Black Pearl Chapter 29

"Good."

He shouted while rising to his feet.

"In that case, let yourself become our captive, and you shall taste suffering that will make you yearn for death."

In this voice was contained a great and terrifying threat. However, Kwi Lan did not know the meaning of fear or terror. Instead, she laughed.

"Enough, stop clowning around. I have been sick of hearing and seeing everything that has happened here for a while now. Quickly bring out my black horse, your Mistress intends to leave."

While saying this, Kwi Lan used her left hand to brush off her clothes. Because she had just traveled a long distance with Hauw Lam on horseback, her clothes were naturally dusty, and as she brushed them, dust billowed around her, dirtying the tables of the other guests.

"You damned woman. You do not yet know the prowess of your great master."

Thai-lek-kwi Ma Kiu could no longer restrain his anger and was about to step forward. However, the voice of Sin-seng Losu was heard behind him.

"A leader should not stoop to dealing with mere children. Does Thian-liong-pang no longer have anyone else to deal with this wild mare? Come on, who dares to step forward and capture her? Capture her and bring her to my room, I need a wild one like this to boost my spirits."

Fortunately, Kwi Lan was still naive and did not understand what this old man meant. If she had known, she would not have been able to restrain her rage. Suddenly, from the group of guests, a young man jumped out, dressed in patched but clean clothing. This young beggar bowed toward the leader's seat and said.

"What Losuhu said is true. Thian-liong-pang does not need to trouble itself; among the guests present, there are still many capable of capturing this brat. Allow me to capture this beautiful demoness for Thian-liong-pang."

"Ha-ha-ha, friends from Hek-coa Kai-pang are always our good friends indeed. It is not in vain to befriend Hek-coa Kai-pang. Please proceed, Siauw-sicu."

Said Sin-seng Losu.

The young beggar, with an arrogant demeanor, raised his face and puffed out his chest, stepping forward to approach Kwi Lan. He was one of the two young beggars whom Kwi Lan had earlier forced to swallow goat meat, so naturally, he did not waste this opportunity to avenge the previous humiliation. However, because his nature was lecherous, upon seeing her beautiful face, his heart fluttered, and the intention arose in his heart to toy with Kwi Lan. He forced a smile, his eyes gazing insolently, and he said,

"Little Miss with the big mouth. You do not know the height of the sky or the breadth of the earth, daring to cause trouble for Thian-liong-pang and looking down upon its guests. Your sin is immense, and you rightfully deserve the death penalty. However, your young master, seeing that you are still young and beautiful, is willing to grant pardon, provided you are willing to kneel and nod your head eight times, and then promise to sweetly serve all the desires of Sin-seng Losuhu and... owwwhhh..."

The young beggar did not continue his words because he instantly died, scorched and with his bones crushed. Kwi Lan's strike, accompanied by tremendous rage, sent him flying until he crashed into the table in front of Ma Kiu, the new leader.

Everyone present was shocked. Especially the five beggars, members of Hek-coa Kai-pang, who saw one of their brothers struck dead in a single move, immediately jumped up from their respective seats. Their young brother, although not among the top leadership of Hek-coa Kai-pang, was still a figure possessing high martial arts skill. How could he be struck down and perish with just one blow from that young girl? With a single leap, they arrived near the Thian-liong-pang Leader's table, which was now covered by the body of their young brother, and upon seeing the young beggar's chest and face were blue-black, they let out cries of shock and anger. Hek-coa Kai-pang is a black-world beggars' association famous for their skill in using poison. Now, one of their members had died from a strike containing potent poison.

"Thian-liong-pangcu, forgive us, but we are forced to take action against this demoness."

Said one of the five beggars to Ma Kiu. Having said that, the five beggars leaped and surrounded Kwi Lan, who stood with a calm demeanor. In their hands, swords were visible, ready to charge and gang up on her. However, seeing that powerful poisoned strike, and hearing that the girl had denied being an envoy of Pak-sin-ong, the oldest beggar acted cautiously and said.

"Young Miss, you have dared to raise your hand and kill one of our brothers. Come on, confess, who are you and which sect are you from, so that we may consider our next course of action against you."

These words elevated the status of the beggars and were indeed intended by the beggar to cover up the shame of five of them surrounding one young lady.

"Are you deaf? My name was already introduced as Mutiara Hitam, and I am not from any sect. Your brother died because of his own behavior. Is there anyone else who wishes to die? If so, you may step forward so I can help you go to hell, lest this world become too dirty. If not, quickly bring out the black horse, your Mistress is bored and wants to leave this place."

The old beggar could not restrain his anger and shouted.

"Brothers, if we cannot avenge the death of our young brother, it is useless to be a member of Hek-coa Kai-pang!"

This shout served as a command for his comrades, and simultaneously they moved their swords, sending forth an attack. However, the five beggars only saw the Miss not moving from her spot but merely moving her two hands and... their swords reversed and struck themselves. The movement of Kwi Lan's two hands was truly extraordinary.

She met every sword flash with an open hand, and with a strange movement that emitted an extremely powerful striking aura, the sword slashing toward her chest reversed back into the chest of the Swordsman, the one slashing toward her shoulder reversed back into the shoulder of the Attacker, and so on, until cries of pain were heard as the five beggars fell one after another from their own slashes and stabs. Seeing the extraordinary movement that brought about such strange results, Ma Kiu, who possessed high skill, realized that even though she was very young, this girl was truly formidable. If he did not quickly step in to capture or eliminate this girl who was disrupting his association, it would certainly diminish the prestige of Thian-liong-pang, he thought. So he shouted.

"Capture this demoness!"

He gave a signal, and eleven of his martial brothers followed his movement, approaching Kwi Lan. The girl recalled Hauw Lam's story about the might of the Cap-ji-liong, who were said to be respected by figures in the *kang-ouw*, so she adopted a cautious stance, yet her face remained bright and her lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Are these the so-called Twelve Dragons of Thian-liong-pang? Hmph, truly magnificent."

Said Kwi Lan, smiling.

Ma Kiu's face flushed red. As the new leader of Thian-liong-pang, it would be truly humiliating if he had to advance with his eleven *sute* (junior brothers) to gang up on one young girl. The name Cap-ji-liong was already famous. Must they now advance together to face a single young girl? However, this girl's martial arts were strange, and if the Cap-ji-liong stepped down and failed to defeat her, it would be even more humiliating.

"Brat, if you have heard of the Cap-ji-liong, why are you causing so much trouble? The Cap-ji-liong always advance together. Since you are a guest, it would be impolite for us to take action here. If you are truly brave, we challenge you to test your skills in the martial arts hall."

This statement somewhat erased the shame of the Thian-liong-pang side, as it implied that their twelve figures were not merely ganging up, but had issued a formal challenge. If the girl knew better and refused the challenge, then left the place, the Cap-ji-liong would certainly not stop her. All the guests assumed that the girl would surely use this opportunity to escape and save herself, because fighting the Cap-ji-liong meant seeking death. But how shocked they were when they saw the girl smile broadly and reply,