The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 408 Duan Yanqing's Promise: 5 Captures and 5 Releases

Ma Dayuan's group consisted of over a hundred people, among whom the top masters included Master Xuanbei, Master Huangmei, Ma Dayuan himself, Duan Yu, the prince of Zhennan, and Hua Hegen, one of the three dukes of Dali. In addition, there were also many second- and third-rate masters, who were all under the banner of Dali and had a smooth journey.

However, after entering the territory of the Song Dynasty, Ma Dayuan had to secretly meet with Beggar Gang disciples wherever he went, which delayed him for some time. Ma Dayuan had some selfish motives. While he was searching for suspicious people in local information, he also offered favors to win people's hearts, but he asked that his whereabouts be concealed from the headquarters.

Duan Yanqing joined forces with the masters of Xixia Yipintang and followed Ma Dayuan all the way. However, they put everything on the surface and advanced in a fair and open manner, which made it difficult for them to start. Neither Dali nor Song Dynasty was their territory, and they had no troops in this remote place.

As for hiring bandits and robbers to launch a sneak attack, it goes without saying that the Beggars' Sect is the real local tyrant. Any disturbance will be detected in advance, and a sneak attack by a master may not be useful against a large group of people.

They thought about tampering with the food, but they couldn't resist the fact that the people had followed the same marching and fighting methods all the way. All the fires and cooking were done by their own people, and there was no such thing as taking a break to eat takeout. Although the taste might not be as good as that of a fresh inn or pub, it was safer.

Duan Yanqing and Yipintang tried a sneak attack at night, but they were not only counterattacked by the enemy, but also attacked from behind by Murong Fu, killing and injuring half of the Yipintang masters. If it were not inconvenient to pursue at night, the entire army might have been wiped out if they were not careful.

Only then did Duan Yanqing realize that Murong Fu had not left far and was hiding in the dark, preparing to capture him.

Yes, that’s to catch!

Murong Fu never concealed his intentions from the beginning, especially when they met secretly again and again. He fought against the three evil men alone, injuring Ye Erniang and Yue Lao San, but showing mercy to Duan Yanqing. He also stated that he had made a deal with Emperor Baoding to capture this evil man alive in exchange for Zhong Ling being canonized as a princess.

Duan Yanqing was eager to silence Ma Dayuan, and Murong Fu used Ma Dayuan as bait to try to capture Duan Yanqing alive. As a result, the masters sent by Xixia Yipintang died one after another at the hands of Murong Fu, becoming innocent victims.

Ma Dayuan received the corpses of Xixia Yipintang masters and Murong Fu's private message, and he felt mixed emotions. He knew very well the great role of a top master in the martial arts world. If he had a martial arts force as powerful as Murong Fu, why should he hide under the wings of others and live in fear.

The Beggars' Sect's current success is due in part to his own painstaking efforts, but also to the unparalleled martial arts of its leader, Qiao Feng. Both are indispensable, and it could even be argued that Qiao Feng's role is even greater than his own. If Qiao Feng is the pillar of the Beggars' Sect, then he is the gilded dragon pattern that adds the finishing touch.

Without him, the Beggars' Sect would just have a harder time, but it would still be the best gang in the world. However, if they lost Qiao Feng, any top-notch master would be able to trample the Beggars' Sect under their feet. The dignity of the Beggars' Sect would then be seriously challenged, and it might even be in danger of destruction.

As the former ruler of Jidi City, his understanding of the principle of respecting the strong is unparalleled. As the deputy leader of the Beggars' Sect, he even understands his importance better than Qiao Feng. This is undeniable. He (Ma Dayuan) is also Qiao Feng's best assistant. No one in the Beggars' Sect is more suitable to be his right-hand man and support than him.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt a sense of impending crisis from the various intelligence reports from the Beggars' Sect. Especially as he continued to advance towards the Central Plains, the news he received became more and more bizarre, as if overnight, Qiao Feng, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, had lost control of many local branches.

Could it be that he, the deputy leader of the Beggars' Sect, was so important that without him, even Leader Qiao would lose his position? Before entering the Song Dynasty, Ma Dayuan had written to Qiao Feng, and had recently received a reply. This leader, who was committed to maintaining peace in the Song Dynasty, was rushing to Wuxi to contact the Gusu Murong clan.

From the letter, Qiao Feng clearly knew Murong Fu was in Dali and had already been in contact with Ma Dayuan. He, too, sensed something amiss, perplexed as to why so many high-ranking Beggars' Sect leaders unanimously believed him to be murdered, given that Deputy Leader Ma had only been captured and was now free. The most resolute voice among them came from Deputy Leader Ma's wife. Qiao Feng's mere mention of this in the letter sent a sudden jolt through Ma Dayuan's heart.

