Chapter 225
Chapter 225
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 225
>Chapter Title: Joy (5)
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The officials that Hong-gae had seen throughout his middle-aged years were, with perhaps one or two exceptions out of a hundred, utterly indifferent to the lives of common folk.
And the chances of an upright official who actually cared about the commoners' lives coming to a place like this were slim to none. Exactly one or two out of a hundred, after all.
As Hong-gae seemed lost in thought, Il-mok drove the point home.
"It's solely for the sake of helping those poisoned by the Ghost Valley Adept. Prioritize saving their lives."
After a moment of deliberation, Hong-gae finally nodded.
'Right. Based on their actions so far, it'll be better than leaving it to corrupt officials. And with our Beggar Clan involved, if they commit any misdeeds, we can step in then—it's not too late.'
Seeing Hong-gae accept his words, Il-mok inwardly let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'Phew. At least the Beggar Clan won't bolt. Good.'
To develop Pyeong-ryang County and Gong-jong Mountain as Il-mok planned, the Beggar Clan was essential.
They were laborers trained in martial arts that could be used for free.
* * *
Once the decision was made to also treat the county magistrate and officials, the Beggar Clan members went to the government office and moved those with severe poisoning symptoms to the manor.
Then Il-mok made his way into the now-ownerless government office.
His first stop was the county magistrate's office.
As he examined the ledgers stored there, Il-mok let out a hollow chuckle.
"In a tiny village like this, you've really gorged yourself, huh."
They had reported far less tax revenue than what Pyeong-ryang County actually collected, with the magistrate pocketing the rest.
Sure, it was like hiding a leaf from a blind man—he'd shared some with his underlings at the office and slipped bribes to the occasional inspectors—so the magistrate hadn't kept it all to himself.
As expected, every country seemed plagued by thieves in high places.
But the magistrate's filthy dealings were actually a welcome turn for Il-mok.
"Hmm. I can just send the money the magistrate skimmed off to Nanju. Match it to the reported tax revenue so far, and it'll hold up for a few years at least."
Thanks to the magistrate's embezzlement, the Maitreya Cult wouldn't need to waste money on false accounts.
* * *
The next morning.
New beggars from various parts of Gansu Province began trickling into Pyeong-ryang County, two or three at a time.
Il-mok summoned Hong-gae to the government office.
"Leave just two first-rate Beggar Clan experts here. I have other tasks for them."
"What are you planning?"
"It's in line with our Maitreya Cult's music troupe bringing joy to the people."
"...You plan to have our Beggar Clan members sing or perform plays?"
"Not singing, but something akin to a play."
Why would a play need first-rate experts?
Hong-gae felt an odd vibe, but he nodded anyway.
They'd already decided to trust and cooperate—nitpicking every time would be ridiculous.
'If they do something weird, I can call them out then.'
In the end, Hong-gae selected two three-knot beggars from the new arrivals to Pyeong-ryang County and sent them to the office.
By the time he headed to Gong-jong Mountain to check its status and returned to Pyeong-ryang County, the sky was turning orange with sunset.
That was when Hong-gae witnessed something utterly bizarre.
"Alright, alright! Right here, two of Gansu Province's top martial artists are about to duel!"
The Maitreya Cult shaman who had taken the two three-knot beggars—wearing his signature Four Heavenly Kings mask—was shouting amid the crowd.
Looking closely, the cult's music troupe was set up behind him.
'So the music troupe was performing here?'
He could see why people gathered, but he had no clue what the shaman was up to.
As Hong-gae puzzled over it, the shaman shouted again.
"You all just be the witnesses to the duel! First up, from way over there in northern Gansu Province, infamous enough to silence crying babies at the mention of his name—the Iron-Blooded Blade, sir!"
Hong-gae was speechless.
Iron-Blooded Blade, infamous in northern Gansu? As Beggar Clan leader, he'd never heard the title in his life.
'And that's the guy I sent to the office this morning?'
The middle-aged man, face flushed red, clutching a massive saber, was one of their three-knot beggars.
