Chapter 362 – The Long-Awaited Meeting is Simply Joyful (3)

Yichuan was a small city located between Yeonam County and Dengfeng County. It was also the place where Dam Ho and the Hainan Sect's martial artists had unpacked their luggage.

They unpacked at a small inn in Yichuan. By rights, they should have arrived in Dengfeng County, where Shaolin Temple was located, by this time. But the reason they were delayed like this was precisely because of the Hainan Sect disciples' persistence.

Jin Mun-jung opened the barrage, and other disciples including No Gwon-ui followed him in attacking Dam Ho. And the price they paid was miserable.

"Heok! Heok! I feel like I'm going to die."

"My whole body feels like it's falling apart."

As soon as they entered the inn, the Hainan Sect's martial artists screamed. In reality, their condition was very poor.

Their broken, cracked, and bloodied appearances made them look as if they had just rolled in from a battlefield.

It wasn't just their outward appearance. Most of them had sustained large and small internal injuries. Among them, the one with the most severe internal injury was Jin Mun-jung, who had attacked first.

In fact, his face was deathly pale without a trace of color, and his legs were shaking incessantly like aspen trees. Yet his eyes shone even more clearly.

Hae So-wol said to them.

"You all worked hard. Hurry and go to your rooms to circulate your energy."

"Yes! Senior sister."

"You worked hard too, senior sister."

The Hainan Sect disciples greeted Hae So-wol and headed to their assigned rooms. Before ascending the stairs, they passed Dam Ho and bowed their heads.

"Thank you."

"I will engrave your teachings deep in my heart."

Their eyes looking at Dam Ho were filled with awe. Dam Ho silently watched them.

They greeted until the last one and then returned to their rooms. Only then did Hae So-wol approach Dam Ho.

"Thank you."

"……"

"It must not have been easy, but you put in so much effort."

"It was nothing."

"It might be nothing to some, but to others, it could be the starting point of an insight they might not gain in a lifetime. Thank you."

Hae So-wol bowed her head. But Dam Ho headed to an empty seat without much response.

It was an unfamiliar experience for him to show such kindness to someone who wasn't a Huashan Sect disciple.

Dam Ho sat down and looked around. Perhaps because it was still early, there were many empty seats in the inn. Most of the people staying inside were ordinary commoners who hadn't learned martial arts.

They looked at Dam Ho and Hae So-wol with fearful expressions.

Dam Ho, who exuded an extraordinary atmosphere, and Hae So-wol, who appeared to be the leader of numerous martial artists, instilled great fear in the commoners just by looking at them.

Some were already glancing around and slowly getting up. At that, Hae So-wol made a bitter expression.

"We think we're fighting for justice in the martial world, but it seems we don't appear that way in their eyes."

"……"

"There's no need for them to fear us at all."

"There is no one who doesn't fear a tiger."

"Pardon?"

"To them, we are tigers. Even if you say a tiger with huge fangs and sharp claws won't harm them, no one will believe it."

"……"

"Can you really guarantee that we won't harm them?"

Hae So-wol couldn't say anything.

Because Dam Ho's words pierced her heart like a well-sharpened knife.

"Hoo! I feel like having a drink."

While she was at it, Hae So-wol ordered a bottle of liquor from the waiter.

On the way here, she had been extremely exhausted. Although she had unexpectedly gained some vitality while traveling with Dam Ho, it was true that her mind and body were basically worn down.

When the waiter brought the liquor, Hae So-wol filled her cup to the brim. Watching her, Dam Ho also filled his cup.

"A tiger……"

Hae So-wol murmured softly and downed her cup. Strangely, the liquor tasted bitter.

Dam Ho also tilted his cup without a word.

Looking out the window, the sun was just setting. The sky with the sun precariously hanging was turning blood-red.

The tilted cup of Dam Ho reflected the red sky. Dam Ho stared at that scene for a while before downing it.

The liquor tasted bitter.

It was then.

"My, you're drinking the liquor so unappetizingly. If you're going to drink like that, how about giving it to me instead?"

