Chapter 88 : Chapter 88

Chapter 88: The Dragon Head Clan Leader, Musan-gae (2)

“Chwipung-gae-ya.”

The Clan Leader, Musan-gae, called Chwipung-gae in a rather affectionate tone that didn't suit his gruff voice.

“Hmm.”

Chwipung-gae had a bad feeling. He had captured a sense close to a conviction, which information brokers sensitive to probability rarely had, a premonition that was nothing short of foresight.

“Don’t call me that.”

That was the reason.

The reason why Chwipung-gae coldly rejected the Clan Leader's affectionate voice.

“This son of a bitch?”

At Chwipung-gae's firmness, Musan-gae's wrinkled eyes narrowed.

“If I don’t call Chwipung-gae ‘Chwipung-gae,’ what should I call him?”

“Just don’t call me.”

“Tsk.”

“Don’t call me.”

“Is your name ‘Tsk’? You beggar-like punk.”

“I am a beggar.”

“Tsk.”

The Clan Leader, Musan-gae, clicked his tongue at Chwipung-gae's stubbornness.

But there was a fact to be known.

That was, a naive commoner who would be broken by Chwipung-gae's intimidation was not a vessel fit to ascend to the position of the Beggar’s Gang's Clan Leader.

For reference, the current Clan Leader, Musan-gae, was a person who was not lacking for the vessel of a Clan Leader.

“Chwipung-gae-ya.”

Musan-gae called Chwipung-gae again, in an even more cloying voice.

It ought to be praised as an iron face trained by begging. It was truly the form of a consummate beggar leader.

“Sigh.”

Chwipung-gae knew.

The fact that the same situation would repeat even if he tried to intimidate him again. It was right to see that there was practically no way for Chwipung-gae to break Musan-gae.

“…What’s the problem? Cut the disgusting voice and just state your business.”

Therefore, Chwipung-gae had no choice but to finally surrender.

Other than holding out without getting the seven knots, Chwipung-gae had no memory of ever defeating the Clan Leader Musan-gae, so his resignation was quick.

The reality was that his experience of having his time and energy taken away in this manner was too numerous to count on his fingers.

“That, about the Emerald Rescue Pill. Is it really necessary?”

At the question in a demure voice like that of a lady from a common household, Chwipung-gae’s expression crumpled.

It was partly because he didn't like the Clan Leader's cloying voice, and also because the content was unusual.

As expected, it seemed the words of the ancient sages that a bad feeling was never wrong were not wrong today either.

“What’s the problem? Please explain it frankly.”

However, worry was etched in the voice of Chwipung-gae, who had said so.

It was because when Musan-gae called Chwipung-gae ‘Chwipung-gae-ya’ instead of ‘you punk’ or ‘you son of a bitch,’ there was usually a problem.

No, it would be right to say that ‘there was always some kind of problem.’

What Chwipung-gae had felt was not so much a premonition as it was a deduction based on accumulated information.

“No, I mean. Is that Emerald Rescue Pill really, absolutely, no matter what, by all means necessary?”

The fact that the old beggar's words were getting longer also hinted that there was a problem.

“It is absolutely necessary. Give it to me.”

Chwipung-gae replied, trying to ignore this, as if giving a threat.

“Tsk. You insolent punk.”

Musan-gae clicked his tongue again at the sight of the hardliner Chwipung-gae.

In fact, becoming an elder did not give one the right to demand the Emerald Rescue Pill.

The number of Seven-Knot Elders in the Beggar’s Gang, which boasted a hundred thousand members, exceeded ten. At times, it reached twenty.

If all of them had the right to demand the secret treasure of the Beggar’s Gang, the Emerald Rescue Pill, there would be no Emerald Rescue Pills left in the Beggar’s Gang.

In the first place, the quantity of the Emerald Rescue Pill was not large. This should be seen as the fate of the Five Great Elixirs of Murim.

If it were something that could be produced in tens or twenties at will, how could it have become a precious object?

It was a precious object because it was hard to obtain, because it was hard to make.

However, Chwipung-gae had the qualification to demand the Emerald Rescue Pill.

-Since you saved my life, I will surely grant your request once, whenever it may be.

-Anything?

-I will do anything I can.

-Then I’ll have to wait until you become the Clan Leader.

-Heh. Do as you please.

It was because there had been such a promise between the Successor Beggar Musan-gae and the Five-Knot Hall Leader Chwipung-gae.

