The Fall of the Beggars' Sect (1)
'It's not yet time for the Seok Family to get involved.'
Hyeon Yucheon thought as much.
He had slain every last member of the Seok Family's Hubei branch, siphoned off their wealth, and staged the scene to look as if nothing had happened.
As though they had simply vanished into thin air.
At the same time, he had eliminated the investigators from the Blood Dragon Room and the eldest martial brothers whom he had ordered to probe the mystery, buying himself some time.
Soon enough, word would spread that Seok Mugeong, who oversaw the Seok Family's Hubei branch, had met with Hong In-gyeol of the Beggars' Sect—but for now, he could contain it with both hands if needed.
'Because the Beggars' Sect, the sole group with the intelligence network to uncover and verify such news from the orthodox factions, is about to crumble.'
Hyeon Yucheon's plan was straightforward.
Isolate news of Seok Mugeong's disappearance while simultaneously dismantling the Beggars' Sect, the only ones capable of digging into its truth.
Conveniently, Dorong Geosa, the former Dragon Head Chief of the Beggars' Sect's Dragon Head Division, had thoroughly concealed his trip to the Hubei branch.
Only a scant few elders privy to the sect's eight knots would even know.
-The Beggars' Sect's Dragon Head Chief and one of the Heaven's Five Venerables, Dorong Geosa Hong In-gyeol, has fallen in a one-on-one duel!
-His conqueror? The rising sovereign of the unorthodox world, Mugeom Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon!
-Not only defeated by a young unorthodox expert, but even the Taegu Staff—symbol of the Dragon Head Chief—was seized!
-Rumors say Hong In-gyeol even shamelessly unleashed the Mad Dog Three Elders, only to meet a gruesome end!
Hyeon Yucheon struck first, spreading the rumors across Hubei Province and the entire martial world.
Haomen's leader, So Jaun, had naturally played a pivotal role in disseminating them.
At first, everyone was skeptical.
One of the Heaven's Five Venerables losing to some young punk? It didn't add up.
"We spread the rumors, but no one's buying it—what do we do?"
So Jaun turned to Hyeon Yucheon in a fluster, but he just grinned.
"People only believe what they see with their own eyes. Simple enough."
Dismissing it casually, Hyeon Yucheon led her outside.
Swoosh!
In one hand, he brandished the Beggars' Sect's emblem—the divine relic of its chief, the Taegu Staff.
"Where are we going?"
Even Haomen's leader, who pierced the veil of the vast martial world, was thrown off.
"Follow me."
Surprisingly, his destination was Haeha Guest House, the most renowned inn in all the North.
"Why here...?"
"You'll see."
Thud!
Hyeon Yucheon even paraded the Taegu Staff openly before the crowds, entering and exiting the inn to draw every eye.
"Whoa, isn't that the Taegu Staff?"
"Looks like the rumors are true."
"I didn't believe it—damn it!"
By now, no one could deny it.
Haeha Guest House sat by the Haeha River, Hubei's lifeline, where merchants and warriors flowed ceaselessly. Word would spread like wildfire.
But Hyeon Yucheon couldn't predict everything.
"Young Master Hyeon!"
The owner, Jeong Se-in, lit up at news of his arrival and rushed over.
Yet what was this?
"...?!"
Clinging to his side was a peerless beauty whose face veil seemed on the verge of shredding from her sheer allure.
"Young... Master Hyeon? Who's this with you?"
Hyeon Yucheon, seeing nothing amiss with So Jaun, started to brush it off casually—but he couldn't match her cunning in such matters.
"Oh ho ho hot! Hello~ I'm Baek Ri-hyang, the one sneaking off on a secret honeymoon trip with Young Master Hyeon this time."
"Baek Ri-hyang?"
To rile Jeong Se-in further, So Jaun cooed with exaggerated charm, even sniffing daintily.
But she had overlooked something.
Jeong Se-in instantly recognized the name of Manrak Palace's Moonlit Ghost, Baek Ri-hyang.
'Ah, so Young Master Hyeon's business went well.'
All misunderstandings cleared in a flash.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Jeong Se-in, Young Master Hyeon's closest confidante—like family!"
Yet a subtle rivalry simmered between women.
Jeong Se-in sharpened her tone, emphasizing closest and family.
"Oh my~ If you're family, like a big sis or little sis? Pleased to meet you, oh ho ho hot!"
Jeong Se-in gave her all, but against the battle-hardened So Jaun, she could only seethe inwardly.
But their spat wasn't the priority now.
"Are you Hyeon Yucheon of the Demon Sword Sect?"
Amid the two stunning beauties flanking him, sturdy beggars poured into the inn.
Just as Hyeon Yucheon had foreseen.
'They've come at last.'
As the fish—no, the beggars—bit at his baited Taegu Staff, he inwardly rejoiced with a grin.
"Nope."
He scowled at the foul-smelling horde invading the pristine inn, his reply curt.
"What?"
"Not some lowly disciple of the Demon Sword Sect—I'm its lord."
