Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Forging Trust with the Beggars' Sect
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Please, have some."
"Ah, yes. Then I'll gratefully enjoy it."
The guest hall, the first building just inside the mountain gate.
Normally, a Second-Generation Disciple who would hold the position of hall leader here should have come out to greet the guest.
"Our sect's elders are currently at a critical juncture of enlightenment. Thus, as the unworthy Eldest Third-Generation Disciple, I have stepped forward. I humbly ask that you not take any discomfort or misunderstanding from this."
"A critical juncture of enlightenment...?"
Huigae reached for his teacup but paused, asking with a puzzled expression.
From that alone, Gwang-il could swiftly infer several key points.
'This Division Leader has a tighter lip than I expected.'
First, the fact that Old An-gae had kept silent even to headquarters about the Founding Patriarch's insights and how they had spread throughout Point Cang.
This was likely a decision made to hide his own incompetence, which would inevitably come up in the reporting process.
Second.
'This guy still harbors more doubt about me than trust...'
His old friend before him was still half-believing, half-doubting the level of skill he possessed.
Even after witnessing the fall of Dokgo-gae, it was such an outlandish event that he reacted this way.
The information he'd heard about Gwang-il in the meantime probably wasn't much different.
Of course, most so-called intelligence was filled with lies, exaggerations, and nonsense—that was just how the world worked.
It was only natural for Huigae, who had to process the flood of information pouring in daily from across the land, to be skeptical.
Even setting aside the matter of wiping out the Beast Palace infiltrators posing as proxies, the story of a mere twenty-something youth single-handedly capturing the Venom Dragon Captain wouldn't have been all that credible.
'Good thing I didn't mention the Shadow Commander.'
If Old An-gae had learned that the unidentified corpse with the burst skull was the Shadow Commander, that news would eventually spread across the world through the Beggars' Sect.
In any case, the bottom line was that Huigae currently had almost no information on him or Point Cang...
'Building trust with this guy and quickly pulling him to our side will benefit us all in the end.'
Not just him and Point Cang, but his old friend and the Beggars' Sect as well.
This judgment came from his intimate knowledge of his old friend.
People's temperaments changed with age, but in his previous life, this one man had maintained a steadfast, almost stubborn consistency for decades.
Even while Gwang-il grew deeply disillusioned with the orthodox sects and defected to the unorthodox, leading all the way to the Great War between Righteousness and Evil.
So, if asked to name the top five most trustworthy people in the world at that time—excluding Point Cang's own members—this old friend was the only one who could make the list.
What was there left to hesitate over?
Setting aside the dreamlike tale of regression to the past, there was no reason whatsoever not to honestly share everything that had happened in this life so far.
'With your personality, you'll surely try to repay more than the trust I give you.'
Gwang-il swallowed the smile threatening to creep onto his lips.
With a calm demeanor, he recited the answers rising in his mind without holding anything back.
"By a stroke of heavenly fortune, I was able to take hold of the arrangements left by our Founding Patriarch."
"?!"
"Thanks to that, this unworthy body of mine shattered the wall of the Transcendent Realm in one leap, and I was able to convey our sect's true essence and the Patriarch's legacy to the elders."
"Th-that...!"
He had certainly heard the news that Point Cang's Third-Generation Disciple, Gwang-il, had single-handedly subdued the Sichuan Tang Clan's Venom Dragon Captain.
It was just a few months ago that he'd read that absurd report and immediately dismissed it from his mind.
He'd assumed it was some stunt by one of Point Cang's higher-ups who hated fuss, trying to drag the fading name of Point Cang back into the spotlight!
"Then it really was you, young hero, who alone took down the Venom Dragon Captain and the nine poison experts of the Venom Dragon Squad...?"
"Luck was on my side, and it just happened that way. However, it seems the full report didn't make it through?"
At Gwang-il's probing question, Huigae belatedly composed his expression and tried to act nonchalant.
"I did receive the report. But it was so hard to believe... Ah! Don't misunderstand. I have no intention of downplaying young hero Gwang-il's martial prowess."
'Of course.'
Gwang-il just smiled faintly and sipped his tea without a word, his leisurely silence finally snapping Huigae back to his sharp wits.
'Hasn't this guy already triumphed alone against Elder Dokgo-gae of our sect? After that, it'd be ridiculous to be surprised he subdued the Venom Dragon Captain.'
No matter that both the Transcendent Realm and Supreme Poison Realm were considered on the same level.
There were clear gaps even within them.
Even accounting for poison's tricky nature, if the Venom Dragon Captain faced off against Dokgo-gae, it was obvious Dokgo-gae would win within three hundred exchanges.
Thus, for Gwang-il—who had bested a Beggars' Sect elder like that—to bring down the Venom Dragon Captain was entirely natural.
'Ha! How is any of this even possible? How can someone his age possess such monstrous skill...!'
Even if he'd acquired the Founding Patriarch's arrangements.
Wasn't this growth rate just too outrageous?
Who was Dokgo-gae?
A stubborn old monster infamous across the land for his mule-headed temper.
He'd meddled and stirred up trouble in sects everywhere without ever suffering a real setback—an indomitable master.
