The Beggar Clan's leader, Fei Jin, was gaunt and bony, a true hero of the martial world who was clear about right and wrong and surpassed others in benevolence and righteousness. After hearing this, however, he burst out laughing and said, "As the ancients said: 'If wealth and honor can be attained by seeking them, even if I had to become a man who holds the whip for a carriage, I would do so. But if they cannot be attained by seeking them, I shall follow what I truly desire.'" Although the old beggar was poor and had spent his entire life begging for food, making a living by asking people for money, he normally did not take money directly with his hands. Instead, he used a begging instrument to receive it, intending to avoid lowering his dignity for the sake of money.
King Marpa said, "Old beggar, you really ought to think about it. You don't have much time left in this life. You should enjoy your remaining years in comfort instead of risking your life in the martial world!" These words from King Marpa were remarkably sincere and to the point, without the slightest trace of mockery or contempt. Beggars made their living by asking for money, yet they could remain content despite living in poverty and accept hardship without complaint. Most of them were poor in possessions but not in spirit; they refused to be defeated by poverty and possessed tremendous pride and dignity. The Beggar Clan did not take money directly with their hands but used begging instruments to receive it, precisely so that they would not lower their status for money. The beggars were divided into the literary and martial branches according to their methods of begging, and each branch was further divided into many categories. The martial branch included street-call beggars, street-call beggars, pull-head beggars, and snake beggars; the literary branch included rattle beggars—which in turn were divided into those who used cow hip bones, rice bowls, bamboo clappers, or jade drums—bamboo-flute beggars, poetry beggars, and others.
Fei Jin, the Beggar Clan leader, said, "Precisely because I don't have much time left, I absolutely cannot ruin the reputation I have built throughout my life! You people have invaded the Central Plains—what justification do you have?" He paused, then said, "Lu Rou, this is a great opportunity for you to make your name known throughout the martial world. Go over there and ask the King for a few lessons in his supreme martial arts."
Lu Rou answered that he understood. He stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "King Marpa, I am Lu Rou, a branch leader of the Beggar Clan. May I have the honor of learning a few moves from you?"
To his surprise, King Marpa's expression suddenly changed. Apparently relying on his own status and reputation in the martial world, he looked down on Lu Rou and said disdainfully, "You're only a branch leader of the Beggar Clan, yet you have quite a nerve. Do you really think your martial arts are unrivaled?"
Lu Rou was taken aback, but he had no time to concern himself with the hidden meaning of those words. Once again he bowed and clasped his hands respectfully. "King, your martial arts are truly extraordinary. May this humble beggar be so bold as to learn a few of your supreme techniques today?"
King Marpa pondered for a long while before suddenly calling out loudly, "Darius! This Beggar Clan branch leader has quite the audacity to ask me to teach him my supreme techniques. I think you should take care of him properly." The warriors on the right side were martial artists from the Western Regions. Darius answered the call and immediately leaped into the center of the field.
Darius was a tall, powerfully built middle-aged man. He thought that if he could eliminate this troublesome fellow for King Marpa, it would count as a great achievement. So he shouted, "I'll show you a couple of moves today and give you a proper lesson!" Hot-tempered by nature, he immediately launched a fierce attack. His palms flashed as he struck three times in rapid succession. Lu Rou was startled and stared ahead. He saw a man rushing toward him like a flying arrow, with a gust of wind surging straight into his face. Lu Rou thought, "I wonder how I offended him. Why is he attacking with such viciousness?" He quickly retreated two steps and casually blocked and parried the incoming blows. Darius's palms pressed relentlessly toward his chest. Darius assumed that Lu Rou must be lacking in ability to dare to act so arrogantly, and because Lu Rou had already been injured by the surprise attacks of the Left and Right Guardians of the Qian-Kun Hall, Darius became even more contemptuous of him. Relying on his own skills, he attacked recklessly. He sprang forward and unleashed another series of punches. The two exchanged blows and clashed palm against palm. Darius chopped down with the edge of his hand, while Lu Rou gathered his strength through both shoulders and thrust both palms forward. With a whoosh, a powerful palm strike shot toward Lu Rou's chest. Seeing the ferocity of the attack, Lu Rou had no choice but to meet it with his own palm. One attacked and the other countered, and both had infused their strikes with internal energy. Their palms collided with a loud crack. Both men felt a powerful shock run through their palms and were forced backward by the other's strength. Darius had taken the initiative and attacked first, yet Lu Rou's palm force drove him backward three or four steps. Lu Rou, on the other hand, had not moved an inch. He stood relaxed and composed, calmly staring at Darius. Darius was naturally shocked and thought, "That boy isn't even very old, yet he possesses such profound internal energy!"
