The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 5: Chapter 4

At the end of the Yuan dynasty and the beginning of the Ming, Qin Baili’s Eagle Claw Sect joined the Red Turban Army1. Later, they fought alongside the Zhu family to unify the land, playing a key role in the founding of the Ming dynasty.

Because of this, the emperor awarded the Qin Eagle Claw Sect a plaque inscribed with “Qin Eagle Claw, Divine Fist Protecting the Nation.”

This single plaque instantly elevated the status of the Qin Eagle Claw Sect.

Many disciples who had originally studied under the Duan family switched allegiance to the Qin sect.

Naturally, the Duan family didn’t take this lying down. They came to confront the Qin sect afterward, but with Qin’s numerous and powerful disciples, the Duans were humiliated and forced to leave empty-handed, nursing their grudges alone.

Over thirty years ago, the Duan Eagle Claw Sect had fallen on hard times. Taking advantage of this, the Qin sect disbanded the Duan branch. Because the Duan sect had few disciples, most people in the martial arts world didn’t even know about it. Anywhere Eagle Claw Sect was mentioned, people only recognized the Qin sect.

The Duan Eagle Claw Sect’s leader back then was said to be Duan Xiuming, who later disappeared without a trace. Qin Fanyu once tried to find him, and there were rumors that he had joined a demonic cult, but no one knew if it was true.

Recently, a young man named Duan Xuanji arrived at the Qin sect, claiming to be the heir of the Duan-style Eagle Claw. He challenged the Qin sect, insisting on a contest to determine who truly possessed the authentic Eagle Claw technique.

At that time, Qin Fanyu was away on business. His eldest disciple, who was also his eldest son, Qin Xingyun, didn’t take the young man seriously. Thinking he could handle it without his father, he accepted the challenge.

But it turned out that Duan Xuanji’s techniques weren’t truly Eagle Claw moves, just his fingers shaped like claws. He caught Qin Xingyun off guard, breaking both of his arms with sneaky techniques, preventing him from using his finger strength.

Qin Xingyun was defeated. Qin Fanyu’s second son, Qin Buyu, tried next, but suffered the same fate. The other disciples dared not step forward.

After winning twice, Duan Xuanji sneered, “So much for the Qin Eagle Claw? Anyone who wants to truly learn Eagle Claw must come to my Duan family.”

Qin Xingyun shot back, “Don’t get cocky. You only dared to cause trouble because our master isn’t here. If he were…hmph…”

Duan Xuanji replied, “Fine. I’ll wait until your master returns, and then I’ll come to test him.”

Qin Xingyun asked, “Where do you live? Our master will visit you when he returns.”

Duan Xuanji gave his address and left with a proud air.

When Qin Fanyu returned, he saw that his two sons’ broken arms had not yet healed. Enraged, he immediately gathered several disciples and went to confront Duan Xuanji.

“Then… the result…”

As he spoke, Qin Fanyu’s tone shifted noticeably.

Zhu Que felt a chill in his heart and couldn’t help asking, “What happened?”

Qin Fanyu steadied himself. The scene he had witnessed had shocked him to the core, and even thinking about it now stirred deep unease. Yet he managed to control his emotions and continued recounting the events.

When they reached the residence of Duan Xuanji, a courtyard on the outskirts of Changzhou Prefecture, Qin Fanyu, thinking about his sons’ injuries, acted with little regard for etiquette. He didn’t even knock and pushed the door open. The main gate was unlocked, and the inner latch unfastened.

Calling out Duan Xuanji’s name, Qin Fanyu stepped into the main hall, only to find no trace of him or of any living person. The room was filled entirely with corpses.

Seeing so many bodies at once sent a chill down even Qin Fanyu’s spine, and he was no stranger to violent scenes.

Sunlight streamed outside, but the interior was dim and oppressive. One disciple, unable to stomach the gruesome sight, ran outside to vomit.

Qin Fanyu counted nine bodies in total.

The corpses were cold, indicating they had been dead for some time. Most were clad in tattered black clothing. Several had thick knuckles and finger joints, clearly trained in martial arts. Qin Fanyu immediately guessed they were members of the Beggar Sect.

One of Qin Fanyu’s disciples, familiar with the Beggar Sect, recognized one of the corpses as a genuine disciple of the sect.

Who had killed them and left the bodies here remained unknown. Qin Fanyu’s first thought was that the young man claiming to be Duan Xuanji had set them up.

After inspecting the bodies carefully, his suspicion solidified. Some had their wrists crushed, some their throats clawed, and others bore deep scratches on their faces, carved down to the bone.

The marks matched the techniques of Qin Eagle Claw. Across all of Jiangnan’s martial arts circles, only his Eagle Claw style could produce finger strikes of such devastating precision.

Zhu Que remained silent, feeling that Qin Fanyu had indeed been framed.

Qin Fanyu continued, “I hadn’t yet recovered from my shock and felt a great conspiracy descending upon me. One of my disciples asked whether we should bury the bodies. If the Beggar Sect discovered them, our Eagle Claw Sect could not withstand their wrath. They are the largest sect in the martial world; how could a small sect like ours compete? I also considered that if we buried the bodies and someone later dug them up, the wounds from Eagle Claw strikes would be unmistakable. The thought that crossed my mind was to burn them all.”

As he spoke, Qin Fanyu turned to Zhu Que and asked, “If you were in my place, suddenly witnessing this, what would you do?”

Zhu Que sighed and said, “All I hope now is that none of my friends were among those bodies……”

Qin Fanyu continued, “I didn’t know their names at the time. Just as I decided to burn the bodies, a few knocks came at the courtyard gate.”

Zhu Que’s heart skipped a beat at the thought.

Qin Fanyu explained that, though they hadn’t killed these people, the wounds inflicted by Eagle Claw strikes were too realistic, making him and his disciples uneasy. When they suddenly heard the knocks outside, they glanced at one another and saw the same pale fear on each other’s faces.

Qin Fanyu’s legs grew weak, and when he reached the gate, it felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit. Outside stood over a dozen people, all dressed in Beggar Sect attire.

One of them spoke, “Someone informed us that our faction captain is here. May I ask your honorable name? Are you the owner of this residence?”

Qin Fanyu said, “Wait… are you a brother of the Beggar Sect?”

The man replied, “Yes. And you are?”

Although Qin Fanyu recognized them as Beggar Sect members, he was still shocked when he admitted it aloud. In his mind, he realized that if someone truly wanted to frame him, they must have known his whereabouts in order to notify the Beggar Sect and have them arrive precisely at that moment.

Qin Fanyu, feeling helpless, said, “I have some unfortunate news to tell you all. Please remain calm and hear me out. Your sect……”

Before he could finish, the Beggar Sect disciple talking to him pushed him aside, calling out “Big Brother!” The group of sect members rushed in.

Immediately, a cry of overwhelming grief rang out. Several Beggar Sect disciples charged out from the house, surrounding Qin Fanyu and his disciples.

A young, reckless Beggar Sect member, eyes bloodshot, tried to attack, but was restrained by others. They demanded to know if Qin Fanyu’s group had done this. Qin Fanyu and his disciples explained for quite some time.

Qin Fanyu sighed and said, “It was only then that I realized that among the people killed was their faction captain, Yao Hongjin.”