Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: The Lost Gourd
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A small village in Goxian.
Before the tranquil village, through which a stream flowed, stood a mountain called Won-un-san.
And a small legend was passed down about Seon-hwa Peak, near the summit of Won-un-san.
It was said that So Chan, the old vagrant who founded the Beggars' Sect, had attained enlightenment there and ascended to immortality.
As if to prove the legend, a house-sized rock shaped like a human stood near the cliffs of Seon-hwa Peak.
It was said to be his Original Form (Won-sin), which the old vagrant had left behind before becoming an immortal. Thus, people called the rock Won-sin Rock.
*Whoosh.*
Fierce winds sometimes swept across Seon-hwa Peak, but Won-sin Rock stood its ground, unmoving.
*Thump, thump.*
At that moment, dozens of martial artists were trekking up the steep path to Seon-hwa Peak.
They were all dressed in worn-out clothes, with short clubs tied to their waists.
And with eyes blazing, they scanned their surroundings as if searching for something.
Walking at a slow pace, they finally reached Seon-hwa Peak and came to a halt.
“Is it hopeless?”
The man at the head of the dozens of martial artists gazed at the distant sky with a weary face.
He was Mu-hong, the leader of the Yeong-hwa-dang, the Beggars' Sect's secret intelligence organization under the direct command of Geol-wang.
“We’ve scoured the entirety of Won-un-san for a fortnight, yet we haven’t found the Nok-ho-ro…”
The Nok-ho-ro.
It was the sacred artifact of So Chan, the Old Vagrant, founder of the Beggars' Sect.
The Beggars' Sect had originally taken the Nok-ho-ro as its sacred artifact, but in later generations, they lost it and adopted the Dog-Beating Staff instead.
“Hmph.”
Mu-hong shook his head, his gaze lowered.
He had received Geol-wang’s command and had been wandering the martial world for a long time, searching for the whereabouts of the Nok-ho-ro.
If he could find it, Geol-wang would be able to obtain the position of Sect Leader that he so desperately craved.
His obsession was frighteningly deep, and he refused to give up. At last, he had obtained information that the Nok-ho-ro was hidden on Won-un-san.
And so, he had his trusted subordinate, Mu-hong, search every inch of the mountain, but a fortnight had passed with no success.
“Leader. Just as divine swords are gifts from the heavens, isn't it said that sacred artifacts are as well?”
Jeong-gak, the vice leader of the Yeong-hwa-dae, forced a smile and comforted him.
“Haven’t you been searching for the Nok-ho-ro with all your heart for a long time? The heavens must know of your devotion and will soon grant you an answer.”
“I truly wish that were the case.”
Mu-hong offered a dry smile.
“It must be, so that the Grand Elder can become the Sect Leader who will guide our sect.”
Like Geol-wang, Gu Hong-cheong, he was dissatisfied with the Beggars' Sect's adherence to moderation.
And he had long served Gu Hong-cheong with loyalty, a man who pursued strength and sought to reform the sect.
However, justification was crucial to obtaining the position of Sect Leader.
For Geol-wang, a Grand Elder nearly a hundred years old, to become Sect Leader again, the Nok-ho-ro was an absolute necessity.
Another fortnight passed.
But they couldn't find so much as a pebble resembling the Nok-ho-ro, let alone the artifact itself.
At this point, Mu-hong and the members of the Yeong-hwa-dae were in a state of despair.
“It can’t be helped.”
Mu-hong, licking his parched lips, crouched down with his head bowed.
Devising a plan is up to man, but its success is determined by Heaven.
In the end, their failure to find the Nok-ho-ro meant that Geol-wang’s plan to become Sect Leader had come to nothing.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
Mu-hong rose to his feet and said in an exhausted voice.
“Let’s head back…”
He trailed off, his eyes suddenly widening.
In the distance, atop Seon-hwa Peak, the shadows of two people had appeared, and they were touching Won-sin Rock.
Focusing his inner energy into his eyes, he saw a tall man in blue robes and a young man dressed entirely in black.
With serious expressions, the two men fumbled with the rock, even tapping it with their hands.
‘Who are they?’
Won-sin Rock was a relic steeped in the legend of the Beggars' Sect founder, the Old Vagrant.
It would be one thing if they hadn't seen it.
But to be touching and tapping a rock passed down through the legends of the Beggars' Sect, right in front of the sect's masters?
“They must be tourists who heard the legends of our sect.”
Mu-hong frowned and spoke to Jeong-gak.
“Send the men to inform them. That it is a relic of our sect and not to be touched carelessly.”
“Understood.”
Jeong-gak nodded and was about to turn when,
“Th-that…”
The members gaped, pointing their fingers at Won-sin Rock.
Watching them, Mu-hong and Jeong-gak sensed something was wrong and turned their heads. And like their men, their jaws dropped.
As the young man in black nodded, the man in blue robes pulled a single, gleaming silver steel wire from his pocket.
