Chapter 94 : Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Negotiation (1)

Jingle-

A silver coin slipped into the begging beggar’s bowl, making a cheerful sound.

In the Central Plains, where a single nyang of copper coins could save one from starvation, it was a very rare occurrence for a silver coin to enter the bowl of a street beggar.

“Aigoo. Thank you, Great Sir.”

The beggar, who knew this well, bowed his head with a broad smile, but he couldn't hide his strangely awkward posture.

My guess was that this man was a beggar specialized in intelligence gathering and surveillance of key figures rather than begging.

“What is your name?”

“…….”

It is rare for someone to ask a begging beggar's name while giving alms.

This is even more so if the almsgiver is the descendant of a prestigious sword clan, a promising prodigy in the Jianghu Murim, and a master who has reached the transcendent realm.

For there to be a reason, a twist of the sort that the begging beggar was not actually a begging beggar would be necessary.

Perhaps through this process of reasoning, the silent beggar had grasped the current situation.

What followed recognition was compliance, so the Beggar’s Gang member asked me with an abashed voice.

“Have I been discovered?”

“Long ago.”

“Hehe.”

As expected, the audacity of the Beggar’s Gang beggars was legendary; even after being caught tailing me, his attempt to smooth things over with a laugh was as if he had a face of iron.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Great Hero Dancheon. My name is Wonpyeong-gae.”

“A pleasure.”

It was fine. Wasn't the iron face of the Beggar’s Gang a well-known fact?

A smooth interrogation begins with the cooperation of the subject, so it was right to say that this was a good start.

“Since when?”

It was a question with much omitted, but Wonpyeong-gae understood my question correctly.

“I took over from Yingxian.”

“It hasn't been long then.”

“You could say I was caught almost as soon as I started. Hehe.”

Looking at the waist of the broadly smiling Wonpyeong-gae, I saw three knots tied.

To be wearing his knots while disguised as a begging beggar, he could truly be called a clueless beggar.

Those who do not know the Beggar’s Gang would not notice what was wrong with a Three-Knot begging, but to my eyes, which had eaten begging food until I was sick of it, it was a very strange sight.

A Three-Knot holds the rank of a Branch Lord within the Beggar’s Gang.

The master of a branch.

It means he is the leader of a branch, and even within the entire Beggar’s Gang, he could be considered a mid-level manager.

The Beggar’s Gang is also a place where people live, so it is rare for a mid-level manager to beg.

There is the exception of Chwipung-gae, so it is not absolute, but it is right to say it is rare.

Anyway…….

The very fact that he was disguised as a beggar without hiding the three knots on his waist meant that this beggar was clueless.

But since the most trustworthy type of person in the Beggar’s Gang is precisely the clueless one, this man must be the talent that the Beggar’s Gang had carefully selected to monitor me.

Metaphors and allegories would not be suitable for a clueless beggar.

“Who sent you?”

“Hey, how can I tell you that?”

“Was it the Dragon Head Clan Leader?”

“……!”

It was a masterful control of his expression, worthy of his three knots, but he couldn't hide the slight tremor in his eyes.

“I see.”

“Oh my. Brother, are you a pro?”

I didn't mind being demoted from Great Hero to Brother and gave him a faint smile.

It wasn't that Wonpyeong-gae, who couldn't control his own eyes, was inexperienced, but that my insight in catching that tremor was outstanding.

In fact, mentioning the Dragon Head Clan Leader was a natural conclusion.

Chwipung-gae is a resourceful and capable beggar, but he is not the type to put a tail on me.

In the current Beggar’s Gang, who else but the Dragon Head Clan Leader Musan-gae would be interested enough to put a tail on me?

“Hmm. I think I’m in big trouble when I go back now.”

Wonpyeong-gae, who came to extract information but ended up being completely exposed, muttered.

“The Clan Leader is a merciful person, so he won’t kill you, will he?”

“That’s true.”

“Three whacks with the begging bowl should be lenient enough.”

This was the prediction of a seasoned beggar like myself, so it would not be wrong.

“There's a point to that, but I'll try to reduce it to two.”

“It might be possible if you try.”

“Thank you.”

Although I had never met Wonpyeong-gae in my Myeong-gae days, the conversation with him felt very familiar. It might be because Wonpyeong-gae fully embodied the spirit of the Beggar’s Gang.

