Chapter 1499
How could I dare not to follow? (4)
Pabbak.
The sound of Chung Myung roughly wiping his face echoed throughout the quiet inner chamber.
“Ugh… I should just die instead of suffering like this.”
“Oh, it’s been a while since I heard that.”
“Shut your mouth, Geol-ah.”
Chung Myung gritted his teeth and glared upstairs. Acting like he had done everything when he was the one who caused this mess…
“So, to summarize…”
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached, so Chung Myung pressed his temples and spoke.
“Sixty percent of the Beggars Sect’s power has already shifted to the elders, and for us to use the Beggars Sect’s intelligence network, we need to suppress those elders and appoint the person we want as the Sect Leader, right?”
“That’s right.”
“That damn beggar!”
“Oh, Amitabha! Calm down, Siju!”
“Shut up, you bastard! Even if you’re a monk in a robe, you can’t talk like that about a dead man!”
Hye Yeon and Yoon Jong, standing on either side, quickly grabbed him and held him back. Chung Myung could do nothing but glare at the ceiling as if it were his mortal enemy.
At that moment, Jo Geol asked Baek Cheon in a low voice.
“But, Sasuk.”
“Hmm?”
“Is the situation really that bad? If we help Sect Leader, it seems like a good opportunity to intervene in the succession and turn the Beggars Sect to our side.”
“That’s right. If everything goes well, it could turn out that way. If things go really well, Beggars Sect could…”
Baek Cheon remained silent from that point on.
What he originally intended to say was, “There might even be a situation where Beggars Sect leaves Gupailbang and joins Cheonumaeng.” However, it was not appropriate to say that in front of the Sect Leader.
“But that’s if everything goes well. If things go wrong, the repercussions would be unimaginable. Intervening in the succession of another sect completely violates the principles of Gangho. No, it’s not just a simple violation – it’s practically declaring the Beggars Sect as our mortal enemy.”
“That bad?”
“Imagine if I was supposed to become the Sect Leader of Hwasan, but Jongnam intervened systematically to make Baek Sang the Sect Leader instead.”
“That… that would be nice.”
“…”
“No, no, it wouldn’t! We need to do those things for them to be good things! How dare those Jongnam bastards meddle? I’d set fire to Mount Jongnam!”
“Exactly. That’s how it is.”
Baek Cheon, somewhat distracted by Lee Songbaek rubbing his face behind them, cleared his throat and continued.
“In any case… if we make one wrong move, we could end up making the Beggars Sect our enemy.”
“But if Sect Leader is on our side, wouldn’t the situation be different?”
At those words, everyone looked at Pung Yeong Shin Gae. At the end of their gazes, Pung Yeong Shin Gae smiled awkwardly.
“Well… as it stands, I’m on the verge of being ousted myself…”
“Is that something to be proud of, you bastard!”
“Oh no, Chung Myung!”
“Hands off, Hands! He’s still Sect Leader, Sahyeong! You can’t draw your sword!”
“Manners.”
Seeing the disciples of Hwasan rush in from all sides to restrain Chung Myung, Pung Yeong Shin Gae began to break out in a cold sweat.
Do those brats even know who they’re holding down…
Just as Yu Iseol, as always, began to hit Chung Myung’s head with her sheathed sword, Pung Yeong Shin Gae couldn’t bear to watch any longer and turned away. The greatest act of betrayal in the history of Gangho was already happening. Only they were unaware…
Yoon Jong, who was pressing down Chung Myung’s arm, let out a groan and spoke.
“Sasuk, given how things have turned out, how about requesting support from the main force of Cheonumaeng?”
“Are you suggesting we ask Sect Leader and retired Sect Leader to send us some swordsmen so we can intervene in the Beggars Sect’s succession issue?”
At that moment, something flashed through Yoon Jong’s mind.
The image of Hyun Jong, eyes bloodshot, drawing his plum blossom sword and sprinting to the Beggars Sect at full speed. Just the thought alone…
“…It will give me a heart attack.”
“If that isn’t a demon, I don’t know what is…”
“I think I might wet myself.”
