Chapter 235. Beyond a Mountain, Beyond a Mountain, a Mountain.

There was, in truth, no need to say anything nice to a moron.

There was no need to recite old idioms and draw analogies, nor was there any point in listing his faults one by one and scolding him.

For a moron, it was best to simply call him a moron. But you had to say it clearly. You are a moron. If he were someone capable of realizing something and fixing himself on his own, he would never have been a moron in the first place.

At the same time, I had deliberately shouted loudly because I wanted to stop the Beggars’ Sect Leader’s heart from turning toward qi deviation. A moron like No Sin glaring at me as if he would kill me was nothing at all.

Because to protect the Sect Leader, I first had to protect his heart.

That was right for the Sect Leader, and it was also right when looking at the entire martial world.

In my past life, if a man who could hold out against the Cult Leader and Cheonak had remained on the righteous side, we would not have been pushed back by the Demonic Cult to that extent.

I was about to curse No Sin to death once more, but I could not open my mouth and instead looked toward the end of the bridge.

“…….”

From beyond the bridge, where the passersby had vanished before I knew it, an unexpected man was appearing.

It was none other than the noodle shop owner. The reason I was surprised as I looked at him was because he was holding not a kitchen knife, but a long blade in his right hand.

I asked.

“Owner, what’s going on? Going to collect someone’s tab?”

The owner, who looked to be over forty, gazed at the Beggars’ Sect Leader with a calm expression.

“No. Sect Leader.”

The Beggars’ Sect Leader answered with a surprised expression as well.

“What is it?”

The noodle shop owner replied.

“I came to help you, Sect Leader.”

“Didn’t you retire?”

The owner said with a smile.

“……I should still help you, Sect Leader.”

Nothing had happened yet, but the atmosphere was exceedingly chaotic. I glared at No Sin.

“What is this?”

At that moment, when I checked the opposite side of the bridge, there was no one there either. Come to think of it, the one who had led us here from the Jecheon Alliance was No Sin. It was because he had taken the lead, saying he was training his lightness skill. It was absurd.

I had no intention of dying yet. Not only that, I had no intention of letting the Beggars’ Sect Leader die either.

I had no idea how the noodle shop owner had noticed and stepped in, but if the ones coming were here to kill the Beggars’ Sect Leader, they would not be ordinary people.

I asked No Sin again.

“I’m asking what’s going on, you beggar bastard. Did you call the Scholar’s group?”

No Sin answered.

“I did not call them.”

“Then?”

“I only said I had given up on Master’s martial arts. I told them they were not martial arts I could learn. After that, I don’t know either.”

As soon as I saw the noodle shop owner approaching, I held out my hand.

“You. Stop.”

“I am not your enemy.”

“I get it, so stand there for now.”

I still could not trust the owner. He was an expert I did not know. I also checked the Beggars’ Sect Leader’s expression. It was true that his heart had been shaken because of No Sin, but as he was experienced, he had his eyes closed and was calmly regulating his breathing. It seemed certain that No Sin had dealt him enough of a blow to make his complexion turn pale.

No Sin, whose eyes met mine again, said to me.

“I truly don’t know who is coming.”

“Is that so?”

Once the Sect Leader finished regulating his breathing and opened his eyes, I wanted to leave this place at once. Since No Sin had left his position while the Sect Leader and I were begging on the bridge, I still could not trust his words.

Only then did I turn my head to the right and stare at the bridge on the opposite side.

“…….”

A blind man wearing a blindfold appeared and slowly moved his head. An unfamiliar voice, its owner unseen, explained the situation on the bridge to the blind man.

“Hao Clan Leader, a swordsman, is standing in the center. No Sin and the Beggars’ Sect Leader are sitting on the bridge railing. Beyond them, an unidentified middle-aged saber wielder is holding a blade.”

The blind man nodded.

“……Understood.”

A blind expert had appeared to kill the Samjae, who were practically the greatest under heaven? Even with both my eyes perfectly fine, I could not believe the current situation.

As if he knew the blind man’s identity, No Sin opened his mouth in a quiet tone.

“Blinded Scholar, what brings you all the way here?”

As soon as I heard the sobriquet, a sigh escaped me.

