The Beggars’ Union Really Put Some Thought Into This.

The inside of the tent was not much different from the outside.

At most there was some leather laid over the dirt floor. It was only a windbreak.

“Just sit anywhere. If you feel like complaining about sitting on bare ground…”

“Yes?”

Gyo-ha, who had sat down on the floor faster than anyone, tilted his head.

“…Never mind.”

Red-Eyed Beggar shook his head with a look that said what is with this guy.

The Mount Hua Taoists also glanced at Gyo-ha, then took their seats.

Only Seo Jong-dae looked around with a dissatisfied gaze, then spread his iron fan on the ground and sat on it.

It was a stark contrast to the Mount Hua disciples who had neatly set their swords beside them.

However, Red-Eyed Beggar pretended not to see it.

There were so many problems that he could not be bothered to point out each one.

“So what is this about?”

“Ah, just a moment.”

At Red-Eyed Beggar’s question, Gyo-ha took a bamboo slip.

Yun Heo’s message was written on the bamboo slip.

Red-Eyed Beggar’s brow furrowed as he read. It contained a request he could not understand.

“…You want me to gather strange rumors about monsters and spirits? Then he will act as if the debt never existed?”

Red-Eyed Beggar set the bamboo slip down.

The crime in question was stealing a secret manual no less.

He had even been heavily rebuked by the Beggars’ Union main headquarters when they contacted him.

Even if Kunlun had fallen, its name did not disappear so easily.

Yet now they were saying they would settle it with nothing more than providing some rumors?

It was a good deal. But what was this unpleasant feeling?

On top of that, it was true that strange rumors had been increasing lately.

The main headquarters was investigating whether it was related to the Evil Heaven Alliance.

“…What happens if I refuse?”

“I do not know.”

Gyo-ha shook his head and tried to tuck the bamboo slip Red-Eyed Beggar had put down back into his bosom.

“Ah.”

At that moment another bamboo slip slipped out of his clothes.

Gyo-ha hastily stuffed it back inside, but Red-Eyed Beggar had already seen part of it.

On it was written whom the letter was addressed to.

“…Hao Gate?”

“Yes?”

“Let me see that one you had just now.”

“…I cannot.”

Gyo-ha clutched his robes tighter.

At that attitude, Red-Eyed Beggar was exasperated. He knew this much. Someone like Gyo-ha would not make such a mistake.

His internal energy aside, the visible development of his body was astonishing.

Besides, this was far too blatant.

‘So this is what they meant by eccentric.’

It was obvious this was something Yun Heo had put him up to.

In the time when Yun Heo had been active, the Three Freaks of the Martial World had been famous.

The Sword Freak had been the only one among the three who belonged to the Orthodox side.

At one time he had contended with the Sword Immortal for the title of the next Greatest Swordsman Under Heaven.

“I understand, so stop this clumsy act. The Hao Gate is not even at the level of our headquarters’ toes.”

The Greatest Information Network Under Heaven.

That was the pride of the Beggars’ Union.

However, if the gap with the Hao Gate had truly been as absolute as Red-Eyed Beggar claimed, he would not have snapped like that.

Contrary to Red-Eyed Beggar’s guess, it was not something Yun Heo had instructed.

It had been Seo Jong-dae’s idea.

Yun Heo had only said that if the Beggars’ Union refused, they should go straight to the Hao Gate.

He had added that the Hao Gate would not turn down his request.

It was clear they had ties in the past.

Soon Red-Eyed Beggar’s gaze turned to the Mount Hua disciples.

“It is because of the missing disciples, is it not?”

“Yes.”

Jeon Pyeong nodded. As expected of the Beggars’ Union branch leader, he knew their purpose without it being said.

“We were already investigating it at the request of the Murim Alliance.”

It was not that Red-Eyed Beggar had ignored them out of personal feelings.

A disciple of Mount Hua had gone missing, and it was not only Mount Hua.

Other Murim Alliance members were involved as well. His mood had been sour, yet he did not confuse public duty and private feelings.

‘I had planned to call them tomorrow or the day after.’

The report had only just arrived.

‘…Come to think of it.’

As he recalled the report, a strange light appeared in Red-Eyed Beggar’s eyes.

He soon looked back and forth between the Mount Hua disciples and Gyo-ha.

“This works out well. It is not different from your request.”

Not only Gyo-ha and Seo Jong-dae, but even the Mount Hua disciples looked at Red-Eyed Beggar with puzzled eyes.

