Chapter Thirty-Five: The Ape Seven Gang Seizes the Umbrella

Seeing Meng Xiaoli lost in thought and then turning to walk ahead in silence, Ji Hongluan chased after him and asked, "What is the matter with you? With such formidable martial arts, can you still be unhappy?"

Hearing the girl called Ji Hongluan chattering away, Meng Xiaoli did not feel annoyed. Instead, he felt as if he were seeing his former self, following the great Master Dugu and begging him to teach him martial arts, and a faint smile crossed his face.

Meng Xiaoli and Ji Hongluan arrived at an inn and ordered two side dishes. As they ate, Ji Hongluan continued to talk incessantly. Suddenly, they heard a man's voice from behind asking, "The Bone Umbrella? An assassin from the Ghost Wolf Gate? How did the Bone Umbrella of Qingfeng fall into your hands?"

Realizing the question was directed at him, Meng Xiaoli turned his head. He saw seven men sitting at a table behind them. Each had round eyes and a sharp face, lean yet sturdy and powerful. The leader had eyes as piercing and bright as a child’s, and when he spoke, a pair of sharp fangs were clearly visible.

Meng Xiaoli merely glanced at them before turning back, replying casually, "What business is that of yours?" Ji Hongluan whispered in alarm, "The Ape Seven Gang—the seven brothers of the Yuan family. They are quite famous in the martial world. I read about them in a booklet on martial artists sold by the Fengyun Pavilion."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the eldest of the Ape Seven Gang stood up and walked to Meng Xiaoli's table, followed by his six brothers. The eldest looked down at Meng Xiaoli and pressed, "I recall that the Bone Umbrella belonging to Qingfeng was beaten to death in the street by the great hero Master Dugu years ago. How did this umbrella end up in your hands? I suspect you picked it up, didn't you?"

Meng Xiaoli finished his meal, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, sat upright, and looked up at the eldest Yuan. "And so, what of it? Speak plainly; I have no patience for riddles."

The eldest Yuan grinned, revealing his sharp fangs, and said, "It means that I, Yuan, believe this Bone Umbrella was not obtained justly, and you are not worthy of using it." He then placed a large hand firmly on Meng Xiaoli’s right shoulder, leaned in, and said, "Although we brothers are only at the middle stage of the sixth level, we are invincible when we fight together. Let us spar outside. If you win, we have nothing to say. If you lose, the Bone Umbrella belongs to us."

Feeling the eldest Yuan’s internal energy gripping his shoulder, Meng Xiaoli replied, "On what grounds?" As he spoke, he struck his left palm toward the eldest Yuan’s elbow while using his right hand to strike the "Jingmen" acupoint at the man's waist.

The eldest Yuan released his grip, while the second brother moved to block Meng Xiaoli’s right hand, attempting to grab it. Meng Xiaoli quickly withdrew his hand and kicked at the eldest Yuan. The attack shifted from high to low with blinding speed, but the eldest Yuan sensed it and blocked with his own leg. After exchanging a few blows without a clear winner, Meng Xiaoli sprang from his chair onto the tabletop, delivering a flurry of kicks. The eldest Yuan dodged at first, then caught a chance to grab Meng Xiaoli’s leg, pulling downward. Meng Xiaoli used the momentum to vault into the air, throwing a punch at the man's face. The eldest Yuan countered with an elbow strike.

The eldest Yuan tilted his head, letting the punch graze his ear, while his elbow strike barely missed Meng Xiaoli, who had crouched low.

The two quickly separated. Ji Hongluan stood by, stunned, watching as the moves flashed by; a moment of hesitation would have meant certain injury. The waiter ran over, pleading, "Everyone, please, let's talk this out. No fighting, please!"

The eldest Yuan said to Meng Xiaoli, "Let's go to an open space to spar." Though Meng Xiaoli was not a combative person, he knew the Ape Seven Gang would not give up until a victor was decided, so he replied, "Fine!" He leaped onto the street, followed by the seven brothers. Ji Hongluan hurried out of the inn to watch.

The seven brothers positioned themselves around Meng Xiaoli, some standing, some crouching. Meng Xiaoli glanced around before focusing on the eldest Yuan in front of him. He smiled faintly: "You covet my Bone Umbrella, but you cannot simply seize it. You say if I win you have nothing to say, and if I lose you take the umbrella—that is not fair. How about this: if I lose, you take the umbrella, but if I win, you give me a pair of the iron claws you wear, how about that?"

The eldest Yuan looked at the metal finger covers on his hands and retorted angrily, "These are not mere iron claws; this is the weapon of the Ape Seven Gang, the 'Azure Gold Claws.' They are sharp and have served me for years, stained with blood that will not wash away." After considering the value of the Bone Umbrella, he agreed, "Fine. If we lose, we will give you a pair of our Azure Gold Claws."

