Chapter 173: It Is Fate (2)
A rustic hut that was made to look appealing but only paid attention to appearances, letting the biting winter winds sneak in through the gaps.
Winter is particularly a hellish season for beggars, as numerous souls succumb to the cold, never to see the sunlight again.
Chuwong, having achieved a degree of martial prowess, could survive by wrapping himself in a barrier of Qi, something the beggars below him simply couldn’t do.
Thus, Chuwong did not like winter. It was a season that left him feeling powerless.
“Boss….”
A member of the Beggars Sect called out to Chuwong from within the hut.
“What?” he replied with a furrowed brow.
“Shouldn’t we collect the pass?”
Chuwong glanced at the wooden pass resting on the table— the very one he had meant to give to the True Dragon just moments earlier.
“Hmph.”
The pass the beggar was referring to wasn’t that wooden pass.
He was asking if it was fine to retrieve the First Class Beggars Pass that the True Dragon had.
“You lunatic, how could I take such a thing?”
“But… since we helped him, isn’t it only right for us to get something in return?”
Typically, it would be right.
The pass Chuwong had intended to give wasn’t exactly a rare item, so there were others who had it.
But the True Dragon’s pass was another story altogether.
It was a pass that could grant access to any information within the Beggars Sect.
If they lacked the needed information, they’d have to fetch it themselves.
It was only given to the savior of the sect’s leader.
That meant any matter concerning that pass required first-rate priority treatment from the leader.
Why the heck does the True Dragon have that?
Chuwong was floored when the True Dragon brought out the First Class Beggars Pass from his robe.
That wasn’t an item for just any young prodigy.
Is it a fake?
That thought flickered through his mind for a heartbeat, but he quickly dismissed it.
The Gu Clan might not be as prestigious as the Four Great Clans, but they were a respected noble clan; certainly, their heir wouldn’t carry around a cheap counterfeit.
Of course, he still needed to verify if that First Class Pass was real, but he believed deep down that it was.
“Boss?”
“Just hold on a second, dammit! I’m also trying to think here.”
Chuwong scratched his head, replying in exasperation.
As the beggar had said, the First Class Pass was a one-time-use item.
It was the correct procedure to take it back, as its value would vanish once it was used.
But that’s not for me to decide.
The one who possessed the First Class Pass had taken it out to ask for a personal favor instead of through the Beggars Sect. Thus, he felt it was a gray area whether he needed to reclaim it.
And the True Dragon probably knew this, which is why he showed it to me.
“…Hmm.”
Though he called himself the True Dragon, aside from his martial skills, he also seemed to possess a cunning edge like a fox.
Chuwong, scratching his head, turned to the beggar behind him.
“Do you remember what the True Dragon said?”
The beggar responded promptly, “He asked us to look into Hwangbo Sun from the Hwangbo Clan, and check on the Dragon Warrior, right?”
The Hwangbo Clan was the clan of Hwangbo Cheolwi, who had just participated in the tournament as their representative.
Though he didn’t particularly stand out, he showed potential as a budding prodigy.
But who is Hwangbo Sun?
Since it was the first time he’d heard that name, it seemed the person wasn’t a notable member of that clan.
Why did the True Dragon want us to look into such a character?
As for the Dragon Warrior…
The Dragon Warrior was the least recognized among those known as Dragons and Phoenixes.
He’d only made a single appearance yet had managed to earn the title of Dragon Warrior in that brief showing.
He never presented himself again in the Dragons and Phoenixes tournament and had since faded into obscurity.
Chuwong had tried to meet the Dragon Warrior too, but…
I want to avoid remembering that time.
It left him with a gloomy memory.
The Dragon Warrior was even more of a mystery than the Sword Phoenix.
Putting that aside, Chuwong began to contemplate the True Dragon, Gu Yangcheon, who had left hastily.
I can’t grasp his intentions.
No, it’s actually more troubling how obvious it is.
It feels as if he wants to connect with me.
The fact that he insisted on talking to him despite his irritated and unimpressed demeanor, and that he showed him a personal request involving the First Class Pass instead of going through the usual channels…
All of that feels like he’s testing me.
For all this, he’s just a young prodigy who’s lived less than half my life.
Though Chuwong was a martial artist himself, he wasn’t particularly fond of being tested, yet curiously, he felt okay with the notion since it was coming from the True Dragon.
A strange yet compelling pressure he hadn’t felt from any other young prodigy before.
