The Great Sage Equal to Heaven
The funeral rites of the Hebei Paeng Clan were observed as a seven-day mourning.
Paeng Un-ro still would not leave the ancestral mountain. He kept stroking the burial mounds of Paeng Il-mok, Paeng Yu-heon, Seol Ha-yeon, and Seol-rin. With his bare hands he brushed away the snow that had piled upon the graves, and tears fell freely from his eyes.
By Paeng Un-ro’s order, tables of food were laid out in the great training hall of the Hebei Paeng Clan. He commanded that every guest who had come to the clan be received with the utmost care. Hyeonsong, Yeong-hwa, and Hagun were run off their feet helping the Paeng martial artists greet the visitors.
White silk hung from one side of the roofs of the clan’s pavilions. As if giving voice to that sorrow, heavy snow fell thickly from a clear sky.
Then it happened.
A commotion broke out at the main gate of the Hebei Paeng Clan.
“Not today!”
“Come now, that’s far too cold-hearted.”
“No matter what the Grand Elder has ordered, this simply won’t do!”
At the sudden raised voices, Yeong-hwa and Hagun hurried to the gate. Before their eyes stood a throng of beggars clad in bloodstained rags. There were fully two hundred of them, and many looked wounded. Even at a glance it was plain they had come through a hard-fought battle.
Yeong-hwa’s face registered surprise. He strode quickly toward the beggar at the front who was pleading with a Paeng Clan martial artist. Seeing Yeong-hwa, the martial artist looked flustered.
“My apologies, Daoist Yeong-hwa……”
“Let them in at once.”
The unexpected answer left the Paeng martial artist blinking.
“Pardon?”
At Yeong-hwa’s words the lead beggar broke into a broad grin.
“So the Paeng Clan has a wise one among them after all.”
Yeong-hwa looked past him and bowed politely from the waist.
“I greet the Monkey God.”
The beggar at the front scratched his head.
“Huh?”
The Xuanwu pattern engraved on the back of Yeong-hwa’s hand shone. From the midst of the beggar throng a playful voice rang out.
“Hahahahaha! Not bad at all! So among the mediums of the Central Plains there was one who captured the heart of Xuanwu.”
Chwaak—
Yeong-hwa drew the fan from his waist and unfurled it. He offered his greeting once more.
“I greet the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. I am Yeong-hwa, a Daoist of the Wudang Sect and a mudang from Goryeo.”
With a thunderous boom a monkey clad in golden armor appeared, riding the clouds. In his hand he gripped a crimson staff.
“Euhik!”
The moment Hagun saw the Great Sage Equal to Heaven he recoiled in pure terror. The others could not see him at all. Yet Hagun, who had been beating the drum at Yeong-hwa’s side and had begun to awaken, little by little, to divine power, could now perceive the Great Sage clearly.
“Fear not! This body never lays a hand on the weak.”
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven descended gracefully from the clouds. His massive form halted before Yeong-hwa. He pressed his nose to the boy’s body.
“Sniff— sniff— sniff— sniff— sniff— sniff—”
Sniffing Yeong-hwa thoroughly, he spoke.
“What peculiar divine power……”
This time the Great Sage turned to Hagun.
“Aaaaah!”
The flustered Hagun tried to flee, but the Great Sage’s tail was faster.
“Where do you think you’re going, you brat!”
The Great Sage coiled his tail around Hagun and sniffed him the same way he had sniffed Yeong-hwa.
“The same kind of divine power.”
As Hagun’s body rose of its own accord into the air, the onlookers recoiled in horror.
“What in the world is this!”
“Daoist Hagun, are you all right?”
Chaak—
Yeong-hwa raised his fan and calmed the crowd.
“The guardian deity of the Beggars’ Sect is looking upon us right now.”
At those words the lead beggar wore a puzzled look.
“Our sect does not worship any god……”
Yeong-hwa smiled gently.
“The guardian deity of the Beggars’ Sect dwells according to the heart. He is not moved by flattery.”
Yeong-hwa met the Great Sage’s eyes.
“Is that not so?”
“Keh-keh-keh, what an interesting fellow!”
The Great Sage’s armor was scored with scratches and burn marks. Yeong-hwa noticed at once.
“As I thought—the Beggars’ Sect and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven……”
“It was nothing much.”
The Great Sage snorted.
“I could have beaten every last one of those bastards to death.”
