Chapter 230
Chapter 230
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Whereabouts of the Seven Heavenly Apostles (1)
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After all sorts of hardships, the group finally arrived at Nanchang Castle, where Lake Dongting was located.
Dragging their injured and exhausted bodies, they reached the outskirts of the castle when a beggar approached them.
"Are you Instructor Neung Pung-un?"
"That's right."
"Please follow me. Elder Beggar sent me."
"Elder Beggar did?"
He led the group to a nearby abandoned shrine.
"Elder Beggar..."
Kim Jeong, who had no idea what was going on, caused a bit of a commotion in her confusion.
"It's a long story."
Once Neung Pung-un stepped in and offered a suitable explanation, things quieted down.
The place looked like it was on the verge of collapse—hardly fit for humans—but fortunately, the interior was spotless.
"Where is Elder Beggar?"
"The Elder is out on business right now. He's been notified, so he'll arrive tonight."
As the beggar said, Elder Beggar returned only as evening fell.
"I've heard the story. You must have gone through a lot."
"We pay our respects to the Elder."
"Come, pay your respects to the Elder."
Elder Beggar, who had raised his hand in greeting, tilted his head as he looked their way.
"Hm? Temporary Instructor Chu Un-hwi? And the nun from Mount Ami?"
"Well..."
After a brief explanation, Elder Beggar frowned.
"I suppose with the Demon Lord and all that commotion, it was quite the uproar. You must have suffered greatly."
Elder Beggar pretended not to know, but Chu Un-hwi inwardly chuckled.
He knew the Elder had secretly followed them and provided various conveniences along the way.
Neung Pung-un immediately got to the point.
"Elder, I'm sorry. We unintentionally drew attention."
"No need to worry about that. Luck must be on your side."
"Luck, you say?"
His generous assessment of their demon-plagued journey prompted the question, and Elder Beggar burst into hearty laughter.
"I just came back from scouting the Iron Chain Alliance's movements. While you were struggling, it seems the Iron Blood Beast Corps suffered a major setback with significant losses."
"Who could attack the mighty Iron Blood Beast Corps of the world?"
"It seems the Apostles made a move."
Neung Pung-un was stunned by the response.
"Weren't the Apostles hiding in the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold?"
"That doesn't mean there's only one. Besides the one wielding the Ten Yang Finger Technique, there's the one in the Yangtze Waterway Stronghold, and another. At least three, I'd say."
"Three Apostles..."
"I don't know the exact number. Not much is known about them."
Bitterly murmuring to himself, Elder Beggar offered an optimistic outlook.
"In any case, with the Iron Blood Beast Corps taking heavy damage, it's a blow to the Iron Chain Alliance's face."
It had happened right near the Iron Chain Alliance's territory, no less.
The Iron Chain Alliance was an organization sustained by its leader's formidable martial arts and iron grip.
Any sign of weakness or failure would directly undermine the leader's authority.
"Thanks to that, those two Vice Leaders are on edge. They'll need to produce results before the Alliance Leader's wrath comes down."
"Meaning..."
"It means there's an opening to slip into the Iron Chain Alliance."
Elder Beggar flashed a meaningful smile.
The strategy Elder Beggar proposed was quite solid.
It had to be—Zhuge Tianji's schemes combined with the Beggars' Sect disciples running day and night to uncover it.
But for Chu Un-hwi, it wasn't a method he felt inclined to use.
"Disguise ourselves as old beggars to infiltrate?"
"It's unavoidable if we want to evade the Iron Chain Alliance's eyes. There are other ways, but..."
They all required considerable time.
Chu Un-hwi flatly refused.
"Why not?"
"It takes too much time. I need to head to Fujian Province for my promotion exam."
"Still on about that?"
Beside the exasperated Elder Beggar, Neung Pung-un chimed in.
"If we handle this well, the Elder said he'd put in a good word for you."
"I'm not interested."
Kim Jeong asked as he stubbornly refused.
"Instructor Chu, the Elder is offering to help. What's the reason?"
Surprisingly, rather than snapping, she seemed genuinely puzzled.
She must have formed some expectations from his behavior during their travels.
"I have my own way."
"The unorthodox fighters flooding Lake Dongting number in the tens of thousands. It's not something to take lightly."
That was true enough.
'That's why even Zhuge the Strategist and the Beggars' Sect Elder racked their brains over it.'
Elder Beggar tried persuading him again.
"Wait a bit, and reinforcements from the Alliance will arrive soon. Zhuge the Strategist recognizes the severity and has dispatched the Alliance's experts."
"That's a relief."
He might have lost all respect if they pretended not to notice and kept prattling about righteous-unorthodox wars even in this situation.
'Good to know this striped bream Neung guy has backup. I feel at ease.'
That only gave him less reason to stick around.
"Why are you being so stubborn?"
"Trade secret."
"Everyone's furious after recent events! Are you really planning something huge?"
Forgetting past grievances due to his ties with Wang Wu, whom he called brother, he pleaded, but Chu Un-hwi held firm.
"Fine. If you're going alone, at least tell us your method. We need to know to prepare."
"To catch a tiger, you have to enter its den."
"Why the sudden nonsense? What's this tiger business?"
"Trade secret."
"Good grief."
Of course, he didn't get the answer he wanted.
"Now I can breathe easy."
