Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Nothing to Lose
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Wi Seong-cheon smirked as he listened to Bang Jun's laughter. He'd figured Bang Jun might react to the name Hwangbo Seong-u, and it looked like he'd guessed right.
"Let's go."
Bang Jun, who'd been laughing for a good while, suddenly shot to his feet.
"There are too many listening ears here."
He wasn't wrong. The area around them was clear of students thanks to Bang Jun's filthy state, but his loud guffaws had everyone glancing their way.
The first Three-Knot Disciple from the Beggars' Sect to enroll, and the young leader of the lowly Bat Heavenly Flower Sect. It was a combination bound to draw eyes.
"You're the one who was laughing your ass off."
"Idiot, you think that's the only reason?"
Bang Jun shot back.
"The cafeteria is shared across all grades."
He quickened his pace.
"It's where you run into seniors the most. I don't care, but you need to watch yourself a bit."
"Little Buddha Jinu-senior?"
"Oh ho, so you had a guess, huh?"
Bang Jun winked and turned his head. Naturally, Wi Seong-cheon had his suspicions. Little Buddha Jinu, one of the Dragon-Phoenix.
The greatest prodigy born from the Shaolin Temple, the pillar of the righteous murim. No one knew the truth of it, but most said Jinu was the true center of the Dragon-Phoenix.
"If you're part of the righteous murim, it's only natural to respect Grandmaster Won Gwang Bul. And naturally, among them all, the Shaolin reveres him the most. Little Buddha is a disciple of that Shaolin."
Grandmaster Won Gwang Bul had never once written a letter of recommendation for anyone. Yet the very first one he ever wrote went not to Shaolin, but to some no-name Heavenly Flower Sect.
And even after gaining admission with that letter, he'd been placed in the lowest of the lower classes.
"You think Little Buddha's gonna like you?"
"He might embrace you with the compassion of a Buddhist disciple."
"Who knows. He's got an inscrutable vibe. Only two years older, but he gives me the creeps."
The cafeteria entrance lay shrouded in the pitch-black night.
"Anyway. Why Hwangbo Seong-u?"
"Same grade."
"What about Mu Yeon-jun or Sang I-rin?"
"Too young."
"So Hwangbo Seong-u's an easy mark? That's some arrogance."
Bang Jun glanced back at Wi Seong-cheon as he led the way.
"You've never even met the guy."
"The Hwangbo Clan's martial arts are fist techniques."
"Ever faced those fists?"
"Guess we'll find out when I do."
"See, that's what I mean by arrogant. Sure, I don't know Heavenly Flower Sect techniques. But you know how cocky guys always have some trick up their sleeve? Still."
Bang Jun shook his head.
"Think whatever mysterious talent you've got can topple Hwangbo Seong-u? No clue. The guy's an expert. Being Dragon-Phoenix means he's at least instructor level."
"Probably."
"...You said Hwangbo Seong-u first, right? You planning to take on the whole numbered list and win?"
"That'd be ideal."
"Crazy bastard."
Bang Jun shook his head. No matter how he thought about it, the guy was a headache.
"So what do you want from me?"
"You said it yourself. I'm trash. How about helping me not be trash?"
"You want me to join your fool's errand?"
"You've got nothing to lose."
"Nothing to gain either."
"I only got here three days ago. Haven't even sat in on a single class."
"So?"
"You've been here half a year. How was it? Fun?"
It hit him like a gut punch.
Bang Jun stopped walking and turned to Wi Seong-cheon. Fun? He couldn't force out a yes even if he tried.
Martial arts training? He'd been drilling it day in, day out since joining the Beggars' Sect as a kid. Weird, really. Beggars were supposed to scrounge on the streets, but Bang Jun had spent more time on training than begging.
Thinking back, he'd gripped his staff more often than a rice bowl.
"......"
That's how he'd spent over a decade mastering Beggars' Sect arts. From One Knot to Two, and now Three-Knot Disciple. Among the young beggars, his achievements were unmatched.
Everyone said it about him: Give him ten years, he'd be a branch leader. Stick around longer, elder. Play it right, even Sect Leader material.