It was a story from more than ten years ago, but since the promise of a member of the Beggar’s Gang did not weather with time, it would still be a valid promise.

In fact, the reason his steps had been light when he received Dancheon Myeong’s request to obtain the Emerald Rescue Pill was also because he believed in that promise.

It was a precious promise that had been kept for over ten years, but it was not a waste to use it for his benefactor, Dancheon Myeong.

It was because Chwipung-gae no longer had any wishes.

“Heung.”

Musan-gae scratched his head full of lice and groaned.

“You’re not going to give it to me?”

Musan-gae tried to avoid Chwipung-gae's glaring gaze, but he couldn't.

A promise was based on faith.

Unlike a contract notarized with documents, there was no other way but to simply trust the other party.

However, with the faith of the Dragon Head Clan Leader Musan-gae, a promise could exert a force greater than a contract.

Therefore, Chwipung-gae had a question.

It was because there was no reason for Musan-gae, who was even more detached from worldly desires than himself, to break a promise and spare the Emerald Rescue Pill.

‘Could it be.’

An assumption came to mind, but he erased it. It was because it was something that should not have happened.

“I have to give it. I should, of course.”

Musan-gae, who had glanced at Chwipung-gae, let out a deep sigh and with difficulty, opened his mouth.

“There is only one Emerald Rescue Pill left.”

That was the news that one of the Five Great Elixirs of Murim and the secret treasure of the Beggar’s Gang had almost run out.

“…Are you mad?”

As they say, a hunch can kill a man; something that should not have happened had happened.

If the old beggar in front of him wasn't the Clan Leader, Chwipung-gae would have grabbed him by the collar and shaken him.

***

A sect of medium size or larger usually had something called a Divine Object.

And for the most part, Divine Objects were things that had a precious value that was difficult to convert into money.

In fact, it was enough for a Divine Object to symbolize the authority of the sect as a focal point, but it was because there was a strong perception that if it was not rare, the authority of the sect would be damaged.

A group of beggars.

Even the Beggar’s Gang, which was detached from worldly desires, had a Divine Object. And it was a very rare one, which would not be lacking even when compared to those of the Nine Sects, who were the leaders of the Jianghu Murim.

It was for authority, but it was also for practical benefit.

The Beggar’s Gang was a group that valued Divine Objects more than many other sects in the Jianghu.

The reason being, the number of its members was too large.

It was because there was nothing like a Divine Object as a symbol to unite the hundred thousand members.

Unlike other large sects with only a few thousand members, the Beggar’s Gang had a hundred thousand members.

The Beggar’s Gang, with its scale that transcended common sense, was in a situation where it needed a clear focal point besides the Clan Leader.

It was known in the Jianghu that the Beggar’s Gang had three Divine Objects.

The first was the Thousand Immortals of the Jianghu records. It could be called a masterpiece that was the culmination of the Beggar’s Gang's intelligence.

The records, which were updated every year, contained a lot of information collected by the Beggar’s Gang.

Since all members of the Three-Knot rank or higher could view it, it could be said to be a Divine Object that contained the true spirit of the Beggar’s Gang.

The second was the Thunderbolt Dog-Beating Staff.

It was a precious object known to have a hardness surpassing iron, made from a tree that had been struck by lightning three times, and it symbolized the authority of the Clan Leader.

Originally, the Dog-Beating Staff Art itself was a supreme ultimate art, but it was said to show its true might when performed with the Thunderbolt Dog-Beating Staff.

And the third was the Emerald Rescue Pill, which occupied one of the spots among the Five Great Elixirs of Murim.

What was the Emerald Rescue Pill?

It was a supreme elixir created through the art of alchemy.

It was one of the few precious objects whose efficacy was known to be comparable to Shaolin's Great Cycle Pill.

However, if one thought about it carefully, there was a strange point. The point was how the Beggar’s Gang had the Emerald Rescue Pill.

It was said that all martial arts under heaven came from Shaolin.

Shaolin was a group that boasted a long history and a vast force, to the point where all martial arts had their roots in Shaolin.

In fact, even in the current Murim, the number one sect in the Central Plains was said to be Shaolin.

It would be inevitable that they would possess a supreme elixir called the Great Cycle Pill.

Wudang of the Taecheong Pill, Mount Hua of the Purple Cloud Pill, and Kunlun of the Blue Pine Pill had their origins in Taoists.

Those who sought to cultivate themselves and achieve ascension.

Although the current Nine Sects had been tainted by the secular world to some extent, most of them still had their roots in the Tao.

