450.Chapter 443: A Strange Sight (Third Update)

Jin Yong Great World, Jiangnan.

As the ancients said, "Jiangnan is beautiful, its scenery is familiar to me."

Li Hao had lost count of how many times he had come to Jiangnan, because he had traveled to so many parts of the world and visited Jiangnan countless times.

But when Li Hao returned to the world of Jin Yong's Heroes, he still felt a difference.

Just as Qiao Feng and Little Dragon Maiden said, the Jiangnan of this world is permeated with a special atmosphere.

A very unique scent, unlike anything I've ever experienced before.

Suzhou-Hangzhou, second floor of Jude Tavern.

The restaurant wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy.

The desktops and windowsills were spotless, and even the floor was kept very clean. Looking around the entire second floor, there was not a trace of trash or debris.

Li Hao sat by the window, with Qiao Feng and Gu Santong beside him.

Gu Santong frowned slightly and said in confusion, "This is not normal, it's really not normal."

Li Hao remained silent, gazing out the window at the street below.

The streets were bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, showcasing the prosperity and vibrancy of Jiangnan to the fullest. Stalls lined both sides of the street, selling a wide variety of goods, from daily necessities to funeral supplies, offering everything imaginable.

Li Hao even saw a special mechanical device that resembled a modern steam locomotive—no, it should be described as resembling a modern automobile.

However, instead of gasoline or steam, they used a very special crystal, somewhat similar to a spirit stone or other energy stone.

Of course, these are not the most important aspects.

What's most striking, even chilling, is the expressions and behaviors of the people. Everyone wears a satisfied smile, a smile brimming with longing for life and passion and anticipation for the future.

Li Hao turned his gaze away from the street, looked at Qiao Feng with a serious expression, and asked in a deep voice, "How long has this situation been going on?"

Qiao Feng smiled wryly and said, "I don't know."

Li Hao asked in surprise, "You don't know?"

Such a big thing happened in Jiangnan, how could Qiao Feng not know?

Qiao Feng took a deep breath and pondered, "The group leader might not believe it, but such a thing happened in Jiangnan, yet our Beggar Clan had no prior knowledge of it. It's not that our Beggar Clan disciples are incompetent, but rather..."

Qiao Feng's expression turned strange as he finished speaking.

He hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It's the disciples of our Jiangnan branch who are unhappy about it."

Li Hao and Gu Santong looked at each other in astonishment.

Quitting?

After Qiao Feng spoke, he seemed to have released the pressure in his heart, and said bitterly, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either."

About two months ago, the Beggar Clan disciples in Jiangnan gradually began to leave the sect.

At first, they didn't attract much attention because after leaving the gang, they didn't join any other gangs, nor did they do anything to humiliate the Beggar Clan. These people either went into various shops as apprentices to make a living, or did some manual labor to earn money and try to support themselves.

The people at the Jiangnan branch didn't pay much attention to these disciples who had left the gang and wanted to live ordinary lives, and since they were doing legitimate work.

Qiao Feng paused slightly before continuing, "But things didn't get out of control afterward; instead, they gradually spiraled out of control. More and more Beggar Clan disciples began to leave the sect, and some branch sects even became defunct due to the mass exodus of disciples."

Gu Santong's eyes widened in astonishment. "Such a big thing happened, and you didn't know?"

Qiao Feng took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I've been paying close attention to things in the north lately, and I've been somewhat lax in my focus on the Jiangnan."

Moreover, the situation in the South is very strange. Our Beggar Clan has never seen such a large-scale exodus from the sect. Even many sect elders have expressed their desire to leave the sect.

It was precisely because of the defection of these high-ranking members of the gang that the events in Jiangnan were completely covered up. By the time the main headquarters realized something was wrong, it was too late; all of our Beggar Clan's branches in Jiangnan were practically abandoned.

Gu Santong stared in disbelief, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

That's ridiculous.

Jiangnan is deserted!

How could such a big thing happen to a gang and nobody know about it?

Li Hao was equally astonished.

He frowned and said, "They need a reason to leave the gang. Does the Beggar Clan just let them leave?"

Qiao Feng said with a strange expression, "Their reason for leaving the gang was, 'A man has hands and feet; what kind of skill is it to rely on others' charity to survive? What kind of man is that?'"

Li Hao and Gu Santong had strange expressions.

They finally understood why Qiao Feng hadn't mentioned this in the Chat Group.

This is absolutely bizarre!

When did the Beggar Clan' Sect disciples become so responsible and courageous?

It's understandable if one or two people are motivated by a shock and want to work harder.

But suddenly everyone woke up and wanted to work hard to improve themselves—isn't that a bit too abnormal?

Qiao Feng continued, "Without rules, there can be no order. Since you've joined my Beggar Clan' Sect, you must follow the rules."

Ordinary members are fine, but if they want to live a normal life and have the ability to change their situation, the Beggar Clan would be very happy to see it.

Our Beggar Clan ' Sect's wish is that there will be no more Beggar Clan in the world.

