Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Stratagem
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Mu-heun was reminded of his past life as the Divine Doctor. More than thirty years ago. A time when he had left his disciples to immerse himself in research. It was before he had fully joined the Sichuan Tang Clan.
One day, a beggar had shown up.
The beggar was quite seriously injured. How he knew of me and found his way here, I couldn't say, but he immediately started shouting at the top of his lungs, “Divine Doctor! Divine Doctor!”
He asked me to treat his injuries. Most physicians wouldn't accept a beggar as a patient, but at the time, I treated anyone who was sick, without discrimination.
At a glance, the beggar’s injuries were clearly from a fierce battle.
After examining his wounds, I asked him what kind of fight could possibly result in such injuries. He answered gruffly.
-You don’t need to know.
How rude.
However, I could tell he was a man of the martial world with just one look, so I let it slide. It was common knowledge that getting deeply involved in the affairs of the martial world shortened one's life.
I didn't press further about why he was injured, how he found me, or what his identity was.
But when I asked nothing, the beggar, contrary to my expectations, became more talkative.
‘My injuries are from a fight with an executive of the Haomun,’ the beggar informed me, as if doing me a great favor. I didn't like his attitude. To be honest, I wasn't even that curious.
Sometime later.
The Haomun executive who had fought with this beggar also came to find me. He wanted me to treat him just like the beggar.
I thought to myself that news traveled fast, but I began treating them both. It was a hassle, but they were patients, so I accepted them.
Unexpectedly, however, they paid a handsome sum for their treatment.
I hadn't treated them for the money, but at the time, I was desperate for research funds, so I accepted it gratefully.
It was then that I heard stories about the Beggars' Sect from the beggar, and various tales about the Haomun from their executive.
Thinking back on it now, it's strange how they so freely shared such stories with me.
The treatment continued for about a week, and the beggar, whose mouth must have been incredibly itchy, treated me as his conversation partner and told me all sorts of things.
He even ended up revealing his identity; he was a Seven-Knot Beggar of the Beggars' Sect. At that time, Gae-heung, the Seven-Knot Beggar, said…
***
- 35 years ago
“The path to a higher knot—the indicator of rank in the Beggars’ Sect—is different from that of ordinary orthodox sects.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“I’m only telling you this because you’re the Divine Doctor treating me.”
“You really don’t have to, you know?”
“In ordinary orthodox sects, your rank goes up with time. From a third-generation disciple to a second, from a second to a first, from a first to an elder… well, becoming an elder might be tough, but a senior veteran is possible. Anyway! It’s not like that, where your rank just climbs with the passage of time.”
“Hmm… is that so?”
“I don’t know how you’ll take this, Divine Doctor, but even from a White-Clothed Beggar—a novice who has no knots for the first three years—to the next stage of a One-Knot Beggar, and then to a Two-Knot Beggar, the selection is made through a rigorous screening.”
“…I see.”
He talked so much.
Whether they rose through a rigorous screening or a lax one, what did that have to do with me?
But, the man was a patient who had paid a hefty sum… so I simply became Gae-heung’s companion in conversation, listening quietly. I even chimed in from time to time to encourage him to continue.
This was all the power of money.
“To my eyes, they all look more or less the same…”
“Ahem. That’s not it at all. Goodness, there are quite a few things even the Divine Doctor doesn’t know. To rise from a Two-Knot to the next rank of a Three-Knot Beggar, you must possess both martial skill and a sharp mind! It’s a level one cannot reach otherwise!”
‘Somehow, I feel like this is going to end with him praising the Seven-Knot Beggars…’
His game was obvious. Why would this injured, bedridden beggar be explaining their hierarchy to me? And after he had already revealed that he himself was a Seven-Knot Beggar!
The reason was my lukewarm reaction. It was clear that Gae-heung was disappointed because I wasn't particularly surprised when he told me he was a Seven-Knot Beggar.
That’s why he was elaborating!
“I get it. So, you, a Seven-Knot Beggar, are a high-ranking executive in the Beggars’ Sect.”