But now? The Beggars' Sect elders had shoved him into Heavenly Academy.
"Not fun."
Heavenly Academy's teachings weren't worthless, even as a compliment. But finding enjoyment in them was a whole other story. Bang Jun scratched his head furiously.
"Watching me will be fun."
Wi Seong-cheon didn't know Bang Jun's inner thoughts. But a Three-Knot Disciple stuck in the lower class proved one thing, talent aside: he didn't fit with the upper-class students.
Bang Jun was a wild card. He ignored the stares around him. No one knew why the Beggars' Sect had sent him here.
Maybe he carried some secret mission.
Didn't matter.
Reaching out to Bang Jun wasn't just because he'd been at the academy half a year longer. Behind him stood the Beggars' Sect.
The largest sect in murim, with branches everywhere, clutching information in their fists.
Wi Seong-cheon was a total newbie to murim. He knew next to nothing. Even about Heavenly Academy, what he knew came mostly from the pamphlet U Chong-gwan had given him.
Trash info. With Bang Jun's help, it might actually amount to something.
If Bang Jun refused? Things stayed the same as now. And if he didn't stop there—if he went blabbing the pamphlet's contents?
Even better. The targets would come knocking first.
"...What a pain in the ass."
Bang Jun stared at Wi Seong-cheon, then stuck out his tongue and shook his head.
"One last question. You really that confident? Dragon-Phoenix and Four Flowers. The ones you numbered—they're leagues above their peers. Hell, bluntly put, I wouldn't fold easily either."
Thud. Bang Jun tapped the three-knot sash at his waist.
"But the world's wide. Heavenly Academy gathers all the righteous prodigies. I'm the Beggars' Sect's top young talent, but even here, there are guys better than me. And you... you really think you can take on Dragon-Phoenix and Four Flowers...?"
"Different perspective."
Wi Seong-cheon shook his head.
Bang Jun fell silent.
"Dragon-Phoenix and Four Flowers. Amazing folks. Can't even think of them as my age. Fist Valley Hwangbo Seong-u and Serpent Beauty Dang Seona from the three great clans. Sword Dragon Tae Hui-myeong from Wudang, Little Buddha Jinu from Shaolin, Sword Peak U Ha-yeon from Huashan. Nine Great Righteous Sects stock. White Orchid Cheong U-bin's Qinglin Sect is impressive too, and Flame Flower Jeong Mi-ju from Golden Name Escort Agency? Ha, heir to the murim's top escort service."
Laughter mixed into Wi Seong-cheon's voice.
"Flying Swallow Sang I-rin. No grand background like the Dragon-Phoenix or Four Flowers, but her skills are already legendary across murim. But me?"
Bat Heavenly Flower Sect. Son of the Fourth Cooperation Wi Ju-seok. No-title murim newbie small fry.
"That's me."
"...What're you getting at?"
"Nothing to lose."
Was that sincere?
Bang Jun's face hardened.
"The young leader of the despised Heavenly Flower Sect. Of course he's lesser than Dragon-Phoenix and Four Flowers. That's what everyone thinks. Me losing to them? Totally expected."
"...Yeah."
"But Dragon-Phoenix and Four Flowers can't afford to lose to me. Because they're Dragon-Phoenix and Four Flowers."
It was irrefutable. Utterly obvious.
"...The humiliation?"
"It'll ramp up a bit. So what?"
Nothing changes. Wi Seong-cheon smirked.
"I can lose a hundred times. Keep losing, then—just once. Win once. That's enough."
"...Ha ha."
Bang Jun shook his head with a laugh. Unimaginable. The Heavenly Flower Sect young leader beating even one Dragon-Phoenix or Four Flower. Absurd... but if it actually happened?
If he could watch it unfold from the front row.
"Revise your assessment of Hwangbo Seong-u."
He'd never once felt a thrill at Heavenly Academy.
This was it. His heart was already pounding with anticipation. Bang Jun forced down the twitching corner of his mouth with his cheek muscles.
"Not that much. And one more thing. If you really wanna beat Hwangbo Seong-u, finish him before he turns into a 'bear.'"
"Big difference?"
