Chapter 116 : Chapter 116

Chapter 116: To Wudang (1)

-Young Master Myeong, I will surely repay this grace. I promise on the name of the Guild Master.

-Regardless of the Rogues’ Guild, I, Ma Sok, will do anything for Young Master Myeong. Please call on me anytime.

-Hahaha. Younger Brother Myeong, I am greatly indebted to you. I shall be sure to repay you next time!

Yeo-wol, Ma Sok, and Brother Gangpae left their farewells, each according to their personality, and departed immediately.

Brother Gangpae’s actions were particularly impressive.

-Boys! Young Master Myeong is a younger brother whom I acknowledge. From now on, treat him as you would treat me. Do you understand!

As soon as Brother Gangpae’s words fell.

-We look forward to serving you, big brother!

Five thousand ruffians shouted in one voice and bowed their heads.

I had become the big brother to five thousand ruffians.

I felt like I had become a big shot in the underworld, something I had never planned for in my life.

Anyway…….

That day’s events concluded in that manner.

Compared to the grace I had shown, their actions could be called heartless, but it could not be seen that way.

The Rogues’ Guild.

It is a great sect comparable to the Nine Sects One Gang.

And Yeo-wol is the one who suddenly ascended to the position of Guild Master of such a sect.

It couldn’t be said that she was completely unprepared, as it was in the midst of a fierce succession contest, but the fact that it was sudden could not be denied.

The Rogues’ Guild as a group was originally a federation-like organization, unlike the Beggar’s Gang, so Yeo-wol, who had become the Guild Master, would have to spend days busier than now to gain control of the organization.

A new struggle was waiting.

Ma Sok was a subordinate whom Yeo-wol trusted and relied on more than anyone, and Brother Gangpae would become a more dependable companion to Yeo-wol than anyone, so I was not worried.

And I spent time sharing Geomnamchun with Brother Chun-baek after a long time.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle.

Slurp.

“Kyah-”

“Keuh-”

For a while, we enjoyed the flavor of Geomnamchun without conversation.

“You’ve worked hard.”

It was late, but it would be right to express my sincere gratitude to him. Calculating back from the Unrivaled Force’s arrival time, it was not difficult to guess how much hardship Brother Chun-baek must have gone through.

“Not at all. It was enjoyable.”

Brother Chun-baek said he had gained a lot of inspiration from the Unrivaled Force, so he had gained a lot himself.

-You should also visit the Evil Faction Alliance sometime. Next time, the main gate would be better.

The Evil Faction Alliance Leader had personally left a message for Brother Chun-baek, so he must have seen something in Brother Chun-baek as well. Though I couldn’t understand the exact meaning.

“Is it over now?”

A subtle sense of anticipation was laced in Brother Chun-baek’s voice.

I wanted to ask back, ‘Am I someone who brings about incidents and accidents?’, but I couldn’t.

It was because I was well aware that throughout my time with Brother Chun-baek, I had been at the center of incidents.

“I’m thinking of going to Wudang.”

And it was also because another incident was waiting for me.

“This will be fun too.”

Brother Chun-baek smiled as if satisfied.

* * *

It could be said that dilettantes and Beggar’s Gang members have a truly mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.

This is because the dilettantes can show off what they know, and the Beggar’s Gang members can easily acquire high-quality information.

Building amicable relationships with many dilettantes could be called the true virtue of a Beggar’s Gang member, and since Myeong-gae also had a close relationship with Mr. Gwak, who could be called the best among the dilettantes of Hebei Province, it is right to say he was a truly capable beggar.

“Myeong-gae.”

“Why do you call?”

“What do you think is the best weapon?”

“Hmm.”

However, the downside would be that the talk of dilettantes is not always directed toward high-quality information.

It would not be wrong to see it as a decisive difference between a Beggar’s Gang member and a dilettante.

“What are your thoughts, Mr. Gwak?”

I asked Mr. Gwak back, pretending to be interested.

It was because I knew that idle talk was more useful for building a bond.

This bond would return as even higher-quality information, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to see it as a kind of investment.

“Since ancient times, there has been a saying about the Eighteen Arms.”

As he said so, life returned to Mr. Gwak’s eyes.

In truth, many of the race called dilettantes are infatuated with the elegance of the Jianghu Murim, so it would be right to see it as inevitable that his eyes shone as he talked about weaponry.

“The sword, saber, spear, mao-spear, bow, crossbow, axe, yue-axe, hammer, ge-dagger-axe, ji-halberd, whip, chain-whip, jian-mace, zhua-club, shield, staff, and pa-rake are the Eighteen Arms, and it was a term usually used to refer to all the weapons of the Jianghu Murim.”

