Chapter 453

“You fucking baaaastards!”

For a moment, it felt as though a cold wind had swept through.

Or maybe my shout had simply been loud enough to feel like one.

Probably the latter.

Whoooosh.

Dozens of people who had been scrambling for silver nyang¹ froze, and silence fell over the noisy main road.

Then one short command broke the stillness.

“I’m counting to three.”

“……?”

“Fall in.”

“……!”

Give a dog three years at a village school and it can recite poetry. Beat it for long enough and it can memorize the Four Books and Three Classics.²

That was why the village-school dog—or rather, Hyuk Mujin—who had been conditioned by a year of my violence and profanity moved faster than anyone else.

“Faaall iiiin!”

Screaming his acknowledgment, Hyuk Mujin came running and stopped dead in front of me.

A beat later, Gung Gibang grasped the situation and used his movement technique, arriving almost simultaneously with Hyuk Mujin. As for Cheongpung…

“Pancakes! Please give me the pancakes, quick! Benefactor is angry!”

That sibu-leol³ bastard. He was still making sure to get his snacks.

Once they had been wrapped, Cheongpung raced toward me like a streak of light. I spoke to him gently.

“Take your time. I’m not angry.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Yeah. I’m not angry. I’m fucking pissed.”

“Ah, ah…”

I looked at the fidgeting Cheongpung and the other two, who were subtly avoiding my gaze.

When the hell are these bastards going to become human?

They should have been squeezing out every last ounce of strength to reach the Zhuge Clan, yet here they were using martial arts to pick up a few silver nyang.¹

Gung Gibang had even sneakily snatched silver nyang¹ out of someone else’s hand. At this point, he was not a beggar. He was a bandit.

Life, for fuck’s sake…

I’d gone to such lengths lately to improve employee benefits, and this was what I got.

I looked up at the clear sky and spat into my palm.

“Hyuk Mujin. Stick out your forehead.”

“Pardon?”

Hyuk Mujin jerked his head up, looking incredulous.

“Just me?”

“Yeah. You first.”

“What about Gung Gibang?”

“He’s a beggar down to the bone. Honestly, it’s hard to criticize a beggar for picking up silver nyang.”¹

“An accurate and wise judgment.”

Gung Gibang, who had been watching my mood, cut in with a solemn voice. Hyuk Mujin opened his round eyes.

“No, what do you mean, ‘hard to criticize’? You get angry every time I call you a beggar.”

“Me? What nonsense. I’m a beggar from head to toe. I was born a beggar, and I’ll live as one until the day I die.”

“……You really are a beggar.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Gung Gibang, you beggar bastard.”

“Ah, how sweet.”

After glaring at Gung Gibang as if he wanted to kill him, Hyuk Mujin spoke again.

“What about Cheongpung?”

“Cheongpung is Cheongpung.”

Huashan or whatever, Cheongpung had always been like that.

That one sentence said it all. Hyuk Mujin muttered,

“That makes no sense, but somehow I understand…”

“People are watching. Let’s get this over with.”

“How many?”

“You tell me. How many blows will it take for you to reflect on your actions?”

“Then… one?”

“Three.”

“Damn it. Understood.”

“You cursed, so five.”

“……Just hit me ten times. Beat me to death.”

“Bonus points for such resolve, worthy of a martial artist. So, one blow. How many?”

“One!”

Hyuk Mujin shouted his reply with all his might and thrust his forehead forward.

That was when it happened.

“You there. Stop.”

“……?”

I lowered my hand and turned around.

The main road had gone deathly silent. Ten men and women seated in four-bearer palanquins were staring at us with a mixture of displeasure and interest.

All of them wore lavish clothing that flaunted their immense wealth, but one young man stood out in particular.

He was the one who had just spoken.

“I stopped. Why?”

The young man’s eyes widened at my question. He blinked for a while, as if unable to believe what he had heard, then let out a quiet laugh.

“It seems you do not know who this Young Master is.”

“Do I need to?”

“What an arrogant bastard!”

The young man wasn’t the one who said that.

I watched as a man kicked off from one of the palanquins and shot into the air.

What’s this now?

Whoosh, clang!

The sparrow-eyed man performed three somersaults in midair before landing and drawing his sword, his eyes blazing with fury.

