〈 Chapter 566 〉 Why Is This Old Man Here?
If someone were to ask me what is most important in building a force, I would answer without hesitation: martial prowess.
Before overwhelming might, nothing is of any use. No matter what countermeasures you take. No matter how desperately you try to block it. If one possesses the power to crush and tear everything apart, all the processes before that are nothing but meaningless struggles.
I have felt this truth desperately in the past. That is why I can speak with such conviction.
However.
Because martial strength capable of crushing everything is absolutely unattainable under normal circumstances, ordinary people, when building a force, considered strength important, but there was something they regarded as even more important.
Some called it the flow of the world. Others said it was something stronger than the sword. Though formless, it was worth tens of millions in gold.
Yes.
It was.
"Information."
It was information.
No force would dare ignore it. A precious treasure that even great martial artists could never afford to let go of. In fact, it was said that in the Peng Family, one of the Four Great Clans, the amount invested in a certain strategist to establish an intelligence corps was several times greater than the amount spent to recruit a martial artist of the Transformation Realm.
This showed just how important they considered the value of information. Moreover, not only the Peng Family, but most prestigious clans and renowned sects were the same. Looking at any clan or sect, they all operated their own intelligence corps, so it would not be wrong to view this as a battle in itself.
In a way, it was only natural. Since one could not obtain the martial strength to crush and tear everything apart, the common sense that even a passing child would know was that one must gain superiority through information and expand one's territory. Because the difference between one who knows and one who does not is like the difference between heaven and earth.
And.
Within the framework of such information, the person who could be called the absolute best was sitting right in front of me.
"Hol hol."
The old man laughed as he drank the tea placed before him. A light yet sly laugh. A back curved like a bow, covered in dense wrinkles. Thin, pitifully frail arms and legs that seemed utterly unfit for a martial artist. He looked like nothing more than a decrepit old man, yet among those seated nearby, there would likely be no one who could look down on this old man.
Even the Sword Venerable of the world had valued that old man, so how could anyone dare dismiss him? No one would be able to.
The old man was the very source of the Martial Alliance's intelligence, called the Orthodox Faction itself. The leader of the Beggar Sect—the Bang of the Nine Sects and One Alliance, estimated to possess the greatest amount of information in the Central Plains. The old man who had been called the ears of the previous-generation Alliance Leader, the Sword Venerable.
It was U Bongchwigae Dobong, the Bangju of the Beggar Sect.
As the saying goes, most rumors flowing through the Central Plains were managed by the Beggar Sect. Thus, the Beggar Sect's position in the Central Plains was incredibly vast. Though there was the Hao Sect of the Demonic Faction, said to be their counterpart, the era had come when the Demonic Faction was at a disadvantage. The Hao Sect had come to feel one step behind the Beggar Sect.
Unlike that, during the days when the Sword Venerable served as Alliance Leader, when the Sword Venerable swept through battlefields with overwhelming martial might, it was said that U Bongchwigae became his eyes and ears, providing the wings he lacked. Thanks to that, it was said the Martial Alliance contributed greatly to suppressing the Demonic Faction and becoming the pillar of the Central Plains.
That old man who had achieved such tremendous feats was now...
"Hol hol... Even seeing you after so long, Soi is still as beautiful as ever. Especially your figure—it's art, pure art."
...harassing the Sword Empress.
"Such a pretty child. You're at an age where you should have been married long ago, yet you still haven't found a match... This old man's heart aches so, hol hol..."
"Haha..."
It was the first time I had seen the Sword Empress smile so full of discomfort.
U Bongchwigae kept clinging to the Sword Empress, saying this and that, and that kind Sword Empress was showing such blatant discomfort.
"If I could, I'd like to set you up with my child if I had one... Since I cannot, it is merely a pity... So, what do you think of this old man..."
"I apologize, Bangju. I have no intention of marrying."
"Hol hol... Still as firm as ever."
The Sword Empress firmly rejected U Bongchwigae's absurd advances. How should I put it? Watching them, the rejection somehow looked familiar. Should I say it seemed like she had already endured it several times? Anyway, that was the impression I got.
Thanks to that, the few people seated at the table could only drink their tea, not knowing what to do. Gu Ryeonghwa's eyes were shaking like mad. Yeongpung also clearly looked at a loss. Seongyul seemed relatively fine, but that guy had a blank look in his eyes from the start, so he could be passed over.
I was curious about the current situation.
'What is this?'
I shifted my gaze secretly. The location was a building arranged near the Sect Leader's residence. It looked like a place prepared to entertain guests with utmost hospitality. A place like this.
