Chapter 54
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: The Beggar's Return
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“Since you truly seem clueless, there's no need for regrets.”
The man muttered in a chilling voice as he raised his sword. Sword qi shimmered and gathered along its blade.
“Farewell.”
Screeech!
The man's sword, infused with qi, came slashing down toward Hyeong Pyo's neck. Those surrounding Hyeong Pyo had no doubt his head would roll.
Clang!
“Urgh!”
The sound was utterly unexpected, leaving everyone bewildered. Their eyes turned to the man, who stood frozen in shock, his sword clattering to the ground.
“W-What are you?!”
As the man shouted, everyone's gaze shifted to Hyeong Pyo. They couldn't hide their astonishment. There stood a man in gray robes—clad in them as if he'd appeared from nowhere—his sword angled downward at his side.
Only then did they realize what that sound had been. The qi-infused sword had been blocked before reaching its target. By the strange man now standing beside Hyeong Pyo.
“What the hell are you?!”
The man yelled again. He had already sensed that Dan Hyeong-u was a master far beyond him. The sword lying on the ground told the whole story.
He had dropped a sword brimming with qi. That meant his own energy had shattered upon impact.
Tension rippled through the eyes of those encircling Hyeong Pyo. The man's shout echoed once more.
“What are you?!”
Only then did Dan Hyeong-u turn to look at him.
“A Beggar Clan member.”
The man's words caught in his throat at Dan Hyeong-u's reply. He could tell from the clothes. But until now, he hadn't even noticed. That was how flustered he was.
The man regained his composure.
He's strong, but we outnumber him. We can win. We've got experts on our side too.
Confidence returned to his eyes. Quietly, he picked up his fallen sword.
“Mighty suspicious. A Beggar Clan member? And one this strong... Now I see—the Henan Escort Bureau is no joke. You must have the antidote to the Lone Solitude poison too, right?”
The man said to Hyeong Pyo. But Hyeong Pyo didn't respond. He couldn't. He was the most shocked of them all.
Dan Hyeong-u was supposed to be in Soju right now. Yet here he was. How could this be?
“The others?”
Dan Hyeong-u asked Hyeong Pyo. Hyeong Pyo snapped back to reality. But he couldn't answer. He didn't know where the others were either.
As Hyeong Pyo hesitated, the man's shout rang out.
“What are you waiting for?! You going to let them escape?!”
The encirclement surged forward. They had to take out Dan Hyeong-u first. Hyeong Pyo was already too exhausted to fight or flee. Eliminate Dan Hyeong-u, and everything would return to normal.
These pursuers were mostly skilled fighters. The lesser ones were chasing Jo Seol-yeon. They were running late, but with their numbers, they'd catch her for sure.
In any case, attacks as flashy as their skill rained down on Dan Hyeong-u.
Sword qi thickly filled the air, engulfing him from all sides.
Flash!
A bolt of lightning struck. All the sword qi that had blanketed Dan Hyeong-u vanished with it.
Dan Hyeong-u's icy gaze shifted. Lightning crashed wherever it fell.
Flash!
The man at the front split in two.
Just two bolts halted everyone in their tracks. No one could move. The astonishing sight rooted them to the spot.
An irresistible terror paralyzed them all.
“Seol-yeon?”
Dan Hyeong-u asked. Hyeong Pyo shook his head.
“I don't know. I got separated from the rest.”
Without hesitation, Dan Hyeong-u grabbed Hyeong Pyo's arm. Hyeong Pyo, slumped on the ground, was yanked to his feet.
Dan Hyeong-u took a single step. A fierce wind slapped Hyeong Pyo's face, forcing his eyes shut.
It was over in an instant. A gale so strong it choked his breath battered him.
When the wind died and Hyeong Pyo opened his eyes, they were in a dense forest thick with trees. People were visible ahead, searching for something. None looked ordinary.
“Who goes there?!”
One spotted them and shouted. Hyeong Pyo flinched, but Dan Hyeong-u merely took another step.
Wind whipped his face again. Hyeong Pyo squeezed his eyes shut once more.
This repeated several times. Only then did Hyeong Pyo realize Dan Hyeong-u was searching for Jo Seol-yeon.
On the seventh time, he finally saw her—along with the Beggar Clan members. They weren't in good shape either.
They were surrounded by pursuers after all.
“M-Miss!”
Hyeong Pyo cried out. Jo Seol-yeon turned in shock. Her body froze.
“B-Brother...”
Jo Seol-yeon couldn't collect her thoughts. This was impossible. Of course, she'd desperately wished for it deep down. To see Dan Hyeong-u one last time.
But she never imagined it would become reality like this.
Tears welled up in Jo Seol-yeon's eyes and trickled down. Maybe this was a dream. Maybe she'd already died, and this was her dream in the afterlife.
As her vision blurred, Dan Hyeong-u stood before her. He wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb.
“Tears.”
Dan Hyeong-u's chest stirred. A strange emotion welled up from deep within. Come to think of it, he'd felt this every time he saw tears.
The first time with Jo Seol-yeon's tears. Then with Umun Hye's. And now again with Jo Seol-yeon's, his heart moved.
Now that I think about it...
He'd never seen women's tears before. The women in hell who drove him and his comrades to death had seduced with beauty, smiles, and allure—but never tears. They might not even be capable of them.
“Don't cry.”
Jo Seol-yeon's eyes widened at his words. She never dreamed she'd hear that from him. Dan Hyeong-u wiped her tears once more and turned away.
The warriors encircling them came into view. Dressed in varied attire, wielding diverse weapons. They couldn't hide their tension at the newcomer.
A strange sensation hung in the air. No one had seen Dan Hyeong-u approach Jo Seol-yeon. Just one step, and he was there—piercing their airtight formation.