The onlookers gasped at the flashy display.

“You appear to be a wandering martial artist, but as if causing a disturbance in broad daylight were not enough, you dare address a person of noble standing with such insolence—”

“You’ve got a lot of jewels on that thing. Are they supposed to distract people?”

I stared at the jewels decorating his sword. Dozens of gems in a variety of colors were shining in the sunlight.

“What?”

“It’s dazzling. Put it away.”

Clang!

The sparrow-eyed man’s eyes widened.

Unable to withstand the force of my finger flick, the sword flew from his hand and buried itself deep in the ground.

“Who the fuck points a sword at someone like that? In broad daylight, no less.”

Oh, look at him throwing a fit.

He was probably somewhere around First Rate.

He seemed to have polished his skills to a decent level, but he was an extreme poseur obsessed with appearances.

“T-this bastard…!”

“And you were the ones making all the noise. I just quieted things down. Don’t make this any more complicated than it needs to be. Just leave, all right?”

I meant it.

It wasn’t as if I’d never had a fly or two buzzing around me before. This wasn’t my home, and I was only passing through. There was no reason to spray insecticide on every mosquito that came at me.

Better to wave them away and keep going.

But no matter how sincerely you tried to explain something, there were always people who failed to understand the first time.

Shing, shing-shing!

Dozens of sword blades flashed from every direction. Martial artists from Qingxia Hall, dressed in blue silk martial uniforms, surrounded us in layer after layer. The sparrow-eyed man’s earlier panic gave way to smug satisfaction.

“You seem to be a fairly well-known wandering martial artist. Kneel and beg forgiveness while you still can. Who knows? Perhaps the Young Master will mercifully spare you.”

I glanced over the sparrow-eyed man’s shoulder. Led by the young man who appeared to be their leader, the others were watching us with sparkling eyes.

They looked exactly like zoo visitors watching monkeys.

“I don’t think the people over there are feeling particularly merciful.”

“What?”

“Of course, neither am I. And from what I’ve learned, this is the most effective medicine. Isn’t that right?”

I slowly raised my fist, and the Bermuda Triangle, which had been watching only my expression, responded enthusiastically.

“Exactly. They won’t come to their senses until they’ve been beaten like dogs on the hottest day of summer.”⁴

“I was the first one to take that medicine. Cured me on the spot.”

“Benefactor, can I go buy dumplings while you do that?”

“No. Stay there. This’ll be over soon anyway.”

Step.

“W-wait!”

The moment I stepped forward, panic filled the sparrow-eyed man’s eyes.

A Third Rate thug would charge in out of sheer stubbornness because he would not know his opponent’s level. But that man was a martial artist who had learned martial arts to a certain degree.

He had clearly realized that neither he nor the Qingxia Hall martial artists serving as an ornamental backdrop were any match for me.

“W-we’re Qingxia Hall!”

“Oh. So?”

“H-have you never heard of Qingxia Hall’s reputation?”

“Nope. My hearing hasn’t been too good lately.”

Step.

“Stop! I said stop!”

“Ahem.”

By then, the sparrow-eyed man wasn’t the only one getting desperate.

The Zhuge Clan retainer, who had been clicking his tongue as he watched, cleared his throat and spoke.

“I will explain the situation, so perhaps it would be best if you stopped…”

Whack! Thud!

“Pardon me? What did you just say?”

“……”

The Zhuge Clan retainer looked back and forth between me, standing there with my fist clenched, and the sparrow-eyed man, who lay unconscious with his nose crushed.

He muttered awkwardly,

“I said it might be best if you stopped…”

“Pardon?”

“There may be various complications…”

“Pardon?”

“It would be better to avoid any unnecessary conflict…”

“What was that?”

“……Never mind.”

“Ah. All right.”

I wiped the blood from my fist on my trouser leg and looked around.

Gung Gibang was muttering that he’d known the man would end up like that, while Hyuk Mujin beamed at his unexpected reprieve.

And Cheongpung…

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

“Gasp! Benefactor!”

Was that bastard seriously trying to buy dumplings right now…?

Cheongpung was silently inching away. Watching his retreating back, I began to wonder if he was really human.

I’m definitely catching that bastard.

