The Villain's Counterattack

Qiao Feng's words made it clear that Murong Fu had no sufficient reason to kill Ma Dayuan, no sufficient evidence, and no motive at all. All the Beggars' Sect members present looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering why their leader hadn't spoken up before, if he knew all this. Could there be some other hidden connection they were unaware of?

Quan Guanqing was speechless. From any perspective, the Murong family had no suspicion of murdering Deputy Gang Leader Ma. However, his intelligence indicated that Ma Dayuan was indeed dead, killed by his unique throat-locking technique. But was this source of information truly reliable? If Ma Dayuan was dead, where was his body?

So he could only repeatedly say that Qiao Feng would definitely bring harm to the Beggars' Sect in the future. As for how it would be harmful, he refused to mention it. After all, it was not the right time yet and he had no evidence.

Among the four elders, Elder Wu was quite upright and resolute, so he took the initiative to plead guilty and ask for punishment. Bai Shijing was also very angry, so he directly asked for the magic knife to kill the four elders and Quan Guanqing. Even Qiao Feng's plea could not make him give in.

However, Qiao Feng was a man who took the overall situation into consideration. He had not expected the four elders to rebel against him, and the reasons were unknown and needed to be investigated later, but it was not a reason to harm them. The Beggars' Sect could not withstand such a huge change, but as the leader, he had the best overall view of the entire Beggars' Sect.

"Elder Bai, there is a rule in our gang's rules: 'If a disciple of our gang breaks the rules, he shall not be forgiven lightly. Even if the gang leader shows leniency, he must shed his own blood to cleanse his sin.' Is that true or not?" Qiao Feng snatched the magic knife and stabbed himself, which scared everyone. Seeing that he was willing to hurt himself to save the four elders who rebelled against him, Bai Shijing felt a little embarrassed.

Bai Shijing, as the law enforcement elder, possessed considerable martial arts skills and foresight, and naturally recognized Qiao Feng's importance. He could kill Ma Dayuan, the deputy leader, primarily because the position had never existed before. While unjust, killing him would not affect the stability and safety of the Beggars' Sect. However, Qiao Feng was different. As the leader of the Beggars' Sect, he was the organization's core pillar and core. Without him, the Beggars' Sect would be in turmoil, crumbling at the slightest sign of failure.

Well, he would never admit that the deputy gang leader was not as important as the deputy gang leader's wife.

After tacitly agreeing to Qiao Feng's plan to wash away the sins with blood, Qiao Feng also mentioned the past achievements of the four elders one by one. This move made the four elders feel ashamed and grateful. It was a very clever method, but something went wrong when it came to Quan Guanqing.

He mentioned a little about Qiao Feng's life experience but refused to say more. His hesitation made people suspicious. He repeatedly asked Qiao Feng, but could not get the answer he wanted. He was unwilling to die, so in the end Qiao Feng gave him a way out and let him untie the cloth bag and drive him out.

Just as the saying goes, good people don't live long and bad people don't live long enough, just when Quan Guanqing solved the fifth cloth bag, suddenly there was the sound of horse hooves, and horses were galloping from the north, followed by one or two whistles.

The one who came here was a disciple of the Beggar Gang. He was one of the disciples sent by the leader of the Daxin branch to Xixia to gather information. He only had time to say "urgent military" and hand over a small package to his leader, and then he and the poor warhorse both died in the end.

Qiao Feng took the package, opened it, and saw a wax pill wrapped inside. He crushed the wax pill and took out a paper ball. Before he could even look at it, he heard the sound of horse hooves. The rider on the east horse had already galloped into the forest, shouting in a stern voice, "Xiao Feng, the wax pill has a letter. It contains important military information. You cannot read it."

The one who came here was an old beggar with flowing white beard, wearing a patched rag. He was very old. Everyone saluted respectfully and called out, "Elder Xu."

Elder Xu took the information from Qiao Feng and held it in his hand without even looking at it. He then said that Madam Ma, the widow of Brother Ma Dayuan, would be arriving soon to tell everyone something. Qiao Feng was concerned about the Xixia information, so he asked Elder Xu if it was a serious matter. After receiving Elder Xu's affirmative answer, he could only wait for the time being.