Chu Un-hwi cracked his neck as he set off alone.
"How long has it been since Lake Dongting?"
In his previous life as the Blood Cult Leader, he had visited a few times.
And stayed quite a while.
His goal had been to secure the Iron Chain Alliance's cooperation.
The Murim Alliance had staunchly opposed allying with demons, forcing him to turn to the Iron Chain Alliance.
"The results weren't great, though."
At first, they seemed amenable to talk, but their constant tricks ruined everything.
He had smashed the Thunder Tiger Gate, which dominated Lake Dongting at the time, along with ten major unorthodox sects, and set them ablaze.
"The fires burned so fiercely for so long."
Being a reckless youth swayed by demonic arts back then, he even built a lookout on a high mountain and held a feast while watching the burning lake region.
Quite the stormy period.
Though it had slipped his mind, his negotiations with the unorthodox had taught him much about their inner workings.
Especially since the Blood Cult's underlings had compiled heaps of the Iron Chain Alliance's weaknesses.
A method to exploit that suddenly came to mind.
"There's only one way to slip free of the Iron Chain Alliance's watchful eyes."
To catch a tiger, enter its den.
But to survive in a tiger's den, there's only one way.
"Become the tiger."
That's right.
Become one of the unorthodox.
Donning a fine silk martial robe and a simple disguise, Chu Un-hwi sprang into action.
"Not many here will recognize me beyond my reputation."
Shall I start here?
He stopped before a massive three-story building with seven stories—no, seven floors.
It was a place for drinking, but oddly, red lanterns like those in brothels hung there.
Spotting the secret code remnants beside the lanterns with his sharp eyes, Chu Un-hwi draped a flashy golden silk robe over his shoulders and cracked his neck.
As he entered the tavern, instead of attendants, foul-smelling women approached.
"Oh my. Young master, all alone?"
"Came alone. Problem?"
"Kekeke. Of course not."
He brusquely brushed her hand away, but she clung to his arm coyly.
"Oh dear. How manly."
Her hand slyly groped near his chest, seemingly seductive.
'I've come to the right place.'
How could he not know it was checking the weight of his pouch?
The moment her fingers confirmed the silver in his pouch, he gruffly shoved her away.
"Out of my way. You're annoying."
"S-Sorry, young master."
"Your stench is so bad it's numbing my nose. My nostrils ache."
She perked up as he dramatically pinched his nose.
"Hohoho. You must be from out of town, young master."
"Scram. Tch. Why did Master like places like this?"
Muttering complaints, he stomped up to the second floor and claimed a seat alone.
'I've laid the bait.'
If this place was backed by the Thunder Tiger Gate as he remembered, word would surely reach the manager.
'As the top dogs of Lake Dongting, they had all sorts of businesses.'
The Thunder Tiger Gate made money in every dirty trade imaginable, growing their power under the Iron Chain Alliance's protection.
Their gate leader had even risen to be Iron Witchief's right-hand man, recognized for his merits.
'He's sharp, so he'll move fast once he hears.'
He subtly leaked hints about his inner energy too.
- Master. Stench. Speech.
Mentioning his master but coming alone would make them think the master was dead. Hating the stench meant he wasn't used to women.
'Showing an out-of-place demeanor, any smart one will mistake me for some mountain hermit who trained blindly and descended to the secular world.'
In the unorthodox world, the ripest marks were those who trained in isolation, ignorant of worldly ways.
They had decent martial arts from training but were easy to exploit due to their naivety.
'Time to see if they bite?'
He pulled out his money pouch, placed it on the table, and flicked it with his index finger.
Clatter.
Thick silver ingots tumbled out, drawing gazes from all around.
"You there. Kid."
He beckoned a young attendant, who approached hesitantly.
"Silver ingot. Bring food and drink."
"S-Silver ingot?"
One silver ingot equaled ten nyang of silver coins.
Enough for a family of four to live on for three months.
The girl trembled at the rare fortune but played it cool.
"I like meat, vegetables, and noodles."
"V-Vegetables and noodles for a silver ingot..."
"What? Not enough with one? Add another? Two?"
She jumped and waved her hands frantically as he piled three ingots.
"N-No, it's fine. More than enough."
"Hurry up and bring it."
Chu Un-hwi smiled inwardly as the girl scurried away.
Feeling even more eyes gathering on him.
Elder Beggar asked the returning Beggars' Sect disciple.
"What is Instructor Chu up to?"
"Not sure. He got some flashy clothes somewhere and drinks himself silly at the tavern every day."
"Tavern?"
"One run by the Thunder Tiger Gate."
"Unbelievable. How does he know about a place like that?"
Elder Beggar, who had investigated the Thunder Tiger Gate while preparing for Lake Dongting matters, naturally knew the spot—but not that Chu Un-hwi frequented it.
"Does the Elder know the place too?"
"It's a half-baked joint, neither proper tavern nor brothel. They even sell bootleg liquor."
Not only was his choice of seat odd, but his actions were utterly inscrutable.
"What does Instructor Chu do there?"
"Drinks himself silly at the tavern every day."
"He wouldn't be indulging his gluttony in a situation like this."
Puzzled by the baffling situation, Elder Beggar stopped pondering and instructed the disciple.
"Report immediately if you spot anything unusual."
"Yes, Elder."