Chapter 367
"Never seen you two around before."
As sharp eyes raked over his face, Namgung Un's expression stiffened slightly.
'It's the eyes!'
He realized it too.
That his gaze still hadn't fully transformed into that of a true beggar.
But he couldn't change his eyes on the spot, nor could he naturally mimic a beggar's demeanor.
'If I can't overcome a crisis like this, then all the hardship I've endured until now would be for nothing.'
Zzzing.
Then, a gentle surge of True Qi suddenly wormed its way into his armpit.
Bu Eun-seol, gripping his shoulder, had secretly channeled Qi to tickle the acupoint beneath his armpit.
'Ah, I see!'
Understanding Bu Eun-seol's intention, Namgung Un abruptly burst into laughter.
"Hehehe!"
As he cackled like a madman, Hae-pung frowned.
"That Mister's face is scary. Ehehehe."
Namgung Un had been an unruly brat even back in the Namgung Clan—someone who could pull off outrageous behavior with shameless ease. Now, he was unleashing that very talent without restraint.
"That Mister's glaring at me, and suddenly my stomach hurts."
Then, with a swift motion, he yanked down his pants and squatted, baring his backside.
Bu Eun-seol hurriedly tugged his pants back up and bowed his head.
"S-sorry about him. He's not quite right in the head, and he got whipped too hard earlier."
"Hmm."
Hae-pung nodded after spotting the food scraps stuck between their yellowed teeth and catching their stench.
'They really are our sect's disciples.'
Yet, something still nagged at him.
As his gaze swept over Bu Eun-seol again, Hae-pung spoke in a low voice.
"Which branch hall do you belong to?"
"I-I don't know."
At Bu Eun-seol's answer, cold sweat trickled down Namgung Un's spine even as he kept giggling foolishly.
'Brother Bu would make a mistake like this now?!'
"You don't know?"
Hae-pung's eyes flashed with suspicion, and Bu Eun-seol hastily bowed deeper, groveling.
"W-what would trash like us know?"
Then he quickly added,
"An old beggar near the West Gate of Bokbuju, at Bluestone Market Road, took one look at us and told us to join the Beggars' Sect. That's all we know."
At that, the stiffness in Hae-pung's face eased.
"Ah, must've been Local Lord Baek of the Fujian Branch Hall, who died recently. He must've recommended you."
Truthfully, if a First-knot Disciple in tattered rags had fluently named their branch hall and background, that would've been far more suspicious.
Local lords across the sect had the authority to recruit First-knot Disciples.
Since they took in disciples haphazardly, the management of First-knot Disciples was practically nonexistent.
"Y-yes, that's right. I heard the old beggar's surname was Baek."
Bu Eun-seol bowed again as he spoke.
"He said if we joined the sect, we wouldn't get beaten while begging. He gave us the knots and told us to come to Kaifeng."
"I see."
Hae-pung nodded with a pitying expression.
It was a running joke that the Beggars' Sect had over a hundred thousand disciples.
But calling them the "Hundred Thousand Beggars" wasn't entirely exaggerated—most adult beggars in the Central Plains were registered with the sect.
However, the majority were just like these two: First-knot Disciples who knew nothing beyond begging.
Still, they joined for one simple benefit.
Even as First-knot Disciples, their chances of getting beaten while begging dropped significantly.
"Hehehe."
Just then, Namgung Un—who had been grinning like an idiot—locked eyes again with the girl standing beside Hae-pung.
She was strikingly beautiful, but her gaze was haughty.
"What are you staring at?"
As her eyes landed on Namgung Un, Bu Eun-seol intensified the Qi pressing into his armpit acupoint.
Immediately, Namgung Un laughed even more maniacally.
"Hehe. Ehehehe."
"Ugh. He's completely brain-dead."
Then she turned to Hae-pung.
"Let's go, Master. If we stay here any longer, I might catch his stupidity."
"Wait."
Hae-pung scrutinized Bu Eun-seol's body sharply before speaking in a low voice.
"Your name?"
"Eyeballs, sir."
"Hoho."
Hae-pung chuckled softly, then turned to the middle-aged beggar standing behind him.
"In-guk. Promote these two to Second-knot Disciples and take them to the Sunflower Dormitory. And for now, you'll be responsible for teaching them the basics."
He added in a quieter tone,
"Consider this your punishment instead of what you were due. Understood?"
The middle-aged beggar called In-guk bowed.
