Chapter 201. The One Who’ll Be Struck by Lightning and Die (1)

“For a guy who’s among the best in the martial world to call himself a humble student is just ridiculous.”

The old beggar, who took out a gourd bottle hanging from his side and gulped it down, added.

“Keuh. If you’re a humble student, are you telling everyone worse than you to just go and die?”

Right after the Beggars’ Sect Leader uttered words that could be either praise or insult, the companions belatedly cupped their fists toward him.

“I am Nam Geon! Ni-nice to meet you, Grandpa Leader!”

“Baek Hyang greets the Leader of the Beggars’ Sect.”

“My family name is Dang, and my given name is Sopyeong.”

“My name is Choyeon.”

At this, the Beggars’ Sect Leader waved his arm dismissively as if it were a bother.

“What’s the point of being polite to a damn beggar? Enough.”

And then, the Beggars’ Sect Leader took another swig of alcohol.

“Keuh. It’s not like you youngsters are putting on airs, but are you all just wandering around the entire martial world like this? Do you have any idea that this old beggar’s legs nearly tore apart trying to get a look at your faces?”

“Were you looking for us?”

“Of course. From those young fellas in the so-called Twin Heroes Alliance to the Beggars’ Sect scamps, they were all praising you lot so much that I came to see what you all look like.”

Only then did a forgotten memory surface.

It was a story I heard when I visited the Seomoon Clan after getting away from the Fighting Venerable.

He had said that the Beggars’ Sect Leader had visited the Seomoon Clan.

He had also spoken with Teacher Sama then and had said it was a real shame that I had been taken by the Fighting Venerable.

I started to think that perhaps he had been searching for me ever since I escaped from the Fighting Venerable.

“Even if I’m a beggar, you lot are taking it too far. Are you going to keep me standing here?”

I felt like I was finally starting to understand why the leader was so grumpy.

I let out a small laugh at the old man’s grumbling and spoke.

“It is because we did not know what to do with ourselves, as a senior of such great renown has come to visit us in person. Please, come inside first.”

“What great renown is there for a mere beggar?”

I led the grumbling leader inside.

I brought out some leftover food from the manor and set a table for him.

The Beggars’ Sect Leader began his meal in a manner truly befitting a beggar.

He picked up the food with his bare hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world. With hands stained with dirt and sweat.

Even Nam Geon wore an expression of disgust at the sight of the leader wolfing down his food.

After finishing his meal in an instant, the leader took another swig of alcohol and spoke.

“Buurp. So. I hear you came here chasing the Black Heart Ghost Claw? Isn’t this manor the one that bastard, the Black Heart Ghost Claw, originally used?”

“That is correct, Leader.”

“Tsk. You’re not even a member of the Beggars’ Sect. What’s this ‘Leader’ nonsense?”

“Then, would it be alright if I called you Senior?”

“Why should I be called Senior when I haven’t taught you a single thing?”

“Then I will just call you Senior.”

“……You’re quite the blockhead yourself.”

The Beggars’ Sect Leader let out a hollow laugh, and for some reason, that Dang Clan guy smiled and nodded his head.

“But why are you, who was running all over the martial world like a foal with its tail on fire, still remaining here? And what’s more, several of you are injured.”

As if he had already noticed, the leader scanned my companions.

“No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like you would end up in this state from someone like the Black Heart Ghost Claw.”

I thought it was for the better.

I had intended to tell him the story from the moment the leader arrived anyway.

“Actually, after we dealt with the Black Heart Ghost Claw and his subordinates here, there was another battle.”

I told the leader about Wi Mugyeol.

“That man was a member of the Demonic Cult.”

“You mean those pseudo-bastards who passed on that strange technique to the Moon Lord of the Red Moon Falling Flowers and talked about a cicada?”

As he said that, the leader’s gaze turned toward Junior Sister Choyeon.

He seemed to know the story between Junior Sister Choyeon and the Red Moon Falling Flowers.

“It is not just the Red Moon Falling Flowers. Do you know of the Choi Manor Lord, whom we dealt with alongside the Beggars’ Sect members?”

“Hmm. Now that you mention it, what he learned was a similar case.”

“That is right.”

I handed two books to the nodding leader.

They were the books that Wi Mugyeol had given to the woman here.

“One is a demonic art manual, and the other is a book on the Bone Shrinking Art and Appearance Changing Art.”