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang in the ears of the two. And a terrible stench stimulated their sense of smell.

Sensitive to smells, Hae So-wol frowned and looked at the other party.

The one who spoke to them was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his late fifties. His disheveled hair was mixed with gray strands, and his face was streaked with grime.

At first glance, his clothes looked ordinary, but in fact, they were made by patching together numerous scraps of fabric.

'A beggar?'

But what surprised her more was the cord around his waist.

A cord with seven knots. At first glance, it might seem insignificant, but there was a group in the martial world that revealed their status in this way.

A group where no knots meant an entry disciple, one knot a regular disciple, three knots a branch leader, and seven knots an elder existed only one in the world.

"Could it be an elder of the Beggars' Sect?"

Hae So-wol's voice trembled involuntarily. At that, the beggar revealed his yellow teeth and smiled.

"Ho! The young lady has quite broad knowledge. That's right! I am Chu Gyeol-gae, an elder of the Beggars' Sect. Well, even if I tell you my name, you won't know it, so just call me Chu Gyeol-gae."

The beggar who identified himself as Chu Gyeol-gae casually sat down. Then Hae So-wol quickly stood up and cupped her fists.

"Hae So-wol of the Hainan Sect greets senior Chu Gyeol-gae."

"So it was the Hainan Sect after all. Nice to meet you! To see one of the Nine Dragons here, this beggar must be very lucky today."

Chu Gyeol-gae's gaze turned to Dam Ho sitting opposite Hae So-wol. He thought Dam Ho would also reveal his identity like Hae So-wol did. But Dam Ho paid no attention to Chu Gyeol-gae's gaze and was drinking his liquor.

At that, Chu Gyeol-gae's eyebrows furrowed for a moment. However, he soon extended his hand to Dam Ho as if nothing was wrong.

"Haha! Won't you give this old man a drink too? My throat is parched."

"……"

But Dam Ho just stared at him without any action. Embarrassed, Hae So-wol quickly handed over a cup.

"Here."

"Hm! Thank you. But that brother over there is quiet. He must be the silent type."

Chu Gyeol-gae's face openly showed his discomfort.

He was no ordinary beggar. He was a beggar affiliated with the Beggars' Sect. And one with seven knots, an elder.

He was not in a position to be despised as a beggar, and being from the Beggars' Sect meant even the Nine Great Sects couldn't treat him lightly.

The sect with the most members in the martial world, that was the Beggars' Sect. Although they had hardly been active in the martial world lately, that didn't mean their prestige had disappeared.

At that moment, Dam Ho raised his head and looked at Chu Gyeol-gae. Their gazes met in the air.

"Eum!"

The moment he saw Dam Ho's deeply sunken eyes, Chu Gyeol-gae involuntarily let out a groan.

Chu Gyeol-gae prided himself on having experienced all sorts of hardships as a beggar of the Beggars' Sect. He had met and experienced countless people. So he was confident in his ability to read people.

Chu Gyeol-gae had the ability to see through a person's life path just by looking at their face and eyes. But the moment he saw Dam Ho's emotionless black pupils, Chu Gyeol-gae felt his ability was cursed for the first time.

To others, they might appear black, but to Chu Gyeol-gae's eyes, Dam Ho's eyes looked red.

Redder than the blood-red sky visible behind Dam Ho.

Dam Ho carried the bloody scent that only someone who had crossed mountains of corpses and seas of blood could have.

There were countless martial artists in the world, but only one man had a life path composed of such blood-red, at least as far as Chu Gyeol-gae knew.

He barely managed to open his mouth.

"You are… the Fist Demon."

"……"

"My, you're worse than the rumors. Damn it!"

Chu Gyeol-gae filled his cup with liquor and downed it. His throat had suddenly become dry.

Having emptied the liquor in one go, Chu Gyeol-gae suddenly stood up and cupped his fists.

"Let me greet you properly. I am Chu Gyeol-gae of the Beggars' Sect. Please forgive my rudeness."

"Dam Ho."

Only then did Dam Ho speak.