I conveyed the purpose for which I had sought him out while he was in hiding.

“This is urgent. Please send Elder Chwipung-gae and the Medicine Hall Lord to Yingxian.”

“I will pass on the message.”

Wonpyeong-gae did not ask for the reason.

He was of a steadfast character who was faithful only to his assigned duty and did not try to be clever.

It showed that the Dragon Head Clan Leader’s eye for talent in selecting and employing such a person was outstanding.

“Use this for travel expenses.”

Jingle-

I dropped another coin into his begging bowl. Wonpyeong-gae, who confirmed that the coin was a brilliant gold, smiled brightly.

“A beggar never refuses alms.”

“I know.”

Considering the weight of the task he would perform, the gold coin was not a waste.

Furthermore, looking at Wonpyeong-gae's character, it was clear that the gold coin given as alms would not be used to satisfy his personal greed but to fill the bellies of his branch members.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The Clan Leader's subordinate, who had cast off his disguise as a begging beggar, soared into the air using his lightness art.

It was the sublimity of the Myriad Miles Chasing Wind Spirit Art, which, along with the Drunken Eight Immortals Gait, was called the two great lightness arts of the Beggar’s Gang.

As befitting its name, ‘Myriad Miles’, it was a lightness art that was more effective than the Drunken Eight Immortals Gait for running long distances, so it would not take him long to reach Kaifeng.

My Dragon Spring Point also gathered true energy as I watched Wonpyeong-gae disappear into the distance.

Sssk.

Extreme form-shifting.

My form, which moved like the wind, arrived in an alley from where I could secretly observe Wonpyeong-gae and myself.

“Did you hear everything?”

My form settled behind the person who was secretly observing me from there.

“……Yes.”

An extremely ordinary appearance.

But I know who this person is.

This was because the extraordinary person who came to Chwipung-gae’s hovel and left a telepathic message and this extremely ordinary-looking man were the same person.

The man disguised as a passerby is an agent of the Murim Alliance's Special Operations Unit.

He had taken off the uniform of the Special Operations Unit and disguised himself normally, but he couldn't escape my keen eye.

“Since you heard everything, a long explanation is unnecessary. Please summon the Chief Strategist or the Alliance Leader. This is urgent.”

Although I had recently gained fame, it would be strange for the second son of a mere prestigious family to summon the highest-ranking figures of the Murim Alliance, but the Special Operations Unit agent did not express any doubt.

My guess was that since he had been exclusively in charge of me, he was well aware of my true nature.

“Is that all?”

“Ah. I also need the help of the Murim Alliance’s Shanxi Branch Chief and his forces.”

The Shanxi Branch Chief, Unrestrained Saber Peng Ga-heon.

There was no denying he was a hero himself, and he was a martial artist with deep ties to the Alliance Leader.

He would be a better option than bringing forces directly from the Murim Alliance in Henan.

“May I ask the reason?”

Unlike Wonpyeong-gae, the Special Operations Unit agent asked for the reason.

I was not displeased or anything.

It was right to see it as just a difference in the temperaments of the Beggar’s Gang and the Special Operations Unit.

However, one thing was certain…….

“I happened to discover the Garden of Joy.”

“……!”

It was the fact that the Special Operations Unit members, handpicked and raised by Singija himself, could be trusted.

I could tell him because I was confident that this information I passed on to the Special Operations Unit agent would not reach anyone other than Singija.

In fact, I had to reveal this much to light a fire under the asses of those slow-moving gentlemen.

Weren’t they gentlemen with heavy bodies, unlike the beggars of the Beggar's Gang?

“I will hurry.”

Realizing the gravity of the matter, determination appeared on the Special Operations Unit agent's face.

The discovery of the Garden of Joy was a matter of immense value as information, and if the information were to be leaked incorrectly, there was a risk of a bloodbath, so his reaction was indeed appropriate.

“I’m counting on you.”

Sssk!

The Special Operations Unit agent’s form disappeared.

Unlike Wonpyeong-gae, his stealthy movement technique, which resembled that of an assassin, was superb.

When I turned my gaze, I saw a ruffian loitering in the distance.

Although he was dressed sloppily, I could tell from his posture and footwork that he was a master who had reached at least the Peak realm.

My guess is that he is an intelligence agent from the Rogues’ Guild.

I ignored him and turned my body.

