128. Shijiazhuang (2)
Shijiazhuang (2)
128. Shijiazhuang (2)
"Heh heh. This is really good, isn't it? Hey. Grill me a little more."
Grease smeared all around her mouth, Jo Bok demanded a refill.
"For someone your size, you really can eat. You got a beggar in your belly or something?"
"Master! That man is harassing me! He called me a pregnant woman."
Jo Bok tattled to the old man without a second's hesitation. When I'd only heard rumors, the words "greatest genius in the Martial World" had conjured up an image of Son Yeong, but this woman was the exact opposite of what I'd imagined.
"Okay, maybe I was wrong to ask a real beggar woman if she'd got a beggar in her belly, but are you planning on raising your kid as a beggar too?"
I took out a freshly grilled piece of meat and handed it to her as I asked. She bit into the scorching-hot meat in a genuinely disgusting way. Compared to Jo Bok, Do-hwa was a refined Beijing madam.
"What's wrong with being a beggar?
"There's an emperor and there are ministers, so somebody's got to live as a beggar."
Jo Bok even licked the meat juices off her fingers with her tongue.
"That's true. Not everyone can be the emperor, so someone's bound to end up a beggar. But the Beggars' Sect isn't that. The Beggars' Sect aren't just beggars. They're martial artists who've learned martial arts. Even without an ox, they can plow a field. If they put their mind to it, they could head into the mountains and live as woodcutters or hunters. They could use their martial arts and intelligence to become escorts at an agency. Real beggars ended up beggars because they can't do anything except beg from other people. They're completely different people from the Beggars' Sect, who have the strength to live but still do nothing but beg."
This was why I hated the Beggars' Sect. Yeongsan had suffered because it lacked strength. But the Beggars' Sect had strength and still lived like that, and that was what I truly couldn't stand. Even the former bandits of White Tiger Sect were making money running taverns, and even Seungdeok Manor, that Peng Clan castoff, was trying to earn money by opening trade routes. Red Flower Pavilion went without saying, of course. While their courtesans sold their smiles and bodies to men they didn't want, the Beggars' Sect, despite its formidable power, did nothing but beg. To me, someone who'd lived through the capitalist era, it was nothing short of revolting.
"What's it to you? Whether we have power or not, is anyone actually harmed by our begging?"
"There is. First, real beggars. Beggars who aren't part of the Beggars' Sect network can't even compete with you for territory."
"The Beggars' Sect takes in all beggars. If we picked and chose this beggar and that beggar, could we possibly have a hundred thousand members?"
"Still, there are plenty of beggars who hate the Martial World and don't want to belong to a giant sect like the Beggars' Sect. In fact, there are way more of them than there are Beggars' Sect members.
"And here's another thing. You say you beg from the lowest position, but even non-martial artists know that the Beggars' Sect is one of the Nine Great Sects, an immense Martial World power. When a terrifying Beggars' Sect disciple like that begs from commoners who don't know martial arts, do you think those commoners can refuse?"
"We don't force anyone to give. And in return for receiving alms, we keep their surroundings safe."
"From your perspective, sure. But from the commoners' perspective, it's no different from the Underworld collecting protection money. Have you ever been spat on in the face while you were begging? Ever been beaten like a dog with a club? You'd probably have a pretty face if you washed up, so have you ever been raped? That's the life of a real beggar."
At my near-perfect logic, Jo Bok snorted through her nose and bit into her meat.
"What's he on about? What would a nobleman who's never been a beggar know about a beggar's life? You're a young master anyway. The hard times Yeongsan Sect went through had nothing to do with you, right? No matter what anyone says, I like that I'm a beggar. I was born a beggar, I'll live as a beggar, and I'll raise my children as beggars."
Other people's logic didn't matter. To a woman satisfied with her own life, nothing I said was going to get through. This was why I hated the Beggars' Sect.
"Fine. Go live your best life. Have a beggar son and come beg at my house sometime. I'll show you properly how a real beggar is given alms."
At those words, Jo Bok glared at me.
"You think your son won't end up a beggar?"
"Of course not. I'd rather raise him in the Green Forest than have him become a beggar."
"I'm younger than you, and the only things I've learned in my life are how to beg and martial arts, but even I know one thing. You never know what the future holds."
"True. You never know the future. But if you live without any plan for it, does that make you a person or a beast?"
"You'll regret it. I'm younger than you now and definitely weaker than you, but soon enough I'll become a martial artist stronger than you. You're a man and I'm a woman, so I could overpower you by force and carry your child. A few years from now, I might even show you your own kid turned beggar."
