Chapter 693
It wasn’t often that beggars got a chance to eat a very nice meal. And this was even more true if it wasn’t a beggar’s usual standard but one which was considered nice by normal people.
In that sense, it was as if Gu Chil had gotten the rarest chance today.
It wasn’t often that one got the chance to eat a sumptuous meal prepared for a beggar.
Normally, he would have cheered and rushed to the table, but right now, Gu Chil couldn’t even touch the food.
‘This should be held. I need to.’
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
A mouth-watering scent tickled his nose, but even that felt like torture now.
Gu Chil raised his head slowly and looked at the person in front of him.
Hong Dae-Kwang.
Hong Dae-Kwang, the Hwa-Um branch leader, was familiar to Gu Chil because he saw him often. Still, he could never feel comfortable knowing his true identity.
As a candidate for the next leader and expected to still grow, he would never be the type of person who would stay in his current position. He was a person who had difficulty expressing himself, even by saying that he had forgotten.
Just having a sick stomach with someone like that would make the stomach hurt….
Nom nom nom nom! Nomnomnomnom!
“… eat slowly, Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon.”
“What?”
Gulp!
Chung Myung gulped the food in his mouth in one go, and his face contorted.
“Enough, bring me alcohol! This is all for the smell!”
“… we brought three bottles.”
“Not enough!”
“… ah, I understand.”
“Meat, too!”
“…”
Hong Dae-Kwang helplessly took out a bag from his arms. Tears welled up in Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes as he opened and checked the remaining money.
‘This month’s operating money.’
When it came to the branch leader, money was needed somehow, so operating expenses were bound to come from the main base. However, their main role was as beggars, and he was a beggar. How much money could be given?
After pouring out their month’s expenses into the mouth of the bastard, they were all now running low.
“Hurry up!”
“… I understand!”
Reluctantly, Hong Dae-Kwang called a beggar outside the door and handed him a bag.
“Go and buy more meat and alcohol.”
“This much money?”
“… just buy it.”
The beggar looked at Hong Dae-Kwang and Chung Myung, then left, closing the door behind him. As the door shut, Hong Dae-Kwang’s pride also crumbled.
“Kyaaak! It has been a while since I ate worldly food; I feel so alive.”
“Mount Hua makes good food, though?”
“Tsk, you don’t know.”
Chung Myung gulped down the alcohol and wiped his mouth.
“No matter how much meat one can eat, Mount Hua is a mountain. And it doesn’t add in these harsh spices and seasonings.”
“…”
“Well, it isn’t bad, but… basically, humans cannot survive on rice alone. One gets sick if they have to eat the same thing every day.”
“… isn’t it true that a Taoist warrior naturally endures such things to cultivate themselves even more?”
“Then why is Mister Hong carrying a purse despite being a beggar? Aren’t you supposed to be a beggar and hold things in your hand?”
“… I was wrong.”
First, one cannot win against this man with words.
As Hong Dae-Kwang shook his head, Chung Myung glanced back at Gu Chil.
“You won’t eat?”
“… uh?”
“Eat! Eat this! What is left has to be eaten! If you are a beggar, you need to eat well, especially if you are a beggar.”
“That… I will eat it slowly when I am on my own, Cho Sam.”
At the very natural words of Gu Chil, Chung Myung’s face contorted. And that anger wasn’t even directed at Gu Chil but at Hong Dae-Kwang.
“No, it is so frustrating!”
“… why now…”
“No matter how much you treat the guys on a regular basis, he always eats the food thinking about you! I always told you to be kind to him!”
You didn’t say it that many times, either…
You mentioned that just once, Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon…
“Today, you just set flame to everything, including the pavilion and hut?!”
“I-I treated him well!”
“Then this guy isn’t eating!”
“I-I will eat! Cho Sam! I will eat!”
Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes were turning watery at this, and Gu Chil hurriedly began to stuff food into his mouth.
Only then did Chung Myung smile happily and pour alcohol into the glass of Gu Chil.
“Have this, eat a lot. And drink this too!”
“Ugh! Upp!”
Tears welled up in the eyes of Gu Chil as the food was being stuffed into his mouth.
