Headwind (6)
Gu Cheon-woo imprinted martial principles into Jo Cheol-san with unfailing courtesy every time they met. He didn't bother explaining their past-life connection in exhaustive detail. To pursue the shortest path of Mireok Paedo, he minimized wasted time. One such method was the Infinite Imprint Fist.
Though Cheol-san had reached the Peak Expert realm, he wasn't yet mature enough to fully unleash the Beggar Clan's ultimate arts. Enlightenment was needed, and that would naturally take time. If it was a path he'd reach anyway, leading the way first was one approach. Cheon-woo forcibly imprinted it, completing the enlightenment. Naturally, he gave no thought to the feelings of the battered hero.
He skipped the courteous ritual of swearing brotherhood.
Convenient for gathering information.
The primary reasons for taking Cheol-san as a subordinate were his unyielding iron will that bowed to no evil and the ability to wield the Beggar Clan's intelligence network at arm's length. Justice was often delayed by a lack of information. To achieve the peace of all under heaven and Mireok Paedo, one had to move a step ahead of evildoers.
Pow! Pow-pow-pow!
Cheon-woo's pummeling continued. As time passed, Cheol-san's true nature emerged.
"Graaagh! Haha! Hahahaha!"
Cheol-san alternated between screams and laughter. Watching it, Cheon-su, the outer manager, and Ga-bok shook their heads.
It hadn't been a normal spar from the start, but no one had imagined it would unfold like this.
"Outer Manager, what kind of person did you bring us?"
"It's working out fine, isn't it?"
"Is there any guarantee it won't end like this every time?"
"I just did what Cheon-woo told me to."
Separate from the responsibility of bringing a madman into the fold, the outer manager, Cheon-su, and Ga-bok were genuinely astonished by Cheon-woo's prowess. Until now, fights had ended before they could gauge his true strength. Witnessing the mad beggar's performance gave them firm conviction in his martial arts.
He really is an expert.
To think the young master is this strong!
Brother, you're truly incredible!
This wasn't a sight to watch so casually. The Infinite Imprint Fist was effective whenever foundations solidified or martial walls arose. Cheol-san wasn't on track yet due to shaky basics, but he represented the future of Cheon-su and Ga-bok.
"Graaagh! Gra-hahaha!"
Splat!
At the peak, where screams and laughter intertwined, his body crumpled to the ground like a snapped thread. If it was the bliss after agony, his eerie smile in unconsciousness was too grotesque for that.
The Sunwind Step has shed its redundancies!
The Paokshin Fist I thought complete was imperfect!
Internal force can be used like this!
My Mixed Origin Qi has advanced!
Cheol-san was ecstatic. He'd shattered walls that had blocked him for so long and reached the realm he'd craved. If he continued like this, he might even ascend to Hwagyeong, not just Transcendent. So simple. The Beggar Clan's ultimate arts had come with absurd ease. Even his stingy master would praise this level of completion.
Yes, I've grown stronger. At this rate, becoming the strongest in the martial world isn't far off.
Then.
—Aren't you curious about your little brother's safety?
A voice thundered through his dream, halting Cheol-san's unfolding techniques. Now that he thought about it, something was off. Had he come to the mountains to train? He soon sensed the incongruity, divorced from reality.
A dream. Things impossible in reality could become possible here. Long-stuck techniques unraveled overnight, but today was too smooth. How often did things go this perfectly?
Then his purpose resurfaced. Traces of his brother had been found. He'd come to the Jeokgeum Merchant Group amid the mountains to confirm it.
After attacking the young master...
He'd been unilaterally thrashed and knocked out. Grasping the situation, Cheol-san finally opened his eyes, escaping the dream. The hollow phantom limbs vanished, leaving him lying on a bed.
"Bong-pal."
"...Who the hell?!"
Forgetting the pain, Cheol-san bolted upright in bed. Bong-pal was the rustic name from his childhood; he'd changed it to Cheol-san upon joining the Beggar Clan. Only his master knew it—revealing it meant extermination.
Gasp!
Turning, he saw Cheon-woo. Startled, Cheol-san instinctively dropped to his knees in salute. It was a reflex bordering on instinct: delay meant a beating.
"From now on, I'll treat you as my little brother."
"Yes, Brother Cheon-woo."
Is this right? Brotherhood formed so naturally. Fine, sworn brothers could be like that, but why are you the elder brother? Cheol-san was twelve years older. Even accounting for status, he was the next leader of the Beggar Clan after the gangju.
He had to object. If it solidified like this, reversing it would be awkward. Even if he called himself elder later, who would buy it?
"I'm older."
"So?"
"Once a brother, forever a brother. Haha!"
"Good."
That's not it! Aren't people supposed to treat others equally? Age matters! Despite the mismatched context, Cheol-san accepted it meekly. Strangely, a new emotion welled up.
Why do I feel proud?
He felt like a loyal retainer praised by his lord, as if he owned the world. With his brother, he could overcome any threat in the martial world.
Fine, you're the brother!
