The opportunity for beggars to eat a feast is not very common. Especially if it’s not just a feast by beggar standards, but a luxurious feast as referred to by ordinary people.
In that sense, Gu Chil had an incredibly rare opportunity today.
As a beggar, eating a feast with bent legs is not so common. (To enjoy a lavish meal or feast to the fullest extent, usually to the point of being stuffed and unable to stand up straight)
Normally, Gu Chil would have rushed to the table while screaming, but now he couldn’t even bring himself to touch the food.
‘This is going to upset my stomach. This definitely will.’
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
The mouth-watering scent stimulated the tip of the nose, but right now, it only felt like torture..
Gu Chil lifted his head slightly and looked at the person in front of him.
Hong Dae-gwang.
To Gu Chil, Hong Dae-gwang, Buntaju of Huayin, was a familiar face to Gu Chil, but knowing his true identity made it impossible for him to feel comfortable.
As a candidate for the next Beggar Union sect leader and the hope of Beggar Union, he was not the type of person to stay as the head of a small branch like this. He was a person who could not be expressed as just far from his reach.
Being in such a person’s presence was enough to make his stomach hurt…
Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop! Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop!
“…eat slowly, Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”
“Hine, cough, hust fring mou alchoyl.”
“What did you say?”
Gulp!
Chung Myung, who swallowed the food in his mouth at once, distorted his face.
“Fine, just bring more alcohol! Who would feel satisfied with this little amount!”
“…It’s been three rounds.”
“Not enough!”
“…I, I see.”
“And more meat!”
“….”
Hong Dae-gwang reluctantly took out a purse from his arms. With a quick glance, he checked the remaining money and tears welled up in his eyes.
‘It’s this month’s operational expenses.’
Being a Buntaju, money inevitably comes in, so it’s customary for the headquarter to provide operational expenses. However, both headquarters and he is beggars; how much can they give?
This month will be a deficit again after pouring the rat’s tail-sized operational expenses into that damned guy’s mouth.
“Hurry up!”
“…Got it!”
The reluctant Hong Dae-gwang called the beggar outside the door and handed over the entire purse.
“Go get some more alcohol and meat.”
“A- All this money?”
“…just buy it.”
The beggar looked back and forth between Hong Dae-gwang and Chung Myung before quietly closing the door. At the same time as the door closed, Hong Dae-gwang’s composure crumbled as well.
“Whew! It feels like I’m alive again eating this worldly food after such a long time.”
“Mount Hua’s got good food aren’t they?”
“Tsk. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Chung Myung gulped down his alcohol and wiped his mouth.
“Even if I can eat meat to my heart’s content, Mount Hua’s Taoist doctrine is about moderation. We avoid stimulating spices and seasonings.”
“….”
“Well, that’s not bad either, but… People can’t live on just rice, you know. Eating the same thing gets boring.”
“…Isn’t a Taoist supposed to be disciplined to endure such things?”
“Then why does Hong old man carry around a money pouch when he’s a beggar? Aren’t beggars not supposed to carry things like that?”
“…I was wrong.”
He can’t win with words. With words.
Hong Dae-gwang shook his head as Chung Myung looked back at Gu Chil.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“…huh?”
“Eat, eat! All you have to do is eat! If you are a beggar, you should eat well.”
“That… I- I’ll take it easy, Chosam.”
Gu Chil’s cautious words completely distorted Chung Myung’s eyes. And the anger poured out on Hong Dae-gwang, not Gu Chil.
“No, why is this so infuriating?!”
“…Why again….”
“How much did you torment him that he’s even hesitant to eat! I asked you time and time again to take good care of him!”
‘You didn’t ask that much….’
‘You just said it once, Mount Hua Divine Dragon…….’
“Should I just set fire to this building!?”
“The- They’ve treated me well!”
“You’re not even eating, not eating!”
“I- I’ll eat! Chosam! I’ll eat since you’re saying it!”
Seeing Hong Dae-gwang’s eyes moisten, Gu Chil hurriedly began to cram food into his mouth.
Only then did Chung Myung, who loosened his face, grinned and poured alcohol into Gu Chil’s cup.
“Eat a lot. Drink some alcohol here too.”
“Eueup! Eup!”
Tears welled up in Gu Chil’s eyes, who had stuffed his mouth full of food.
‘He’s a good kid.’
‘He’s such a good kid…..’
