Temporary Disciple (3)
Hanbin narrowed his eyes, and Hong Chilgae backpedaled while waving his hands.
"I'm not here to beg. I just came by because I had something to ask."
"Ask away, Beggar Grandpa."
"Could you drop the 'beggar' part, though?"
This was sincere.
The Beggar Clan was indeed a group of beggars, but hearing "beggar this, beggar that" repeated by someone much younger like Hanbin somehow bruised his pride.
Actually, this was a first for him.
It felt like his emotions were getting all tangled up.
Exactly that.
Without missing a beat, Hanbin fired off another question.
"So, you're not a beggar grandpa?"
"Well, that's not... "
"If you're from the Beggar Clan, you're a beggar, right?"
"Ah, it's not about the facts—it's about the feeling."
"Should I call you Hong Chilgae Grandpa, then?"
"Fine... yeah, sure. Ahem."
Hong Chilgae cleared his throat awkwardly again, and Hanbin's eyes sparkled.
"So, what brings you here, Grandpa?"
At the word "Grandpa," Hong Chilgae's expression softened like a spring day bathed in sunlight.
Staring blankly at Hanbin, he suddenly remembered why he'd come.
But seeing Hanbin standing there all innocent and clueless made the words stick in his throat.
Still, he had to ask.
If he didn't, he'd be up all night tossing and turning.
After a long silence, Hong Chilgae finally spoke.
"I want to know your level of martial prowess."
It was a somewhat vague question.
Hanbin had a hunch, but he put on an innocently puzzled face and played dumb.
"My martial arts?"
"That's right."
Hong Chilgae nodded vigorously like a bobblehead.
But the atmosphere felt a bit off.
Jo Ho, standing nearby, started twitching at the corner of his mouth.
"Ahem, cough. Well, Young Master, it's not so much martial arts as..."
Of course, he couldn't bring himself to say "scam" out loud.
Jo Ho chuckled softly, while Jangsan choked and stammered.
Seeing this, Hong Chilgae furrowed his brow.
"Why are you laughing like that?"
At the question, Jangsan and Jo Ho both clamped their mouths shut.
They'd just remembered who this man in front of them was.
One of the One Hundred Great Masters of the righteous factions!
Realizing his mistake, Jo Ho's hand trembled on his sword hilt without him even noticing.
Tremble, tremble.
Moreover, it wasn't something he could boast about or brush off lightly as a subordinate.
As Jangsan and Jo Ho floundered, Hanbin spoke casually.
"I've got a weak heart, so until recently, I couldn't even step into the training grounds. I only started learning martial arts lately."
Hong Chilgae's eyes widened.
"You only started learning martial arts recently..."
"Yeah, basically a mental issue. My heart was too weak."
"Oh my, that's terrible."
"I heard even a Shaolin Great Returning Pill couldn't fix this ailment of the mind."
Hanbin tapped his temple with a finger.
Hong Chilgae sighed deeply, as if it were his own misfortune, listening to Hanbin recount the tale like it was someone else's story.
"Such a tragic affliction... Sigh."
That sigh captured the old man's complicated feelings.
What kind of talent had this young man shown him?
Something felt off, all tangled up.
Then Hanbin continued.
"The illness made me faint at the sight of blood, but recently, it's completely cured—like it was never there."
"Oh, that's wonderful news!"
Hong Chilgae beamed as if it were his own victory.
Now it made sense, cross-referencing with the Beggar Clan's intel.
At that moment, a palpable killing intent emanated from behind.
Riding on that intent, a voice echoed.
"What—is—going—on?"
Everyone's gazes snapped back to the inner gate.
There stood So Daeseop, gripping his sword, radiating murderous aura.
All eyes locked in an instant.
The mood shifted to passing the buck—who would explain this mess?
Hanbin sighed and stepped up.
"Whew, I'll handle it. So Captain."
"What the hell happened this time, my lord? Did you cause another incident?"
"Hey, So Captain, when have I ever caused trouble? This is just some old man I met on the road."
"Really?"
As So Daeseop narrowed his eyes, Hanbin thumped his chest.
"You don't trust me, So Captain?"
"N-no, of course not..."
A black shadow slipped up beside So Daeseop.
And pinched his side without mercy.
"Eek!"
Following the yelp came Sim Miho's sweet, melodic voice.
"Hello. I'm Sim Miho, attendant to my lord. And you are...?"
Thanks to Sim Miho, the tension flipped. Hong Chilgae finally stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.
"I am Hong Chilgae, elder of the Beggar Clan. Truth be told, I saw talent in young Hanbin here and shamelessly came to visit."
At the introduction, So Daeseop jumped in urgently.
"Then you're the Temporary Master, sir?"
"Indeed."
"Subordinate So Daeseop greets the Temporary Master."
So Daeseop bowed deeply, but Hong Chilgae waved it off.
"All empty titles. So, what's your relation to the youngest young master?"
"Well, you see..."
So Daeseop spun a suitably spiced tale of his relationship with Hanbin.
He explained that he and Sim Miho were Hanbin's escorts, and also like nannies sworn to his late mother's dying wish.
