The Beggars Union Sect Leader laughs for a while and says,
“Still, it is nice to meet Sect Leader. Good food is also served. It has been a while since we talked about the old times.”
No Shin laughs too and says,
“Master, did you have a nice meal?”
“Yes.”
As I look at the two of them, I feel a strange feeling, but I can’t quite put my finger on the reason as to why.
And the Beggars Union Leader says,
“Sect Leader, since we had food, let us walk.”
“Yes.”
After the dishes are cleared to the kitchen, I wash my hands and walk outside. The leader looks around as he says,
“It is a quiet neighborhood. I heard that Low-Down Sect Leader also had a place to make food, where is it?”
“Let us go there.”
I head to the Zaha Guesthouse. Come to think of it, I wasn’t even sure how far the construction had progressed.
When I arrived with the two of them, we came across Beggar’s Union people already sitting there, waiting for food.
When their leader appeared, everyone got up and paid their respects, and most of them asked if he had anything to eat.
He nods and says,
“Sect Leader personally served me pork bone soup, so I had it.”
An elder responds,
“Oh my, I am incredibly jealous.”
It is the first time I’ve seen so many warriors of the Beggar’s Union congregate together.
The atmosphere here is so different from a regular martial arts sect or family sect. It is strange to me. Everyone has bright personalities, but I get the impression that the leader and No Shin have some higher influence.
Suddenly, I stop and look at the temporary sign outside of the guest house. This is my first time seeing the sign. The exterior renovations appeared to be near completion, while the interior work seemed to have come to a halt. The structure stood three stories tall and boasted a spacious layout, allowing ample room for carriages or horses. Additionally, there was a wall that extended towards the rear, serving as the foundation for potential warehouses of varying sizes.
The Zaha Guesthouse is a lot bigger than I had expected and No Shin too points his finger while looking at the sign.
“Master, the guest house’s name is Zaha Guesthouse. It seems to be a good place to watch the sunset.”
The leader answers,
“Isn’t that the name of the Sect Leader?”
He is correct.
“Yes.”
“You have constructed the building in such an incredible and pleasant way. The individual responsible for the construction appears to be highly skilled. Low-Down Sect seems to possess great talent.”
The leader was the first to praise the appearance of the inn.
It makes me feel a little uncomfortable to receive a compliment, so I choose to remain silent. Suddenly, someone from the Beggars Union speaks up.
“No Shin, we will also greet the Sect Leader, so please introduce us.”
No Shin nods and turns around as he points to me.
“Lee Zaha, Low-Down Sect Leader. He is young but he is the leader of the Low-Down family, so do not speak too harshly about him. You rude beggars, you get it?”
“Yes.”
“You should speak positively. Why curse at us?”
No Shin looks to his side to see a man stretching out his foot. He replies,
“Ugh, this rotten bastard…. If we talk like we are in the Beggars Union, we will end up getting ignored. If you do not know your manners, at least imitate what others do. Do not bring shame to us.”
The beggar who heard the words of No Shin comes and holds out his hand.
“… I am the elder of the Beggars Union, known as Drunken Feet King.”
Instinctively, I was about to throw a fist, but I stopped myself and looked at his hand. I am a bit embarrassed because it’s my first time seeing someone greet in this manner, so I calmly ask,
“Ah, I need to grab your hand?”
To which Drunken Feet King smiles.
“You ever greet a beggar?”
“No.”
“Our Beggars Union greets like this, so remember it. Hold my hand.”
Even if he was up to something, there is no other way.
I look around at the Beggars Union Leader, No Shin, and the other beggars and I grab the man’s hand. And he lightly taps the back of my hand and says,
“Sect Leader, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
The atmosphere is so awkward that I stand stiff. Then, as if he was waiting for his chance, another man approaches me and holds out his hand.
“Sect Leader, I am Dang Gae, elder.”
“Nice to meet you.”
I am shocked because it was a unique way of combining their titles and their number. Elder Dang Gae meets my eyes and smiles.
‘When will the meal be ready?’
My forehead is already starting to sweat. Again, another beggar comes.
“Low-Down Sect Leader, I am Won Myun-ja.”
It was another special sounding name. The man had a round face, but his face was so round that his bald head was glistening in the sun. Looking at the man, I have to hold myself back from laughing.
“Senior, nice to meet you.”
I, too, hold the hands of this person but then he points his finger and says,
“You know, you are good at holding back your laughter. It is usually hard for people to hold their laughter when they see me. You are good huh, pretty good.”
Keeping a serious expression, I clench my fist.
“It is nothing. I barely endured it.”
He bursts into laughter.
“Hahahaha.”
The beggar walks away waving his hand followed by another who quickly takes his place.
In an instant, I feel a chill run down my spine.
Will I be able to shake hands with all the beggars here? Does it have to be like this?
Who am I and what is this place?
My mind is losing it.
No Shin says,
“Low Down Sect Leader is here to be with us. Do not overdo it. Stop teasing the man. Since when do you people treat the leaders of sects this carelessly?”
One elder shouts,
“So noisy! Nagging us even after we came here!”
Despite No Shin’s warning, this beggar approaches me with an extended hand and when I reach out, he runs the same hand through his hair.
“I hate holding the hand of a man.”
“Hahaha.”
Laugher breaks out and I look around to immediately silence it.
“Sect Leader seems angry.”
“Which is why I said to limit yourselves.”
It was truly rude, but since they were joking around I laughed too. The beggar who touched his hair, which probably hadn’t been washed for days, says,
“I am sorry. It is a joke we do every time. Low-Down Sect Leader, I am Elder, Yong Gae-cheon.”
“The coolest name I ever heard in Kangho. Senior Yong”
It was a name that held the meaning- a dragon coming out of a stream. He was probably born under a bridge.