But somehow…. the way he expresses his goodwill seemed very wrong.
At that time, Hong Dae-gwang scratched his head. Chung Myung, who was smiling, suddenly screamed.
“Ah! Your hair is falling into the food!”
“I washed it this morning!”
“Ha, even beggars wash their hair. It’s the end of the world, the end.”
“….”
Hong Dae-wang quickly changed the subject again, realizing that he couldn’t win either way.
“Wha- What is it? What brings you here? I couldn’t see your nose even when I’m telling you to come.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Ei, I’m not blaming you.”
Chung Myung once again took a sip of the alcohol, stared at Hong Dae-gwang, and asked.
“What’s the situation like now?”
“….”
Hong Dae-gwang’s eyes shifted to Gu Chil. Chung Myung just shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s all right.”
“Hmm.”
Hong Dae-gwang nodded.
“Well, yeah, it doesn’t matter much. Nothing great has happened yet. First of all, Shaolin’s Bangjang called the Sect Leaders of the Ten Great Sect to Shaolin.”
“That rotten monk’s moving fast.”
Chung Myung chuckled lightly.
He had anticipated that they would take advantage of the situation since the stage was laid out, but seeing them move faster than expected, it seemed Bop Jeong was indeed under pressure.
“Since they are yangban who live and die for their face, they won’t start a fight openly… So I guess they’ll start with internal control first?”
“That’s likely.”
Hong Dae-gwang nodded slowly.
“Although it’s called internal control, this kind of gathering among Sect Leader of Ten Great Sect hasn’t happened in almost thirty years. This alone is a huge change.”
“It looks like their ass is on fire. Kekekek.”
“…Mount Hua Divine Dragon. It’s not something to laugh about. Considering that the reason they’ve gathered is Heavenly Comrade Alliance, this may not be good news for you.”
“Just gather all these things together. They would argue with each other about whether they were right or wrong, and then they would grab each other’s hair and rip it off. Well, Shaolin Bangjang doesn’t have hair, so he’ll be fine.”
“….”
Although Chung Myung’s tone was playful, Hong Dae-gwang thought it might actually turn out that way.
Even if they face external enemies, it won’t be easy for the Ten Great Sect to suddenly unite, which have been keeping each other in check. Maybe they should be satisfied if this incident leads to a slightly better relationship.
“That’s enough for the Ten Great Sect, but how about the other side?”
“First of all, the Five Great Family have lost their footing. The Ten Great SECT is better because they don’t have a deserter, but it is different for the Five Great Family. The Tang Family, which was called the two central powers of Five Great Family along with Namgung Family, have left.”
“Hmm.”
“Of course, joining the Heavenly Comrade Alliance doesn’t mean they’re at odds with the Five Great Family, but does the world work like that? Moreover, the fact that the head of the Tang Family shared a brotherhood drink with the members of Heavenly Comrade Alliance makes the situation even more special. It’s almost like declaring that they’ll side with Heavenly Comrade Alliance if they become enemies with the Five Great Family.”
“It seems like Tang Gaju made a big decision.”
That one action made people take another look at Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Chung Myung nodded and said.
“Anyway, enough about that thing.”
“…Don’t describe the Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family as such. You punk!”
Of course, Hong Dae-gwang was startled, but Chung Myung waved his hand like a fly.
“How’s the situation around us?”
“Hmm.”
Hong Dae-gwang briefly chose his word and scratched his chin.
“This is… the situation is a bit strange.”
“Why?”
“If it wasn’t for the Bongmun, there was a high chance that Southern Edge Sect would have been the core of the storm. Naturally, those with ambitions would have tried to drive Southern Edge Sect to recklessness and secretly support them.”
“And the surrounding factions would have subtly poked at us too, right?”
“That’s right. That’s what it’s supposed to be.”
“Right. That’s just how things are.”
Gu Chil momentarily slowed his eating and stared blankly at the two.
One is the next candidate for the Sect Leader of Beggar Union, a member of the Ten Great Sect, and the other is the best swordsman of Mount Hua sect, a former Ten Great Sect.
However, if one listens to their conversation, they seem like they are beating up the Ten Great Sect without taking a break. Whenever he heard them talking, it felt like it was a conversation between a spy.
Then Hong Dae-gwang said with a frown.