“Hoh……”

“As you can see, they are passing on demonic arts to those who desire power.”

“It’s not like they’re giving alms to beggars. I don’t know what kind of bastards they are.”

“Actually, there are a few things I found out while fighting Wi Mugyeol.”

The reason the Demonic Cult members were spreading their arts was to experiment with them.

An experiment to create a more perfect demonic art and technique with reduced side effects.

“Also, it is highly likely that their base is located outside the Central Plains.”

“Don’t tell me that bastard Wi Mugyeol actually confessed to that?”

The leader wore an expression of disbelief.

“I deduced it from the characteristics of the demonic art. That man Wi Mugyeol’s internal energy was at a truly terrifying level. It was to the point where we barely managed to kill him even with a joint attack.”

He had amassed that much internal energy with a demonic art.

It meant he had consumed at least several hundred people.

“A corpse that has its essence drained by a demonic art is bound to become like a mummy. But there have been no cases of hundreds of mummified corpses being discovered in the Central Plains, have there?”

Furthermore, he was not alone.

“His position was that of a Guardian Envoy. It means there are others above him. If you include the others besides Wi Mugyeol, at least a thousand people must have been consumed.”

The leader now nodded his head as if he was convinced.

“Your words have considerable merit.”

The face of the grumbling old man from a moment ago was gone.

“Our Beggars’ Sect will use all our strength to search outside the Central Plains. However, this is a difficult task for our sect to accomplish alone. How many hands will be needed to search not just the Central Plains but the entire region beyond it?”

The leader now wore the face of a true adult, worrying about the future.

“Still, it seems there will be no need to search Tibet.”

“Now that you mention it, I heard you went there a while ago.”

The leader who nodded his head added a comment.

“Even excluding Tibet, there is still Nanman, Xinjiang, and the Northern Grasslands. It seems the beggars are going to work themselves to death trying to find those Demonic Cult bastards.”

“We also plan to set out to find them. Furthermore, wouldn’t it be a little better if we cooperate with the Twin Heroes Alliance?”

The leader shook his head at my proposal.

It wasn’t that he was refusing to cooperate.

“That alone is not enough. Finding them is a problem, but if we get eaten in reverse after finding them, wouldn’t that just hasten the disaster?”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“I will drag in everyone who has even the slightest connection to our Beggars’ Sect, starting with Shaolin.”

The leader continued speaking in a grim tone.

“To think they use innocent people as test subjects for a demonic art. They are bastards that the entire martial world must join forces to eliminate, are they not?”

As the leader said, if we simply let them grow, a dark cloud would inevitably loom over the entire martial world.

“If there are any bastards who refuse, this old beggar will drag them in, even if I have to kick their asses.”

“In that case, we will also seek out those we have connections with and ask for their cooperation.”

“Heheheh. Yes. A truly good thought.”

I made one more request to the contentedly smiling leader.

“We plan to stay here for a few days to recover. Therefore, I have a request for you, Senior.”

“Tsk. I wondered why you were so generously feeding a beggar. So you had a purpose all along.”

The leader was once again making a mischievous face.

I briefly explained the situation here to him.

Although all the members of the Underworld had been driven out, the women who had been sold here and forced to work were a problem.

“But we cannot stay here forever, can we? That is why I would like to ask you to just pass on the news to the Twin Heroes Alliance.”

“Tsk. You’re really working this old beggar to the bone.”

The leader, who clicked his tongue, stood up from his seat.

I quickly rose and caught hold of the senior.

“The sun has already set. Please rest comfortably for a day before you go.”

“What do you take me for?”

I stared blankly at the leader, wondering what kind of nonsense this was.

“You brat. To a damn beggar, the sky is the roof and the ground is the blanket. I’ve eaten my fill, so I’ll just be on my way and sleep when I get sleepy. That’s all there is to it.”

As if there was no need for further conversation, the leader left the manor.

It felt as though a typhoon had swept through.

“Th-that Leader grandpa. He-he’s peculiar.”

“He has a very foul mouth. Well, seeing as he recognized you’re a blockhead, he seems to have a good eye for people.”

***

A few days after the leader left.

While waiting for the Twin Heroes Alliance to arrive, I focused on recovery.

Nam Geon was not fully recovered, but he was now able to eat reasonably well.

Junior Sister Choyeon had also recovered to some extent from the internal injuries inflicted by Wi Mugyeol and the internal energy drained by the demonic art.