The redness suggested either deep embarrassment or drowning it in booze.
"And over here, the renowned righteous sect hero who came from southern Sichuan to punish the Iron-Blooded Blade's villainy—the Azure Sword Great Hero of the Azure Purity Sect!"
Likewise, the man who stepped forward at the shaman's introduction was another Beggar Clan three-knot beggar.
Hong-gae's head spun.
It wasn't just the weird names and backstories foisted on their beggar members.
'It makes no sense!!'
Why would martial experts have common villagers witness their duel?!
And why were a guy from northern Gansu and one from Sichuan suddenly fighting in Pyeong-ryang County? Hong-gae couldn't fathom it.
"Let the duel begin!"
Regardless, the two Beggar Clan members—no, the Iron-Blooded Blade and Azure Sword Great Hero—launched into their duel the moment the shaman yelled.
"Haaaah!"
"Ha!"
The two "experts," faces beet-red, bellowed fiercely as they swung their saber and sword.
Boom!!
Boom!!!
As befitting first-rate masters, thunderous explosions erupted each time their weapons clashed.
Watching the spectacle, Hong-gae felt a demonic possession coming on.
'What nonsense is this?! Who fights like that?!'
Every swing of sword and saber was ridiculously exaggerated—try it in a real fight, and your head would roll.
Finally at his limit, Hong-gae approached the shaman behind this absurdity.
"What the hell is this?"
"I told you this morning, didn't I? It's a play to bring joy to Pyeong-ryang County's residents."
"A play?"
"Yep. They say the world's greatest joys are watching fires and fights, right? Can't set the county ablaze, so let's give 'em a fight show."
"...Then what's with those ridiculous names like Iron-Blooded Blade and Azure Sword Great Hero?"
"If it's just two Beggar Clan guys dueling, it's no fun, is it?"
"...And those over-the-top, bizarre moves—you put them up to that?"
The shaman shrugged at the question.
"You think common villagers can appreciate real martial arts duels? Gotta make it flashy to watch. You know how much I slaved to sync those two up?"
Naturally, he'd just sat there barking orders.
Right after Il-mok finished speaking.
The Iron-Blooded Blade dramatically slashed downward with his saber, only for the Azure Sword Great Hero to block it.
Boom!!
Amid the massive blast, the two shoved at each other like an intense stare-down.
"Hraaah!"
The Azure Sword Great Hero, seeming to give ground at first, roared and shoved back with his sword.
Whoosh!!
Repelled by the rebound, the Iron-Blooded Blade soared a full zhang into the air, flipped, and landed gracefully.
And in that instant.
"Ooooh!"
"Woooah!"
Cheers began erupting from the crowd, who had watched half-heartedly until now.
Il-mok's second idea for turning Pyeong-ryang County into a cultural arts tourist spot, after the music troupe.
Inspired first by the beggars' looks evoking street performers, then their martial skills—it was pro wrestling.
"See? They're loving it."
The shaman's smug voice made Hong-gae dizzy.
"Woooaaaah!"
Meanwhile, the 'scripted' duel grew ever more spectacular.
"Azure Sword Great Hero! Just a bit more!!"
The crowd's cheers and shouts swelled.
The 'good guy' Azure Sword Great Hero was subtly on the back foot.
"Uahaha! That all you got?"
The Iron-Blooded Blade's awkwardly villainous bellows only heated the atmosphere more.
"This ends it!"
With another clumsy roar, he swung his saber in a huge arc.
The Azure Sword Great Hero, rolling on the ground to barely hold on, unleashed his ultimate move for a dramatic comeback.
"Wooooaaaah!!"
"Azure Sword Great Hero!! Azure Sword Great Hero!!!"
The crowd's cheers hit fever pitch.
As Hong-gae stared in stunned disbelief at the farce, the shaman crowed triumphantly.
"Get it? In Pyeong-ryang County, nothing matters more than joy. Pure, unadulterated fun—the kind that makes the paradise from the ghost clovers seem like nothing."
But sadly, the one enlightened by his words wasn't Hong-gae.
