Chapter 48 Wall (1)

Chapter 48 Wall (1)

Drip, drip.

A drop or two of blood formed at the corner of his lips and fell downward.

One might expect his body to feel lighter after losing some blood, yet it seemed to grow heavier instead.

“Even if I am a beggar…”

Hadn’t they locked him up in a place far too shabby?

Cheolpunggae gazed beyond the wooden bars with a hollow smile.

One beggar snored loudly, while the emaciated one, taking advantage of the snorer’s sleep, was gobbling down the dog food ration meant for the beggar.

‘What a sight.’

Swallowing those words, Cheolpunggae openly cursed aloud.

“Damn it!”

Thud, thud!

He tapped the bars with his forehead; they weren’t particularly sturdy.

If only his hands and feet weren’t bound, no, if he could just use his internal energy, he could easily break free.

Did that mean they were that wary of him and the Huashan Sect?

Cheolpunggae sniffed, wrinkling his nose this way and that.

“Eat your fill and scratch my nose for me!”

At those words, the scrawny bastard recoiled in horror.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Shut the fuck up!”

“What’s the big deal about scratching your nose a little? What, should I scream for you?”

As the beggar seemed to shift his body slightly, the man flinched, his shoulders trembling.

He was clearly the type who hadn’t mastered a single martial art technique yet still wanted to gorge himself on food.

Big appetite, no conscience.

Cheolpunggae was overcome with the urge to wring that bastard’s neck right then and there.

“Hurry up!”

“Yeah, I get it!”

The moment the bastard leaned in to scratch his nose, Cheolpunggae’s mouth snapped open wide.

Crunch!

Simultaneously, the bastard’s mouth also opened wide.

“Gwaaaaah?!”

The bastard thrashed in shock and agony.

But once his hand was through the bars, it wasn’t coming back out.

Of course not.

Cheolpoonggae was clamped down on his wrist and pulling with all his might.

“Hold on, you filthy bastard!”

To put all his strength into it, he braced his back against the floor, his bound legs stretched out toward the bars.

Scratch!

Just as white flesh began to show on the bastard’s wrist, cracks started appearing in the bars.

“You… you crazy bastard!”

The beggar, finally coming to his senses, grabbed the bat hanging on the wall in sheer terror.

But this was expected.

Every time the beggar’s grip shifted slightly, the iron wind-catcher twisted his body this way and that.

Of course, the thing was right in the middle.

“Gah, aaaah!”

It wasn’t even hitting him, and the thing in the way was narrowing his vision.

“What the hell are you?! Damn it, get out of here now!”

“Ugh, ugh, please spare me! Sir!”

“A beggar calling a beggar ‘sir’? You worthless piece of trash!”

Just as the irritated beggar kicked the emaciated man.

Cheolpunggae’s eyes flashed, and he immediately lunged his teeth in the direction of the kick.

“Gyaaaah!”

“Nice!”

Seeing the iron bar half-shattered, Cheolpunggae grinned with a stuttered voice.

Then he swiftly kicked the man’s jaw upward.

“Wh-what?!”

Caught off guard, the beggar instinctively defended with his staff.

Good reflexes. But he lacked foresight.

Snap!

Cheolpunggae grabbed the rope tied to the staff.

The tension radiating from the rope felt like it was crushing his wrists.

Yet, within that process, he sensed the rope slackening slightly.

‘Damn, this must hurt.’

Cheolpunggae’s expression suddenly scrunched up.

But he didn’t delay his decision.

Grit… Grind!

The sudden, fierce force made his shoulder ache, and a stinging sensation shot down his spine.

Not good. It felt like every muscle was about to cramp up any second.

‘Just a little more.’

Snap!

Cracks began to form in the rope binding his hands.

Cheolpoonggae muttered, “Damn it,” as he saw the skin beneath his fingernails turning red.

If it’s going to be this much trouble, it should at least break cleanly.

Then he let out a fierce roar.

“Uraaaaaaah!”

Snap, crackle!

With a sensation like lightning striking before his eyes, the rope binding Cheolpoonggae’s hands snapped.

Even though he’d been poisoned and couldn’t draw on his inner energy.

‘I can’t lose to those punks.’

Kwak, spit.

Cheolpunggae spat phlegm into his palm and beckoned to the two beggars.

“Come in, you beggars.”

“Eeek!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the scrawny one fled outside, while the remaining beggar lunged at Cheolpunggae.

* * *

“Something seems rather noisy.”

Indeed, it was the venerable elder of the sect, Shim Won-jin.

Gu Yang-jeok, whose senses were equally keen, also detected the unusual commotion occurring within the compound around the same time.

“Damn it, this is…!”

“Can’t even handle one of those…”

Voices seeping out from inside.

Gu Yangjie realized someone was fighting fiercely within the building and let out a faint chuckle.

‘So that’s what they were doing.’

The beggars were fighting amongst themselves.

Gu Yangjie clenched his fist tightly.

“Master, I’ll clear the path first.”

“…I’ll leave it to you.”

Shim Wonjin gave a light nod.

‘The first cultivator to invade the open gate should be from the Huashan Sect.’

They were fellow cultivators, fellow Daoists from Shaanxi, but he had no intention of showing courtesy in a situation entangled between sects.

Above all, he was an elder of the Zhongnan Sect.

Kwaaang!

Watching Gu Yangji burst through the door and dash off, Master Shim Wonjin wore a bitter smile.

