The Sudden Arrival of the Open Faction's Legendary Beggar, No Gae
The old man who had appeared out of nowhere was No Gae, the beggar of the Open Faction. Old, ugly, and ragged in appearance, but his presence was unmatched. Even that mystical lightfoot skill that snatched Yi Jinpyeong away in an instant and put distance between them.
Ryeong-ju lowered his outstretched hand and turned his head toward No Gae. The beggar, now facing the man's naked body head-on, gasped.
"Ugh! My eyes are rotting!"
Yi Jinpyeong, clinging to No Gae's side, smirked at the old man's dramatic outburst.
No Gae lifted Yi Jinpyeong up, looking puzzled.
"Huh? You're still alive?"
"Damn it. Why the hell would I die? How'd you know to come here?"
"Not a single word of thanks to the end. With all this racket, how could I not know?"
"...You should've come sooner if you were coming anyway. Where the hell were you? Hiding somewhere peeping on people making love again?"
"You ungrateful brat. What do you take this old body for?"
Despite the rough curses he hurled, No Gae carefully set Yi Jinpyeong down on the ground and placed his palm on the young man's back. Infusing a strand of qi backed by his profound inner energy, color visibly returned to Yi Jinpyeong's pale face.
Ryeong-ju watched intently as Yi Jinpyeong regained his strength but made no move to interfere. It could have been arrogant confidence that the boy posed no threat, or caution toward the old man who had appeared so suddenly.
Ryeong-ju spoke in a low voice.
"Unexpected. Your presence here means Yi-ryeong and Sam-ryeong have already fallen."
"Sorry, but this old body's lifeline is a bit tough. Trash like them couldn't stop me."
Peering through the darkness at No Gae, Ryeong-ju let out a smirk.
"No use pretending to be calm. You've paid quite the price."
Yi Jinpyeong, who had been regulating his qi with No Gae's help, snapped his head up and examined the old man's body. Only then did he notice the empty space where No Gae's left arm should have been.
The arm that had snatched him away, the one that had infused him with qi—it had all been the right arm.
"Old man...!"
"No need to worry."
No Gae said it like it was nothing.
"That arm was plagued by severe arthritis anyway. It throbbed so bad I couldn't sleep—been wanting to rip it off for a while."
His tone was like someone who'd just had a rotten tooth pulled. But who would buy that? Yi Jinpyeong realized No Gae had already clashed with Ryeong-ju and fought life-or-death battles against his other subordinates somewhere.
Judging by how Ryeong-ju had called the shadow Yi Jinpyeong killed "Chil-ryeong," Yi-ryeong and Sam-ryeong—the ones No Gae faced—must have been far superior demonic experts. Otherwise, a master like No Gae wouldn't have lost an arm.
"Those bastards were annoyingly tough. Gave up an arm just to take out some straw dummies—doesn't add up on the balance sheet."
No Gae smacked his lips.
Ryeong-ju said,
"Worthless against this seat anyway. And now without an arm, you're even more pathetic. If you barely escaped with your life, you should've fled to the ends of the Central Plains. Why come here and court death?"
"Isn't it obvious? This body is a senior of the Central Plains' martial world. A towering figure leading the Nine Great Sects and Beggar Clan, a living legend of the Open Faction. When I see evil scum like you, righteous fury twists my body and justice swells my chest. What's an arm to exterminate vermin like you? I wouldn't care if the other arm and both legs went flying too."
No Gae puffed out his chest as he spoke, then glanced down at Yi Jinpyeong.
"How was that? A bit cool? Touched?"
"Cool my ass. Better drop that ridiculous self-introduction."
"You fighting that guy here is the ridiculous part. When we parted, didn't you say reviving your clan was enough to keep you busy? No need to mess with the Demonic Cult? Let's each go our own way, right?"
"This body's just walking my path. That bastard came and got in the way first."
"Hmm. Hard to call it 'just getting in the way' when you were clearly dying moments ago."
While they bantered pointlessly, Yi Jinpyeong's body—which had been on the brink of death—recovered rapidly. Thanks to No Gae generously sharing his profound inner energy, and Yi Jinpyeong trusting him enough to focus solely on circulating his vital growth qi.
Having regained his strength, Yi Jinpyeong stood firmly on his own two feet. Far from fully recovered, of course. But the situation had completely changed. The living legend of the Open Faction, No Gae, was at his side. Even if missing one arm.
The old man and the boy stood shoulder to shoulder.
"By the way, why's that freak naked? It's damn unpleasant to look at."
"...Isn't peeping your hobby? Thought you'd be used to nudity."
"I don't peep on men. No matter how used to it, fighting a pervert like that up close? If our bodies tangle and he touches me... Eurgh!"