“It’s not just about being high-ranking. From a Three-Knot, one becomes a Four-Knot and gets to lead a branch of the Beggars’ Sect. If you show you can lead a branch well, you can rise to a Five-Knot at the sect headquarters, and if your skills are recognized there, you become a Six-Knot Beggar.”
Right, I get that, but…
“So what do you want me to…”
“At this stage, the Six-Knot Beggars are chosen by vote. All disciples with knots in the entire sect vote, and the selection is made based on the results.”
He wasn't even listening to me. A beggar who only said what he wanted to say was the worst.
“So… what does that have to…”
“A vote is something you can’t win unless you’ve built a reputation for virtue! In other words, an executive of the Beggars’ Sect must have not only skill but also great virtue.”
Listening to him go on, it felt like the beggar's shoulders were about to pierce the ceiling. This wouldn't do. I needed to bring his arrogant spirit down a notch with some facts.
“And that ‘virtue’ of yours, it can’t be bought with money?”
“Ahem! Divine Doctor! What do you take the Beggars’ Sect for!”
I placed a needle near Gae-heung's wound.
*Prick!*
“Gah! Be gentle, Divine Doctor!”
“Haha, my apologies. I did it without thinking.”
“It seems the Divine Doctor is looking down on a Seven-Knot Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect… A Seven-Knot Beggar is outstanding in both literary and martial arts!”
“Aha, is that so?”
*Prick!*
“Gah!”
I placed another needle, and Gae-heung, writhing in pain, said.
“To go from a Six-Knot to a Seven-Knot Beggar, one must know all the sect’s rules and be well-versed in its internal affairs. In other words, a person who is intelligent and quick to judge situations! That person is me!”
He was truly relentless.
“Then why did you fight with the Haomun executive, and how did you get injured?”
“Th-that’s.”
“Let me guess. You were injured in a dispute over interests with the Haomun executive, weren’t you? What is the righteous path of the Beggars’ Sect? As far as I know, one must surely abandon selfishness and possess an upright heart…”
I narrowed my eyes and spoke.
“How did you manage to rise to the rank of a Seven-Knot Beggar?”
Having laid out the facts like this, he would surely shut his mouth.
But that was a grave miscalculation.
“I possess something even greater than that.”
“Greater?”
Gae-heung’s eyes suddenly shone like the Milky Way as he said,
“That’s right. It is to possess a compassionate heart. That Haomun executive was beneath me in skill, but I spared his life. You could say I showed him mercy.”
Listening to his answer gave me a throbbing headache.
He was certainly a man far beyond my expectations.
“But the Haomun executive’s wounds were much lighter than yours?”
“Ahem! Divine Doctor! What kind of joke is that!”
***
I reminisced about that time.
Come to think of it, that beggar from the Beggars’ Sect, Gae-heung, must have been quite something. I heard that the Haomun executive he fought with had returned to the earth not long after, following a clash with an assassin group, but Gae-heung had survived, clinging tenaciously to life.
Less than eight years after receiving my treatment, Gae-heung became the Sect Leader of the Beggars' Sect. In a manner of speaking, he became the king of beggars.
Even after his treatment was fully completed, Gae-heung would visit me about once every four years for a health check-up. He would also ask for various pieces of advice regarding his health, and each time, he would remind me of his current position.
As more time passed,
even when there was no more advice for him to seek, he never forgot the kindness I had shown him and visited me from time to time.
He would simply visit like a friend to ask how I was doing. But every time, the beggar would tell me stories about his disciple.
The disciple Gae-heung spoke of. His name was Bi Chwi-hak, the current Sect Leader of the Beggars' Sect standing before my eyes.
Of course, Bi Chwi-hak had no connection to me.
I had heard that Gae-heung stepped down from his position as Sect Leader about ten years ago to become a Grand Elder. I didn't know where he was living in seclusion now…
The current Sect Leader of the Beggars' Sect was unequivocally Gae-heung's disciple, Bi Chwi-hak. No matter how close I was with his master, I had to show him the proper respect.
