Chapter 72 : Chapter 72

Chapter 72. It is Total War (1)

Han Cheong-un is a returner and knows a lot of information. But he doesn’t know everything.

Especially the variables that arise as the future changes due to his activities.

Therefore, he did not know.

“Did you call?”

A crooked attitude.

An expression full of dissatisfaction.

A heavy iron staff hanging on his shoulder.

‘This human is the Sichuan Branch Leader right now?’

The Sichuan Branch Leader of the Beggar's Gang was someone Han Cheong-un knew.

Iron Mesh Beggar Seok Gu.

How could he not know this person?

‘Why is the future Beggar's Gang Sect Leader appearing here?’

The Sect Leader of the Beggar's Gang died while Han Cheong-un was absent after the First Great War of Righteous and Evil ended.

The person who rose to the position of the next Sect Leader after that was this man.

He was a beggar who used an iron club, just like his name Iron Mesh Beggar.

Usually, the Beggar's Gang’s Dog Beating Staff Technique uses plain green bamboo.

Swinging the light green bamboo ever-changingly to drive the opponent into a frenzy is the identity of the Dog Beating Staff Technique.

Even to Han Cheong-un, who uses a spear, a similar weapon, the Dog Beating Staff Technique of the Beggar's Gang was a very well-made martial art.

However, that weirdo uses a heavy iron staff, not light green bamboo.

Even after becoming the Beggar's Gang Sect Leader, he entrusted the sacred item, the Dog Beating Staff, to his junior brother and continued to use the iron staff himself.

Why on earth?

Why does the person called the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Gang leave his sect’s sacred item behind and use a dull iron club?

When he couldn't stand the curiosity and asked once, the answer that came back was…….

[Iron is stronger than wood. Don’t you even know that? You ignorant bastard.]

It was a bit unfair back then.

To be treated as an ignorant bastard by a beggar, of all people.

Anyway, that man was a person Han Cheong-un evaluated highly even in the Righteous Murim.

He performed distinguished activities in the First Great War of Righteous and Evil and fought bravely in the Second Great War of Righteous and Evil as well.

Acting as the head of the intelligence agency, he continuously devised means for the cornered Murim Alliance to survive somehow, and he himself fought bravely at the forefront.

Above all, his end was truly worthy of a hero of the Beggar's Gang.

When the Ghost Gate Palace captured civilians as sacrifices to make Jiangshi, he fought to stop it and died a heroic death.

He died, but he saved hundreds of civilians who were captured as sacrifices at the time, and Han Cheong-un, who heard the news, sighed, saying a precious person had gone.

‘I was planning to make contact somehow later…….’

Since he was a person well-settled in the Beggar's Gang, he didn't have the greed to recruit him, but he wanted to create a good connection.

Therefore, as soon as Han Cheong-un saw him, he approached with a smile and spoke.

“Nice to meet you. I am Han Cheong-un of the Ultimate Path Gate. It is truly an hon…… to meet a hero of the Jianghu.”

“Is it you?”

“You said to call me, right?”

“……I…… did.”

It was true.

It was correct that Han Cheong-un said to call the Beggar's Gang Branch Leader to call for necessary forces.

But why does it feel so uneasy and ominous?

The reason was probably…….

“Die, you bastard!”

This must have been it.

Seok Gu immediately tried to smash Han Cheong-un’s head with the iron staff.

BOOM!

Han Cheong-un urgently dodged that attack, widened the distance, and said.

“Wait, wait, calm down. Master.”

“Master or whatever, let’s start after you get hit first.”

“No, why?”

“What do you mean why. Shut up and present your head. If you present it now, I will specially forgive you with just one hit.”

Wouldn’t a person die if hit on the head with that iron club?

‘Ah, I forgot.’

Come to think of it, this gentleman originally had this kind of personality.

Because of his fiery personality that burned fiercely even with a trivial spark, he was also called Flame Nature Beggar.

Or he was just called a mad dog.

“Who are you to order our Beggar's Gang to come and go? You young bastard!”

Seeing him swinging the heavy iron staff dazzingly, the gentle Han Cheong-un also realized.

Certainly, this is difficult as is.

To resolve the misunderstanding and form a healthy relationship, we need a conversation.

CRASH!

“Good. Let’s fight.”

A conversation of body and body, that is.

* * *

Han Cheong-un’s spear and Seok Gu’s iron staff clashed against each other. In that state, Seok Gu said…….

