Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 320
Chapter Title: Wanted Order
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Staring at the hand extended by the Wuchang Branch Leader, Hong Geolgae felt as though he was being dragged toward ruin.
The moment he took that hand, Hong Geolgae's social standing would be finished. Not that a beggar had much of one to begin with.
Hong Geolgae backed away hesitantly as he spoke.
"Hoo... A sub-branch leader position? That's far too generous for someone like me. There are plenty of far more qualified Beggars' Sect disciples out there in the world. You'd be better off looking for one of them."
A clear refusal.
But the Wuchang Branch Leader took Hong Geolgae's response as mere谦逊 politeness.
It wasn't something that usually applied to beggars, but those with something to offer often turned down offers once or twice out of false modesty before accepting.
The Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon wasn't your average beggar anyway, so showing that much decorum wasn't all that strange.
"No need to decline. A prestigious seat deserves a fitting occupant, doesn't it?"
"I'm fine, really."
"Come now, no need to hold back."
As the Branch Leader reached for Hong Geolgae's sleeve, Hong Geolgae naturally unleashed Golden Hand to shake off the hand.
One of the Wuchang Branch Leader's eyebrows twitched upward crookedly.
*'This kid—if he likes it, he should just say so. Why keep refusing? We're both beggars; it's not like we deserve such positions...'*
The Wuchang Branch Leader felt half obligated to bring back the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon and half driven by competitive spirit as he clung to Hong Geolgae once more.
Only a brief moment had passed, but in that time, beggars had swarmed around Hong Geolgae and the Branch Leader. Their numbers quickly surpassed fifty.
Hong Geolgae looked at the beggars encircling him and felt an overwhelming fear he could barely endure.
It felt like being caught in a profound formation array or surrounded by hell's bailiffs.
* '...They won't listen to a word I say. I need to get out of here first.'*
To break free from the encirclement, Hong Geolgae leaped swiftly onto the rooftops.
But that was a poor decision.
On any other day, it might have been fine, but now, with beggars swarming everywhere, all eyes were focused on the scene.
In such a situation, someone jumping onto the roofs would naturally draw even more attention—it was as obvious as fire being bright.
And it was evening now, with darkness settling over the surroundings.
Those who climbed onto roofs in the dim twilight were rarely up to any good.
Someone shouted.
"He's trying to escape! Grab him!"
The shouter wasn't even a Beggars' Sect disciple. It was probably just some clueless onlooker half-joking around. For the first time in ages, Hong Geolgae felt murderous intent.
But he had no time to act on it. People were climbing onto the roofs to block his path.
*'Damn it!'*
Before the encirclement could tighten further, Hong Geolgae dashed across the rooftops through Wuchang.
"Block him! Don't let him get away!"
Hong Geolgae desperately shook off his pursuers. He couldn't swing a weapon for fear of injuring them or shove them roughly—losing balance and falling from the roof could kill or maim someone.
Instead, the Golden Hand and Fist-and-Kick Method he had desperately mastered came into play. Anyone whose hand Hong Geolgae touched let out a yelp and tumbled lightly onto their rear.
*'I see hope. Just a bit further!'*
As Hong Geolgae fled from Wuchang, the one person he least wanted to run into appeared. It was the Blazing Flower Beggar.
The Blazing Flower Beggar blocked Hong Geolgae's path with a stern demeanor.
"Impressive achievements at such a young age. You must be the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon!"
In truth, the Blazing Flower Beggar had suspected Hong Gyeon might be the same person as Hong Geolgae. It was unlikely for two Beggars' Sect disciples of such young age to achieve such tremendous feats.
But upon closely examining his features, it was clear they were different people.
"I have an urgent message for you. Stop for a moment."
"..."
Hong Geolgae couldn't even speak now. The Blazing Flower Beggar knew his voice well. A voice-changing technique didn't alter the voice itself.
Instead, Hong Geolgae glared at the Blazing Flower Beggar with the fierce eyes of a beast.
Not the eyes of an enraged tiger or wolf, but those of a wild dog surrounded by club-wielding beggars.
The Blazing Flower Beggar interpreted that gaze as youthful defiance.
*'Full of spirit. But it's still too early for you.'*
With so many obstacles on the rooftops, Hong Geolgae jumped down to the ground.
The Blazing Flower Beggar leaped down as well, blocking his path once more. Suddenly, the rooftop spectators looked down upon the Blazing Flower Beggar and Hong Geolgae.
The Blazing Flower Beggar spoke calmly.
"I'll yield the first move to a junior."
Hong Geolgae didn't decline. He thrust out his open palm.
In response, the Blazing Flower Beggar unleashed a bizarre fist technique where his arms intertwined like twin dragons ascending—Beggars' Sect's Dragon Form Fist.
