Chapter 106
Translator: penny
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Persistent Beggar
The day after spending the night with Moyong Hui at the Silver Flower Pavilion annex.
We left the pavilion early in the morning and headed for the Eun Merchant Group.
It wasn't for any particularly important business, but Moyong Hui didn't seem to like the Silver Flower Pavilion much.
-It'll be hard to get close to the Shadow Gate Sect, no matter what.
It would be nice if the women I'd slept with could get along, but the enmity built up between the righteous and demonic factions ran deep.
Especially since the Shadow Gate Sect had a bad reputation among the righteous sects.
'...At least they're not outright hostile to each other?'
Honestly, it wouldn't have been strange if swords had been drawn right then.
It was only this mild because I was in the middle.
"Well then, I'll be off."
"Benefactor, when will you come again?"
Somwol, who had come to see us off, looked disappointed.
I'd loved playing around in the Silver Flower Pavilion annex too, but now that Moyong Hui had finished her secluded training, dropping by every day like this would draw too much attention.
With Jang guy returning in just a few days, maybe stopping by once before leaving would be just right.
I glanced at Moyong Hui, who was making an uncomfortable face beside me, then answered Somwol.
"I'll drop by once before leaving Peking."
Moyong Hui gave a slight nod, as if that was acceptable.
Somwol smiled at her and said,
"Then will Sword Phoenix be coming too?"
"No."
A cold voice that didn't suit Moyong Hui's usual demeanor.
It was obvious she didn't want to mix words.
Somwol seemed to pick up on it too and shrugged.
"It seems the noble Sword Phoenix has no desire to converse with a mere courtesan."
"..."
Moyong Hui started to say something but closed her mouth.
I quickly inserted myself between them.
"Alright, we're really going now. You head back inside too, Somwol."
"Got it. Oh! Benefactor, give me a heads-up before you visit. I'll prepare some pretty courtesans for you."
Somwol said that while sneaking a glance at Moyong Hui's face.
Her smiling, teasing jab was no joke.
'Was Somwol always like this?'
She'd seemed to get along fine with Eun Garyeon, but the hostility she showed toward Moyong Hui was intense.
Was this another righteous-demonic faction issue?
'Eh, it'll work itself out somehow.'
I decided to think positively.
No matter how it was now, a day would come when they'd get along.
Moyong Hui let out a deep sigh once Somwol was gone.
"You know I held back because of you, right?"
"Of course. Thanks, Huiya."
Moyong Hui's lips curved up slightly at my thanks, her mood lightening.
She really had held back a lot.
'The gap in their levels is huge.'
Moyong Hui already had more internal energy than most Profound Realm masters to begin with, and after uniting with me last night, it had surged even further.
Far more than her father, Moyong Hwan.
'Though she'd still lose if they actually fought.'
Victories weren't decided by internal energy alone.
If they were, I'd have secured the title of World's Greatest Martial Artist in my previous life.
Anyway, that only applied within the same realm—the gap between Pinnacle and Profound was like heaven and earth.
In crude terms, ten Somwols charging at her wouldn't even be a match for the current Moyong Hui.
As I soothed Moyong Hui's mood and we were just stepping out of the Silver Flower Pavilion, an unwelcome figure caught my eye.
"Huiya, it's been a while."
A middle-aged beggar striding toward us as if he'd been waiting.
It was Bae Cheolsan, the one I'd run into a few times recently.
Ever since our first meeting, he'd waited for me to leave the Silver Flower Pavilion and struck up conversations each time.
And kept trying to pry information out of me... but...
'It was all for nothing.'
Who am I?
Just like before, I'd spouted nonsense every time, so eventually he seemed to give up and made another request.
The request was to meet Moyong Hui.
Back then, she was in secluded training to reach the Profound Realm, so I ignored that too. But it seemed he'd heard she'd come to the pavilion last night.
'So he's been waiting all this time?'
Honestly, it was hard to tell from the outside.
Beggars sleeping rough was everyday life for them, after all.
But Moyong Hui's reaction was quite dramatic.
"Ah, Beggar Uncle!"
She called out to Bae Cheolsan in surprise, then glanced at me.
