140
Chapter 140: This Is the Beggars of the Beggar Sect
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out as Hyeon Baek and Great Wolf, who had clashed in midair, separated and created distance between them. Great Wolf inspected his sword blade, now missing a tooth, and let out a bitter laugh.
‘The difference in weapon quality is significant, but…’
Above all else, Hyeon Baek was simply stronger.
Having faced numerous mid-level experts from major sects—such as the Nine Sects, the Five Great Families, and the Seven Swords of Wudang—Great Wolf had believed that dealing with a first-generation disciple of the Hwasan Sect would be manageable.
But the martial arts displayed by the Plum Blossom Swordsmen were nothing like what he had expected.
Despite clashing head-on with the rogues, the pride of Langya League, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen weren’t just holding their ground—they were pushing forward.
“Hmph! So this is why you didn’t deploy the famed Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Formation.”
In response to Great Wolf’s words, Hyeon Baek answered with the swift sword of Plum Fragrance Completion Technique.
Great Wolf barely twisted his waist to evade, but the Plum Blossom Sword split the air in an elegant arc, its blade energy branching out like tree limbs. The sharp strikes aimed at his vitals forced Great Wolf to spin his body violently in resistance.
Even so, Great Wolf was adept at reading the flow of the Saljinrang’s formation. It was a habit he had developed from leading the Saljinrang into battle for years.
‘This is bad. Really bad.’
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen were an unusual group—a mix of first- and second-generation disciples. Great Wolf had intended to exploit the weaker second-generation disciples, but when the Plum Blossom Swordsmen and the Saljinrang clashed, he realized they weren’t the weak link.
The second-generation disciples, each facing a Saljinrang rogue one-on-one, didn’t show the weakness he had expected. At best, they fought evenly; at worst, they were only slightly outmatched.
‘And those bastards—the Hwasan Four Flowers!’
While deflecting a barrage of erratic sword strikes from high left to low right, Great Wolf glanced at the three second-generation disciples surrounded by rogues.
Mujin, Mu-cheol, Mu-hwa.
They were known collectively as the Hwasan Four Flowers alongside the Sword Saint. These three second-generation disciples displayed martial prowess far surpassing even first-generation disciples, holding their own against multiple rogues each.
Because of them, the Saljinrang’s numerical advantage over the Plum Blossom Swordsmen vanished in an instant.
“Hey, kid! Left side!”
“This brat fights well.”
Three rogues pressed Mujin from three sides. Scattering petals, Mujin deflected dual swords and an iron staff before spotting an rogue lunging from his left. He extended his hand and unleashed the Plum Blossom Scattering Hands, a technique he had recently mastered.
The rogue, feigning empty-handed strikes, suddenly unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, but Mujin didn’t miss the glint hidden inside the sleeves.
Thunk!
The moment the rogue’s pinky finger bent, hidden needles shot from both sleeves—a cowardly trick only those without honor would use.
But Mujin didn’t panic. His martial arts and experience weren’t so flimsy that he’d falter at such a cheap trick. By then, his hand had already twisted, scattering petal-like energy.
Using the subtleties of Plum Blossom Scattering Hands, Mujin redirected the needles toward the other two rogues. Then, pivoting his foot, he severed the arms of the rogue who had launched the palm strikes.
“Gah!”
As the rogue’s arms spun through the air, Mujin unleashed the Dark Scent Flutter technique at the remaining two rogues, who were still deflecting the needles.
At that moment, Great Wolf’s eyes widened as he turned his head after deflecting Hyeon Baek’s sword. He had lost sight of Mujin for just a second.
By the time three plum blossoms bloomed where Mujin had stood, the rogues facing him were collapsing, blood spraying.
As Great Wolf absentmindedly watched Mujin, who had coldly cut down his opponents before darting off to aid another second-generation disciple, Hyeon Baek’s voice sounded alarmingly close.
“You seem quite interested in my disciple.”
Great Wolf tried to create distance with a retreating step, but Hyeon Baek closed in instantly with the Dark Scent Flutter.
“Hup!”
Great Wolf realized his mistake—he had focused too long on Mujin. In life-or-death battles, even small mistakes lead to grave consequences.
Splat!
Hyeon Baek’s sword showed no mercy to the Great Wolf, who had let his focus waver. After slicing deeply across his chest, Hyeon Baek severed Great Wolf’s right arm, forcing him to drop his sword.
“Kuhk!”
With one knee on the ground, Great Wolf felt the cold edge of Hyeon Baek’s sword against his throat.
“Any last words?”
“What words would an rogue have?”
“Then. Rest in peace.”
Without hesitation, Hyeon Baek beheaded the Great Wolf. The atrocities committed by the Saljinrang and Langya League as a whole were infamous. Sparing him was never an option.
“Big Brother!”
“Great Wolf!”
The rogues fighting the Plum Blossom Swordsmen screamed as Great Wolf’s head flew, but they were soon met with Hyeon Baek’s violet sword energy.
With Mujin and Hyeon Baek leading the charge, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen began cutting down the Saljinrang one by one. The Saljinrang’s fangs couldn’t pierce the Plum Blossom Swordsmen’s plum blossom defenses.
***
When news spread beneath Okhwasan that the Saljinrang had been annihilated by the Plum Blossom Swordsmen and even the Wolf King had fallen to the Hwasan Sword Saint, and the rogues of the Langya League—the other rogue martial artists eyeing the Hangryong Takgubong—fled in panic.