"Understood."
"Master!"
The beggar girl's mouth fell open in shock.
"You're really accepting those two as Second-Knot Disciples?"
"They seem composed and quick-witted. At that level, they should pick up martial arts fairly well."
"That fool too?"
"Hmm, he looks sturdy enough. He'll manage something."
Then Hae-pung nodded at Bu Eun-seol.
"Our sect's martial techniques can unleash great power even if learned late in life. Once you master them, you won't face hardships anymore."
"Th-thank you, sir."
As Eun-seol bowed his head, Hae-pung smiled and turned to the beggar girl.
"Let's go now."
Once Hae-pung and his group departed, only the middle-aged beggar named In-guk remained.
"You two are lucky."
In-guk nodded at Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un.
"As Second-Knot Disciples, you won't need to beg anymore. The headquarters will provide meals."
"Really?"
Eun-seol's eyes widened like lanterns, and In-guk chuckled.
"That's right."
Then, glancing around, he added,
"Wait here for a while. I'll send a disciple from Gyuwa Dormitory to show you your quarters."
As In-guk left with a smile, Namgung Un wore a stunned expression.
This is unexpected. The Beggars' Sect is surprisingly generous. To elevate riffraff like us to official disciples...
Because we're useful.
Huh?
Eun-seol's gaze sharpened.
The Beggars' Sect sacrifices disciples without hesitation to create Internal Cores. And the best candidates for that are nameless beggars with no registry or identity.
You mean... they took us in as disciples to use us for Artificial Internal Cores?
The masked men who attacked us before were all young too.
Eun-seol took a deep breath and sent a telepathic transmission.
They need expendable lives. Their scheme is to elevate a bunch of beggar disciples to Second-Knot status and turn them into cores.
Namgung Un couldn't help but sigh.
The Beggars' Sect had long upheld chivalrous righteousness and done much good in the Murim.
Yet now, swept up by the hidden mastermind's influence, they were committing atrocities—creating cores from human lives?
Justice has vanished from the Murim. Of all places... for the Beggars' Sect to stoop to this.
Eun-seol said nothing.
Justice had never truly existed in the Murim to begin with. He hadn't come here to uphold it either.
The Murim—no, the world—operated solely on purpose.
Surprisingly, the process to become a Second-Knot Disciple of the Beggars' Sect and learn martial arts was far more complicated than expected.
It required a recommendation from a high-ranking figure and approval from at least three out of five Third-Knot Disciples who observed the candidate for a month.
Traditionally, the Beggars' Sect revered chivalrous righteousness. Thus, they prioritized character over martial talent when selecting disciples.
Moreover, from the Second-Knot rank onward, disciples could handle sect intelligence, so flighty or reckless individuals had to be filtered out.
Yet Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un became Second-Knot Disciples with absurd ease.
After bowing at the Ancestral Hall at headquarters and swearing to uphold the sect's ten commandments, the entire process was complete.
Currently, the Beggars' Sect was fractured into two factions, with the Sect Chief bedridden.
So they streamlined disciple admissions, eager to bolster their ranks by any means.
Once all formalities concluded, Eun-seol received the name No Jung, and Namgung Un became No Sam.
Nameless disciples adopted the Sect Chief's surname upon joining.
"They really do mean to use us and discard us," Namgung Un muttered, sighing as he examined the two knots they'd received at the Founders’ Hall.
"How else would they accept Second-Knot Disciples—who'll be taught martial arts—like this?"
Just then, In-guk, who had assisted with their formal initiation, approached.
"Congratulations. From now on, you two are officially Second-Knot Disciples of our sect."
Eun-seol bowed, but Namgung Un grinned foolishly.
Since he couldn't mimic a beggar well, playing the fool suited him far better.
"Now, put these on."
In-guk handed them new robes.
Though still shabby, the fabric was decent quality, and unlike their current rags, these didn't reek enough to induce nausea.
There were deliberately sewn mending marks—not actual wear and tear, but intentional markings to signify their status as Beggars' Sect disciples.
"Remember this: you belong to the Dirty Clothes Faction. Avoid mingling with the Clean Clothes Faction as much as possible."
Bu Eun-seol wore a puzzled expression.
In the past, the Beggars' Sect had been divided into two factions:
The Clean Clothes Faction, which advocated wearing clean garments and expanding their influence through capital and information networks.
And the Dirty Clothes Faction, which stubbornly clung to the traditional beggar's appearance, insisting on preserving the sect's original principles.
