Chapter 75
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: A Beggar's Ransom
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The warriors, suddenly showered with curses, looked bewildered. But that was only the beginning.
Taking it a step further, the beggar before them began to roll on the ground.
“Pay for my gourd! Pay for my family's heirloom, passed down from generation to generation since my great-grandfather's time!”
“This crazy beggar?”
One of the warriors approached I Rip with a menacing look.
Usually, that kind of intimidation alone would be enough to make someone back down.
But something unexpected happened.
As if he'd been waiting for it, the beggar grabbed onto the warrior's pant leg and clung to it.
He tried to shake him off with all his might, but to no avail. No matter how much he struggled, the beggar stuck to him like a leech.
“Oh, good people! Come and see! These ignorant brutes are tormenting a poor, pitiful beggar!”
“...!”
The warriors were at their wits' end.
The man's shrieking was so loud it was nearly deafening.
Moreover, they didn't appreciate the attention they were drawing from the crowd.
“Enough.”
The man who appeared to be the leader of the warriors stepped forward.
A long scar ran from his right forehead, across the bridge of his nose, to the opposite side of his jaw.
It gave the man a naturally chilling appearance.
*Clink.*
He tossed a pouch of silver onto the ground.
From the sound, it seemed to contain a considerable amount.
“That's for the gourd. Now back off.”
I Rip quickly snatched the pouch, opened it to check the contents, then tucked it into his clothes with a grin.
The warriors scowled at the sight.
But since causing a scene would do them no good, they prepared to move on.
“Sirs.”
I Rip suddenly held out his hand.
“It's not enough.”
“What?”
I Rip flashed his yellowed teeth at the dumbfounded warriors.
“It's an heirloom, I tell you. Passed down for fifteen generations.”
“Don't lie! A moment ago, you said it was passed down from your great-grandfather!”
“Ah, that fifteenth-generation ancestor's name was Great-grandfather. His surname was Great, and his given name was Grandfather.”
The warriors were dumbfounded by the nonsensical argument.
Trying to pull a scam in broad daylight, against members of the Martial Alliance's Evil-Shattering Corps, no less!
The man with the scar on his face.
Wang Gon's patience had reached its limit.
“Get lost. Otherwise, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death.”
I Rip shivered at the chilling, murderous tone.
“Oh, how scary. Look at that glare. You're going to kill someone with those eyes.”
“How dare you…”
Wang Gon's hand gripped the hilt of his sword.
But the sword was never drawn.
A hand had appeared like a phantom and seized Wang Gon's own as he tried to draw his blade.
“...!”
A sudden chill ran down Wang Gon's spine.
A master.
And one far beyond his own level!
Not to mention the chilling gaze that pierced through the filthy rags, and the overwhelming presence that pressed down on the surroundings, squeezing his heart.
Wang Gon's eyes widened in shock.
Seeing this, I Rip smirked tauntingly and said,
“Hey, relax those eyes. Keep it up, and I'll make you have a staring contest with this one.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than I Rip snatched the rags off Hong Jeok-mun.
“...Swift Hand As You Wish!”
At the name that escaped Wang Gon's lips, all the Evil-Shattering Corps members froze in place.
‘Does that mean…?’
Wang Gon finally got a proper look at I Rip's face.
‘Damn it!’
To not recognize the leader of the Beggar's Sect right in front of him.
The man had been so distracting and chaotic that his judgment had been clouded.
“Why don't you try breaking this too?”
I Rip thrust out a club that had been tied to his waist.
The sacred object of the sect leader, symbolizing the authority of the Beggar's Sect.
The Dog-Beating Staff.
Wang Gon quickly bowed.
“Wang Gon, Squad Leader of the 9th Squad of the Martial Alliance's Evil-Shattering Corps, greets the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Sect.”
At his words, the other corps members hurriedly followed suit. I Rip waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn't want their greetings.
“Ah, enough of that. Just hurry up and pay for my gourd.”