The Beggar Sect beggars who reached the summit of Okhwasan were a mess. Each was bleeding, their tattered robes barely covering their bodies, now reduced to rags.
It was clear how fiercely and desperately they had fought.
The Small Righteous Assembly Unit, which had climbed the mountain with them, was no different. Though exhaustion marked their faces, their eyes burned with clarity. Today’s battle had proven their worth as a martial force.
“Sect Leader…”
The Beggar Sect elder bowed his head at the sight of Wind King’s body, which Mu Hwi had prepared. Having lost his right arm to the Wolf King, the elder had now lost an eye in this battle, the left covered with a bloodstained cloth.
“Forgive us for only arriving now with our lacking ways.”
Seeing Wind King’s body, covered in wounds and defiled by the Wolf King, the elder shed tears like chicken droppings from his remaining eye. The sight was so brutal that even the hearts of the Beggar Sect beggars seemed to bleed.
“Sect Leader!”
“This is…”
As the elder knelt before Wind King’s body, the beggars who had climbed with him also knelt and bowed their heads.
Someone began sobbing, and soon, the cries grew into a chorus of wails.
Though no rain fell, the soil and rocks of Okhwasan’s summit darkened as if damp.
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen and Small Righteous Assembly Unit, who had stepped back, watched the grieving beggars with somber expressions.
“Sniff.”
Mu-hwa’s large eyes welled up, but she fluttered her lashes, fighting back tears. As Mu Hwi placed a hand on her shoulder, his gaze suddenly shifted.
His sharp eyes locked onto a distant peak, but there was nothing there.
‘Was I imagining it?’
Having sensed a faint gaze, Mu Hwi stared at the peak for a long moment. Mujin, noticing his odd behavior, whispered,
“What’s wrong, Senior Disciple?”
“Nothing.”
Mu Hwi shook his head and turned back to the beggars.
As Okhwasan’s summit filled with cries, one of the beggars began singing a sorrowful tune,
“The beggars of the Beggar Sect roam the world, using the Takgubong as their staff.”
Another joined in,
“The earth as their pillow, the sky as their blanket—there’s no place a Beggar Sect beggar cannot sleep.”
It was the first song every Beggar Sect beggar learned. As the mourners began singing along, their voices grew stronger.
“The indomitable spirit of the beggars cannot be stopped or restrained by anyone.”
One by one, the beggars raised their heads, tears still flowing, and sang in unison.
“The soaring righteousness of the Beggar Sect can even subdue the dragons of the heavens.”
Finally, the elder, his remaining eye bloodshot, looked at Wind King’s face and sang the last verse,
“Hangryong’s Righteousness. These are the beggars of the Beggar Sect.”
Having sung the Beggar Sect-ga (Song of the Beggar Sect) to console Wind King’s spirit, the beggars stood and paid their final respects.
“Rest well. Do not worry about what comes after, Sect Leader.”
The elder placed a bottle of hwaju (fire wine)—Wind King’s favorite drink in life—beside the body.
Once the sorrow had settled, Mu Hwi handed the Hangryong Takgubong to the elder.
“Elder, please take this.”
With only one arm left, the elder accepted it solemnly, cradling the sacred staff like a treasure.
“Sword Saint. Plum Blossom Swordsmen. Small Righteous Assembly Unit. Beggar Sect will never forget this debt.”
The beggars looked at Mu Hwi with deep respect, then bowed in unison with clasped fists. Mu Hwi quietly returned the gesture.
“Wolf King’s dantian is destroyed, but the Beggar Sect should be the ones to deliver the final blow.”
As Mu Hwi glanced at the Wolf King, tied to a tree, the elder nodded.
“We can only thank you for your consideration.”
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen and Small Righteous Assembly Unit descended first, leaving the beggars and the Wolf King atop the summit. Wolf King chuckled at the beggars surrounding him.
“Keuk. Beggars. How pathetic. Relying on others to exact revenge. Wind King would be ashamed.”
The elder’s gaze didn’t waver. His voice was dry as he asked,
“Any last words, Wolf King?”
One by one, the beggars raised their Takgubongs.
“Let me show you why it’s called the Takgubong (Staff of Striking Dogs), you bastard.”
The Wolf King only laughed as dozens of staffs loomed over him.
“Heh.”
With the Wolf King and the beggars gone, Okhwasan fell silent once more.
On a distant peak, a man who had watched the entire scene muttered,
“He sensed my gaze. More impressive than I thought.”
Remembering how Mu Hwi had turned his head instantly, the man clasped his hands behind his back and vanished into the shadows.
***
Jongnam.
“Senior Disciple. The enemies have retreated.”
Wiping blood from his face, he sighed in relief at his junior’s report.
“Good. That’s fortunate.”
“Senior Disciple, didn’t you push yourself too hard?”
The junior glanced worriedly at the pile of enemy corpses near him. Sensing his concern, he smiled warmly and patted his head.
“It’s fine. I’m the strongest among my martial siblings.”
“Well, that’s true. Even among the masters, few can match you.”
As he returned to headquarters with his junior, something felt off. The provocations from the Paewangseong had been relentless, but lately, they felt hollow.
Compared to their previous assaults, these seemed like mere feints.
‘The Sacheon Alliance is resisting fiercely with the Martial Alliance’s support. Maybe their attention is divided, sparing Jongnam.’
If so, that would be fortunate. But having fought the Paewangseong before, he knew their tenacity well.
He hoped this uneasy calm wasn’t the lull before the storm.