Chapter 39 Chengyuan Learned the Martial Arts of the Confucian

　　As the seven disciples brought their bamboo staves down upon him, Liu Chengyuan did not so much as flinch. Instead, he thrust both palms forward in unison, striking at them with calculated force. This technique, Falling Stars Surrender to the Abyss, was drawn from the Esoteric Scripture of Yin Sigils. Even when wounded, he had used this very move to fend off nine pursuers from the Kongtong Sect’s Soul-Chasing Department and escaped unscathed. Now, fully recovered, he executed it with such precision that the beggar-disciples found themselves utterly powerless to retaliate.　　Just as Liu Chengyuan was about to drive back the remaining Beggars’ Sect disciples, an unexpected turn of events froze him in place. A ragged beggar had seized a young boy—no more than seven or eight years old—who had been playing by the lake’s edge. Pressing a dagger to the child’s throat, he bellowed, “Demon spawn! Hand over the sword manual at once, or I’ll slit the brat’s throat where he stands!”　　“You wretched cur!” Liu Chengyuan spat, his voice laced with fury. “And to think the Beggars’ Sect parades itself as an upright and honourable fraternity, yet stoops to such vile treachery!” His mind raced: “The rogue stands over twenty feet away. Should I make the slightest move, he need only twitch his blade, and the child is lost. But I truly have no sword manual—so what in heaven’s name am I to do?”　　Liu Chengyuan weighed his options. “The only course left is to edge closer, inch by inch, and strike when he least expects it. Only then can I save the child.”　　Adopting a conciliatory tone, he took a cautious step forward. “Come now, my friend”, he said, his voice calm. “There’s no need for rashness. If it’s the sword manual you want, I shall hand it over. But let the child go first—he is innocent in all this.”　　The beggar, however, was no fool. Seeing through Liu Chengyuan’s ploy, he barked, “Not another step! One more move, and this dagger finds its mark.”　　Liu Chengyuan’s heart pounded. Cold sweat slicked his palms as he forced himself to halt. “Steady now, my friend!” he called out hastily. “I’ll not take another step—just don’t harm the child! But the sword manual… I do not carry