Emperor's Sword [EN]: Chapter 36

Messenger of the Demonic Cult

‘It’s a busy day. By now, the Twin Old Men must be waiting for me. Maybe everything will be wrapped up sooner than I thought.’

He moved with Gwangmajon and the others toward the Geumhwa Training Hall. They were turning into an alley on the Shangyuan side after leaving the inner courtyard of the Jiangnan First Pavilion when it happened.

“Hey, you beggar! What do you think you’re doing, trying to come in here? Get lost!”

“Oh, sir, please, just let me in once.”

“I’ve been a server at this place for over ten years, but I’ve never seen a beggar like you. Usually, beggars are too intimidated to even come near here… You’re lucky you ran into me. If you had run into Chief Wang, you wouldn’t have any bones left! Got it?”

“Sir, please, just let me in once. I won’t be a beggar forever, you know? Who knows? Maybe I’ll get a position someday… So, why don’t you do a good deed while you’re in a high position? Oh, you’re really expensive.”

“What?… What is this? Ugh, I can’t even hit him…”

The server looked up at the sky, dumbfounded. Only stars twinkled in the sky.

Pa Cheon and his group stopped and watched the scene. The two men were still arguing, seemingly unaware that they were being watched. The server seemed kind-hearted, not treating the beggar harshly. It was then.

“Hey, you! What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Chief! It’s not that…”

“This guy is openly slacking off now? What’s this? A beggar loitering at the entrance? You, get lost! If a guest comes and leaves because of you, you won’t have any bones left! Get lost now! You, go back inside and work…”

“Yes, Chief.”

But the beggar still didn’t leave, standing his ground at the entrance.

“This guy…”

“High sir! Just let me in once. I just need to go around once and get a little charity… Or give me some leftover rice!”

He was a truly brazen beggar. Seeing this, the chief spat on the ground and started beating the beggar.

“Is this guy crazy? If you’re a beggar, you should be under a bridge, not causing trouble here!”

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

His fist dug deep into the beggar’s solar plexus, and he slammed his elbow into the beggar’s broad back.

“Ugh, ugh, help, a beggar is dying! Help!”

“You… you shut up!”

The beggar rolled on the ground, his face being brutally trampled by the chief’s feet. His lips were soon split open, and blood gushed from his nose. But the kicking didn’t stop.

“Ugh. Help me, people! Save the beggar!”

The beggar kept shouting, but no one helped. Many people were already watching the scene.

“Hey, throw him in another alley.”

The chief ordered two servers standing behind him and spat again.

“Hey, sprinkle salt on him.”

As the servers tried to grab the beggar’s arms and legs, he shook them off and grabbed the chief’s pants as he turned to go inside.

“You beat me like this, so you should at least give me some food… or let me get some charity. I’m not going without it.”

He was a truly persistent beggar. Pa Cheon was still watching him. Gwangmajon and Mu Young-jon were puzzled by Pa Cheon’s continued attention, but So-goon was different. She clenched her fists and trembled.

“Master! I want to kill that pot-bellied bastard.”

“It’s cowardly for someone who has learned martial arts to kill someone who is powerless.”

“But that guy is even more cowardly. Beating a helpless child like that… If you can’t give him alms, you shouldn’t break his bowl. That kind of guy needs to be taught a lesson.”

“That much is okay.”

Pa Cheon had given his permission. So-goon started walking toward them. Looking closely, the beggar being beaten was a boy who looked about 13 years old. His face was covered in dirt, making it hard to see his features, but his eyes were still bright as he bit his split lip and held onto the chief’s pants.

The chief and the two servers began to beat him. Their feet and fists struck the boy beggar indiscriminately, quickly creating blue bruises and bloodstains.

“Stop it!”

Slap!

In an instant, sparks flew from her eyes, and So-goon’s hand flew across their cheeks. It was just a slap, but even though she didn’t use her inner energy, her palm was incredibly powerful. Their teeth flew out, three or four at a time. So-goon’s violence (!) didn’t stop there.

She skillfully struck their pressure points with her fists and feet, without using inner energy. They were repeatedly hit but couldn’t fall or escape. They couldn’t move and just took the beating. Their faces quickly swelled up, they limped, and clutched their stomachs. The chief was a sight to behold. After beating them for a while, So-goon was still not satisfied and was panting… She looked at the beggar.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… pretty sister.”