And in a single motion, he sliced the rock in two.
*Crack!*
As the sharp steel wire cut through Won-sin Rock like tofu, there was a sound like a gourd cracking.
*Ruuuumble!*
With a tremor that shook the heavens, the massive rock was instantly split in two.
*Whoosh.*
As the dust scattering in all directions was washed away by the wind, the two halves of Won-sin Rock tumbled down the cliff.
*Craaash!*
With a deafening roar, Won-sin Rock was shattered to pieces, and for a while, Won-un-san trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
“Th-that…”
Mu-hong’s mouth opened and closed.
No matter how much it was just a tale passed down through folklore, how could they just destroy a relic bearing the traces of the Beggars' Sect founder?
But then, something astonishing happened.
Where Won-sin Rock had stood, a small, jade-colored gourd was now gleaming.
“Could it be…”
The Nok-ho-ro.
The Nok-ho-ro, the sacred artifact of the Beggars' Sect, had been embedded beneath the massive rock where So Chan was said to have sat.
“The Nok-ho-ro! It’s the Nok-ho-ro!”
Overjoyed, Mu-hong raced up Seon-hwa Peak.
The members exchanged glances before they, too, began to run after him.
“So it was stuck in a place like this after all.”
In the meantime, the man in blue robes casually picked up the gourd and tied it to his waist.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The young man in black nodded, and just as they were about to turn together,
“W-wait!”
Mu-hong, who had hastily climbed Seon-hwa Peak, shouted.
“Hand it over!”
He pointed at the gourd in the young man's hand and cried out urgently.
“That belongs to us.”
“…”
The man in blue and the young man in black narrowed their eyes and looked at him.
Feeling their sharp gazes, Mu-hong snapped to his senses and waved his hands.
“N-no… We are definitely not thieves!”
He said as much, but after wandering Won-un-san for a fortnight, their beards had grown thick and shaggy.
Furthermore, due to their training in external martial arts, they were powerfully built, looking more like mountain bandits than beggars.
“If you’re not thieves, does that mean you’re robbers?”
The man in blue snickered, and Mu-hong replied with a solemn expression.
“I am Mu-hong, leader of the Beggars' Sect's Yeong-hwa-dang.”
“Yeong-hwa-dang?”
The man in blue shook his head with a suspicious look.
“I’ve never heard of such a place in the Beggars' Sect.”
“Of course not. Our organization is an intelligence unit under the Grand Elder…”
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Mu-hong waved his hands.
“In any case, I am definitely a member of the Beggars' Sect. And that gourd…”
At that, the young man in black holding the Nok-ho-ro nodded.
“I know. That this is the sacred artifact of the Beggars' Sect.”
“You do? Haha, what a relief.”
Mu-hong let out a sigh of relief and smiled broadly, extending his hand.
“Then please, hand it over.”
“Don’t worry. We will be sure to deliver this Nok-ho-ro to the Beggars' Sect.”
“I told you. I am the leader of a division in the Beggars' Sect.”
“We will deliver it directly to the Beggars' Sect ourselves.”
“What do you mean…”
As Mu-hong stammered, the man in blue straightened his lips into a line and adopted a solemn expression.
“Go in peace. I promise this gourd will be delivered to the Beggars' Sect.”
Then he turned his head and spoke to the young man in black.
“Let’s go, Heuk-pyo.”
The man in blue was Hyeok So-jin, and the man in black was Heuk-pyo.
The two had come to Won-un-san under Bu Eun-seol’s orders to find the Nok-ho-ro.
Since they were not originally members of the Beggars' Sect, they held no reverence for Won-sin Rock.
Thus, they had destroyed it without any hesitation to find the Nok-ho-ro.
“Wait!”
As Hyeok So-jin started to turn away, Mu-hong spoke with a grim expression.
“Didn’t I say that is our sect’s sacred artifact?”
“And didn’t I say I know that?”
Hyeok So-jin said confidently.
“I know it’s the Beggars' Sect’s sacred artifact, and I’ve sworn to deliver it to the Beggars' Sect, so why do you keep stopping me?”
“No, I mean…”
Mu-hong faltered.
While they were indeed members of the Beggars' Sect, they were at odds with the majority faction led by Vice Sect Leader Hae Pung.
If these two delivered it to the Beggars' Sect?
The Nok-ho-ro would naturally be handed over to Hae Pung, and Gu Hong-cheong’s chances of becoming Sect Leader would vanish.
“It can’t be helped.”
Realizing he could not persuade them, Mu-hong began to circulate his internal energy.
“I’ll have to take it by force.”
Hyeok So-jin, who had been watching Mu-hong’s attitude, let out a smirk.
“So you are robbers after all.”
He then handed the Nok-ho-ro he had tied to his waist to Heuk-pyo.
“Heuk-pyo. You take this to Brother Bu… no, to the Squad Leader.”