Soon, guests arrived one after another. The first ones were Mr. Tan and Mrs. Tan from Chongxiao Cave in Taihang Mountain. As soon as they appeared, they began to treat Qiao Feng's injuries. Although they were a bit reckless, their intentions were good. The golden wound medicine they used was very effective and the pain was greatly reduced in a short time.

Then another person came riding a donkey upside down. It was Tan Po's senior brother Zhao Qiansun. The two were tall but their behavior and speech were childish and funny. Then a group of riders came on horseback. The leader was five young men with thick eyebrows and big eyes who looked similar. Elder Wu immediately recognized the Five Heroes of Mount Tai. After they greeted each other, Shan Zheng came late, but he had more people with him. The leader was Wang Erlang from Gusu College, Kang Guangling, the zither master, Gou Du, Xue Muhua, the genius doctor, and Li Kuilei, a drama fan. Twenty guards followed closely behind them.

Elder Xu was also quite surprised to see the person behind Shan Zheng. Shan Zheng said helplessly, "I came here at the invitation to be a witness. However, when I arrived in Wuxi City, I didn't expect that Mr. Wang would come to my door early in the morning and ask me to be his guide to meet the senior leaders of the Beggars' Sect and explain the injustice done to Mr. Murong."

Elder Xu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Shan Zheng was known as the Iron-faced Judge, but he had never expected him to so directly side with the Murong family. This was something he had not expected. Shan Zheng was also an experienced man. Seeing Elder Xu's unwavering expression, he shook his head and said, "Shan Zheng does have some cooperation with the Murong Company, but this is not enough to affect Shan Zheng's impartial position. I have evidence that proves Young Master Murong's innocence, but it is not convenient to make it public for the time being to avoid alerting the enemy."

Shan Zheng spoke the last few words very softly. Only Elder Xu, Wang Erlang and others who were close to him, as well as Qiao Feng, who was extremely skilled in martial arts, heard them clearly. The others looked at Wang Erlang and others curiously, wondering how they had the confidence to come to the Beggars' Sect Conference. You must know that the rumor that Murong Fu killed Ma Dayuan was spreading like wildfire outside. Weren't they afraid of being left here?

But when you look closely at the people coming, you know they can't stay. It's not that they can't stay, but they dare not stay.

Wang Erlang: A famous scholar, the president of Gusu College, Nan Murong's uncle and father-in-law. If he is touched, the entire literary class will probably be furious.

Qin Dian Kang Guangling: Professor of Suzhou College, he is known as an expert in music, with disciples all over the world. He once played a piece in front of the current emperor, who greatly appreciated him.

Bookworm Goudu: The top professor at Gusu College, a great scholar with disciples all over the world, several of whom passed the imperial examinations and became officials in the court.

Miraculous doctor Xue Muhua: Professor of Gusu College, a master of medical skills, his kindness is spread throughout the Central Plains martial arts world. Even in the Beggar Gang, there are many people who have received his treatment, including the former leader of the Beggar Gang, Wang Jiantong. If this person is touched, there will be at least 800 people in the entire martial arts world who are willing to avenge him.

Li Kuilei, a fan of the opera? Haha, this guy is just making up the numbers, but his martial arts skills have reached the top level, and he is extremely good at commanding small teams in battle. Even three to five hundred ordinary third-rate fighters can defeat the twenty guards behind them under his command.

The speaker has intention, and the listener has thought. Elder Xu felt a chill in his heart when he heard Shan Zheng's words. He actually didn't care much about Ma Dayuan's death. As an old man, he was used to life and death. He just used this incident as an excuse to expel Qiao Feng so that he could take the position. In fact, deep down in his heart, he didn't believe that Murong Fu would kill Ma Dayuan.

He knew very well how skilled the martial arts were in the north, Qiao Feng, and the south, Murong. If Murong Fu really wanted to kill Ma Dayuan, he would not be so foolish as to display his unique martial arts, Dou Zhuan Xing Yi. Ma Dayuan's martial arts could not force out Murong Fu's family heirloom.