“Pre…tty…sis…ter! Hehehe, you have good eyes… Let’s go, I’ll heal you…”

Then she said to the chief and the others,

“You won’t be able to do this for at least half a year. If you’re walking around fine tomorrow, I’ll eat my hand.”

She grabbed the beggar’s hand and approached Pa Cheon. Pa Cheon was smiling, but Gwangmajon looked displeased.

“A girl shouldn’t be so headstrong…”

Mu Young-jon agreed with Gwangmajon.

“She is quite like that. The women of our cult…”

Mu-rin glared at them, but they didn’t even look at her.

“Master, can I take this child and heal him?”

“Go ahead. Shall we go now?”

Thus, a new member joined their group, and they hurried toward the Geumhwa Training Hall.

“What’s your name?”

“Me? I don’t have a name. What’s yours, sister?”

“I’m So-goon. Then I’ll give you a name. Hmm… So-wang [Little King]! How’s So-wang?”

“So-wang. Wow, that’s cool.”

“From now on, you’re Bukgoong So-wang. This sister will protect you so no one can hit you.”

“Thank you… So-goon sister!”

This was the conversation between So-goon and the beggar boy, who had just been named So-wang, on their way to the Geumhwa Training Hall.

★ As Pa Cheon entered the Geumhwa Training Hall, the news quickly spread to the inner quarters. The Twin Old Men rushed out, followed by unexpected people. They were Poong Gae, Dokgo Seol-ran, and Ha Goon-pyo, the Blue-Faced Demon King whom Pa Cheon had sent to Mount Tai. They were so happy that they bowed from afar.

And the words that came from their mouths!

“My Lord!”

Only one person didn’t bow but jumped into Pa Cheon’s arms, and that was Dokgo Seol-ran.

The Hangzhou branch manager’s office of the Geumhwa Training Hall was welcoming its new owners, and it became a place to celebrate their long-awaited reunion.

“You have truly done great things.”

Eui-no kept shedding tears, and Hwan-no was holding back his tears. They were all filled with joy and pride at the news that he had become the Heavenly Demon Sovereign, but Dokgo Seol-ran looked somewhat somber.

“Ha Goon-pyo! You’ve changed a lot!”

“It is all thanks to the Sovereign’s grace.”

He also used the title Sovereign instead of Lord.

“Let me introduce my new subordinates. This is Gwangmajon!”

“I am Gwangmajon, Dam Dae-chu-gwang.”

He seemed to be full of energy. Perhaps he was trying not to be looked down upon by the Sovereign’s old subordinates, but even without his efforts, no one would have looked down on him. The aura he exuded was that of a master that Poong Gae and the Blue-Faced Demon King could not even imagine. Moreover, the Twin Old Men and Gae Wang were shocked and intimidated to learn that he looked to be in his mid-30s but was actually 137 years old.

“And this is Mu Young-jon.”

“I am Mu Young-jon.”

“And here are Dan Jang-hwa, Dam Dae-mu-rin, and this is my disciple, Bukgoong So-goon.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Please be kind to So-goon.”

“And… this guy is…”

As Pa Cheon was about to introduce the newly joined beggar boy, So-goon interrupted.

“He’s my younger brother, Bukgoong So-wang.”

So-wang only nodded. He was a beggar like no other, and even Gae Wang, Poong Cheon-ho, shook his head at his bloodied and swollen face.

“That guy looks tough, but how did he get beaten up like that?”

So-wang stared at Gae Wang for a long time.

“Grandpa! Are you the beggar king?”

Gae Wang was stunned.

“Yes, why?”

“Beggars are originally weak and have nothing, so they are ignored and beaten to survive. Beggars should be like beggars. If you’re a beggar but pretend not to be, like you, Grandpa, then you’re not a beggar anymore.”

What was he talking about?

“Hahahaha!”

“Hehehe!”

“Poong Gae, you’ve met your match today. You’ve met a young master who is an expert in beggar theory.”

“Puhahaha!”

“Hohhoho!”

People laughed, and So-wang tilted his head, not understanding why.

“I tried to join the Beggar Clan several times, but they wouldn’t accept me. I found it so funny that there were qualifications to join a beggar group that I rolled on the ground laughing for three days. They don’t think of themselves as beggars anymore, but they act like beggars, which is really funny. If their king is you, Grandpa, then all the fault lies with you.”

