Chapter 47: The Martial Arts Assembly of the Wulin World

  "I hold the meteor curved moon knife, shouting a loud slogan. Who is in front of me? If you have the ability, don't run away! I've spent my whole life on horseback with a knife, seeing heroes bow down to the little barbarian waist. How high can I fly on the eaves and walls? I practice drifting on the water by boat...... The rivers and lakes are surging, see how carefree I am. Who knows who is suffering the most? Being second in the world is also great...... My mother said that winning or losing is not important, what's important is being happy......"

  Wu Ming howled as he walked along the highway, feeling quite carefree.

  It has been two days since he entered the martial arts world, and at this time, the internal injuries on his body have healed, and the acupoints that were sealed have also been opened. This is all thanks to the miraculous Nine Yang True Classic, otherwise, even with the Golden Needle Technique, it would be useless without a strong inner force, how could he open up his meridians?

  Wu Ming wasn't someone who liked to hold grudges, and when he could relax, he would. The most important thing was that he had exchanged for two poisonous fog golden needle flame bombs, which didn't need to be said were enough to kill the enemy, but at least they could ensure his own safety. As he walked out of the mountain forest and onto the official road, he couldn't help but sing this interesting song, and his mood at that time could also be described by this song. The bad luck of these past few days was all swept away, who cares about the Yangs, Zhangs, or Lis? Wait until the time comes when I'll have a big gift waiting for those few!

  There is motivation with pressure, but now that the pressure is gone, the motivation has also disappeared by more than half.

  "Ah... the forest is vast with many birds, Ah... doing good deeds without letting others know, Ah... right and wrong provoke people's anger... Who can surpass my martial arts? A loud laugh shakes the mountain, The Jianghu world is treacherous, hurry up and run..."

  "Is it annoying to be second best? Being the second in the world is also pretty good, isn't it? I don't know how many people have fought tooth and nail for the number one spot. Haha, interesting! Little brother, looking at your pace, you should also be heading to Yan Zhou to watch the Wulin Conference, right? Why not travel together?"

  Wu Ming, who was singing loudly, suddenly heard a voice next to him, but it didn't scare him. An old beggar emerged from the bushes, with disheveled hair and a shiny black face. His body was covered in patches, even his hemp clothes had a piece of silk sewn on them, making him look particularly out of place. The old man looked at Wu Ming with a sly smile, clearly having been lying there for some time.

  From head to toe, when Wu Ming saw the old beggar's hand pointing, his expression changed slightly. The old beggar's right hand was missing a finger, coincidentally it was the little finger.

  "Little Wu Ming, don't you know who your senior is?" Wu Ming hesitated in his heart, could it be? The young master just casually howled a couple of sentences, and actually managed to bring that person over?

  "Heh heh, Old Beggar is just an old beggar who loves to join in the fun. If you don't mind, little brother, I'll call out to Hong Qi! It seems like you're headed to Yan Zhou, but we won't be taking the same road, will we?" A hint of cleverness flashed across Hong Qi's smiling face.

  Wu Ming said with a smile, "So it's indeed the case. I pay my respects to you, Elder Hong Qigong, Vice Leader of the Beggars' Sect! I was rude and didn't recognize you earlier!"

  "What's with the 'Hong Qi Gong' this and that? Just call me Old Beggar Hong Qi, I've been listening to you young brother singing all along the way, I know you're not some traditional person, don't try to fool old beggar with these empty words, or else old beggar won't recognize you!" Hong Qi said with a smile, apparently this old guy had been following Wu Ming for quite some time.

  "Followed me all the way, yet didn't notice even a bit? Only when I was about to finish singing did he reveal himself?" Wu Ming's whole body trembled. No wonder this old man had earned the title of Northern Beggar. It is said that he is the second most powerful person in the Beggars' Sect. Looks like it wasn't just an idle boast.

