Chapter 368
Chapter 368
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 368
Chapter Title: Setting the Stage
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Ten days had passed since they started searching the Beggars’ Union headquarters.
Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un, playing the part of beggars, had gathered a great deal of information.
Head Elder No Bong, who was supposedly ill, was not at the headquarters but was secretly staying somewhere in Kaifeng, still commanding the Union.
And that besides No Bong, only Hae Pung knew about the artificial inner cores.
“There seems to be only one reason why the ones who recovered the inner cores came to Kaifeng.”
Namgung Un said with a confident expression, having completed his investigation.
“It’s because Head Elder No Bong, who has set up a nest near the headquarters, is the one in charge of the inner cores.”
As if all his hard work was finally paying off, Namgung Un had carefully observed various things and drawn the right conclusions.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Bu Eun-seol said to Namgung Un with a smile.
“Looks like we can finally quit being beggars.”
Leaving the Beggars’ Union was surprisingly simple, yet difficult.
You simply had to tell the master who taught you, then untie and return your knot. That was it.
The difficult part, however, was the severance process.
There was an ironclad rule: to leave the Union, you had to leave behind everything you had gained from it.
The Beggars’ Union was considered part of the Orthodox Faction, but at its core, it was an organization of beggars. Its rules were simple and crude, often following the principle of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Therefore, the principle was that you had to leave behind not only the knot you received but also any martial arts you were taught.
If you learned hand techniques, they would cripple your hands. If you learned footwork, they would make you lame.
If you learned an internal energy cultivation method, you were supposed to have your internal energy destroyed.
But when Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un, who had just become Two-Knot Disciples, announced their departure, In-guk readily agreed.
“You two can just go.”
These were the guys who couldn't even master a simple footwork technique—one a child could learn in a day—after four days.
Hae Pung had arbitrarily promoted them to Two-Knot Disciples, thinking they might be useful, but that had turned out to be completely wrong.
“Are you going back to Fujian?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright, I understand.”
In-guk said with a solemn expression.
“However, once you leave this Union, you must never speak its name. You must also forget everything you saw and heard here.”
He continued in a low voice.
“Our Union’s disciples are scattered all over the Central Plains, and they can watch your words and actions as if reading the lines on your palm. If you utter even the slightest nonsense, you will lose your lives immediately. Do you understand?”
At In-guk’s grave words, Bu Eun-seol bowed his head once more. Namgung Un just laughed.
“Go. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Hehe.”
As the two turned and left, In-guk showed a slightly regretful expression.
It was rare to see true beggars like them in the Union anymore. And he had grown a little fond of them while teaching them martial arts.
“It seems they haven’t forgotten their duty as part of the Orthodox Faction after all.”
Namgung Un muttered in a low voice as they walked along a mountain path after leaving the Beggars’ Union headquarters.
“Leaving a sect is no easy feat, yet they let us go so willingly.”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“If they had upheld their duties as beggars, they wouldn't have dabbled in something like artificial inner cores.”
“What?”
“Two beggars of unknown origin became Two-Knot Disciples of the main headquarters.”
Bu Eun-seol said firmly.
“That man In-guk might have wanted to let us go, but Hae Pung would never let us leave peacefully if he heard the news.”
“Surely not.”
Namgung Un shook his head.
He thought that no matter how corrupt the Beggars’ Union had become, they wouldn't go so far as to harm their own former disciples.
“Then why did we bother to officially announce our departure? They wouldn't have noticed if we just left.”
“I told you. The Beggars’ Union may seem lax, but it's a meticulous intelligence organization.”
Bu Eun-seol said, gazing at the distant sky.
“If we had disappeared quietly, the Union would have sensed something was wrong and investigated our every move. If they then discovered that one of us is the rightful heir of the Namgung family… things would get complicated.”
Only then did Namgung Un realize something.
If Bu Eun-seol had infiltrated the headquarters alone, he could have vanished without a trace, and the Union would never have been able to track him.
Bu Eun-seol had taken the risk and gone through the formal departure process solely for his sake.
*Sniffle.*
Namgung Un wiped his nose.
