Chapter - 421 Long Flute, Short Lute, And Tan Clothing (8)

The beautiful lady in yellow was unfazed; she turned toward one of the women in black and said, "Xiao Cui, return the letter to him."

"Yes!" the girl in black replied. Taking a letter from her bosom, she held it on her hand.

Zhang Wuji took a glance and saw these characters on the envelope, 'To Master Han Shan Tong of the Ming Cult. Confidential." And a smaller row of four characters, 'Shi of the Beggar Clan.'

As Zhang Bang Longtou saw the letter, immediately his face turned purple. "Little [female] slave," he cursed, "Turned out the joker who stole the letter from the Old Man along the way is you, the dead slave girl." In his anger he raised his iron staff high, ready to stake his all and pounce on the girl.

That night Zhang Wuji witnessed how Shi Huolong ordered Zhang Bang Longtou to deliver a letter for Han Shantong, while holding Han Lin'er hostage to coerce Han Shantong to surrender to the Beggar Clan. Listening to the above exchange, he presumed it was these girls in white and in black who played joke on Zhang Bang Longtou along the way by stealing the letter, and thus forcing Zhang Bang Longtou to return to Lulong. But Zhang Bang Longtou had a strong martial art; listening to his words, it seemed like until this moment he did not know who had played the joke on him. Therefore, either these eight women possessed an outstanding resourcefulness, or they possessed a very high martial art skill. Or it could be that the beautiful lady in yellow was behind all this, deliberately throwing the masters from the Beggar Clan into confusion. Thinking to this point, he felt grateful toward that lady in yellow.

The beautiful lady in yellow said, "Han Shantong is fighting around the rivers Huai and Si to drive the Tartars away. Along the way, I heard that he is kindhearted and chivalrous; he has never disturbed common people. A hero of his caliber, how can he betray the Ming Cult and surrender to the Beggar Clan for the sake of his son? If this letter ever reach the hand of Han Da Ye [master Han], the joke will be on you. I saw this Longtou Dage [big brother Longtou] is muddle-headed and funny; furthermore, there is an important matter within the Beggar Clan that requires his presence, hence I intercepted the letter."

Zhang Wuji cupped his fists and said, "Many thanks Dajie [big sister] for your assistance. Zhang Wuji pays his respect."

The lady in yellow returned the respect. "Don't be overly courteous," she said. And then she addressed the Beggar Clan again, "Do you really believe that by capturing Han Lin'er you can compel Han Shantong to surrender? Zhang Bang Longtou Dage, along the way your trip was hindered several times. Do you think by detouring to smaller pathways you can evade the obstructions? Hey hey, even if you did evade the obstructions and deliver this letter to Han Shantong; your Beggar Clan will not enjoy any advantage at all."

Chen Youliang's heart sank; he took the letter and saw that the envelope was still intact. Ripping the envelope open, he took the letter and as he browsed it, his countenance changed greatly. Originally it was a letter compelling Han Shantong to surrender, now it became a letter from the Beggar Clan begging the Ming Cult to accept its surrender. The language was very humble, in which the Beggar Clan was bowing and bending its knees, assuming the lowest position by cursing its own past conducts and deeds, admitting that they were ten thousands of unpardonable evil. Furthermore, it declared that from that day onward, the Beggar Clan decided to rectify its wrongdoings and asking the Ming Cult's benevolence by not holding them responsible of their former misdeeds. It also promised to submit under the Ming Cult's authority and be willing to be the vanguard in the great undertaking of expelling the Yuan.

"That's right," the lady in yellow coldly said, "I have seen the letter, but it wasn't me who changed it. As I saw this letter, I realized Zhang Bang Longtou had already been tricked by others. My parents had a close relationship with the previous generation of the Beggar Clan. I do not wish the awe-inspiring prestige of the biggest clan in the world, which has been built since the days passed, to be disgraced like this today; hence I decided to interfere. Just think, if Zhang Bang Longtou delivered this letter to the Ming Cult, do you think the Beggar Clan would still have a face to stand in the Jianghu?"

One by one Chuan Gong Zhanglao, Zhi Fa Zhanglao, Zhang Bo Longtou, Zhang Bang Longtou and the others read the letter, and every single one of them was shocked and angered; in their hearts, they all cried out, "We've been shamed!" They realized the truth in what that lady in yellow was saying, if this letter did indeed fall into the Ming Cult's hands, the Beggar Clan would be so disgraced that it would be difficult for the Beggar Clan disciples to stand straight in front of other people. Speaking of which, by intercepting the letter, the lady in yellow was actually doing a big favor toward the Beggar Clan. The question was: who stole the letter in the first place?

Xiao Cui, the maiden in black, laughed and said, "You want to know who changed the letter, don't you?" No one in the Beggar Clan responded, but their faces revealed their anxious desire to know.

"Zhang Bang Longtou," Xiao Cui said, "Take your outer robe off; you'll find the answer."

Early on Zhang Bang Longtou's face had turned red, with his veins bulging on his neck. As soon as he heard Xiao Cui, he ripped his outer robe with both hands. A series of 'Snap, snap' noise was heard as his buttons were pulled. He tossed the robe backward and barked, "Then what?"

"Ah!" he heard the crowd of beggars behind him cry together in alarm; obviously they had seen something strange.

"What?" Zhang Bang Longtou asked, while turning his body around, only to see six, seven people pointing their fingers toward his back.

Zhang Bang Longtou had never been known for his patience. Again his hands grabbed the lapels of his inner robe and ripped it open, revealing his muscular body. Spreading the inner robe open, he saw a picture of large bat in dark green ink, its wings spread wide; its face bore a ferocious and terrifying expression, with some red dots representing drips of blood on the corner of its mouth.

"Qing Yi Fu Wang [green-winged bat king] Wei Yixiao!" Chuan Gong Zhanglao, Zhi Fa Zhanglao and the others exclaimed in unison.

Previously, Wei Yixiao very seldom visited the Central Plains [zhong yuan], only a few people knew his name; but over the past few years, he had made several mysterious appearances in the Jianghu, displaying his full capabilities. As a result, his fame soared and in a short period of time it was in par with the Bai Mei Ying Wang [white-browed eagle king].

Zhang Wuji rejoiced secretly, "Other than Wei Xiong [brother Wei] with his superb 'qing gong' [lightness kungfu], which enables him to come and go without leaving any trace, it would be difficult to play a joke on Zhang Bang Longtou and leave him senseless."

Zhang Bang Longtou was startled, he raised his inner robe and threw it on Zhang Wuji's face, while cursing, "Fine! Turns out it was one from your group of evil bastards who played a joke on the Old Man."