“Oh my, the old man has met his match today. So, what is a true beggar?”

“A beggar, you see, takes from everyone but should not be ashamed before heaven. They should always remind people of the dark side of life. They should live the most miserable life but show a happy face so that people can gain courage from seeing us. That’s a true beggar.”

“Is that so? I’ve learned something valuable from you today.”

“Hehehe.”

“Ah. Why are you laughing?”

Poong Gae shouted, and Hwan-no closed his mouth, but he couldn’t hold back his laughter and finally burst into laughter, spitting out saliva.

“This guy, Poong Gae, will you take care of him?”

“Yes?”

“If he’s raised well, he could become a great beggar king. It might be good to raise him as a successor…”

“Master! Are you going to entrust our Wang-ah to that beggar grandpa?”

Poong Cheon-ho frowned. He was clearly a beggar, but he felt bad that he was being called a beggar repeatedly. Maybe what the boy said was true.

“Why don’t you like it?”

“I’m going to take Wang-ah with me.”

“No, that’s…”

“Tsk.”

“Okay, So-goon, it’s just for a while, you’ll see him soon.”

It was as if Gwangmajon’s words had made it a foregone conclusion that Gae Wang would take care of the boy… Thus, Gae Wang, Poong Cheon-ho, ended up taking care of the beggar boy. Later, decades later, this beggar boy, Bukgoong So-wang, would become the most outstanding clan leader in the history of the Beggar Clan, making a name for himself in the martial world.

So-goon, So-wang, Dam Dae-mu-rin, and Dokgo Seol-ran went to another room, and the rest of the people gathered to have serious discussions.

“The Martial Alliance is in chaos right now. At first, they lured people with sweet promises, but once they gained some power, they wielded it as they pleased. Moreover, since that guy has the justification of subduing the Demonic Path, he is taking advantage of the fact that people can’t openly oppose him. He has reduced the people of the Nine Righteous Sects and the Five Allied Clans to mere extras. It’s funny how he is incorporating their forces but taking away their real power.”

“That guy is capable of anything. So, in the end, everything will move according to the will of the North Sword Society leader.”

“That’s how it appears on the surface.”

“What do you mean?”

“A new organization is emerging, centered around young martial artists. I know that a secret society has been formed, mainly by the younger generation of the Five Allied Clans and the Nine Righteous Sects. They are organized in cells, and even the members don’t know who the others are, so the Martial Alliance is having a hard time dealing with them.

Their motto is surprisingly pure. They were created to check the tyranny and dictatorship of the alliance leader or specific forces if the Martial Alliance survives after the subjugation of the Demonic Path. They are also gaining support, and even some young masters of the North Sword Society are secretly sympathizing with them.

Because of this situation, they can’t openly suppress them, but if they leave them alone, they will spread even deeper… It’s truly difficult. Moreover, the leaders of the Nine Righteous Sects and the Five Allied Clans have not joined, but they are secretly sympathizing with them. It would be more accurate to say that they are encouraging them.”

“Is that so? That’s quite interesting. Both the Demonic Alliance and the Martial Alliance seem fine on the outside, but they are rotten on the inside? Good, let’s start by blowing them up from the inside. Instead of cutting out the festering wounds, we’ll make them fester even more to eliminate their self-healing ability. Then, we’ll pit the two forces against each other, and if we throw in some overseas forces, it will crumble like a sandcastle.”

The Beggar Clan, as befitting the number one clan in the world, knew all the news of the martial world in relatively great detail.

They even knew the internal affairs of the Demonic Alliance to some extent. Having them would be a great strength for Pa Cheon.

“How strong is the force that the Twin Old Men have prepared?”

“Yes, we have been secretly gathering and training orphans for the past 30 years. We were able to raise them into warriors capable of taking on a hundred men with the treasures left behind by the Geumhwa Training Hall and Won. Now, they have grown into top-level masters of the martial world. Of course, there are no supreme masters among them, but each one has an inner energy of 2 Gi [a unit of internal energy], and their number is 1,000.”

“2 Gi!… 1,000?”

“Yes, and we have raised 18 masters with more than 3 Gi.”

“Really? You’ve done well. I didn’t expect it to be this much… You must have worked very hard.”