“Hmm-”

I owed a debt to Yeo-wol and Ma Sok, but it would be right to exclude them this time.

This is because the Dancheon Sword Clan, to which I belong, is also a member of the Murim Alliance, and the moment a force from the Evil Faction gets involved in the matter of the Garden of Joy, the procedures become complicated.

The grace I received from Yeo-wol and Ma Sok is deep, so I can repay them in another way later.

***

Which organization handles information the best in the Central Plains Murim?

A martial artist of the Righteous Faction would think of the Beggar’s Gang, and a martial artist of the Evil Faction would think of the Rogues’ Guild.

This is because the arm bends inwards.

Someone who knows a little about the upper echelons of the Jianghu Murim might mention the Murim Alliance's Special Operations Unit.

I know that the strategist of the Evil Faction Alliance, Heavenly Brain Sima Yi, operates a separate intelligence organization, but I don't know much about it, so it's best to exclude it.

Anyway, the correct answer to the question depends on the situation.

This is because handling information is a story with various layers.

The organization that spreads information best in the Central Plains is the Beggar’s Gang.

It was said that the Beggar’s Gang, with its one hundred thousand members, has the largest and most numerous mouths.

As the old saying goes, ‘three men make a tiger’, so the Beggar’s Gang is a place with the power to make any information true or false according to its own taste.

Of course, the Beggar’s Gang, which reveres righteousness and practices chivalry, does not abuse its power in such a way.

It is a place that simply collects, organizes, informs, and spreads information, serving as the best source of news in Jianghu.

In fact, the reason why the Beggar’s Gang obsessively emphasizes righteousness and chivalry can also be said to be because they know the responsibility of a group that possesses a great power beyond that of a martial arts force.

The group that is best at generating profit by utilizing information is the Rogues’ Guild.

This may be due to the composition of its members, which consists of ruffians, courtesans, and waiters, and its adherence to its essence as the Evil Faction.

The Rogues’ Guild also has a knack for collecting and spreading information, but it is right to say that their true value lies in generating profit based on information.

I know that in the long history of the Central Plains Murim, all forms of putting a price on information and buying and selling it originated from the Rogues’ Guild.

The group that is best at digging up secret information is the Murim Alliance's Special Operations Unit.

This is a fact attributed to the group's capabilities rather than its tendencies.

The Special Operations Unit is the smallest in operation, but it is also the most elite.

The Murim Alliance's Special Operations Unit is truly the cradle of a small, elite group personally raised by Singija.

The Special Operations Unit, refined with a high average level of martial arts and spy training, is closer to a group that actively digs for information rather than passively collecting it.

All of these are organizations that handle information well, in accordance with their respective characteristics.

If so, lastly, which group is the best at ‘controlling’ information?

The answer is the Beggar’s Gang.

It is said that extremes meet, so controlling information, the opposite of spreading it, can also be said to be the specialty of the Beggar’s Gang.

Of course, the Beggar’s Gang, which considers information a public good, does not control information unless absolutely necessary, but when the time comes when information control is needed for the order and peace of the Murim, you can see their true nature.

There are two ways the Beggar’s Gang controls information.

One is to block the paths through which information can leak by utilizing the vast manpower of the Beggar’s Gang.

The beggars, who block the paths as meticulously as a heavenly net, can block all information at its source for a short period of time.

The other is for the Beggar’s Gang to do nothing.

Only after the Beggar’s Gang members, who created the flow of information, disappear, do the people of the world realize that the shabby beggars were like air.

It means that they were essential beings, even though people didn't know they existed.

Typically, the method of information control preferred by the Beggar’s Gang was the latter.

Just one day.

That was the time it took for all the beggars who had settled in Yingxian to secretly disappear.

Since people rarely pay attention to beggars in normal times, by the time someone noticed a sense of unease, not a single beggar remained in Yingxian.

But no one knew the reason why the beggars had disappeared.

This was because all information had stopped due to the absence of the Beggar’s Gang.

In Yingxian, where the flow of information had stopped, there was no way for information about the Garden of Joy to spread, not even by a slim chance.

And into the town where the Beggar's Gang members had disappeared, a few beggars cautiously seeped in.

“Is the clearing out complete?”

“Yes.”

“Good work.”

The fact that one of them was the leader of the beggars, the Dragon Head Clan Leader of the Beggar’s Gang, Musan-gae, was a fact that not even Dancheon Myeong knew.