Chapter 28: First Encounter with Hong Qigong

Ignoring the sobbing of the chubby little boy, Qiu Zhiqing observed the situation on the field, secretly remaining on guard. He had just defeated this group of men when a so-called "Gang Leader" appeared—this was troublesome. Had he known this would happen, he would have been better off letting the Qin brothers hold them off while he made a run for it to report the matter to the authorities!

Now, things had taken a turn for the worse; this man called the Gang Leader appeared to have formidable martial arts skills.

The scene was now somewhat eerie. Of the thirty or so thugs wielding bamboo staves, a dozen had already fallen, their flesh torn and bloody from the tiger-claw techniques used by the Qin brothers. Those who remained standing only bowed in fear toward their so-called leader, ignoring the three of them entirely. Meanwhile, Qin Fei and his older brother were quietly retreating toward the door—cowardly, indeed. Verdict: unreliable.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that even the five or six-year-old children felt it, their crying gradually fading into stifled sobs.

Perhaps deciding that the tension had been sufficiently built, the Gang Leader who had just arrived finally spoke, and his very first words caused the faces of Qiu Zhiqing and the Qin brothers to change drastically.

"You three meddling brats! You’ve ruined everything... more trouble than you’re worth!"

He seemed about to say more, but Qiu Zhiqing could not wait any longer. He shouted to the Qin brothers, "I’ll hold him off, you two go get reinforcements!"

Without waiting for a reply, he thrust his horsetail whisk forward. This time, Qiu Zhiqing dared not hold back; he channeled the Quanzhen Swordplay through the whisk and attacked with all his might.

To his surprise, the Gang Leader’s palm techniques were fluid and perfect, and he seemed intimately familiar with Qiu’s swordplay. No matter how Qiu varied his movements, the man could always dodge at the last millisecond or use a clever maneuver to force Qiu onto the defensive. No matter how Qiu cycled through the forty-nine variations of the Quanzhen Swordplay, it was all to no avail.

After thirty exchanges, Qiu Zhiqing wanted to flee. Every time the two blockheads tried to open the door, they were blocked by small stones flicked by the Gang Leader. They couldn't even reach the roof. After a few failed attempts, the two of them simply lay flat on the ground and started watching the show. Qiu Zhiqing inwardly cursed these bureaucratic scions for their lack of backbone. Damn it, where had that arrogance from when they were chasing him gone?

"Good, good, good! Your Quanzhen Swordplay carries a few shades of Wang Chongyang’s style. But a gift demands a return—boy, try the Beggar Clan's Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms!"

What? Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms? Gang Leader? Looking closely at the palm striking toward him, his heart skipped a beat—it was the Nine-Fingered Beggar! Though shocked, he knew that if he didn't receive this blow, he was finished.

"Three Flowers Converge at the Crown!" As their palms met, the force rippled outward. The Nine-Fingered Beggar retreated two steps, while Qiu Zhiqing was sent flying back to the roof. He stood guard, nervously asking, "May I ask if I am in the presence of the venerable Senior Hong Qigong?"

Although he felt this Nine-Fingered Beggar was not as overwhelmingly powerful as he had imagined, it was better to be cautious. Books were one thing, but who knew what reality held? After all, over the years, he had found Yin Zhiping quite decent, nothing like the person he had imagined.

"It is indeed this old beggar. You little Daoist are quite sly—why jump so high? Come down and trade a few more blows with me!"

It really was him. This was trouble. Still, it was best to clarify things; many problems stemmed from a lack of communication, and he couldn't afford that mistake. Qiu Zhiqing asked, "May I ask what 'ruining your good deeds' refers to, Senior Hong? It wouldn't be... these children, would it?"

Even as he asked, his feet were positioned to run at any moment. His master truly was a jinx; he had said his luck was low, and look at this! He went out to have a wedding drink, got chased ten streets by thugs, and while trying to escape, he ran into Hong Qigong trafficking children.

Seeing Qiu Zhiqing’s posture and his current state, Hong Qigong, a shrewd veteran, naturally understood his intent. He huffed, "Of course! If not for these children, would it be for you three brats? I was trying to follow the trail to uncover the mastermind. Your meddling ruined everything. Tell me, didn't you ruin my plans? Hmm?"

Phew! So that was it! If he had heard the first part, Qiu Zhiqing would have run for his life. As for justice, he would stake his reputation on the fact that he would have reported it to the authorities! He wouldn't let such excellent civil servants of the Great Song, like Qin Fei and his brother, die in vain in this dark, nameless place.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up. Qiu Zhiqing hesitated, then jumped down and performed a respectful Daoist salute. He formally introduced himself, "Qiu Zhiqing, disciple of Danyangzi of the Quanzhen Sect, Daoist name Chonghe, greets the esteemed Elder Hong of the Beggar Clan!"

