Chapter 220
A small village in Ancient County.
A stream flowed gently before the quiet village, and beyond it stood a place called Wonun Mountain.
At the summit of Wonun Mountain, near Seonhwa Peak, a small legend had been passed down through the ages.
It was said that in the past, So Chan, the Old Beggar and founder of the Beggars' Sect, had attained enlightenment there and ascended to immortality.
As if to prove the legend, near the cliffs of Seonhwa Peak stood a massive boulder shaped like a human, as large as a house.
It was said to be the "Original Spirit" left behind by the Old Beggar before he became an immortal. Thus, people called the boulder the Original Spirit Rock.
Whoooosh.
Occasionally, fierce winds swept across Seonhwa Peak, but the Original Spirit Rock stood firm, not a single tremor disturbing its place.
Thud, thud.
At that moment, dozens of martial artists were climbing the steep path leading up to Seonhwa Peak.
They all wore tattered clothes and carried short cudgels at their waists.
Their eyes burned with intensity as they scoured their surroundings, searching for something.
Moving at a deliberate pace, they finally reached Seonhwa Peak and halted.
"It's no use."
The man at the forefront of the group gazed at the distant sky with a weary expression.
He was Mu Hong, the leader of the Heroic Flower Society—the Beggars' Sect's secret intelligence organization directly under the Beggar King.
"Even after combing through every inch of Wonun Mountain for half a month... we still haven't found the Green Gourd."
The Green Gourd.
It was the sacred relic of So Chan, the Old Beggar and founder of the Beggars' Sect.
Originally, the Beggars' Sect had revered the Green Gourd as its sacred artifact, but in later generations, it was lost, and the Dog-Beating Staff took its place.
"Hmm."
Mu Hong lowered his head and shook it slowly.
He had wandered the martial world for a long time under the Beggar King's orders, searching for traces of the Green Gourd.
If they could find it, the Beggar King would finally obtain the position of Sect Chief—something he had longed for.
His determination was terrifyingly deep, refusing to give up, and at last, he had obtained information that the Green Gourd was hidden somewhere on Wonun Mountain.
Yet even after sending his most trusted subordinate, Mu Hong, to scour every inch of the mountain, half a month had passed with no success.
"Leader. Just as divine swords choose their wielders, sacred relics are said to be bestowed by the heavens."
Jeong-gak, the deputy leader of the Heroic Flower Unit, forced a smile as he tried to console him.
"Have you not devoted yourself wholeheartedly to finding the Green Gourd for so long? The heavens must recognize your sincerity. Surely, they will grant you an answer soon."
"I truly hope so."
Mu Hong's lips curled into a dry smile.
"Only then can the Supreme Elder become the Sect Chief who will lead our sect."
Like the Beggar King, Gu Hong-cheong, he had long been dissatisfied with the Beggars' Sect's adherence to moderation.
For years, he had served Gu Hong-cheong with unwavering loyalty—a man who sought strength and wished to reform the sect.
But to claim the position of Sect Chief, justification was crucial.
For the Supreme Elder, the Beggar King, who was nearly a hundred years old, to become Sect Chief again, the Green Gourd was absolutely necessary.
Before they knew it, another half-month had passed.
Yet not only had they failed to find the Green Gourd, they hadn't even discovered a rock that vaguely resembled it.
By this point, Mu Hong and the members of the Heroic Flower Unit had reached a state of resignation.
"There's nothing more we can do."
Mu Hong licked his parched lips, crouched down, and hung his head.
Man proposes, Heaven disposes.
Planning lies in human hands, but success is determined by the heavens.
In the end, since they had failed to find the Green Gourd, the Beggar King's plan to become Sect Chief had come to nothing.
"You've all worked hard."
Mu Hong rose to his feet, his voice weary.
"Let's head back no—"
His words cut off abruptly as his eyes suddenly widened.
Far ahead, near the summit of Seonhwa Peak, two figures had appeared—and they were touching the Original Spirit Rock.
Focusing his enhanced vision, he saw a tall man in blue robes and a youth clad entirely in black.
The two wore grave expressions as they ran their hands over the boulder, even knocking on it a few times.
Who are they?
The Original Spirit Rock was a relic tied to the legend of the Old Beggar, the founder of the Beggars' Sect.
If they hadn't known, that would be one thing.
But to dare touch and knock on a boulder steeped in the Beggars' Sect's ancient legends—right in front of its masters?
"They must be sightseers who heard our sect's legend and came to see for themselves."
Mu Hong furrowed his brow and turned to Jeong-gak.
"Send some unit members to tell them. That is our sect's relic—they have no right to meddle with it."
"Understood."
Jeong-gak nodded and was about to turn when—
"L-Leader...!"
The unit members gaped, pointing at the Original Spirit Rock.