"Obviously. Why else breed Marrowless Warriors? You don't even know the Peng Clan's Tiger Vessel Technique?"
Bang Jun grumbled as he started walking again. At the mention of Tiger Vessel, Wi Seong-cheon's expression stiffened. But Bang Jun, ahead of him, didn't notice.
"...Got it."
"Sure, it was eight years ago, but it was a huge incident. Ah... I don't think you're that clueless, but never mention Tiger Vessel in front of Paeng Yeon-hwa. You'll die."
"...What kind of person is Golden Capture Whip Flash Seo Il?"
Sudden subject change. Voice shifted. Friends with Paeng Yeon-hwa? Thoughts tangled in Bang Jun's mind for a split second. No answers here.
"Weirdo."
Bang Jun dropped the Paeng Yeon-hwa and Tiger Vessel talk. The lower-class dorms were drawing near.
"Better to meet him yourself than hear from me. You'll see him tomorrow morning."
"Aren't you cooperating with me?"
"Cooperating? Never said I would. You never even asked."
"You said finish before he turns into a bear."
"That part's true."
Dead serious.
Back in his room, Bang Jun approached the window. A falcon perched in the birdcage hanging there. He sat on the sill, wrote a letter, and tucked it into the pouch on the falcon's leg.
'Two days at most.'
A reply would come within that. Maybe even this morning if quick. Wasn't asking for anything tricky. He opened the window, opened the cage door, and tilted it. The falcon flapped its wings with a whoosh and soared out.
"...Hwangbo Seong-u, huh."
No grudge.
Not grudge-worthy.
Bang Jun scratched his head and shed his outer robe.
A now-faint scar marred his chest. From shortly after arriving at Heavenly Academy.
The grade evaluation where he'd lost to Hwangbo Seong-u. First evaluation, full of fire. The guy had turned bear right from the start and blasted Bang Jun out of the ring.
"No grudge."
Even then. He'd lost because he was weaker. That was it—just hurt. Maybe mercy, it wasn't deep. Now he moved fine.
"Still wanna see it."
Grudge aside.
He wanted to see Hwangbo Seong-u's face when he lost to Wi Seong-cheon.
'Picked well, huh.'
Did he plan this? Scratching the scar, Bang Jun paused at the thought and tilted his head.
The guy he'd pointed out first at the dorms. Saying Hwangbo Seong-u first. If it'd been someone else, would he have laughed like that at the name?
'Would've thought to hear more.'
But he wouldn't have dragged him out of the cafeteria right away.
* * *
"Branch Leader. He's here again."
"Again?"
The Beggars' Sect Central Plains Branch Leader turned with a face full of disgust. "Again" meant the same as last time. He shook his head and poured liquor into a chipped rice bowl.
"Who sent it this time?"
"Bang Jun."
"Bang Ju-un? That kid?"
"Same lower class, right? Probably curious."
"You know his personality? He wouldn't send it just for curiosity."
"There was another letter too."
"What? What'd it say?"
"Requests this month's first-year class schedule."
The Branch Leader cracked his neck. He wiped the grease from his hands roughly and stood.
They say don't bother a dog while it's eating, but now wasn't the time. Bang Jun asking for that? Never once requested such info since enrolling.
"That punk. Finally caring about grades?"
"Nah, Bang Jun? No way."
The beggar subordinate shook his head. Ugh. The Branch Leader groaned and scratched his scalp.
"Besides that letter. Again, again...? How many times now?"
"Sixth one."
The Beggars' Sect was famed for information. But that didn't mean anyone could easily access it. Especially sending messenger birds directly to a branch—only those qualified.
From last night to this morning.
Five messenger birds had arrived at Central Plains Branch, excluding Bang Jun's. All five letters demanded the same info.
'Bang Jun aside.'
The Branch Leader furrowed his brows.
Thousand Man Mu Yeon-jun.
Flying Swallow Sang I-rin.
Little Buddha Jinu.
Flame Flower Jeong Mi-ju.
Serpent Beauty Dang Seona.
Four Dragon-Phoenix and one Four Flower's requests.
"The Heavenly Flower Sect young leader's awfully popular."
The Branch Leader grumbled and shook his head.