'Beggar Uncle?'
Quite a cute nickname.
It seemed they were closer than I'd thought.
Moyong Hui smiled sheepishly late.
"We've known each other since I was little. Oh, let me introduce you. This is from the Beggar Clan..."
Assuming Bae Cheolsan and I were meeting for the first time, she tried to introduce us, but he cut her off midway.
"No need. I've already met this guy a few times. He's quite the amusing fellow."
I could feel the silent threat in his words.
But I had nothing to fear.
"After I gave him some alms at our first meeting, he's been clinging to me every day since."
Bae Cheolsan gaped at my shameless remark.
But I wasn't making it up.
'I gave him a whole silver tael, after all.'
Moyong Hui, listening to our exchange, burst into a cute laugh—pfft.
"Come on, no way. Anyway, Beggar Uncle, what brings you here?"
"Ahem. I came to ask you something."
He cleared his throat awkwardly and answered Moyong Hui.
Then he glared at me and spoke.
"Even when I asked this guy to let me meet you, he kept saying no."
Like he was getting revenge, tattling to Moyong Hui about what I'd done.
But it was irrelevant.
'It was the obvious choice.'
She'd been in secluded training to ascend to the Profound Realm at the time.
There was no way I'd let him interrupt that.
"Ah..."
Moyong Hui let out a small groan as she pieced it together.
Seeing that, he puffed up and opened his mouth again.
"Tsk, a young punk who won't honor an elder's request. Seems like he's a bit short on manners."
"..."
Bae Cheolsan seemed to be teasing me playfully, but Moyong Hui's expression hardened.
Yet he continued, oblivious to her feelings.
"Anyway, Huiya, I have a few questions for you. Got a moment?"
"What do you want to know?"
He finally sensed her chilling tone and looked flustered.
He hurriedly tried to defend me.
"Ahem, of course this guy would've had a hard time believing we're close. After all, I'm a beggar. So he must've thought about it and..."
But sadly, he had it wrong.
He thought his words had sown discord between Moyong Hui and me, but that wasn't it.
'Our bond isn't that fragile.'
If anything, her anger was directed at Bae Cheolsan.
Who'd like someone badmouthing the person they care about right in front of them?
'Insulting Huiya in front of me? That's just asking for a beating.'
Moyong Hui was probably feeling the same.
She cut him off coldly.
"What do you want to know?"
"Ahem."
Still clueless, he shot me an apologetic look.
He really was a good person.
After hesitating a moment, Bae Cheolsan got to the point.
"It's just... you haven't come to the Central Plains in a long time. Is something up...?"
"I can't tell you that. Ask our family head if you're curious."
It wasn't some big secret.
She was just following me around, and my business would all come out once we reached the Murim Alliance anyway.
'But reacting like this... she just doesn't want to answer.'
Bae Cheolsan let out a small groan, latching onto her words.
'Come to think of it, she said she'd been to the Moyong family.'
He probably hadn't heard anything from Moyong Hwan either.
That explained why he'd come all the way here.
"Then what have you been doing in Peking all this time...?"
"Can't tell you that either."
Moyong Hui cut him off coldly again.
Only then did Bae Cheolsan sense something was off and furrow his brow.
"Then you can't talk about what happened in Shengde either."
"Yes. Ask the family head if you really want to know."
With that, she stepped back a pace, giving me and Bae Cheolsan some space.
Bae Cheolsan sighed at the sight.
"Looks like you're not in the mood today. Let's meet again later."
He turned to leave.
He seemed to have given up entirely on getting answers from me.
I called out to his back.
"We're heading to the Murim Alliance soon."
"...Murim Alliance?"
Surprised I'd even speak, he turned around with a puzzled look.
I pulled a silver tael from my pouch and tossed it to him.
"So stop bothering our Huiya and see us at the Murim Alliance later."
With that, I wrapped my arm around Moyong Hui's waist.
As if flaunting our closeness.
'Of course, he doesn't like her romantically or anything...'
But they were close, that much was true.
And Moyong Hui had taken my side between us.
It was only natural, but it felt pretty good.
'Is this how Huiya felt toward Somwol?'
I could finally understand her feelings a little.