I’m Counting On You.

Gyo-ha only spoke after he had heard everything.

“…I understand the situation, but right now it is difficult.”

This was a matter where every moment counted. It was as good as a refusal.

However, Yeom Hong nodded as if she had expected that.

“It is because of the Taeho Gang, right?”

Gyo-ha nodded without resistance. There was no need to hide it.

“In that case, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Yeom Hong said this in an even tone.

When Gyo-ha looked puzzled, she went on.

“Those bastards crossed the line. There is more than enough reason to put them down.”

They had attacked not only the Putuo Sect but even ordinary civilians.

“Is that really all right?”

“No matter how mighty the Taeho Gang thinks it is, it cannot stand against the Beggars’ Union.”

Looking at the Beggars’ Union as a whole, that was only natural.

But what Yeom Hong meant was that the Hangzhou branch alone would strike the Taeho Gang.

However, that was not the part that puzzled Gyo-ha.

Judging from the Murim Alliance’s conduct so far, it didn’t seem likely they would move in any grand way.

Catching the look in his eyes, Yeom Hong nodded.

“If we turn a blind eye to injustice just because it is a cesspit, then what right do we have to call ourselves the Beggars’ Union or the Murim Alliance. If the old men complain, I can just step down from being branch master.”

At her reply, Gyo-ha stared quietly at her.

He could see what kind of person she was. These were not words she said just because she was the Beggars’ Union Leader’s daughter. She truly didn’t seem to care.

She was a fiery woman.

Her temperament was similar to Shin Yul’s, whom he had met before.

“Besides…”

Yeom Hong, who had begun to speak, closed her mouth.

She looked as if she were hesitating over whether to say it or not, then scratched her head irritably.

White flecks fell around her like snow.

Gyo-ha turned his head away and pretended not to notice.

“I don’t know. Jegal Gak won’t like it, but it cannot be helped.”

Saying that, Yeom Hong slapped her knee.

“Those Evil Heaven Alliance bastards. They think you are an envoy of the Murim Alliance.”

Gyo-ha tilted his head. What did that matter?

When he did not understand, Yeom Hong explained once more.

“It means they tried to kill you even while knowing there was an envoy of the Murim Alliance present.”

“But I am not a member of the Murim Alliance.”

He was not even orthodox. His master Yun Heo had declared that openly.

However, Yeom Hong shook her head.

“The truth does not matter. What matters is how others see it.”

“Ah.”

Gyo-ha understood vaguely.

“It is about face, right?”

Yeom Hong nodded.

“If an organization ignores their own men’s deaths just to keep themselves safe, who would follow them?”

That was true enough.

“The problem is that they take you for a member of the Murim Alliance, and the rumor is spreading on this side as well.”

Having said that much, Yeom Hong straightened her back.

Something swayed beneath her rags, but as expected, Gyo-ha did not show the slightest interest.

Whether she had intended it or not, Yeom Hong watched him with interest.

When Gyo-ha tilted his head, she quickly opened her mouth.

“On top of that, Sohong being the Jegal Clan’s territory is a problem.”

Near Sohong, in Hangzhou, lay the Jegal Clan.

Of course, the Evil Heaven Alliance had a branch in Sohong as well, but no matter what anyone said, the true power ruling Sohong was the Jegal Clan.

“You could ignore other orthodox sects or even some of the Five Great Clans, but the Jegal Clan is different.”

What was that supposed to mean?

When Gyo-ha looked at her, Yeom Hong’s lips curled.

“Right now the Jegal Clan belongs to the Murim Alliance, so they keep their distance from the government, but there are quite a few of the Jegal line who have taken official posts. They may be cadet branches, yet they are still connected.”

Official posts.

It was a world unfamiliar to Gyo-ha.

Even his master Yun Heo had told him to avoid getting entangled with them because it would only cause headaches.

“Moreover, the Jegal Clan itself claims to carry on the will of the Marquis of Wuxiang¹.”

“Marquis of Wuxiang? Is he some great master?”

Gyo-ha’s eyes sparkled.

It sounded like the title of someone strong.

At his question, Yeom Hong gave him a look of disbelief.

“The chancellor of Shu. It was Jegal Gong-myeong’s rank².”

“Ah…”

Gyo-ha lost interest at once.

Yeom Hong let out a dry laugh and continued.

“In any case, it means they cannot ignore it when common folk are attacked.”

The closer one’s ties are to the government offices, the more restricted one’s movements become.

That was why martial clans and organizations of Murim tried to keep their distance from the authorities.

