Chapter 240. A Purple Seed
The White-Clad Scholar stopped the moment he and Cheonak discovered the frozen men. For a while, the two stared at the dead without saying a word.
“…….”
Cheonak said,
“He killed them all cleanly.”
The White-Clad Scholar, hands clasped behind his back, looked over the dead, then stepped into the center and glanced at Cheonak.
“He released cold energy here once.”
The White-Clad Scholar shot up into the air, then came down turning a somersault.
“And once more around here.”
Cheonak replied,
“Did you give him ice arts?”
“Long ago.”
“Then you killed your own subordinates.”
“Must you put it that way?”
“It is the truth.”
Cheonak found the Blind Scholar and stared down at his corpse for a while before speaking.
“Did you give him lightning qi as well?”
“What?”
The White-Clad Scholar narrowed his brow and approached, then examined the Blind Scholar’s condition.
“……Is that really lightning qi?”
“Look at the state of both his temples.”
The White-Clad Scholar blinked, then let out a sigh.
“It hasn’t been long since I gave it to him.”
Cheonak said,
“Are you planning to hand over everything? He didn’t seem like someone who could even be controlled.”
“With you here, what is there to worry about? If he displeases you, deal with him whenever you like.”
“What on earth have you been thinking these days?”
The White-Clad Scholar sighed.
“……Cheonak, Lee Zaha’s hatred is not directed at us. If he grows stronger, he is the sort who will fight the Cult Leader. I, too, regret losing the Blind Scholar, but they say the enemy of one’s enemy is an ally. We need only use him, no?”
“And what if you are the one being used?”
“That wounds my pride. Since when have I ever lived only being taken advantage of?”
Cheonak waved a hand.
“Step away. I will dispose of the corpses.”
The White-Clad Scholar clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
In an instant, the White-Clad Scholar appeared at a distant spot and looked at Cheonak with his hands behind his back.
Cheonak looked around, then stamped the ground with his left foot, making the entire area sink in. He then appeared beside the White-Clad Scholar and extended his hand into the air; a faint palm spread over the area and struck the pit as it was, turning the corpses to dust.
Afterward, when Cheonak and the White-Clad Scholar swung their hands at the same time, the dust was caught in a whirlwind and scattered emptily.
The White-Clad Scholar looked at Cheonak.
“You have grown rather accustomed to the Cult Leader’s methods.”
“I only imitated them somewhat. Baek.”
“What?”
Cheonak looked at the remains and said,
“Becoming the greatest under heaven is not easy. Did you not tell me that only a single step remained?”
“I did.”
“That one step is taking far too long. But let us say that one day I do become the greatest under heaven.”
“Go on. We have mountains of work to do, so what exactly is the problem?”
“What is our goal after that? You were the one who told me to focus only on training. You must have a plan.”
The White-Clad Scholar nodded.
“I have a plan. Of course I do.”
“You do? I have never heard it.”
“Sit. Let us sit and talk. Do not get angry.”
The White-Clad Scholar plopped down on the ground and gazed at the scattering dust. Cheonak was still looking at the White-Clad Scholar with displeasure on his face.
The White-Clad Scholar said,
“If you are that unhappy with me, strike the crown of my head.”
“…….”
“If you are not going to kill me, sit.”
Cheonak sat beside him and looked at the pit.
The White-Clad Scholar opened his mouth.
“There is a next plan.”
“I hope it is not some needless, futile plan to unite the other Book Houses.”
“It is nothing like that.”
The White-Clad Scholar maintained an indifferent expression and spoke in a calm tone.
“For now, it is important that you become the greatest under heaven. That has not changed.”
“Do not start droning on about the state of affairs. I have grasped it all by now.”
“How can you, who focus only on training, understand even the changes taking place? Listen carefully. Once you become the Martial God, there will be a great many things to do. The administrators of the other Book Houses will come to pay their respects as well.”
“As if they would.”
“Practice your lightness skill from time to time, too. You must take the position of Swift Hall Master as well.”
“Get to the point.”
The White-Clad Scholar nodded.
“My plan is…… always centered on you. Did I not prepare the foundation for you to become the Martial God through a grand synthesis of martial learning? Take the most exceptional child under heaven as your disciple and teach him.”
“I already have disciples crawling everywhere. What for?”
The White-Clad Scholar smiled.
“Where is there a disciple you personally taught? And as you know, they are all slaves. Murderers, rapists, unfilial wretches—I captured them and used them as slaves. They are not my proper disciples either. How could they dare be?”
“Were there not some decent ones?”
“I am not talking about myself. I am talking about your disciple.”
“What am I supposed to do with a disciple?”
“Kill another First Emperor. Kill another Cult Leader. Watch as Cheonak’s disciple reigns. It seems it has not struck you yet. Your disciple, my friend. Have you ever taught anyone?”