This was indeed a great force. However, it was quite lacking compared to the Heavenly Demon Cult. 2 Gi or more was equivalent to the Black-Clad Demons of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and 3 Gi was equivalent to the Silver-Clad Demons. The Heavenly Demon Cult had 389 masters or more above the Silver-Clad Demons. However, having 1,000 masters with 2 Gi or more was definitely a great force. There was no need to belittle their efforts by saying such things.

“Sovereign! But we haven’t decided on a name yet. It seems right that the owner should name it…”

“Is that so? Hmm, what would be good? The Hongmu Heavenly Sword Corps? That would be too obvious and attract attention. Let’s decide later. That’s that, Poong Gae! Why isn’t Hwan-sa here?”

“Yes, I was going to tell you about that, Sovereign. We have been tracking the movements of the Hidden Dragon Emperor, and our final conclusion is that he has never left the North Sword Society. That was a month ago… Hwan-sa said he would investigate it and went inside the North Sword Society, and then… he disappeared.”

“What? …”

What was this about?

“Then? Does that mean there’s a reason for that?”

“The North Sword Society is suspicious.”

“Is that so? It smells fishy. Good, I’ll go to the Martial Alliance later and find out… Ha Goon-pyo!”

“Yes, Sovereign.”

“From now on, secretly gather the Demonic Path people who have not joined the Demonic Alliance and establish an organization. Funds will be provided without limit. It would be good if they were rough and cruel. Then, wait for my orders. The deadline is one month.”

“Understood!”

“Poong Gae.”

“Yes, Sovereign.”

“Use all the resources of the Beggar Clan to investigate the movements of the outside world. And investigate every force involved with the Upper Realm.”

“Understood!”

“Twin Old Men.”

“Yes, Sovereign.”

“With the power of the Geumhwa Training Hall, keep a close watch on the flow of funds in the Central Plains and check it. Especially, be wary of any forces trying to get close to the Imperial Palace… Then, with the financial power of the Geumhwa Training Hall, secretly unite the scattered small and medium-sized merchants and shake the commercial power of the Martial Alliance!”

“Understood!”

“All future communications will be through Poong-no, and if you find anything unusual or noteworthy, report it, no matter how trivial it may seem.”

“Understood!”

“Yes, Sovereign!”

“Okay. Let’s end today’s meeting here…”

As Pa Cheon’s orders were given in succession, they were all tense and focused on his words. And the last order that came from Pa Cheon was

“Let’s have a drink.”

“A drink, Sovereign! That’s great. Under-stood!!!”

It was obvious that these words were from Gwangmajon.

—————————————-

Today, I uploaded three chapters in a row.

I don’t want to do that again.

Three chapters are too much.

Thank you.

Thank you again to those who sent me emails.

Thank you very much to Ko Pyung-young, Jeon Yong-beom, Ahn Eun-young, Lee Kang-min, Pyo Se-young, Hong Ki-won, Choi Byung-hoon, Oh Su-taek, Yoo Seung-hyun, Yoon Hee-sung, Lee Ji-yong, Do Seung-gyun, dinis, lantlani, and ssanbak54775. And thank you to the others who sent me emails or messages. Thank you to those who are spreading it on Naunu and Dark Story and Jung-an.

Your words have given me great strength that I cannot exchange for anything. I will continue to write hard.

And many people have pointed out that Pa Cheon’s personality is so fickle. The basic setting itself is that his personality is somewhat rough due to the incorporation of the Heavenly Demon and Hyeneung, but he can also be infinitely human, and sometimes he can be a very evil human.

However, this also means the confrontation between good and evil, represented by the Heavenly Demon and Hyeneung. Everyone has these two sides, and they are sensitive to those voices.

Everything seems to be a choice. Depending on Pa Cheon’s choices, not only his own life but also the lives of those around him can face great danger.

This may not necessarily end in a comedy or a happy ending. I become Pa Cheon myself and worry about the choices I make at every moment. I will continue to do so in the future.

And some of you are worried that I might force the plot because I don’t have enough stock, but don’t worry about that.

The basic big plot is already set, and I finish the small plot for each day before I start writing, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Thank you to all of you who read my writing.

I will do my best as far as my ability allows.

End of the author’s diary for today.

Subject: [Serial] Emperor’s Sword 38. The Southern Alliance of Muchang! Related Materials: None [59997]

Sender: Lim Sam-yeol (logos333) 2001-01-06 00:02 Views: 2442

-Emperor’s Sword-