Chapter 73: The Successor of the Beggar's Sect (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73: The Successor of the Beggar's Sect (1)
Jo Seong-won’s face was a mess of dark bruises, a testament to how much of a beating he had taken.
He stared up at me through swollen eyelids.
His gaze was heavy with apology.
On the other hand, Hong Gu-ga, the Chamber Leader of the Beggar’s Sect, was eyeing me with deep suspicion. Behind him stood his grandson and the sect’s Successor, Hong Geol-gae, wearing an expression that clearly said, ‘You’re screwed now.’
‘Phew.’
I wasn’t exactly sure how Jo Seong-won had been caught.
However, with his master, Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga, and his fellow disciple, Hong Geol-gae, present, even the smallest slip-up could have spiraled into this.
Jo Seong-won’s mouth twitched as he mouthed a single word.
‘Run.’
He was telling me to abandon him.
His eyes flickered toward the Wolf King, Hyeok Cheon-man, who stood to my front left.
I understood what he meant.
He was worried that as long as the Wolf King was here, any reckless move would drag everyone down with him.
Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga questioned me again.
“Did you know this man?”
The Wolf King’s gaze pierced through me like a sharp dagger.
Everyone present was watching.
Jo Seong-won’s eyes darted back and forth.
I parted my lips.
“I know him.”
“!?”
Jo Seong-won’s eyes widened at my response.
He looked as if he were asking me what on earth I was doing.
The Wolf King let out a heavy sigh, his face hardening.
“Junior Brother. Did you also know that this man had joined the Blood Cult?”
“I did.”
At those words, Hong Geol-gae, the Successor of the Beggar’s Sect, shouted, “Great Hero! There’s no need to ask any more questions. If he’s involved with this bastard Jo Seong-won, it means they’re all in league together. Immediately—”
“Brother Hong.”
I cut him off before he could finish.
As Hong Geol-gae scowled, I dropped the polite facade I had maintained until now and spoke in a chilling voice.
“Let’s not overdo it. Even my patience has its limits.”
“Patience? You’re the one who’s screwed right now, kid. You clearly don’t realize what kind of situation you’re in.”
So this was Hong Geol-gae’s true colors.
No wonder Jo Seong-won hated him enough to grit his teeth.
Now that he thought he had the upper hand, even his way of speaking had changed from this afternoon.
He was incredibly frivolous.
“You certainly talk a lot for a beggar.”
“What? You Blood Cult lackeys, how dare you say that in front of—”
“Shut up!”
I infused my words with internal power. Those with weak cultivation winced and covered their ears simultaneously.
Startled, their eyes trembled.
Hong Geol-gae was also taken aback, his mouth snapping shut.
Then, Hong Gu-ga, the Chamber Leader of the Beggar’s Sect, stepped forward.
He placed the Dog Beating Staff—the divine object of the Beggar’s Sect—atop Jo Seong-won’s head and spoke.
“Listen here, Young Master So. This pathetic fool sought out the Blood Cult and joined them of his own volition. The fact that you know such a man means you, too, have ties to the Blood Cult. Does a man under such suspicion dare to threaten the Successor of this sect in this situation?”
Hong Gu-ga tapped Jo Seong-won’s head with the staff as if he were about to strike at any moment.
He was deliberately provoking me.
Jo Seong-won was shaking his head.
I spoke directly to him.
“I never abandon my people.”
Jo Seong-won’s eyes wavered at my words.
He probably hadn’t expected me to say that.
Did he really think I would just throw him away?
No matter how many lies I’ve told to survive, I have never easily abandoned those who are mine.
Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga narrowed his eyes and sneered.
“Ho. Are you confessing that you are involved as well?”
He then looked toward the Wolf King, Hyeok Cheon-man.
He likely needed the Wolf King’s strength if he wanted to suppress me here.
“Chamber Leader.”
“Do you have something to say?”
“Does it make you feel better to frame a disciple as a traitor—one who falsely joined the Blood Cult just to find their headquarters—all because you want to make that stupid grandson of yours the Successor?”
“What?”
For a moment, Hong Gu-ga couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Did he think I would just stand here making long-winded excuses?
The best defense is a good offense.
The sudden revelation seemed effective; some of the Beggar’s Sect members frowned and looked at their leader as if asking what was going on.
“No. What is this man talking about?”
“What do you mean, what am I talking about? I’m telling the truth. Jo Seong-won.”
Called upon out of the blue, Jo Seong-won quickly responded.
“Y-Yes!”
“Swear before the heavens and the gods. Is there a single thing wrong with what I just said?”
A faint smirk played on the corners of Jo Seong-won’s lips.
Nothing I had just said was a lie.
With a voice made slurred by his split lip, Jo Seong-won spoke urgently.
“There is not. I swear before the heavens and the gods that it is all true!”
—Murmur, murmur!
The surroundings grew noisy at his words.
