Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 94

Iron-Blood Gate's Leader

In every corner of the village, beggars seated on the roadside witnessed and heard all manner of the world's winds and rumors.

And now that the Beggar's Union had rightfully secured a seat among the Nine Great Sects and One Union, no one was unaware that some of those beggars mingled among them belonged to the Beggar's Union.

Indeed, there was even a saying among martial artists: "Be careful what you say and do in front of a beggar."

Yet, this did not mean beggars received honorable treatment.

Just as not every bandit belonged to Green Forest, not every street beggar was a disciple of the Beggar's Union.

It was the same here in Kaifeng, where the Beggar's Union's main headquarters was located.

In such a large city, beggars sat every few paces along the streets, but only a very small number belonged to the sect.

That was as it should be.

As a renowned faction of the Nine Great Sects and One Union, the Beggar's Union did not take in just any vagrant.

They assessed talent for martial arts, of course, but also looked at one's character.

If one possessed exceptional intelligence, that too was highly valued.

As a result, beggars belonging to the sect were very rare, and this was common knowledge among even the ordinary people in Kaifeng.

Residents still frowned in disgust at dirty beggars, and it was not uncommon for them to hurl insults.

With their foul stench and constant begging whenever they passed, it was perhaps only natural.

Such people were destined never to be welcomed anywhere, by instinct alone.

Within the estate of the Yang Clan, one of the largest martial families in Kaifeng, a youth sat alone in the guest hall.

His robe was worn thin and torn, and through the baggy sleeves his skin was caked in grime.

The figure was utterly typical of a beggar.

With a languid smile on his lips, he sat alone in the large room, taking in the antique furnishings without a hint of greed in his eyes.

Absentmindedly, his left hand found its way to his waist, where five knots hung from his belt.

The Five-Knot Rank—a position far from lowly within the Beggar's Union.

If this were not Kaifeng, it would be the rank overseeing an entire region.

Yet the man showed no sign of regret for not having attained such; he simply turned his aimless, indifferent gaze about the room.

Creak.

At that moment, the door to the room opened.

The one who entered was Yang Se-ok, the second son of the Yang Clan. His face brightened as he spoke, smiling broadly.

"Young Hero Punggae, it truly has been a long time. Forgive me for making you wait. I was told you had arrived, but a clan meeting was in session and I could not excuse myself at once."

Punggae smiled in return as he replied, "It was my fault for visiting unannounced. Even so, to be greeted so warmly is a rare kindness."

They sat together, exchanging a few light remarks—mostly regarding martial affairs and news in Kaifeng.

Yet both spoke half-heartedly, neither voice betraying any true sincerity.

Punggae had attained the Five-Knot Rank at a notably young age—never a light position within the sect.

For such a person to appear at the Yang Clan's estate without prior word, and to specifically seek out Yang Se-ok, could only mean one thing: a specific purpose.

Yang Se-ok would surely have guessed as much and wondered privately what tidings or aims had brought Punggae to him.

Still, he refrained from pressing, waiting at his leisure. After all, it was the guest who had come seeking him; there was no need to show impatience.

"By the way..."

Punggae, having made small talk for some time, suddenly placed down his teacup and his gaze grew sharp.

Yang Se-ok quietly set his cup aside, waiting for what would follow.

"I hear there's been a significant change in Kaifeng's dark path martial world."

"You mean among the dark path devils?"

At Punggae's words, Yang Se-ok furrowed his brow.

Had this man perhaps sensed that the Yang Clan was secretly colluding with Heavenly Martial Hall to plot something?

Yet he quickly dismissed the idea.

After all, he had only explained the situation in detail to Jeong-un, a two-stripes warrior of Heavenly Martial Hall, two days prior.

By all considerations, not nearly enough time had passed for something to be set in motion.

If the Beggar's Union had found reason to visit in the meantime, it must not be related to that issue.

"That's right. It seems the person sitting as the Gate Leader of Iron-Blood Gate has changed."

"......!"

At these words, Yang Se-ok's eyes shot wide open.

The Iron-Blood Gate, a subordinate organization of the Musan Group, had a new leader?

That was no light piece of news.

"Is that true? Did they have some sort of internal strife?"

"......."

Punggae looked at Yang Se-ok's surprised face, then shook his head as he spoke.

"It seems you truly didn't know."

"What do you mean by that?"

"To be candid, I'd wondered whether the Yang Clan might have had a hand in this, since you've always viewed them as such an eyesore."

For a moment, Yang Se-ok nearly flinched. Punggae had that way of piercing right to the heart of things at times.

Yet for once, this truly had nothing to do with him; Yang Se-ok was hearing this now for the first time.

"Were we the only ones who considered them a thorn? If they didn't have the District Head as a backer, they'd have been swept away long ago, no matter who took action. Wouldn't that also apply to the Beggar's Union?"

At Yang Se-ok's comment, punggae laughed softly.

"That's certainly true. We too have no love for their kind. But as you know, they pour untold silver coins into the District Head's coffers. Thanks to that, they've roamed about freely as they pleased."

"But even so, who could have—?"

"It doesn't seem to be anyone local. I've heard it's a young master from outside."

"A newcomer from elsewhere...?"

As Yang Se-ok frowned in thought, punggae asked slyly, "Come to think of it, didn't a young warrior from Heavenly Martial Hall arrive at the Yang Clan a few days ago?"

Yang Se-ok fell silent, not expecting such a direct and pointed question.