If that happened, they might really have to count every grain of sand in Maehwado.
“Let go!”
“Promise you won’t cause any trouble.”
“I promise! I promise, now let go!”
“…I don’t trust you.”
Though there was little trust, everyone reluctantly stepped back. Chung Myung sighed deeply and sat on a chair. Scratching his head with one hand, Chung Myung glared at Pung Yeong Shin Gae.
Pung Yeong Shin Gae subtly averted his gaze.
“Damn beggars.”
“…I apologize.”
“Tsk.”
“So, who’s the head on the other side?”
“It’s Ilho Gae Jo Namcheon [일호개 조남천(趙南天) – Ilho Gae is his beggars name, Jo Namcheon is his name].”
“Ilho Gae?”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae quietly nodded.
“Gungu Ilho [군구일호(群狗一虎) – a pack of dogs and one tiger] Jo Namcheon, the ‘Lone Tiger among a Pack of Dogs.’ He’s the one currently rallying the elders to make himself the Sect Leader.”
“Not a ‘crane among chickens,’ but a ‘tiger among dogs.’”
As Chung Myung narrowed his eyes, Pung Yeong Shin Gae spoke with a bitter expression.
“As you might guess… he was originally supposed to become the Sect Leader of the Beggars Sect. It’s just that…”
“That old man found someone who would follow his wishes, so that person became the Sect Leader instead?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“…I can understand why he’d be upset.”
From Jo Namcheon’s perspective, it was enough to drive him mad.
Judging by his title, ‘Lone Tiger among a Pack of Dogs,’ it was clear how he was regarded within the sect. To have his position usurped overnight for reasons he couldn’t comprehend was undoubtedly infuriating.
“Is he your Saje?”
“He’s my Sahyeong.”
As Chung Myung stared at him with a disgruntled expression, Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s head drooped lower.
Jo Geol whispered to Baek Cheon again.
“Sasuk, what’s the situation here?”
“It’s like this: imagine Yoon Jong, who was supposed to become the Sect Leader, suddenly has his position taken by you out of the blue.”
“What? That would ruin Hwasan!”
“…”
Everyone who was pretending not to listen turned to stare blankly at Jo Geol. Jo Geol flinched.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s just, you seem to understand your position quite well.”
“Smart.”
“Oh, well, that’s obvious. So, it’s like I took Sahyeong’s place as the Sect Leader of Hwasan and deliberately started messing everything up, and seeing that, Sahyeong would then rally the other disciples to take back the position?”
“More or less, yes.”
“Um… Sasuk? Maybe it’s just me, but no matter how I look at it…”
“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
Hwasan’s disciples’ gazes toward Pung Yeong Shin Gae grew increasingly displeased.
“They seem like the righteous ones.”
“…We’re the villains here.”
“To be honest, if I were him, I would have overthrown this a long time ago.”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae just kept clearing his throat, unable to refute. He was merely following the wishes of his predecessor, but others wouldn’t see it that way.
“Anyway, so that Ilho Gae or whatever is rallying the elders to become the Sect Leader, right? How far has it progressed? Fifty percent? Sixty percent?”
“Well…”
“Don’t tell me it’s seventy percent?”
“In fact… their agreement is already complete. The only thing delaying them is the absence of Beggars Sect’s sacred relic, which they need to finalize the decision.”
Chung Myung’s pupils shook violently.
“Already complete?”
“…Yes.”
“Uh, you don’t seem that incompetent. What have you been doing all this time?”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s eyes instinctively glanced upward.
“Well… Master said he would handle it himself and told me to wait a bit…”
“…And then he didn’t handle it and passed away?”
“Yes.”
“In the meantime, he was barely hanging on with the Turtle Breathing, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he went like that?”
“In a word… yes.”
“Ugh…”
Just as Chung Myung grabbed the back of his neck and was about to fall backward, Tang Soso placed a needle into the back of his head.
As blood poured out, Tang Soso calmly spoke.
“I’ve let out some blood, so your blood pressure should go down. Please continue, Sahyeong.”
“Ugh…”
Chung Myung gritted his teeth as he rubbed his face vigorously.