But that had been in the early days of the Beggars' Sect. Since when had they split again into these two factions?
"You'll find out soon enough, but our current Sect Chief is bedridden with illness. So we must elect the next leader, but unfortunately, the sect has split into these two factions."
"Is that so?"
When Bu Eun-seol played along, In-guk nodded.
"We, the Dirty Clothes Faction, intend to appoint Elder Hae, the Deputy Sect Master, as the Supreme Sect Chief. And his disciple, So-hwa, as the new Sect Chief. However, Elder Mak, nicknamed Long Hair, has been gathering forces to challenge for the position."
Listening to this, Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but inwardly scoff.
'Even worse than the Beggar King.'
At the very least, the Beggar King had upheld his principles as the Supreme Elder.
But Hae-pung was taking it a step further—using the bizarre title of "Supreme Sect Chief" to dominate the sect through his disciple rather than ruling directly.
'He must have been disqualified from becoming Sect Chief because he collaborated with the Demonic Path.'
Hae-pung had cooperated in Bu Eun-seol and the Beggar King's battle.
That was because he was confident that, while he retrieved the Green Gourd—the sacred relic of the Beggars' Sect—the Beggar King would naturally kill Bu Eun-seol.
But when the opposite happened—when Bu Eun-seol killed the Beggar King—Hae-pung was branded a traitor for conspiring with the Demonic Path to kill the sect's symbolic figure.
"I've been rambling about unnecessary things."
Seeing Namgung Un staring blankly, In-guk spoke up.
"Since you've both become Second-Knot Disciples, you'll stay in the Gyuwa Dormitory from now on. And tomorrow, before the midmorning (9–11 a.m.), come to the Bamboo Forest north of here. I'll teach you the basics of my martial arts there."
In-guk led Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un to a large building.
This was the Gyuwa Dormitory, where newly initiated Second-Knot Disciples lived and took meals together.
Despite being a proper, clean building, it was still called a "dormitory."
"Rest well, then."
As In-guk left, Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un stood dumbfounded, staring at the dormitory.
"New recruits of the Dirty Clothes Faction, I see."
Just then, a group of beggars in clean clothes approached, snorting derisively.
They were likely from the Clean Clothes Faction.
"What, you planning to sleep rough here too? If you're so desperate to play beggars, why bother learning martial arts?"
They seemed determined to pick a fight, clearly displeased with Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un.
"Heh, hehe."
When Namgung Un grinned foolishly, one of the beggars suddenly threw a punch.
"You think I'm joking?"
THUD!
A kick landed hard in Namgung Un's stomach.
"Heh, hehe."
Even as he crumpled to the ground, Namgung Un kept grinning stupidly. Realizing he was a bit slow-witted, the Clean Clothes Faction members snorted in contempt.
"Tch, the Dirty Clothes Faction's really gone downhill. Now they're even taking dimwits as Second-Knot Disciples."
Their fun ruined, they disappeared somewhere.
"The Beggars' Sect's really in decline, huh."
Namgung Un dusted off his clothes and sighed.
Even if they were from the same sect, shouldn't they at least unite instead of bickering and tearing each other down?
"I don't get why they're fighting over the position of Sect Chief."
Seeing Namgung Un's bewildered expression, Bu Eun-seol chuckled.
"The Beggars' Sect has its fingers in all sorts of underworld businesses and shadowy interests through its intelligence network. That's why its Sect Chief enjoys far greater power and luxury than leaders of other sects."
Bu Eun-seol glanced around before continuing.
"Plus, the title 'King of Beggars' means they can act without hesitation. If they want, they can indulge in all kinds of pleasures without caring about others' opinions."
"But the Beggars' Sect had been cleaning up its reputation for a long time, hadn't it? How did it end up like this?"
Namgung Un was genuinely ashamed.
He had always prided himself on the Righteous Path's moral integrity. Wasn't the Beggars' Sect supposed to be a representative sect of virtue and good deeds?
Yet now, not only was it deeply divided, but it had also fallen into corruption, just like the unorthodox factions.
"Truthfully, the Beggars' Sect had already been irreversibly corrupt since the time of its previous Sect Chief, Sanggwan-un."
Bu Eun-seol spoke decisively.
"Because the sect had too many disciples, they centralized power in the hands of a single Sect Chief. While this has the advantage of creating a strong, unified core, it also has a fatal flaw—if the one at the top becomes corrupt, there's no way to purify it."