Hong Qigong clearly didn't care for the formalities. He waved his hand and said, "Enough talk. How are you going to fix this? Otherwise, this old beggar will not let you off!"

Qiu Zhiqing’s eyes darted around. He looked at the thirty-some thugs who were definitely Beggar Clan disciples, then at Qin Fei and his brother, and revealed a mischievous smile.

He pointed at the Qin brothers and said, "Elder Hong, look. One of them is a high-ranking official of the Imperial City Guard, and the other is his brother. They are both government officials, and they were the ones who truly ruined your plans! I suggest, either you hand this matter over to the authorities, or..."

He glanced at the Beggar Clan disciples who had been incapacitated by the brothers, gestured toward them, and added, "Or we stuff these scum into sacks and use them as bait to see if we can catch a bigger fish!"

It was clear that Qin Fei was the type of pampered noble who had never suffered the world's harsh realities. He jumped up and pointed at Qiu Zhiqing, saying, "Senior, I am Qin Fei, Inspector of the Imperial City Guard. You can absolutely leave this matter to the government!"

Then, pointing at Qiu Zhiqing, he said to Hong Qigong, "As long as you help me capture this little Daoist who broke into the Imperial City, I will reward you handsomely!"

"Broke into the Imperial City?" Hong Qigong looked Qiu Zhiqing up and down, looking quite curious.

"Hey, hey, hey! Elder Hong, don't listen to his nonsense! I entered the Imperial City through proper channels; how could I have broken in?" He opened his collar to show them the coiled dragon jade pendant hanging around his neck, then quickly tucked it away. He gave Qin Fei a provocative look, enjoying the expression of someone who wanted to fight him but couldn't. Especially this Qin Fei; he knew perfectly well he wasn't there to steal, yet he had chased him relentlessly, seemingly determined to capture him to win favor.

"Fine, it's settled!" Hong Qigong glanced at the branch leader whom Qiu Zhiqing had incapacitated and said to the Beggar Clan disciples, "Those who haven't committed atrocities, if you report those who have, you can stand behind me, and I will spare you!"

Soon, of the thirty-some disciples, only eight stood behind Hong Qigong.

Knowing what Hong Qigong would likely do next, Qiu Zhiqing wanted to return to Fuxing Temple. He hadn't performed any free medical consultations that afternoon and felt guilty about it. He had to go back and explain it to Daoist Wumeizi! Yes, that was it—it definitely wasn't because he was afraid of trouble!

He acted on the thought. Before Hong Qigong could get to him, Qiu Zhiqing preemptively said, "Elder Hong, I must enter the palace tomorrow morning to study with my uncle, so I cannot stay. I shall take my leave!" Without waiting for a response, he prepared to jump the wall and run.

However, Hong Qigong seemed to possess mind-reading abilities. Just as he turned, the elder called out, "Stop! If you dare walk out of here, this old beggar will beat your master every time I see him!"

Through their brief clash, Hong Qigong realized it would be difficult to take this boy down, but beating his master? That would be child's play.

Qiu Zhiqing’s mouth twitched. Damn it, what kind of threat was that? What happened to the dignity of a martial arts master? But this effectively killed his plan to slip away. He turned back, stood straight, and said with righteous indignation:

"Beat my master? Go ahead! Do you think I’m that easily cowed? Is my master someone who is easily beaten? It’s just that I am a reasonable man. These murderous human traffickers deserve to die a hundred times over. I am willing to go with you, Elder Hong!"

Hong Qigong was quite satisfied as he shoved him into a sack, even giving him a few thoughtful kicks. Then, feeling content, he stuffed Qin Fei and all the heinous Beggar Clan disciples into sacks, letting Qin Fei's older brother help watch over the children.

After learning the trade method and location from the branch leader, he disguised himself as the man, threw the sacks one by one onto a small boat prepared at the back door, and began rowing toward the Water Gate.

Following the branch leader’s instructions, they headed toward the Yuhang Gate Water Gate.

Qiu Zhiqing, having been kicked and tossed about, mentally cursed himself for being a fool. Couldn't he have waited until he was on the boat to climb into the sack himself? And wasn't Hong Qigong supposed to be a slovenly old beggar? Why did he look so clean? He was practically a spirited little old man! And he wasn't as upright as he had imagined—he was full of devious tricks!

This was Qiu Zhiqing’s first impression of Hong Qigong: not someone to be trifled with, best to stay away in the future!