At Hyeon Yucheon’s words—sharp as a dagger that kills with a single inch of steel—the Beggars’ Sect deputy leader who had spoken to him, Iron-Heart Beggar Hwang Chun, finally realized what he meant.
"Forgive our haste—we meant no offense. A pleasure, Lord Hyeon Yucheon. I am Hwang Chun, Iron Heart Beggar, vice-chief of the Great Beggars' Sect."
Proudly, Hwang Chun displayed the eight knots at his waist.
"Iron Heart Beggar or neighborhood stray—makes no difference to me... I love this inn, but you beggars swarming in like this are ruining business. What's the meaning of this?"
Hyeon Yucheon remained prickly.
The reason was simple.
'These fools don't know who's master and who's guest here.'
They didn't grasp who held the power.
With the Taegu Staff and his other cards, it was the Beggars' Sect who should bow low.
Yet they dismissed him as unorthodox riffraff.
"Hmph, just as rumored. This won't take long."
As Hwang Chun reached slyly for the Taegu Staff, it happened.
Slap!
Enraged at his brazen approach, the Black Wolf Three Swords—who had watched with glaring axe-like eyes—leveled their blades at him in unison.
Clang!
As their swords flashed free, the Beggars' Sect elites Hwang Chun had brought, the Red Clothes Squad, drew their weapons in kind.
"Drawing blades out of nowhere—what insolence!"
Hwang Chun bellowed, but surprisingly, Jeong Se-in spoke up.
"You're the rude one, Vice-Chief. Who reaches for another's possession like that?"
She was spot on.
Their arrogance stemmed from the orthodox belief in their superiority over the unorthodox.
"I wasn't stealing! I merely sought to verify if it might be our sect's relic..."
As Hwang Chun spouted nonsense,
"It's the real Taegu Staff."
Hyeon Yucheon said coolly, propping his chin on the inn table.
"What?"
"Ears that dull—how do you beg for scraps? I said it's real."
"...!!"
Hwang Chun reeled at the bombshell.
"Why do you have it...?"
"One: Dorong Geosa Hong In-gyeol and I fought a fair one-on-one. Two: He lost, I won. Three: As victor, I claimed the spoils."
Hyeon Yucheon continued calmly.
"Your turn. If you'd beaten an unorthodox fighter and taken a fine elixir, weapon, or treasure, would you return it to their sect?"
A simple matter.
Of course, among noble orthodox sects, such spoils were often returned.
He didn't deny that.
But between orthodox and unorthodox? No such courtesy applied.
Orthodox warriors often hunted weaker unorthodox foes for loot.
"Urgh, that's..."
Hwang Chun, the vice-chief, had no rebuttal to Hyeon Yucheon's flawless logic.
'Our sect's symbol in foreign hands...'
The Taegu Staff dangled like a fishing rod already—furious and speechless, his rage boiled over.
So he grasped at straws.
"Where's your proof you beat our chief fairly?"
Forced to resort to denial.
"Yeah! Makes sense."
"Maybe our chief just lost it?"
"Right! Dorong Geosa's such an eccentric sage, carefree with worldly goods—he might've misplaced it."
They deified him as some immortal, spouting absurdities.
"Pfft—haha!"
Even So Jaun burst out laughing.
'What? Eccentric sage? No greed for worldly things?'
That same man had pawned bills to the Seok Family and leered at her figure?
To So Jaun, who knew the truth, it was hilarious.
"Hear that, Demon Sword Lord? Our chief's an eccentric—prone to loss or theft. Hand it over nicely..."
Sick of words, Hyeon Yucheon signaled So Jaun.
Thud!
She dropped something bundled in cloth.
Roll, roll!
It even tumbled across the floor.
"Hm?"
Hwang Chun cut off, eyeing the round object—then,
"Gasp! N-Nooo!"
A glimpse of facial features through the cloth left him aghast.
Indeed.
To their horror, what So Jaun had tossed was none other than the head of Hong In-gyeol—Dragon Head Chief of the Beggars' Sect, one of the Heaven's Five Venerables.
"This... this outrage!"
"Heaven's wrath upon these fiends!"
"How dare you behead our Dragon Head Chief...!"
They'd doubted the duel moments ago; now, with his head before them, they leaped as if to pierce the inn's roof.
"Believe me now? That old coot died by my hand."
Hyeon Yucheon pressed on relentlessly.
Deliberately provocative.
"You must've used trickery!"
Hwang Chun screamed, still doubting.
His faith in Hong In-gyeol shattered, eyes wild.
"No—the trickery was Hong In-gyeol's."
"Exactly. He cowardly unleashed those Mad Dog Three Elders or whatever."
So Jaun, eyewitness to the bout, testified vividly.
And more.
Swoosh!
From her bosom, she drew a small bundle.
The Beggars' Sect's famed eight-knot tie—impossible for outsiders to forge.
Ooooooh!
Three such knots from the elders surfaced; the inn's crowd, gathered like clouds, erupted in cheers.
Proof undeniable.
"Impossible!"
As Hwang Chun and the Red Clothes Squad denied still, Hyeon Yucheon rose calmly.
"If you won't believe, shall we put it to the test?"