It could be seen as rude, but Chu Gyeol-gae didn't think so.

The opponent was Mount Hua Fist Demon Dam Ho.

Even without the Mount Hua prefix, he was a martial artist who shook the world.

His notoriety was in no way inferior to Chu Gyeol-gae, who had the massive organization of the Beggars' Sect behind him. No, it overwhelmed him.

Dam Ho was a man fully qualified for that.

Chu Gyeol-gae looked at Dam Ho with renewed eyes. He had approached because he looked extraordinary, but he hadn't imagined it would be the Fist Demon Dam Ho. So he was quite flustered.

Dam Ho stared at Chu Gyeol-gae. The gaze whose intentions were completely unreadable was burdensome, but Chu Gyeol-gae didn't show it.

Then Dam Ho asked.

"Has the Beggars' Sect resumed activities?"

At Dam Ho's question, Chu Gyeol-gae smiled bitterly.

In the past, they were called the Nine Sects and One Faction, with tremendous power, but during the Demonic Cult's first invasion, the Beggars' Sect suffered enormous damage and had refrained from external activities until now.

Unlike the Nine Great Sects with solid foundations, the Beggars' Sect had many members but not many high-level martial arts experts. So it inevitably took a long time to cultivate proper experts.

Even now, they hadn't fully recovered their former glory, but because the situation was so dire, they had no choice but to resume activities.

"That's right. With the Demonic Cult gaining such power, we can't just sit idle forever."

"Do you have the capacity?"

At Dam Ho's sharp, needle-like words, Chu Gyeol-gae was speechless for a moment in silence. Dam Ho stared at him, and in between, only Hae So-wol didn't know what to do.

"Hoo! Do you have a dagger on your tongue? You're really digging into my heart. I'll be honest. The Beggars' Sect still hasn't recovered its former glory. Too many experts died during the first Righteous-Demonic War. Because of that, many martial arts were lost, and secret techniques were cut off. For the past decades, we've struggled to revive the lost martial arts, but it was futile. However, a few years ago, we had a fortunate encounter and revived the lost martial arts, and we were able to train quite a few experts. So I can confidently say. Our sect has sufficient capacity."

"……"

"Now, can I have another drink? I've talked too much, and my throat is burning."

Chu Gyeol-gae extended his cup to Dam Ho. Dam Ho stared at his hand for a moment before pouring the liquor. At that sight, Hae So-wol let out a sigh of relief.

"Keu! To think I'd live to drink liquor poured by the world's Fist Demon. What an honor."

Chu Gyeol-gae downed it in one gulp. Dam Ho also lifted his cup without a word. In that awkward atmosphere, the drinking continued, and the people in the inn quietly watched the two.

Even if they lived in a world unrelated to the martial world, there was no one who didn't know the two words 'Fist Demon.' The same went for the Beggars' Sect.

Though it was much diminished now, there was no place in the world without beggars.

To witness the Fist Demon and a Beggars' Sect elder drinking together was a great honor for them as well.

Only after downing three more cups in succession did Chu Gyeol-gae speak.

"Come to think of it, it was a great fortune. The supreme elder, whom we thought had died during the Righteous-Demonic War, returned. Thanks to his return, we could revive the martial arts lost at that time."

"Supreme elder?"

"He's called the Forbidden Demon Divine Beggar. He's the highest elder of our sect."

"When did he return?"

"Two years ago. We were really shocked then. The one we thought was dead returned in perfect health."

"Are you sure he's really the Forbidden Demon Divine Beggar?"

"Are you doubting the highest elder of our sect now?"

Suddenly, Chu Gyeol-gae's voice rose. When an elder of the Beggars' Sect raised his voice, the air in the room rapidly cooled. But there was not a single change in the expression of Dam Ho sitting right in front of him.

He was still staring at Chu Gyeol-gae. Because that gaze was burdensome, Chu Gyeol-gae subtly turned his head.

'Damn it! What kind of eyes…'

It was the moment he understood the saying that eyes could kill. For an ordinary person, just seeing Dam Ho's eyes would make their heart stop.