“What? Let’s fight?”

“Why? Are you backing out now?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s not, but…….”

The rags draped over Seok Gu’s body swelled up.

As he began to raise his Qigong in earnest, Qi overflowed.

“Where did the young bastard leave his honorifics!”

At that moment, the dark iron staff Seok Gu used covered Han Cheong-un’s vision completely.

Dog Beating Staff Technique

Vicious Dog Blocks the Road

Han Cheong-un seriously imbued his spear with spiral energy and examined the opponent’s attack.

The Dog Beating Staff Technique looks like it is being swung randomly at first glance, but it harbors high-level subtleties.

Thanks to that staff technique, the Beggar's Gang produced the World's Best Person three times.

‘Five empty moves, one real move.’

Han Cheong-un pierced through the emptiness and reality of the technique with keen insight. And he turned his spear in the form of Block and deflected the opponent’s technique.

KWA-BANG!

“Oh, this bastard uses some strength?”

“…….”

Seok Gu admired slightly.

And Han Cheong-un frowned faintly.

He clearly responded accurately and blocked the opponent’s attack. Yet, a tingling pain remained in his wrist.

It was that heavy of an attack.

The Beggar's Gang’s martial arts value lightness as life, so what kind of damned variant is this?

“Is your surname perhaps Paeng?”

“How should I know? I was born on the streets, so I don’t know things like surnames.”

“Ah, right. You were a beggar.”

“Is this bastard discriminating against beggars?”

“Is it discrimination if I call a beggar a beggar?”

“……Is it not……? Is it? It’s a bit ambiguous?”

It is a problem with some room for debate. So…….

“Forget it, anyway, you need to get hit a bit.”

“Try it!”

Han Cheong-un and Seok Gu began to clash fiercely once again.

* * *

The moment Han Cheong-un and Seok Gu clashed, the Tang Clan Head, Abbess Hyeonwol, and Taoist Qingcheng quickly widened the distance and backed away.

Actually, they did call the Beggar's Gang Branch Leader, but they didn’t know that mad dog would come.

Knowing the nature of that mad dog who butts in without caring about seniority or anything, the three didn’t want to get involved in this if possible.

“Do we not need to stop this?”

Still, Taoist Qingcheng, who owed a debt to Han Cheong-un, said a word. Then Abbess Hyeonwol next to him said…….

“I do not have high enough virtue to stop that boor with words. It would be easier to just cut him down.”

Then Taoist Qingcheng looked at the Tang Clan Head.

“Do not worry. My son-in-law is strong.”

Since that mad dog came anyway, this ruckus was expected.

Then wouldn’t it be right for the son-in-law to do it?

There is a young and strong son-in-law, so why would the elderly father-in-law step forward personally?

‘Indeed, this is when one benefits from having a pretty daughter.’

Then Taoist Qingcheng said a word.

“Is he really your son-in-law? From what I hear, there are many other women by his side…….”

“Sssssst! Are you saying we should have a go right now too?”

When the Tang Clan Head pulled a throwing knife from his sleeve and glared, Taoist Qingcheng slunk back.

Because it didn’t look like a joke.

* * *

BOOM! CRASH! BANG!

The clash between Han Cheong-un and Seok Gu became even more intense. At first, the exchange of dazzling techniques was the main focus, but at some point, the direction began to change little by little.

Amidst the clashing of each other’s weapons, a silent agreement was reached between the two.

Let’s finish this with strength against strength.

That agreement.

“Uryaaaaah!”

“Hup!”

Seok Gu shouting vigorously and gathering all his strength.

Compared to that, Han Cheong-un only spat out a short breathing sound, but the concentration of that strength did not lag behind at all.

The result…….

KWA-AAAAANG!

The moment the two weapons clashed, a massive shockwave spread in all directions, and the expressions of the two holding the weapons grimaced.

Arm muscles screamed and pain spread to the bones.

“A guy who looks feeble like a pretty boy uses quite some strength.”

Seok Gu provoking.

However, in the meantime, he was alternating the weapon in his hands and loosening his hands. And Han Cheong-un…….

“You also look……. No, you match how you look.”

“What, punk? What’s wrong with how I look?”

“Beggar.”

“…….”

Usually, calling someone a beggar is an insult, but in this case, the opponent is actually a beggar, so it is ambiguous to get angry. So…….

“Die!”

He decided to just do what he was doing.

Seok Gu’s iron staff swinging strongly.