Jo Bok spoke with her eyes blazing. Terrifying, really.
If she was a Beggars' Sect operative who'd already figured out that I was a young master and that I was Baek Eun-hyeok, she must have heard about my martial prowess too, but in those eyes staring straight at me, the will to surpass me blazed fiercely. At least in this one thing, she resembled Son Yeong.
"Bok, that's enough. A woman shouldn't say things like that. And I do understand your point, young friend. It's not that we haven't thought about it ourselves. But consider this. If a hundred thousand Beggars' Sect members all became commoners right now, what do you suppose would happen? Commoners can barely tell regular beggars apart from Beggars' Sect members. So if the Beggars' Sect disappeared, how much harsher would the scorn be that the remaining beggars would have to endure?
"And you mentioned farmers, escorts, woodcutters, hunters. If a hundred thousand Beggars' Sect members flooded into those trades, the lives of the existing commoners who make their living from them would be utterly destroyed. Even if those commoners have worked for decades, could they compete with us, who've trained in martial arts? We aren't without thought on this matter, so please don't hate the Beggars' Sect quite so much."
Having eaten some meat, the old man had become noticeably mellower and now spoke with a gentle tone and dignified manner.
"Master. I still don't like that man."
But Jo Bok, full of dissatisfaction, said to the old man.
"I agree. I don't like the Beggars' Sect either."
"You're twenty-three, right? I'm eighteen. Just wait five years exactly. I'll put you on your knees and make you apologize to the Beggars' Sect."
"Go ahead. Do plenty of begging in the meantime so you can grow up big and strong and come find me. Actually, no, if you go tattling to my master again when the time comes, that'd be annoying, so I'll come find you instead. Just wait. You can go tattle to your master if you like."
Our gazes clashed in midair. At the sight of us, the old man sighed and spoke.
"What? Why are you acting like a child, too? Isn't Yeongsan Sect full of young women? Aren't you used to girls like Bok by now? You're a master with tremendous martial prowess, so you ought to show the dignified bearing of an adult."
"I'm the youngest at Yeongsan Sect, so how would I know about that?"
"You damned brat. So the peace of the whole world was entirely thanks to the Sect Leader of Yeongsan. If nothing else, I'm going to have to earnestly petition the Sect Leader to make sure you never travel alone from now on."
At the old man's sighing lament, even I was a little surprised. When I forgot that I was the head of the household in my father's place from my past life, the eldest son at Baek Clan Estate, and a disciple of Yeongsan Sect, I really did become childish.
"If you're going to tell my master, then the Beggars' Sect had better give up on this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. I'll move up that five-year promise and cleanly break that little wench's legs with a club."
At my heartfelt threat, the old man shook his head from side to side and rose from his seat.
"By the way, Elder. You know me well, but I don't know who you are."
"I'm an elder of the Beggars' Sect, you brat. Have you never even heard the name Drunken Beggar?"
"Drunken Beggar? Do you like liquor, by any chance?"
"Of course I do. Why? You planning on giving alms in liquor, too?"
"I'm on my way to the Wine Immortal Sect right now. I hear the way they entertain guests there is no joke. If you're interested, would you like to come along?"
At those words, Drunken Beggar's eyes changed.
"The Wine Immortal Sect?! Of course! The Wine Immortal Sect shared a long-standing relationship with Yeongsan Sect! So the reason you're here alone was to head to the Wine Immortal Sect!"
This old man. He said he was Beggars' Sect, but he really was something else. He even knew precisely about the relationship between two tiny, tiny fifth-rate sects like the Wine Immortal Sect and Yeongsan Sect?
"I've heard that the secret brew made by the Wine Immortal Sect is the finest under heaven. But almost no one ever gets invited by them. They say that when a guest arrives, they open three waist-high jars, and the guest can't be sent back until they've drunk all of them. Hm hm. Seeing as the young friend here seems worried about that liquor, I suppose I could tag along."
Drunken Beggar spoke, smacking his lips.
"Worried? What's there to be worried about? I can hold my liquor pretty well, too. And if it really comes down to it, I can just neutralize it with internal energy."
"Then why are you bringing this up to me?"
"Old man, you look like you've got a loose tongue, and if I send you on your way like this, it seems like you'll go looking for my master."
Glances flew back and forth in an instant. My eyes said: I'll take you to the Wine Immortal Sect, so don't tell my master. He definitely caught my meaning.
"Bok, you go on back to the Main Headquarters first. I'm going to keep an eye on Great Hero Baek a little longer."
"What? Master, you're going to go drinking? Then I'm coming along too."
