Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: We Must Be Righteous. (2)
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From what I'd heard while leading the Beggar Clan beggars from the Shanxi Branch.
Manbok said that Taewon Iga's young master would stay at the Yi Manor and handle the menial chores until the mourning period ended—until the funeral rites were complete.
With the Demonic Cult's schemes and Deok-geun's situation, all a penniless beggar could offer as an apology was their own body to make up for it, or so the saying went.
Of course, for someone of Manbok's stature—where even dragging in the Shaolin Abbot or the Wudang Sect Leader would barely match his rank—there was no reason whatsoever to have him doing menial labor.
Yet, for a renowned elder of his standing to personally guard the funeral rites was an extraordinary honor in itself, and a source of great pride for the Yi Manor.
Anyway.
That meant I had about three days to whip the Shanxi Branch beggars into shape.
Three days.
Honestly, it was a bit short.
The saying goes that habits formed at three are hard to break even at eighty—how easy could it be to reform people?
To at least drain the rotten muck from their minds, you'd normally need about four weeks.
Only then could I methodically go through the training curriculum in my head, step by step, and produce results where they finally started resembling human beings.
But it was worth a shot.
The "normal" four weeks was based on the standards of a future world where human rights were established and hunter training times were legally mandated.
'This world has no such laws.'
Besides, these Shanxi Branch beggars had been handed over to me for disciplinary punishment.
'And crucially, they're martial artists—tough as nails.'
So, I just needed to crank the training volume up sixfold.
Easy, right?
My comrades and I dyed white cotton turbans red with pigment to make simple red hats, then donned them and began the proper training.
"From now on, the White-Clothed Beggars of the Shanxi Branch will follow this instructor's guidance and commands. You only speak to repeat the instructor's orders in response. All other replies are 'Ack!' Got it? Depending on how you White-Clothed Beggars perform, this instructor can be a wrathful demon or Jizo Bodhisattva himself."
Having witnessed my skills firsthand, and with the Beggar Clan's Disciplinary Elder and disciples glaring daggers, no one dared slack off.
"The movement this instructor will now demonstrate is called 'Arms-Out High Jump.'"
Of course, some scoffed at the PT exercise, thinking it was child's play.
"They've got 'Cradle of Righteousness' fancy-written on the branch plaque—what good is this circus trick for?"
"Heh heh, a technique to dry out your armpits?"
But Shanxi summers were hot and humid.
It wasn't for nothing that folks here drowned their food in vinegar.
"I said replies are 'Ack!' only. Everyone, drop and give me push-ups! Execute!"
"…Ack!"
The strict limits on using internal energy, combined with Shanxi's sweltering heat.
And the sixfold increase in training volume.
That trio meshed perfectly over the three days.
Once the Righteous Faction beggars rolling in the training ground started to vaguely resemble the Elite Faction beggars,
my master at my waist clicked his tongue briefly and muttered one line.
- Tch. Finally starting to look like beggars. I couldn't stand seeing beggar brats hunting for clean clothes!
'When that faction was first formed, they were probably hardcore types brimming with conviction.'
And rightly so.
If the Elite Faction consisted of those pushed into beggary by harsh circumstances, surviving on scraps, and half-forced into the Beggar Clan,
the Righteous Faction were those who, drawn purely by the spirit of pursuing righteousness from the lowest rung, voluntarily liquidated their assets to become disciples.
'Deok-geun was probably like that at first too. Scary how inertia can corrupt even such a person.'
Anyway.
Three days passed just like that.
*Beep-beep-biiik! Beep-beep-bii-biiik!*
Not a single beggar from the Shanxi Branch had a trace of a smile left on their faces.
"Execute Arms-Out High Jump. Five hundred reps. How many reps?"
"…Five hundred reps."
"Don't wanna rest? I was gonna give a break if you did this right, but your voice is too quiet! Six hundred reps!"
"S-Six hundred reps!!!"
"Omit the final chant! Five hundred reps! Begin!"
