Chapter 108: A Trivial Misunderstanding (2)
The beggar jumped in surprise at Han Bin's words.
"What? You want to mooch food off a beggar?"
"I'm worse off than a beggar."
"Worse than a beggar? Where's that exist?"
"A dirt beggar!"
Han Bin casually curled his lips into a smirk, and the mad beggar waved him off.
"Today's my unlucky day."
Meanwhile, the Sapa warriors raced toward the cliff.
The female Sapa warrior leading them halted at the edge.
"What in the world..."
She couldn't close her gaping mouth at the devastating scene before her.
Nothing floated on the river below.
Steep cliffs dotted with jagged rocks made it impossible to see clearly underneath.
No one could survive a fall from there.
"Please!"
Clenching her fists, the woman prayed fervently for the Red Dragon Great Hero's safety.
That was when someone grabbed her shoulder.
Turning, she saw Black-Clothed Deathwind shaking his head.
Black-Clothed Deathwind gazed at her with a complex mix of emotions.
To him, it was clear Han Bin had died for the Sapa cause.
Why would Hebei Paeng Family's fourth young master die for Sapa?
It was a mystery that would remain unsolved forever.
Turning away, Black-Clothed Deathwind signaled to Pretty Meat Boy.
It was a gesture meaning: Never reveal the Red Dragon Great Hero's identity.
If it came out, the righteous factions would tarnish the Hebei Paeng Family's name, while Sapa would eye them with suspicion.
To Black-Clothed Deathwind, the title of Hebei Paeng Family's fourth young master meant nothing now.
In his heart burned only those four words: Red Dragon Great Hero.
At that moment, the female warrior's eyes gleamed as she spoke.
"Let's all search together. If the Red Dragon Great Hero survived, he might desperately need our help. Just as he extended a saving hand to us, we can't give up until the end."
At her words, the Sapa warriors raised their weapons high and roared.
"Let's find him together!"
"For the Red Dragon Great Hero!"
Their resounding cries echoed so powerfully that even Han Bin on the ferry could hear them.
Of course, to Han Bin, it sounded like they were steeling themselves for pursuit.
* * *
That evening, as the sun dipped below the western horizon...
A well-prepared rabbit sizzled over the campfire in front of Han Bin.
That sound was sweeter than the strains of a seven-string zither from the Central Plains' finest pleasure house.
In short, the beggar had kept his promise.
As he diligently roasted the rabbit, the beggar asked Han Bin,
"You rotten bastard, be honest!"
"Honest about what?"
"Did you really try to jump off the waterfall with me earlier?"
"Of course. Would you keep hold of the oars in that situation?"
Their bickering continued even at the dinner table.
The beggar stared at Han Bin, then opened his mouth in disbelief.
"So your specialty is mutual destruction or something?"
"Hah! How'd you guess?"
Han Bin clicked his tongue.
In his past life, he had indeed gone down in mutual destruction.
Hell, just moments ago, he'd done the same with the remnant blood demon Im Gil-tae.
Of course, the beggar had guessed by coincidence, but it was spot on.
Amazed, Han Bin's reaction made the beggar's eyes widen further.
His surprise lasted only a moment before he waved it off in resignation and offered the fully cooked rabbit skewer.
"Bah, you mad bastard! Eat this."
"Thanks, I'll dig in."
As Han Bin reached for the skewer and brought it to his mouth...
The beggar grabbed his staff.
Without warning, he thrust it straight at Han Bin's head.
Whoosh.
The staff flew precisely toward his brow.
Instinctively, Han Bin stepped back half a pace and leaned his upper body away.
Han Bin narrowed his eyes.
'Huh?'
The staff halted.
It was a feint.
Whoosh!
In the same instant, the staff changed direction.
The beggar effortlessly snatched Han Bin's rabbit skewer.
Catching him off guard, Han Bin blankly stared at his now-empty hand.
The beggar burst into laughter.
"I kept my promise."
"This is keeping your promise?"
"You asked for food, and I gave it."
"This is ridiculous."
"That's it. I never said I'd let you eat in peace. If you're pissed, take it back with skill. I won't use my inner power."
Grinning amiably as if giving him a handicap, the beggar beckoned.
Han Bin smirked again.
Even starving to death, the thrill of competition revived his spirits.
Truly, the ancient sage's words rang true: life was a chain of gambles and showdowns.
Without a word, Han Bin eyed the beggar and lunged with a skewer thrust.
The beggar raised his staff in response.
Left, right.
Behind.
The staff moved so fast it blurred to the eye.
It was like an adult toying with a puppy.
'Puppy?'
Han Bin sucked in a sharp breath inwardly.
The staff's movements were unmistakably Subduing Dog Play.
A technique born from the saying that playing with a dog before eating it on a hot day tenderizes the meat.
It meant toying with the opponent before striking.
At this rate, Han Bin might end up skinned like a dog on a hot day.
He narrowed his eyes.
Should he rise to the provocation or back off prudently?
That was when Han Bin spotted flickering points.
They emanated from the rabbit meat the beggar had snatched.
Han Bin gauged the beggar and himself.
This beggar was mid-Super Peak.
Normally, not an opponent he could handle.
Moving now risked reopening his wounds.