At this point, backpedaling felt pathetic. Having accepted without probing intent, his warrior's pride left no choice but to embrace it.
Cheon-woo handed Cheol-san a two-page document.
"What's this?"
"The vermins' list of crimes."
Reading it, Cheol-san couldn't hide his fury. The ugly deeds of base humans were laid bare. Even skimming to the end felt degrading.
Red-White Twin Dogs!
There was no reason to show this without purpose. The Jeokgeum Merchant Group now risked the martial world's outrage. Even if his brother's words were true, honor-blinded warriors wouldn't weigh context.
"You want me to prove Jeokgeum's innocence?"
"Yes."
"Or you'll hold my brother hostage and shake me down!"
"Your brother's the leader of the Blood Slaughter Squad under the Four Emperors. It's not public, but the Beggar Clan knows."
The Blood Slaughter Squad was an assassin group created to eliminate threats to the Four Emperors' castle and hostile factions. Unknown to the world, it was top-secret even in the clan. Many beggars had died investigating it. Knowing this was shocking enough, but his brother leading it?
Cheol-san didn't agonize over accepting reality. Hard to comprehend, but he couldn't deny his brother's words. If brother said so, it was so.
That made it even less convincing.
"Why tell me?"
"Bong-pal, I trust you."
"Thanks, but my name's Cheol-san."
"Once Bong-pal, always Bong-pal."
"...Damn it, fine!"
He could have hidden it but didn't. Cheol-san was awed by that unshakable confidence. And though risky, proving it wouldn't be hard.
"You need my voice."
"They can't ignore the rear guard."
Even if the Red-White Twin Heroes' crimes were real, Cheon-woo's word might backfire. But Cheol-san's endorsement could flip the mood instantly and counterattack.
With justification secured and Jeokgeum's response delayed just right, the tide had fully turned. Now it was time for the final flourish.
Hwajeong Merchant Group rallied opinion that Jeokgeum's impudence warranted attack, recruiting warriors. With righteous cause, swords drew without hesitation. Hwajeong lavished gold on participants.
As the moment ripened fully, Hwajeong leader Tak Jung-il heard thunderous news. The Red-White Twin Heroes' crimes exposed starkly. He tried to block it upon hearing, but it spread too fast, leaving him helpless. Denying it late only worsened things.
Bam!
He slammed the desk.
"...Why?"
Far from calming, rage surged to his scalp. What he'd thought cooked was not just underdone but charred ruin.
"Until the Beggar Clan intervened, what the hell have you done?!"
"...Father, we didn't expect them to contact the Beggar Clan... Graaah!"
As always, his inkstone was rage's target. The hurled stone split Tak So-pyeong's forehead. Blood flowed from the gash, but he stifled breath. The managers and division heads stood guilty in the room, hoping the leader's fury subside—no one stepped up.
With the Beggar Clan involved, quelling it was tough. Especially Iron Cane Hero, the rear guard touted as next gangju. His direct revelation of the crimes demanded equal counter-evidence to overturn.
"Father, give me a chance to salvage this!"
"Chance?! The group's collapsing—think there'll be a next one?!"
"Pin all crimes on the Red-White Twin Heroes!"
"You idiot! If we'd stopped when they died, maybe—but that excuse fly now?!"
They'd gone too deep, too proactively. Ignorance wouldn't sell. Worse, the twins' crimes were unforgivable.
"Fallen for Jeokgeum's ploy from the start!"
Not failure to respond—they'd anticipated backlash over the twins' deaths and pressed anyway, risking small for big gain.
"If Jeokgeum deliberately delayed response... Ngh!"
"Shut up, you worthless shit!"
Unable to contain fury, Tak Jung-il backhanded Tak So-pyeong. The blow split lips, blood splattering the wall.
Thud-thud-thud! The door burst open as an inner courtyard division head rushed in, face urgent.
"What?!"
"Disaster! Warriors at the group demand explanation—threatening us!"
"Explanation?"
"They claim ignorance, accusing you knew the twins' crimes from the start!"
"...Damn it all!!"
Beggar Clan's move stripped their cause. Misstep could paint them as twin accomplices. Death was mishap-packaged, but the twins' perversions weren't. Tak knew warriors were bailing. Infuriated by their flip, but not the priority.
"Who's stirring?"
"No Baek-jeong, Na Jeong-hyeop, Go Gyeong the great hero."
Great hero my ass! Tak's nape burned unbearably. He'd flipped stances too, but these were worse. First to swear on lives over Jeokgeum heir's sabotage—now first to deny and turn blades.
Fury boiled. He needed a sacrificial outlet.
Slap! Slap!
Right palm struck, then backhand in one breath. Tak So-pyeong's head whipped side to side before resetting.
"You'll take the blame."
"...Father!!"
"I'll guarantee your life somehow—just claim it was you. Or we're both done."
"...No!!"
No choice was good, but one offered survival. Tak So-pyeong despaired in grim reality.
How did it come to this—for me!!
That bastard's fault. Yet he couldn't accept ruin from such a nobody.