*Beep-beep-biiik! Beep-beep-bii-biiik!*
As their smiles vanished, their focus started slipping one by one.
"One! Two! Three!"
"Four hundred ninety-eight!"
"One! Two! Three!"
"Four hundred ninety-nine!"
"One! Two! Three!"
Among them, the one losing focus most was Bok-cheol, the guy who'd taken the most beatings from me.
"O-One, tw…"
This was his second slip-up today.
The first time, the beggars had gritted their teeth and powered through with just "Ack!"
But now, they couldn't hold back and roared in fury.
"That damn Bok-cheol dog!"
"That rotten bastard always acts smart and looks down on us!!"
"Hey, Young Master Eon! No, Lord Eon! No no, Instructor Eon! My apologies! I'll never do it again! If scum like Bok-cheol shows up, I'll rise up in righteous fury and beat him like a mad dog!"
"Hey, you bastards, I was still a Fourth-Grade Beggar…"
"What about it, you bastard?! Now you're just another White-Clothed Beggar like us!!"
Zhuge Seol-ji, spotting those beggars, sidled up to me and whispered.
"Yong-un? Looks like we need to move to step eight."
"…Yeah, skipping seven straight to eight here. But wasn't the first and last time you saw this training during the inspection tour? You remember the flow?"
"How could I forget?"
"……."
Anyway.
Thus, the Shanxi Branch beggars met their moment of full-body twists.
"All White-Clothed Beggars, back-lying position."
"B-Back-lying!"
At first, the beggars were thrilled at the thought of lying down.
"F-Finally a break after three days!"
"In that position, lift your head off the ground. And your legs too."
"?"
"Then, at the instructor's whistle, twist your legs left and right. Execute!"
"Ex-Execute!"
*Beep! Biiik! Beep-beep-biiik!*
But as I ordered the leg twists, they started foaming at the mouth one by one.
"Gaaahhh!!"
"…Someone… someone cut my throat, please. My neck hurts so much."
A few even tried the coward's way out, rolling their eyes back in fake faints to escape.
"Grrrk!"
But Jeong-hyeon stepped up.
He went to them and shoved vinegar-soaked rags—the local Shanxi specialty—right in their faces.
"Gaaack!!!!"
"You were seeking the lost Way. How dare you lose consciousness?"
"My fault! My fault!"
"Yes. As the saying goes, those who err must face punishment. Now, lift head and legs off the ground. Oh, Young Master Woo! Number 52 White-Clothed Beggar over there has his head on the ground. Take this rag and help him find the Way."
"Yes!!"
Watching that, Cheon Jang-ho, whistle in mouth, let out a hiss.
"…That's no Daoist. Looks just like an angry Qingzhu Academy student, but out comes ghostly talk of finding the Way."
That was when it happened.
As the Shanxi Branch beggars' groans filled Taewon Castle,
"Hm? Did we arrive a bit early?"
"Heh heh. Seems so."
The Beggar Clan's Bangju Manbok and Chief Steward Geum arrived at the Shanxi Branch, escorted by my maternal grandfather.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The beggars undergoing training eyed the arriving guests, hoping for even a momentary pause.
'Fat chance.'
I immediately spoke up.
"This is time-sliced training. Bangju-nim would prefer we prioritize reforming the Shanxi Branch beggars over formalities. Training continues. I'll greet the two guests—Zhuge, you take over."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Handing field command to Zhuge Seol-ji, I approached Manbok and my grandfather, offering a cupped-fist salute.
"You summoned me? In person, no less."
In response to my greeting, they each replied.
"Came to see the aftermath of that drilling firsthand. Got some things to discuss too."
"Wanted to lay eyes on the faces of those who dared slander Shanxi Golden Bee's grandson. Quite the spectacle unfolding."
Having apparently talked on the way, they exchanged glances.
"Shanxi Golden Bee should speak first. As I said coming here, my business might drag on."
"Very well."
My grandfather gestured toward the back of the Shanxi Branch and spoke.