"I'm just asking. What's the problem?"

"Keu, keuheum!"

"Is he really the Forbidden Demon Divine Beggar?"

"There's no room for doubt."

"Is that so?"

Dam Ho's eyes sank deeply.

Scrape!

Two Vajra monks and five Arhat monks stood up pushing their chairs. Their massive frames and solid builds were like Mount Tai. But to the young men whose eyes had already turned, nothing was visible. The young men’s eyes became blood-red with killing intent.

In An Ryeong’s view, the situation wasn’t bad.

Until just before, Shaolin Temple had numerical superiority, but now the situation had changed to everyone forming a common alliance attacking Shaolin Temple. It was a one-versus-many fight, and with many shield-bearers swept up in Soul Bewitching Dance, it was worth attempting.

Then a Vajra monk lifted and held Mu-gak from the palanquin. Struggling to tilt his twisted neck sideways, Mu-gak clicked his tongue.

“Foolish sentient beings.”

Namgung Geol’s, Im Yi-eon’s, and Yuk Ha-seon’s eyes lit up.

Mu-gak was moving!

Im Yi-eon narrowed her eyes and gripped her sword tightly, while Namgung Geol also lowered his stance preparing to leap.

At the same time, Ham-geun also opened his eyes. Purple aura shone brilliantly. When he flicked his thumb, about one joint’s worth of sword was drawn from the sheath he held in his arms.

Clang!

As if reading the martial artists’ thoughts, five Arhat monks and one Vajra monk stood like a screen blocking in front of Mu-gak.

“Uwaaaah!”

“Hiyaaah!”

The young men charged forward swinging all sorts of weapons.

The Vajra monks and Arhat monks clothed their bodies in armor with Iron Shirt technique and threw punches at the young men.

Crack, snap.

The young men hit by Shaolin Temple’s monks had their heads split and bones broken. Still, the young men only continued charging like moths to flame. They trampled over the fallen and climbed over them to attack again.

Meanwhile, the Vajra monk holding Mu-gak stomped down hard.

Thud!

The Vajra monk holding Mu-gak leaped up powerfully and went straight over the young men’s heads.

“Huh!”

It was a completely unexpected movement.

The Vajra monk actually leaped into the middle of the young men. Though the young men’s eyes were blood-red as they wildly swung weapons at the Vajra monk, he deflected all the blades with Iron Shirt technique.

Clang! Clang clang!

This made it awkward for Im Yi-eon, Namgung Geol, Ham-geun and others to attack. Since Mu-gak had leaped among the young men, the young men were actually becoming Mu-gak’s shields.

The Vajra monk holding Mu-gak knelt down while being beaten. Countless blades poured down on his head and back.

Suddenly the air inside the inn became very heavy, feeling like sticky swamp mud was completely filling and flowing.

Soon the swamp mud began condensing in one place. It swirled toward one spot like a whirlpool.

It wasn’t an illusion. The young men’s clothes and hair were actually fluttering as if being sucked toward the Vajra monk’s direction, precisely toward Mu-gak being held by the Vajra monk.

Whooooom!

The whirlpool became increasingly intense. Clothes fluttered wildly as the young men began being dragged toward Mu-gak.

With grinding sounds, tables, chairs and other furnishings in the inn were dragged along too.

Mu-gak and the Vajra monk were instantly covered by young men and became invisible. A small hill made of people formed in the center of the inn.

Namgung Geol fixed his feet to the floor with Thousand Pound Drop to avoid being dragged and bulged his eyes.

He strained his eyesight to the maximum trying to see Mu-gak’s movement through gaps in the young men covering Mu-gak and the Vajra monk. For a moment, he saw Mu-gak’s right arm emerge from the Vajra monk’s embrace through the young men’s legs.

Mu-gak’s twisted arm, his index finger protruded forward and touched the floor.

Namgung Geol shouted.

“Everyone be careful!”

The air inside the inn suddenly became still.

