Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Setting Out (1)
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Two days after the Divine Demon Fist joined the Mount Hua Sect.
Cheol Pung-gae decided to visit Ouyang Jue in person.
While his trust with Ouyang Jue was important, the bait dangling before him this time was simply too tempting.
‘The descendant of the Divine Demon Fist, the greatest eccentric under heaven…’
A much meatier prize than some fresh-faced upstart just beginning to stretch his wings.
‘I feel bad for the guy, but what can you do? The moment the Beggars' Sect was attacked, it ceased to be Ouyang Jue's problem.’
If the man who attacked a member of their sect truly turned out to be the Divine Demon Fist's descendant, the elders of the Beggars' Sect would surely head for Shaanxi.
From that point on, no matter how capable a captain Ouyang Jue was, he wouldn't be able to stop the raging waves.
With this in mind, Cheol Pung-gae glanced to his side.
Cheon Yu-gae, the next in line to lead the Shaanxi branch, was gawking at the surroundings with a foolish expression.
Cheol Pung-gae grinned at the sight.
*Smack!*
“Snap out of it. Does this look like some roadside gutter you can just lounge around in?”
“Ow! Hey, stop hitting me on the head! The spot you whacked a few days ago is still throbbing!”
“Yeah, yeah, you punk. I get it. Now stop staring.”
Ignoring Cheol Pung-gae's words, Cheon Yu-gae continued to gaze at the scenery of Mount Hua in wonder.
‘The kid must be seeing Mount Hua for the first time.’
Cheol Pung-gae also turned his head to take in the view.
Indeed, the jagged terrain and the way azaleas and pine trees formed a great, curtain-like fence were not a common sight.
In other words, it was well-suited for defense against intruders.
As Cheol Pung-gae mulled over various possibilities, he repeated the question he had been asking since they were at the foot of the mountain.
“Hey. Cheon Yu-gae. Swear on your balls, is it true?”
“Argh, I told you it is!”
“This punk, talking back again.”
*Smack!*
Cheol Pung-gae flicked Cheon Yu-gae's forehead again. But it wasn't just for a laugh.
It was a gentle warning that he could no longer afford to look like a simpleton.
“Are you focused now?”
“Yes. Though it was a rather crude method.”
Understanding the gesture, Cheon Yu-gae stopped looking around.
He then gathered his internal energy.
It was a way to show he had no particular hostility toward the Mount Hua Sect, while also remaining ready to react at any moment.
“……”
“……”
And so, the two beggars walked up the mountain path in silence for a while.
They were fifty to a hundred paces from reaching the Mount Hua Sect's main grounds.
It was a distance close enough for someone to eavesdrop, so they were cautious with their words.
This visit wasn't simply to meet Ouyang Jue; it was to engage in a dispute with the entire Mount Hua Sect.
Cheol Pung-gae issued another warning.
“Watch your words from now on. Be as humble as possible. I'll try to do the same.”
Moreover, they were near the Plum Blossom Cave, what could be called the sacred ground of Mount Hua. One wrong move here, and they would face a harsh reprimand before any conversation could even begin.
That was not what the Beggars' Sect wanted.
Their goal was to uncover the truth of the rumor and, if it was true, report it to the Beggars' Sect headquarters.
Shandong and Shaanxi weren't that far apart, so once the report was made, action would be taken immediately and covertly.
Cheol Pung-gae let out a small sigh.
‘I hope it's just a rumor.’
A dry laugh escaped him at the sudden thought.
If this turned out to be true, his own influence would grow, yet he was wishing it were false.
This wasn't like him.
His relationship with Ouyang Jue was one of mutual use, nothing more and nothing less.
‘Have I grown fond of him?’
Cheol Pung-gae sighed again.
It felt as if a troublesome lump had attached itself to him. What was more frightening was not knowing how long this lump would remain, or how much larger it would grow.
* * *
“Weren't you the one who said we should stick to messenger pigeons?”
As if he hadn't expected Cheol Pung-gae to show up in person, the face of Ouyang Jue, who had come out to greet him, was stiff.
But Cheol Pung-gae saw it as a deception.
To take that expression at face value was impossible, given how extraordinary Ouyang Jue had been until now.
Cheol Pung-gae's eyes swept from side to side.
‘It seems he's being a bit more cautious… in a place with so many Mount Hua Taoists around.’
Whether it was about showing his extraordinary side or his disrespectful one.