Wang Gon gritted his teeth.
“...How much will it be?”
“Let's see, how about... ten million nyang?”
It took a moment for the speechless and flabbergasted Wang Gon to regain his composure.
“What is it you want?”
Only then did I Rip's smile fade as he stared into Wang Gon's eyes.
“Go back.”
“What?”
“Are you going deaf at your age? I said turn around and leave.”
“But we are here to carry out the orders of the Martial Alliance…”
“What orders?”
“That is…”
“Did someone badmouth your Alliance Leader again? Or did one of the Ten Great Villains show up?”
“...”
“I'll contact them separately, so just go back.”
“We cannot do that.”
Wang Gon couldn't understand.
The sudden appearance of the Beggar's Sect Leader was one thing, but for him, an ally of the Martial Alliance, to be ordering them away was hard to accept.
That was when I Rip's expression turned icy.
“I hear the Evil-Shattering Corps once captured and interrogated the Divine Physician's son?”
At those words, Wang Gon's eyes wavered significantly.
“Th-that was…”
“It seems the Alliance Leader hasn't received a report about that yet. I suppose it's a story only you guys know about?”
“...”
“I wonder what face the Alliance Leader would make if he found out. That you harshly interrogated the physician who saved his daughter. Oh, right! Was the reason to intimidate the Jinseong Clinic?”
Faced with I Rip's relentless questioning, Wang Gon could only break out in a cold sweat.
“Do you think my words are a joke?”
“N-no, sir!”
I Rip pointed to Hong Jeok-mun.
“You see this man here?”
As Wang Gon flinched, I Rip gave a meaningful smile.
“Someone like me is willing to settle this with words. But this friend of mine…”
I Rip trailed off, and Wang Gon's face contorted.
“Kugh!”
The pressure from the hand gripping his own on the sword hilt had suddenly intensified.
Just before his finger bones were crushed, Wang Gon shouted.
“Stop! Stooop!”
I Rip waved his hand, and the murderous Hong Jeok-mun backed away as if by magic. Wang Gon, still rubbing his pained hand, growled like a wounded animal.
“I will be sure to report that your sect has shown hostility toward our Alliance.”
“You're the one who broke my precious gourd first.”
With an indignant expression, Wang Gon glared at I Rip before turning and leaving with his subordinates.
After they had completely disappeared, Hong Jeok-mun asked,
“Is this really okay? How are you going to handle the fallout?”
“Maybe if I cut off one of your arms, things will work out? After all, the name 'Swift Hand As You Wish' carries some weight.”
“I'm asking because I'm worried your head might get smashed before my arm gets cut off.”
I Rip chuckled.
“You think so?”
“...?”
“How long do you think the Martial Alliance will last?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's already starting to fracture.”
I Rip continued to explain.
“The Martial Alliance fulfilled its purpose after driving out the Demonic Cult. It's been maintained under various pretexts, but even that has reached its limit. For example…”
I Rip's gaze shifted toward somewhere in the marketplace.
“The Huashan Sect being here is also based on their own judgment. If it weren't, there would have been no need to deploy the Evil-Shattering Corps separately.”
Hong Jeok-mun nodded.
“Besides, after the declaration to subjugate the Hundred Great Villains, were there any sects that responded with enthusiasm?”
Aside from the Five Great Families, most sects were only offering passive support.
“The Martial Alliance—no, the Alliance Leader—has already crossed the line, and by a long shot.”
Hong Jeok-mun nodded knowingly at this.
He too had heard rumors.
“Well, the Alliance Leader has been using the Martial Alliance like his private army…”
“The Heavenly Ear Corps has also begun to move in secret. I heard they've started investigating the Alliance Leader's personal corruption.”
“Isn't the head of the Heavenly Ear Corps that wildcat of a girl from the Jegal Family?”
“That's her. She's not called the 'Wise Fox-cat' for nothing. She's cunning as they come.”