“……Do you memorize all of that and carry it around?”

“Of course.”

“No, I mean, no.”

Nevertheless, the minds of those of the dilettante race are sometimes incomprehensible.

Anyway, although I didn’t memorize it to the point of being able to recite it like Mr. Gwak, the Eighteen Arms was a concept I also knew well, so there was no problem with the conversation.

“It is always a subject of debate among dilettantes. The topic of which among those Eighteen Arms is the best.”

“Are you curious about my thoughts?”

“Are you not the famous Three-Knot Branch Lord of the renowned Beggar’s Gang? If I say I received the notarization of a Beggar’s Gang Branch Lord, I will be able to raise my voice in the dilettantes’ debates.”

For some reason, Mr. Gwak praised me.

Feeling good, I cleared my throat with an ‘ahem’ and opened my mouth.

“In that case, I will argue for the theory of the uselessness of the Eighteen Arms.”

“Hoh?”

To lead a debate, breaking the mold is said to be the best.

It means not playing within the established framework, but creating a new one.

Also, this was a logic based on my actual thoughts.

“It would be right to see the classification of the Eighteen Arms as truly ancient. There must be a reason why it has become outdated.”

“Would you explain?”

“First, I would raise the issue of classification. In today’s Murim, hasn’t the distinction between the spear, mao-spear, and ji-halberd become useless?”

“Are you talking about Lannazha?”

“As expected of Mr. Gwak.”

The dilettante Mr. Gwak’s knowledge was indeed not shallow.

Anyway, it was so.

The reality is that the distinction between the spear, mao-spear, and ji-halberd, which were distinguished by the shape of their blades, became useless as the spear martial art of Lannazha was established.

“The distinction between the axe and the yue-axe is also useless.”

“That’s right. Because the axe has gotten too big.”

Usually, the yue-axe meant a great axe, but because martial artists who use the axe as a weapon tend to emphasize physical strength, the axe kept getting bigger.

“There are reasons like these, but the biggest reason lies elsewhere.”

“What is that?”

“It is the point where the martial artist’s body was not considered a weapon.”

“Hmm?”

This story, even Mr. Gwak could not immediately understand.

“Mr. Gwak.”

“Speak.”

“Mr. Gwak, could you argue that for martial artists, the fist, palm, and kick are not weapons?”

“……I see.”

My thought is that the fist, palm, and kick should be seen as weapons.

Just as there are sword arts, axe arts, and saber arts, are there not fist arts, palm arts, and kick arts?

There are countless examples.

How could one not know the famous Hundred-Step Divine Fist of Shaolin or the Tai Chi Fist of Wudang?

The Yan family of Hebei would be called masters of weaponry who compete against the saber of the Mighty Peng Clan with only their fists.

The Beggar’s Gang’s Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms and Emei’s Tiger-Subduing Palm are ultimate techniques counted among the best in the Murim.

Shaolin’s Supreme Kick or the Asura Kick of the Asura Fortress, a powerful sect belonging to the Evil Faction Alliance, also cannot be left out.

Since reality is like this, wouldn’t it be right to judge the fist, palm, and kick as weapons?

“Of course, I admit that it can differ depending on the interpretation, but in today’s Murim, it would be right to see that there is no gain in deliberately excluding the fist, palm, and kick from weaponry.”

“I think you are right.”

As Mr. Gwak acknowledged it, I smiled with satisfaction and leaned my upper body slightly toward Mr. Gwak.

“And this is something I am only telling you, Mr. Gwak…….”

“Hmm?”

“The Beggar’s Gang has recently prepared something called the Compendium of Arms. It has not yet been widely spread.”

“Hoh!”

Mr. Gwak’s gums were in full bloom.

It wasn't a top-secret matter to begin with, and since I had received things from Mr. Gwak in the past, it would be right to bestow this much favor.

This is because if Mr. Gwak, who had won the dilettantes’ debate, became happy, some benefits would surely fall to me as well.

“Hurry up and tell me.”

“The name that made the Eighteen Arms an old thing is the Compendium of Arms, and its contents can be summarized as Sword, Saber, Spear, Fist, Palm, Hammer, Kick, Axe, Staff, Whip, and other unusual weapons.”

“……Isn't there much of a difference?”

“Hmm.”

Since the dilettante Mr. Gwak was uncharacteristically imitating an ignorant commoner, it would be right to bestow him with a lesson.

“The Eighteen Arms is merely a disorderly list of weapons. But look at the Compendium of Arms. What do you see?”

After a moment of thought, Mr. Gwak’s expression transformed into that of a sage who had attained enlightenment.

“This…… could it be an order?”