In fact, since the origin of the art of alchemy, which processed natural spiritual medicines and made them human, was the Taoists, it would not be surprising that their art of alchemy had created the rare elixirs called the Five Great Elixirs of Murim.

In the first place, Wudang, Mount Hua, and Kunlun were all prestigious clans with a long history that had long held a seat among the Nine Sects.

However, the Emerald Rescue Pill was strange.

How could the beggars of the secular world have created a rare elixir that occupied one of the spots among the Five Great Elixirs of Murim?

The reputation of the One Gang was a respect for the righteousness and chivalry deeply engraved in the spirit of the Beggar’s Gang, along with their scale, and wasn't it a fact that everyone knew that the Beggar’s Gang stood at the opposite end of wealth?

The art of alchemy cost a lot of money.

The Beggar’s Gang was a place where even the headquarters pavilion was built not with money but with the voluntary labor of the beggars, so it would be impossible from a common-sense point of view for them to have invested a huge amount of capital to create a supreme elixir called the Emerald Rescue Pill.

The truth could be found by looking back at the history of the Beggar’s Gang.

It was said to be a story from the time when Sambong Jin-in of Wudang was active and roaming the world, so it would not be an exaggeration to call it an ancient tale.

In those days, it was said that there was a beggar who spread acts of chivalry to the world with righteousness and chivalry as his banner.

That beggar, who didn't even leave his name, became the founder of the Beggar’s Gang, and was later honored with the name Dragon Head Beggar. That Dragon Head was the same Dragon Head as in Dragon Head Clan Leader.

According to one theory, among those who had received grace from the chivalrous Dragon Head Beggar, there was the medical sage of the time who was called a descendant of Hua Tuo.

-Please add this to your righteousness.

What the medical sage had passed down was an improved version of the Rebirth Pill, which was known to be Hua Tuo's secret formula.

That secret formula was passed down through a long history and became the Emerald Rescue Pill of the Beggar’s Gang.

As is often the case with oral traditions, it was not known how much of it was true.

But the truly important fact was that the Emerald Rescue Pill was a supreme elixir whose efficacy had been proven.

Also, the fact was that the Emerald Rescue Pill was the only Divine Object that had been with the Beggar’s Gang and its history.

The Emerald Rescue Pill, the only Divine Object that the Beggar’s Gang, who did not cling to wealth, valued.

It contained the history and righteousness of the Beggar’s Gang.

“There are no Emerald Rescue Pills?”

Therefore, it was inevitable that Chwipung-gae would be greatly alarmed.

A sect that has lost its Divine Object is bound to decline.

It was a kind of superstition, but it wasn't a story without any basis.

It was because it would be absurd to hope for a group that couldn't even protect its most important thing to last.

“There is one left, you punk.”

“Why?”

“Your words are short?”

“Do I look like I have time for long words right now?”

“Heung.”

Musan-gae beat his chest as if frustrated, and Chwipung-gae urged him on.

“Say something.”

Musan-gae, who had been glaring, replied.

“There are no ingredients.”

“Then you have to get the ingredients. You have to get them and make the Emerald Rescue Pill quickly.”

Chwipung-gae's thought that he had to quickly refill the secret storage of the Beggar’s Gang with the Emerald Rescue Pill was correct.

“What are the ingredients of the Emerald Rescue Pill?”

Chwipung-gae pondered Musan-gae's question. The answer came easily.

“Spiritual medicines?”

Even if one was not the Hall Leader of the Medicine Hall, it was right to be able to make that much of a deduction.

“That’s right. You weren’t a stupid beggar.”

Chwipung-gae, who had understood the meaning, contorted his expression.

What was the use of having a secret alchemy art? If there were no ingredients, you couldn't make it.

“How much is lacking?”

“A lot.”

“So how much?”

“A very lot.”

“…”

Chwipung-gae, who couldn't bring himself to strike the Clan Leader, decided to change the question.

“Then how long will it take to gather those ingredients?”

“Ten years?”

Musan-gae, with a distant expression, added.

“No, maybe it will take a hundred years.”

“…Damn it.”

The situation was not good at all.

He couldn't give the last remaining Emerald Rescue Pill to Dancheon Myeong.

It was better for him to become a man without faith than that.

But he couldn't ask him to wait for ten or a hundred years, could he?

The beggar who had lived with righteousness and chivalry in his heart, Chwipung-gae.

For the first time in his life of over sixty years, he might have to abandon his faith.