You Plan To Keep Going.

“It is not as if such insects do not exist. Potter wasps are like that too.”

It was not only a matter of unnatural oddities. It was also the law of nature.

At the unfamiliar name, the group’s eyes went round, and Tang Ho gave a wry smile.

They should not think based on the standards of a Tang Clan martial artist.

Unlike the Tang Clan, there was no reason ordinary martial artists would be interested in bugs.

“It lays its eggs in the bodies of other larvae. When the eggs hatch, they eat the host larva as they grow. There are even ones that parasitize another insect and control the host.”

At that horrifying explanation, the group shuddered.

Just then, something came to Tang Ho’s mind, and he furrowed his brow.

“In the past, it is said the Blood Cult put gu poison into people’s bodies so they could not betray them. I had thought that was simply the name of the poison…”

Tang Ho shook his head.

Perhaps they really had made gu poison in the literal sense.

It was something his Tang Clan ancestors had learned while gathering information on poisons in the past.

The Tang Clan also made gu poison. If you placed poisonous insects in the same jar and let them devour one another, sometimes an insect with a stronger poison than before would be born.

Of course, the odds were extremely low.

But the gu poison he was talking about here had another meaning.

Gu-sorcery.

It was a kind of sorcery.

Back then he had not believed it, but now it was different.

When Tang Ho fell silent with a grave expression, the others furtively watched his mood.

At that moment, Seo Jong-dae shot Bong Seok a glare.

“This happened because you ran your mouth.”

“…And that is my fault?”

Bong Seok looked wronged, but no one spoke up to defend him.

“More importantly, what are we going to do about that one?”

Tang Ho pointed at the dead Jo Chung.

Jo Chung’s corpse was not normal. If it were found, it would cause an uproar.

However, Tang Ho’s worry turned out to be unnecessary.

“…It is rotting.”

Jo Chung’s body was decomposing at a rapid rate.

Was it because the bug had left?

Or perhaps.

“He may already have been dead.”

At Seo Jong-dae’s calm words, the group nodded.

They had come to investigate because someone who had been dead in the first place had come back to life.

If a person could turn into a bug, then a dead man coming back to life was not even that strange.

“What’s that?”

At that moment, Bong Seok spotted something among the rotting remains.

Round beads remained where the heart had been.

Inside the clear beads, something black writhed.

As soon as the beads were exposed to the air, they melted away.

It was easy to guess what they were.

“…Eggs.”

“If those had hatched…”

At Tang Ho’s words, the group shuddered.

“It is all over, right. Let us go already. Yeah? Those three need treatment too.”

Bong Seok spoke in haste, and the others nodded as they looked at him.

They no longer had any desire to remain here either.

Once back at the inn, the group treated their wounds and gathered again.

They did not think they could sleep in their right minds.

But it was not the kind of talk they could have where people were gathered.

Naturally, they gathered in Seo Jong-dae’s room.

“How are the two of them?”

“They are asleep for now.”

At Tang Ho’s question, Jeon Pyeong replied with a dark look.

Their injuries were more serious than he had thought.

“And you?”

Tang Ho nodded. It would be inconvenient for a few days, but it was not bad enough to require bed rest.

For a martial artist, wounds of this level were common.

“And Brother Gyo…”

“Mm?”

Gyo-ha, who had meat in his mouth, blinked.

His whole body was wrapped in bandages, but he did not seem to care.

“…Are you all right?”

“Ah, it is a bit of a shame. I wish it had pushed itself a little harder.”

Misunderstanding Jeon Pyeong’s question, Gyo-ha smacked his lips.

The group shook their heads, and even Bong Seok looked at Gyo-ha in exasperation.

The food was set only in front of Gyo-ha. The others had turned it down, saying they had no appetite.

After what they had just seen, there was no way they could eat.

“If he was only a second-rate martial artist before this, there is nothing to be done.”

He was not speaking only of internal energy level.

His control over qi had been clumsy, and naturally his understanding of martial arts itself had been lacking.

Gyo-ha nodded.

“If he had been at Jeon Pyeong… no, at least Jeon Gwang or Jeon Hong’s level, it would have been fun.”

At Gyo-ha’s next words, the group’s expressions hardened.

What if the opponent had been not second-rate, but a first-rate martial artist.

The situation might have turned out differently.

‘What if it had been someone at the pinnacle?’

Those who had surpassed human limits.

“…Horrifying.”

Jeon Pyeong let the words slip out before he knew it. Bong Seok forced a laugh and spoke.

“Things like what we saw earlier cannot be that common.”

“You never know. It might become common from now on.”

Seo Jong-dae said calmly. Bong Seok glared at him, but Seo Jong-dae just shot him a look as if to say “What.”

In the end, it was Bong Seok who looked away first.

‘That guy’s skill is no joke either. From the way things feel, he was probably at Diancang.’

Diancang was also among the Nine Sects, One Union. Losing to him would not be a disgrace.

On top of that, Kunlun had once been part of the Nine Sects, One Union as well. It was not strange to consider them on the same level.

‘And I did not lose. I yielded.’

Thinking that, Bong Seok pretended to be unconcerned as always.

“Anyway, what will we do now?”

Tang Ho asked carefully. The question was directed at Jeon Pyeong.

“…The two of them will be sent back to Mount Hua.”

“So you plan to keep going.”

Jeon Pyeong nodded. Jeon Gwang and Jeon Hong needed a period of rest.

On top of that, they had no idea what dangers lay ahead.

“And you?”

“I will not be able to fight properly for a while, but I will not hold you back.”

Tang Ho spoke calmly. It meant he would go with them.

There were other things they were counting on from Tang Ho from the start. His injuries were not the main issue.