Mu Hong and Jeong-gak, sensing something amiss, turned their heads.
And like the others, their jaws dropped.
The black-clad youth nodded, and the blue-robed man pulled out a single silver-glinting steel thread from his pouch.
And in one swift motion—did he not cleave the boulder into two halves?
Ssskrtch!
As the razor-sharp steel thread sliced through the Original Spirit Rock like tofu, a crisp splitting sound echoed, followed by—
Rrrrrumble!
A tremor that shook the heavens, and the massive boulder split cleanly in two.
Whoosh.
The dust scattered in all directions was swept away by the wind, revealing the bisected halves of the Original Spirit Rock tumbling down the cliff.
KABOOM!
With a deafening crash, the rock shattered, and Wonun Mountain trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
"Th-that..."
Mu Hong's jaw hung slack.
No matter how much it was just a legend passed down through stories—to so recklessly destroy a relic that held traces of the Beggars' Sect's Founder?!
But then, something astonishing happened.
Where the Original Spirit Rock had once stood, a small jade-green gourd now glimmered.
"No way..."
The Green Gourd.
The sacred relic of the Beggars' Sect, the Green Gourd, had been embedded beneath the very boulder where So Chan was said to have sat.
"The Green Gourd! It's the Green Gourd!"
Mu Hong, overcome with joy, sprinted toward Seonhwa Peak.
The unit members exchanged glances before quickly following after him.
"So it was buried in a place like this after all."
Meanwhile, the blue-robed man hastily scooped up the gourd and fastened it to his waist.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Just as the black-clad youth nodded and turned to leave—
"W-wait!"
Mu Hong, who had frantically climbed Seonhwa Peak, shouted.
"Hand it over!"
He pointed urgently at the gourd in the black-clad youth's grip.
"That belongs to us."
"..."
The blue-robed man and the black-clad youth narrowed their eyes at him.
Feeling the weight of their piercing gazes, Mu Hong snapped back to his senses and waved his hands defensively.
"N-no! I'm definitely not a thief!"
Despite his words, after wandering Wonun Mountain for half a month, their beards had grown wild and unkempt.
Moreover, their robust physiques—honed through external arts training—made them resemble bandits more than beggars.
"If not thieves, then robbers?"
The blue-robed man smirked, prompting Mu Hong to adopt a solemn expression.
"I am Mu Hong, leader of the Beggars' Sect's Heroic Flower Society."
"Heroic Flower Society?"
The blue-robed man shook his head skeptically.
"I've never heard of such a group in the Beggars' Sect."
"Naturally. Our society operates under the Supreme Elder's direct command as an intelligence organization—"
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Mu Hong hastily waved his hands again.
"Regardless, I am a legitimate member of the Beggars' Sect. And that gourd—"
At this, the black-clad youth holding the Green Gourd nodded.
"We know. That this is the Beggars' Sect's sacred relic."
"You do? Hah, what a relief."
Mu Hong exhaled in relief, grinning broadly as he extended his hand.
"Then hand it over at once."
"Don't worry. We'll make sure to deliver this Green Gourd to the Beggars' Sect."
"But I told you—I am the society's leader!"
"We'll deliver it to the Beggars' Sect ourselves."
"What kind of—"
Mu Hong stammered, and the blue-robed man pressed his lips into a thin line, his expression stern.
"Rest easy. We swear we'll deliver it to the Beggars' Sect."
Then, turning to the black-clad youth, he said:
"Let's go, Heuk-pyo."
The blue-robed man was Hyeok So-jin, and the black-clad man was Heuk-pyo.
The two had come to Wonun Mountain under Bu Eun-seol's orders to retrieve the Green Gourd.
Since they weren't originally affiliated with the Beggars' Sect, they held no reverence for the Original Spirit Rock.
Thus, they had shattered it without hesitation to claim the relic.
"Wait!"
As Hyeok So-jin turned to leave, Mu Hong's expression darkened.
"I said that's our sect's sacred relic!"
"And I said we know that already!"
Hyeok So-jin retorted boldly.
"We know it's the Beggars' Sect's relic, and we swear we'll deliver it to them. Why do you keep stopping us?"
"No, I mean—"
Mu Hong hesitated.
Though they were part of the Beggars' Sect, they were at odds with Hae-pung, the Deputy Sect Master who commanded the majority faction.
If these two delivered the gourd to the sect...?
It would naturally fall into Hae-pung's hands, and Gu Hong-cheong's chance to become Sect Chief would vanish like foam.
"There's no other way."
Realizing he couldn't persuade them, Mu Hong gathered his internal power.
"I'll just have to take it by force."
Hyeok So-jin, who had been watching Mu Hong's stance, smirked.
"So you really are just common thieves."
With that, he took the Green Gourd hanging at his waist and handed it to Heuk-pyo.