There was no need to thank Bu Eun-seol for every little thing. He was his sworn brother, and Namgung Un would follow him for the rest of his life.
*Trudge, trudge.*
Before long, Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un had left the village and were walking on the mountain pass that led to the next.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of gold.
Just as the two crossed the pass and were walking down a deep, wooded path,
*Fwing.*
A sharp sound cut through the air, and Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un collapsed.
Long needles were stuck in the necks of the fallen pair.
*Rustle.*
At that moment, a middle-aged beggar in ragged clothes emerged from the bushes.
It was In-guk.
*Step, step.*
He placed a hand on the necks of the fallen Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un.
Their pulses were gone; they were already dead.
*Pluck.*
As he pulled out the long needles, black fluid oozed out.
The poison on the needles was from the Seven-Step Heartbreak Serpent, said to kill a person before they could take seven steps.
“Did it really have to come to this?”
In-guk muttered with a pained expression as he looked down at the two bodies.
They were simple and innocent disciples, even if not very bright.
They had only just begun learning martial arts, so he had thought letting them go quietly would surely be permitted.
But when Vice-Head Elder Hae Pung heard the report of their departure, he had given an unexpected order.
—Have some disciples dispose of them quietly.
In-guk had pleaded with his hands clasped together.
He argued that they were just ordinary beggars, simple and naive, who would never cause any harm.
But Hae Pung was adamant.
—This Union is in the midst of achieving a great cause. There can be no setbacks or cracks in our plan.
Faced with Hae Pung’s firm command, In-guk decided to handle it himself.
Rather than let them die painfully at the hands of other disciples, he would dispose of them cleanly and bury them quietly.
“You poor souls.”
In-guk’s eyes welled with tears.
Teaching them martial arts had been frustrating and a headache, but their utterly desireless and simple-minded attitude had, for a time, cleansed his heart.
“What sin did you commit? It was my fault for bringing you beggars into this filthy and harsh martial world.”
Muttering with a pained expression, In-guk took out his short staff and began to dig a pit.
After digging two deep pits, he carefully buried the breathless Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un.
“In your next lives, be born as sons of a good family, not as beggars.”
Night had fallen, and moonlight streamed down from the sky.
After a deep sigh, In-guk turned to leave.
And after a quarter of an hour,
*Boom!*
Dirt and sand erupted into the sky, and two figures emerged in the moonlight.
It was Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un, their disguises removed.
“So there are good people in the Beggars’ Union, after all.”
Namgung Un said with a lonely expression, looking at the spot where In-guk had departed.
The two had known In-guk was secretly following them but had walked on calmly.
When he fired the poison needles, they had immediately blocked their acupuncture points to stop the poison's circulation and used the Tortoise Breath Technique to feign death.
“You’d have to say he’s separate from the Union’s actions.”
Bu Eun-seol’s gaze was also subdued.
In truth, few of the disciples they had seen at the headquarters were truly tainted by evil.
It was just that their leaders were corrupt and in conflict, so they too were becoming corrupt and taking sides.
“Now, we just need to find No Bong, who’s hiding in Kaifeng.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s words, Namgung Un spoke cautiously.
“Just the two of us? Wouldn’t it be better to call for the intelligence agents from my family?”
“This is the Beggars’ Union’s territory. If we call intelligence agents into Kaifeng, they’ll notice immediately.”
“But if it’s just the two of us searching…”
“Don’t worry. We should be able to find him easily.”
“How?”
Bu Eun-seol asked, gazing at the distant sky.
“What did the members at the headquarters think of their current Head Elder, No Bong?”
“Well, they wanted to know if he had recovered and how he was doing.”
“And yet, the Union’s disciples can’t find No Bong, who is staying in Kaifeng. What does that mean?”
“Well…”
Only then did Namgung Un nod, as if he had realized something.
“He must be in a place where beggars would never go.”
“Exactly.”
Bu Eun-seol said in a low, somber voice.
“Despite so many beggars roaming Kaifeng, they can’t find a trace of No Bong. That means he must be staying in a place inaccessible to them.”
The next day.