“Anyway, it’s not like there’s no chance that the Ten Great Sect will pressure Mount Hua with Wudang as the center. Except for Southern Edge Sect, the closest members of the Ten Great Sect to Mount Hua are Wudang, Shaolin, and Kongtong.”
“Hmm.”
“Unexpectedly, this is not where the problem is right now.”
“Where, then?”
“Sichuan.”
Hong Dae-gwang said firmly.
“Already once disgraced and having to catch their breath, Wudang. Shaolin with a not-so-bad relationship with Mount Hua on the surface. And the not-so-active Kongtong. They won’t easily pressure Mount Hua even if they suddenly unite. But Sichuan is different. There’s Qingcheng and Emei.”
“Hum….”
“Although we can forget about the reclusive sect like Jeomchang and Kunlun, but Sichuan Tang Family is not on good terms with Emei and Qingcheng in the first place. Now that the Tang Family has joined the alliance, their relationship will only worsen. If there’s going to be a problem soon, it’ll happen in Sichuan.”
Chung Myung scratched his chin with a thoughtful face for a moment.
“Uh….. I guess I should keep an eye on it. But if Tang Gaju knew about this, why didn’t they say anything?”
“Poison King is not a person to complain. He would have thought that they should solve such a problem by themselves.”
“What a man….”
Chung Myung smacked his lips and nodded.
“If there’s anything else that could be a problem, please let Mount Hua know immediately. Even a small issue can escalate, so everything.”
“I understand. Don’t worry about that. Mount Hua’s revival is my revival, isn’t it!”
Hong Dae-gwang clenched his fist, filled with enthusiasm, but then slightly frowned.
“Oh, that reminds me of one thing.”
“What?”
“I don’t think it’s possible, but….”
“What do you mean?”
“Could it be….”
His eyes were full of suspicion.
“Is Mount Hua doing something in the southern provinces?”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, I was wondering if you had sent a disciple of Mount Hua to the south.”
“No, I’m not.”
Chung Myung tilted his head. It was out of the blue and hard to understand. Moreover, Hong Dae-gwang always gets to the point clearly. It was hard to believe that this question came from him.
Hong Dae-gwang must have read Chung Myung’s expression.
“Ugh…. It’s not a big deal, but yeah. Like you said, a small matter can become a big one, so I’ll tell you in advance.”
“Yes.”
“….A new rising master has appeared around Gangseo and is building a reputation.”
“What about it?”
“Ugh. Listen to me more. That rising master seems to be defeating quite famous masters. It’s quite common for such a master to suddenly appear in Kangho, but….”
“Yes, it’s quite common.”
Hong Dae-gwang said bitterly.
“The problem is that the master uses swordsmanship that resembles fluttering flower petals.”
“Huh?”
“He even said that he was a descendant of Mount Hua Sect with his own mouth…….”
“What, the f*ck?”
Chung Myung stormed in and grabbed Hong Dae-gwang by the collar.
“No, does his liver bloat out of his body? How dare you mention Mount Hua carelessly?”
“Cough! Cough! N- No, it’s not me! Let go first!”
“Southern Edge Sect? Is it Southern Edge Sect! Are these bastards secretly unlocking Bongmun and trying to screw us over?
“Keeeek! Mount Hua Divine Dragon! Let go of me…….”
Chung Myung beat Hong Dae-gwang roughly and grinded his teeth. His eyes were shooting blue flames.
“What? Mount Hua? Has this bastard bloomed flower on his head? How dare he mention Mount Hua? Where is he now?”
“Ga- Gangseo….”
“Gangseo? Does he think I can’t go there? When one becomes a bit famous, all kinds of flies start buzzing around. Old man, release the beggars and track that bastard down!”
“…wha- what are you going to do?”
“What do you think I will!”
Chung Myung shouted at once with the spirit of spewing out fire.
“I’m going to kill him!”
“….Killing him is a bit extreme. How about just cutting off his tendons?”
“That’s not enough. N- No. How about cutting off his tendons and locking him up in the Repentance Cave for a decade?”
“That should be enough!”
While listening to their conversation, Gu Chil looked blankly out the window.
The sky was heartlessly blue, and it felt like it would bring tears to his eyes.
‘They are demons, demons.’
And this here is a demon base.
Somehow, he missed his mother so much today, even though never even knew what her face looked like.
![Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]](https://cpunovel.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/arcane-sniper.jpg "Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]")