Looking at it now, everyone isn’t so unusual.
A beggar who likes candy, a man with round face, a drunken leg user, a dragon from a stream.
Up till then, they were all elders of the Beggar’s Union.
I didn’t know the name of the Beggar’s Union Leader, so I ask them,
“But the name of leader is?”
“Our leader’s name is Shin Gae, but he doesn’t like it, so we don’t refer to him by his name. Just Sect Leader.”
Fortunately, I didn’t get to hold the hand of every beggar. Here and there, people took turns patting me and some greeted me with smiles. Surrounded by the beggars, I feel something strange, and belatedly think of the reason for their arrival.
Did they come all this way thinking that I killed the members of the Demonic Cult? Or did they come to protect our place knowing that this is the stronghold of Low-Down Sect Leader? No one spoke of their intentions, just shook hands, and smiled. It feels like they are risking everything by coming here.
In particular, their attitude towards me was very confident. They were all confident, so I came to the realization that they were here to help.
I look at No Shin.
“….”
He taps me on the shoulder lightly and says,
“We came to fight but it is fortunate that we got to eat without having to go through anything bad. If a single branch gets appointed from the Beggar’s Union to take charge here, we will be able to help quickly. No matter how you look at it, you caught the attention of two of the Three Disasters, so we can do this much.”
“Ah, Heavenly Evil too?”
“We don’t know, but should be right?”
It seems that all the elders and the Beggars Union people were running over in fear of war.
Looking at them, my heart feels heavy. How could they go to this extent when all they knew of me prior to this was my name? I’m having a hard time processing my emotions.
My legs felt like they were giving out, so I sat down on the ground like the beggars. It is fortunate that I served them meals.
The Beggar’s Union Leader and No Shin also sit down next to me and look at the beggars without a word. It’s getting too quiet, so I speak,
“Brothers of Beggars Union, thank you for coming such a long way.”
Here and there people spoke out.
“It is nothing…”
“We heard a lot about Sect Leader.”
“I was surprised to hear you were so young.”
“How did you have the courage to take down members of the Demonic Cult?”
“Right.”
I see some beggars smile and I do too. I wasn’t sure what this atmosphere was, but it seems to me that the Beggars Union was trying to guard us, and the leader says,
“Does Sect Leader know what kind of people we are?”
“I don’t know.”
“First, we all experience homelessness. Whether through abandonment, solitude, or expulsion. Some individuals have turned their backs on society due to familial discontent. Within the ranks of our sect, there resides a man who was unjustly labeled a traitor and left with no alternative means of survival. We also encounter individuals who have chosen not to engage in employment, as well as those who have been reduced to begging after suffering the loss of a loved one and forsaking all material possessions. Beggars are indeed without a home.”
I shift my gaze towards the leader.
The leader of the low-life, not to be confused with the Low Down Sect, was staring at me. He locked eyes with me and spoke.
“Sect Leader is the first person since the Beggars Union of the county who started to openly declare that the people on the bottom were to be protected. I often think of how the Low-Down Sect will take care of the beggars, so Low-Down Sect Leader can do as he pleases in the future.”
“Ah, yes.”
“The next time you fight one of the Three Disasters, I don’t think much of a two-on-one situation. Whether Leader Im helps me or another disaster, I intend to go through with this. Seniors and juniors have to handle what happens in Kangho together. At that time, if we get defeated by the Three Disasters, young Sect Leader shouldn’t forget to help us. Please. I have no desire to join hands and fight. I am alive like this because they don’t see me as a warrior of the orthodox because they are strange men. But next time, it is inevitable that we will eventually have to cross swords.”
As soon as I join the Beggars Union alliance, a sense of calm washes over me.
“Of course. But first, I need to practice more.”
Someone mentions that if he were to fight one-on-one, his position would be left open, but there is no response because he wasn’t fighting with the intention of losing his place.
When I see his response…
I have come to the realization that my skills are far from perfect.
Then, it seems like in the previous life, when I was called Crazy Demon and went wild, the Cult Leader simply looked down on me and the warriors of orthodox sect tolerated it to some extent. If it wasn’t for that, I would have been killed a lot earlier on in my life.
I heard Deuk Su and Hong Shin’s voices from a distance.
“Please come inside, the meal is ready!”
Leader, No Shin, and I watch the beggars move to eat. It was evident that some of the men and women in the beggars’ union had wounds just as severe as those in the Low-Down Sect. Maybe there were some beggars who just liked being there.
Lost in my own thoughts, I couldn’t help but be reminded that the leader sitting next to me was a formidable warrior associated with the Three Disasters.
I never thought that such a person would have no presence. Suddenly, he lays down on his side, using his arm to support his head and he closes his eyes.
“Wake me later.”
No Shin says,
“Yes, master.”
And after answering that he would, No Shin lays himself down on the ground and speaks to the beggars who weren’t heading in to eat.
“Wake me later.”
The beggars answer,
“Yes.”
After raising my head, I glare at Hong samae, who is serving food, and she looks back wide-eyed.
To her I say,
“Wake me later.”
To which she nods and says,
“Yes, great sahyung.”
I lay down on the ground with No Shin and the leader using both my arms to support my head. I am so tired that I can’t even gather my thoughts. My thoughts of the Beggar’s Union, leader, No Shin, pork bone, Master Baek Wei, Deuk-soo hyung, the beggars, Im So-baek…
Come to think of it, for the past few days, I have been running long distances without a break. Looking back, I also fought against the Demonic Cult recently.
My body is heavy, and my heart is too, and I don’t want to dwell on it.
After giving up, I choose to pass out. The idea of the beggars beside me brings me a sense of peace.
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