Either way, Cheol Pung-gae had secured an advantageous position.
Cheol Pung-gae's lips parted.
“There's something I wanted to confirm.”
“Confirm?”
“I heard that just two days ago, Mount Hua accepted a martial artist who beat this man, Cheon Yu-gae, to a pulp… no, who tried to kill him.”
At those words, Bai Duanxian immediately countered.
“I don't know where you heard such a baseless rumor, but that's enough!”
“Does the Beggars' Sect you know seem like one to stake its name on false rumors?”
Several Taoists twitched their eyebrows at the somewhat sarcastic reply.
The Sect Leader was the elder of the entire sect.
Yet Cheol Pung-gae had essentially challenged Bai Duanxian's authority.
And in the very heart of the Mount Hua Sect, no less!
Cheon Yu-gae's face turned pale.
-What in the world are you doing! Are you trying to get turned into sliced meat?!
-Just stay quiet, you incompetent fool.
Cheol Pung-gae spoke again.
“I'll say it again: I've come as a representative of the Beggars' Sect. I would appreciate it if you understood that this is not a situation for pleasantries, Sect Leader.”
“……”
At that, Bai Duanxian fell silent for a moment.
What kind of place was the Jianghu, the martial world?
A grand chessboard where countless sects vied for power, sometimes joining forces to defeat a great enemy.
And on that board, the Beggars' Sect was by no means a mere pawn.
They had no fixed base, making them immune to most threats, and their beggars, scattered throughout the martial world, were a force and an information network that could not be ignored.
The weight carried by the name of the Beggars' Sect was too heavy to disregard.
Bai Duanxian finally broke the silence.
“Very well. I permit it.”
‘It's done…!’
“On one condition. The Taoist who recommended him must be present.”
Didn't that mean he had to sit with Ouyang Jue?
Cheol Pung-gae's face crumpled into a frown.
‘That Ouyang Jue is so damn cunning you can't see what's inside him. And you want me to verify if the man is the Divine Demon Fist's descendant in front of him? What if they've already gotten their stories straight!’
It was an unfavorable condition. Cheol Pung-gae shook his head sharply.
“I refuse.”
“Then you may ask your questions in my presence.”
As he said this, Bai Duanxian smiled faintly.
Seeing that, Cheol Pung-gae's frustration boiled over into outright irritation.
I mean, if not with Ouyang Jue, then in his presence? What the hell did that mean?
His vexation was resolved by the next words.
“I have heard that the Beggars' Sect possesses martial arts that can torture a person without leaving external wounds. Is it not possible, however unlikely, that you might intimidate my disciple into saying something else?”
“…Sect Leader!”
“Just as you have come representing the Beggars' Sect, I too am the Sect Leader of Mount Hua. I ask that you please consider my position.”
At those words, Cheol Pung-gae blinked his eyes wide, as if he had been dealt a blow.
He had just used Cheol Pung-gae's own words against him.
‘Does he have a serpent coiled in his belly? His skill at twisting words and throwing them back is as sharp as his sword. Dammit!’
The thought suddenly struck him that whenever Ouyang Jue was involved, things never went smoothly.
“Understood. I'll do that.”
Cheol Pung-gae had no choice but to take the more difficult path.
“Considering the circumstances, I will sit with the Taoist who recommended him as a lay disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.”
At that, Ouyang Jue let out a sly smile.
-I feel a little bad for you.
-A little? Is that all you have to say?
-What can I do?
Ouyang Jue shrugged.
-You're the one barking up the wrong tree. I don't see any reason to feel very sorry.
Unlike their first meeting, this time it was Cheol Pung-gae whose expression was stiff.
* * *
A quarter of an hour later.
Cheol Pung-gae had to regret his decision.
“I mean, really. What would a descendant of such a great martial artist possibly want by crawling into the Mount Hua Sect?”
As soon as they were out of public view, Ouyang Jue's tone reverted to its usual disrespectful self.
“Instead of bowing and thanking me for saving your life, you're spouting this strange nonsense… Tsk, tsk.”
“Hey, what are you talking about!”
“Look here, if some madman came up and said I was the Sword Demon, would you believe him?”
“W-well, no!”
Watching Cheon Yu-gae get swayed back and forth by Ouyang Jue's words, Cheol Pung-gae clicked his tongue.