'Can I snag that rabbit meat in this state?'
Doubt flickered briefly before Han Bin licked his lips.
Not for the meat, but for the formulas shining from it.
Treating the skewer as a sword, Han Bin extended his arm and charged.
'Lightning Flash!'
'One Touch Instant Strike!'
In a flash, Han Bin snapped his ankle like a grasshopper's kick.
Pouring every last drop of his remaining power.
His own inner energy was depleted now.
'Argh!'
Pain surged from his side wound.
But Han Bin ignored it, deploying footwork to execute the technique.
Victory came first.
Especially since the formulas gleamed mockingly from the rabbit meat—not quite human, but infused with the beggar's effort.
Han Bin recalled one more fact.
Formulas could be seen not just in people, but in objects bearing their intent.
Crack.
At Han Bin's sudden move, the beggar swiftly dodged right.
Han Bin twisted his wrist to match.
Slash!
The beggar hurriedly pulled the rabbit meat behind him.
Han Bin pressed on relentlessly.
Focusing on the meat and the beggar's movements.
In his current state, snatching it directly was impossible.
He had to force the beggar to offer it up.
His body melding with the skewer's tip like one, Han Bin shot forward like an arrow.
The method of One Touch Instant Strike.
Of course, he lacked the inner power for the true Yongrin Sword Art version.
But repeated use had let him mimic the form.
Though its power fell short of the original.
Han Bin thrust as if to pierce the beggar's throat.
A faint sword aura flickered at the skewer's tip.
As if his body had become the arrowhead.
Unhesitating, the skewer closed the shortest path, slicing the air with a bang.
Pop.
Pure muscle power produced the speed.
The beggar retreated a step in haste, but Han Bin narrowed the gap relentlessly.
Two hand spans, one.
Finally, it connected.
Pierce.
The skewer embedded itself.
At the same time, the beggar yelled,
"You rotten bastard, trying to kill a beggar!"
The skewer hadn't pierced the beggar's throat.
It struck dead center in the rabbit meat.
Cornered, the beggar had used it as a shield.
Of course, several feints preceded the snatch.
The beggar stared wide-eyed, unsure what technique had fooled him.
Han Bin didn't care—he yanked the rabbit meat toward himself.
"You were aiming for my life!"
The beggar shouted furiously.
Han Bin replied nonchalantly.
Half right, half wrong.
If the technique had failed, it wouldn't have been fatal, but some part of the beggar would've been pierced.
The technique's target was the rabbit meat.
In conclusion, Han Bin's attack succeeded.
Ignoring the beggar, Han Bin stared ahead.
Confirming sword formulas.
Available.
Han Bin nodded.
At once, the glow scattered, forming letters in the air.
Methods to replenish basic manual formulas aren't limited to time. If all basic manual formulas are depleted, reacquire them via the initial learning method.
Han Bin narrowed his eyes.
It meant he could recover formulas without waiting twelve hours.
In a way, he'd learned how to shore up a weakness.
A stepping stone to the next leap—he couldn't help but smile.
Gazing into empty space with a grin, Han Bin only enraged the beggar further.
"Why're you just laughing? You were trying to kill me, right?"
"I was clearly aiming for the rabbit meat. It might've accidentally hit your face, but..."
"No, you were after my throat. I felt it."
"..."
Ignoring him, Han Bin tore into the rabbit meat.
Swallowing a mouthful, he opened wide.
"Whoa!"
The flavor drew an involuntary exclamation.
Crispy outside, tender inside—not ordinary skill.
Grinning, Han Bin prompted the beggar to yell,
"You try to kill a man and now the food goes down easy?"
"Let's eat first!"
Han Bin devoured the rest.
Finishing one skewer, he reached for another, making the beggar leap up.
"Why won't you answer? You aimed for my throat at the end, didn't you?"
More curious about the skewer's target than his near-death—it confirmed he was mad.
Han Bin waved his skewer.
"Eat first. You not eating? Got any booze? Hand it over."
He pointed to the gourd at the beggar's waist.
The beggar hid it protectively.
"No way."
"Feels heavy without something to wash it down."
"Ahem, damn it."
Coughing awkwardly, the beggar offered the gourd.
Han Bin uncorked it casually and wet his lips.
In his past life, he could've downed bottles, but now his body couldn't handle much.
Even a sip sent burning heat down his throat.
"Ahh! Good stuff."
Letting out a satisfied groan, Han Bin passed it back.
The beggar took a swig and narrowed his eyes.
"Now talk."
"Nothing much. I copied you."
"Copied me?"
"You feinted first to steal the meat. So did I."
Of course, the feint's method differed.
The beggar eyed him intently.
That gaze held more than curiosity about the technique.
After a long stare, he took another drink and spoke.
"I'm Gwanggae of the Beggar Clan. You?"
He offered the booze-filled gourd.
Hearing that, Han Bin nearly spat out his meat.
A familiar face from his past life.
A moniker blending "mad light" and "damned beggar."
Simply put: Mad Beggar.
Among rivers and lakes folk, if naming the craziest, Gwanggae of the Beggar Clan topped the list.
Three men who loved battle like maniacs.
Rivers and lakes folk called them the Murim Three Madmen.