However, this change was extremely serious. The combined influence of the Gusu Murong family was definitely not inferior to that of the Beggar Gang. If possible, he did not want the Beggar Gang and the Murong family to be at odds with each other, so he smiled and greeted Wang Erlang and others. Wang Erlang greeted him with a smile, saying that his visit had nothing to do with the Beggar Gang's internal affairs, but only to clear the name of his own family leader.

Elder Xu felt a little relieved upon hearing this, and immediately called out the culprit, Madam Ma. Madam Ma was dressed in mourning clothes, which made her look even more charming. She came up to greet Qiao Feng and told him what she had discovered. It was a suicide note with the following words on the cover: "If I die of old age, this letter must be burned immediately. Anyone who opens it will destroy my body, causing me to rest in peace in my afterlife. If I die an unnatural death, this letter must be immediately handed over to the elders of our gang to open and read together. This is a matter of great importance and no mistakes can be made."

Then he said that because Qiao Feng and the elders had gone to Jiangnan, he could not find them, so he delivered the suicide note to Elder Xu. Elder Xu recognized Ma Dayuan's handwriting and asked Shan Zheng to witness it in person. He also confirmed that the sealing wax was still intact and read the contents of the letter.

Qiao Feng pondered this secretly, then suddenly turned his gaze to Quan Guanqing and said, "Your master must have a reason for rebelling against me. The four elders are the founding fathers of the Beggars' Sect. It's impossible for them to rebel without a reason. Do you know the contents of the letter?"

Quan Guanqing had already taken off the cloth bag, but now quietly put it back. Upon hearing this, he immediately shouted, "That's right. I, Quan Guanqing, do things worthy of the Beggars' Sect!"

Qiao Feng's ears twitched slightly, and he suddenly asked, "When did you start planning this rebellion?"

Quan Guanqing froze when he heard that, but the four elders' eyes flickered as if they were suspicious. Qiao Feng asked Shan Zheng for confirmation, but Shan Zheng gave a time of recent days, while Quan Guanqing and the others had conspired before that.

Elder Xu's expression suddenly turned extremely grim upon hearing this. Qiao Feng said in a deep voice, "I don't know what information that Brother Ma wrote in his letter that might harm me. I just want to ask Elder Xu, is the sealing wax intact? Is it new or old? Are Elder Xu and Senior Shan the only ones who have read the letter? Have you ever leaked the information in the letter to anyone else?"

"Reseal it with wax, and cover the old with the new!" Shan Zheng finally understood. "The paper on which Deputy Gang Leader Ma's suicide note was written is quite old, but that sealing wax..."

"Definitely less than three months!" Shan Zheng was also a veteran in the martial arts world. How could he not notice these details? Ma Dayuan's suicide note was exposed in advance? Mrs. Ma's face suddenly turned extremely ugly. She tearfully insisted that she had discovered it by accident and no one else had seen it.

"If it can be confirmed that the cover of the suicide note was left by Brother Ma, can the contents inside be confirmed to be written by Ma Dayuan himself?" Qiao Feng's next question made Elder Xu and Shan Zheng embarrassed, because the contents inside were not left by Ma Dayuan.

"The gang leader suspected someone had discovered the suicide note before Madam Ma, replaced it, and resealed it. But why would he do such a thing..." The elder who was passing on his skills stopped talking, his eyes fixed on Quan Guanqing fiercely. "So you're the one behind all this. You replaced Deputy Gang Leader Ma's suicide note, and you used this false information to incite the four elders to rebellion. Quan Guanqing, you deserve to die!"

Quan Guanqing: I am wronged, but I have nowhere to seek justice. I have clearly cooperated with Mrs. Ma in delivering the suicide note to Elder Xu, but why did he want to ask someone to be a witness and waste so much time in vain?

You said to postpone the conspiracy? Haha, if it was any later, they would have really reached the gates of the Gusu Murong family. Although they had a lot of people, without Qiao Feng leading them, they really didn't dare to provoke Murong Fu casually, otherwise they would be beaten badly.