Chapter 235
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: Making the Beggars' Sect Truly Beggars' Sect-Like Again (2)
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Geum Sihyeon, the undisputed king of mischief who had gotten completely hooked on his alt character antics, first secured a fake identity before unleashing his full-blown chaos.
He even managed to snag a two-knot sash, activating the full costume set bonus. Though it was a lowly rank, he made the most of the troublemaking opportunity handed to him.
"Hey, brother. Why the long face?"
"Argh, damn it! Our old boss keeps bitching about the vote results. But you're a new face."
"Bluffpup from Xi'an. Hey, if you're down, how about a bowl of cheap booze?"
"Sounds good. Pour me one."
He shoved forward a battered bowl that was half-ruined in spots—making anyone who saw it crack a smile—and shamelessly tapped into the grassroots mood wherever beggars were huddled.
Was this the man who had once tried to spread distorted democracy now finally grasping true grassroots democracy and putting it into practice?
"Exactly, brother. Number one is the way to go, right?"
"I think so too... Sigh. What the hell is all this talk of righteousness and justice? It's not like it puts food on the table."
"But isn't the Might faction guy a bit too young?"
"Hey, hey hey! Youth is the best, ain't it? Us lowly mutts might not care who's on top, but if a young pup gets the seat, he'll pay more mind to the likes of us down below."
As if.
Agitation always starts from the very bottom.
Bluffpup flaunted his bizarrely groomed mustache, and before long, with people gathering around what could now be called a booze hall, he launched into a speech.
"Our late Dragon Head—no, wait, what was it? I'm an ignorant fool."
"Dragon Head Sect Leader, you idiot!"
"Right! The Dragon Head Sect Leader said the will of the Beggars' Sect lies with the Might faction. But is what we're doing right?"
At first, a bit clumsily.
Then, gradually, more people gathered.
No one knew where they'd come from, but there were way too many buckets of cheap booze laid out around for just one lowly beggar to have scattered.
True to his moniker, Bluffpup thumped his chest and raised his voice.
"I ask you, my fellow disciples! Do you want a true Beggars' Sect? If need be, do you want one more open and equal than anything we can imagine today!"
His once-slurred speech had straightened out, and his sly tone now brimmed with fervent passion.
"Woo! Woo woo, woohoo!"
"Hak! Hak hak!"
But Bluffpup's words had already stirred their hearts too fiercely; the surrounding Beggars' Sect disciples cheered the name of their "rightful sect leader" without noticing the oddity.
Geum Sihyeon stroked his mustache with a satisfied smile.
.
.
The daytime Bluffpup was "虚" (false).
By humbling himself with feigned humility while striking at the core with incitement, he flipped public sentiment.
The nighttime Bluffpup was "風" (wind).
After sneaking peeks at info using his half-baked Dragon Head Sect Leader privileges.
He darted through Xi'an's night sky, drifting like the wind in search of those "irredeemable" types.
Naturally, he'd whipped up a mask engraved with "風" in the meantime and slapped it on his face.
Unhak had teased him for adding an extra layer to his already thick-skinned face, but Geum Sihyeon didn't care.
And so, he fluttered to the top floor of Falling Flower Tower.
Crack!
"What the—?!"
"The ceiling!"
Into the midst of several Justice Gate elders holding a meeting, the righteous beggar Bluffpup made his entrance.
"Behold, I descend."
After reciting the third-place coolest line from Forbes' superhero landing rankings.
Geum Sihyeon didn't bother hiding his power and unleashed it at full force.
"How dare you barge in here—ghk."
"Hngh."
"Hup."
From those charging first at the intruder, to those too slow to grasp the situation, to the quick-witted ones trying to bolt for the window.
All froze in an instant.
"How beautiful is the back of one who knows exactly when to leave..."
"Ooh! Nice poem..."
"......"
"......"
Except for one truly oblivious beggar moved by Bluffpup's literary flair, everyone else fell silent.
But there was always a leader among them.
"...Why has this esteemed senior graced our lowly gathering?"
The room's sole Seven-Knot Beggar, Drunktwin, posed the question politely.
He had the infamous nickname of turning into a double bastard when drunk, but fortunately—or unfortunately—his blood alcohol level was still zero.
"What else? To share some good words."
Bluffpup let a pleased smile curl at his lips as he withdrew his energy.
"Hah."
"Heuh."
"Fwew......"
Deep sighs erupted from the Beggars' Sect disciples freed from the sudden pressure, but still unable to guess his identity, they held their silence.
"But this seems to be a mix—not just Justice Gate elders, but Might Gate ones too?"
Eyeing the Bluffpup seated across from him, Drunktwin feigned calm and poured him a drink.