Feeling this from a mere boy threatened his pride, yet on recalling the boy’s true value, he felt differently.
What pride could I possibly have left?
He couldn’t help but let out a slight laugh at his reflection.
What pride did a beggar possess while living on the streets, begging from others?
As long as they could continue living, that was enough.
The title of True Dragon suits him all too well.
The boy seemed to despise that title, though.
Taking a moment to organize his thoughts, Chuwong reached a verdict.
“Bangchu.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“As for the pass the True Dragon had, I’ll handle it myself, so keep your mouth shut about it.”
“Huh? You’re not reporting this to the Branch Leader?”
“Just zip it. I’ll handle the report myself.”
“Boss, don’t forget what happened last time when you delayed reporting about the new star and the True Dragon.”
“Do you want a taste of that beating instead?”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut!”
Branch Leader, my foot.
If it’s a matter of this magnitude, I’ll go directly to the Leader instead of resorting to the Branch Leader.
It’ll be faster to just consult that guy directly.
Though finding him is the real challenge.
That old man was probably off drinking on the streets somewhere, making him one of the hardest people to track down in the world.
– “Student.”
– “Yes?”
– “Hic! Life is a line.”
– “What? A line?”
– “Yes, a line. Stick to the right line, hic, and life will be smooth sailing.”
A scoundrel who would rather laze around drinking while leaving the begging work to his young disciple.
He was the former leader of the alliance and, although it might be an exaggeration, he was once called the Ear of the Sword Venerable, one of the Three Heavenly Venerables considered grand in their abilities.
“Boss, what should we do about the request?” the beggar asked hesitantly.
“What’s there to do? We’ll follow through since we promised.”
“…For free?”
At that, Chuwong picked up the wooden pass resting on the table and tossed it at the beggar.
“That’ll do as payment, roughly speaking.”
“R-Roughly?”
“If it seems like you can’t manage, just put my name on it and leave it to me.”
“Boss, if we counted the number of things you’ve scratched under your name, we’d…”
“Shut it! Do as I say! Why are you so chatty?”
The beggar rubbed the sore spot on his head as he shouted back.
“You’ll end up dead if we keep doing this your way!”
He knew full well that his boss was never one to manage things properly.
He just ends up giving away all his money to other beggars, but somehow thinks he’ll get promoted?
It was a ludicrous notion; he’d never make it up the ranks giving everything away.
“I’ll take care of it. This is the last time I’m warning you.”
“You say that every time.”
“Ugh, I swear this is the last time!”
In a huff, Chuwong kicked the beggar out, sending him tumbling outside.
He understood that the beggar was concerned for him, but he thought that he was in no position to be worrying about him.
Instead of worrying about me, he should worry about how to survive today like the rest of us beggars.
Chuwong exhaled a long sigh as he sat down, recalling Gu Yangcheon’s parting words.
– “Let’s meet again next time.”
He had been the one to reach out his hand first, but this time, it was Gu Yangcheon who’d made the initial move.
Doesn’t he think it feels dirty?
Seeing the boy grab hold of his hand, stained with dirt but without a hint of repulsion, stirred something in Chuwong he had never experienced before.
It was just a handshake, after all.
Yet I’ve encountered countless nobles with their flashy façades.
Damn it.
Chuwong kept ruminating over what the boy’s fierce gaze had meant.
What could the True Dragon possibly want from him?
I seem to know nothing despite growing older; that’s why beggars can’t achieve anything.
Chuwong rose from his seat after finishing his thoughts.
He still hadn’t found an answer.
If he had known how to do it well, he wouldn’t be stuck in this situation in the first place.
“Ugh, this damn life.”
Suddenly springing up, Chuwong threw open the door and stepped outside.
He had to relay everything that had happened during the tournament to the higher-ups.
But I’ll let them handle finding that info themselves.
Although the Branch Leader will probably be raging again for this.
Well, if you don’t like it, just try to fire me! I’ve been stuck in this place for years now. Regardless of my teacher’s words, I need to find my own way to survive.
If this keeps up, I really won’t achieve anything.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Boss?”
“Pass a message to the Branch Leader.”
“What should I say?”
“I’m heading west for a bit.”
“Huh?”
Chuwong tossed that brief message before launching himself into the air.
He was headed to the west of Hanam.
His destination was the Xian Bi clan, where Bi Eejin was located.
“I wonder if he will pull this off properly.”
