Fú Xióng, hall master of the Golden Coin Gang, launched two consecutive attacks, yet both palms struck nothing but empty air. A chill ran down his spine. He halted his assault and said, "Young lady, who exactly are you? What kind of sorcery are you using?"
Liú Yún chuckled lightly. "Oh my! You don't even recognize this footwork? Dear folks, the steps I'm using are called the Nine-Palace Steps. It's not sorcery. If your kung fu is lacking, just admit it—don't stubbornly talk nonsense!"
Fú Xióng was humiliated by Liú Yún's retort and fumed with anger. "If not for the fact that you're a woman, I would have—"
Liú Yún cut him off at once. "And what if I am a woman? What ability do you have?"
Repeatedly shamed, yet not daring to erupt, Fú Xióng knew well that his skills truly fell short of this young lady's. He asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Liú Yún smiled faintly. "Simple. Admit your mistake and apologize!"
Hearing this, Fú Xióng burst into loud laughter. At the brink of losing all restraint, he sneered, "Very well! Since that is the case, Fú shall offend you once more. Let me experience a few more of your supreme techniques!"
With that, he leapt forward. As he landed, his left palm had already struck out. The speed of the attack was like lightning, driven by profound internal force. Liú Yún stepped through the Nine-Palace formation, executing the "Reverse Crossing" step, moving from the Li Palace back to the Kan Palace. Turning and shifting her steps, she recited:
"Heaven and Earth's root and branch—avoid the true strike;Through empty space I flash forward like the wind."
Before Fú Xióng's shout had even faded, his attack surged again. Liú Yún received his palm, guiding it aside with her left hand and striking with her right, chanting:
"The Four Images turn and appear beyond the heavens;Through forward and reverse the Nine Palaces never cease."
Fú Xióng's right punch missed. His back was suddenly exposed. Seizing the moment, Liú Yún swept out with a palm. With a loud bang, Fú Xióng was sent flying forward, unable to stop his fall, and crashed to the ground in utter embarrassment.
When he got back on his feet, the onlookers were already roaring with laughter. Fú Xióng shouted angrily, "What are you laughing at?"Frightened, the crowd immediately fell silent.
Liú Yún smiled again. "Simple. Hurry up and apologize!"
People in the street secretly wondered: Who is this young lady? Even the local tyrant Fú Xióng is completely helpless against her!
Standing upright, face flushed red—whether from shame or rage—Fú Xióng glared and barked, "For the Golden Coin Gang to apologize? Impossible!"
Liú Yún said sternly, "Why won't you apologize? Don't force me to act!"
Fú Xióng straightened his back. "As a hall master of the Golden Coin Gang, I cannot kneel and apologize!"
Liú Yún's brows knit together as she shouted sharply, "So what if you're a hall master? Even if your gang leader were here today, he would still have to apologize!"
Hearing this, Fú Xióng thought to himself that the young lady's martial arts were formidable—he could not defeat her. It might be wiser to soften his stance. His tone eased as he cupped his fists. "Perhaps this is all a misunderstanding. Why not let the matter drop?"
Liú Yún sneered coldly, unwilling to let it end. "Oh? Now that you can't win, you turn soft? Spare me that. Kneel down and apologize!"
At the demand to kneel, Fú Xióng flew into a rage. "You go too far! Impossible! If that's the case, let's fight—no more nonsense!"
Liú Yún also grew angry. "Then stop wasting time!"
Her figure flickered. Her right palm shot out. Fú Xióng raised a hand to block—yet struck only empty air. Her left hand suddenly appeared before his chest. He hastily countered. Her hands flashed like lightning. In an instant she reversed her palm and slapped him twice—pa! pa! Then with a gentle double push, Fú Xióng's vision blurred as he tumbled backward and crashed to the ground.
The crowd was utterly stunned.
Liú Yún declared, "I hit you because you deserved it. Since you dared offend the Beggar Sect, kneel and apologize to them at once!"
Now Fú Xióng was truly miserable. His cheeks were swollen red, his body aching from the fall. He looked utterly wretched, having completely lost the dignity of a Golden Coin Gang hall master.
Thus it is said:
A graceful maiden stands,Her Eight-Trigram steps wondrous and rare.A light palm sends one flying,And he tumbles to the ground.
At that moment, faint footsteps sounded from behind—clearly a large group was approaching. Turning to look, the crowd saw many mounted gang members arriving at full speed. The leader, seeing Fú Xióng lying on the ground, shouted, "Who dares cause trouble here? Who has the nerve to strike Hall Master Fú Xióng of the Golden Coin Gang?"
"I'm the one who hit him. Got a problem with that?"
The leader was sturdy and powerful in build, exuding fierce authority. At a glance, he was startled to see that the speaker was a young woman. "Hall Master Fú? Could it really be this girl…?"
Before Fú Xióng could respond, Wú Tōng stepped forward and said loudly,"In broad daylight the Golden Coin Gang bullies the weak. Do you truly think there is no law left in this world—that you can commit evil as you please?"
The Golden Coin Gang's chief leader was Gang Master Fú Tiān. The man now leading them was the Second Leader, Fú Dì—Fú Xióng's uncle. He sneered arrogantly."The law? Hahaha! Of course there is law in this world. It's just that the law can't touch me! Be sensible—apologize to your lord here, and I might spare your life!"
Hearing this, Wú Tōng thought to himself that An Lushan's rebellion had dragged on for so long—had local tyrants everywhere become like this? He decided to probe further.
"Your Excellency speaks boldly. Do the local magistrates not intervene?"
Fú Dì grew suspicious. This man was clearly not from the area, yet meddled so freely. He said in a deep voice,"Are you perhaps a royal noble? Or an imperial official? Why meddle so much? Let me tell you honestly—the Zhengzhou magistrate wouldn't dare interfere. One moment Yan troops arrive, the next Tang troops. One moment he submits to Yan, the next to Tang. He sides with whoever is stronger. How would he have the time to deal with us? Frankly, if not for the fact that he still manages relations between Tang and Yan troops decently, our Golden Coin Gang wouldn't even pay taxes. Without us, he couldn't keep his yamen open! So what use is reporting to officials?"
When the temple is small, evil winds run wild; when the pond is shallow, turtles abound.
Wú Tōng was astonished yet also understood. Many local officials had become mere fence-sitters. Nodding, he said politely,"Indeed. My apologies. May I ask your honored name?"
"I am Fú Dì, Second Leader of the Golden Coin Gang. And yours?"
Wú Tōng smiled calmly and replied with courtesy,"I am Wú Tōng, Hall Master of the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness."
At these words, everyone was shocked. Fú Dì's face turned pale with alarm as he cried out,"What?! Wú Tōng—the Hall Master of the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness?!"