At that moment Wu Tong moved forward. He seemed to float on the air — a spirit at ease with heaven and earth. His bearing was effortless, his step unhurried, like a crane skimming a mountain mist. The hem of his long robe brushed the ground; his gaze, sharp as lightning, slanted toward the Wine Beggar Fei Jin. In a voice that rolled like a temple bell he proclaimed,
"Since you two Gang Leaders have chosen to serve An Lushan like curs and have abandoned the code of the jianghu… Fei Bang-zhu, my Gaibang has walked the rivers and roads for years. When we meet a vicious dog on the path, what do we usually do?"
Fei Jin's face darkened at once. His eyes cut like a blade as he answered each word with slow weight:
"Brothers of the Gaibang — when an evil hound appears, what do we do?"
No sooner had his voice fallen than a roar rose from every quarter. The cry swelled like a tide and thundered against eaves and walls: "Beat the dogs! Beat the dogs!" From rooftops, from alleyways, like shoots after a spring rain, countless beggars swarmed forth. Clad in rags and brandishing their dog-beating staves, they ringed Yang Linzhong of the Xingwu Gang and Zhang Cheng of the Matou Gang. Their staffs struck the earth in unison with a heavy, drumlike thud that sounded almost like thunder. All the while they chanted, "Beat the dogs! Beat the dogs!" The sudden upsurge of force resembled a flash flood — terrifying, driven by a palpable will to kill.
Yang Linzhong and Zhang Cheng, once bold and swaggering, found their bravado evaporating. Fear showed on every face. At Fei Jin's raised hand the Gaibang quieted at once; the beating ceased. In a voice as deep as gravel, Fei Jin declared,
"Friends come, we have wine; wolves come, we have blades. Beggars are born to beat vicious dogs! Only if a dog stops biting do we let it pass. Now — will you have us strike, or spare them? The answer is yours!"
The charge in the air held like ice. The Gaibang's eyes blazed; they advanced without falter. A few of the Xingwu men suddenly charged, roaring and brandishing blades in a last attempt to break out. The Gaibang met them with calm fury — staffs swung like wind and in an instant left several attackers bloodied and wailing as they fled in disgrace. The sight unnerved the rest; feet began to edge backward as dread tightened its grip.
The Gaibang pressed forward relentlessly. One by one the attackers faltered and withdrew. Yang Linzhong could scarcely believe the humiliation — to be set upon by a band of begging men — and his shame boiled into fury. His face flushed as he spat,
"The Gaibang's leader preaches heroics and righteousness, yet acts so base—what a laughingstock to the jianghu!"
Fei Jin burst into a contemptuous, bitter laugh that shook the air. His voice cut like an iron axe:
"Yang Linzhong, you lick An Lushan's boots for wealth and rank, selling shame for gold. You collude with tigers and still dare lecture the heroes of the realm? You are evil — and today your death here would be only just!"
At his words the Gaibang's morale surged. The beating resumed, and the circle tightened. The Xingwu and Matou men felt themselves drawn into a pit with no foothold; their courage dwindled to dust.
Panic spread through their ranks. Many of the gang members, faced with sudden mortal peril, lost all thought of their leaders' honor — only the instinct to live remained. One by one they dropped to their knees, forehead to the dirt, pleading:
"Great Gaibang leader, have mercy! I acted under orders!""I have aged parents!""I have a wife and children!"
Li Qian stepped forward and pleaded softly, "Fei Senior, spare them, I beg you."Zhao Rou added, "Fei Senior, these men are pitiable."Liu Yun echoed, "Fei Senior, have mercy on them!"
Fei Jin considered briefly, then said,
"Four Elders — anyone who kowtows and confesses shall be spared."
The elders chorused, "Yes!" At once the Gaibang opened a way; the rank-and-file of the Xingwu and Matou gangs filed through. Soon only Zhang Cheng and Yang Linzhong remained. Fei Jin's face darkened and a cold light flashed in his eyes as he addressed them:
"You two — the Gaibang is no glory-seeking show. You chose to be An Lushan's hounds and yet would bully the shipping guilds? Today you came to provoke us. I do not know by what right you sought to offend the Gaibang, the greatest gang under heaven. You two have nerve to come threaten us!"
Zhang Cheng's courage failed him. He sucked in a breath and thought, If we cannot win, better to beg than to die. His face showed a brittle sorrow. He hurried into supplication before the assembled heroes:
"Gaibang leader, I Zhang Cheng was blind and wrong. I beg forgiveness for my offense."
Qiu Feng could not help a laugh at the sight of the once-fierce Matou leader reduced to a cringing figure. He called out,
"Fei Bang-zhu promised mercy to those who kowtowed — remember?"
But Yang Linzhong was stubborn pride incarnate. He snorted and snarled, "Zhang Bang-zhu — you need not bow. Let us join and fight instead!" Xu Li stifled a laugh and said, "Yang Bang-zhu, if you are such a peerless hero, why not step forward and prove it?"
Ling Xian'er, never one to spare a barb, cut in:
"Zhang Bang-zhu, Yang Bang-zhu — you have two options now: either bow and confess, or prove your being a hero in single combat. Cowardice or glory — choose! If you can't win, kneel and kowtow. Simple as that."
Her words struck like a slap. Zhang Cheng remembered how just days before this very girl had bested him; his courage melted. Before the assembly he dropped to both knees and beat his forehead on the ground:
"I, Zhang Cheng, was blind of eye and in error. I offended the Gaibang leader. I beg forgiveness."
Fei Jin's voice cut cold:
"Since you are content to be An Lushan's hound, today I spare your life — but mark me: the next time we meet it will be your death. Begone!" Zhang Cheng continued kowtowing, crying thanks for the mercy.
As Zhang Cheng rose and prepared to leave, Fei Jin added with a grim curl of his lips:
"Wait a moment. When the time comes, you'll help collect Yang Bang-zhu's corpse."
Yang Linzhong stood alone, reduced to a pitiable figure. Fei Jin leaned in, voice like winter wind:
"Yang Bang-zhu, you vaunt yourself as peerless. Very well. I won't argue about benevolence with you. You said: 'What use is benevolence? It leaves one a beggar.' Fine — then follow the dogs and tigers. I'll give you two choices: kowtow and confess, or fight and I'll leave you an intact corpse."
Trapped, Yang Linzhong had hoped his bluff about heroes and righteousness might let him escape. He had never expected the Gaibang leader to refuse such rhetoric. Now, stranded and facing death, the Matou leader Zhang Cheng feared his friend's rash courage would lead to disaster. With a tremor of concern he urged, "Yang Bang-zhu, do not show off. Live to fight another day."