Namgung Un emerged from the inn, once again transformed into the handsome young master of a noble family.
He had scrubbed off the grime that had caked his body overnight and removed the yellow dye and residue from between his teeth.
After changing into clean, fragrant blue robes, he felt like a celestial being soaring through the heavens.
“Ahhh.”
Namgung Un looked up at the bright sunlight and spread his arms wide.
Wearing clean clothes, eating refined food, and lying down in a bed free of filth.
He had once taken these things for granted, but now he realized how much happiness they brought him.
“I never knew it would feel this good.”
Namgung Un said, taking a deep breath.
“I think I was living a life of overwhelming happiness.”
Bu Eun-seol offered a faint smile.
“It’s good to be satisfied with your life, but don’t seek happiness through comparison. Doing so will only make your heart more desolate.”
At those words, Namgung Un stared blankly for a moment.
Though the words were few, they held a deep meaning, like the insight of an old man facing his twilight years.
“I see. I shouldn’t seek happiness through comparison.”
If you look up, you feel endlessly small.
And if you look down, you feel endlessly superior.
That was human perspective, and the nature of satisfaction.
“Brother Bu, are you satisfied with your current life?”
Namgung Un's question seemed to carry the assumption that of course he was.
But Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“Not at all.”
The meaning of happiness was perfectly clear to Bu Eun-seol.
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, who had given him a name, teachings, and boundless, warm love.
The days spent living peacefully with him were the only happiness Bu Eun-seol could speak of in his life.
“Brother Bu.”
Namgung Un repeated with a lonely expression.
Upon hearing the word 'happiness', Bu Eun-seol's eyes turned as white as burnt-out ashes.
It was like the agony of a wretched person yearning for something they could never obtain, no matter how hard they tried.
“In this world… there must be many things that can make you happy, Brother Bu.”
Namgung Un said forcefully.
“Perhaps the time is not yet right, so they may seem invisible or impossible to find.”
Then he showed a smile brighter than the morning sun.
“So, you will definitely find them.”
Bu Eun-seol had a tendency to create an endlessly lonely and desolate atmosphere around him.
But Namgung Un remained untainted by it, still holding a bright light within him. And he shared that light with everyone around.
It was something Bu Eun-seol could never dare to do.
Bu Eun-seol could accomplish or handle many things that were near impossible.
But sharing such warmth and hope was something he could never do.
Bu Eun-seol muttered very quietly, in his heart.
‘May only a bright light remain in his future.’
But how could he have known?
That Namgung Un was also earnestly praying in his heart.
‘Gods of heaven and earth, please, I beg you to let Brother Bu live a happy life.’
Everyone possesses different things.
If you cannot accept that, you will grow jealous of what others have, and you yourself will fall into unhappiness.
These two, without a care for what they themselves possessed, were simply praying for the other's happiness.
Because they possessed such hearts… in the future, one would stand tall as a swordsman who reached the pinnacle of the Orthodox Faction.
And the other would become a great master who transcended both orthodoxy and heresy.
* * *
Where are the places beggars don’t go to beg?
The manors of empresses, generals, or high-ranking officials? Or the gambling dens and brothels where underworld forces gather?
Perhaps the security escort agencies filled with guards? Or the money houses where currency is exchanged?
Or martial arts schools that never open their doors to outsiders for fear of their techniques being leaked?
The answer is places with fierce guards or gatekeepers.
Besides, if they loitered around and got into a fight? They could end up crippled from a bad beating just for trying to beg for a few coins.
But there was a place they avoided even more.
Manors or villas that were geographically too far from the city.
If they went to such a place to beg for food or a coin and came back empty-handed? They could literally starve to death on the way back.
Beggars had to wander hundreds of times just to get a single spoonful of rice.
Therefore, they absolutely avoided places like manors in remote locations.
Heavenly Flower Villa.
This was a villa nestled deep in Mount Heavenly Flower, a good distance from the city.
The respectable villa, situated by a lake, gave off an eerie atmosphere.
The master of this villa was Gwan Bi, the Kaifeng Fist, who had once gained fame with his self-created Empty Cloud Fist.
