Wumu's Testament

Having lived a carefree life for most of his life, Hong Qigong never expected to suddenly take on two disciples.

It really was fate that brought us together. She was intelligent, from a distinguished family, and a great cook—the one I liked the most.

He is an honest, loyal, and hardworking disciple who is also a rare find.

It's a pity I don't know if these two kids are willing to take over my position as the leader of the Beggar Gang' Sect.

It would be best to let Huang Rong, that little girl, take over. She's so smart, she'd definitely be a good leader. I really can't find a successor in the Beggar Gang.

However, she was such a delicate and beautiful girl that she might not agree to be mixed in with beggars.

Now Huang Rong's heart is entirely with Guo Jing, and the two are practically one. If all else fails, they could make Guo Jing, that silly boy, the leader of the gang; with Huang Rong's assistance, things wouldn't be bad.

One is strong, the other is wise. By choosing such a successor, I can say that I have lived up to the expectations of the Beggar Gang' Sect's predecessors.

"Alright, alright, I'm someone who can't stay still. I've really had enough of staying here in the middle of nowhere for over a month, eating and sleeping in the open. Luckily, I have Boying to practice with me, Rong'er to cook delicious food for me, and Jing'er to train me. All good things must come to an end, so you should all go and explore the world. But you need to go to Junshan on the fifteenth of August, because our Beggar Gang' Sect is holding a big meeting."

Hong Qigong gave him a series of instructions with a smile.

Ji Boying, however, still refused to let him go.

"Now that you've become my disciple, you're truly family now, and there are some things I can no longer hide from you."

Ji Boying's words once again drew Hong Qigong's attention to his doubts.

"Is there anything else urgent?"

"Seventh Master has been leading the Beggar Gang' Clan in battles against the Jin Kingdom for many years. Does he know that the Jin Kingdom is now facing new troubles in the desert?"

Ji Boying mentioned it briefly, and Hong Qigong had already thought of it.

"Indeed, I have heard that there is a man named Temüjin in the border region. He is a true hero who has caused the Jin people a lot of suffering, which makes us brothers feel good."

Hearing Hong Qigong say this, Ji Boying sighed.

He then recounted the dangers of the matter from beginning to end.

Hong Qigong was startled after hearing this.

The decrepit Jin Kingdom had already caused the Southern Song Dynasty a great deal of trouble, and the Beggar Gang had paid an unimaginable price. The threat posed by the newly rising Jin Kingdom was truly unimaginable.

Not to mention that Temüjin today is even more powerful than the Jin Dynasty was back then.

"When the brothers in the gang heard about the changes in the north, some went to investigate. The Mongols were indeed very enthusiastic. They had been bullied by the Jin Kingdom for a long time, and I heard that they even intended to send someone to contact the Song Dynasty to work together to deal with the Jin Kingdom. I originally thought this was a good opportunity, and maybe we could take back the lost territory and return to the Central Plains."

Hong Qigong's insight was indeed extraordinary; his ability to speak about the general trend of the world was befitting of his status as the leader of the Beggar Gang' Clan. It was just a pity that such a martial arts figure lacked a deep understanding of the historical context.

Then Ji Boying sighed and said, "There really is nothing new under the heavens. History is a cycle. Do Seventh Master know that when the Jin Kingdom and Huizong and Qinzong discussed jointly attacking the Liao Dynasty and returning the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, wasn't it exactly the same?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Qigong's expression changed, and he felt a surge of anger in his chest. He slammed his palm against the large tree beside him, making a crackling sound, but he didn't break the tree, leaving only a deep palm print.

"The Jingkang Incident...!"

"So what you mean is?"

Hong Qigong stared intently into Ji Boying's eyes.

Ji Boying held his sword to his chest.

"Naturally, we should rise up in resistance! I have already persuaded Quanzhen Sect to carry on the legacy of Patriarch Chongyang, to form an army with their disciples who practice my set of battlefield sword techniques, and to be ready to fight on the battlefield at any time."

Hong Qigong narrowed his eyes.

"Good lad, I knew something was off. Turns out you weren't after my martial arts, you're after the Beggar Gang' Sect!"

Ji Boying laughed and said, "I know that there have always been heroic figures in the Beggar Gang' Sect who have been fighting on the front lines. If the Mongols really march south in the future, the heroes of the Beggar Gang' Sect will certainly not stand idly by. Rather than waiting for the world to turn upside down and being defeated one by one, it would be better for us to take the initiative to unite and make preparations early. But I wonder how many troops you can mobilize, Seventh Master?"

Hong Qigong proudly said, "My Beggar Gang has more than ten million members. We can easily muster two or three hundred thousand brave warriors, and the remaining hundreds of thousands are all eyes and ears."

Ji Boying exclaimed, "Truly worthy of being the number one gang in the world! Who can rival such strength? With the help of the Beggar Gang, how can we worry about injustice in the world, or unrest among the people?"

Hong Qigong hummed, "It's not difficult to use the men of my Beggar Clan. It's just that fighting is different from wandering around in the world. There are troops and formations, supplies of food and grass, and knowledge everywhere. Although many of my brothers have fought on the front lines and know how to kill on the battlefield, most of them are just a bunch of charlatans. It's not easy to rely on my Beggar Clan to stop the enemy."

"Don't worry, Seventh Master, I have already made plans for this matter. I intend to unite various forces in the martial arts world, and now I have the assistance of the Quanzhen Sect and the Beggar Gang, with Guo Jing as the general. There is no need to worry about him acting biasedly, as he is an honest and upright person. Seventh Master can also entrust the Beggar Clan Beggar Gang to him with peace of mind."

"Guo Jing is more than loyal and honest but lacks wisdom. However, he has Huang Rong as his strategist. These two are a perfect match. They have both benevolence and wisdom. Do you still have anything to worry about, Seventh Master?"

Hong Qigong nodded and shook his head at the same time.

"Although Rong'er is smart, she still needs to learn how to fight and needs to be taught by a famous teacher. I don't know when she will be able to graduate. In addition, she is still young and I'm afraid she is not skilled enough."

Ji Boying nodded in reply.

"That's right, and I already have a plan. I know where the Wumu's Testament is, which contains all the military strategies and tactics. Huang Rong can study it. With Huang Rong's intelligence, there's no need to worry about her not being able to learn it."

"Although Miss Huang is young and lacks experience, firstly, with you, sir, backing her up, there's no need to worry about the Beggar Gang 'Sect not obeying orders. The Beggar Gang' Sect, the largest sect in the world, obeys orders, so there's no need to worry about losing the support of the masses. Furthermore, I intend to invite Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi, to come out of seclusion and help us. With the help of this father and daughter, I really don't know who in the world can surpass us in wisdom."

Hearing Ji Boying's praise, Huang Rong felt both pressured and excited, and she was also happy and proud of her father.

Even Hong Qigong was speechless, only nodding repeatedly.

"While we may not be the best at martial arts, we are all inferior to Huang Yaoshi in terms of talent. He is knowledgeable in everything from Mysterious Gates and Hidden Jia and military strategy to astronomy and geography. He was originally skilled in economics and military strategy, and with the help of the Wumu's Testament, there is truly no strategist in the world who can surpass him."

Ji Boying said, "Guo Jing is a descendant of loyal and virtuous people, and he is also supported by the descendants of Yang Tiexin, a member of the Yang Family Generals. The Quanzhen Sect is also willing to do its best to help him, and we are not afraid of others' dissent."

More importantly, the various forces that Ji Boying was preparing to gather were all related to Guo Jing and could be considered his own people.