“That’s right.”

A sense of pride was written on my face as I nodded.

“The Compendium of Arms should be seen as a much more elegant and refined standard than the Eighteen Arms. This is because it was organized in order of the most commonly used weapons by gathering information from all over the Jianghu Murim.”

“Ooooh.”

“It would not be an exaggeration to see it as the culmination of the Beggar’s Gang’s intelligence network. What would happen if you, Mr. Gwak, were to present this in the dilettantes’ debate?”

“Oooooooh!”

I remember that on that day, my begging bowl was truly abundant.

.

.

.

Anyway, it is so.

According to the Compendium of Arms, it would be right to see the sword as the best of weapons. This is because it is used by the most martial artists.

According to statistics released by the Beggar’s Gang, the sword alone accounts for fifty percent of commonly used weapons, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that the title of king of ten thousand weapons is not an overstatement.

Then, where is the king of the king of ten thousand weapons, the greatest sword sect in the world?

Some might say the Diancang of the swift sword, some the Mount Hua of the illusionary sword, some the Namgung of the heavy sword, and some the Wudang of the soft sword.

The correct answer would be to see it as Wudang.

From an information gatherer’s perspective, it means that the perception of the current Murim is so.

It was said, Shaolin is revered in the North, Wudang is honored in the South.

It would be a statement that looks up to the two great sects that are the pillars of the Orthodox Murim.

If all the martial arts under heaven come from Shaolin, then.

It was said that all swords head toward Wudang.

The undisputed greatest sword sect in the world.

That is precisely the first seat of the Nine Sects, Wudang.

Wudang, which I had set as my next target, was such a great name.

“But why are you going to Wudang?”

“There’s a reason for that.”

“A reason?”

“It will happen soon, so just wait and see.”

I did not give an immediate answer to Brother Chun-baek’s question. It was because the time was not yet ripe.

“Can I go with you too?”

“Even without me taking you, you will go too, Brother Chun-baek.”

“Hmm.”

After a moment of thought, Brother Chun-baek seemed to have given up on understanding.

“It’s not another story about stealing a spirit herb this time, is it?”

“Hmm.”

He probably threw a joke recalling the incident with Heuksu Mun, but I could not answer right away.

It was because my goal this time was to acquire the secret treasure of that honored Wudang, the Taecheong Pill.

“……It’s not, right?”

“Hmm.”

I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard Brother Chun-baek’s last question.

Anyway…….

I will acquire the Taecheong Pill.

It would not be impossible, as I had made sufficient arrangements since before the regression.

* * *

I have said before that great things have their time.

That time had approached nearby, but it had not perfectly arrived.

Since there was still time left, I spent a peaceful time within the clan.

Of course, peace is relative, so it would be right to say it was a rather intense peacefulness.

Fwoong-

I strongly swung the Formless Sword, which I held firmly.

The Formless Sword is a technique that contains great power.

It meant that there was a risk of it being lethal if the opponent was even slightly lacking.

But there was no hesitation in my hands.

Kwang!

“Heup!”

This was because the opponent was Uncle Yeo Baek.

Although my uncle had not broken the mold of the State of Harmony and set foot in the Profound Realm, this meant that his spirit had not expanded, not that his martial arts were lacking.

Swat-!

As if to prove that fact, the sword flux of Uncle Yeo Baek, who had blocked my Formless Sword, squeezed through a momentary gap.

Hwik-

Tzeng-!

My Formless Sword and my uncle’s sword flux sometimes evaded each other, and sometimes clashed, testing their strength.

Swish-

Thud!

I blocked my uncle’s kick with my knee.

If all one’s fighting style is buried in the sword just because one possesses the supreme technique of sword flux, then that person would be a low-level fighter, so Uncle Yeo Baek’s timely thrusting fists and kicks were truly first-class.

Uncle Yeo Baek’s martial arts, which were well-rounded with practical combat skills befitting his reputation as the captain of the Dancheon Clan’s escort squad, always served as an inspiration to me.

-Hahaha. Now you should be teaching me.

Uncle Yeo Baek insists that he is learning martial arts from me, but this is not true.

He gains enlightenment from my realm, and I seek learning from his experience, so we are growing together.

In truth, in the eyes of ordinary people, it would be a bloody brawl that would not be an overstatement to call a life-or-death battle, but what we were doing now was just a spar, an extension of sword discourse.

“Uncle, I’m going a little harder.”

It means that it’s okay to be a little more serious.

“Come.”

My uncle said arrogantly, as if he still had room to spare.

Twang-!

My uncle and I once again clashed in the air.

Better safe than sorry.

It was a time of honing and polishing to surely seize the opportunity.