Han Cheong-un also swings his spear roughly and crashes head-on into it.

KWA-AAAAAAAANG!

“Keuk…….”

“…….”

The two frowning.

Without techniques or anything, just clashing weapons swung with all their might caused their arms to scream inevitably.

‘What kind of strength does a young guy…….’

Seok Gu frowned.

Actually, leaving aside the level of internal energy, he was confident in brute strength.

Isn’t he the one who can suppress a fierce bull with pure brute strength even without internal energy?

To think a contest of strength against strength is possible with him, he was certainly no ordinary guy.

‘But I can’t lose.’

“Haaaat!”

Seok Gu gathered all his strength and internal energy with a shout.

Seok Gu’s entire body muscles expanded to double their size, and his iron staff was trembling ceaselessly due to the strongly injected internal energy.

Seok Gu grabbed the end of the staff with both hands and lifted it above his head.

Seok Gu, taking a posture like the Upper Stance taken by those who use swords, spoke.

“This is a strike with all of this elder’s heart and soul. Are you prepared to receive it?”

Then Han Cheong-un shouted heroically.

“Come!”

At that appearance, the corners of Seok Gu’s mouth went up.

“Cool guy. Here I go!”

And Seok Gu leaped up with all his might.

A strike adding the force generated by falling from a high place to his full power.

Although not a formal Dog Beating Staff Technique, this was a unique ultimate technique Seok Gu created himself.

Falling Heaven Mad Strike

This is a technique with no return.

Once used, retracting or anything is impossible; it is a technique full of a man’s spirit and a martial artist’s romance.

And just before his attack touched the crown of Han Cheong-un’s head…….

‘Ah…… He’s not blocking?’

Seok Gu was astonished.

The opponent showed no defense. He tried to urgently retract the technique, but this is not a technique where he can do that. Eventually…….

KWA-AAAAAAAAANG!

His iron staff fell mercilessly on the crown of Han Cheong-un’s head. Han Cheong-un, called the rising star of the Jianghu and the benefactor of the Sichuan Murim, was smashed without even leaving a corpse.

“Han Cheong-un!”

The Tang Clan Head was also greatly shocked.

His eyes rolled back, and he immediately pulled a throwing knife from his sleeve and threw it at Seok Gu…….

“Huh?”

He tried to throw it but stopped.

Because he saw Han Cheong-un digging into Seok Gu’s embrace.

Just before the clash.

Han Cheong-un, unfolding the Spirit Realm One Step, dug perfectly into Seok Gu’s embrace.

And with his fist tightly clenched, he said…….

“That is an afterimage.”

Of course, Seok Gu saw it too.

“Wai…… Wait, this is a man’s roman…… Kuweeeek!”

Han Cheong-un’s fist struck Seok Gu’s solar plexus with full force as he sought romance.

To him whose breath was blocked, Han Cheong-un said.

“Romance my ass. Why should I receive that? I can just dodge.”

“Son of a…… bitch…….”

And Seok Gu lost consciousness.

* * *

Seok Gu, who regained consciousness, jumped up.

And looking around…….

“Hey you, son of a bitch!”

He rushed at Han Cheong-un as if trying to eat him. Han Cheong-un, with a nonchalant expression, said to such Seok Gu.

“Have you risen?”

“Yeah, I have risen. This rude bastard dares to ignore a man’s romance and hit an elder’s solar plexus?”

“Man’s romance? Hmm? When did we reach such an agreement?”

“I said ‘Here I go!’ didn’t I? So what did you say?”

“I said ‘Come’.”

“If you said that…….”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t dodge, did I?”

“…….”

That is true.

Seok Gu suddenly became at a loss for words.

He hesitated, then found fault again.

“Even so, you hit an elder’s solar plexus? You bastard? Do you not even recognize an elder?”

“Ehem, that is also a proper martial arts technique.”

“Where is that a martial arts technique?”

“It is my unique martial art. It is called Fate-Carving Momentum.”

“Fate-Carving Momentum?”

“It is a technique named Life Piercing Momentum.”

“…….”

It feels like there is some other meaning besides that…….

There is suspicion, but no evidence.

“Surely a hero of the Beggar's Gang wouldn’t find fault after losing in a fair duel, right?”

“This damned…….”

Eventually, Seok Gu grumbled but let go of Han Cheong-un’s collar. And sitting down on the spot, he scratched his head and said.

“Why did you call me? Just state your business briefly.”