The kid was nice.
He really was nice….
But there was something that… he couldn’t help but feel there was a very wrong way of expressing it.
At that time, Hong Dae-Kwang scratched his head, and Chung Myung, who was laughing, suddenly screamed.
“Ah! The food is falling!”
“I washed up this morning!”
“Sigh, a beggar washing up too. Speak, speak.” ????????ℴ???.?ℴ?
“…”
Hong Dae-Kwang, who once again realized that he would be scolded for anything he did, decided to change the topic.
“S-so what is it? Why did you come here? I never saw you, even when I sang for you to come.”
“I was busy.”
“Eh, I wasn’t blaming you.”
Chung Myung put the alcohol bottle down and looked at Hong Dae-Kwang.
“How are things going?”
“…”
Hong Dae-Kwang’s gaze turned to Gu Chil, and then Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.
“It is fine.”
“Hmm.”
Hong Dae-Kwang nodded.
“Well, fine. It doesn’t matter. Nothing huge happened yet. First, the biggest thing would be the Shaolin abbot summoning the sect leaders of all Nine Great Sects to the Shaolin.”
“They are moving swiftly.”
Chung Myung grinned.
Since they laid out the truth, he expected everything to be handled in moderation. Still, seeing them move faster than expected, it seemed like the abbot was having a tough time.
“They are men who live and die for their reputation, so they cannot possibly fight openly… maybe an internal conflict?”
“So that is it.”
Hong Dae-Kwang quietly shook his head.
“Although it is said to be an internal issue, it hasn’t been the case for the past 30 years that the sect leaders have gathered like this. This in itself can be called the greatest change.”
“Seems like their butts are on fire. Kekekeke.”
“… Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon. This isn’t something to laugh about. Considering that the reason they are gathering is because of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, this might not be very good news.”
“From what I can tell, everything is coming together. They will now be holding each other by their hair and tearing it out, wondering if they are right or the other is. And since the Shaolin abbot doesn’t have hair, he will be fine.”
“…”
Although the tone of Chung Myung was playful, Hong Dae-Kwang knew that this was the case.
Even if this external enemy appeared, it would not be easy for the Nine Great Sects, who kept one another in check, to unite. Maybe if this incident leads to better ties, then he would probably feel nice.
“Forget the Nine Sects. What about the other side?”
“First, the Five Great Families are raging. The Nine Sects feel bitter, but that is all. It is different for the Five Families. This is because the Tang family, which was the center along with the Namgung family, has withdrawn.”
“Hmm.”
“Of course, just joining the alliance doesn’t mean that they are at odds with the Five Great Families, but what is happening in the world confirms it, right? Moreover, the fact that the Tang family shared a brotherly cup with the Heavenly Friends Alliance this time has an even more special meaning. It is no different from the declaration that if the alliance and the Five Great Families are hostile, then they will take the side of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”
“The head of the family has made a big decision.”
It was clear that the one action made him re-evaluate the existence of the Heavenly Friends Alliance again. Chung Myung nodded and said,
“Well, it is fine.”
“… Don’t speak like that about the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, brat!”
Of course, Hong Dae-Kwang was shocked, but Chung Myung waved his hand as if swatting a fly.
“What is the change around you?”
“Hmm.”
Hong Dae-Kwang took a moment to choose his words and scratched his chin.
“This… is a bit of a strange situation.”
“Why?”
“If it hadn’t been for the closed gate, there is a high chance that the Southern Edge would have been at the core of the storm. If they were thinking people, they would have encouraged Southern Edge and tried to support them implicitly.”
“The surrounding sects must have been surely poking them, right?”
“Right. Because that is what they are.”
“Yes. That is the way it is.”
Gu Chil slowly showed the hand that was eating and looked at the two people.
One person was a candidate for the next Beggars Union leader, and the other was the sword of Mount Hua, a sect that belonged to the Nine Great Sects in the past.
But if one listened to the conversation between these people, they were cursing the Nine Great Sects without taking a break. And this conversation felt more like demons talking.
That was when Hong Dae-Kwang frowned.