"This humble commoner has gained profound insight from Maitreya's incarnation once more! I'll show you joy from our Maitreya Cult that rivals theirs!"
Baek-cheon, having watched Il-mok's show to the end from behind, suddenly snatched a troupe instrument and stormed the stage.
Infusing it with inner energy, he played and sang, the notes blasting powerfully in all directions.
Il-mok watched briefly, felt something lacking, and sent a transmission to Baek-cheon.
- Gotta please the eyes too, not just the ears. Shake that head nice and wild.
Baek-cheon's eyes widened at the transmission, then he thrashed the instrument wildly while whipping his hair around like a traditional performer.
"Ooooh!"
Only then did the crowd erupt in cheers, spurring Baek-cheon to shake his whole body in a frenzy.
Il-mok nodded at the sight.
"Right. Gotta shake the hair for real joy."
The city of joy.
That was Pyeong-ryang County's path forward.
Hong-gae, overhearing Il-mok's mutter beside him, felt his dizziness intensify.
'I've... gotta get out of here.'
It felt like demonic possession would return any second.
* * *
A few days later.
In the Martial Alliance's heartland near Dongting Lake.
Hu-gae, who had flown on lightfoot skill nonstop for days, met with Flying Dragon Hall Leader Jeong Young there.
After hearing Hu-gae's account of the horrors in Gong-jong Mountain and Pyeong-ryang County, Jeong Young swallowed a sigh inwardly.
'The Demonic Cult alone is headache enough, now the Blood Cult pops up.'
Jeong Young, who had sent his most trusted subordinates to Shin-gang to investigate the Demonic Cult's Eight Young Masters, faced a headache from all angles.
But he couldn't ignore this.
It was too horrific, and the [Blood Lord Record] Hu-gae brought reeked unmistakably of Blood Cult ties.
As he pondered the tangled mess, a suspicion suddenly struck Jeong Young.
"Could that Maitreya Cult be tied to the Demonic Cult? Maybe a ploy to dodge suspicion."
At his suspicion, Hu-gae showed clear displeasure.
"I've already checked that much. They're definitely not Demonic Cult lackeys."
Hu-gae recalled the Maitreya Cult leader's words—"Heavenly Demon's Heir"—and answered firmly.
"Then it's settled."
Flying Dragon Hall Leader Jeong Young nodded in acceptance, then spoke as if it just occurred to him.
"Oh, by the way, was there a man who looks like this in the Maitreya Cult?"
Jeong Young pulled out a portrait sketch and handed it to Hu-gae.
It was a sketch of one of the Demonic Cult's Eight Young Masters, drawn by his planted agents in Shin-gang.
Having learned recently that the Eight Young Masters were away on the Heavenly Demon's orders, Jeong Young wondered if...
The issue was Hu-gae's firm denial of any Demonic Cult ties.
So he omitted mentioning it was an Eight Young Master portrait. No need to rile the Beggar Clan.
He also hid his secret probe into the Eight Young Masters and Demonic Cult.
"It's a man our Flying Dragon Hall is tracking, but his whereabouts are mysterious lately, so I thought to ask."
At the Flying Dragon Hall Leader's words, Hu-gae peered intently at the sketch.
The key Maitreya Cult figures Hu-gae had met directly numbered only their leader.
And even he wore a mask, obscuring his exact face.
"No one like this."
Hu-gae stated it without hesitation.
Even with the mask, he'd noted the eyes, mouth, and facial outline.
None matched the sketch.
'Other differences aside, the eyes are completely different.'
The Maitreya leader he remembered had deeply cunning eyes.
Weathered by the world's harsh storms, unshakable by trifles—indifferent, world-weary orbs.
In crude terms, rotten pollack eyes.
Nothing like the vibrant, spirited gaze in the sketch.
"But just from the portrait, he seems a bold young hero full of vigor. Why's Flying Dragon Hall after someone like that?"
At Hu-gae's question, the Hall Leader gave his prepared answer.
"Looks can be deceiving. He's a lecher who seduces and toys with women using that face."