“Ha…….”

Judging from the blind man’s bearing, atmosphere, and the meaning of his sobriquet, he was a man on equal footing with the White-Robed Scholar.

The Blinded Scholar tilted his head slightly and answered.

“Little Brother No Sin, we gave you several chances, and yet you are still wavering. Did you poison him?”

No Sin answered.

“Poison would never have worked on Master in the first place. I told you I would not do anything pointless.”

The corners of the Blinded Scholar’s mouth rose slightly.

“Did we not warn you? If you came over before the matter was accomplished, we would treat you as a meritorious retainer. If you ruined the matter and were caught by us afterward, we would treat you as a slave. We had high hopes, yet you are exhausting so many people.”

I observed No Sin’s expression.

It was certain that the Scholar faction’s approach had not been ordinary. There must have been not only threats, but all manner of mental attacks added on as well.

The Beggars’ Sect Leader opened his eyes and spoke to the Blinded Scholar.

“Have you come to fight? There is no way a man like you would have come alone so openly. How do you feel about the years you have lived after losing the light?”

The Blinded Scholar laughed.

“How could it have been good? Ever since I lost the light, no one but you has come to mind. You must have known better than anyone that we would meet again anyway.”

The Beggars’ Sect Leader also laughed and answered.

“This time, you will lose more than just the light.”

From the looks of it, he seemed to be a Scholar who had lost his eyes after being beaten by Senior Sect Leader. I could not know everything that had happened in the past, but I came to understand that the Beggars’ Sect Leader had not crossed hands with the Scholars only once.

The Beggars’ Sect Leader dusted off his backside and stood up, then lifted his head slightly.

“Has Cheonak not arrived yet? Waiting is tedious.”

For no reason, a sigh slipped out of me beside him.

‘Damn it, why Cheonak already? I still need to train more. Why is it Cheonak already?’

An internal conflict arose, but it was so absurd that the words did not come out.

The Blinded Scholar asked the noodle shop owner at the entrance to the other side of the bridge.

“Who are you?”

The noodle shop owner answered.

“It has been a long time. Blinded Scholar, I am the unworthy son of the man from whom you stole the latter half of your sobriquet.”

I was startled and looked at the noodle shop owner.

‘What is this, some kind of opera? Why is everything moving along so perfectly?’

The Blinded Scholar laughed and nodded.

“No need to call me the Blade Emperor. It wasn’t as if I killed your father because of that sobriquet. If anything, that title suited your father better. Take it. I remember the name now. Hwangbo Su, was it? Am I right?”

The noodle-shop owner answered.

“Hwangbo Su was the name of my elder brother, who died with my father. I am Hwangbo Wol.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Just then, the same voice from before answered again.

“That is correct.”

“Didn’t we kill all the remnants of the Hwangbo Clan?”

“Hwangbo Wol is recorded as dead as well. I will investigate.”

I took a moment to sort out the conversation.

So, in the present-day martial world, there was already another man alive and well elsewhere who was called the Blade Emperor. As far as I knew, before that, the Hwangbo Clan had possessed a Blade Emperor. It seemed that Hwangbo Clan had been destroyed by the Blind Scholar and his lot.

Just as an important yet not-so-important conversation was being exchanged,

someone as important as the Blind Scholar appeared on the bridge and looked at us. He was a full head taller than the Blind Scholar, and his long hair was tangled all over as if it had been scorched by fire.

In a word, he was a man with wild, disheveled hair, though his attire was as proper as the Blind Scholar’s. Even from afar, he looked like someone not in his right mind, and from the look in his eyes visible through the gaps in his hair, it was difficult to tell whether he was human or beast.

“…….”

I do not know whether this expression is fitting, but at a glance, I could tell he was generally the sort of madman who would tear people apart first and ask questions later.

‘Damn bastard. So it’s this guy.’

Still, he seemed to know how to smile, because with the delighted expression of someone meeting an old friend, the man spoke to the Beggar Sect Leader.

“Beggar, it has been a long time.”

The Beggar Sect Leader gave a nasal chuckle and nodded with a pleased expression.

“It is good to meet again like this.”

To be honest, I did not want to ruin the mood, but I wanted to grab the Beggar Sect Leader and ask him.