Around the time when their weapons were also completed—swords that were not as good as the ones made by Blacksmith Yeo but were still serviceable—an unexpected guest arrived at Sahong.

“Uahahaha! Brother Jin! So you were here!”

The one who greeted me with a hearty laugh was none other than Hwangbo Ak.

A small laugh escaped my lips.

“You’re the same as before.”

His appearance had changed quite a bit, though.

Several more months had passed since I escaped from the Fighting Venerable, so nearly four years had passed since I parted with him.

I could guess what kind of life he had lived in that time.

A worn-out cloak and black martial arts uniform. On top of that, his hair was disheveled.

He looked even more ragged than during his mountain bandit days.

In addition, there were scars visible all over his body, revealed between his face and his tattered clothes.

He exuded the aura of a seasoned martial artist who had been through all sorts of hardships.

“I happened to hear the news that Brother Jin had returned alive!”

After saying that, Hwangbo Ak grinned and took an opening stance.

Simultaneously, a grim aura began to emanate continuously from his body.

It was an interesting sight.

In the past, he was a guy who recklessly scattered his fighting spirit.

But until he arrived at the manor a moment ago, I had barely felt his presence.

It meant that he had become able to contain his energy quite naturally.

In many ways, he seemed to have changed a lot from the past.

“It’s been a while, so shouldn’t we exchange a few blows before we talk?”

Except for that temper of his that loved a good fight.

That Dang Clan guy shook his head, and Nam Geon also looked at Hwangbo Ak with a strange expression.

“B-Brother Hwangbo i-is the same as b-before.”

“Brother. There’s a saying that when a person changes suddenly, it means it’s their time to die.”

“Senior Sister. Then have I already passed my time to die?”

At Junior Sister Choyeon’s innocent question, Junior Sister Baek Hyang made a troubled expression.

As if he had no interest in their conversation, Hwangbo Ak suddenly rushed at me.

BOOM!

The floor exploded, and the distance between Hwangbo Ak and me rapidly decreased.

Just before reaching the range of my sword, Hwangbo Ak suddenly threw a short and concise punch into the air.

Then, Fist Qi, emitted from his fist, flew in succession.

While I twisted my body minimally to avoid it, he aimed for that opening and dove in deep.

I had no intention of just giving him the distance, so I used my footwork and swung the Master’s Blade at the charging Hwangbo Ak.

We exchanged blows while maintaining a distance where my sword could reach but his fist could not.

Occasionally, the Master’s Blade and his fist would clash.

CLANG!!

After dozens of exchanges with Hwangbo Ak.

Tap.

Finally, I placed the Master’s Blade at Hwangbo Ak’s neck and spoke.

“Is this satisfying enough?”

“Hahaha!! I thought I had improved quite a bit, but I still can’t reach Brother Jin!”

As Hwangbo Ak said, he had improved quite a bit.

The very edge of the supreme realm. He had reached a level comparable to the Nine Dragons Fortress Leader, who was once his adoptive father.

I felt that if he gained one or two more enlightenments, he too could ascend to the Heavenly Ladder Realm.

Should I say it was a talent befitting the man who was called the Fighting King in my past life?

“Did you, by any chance, return after winning against that Fighting Venerable?”

I shook my head at Hwangbo Ak’s question.

“I am still far from that old monster. More importantly, what are you planning to do now? Are you going to continue your dueling journey?”

This time, Hwangbo Ak shook his head.

“Heheheh. I think it would be better to continue dueling while staying with Brother Jin. At least until I can win against Brother Jin!”

Come to think of it, this guy’s talent lay elsewhere.

His fighting spirit was more central to him than his ability to understand martial arts.

Furthermore, it seemed his talent was being blessed with the fortune of living a long life without dying, despite being itching for a fight.

“So I wanted to ask, where are you planning to go now, Brother Jin? Your temper isn’t the type to stay put in one place, is it?”

“I am looking for two factions and one man.”

I answered Hwangbo Ak’s question briefly.

About Wi Mugyeol and the Demonic Cult. And about the Teaching Demon and the Heavenly Emperor Cult, who would appear at some point.

Finally, I briefly explained about the man who would become the Thunder Disaster in the future.

“His name is Paeng Daecheol, and he is a man who has learned the Thunder Art.”

After hearing the full explanation, Hwangbo Ak showed an unexpected reaction.

“Ah! You mean that crazy bastard who’s dying to get struck by lightning?”

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