The remaining Vajra monks and Arhat monks suddenly turned their bodies backward, spread Iron Shirt technique and crouched.

An Ryeong wondered what was happening and opened her eyes wide.

“Huh?”

Suddenly the air inside the inn violently fluctuated.

And an explosion occurred.

“BOOOOOOM!”

Due to the explosion starting from Mu-gak, all the young men gathered around were blown in all directions.

Im Yi-eon, Namgung Geol and others either caught and dropped the flying young men or dodged. Several young men flew past them and crashed into walls.

Ham-geun used Grappling technique to catch young men flying toward So-min, changed their direction and threw them away to prevent harm to So-min.

Bang! Crash!

The young men and furnishings inside the inn tangled and broke in chaos. Railings broke and stairs were destroyed.

Shake shake.

Like an earthquake, the inn’s pillars shook and the upper floor and roof vibrated greatly.

The Vajra monk stood up holding Mu-gak.

Only the floor where he stood was intact. The rest of the floor was all cracked and burst, deeply dented.

Dozens of young men spread out like an open fan in all directions from Mu-gak and the Vajra monk holding him, sprawled out and rolling around.

The young men’s condition was miserable.

“Ugh…”

“Uuugh…”

Arms and legs were broken and bent in abnormal directions, and bodies were pierced by broken wood fragments, covered in blood.

There were quite a few young men whose heads were burst or ribs collapsed and internal organs ruptured, making their life or death uncertain.

Mu-gak had swept them all away at once without considering the young men’s life or death at all!

About ten or so young men who were lucky to be unharmed remained, but they were all trembling with dazed faces. They couldn’t even think of running away and just sat among their dead or injured comrades.

Mu-gak said.

“One moment has passed.”

Namgung Geol frowned and said.

“Your hand was too heavy against innocent children who know nothing!”

“Did you expect the consideration of lion’s roar?”

Mu-gak asked back and laughed while chattering his teeth.

“That’s the Embracing Sect’s way. This is the Breaking Sect’s way.”

An Ryeong’s expression became dismal.

“Even so, this is a bit… too much.”

“When a typhoon blows, even deep-rooted trees are swept away. How much more so are the chaff naturally swept away. The traces of destruction and the chaff are not important. What’s important is the typhoon’s path.”

Mu-gak commanded the Vajra monk.

“Recite!”

The Vajra monk holding Mu-gak looked at each martial artist one by one with an expressionless face and said:

“Disaster Sword Guest Namgung Geol’s Heaven Sky New Sword.

Sword Empress Im Yi-eon’s Swallow Brave Slanted Cliff Sword.

Plum Blossom Swordsman Ham-geun’s Plum Blossom Three Excellences.

Red Flower Immortal Yuk Ha-seon’s Pressing Nail Blade.

So-bong An Ryeong’s Seven Martial Techniques.”

Mu-gak said.

“You must have thought that would be enough to face me. But I’ll make you clearly realize today how foolish that thought was.”

Shadows fell over the faces of the martial artists whose names were called. Shaolin Temple knowing their martial backgrounds was a manifestation of confidence that they had ways to respond.

Yuk Ha-seon picked up a blade that had fallen on the floor.

“Though I deliberately carried a sword, it’s useless.”

Yuk Ha-seon carried a sword and used poison, but her actual greatest technique was blade methods.

An Ryeong was the same. When actively operating in the martial world, she had used weapons like swords or blades.

So some had speculated whether An Ryeong had learned the government’s Six Martial Techniques. Six Martial Techniques were government martial arts dealing with spears, blades, staffs, shields, etc. But Seven Martial Techniques had one more added – it was imperial palace martial arts.

Terrifying divine strength and White Hand Style that strangled people to death barehanded based on that divine strength.

During times when internal conflicts within the imperial palace were extreme, it was martial arts used to kill people silently without spilling blood or leaving traces. What she used to kill the Vajra monk was precisely Hundred Hand Style.

If they knew that much, all her cards were revealed. An Ryeong clicked her tongue and made cracking sounds while clenching and unclenching her fists.