At length, he finally nodded and replied.

"A warrior returning from a Heavenly Martial Hall mission sought refuge with us. But he has nothing to do with this affair. He's still recovering at our White Stone Teahouse and hasn't stepped a foot outside."

"A martial artist of Heavenly Martial Hall requesting a place to recover? That's not a common occurrence."

"It is rare, but not impossible. We too were surprised when he arrived. But after all these years having our names recorded on the Murim Alliance roster, how could we turn him away? In fact, we were honored to accept him as our guest."

"Indeed, that's quite reasonable."

Punggae smiled as he regarded Yang Se-ok, then rose from his seat.

As he did so, his greasy bangs parted, revealing a striking face that had been hidden beneath his long hair.

'... Who would ever mistake a man with that appearance for a beggar?'

Yang Se-ok shook his head internally. No matter how many times he saw it, it was an uncommon visage.

He could not doubt the young man before him would one day succeed the sect's Leader and become Master of the Beggar's Union.

"In any case,"

Punggae said, "I only came to share this news. Besides, I received a fine cup of tea out of it."

"Even if there's no business, you're always welcome for tea."

"How could I come to the Yang Clan without business?"

Yang Se-ok stood to see his guest out, but Punggae continued.

"As you said, the Beggar's Union too holds no fond opinion of the Musan Group. Safeguarding the people's livelihood is our foremost priority as well. But the longstanding balance we've maintained is also a crucial factor. After all, it's merely humans who decide who is good and who is evil. And don't we all judge by our own positions?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"If we were to eliminate everyone seen as evil now, would only the virtuous be left? I doubt it. Before long, we'd simply find someone else to label as evil."

"But that doesn't mean we can stand idle and do nothing. Those men are like parasites that must be wiped out from this land. Surely you're not suggesting we tolerate them for the sake of stability?"

"Certainly not."

Punggae smiled gently.

"I merely mean we must exercise the utmost prudence when breaking the balance."

"To repeat, we have no involvement in this affair. But should we truly take action, you will be informed without fail."

"I appreciate that."

From then, the conversation drifted to more trivial matters, as Yang Se-ok escorted Punggae to the door.

These were men who would one day expand their reach from Kaifeng's martial world to all corners of the Central Plains.

Even if they had secrets from each other now, from the wider perspective of the Central Plains, they would, in the end, be bound within the same alliance.

"Thank you for the tea."

"Take care on your way."

The moment Punggae stepped out, he disappeared atop a distant rooftop in the blink of an eye.

It was the Beggar's Union's famed peak-level lightness skill.

The moment Yang Se-ok saw him off, he hurried back inside.

'The Gate Leader of Iron-Blood Gate has changed? I must inform Young Hero Yu at once.'

He began preparations to set out quickly.

* * *

Yang Se-ok arrived at the residence an hour later.

Though he was anxious to hurry, he purposely waited until his usual time so as not to arouse suspicion—he was certain eyes were watching.

He went quickly to the room where Jeong-un was staying.

"Young Hero Yu, are you in?"

Even as he called at the door, he half-feared he might not find anyone inside.

Currently, Jeong-un was coming and going through a secret passage connected to the room, rather than the main entrance of the residence.

It would not be strange if he wasn't there.

"Come in."

Relieved to hear an answer from within, Yang Se-ok's face brightened as he quickly opened the door and entered.

Inside, Jeong-un sat atop his bedding in a cross-legged posture. He seemed to be practicing mental training.

"My apologies, I did not realize you were training."

"It's quite all right. How could I consider being interrupted during training an issue at a time when I'm on a mission? Rather, I worry you might think I'm not focused on my duties. There are reasons I train my internal energy at the same time each day. Please rest assured I don't take my mission lightly."

"..."

At this, Yang Se-ok was inwardly impressed. For such a young man, he displayed exemplary discipline.

Not all martial artists found enjoyment in martial cultivation.

After all, martial training was not something whose results appeared in proportion to the effort put in. Many found it tedious.

Some heirs to martial families even neglected internal energy training unless there was an elixir, using the excuse of waiting for inspiration.

Jeong-un asked, "But what brings you here?"

"Ah..."

Yang Se-ok, momentarily forgetting his business, quickly continued, "There's been a major development in the dark path martial world. I came to inform you, as I thought you should be in the know."

"A major development, you say?"

At Jeong-un's question, Yang Se-ok replied, "The Gate Leader of Iron-Blood Gate has changed. That happened just this morning. Had the Beggar's Union not warned us, we'd never have known."

"Ah..."

Jeong-un's eyes widened in apparent surprise. Seeing this, Yang Se-ok nodded knowingly and went on.

"It's surprising, isn't it? Depending on your plans, you may have to make changes. I hear it's a young master from outside the city... We don't have much information yet, so caution is required."

"This much is already known? The Beggar's Union's information network is truly impressive."

"Yes, their intelligence covers nearly every corner of this land..."

Yang Se-ok's words trailed off. Suddenly, sensing something odd in Jeong-un's tone, he asked, "Did you already know?"

"Yes."

"What, how...?"

Yang Se-ok, who had been about to speak vacantly, suddenly opened his eyes wide as realization dawned.

He stared at Jeong-un and calmly spoke, "Young Hero Yu, could it be...?"

"That's how it turned out,"

Jeong-un replied in a somewhat awkward tone.

"Rest assured, I was thorough in concealing my identity."

"......!"