Even if it was just a simple oath to the heavens, it would be a significant problem if it were true.
After all, this involved the head and the successor of the prestigious Beggar’s Sect.
“Hmm...”
Taoist Master Do Uk, the sect leader of the Zhongnan Sect, also kept his mouth shut and observed the situation, seemingly reluctant to intervene now that things had become complicated.
“The heavens? Hmph!”
Hong Gu-ga snorted.
Then, he looked at me and spoke with a meaningful tone.
“Now that I think about it, I believe I heard some interesting information a while back. I heard that you were also kidnapped by the Blood Cult in the past.”
He certainly knew a lot, as expected of the head of an information organization.
Then again, if even the Haomen Sect knew to some extent, it would be stranger if the Beggar’s Sect didn’t.
Swayed by Hong Gu-ga’s words, the Wolf King asked me, “Junior Brother. Is that true?”
I was about to answer, but Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga beat me to it.
“It is true, Great Hero Hyeok. Would this old beggar lie about such a thing? They are simply spinning lies to escape this situation because they fear their true identities will be revealed.”
Look at him pushing his advantage the moment he sees an opening.
The old man really is a sly fox, just as Jo Seong-won said.
But did he think I would go down so easily?
“Senior Brother. Do you not trust me?”
“...It’s not that I don’t trust you. But what is this about you being kidnapped by the Blood Cult that Chamber Leader Hong mentioned?”
“I was kidnapped by the Blood Cult, and our Master rescued me.”
At my words, Hong Gu-ga chuckled.
“Now that I look at it, even that is suspicious. How are we to know if you are the true successor of the Namcheon Sword Guest, who disappeared over twenty years ago, or if you simply stumbled upon the martial arts he left behind after his death?”
This old man is getting quite annoying.
He’s likely just spouting nonsense to corner me, but he’s actually hit remarkably close to the truth.
Thinking that the argument held some merit, the Wolf King’s expression became increasingly filled with doubt.
Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga wore a triumphant smile.
In response, I let out a snort.
“Master once told me about you, Senior Brother.”
“About me?”
“About thirty years ago, when he was staying at an inn in Gokwi County, Yunnan Province, you sought him out and asked for a duel, didn’t you?”
A strange light flickered in the Wolf King’s eyes.
In contrast, Hong Gu-ga’s expression hardened.
I pressed on with the momentum.
“He said it was impressive that you had traveled all the way from far-off Shanxi Province. He said he liked that your fighting spirit didn’t break, even after challenging him to duels for fifteen days straight.”
“...Did he truly say that?”
At my words, the Wolf King’s eyes grew moist, as if he were lost in memory.
When I looked at Hong Gu-ga, his discomfort was palpable.
Such a story couldn't be known unless one had heard it directly from the person involved.
“Ah! Since we’re on the subject, I should clear up some misunderstandings. I wasn’t the only one Master saved back then. He saved Jo Seong-won over there and several other friends. Even the Song family twins in the cabin received Master’s help.”
“Is that the truth?”
Taoist Master Do Uk of the Zhongnan Sect, who had been observing, asked me.
“How could I dare lie to my seniors?”
At my response, Taoist Master Do Uk pointed at Jo Seong-won and spoke to Hong Gu-ga.
“Chamber Leader Hong. Is it truly certain that man joined the Blood Cult?”
“Sigh... Taoist Master. Do you not trust my word?”
I smirked and interjected.
“How exactly do you know whether he joined the Blood Cult or not?”
Hong Geol-gae jumped in.
“Do you take the Beggar’s Sect for fools? There is nothing this sect cannot know if we set our minds to it.”
He must have been feeling anxious too, seeing as he was jumping in despite my earlier threat.
He had just handed me a perfect excuse.
“Ah. So that’s why you just left the future Successor to be kidnapped by the Blood Cult?”
“He went and joined them of his own accord! How is that kidnapping?!”
Hong Geol-gae shouted, clearly angered by my sarcasm.
I tilted my head and said, “That’s strange. How exactly do you know if he joined of his own accord or not? Ah, that’s right. Jo Seong-won, didn’t you say you asked someone to investigate before you infiltrated the Blood Cult?”
At those words, Hong Geol-gae’s mouth snapped shut.
I looked at Hong Gu-ga with a mocking gaze.
With a grandson this stupid, how did he ever plan to make him the Successor of the Beggar’s Sect?
A beggar wearing seven pouches stepped forward and asked, “Who exactly was that?”
Seven pouches likely meant he was an Elder-level figure in the sect.
Seeing the situation turn in his favor, a brightened Jo Seong-won answered.
“It was Bu Cheong, the six-pouch beggar who serves as the Branch Leader of Hunan Province.”
“Bu Cheong?”
“Yes! If you ask him, you’ll find out that I requested the investigation!”
However, the reaction of the Beggar’s Sect members to Jo Seong-won’s words was strange.
The looks they exchanged were dubious.