“According to the last report from the missing ones, they stopped by a village in Henan on the way to their mission site.”

Red-Eyed Beggar calmly recited what was written in the report.

“It said most of the villagers had been poisoned by an unknown toxin. There was a foul stench and their bodies swelled up in a peculiar way. The Murim Alliance members moved to track down the culprit and then all contact was lost.”

Poison.

At that word, everyone frowned.

“When the Beggars’ Union disciples found the village, there was no one left alive. Only rotting corpses everywhere. People and animals alike. They barely managed to find a few survivors, yet they all said strange things. They said the culprit appears whenever it rains.”

There were people like that from time to time. Not just among martial artists.

At that moment, Red-Eyed Beggar looked at Gyo-ha and spoke.

“And they said it was absolutely not in human form. That is as far as the report I received goes.”

When Red-Eyed Beggar finished his story, silence settled over the tent.

“If it was not a person, then what on earth was it?”

At Jeon Gwang’s question, Red-Eyed Beggar shrugged.

“I do not know. Most of the time, people mistake beasts or martial artists for something else.”

To villagers who knew nothing of martial arts, Murim people were no different from immortals or monsters.

“Or it might be something the Evil Heaven Alliance schemed, or it might really be monsters and spirits being like you said.”

Red-Eyed Beggar glanced at Gyo-ha as he spoke.

“In any case, if you plan to cross into Qinghai, you should stop by Sichuan on the way.”

The Mount Hua disciples understood what Red-Eyed Beggar meant.

There were those who were most suitable for matters involving poison.

Namely the Sichuan Tang Clan.

One of the Five Great Clans.

Like the Nine Sects and One Union, they were a main pillar of the Murim Alliance.

Soon Red-Eyed Beggar turned back to Gyo-ha.

“What will you do?”

At Red-Eyed Beggar’s question, Gyo-ha scratched his chin.

Qinghai Province.

Yun Heo had said that Mount Kunlun was dangerous. He had told him never to go there.

However, Henan was close by from here.

Moreover.

“We also had business in Sichuan.”

At Gyo-ha’s words, Seo Jong-dae let out a sigh.

Business in Sichuan.

Unlike the puzzled Mount Hua disciples, Red-Eyed Beggar seemed to guess the situation and shook his head.

“Do as you like. I will assign you a disciple from the Beggars’ Union, so take him with you.”

“Huh?”

A disciple from the Beggars’ Union all of a sudden?

At the puzzled Gyo-ha, Red-Eyed Beggar clicked his tongue.

“You need to receive other information too. You told us to gather whatever we can, did you not. Huh? Will you come pick a fight at the Beggars’ Union every single time?”

Pick a fight, he said.

They had been the ones to pick a fight first. Gyo-ha had only requested a spar.

“If you are done here, get lost already!”

At the order to leave, the group was driven out of the tent.

“Go get some salt and sprinkle it around.”¹

“What, where are we supposed to get expensive salt…”

“Do I have to tell you even that? Figure it out yourselves!”

Listening to the Beggars’ Union disciples chatter, the group left the branch.

Once they left the branch, the Mount Hua disciples approached.

“I am Jeon Pyeong. Thank you for helping Yu Family Manor this time.”

“Ah, you’re So-ha’s?”

“Yes.”

Since he had heard of him beforehand, Gyo-ha showed a hint of delight.

Unlike him, Jeon Pyeong looked Gyo-ha over with startled eyes.

The reason was…

‘…We are the same age?’

It was because of Gyo-ha’s large build. His face still had a youthful look, yet in size he was bigger than anyone else present.

“I heard you are heading to Sichuan this time. If you do not mind, how about we travel together?”

“Mm.”

Gyo-ha scratched his chin. Watching him, Jeon Pyeong continued.

“You helped our manor, so I will cover the expenses for the journey.”

Jeon Pyeong spoke with a friendly smile. Gyo-ha sniffed him.

Unlike with Seo Jong-dae, he did not smell anything suspicious.

When he looked back at Seo Jong-dae, he shrugged. It meant do as you like.

“Will you spar with me on the way by any chance?”

Jeon Pyeong’s eyes widened, then he burst into laughter.

“You are as unusual as I heard. Ah, my apologies. I heard so much from So-ha that you do not feel like a stranger.”

“You can speak comfortably.”

Gyo-ha nodded as if it was nothing.