I Rip looked up at the overcast sky.
“Namgung Baek has already lost trust. And before long, a schism will begin.”
“But he's not the type to go down without a fight.”
I Rip couldn't deny that.
Namgung Baek was certainly a formidable figure.
“In any case, our Beggar's Sect will be taking a different path from the Martial Alliance. We can't keep dancing to their tune forever.”
“Do you have a justification?”
“We just haven't acted on it, but if you look, there are plenty.”
“For example?”
“The subjugation of the Hundred Great Villains.”
The list of names for which the Martial Alliance had issued kill orders contained a significant number of people who were ambiguous to classify as villains.
Though they were from unorthodox factions, some among them were well-respected, and quite a few had ties to the Beggar's Sect.
“Like Meng Yeom, the 'Mighty Ghost'?”
“Exactly. The Sichuan branch is protecting him right now. And it's not just our Beggar's Sect.”
The martial world is a place tangled in countless complex webs of favor and enmity.
A considerable number of martial artists who were on bad terms with the great families but had friendly relations with other sects were included among the Hundred Great Villains.
“Anyone can see that a great deal of personal sentiment went into compiling that list.”
The Martial Alliance was constantly creating external enemies to maintain its existence.
But in the end, they overplayed their hand.
As they were talking, someone approached the two of them.
“Excuse me, are you the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Sect?”
“Hm?”
I Rip looked down to see who was speaking and his eyes widened.
“You're...!”
“Hello. My name is Dan Ak-seon.”
“Oh! I've heard a lot about you. This sect owes a great deal to your father.”
Beaming, I Rip stepped forward, took both of Dan Ak-seon's hands, and shook them warmly. But then he heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him.
“Hah!”
He turned his head and saw Hong Jeok-mun staggering backward.
“What's wrong?”
Instead of answering, Hong Jeok-mun, his face pale, darted his eyes around.
He was clearly terrified.
‘Could it be?’
A sense of foreboding suddenly washed over I Rip as well.
And sure enough.
“Why don't beggars wash themselves?”
“...!”
The sudden voice made I Rip shudder as if he'd been struck by lightning.
After a moment, I Rip slowly turned and confirmed the sight of Han Seol-hwa standing behind Dan Ak-seon.
I Rip offered a greeting with an awkward smile.
“It's been a while.”
Han Seol-hwa frowned.
The moment he opened his mouth to speak, the stench that permeated the air grew even stronger. Seeing her reaction, I Rip quickly jabbed Hong Jeok-mun in the ribs.
Hong Jeok-mun also bowed his head in a flurry.
“H-have you been well?”
Han Seol-hwa didn't answer.
She simply raised a sleeve to cover her nose and stared intently at the two of them.
As the two men struggled under the weight of the awkward silence, not knowing what to do, Han Seol-hwa asked,
“The answer?”
“Yes?”
I Rip, having reflexively questioned her, belatedly recalled the question Han Seol-hwa had asked.
“We're beggars because we don't wash.”
Hong Jeok-mun also nodded quickly.
“If we were clean, we couldn't beg for alms.”
The two men swallowed dryly and forced a smile.
Han Seol-hwa's disapproving gaze was just that disconcerting.
It was Dan Ak-seon who saved them.
“I came to pay my respects. I heard you helped me.”
I Rip waved his hands and quickly replied,
“Goodness, what help! How much grace has our Beggar's Sect received from the Divine Physician? We could spend the next hundred years repaying it and it still wouldn't be enough!”
Dan Ak-seon suddenly felt something was strange.
The more they talked, the more I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun seemed to be inching away.
Just then, Han Seol-hwa spoke.
“Stop.”
At that single word, the two men froze in their tracks.
“Follow me.”
With only those words, Han Seol-hwa turned away.
I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun exchanged pitiful glances. Then, like cows being led to the slaughterhouse, they began to follow Han Seol-hwa.