The young wench rose to her feet, smacking her lips as if she knew what liquor tasted like. I spoke to her as gently as possible, with a kindly murmur.
"Regrettably, the Wine Immortal Sect refuses the steps of women. You run along to that beggar's den you love so much."
"That's so petty!"
"Well then, Elder. Let's be off to the Wine Immortal Sect now."
Leaving the fuming Jo Bok behind, we headed for the Wine Immortal Sect. Jo Bok's stream of curses from behind us sounded as sweet as a song by Lee Eun-ha.
The Wine Immortal Sect.
A sect quietly nestled not far from where we'd grilled and eaten the meat. The Wine Immortal Sect really did seem like it must have been extremely close with Yeongsan Sect. A signboard already half-fallen, a main gate not just weathered but rotting, crumbling and decayed. A size so tiny you could almost believe it was a mountain lodge. At least Yeongsan Sect had had plenty of land. But even at that sight, Drunken Beggar couldn't hide his excitement, like an otaku arriving in Akihabara.
"Sniff sniff. Do you smell that fragrance, young friend? To catch the scent of wine from so far away. The Wine Immortal Sect's name is no lie!"
"It really is no joke. I've never caught a wine scent like this even in Beijing's pleasure houses.
"Anyone home?! I am Yeongmok of the Yeongsan Sect!"
When I called out in a loud voice in front of the gate, an old man, far older even than Drunken Beggar, walked out. Gaunt arms, a belly bulging out. But an old man with a bright-red face, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeongsan Sect, you say? Haven't they collapsed yet? With no word from them for so long, I thought they'd surely gone under ages ago!"
He opened the gate warmly and pulled me into a tight embrace.
"Heh. I heard all the young ones had died. Did you join after the Bloody Calamity?"
"Yes. I am called Yeongmok."
"Yeongmok? Is Yeong your family name?"
"My Taoist title is Yeongmok, and my surname is Baek."
"Ah-ha! Look at me, losing my wits. It's been terribly hard on you all this time, hasn't it? The Yeongsan Sect and the Wine Immortal Sect were brothers. Even when we wanted to help, we're nothing but a bunch of old men without a single disciple, so we couldn't help with anything. You at least look young and hale, but seeing as you've even taken on an old beggar over there as a disciple, it seems things are still awfully hard for you."
The old man, reeking of liquor, grew teary-eyed as he looked at Drunken Beggar. Anyone could see Drunken Beggar was a man of the Beggars' Sect, but the old man, who knew Yeongsan Sect's past, seemed to think that Yeongsan Sect could well have taken on even an old beggar as a disciple.
"No. That gentleman is not from Yeongsan Sect; he's an elder of the Beggars' Sect, Drunken Beggar. He said tasting the Wine Immortal Sect's liquor was his lifelong wish, so he came along with me."
"Hm? The Beggars' Sect? We're old men up in the mountain villages, so we know little of the Martial World's affairs. But judging by that face of his, this one must be terribly fond of liquor too.
"See here, Elder. This is a truly small sect. With me, at seventy-two, being the youngest, it's less a sect and more just an old men's brewery. We've got nothing to offer but liquor. If that's still fine by you, then let's enjoy the Wine Immortal Sect's liquor together."
A resounding boom! rang out. Drunken Beggar, overcome with emotion, performed a cupped-fist salute with tremendous force and bowed his head at the old man's words.
"Thank you. For welcoming an uninvited guest like this, I will be able to fulfill a lifelong wish."
The old man grinned at the sight of Drunken Beggar. He didn't bat an eye at the booming noise from a moment before.
"The Wine Immortal Sect has one rule. If a guest cannot finish their drink, they may not return home, be it a month or two."
"That is exactly what I'd hoped for."
"Then follow me. Elder."
The old man tottered inside with a swaggering, feet-turned-outward gait. In the courtyard, he shouted in a loud voice:
"Senior Brothers! Guests have come! A young friend from Yeongsan Sect and an old friend from the Beggars' Sect have come to visit!"
At the old man's words, other old men shuffled out one by one into the courtyard. It seemed this seventy-two-year-old really was the youngest junior brother, because the other old men were grandfathers who looked well over eighty at a glance. The eldest senior brother, in particular, wobbled along with a cane, and just like the others, he welcomed us with gleeful delight, sporting a bright-red drinker's nose.
Master. Back when I first joined the sect, that close friend of the sect who said he'd make my misdeeds known if I laid hands on a female disciple and didn't take responsibility—was it this place? Seeing that old man's cane, I was trembling with fear.