Hong Geolgae countered with Revolving Selection Fist. It calmly unraveled the complex, intertwining flow of the Dragon Form Fist.
They had exchanged just one technique, but the Blazing Flower Beggar's eyebrows twitched.
Upon direct contact, he couldn't conclude that the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon was beneath him.
*'He was second-rate when he issued his challenge at the last martial tournament. By the end, he'd broken through to peak realm. And now, just one or two months later, he's reached this level? What terrifying talent.'*
After exchanging three more techniques, the Blazing Flower Beggar reached a clear conclusion.
No need to hold back or go easy.
No—rather, it was best to clearly demonstrate the gap in skill.
He might seat Hong Geolgae as branch leader someday, but for the foreseeable future, he was the branch leader, and the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon would take the sub-branch leader role. A master couldn't lose to his disciple.
The Red-Faced Old Beggar bellowed in a thunderous voice.
"Take this too!"
With a stern expression, the Red-Faced Old Beggar leaped high into the air.
The Soaring Dragon Eighteen Palms technique: Dragon Flies, Phoenix Dances.
Dragon Flies, Phoenix Dances twisted the body midair to unleash three consecutive kicks.
Unlike ground-based techniques, it lacked a firm stance and wasn't the most powerful, but among the Soaring Dragon Eighteen Palms, it was particularly unpredictable and hard to counter.
Unless one had faced the Soaring Dragon Eighteen Palms many times or had exceptional eyesight, they would fall to the second or third kick—an absolute killer move.
Dragon Flies, Phoenix Dances was flashy enough to draw admiration from anyone, making it perfect for a crowd like this.
Hong Geolgae lowered his stance and focused on the Red-Faced Old Beggar's legs.
Right foot once. Left foot hidden behind it once. Finally, the retreating right foot aimed for Hong Geolgae's nape.
Hong Geolgae handled the Blazing Flower Beggar's technique with remarkable skill. Amazement turned to shock in the Blazing Flower Beggar's eyes.
*'Excellent!'*
But the Blazing Flower Beggar's intent wasn't over. Countering Dragon Flies, Phoenix Dances would disrupt one's balance, even briefly. As he landed, he shouted.
"It's not over yet!"
The Blazing Flower Beggar's feet planted firmly on the ground. His left and right arms each traced a large semicircle before stopping at chest level. The momentarily paused hands then thrust forward.
The first technique symbolic of the Soaring Dragon Eighteen Palms: Flying Dragon Regrets.
The link from Dragon Flies, Phoenix Dances to Flying Dragon Regrets was the Red-Faced Old Beggar's most confident sequence.
But there was one thing the Blazing Flower Beggar didn't know. Flying Dragon Regrets was Hong Geolgae's most confident technique as well.
Hong Geolgae lowered his stance as well, gathering his hands at chest level to receive the energy wave of Flying Dragon Regrets.
His hands then traced reverse semicircles, scattering the energy in all directions. He had executed Flying Dragon Regrets perfectly in reverse.
*'Is such a thing possible!'*
The Blazing Flower Beggar gaped, speechless. It was a response he'd never seen in his life.
And Hong Geolgae's hands traced forward semicircles once more. As if it were his turn now, he unleashed Flying Dragon Regrets. His twin palms soon surged toward the Blazing Flower Beggar.
"Flyi—..."
Hong Geolgae nearly called out the technique name out of habit but clamped his mouth shut.
Without shouting the name, he felt a strange emptiness, but the technique's power didn't diminish.
A massive wave of energy poured down like a waterfall, engulfing the Blazing Flower Beggar.
The Blazing Flower Beggar gleaned the hint from Hong Geolgae's counter and tried to reverse Flying Dragon Regrets himself. It was a moment of enlightenment.
But Hong Geolgae wasn't leisurely enough to wait for that.
Before the Blazing Flower Beggar could fully dissipate the power in Hong Geolgae's attack, Hong Geolgae stomped the ground and charged. He then swung his right fist powerfully, smashing the Blazing Flower Beggar's jaw.
No one could stay conscious after a jaw strike. The Blazing Flower Beggar lost consciousness instantly and collapsed before the crowd.
The surrounding Beggars' Sect disciples cried out in horror.
"Branch Leader!"
The Beggars' Sect branch leader had fallen!
The sight was so shocking that everyone rushed to the Blazing Flower Beggar's side. Hong Geolgae seized the opening and bolted away.
*'Good—an escape route!'*
Hong Geolgae raced desperately toward the outskirts of Wuchang.
*
"Branch Leader, are you alright!"
As the crowd shook the Blazing Flower Beggar, he soon regained consciousness.
"I-I'm fine."