“Well, there is no possibility that the Nine Great Sects will pressure Mount Hua by using Wudang. Excluding Southern Edge, the closest sects to Mount Hua are Wudang, Shaolin, and Kongtong.”
“Hmm.”
“But shockingly, this is not where the problem is.”
“You sure?”
“Sichuan.”
Hong Dae-Kwang spoke firmly.
“It will not be easy for Wudang, who has been humiliated once, to strike back. They need to catch their breath. The Shaolin, whose ties with Mount Hua aren’t that bad on the surface, and the Kongtong sect, which hasn’t even been active, will not decide to join forces to pressure Mount Hua. But Sichuan is different because it has both the Qingcheng and Emei sects.”
“Hmm…”
“You cannot forget the Diancang sect, which does not have good ties with Kunlun. Sichuan isn’t on good terms with Emei of Qingcheng either. Now that the Tang family has joined this side, their ties will worsen further. If a problem arises sooner or later, it will start from Sichuan.”
Chung Myung scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm… I guess something needs to be said. But there is no way the Tang Family Lord wouldn’t know this, so why didn’t he speak?”
“The Poison King isn’t one to express his worries. He probably thought he had to solve the problem on his own.”
“People are so…”
Chung Myung took a bitter sip and nodded.
“Besides, if there is anything you might consider a problem, please let me know right away. Every little thing can one day turn into a problem.”
“I get it. Don’t worry about that. Isn’t the revival of Mount Hua our revival, too?”
Hong Dae-Kwang clenched his fists with determination, but then he frowned.
“Ah, there is one thing that came to my mind.”
“Uh?”
“I don’t think it’s possible, but…”
“What is this about?”
“You know…”
Suspicious eyes.
“Is Mount Hua doing anything in the south?”
“What do you mean?”
“No, I was wondering if you sent a disciple of Mount Hua to the South.”
“We didn’t.”
Chung Myung tilted his head. It was such a random question that he couldn’t understand. Moreover, Hong Dae-Kwang always conveyed his thoughts upfront, so the question felt odd.
Hong Dae-Kwang, who must have read the thoughts of Chung Myung, said,
“Ugh… this isn’t that big of a deal, okay? Like you said, small things can turn into big ones, so I am telling you in advance.”
“Okay.”
“… A new skilled warrior has appeared in Jiangxi province and is building a reputation.”
“What about it?”
“Okay. Listen more. It looks like that new warrior is beating down some well-known warriors. And as you said, it is quite common for warriors to come out of nowhere in Kangho….”
“Yes. It is a common occurrence.”
Hong Dae-Kwang quietly said,
“The problem is that the expert uses sword techniques that feel like flower petals fluttering.”
“Eh?”
“And he said with his own mouth that he is the descendant of the Mount Hua sect….”
“What shit?”
Chung Myung leaned forward like lightning and grabbed Hong Dae-Kwang by the collar.
“No, are you trying to mess with me? Why would they suddenly pull in Mount Hua! Is this your joke?”
“Keke! Kekeke! N-No! I didn’t do it! Leave this alone for now!”
“Southern Edge? Is it Southern Edge!? Are these bastards, Southern Edge, trying to open their gate and then screw us over!”
“Kuaaak! Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon! Let go of me…”
Chung Myung roughly hit Hong Dae-Kwang and then gritted his teeth, his eyes shining brightly.
“What? Of Mount Hua? Has this bastard really grown nothing in his head? How dare he mention Mount Hua? Where is that bastard now?”
“Jiangxi….”
“Do you think I will not go there? Since we have become famous now, all sorts of flies are coming to us! Mister, release the beggars and track the bastard now.”
“… W-what do you mean?”
“Whatever it means!”
Chung Myung suddenly shouted with the force of flames erupting.
“I will kill him!”
“… Killing is a bit harsh. Why don’t we just sever the limb muscles?”
“It is a shame. Ah, no, should we cut off the muscles and then lock him up for 10 years?”
“I think that is enough!”
Gu Chil, who was listening to the conversation between the two, looked out the window with a blank face.
The sky was so blue that it felt like he was going to cry.
‘Those people are demons, demons!’
This was the cave of demons.
He missed his mother, whose face he didn’t even know, so much more today.
