The sky at the horizon had only just begun to pale when Feng Bo'e, unable to wait a moment longer, found Murong Fu, who was already up practicing his martial arts.
"Young Master, Qin Zheng did just as we expected. In the middle of the night he ran off to dig up a grave! A pity he was bound to come back disappointed. Young Master, you didn't see it. You can't imagine how ugly his face looked then."
Murong Fu smiled faintly. "Laughing at him behind his back is one thing. In front of him, we must not give the game away on any account.
"Have someone prepare breakfast. The people of the Shaolin Sect and the Qingcheng Sect arranged to meet me today. I'm afraid a nasty fight can't be avoided later. We eat and drink our fill first, and then we talk."
Before long, breakfast was ready. Qin Zheng came to the table and sat down with two dark circles under his eyes.
Murong Fu asked, all concern, "I see Great Hero Qin's color is a bit poor. Did you sleep badly last night? Have we been remiss in our hospitality somewhere?"
Qin Zheng waved a hand. "Don't mind it. I've been training the Panda Fist. If this martial art is trained to great completion, a man can swallow an iron wok whole!"
Murong Fu: "??"
A'Zhu burst out laughing. "Even if you can swallow an iron wok whole, what use is that!"
Qin Zheng shot her a sidelong look. "I can go perform on the street and keep a whole family, old and young. You tell me whether that's useful or not!"
A'Zhu rolled her eyes. "That really is very useful, then."
Murong Fu rebuked her. "A'Zhu, do not be rude."
A'Zhu gave a hum of assent and, still unconvinced, shut her mouth and said no more.
Murong Fu said apologetically, "A'Zhu is shallow in what she has seen. I ask Great Hero Qin not to hold it against her."
Qin Zheng bit into a bun and said, his words muffled, "It's nothing. Miss A'Zhu has quite a lively character. I keep a pasture at the foot of Changbai Mountain. I think she'd be quite suited to going there to serve as oxen and horses... ahem, to herd oxen and horses!"
A'Zhu could not help shivering.
This Bandit King was far too petty, wasn't he? She had only teased him with a couple of remarks, and he actually meant to drag her off to a bitterly cold land to torment her!
Murong Fu, too, was somewhat speechless within. He hurriedly changed the subject and kept him company, chatting about the local ways of Guanzhong.
At noon, Feng Bo'e ran in to report, "Young Master, Cui Baiquan of the Funiu Sect, Sima Lin of the Qingcheng Sect, and Master Xuan Nan, head of Shaolin's Damo Hall, have come to pay a visit, bringing a host of disciples with them."
Murong Fu nodded slightly. "Receive them well. Do not slight them. I will go out at once to meet our guests."
When he had finished, he turned to invite Qin Zheng. "Great Hero Qin, would you care to come with me and meet the masters of the various sects?"
Qin Zheng smiled and stood. "Let's go. Cui Baiquan went by the name of Mister Huo, hiding who he was, and served for many years as accountant at the Prince of Zhennan's manor. When he sees Brother Duan here, the look on his face is sure to be quite a sight."
Duan Yu cried out in surprise. "Mister Huo is a jianghu expert too?"
"Whether he is or he isn't, you'll know once you go out and look."
As he spoke, Qin Zheng followed Murong Fu out the door, and together they came into the great hall.
By then the people of the Qingcheng Sect, the Shaolin Sect, and the Funiu Sect had all gathered.
Murong Fu glanced over everyone in the hall, cupped his fists, and said, "I am Murong Fu. I have been remiss in coming out to welcome you. I ask you, friends, to forgive me.
"You have come uninvited. May I ask what matter brings you?"
Cui Baiquan recognized Duan Yu at a glance. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, stepped forward, and bowed. "Young Prince, how is it you are here?"
Duan Yu glanced at Qin Zheng. Sure enough, he had called it, he thought, and said to Cui Baiquan, "Mister Huo—no, I ought to call you Mister Cui.
"This man beside me is Qin Zheng, the Great Hero of Guanzhong. I came out to wander the jianghu in his company."
Cui Baiquan's expression turned a little strange. "So that's how it is. Young Prince, once you've had enough of your amusement, go home early, lest the Prince worry."
That said, his face darkened. He cupped his fists toward Murong Fu. "Young Master Murong, my senior brother Ke Baisui was killed by 'Using Their Own Methods Against Them,' and died beneath the Funiu Sect's exclusive whip art, the Hundred Victories Divine Whip.
"I ask Young Master Murong to give us an accounting!"