Among the Beggars' Sect's many Transcendent Realm experts, he was one of the top handful.
That's why he could rampage freely, heedless of great sects or noble clans.
But today, that man had finally fallen.
To Point Cang's young Third-Generation Disciple, who hadn't even lived a third of his age.
"Haaa!"
Visions of this not being just Dokgo-gae's personal disgrace but a humiliation that would spread to the entire Beggars' Sect made a deep sigh escape him involuntarily.
And as if reading that sentiment effortlessly, Gwang-il began casually laying a debt of gratitude on his old friend with a calm tone.
"The Beggars' Sect has its face to save, so let's both pretend today's events never happened."
"?!"
"Heh. No need to look so shocked. I'm not keen on drawing unnecessary attention over this either."
"Y-you'd really do that for us?"
"With the Sect Leader temporarily away and granting me full authority, this is as good as a promise made in Point Cang's name."
Gwang-il drained the last of his tea in one gulp.
His lips curled into a long smile.
"I believe that's a sufficient answer."
"Of course! Gwang-il, young hero! I will never forget this grace!"
At this miraculous outcome he'd never dreamed of, Huigae felt like prostrating himself in thanks.
The immediate problem was the sect's reputation hitting rock bottom if word got out, but if news spread that Dokgo-gae was bedridden, vengeful foes from across the land would come calling—not just a few.
Those who'd ground their teeth waiting for him to weaken would rush in recklessly to settle old scores.
With every justification on their side, the sect couldn't just tell Dokgo-gae to handle it alone as before.
Otherwise, he'd end up torn to shreds, not even leaving a full corpse.
But now, receiving such generosity in this situation...
'Word of toppling Elder Dokgo-gae would bring him instant fame across the land, yet he shows such detachment and considers our sect's position...!'
Huigae couldn't help but take a liking to this Point Cang disciple named Gwang-il, whom he'd just met today.
Not only had he beaten the hell out of Dokgo-gae—who'd been a thorn in his side, constantly upsetting him and his master the Branch Leader—but he'd also agreed to bury the aftermath, preserving the sect's honor and sparing the messy cleanup.
Moreover, agreeing to let this slide also meant overlooking the chaos Dokgo-gae had wrought at Point Cang's mountain gate.
Considering his firm promise in Point Cang's name, Huigae felt like jumping up and dancing right then.
Of course.
'Naive fool. No need to be so thrilled.'
For Gwang-il, who was pretending magnanimity to eventually leash not just the proxy branch but the entire Beggars' Sect, it was all inwardly amusing.
Thus, without delay, he began taking careful first steps toward that plan.
"Of course, when explaining to the Sect Leader and elders later, we'll need at least the bare minimum to make it look good."
"Ah!"
"This is separate from quietly overlooking things for the Beggars' Sect's sake. Point Cang suffered an unexpected calamity too, so we should receive some token of goodwill, don't you think? Huigae?"
"Y-yes, of course! You must!"
"I see this as an essential step for smooth relations between our sects going forward."
"Naturally! Our sect isn't so shameless—put your mind at ease, young hero Gwang-il!"
Point Cang and Yun Province had already endured successive calamities: the Sichuan Tang Clan, then the Beast Palace, and another Tang Clan raid.
On top of that, the infamous Dokgo-gae from the Beggars' Sect had suddenly piled on.
Point Cang's position was one where they could rightfully rage to the heavens and demand his head without anyone batting an eye.
'If Point Cang's experts finish training and come down to see the devastation at the mountain gate...'
How heartbreaking that would be.
In the end, there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world.
Ridiculously, the Beggars' Sect's minor branch leader—the one who lived off begging—learned this timeless truth once more.
"Whatever Point Cang desires from our sect, I'll make it happen somehow. After receiving such grace, how could I just walk away empty-handed?"
'Oh? Could I be any more grateful!'
Gwang-il had been inwardly pondering how to manipulate his quick-witted old friend.
But at this self-dug grave of words from his friend, he couldn't help letting out a chuckle.
'Even you, sly as a thousand-year-old serpent, had such innocently enthusiastic days.'
Well, since he'd volunteered of his own accord.
"Truly gracious words. We'll discuss the promise you've made properly after the Sect Leader emerges from seclusion."
'With this, I've secured half of the intelligence network.'
The remaining half, the Shadow Gate, he'd reclaim with his own hands.
To do that, he'd need to train relentlessly and recover even higher levels of martial arts.
Of course, that wasn't the top priority right now.
For the moment...
"If you have time, Huigae, I'd like to have a more candid talk...?"
"Haha! What a coincidence? I feel the same, young hero Gwang-il. After dealing with puffed-up fools lately, meeting someone as outstanding as you naturally stirs the heart."
First came rebuilding the solid foundation of friendship with his old comrade.
Drawing on past memories, Gwang-il swiftly won Huigae's favor, stringing together tales sure to delight him.
"From now on, this jade face will always be by your side, Gwang-il! No matter when, where, or what you're doing!"
In just half a shichen, Gwang-il had magnificently restored the bond from his previous life with his friend.