The Blazing Flower Beggar waved his arms to push them back, shook his head twice, and staggered to his feet.
He brushed off some dirt from his clothes and spat. It was reddish with a bit of blood.
His throat felt oddly sour, and his stomach churned. He'd taken a light internal injury.
But there was no sorrow or anguish of defeat on the Blazing Flower Beggar's face. Only joy and ecstasy filled it.
Stumbling slightly, he leaned against a nearby building and burst into loud laughter.
"Haha, hahaha!"
The Beggars' Sect disciples and the warriors staying in Wuchang couldn't comprehend the meaning of his laughter.
The Wuchang Branch Leader asked.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"You saw it! Everyone saw it, didn't you!"
"...What do you mean?"
"Didn't you see how the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon countered my Soaring Dragon Eighteen Palms just now? He saw through it at a glance, dismantled it, and immediately mimicked it!"
The surrounding warriors finally understood what had happened upon hearing the explanation.
It wasn't some crude art like the Three Disasters Sword Method—this was a supreme technique like the Soaring Dragon Eighteen Palms. Seeing through and copying it like that? Did that even make sense?
But recalling the events, there was no other way to explain the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon's response.
The Blazing Flower Beggar laughed in satisfaction.
"A once-in-history prodigy has appeared. A genius on par with Bodhidharma or Zhang Sanfeng... No, surpassing them. A genius at the pinnacle of Central Plains martial history has emerged. Light shines upon the Beggars' Sect!"
People began murmuring. A young genius in the Beggars' Sect.
A youth who had barely begun learning martial arts yet defeated even the branch leader.
When the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon's talent fully blossomed, what realm would he reach?
No one knew.
But one thing was certain. The ones who would lead the righteous martial world of the next generation would not be the Shaolin Temple or the Nangong family—it would be the Beggars' Sect.
The martial order would reorganize around the Beggars' Sect. Ecstasy dawned on the faces of the Beggars' Sect disciples.
Meanwhile, the non-Beggars' Sect warriors grew deeply tense. They needed to return to their sects and clans immediately to report this.
An hour later, countless martial artists packed their bags and left Wuchang.
*
Hong Geolgae released his voice-changing technique and returned to his friends' side. Tension released, his steps felt heavy.
Welcoming him, Dang Mujin asked.
"What happened? Why'd you come back covered in dirt?"
A question he absolutely couldn't answer honestly.
As far as Hong Geolgae knew, his friends weren't the type to sympathize with his predicament. They were far more likely to subdue him, seal his acupoints, and hand him over to the Red-Faced Old Beggar on the spot.
Hong Geolgae made something up.
"I figured if I entered Wuchang looking too clean, people might get suspicious, so I roughed myself up with some dirt."
"Yeah?"
Hyeon-gong seemed to harbor a slight doubt, but Dang Mujin and Namgung Myeong accepted Hong Geolgae's story without question.
"How was the atmosphere inside Wuchang?"
"Posters were plastered everywhere inside too. All of them with Namgung Myeong's face, so no avoiding it."
The situation had turned dire. But as always, Dang Mujin's group let out a somewhat frivolous laugh, enjoying the mess.
Once the laughter died down, Dang Mujin spoke.
"No helping it. We can't go back by Yangtze boat."
"Then what do we do?"
"Overland."
"Overland? There's no guarantee Wuchang is the only place crawling with people. There'll probably be folks looking for Namgung Myeong on the roads too."
Hong Geolgae didn't voice it, but there were likely just as many searching for the Thousand Spirit Dog Hong Gyeon.
But Dang Mujin was unconcerned.
"That'd be true in righteous faction territory."
"You don't mean...?"
"Yeah. Instead of taking the Yangtze to Sichuan, we go through south of Zhangjian. The unorthodox factions won't be hunting Namgung Myeong."
The group pondered briefly before nodding.
With the Demonic Cult retreated, clashes with unorthodox warriors seemed unlikely.
Even if they did clash, it wouldn't be dangerous. Dang Mujin's group was far too strong.
With things somewhat settled, Namgung Myeong wrapped it up.
"Alright, that's the plan. We rest tonight and leave early tomorrow."
The group each laid out their spots and flopped down.
Hong Geolgae closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him.
Breathing slowed gradually until Hyeon-gong's faint snoring—doro-long, doro-long—joined the crickets. That too soon faded into the insect chorus.
But Hong Geolgae couldn't fall asleep easily. Closing his eyes brought the events in Wuchang vividly to mind.
*'Please...'*
Hong Geolgae repeated inwardly.
May the Wuchang onlookers not spread strange rumors.
And may those rumors not reach his friends' ears.
Hong Geolgae believed he still had that much luck left.