However, he had retired long ago and was said to live in this villa, raising only disciples to inherit the Empty Cloud Fist.
Under a brightly moonlit night,
two figures looked down upon Heavenly Flower Villa. It was Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un.
“I never would have guessed the Head Elder of the Beggars’ Union would be holed up there.”
The two stood tall on a mountaintop overlooking Heavenly Flower Villa, talking.
“This shadowy force really has a wide reach. To set up a hideout in Heavenly Flower Villa, which has no apparent connection to them.”
Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un had thoroughly searched for a remote manor near Kaifeng that beggars would never visit.
And they had soon deduced that Heavenly Flower Villa was the hideout where No Bong was staying.
“It’s not that they have a wide reach. The master of Heavenly Flower Villa, Gwan Bi, was likely a pawn of that force from the beginning.”
Bu Eun-seol said in a low voice.
“Otherwise, there’s no reason he would willingly offer up a hideout.”
Even with the power of the Beggars’ Union, it would be impossible to use the unconnected Heavenly Flower Villa as a hideout.
That meant Gwan Bi was also in the same boat as No Bong, part of the same shadowy group that created the artificial inner cores.
“That could be it.”
As Namgung Un scratched his head, Bu Eun-seol spoke.
“Forces who have consumed the artificial inner cores are gathered there, so you can’t call it a simple hideout.”
Their thorough investigation revealed that warriors who had consumed the artificial inner cores were gathered within Heavenly Flower Villa, and the seeds called ‘Matae’ also originated from here.
In other words, No Bong had used his illness as an excuse to set up a base here and manage the artificial inner cores from the start.
“No wonder the Beggars’ Union is divided. The Head Elder is neglecting his duties to the Union and colluding with another force.”
No Bong had long neglected his duties, using his illness as an excuse.
Furthermore, Hae Pung had discovered that No Bong was colluding with an outside force to create the inner cores.
And he, in turn, was secretly recovering the artificial inner cores created by No Bong to build his own power base.
But since most of the Union’s disciples were unaware of this… it appeared as if both No Bong and Hae Pung were neglecting their duties.
“But I just don’t understand.”
Namgung Un shook his head.
“No Bong doesn’t seem to want a stronger Beggars’ Union, nor does he seem to desire wealth or pleasure. Why would he do something like this?”
The position of Head Elder of the Beggars’ Union could bring power and luxury that even an emperor would envy, depending on how one chose to wield it.
And No Bong was a man who seemed to have no particular attachment to the Union. Why would he reach the highest position only to plot such a thing?
“Perhaps he was able to become the Head Elder of the Beggars’ Union precisely for this purpose.”
Understanding the meaning behind Bu Eun-seol's words, Namgung Un’s mouth fell open.
“You mean Head Elder No was a spy from the very beginning?”
“It’s just a possibility. They say spies are planted all over the martial world.”
“Hmm.”
Namgung Un crossed his arms and said.
“We’ll have to spill a lot of blood to take care of them.”
Heavenly Flower Villa must be garrisoned by warriors who have consumed either artificial inner cores or Matae.
And since Matae grants tremendous internal energy from the moment of consumption, their martial strength would be beyond what ordinary warriors could handle.
“I’ll request reinforcements from my family. Ah, no.”
Namgung Un scratched his head and said.
“Since you’ve uncovered all this, Brother Bu, it’s only natural that the Demonic War Hall should handle it.”
If Bu Eun-seol pulled off something like this again, his fame would echo across the four seas and eight directions.
But Bu Eun-seol calmly shook his head.
“I don’t need any credit. If I had wanted that in the first place, I wouldn't have bothered joining the Beggars’ Union.”
“Huh?”
“First, let’s deal with them.”
“Then I’ll request support from my family.”
“There’s no need to sacrifice the Namgung family’s precious forces.”
Bu Eun-seol looked down at Heavenly Flower Villa with a faint gaze.
“The Beggars’ Union has already done something irreversible. They should be the ones to clean up their own mess.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t the board already set?”
“What?”
“They were divided from the start.”
Bu Eun-seol smiled.
And he began to give Namgung Un various instructions.