He paused, then pointed at Zhu Ba. "It was also this man who deliberately leaked the old gang leader's whereabouts to Elder Xu. Elder Xu went to Dark Yin Mountain to find Daoist Kongkong and demand the Green Bamboo Staff, but in doing so, he stepped into the trap they had laid beforehand. Elder Xu and Daoist Kongkong fought atop Snow Peak, triggering an avalanche. Both died, and the Green Bamboo Staff vanished without a trace."
Zhu Ba looked despondent. Let me shoulder all the blame. I only hope they keep their promise and spare my family. Yet he knew that hope was vanishingly small. Shangguan Tianhuo and his son were no saints.
Another questioning voice rose from below. "If he was the one plotting behind the scenes, why did the Green Bamboo Staff end up in the gang leader's hands?"
Shangguan Yunfeng looked out over the crowd. This time, he finally saw who had spoken: an ugly, hunchbacked, middle-aged beggar whom he did not seem to have seen before. But the Beggar Gang had so many members, with nearly two thousand attending tonight's gathering alone, that Shangguan Yunfeng could not possibly know them all. He thought little of it and was about to explain.
A deep, resonant voice came from behind him. "Allow me to explain this matter myself!" The Beggar Gang's leader, Shangguan Tianhuo, had arrived.
"Greetings, Gang Leader!" All the beggars clenched their right fists, pressed them against their hearts, and bowed deeply in respect, tapping the Dog-Beating Staffs in their left hands against the ground in unison. The ugly hunchback who had just asked the question was Hu Xiaotian. He and Long Xiyue copied the beggars around them and bowed as well. So many people tapping their Dog-Beating Staffs together made an imposing display. Seeing such