novelraw Chapter 2 : Flatfish
Chapter 2 : Flatfish
Chapter 2: Flatfish
The training ground of the Beggar Sect was vast.
No matter if the Beggar Sect was a sect of beggars, it did not mean they lacked basic necessities like a training ground.
‘In fact, the conditions here are better than the Nine Sects hidden deep in the mountains.’
To maintain a livelihood by selling information gathered by beggars, they had to be near large cities.
They took the capital, Beijing, as their main headquarters and dispatched major forces to each region under the name of branches.
That was the way of the Beggar Sect.
The Nine Sects, including the Beggar Sect, rarely intervened in the affairs of the Jianghu as they were busy blocking the various Supernatural Entities entrenched in the mountains.
The Eight Great Clans rarely left their territories, and currently, the Serpent Dao Alliance and the Sun Moon Divine Cult showed no significant movement.
‘It was a peaceful era. That is why internal scoundrels like Elder Hwa were able to run rampant.’
I lifted my head and looked at the training ground. The rough dirt floor constantly kicked up dust, and beggars with low martial arts levels were often seen coughing.
That was not all. Broken wooden dolls lay scattered on the hard ground, and beggars gasping for breath lay looking up at the sky.
‘Are they Two-Knot Beggars?’
Two-Knot Beggars, with two tattered knots hanging at their waists, were those who balanced begging with training.
The so-called "Bosses" who took charge of the slightly larger beggar dens were these bastards.
‘Common as can be, yet incomparably important.’
No matter how peaceful the times were, a beggar had to do something to survive, so they could not help but be busy.
Those who lived busily even in the midst of peace were the core of the Beggar Sect. Talents incomparable to shells like me or Elder Hwa.
‘I did not realize that in the past.’
Only after experiencing a world that had once been ruined did I click my tongue at the reality now visible and carefully avoided them as I passed by.
“Successor. Huff. I heard you were quitting gambling? How can a gambler ranked in the top three in the Central Plains retire like this?”
“Catch your breath before you speak. Your Inner Qi breathing is unstable. Are you trying to suffer a Qi Deviation while training?”
“I get it. Whew. You are as talkative as ever.”
There were those who greeted me even while lying down like corpses.
Was the name of the guy who was just lying there Jeongpal?
Most likely. I have nothing to say regarding his end. Because I don’t know it myself.
Well, he probably died fighting gallantly. Along with countless other beggars I did not know.
By the way, gambling. It was a word I had not heard in a long time. It had been a while since I quit gambling. There was no gambler quite like me.
‘In the middle of a war, where would one find the energy to gamble? Just a cup of liquor and a piece of meat was a feast.’
Thump.
As I quietly headed toward the center of the training ground, the sound of swords clashing reached me from the sparring platform. A beggar in rags and another in clean white robes were fighting with gritted teeth.
Seeing the two fighting as if to kill each other despite it being a mere duel, I placed a hand to my forehead. For some reason, my chest felt tight as if a fire of frustration had been lit.
‘These madmen were having ideological battles even back then.’
* * *
The Beggar Sect of the past was divided into the Dirty Clothes Faction, which insisted on not forgetting the essence of a beggar and wore filthy clothes.
And the Clean Clothes Faction, who wore clean clothes with the intent to secure practical benefits.
In times of chaos, people die off, and in times of peace, each person forces their own ideology onto others. That unwritten rule was the same for beggars.
‘Four knots at the waist.’
They were Four-Knot Beggars. That meant they were beggars belonging to a fairly high position within the Beggar Sect. Just what on earth were they doing?
Distant flashes of light bloomed from the tips of their blades, and their entire bodies were stained with blood. However, what was even more infuriating was the scene below the duel platform.
“Haha, you should have cut his throat entirely! Those damn Dirty Clothes scoundrels.”
“Serves you right! How dare you filthy sub-humans challenge our Clean Clothes Faction? Don't you agree?”
The majority were those clapping and snickering like bandits. Where had the Beggar Sect members who revered chivalry gone, and when had this become a bandit's den?
“Senior, endure it. It is a familiar sight, is it not?”
“What do you mean? I am perfectly fine.”
“Your eyes have flipped, though.”
Ignoring the nonsense of a mere commoner, I immediately drew the iron sword at my waist.
Clang—.
As I flicked the blade, a spine-chilling metallic ring spread out. Because I had infused it with Inner Qi, the beggars who were snickering below the platform clutched their ears in pain as they bled.
The gazes of the idiots who did not even deserve to be called beggars turned toward me. Or perhaps, did they become beggars because they were idiots?
“What? Is it your first time seeing a handsome person?”
The conflict between the Clean Clothes and Dirty Clothes Factions was quite old. However, was it irreversible? No, it was not.
‘If something is wrong, it must be corrected.’
It was said that "no flower stays red for ten days." Meaning that something that has once flourished will inevitably decline before long.
Regrettably, the Beggar Sect was the same. They bickered among themselves in peace and then ruined themselves spectacularly the moment war broke out.
‘No, did the golden age of the Beggar Sect only arrive after it was ruined?’
When the world is full of beggars, if that is not a golden age, what is?
The Clean Clothes beggar, who was fighting dirtily on the platform, spat on the ground. Since he was ugly and his actions were even filthier, I did not feel particularly good.
“Successor, no matter if it is you, you cannot intervene in our fight.”
“Why not? What if I don’t want to listen. I am going to intervene. By what right do you tell me what to do?”
“Hah, a problem that someone like you, who belongs to neither the Clean nor the Dirty, can resolve does not exist. It must be hard to endure with that trashy personality of yours, but it cannot be helped, can it?”
Is that so?
Seeing the Four-Knot Beggar putting on airs despite being a beggar, a laugh suddenly escaped me.