With both hands filled with food, I spoke up.
Gu Jeolyub, standing next to me, naturally took my burden while asking, “What job are you talking about?”
I was obviously referring to the request I’d made to Chuwong.
Though I don’t really have high hopes.
If I had made an official request to the Beggars Sect, it would have been a different story, but since it was a personal request to Chuwong, it wouldn’t matter much if he failed.
After all, the request itself wasn’t that crucial.
Well, it seems fine that he didn’t take the pass.
It really wouldn’t have been a huge deal even if he had.
Though it’d feel wasteful, I didn’t want to be unreasonable over a simple pass.
As I walked along, I noticed Gu Jeolyub break the silence by asking something else, perhaps feeling the discomfort in the quiet.
“Um, Young Master?”
“What?”
“Is it okay for you to interact with the Beggars Sect?”
At that, I paused and turned to look at him.
Upon making eye contact, Gu Jeolyub froze, clearly taken aback.
“What do you mean?”
“Even if they are from the Orthodox Faction, shouldn’t you formally report this to the clan?”
“Well, I don’t need to.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sure you will.”
Gu Jeolyub’s eyes widened as I calmly continued.
I found his reaction quite odd.
“Won’t you?”
“Uh, it’s—”
“I don’t want unnecessary trouble for something so obvious, so whether you inform the clan seems like your business to me.”
From his response, it seemed he hadn’t anticipated my straightforwardness.
Both Muyeon and Gu Jeolyub were effectively the ears and eyes of the Gu Clan.
The only one I could trust was probably Wi Seol-Ah.
To add further clarity, Gu Jeolyub was more aligned with the First Elder than the clan as a whole.
“You can tell your grandfather everything.”
“…”
“Nothing will significantly change regardless of whether he finds out.”
I resumed walking after observing Gu Jeolyub close his mouth in contemplation.
Though I wished to keep him by my side and nurture his talents, Gu Jeolyub ultimately served the First Elder.
I wasn’t particularly optimistic about him.
If there’s any silver lining, maybe this crafty old fox won’t cross that line?
The First Elder was likened to a moth who leaps into flames.
I felt calm knowing he would likely end up burning himself in the end.
All I wanted was for him to hold back so I wouldn’t have to be the one to burn him myself.
Of course, that probably wouldn’t happen.
This much is enough regarding the Beggars Sect, at least for now.
I intended to set boundaries with the Beggars Sect or more accurately with Chuwong.
He wasn’t someone I’d forged a deep relationship with in my previous life, so I didn’t see the need to do it in this life either.
It would be nice to create such a connection, but if not, it wouldn’t matter.
Honestly, I felt like I had already made an impression on him—though whether it was positive or negative was hard to tell, but I noticed he showed a flicker of interest.
After picking up some more skewers and tossing them to Gu Jeolyub, I spoke to Muyeon.
“Muyeon.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“I think I’ll have some things to attend to.”
Muyeon nodded without questioning me, maintaining his ever-consistent demeanor.
Seeing this, I spoke to both Muyeon and Gu Jeolyub with a smile.
“Go deliver this message to them.”
“Huh?”
As soon as I concluded, I enveloped my body in a surge of energy and leaped from the ground.
My speed was such that neither of the two, especially Muyeon, could keep up.
Muyeon attempted to follow me but froze in awe at my swiftness after charging his Qi.
This was another reason I had deliberately distanced myself from the girls during my visit to Chuwong.
I knew I would likely be reprimanded upon my return.
Geh.
Yet, there was no better alternative.
Taking Muyeon along would be awkward, and asking to go alone wouldn’t work as he wasn’t the type to let me wander off solo.
If only he were weaker than me, I’d just tell him to stay behind, it would make things easier.
Words that came easily regarding Gu Jeolyub felt tricky to convey to Muyeon.
I recognized just how hard he pushed himself, swinging his sword tirelessly.
I feel bad, but I’m sure he’ll cut me some slack since I’ll return right away.
It wouldn’t take long.
It was just a little past noon.
I would likely return before the sun went down.
At least, that was what I thought back then.
“Why are you here?”
If it weren’t for the woman gazing at me from beneath the stairs leading up to the Shaolin Temple, I would’ve been fine.
An enchanting woman radiating a chilly aura appeared before me.
Moyong Hi-ah, the Snow Phoenix, spoke with an alluring smile.
“What a coincidence, meeting you here.”
No way this is a coincidence.
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