Bu Eun-seol avoided Namgung Un's gaze and stared at the distant sky.
"The Eight Great Clans are no different. They've been fortunate enough to have outstanding Family Heads until now, which is why they've maintained their prestige, but..."
He paused briefly, cleared his throat, and continued.
"If an unworthy person becomes Family Head, they'll collapse beyond recovery. If you consider the future, it's worth thinking about various countermeasures."
From then on, Bu Eun-seol explained in detail what responsibilities came with leadership—and how an organization should be led if one couldn't shoulder them.
All for the sake of Namgung Un, who would one day become the head of the Namgung Family.
"Even though we've just reunited after so long, Brother Bu still takes the time to teach me."
Realizing Bu Eun-seol's consideration, Namgung Un wiped his nose.
"I thought I'd grown quite a bit, but it seems I still have a long way to go."
Bu Eun-seol nodded and shifted the topic.
"From now on, we'll need to search the Headquarters for evidence of the Artificial Internal Core or track down No Bong, who's bedridden. Only with solid proof can we expose the higher-ups connected to the Beggars' Sect."
"Understood."
Namgung Un's eyes burned with determination.
Now, they would scour the Beggars' Sect's inner workings for evidence of the Dantian.
The Beggars' Sect's Headquarters was vast, with buildings sparsely scattered.
And since it was a den of beggars, there was little worth stealing.
Except for places managing information or storing texts, not a single guard was posted anywhere.
Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un spent the night combing through the Headquarters, investigating their surroundings and tracking down clues about the Artificial Internal Core.
"This is the Drunken Eight Immortals Step, the footwork technique our sect takes pride in."
By the Hour of the Tiger, they were learning the basics of the Beggars' Sect's martial arts from In-guk.
He had originally been the Hall Leader of the Thousand Mile Hall, Hae-pung's direct intelligence unit. But recently, after several failures, he had lost Hae-pung's trust and was on the verge of demotion.
Hae-pung had assigned him to teach two Second-Knot Disciples as a form of punishment.
Fully aware of this, In-guk taught Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un the fundamentals of the Beggars' Sect's martial arts without complaint, step by step.
"Master just this much, and you won't have to worry about getting beaten to death while begging."
In most sects, the first thing disciples were taught was an Internal Energy Method.
Only after mastering that foundation could they smoothly learn other martial techniques.
But the Beggars' Sect taught footwork first.
Even though Second-Knot Disciples didn't need to beg, they were still taught evasion techniques to avoid beatings.
"Hmm."
After teaching diligently for a while, In-guk let out a sigh.
The scrawny one was quite sharp but lacked physical strength.
The grinning fool barely grasped a third of what he was told.
What can I do? This is my duty now.
Still, In-guk didn't give up and continued teaching them earnestly.
After dealing with ruthless bastards every day, seeing real beggars like these two puts my mind at ease.
He had been deeply troubled by the recent changes in the Beggars' Sect's atmosphere.
Begging was their duty, yet they were divided, sharpening their fangs against each other.
Even Hae-pung of the Vice Sect Leader Office and Staff-Beggar Elder Mak were raising their own factions, weren't they?
No matter how he thought about it, this kind of environment didn't suit the Beggars' Sect.
How nice would it be to live as carefree as these two?
Watching Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un move sluggishly, as if drunk, In-guk smiled faintly.
That simple, uncomplicated way of living—that was the true essence of a beggar.
"That's enough."
After observing them for a while, In-guk spoke up.
At a glance, even a year of training wouldn't be enough for them to properly master the Drunken Eight Immortals Step. Rather than waste time on martial arts, it'd be better to just feed them a full meal.
"This much will do. Go eat, and come back tomorrow."
"Understood."
"Hehe."
Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un clasped their hands in salute, then received a lump of cold rice distributed by the Headquarters and ate.
"Those bumpkins from Fujian sure get around."
Occasionally, members of the Clean Clothes Faction would pick fights or harass them, but Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un endured silently.
And as always, they wandered aimlessly around the Headquarters.
With their Second-Knot cords tied neatly and their perfect beggar disguises, no one in the Headquarters suspected them.
Whenever they spotted a shady spot under a tree, they'd sit and nap.
One looked so frail it was pitiful, and the other grinned incessantly.
No one in this world would ever believe these two were the Heir of the Demon Hall and the legitimate heir of the Namgung Family.