"Xiao Min, the branch is suspected to be out of control with the throat-locking and grappling techniques. Gang Leader Qiao is rushing to Wuxi. I don't know who initiated the Beggar Gang conference. There is a problem, a problem!" Ma Dayuan sensed a strong conspiracy, so he hurriedly wrote a letter and sent it out urgently. He then found Master Xuanbei, Duan Yu and others, asking them to speed up.

Master Xuanbei and Master Huangmei had no objection to this. Duan Yu said that he would listen to everyone, but was opposed by Hua Hegen and Zhu Danchen. The reason was simple and practical. The three evil men and the masters of Xixia Yipintang had been hiding in the dark. Although they had the support of Master Murong, they had to be careful. If they were in a hurry to travel, they would be plotted against if they were not careful.

In the eyes of Hua Hegen and Zhu Danchen, Ma Dayuan's safety is the most important thing, and sending him safely to the headquarters of the Beggars' Sect is the first priority. In fact, to be honest, since entering the Song Dynasty, their Dali Kingdom has fulfilled half of its responsibilities, and once they leave Sichuan and Shu, they are already the other party's territory.

"Don't go to Luoyang, go to Gusu instead!" Ma Dayuan hesitated for a moment and decided to go see Qiao Feng immediately. He thought it would be safer to stay with Qiao Feng at the Beggars' Sect headquarters. After all, Murong Fu couldn't protect him secretly all the time, and it was perfectly legitimate for him, the deputy leader, to stay with the leader.

At worst, he could still stay in Gusu Academy temporarily. There were many masters there and it was protected by local government. It was three times safer than the Beggar Gang's headquarters. He could also rely on the power of the Gusu Murong family there, which was perfect for him.

The original plan was to split the troops into two groups when leaving Sichuan, but this was no longer necessary. If the troops were really split into two groups, Duan Yu didn't know what to choose. He would probably choose to follow his sister Zhong Ling to Gusu Taihu Lake. After all, Zhong Ling was his biological sister, and escorting Ma Dayuan was just a task.

"Master Murong, do you really want to be my enemy?" Deep in the mountains, Duan Yanqing, Ye Erniang, and Yue Lao San watched Murong Fu strolling towards them and couldn't help but tighten their weapons. Murong Fu, holding his longsword with a smile on his face, stepped forward slowly and said, "Senior, you have misunderstood. Ling'er's identity must be known to you. Since she married me, the Duan family of Dali can be considered half ours. I am not trying to capture you by force. I simply want you to move to Dali and return to your homeland."

Duan Yanqing: I do want to return to Dali, but not to be captured by you like this. Instead, I want to ascend to a high position in glory, or to escort my son back quietly.

"I am the former crown prince of Dali Kingdom. If I die in your hands, it must not be what you want." Duan Yanqing actually played the drama of threatening death, but he was not really seeking death. Before he died, he still wanted to see his son ascend to the throne. At the very least, he wanted to personally confirm that he was his son.

"Do you dare to make a bet with me?" Duan Yanqing ignored Murong Fu's strange look and continued, "In ancient times, Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo and released him seven times. Today, let's make a bet. If you can defeat me seven times, I will unconditionally return to Dali with you. I will not resist, I will not seek death, and I will cooperate with you to the fullest. How about it?"

"Seven times is too many. Three times is the limit." Murong Fu pondered for a moment before offering his opinion. Duan Yanqing shook his head and said, "Your martial arts skills are far superior to mine, and you have many followers. It won't be difficult for you to find me. If it's just three times, it won't be long before it's over. We can't miss any of the seven times, and there must be at least three months between each fight."

"One battle every three months, seven intervals. It won't be completed in less than a year and a half. If you run far away and hide deeper, I'm afraid it will take ten or eight years. No, three times, with a month's interval between each time!"

After some bargaining, the two men finally agreed on five captures and five releases, with a one-month interval between each attempt. However, this time, Duan Yanqing had to give up the mission regarding Ma Dayuan, otherwise he would inevitably come into conflict with him, and being captured would be counted as one of the five times.

Since Duan Yanqing guessed that Duan Yu might be his own son, he no longer attached so much importance to the Xixia Yipintang. Although Ma Dayuan's life and death was related to his son's identity, he was not in a hurry. He would wait until he returned to the Beggar Gang and then assassinate him. After all, he was still a dead man who was killed by Gusu Murong with a throat-locking hand.

Duan Yanqing found it very funny when he thought of this. He didn't know who in the Beggar Gang wanted to sow discord between Qiao Feng in the north and Murong in the south, and spread such a huge lie. But Ma Dayuan was here. If he took the initiative to stand up, it would probably make a group of people laugh to death. If he didn't kill him for the time being, maybe he could watch a good show.