Chapter 139
"S-Senior Brother, h-he is..." One of the beggars muttered in disbelief as their beggar's tattered robes rustled as his body trembled slightly. His eyes widening as he nervously glanced between the confident, slightly smirking Ji Wuye and their leader, who remained stony-faced.
"Ah, it seems all of you already know my name," Ji Wuye spoke, his voice carrying an amused lilt as he slowly circled them.
The beggars reacted by tensing their bodies, their gazes following Ji Wuye's every deliberate movement like wary animals.
While pacing around them, Ji Wuye divided his focus, keeping part of his keen attention on the hidden carriage where his Senior Sister resided, safely concealed.
"Of course you know me. After all, I'm quite famous, aren't I?" Ji Wuye patted his forehead in an exaggerated gesture, letting out an awkward laugh that seemed to mock himself as he slightly raised his neck, gazing upwards at the brilliant full moon that cast its ethereal glow over the forest clearing.
After a prolonged, tense silence punctuated only by the chirping of night insects, the leader finally spoke in a solemn, gravelly tone, "It seems you've been watching the entire situation for a while."
With a subtle hand gesture, he commanded his subordinates to reluctantly lower their glinting flying daggers under the moonlight.
"Of course..." Ji Wuye calmly replied, pausing briefly as a smile played across his lips. Gazing towards the distant campfire where Song Jia and the coachman rested, its flickering flames casting dancing shadows, he asked,"From your target, I gather you're after a pupil of one of the Five Emperors?"
Hearing this, the two subordinate beggars unconsciously flinched, their eyes widening in shock as the implication of Ji Wuye's words sank in. Though the leader seemed momentarily stunned, his face betrayed no visible reaction to this perceptive observation.
Without clarifying the unspoken information, the leader then settled back on the mossy ground, leaning against a gnarled tree log.
"Please pardon this old man's lack of etiquette, for I'm just a beggar," the leader spoke without hesitation or embarrassment, as if embracing the societal disdain for his impoverished status.
"It's okay, Senior. I have no problem at all," Ji Wuye said, casually waving his hands in a placating gesture as he bent down to gaze at the narrowed-eyed leader, their faces now level. "But if I may, can this Ji know the Senior's name?"
As Ji Wuye prepared to sit cross-legged across from them on the ground, his fluid movements inadvertently caused the two remaining beggars to tense, their hands instinctively gripping their concealed weapons.
"Ah, Seniors can relax. I mean no harm," but Ji Wuye assured them, slightly raising his open palms in a pacifying gesture.
He also noticed the beggars' muscles visibly relaxed, though the leader still studied him intently with an inscrutable expression, his eyes glinting with guarded wariness.
But then…
When Ji Wuye finally settled cross-legged across from them, the solemn leader, who had been staring at him with a twitching muscle visible on his weathered face, suddenly changed his demeanor entirely.
"Aiya...we've been caught. It's embarrassing for us to be in this situation," the leader said, his gruff voice tinged with resignation.
He scratched the back of his head in an awkward gesture, smiling foolishly with squinted eyes, like someone truly abashed. "This old man comes from a humble Tian family. My given name is Chang," he introduced himself with an exaggerated humility.
The leader, Tian Chang, then began explaining in a more jovial tone, oblivious to the confused glances his subordinates exchanged behind him. "You see, my ancestors were but simple farmers. Why, my grandfather couldn't even read!"
He let out a belly laugh before continuing, "So, it's a pleasure to meet you, Young Friend Ji." Finally finished with his lengthy preamble, Tian Chang opened his squinted eyes only to find no visible shock or reaction on Ji Wuye's face, whose faint, knowing smile patiently waited for the older man's story to conclude.
"That family must be blessed to have a figure like you, Senior Tian," Ji Wuye humbly replied, his voice tinged with subtle amusement as he briefly glanced at the two stone-faced men lingering behind Tian Chang.
"Ah, let's forget these friends of mine behind," Tian Chang said with a dismissive wave of his hand, ignoring his subordinates' furrowed brows before refocusing on Ji Wuye, whose expression made it clear he was done with pleasantries.
"Now, could this Young Friend grant this old man a favor? Not to disclose information about our...activity here?" Tian Chang asked.
The unspoken rules of the Beggar Sect dictated that once their covert operation was compromised by the intended target, it meant failure.
How could someone feel comfortable being watched and tracked in the darkness? Not to mention the Beggar Sect was an allied force of the Martial Alliance, essentially aligned with the powerful Kunlun Sect.
Once it was known that they were prying into matters regarding a pupil of one of the Five Emperors, they would risk not only offending Kunlun but also one of the legendary Five Emperors themselves—an unthinkable transgression.
Tian Chang was fully aware of the immense risks they now faced. Additionally, he could no longer deny the truth - that the famous "Flower Boy" Ji Wuye was no naive, hapless youth.
From the way Ji Wuye had eavesdropped on their activities, watched the earlier clash with his Senior Sister, and now conversed with them so easily and perceptively, not to mention the seeming miracle of him casually hanging from that log earlier - it was clear this person was anything but a fool.
'I can't even imagine someone actually hanging there,' Tian Chang thought inwardly, his eyes secretly glancing over at the thick log deeply embedded with the imprint of Ji Wuye's hand from supporting his entire body weight earlier.
The deep traces were no joking matter.
This meant that the Flower Boy of Kunlun, known for having the weakest strength and a fragile body, was actually quite the opposite.
Not to mention, if it weren't for his hearing, which had been honed over several years of being a beggar, he wouldn't have noticed the close breathing sound from Ji Wuye's nose.
In addition, based on the limited background information about Kunlun's infamous "Flower Boy" provided to them, besides Ji Wuye somehow catching the eye of their Elder, Ji Wuye was only known for his reputation of indulging in frivolous pursuits and never venturing far from Kunlun's territory.
Thus, Tian Chang decided to try using this perceived 'advantage' of Ji Wuye thinking he was in control despite seemingly being unaware of the complex politics and rules governing the Jianghu. 'Though I can't fathom how he knew we were from the Beggar Sect,' he pondered with furrowed brows.
"Of course, Senior. It's just a small matter," Ji Wuye casually replied, patting his thigh several times in a nonchalant manner, unaware that each soft pat sent a faint, invisible shockwave rippling outwards, causing the beggars to stiffen involuntarily.
Not only that, but even though Ji Wuye had willingly agreed not to disclose any information about their operation, his crimson eyes seemed to glow with a subtle inner light under the moon's pale rays, giving them an indiscernible chill down their spines.
"But...what can I gain by doing you this favor, Senior?" At Ji Wuye's words, the once momentarily settled atmosphere tensed again, freezing Tian Chang's awkward, ingratiating smile into a rictus twitch.
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