“But Vice Squad Leader…”
“These guys will come at us with everything they’ve got to seize the Nok-ho-ro and make Geol-wang the Sect Leader. I’ll handle them, so you go on ahead.”
Only then did Mu-hong understand the whole situation, and his eyes flashed.
He now saw that the two men not only knew their identities but had also deliberately provoked them.
“Who are you!”
At Mu-hong’s cry, Hyeok So-jin replied nonchalantly.
“You don’t need to know. You just need to get thoroughly beaten and then deliver this message to that old man, word for word.”
“What? What?”
“Fifteen days from now, at the Hour of the Horse, U-hwa-dae.”
*Ziiiip.*
He pulled on the Gang-sak-hyeol-sa wrapped around his left wrist, grinned, and said,
“Tell him to come there if he wants to find the Nok-ho-ro. And that a Sip-ma-jeon-in of Nang-ya-gak will be waiting.”
The teeth Hyeok So-jin bared glinted even more brightly than the Gang-sak-hyeol-sa reflecting the sunlight.
***
The forest, after the rain had stopped, was filled with silence.
In the mountains a short distance from the village, an old mountain temple was nestled on a gently sloping hillside.
Perhaps because it had been abandoned for a long time, moonlight shone down through the broken roof, and a soft breeze drifted out.
Most of the furnishings inside were broken, and cobwebs were spun all around them.
*Crackle, crackle.*
Inside the temple, a bonfire was lit with a crackling sound. In front of it sat an elderly man with a robust build.
His eyes glinted in the darkness, and his frosted hair seemed as if crafted from spun silver.
It was none other than Gu Hong-cheong, known as Geol-wang, one of the Seven Kings of the Four Perils.
“Say that again.”
In front of Gu Hong-cheong was a man prostrated on the floor. It was the Yeong-hwa-dang leader, Mu-hong.
“You let them take the Nok-ho-ro?”
“I have committed a crime worthy of death, Grand Elder.”
Mu-hong buried his face in the floor, his head bowed low.
He and the disciples of the Yeong-hwa-dang had attacked Hyeok So-jin, but in the end, they had been soundly beaten and forced to flee.
And just as Hyeok So-jin had instructed, he had reported the entire situation to Gu Hong-cheong in detail.
“A Sip-ma-jeon-in of Nang-ya-gak.”
Gu Hong-cheong let out a deep sigh and gazed at the distant sky.
“That mistake back then has finally come back to haunt me.”
At that time, he had slain the eight members of the Pung-un-dae who stood in his way, but he had failed to capture the Sip-ma-jeon-in of Nang-ya-gak who had killed Seong-ryun and fled.
If only he had pursued that man to the very end… this would never have happened.
“Even if I had to go to the ends of the earth, I should have found that bastard and killed him.”
Gu Hong-cheong’s voice was laced with thick fury.
The Sip-ma-jeon-in who killed Seong-ryun was said to have become a candidate for the successor of the Demonic Hall.
And now, he had become a Squad Leader and was ruining his lifelong ambition?
From his perspective, it was a regret that could only be lamented.
“So. What is he demanding.”
“That is…”
Mu-hong bowed his head and said.
“He said that if the Grand Elder wishes to retrieve the Nok-ho-ro, you are to come alone to U-hwa-dae in fifteen days.”
“Hahahaha.”
Gu Hong-cheong burst into incredulous laughter.
“He must be serious.”
He finally realized now that Bu Eun-seol genuinely wanted a one-on-one duel with him.
“Sometimes, among the young, there are those who overestimate their own abilities and talents.”
He scoffed, the corners of his mouth lifting.
“Such fools never realize. That there are those who have already passed the path they climbed so quickly… and that the gap of years cannot be closed in an instant.”
“Grand Elder.”
“And he’s more foolish than I thought. If you hold the cards your enemy desires, you shouldn’t leave any room for negotiation.”
With a low chuckle, he took out a small brass begging bowl from his robes.
“Take this secretly to Elder Jin.”
As Mu-hong received the bowl, his expression changed drastically.
It was the Geol-wang-ryeong, the King of Beggars' Order, which symbolized the Grand Elder Gu Hong-cheong.
“And in fifteen days…”
Gu Hong-cheong’s eyes narrowed to pinpricks as he whispered lowly.
***
U-hwa-dae.
It was a wide, flat peak on Hwae-dang Mountain in Gwi-deok Prefecture, a place from which one could leisurely enjoy the surrounding scenery.
In the past, its beautiful landscape had made it a famous spot frequented by poets, scholars, and tourists, but it had now become a desolate and dreary place.
Bu Eun-seol stood alone atop the wide-open U-hwa-dae.
Standing perfectly still with his eyes closed, he seemed to have naturally blended into the scenery of the peak.
*Thump, thump.*
Just then, with the sound of slow footsteps, an old man with silver hair tied up climbed onto U-hwa-dae.
His face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes were clear and sharp, and his palms were as large and thick as pot lids.
It was Geol-wang, Gu Hong-cheong.