Spinning his Ruyi Staff, he continued.
“But the Dragon Head Branch Leader kept howling that we had to abandon the chase and go help the Hebei Paeng Clan.”
Looking rather regretful, the Great Sage hung the Ruyi Staff around his neck.
“Well, luckily nothing too serious came of it.”
Slowly setting Hagun down, the Great Sage said to him,
“To see the successor who will lead Wudang—today won’t be boring after all.”
Hagun’s eyes went round.
“Me, you mean?”
Ttakong—
The Great Sage’s tail lightly struck the top of his head.
“You still don’t know your own level.”
He continued with a pleased expression.
“Let go of your attachment.”
“Pardon? What do you mean……”
“Kill the Buddha, kill the Patriarch. I can see that you sincerely revere the Sect Leader.”
“Th-that is!”
“But that child’s path and yours are different.”
Yeong-hwa nodded as if in full agreement.
“Indeed, indeed.”
Skaang—
The Great Sage’s tail drew the sword from Hagun’s scabbard.
“Try holding it.”
“Y-yes!”
As Hagun took the sword, the Great Sage’s body shrank until he stood beside Yeong-hwa. He gripped the Ruyi Staff like a sword.
“Let’s see—when I fought Xuanwu in the Heavenly Realm, it felt something like this.”
The Great Sage thrust the Ruyi Staff forward. The staff traced a great circle. At the same time he took a half-step back and spun his body.
Saaaaaaaaa—
Hagun watched, eyes wide.
Paaaaaaang—
With a smooth, clean sound the Ruyi Staff thrust straight ahead. At the tip of the staff the wind reversed. As the wind reversed, the direction of the falling snow twisted with it.
The Great Sage lifted a corner of his mouth as he looked at Hagun.
“Did you see?”
“Y-yes!”
“What was different!”
“The principle itself is different from the Guhontalbaekgeom.”
“Was there any circulation of internal energy?”
“Almost none!”
“Exactly!”
Looking proud, the Great Sage stroked Hagun’s head.
“That is Xuanwu’s Taegeukhyekeom.”
He continued.
“You should not master the Guhontalbaekgeom first. You must master the Taegeukhyekeom first.”
“How do you know that!”
Ttakong—
The Great Sage lightly rapped Hagun’s head with the Ruyi Staff.
“Your nature is originally kind and gentle.”
He seemed thoroughly taken with Hagun.
“Looking at your past, you must have gone through many hardships……”
At those words tears welled up in Hagun unbidden.
“As the senior disciple of the Wudang Sect……”
“You have suffered.”
The Great Sage embraced him warmly.
“Your martial talent is a late-blooming flower.”
Tears fell like rain from both of Hagun’s cheeks.
Drip— drip— drip— drip— drip—
“But its splendor and fragrance will be such that no other dares to approach!”
Yeong-hwa watched the two with a moved expression.
“I guarantee it—you will likely become the next Sect Leader.”
Releasing Hagun from his embrace, the Great Sage continued.
“Provided you do not lose your original heart.”
“Th-thank you!”
“What a fine lad. Just like our own successor, you know.”
The beggars of the Beggars’ Sect and the martial artists of the Hebei Paeng Clan could only stare in stunned silence at what had just unfolded.
Yeong-hwa courteously clasped his hands toward the Great Sage.
“Please come inside. The White Tiger God is waiting.”
“That old tiger won’t like me much, will he?”
The Great Sage snickered.
“The White Tiger God is not so cold-hearted.”
“I’ll trust your word today.”
Shuaaaaang—
When the Great Sage flicked his hand, a crimson somersault cloud appeared beneath his feet. Riding it, he flew off somewhere.
Yeong-hwa spoke to Hagun, who was wiping his tears with his sleeve.
“Senior Brother.”
“I showed you an unsightly side of myself.”
Yeong-hwa smiled gently.
“I told you before, didn’t I?”
Tucking the fan back into his waist, he continued.
“That the next Sect Leader will certainly be Senior Brother.”
At those words Hagun clenched his fist tightly.
“I still have a long way to go!”
Yeong-hwa wore an expression that said he had expected exactly that.
“I can already see the new form of our sect’s Sword of Wudang!”
“Ahem.”
Embarrassed, Hagun walked toward the throng of beggars.
“Un-so!”
“Hagun, I’m over here!”
