you with a knife."
Who knew that the beggar would throw all the copper coins, enough for several days' food expenses, to the innkeeper and say, "Give me a beggar's chicken and a bottle of Qionghua wine."
"Alright."
The shopkeeper received the copper coins, and his troubled expression immediately turned into a smile. "However, the Qionghua wine is not enough. Please make do with a cup of yellow wine."
"That works too."
The old beggar didn't insist, and instead grabbed the chicken and wine the waiter had brought and sat down to eat them on the open ground outside the restaurant.
Due to budget cuts, Fang Weihan only ordered a table of ordinary dishes.
But when the dishes were served, the waiter brought them an extra bowl of beggar's chicken and a bottle of Qionghua wine.
The waiter smiled and said, "This is a treat for the three of you from the manager."
You cannot give alms to beggars, but you can give them to those who have helped you.
Fang Weihan immediately reached for Sheng Wansong's glass, but he raised his hand and pushed her away, saying, "I don't drink."
"An'an won't drink either."
Fang Weihan looked bitter and stopped urging him to drink and make merry alone. When he got drunk, he became less discreet and started showing off his miscellaneous knowledge.
"Brother Sheng, have you seen those two young heroes at the outermost table?"
Sheng Wansong glanced at them. The two men were wearing loose Taoist robes with white base and blue trim, with Tai Chi cloud patterns embroidered on the collar. Two three-foot-long swords sealed in ebony sheaths were placed on the table. In this ordinary shop, they were quite dignified and out of place.
"A Wudang disciple?"
"That's right, they are disciples of Wudang, one of the six major sects that, along with Shaolin, are considered the pinnacle of the martial arts world!"
Despite the noise, Fang Weihan lowered his voice, but the two men, skilled in martial arts, still caught up with their conversation, a proud smile appearing on their lips.
"Senior Brother Yuan Tai, I didn't expect that ordinary people in this remote city could recognize us Wudang disciples."
Yuan Tai laughed and said, "Junior Brother Yuanbao, you must know that our Wudang Sect is renowned far and wide. Our Sect Leader Qingxu's Tai Chi Sword is invincible. In this martial world, who wouldn't recognize him except for a three-year-old child?"
The two exchanged a smile, their waist tags bearing the words "Wudang" were already polished to a shine and were spotless.
Then they heard...
"However..."
"Prestigious sects all receive a free invitation from the Famous Sword Manor, with Wudang and Shaolin receiving as many as three."
Sheng Wansong advised, "Brother Fang, you've had too much to drink."
Ignoring everything else, Fang Weihan continued, "The fact that they're here means they're not among the top in the younger generation of Wudang, and they can only compete with wandering martial artists for this invitation."
Yuan Tai stopped smiling, his expression turning grim. Yuan Bao even pulled a bamboo chopstick from the chopstick holder and threw it at Fang Weihan.
To be honest, it was indeed a grand gesture. In such a complicated restaurant environment, the chopsticks crossed four or five tables, avoided the dishes and wine, passed through the handle of the teapot, and pierced towards Fang Weihan's cheek.
The force wasn't strong; it was just enough to pierce a hole in both cheeks.
Sheng Wansong remained indifferent.
However, a chicken bone was thrown in from outside, hitting the tip of the chopsticks with its slow speed before bouncing off and landing on Fang Weihan's face.
The chopsticks, however, were inserted diagonally into the table, deviating from the intended path.
With a buzzing sound, its tail continued to vibrate.
Fang Weihan was so frightened by this scene that his face turned deathly pale, and he was completely sober.
"You lowered your voice, but martial artists have keen hearing. Your whispers won't escape their ears," Sheng Wansong reminded him, then looked outside. The old beggar had already staggered away.
"Who awakens first from this great dream? I know myself best throughout my life."
As they walked, they began to sing loudly.
The two Wudang disciples chased after them, and presumably, somewhere they would be having a scene where a senior member of the Beggars' Sect educates a junior member of Wudang.
"I never expected that old gentleman to be a senior member of the Beggars' Sect."
"Really surprising?" Sheng Wansong denied it outright. "That old man looked slovenly but wasn't dirty at all. His scalp wasn't greasy at all, and he didn't smell like someone who doesn't bathe often. He was obviously a fake beggar."
Sour and smelly?
An Lan suddenly remembered that she had been walking in the forest for several days and suddenly felt worried.
She lifted her sleeve and sniffed, only to smell the aroma of the food on the table.
Sheng Wansong laughed and said, "An'an, you're made of water, so of course you're different from those beggars."
Even though he said that, An'an wasn't completely reassured and secretly resolved to take a bath every day from now on.
"No wonder you, Brother Sheng, such a kind-hearted person, ignored the old man. But since you noticed him so early, why didn't you go up and make a good connection?"
Warm-hearted and kind-hearted?
Brother Fang seems to have some unrealistic fantasies about Sheng Wansong.
"A fart's good karma."
Sheng Wansong scoffed, "These beggars are always pretending to be weak to take advantage of others. They deliberately make people look down on them. If people really look down on them, they beat them up with their martial arts. If they think highly of them, they act superior and act like you're a good person and want to make friends with you."
"He has hands and feet and martial arts skills, but he does no work. He's clearly a beggar, but he acts like a big shot."
"The Beggars' Sect is the largest gang in the martial arts world. Brother Sheng, be careful what you say, be careful what you say."
Fang Weihan pointed to the chopsticks still stuck in the table and advised.
"Moreover, if it weren't for your help, my handsome face would have been disfigured."
Some agreed with his words while others disagreed, but the shopkeeper's expression of deep agreement clearly indicated his agreement.
Sheng Wansong also did not intend to continue this topic, saying, "The food has been eaten, it's time for us to go and see which heroes are at the Heroes' Gathering."