Why on earth was he happy to see that bastard? The disheveled scholar with dark red hair spoke.

“Have you been well? Has your training made any progress?”

“I worked hard in my own way, though I do not know whether it will be to your liking.”

“How modest……”

The Sect Leader and the disheveled man laughed at the same time.

In that instant, my eyes met the mad bastard’s. It felt as though I had locked eyes with a beast standing on two legs.

The disheveled scholar smiled and asked me.

“You scrawny little thing, who are you to be carrying Elder Heo’s wooden sword?”

Before I could answer, the voice that had been explaining the situation all along answered in my place.

“That man is the Hao Gate Master, Lee Jaha.”

The disheveled scholar replied.

“I did not ask you. Keep your mouth shut. Before I tear you apart.”

“…….”

The mad scholar said to me.

“So you are that Lee Jaha. I have heard of you often from that Baek Clan fellow.”

I cupped my fist toward the mad scholar, who was wreathed in a pressure wholly different from the Cult Leader’s.

“A pleasure to meet you. Senior Heavenly Evil seems to have misunderstood something. I am Mongrang, the second son of the Windcloud Mong Clan. It is an honor to meet you.”

Sorry, Lust Demon.

Since the opponent is Heavenly Evil, there is nothing I can do.

Heavenly Evil furrowed his brow, then turned his head and stared at empty space.

“What is going on? I will not tear your mouth. Speak.”

“……I am ashamed to report this, but he is indeed the Hao Gate Master, Lee Jaha.”

“Are you saying he made a fool of me?”

“……My apologies.”

The instant the disheveled scholar, Heavenly Evil, stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief, I hardened my face and opened my mouth.

“Senior, forgive me, but the Hao Gate Master and I look extremely alike. Even in Baekeungji, and wherever else I go, people often misunderstand us as twins. What you must know in particular is that the Hao Gate Master is a very rude person. He is an ill-mannered bastard. But I am not like that.”

By this point, even Noshin and the Beggar Sect Leader were looking at me with slightly dazed expressions.

“…….”

“…….”

For some reason, Noshin was the one gulping in my stead.

Just then, from beyond the bridge came a laugh—“Heh heh heh heh”—and someone walked over. The moment I heard that brief laugh, a sigh escaped me on its own.

‘Ah, damn it…… I’m screwed.’

To put this situation simply, it was a mountain beyond a mountain beyond a mountain.

The White-Robed Scholar was appearing with his hands clasped behind his back, his shoulders shaking as he laughed.

The White-Robed Scholar stood side by side with Heavenly Evil and laughed as he looked at me.

“You crazy bastard, enough already. Hao Gate Master.”

Heavenly Evil asked the White-Robed Scholar.

“That bastard is Lee Jaha?”

The White-Robed Scholar nodded.

“Did I not tell you? He is completely insane.”

Only after seeing the two speak informally to each other did I belatedly realize that Heavenly Evil’s full sobriquet was the Heavenly Evil Scholar.

Then, from the left in order, they were the White-Robed Scholar, the Heavenly Evil Scholar, and the Blind Scholar.

To think that three scholars who read books had appeared at once—it made my feelings swell magnificently. It did not seem like a particularly good day to die, so why was the weather so clear?

For the time being, I proposed peace like a grand strategist stepping forward to negotiate.

“……Dear and respected scholars, the day is not good today, so let us fight another time. I am a bit busy today. I am also rather full. I have no strength at all.”

“…….”

I could confirm while speaking that it was not getting through to them in the slightest.

It is absolutely not that I was afraid of those three.

On our side, we had the Beggar Sect Leader……

In any case, more frightening than those three were the subordinates behind them. The White-Robed Scholar’s first disciple through fourth disciple were surely mixed in among them. I should not have done it, but I suddenly thought of Chilgyeom and opened my mouth.

“Chilgyeom, you bastard, if you’ve come, you should at least greet me.”

Chilgyeom’s answer came from the rear.

“Gate Master, it has been a long time.”

I nodded.

“Yes. Good to see you.”

“I heard you killed my senior brothers?”

“Who said something like that? That is false information.”

“I heard it from Master.”

“Confirmed.”