‘To think the dignity of the Beggar Sect, supposedly a pillar of the Nine Sect Alliance, has fallen this low.’
I did not know it in the past. I was only concerned with myself back then. Not long after my benefactor and teacher, the Sect Leader, died, I had left the Beggar Sect.
A Four-Knot Beggar talking back to an Eight-Knot Beggar. Even a beggar has things to uphold. Especially a member belonging to the Beggar Sect should have a sense of responsibility, but these bastards have none.
‘How is this any different from the Unorthodox Faction that has frequent intrigue?’
Not every beggar in the world is bad. No one becomes a beggar because they want to. The reason for the Beggar Sect's existence is to embrace those who have fallen to the lowest depths for their own respective reasons.
Why did I return to the past? I thought about it constantly while coming here, but no answer came. But now, it seems to be getting a bit clearer.
‘Do I really need to think of a reason?’
No matter who sent me to the past, I don't need to care about that. If they wanted something, they should have come themselves. Therefore, I will live as I please.
“What are you looking at?”
I looked at the face of the Four-Knot Beggar who looked like a flatfish. A middle-aged beggar whose clothes were clean but whose face was caked with the hardships of life scowled deeply.
He was remarkably ugly. A bottom-feeder life with no hesitation in killing people.
‘I have no need for such scoundrels.’
Even if it is a bottom-feeder life, a beggar who feels no guilt in hurting people is not the kind of Beggar Sect member I want.
“Four-Knot Beggar, what is your name? Did you not even learn the respect due to seniors? Where do you get the nerve to talk back when you are still so young?”
The Four-Knot Beggar, who should have flinched, instead held his head stiffly.
“I am older than you, Successor.”
“Ah, is that so? I suppose you must be happy to be so old.”
I briefly confused my age with that of my previous life. Currently, I was only in my thirties.
The Four-Knot Beggar gave a smirk and whirled his sword. Bastards like this always have a backer. Usually, acting up while trusting a backer and then getting beaten by me was the end of these unlucky bastards.
“The Sect Leader has already fallen, and Elder Hwa is stretching his grip not only over Beijing but over every corner of the world. This Beggar, as a direct disciple of Leader Hwa, will soon be reborn as the next Sect Leader.”
Tug.
It was the sound of Eungsam pulling at my sleeve. Thankfully, he caught me as I was about to burst forward.
“Furthermore, despite how I look, this Beggar ranks within the top 30 in the Beggar Sect for a brilliant brain. If Elder Hwa becomes the Sect Leader, I am a body capable of securing the position of at least a Seven-Knot Beggar.”
It wasn't brilliant, it was illiterate. These ignorant beggar bastards. Eungsam smiled awkwardly and blocked my path.
“Aigo, my friend. Senior Baek Hae said if you are not a beast, you should know how to hold back. Do you want to see that handsome face of yours get distorted again?”
— Well, even Senior might get angry. Because you are human. When that happens, just count to three in your heart! I don't ask for much. If Senior is not a beast, you’ll be able to hold back, right?
An old memory briefly surfaced. Giving a short laugh, I began to count the numbers in my heart.
‘Whew, one. Two. And…….’
“In the first place, the Successor cannot even step forward because of the Sect Leader. In a situation where even the Elders of the Five Elements are divided into the Dirty and Clean factions, no matter if the Sect Leader comes, he cannot stop us. To begin with, the current Sect Leader is a puppet…….”
“You son of a bitch.”
As soon as I took a step, the ugly face was immediately before mine. Pupils that dilated rapidly evidenced the flatfish’s surprise.
He reflexively thrust his sword toward my neck, and I caught and snapped his sword with my middle and index fingers.
“Bare Hands Seizing Blade! But this is my sword?”
Did he think I would just suppress my anger at his provocation? It was truly an idiotic thought.
‘In the past, I would have barely endured out of respect for the Sect Leader.’
Regrettably, whether in my past life or current life, I was not of such a patient personality. I will no longer avoid bothersome tasks because of the Sect Leader.
The moment I heard his gasp, I grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground.
Crack!
Blood flowed from the head of the bastard who had been driven through the stone floor of the platform. The sensation of sticky blood did not leave my hand.
“A madman like you insults the Sect Leader with that filthy mouth? Do you want to die?”
Who are you to insult my benefactor? I would throw a fit even if Baek Cheon did it.
“Ah, seriously! I told you to hold back! Didn't I just say it? Senior, do you know who that flatfish is?”
It was Eungsam, who had come up beside me at some point. I would have handled it on my own, so what was the hurry that made him run over?
“How should I know? Wow, so you thought he was a flatfish too? Everyone thinks the same huh. Then do you also hate Elder Hwa?”
Watching me calmly wipe my hands, Eungsam beat his chest in frustration and spoke.
“That flatfish is the disciple Elder Hwa treasures most!”
“He sure has unique taste. Wow, does he perhaps fancy men? If people found out the ideal type of a Beggar Sect Elder was a fish, even a human-faced fish would tear off its own skin.”
“Shh! Do you intend to completely turn Elder Hwa into an enemy? If he finds out you ignored the call and caused a scene here, it’ll be over, you know?”
Thump.
As soon as Eungsam’s words ended, the sound of footsteps was heard first. Footsteps loaded with Inner Qi. In any case, both I and that side loved receiving attention far too much.
‘Took you long enough.’
A diligent beggar. It was a term that did not suit at all, but the person approaching me was proving that fact.
“For what deep-seated grudge does the Successor try to make an enemy of me?”
Greyish white hair. An old man wearing a white robe that the young lords of the Great Clans might wear was slowly walking over.
‘The son of a bitch who sold out the Beggar Sect.’
It was Elder Hwa.