Hearing this much, Gyo-ha furrowed his brow.

“Then?”

“Right. Even if the Putuo Sect does not join the Murim Alliance, the Jegal Clan will have no choice but to act. They might not strike the Taeho Gang directly, but they will not allow them to attack the Putuo Sect.”

“Mm.”

That meant Jegal Gak had deceived the Putuo Sect.

Seeing the discomfort on Gyo-ha’s face, Yeom Hong tried to soothe him.

“Do not take it too badly. It is only in regard to the Taeho Gang. There is no guarantee something like this will not happen again. For the Putuo Sect, joining the Murim Alliance will help.”

Only then did Gyo-ha nod.

She was right.

“Well, that doesn’t mean I plan to wait around for the Jegal Clan to move. I am the one who will smash the Taeho Gang.”

Yeom Hong grinned at Gyo-ha.

Looking at her, Gyo-ha nodded.

“All right. I will go to Soho.”

At the very least, the Yeom Hong before his eyes was someone he could trust.

On top of that, she was a master herself.

There was no way experts on Wild Galde Blade’s level were common in the Taeho Gang.

The Beggars’ Union’s power was more than enough to deal with them. With her stepping forward in person like this, it didn’t suit Gyo-ha’s nature to turn her down.

Yeom Hong’s face lit up at his answer.

“Straightforward. I like it. I like you.”

“Ah, and…”

“If you are talking about getting in touch with your companions, don’t worry.”

Yeom Hong replied before Gyo-ha could even ask.

Gyo-ha stared at her in surprise.

She smiled confidently, as if she had expected his reaction.

“The Beggars’ Union doesn’t hand out branch master posts just because you are the Union Leader’s daughter.”

She spoke proudly. It meant she had the ability as well as martial skill.

Gyo-ha felt a flicker of admiration.

Up to now, his impression of the Beggars’ Union had been only Hong An-gaek and Bong-seok, but it looked different now.

‘I thought Grandpa Swift Wind Beggar was the special one.’

Swift Wind Beggar was every bit the chivalrous hero, but the Beggars’ Union Gyo-ha had seen until now had been different.

Now his thoughts had changed a little.

“Good.”

Yeom Hong stuck out her fist. She was not attacking.

After a brief hesitation, Gyo-ha bumped his fist against hers.

“I am counting on you.”

“I should be the one saying that.”

Thus their pact was sealed.

As their talk ended and Gyo-ha left, Yeom Hong watched him closely.

His internal energy was not even at the level of a third-rate warrior. Yet the presence he radiated was far beyond that.

And his feats were even greater.

He had slain Iron Tyrant Staff and Darkshadow Mountain Ghost, then gone on to defeat Wild Galde Blade and even the Tall-and-Short Twin Guests.

He might have had the Sword Queen’s help, but even so it was an incredible feat.

An ordinary martial artist would not even have been able to stand there.

‘…On top of that.’

Song Hak of Qingcheng.

Ever since Gyo-ha’s group had visited, Song Hak had not been seen.

Qingcheng’s foremost later-generation talent.

Of course, Yeom Hong had seen Song Hak as well, and she had confidence she could defeat him.

She could not be seen as being on the same level as a mere later-generation talent.

‘Of course, Wudang and Mount Hua are another matter.’

Those hidden dragons.

Even in her eyes, they were monsters.

On top of that, the fact that Shaolin’s hidden dragons were compared to Wudang’s meant they were by no means inferior.

And this was only among the Nine Great Sects that had dealings with the Beggars’ Union.

The Five Great Clans surely each had at least one hidden blade of their own.

‘And then there is that brat as well.’

Even she would not be able to walk out unscathed after infiltrating the Qingcheng Sect and defeating Song Hak.

His guts weren’t rdinary.

It could not be explained by internal energy alone.

“Kunlun, huh.”

She had thought it had gone into the pages of history, but it had not.

Perhaps it was the hidden strength of an ancient sect.

A tree with deep roots does not fall easily.

‘…Even so, it worries me a little.’

Too many talents were emerging in a single era.

There had been times like this in the past.

And without fail, great wars had followed.

There were no coincidences in this world.

Was this a foreshadowing of an imminent war with the Unorthodox Sects?

Thinking that far, Yeom Hong knit her brows.

She had not made her promise without thought.

‘Striking the Taeho Gang is not likely to make the Evil Heaven Alliance move.’

The Taeho Gang’s value lay in the Red Flame Unit.

With the Red Flame Unit gone, the Evil Heaven Alliance’s interest could not help but wane.