‘Ugh, that idiot! I ought to…’
First, he resented himself for trusting and bringing such a lout, and he wanted to slap Cheon Yu-gae for making the entire Beggars' Sect look like it was being played.
But his real regret lay elsewhere.
“Th-that bastard! He used lightning ki, I tell you!”
“……”
The subject of the rumor, the one who had actually driven Cheon Yu-gae to the brink of death.
In the dantian of the man called the Divine Demon Fist, he couldn't feel 'that' characteristic lightning ki.
He found out from a brief spar that the man was strong. His fist and foot techniques were especially formidable, enough to soundly beat Cheon Yu-gae.
But when it came to the question of whether he was the Divine Demon Fist's descendant, things became rather tricky.
‘It's ambiguous.’
As Cheol Pung-gae frowned, unable to make a decision, Cheon Yu-gae yelled out.
“When he was beating me up, he said it was the Heaven-Shaking Lightning Strike! It's true!”
At those words, the Divine Demon Fist bowed his head low. He must have tonsured his hair recently, as his scalp was clearly visible.
“…Did that beggar have a bad dream or something?”
“Hey! Why don't you confess already? Show us your lightning ki!”
It was a conversation that made one shake their head just listening to it. Cheol Pung-gae sighed deeply.
Of course, doubts still remained.
The martial arts and actions Cheon Yu-gae described were indeed identical to those of the Divine Demon Fist.
Even the lightning-fire shaped wounds all over Cheon Yu-gae's body seemed to guarantee that the man was the Divine Demon Fist.
But what could he do?
‘The man himself doesn't have a shred of lightning ki in his dantian.’
In this situation, he had circumstantial evidence, but no physical proof.
“They say it takes at least five years to cultivate lightning ki within the dantian, and only a martial artist with exceptional talent can achieve it.”
At those words, Cheol Pung-gae looked up with a frown.
He caught sight of Ouyang Jue's expression, one corner of his mouth twisted in a smirk.
“Is there any need to hear more?”
“You… Did you use some kind of trick?”
“A trick? If I had that kind of talent, I'd be living off drawing talismans, not being a Taoist.”
“Where did your respectful tone go?”
“Somewhere, I suppose?”
“You damnable bastard! You never lose a war of words.”
Cheol Pung-gae unconsciously stroked his chin.
The lump that had attached itself to him since dealing with the Three Evils of Shaanxi seemed to have grown a little larger from this incident.
Cheol Pung-gae warned in a low voice.
“Let's not overdo it. That way, both of us can keep ourselves in one piece.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I don't particularly pursue safety.”
On the contrary, living like that would only put the Mount Hua Sect in danger.
Ouyang Jue had no intention of revealing this fact to anyone.
Cheol Pung-gae stared intently at Ouyang Jue, then let out a short laugh.
“Is that so.”
*Swoosh.*
Cheol Pung-gae stood up and dusted off his backside.
“I'm going to catch hell for this.”
“Too bad.”
“See you next time.”
After finishing their conversation, Cheol Pung-gae and Cheon Yu-gae descended Mount Hua.
After confirming they had completely gone, the Divine Demon Fist, unable to bear his frustration, approached Ouyang Jue and asked.
“Can I take this off? No, I mean, may I?”
“No, you can't.”
Ouyang Jue's hand tapped the talisman attached to the Divine Demon Fist's chest.
“At least until you're strong enough to survive while calling yourself the descendant of the Divine Demon Fist. Keep it on until then.”
The Divine Demon Fist hesitated for a moment before gathering his courage to speak.
“…Anyway, to completely suppress the energy in one's dantian. You… no, Senior, what kind of person are you?”
Ouyang Jue replied cheerfully, as if it were nothing.
“It's nothing special. Anyone on the market street could probably draw one.”
“Oh, what? I was worried for nothing.”
The Divine Demon Fist, with his scant experience in the martial world, nodded lightly, but the reality was completely different.
The Maoshan School.
A school of thaumaturges said to have revived the dying and hardened wood to be like iron with a single talisman.
The divine arts of the Maoshan School, thought to have been lost for over a hundred years, had once again been unleashed by Ouyang Jue's hand.
Unlike with Ha Jin-ak, this time he had taken his time to execute it perfectly, and the effect was certain.
‘It will rise again someday.’
Ouyang Jue's gaze drifted faintly toward the Plum Blossom Infirmary, then returned to what was before him.
Being held back by the past was the last thing Ha Jin-ak would have wanted.