No matter how I thought about it, we were at a disadvantage. I was buying time by exchanging nonsense so that the Beggar Sect Leader could steady his breathing.

If the Sect Leader fought Heavenly Evil, and I fought the White-Robed Scholar, then Noshin would have to handle the Blind Scholar. And the noodle-shop owner would have to handle all the scholars’ subordinates behind them.

I racked my brains with all my might, but this was a lineup we could not possibly defeat.

In the end, only the Beggars’ Sect Leader would be left alive, and then every survivor on Cheonak’s side would gather and attack him together. No one could stand against a mob beating.

The White-Clad Scholar looked at Nosin.

“Nosin, have you still not decided?”

I glared at the White-Clad Scholar. Had this bastard not reflected enough in the cave? Why was he stepping forward so shamelessly? Was he trying to turn to the Evil Emperor at this point? All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

The White-Clad Scholar coaxed Nosin.

“Listen, Nosin. When did we ever try to subdue you by force? It depends on your choice. The seat of a Scholar is an equal one. Only if you make your will firm can you claim it. If you keep waiting for a chance like that, you’ll become nothing. The Scholar’s seat will slip away, and you’ll lose the position of the next sect leader as well. I told you until my lips wore out—it’s either gain everything or lose everything. One of the two. Are you still watching the room?”

I rounded my mouth as I spoke.

“Oh…… Brother Nosin.”

“…….”

“You were promised the seat of Beggar Scholar? Impressive. Congratulations, you bastard. You’ve made it in life. A beggar brat becoming a Scholar. Senior?”

The Beggars’ Sect Leader looked at me.

“Hm?”

“You raised a tiger. A treacherous tiger cub, at that. You should have taught him to read in advance. That insolent bastard gets one rice cake and forgets all gratitude as he goes over to them.”

The Beggars’ Sect Leader chuckled, then spoke to Nosin.

“Disciple.”

Nosin answered with a stiff expression.

“Yes.”

The Beggars’ Sect Leader spoke in a calm tone.

“I am not always right. If the intention you harbor accords with the Scholar and his group, go over there and fight. Forcing a grown disciple is an ugly thing as well. You, too, should live your own life. Instead, let the side that survives look after the Beggars’ Sect. You can promise that much, can’t you?”

The moment I heard the Beggars’ Sect Leader’s magnanimous proposal, goosebumps rose on my arms. Naturally, even that worthless disciple seemed somewhat shocked and could not answer.

The Beggars’ Sect Leader looked at the noodle shop owner.

“And, owner.”

“Yes, elder.”

“I know roughly what your skills are. But here, your chances of dying are high. Break through the encirclement as you are and inform Im Sobaek of my situation. Leave at once.”

The noodle shop owner retreated two or three steps, then unfolded his lightness skill and vanished.

The White-Clad Scholar put a hand to his brow and watched the noodle shop owner recede.

“Well now, he’s rather fast.”

Even in the midst of this, the White-Clad Scholar was admiring the lightness skill. He smiled faintly and said,

“Still, it’ll be hard to break through the encirclement.”

I asked the White-Clad Scholar about the thousand-year revolution he had mentioned in the cave.

“Comrade White-Clad Scholar, is the plan for our revolution now a bubble burst?”

The White-Clad Scholar looked at me.

“No. That absurd plan of our Comrade Yi Jaha can proceed as long as one of the two of us survives. You can do it, or I can do it well enough. Let the survivor carry it out. What do you think?”

The White-Clad Scholar raised one finger toward the sky and said,

“Dreams come true.”

“Good grief, you hateful bastard. I want to tear you to death.”

The White-Clad Scholar looked at me with a smile.

“With your skills, that’s still too much for you.”

The Beggars’ Sect Leader stood at the center of the bridge, then turned toward the Scholar’s side and spoke to me.

“Young Sect Master, you should also escape today. Later, there will be far more for you to fight and shoulder.”

I stared blankly at the Beggars’ Sect Leader’s back. No, rather than his back, what caught my eye was the back of his white head, greasy from not having been washed for days. Looking at that white hair made me think of my late grandfather. To begin with, I was a man who had not listened to my grandfather’s words.

“I can’t do that.”