“So… they just need to stamp the seal, and you have that seal.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then those guys… they haven’t been unable to find you – they just haven’t bothered to look for you. What they need is the sacred relic, not you. They know you wouldn’t be foolish enough to bring the relic here, and even if caught, you wouldn’t reveal its location easily.”
“Precisely.”
“Then in this situation, we just need to persuade or beat those guys into making a new Sect Leader of the Beggars Sect?”
“Yes.”
“The only thing you’ve been saying was ‘yes’! You bastard!”
Chung Myung’s outburst was effortlessly restrained by Five Swords, who slowly shook their heads, feeling a wave of skepticism. Why is it that nothing ever seems to go smoothly?
“Damn it!”
Chung Myung kicked Hye Yeon, who was pinning his lower body, sending him flying as he jumped up.
“Of course, nothing I do ever goes smoothly!”
“What are you going to do, Chung Myung?”
Baek Cheon asked. Chung Myung’s eyes were bloodshot.
“What do you mean, what am I going to do? It’s all or nothing now! Whether the Beggars Sect gets destroyed or me!”
“…No, it’s not something that can be solved just by beating them up.”
“Enough!”
Chung Myung crossed his arms and thought deeply for a moment. Then he nodded vigorously.
“Luckily, we’re in Kaifeng, and they don’t know we’re here.”
“How does that help?”
“It’s better than nothing. And… hmm, we’re missing one thing.”
Chung Myung turned his gaze sharply towards Pung Yeong Shin Gae.
“Where is that person?”
“Which person?”
“That person! That one!”
After a moment of confusion, Pung Yeong Shin Gae suddenly gasped in realization.
“If you mean that person, conveniently…”
❀ ❀ ❀
“Damn those headquarters bastards.”
In a secluded alley in Kaifeng, Hong Daekwang spat on the ground with a disgusted expression.
Every time he came to the headquarters, he felt nothing but disdain. Especially now, being dragged here just to be scolded made it even worse.
“Why do they keep blaming me for Jao Gae’s mess? Damn it. They can’t even confront him directly!”
Currently, Jao Gae, leading his followers from the Beggars Sect, was staying in the Yangtze River area. Although his actions had Sect Leader’s approval, the elders in headquarters were eager to get rid of him.
However, since Jao Gae was ostensibly out of Kaifeng, they couldn’t summon him. So, instead, they took their frustration out on the innocent Hong Daekwang.
Already overwhelmed, being summoned to the headquarters several times for this nonsense made Hong Daekwang’s blood boil.
“Damn it! Maybe I should just quit too.”
With Sect Leader’s position seemingly out of reach, it might be better to ask to join Cheonumaeng…
“No… this place is still better than serving that guy.”
Hong Daekwang quickly changed his mind. He could never serve under Chung Myung. If this place was hell, then serving under Chung Myung would be the deepest hell imaginable.
Sigh.
With a heavy heart, Hong Daekwang erased Cheonumaeng from his mind. He spat again and reluctantly started making his way to the headquarters.
Just then, he froze in his tracks.
“Hold on a moment.”
“Huh?”
Someone suddenly appeared in front of him and gently pulled him aside.
“Who… huh? Lee Songbaek? From Jongnam?”
“Greetings to the Buntaju of Hwaeum.”
“Why would someone from Jongnam suddenly… I don’t know anything about… huh? Jin Geumryong? No, what are Jongnam’s people doing here… huh?”
Hong Daekwang’s eyes widened as more members of Jongnam appeared behind Jin Geumryong. Finally, his eyes began to tremble violently.
“J-Jongnam? No, Hwa…”
He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. When he spotted the person at the very back, his entire body started to shake.
“W-What in the… No, have I gone mad? What on earth is going on?!”
“Hey, beggar.”
“Hwasan Shinryong! You…!”
“You said it was your wish to become the Sect Leader, right?”
“What?”
“Originally, even if you lack some skills, you should know how to use at least one trick if you keep good friends, right?”
“…”
“Today is the day to use that trick.”
Chung Myung grinned, looking at the startled Hong Daekwang.
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