Huang Rong called out further, “Brothers, come over here, I want to tell you news about Hong Bangzhu.”
Yang Kang’s eyes were sore, but his ears could hear everything clearly; he also called out from below the platform, “I am the Bangzhu! Brothers, listen to my command: Quickly push the male thief over the cliff, and then come back here to capture the nonsense-talking female thief.”
The Beggar Clan members always regarded their Clan Leader as a deity; even if there was a very important matter, they would not dare to disobey his command. Hearing Yang Kang’s command, they shouted and charged forward.
Huang Rong called out, “Everybody look clearly! Bangzhu’s Dog Beating Stick is in my hand; I am the Beggar Clan’s Bangzhu!”
The crowd of beggars was startled; they had never heard of the Bangzhu’s Dog Beating Stick being taken away by someone else. They hesitated and stopped their steps.
Huang Rong called out, “Our worldwide Beggar Clan is being bullied today, Li Sheng and Yu Zhaoxing two brothers are killed by others, Lu Zhanglao is seriously injured; all of that for what reason?”
The crowd of beggars was angered; more than half of them turned their heads to listen to her. Huang Rong continued, “It was because of this traitor surnamed Yang is conspiring with the Iron Palm Clan. They fabricated a rumor saying that Hong Lao Bangzhu is dead. Do you know who this man surnamed Yang really is?”
The crowd of beggars called out one after another, “Who is he? Tell us, quick! Tell us!” But some actually said, “Don’t listen to this female thief; she is creating a confusion.” Everybody talked at once, nobody knew which one was right, which one was wrong.
Huang Rong called out, “This man’s surname is not Yang, it is Wanyan. He is the son of Zhao Wangye of the Great Jin. He deliberately comes to destroy our Great Song.”
The crowd of beggars was startled, nobody believed what they heard. Huang Rong considered, “It is difficult to convince everybody at once; I’ll have to use poison to fight poison. I’ll place the blame on him.” She put her hand into her pocket and groped around the contents one by one; finally she took out the iron palm Zhu Cong took from Qiu Qianren the other day. She lifted it up high above her head and called out, “I have just taken this thing from this surnamed Wanyan traitor’s hand. Everybody please take a good look, what is this?”
The crowd of beggars was some distant away from the Xuanyuan Platform; they could not see clearly under the moonlight. Their curiosity was aroused and they approached the platform. Someone called out, “That is the Iron Palm Clan’s Iron Palm token of authority; how could it be in his hand?”
Huang Rong loudly said, “That’s right, he is the spy sent by the Iron Palm Clan, so naturally he carried this token. The Beggar Clan has upheld chivalry and justice in the north for several hundred years; how can this fellow surnamed Yang easily comply to move to Jiangnan?”
Underneath the platform Yang Kang listened with an ash grey complexion; his right hand raised, he shot two steel awls straight toward Huang Rong’s chest. The distance was near and his hand was quick, so the two silver lights violently flew to their target. Huang Rong did not pay the slightest attention. Among the crowd of beggars there were about a dozen people shouted loudly, “Watch out the secret projectile! Be careful!” “Aiyo! Not good!” But the two steel awls struck the soft hedgehog armor and ‘clank, clank’ they fell to the platform.
Huang Rong called out, “Wanyan Kang, if you don’t have any guilty conscience, why did you use secret projectiles to harm me?”
The crowd of beggars unexpectedly did not harm her, they were astonished to the extreme; they talked to one another, “Who is right and who is wrong?” “So Hong Bangzhu has not died yet?” Everyone’s face showed a frightened and confused look. They turned their eyes toward the Four Elders, expecting them to make a decision. The row after row of strong wall formations had been dispersed early on. From among the crowd Guo Jing walked towards the platform and nobody tried to stop him.