Cho Seong-won looked at me with wide eyes.
I guess he hadn’t anticipated that I would get the martial arts taught to him this way.
Everyone around us began to buzz. The response varied wildly from each other.
Half of them took my request as an insult, while the other half looked at both Cho Seong-won and the Beggars Union with odd expressions.
Looking at this, it seemed they also had doubts about giving Hong Geol-gae the successor position.
Iron Sword then said,
-Well, would they even teach him the martial arts?
My request wasn’t a bad one.
This way, Cho Seong-won’s feelings would at least be resolved.
-That old beggar’s face looked like it might explode.
Just like Short Sword observed, Hong Gu-ga’s face was bright red. Although my reasoning was fine, the batting stick and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm were martial arts only the successor could learn.
It must feel unpleasant to teach it to someone they had rejected. Hong Gu-ga then yelled.
“You! Just take the eye! Are you looking down on me?”
He still had his pride. He was one of the leaders of the Nine Great Sects, after all. It was unlikely that he would accept the condition this easily.
But this wasn’t my goal.
-Then what is?
I have a hunch that at least one person might step in.
Should I push a bit more?
“That doesn’t matter much either. Then, let our righteous senior settle this with just one eye…”
“Wait!”
At that moment, Do Wook, the Southern Edge sect leader, intervened. This was as I expected.
I pretended to not know his reasoning and listened.
“What is it, senior?”
“Warrior So, I fully understand how you feel.”
“You understand?”
“Look. In a way, even with the Beggars Union being like that, everyone here is a member of the Justice Faction.”
This was something the Justice Faction said often.
It held the meaning of communicating that everyone was on the same side and, in a way, were brothers.
This would differentiate them from the Evil Faction as they would be more inclined to pursue individual goals than group goals. The Justice Faction had a need to unite everyone.
Therefore, when such things happened, someone would inevitably come forward to stop it. I pretended to agree.
“… well, that is correct.”
“Does this need to be settled so roughly?”
“My friend could have died. My colleagues would have also been forfeited if our martial arts were weak. How is this too rough?”
“You are correct. However, shouldn’t there be a certain level of understanding? Leader Hong must also think the same, yes?”
Do Wook was speaking as if he was scolding me while asking for Leader Hong’s consent.
Hong Gu-ga quickly agreed as he saw a lifeline.
“The elder’s words are right.”
“What do you want me to do then? Cho Seong-won is someone aligned with me and was unfairly accused. Are you saying that I should simply let it go?”
“Who said such a thing? Listening to it, it seems this young friend’s situation is quite pitiful. Doesn’t Great Warrior Hyuk feel the same?”
Hyuk Cheon-man nodded in response to Do Wook’s question.
It seemed that he also wanted to calm things down.
Do Wook then spoke to him again.
“Honestly, even if we do say that we recognize his talent, isn’t it too much to ask for the martial arts that are only handed down to the leaders of the Beggars Union?”
“Then how would you like to see his talent?”
Do Wook pondered my question and then replied.
“Leader Hong, according to this young friend, it seems that you haven’t passed down the martial arts yet, is that right?”
The question made Hong Gu-ga hesitate to answer.
That’s right.
He was once Cho Seong-won’s teacher. It would make no sense for a person like that to not know his disciple’s skills.
Of course, knowing that he favored someone else, he hadn’t even tried to cover up the fact that he sent his own disciple as a spy in the Blood Sect. He had also tried to deal with him using the wrong method.
However, many eyes were watching him right now.
“… that’s right.”
Leader Hong answered in the end. He had no other path in front of him.
Elder Do Wook considered this to be good and then said,
“It is disrespectful for us, someone who belongs to another sect, to act like this, but how about doing this to maintain harmony for everyone?”
“What do you mean?”
“Leader Hong, please pass on the technique to our young friend. After that, we may let them duel using the same martial arts. Wouldn’t we then see whose talent is superior??”
-Were you aiming for this?
Short Sword stuck her tongue out and asked.
That’s right. I had expected that this would happen to an extent. I had to ask for something much more valuable to make them settle with this.
That way, I can let the other side feel a sense of victory.
Whisper!
The Beggars Union members seemed to be in deep conversation. Rather than the tone being negative, they seemed to agree with Do Wook’s words.
Perhaps conscious of the reaction around him, Hong Gu-ga shouted,
“That man is no longer my disciple, so how can I pass on the Dragon Subduing technique?”
Hearing this, Hyuk Cheon-man stepped forward for the first time.
“If I understand the leader’s words, then you did not intend to punish the person as a member of your sect. Instead, you were trying to dispose of someone who belonged to my sajae, right?”
‘…!?’
These words rendered Hong Gu-ga speechless.
I had wondered if he would lean to the other side despite calling me as his sajae. Yet here he was, stepping up at the right time to help me.
Thanks to that, the situation became what I wanted without too much effort.
In the meantime, an old beggar bearing seven marks stepped forward.
“Leader. Wouldn’t it be better to just make sure now?”