Because those who initially joined the Beggar Clan ' Sect were all unfortunate people forced by life to survive. If they could live a normal life through their own efforts, the Beggar Clan would naturally support them and be very happy to see it.

However, the upper echelons of the Beggar Clan' Sect controlled many of its secrets, and it would never have been possible to allow them to break away if the circumstances had not been extremely special.

The strange thing is that when disciples first left the Beggars' Sect, it was understandable that the higher- Beggar Clan in Jiangnan didn't pay attention. But when a large number of the Beggar Clan' Sect disciples left at the same time, it would be an insult to their intelligence to say that they were unaware of the seriousness of the problem.

Therefore, our conclusion is that the reason the power structure in Jiangnan changed in this way was because there were traitors within the Beggar Clan' Sect. They intentionally allowed this situation to occur and deliberately allowed Beggar Clan' Sect disciples to leave the sect."

Gu Santong slammed his hand on the table and said, "If you still need to think about this, there's definitely a problem."

Qiao Feng smiled wryly, "Things aren't that simple. We secretly investigated all the high-ranking members of the Jiangnan branch, but none of them had any problems."

Gu Santong opened his mouth in a daze.

What the heck!?

What do you mean by "no one has a problem"?

Gu Santong scratched his head, his brows furrowed, and said, "Wait, let's explain this step by step. You just said that some high-ranking members supported the Beggar Clan' Sect disciples leaving the sect, but now you're saying that all the high-ranking members have no problems."

Qiao Feng let out a breath and said, "That's the problem."

He paused for a moment, then said, "If a high-ranking member of a gang betrays the gang's interests, it's nothing more than wanting to gain more benefits, or to acquire wealth, or to start their own gang, and so on."

However, our investigation revealed that all the Beggar Clan' Sect leaders acted in accordance with the Beggar Clan's principles, and none of them had any connections with leaders of other sects.

Moreover, these people made every effort to help former members of the Beggar Clan' Sect live normal lives.

Gu Santong licked his dry lips and said uncertainly, "So what you've been saying is that the Beggar Clan disciples in Jiangnan have suddenly realized that begging is a dishonorable thing and something that will be despised by others."

They now want to work hard and improve themselves, to live a good life and a normal life through their own efforts.

And all of you so-called gang leaders have had your minds elevated, suddenly becoming Saint- like beings. Not only do you have the world in your hearts, but you are also compassionate and merciful, practically living bodhisattvas."

Qiao Feng said bitterly, "That's exactly right."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine jar and began to gulp it down.

Gu Santong pursed his lips and tapped his head in pain.

"Holy crap, this is way too weird!"

Gu Santong muttered and turned to look at Li Hao. He asked doubtfully, "Group leader, what do you think?"

Li Hao took a sip of his drink and calmly said, "How else can we see? Of course, we see with both eyes."

Gu Santong said speechlessly, "Group owner, I'm serious, let's stop talking nonsense, okay?"

Li Hao said calmly, "I'm serious too."

Qiao Feng frowned slightly and asked, "Has the group leader made any discovery?"

Li Hao nodded slightly.

He looked out the window and said, "Look at the people on the street, what do you notice?"

Qiao Feng frowned deeply and remained silent.

In fact, this wasn't the first time he'd seen such a scene on the street.

But each time, Qiao Feng felt a chill run down his spine.

Yes, it's that chilling feeling.

Because their emotions were so fake, everyone was filled with positive and optimistic feelings, it's obvious there's something wrong with that.

Gu Santong blinked, puzzled. "They seem to be being controlled."

Li Hao took a sip of his drink and said, "Angels have the ability to brainwash people, and this is the effect they create."

Qiao Feng and Gu Santong exchanged a glance, their expressions both becoming serious.

brainwashing!?

Qiao Feng said in a deep voice, "No wonder I always felt something was wrong, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. This situation is widespread in Jiangnan, affecting hundreds of millions of people. How could anyone in this world possibly have accomplished something like this?"

Li Hao said calmly, "You said it yourself, no one in this world can do it. But if it were someone from outside this world, wouldn't that be enough?"

Qiao Feng looked completely astonished.

Okay, fine.

Qiao Feng didn't dwell on this issue for too long.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Whatever this person wants to do, the fact that he's making such a big show of it means he has some kind of plan. The group leader's idea is for us to wait and see, until he reveals his true colors."

Li Hao said, "That's right. Whatever this person wants to do, his brainwashing of the entire Jiangnan is definitely part of a bigger scheme. We just need to wait patiently, and this rat will surely take the bait."

Gu Santong asked doubtfully, "Group owner, if that's the case, wouldn't it be simpler for you to just find him directly?"

Li Hao secretly rolled his eyes.

Idiot, the main purpose of this group is to find him, why would we tell you to just wait for him to come to us?

Of course, even if I can't do that, I still need to save face for this group admin.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow and said, "Wouldn't that take away a lot of the fun?"

Gu Santong curled his lip.

Okay, the group admin is trying to show off again.