Then suddenly remembering something, she asked.

“Wait a minute. But why is there no mention of Poison Dragon?”

The Vajra monk’s gaze turned toward Jin Ja-gang.

The martial artists unconsciously focused on Jin Ja-gang. Indeed, what would the Vajra monk say about Jin Ja-gang?

What was known in the martial world was that Jin Ja-gang used poison and hidden weapons, especially techniques mainly utilizing Soul Seizing Thread. But the original source martial arts hadn’t been revealed.

The Vajra monk said.

“Yunnan Medicine Sect.”

Mu-gak continued the rest.

“…among many others.”

It meant not unified martial arts from one school, but that he had learned martial arts miscellaneously.

Since Jin Ja-gang always fought opponents stronger than himself, he couldn’t use one as his main technique. He had to use the most appropriate martial art according to circumstances. Rather, that had become Jin Ja-gang’s identity now.

Clap, clap, clap.

Jin Ja-gang applauded.

“Shaolin Temple really knows a lot.”

The Vajra monk turned his body so Mu-gak could see Jin Ja-gang.

Mu-gak laughed while chattering his teeth with his twisted neck.

“There’s nothing under heaven that Shaolin doesn’t know.”

But Jin Ja-gang sneered at those words.

“Ah, is that so?”

“What do you mean?”

Jin Ja-gang answered word by word.

“Right-eous Law Prac-tice!”

The martial artists looked back and forth between Jin Ja-gang and Mu-gak wondering what he meant. Mu-gak also asked curiously.

“What are you trying to say?”

“If there are rotten fruits on a tree, you just need to remove the rotten fruits. If there are rotten branches, you just need to cut off the rotten branches. If there are rotten roots, you just need to cut out the rotten roots.”

Jin Ja-gang continued.

“Yet what’s the reason for pulling up the entire tree? What’s the reason for embarking on righteous law practice while enduring others’ criticism?”

Jin Ja-gang’s sneer deepened.

“In the end, it’s because you couldn’t find the rotten parts. Isn’t that right?”

Mu-gak’s face reddened. At a glance it seemed like anger but also looked like an embarrassed expression.

Jin Ja-gang pressed once more.

“The Embracing Sect failed so the Breaking Sect stepped forward… Isn’t that ultimately because the Breaking Sect stepped forward since the Embracing Sect couldn’t find the rotten parts?”

Mu-gak suddenly laughed loudly.

“UHAHAHAHA!”

The lion’s roar filled with internal energy made the groans of young men collapsed on the floor even more severe.

“Ughhh.”

“P-please save me…”

But Mu-gak paid no attention and shouted at Jin Ja-gang. His face was red but his twisted mouth was smiling.

“You fellow! You’re truly an interesting fellow! Seeing you lead me with provocation tactics, you seem to have something curious. Just one! I’ll allow just one question before you die!”

Jin Ja-gang asked as if he’d been waiting.

“Shaolin Temple… how much do you know?”

Mu-gak’s eyebrows contorted.

“We know almost everything.”

“Almost everything?”

It was a subtle nuance.

Mu-gak smiled with a grotesque face.

“Right. But we don’t know the crucial thing.”

Namgung Geol, Im Yi-eon, Ham-geun and others looked at Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang seemed to know more than they did.

Jin Ja-gang nodded as if that was enough.

“Then depending on circumstances, this time you could also stop righteous law practice.”

“Can you do it?”

“We’ll have to try to know.”

“The only way to stop righteous law practice is to remove the cause, boy. But can you do what Shaolin couldn’t? What even the Alliance Leader couldn’t do?”

An Ryeong shouted.

“What are you talking about right now?”

Mu-gak raised his trembling finger to point at Jin Ja-gang.

“Prove it…”

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

“I’ll show you.”

Mu-gak laughed with chattering sounds.

“If you can’t prove it, you’ll crawl to King of Hell with just your chin, without arms or legs.”

What Mu-gak said next was directed at the other martial artists including Jin Ja-gang.

“Now, let’s all go meet Buddha.”