"Heuk-pyo. Deliver this to Brother Bu... no, to the Vice Chief."
"But the Vice Chief—"
"These bastards will fight tooth and nail to steal the Green Gourd and make the Beggar King their Sect Chief. I'll handle them—you go ahead first."
Only then did Mu Hong finally grasp the full situation, his eyes flashing with realization.
Now he saw it—these two had not only known their identities all along, but had deliberately picked this fight.
"Who the hell are you people?!"
At Mu Hong's shout, Hyeok So-jin replied with perfect nonchalance:
"No need for you to know. Just make sure you get thoroughly beaten before delivering this message clearly to that old man."
"What? What?"
"In fifteen days, at high noon—the Ascension Terrace."
Zzzzzip.
As he pulled taut the Blood Thread Steel Wire coiled around his left wrist, his grin widened.
"Tell him if he wants the Green Gourd back, come there himself. The Ten Demonic Heir of Langya Pavilion will be waiting."
Hyeok So-jin's bared teeth glinted even brighter than the sunlight reflecting off his steel wire.
The rain-soaked forest was now filled with silence.
On the gentle slopes of a mountain slightly removed from the village stood an old mountain temple.
Long abandoned, moonlight streamed through its broken roof while a soft wind whispered through the gaps.
Most of the interior furnishings had crumbled away, leaving only thick cobwebs clinging to the remnants.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Within the temple, the crackling of a bonfire echoed. Before it sat an elderly man of imposing stature despite his advanced age.
His eyes gleamed sharply in the darkness, and his frost-white hair might have been crafted from hammered silver.
This was none other than Gu Hong-cheong—the Beggar King, one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
"Say it again."
Prostrate before Gu Hong-cheong was a man pressing his face against the floor—Mu Hong, leader of the Brilliant Flower Band.
"You lost the Green Gourd?"
"I deserve death for this failure, Supreme Elder."
Mu Hong kept his forehead pressed to the ground as he spoke.
He and his disciples had attacked Hyeok So-jin together, only to be soundly thrashed before barely escaping.
And just as Hyeok So-jin had instructed, he'd reported every detail of the encounter to Gu Hong-cheong.
"The Ten Demonic Heir of Langya Pavilion..."
Gu Hong-cheong sighed deeply, his gaze drifting to the distant sky.
"That oversight from back then has finally come back to haunt me."
Back then, he'd slaughtered the eight Wind and Cloud Corps members who stood in his way—yet failed to capture the Ten Demonic Heir who killed Seong-ryun and escaped.
If only he'd pursued that bastard to the ends of the earth back then... None of this would be happening now.
"Even if it meant turning Mount Sansu inside out, I should've hunted him down and killed him."
Gu Hong-cheong's voice seethed with barely contained fury.
The Ten Demonic Heir who murdered Seong-ryun had now become a Successor Candidate for the Demon Hall.
And currently served as Death Shadow Squad leader, ruining his lifelong ambitions?
From his perspective, it was nothing short of a bitter, regretful farce.
"So. What does he demand?"
"That... that..."
Mu Hong swallowed hard before answering.
"He said if you wish to reclaim the Green Gourd, the Supreme Elder must come alone to the Ascension Terrace in fifteen days."
"Heh heh heh..."
Gu Hong-cheong laughed hoarsely, equal parts amused and exasperated.
"He's serious, then."
Only now did he realize Bu Eun-seol genuinely sought a one-on-one duel with him.
"Every so often, some arrogant young whelp overestimates their own talent and ability."
His lips curled in a sneer.
"Such fools never learn. That the path they climb so eagerly has already been walked by others... and that the gap carved by time cannot be crossed in a single leap."
"Supreme Elder—"
"Moreover, he's dumber than I thought. When you hold the bargaining chip your enemy wants, you never leave them room to negotiate."
With a low chuckle, he withdrew a small bronze bowl from his robes.
"Deliver this secretly to Elder Jin."
Mu Hong's eyes widened as he accepted the bowl—it was the Beggar King's Token, symbol of Gu Hong-cheong's authority.
"And in fifteen days..."
Gu Hong-cheong's whisper trailed off as his eyes narrowed to slits.
The Ascension Terrace.
A broad, flat summit in Hoedang Mountain of Guideok Prefecture, once renowned for its leisurely scenic views.
In the past, poets and travelers frequently visited this picturesque spot, but now it stood desolate and forlorn.
Bu Eun-seol stood alone atop the open terrace.
Motionless with eyes closed, he seemed to blend seamlessly into the landscape.
Crunch. Crunch.
Then came the sound of measured footsteps as an old man with silver-bound hair ascended the terrace.
Though his wrinkles were sparse, his gaze remained clear and sharp, his palms thick and broad like cauldron lids.
The Beggar King himself—Gu Hong-cheong—had arrived.