A sudden rush of wind sounded overhead. Hu Xiaotian hurriedly shifted his footing, instinctively deploying the Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps to evade the incoming object, only to feel something hard press against his lower back. Terror seized him. Someone had pinned his vital point before he had even seen his opponent. Who was this? How could even my Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps fail to escape him? Not even Monk Unenlightened had this kind of ability!
Fear did not rob Hu Xiaotian of his reason. Someone suddenly came to mind. Only a handful of people in the world could counter his Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps. The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it: only someone intimately familiar with the technique could predict his footwork. Moreover, he could detect neither the other man's breathing nor his heartbeat. His opponent was clearly concealing them deliberately, something Hu Xiaotian could also accomplish with Playing Dead Dog. Looking down in the moonlight, he saw the object that had attacked him lying on the ground: a chicken drumstick bone gnawed perfectly clean. He was now certain who stood behind him. He smiled. "Senior Xu, it's you, isn't it?"
A sigh came from behind him. "No fun. No fun at all! How humiliating, utterly humiliating! You guessed it was me so quickly!" The man withdrew whatever he had pressed against Hu Xiaotian's back.
Hu Xiaotian turned to see an elderly beggar with snowy hair and beard standing behind him. It was none other than Old Beggar, who had taught him martial arts.
Old Beggar tossed him the object he had just held against his back. "A greeting gift for you."
Hu Xiaotian caught it. It felt greasy and springy in his hand. A closer look revealed a braised pig's trotter, leaving him unsure whether to