novelraw Chapter 93 : Chapter 93
Chapter 93 : Chapter 93
Chapter 93 - The name of this sect as well
“Hah…!”
Returning to the Diancang Sect, Biyoung let out a low exclamation of admiration.
The newly made mountain gate and the plaque with the name written in a soaring script like a dragon and snake.
The dilapidated mountain gate, as if it had never been so, boasted a majestic appearance.
He had been here not long ago, but the changes felt fresh.
It felt as if he had returned to the Diancang Sect of the past, to the point of feeling a faint nostalgia.
“They say two heads are better than one….”
While his senior brothers had put in a lot of effort, this kind of work was indeed accomplished quickly with many hands.
After the adults returned from Simao, the facilities of the Diancang Sect changed beyond recognition in just a few days.
The repair work of dozens of people, the funds received from the O Family Manor, and the assets accumulated through blood and sweat in Simao.
As these three elements combined, the Diancang Sect was transforming day by day.
After passing through the mountain gate, Biyoung leisurely walked around, looking here and there.
The training ground was gradually being paved with bluestone, and the pavilion where the Sect Leader would reside seemed to be more than ninety percent complete.
“Wow… It’s really different every day. It’s gotten much better.”
Just then.
A beggar who had been silent by his side interjected.
“You’re the only one who would be so impressed by his own sect.”
“Haha. You’ve been here too, so you know. How much of a mess this place was.”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
The man with a spot on one side of his face and a very rough impression nodded his head.
In fact, the big beggar was also filled with emotion.
“Back then, I thought not a single proper facility was left, but it’s as if the heavens and earth have been overturned.”
“Right?”
The two men chuckled and walked for a moment, and then a group of people gathered in one place spotted them.
“Biyoung! You’re back.”
“Senior Uncle Mujin. Was everything alright last night?”
“Nothing, except for your senior brothers wailing. But this gentleman is…?”
Should one say he is a descendant of a prestigious orthodox sect?
Though he was clearly a complete beggar, Mujin used the honorific ‘this gentleman’ when looking at Gwangyo.
As if he liked that, Gwangyo also introduced himself with considerable courtesy.
“This humble beggar is Gwangyo from the Beggars' Union.”
“Gwangyo… you say….”
Mujin, who was lost in thought for a moment, covered his head with his remaining arm.
“Goodness! The Mad and Aberrant Man?!”
“Hehe. It’s embarrassing, but the people of the world have given me such a moniker.”
“The… the Guardian of the Beggars' Union has graced our event with his presence! I will go and inform the others!”
Mujin moved his feet quickly but could not shake off his doubt.
Gwangyo.
The Gwangyo who was called a madman even in the free-spirited Beggars' Union, a man they were sick and tired of?
His notoriety had spread far and wide, even to the Simao region.
That's why it was even more questionable.
The Gwangyo who had greeted him was truly….
‘Perfectly normal?’
Well.
Did madmen announce their madness in advance?
A madman who seems normal and then goes crazy is even scarier!
Mujin, letting his imagination run wild, hurried his steps.
While Mujin was away, Gwangyo looked around and asked.
“So many people have come out to prepare food. Is this all for the event you mentioned?”
“Yeah.”
It was an unusual scene in many ways.
In a normal sect, swordsmen do not prepare food.
But for those who had been through thick and thin in Simao, such a notion was just the complaint of the well-fed.
Not only the swordsmen and women in martial arts uniforms, but also the elders of the sect, including Jinbae, were all out preparing food.
“What kind of event is it?”
Biyoung smiled brightly and answered.
“The Sect Leader’s inauguration ceremony.”
“What, what!?”
Even Gwangyo, who was not easily surprised, could not help but stutter at this moment.
A Sect Leader’s inauguration ceremony.
For any other sect, it would have been a momentous event that had to be announced throughout the Murim.
The atmosphere of the Diancang Sect was also bustling, but this was more like….
‘Just a family party?’
Most importantly, the people who absolutely had to be at the inauguration ceremony were not there.
Only dark navy martial arts uniforms.