Xuan Nan intoned a Buddha's name, then said, "Senior Brother Xuan Bei of my sect, hearing that the Four Great Evils meant to go to Dali and make trouble for the Prince of Zhennan, was killed on the way to carry the warning, beneath his own supreme art, the Great Skanda Staff. Does Young Master Murong know who killed my Senior Brother Xuan Bei?"
Sima Lin of the Qingcheng Sect glared at Murong Fu in fury and said through gritted teeth, "My father was killed with the Qingcheng Sect's Moon-Breaking Awl. Aside from your Murong family's 'Using Their Own Methods Against Them,' no one else in the world knows how to use the Moon-Breaking Awl!
"Today I will slaughter your entire Murong household, and avenge my father!"
With that he drew a steel awl and was about to strike.
Deng Baichuan gave a cold laugh. "You aren't worth my young master making a move. I'll fight you for three hundred bouts!"
Murong Fu raised a hand and stopped him. "Brother Deng, wait! Friends, I, Murong Fu, have always dared to act and dared to own it, open and aboveboard. The deaths of these three were truly not my doing!
"So far as I know, not long ago someone in Dali impersonated me and killed Yue Lao San and Yun Zhonghe of the Four Great Evils. Perhaps these men were killed by him as well, while he pretended to be me. Great Hero Qin can testify to it!"
As he spoke he turned his face toward Qin Zheng, wanting him to speak and explain.
Qin Zheng swept the people present with a scornful look and said, "Young Master Murong, why waste words on them? So you killed a few people—what's there to hide?
"Just kill this whole pack of trash in front of us. Even if the matter comes out later, the dead can bear no witness.
"Besides, hasn't your family long since planned it—first destroy Shaolin, then wipe out the Beggar Gang?
"Whether you kill them early or late, it comes to the same thing. Hurry up and move, before they get word out!"
"??!!"
Murong Fu froze where he stood, dumbstruck, staring at Qin Zheng as if he had seen a ghost!
No—when had he ever said that?
First destroy Shaolin, then wipe out the Beggar Gang. It sounded impressively bold, but did he, damn it, have skill that great?!
At the same time Cui Baiquan, Xuan Nan, and the others had already reacted. One after another they drew blades and hidden weapons, unleashed their own supreme arts, and came straight at Murong Fu and his people.
"You damned villain—so it really was you who killed my father!"
"Martial nephew, side by side! Avenge your master!"
Though Murong Fu was utterly astonished within, faced with attacks coming on in force he at once raised his guard to the utmost. His figure turned slightly. He brought Star Transposition into play. His sleeves, like a whirlpool, caught the incoming hidden weapons, and a light flick of his wrist sent them back the way they had come.
A whole swath of Qingcheng Sect disciples fell flat at once. Cui Baiquan and his martial nephew were forced back by the hidden weapons as well.
Xuan Nan swept his sleeve and knocked aside the projectiles curling back upon them. He pressed his palms together, stepped forward, and said, "Young Master Murong, this poor monk has come to sample your high techniques."
That said, both sleeves swelled like the sails of a boat. As the cloth sleeves flipped and flew, dozens of streams of palm force spread out in layers. The air surged. Gray cloth and broken sleeve-fluff scattered like butterflies in flight.
Murong Fu shifted his hands, meaning to draw the force aside with Star Transposition, only to find Xuan Nan's palm power incomparably hard and fierce, his internal energy far too deep and vast for him to bear. The spinning current of air was blasted apart the moment it met the palm wind. His body was driven back again and again. He simply could not reverse that immense force, and could only draw it off to one side.
One of them deployed a Shaolin supreme art; the other answered with Star Transposition. Hard, fierce true qi spilled in every direction, pressing the rest so hard they could not get a hand in.
Qin Zheng watched from the side, nodding again and again, and praised him. "Master Xuan Nan is worthy of being head of Shaolin's Damo Hall. Not only is his internal energy profound—his palm art is so exquisite it can almost rival Qiao Feng's Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.
"Murong Fu's Star Transposition is formidable too. Speaking only of methods for shedding force, it is worthy of being called second in the present age!"
Duan Yu asked, playing along perfectly, "Then what martial art is first in the present age?"
Qin Zheng said proudly, "Naturally, it is this great hero's Primordial Chaos Force. My Primordial Chaos Force can not only shed their force—it can shed their heads as well!"
"..."
Duan Yu fell silent at once. This loose mouth of his just had to ask. How did that saying go?
Right. Shown up by his showing off again!
Hearing the cutting remarks Qin Zheng was tossing off to one side, Murong Fu was so angry he thought his lungs would burst. Still locked in combat with Xuan Nan, he roared, "Qin Zheng! There is no grievance and no enmity between us. Why are you framing me?!"
Chapter 15