Darius was a highly renowned figure in the martial world of the Western Regions. Seeing that his opponent's martial arts were formidable, he scrutinized Lu Rou from head to toe and then from toe to head. He simply could not figure out what kind of background this beggar had. Overcome with embarrassment, he said in a deep voice, "A mere branch leader of the Beggar Clan possesses such profound internal energy? What kind of powerful tonic have you taken? At your age, it is absolutely impossible for you to possess such deep cultivation!"
Lu Rou replied, "Tianshan snow lotus? This old beggar couldn't afford such a thing! What powerful tonic? I've simply eaten too much dog meat, that's all."
Darius had no idea what Lu Rou was getting at. He actually asked, "What kind of dog meat could possibly increase one's internal power? I don't believe it! Kid, how did you develop your power? Tell me about it." Little did he know that Lu Rou had consumed bear-bone wine and tiger-bone wine a few days earlier and now had at least forty years' worth of internal energy stored within his body. Darius had no idea what trick Lu Rou was playing. He simply found it extremely strange that a mere Beggar Clan branch leader could possess such profound power that he could not possibly have been knocked backward by a single palm strike. The whole affair was exceedingly bizarre!
An idea occurred to Lu Rou. "I told you, but you probably won't believe me. A few days ago, I took a group of brothers out to beg for food. We came to the home of a wealthy family when suddenly we heard a chorus of barking. A pack of dogs came charging out, led by a huge black Tibetan Mastiff. That mastiff barked furiously and chased us relentlessly. When we beggars travel outside, the thing we fear most is encountering vicious dogs, so we always carry our dog-beating staffs with us. But that dog was so fierce that it was no less terrifying than a wolf, a tiger, or a leopard. To help my brothers escape, I had no choice but to lure the dog away. That beast chased me everywhere, forcing me to run for an entire day and night until I was panting and exhausted. Fortunately, I had eaten that day and still had the strength to run. Otherwise, if my legs had given out and I had fallen, the black mastiff would have caught me, and the consequences would have been disastrous. Later, when the black mastiff had run out of strength, I suddenly turned around and struck it on the head with my staff. Unexpectedly, the dog bit the staff in half with a single bite. With no other choice, I punched and kicked it with all my strength, desperately resisting it. I wrapped both arms around the dog and bit down with all my might on its neck. I thought to myself, 'This dog is truly hateful. If I want to survive, the only thing I can do is drain its blood.' To my surprise, I actually drank all of the dog's blood, and the beast died. From that day onward, my internal energy increased tremendously, and whenever I practiced martial arts, my cultivation seemed to advance twice as fast." The Tibetan Mastiff, also known as the Tibetan mastiff dog, is a large and fierce breed originating from the mysterious kingdom of Tibet. Tibetan Mastiffs are strong-willed and powerful. Though they appear heavy and cumbersome, they are actually agile and nimble, and their ferocity is comparable to that of a lion.
After hearing Lu Rou's stream of nonsense, Darius was actually astonished. "So you're saying that drinking the blood of that Tibetan Mastiff greatly increased your internal power and allowed your cultivation to progress twice as quickly?" Tibetan Mastiffs are large, strong-willed, powerful, and courageous, and are still known for retaining a degree of their wild nature. People have long referred to the Tibetan Mastiff as the "King of Dogs." Darius thought to himself, "Perhaps consuming the blood of a Tibetan Mastiff really can strengthen the meridians. It's not entirely impossible."
Seeing that Darius seemed somewhat frightened after hearing his fabricated story, Lu Rou seized the opportunity to threaten him. "I suppose so! If you're scared, then you'd better leave quickly, so you don't end up making a fool of yourself."