“No.”
“Do you perhaps not wish to teach? Must I do that too? Then he would become my disciple, not yours.”
“Are you telling me to found a sect?”
The White-Clad Scholar laughed.
“That is up to you. Whether you pass it down to a single heir, create a secret society of your own, or openly seize a sacred mountain and establish a sect, it depends on you. You would synthesize the martial arts Cheonak has mastered and teach them to your disciple. While you are at it, organize the martial arts you have learned as well and create something new.”
“What meaning is there in that?”
“Do not think of meaning first. Think of fun first. Interest, I mean. Your disciple shakes the world, continually torments fellows like the Cult Leader, and who knows? If you raise him properly, he might even become the Murim Alliance Leader one day. Why would that be impossible? We are the ones who committed sins. The disciples you gain anew will have committed no sin. Do you lack confidence? Is a disciple raised by you unfit to be Murim Alliance Leader?”
Cheonak thought for a moment, then replied,
“Baek, think about it. If I teach them, they will die from the hardship within a year or two. How is that any different from telling me to drag children in and turn them into corpses?”
The White-Clad Scholar raised one trembling hand and swept back his hair.
“Look, that’s why I’m here. Listen carefully. I’ll explain the conditions for someone to become your disciple.”
“There are conditions for that?”
“I know you, don’t I? Naturally, anyone who becomes your disciple has to be physically sturdy. He must have innate strength. In common terms, by birth and bone, he should be the sort fit to become a general. As for personality, it would be better if he were somewhat rigid. To endure your training methods, that is. It wouldn’t be good if he were too crafty, either. His temperament wouldn’t match yours. He has to be simple and steadfast.”
“If he’s stupid, it’ll be difficult for him to learn higher martial arts.”
“I’m not sure what your standard for stupid is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever I looked at the Beggars’ Sect Leader in the past, I always thought he was stupid. But look at him. He’s still stronger than I am. What exactly is stupidity? Ah, there is one kind of stupidity. You mustn’t raise a disciple the way Nosin was raised. That is a stupid thing to do. The Beggars’ Sect Leader is indeed a stupid bastard. But you mustn’t be like that. In any case, the disciple you teach will surely be better than Nosin. Are you saying you can’t even manage that much?”
“If he were a bastard like Nosin, I’d beat him to death while teaching him.”
The White-Clad Scholar pointed at Cheonak with his finger.
“That is exactly what I’m saying. That is the role of a master. I’m telling you to beat him to death. Instead, you should teach a proper disciple. The disciple of the Martial God…… How does that sound?”
“I am not yet the Martial God.”
The White-Clad Scholar repeatedly slapped his own thigh.
“You frustrating man. Become the Martial God, take in a disciple, teach him, send him out! Make him the Alliance Leader too! Make him come pay his respects on holidays. If he doesn’t come, beat him. That’s what I’m telling you to do.”
Cheonak spoke with an displeased expression.
“From what I vaguely heard before, Yi Zaha seemed to have a similar plan. You’re not just making things up to toy with me, are you?”
The White-Clad Scholar clicked his tongue.
“Look, a martial master of the jianghu without a disciple is rare. You brought that up well. Suppose Yi Zaha takes in a disciple. Suppose you also raise a disciple, but your disciple goes around getting beaten by Yi Zaha’s disciple. What will you do then? It would be shameful beyond words. It would be an offense that wouldn’t be settled even if you summoned Yi Zaha and slapped him across the face. Isn’t that so?”
Cheonak looked at the White-Clad Scholar.
“Then do you intend to take in a proper disciple as well?”
“I have far too much work. I don’t have the leisure for that. You are the one delving into martial learning. Everything else is my responsibility, so it suits you better to raise a disciple. Think about it slowly. What qualities should the child who inherits your martial learning possess? If it’s truly too much trouble, I’ll search the whole world and bring one to you.”
Suddenly, Cheonak struck the White-Clad Scholar on the head.
After taking a blow to the head, the White-Clad Scholar retorted.
“Why did you hit me all of a sudden?”
Cheonak said,
“Because I felt like I was being fooled again, so I hit you once. I’ll let myself be fooled again.”
“Are you insane? I told you not to hit my head. You and I survived because of this head, and now you’re trying to turn me into an idiot?”
Cheonak replied,
“If you’re that smart, you shouldn’t have let Silmyeong die.”
The White-Clad Scholar let out a deep sigh.
“How could even I make every plan succeed? Listen. If a fight had broken out after Nosin had landed a surprise palm strike on the Sect Leader, what would have happened? He would have been too flustered to fight properly. If Nosin hadn’t listened, I would have cut off his head and thrown it to the Divine Beggar. Would the Sect Leader truly have been able to fight with his mind intact?”
“You should have done that.”