Ryeong-ju, staring at them with cold eyes, began gathering his energy. When idle, no demonic qi could be felt from him. But as he seriously drew it up, pitch-black darkness seemed to swallow the entire forest where they stood. No faint moonlight, no insect chirps, no gentle night breeze—nothing at all.
Only the eerie, swirling demonic qi roared from all directions.
"How absurd. The Divine Cult's grand scheme delayed by laughable fools like you. I've lost much today. I'll crush you all and turn you into bloody pulp to settle the debt."
"Young pervert. This old body feels the same. To recoup my investment, I gotta hack off your limbs. Including that hideous thing dangling in the middle."
"....."
Yi Jinpyeong clutched his stomach, laughing silently. Every chuckle made his muscles scream, but he couldn't help it—No Gae's nickname for Ryeong-ju, "young pervert," hit just right.
It turned the overwhelming presence Ryeong-ju exuded into something comical in an instant.
"Old timer. Be careful. Every time that young pervert reaches out and grabs, he crumples space itself. It's called Kong-ak-myeol-sal (Empty Grip Annihilation)."
"You watch yourself. If you start flagging, fall back on your own. Don't grab my ankle."
"...You damn old geezer—"
The moment Yi Jinpyeong couldn't hold back his curse, the young pervert—Ryeong-ju—clapped his hands together and thrust his palms forward. The swirling demonic qi around him twisted into coils and shot toward them.
The boy and old man leaped to either side. Another battle began.
***
To the left unfolded the pinnacle of Open Faction's movement arts—Man-ri-chu-pung-sin-beop (Ten Thousand Li Chasing Wind Body Technique). To the right, Yi Jinpyeong unleashed Pung Chwi Palbo (Wind Stealing Eight Steps).
The Man-ri-chu-pung-sin-beop already excelled in speed and endurance, but honed over a lifetime by a genius like No Gae, its velocity and stealth reached the absolute peak.
No Gae's form stretched like pulled taffy to the left, then instantly appeared at Ryeong-ju's right, slamming down a massive right palm strike. A one-handed Hang-ryong-sip-pal-jang (Dropping Dragon 18 Palms), but its power was nothing to scoff at.
His movements were flawless and concise, like someone who'd fought solely with his right hand his entire life. White qi erupted from his palm, vibrating as it pierced the rigid demonic barrier and burrowed into Ryeong-ju's body.
Meanwhile, Yi Jinpyeong dodged the incoming qi and closed in. His Pung Chwi Palbo was unpredictably variable beyond any other technique. The writhing demonic qi, alive like a predator, lost its target and dissipated.
Yi Jinpyeong's form, poised to strike Ryeong-ju's left shoulder, vanished like an illusion—only to reappear on the same side as No Gae, targeting the same spot. With a slight time lag.
The moment Ryeong-ju irritably swung his pale hand to deflect No Gae's palm, Yi Jinpyeong's rigid pipe—glowing golden—plunged deep into Ryeong-ju's side.
Yi Jinpyeong's eyes gleamed.
'Got him!'
Due to the clear limits of his accumulated inner energy, Yi Jinpyeong hadn't found a way to breach Ryeong-ju's solid demonic barrier alone. But now, No Gae was peeling away that defense as the primary assault.
But Ryeong-ju wasn't the only one caught off-guard by the sudden maneuver. No Gae, naturally circling to the left after their exchange, overlapped paths—hindering Yi Jinpyeong's pipe from sinking deeper.
'Damn it!'
Realizing he couldn't extend further, Yi Jinpyeong instantly switched tactics. Withdrawing the Geum-gi (metal qi), he flicked his fingers to ignite Hwa-gi (fire qi). Intense flames roared—whoosh!—driving back the darkness.
At the same time, the three figures scattered in different directions.
After the clash, they quickly widened the gap. The youth's face twisted, the old man turned to the boy in bewilderment, and the boy clicked his tongue in regret.
"Whoa, you scared me! Kid! Warn a guy next time!"
"It was perfect sync. What warning?"
"No... If I'm going left, you go opposite—argh. Never mind!"
No Gae scolded him, but embarrassment laced his tone. He knew it too. Yi Jinpyeong had seized a massive opening moments ago. Their mismatched rhythm had wasted it.
Regrettable, but unavoidable. They only vaguely gauged each other's true skill—no prior spars or joint efforts.
No Gae had even been startled by Yi Jinpyeong igniting flames with Sa-dan-gong of Gwi Hwa Yeon Cheon Gong.
Ryeong-ju checked his side. His sturdy body, packed with muscle without a single gap, bore clear scorch marks from the flames. A sight impossible before.
Had Yi Jinpyeong's pipe plunged deeper, it would have drawn red blood. Ryeong-ju's expression darkened at nearly taking a vital hit. He wouldn't fall for the same trick again.
"...I'll tear you limb from limb."
Demonic qi rippled. His hair shot upward toward the sky.