Dan Hyeong-u slowly drew his sword. As the blade emerged inch by inch, it unleashed a terrifying energy in all directions. The warriors flinched at the ominous pressure and stepped back in unison.
Finally, the sword was fully unsheathed.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind erupted centered on Dan Hyeong-u.
The warriors caught in it all sensed death looming inescapably.
Dan Hyeong-u's sword rose slowly. Once it came down, none would survive.
No one else might know, but the Henan Escort Bureau folk understood this all too well.
Yet the raised sword did not descend.
Dan Hyeong-u's gaze shifted sideways. Somehow, Jo Seol-yeon had grabbed his arm, pleading with her eyes. Meeting his gaze, she shook her head.
“Please don't. They have their own complicated circumstances. Besides, no one's died yet.”
Only then did Dan Hyeong-u glance at the Beggar Clan members. Some were injured, but all still lived.
He scanned the surroundings briefly.
The sword returned to its sheath.
Jo Seol-yeon let out a sigh of relief. She turned to the encircling warriors and spoke.
“Please, just go back. I swear, we're not involved in that incident. If we were, why would we be running like this?”
Her words were simple, yet carried a peculiar persuasiveness.
But the warriors couldn't simply leave. They had their own positions to uphold.
Their orders were to escort the entire Henan Escort Bureau group.
“We'd like nothing more. But it's gone too far to turn back now. If you're so innocent, just come with us.”
Jo Seol-yeon turned at the voice. A stern-faced middle-aged man stood there. Truth be told, none here truly believed the Henan Escort Bureau had done it.
Especially since they lacked the power for such a feat.
“Do you really think we'll come back alive if we do?”
The man fell silent at Jo Seol-yeon's question. They wouldn't. The sects represented here were desperate.
Those poisoned by Lone Solitude were steadily losing their minds. A bit more time, and they'd become living corpses.
“So please, just leave. We don't want more casualties.”
Her words seemed to worry for their safety at first glance, but everyone knew better. Dan Hyeong-u's presence was that overwhelming.
“No matter how strong, one hand can't beat ten. If you won't come quietly, we'll have to get rough.”
Jo Seol-yeon bowed her head at the middle-aged man's words. There was nothing more she could do. The encirclement began to tighten slowly. Killing intent emanated faintly from their gripped weapons.
Dan Hyeong-u watched impassively, then drew his sword.
The silently revealed blade caught the light and gleamed.
The moment it appeared, murderous energy radiated outward. Everyone squeezed their eyes shut against it. It felt like thin blades slicing every inch of their bodies.
It hurt.
“Urgh!”
Someone groaned, unable to endure. As if on cue, groans erupted from all around.
“Ugh...”
“Kuh!”
The warriors surrounding the Henan Escort Bureau staggered and knelt one by one. Propping themselves with their weapons, they stared at Dan Hyeong-u in fear.
He'd merely drawn his sword, yet its aura had cut them.
Dan Hyeong-u's sword rose slowly. The kneeling warriors, unable to move, grew paler by the second.
“Brother, wait. Just a moment, please.”
Jo Seol-yeon stepped forward again. She gazed pleadingly at the warriors slumped around them.
“I beg you. Please withdraw.”
The warriors looked up at her in surprise. This was clearly a moment they should die. If it were them, they would have.
Leaving no future threats was best. They'd all thought that, and when the sword rose, most had accepted death.
Yet Jo Seol-yeon intervened again. This time, it felt profoundly different.
“I truly don't want anyone hurt.”
Heads bowed low.
“We'll go.”
It was the first middle-aged man.
“Great hero! No! How can we retreat?!”
“If we go back like this, Gwanghan Sect is finished!”
The others felt the same. Key sect elders were poisoned by Lone Solitude, their minds fading. Worse, the more they lost themselves, the more savage they grew.
Returning empty-handed meant no sect could survive. It might even plunge the world into chaos.
They had to kill the poisoned before that happened. But who could slay their own sect's elders?
Without removing the poison, destruction was inevitable.
“Staying here changes nothing. Better to return and find another way.”
The warriors bit their lips at the middle-aged man's words. He might be right. But the Henan Escort Bureau was right there.
“You truly swear you had no hand in it?”
The Gwanghan Sect man who'd protested glared at Jo Seol-yeon with bloodshot eyes. She shook her head firmly, without a hint of hesitation.
“We didn't do it.”
“Nngh...”
He'd suspected as much. Still, he clung to any straw. The Henan Escort Bureau was that straw.
“I'll head back too.”
Even the Gwanghan Sect warrior turned away. One by one, the others bowed their heads and followed.
They had no choice. Staying meant death anyway.
Better to return to their sects and seek alternatives.
Jo Seol-yeon watched them go in a daze. These were the same people who'd refused to believe them no matter what.
They'd hounded them with claims of clear evidence, yet now they scattered in an instant.
Her gaze turned to Dan Hyeong-u.
This was possible because of him. Beyond his monstrous strength, Dan Hyeong-u exuded something profoundly enigmatic.
“Brother...”
Jo Seol-yeon called cautiously. Suddenly, it felt like a dream or illusion. Too unreal.
Dan Hyeong-u dispelled her doubt instantly. With a radiant smile.
Jo Seol-yeon stared blankly at it. She never knew he could smile so brightly. Before, his smiles had been mere twitches at the corner of his mouth.
“B-Brother... Y-You're back.”
Even as she spoke, she pitied herself. In this moment, all she could say was that?
Her cheeks flushed faintly.
Dan Hyeong-u kept smiling, gazing at her face. He answered softly.
“I'm a Beggar Clan member. Of the Henan Escort Bureau.”
His words crashed through Jo Seol-yeon's heart like a storm.