I stepped forward with grim resolve. The ornamental guards surrounding us sucked in their breaths and moved aside.

But they weren’t the only Qingxia Hall martial artists present.

“Ha-ha-ha! How amusing. Truly amusing. Don’t you agree?”

At the young man’s laughing question, the four huge men carrying his palanquin answered in unison.

“Yes, my lord.”

“We cannot send off the benefactor who gave this Young Master such a good laugh. I am fine, so go and bring him here.”

“Loyalty!”

Their shout rang with internal energy. The huge men set down the palanquin and charged toward me with the speed of the wind.

They had transformed from mere sedan bearers into outstanding Peak masters, attacking while covering all four directions.

Whoooooosh!

Each threw a punch carrying fierce qi, the four strikes interlocking with exquisite precision.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

With exactly four sounds of impact, four bodies sprawled face-first onto the ground at the same speed with which they had charged.

None of them got back up.

“What the sibu-leol?”³

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

Complete silence descended over the main road.

I nudged the unconscious giants with my foot, then shrugged at the young man. The corners of his mouth, which had been raised so high moments before, were now trembling.

“Interesting. Very interesting. Don’t you all think so too?”

The Zhuge Clan retainer put a hand to his forehead, while Gung Gibang and Hyuk Mujin nodded mechanically.

“This is the most fun I’ve had in all my thirty years as a beggar.”

“Captain, I laughed so hard my belly button fell off. I can’t see where it rolled, so I’m still looking for it.”

“Right. In times as bleak as these, how could we simply let the man who gave us such wonderful entertainment leave? So… grab that bastard by the collar and escort him over here.”

“Loyalty, loyalty!”

“I give up. Whatever happens, you’ll deal with it yourself.”

Hyuk Mujin, desperate to avoid even a single blow, threw himself into the task with greater enthusiasm than anyone else. Gung Gibang stepped forward as well, despite his grumbling.

The situation had completely reversed from how it had begun.

Once even their trusted guards were defeated, the men and women of Qingxia Hall began shrieking at the tops of their lungs.

“Y-you bastard! Do you know who I am?”

“You wretched scoundrel! How dare you defy the laws of the Great Nation!”

“If you lay a hand on me, do you think my family will stand by and do nothing?”

I had only meant to grab one person, but these people were apparently set items that came attached in a chain.

I turned to the first one who had shouted.

“Who are you?”

“I am the Young Bureau Head of the Daejuksan Escort Bureau…”

“Oh, Juksan Escort Bureau?”

“So you do know us!”

“I don’t, you sibu-leol³ bastard. Get down before I beat you into juk.”⁵

They might have thrown their weight around in Hubei Province, but if I’d never heard of them, they were nobodies.

I continued quietly.

“Get down now, and I’ll only destroy the palanquin. Refuse, and I’ll destroy your legs along with it. What’ll it be?”

The Young Bureau Head of the Daejuksan Escort Bureau widened his eyes and answered,

“I’ll get down.”

“You should’ve done that from the start. Why are your eyes so wide?”

“I’m sorry. If I don’t do this, I think I might cry…”

Ah. That was understandable.

After dealing with one of them easily, I turned to the sharp-voiced woman.

“What family did you say you were from?”

“Hmph! No matter how much of a scoundrel you are, surely you’ve heard of the name of the Hyungmun Sword Family!”

“Never heard of it. Stop talking nonsense and get down.”

“……!”

“Next. Where are you from?”

“I-I’m from the Eungseong Merchant Association…”

“Eungseong, Eung-shit, whatever. Get down unless you want me to beat you until you crap yourself.”

“Yes, sir.”

After two or three of them climbed down from their sedan chairs, the rest began touching their feet to the ground one by one without even speaking.

All except one.

“So, who are you?”

Every trace of laughter had vanished from the young man’s face. His eyes gleamed coldly.

“You have crossed a line you should never have crossed.”

“Looks like you’ve crossed your lifeline too. So who are you?”

“Heh. What a ridiculous situation.”

The young man gave a hollow laugh, then shouted in a dignified voice,

“I, Ju Wongong, am a noble scion of the dragon’s blood and a third cousin of His Majesty the Emperor! If you know your crime, kneel even now!”

“Okay, Celestial Dragon.⁶ Get down.”

“……!”