  "Alright, since Old... uh, Hong Qi said so, then I won't be polite either! Heh heh, I wonder what this Yan Zhou Martial Arts Assembly that Hong Qi brother just mentioned is all about?" Wu Ming's heart was racing as he spoke these words. If someone else had heard them, it would have been a serious breach of etiquette, and even if they didn't come to blows, there would at least be some resentment. However, Wu Ming still knew a thing or two about the situation.

  The five greatest figures in the martial arts world are known as the Five Eccentrics. Ranked first is Wang Chongyang, the leader of the Quanzhen Sect, who claims to possess divine powers. The other four are on a par with each other: Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic; Duan Zhengchun, the Southern Emperor; Ouyang Feng, the Western Venom; and Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar. These five individuals behave strangely and do not follow conventional paths, which is why they are known as the Five Eccentrics in the martial arts world.

  Just like Hong Qigong just now, who has ever heard of a senior master eavesdropping on his junior's singing? Isn't this absurd?

  But the fact is that he really did it, and even went out of his way to invite Wu Ming to join him on the road, calling him Hong Qi. This absurd thing can only be done by these five strange people.

  After hearing Wu Ming's words, Hong Qi not only didn't get angry but instead smiled and said: "Don't you know about the Wulin Conference in Yanzhou? How did you end up here? Hehe, this is the Great Liao Kingdom's five-yearly Wulin Conference. Although there aren't many masters, I'm an old beggar who loves excitement. Since it's exciting, of course, I want to go and join in on the fun. And look, before we even get to the conference, we've already met a interesting little guy like you. That's quite entertaining! Come on, let's go to Yanzhou City and have a drink!"

  Without saying a word, Hong Qigong pulled Wu Ming and they walked forward together.

  Yanzhou Wulin Conference? Wu Ming really hadn't heard of it, and since they were outside the Yinzhou mountain range, he thought that coming this way might be monitored, so he changed direction and headed north. As a result, he inexplicably ended up at the border of Yanzhou. As for the Yanzhou Wulin Conference, even in his past life when playing games, Wu Ming had never heard of it, and now hearing about it gave him an inexplicable feeling.

  Entering the Yan Zhou City, surprisingly, it was bustling with people coming and going. Everywhere were martial artists, holding large knives and long swords, many of whom had an air of "I'm a master, don't dare to provoke me". Those ordinary people kept their distance, fearing they would bring disaster upon themselves.

  Two men sat down in a wine house, and as for Hong Qi's beggar outfit, he was directly ignored. The Yan Zhou city is now a gathering place for martial artists, those small bosses who don't care if they have eyes or not didn't dare to offend anyone easily, especially with a young master looking like he has money to pay the bill next to them.

  All that can be said is that it should be, because when Wu Ming was in the main world, his clothes were also made a mess of, but barely looked like they were made of silk. Wearing such clothes doesn't look like someone who has no money. In the shopkeeper's opinion, isn't this common among martial artists? When encountering an enemy, one must fight with their life on the line, let alone torn clothes, even missing arms and broken legs are not surprising.

  He ordered a few small dishes and asked for a jar of Huadiao wine. Wu Ming first toasted a bowl, then asked: "You said that the Wulin Conference is a grand conference held every five years in Daliao, how can there be no masters? Are you looking down on Hong Qi?"

  Hong Qigong chuckled and downed the wine in his bowl, "You wouldn't know this, but despite what they say about the grandeur of the Wulin Assembly, it's actually just a bunch of small-time sects causing trouble. They claim to be competing for the title of Liao State Wulin Alliance leader, but it's all just childish nonsense."

  Wu Ming was taken aback, what is meant by a small door and a small faction?

  "Isn't that so? Doesn't the Liao Kingdom have the Tianxia Guild, Lingyue Palace and Wusong Gate? And what about the Demon Sect? Are they not participating or what?"

  "Hey, little brother knows quite a lot, huh? You know all these hidden sects?" Hong Qigong chuckled, but his eyes flashed with surprise, not expecting Wu Ming to know about these sects. Could it be that he has some big backing?