Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Mad Wind Fighting Beggar (1)
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At that moment, just as Eon Yong-un's team activated their lightness skills and began dashing toward the examinees at the foot of Mount Wudang.
After the iron gong signaling the start of the exam had rung, his team—which hadn't relinquished the lead—had already come face-to-face with a helper dressed in white training robes, playing the role of a patient.
"Ok-gi. How is it?"
That team belonged to Eon Yong-myeong.
"...Hmm. The effects of the Paralysis Powder should last about half a shichen, give or take."
But like his own hastily assembled group, the process hadn't been entirely smooth.
"Yawn. You sure about that? Isn't the Tang family more specialized in poison arts than medicine?"
"...Hey, you beggar. What did you just say?"
"...? I asked if you're sure. Isn't studying poison arts all about figuring out how to make someone never open their eyes again? That's why I was wondering how you'd know when the eyes open."
Especially between Cheon Jang-ho, a disciple of the Beggars' Sect, and Tang Ok-gi of the Sichuan Tang family.
Their temperaments clashed so badly that the slightest lapse in attention sent sparks flying everywhere.
"...You little beggar punk. The more I see you... Hey! You done talking?! Doesn't matter if you're not. I'll make those your last words today!"
"...Why?! Why are you doing this?! I was just genuinely curious! Uwaaa! Lady Zhuge, save me!"
"Come here! Hurry up!"
"You think I'd go to someone threatening to kill me?! Eek! Hey, Yong-myeong, save me! The Tang girl is trying to kill this beggar!!"
With a sigh, Eon Yong-myeong had no choice but to step in and block Tang Ok-gi.
"Lady Tang. Please calm down. This friend of mine is just blunt in his speech because of his straightforward nature—he means no harm. He's a good person at heart."
"Step aside while I'm asking nicely, Young Master Eon."
"I can't do that. So please overlook it. It was just a slip from ignorance, not malice. I stake the honor of the Pearl Eon family on guaranteeing that."
But it didn't have much effect.
"...I asked nicely already. Last warning. Unless you want to melt away along with that beggar punk, move."
Fortunately, Eon Yong-myeong's team had a moderator named Zhuge Seolji.
"All right, Ok-gi. Young Master Yong-myeong has a point. That's enough."
"...Tch. Even you, Seolji?! You know our family hates talk like that the most. As my childhood friend, you should understand!"
"I do understand. But get angry after we pass first. You want to fail the entrance exam fighting with a Beggars' Sect disciple? Think about what the family head would say if he heard."
With her uncanny ability to steer situations, Zhuge Seolji—who could calm even onlookers—quickly soothed the raging Tang Ok-gi.
"...Consider yourself lucky today, you beggar punk. If my father heard that, you wouldn't have a handful of bones left."
"Aigoo. If you're bringing out your father, then I'll have to bring out our sect leader. If you run into our leader, you won't even have bones to pick clean."
"Kyaaak! Seolji, I've made up my mind. I'll just kill that beggar punk and head straight to hell."
"Tang Ok-gi. Enough."
"...Fine."
"Jang-ho, you too."
"...Yes, ma'am."
And she even shut up Cheon Jang-ho, who had been sulkily piping up without reading the room.
"Young Master Jang-ho. Poisons and medicines are concepts separated by a mere sheet of paper. The same herb can become poison or medicine depending on how it's used. The Sichuan Tang family is infamous for poisons, and while the current Medicine King isn't from the Tang, throughout history, there have been at least four or five from the Tang called Medicine Kings. The Tang family's medical arts are unrivaled in the world. Is that explanation sufficient?"
"...Yes."
"Seems like you have more to say?"
"...No, sorry. Lady Tang. I really didn't know. I'm just not up on worldly affairs. Anyway, I'll make sure to seal this guy's mouth tight. Ahem."
"Do that, Ok-gi."
"Hmph."
And so, the minor squabble between the Tang family's prized flower and the Beggars' Sect's rising star came to an end.
But the truly important issue remained.
Zhuge Seolji opened her mouth to share the answer to that problem.
"Anyway, good work, Ok-gi. Now we've got a solid calculation."
Eon Yong-myeong perked up his ears at Zhuge Seolji's words.
This was a truly crucial matter for him.
"You mean what you said earlier about gauging if we could aim for the 5-point exam?"
"Yes, Young Master Yong-myeong. Our team should go for the 4-point orb as planned before the exam started. Aiming for 5 points within one shichen seems impossible."
Eon Yong-myeong let out a breath of relief at Zhuge Seolji's words.
And understandably so.
Having belatedly come to recognize Eon Yong-un's true nature, Eon Yong-myeong viewed his brother's scoundrel antics as burdens he shouldered unavoidably to save the family, and thus felt indebted.
'Brother said he'd definitely go for 5 points. His team seemed so tight-knit, and one of them really needed those 5 points.'
But there was only one 5-point orb.
Since they were in different teams, he couldn't directly help, but competing for the same one was impossible.
So if Zhuge Seolji said 5 points was possible, he planned to voice opposition, but hearing it wasn't necessary eased his mind.
However, Eon Yong-myeong's relief was fleeting.
The comfort vanished in an instant, replaced by worry.
'...But can Brother's team actually secure the 5-point orb?'
The Tang family's junior had measured the Paralysis Powder's duration, and the Zhuge family's little strategist had concluded it was impossible after factoring in that duration, the map distances, and the team's approximate skills.
'Then what about Brother's team?'
As anxiety rapidly swelled, Eon Yong-myeong's mouth opened unwittingly.
"Lady Zhuge. Is there truly no way to claim the 5-point orb?"
"Ah. I used the word 'impossible.' More precisely, it's 'difficult.'"