I had heard that a Seven-Knot Beggar was equivalent to an elder in a normal sect, and an Eight-Knot Beggar was the heir to the Sect Leader. Therefore, the man before me was a Nine-Knot Beggar. The Sect Leader of the Beggars' Sect, and the chief of 100,000 beggars.
The Dog Beating Staff resting in a corner of the room confirmed it.
The important thing here was that I possessed a truth that would pique his interest. That was all that mattered.
Information that could confuse them and allow me to probe them.
I looked at Bi Chwi-hak and said.
“The World's Ultimate Assassins.”
“…!?”
“One of the former executives of the Haomun, Wi Ga-hak. He was designated to be the next Haomun Leader. However, he met his end due to a conflict with an assassin group called the World's Ultimate Assassins.”
“…”
“As a result, the Haomun was swept into a great war. The Haomun itself wasn't destroyed, but all its executives nearly were. At that time, the former Sect Leader Gae-heung actively stepped in to help the Haomun.
Even the current Martial Alliance Leader, Du Baek, participated in the war. He brought the Heavenly Darkness Unit, which he led at the time.”
“How do you know that…!”
“The result was that the Haomun received help from the orthodox martial world, and since then, Du Baek, the Beggars' Sect, and the Haomun have maintained a close cooperative relationship.”
Bi Chwi-hak's eyes widened to twice their size in surprise, and the Haomun Leader was just as astonished.
“You, how do you know that? That information was classified as top secret!”
“I heard it from the former Sect Leader, Gae-heung. You could say we were close friends. Seeing as you don't know even this, I suppose you haven't heard from the Soul-Stealing Immortal yet?”
“Heard what?”
“If you wish to know what I mean, then let's make a deal. A trade of information, something you people are fond of.”
“A-a trade of information?”
“That's right.”
The Haomun Leader, Wi Guk, and the Beggars' Sect Leader, Bi Chwi-hak, were utterly shocked.
In truth, the two of them had been disappointed upon seeing Mu-heun's appearance. They thought him too young to be responsible for the grand undertaking that lay ahead.
Wi Guk, the Haomun Leader. He was a man who had clawed his way up from the lowest and dirtiest of places to reach his current position.
Wi Guk had joined the Haomun, built up his achievements, and became its leader. After becoming the leader, he gathered more of those like himself—those from low and dirty places, no, those who wouldn't shy away from dirty work to make a living.
The previous leader, Wi Ga-hak, was Wi Guk's uncle. He had intended to take responsibility for the consequences his uncle had brought about.
Thanks to Wi Guk's efforts, the Haomun grew in size and boasted the greatest power in its history. In other words, it was Wi Guk who had created the golden age of the Haomun.
A leader recognized by himself and others, Wi Guk. To him, the world was both simple and complex. In such a world, he believed the ability needed to accomplish something great was… insight.
Insight was something that developed from jostling with people day after day, observing the workings of society month after month, and realizing things while watching the flow of the years.
In other words, if one was young, it was difficult to fully understand the ways of the world, and young blood was prone to ruining things due to curiosity and a competitive spirit.
Wisdom comes from experience, and knowledge from learning. To entrust a great danger facing the entire Central Plains to a mere youngster?
It was absurd. Given the gravity of the matter, this was not a task that could be handled by a young man who had barely passed the age of twenty.
However.
It was none other than the Soul-Stealing Immortal… Yes, because he knew who the Soul-Stealing Immortal was, he had intended to show due courtesy at the meeting he had arranged.
Showing courtesy meant trying to converse more with this man and not leaving the meeting. It certainly didn't mean he was staying because he trusted him.
However, the man named Baek Mu-heun, introduced by the Soul-Stealing Immortal, was different. He knew how to analyze the overall situation and speak with confidence.
His confidence wasn't the reckless bravado that young people often exuded. It was a confidence that seemed to be based on solid evidence…
But confidence alone was not enough to handle a great affair.
Confirmation was needed.
But… what was that man saying now?