“Is that so? Then I will only speak casually when it is just us.”

Jeon Pyeong dropped his speech level as if he had been waiting for it. Perhaps his slip earlier had been deliberate.

Seeing how Gyo-ha brushed it off without concern, Jeon Pyeong’s eyes shone.

‘His disposition is not bad.’

He had intentionally been rude because he was Yu So-ha’s friend.

Seo Jong-dae, who had watched from behind, knew this as well and let it pass quietly.

“In terms of generational ranking, he is my martial uncle’s generation.”

Jeon Pyeong remembered what had happened at the branch.

The Nine Sects and One Union had interacted for a long time, so they were stricter than other sects about generational ranks.

“It does not matter to me.”

Gyo-ha scratched his cheek.

But since he himself said so, there was no need to stop him.

Smiling at Gyo-ha, Jeon Pyeong glanced at his fellow juniors.

The two juniors were also watching Gyo-ha with interested eyes.

“That is good. My fellow juniors seem interested in you as well.”

The two were not judging only by Gyo-ha’s internal energy.

He had not only slain the senior master Darkshadow Mountain Ghost, but even Seo Jeong-hu, the Iron-Blooded Gate Master, had shown interest in him.

The Iron-Blooded Mad Blade.

His fearsome name was known even in Shaanxi.

On top of that, they had seen Gyo-ha’s moves for themselves.

Even among the Nine Sects and One Union, the Kunlun Sect was not well known.

It was not strange to think he might be training in unique martial arts.

That was why they grew even more interested.

At those words, Gyo-ha blinked, then nodded.

The juniors.

The opponent Gyo-ha wanted to fight was Jeon Pyeong, but he did not say so.

‘I’m sure there’ll be a chance.’

Gyo-ha smiled broadly. Perhaps sensing what he was thinking, Seo Jong-dae shook his head.

Then suddenly, his eyes met Jeon Pyeong’s.

“Have we met somewhere before by any chance?”

“No. You must be mistaken.”

Seo Jong-dae shook his head firmly.

Watching Seo Jong-dae spread his iron fan wide and fan himself, Jeon Pyeong set his doubts aside.

There was no way he would easily forget someone that distinctive.

It had to be his own mistake.

When Jeon Pyeong dropped his suspicion, Seo Jong-dae quietly let out a sigh.

The next day.

A young beggar appeared in front of Yu Family Manor.

“I am Bong Seok of the Beggars’ Union.”

He looked like he had just reached his twenties.

He looked younger than Seo Jong-dae and the Mount Hua disciples.

“The Beggars’ Union really put some thought into this.”

Jeon Pyeong gave a short word of admiration.

He even had two knots. For someone that age to have two knots meant he was no different from a prodigy of the later generation in the Beggars’ Union.

Most Beggars’ Union disciples struggled to rise beyond white-robe beggars or One-Knot Beggars who had no real rank.

Naturally, his qi was outstanding as well.

He could be compared to Jeon Pyeong’s juniors.

It was an excessive choice for mere guidance on the road.

However, Jeon Pyeong’s juniors also nodded.

Jeon Pyeong’s guess had been correct.

Bong Seok was the most outstanding later-generation talent in the Lanzhou branch.

It was a choice the Beggars’ Union had little choice but to make.

There was a Plum Blossom Swordsman of Mount Hua and the successor of Kunlun.

Moreover, they now had to seek out the Sichuan Tang Clan.

They had to send someone they would not be ashamed of at the very least.

That did not mean Bong Seok himself accepted it.

“I will only tell you the information that was agreed upon. Do not think of making me do anything else.”

His voice was curt.

He had been acknowledged at the branch, then suddenly been reduced to a guide. There was no way he could feel good about it.

Gyo-ha’s eyes grew fierce. He was different from Jeon Pyeong.

There was no need to force himself to travel with someone who clearly disliked it. Just as Gyo-ha was about to speak, Seo Jong-dae beside him gave him a signal.

It meant leave him be.

Gyo-ha was puzzled, yet he followed Seo Jong-dae’s intent.

Seo Jong-dae was not someone he found trustworthy, but he was smart.

“Everyone, please be careful.”

“Young Master, please return safely.”

Those who had come to see them off offered their farewells.

Noh-sam was among them. Although Gyo-ha had returned, they were not heading to Mount Kunlun, so he had decided to remain at Yu Family Manor.

Only after Bong Seok joined them could the group finally leave Yu Family Manor.