“You!”
“If the successor, Hong Geol-gae, could defeat Cho Seong-won, it would all be as the leader said.”
Seeing how this elder, whose name was Wei Gu-saeng, was speaking, it seemed that he, too, had doubts about Hong Geol-gae.
There was no way I would even think of stepping back now.
Another elder bearing seven stripes then stepped out.
“The elder’s words have merit, leader.”
“Elder Jo Hak, you too…”
Hong Gu-ga looked enraged and clearly wanted to yell, but he then fell silent. Seeing how his and the elder’s throats were trembling, they were speaking using internal qi.
They were perhaps coming up with a plan. Hong Gu-ga then said,
“Fine. I will do as Elder Do Wook requests.”
“As expected of our leader, such a wise decision.”
“But we have our own demands too.”
“What demands?”
Elder Do Wook asked this with a frown. In response, Hong Gu-ga spoke loudly.
“The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm is a technique only the leader can learn. If Cho Seong-won loses this duel, he will have to pay the price.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“How can an outsider learn the martial arts of the Beggars Union? If he loses, we will shatter his dantian and cut the tendons of his muscles. If you agree, then I will follow your words.”
“Huh….”
Elder Do Wook sighed as Hong Gu-ga came out strongly.
With these conditions, Cho Seong-won would lose his ability to perform martial arts if he was defeated. Still, this much was already obvious.
The old man wanted any further competition to end.
-The beggar knows how to use his brain.
He then looked at me with challenging eyes.
I looked at Cho Seong-won, who nodded his head with a determined look in his eyes.
He still wanted to compete even if he risked losing his martial arts.
-What if he lost?
What if he lost?
I hated losing the most. I then looked at the elated Hong Gu-ga with a puzzled look.
“That is a bit troublesome.”
Hong Gu-ga smiled.
“If you don’t have that much determination, then simply reject it.”
“But senior, wouldn’t Cho Seong-won have to do the same thing even if he won? He isn’t a member of the Beggars Union.”
The people around us nodded in agreement.
Hong Gu-ga’s eyes narrowed.
After all, his purpose was to make Cho Seong-won unable to use martial arts. I clapped my hands and then said.
“Ahh. We can do this.”
“What?”
“You would have taught so much to him, but he would lose his martial arts even if he wins? Since this all happened because of a misunderstanding, wouldn’t it be alright to accept him back into the Beggars Union?”
“What?”
“Wouldn’t that be alright? If he wins, then his martial arts are superior, and he would be suitable for the successor position. Would it make sense to give up such a talent?”
‘…!!’
Hearing my words, Hong Gu-ga’s face stiffened. I then continued without missing the chance.
“How about each of us relent and do this? If Cho Seong-won loses, it proves that his martial arts are inferior, and all of your requests would make sense. If he wins, then take him back into the Beggars Union and make him your potential successor. Wouldn’t that resolve everything?”
“No… that…”
Hong Gu-ga’s face went even stiffer.
He was trying to get rid of him, but I was digging in deeper. Even the elder who was trying to help him couldn’t have possibly thought of this possibility.
“Don’t tell me that you wanted to take a warrior’s life as collateral but aren’t prepared for the case of success?”
Clench!
Hong Gu-ga clenched his teeth.
His grandson wasn’t that great of a person, but he was still being this greedy?
If his grandson’s martial arts were that good, this kind of reaction wouldn’t appear.
Instead, he would have come out confidently.
“How about the people of the Beggars Union? Do you all agree with this?”
I pushed the entire Beggars Union contingent here. One by one, they all raised their hands.
“Let them fight!”
“The winner is the successor!”
As their leader’s recent decisions seemed unreliable, many of them agreed with me. Hong Gu-ga then looked at Elder Jo Hak.
Seeing their throats tremble, they were clearly discussing something again. The elder then answered.
“… I don’t have the strength to overcome that.”
He sounded as if he was being pushed off a cliff. Well, I didn’t care as long as I got what I wanted.
“You accept it?”
“Fine. I will accept it. No matter the outcome, the relationship will become clear with this.”
“Who would say no?”
‘Come back now.’
I held out my hand, and Silver Sword returned to me after flying in front of Hong Gu-ga’s face. When the dagger in front of him moved away, the old man finally sighed in relief.
-I thought that he’d do more, but this is surprising.
If he didn’t accept the conditions, then he would have lost the trust of his men. Being the leader of a sect wasn’t easy.
In fact, it required someone to be able to do many things. Elder Do Wook then stepped forward.
“Then, since both sides agreed, let us confirm this.”
At that moment, Hong Gu-ga spoke up.
“However, since the martial arts is a secret of our sect, I will pass it on to him in a separate place or a cabin. I hope you can understand that.”
While this was technically right, I didn’t like how it sounded.
I then said,
“While you are right, what if you taught him wrongly?”
Hearing this, his eyes shook. I see. Even now, he was still up to something.
I seemed to have struck a nerve as he shouted.