When I looked at Hong Gu-ga, he was shaking his head and clicking his tongue.
I wondered why, until—
“Bu Cheong died of a chronic illness several months ago.”
“!?”
At those words, Jo Seong-won’s jaw dropped in shock, looking as if his world had collapsed.
Ha! Now I see why that old man was acting so composed.
He had behaved that way because he already knew there was no one left to prove Jo Seong-won’s innocence.
“Truly a pity. As you said, there is no one left in this world to prove your innocence.”
This was absurd.
Wasn’t Jo Seong-won once his own disciple?
Was his only goal to solidify his grandson’s position?
“But there’s also no proof of his guilt, is there?”
“That’s not true. According to your story, Young Master So, if he escaped the Blood Cult with the help of the Namcheon Sword Guest, shouldn’t he have naturally returned to the Beggar’s Sect? Yet, he did not. He even stayed by your side wearing a human skin mask. If he were innocent and had no ties to the Blood Cult, why would he hide his identity like a criminal? Isn’t that right, Great Hero Hyeok?”
He kept dragging the Wolf King into it.
The Wolf King remained silent, looking troubled.
Hong Gu-ga placed a hand on Jo Seong-won’s shoulder and spoke as if he were being generous.
“This is becoming a major hindrance to our current task. Let’s do this. If you truly have nothing to do with the Blood Cult, Young Master So, then do not interfere any further. This is a matter for the Beggar’s Sect.”
Is this old man really going to push this to the end?
Fine. Let’s see who wins.
“He’s no longer part of the Beggar’s Sect, but—”
It was then.
“...You are truly too much.”
It was Jo Seong-won.
His voice was thick with rage.
Hong Gu-ga scolded him as if rebuking a child.
“Since your suspicion hasn’t been cleared, keep your mouth—”
“Did you want to hand the Beggar’s Sect over to your grandson that badly?”
“...What are you talking about?”
“The reason I tried to enter the Blood Cult was to achieve a great feat and earn the recognition of my brothers in the sect. I only sought my own way because you refused to properly teach me the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, all so you could keep passing the position down to your incompetent grandson!”
The eyes of the Beggar’s Sect members focused on Jo Seong-won as he spoke with a heart full of resentment.
Their gazes were quite different from before.
After all, it was suspicious that the only person who could clear his name just happened to die of a chronic illness.
Aware of this, Hong Gu-ga defended himself.
“Nonsense! It’s not because he’s my grandson. He earned the title of Successor because his martial talent is far superior to yours.”
He finally showed a weakness.
I quickly jumped in.
“Superior in what way?”
Hong Gu-ga scowled before answering.
“It’s not because he’s my grandson; that boy’s martial talent is simply better. This child, Jo Seong-won, couldn’t even properly learn the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Doesn’t that say enough?”
Jo Seong-won shouted back.
“How was I supposed to learn the palm technique when you wouldn’t even teach it to me?!”
“Sigh. This fellow continues to sow confusion with his lies. You, keep your mouth shut.”
Hong Gu-ga hurriedly tried to seal Jo Seong-won’s pressure points.
“Stop right there.”
“I told you not to interfere. This is a matter for the Beggar’s Sect.”
Hong Gu-ga ignored me and reached for the pressure points.
“I told you, he is my person!”
I thrust my fingers forward in a sword-formula gesture.
In that instant, a sharp killing intent sliced through the air, targeting Hong Gu-ga’s wrist.
Hong Gu-ga hurriedly blocked the energy with his Dog Beating Staff.
—Clang!
The impact forced him back about three steps.
Hong Gu-ga stared at me with trembling eyes, shocked by my divine authority.
“To fire such sharp energy with your bare hands... It’s true that you’ve broken through the wall.”
Taoist Master Do Uk of the Zhongnan Sect spoke, clicking his tongue in admiration.
The surrounding Beggar’s Sect members and the Zhongnan Sect swordsmen also stared at me with shocked faces.
Since they had been hiding in the large crates—the so-called 'cargo'—using the Turtle Breathing Technique, they seemed to have been skeptical of my martial prowess until now.
Hong Gu-ga shouted at me.
“Are you determined to make an enemy of this sect?! Do you really think you can take on everyone here, no matter how great your individual martial arts may be?!”
Phew.
I knew for certain now.
There are situations that can be resolved with words, and then there are those that cannot.
I let out a cold sneer.
“It’s not like I couldn’t.”
“What?”
I reached my hand out behind me.
Everyone watched with puzzled expressions, wondering what I was doing.
Then, a sound echoed from the direction of the cabin.
—Thump! Thump! Thump!
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the source of the noise.
In that moment, the silver-bladed Namcheon Iron Sword burst through the cabin wall and revealed itself.
‘!!!’
As the Namcheon Iron Sword appeared, it circled around me twice before slowly being drawn into my hand. Everyone on the deck stood frozen, unable to even close their mouths at the sight.