Watching it slide down his throat, he then poured one for himself.
Feeling the faint buzz tickle his inner energy, Drunktwin spilled the beans without resistance.
"Over many years, the Justice Gate and Might Gate have diverged greatly. Rather than fighting over the sole Dragon Head seat, wouldn't it be better to split into North Beggars' Sect for Justice Gate and South for Might Gate? That's our consensus."
"Ah, so you're scooping up promising talents who might end up in the South before the split."
"Your insight is sharp, senior."
Eyes pleaded from the side—why spill so easily?—but Drunktwin didn't blink as he downed another.
Only then did the other disciples catch on to Drunktwin's intent.
Why would a guy who turns into a double bastard when drunk keep drinking, knowing full well?
But Drunktwin's martial art was Drunken Fist. A pinnacle Drunken Fist no one in the sect could match.
This wasn't kneeling to the foe.
It was just a brief pause to build momentum!
And so Drunktwin gave and took drinks, racking up Drunken Fist power that would revoke any driver's license, while spilling every last bit of sect intel.
Bluffpup could only applaud in admiration, clapping in a strange rhythm.
"Man, spilling all this—how does the sect even survive on info?"
"Hic, you don't need to worry 'bout that, senior."
"Whoa, your tongue's slurring now."
That instant.
Crash!
As Drunktwin kicked over the table, the others seized their staffs from the wall in unison, using him as the signal.
Staff Formation was an absolute array for masses of beggars, but even a few could capture its essence.
And Drunken Fist had no fixed form, so it blended seamlessly into the Staff Formation.
With a flick of his wrist, Bluffpup slammed the flying table and food scraps to the floor, grinning wide.
"Yeah, just talking was getting boring. This adds some flavor."
"We'll turn you from ancient sage to dearly departed!Rawr!"
Baek Ri-yeon was lost in a strange melancholy.
Why?
She couldn't explain it herself.
Of course, she had a hunch about the trigger.
—Such a reliable junior, with solid pecs and the ultimate manly man vibe, Baek Ri-yeon—
"That lunatic..."
Just thinking about it pissed her off.
It wasn't the disguise making him mistake her for a man that was the issue.
No, maybe the mistake itself was.
No, she shouldn't think that—she was the one hiding it.
Still, hitting on her like that, genuinely treating her like a guy? Do normal dudes smack each other's asses? Stare weirdly at crotches? What does he even think chastity kung fu is?
Anyway.
It wasn't really offensive—quite the compliment to her perfect disguise.
Yet she'd felt a thick, sticky rage from it.
Or maybe not. Just her rotten luck acting up.
After days floundering in emotions she couldn't comprehend, Baek Ri-yeon reached a conclusion.
Screw it, time to eat.
Thus, she arrived at Falling Flower Tower.
Gazing at the mural of petals gently falling almost soothed her wavering heart.
They say that's the best spot in the sect for booze and snacks!
How do I know without going? The gallery has everything!
A close friend she'd opened up to recommended it... via a slightly odd channel... but hey, a great eats spot nonetheless.
She figured tasty snacks and hot booze would fill the emptiness in her gut.
Though its popularity meant paying several times over for a spot just below the top floor.
Not her money anyway.
Just using vouchers from that dog of a bad senior.
Plus, it was spacious with no one around.
Quiet and nice.
"Your dishes are coming out!"
Out? No, "coming out."
Baek Ri-yeon's burning fury had sublimated into ordering "everything popular on the menu."
Pure extravagance with someone else's cash!
With the table laden bountifully, her mood lifted a bit.
Now she got why Dang Narin, despite fearing crowds, stubbornly dragged her shopping and splurged.
Spending money felt good in itself.
And savoring delicious aromas wasn't bad either.
With such thoughts warming her chest a touch.
"I'll dig in. Enjoy your meal."
No one to share with, but she murmured the habit ingrained since childhood.
Trying to soothe her faint emptiness with delicacies.
Rumble...
Thud...!
Like a party upstairs; the faint commotion from earlier returned, so Baek Ri-yeon frowned and looked up.
That moment.
Split—!
Crash—!
Splash—!
A pretty hole appeared in the ceiling.
And a beggar plummeted straight into Baek Ri-yeon's table.
She urgently summoned her protective energy, but it couldn't save her clothes from the unidentified soup she'd yet to taste.
With dazed eyes, Baek Ri-yeon stared at what had been her meal.
All that food had instantly embraced the floor, staining the wood in vibrant hues.
"Fuck."
Pent-up frustration and rage exploded in a flash.
Baek Ri-yeon's eyes rolled back in fury.