At one beggar’s call the throng parted in perfect order. In the center, a beggar lying on a stretcher waved his hand. Hagun rushed to him and took his hand. He was none other than Baek Un-so, the successor of the Beggars’ Sect.
“What on earth happened?”
“Damn it, two of those Demonic Cult bastards ganged up on me—I couldn’t even use my hands!”
Hagun looked at his leg. There was a deep sword wound on the thigh.
“Let’s get inside first. I’ll ask the Paeng Clan for help.”
Swaaaaaak—
Someone’s form suddenly appeared between Hagun and Baek Un-so.
Ttaak—
A black staff lightly struck Baek Un-so’s leg.
“Aaaaah, Master!”
In the white-haired beggar’s hand hung human heads.
“Tsk, didn’t I tell you over and over to be careful!”
“But they used weird sorcery—how was I supposed to……”
“Tch!”
The old man clicked his tongue and continued.
“They pierced the Beggars’ Sect’s information network. The Demonic Cult crossed Inner Mongolia and invaded Hebei Province.”
“You know how it is, right? Inner Mongolia is so rough even beggars can’t live there!”
Baek Un-so glared at the white-haired beggar.
“How were we supposed to detect and stop that!”
“Still, you rascal!”
“Aaaaargh!”
Ttaaaaak—
Baek Un-so also drew a staff from his waist and blocked the old man’s strike. Unlike the white-haired old man’s black staff, that one was cyan-jade in color. It was none other than the Azure Righteous Staff, the divine relic symbolizing the successor of the Beggars’ Sect.
Hagun hurriedly offered his greeting.
“I greet the Dragon Head Branch Leader of the Beggars’ Sect.”
Yeong-hwa also came over and courteously clasped his hands.
“The Beggars’ Sect…… truly lives up to its reputation.”
At that the white-haired beggar chuckled as he looked Yeong-hwa and Hagun up and down.
“So you’re Hagun, Hyeonsong’s personal disciple, and you’re the Daoist Yeong-hwa whose name is on everyone’s lips throughout the Central Plains?”
“That is so.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“I am Yeon Pung-han.”
“I have heard of you from Senior Brother Hagun.”
Yeong-hwa continued slowly.
“Are you not the one famed under the moniker Mad Wine Daoist?”
At those words Yeon Pung-han thrust the black staff that symbolized the Branch Leader—the Black Hero Staff—into his waist.
“No need to call me anything so grand.”
Stroking his beard, he said,
“A beggar is just a beggar.”
Just then a voice laden with internal energy rang thunderously through the main gate of the Hebei Paeng Clan. It was Paeng Un-ro, who had come down from the ancestral mountain.
“The Grand Elder of the Hebei Paeng Clan offers his gratitude to the guests of the Beggars’ Sect!”
A messenger pigeon sat on the Grand Elder’s shoulder. In his left hand was a letter from the Martial Alliance. Paeng Un-ro approached Yeon Pung-han.
“This junior of the martial world greets Senior Dragon Head Branch Leader.”
“What junior are you talking about, my man!”
The Dragon Head Branch Leader handed the heads in his hand over to Paeng Un-ro.
“These were remnants of the Demonic Cult who had infiltrated near the Hebei Paeng Clan and were passing on information.”
When Paeng Un-ro saw the heads, his face turned ashen. They were all familiar faces—merchant masters, weapons dealers, herb traders, and the like who had dealt with the Hebei Paeng Clan.
“Thank you, Senior.”
“Not at all. The Beggars’ Sect should have given you advance warning…… tsk!”
Dragon Head Branch Leader Yeon Pung-han looked with pity at the pavilions of the Hebei Paeng Clan, scorched here and there.
“You’ve been through a great deal.”
“I heard everything.”
“Heard what?”
“Why did you do it?”
Paeng Un-ro wore an uncomprehending expression.
“Our clan has never been of much help to the Beggars’ Sect.”
“So what?”
“And yet to help our clan you abandoned the pursuit of the Demonic Cult and came running all this way.”
“That’s right. Is that wrong?”
Paeng Un-ro looked apologetic.
“It was a chance for the Beggars’ Sect’s renown to shake the world.”
At those words Yeon Pung-han burst into hearty laughter.
“Is the Demonic Cult more important, or is the Hebei Paeng Clan more important?”
“That is……”
Faced with the Dragon Head Branch Leader’s sharp question, Paeng Un-ro dared not answer. Snowflakes piled silently on his shoulders.