Chapter 26: Competing for Alliance Leader, Rescuing the Beloved

Chapter 26: Competing for the Alliance Leader, Rescuing the Beloved

Ning Xishi's heart sank heavier and heavier. He had originally prepared a speech, thinking he could still talk Ming Hanche out of using his identity to threaten him.

But if the other party was planning to rebel, then...

Then Ming Hanche would stop at nothing to drag Ning Xishi down with him.

After all, given how the current emperor treated people in the martial arts world, if it leaked out that he was the son of the Minister of Rites and the leader of the Beggar Gang, his whole family would be doomed.

It all boiled down to whether he'd lead his family to their deaths or throw in his lot with Ming Hanche in a desperate gamble.

It was only now that Ning Xishi realized—when you're truly backed into a corner, you really do laugh out of sheer frustration.

If he'd known the Ming family was planning to rebel, why would he have even shown up to this meeting? He might as well have gone straight to turn himself in, voluntarily confessing how he'd reluctantly become the Beggar Gang's leader, then begged his father to report it to the emperor and have his unfilial son sliced to death by a thousand cuts.

Maybe that would even calm the emperor's anger and save his family's lives.

When it really came down to it, Ning Xishi found he wasn't so scared of being sliced to death anymore.

So it seemed that original novel did have some merit—even if many details didn't match up, the endings all led to the same place.

Lost in these thoughts, Ning Xishi had already followed the maidservant up the stairs.

He asked, "We're going up?"

The maidservant was friendly enough and said with a smile, "Of course. You are the Beggar Gang's leader, an honored guest of our master. Naturally, you'll listen to the music from the master's private box upstairs."

Her voice wasn't too loud or too soft, but it was enough for every martial artist on the first floor to hear.

In an instant, Ning Xishi felt countless pairs of eyes on him, sizing him up.

Before, he might not have cared—after all, he was wearing a mask, so no one knew who he was.

But now, realizing Ming Hanche planned to rebel and drag him in, Ning Xishi suddenly felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He really regretted sending that visiting card to come to this meeting.

But an arrow once shot can't be taken back. Ning Xishi smiled and said, "Honored guest? Not at all. Old Master Ming just captured my senior brother, and I've come to ask for his release."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned tense and hostile.

Ning Xishi even felt the maidservant leading him stiffen slightly, and the curious glances from below all turned into veiled hostility.

In the most prestigious private box at the top of the theater, two people were watching the scene unfold.

"This young chief of the Beggar Gang may be young, but he's definitely not short on brains," said one of Ming Hanche's most trusted advisors.

To defuse the situation so easily without dragging the Beggar Gang into it—he's practically a genius.

"He's only seventeen. If my grandson had even half his talent, I wouldn't have to struggle so much," Ming Hanche sighed with emotion. "I'm getting old. A few days ago, I accidentally inhaled some of that poison powder. Even though I took the antidote right away, my body still feels drowsy all the time."

"The master is blessed with great fortune. A few days of rest will surely get you back to health," the advisor quickly said.

"Forget that. Axiang, do you know how much strength I used when I fought Ning Xishi the other day?" Ming Hanche asked.

"I've long heard the new leader of the Jule Gang isn't much of a fighter and only trains in lightness kung fu. The master probably used less than thirty percent of his strength," the advisor hurriedly flattered.

But Ming Hanche just smiled and shook his head. "No."

"Master?"

The smile in Ming Hanche's eyes instantly turned to murderous intent. "I used ninety percent."

The advisor's pupils suddenly dilated, so shocked he nearly forgot to breathe.

"Axiang, you see—even you're this shocked. According to our original plan, I only wanted to threaten and manipulate Ning Xishi into leading the Beggar Gang for our benefit. I didn't want his life." Ming Hanche watched Ning Xishi ascending the stairs. "But after exchanging moves with him, I knew—if this boy isn't eliminated, he'll be an endless source of trouble."

He's only seventeen, yet his martial arts have already reached such a level.

Though he lacks combat experience, that's something easily made up for.

"Does the master intend to..." The advisor didn't finish, but made a throat-slitting gesture instead.

"Not today," Ming Hanche said, his eyes cold and bloodshot. "He came in his capacity as the Beggar Gang's leader, and before coming upstairs, he mentioned he was here to retrieve his senior brother. If he died here today, the Beggar Gang wouldn't collapse from being leaderless—instead, they'd turn all their hatred on me."

Ming Hanche stopped looking at Ning Xishi but still sighed with emotion. "He's very clever. Not just clever, but also skilled in martial arts, and young. He truly makes this old man envious."

·

Ning Xishi naturally knew nothing of the conversation upstairs, and even if he had, it wouldn't have caused the slightest ripple in his heart.

His greatest wish in life was to be a nobody—he truly had no grand ambitions. As long as no one messed with him, he'd never go out of his way to mess with anyone.

Three knocks sounded at the door of the private box. Ming Hanche coughed once, and the maidservant pushed the door open, leading Ning Xishi inside.

The private box wasn't large, but its furnishings were elegant and antique, carrying that exquisite yet understated refinement unique to the Jiangnan region.

After Ning Xishi entered, the maidservant served tea and snacks before quickly withdrawing, leaving only Ning Xishi and Ming Hanche in the room.

Ning Xishi found it a bit strange—when he was at the door, he'd clearly sensed two people breathing inside, but now he couldn't detect where the other person was.

"Young friend, please have a seat." Ming Hanche sat in the main seat and casually gestured with his hand.