Not a single congratulatory guest to congratulate the Sect Leader’s inauguration was in sight.
“Where are all the congratulatory guests? Have you prepared a separate place for them?”
“Congratulatory guests? You’re here.”
“Not me. What about the others?”
“There are none. We didn't invite anyone in the first place.”
“What?”
Biyoung answered with a mischievous smile.
“Haha. You should feel honored. You are the only guest invited to the Diancang Sect’s Sect Leader inauguration ceremony.”
“………….”
Gwangyo’s mouth dropped open.
Only one congratulatory guest at the Sect Leader’s inauguration ceremony.
And even then,
A single beggar??
Gwangyo had suddenly become the sole congratulatory guest of this bizarre event.
‘So. Before they met me, they had no intention of inviting anyone.’
What kind of inauguration ceremony is this?
But the astonishment was brief.
“…….”
Gwangyo felt he could soon understand the situation.
‘Well. Even if they did talk about it, they wouldn't get their money's worth, let alone congratulations.’
The story that the Diancang Sect had reclaimed its main mountain had not yet spread throughout Jianghu.
It was just a rumor circulating around Yunnan, and even then, mostly around Yiliang County.
Hadn’t he, a Guardian of the Beggars' Union, sent Ji Seok-gi to find out the inside story?
It was still at a level where everyone was skeptical and doubting its authenticity.
‘Besides….’
Even if it were true, how many people would accept the invitation?
If the Nine Sects One Union had been so favorable to the Diancang Sect, they would not have just watched as the sect was torn apart.
The day the Diancang Sect was attacked.
No, perhaps long before that.
The Nine Sects One Union had been turning a blind eye to the Diancang Sect.
Gwangyo knew.
The reason the prestigious orthodox sects all cried out for righteousness and chivalry was that they did not possess a rat's tail worth of it.
‘Perhaps this is the most rational decision. It’s a hundred times better to celebrate on their own and be done with it than to be humiliated.’
While Gwangyo was secretly nodding his head, a staggering old man and a few swordsmen approached.
The old man had drunk so much that his nose was flushed red even in broad daylight.
Anyone could see he was an old drunkard, so the Mad and Aberrant Man looked at him as if he were looking at a cow or a chicken.
“Hoholhol. They said they were going to see the Mad and Aberrant Man, and you’ve brought him here.”
“Yes. Other people might not, but Gwangyo here is qualified as a congratulatory guest.”
Biyoung answered and then introduced the old man.
“Say hello. This is Elder Jeokseo, who will soon become the Sect Leader of the Diancang Sect.”
“?!”
Gwangyo’s jaw dropped so low it nearly touched the floor.
From his appearance alone, he had thought he was just an old elder of the sect.
His attire was shabby, he didn’t have the air of a martial artist, and the expression on his face was far from stern.
But this man was going to be the Sect Leader of the Diancang Sect?
‘Are there so few people to be Sect Leader in the Diancang Sect?’
Gwangyo was confused, but he soon collected himself and bowed his head.
“A humble beggar of the Beggars' Union greets the prospective Sect Leader. My name is Gwangyo.”
“Hoholhol. They say that more than half of the rumors in Jianghu are exaggerated or false. Seeing Guardian Gwangyo, I think I understand.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean to say, it is a wonder how a moniker like the Mad and Aberrant Man came to be attached to such a polite and well-mannered person.”
“He just came to his senses a little while ago.”
At Biyoung’s words, Jeokseo smiled warmly.
“You brat. How can you be so disrespectful to a martial arts senior who is much older than you? No matter how you have formed a bond of friendship, you must maintain a minimum level of courtesy.”
“He says he’s fine with it.”
“Hoholhol. People tend to gauge the foundation of a sect by every single action of its martial artists. What would people think if you go around the world treating Guardian Gwangyo so carelessly?”
“Hmm… That the Diancang Sect is full of nothing but rude bastards?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s true. Then I’ll call you Guardian Gwang from now on. Is that okay?”
Gwangyo, who had been watching the conversation, smiled, revealing his teeth.
“I’m fine with anything.”