'Why are we here?'
Why... no, why were we gathered here? It was a situation I could not easily understand.
'This isn't easy.'
The one who had moved us here, the Wudang Sword Immortal, was currently away due to matters to attend to in Wudang. She was probably busy moving about because of the deaths of Jicheol and Ubaek. Since some wicked bastard had turned Wudang into a mess, more time was being spent because of that as well. Though it was something I had deliberately planned and aimed for.
'I didn't know that old man would come here.'
I had to swallow dryly as I looked at the hunched old man before me. He really looked like a worthless beggar, yet contrary to that appearance, he was quite a figure. Though it was said in the world that exaggeration was mixed in, there was even a saying that if U Bongchwigae were not in the Martial Alliance, the Martial Alliance would not function. That was how great the old man's standing was.
"Hol hol."
In the awkward atmosphere, U Bongchwigae let out a laugh. That was the beginning.
"It seems everyone was quite surprised because of me."
"O-of course not."
Gu Ryeonghwa answered urgently to U Bongchwigae's words. It was a quick reaction. It seemed she was learning social skills well from the Sword Empress.
'Good for her, rather.'
Social skills were something that could not be learned in the Gu household. It was better than a place full of people who acted recklessly. Being under the kind Sword Empress was preferable.
U Bongchwigae smiled slightly as he looked at Gu Ryeonghwa, who was extremely tense, then slowly began to continue the conversation.
"Hol hol. I am called Dobong, a beggar playing his role in Hanam."
The most famous beggar in the Central Plains introduced himself. As he did so, he looked at each person one by one with eyes that were barely visible.
"Is this the Sword Dragon that the Plum Blossom Immortal has been boasting about so much these days?"
He said this while looking at Yeongpung.
At this, Yeongpung was slightly surprised and showed courtesy.
"Yeongpung, third disciple of Mount Hua, greets the Bangju of the Beggar Sect."
"And this pretty child must be our Soi's disciple."
"...Gu Ryeonghwa, second disciple of Mount Hua, greets the Jangju of the Beggar Sect."
One by one, though he had not been properly introduced, he knew their names. A chilling sensation passed through me without my realizing it.
"And this one is..."
U Bongchwigae's gaze turned to Seongyul for a moment. At the same time, I felt him tilt his head. Could it be that he did not properly know about Seongyul? With a feeling of 'oh no,' I was about to answer in his stead.
"...My name is Icheol."
Seongyul introduced himself with a different name rather than his own.
"I am serving as the Young Master's bodyguard."
"Hm..."
At the words spoken while looking at me, U Bongchwigae nodded. Just when I thought he had roughly let it pass, the old man's gaze turned to me this time. Then U Bongchwigae showed a strange reaction. He silently stared at my face for a moment. Then...
"Glad to meet you, Young Master Gu."
"...Ah, yes. I am Gu Yang of the Gu family..."
"You've taken after your father, that's for sure."
Suddenly, he brought up my father while looking at me.
"Furthermore..."
He even looked me up and down as I sat still.
"It seems our children have made a mistake."
"Excuse me?"
I let out a question at the sudden words. U Bongchwigae spoke while looking at me.
"It seems there will be quite a lot of information to correct regarding Young Master Gu. Hol hol hol. It seems you resemble the Gu Family Head in more than just appearance."
At those words, I had to smile awkwardly.
I supposed it was something he said while grasping my realm.
'Since I can't control my energy, it seems I'm more readable than usual.'
I had been using energy to hide my level to some extent, but now that I had internal injuries, that was too difficult. Just hiding my physical condition and using the Body Transformation Technique was already somewhat taxing. If I tried to do more than that, problems would obviously occur. As such, this was my limit for now.
"...I am merely grateful for your kind regard."
"Hol hol."
At my words, U Bongchwigae let out a laugh, moistened his throat with tea, then continued speaking while looking at the gathered people.
"Yes, I suppose the greetings are enough... The reason I had you brought here through my Alliance Leader is because I have something separate to ask."
At the words indicating he would get straight to the point, those around him tensed up. It was natural, since they wouldn't know why U Bongchwigae had asked to see them.
Of course.
'This is going to be a pain.'
I knew why the old man had prepared this separate meeting. It was an obvious matter.
For a moment, U Bongchwigae's atmosphere sank. Though I couldn't clearly see his expression and didn't know what kind of feeling it was, just his breathing changed, and the senses of the surroundings flipped.
"First... I heard you were ambushed earlier. Do you perhaps remember the situation?"
At U Bongchwigae's question, I secretly swallowed dryly. Because it was exactly as expected.