A hazy mix of truth and lies. Jo Ho narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
But he didn't butt in.
This morning, he'd been ordered not to interrupt So Daeseop or Sim Miho, no matter what.
Jo Ho's mind reeled.
They'd already conned factions beyond the northern rivers—now even an elder of the Beggar Clan, one of the Nine Great Sects?
And this time, So Daeseop and Sim Miho were in on it.
A glance sideways showed Jangsan wearing the same stunned look.
As if reading Jo Ho's mind, Jangsan gave a subtle head shake.
Don't interfere, as ordered.
While they hesitated, So Daeseop continued his explanation stone-faced.
It was quite a long story.
And he acted like someone delegated partial authority over Hanbin's future.
Hong Chilgae's expression shifted by the moment.
Sim Miho smiled brightly and spoke up.
"Elder Hong Chilgae, does that mean you want to teach our lord?"
The sudden direct question flustered Hong Chilgae.
He did have disciple fever.
But he hadn't committed yet.
He was still testing the waters, savoring the potential.
No wonder they called him the Temporary Master—he hesitated even after biting and chewing!
But denying it? His curiosity about Hanbin pierced the heavens.
Hong Chilgae opened his mouth with an awkward expression.
"Not exactly, but..."
"Then why did you come?"
"I glimpsed some talent, so..."
He trailed off again.
Torn between his wavering heart and his picky gaze.
Sim Miho didn't miss it and pressed.
"So you do want him as a disciple?"
She struck again.
"..."
Hong Chilgae felt like he was sinking into an unfathomable quagmire.
Two silvers received by chance.
And a youth who appeared behind him without a sound.
That sparked his curiosity, leading him here.
It was like reading the first volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms—only for the other side to demand spoilers for the finale.
Hong Chilgae glanced at Hanbin.
He'd set off first, but even using the Beggar Clan's supreme lightness skill, Gugeol Ship-pal-bo, to its peak, Hanbin had beaten him here.
What was Gugeol Ship-pal-bo? The legendary lightness skill of the clan's founder, Jang Chilgong, who circled Shaanxi in a day to procure food for his beggars.
He was confident it matched any lightness skill in the jangho.
Yet this Paeng Hanbin arrived first.
Hanbin clearly had secrets.
Hong Chilgae was dying to know them.
Unknowingly, he nodded.
"I want you as my disciple."
This was his heartfelt truth after brief deliberation.
If not a man of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity like this—who would he take?
Hong Chilgae's face was more resolute than ever.
So Daeseop cut in amid the solemn air.
"Please wait a moment."
As he blocked the way, Sim Miho shot him a glare.
"Why? If it's Elder Hong Chilgae..."
Before she finished, So Daeseop shook his head slightly.
"Not like that."
"Then what?"
"If he's taking a Beggar Clan disciple, doesn't that make my lord a beggar—no, a Beggar Clan member?"
"Oh, then my lord..."
Sim Miho let out a short gasp.
So Daeseop took over.
"I'm worried it'll cost him his candidacy for young clan head successor..."
Hearing this, Hong Chilgae swallowed his boiling rage.
Had a top-one-hundred master like him ever been treated this way?
Wherever he went, young nobles lined up to beg him as their master—enough to stretch ten ri.
Yet the Hebei Paeng Family, claimants to the last seat among the Northern Five Great Families, dared this?
He'd only come to verify, not to force Hanbin as a disciple.
But their attitude was making him itch for it.
His mounting anger felt like demonic possession.
Then Hanbin intervened.
"Hold on! So Captain, Sim Deputy."
"Yes, my lord."
Sim Miho bowed politely, and Hanbin continued.
"Just because the master is a beggar doesn't mean the disciple has to be one, right?"
"What do you mean, my lord?"
As Sim Miho squinted, Hanbin answered without hesitation.
"Even the emperor has a master."
"True."
"Does that make the emperor a scholar when he honors his master?"
"Ah, well..."
Sim Miho trailed off.
But the truly shocked one was Hong Chilgae.
Hanbin's rebuttal was logical.
And he invoked the emperor, no less.
Counter that, and you'd be an unloyal subject.
Hong Chilgae was convinced: Hanbin embodied all five virtues.
Ending the debate, Hanbin turned to Hong Chilgae with a bright smile.
"Right? Grandpa!"
"Yes, exactly!"
As he spoke, Hong Chilgae frantically racked his brain.
The clan rules didn't specify, but had he ever had a non-beggar disciple?
It was confusing.
Before he could think further, Hanbin asked.
"You're not lying about wanting me as a disciple, are you?"
"A man's word is worth a thousand gold—truth since ancient times."
"Then wait here a sec."
Hanbin vanished in a flash.
He returned in the time to sip tea, handing Hong Chilgae a brush and paper.
"What's this?"
"The master-disciple contract."
Hong Chilgae's eyes bulged.
Jo Ho and Jangsan, watching from the side, gawked too.
"Never heard of a master-disciple contract before."
Hong Chilgae's eyes twitched slightly.
"It's what solidifies a man's word worth a thousand gold. It lists the disciple's duties to the master, and..."
Hanbin's mouth spun like a waterwheel, nonstop.