Chapter 439: The Twin-Saber Elder

Constable Captain Yu had delivered his warning and done all he could. After urging Wangchuan to be careful and make preparations, he took his leave.

The Beggar Sect came quickly!

A group of them rode straight into the city and headed directly for the Caobang hall.

Tap, tap! Tap, tap!

Seven horses came to a menacing stop outside the hall.

The Caobang disciples had just stepped forward to drive them away when several third-rank martial artists from the Beggar Sect moved first and blocked them.

With a series of unusually tricky sweeps, their iron staffs knocked aside sabers and swords and pinned themselves across the Caobang disciples’ chests.

“Our Beggar Sect Inner Elder Zhuang is here!”

“Do not presume!”

“This is our Beggar Sect’s calling card and challenge letter!”

“Notify your Hall Master at once and have him come out to receive us.”

Several Caobang disciples were pinned down so tightly they could not break free, and humiliation flooded them.

The Caobang disciples on the steps saw that the situation had turned bad. They hurriedly took the calling card and challenge letter the other side handed over and sprinted inside to report.

“Hall Master!”

“Hall Master!”

“Someone has come to challenge us!”

“It’s an elder from the Beggar Sect!”

That shout immediately drew the attention of many disciples throughout the hall.

Wangchuan, Chen Ergou, Zhao Heiniu, and Wang Yuehui had been discussing countermeasures inside the main hall. The moment they heard the commotion, all four rose from their seats.

“They really came.”

“And they came fast.”

Chen Ergou, Zhao Heiniu, and the others were all filled with worry.

Wangchuan, however, looked completely relaxed.

Only he himself knew...

Ever since returning from the Capital, he had known the Beggar Sect would come to challenge him.

He had been waiting for this moment.

He had kept his cultivation realm suppressed all this time precisely because he did not want to face a Beggar Sect Inner Elder too early.

Since the Beggar Sect had come knocking on the second day after the New Year, so impatient to issue their challenge, he naturally intended to fight in person, blunt the Beggar Sect’s momentum, and strip them of this year’s challenge privilege in one stroke. Then he could break through to the Fifth Rank in peace.

Wangchuan picked up the Autumn Water Sword from the tea table, lifted his head, and strode out of the main hall.

“Since the one who came is a Beggar Sect Inner Elder, and they delivered a calling card and challenge letter in broad daylight and according to form, then we should still observe a measure of Jianghu etiquette and go out to receive them... otherwise the people outside will say our Caobang has no manners and no breadth of mind.”

Wangchuan and his three companions walked out through the main gate.

The seven men from the Beggar Sect stood in front of the entrance, their breaths long and steady, their gazes cold and lofty as they blocked the doorway.

The four Caobang disciples still had weapons pointed at their chests.

Wangchuan took one look, gave a cold snort, and flicked his wrist.

Four iron caltrops shot out, one at each of the Beggar Sect’s four third-rank martial artists.

Although 《Flying Dragon Hand Technique》 had only barely reached Entry-Level Mastery, it was still enough to deal with third-rank martial artists.

All four men’s expressions changed. They released their hold at once and turned to protect themselves.

Clang! Clang!

The iron caltrops were knocked away.

The four Caobang disciples regained their freedom as well. Rubbing their chests, they withdrew several steps and glared furiously at the Beggar Sect before thanking their Hall Master.

“Many thanks, Hall Master.”

“Many thanks, Hall Master.”

Wangchuan waved a hand.

“Stand down.”

“Yes!”

The four men retreated into the hall.

At this point, the Beggar Sect’s four third-rank martial artists had also realized that the Hall Master of Sanhe Commandery was no weakling. One after another, they retreated behind the three elders.

Wangchuan cupped his fists and looked toward the three Beggar Sect elders below the steps.

The elder in the lead had a large bald head the color of yellowed earth, no eyebrows, and upturned eyes. His face was utterly expressionless, yet a natural ferocity radiated from him and overawed the entire scene.

The Browless Tiger—Zhuang Xuyan.

Of the two men behind him, one was an old man with a face full of pockmarks and a wine-red nose, idly toying with a pipe in his hand. The other wore twin sabers at his waist and was currently sizing Wangchuan up from top to bottom with deep and piercing eyes.