The White-Clad Scholar struck his own forehead with his hand.
“How was I supposed to know that mad bastard Yi Zaha would carry the Beggars’ Sect Leader on his back and run? Carry him and run? Does that make any sense? He fled while carrying one of the Three Talents under heaven on his back. And why did that crazy beggar bastard let himself be carried away? That was not something I could have predicted. Chasing after that was how Silmyeong got killed too. He was a man with bad eyes, so he normally wouldn’t have been deployed in a pursuit, wasn’t he? The whole plan went awry because we had to chase someone carrying a man on his back. If I had predicted even that, then I would truly be the greatest genius of all time. What do you think? Was it my fault? Is it on me? Am I the only bastard to blame again?”
Cheonak also sighed.
“I didn’t predict that either.”
“That saved the Beggars’ Sect Leader. The Sect Leader has luck. Leave him alone for the time being. Luck is also skill. Or perhaps being blessed with people is skill too.”
Cheonak muttered in a dissatisfied tone.
“For a strategist, you don’t do anything properly.”
“That is insulting.”
“Do you want to be hit again?”
“I’ll take it as advice. And this is actually for the best.”
“What is?”
“The Three Talents should be defeated by skill. If we deal with them by luck, we may fall to the Cult Leader. Schemes likely won’t work well on that man. Since it was my mistake, hit me one more time.”
“Stupid bastard. It’ll be troublesome if you get any stupider. Let’s go.”
The White-Clad Scholar stood up and pointed ahead.
“Let’s go.”
When the White-Clad Scholar sighed, Cheonak asked,
“What was that sigh supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
The White-Clad Scholar followed Cheonak, then muttered without realizing it.
“……Yi Zaha, you son of a bitch.”
* * *
As I walked while picking one ear, I thought of Nosin.
How on earth had a bastard like Nosin emerged as the disciple of such an admirable man as the Beggars’ Sect Leader?
I thought it was probably because the Beggars’ Sect Leader had treated him too well.
Nosin was a man unsuited to being a beggar. After all, he had coveted the position of Sect Leader and the position of Scholar.
As I headed toward the bridge with the Divine Beggar, I also thought about my own disciple.
First of all, because of my personality, there was no way I would treat someone well right from the start like the Beggars’ Sect Leader had.
That problem was solved.
Then what kind of person should I take as my disciple?
Someone who learns martial arts quickly? A kind person? A smart person?
After sorting it out, I realized anew that my standards for choosing a disciple were extremely high.
First, he must be kind to the weak, not back down before the strong, and yet be quick-witted enough to know how to survive. He must not be so foolishly good-natured that he trusts those around him too much and gets stabbed in the back, and he must know how to doubt people as well. Since he will have to become a Great Grandmaster, his head for learning martial arts must also be outstanding. And since he will have to raise disciples after becoming a Great Grandmaster, he must be good with words too.
He must possess the perception to realize things on his own and the wisdom to teach others well.
His appearance does not matter much, but it would be best if he had no complaints about his own looks. That is because such things lead to an inferiority complex. If that inferiority complex grows too large, he may cause trouble in unexpected places.
But it would also be troublesome if he were too handsome.
Because women would cling to him to an annoying degree.
So first, on the inside, he must have self-respect, pride, and confidence.
Externally, he must fight well, speak well, not be easily deceived, know how to doubt properly, not waste too much time on drinking, singing, and dancing, and not spend every other day meeting friends and idling about, so it would be better if his human relationships were somewhat limited. After all, he would have to shut himself away somewhere and train. In addition, he must not be too handsome, but he also must not be too ugly.
These are the conditions for my disciple.
After laying it out like this……
I thought it would be better, for now, to simply give up on the whole thing. The Sect Leader asked me,
“Why are you sighing so heavily?”
I answered in an even tone.
“There are far too many sons of bitches in the gangho.”
The leader of the Beggars’ Sect nodded.
“That is true.”
“Do you not have any martial art for beating dogs?”
“I’ll try to create one. But we do not use blades. I’ll have to compile the staff techniques (棒法) handed down in the Beggars’ Sect to make it. Once I do, I’ll teach you.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
I looked at the leader of the Beggars’ Sect.
“From now on, say that any exclusive martial studies or secret arts are to be taught only to the person appointed as the next sect leader. Make it a law of the Beggars’ Sect outright. Only then will bastards like that scholar be unable to steal them so easily. It is a closed-off way of doing things, but it cannot be helped. There will be no one chasing vain hopes like No Sin, either.”
Perhaps remembering what No Sin had said, the leader of the Beggars’ Sect also nodded with a bitter expression.
“That is what we must do.”
Only after seeing the state of the Beggars’ Sect for myself did I realize that having too few rules could also become a serious problem. Fortunately, the leader of the Beggars’ Sect seemed to agree with me.