‘Even if they do step in, it doesn’t matter.’

Since when did the Beggars’ Union start worrying so much about other people’s reactions?

Yeom Hong did not like that fact.

The next day, Gyo-ha saw Yeom Hong waving at him cheerfully.

“Good morning. We meet again.”

But that was only natural.

At the moment, there was only one boat coming to the island.

Beside him stood Yeon-gyeong, tension plainly visible on her face.

She was trying hard to keep a brave expression, but her eyes were red.

It was not just Yeon-gyeong.

The eyes of the disciples seeing them off in the distance were red as well.

In Yeon-gyo’s case, she had cried so much her face was completely swollen.

It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened the previous night.

As they stood on the shore like that, they saw a boat coming from afar.

“Benefactor!”

The man waving enthusiastically was the one who had brought Gyo-ha here.

“You were truly incredible back then. The villagers all want to see you again, Benefactor.”

The man spoke in a bright voice.

It was clear that while the Putuo Sect was putting things in order, he had also come to terms with things in his heart.

Then he noticed Yeon-gyeong standing beside Gyo-ha and hurriedly added.

“Ah, of course, they also wish to see you, lady nun.”

Yeon-gyeong answered with a gentle smile.

“If I had known, I would have borrowed a bigger boat.”

The man spoke with a slightly embarrassed air.

With three of them in the boat, it felt cramped.

“No. It’s fine.”

“It’s better this way. You get to travel with such beauties.”

Yeom Hong said with a laugh.

“R-right. That is true, I suppose?”

The man looked a little flustered, but quickly laughed and agreed.

Everyone noticed, but pretended not to.

Even if they were beauties, one was a beggar and the other a nun.

Yeom Hong in particular reeked.

It was not exactly a pleasant situation.

“Still, this fellow is quite fast.”

His words didn’t seem to be a lie, as the boat cut swiftly through the water.

It seemed more the man’s skill than the boat’s quality.

Mist loomed in the distance.

Staring past it, Gyo-ha recalled something and turned to Yeom Hong.

“Do you happen to know any escort agency well?”

“Escort agency?”

At the sudden question, Yeom Hong looked puzzled, then soon understood and smiled.

“You must be worried about that head escort.”

“Yes.”

“Head escort?”

Listening at the side, Yeon-gyeong asked.

So Gyo-ha explained the situation.

“Ha.”

It seemed Yeom Hong had not known the details either, because as soon as she heard about the Yeo-un Escort Agency, she burst into anger.

“Those damned dog-bone bastards.”

“He is a good man. It is unfair for him to lose his work over something like this.”

At Yeon-gyeong’s words, Yeom Hong nodded.

“Still, that head escort has integrity. I will look into it.”

She would have refused an ordinary request, but this was different.

As Yeon-gyeong had said, he was too valuable a talent to lose his livelihood over this.

And she was a branch master of the Beggars’ Union.

It was hard to even imagine how wide her connections spread.

With someone like her saying it, they could be at ease.

Before they knew it, the village began to come into view in the distance.

They had reached the mainland.

No sooner had they set foot on land than they were greeted by martial artists of the Jegal Clan and the Beggars’ Union.

They had expected the Jegal Clan, but not the Beggars’ Union as well, so Gyo-ha and Yeon-gyeong turned to Yeom Hong.

Looking a bit embarrassed, Yeom Hong scratched her head and spoke.

“Well then, I’ll be off. I’ve left my branch empty too long. I wish you both good fortune.”

With that farewell, Yeom Hong departed.

The Beggars’ Union disciples followed after her.

Not all of them left.

Two Beggars’ Union disciples with fairly sharp auras remained in the village.

They were at least second-rate martial artists.

Then Yeon-gyeong took a letter from her robes and handed it to one of the Jegal Clan warriors.

“Yes. I will deliver it to the Pavilion Master.”

The Jegal Clan warrior bowed deeply.

‘So his name is Gak and his position is also Pavilion Master ³.’

As he entertained such useless thoughts, Gyo-ha could guess what was in the letter.

‘So they’ve already decided.’

From now on, the Putuo Sect would stand with the Murim Alliance.

Of the Jegal Clan warriors, only three remained, and the rest left.

Once the martial artists had departed, Yeon-gyeong turned to Gyo-ha.

“Young Master Gyo.”

“Yes. I wish you good fortune.”

From here on, Yeon-gyeong had to set out on her dhuta practice.

Naturally, she was not allowed to travel with anyone.

And Gyo-ha had work of his own to do.

And so, Gyo-ha took his leave from the party.