Soon, the two sets of eyes turned to Gyo-ha and Seo Jong-dae.

Seo Jong-dae only shrugged. It meant he would follow Gyo-ha.

With his mouth stuffed full of meat, Gyo-ha nodded.

“I don’t mind. It is fun going around together.”

“As long as you can fight, anything is fine for you.”

Seo Jong-dae muttered quietly at his side. Gyo-ha did not deny it and just grinned.

Thanks to that, the meat stuck between his teeth was on full display, which looked rather comical, and a laugh burst out of Jeon Pyeong.

The heavy mood lightened.

“Still, I am glad everyone is alive.”

Jeon Pyeong raised his cup, and the others lifted theirs as well.

Gyo-ha raised a cup filled with water instead of liquor.

“Let us enjoy ourselves tonight.”

The cups clinked together. Then, as he held his cup with the rest, Bong Seok tilted his head.

“…Wait, did no one ask me?”

No answer came back.

The next day, the group said their farewells to Jeon Gwang and Jeon Hong.

Regret filled both their faces, but they did not insist on coming along.

They knew their own condition well. A few days of rest would not be enough.

All they could do was wish those departing good fortune in their endeavors.

“We will make sure to report Kunlun’s aid to the main sect.”

Seeing them speak with such firm eyes, Gyo-ha nodded with a slightly dazed look.

To be honest, it did not matter much to him.

“When I return, we will report this matter together.”

“…Yes.”

Jeon Gwang and Jeon Hong nodded. They knew what Jeon Pyeong was worried about.

Of course, things would not change just because Jeon Pyeong spoke.

Even so, three were better than two.

The group left Jeon Gwang and Jeon Hong behind and set out.

Yet the atmosphere changed with just the two of them gone.

It was because the bright and lively Jeon Gwang was no longer there. But they soon grew used to it.

After a few days, the group passed through Apae and crossed over into Gamdeok.

From here on, it was Qinghai Province.

“Henan is this way…”

Bong Seok trailed off.

He had seen a young beggar running toward them from afar.

The movement art was still clumsy, but it was light footwork.

A martial artist who had learned martial arts.

But there was no need to confirm that.

There was a single knot hanging from the beggar’s belt.

He was a disciple of the Beggars’ Union.

The beggar disciple who had run up panted heavily.

“Haah, haah. You are the people from Kunlun who came from Lanzhou, right?”

“That is right.”

Bong Seok answered for them. Since the one who had come was a Beggars’ Union disciple, it was natural for Bong Seok to step forward.

Just as the boy was about to speak again, Bong Seok took a small flask from his belt and held it out.

“Water. Drink first, then talk.”

The group looked at Bong Seok in surprise, but soon nodded.

No matter what he was like, he would not act rude toward a fellow disciple.

“Ah, thank you.”

The young beggar gulped down the water, then let out a deep breath.

His expression looked much better.

“The acting branch master is waiting for you.”

At the young beggar’s words, the group looked at Bong Seok.

They had heard from him that there was no branch post nearby.

And a branch master was one thing, but what was an “acting” branch master.

“Which branch?”

The closest branch from here should have been the Lanzhou branch post in Gansu Province.

Yet if he had come from Lanzhou, there was no way Bong Seok would not know. That left Jinchuan in Sichuan, where the group had come from, or Heunghae in Qinghai, where they were heading next.

“From Xining.”

At that, Bong Seok’s expression grew even stranger.

Xining was the provincial capital of Qinghai.

It was quite far from here.

“You came all the way here from Xining. And what is this about acting branch master?”

“Mm, he is the former branch master, but he is acting now.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Talk properly, won’t you?”

“Young hero.”

As Bong Seok was about to snap, Tang Ho stopped him.

But the group could understand his reaction.

If their own sect were in a similar situation, it would be hard for them to stay calm.

“You said the acting branch master is nearby. Let us head there first.”

At Jeon Pyeong’s words, Bong Seok bit down on his lip and nodded.

The group followed after the young beggar.

He led them to an abandoned farmhouse.

There, beggar disciples stood watch with sharp, wary eyes.

They were different from the usual Beggars’ Union disciples.

Their edges were honed razor sharp.

“Acting Branch Master. I have brought them.”

“Send them in.”

A voice came from inside.

The group passed between the beggar disciples and entered the farmhouse.

Bong Seok’s eyes went wide when he saw the person inside.

“Branch Master. What in the world happened?”

“Ah, so that little brat from Lanzhou has grown this much.”

The old beggar greeted him warmly, as if he had seen Bong Seok before.

But Bong Seok could not smile.

The old beggar was lying down as he welcomed them.

The group could see the knots on the old beggar’s belt.

No fewer than five.

There were two more than the branch master in Lanzhou.

It meant he was at hall master level. It was rare for someone of that level to take charge of a branch post.

“What do you mean acting. What happened?”

“I was brought down from the branch master’s seat. To be precise, you could say I was driven out.”

“Who would dare do that to you, Branch Master…”

Bong Seok shut his mouth. It was obvious who.

Branch masters were appointed by the beggar disciples belonging to the branch.

Even the Beggars’ Union Chief could not appoint a branch master.

He could only appoint law beggars who could judge beggar disciples, and patrol beggars who watched over the branch posts.

It was a device to prevent power from concentrating in the Union Chief’s hands.

It was different from other sects.

The Beggars’ Union had begun when beggars banded together to protect themselves.

At first, they had no strength, so they raised their value by gathering and sharing information with one another.

Even so, bringing down a branch master was not a common thing.

“What is happening in Xining? No, what is the Heunghae branch post even doing?”

As Bong Seok blurted this out, the old beggar raised a hand.