"Yong-un, walk with this old man a bit?"
"Of course."
As we walked, he posed a question.
"You know the importance of the Three Great Markets. What happens if Ma Market and North Market get shut down?"
That question had actually come from Yi Gwon-yeong's mouth originally.
My gaze shifted briefly to my grandfather's expression as he spoke.
But there was no shadow of Yi Gwon-yeong's lingering on his face.
'He's buried it in his heart, in his own way.'
With that, I could focus on the question itself.
Ma Market was the marketplace inside Shanxi Castle where people from beyond the Great Wall came to trade horses and grain.
North Market was outright outside the Great Wall—a hub where folks from the North Sea Ice Palace's domain traded with the Central Plains.
The answer was straightforward.
"People beyond the Great Wall will fall into chaos."
"Right. If that chaos deepens, lives turn to misery. Perfect for Demonic Cult scum to run rampant—far from most Central Plains folk's notice, beyond even the Beggar Clan's eyes. From there, they'd expand via controlled Shanxi into Hebei, Shaanxi, Henan."
"Exactly."
In the original story, that's precisely what happened, so I just nodded calmly.
But at that moment.
My grandfather took my hand, patted it, and spoke.
"You've saved not just this manor, but the world. This hand fills me with pride."
With that opener, he shared what he'd discussed with Manbok.
The talk covered dispatching Yi Manor and Beggar Clan joint forces to Ma and North Markets.
Beggar Clan reforms and specifics, plus Taewon Iga—long aloof toward the Martial Alliance—linking up.
"…That's the linkage plan. And seriously considering formal alliance entry."
Solid measures.
Demonic Cult wouldn't stir in Shanxi anytime soon.
Taewon Iga joining the Alliance was especially welcome.
"Sounds good."
"You think so too?"
"Yes. I once got grief from the Alliance's Backbone Council—that decision body. Knowing you're there would be reassuring."
"What? Which bastard did that?!"
Hm.
…That was kinda classified.
But it slipped out.
I quickly pivoted to another topic.
"More importantly, I have a favor to ask."
"Dodging, eh? Yeong-i did the same. Well, must be circumstances making it hard to say. I'll pretend I don't know."
"Heh heh."
"So, what do you need from this old man?"
"Grandnephew here has a business planned at the academy."
"Business? Need money? Just take it. How much?"
"Not just for me—handing it out like that defeats the purpose. Plus, it'll be useful in many ways beyond making cash."
"What kind?"
To my grandfather, I revealed why I'd originally come to Shanxi.
"A newsletter business."
"Newsletter?"
"Yes. Far as I know, Father and Master came because Professor Paeng Jae-hyeok at the academy tipped them off."
"Go on."
I detailed the full plan and our secured capital.
"…So, Silver Radiance Merchant Group's relay network for Jiangnan, Taewon Merchant Group's for everything north of the Wei River and Hebei."
"Promising venture."
"If you say so, Grandfather, then it really is."
"Heh, sure is. Makes me want to subscribe right away. Impressive you've not just ideated it but lined up capital and relays."
But the conversation veered slightly.
"Still, must you go to the academy? Why not learn merchant ways under me?"
To his earnest tone, I smiled awkwardly and replied.
"Grateful for the offer, but I want to get stronger. Gotta smash those Demonic Cult bastards. For that, I need power—and so do my comrades. So I must return to the academy."
At my words, he blinked, then halted.
How long did that pause last?
My grandfather removed the necklace of pierced iron coins from his neck and presented it.
"What's this?"
"What does it look like?"
Worn iron coins on Shanxi Golden Bee, who could buy out the province...
"The money from your first sale?"
"Sharp lad. Yes. When I first clutched that money, your great-grandfather—my father—said this: 'Money is modeled after the world. Heaven flows ceaselessly, round; earth cradles all, square. Thus, coins are round with square holes.'"
At some point,
he placed the necklace in my hand and spoke.
"I entrust the world to you. This old man will always respect, support, and cheer your will."