“What are you saying! Do you think I would do something like that?!”
“I am just speaking out of concern for him.”
“I will not do that.”
“Then what if you…”
Sima Young stepped forward and said,
“There is a simple solution. Let’s have Leader Hong teach the martial arts to both Hong Geol-gae and Cho Seong-won through internal qi communication at the same time. Wouldn’t we know whether he is speaking the truth or not?”
-Oh!
That’s pretty good.
Doing that would solve most of the problem.
I had planned to put an observer, but this method would stop any potential tomfoolery.
The others nodded and agreed to this solution.
On the other hand, Hong Gu-ga’s face was contorted.
The ship shook violently.
It was difficult to maintain stability on a river with rough tides. Still, there were some people gathered on deck.
They were Hyuk Cheon-man, Hong Gu-ga, Hong Geol-gae, and Cho Seong-won.
Hyuk Cheon-man participated as an observer at my request to prevent Hong Gu-ga from doing anything underhanded.
The beggars would be quite sorry if he noticed even the smallest act.
-Thank you for creating such a position for me, my lord.
Cho Seong-won was very thankful. It seemed that he was quite satisfied with being able to learn the technique that he had been denied until now.
Don’t forget this feeling now.
Even if he belonged to me, I expected something in return for this.
“Now! Both of you take five paces away from each other.”
Do Wook was in charge of maintaining the calm. The two of them weren’t in the best physical state, so they decided to not use any internal qi and would simply use the technique.
Actually, the results were already decided.
In the first place, there was a clear difference between Cho Seong-won and Hong Geol-gae.
Cho Seong-won had reached the level of master, so he could easily handle the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm to this extent. On the other hand, I heard that Hong Geol-gae was having difficulty learning the technique.
“Now! Start!”
Do Wook raised his hand and then lowered it. Hong Geol-gae made the first move and rushed for Cho Seong-won.
Pat!
“Damn it!”
The young beggar seemed to think that hitting his opponent was the only way to win. However, Cho Seong-won was unfazed. He coolly showed off his technique and avoided the attack.
It wasn’t yet enough, so he took a step back.
“Damn it”
Hong Geol-gae used the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm technique, but Cho Seong-won simply moved his left arm to block while swinging his right hand to his opponent’s ribs.
Pak!
“Kuak!”
This had to be the Dragon War Force.
Since it was one of the three best techniques of the central plains, I could easily recognize it. In this short moment, the two of them clashed.
Hong Geol-gae, who had allowed two counters from Cho Seong-won, quickly went red. Had we allowed internal qi, the result would have arrived even sooner.
Whisper!
“… not the right opponent.”
“The understanding of the technique is different.”
Everyone clearly saw the difference between them. Unlike Cho Seong-won, who used it correctly, Hong Geol-gae blindly rushed in to defeat his opponent.
The longer this duel lasted, the more inferior Hong Geol-gae appeared. At this level, any observer could decide in just a couple of seconds.
“No! Like this?!”
Hong Gu-ga must be frustrated at sight. He slowly covered his neck with his hand. Look at this man.
It seemed like he was trying to give his grandson some advice.
-Look there.
Short Sword slipped out of her sheath and floated around me.
‘…!!’
Hong Gu-ga saw this and lowered his hand. At that moment, Cho Seong-won, who had been avoiding the attacks, tried to finish it.
“You are nothing if I do it right!”
His fist dug under Hong Geol-gae’s chin like lightning.
Puak!
“Ack!”
Hong Geol-gae collapsed with a whimper. It seemed he wouldn’t return to consciousness anytime soon as he had been hit in the jaw.
“Sigh.”
Hong Gu-ga, who had seen this, closed his eyes tightly. It was a face where he had lost his entire world.
But the results were immutable.
“AHHH!”
It was a plain fight, but Cho Seong-won looked happy. He got the revenge that he had desperately wanted and regained his honor.
I smiled at him.
[Congratulations. Successor.]
He grinned at this and replied.
[How do I repay this favor?]
Repay what?
This result meant that the next head of the Beggars Union would be under me. I was more grateful.
Such an amazing piece of business.
“The results, please, senior.”
Hearing my words, Elder Do Wook, who was in charge of the duel, tried to speak.
“The winner is warrior Cho…”
Kwakwakwang!
But then came a loud sound as if something was breaking from afar.
As well as the screams of many people.
“What noise is that?”
“O-Over there!”
Everyone watching this fight looked over the front deck.
“Why is that ship suddenly acting like this?”
The third ship ahead of us was moving strangely. It was some distance away and had lowered its sails and anchors.
I didn’t know why they were trying to anchor in such raging waters.
I could see the ship being pulled by the flow of the water. It felt illogical to stay there.
“What is with them?”
As I wondered this, I saw something on the waters. Two ships with black sails appeared on both sides of the third ship.
This was… I then heard a shout.
“P-Pirates!”
“The 18 River Families of the Yangtze River have arrived!”
‘…!’
We had arrived in the canals sooner than I thought we would.