“Alright, Guardian Gwang. Then I’ll introduce you to the rest of the people.”
While being introduced to the other martial artists, Gwangyo frequently observed Jeokseo’s appearance.
It could be called a kind of occupational hazard from his days of reconnaissance work for the Beggars' Union, and on the other hand, it was because the conversation he had with Biyoung just a moment ago had been impressive.
‘It seems I misjudged him at first glance. He’s not just a drunkard soaked in alcohol. He is quite deep-minded and knows how to handle people.’
The statement that the perception of a sect changes with a single trivial action is certainly true.
Moreover, look at Biyoung obediently following Jeokseo’s words.
Although they had spent a short time together, Gwangyo had a fairly accurate grasp of Biyoung’s personality.
Was that brat someone who would listen to what someone said?
But Jeokseo changed Biyoung’s attitude very gently and fluently.
The Sect Leader of a sect does not necessarily have to be the best master.
No, it is often the case that another swordsman other than the Sect Leader is the best master of the sect.
The main role of the Sect Leader is to lead the martial artists of the sect in the right direction.
‘In that sense, Jeokseo might become a pretty good Sect Leader too.’
Gwangyo was just about to finalize his judgment of Jeokseo.
“Hmm?”
“Hmm!”
The moment his eyes met with a man’s, Gwangyo was seized by a strange emotion he had never felt before in his life.
How should he describe this?
He felt a very strong sense of caution, and at the same time, a deep sense of kinship.
The two men looked at each other and twitched their temples.
‘What a filthy impression. What did he do to get his face so rough?’
‘The rumor that he is the madman of the Beggars' Union is not an exaggeration. If I mess with him, I’ll ruin my whole day.’
The person who gave Gwangyo a strong impression was none other than Uma.
He had seen countless beggars from the Beggars' Union, but he had never seen such a heinous impression before.
On the other hand, Uma was on high alert, seeing the gleaming whites of the Mad and Aberrant Man’s eyes.
‘He’s a formidable guy.’
‘He’s a formidable man.’
Uma and Gwangyo.
Men who would be in the top five in the entire Murim in terms of strong impressions.
The scene of them facing each other and greeting was a rare spectacle that was hard to see anywhere in the world.
***
The inauguration ceremony held the next day was so simple that it made one wonder if it was okay to be so.
In a way, the inauguration ceremony was secondary, and it felt like an event prepared for everyone to eat and enjoy together.
‘Is this right?’
Gwangyo was momentarily dumbfounded, but after hearing about the years they had endured in Simao, he nodded his head heavily.
For them, things like the honor or prestige of the sect were not important at all.
They had hidden the fact that they knew each other for ten years.
Just being able to gather together with the people of the sect, eating and drinking like this, was a deeply moving occasion.
The inaugural address of Jeokseo, who had newly become the Sect Leader, was also concise.
However.
The content within was enough to move the hearts of many people.
“……Diancang Mountain has welcomed its original master after ten years, but we have never forgotten Diancang Mountain for a single moment. The name of this sect will also become like that. The day will come when the three characters of Diancang Sect, which have been erased from the memories of the people, will ring out loudly in Jianghu.”
Not the feeling of a mighty roar, but a voice like reading a fairy tale to a young grandchild.
But it was an inaugural address that made the hearts of the Diancang Sect’s martial artists burn hotter than anyone’s shout.
“From one to ten, it’s different from the sect I knew.”
At Gwangyo’s words, Biyoung smirked.
“You don’t like it because it’s different?”
“Not at all. I actually like it.”
Wasn't Gwangyo also a beggar of the Beggars' Union with no lingering attachment to the secular world?
The way of the Diancang Sect was a perfect match for his taste.
“Hmm?”
While enjoying the inauguration ceremony together, two people came into Gwangyo's view.
It was because the people sharing food on one side resembled the appearance Biyoung had described.
“Those are the two swordsmen who are going to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with you, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
Gwangyo carefully observed the every move of the two swordsmen for a while.
One was a beauty so dazzling that it made his eyes hurt, and the other was a young man with unusually developed calves.