The second brother protested, "Eldest brother, how can we give away our weapons?" The eldest whispered, "We can just have another pair made later." He then shouted, "But we won't necessarily lose! We might even walk away with the Bone Umbrella." He grinned, showing his fangs.

The impatient second brother jumped forward from Meng Xiaoli’s front-left, claws outstretched. Meng Xiaoli sensed the wind, dodged the strike, and used a "Thunder-Struck Wood" strike to hit the second brother's elbow, following up with a punch to his ribs. The second brother reacted quickly, sweeping his claws back and retreating. When the second brother lunged again, Meng Xiaoli evaded with a "Fish in Water" maneuver.

The second brother retreated, and the eldest Yuan lunged forward. Meng Xiaoli leaned back to dodge, but the eldest Yuan’s horizontal swipe nearly cut his stomach open. Meng Xiaoli barely dodged, grabbed the man's wrist, and kicked upward.

The eldest Yuan blocked with his left hand, leaving both his hands occupied, so Meng Xiaoli struck toward his face with his right hand. The eldest Yuan had to release his grip to block, and Meng Xiaoli continued his assault with his legs.

The third brother jumped in, grabbing Meng Xiaoli’s leg and pulling. As Meng Xiaoli was hoisted into the air, the third brother’s claws reached for his exposed stomach. Meng Xiaoli pressed his hand against the man's arm to gain leverage, flipped over him, and kicked his abdomen as he landed. The fourth brother’s claws were already closing in.

Sensing the threat, Meng Xiaoli tried to move, but the fourth brother's claw caught his right shoulder. Pain flared, but he managed to protect his head.

As the claws sank into his shoulder, Meng Xiaoli gritted his teeth, grabbed the fourth brother’s arm, and kicked him in the head. The fourth brother reeled, dizzy, and pulled his hand back, leaving trails of blood.

Meng Xiaoli stood up, touching his bleeding shoulder. The fifth brother immediately leaped down, claws slashing. Meng Xiaoli dodged and circled behind him, using a "Savage Bear Palm." The fifth brother tried to counter, but Meng Xiaoli feinted, causing the fifth brother to overextend and take a palm strike to the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground, coughing up blood.

Though Meng Xiaoli was using the techniques of Master Dugu, his style was entirely different—some moves were even reversed or executed counter-intuitively. His internal energy began to churn, and the residual dark energy within him began to manifest, clashing with the teachings of his master.

As the fifth brother fell, the sixth brother jumped in from behind. Meng Xiaoli heard the wind and, predicting the distance, turned to deliver a palm strike that snapped the sixth brother’s elbow. A follow-up punch to the face sent the sixth brother staggering back, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, his left hand unsure whether to wipe the blood or support his broken arm.

The seventh brother, fueled by the sight, spun toward him like a tornado. Meng Xiaoli observed that his upper and middle defenses were perfect, but his lower half was exposed. He waited until the seventh brother was close, then crouched and executed a sweeping leg kick. The seventh brother tripped and landed face-first in the dirt. Ji Hongluan cheered, "Wonderful!" and the crowd applauded.

Just as Meng Xiaoli was about to follow up with a "Flying Eagle Snatching Rabbit," the eldest Yuan shouted, "Lady, have mercy! Have mercy!" He rushed over to help the seventh brother up and bowed to Meng Xiaoli. "It seems we had eyes but failed to recognize a master. My seven brothers will not fight further; we have been defeated. We accept the loss and will honor our wager." He ordered the seventh brother to remove his claw set.

The seventh brother grumbled, "Eldest brother, why don't you give yours instead of mine?" The eldest glared at him and retorted, "Why don't you try defeating her yourself?" He snatched the claws from his brother and muttered, "You couldn't even last one move before being tripped. Do not argue."

The seventh brother walked up to Meng Xiaoli, smiling, and said, "My seventh brother’s 'Sandstorm' technique never fails, but you broke it in one move. The Ape Seven Gang admits defeat. May we know your name?" He presented the Azure Gold Claws.

Meng Xiaoli took them and replied, "Meng Xiaoli." Suddenly, as he took the claws, the eldest Yuan lunged from behind, still trying to grab the Bone Umbrella. Meng Xiaoli spun and kicked him in the chest. The eldest Yuan, realizing he couldn't get the umbrella, dusted off Meng Xiaoli’s boot with a grin and said, "No offense intended." He waved to his brothers, and they slunk away. The second brother muttered, "Eldest brother, she is already injured; if we kept fighting, we might not have lost!" The eldest replied, "Even if we won, it would have been a pyrrhic victory. She might not have died, but which of our brothers would you have been willing to lose?" Their voices faded as the seven disappeared into the street.