Someone had attacked Wudang. It was even an incident where a Wudang elder had been killed in that ambush. Though it was natural that they would want to obtain information first from outsiders rather than their own people regarding this, the problem was...
'That the Beggar Sect's Bangju would come personally to do this.'
It was something I had never expected—the highest beggar of the Beggar Sect appearing here in person. No matter if he was the Alliance Leader's sworn brother, was this something that made sense?
'Even when the Wind and Cloud Ghost Blade was mentioned, I thought he wouldn't be able to move.'
As I keep saying, this was an era of great upheaval. Since it was a time when information was pouring out, it couldn't be easy for the Beggar Sect's Bangju to move around like this. When I heard that the Wind and Cloud Ghost Blade had appeared, I was certain it was fake for that very reason.
'He's coming here personally?'
It was an unexpected situation. I had planned to just meet the Wudang Sword Immortal, finish talking, and move on while receiving compensation as a victim of the incident. I never imagined U Bongchwigae would come personally.
'...Don't tell me.'
While observing the situation, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. If the Wudang Sword Immortal had been coming here in the first place, she might have spoken to the Beggar Sect's Bangju about the Wind and Cloud Ghost Blade. She might have sent word to the Beggar Sect in advance, saying she had received such-and-such a letter. Because such rumors needed to spread for interest in Wudang to grow.
The problem was...
'U Bongchwigae is the Wind and Cloud Ghost Blade.'
If U Bongchwigae had personally heard talk about himself going around, this might be why he had moved directly. That was why it was a problem.
Why did it have to be at this time?
"...An ambush?"
Gu Ryeonghwa made a puzzled expression at U Bongchwigae's words. It was an expression of not understanding the situation. Yeongpung was the same. It couldn't be helped. Because I had deliberately made them lose consciousness through Nahi. Watching those two, U Bongchwigae let out a small laugh.
"Hol hol... It seems you don't remember well."
Then this time, he looked toward me and Seongyul and asked.
"Is it the same for you?"
"Yes."
I answered with a nod. The cleanup had been thorough. No traces had been left.
Unlike me, who couldn't be certain, if Nahi was certain, then that was the correct answer. Because she was more outstanding than me in that regard.
Having heard the answer, U Bongchwigae stared at me quietly for a moment. That gaze was burdensome, but I didn't show it.
That old man.
'Is he suspicious of me?'
I didn't know the reason, but if so, I must not avoid his gaze instead. For an instant, I exchanged gazes with him as if I knew nothing. U Bongchwigae nodded and withdrew his gaze.
Did I get past him?
'I don't know.'
I wasn't confident. I had never really conversed with the old man called U Bongchwigae, so I didn't know what kind of person he was. If there was one thing I did know, it was that this old man's disciple would later become the Beggar King.
'I mustn't let my guard down just because I don't know.'
If I didn't know, I had to be even more tense. The scariest thing in the world was ignorance. Yet the gentleman before me was the person most far removed from that word.
While I was raising my tension for a while.
"Hol hol. Yes, yes."
U Bongchwigae suddenly broke into a smile as if to destroy the atmosphere.
"You might not know. Hmm."
"...Bangju?"
"Actually, you don't really need to know, but I did it because I was minding the Alliance Leader. Hol hol!"
The Sword Empress asked as if bewildered, but U Bongchwigae only spoke his own words as if he didn't care much.
"Geez, they were trying to drag this old man here when I'm busy to death. Tsk tsk... saying the Wind and Cloud Ghost Blade has appeared or whatnot."
"..."
At U Bongchwigae's words, I had to hide my absurd feelings internally.
"That fellow must have gone senile. The Martial Alliance is doomed. For the Alliance Leader to have gone senile, tsk tsk!"
For words spoken with a smile, they were incredibly heavy. It was not a remark that anyone around could easily respond to.
"Anyway, it must be difficult, so thank you for taking the time. I have nothing more to ask, so please rest now."
At U Bongchwigae's words, I unconsciously furrowed my brows slightly.
'This is the end?'
In the midst of worrying that he would dig into something, it was bewildering that he let it pass so easily. However, contrary to my bewilderment, U Bongchwigae simply continued speaking.
"I will tell the Alliance Leader that I asked you everything, so don't worry... Let's rise now."
Saying so, he truly stood up. Since U Bongchwigae, the eldest present, was rising, everyone had no choice but to rise as if half-forced.
Just as we were about to move our steps in an awkward manner.
"Soi, stay a moment and chat with this old man."
U Bongchwigae called out to the Sword Empress.