But Gu Yangji had quite different thoughts.

Going first was certainly something that could become poison in terms of justification.

But looking at it another way.

‘If one can seize it first, this is not poison but medicine.’

He could clearly grasp what was happening inside and shape it to his liking.

As Gu Yangji’s footsteps quickened, the noise from the beggars grew louder and more aggressive.

The smile frozen on Gu Yangji’s face gradually deepened.

“Hey! Beggar, I was wondering why I couldn’t reach you—were you playing house?”

“Playing house my ass.”

Thwack!

Cheolpoonggae’s foot kicked up the beggar’s chin as it tried to press down, while his free arm grabbed the knee of another beggar approaching from the side.

Thud.

Hearing the sound of the beggar’s fall, Cheolpoonggae mercilessly thrust his other foot into the groin.

“Gwaaah…!”

“Does this look like playing house to you?”

Cheolpoonggae grumbled with displeasure, and Guyangjeok suppressed a laugh.

Now it was time to attend to business.

“Where’s Hyunju?”

“She’s left her post. I have a rough idea where she might have gone.”

“Then we’ll have to clean up starting here.”

“I’ve got my own side, so don’t just start slashing.”

Regardless of Cheolpunggae’s words, Gu Yangjeok stared with deep, hollow eyes at the tangled mess of swords.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly.

Clang!

He deliberately scraped the blade against the scabbard, producing a harsh sound.

It was slightly damaged, but the scabbard could be repaired.

It was a cheaper price to pay than the mental effort required to resolve this situation.

As all the sect members stared at him with startled eyes, Gu Yangji opened his mouth.

“Are you all a little more alert now?”

“What business does the Huashan Sect have with the sects?!”

A gruff voice emerged from among the beggars, and Dong Zhi’s words slipped out slightly.

He couldn’t give them any opening here.

Gu Yangji’s lips twisted stubbornly.

“Enough!”

“……?!”

“It’s utterly outrageous that your sect secretly isolated the Huashan Sect in the middle! Even the Sect Leader knows this fact!”

“Th-that…”

Gu Yangji raised his voice so it could be heard outside.

“With the Zongnan Sect elders present outside, how dare you attempt to falsely accuse us of endangering their safety!”

At those words, the beggars’ faces froze.

If that were true, it meant not just one late-stage cultivator from Huashan, but another sect master—Zongnan—was aware of this situation.

Given this, even if they were mere beggars, it would be difficult to evade responsibility.

Grasping the situation, the beggars finally released the collar they had been gripping.

Only Cheolpoongae wore a smug expression.

“You worthless dogs! Get your heads down!”

“Let’s keep this civil.”

Feeling the approaching presence, Gu Yangjeok moved closer to Cheolpoongae and whispered.

“The seniors are coming.”

“…Damn.”

Cheolpunggae’s expression as he said this seemed somehow sulky.

* * *

After the solar eclipse.

Shim Wonjin, having heard Gaebangdo’s account, fell silent for a moment before asking again.

“So you have no connection to the Black Dragon Sect?”

“Th-that’s right!”

As the beggar with two knots tied around his head spoke, Cheolpunggae mercilessly kicked him.

“Don’t lie! You were right there when they imprisoned me!”

“But… you didn’t see the master of the Sword River! So it might not be the Black Dragon Sect!”

It was a blatant evasion.

Cheolpunggae’s expression darkened instantly.

“You bastard, how dare you twist your words about safety?”

As Cheolpunggae clenched his fist again, Guyangjeok reached out to block him.

Then, he simply needed to rephrase the question.

“After imprisoning the county magistrate here, who came to visit the Kae Bang?”

“Not a visitor… but someone who seemed close to the county magistrate was present.”

At that, Gu Yangji muttered the beggar’s words.

“Close person?”

It didn’t make sense.

A person like the county magistrate, while isolating the great martial arts sect Huashan, met with a close person?

That was not a wise move.

If it was a close person, they would have postponed the meeting.

‘Perhaps it was someone she absolutely had to meet, but had to conceal her identity.’

Gu Yangji licked his parched lips.

“Where is Lady Hyunju now?”

Cheolpunggae answered as he had heard.

“She said she’s somewhere else with that friend I just mentioned.”

“Understood. However…”

“…?”

Gu Yangji warned sternly.

“Senior members of the Zhongnan Sect are present here. Even if this junior is young, I believe you should observe proper etiquette.”

“…What?”

“Ahem!”

When Gu Yangji glared seriously again, Cheolpunggae pouted.

He felt a little hurt.

‘That damn bastard. He’s been calling me a good-for-nothing all this time…….’

Now he’s flipping his hand like a ghost and telling me to attack him.

Cheolpunggae felt tears welling up in his eyes and corrected himself.

“I was wrong, Young Master.”

“Very well.”

Gu Yangjeok urged the Jongnam Sect cultivators, each lost in their own thoughts.

“We must go to understand the full situation.”

As he spoke, Gu Yangjie sent a telepathic message to Cheolpunggae.

-Handle things properly later.

-Damn bastard.

Though resentment had built up, their shared purpose meant Cheolpunggae nodded.

Gu Yangjie led the way, the Zongnan Sect cultivators following.

Thump, thump…

Once they had slipped away.

-Prepare the iron pen.

He intended to brand the beggar who had supported Gyeonjugae with the Black Dragon Sect’s mark.

Cheolpunggae’s sneer deepened.