“I am Wangchuan, Hall Master of the Caobang Sanhe Commandery Hall. May I ask what business brings the three elders here today?”

Wangchuan cupped his fists and inquired.

The old man with the pipe stepped forward and said,

“Let us not waste words. The Beggar Sect has come today to challenge your right to sit in command of Sanhe Commandery...”

“The challenge letter is already in your hands.”

“This is Elder Wang Gu, the challenger.”

“Hall Master Wangchuan, you have been through a challenge before... you know the rules. What was signed today is a life-and-death challenge. You have the right to fight up to three bouts. Do you dare accept?”

As he spoke, the old man with the wine-red nose took a leisurely puff from his pipe and exhaled slowly, clearly enjoying himself as he waited for Wangchuan’s answer.

Wangchuan noticed that plenty of Jianghu onlookers had already gathered at the street corners and in the alleyways. He had no idea whether they had been invited by the Beggar Sect or had simply come on their own to watch the spectacle.

“Last year, you arranged for second-rank Luo Laoqi and third-rank Qin Kainian to come die. This year, you’ve sent over an Elder Wang with fourth-rank cultivation... Your Beggar Sect truly never knows when to stop.”

Wangchuan spoke without the slightest courtesy.

The faces of everyone in the Beggar Sect turned ugly.

Luo Laoqi and Qin Kainian had indeed both died at Wangchuan’s hands.

Wang Gu stepped forward and answered him head-on.

“The one dying today will not be me! If Hall Master Wangchuan is afraid, all you need to do is admit that your Caobang has no one left. We can spare you this round. At worst, we’ll just send out one of the third-ranks below and smash the kneecaps of a few more of your soft-boned Caobang wretches.”

Last year, the Caobang had indeed been crippled badly—quite a few people had their knees shattered!

“Very well.”

Holding his sword, Wangchuan walked down the steps.

“Your Beggar Sect comes to pull the same stunt every year. Since there has to be a fight sooner or later, I accept.”

The Beggar Sect group had not expected Wangchuan to be so straightforward. He did not even bother arranging for anyone to gauge Wang Gu’s strength first and instead chose to enter the first bout personally. Every one of them revealed delight.

“Haha...”

“Hall Master Wangchuan truly is a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger.”

“Good!”

“Elder Wang, go and sample Hall Master Wangchuan’s great skill.”

The wine-red-nosed elder with the pipe retreated at once.

Chen Ergou and the others quickly had the Caobang disciples clear the area, opening up a stretch of ground outside the hall.

When Zhuang Xuyan saw the streets on both sides and even the nearby taverns rapidly filling with spectators, he frowned slightly.

On the way here, he had already heard that Wangchuan was very young, very talented, and more than a little clever—not an easy man to deal with.

The Beggar Sect’s forces in Sanhe Commandery, including Elder Zheng and Qiu Dahong’s people, had most likely all fallen at this man’s hands.

And yet he had entered the first bout so readily.

What exactly was going on?

Was he really this careless?

He gave off the impression of having no Jianghu experience at all.

One had to know...

The Wang Gu they had arranged this time was a seasoned Outer Elder who had once slain an ordinary fifth-rank martial artist. In Jianghu, he was a man with some real name and standing.

But the arrow was already on the string; it had to be loosed.

Although Zhuang Xuyan could not tell whether Wangchuan was truly confident or had become overinflated after being promoted to Hall Master, challenger and challenged had already taken their positions.

Wang Gu gripped his sabers.

His pair of twin sabers had broad backs and razor-sharp tips. His movements were crisp and efficient as he settled into a stance that combined offense and defense. His whole spirit approached perfection, and the twin sabers seemed perfectly fused with his body, giving others the distinct impression of man and blade as one.

Lin Jiahe, Yang Feiyue, and the others had already come out after hearing the news and were now watching from the steps.

The moment they saw Wang Gu’s natural, flawless stance, all of their expressions turned grave.

“What a terrifying aura!”

“Offense and defense are one. There’s not the slightest flaw in him.”

“This fight... Hall Master may have a hard time with it!”