Ming Hanche's cultivation was truly formidable, and Ning Xishi was on full alert against him.

Therefore, Ning Xishi sat in the seat farthest from him before speaking: "Old Master Ming, haven't you been wanting to see me? Since it's just the two of us here, let's speak frankly and openly with cards on the table."

"Young friend, I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean," Ming Hanche said with a smile.

"You want me to compete for the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader, but I have no such intention." Ning Xishi spoke at a measured pace, showing no sign of the tension of having his entire family's lives in someone else's hands. "Earlier, you mentioned that your people discovered Japanese pirate spies in the Imperial Academy. I'm quite curious about that—the Japanese pirates' territory is so small. Surely they don't intend to invade our dynasty?"

Ming Hanche hadn't expected Ning Xishi to suddenly bring this up, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

This was indeed something he had fabricated earlier to persuade Ning Xishi to become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, but after the fierce battle the day before, bringing it up now felt rather sanctimonious.

"It's true. The Japanese pirates are cunning and vicious. The Imperial Academy is the sacred ground for scholars across the realm—for it to be infiltrated by them is a shame upon our dynasty."

He spoke with such righteous indignation that Ning Xishi couldn't tell for the moment whether he was acting or sincere.

"And what does that have to do with me becoming the Martial Arts Alliance Leader?"

"The martial arts world has been without an alliance leader for a long time now. We're scattered like loose sand. To put it bluntly, even two neighboring sects can't see eye to eye, constantly bickering over trivial matters that even escalate into disputes between their elders," Ming Hanche said.

In truth, this was exactly the situation the imperial court wanted to see—and had been quietly fostering behind the scenes.

But Ming Hanche clearly didn't want to continue being divided and weakened like this. He said, "As long as there's an alliance leader who can command respect, they can surely lead the martial arts world toward unity and glory."

Ning Xishi immediately looked at Ming Hanche as if he were insane.

Ming Hanche said, "The martial arts world can't stay fragmented forever. Our empire is facing troubles at home and threats from abroad, and the court officials only care about lining their own pockets, completely disregarding the people of the nation. We in the martial arts world should step up and do our part."

Ning Xishi thought to himself, quite the silver tongue.

The current court can't be trusted, so we should step up and overthrow it.

If he hadn't sensed downstairs that Ming Hanche might be plotting rebellion, he'd probably have been brainwashed by now.

There was no way he could agree to this.

Even faking agreement was a no-go.

The opera downstairs began to sing, sweet and lilting, but neither man in the room paid it any mind.

"Old Master Ming, I still don't understand your meaning," Ning Xishi said. "If you release my senior brother, I can promise you that you can run the martial arts world however you like, and the Beggar Gang will not interfere. How about that?"

"Young Master Ning, or rather, Lady General," Ming Hanche's voice turned cold, dropping all pretense. "If it weren't for this identity of yours, I couldn't touch you. But now, for the safety of your family and the 300,000 soldiers under the General's command, you'll agree whether you like it or not."

Ming Hanche looked at Ning Xishi and said, "You know that General Xie plans to rest up for three years before marching on the Western Regions, don't you? If this identity of yours were exposed, General Xie would become the husband of a traitor. Don't you think the Emperor would have the perfect excuse to strip him of his rank?"

Ning Xishi hadn't thought of that.

He clenched his fists, anger surging in his chest.

He couldn't let his own problems drag so many people down.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Since Old Master Ming knows that my identity being exposed would cause so much trouble for those around me, why not just go straight to the Emperor and tell him?"

"You!" Ming Hanche was furious.

"Fine, I'll take the role of Martial Arts Alliance Leader," Ning Xishi interrupted him, getting up abruptly and heading for the door. Without turning back, he said, "In the future, if Old Master Ming needs anything, just tell me directly."

He was actually backing down.

However, as soon as Ning Xishi stepped out of the private room, he heard the sounds of a search breaking out in the backyard. He immediately thought of Xie Jingxing, who had sneaked in.

Could something have happened to General Xie?

Without even thinking twice, Ning Xishi flew toward the backyard.

He moved so swiftly that the attendants nearby couldn't even stop or chase him.

Moreover, the backyard was in complete chaos. As soon as Ning Xishi entered, he removed his mask and blended into the crowd, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.

Ming Hanche, watching from the top floor, saw all of this clearly, but Ning Xishi's figure had already vanished from his view.

Suddenly struck by a thought, he urgently called to his advisor, "The Beggar Gang is creating a diversion and has secretly infiltrated the backyard. Today is the day Liuer goes back to visit her mother—they must not discover her existence!"

"Yes!"

Ming Hanche's hands clenched the railing in front of him in fury. The advisor, sharp-eared, heard the ironwood railing crack under his grip and felt a chill run down his spine. He hurried to leave and deploy men, when he heard his master continue to order, "Search room by room—don't let them escape."

"Yes!"

Although Ning Xishi had removed his mask, there was still a light layer of disguise beneath. As long as he didn't deliberately reveal his identity, no one would recognize him.

Now blending into the crowd, he overheard guards exchanging information as they searched: "That man who snuck in—after smelling the pollen, his legs went weak. Our people found an identity token at his waist—he must be from the military!"

Damn it—Xie Jingxing's leg!

==========Author's Note:==========

Second update.

I haven't gotten to my favorite scene yet, so frustrating! Tomorrow I must write the famous scene where the two of them make progress in their relationship.