All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

Chapter 98 Admission Ticket

Qiao Feng stood up to greet them, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "We are so sorry to have failed to welcome you properly, but we thank you for your hospitality."

Tan Gong and Tan Po dismounted and greeted Qiao Feng. Tan Po was tall, towering over Tan Gong, yet Tan Gong looked at her with doting eyes, making the scene rather comical.

The Beggars' Sect members had just exchanged greetings with the two men when they heard the clatter of hooves, and a donkey burst into the woods.

A man was riding the donkey upside down. He was curled up in a ball and looked like a seven or eight-year-old child.

"Senior brother, what weird tricks are you playing now? I'll spank you!" Granny Tan stepped forward and slapped his buttocks.

The man rolled off the ground in a flash, and suddenly, by stretching out his hands and feet, he became tall and large. This man had a knack for preserving his youthful appearance; his age was impossible to discern, and his looks were neither ugly nor handsome.

Few people present recognized the donkey rider, but just by seeing his skillful contortion technique, they knew he was a master.

As soon as he landed, he gazed intently at Granny Tan and asked softly, "Xiao Juan, have you been having a good time lately?"

Tan Gong, who was standing to the side, snorted coldly on the spot, suppressing his anger and not letting it out.

Just as the donkey rider was about to speak again, a voice suddenly interrupted: "If you two want to flirt, why don't you find a secluded place?"

The donkey rider suddenly turned his head, glaring angrily at the person who had spoken: "Who is this, daring to interrupt Xiaojuan and me?"

Zhang Cheng stretched and stood up, ignoring the donkey rider, and said to Elder Xu, "Everyone has been waiting here because Xu said Madam Ma has important matters to discuss. Why has so much time passed and we still haven't seen her?"

These words drew angry glares from the Beggars' Sect disciples.

Elder Xu's expression darkened slightly: "You are not a disciple of our Beggars' Sect. This is a private matter within the sect, and outsiders should not eavesdrop. Please do me the favor and excuse yourself for the time being."

"If Xu had said that earlier, Zhang might have left," Zhang Cheng said slowly. "But these three aren't Beggars' Sect disciples. If they can stay, why can't I join in the fun?"

The donkey rider was furious when he saw that Zhang Cheng ignored him again and again and only talked to Elder Xu.

He lunged forward, threw a punch, and shouted, "You ungrateful wretch! People have already said all that, and you only leave when someone points a finger at you and tells you to get lost?"

Zhang Cheng grabbed the fist that was coming at him and twisted the other man's wrist in the process. But the donkey rider had the ability to shrink bones, and his joints could rotate beyond that of ordinary people. He took advantage of the situation to turn to the side and delivered another punch.

Zhang Cheng reached out with his left hand and firmly clamped down on the fist. Taking advantage of his body size, he spread his arms to the left and right, lifting his opponent into the air, rendering him unable to move.

"Hey you, let go of my senior brother!" Granny Tan rushed forward to help when she saw the donkey rider being restrained.

Zhang Cheng remained calm and kicked the donkey rider away.

The man was in mid-air with nowhere to put his weight on, so he couldn't dissipate the force from his feet. He could only manage to shrink himself slightly when he landed, and his body rolled away like a ball, finally stopping after hitting a tree.

After kicking the donkey rider away, Zhang Cheng seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He dodged Tan Po's punch by turning his body to the side, grabbed her shoulder with one hand, and used his other hand to strike her pressure point with his finger.

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye. When Tan Gong saw that his wife had been subdued, his expression changed drastically, and he rushed forward.

Without turning his head, Zhang Cheng said indifferently, "Sir, you'd better not come any closer. Otherwise, your wife's life may be in danger."

Tan Gong froze, realizing he was afraid to act rashly and dared not move again.

The other beggars who arrived later were all astonished. This man had taken down the donkey rider and Granny Tan in just a few moves, his actions were swift and precise, truly remarkable.

Qiao Feng frowned slightly and said, "Sect Leader Zhang—"

Zhang Cheng turned around: "Don't worry, Chief Qiao, I have no intention of hurting anyone. I'm just temporarily detaining Madam Tan as an admission ticket to prevent some people from kicking me out."

Having said all that, Elder Xu couldn't bring himself to ask them to leave.

Just then, several more swift horses galloped into the apricot grove. Leading the way were five young men who looked alike, followed by an old man dressed in a silk robe.

These five men were brothers born of the same mother, known as the "Five Heroes of Mount Tai." The old man was their father, nicknamed "Iron-Faced Judge."

The single positive.

This man had many disciples, totaling over two hundred, and was a local tyrant in Mount Tai.

This is why [Clear Eyes and Ears] considers the "Shan Family of Mount Tai" to be a Jianghu gang, allowing Zhang Cheng to recognize them at a glance.

The Shan family rushed into the woods, only to find a tense standoff. They were confronting a man in black who was holding an old woman hostage.

This was completely different from the information they had received, and they were momentarily at a loss for words.

Zhang Cheng glanced at the Shan family father and son, then looked at Elder Xu with a half-smile: "Look, a few more unrelated people have arrived. I wonder when Madam Ma, whom the Xu fellow has been waiting for, will arrive?"

Upon hearing Zhang Cheng's words, Shan Zheng frowned and glanced at Elder Xu, who had invited him there. Seeing that Elder Xu nodded slightly to him, Shan Zheng immediately said loudly, "Please invite Madam Ma out for a chat."

A small sedan chair emerged from behind the woods, carried by two strong men who moved swiftly into the woods, placed it down, and lifted the curtain.

A young woman dressed entirely in white stepped slowly out of the sedan chair. After alighting, she greeted the members of the Beggars' Sect in turn.

"Hey Xu, are all the main actors for today's big show here? If the show starts, don't call it a halt halfway through."

Zhang Cheng spoke again.

No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the branch leaders who had arrived later drew his single-edged sword with a clang, pointed it at Zhang Cheng, and angrily shouted, "You scoundrel, just because you have some skill, you think you can bully everyone? Do you think my Beggars' Sect is easy to bully?"

Zhang Cheng still held Tan Po's shoulder with one hand, and pointed with his other little finger. The weapon in the leader's hand broke in two.

"My friend, this isn't your place to make decisions, is it? Or are you trying to join the fun and seize power?"

The helmsman's face was ashen. He gripped the broken half of his sword, both shocked and furious. Just as he was about to attack again, Zhang Cheng twitched his little finger slightly, and he, like a frightened bird, hurriedly dodged.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Seeing this, Qiao Feng sighed softly and finally spoke: "Sect Leader Zhang, this matter is ultimately a family affair of our Beggars' Sect. Why don't you step aside, Brother Zhang, and we can enjoy a drink together another day?"

"With Chief Qiao's wit, surely he can see that this Xu fellow has ill intentions? Today's events might very well be a trap set by him in collusion with those rebellious beggars."

Zhang Cheng shook his head. "Furthermore, what you all want to talk about next is nothing more than the cause of death of Deputy Chief Ma."

The people traveling with me are all friends from the Murong family. Our presence here is far more legitimate than theirs.

,

As he spoke, he pointed to Granny Tan in his hand, then glanced at the Shan family father and son and Tan Gong and others beside him.