"Oh. So 'difficult' means there's a way?!"
"There is, but there are three reasons why it's difficult, making it practically impossible."
"May I hear those three reasons?"
"First, time is absolutely insufficient. We could split the team, but with Ok-gi and Jang-ho at each other's throats like dogs and monkeys, that won't work."
Eon Yong-myeong felt a glimmer of strange hope at Zhuge Seolji's words.
And rightly so—his own eyes had seen Eon Yong-un's team as utterly harmonious.
"Second?"
"Didn't the entrance proctor say the 5-point orb is guarded by Professor No Sam, the Mad Wind Fighting Beggar?"
"Hm? I don't quite follow that part. Professor No Sam was a bit wild in his youth, but I know him as someone who gives good grades and easy classes at the Righteous Martial Academy."
But that hope didn't linger long in Eon Yong-myeong's mind.
"It's been decades since he took up teaching—two full changes of the rivers and mountains. That's how the current juniors see him. I thought the same until I researched the academy's history and staff for this exam."
"So there's more beyond the common stories?"
"Precisely, his temperament. Professor No Sam's old moniker is Mad Wind Fighting Beggar."
"A beggar who loves fighting like a mad wind? Ah, come to think of it, I've heard that somewhere..."
"Yes. True to the name, he spent every day sparring and fighting, righteous or demonic alike. It's not just a nickname from heroic tales—he genuinely enjoyed battle."
Words dashing his hopes came from Zhuge Seolji's mouth.
"Ahem. Since a story about our Beggars' Sect senior came up, I can't keep my mouth sealed. To add to Lady Zhuge's words, he returned from all those fights without a scratch. He took up teaching to nurture the next generation, earning flak as a poem-spouting mongrel, but truth be told, even our sect leader has him eyed as the next leader."
And Cheon Jang-ho's words lent even more credibility.
"...Huh."
"Even assuming Professor No Sam goes easy on us, it won't be easy for our four to unite and charge him."
"......"
"Plus, with such an extreme moniker, he's unpredictable. Better to go for something calculable than risk it for one extra point."
The foot of Mount Wudang upon arrival.
"Then, as discussed, we'll split our team into the orb squad and the medic squad."
"Sounds good."
"Yep."
"Yes."
With a helper senior stiffened like a log after swallowing the Paralysis Powder, I quickly issued orders.
"First, medic squad: Eun Ha-seong."
"Yes!"
"That's it."
"Yes! ...Wait, what? You mean me alone?"
"Yeah. Everyone seems to have hoisted their patients and crawled up Mount Wudang as expected. You'll probably be the first examinee to carry a patient up. No variables for the medic squad."
"...Yes."
- That Silver River punk answers well, but he looks kinda bummed.
'Does he?'
Well, it wasn't incomprehensible.
If we'd split into pairs, fine—but dividing into three and one, then saying the one has no issues, could make the singleton feel discarded or like dead weight.
'He might feel some frustration.'
But from a broader view, it wasn't necessarily bad for such thoughts to enter Ha-seong's head.
As Cao Hong—blood relative to Cao Cao among the late Han warlords, famed for his golden helmet—once said, frustration forges a man.
'And that's Ha-seong's current reality.'
The kid's aptitude wasn't bad at all.
But he lacked the martial prowess to join the orb-hunting squad right now, and his lightness skill was even worse.
To instill a sense of duty and lasting fighting spirit in him, I spoke up.
"Feeling bummed?"
"No, Brother."
"It's an important mission. And right now, you're useless for getting the orb from Professor Mad Wind Fighting Beggar. Your skills don't match Jeong Hyeon's, and your steps are slower than Woo So-ryeong's. That's you at present."
"...I know it's important. And you're right, Brother."
Eun Ha-seong visibly wilted under my whip-like words in the form of advice.
Now, I dangled a carrot for the kid.
"Good, you get it. If you do feel bummed, work hard to kill me after you pass the academy."
"...I'll etch those words into my bones."
"Right. Now head to Yungjun Mountain if you understand."
"Yes! See you soon, Brother! Take good care of Brother Yong-un of Jeonghyeon Dojo! Little Brother So-ryeong, serve Brother well too!"
"Yes. I'll support Young Master Eon well on behalf of Silver Brother."
"Except for his steps, Brother Silver is a far better martial artist than me! It makes me dizzy thinking I'm filling his spot, but I'll do my best!"
And so Eun Ha-seong hoisted the patient-role senior and headed toward Yungjun Mountain.
I issued the remaining orders to Jeong Hyeon and Woo So-ryeong.
"Woo So-ryeong."
"Yes?!"
"I said earlier that aside from steps, Ha-seong is better than you, right?"
"Ah. Yes!"
"That's true too. Professor Mad Wind Fighting Beggar will be solely up to me and Jeong Hyeon."
"Oh. Then what do I do?"
"You'll get on my back right now. Then activate Turtle Breath Great Law."
"Turtle Breath Great Law?"
Turtle Breath Great Law.
A technique that slows the heartbeat, breathing, and body temperature to enter a corpse-like state, completely erasing one's presence.
A must-learn for assassins or thieves of this era.
"Yeah. You can do it, right? Duration... hmm, about ten quarters of an hour."
"I can, but I don't quite grasp your intent, Brother Eon."
"Woo So-ryeong, you're our team's hidden card and trump."
"T-Trump?"
"Yeah. I'm going to make the professor think we carried a patient here. Match the duration to ten quarters, and when you come to, we'll either be locked in fierce combat with the professor or have already snagged the orb. If it's the former, the orb will be at the professor's waist."
"...The orb?"
Woo So-ryeong and Jeong Hyeon waited tensely for my next words.
I twisted my lips and spat out the rest.
"Steal it."