Chapter 63: Successor Beggar, Jang Sopyeong (2)

If someone were to ask which sect was the richest in the world...

Some might name the Wudang Sect, which, thanks to the Sword Emperor, had received the largest and greatest sponsorship since its founding.

Others might claim it was the Namgung Clan, which had ties to the imperial family and operated one of the Four Great Trading Companies, dominating the three realms of politics, commerce, and martial arts.

Yet others would point to the City That Never Sleeps, the den of the Five Evils of the unorthodox sects, which controlled the night streets of Jiangnan, including Hangzhou and Suzhou.

But in truth, there was one place that raked in even more money than all three combined in a single year.

That place was the Beggars' Sect.

There was only one reason this surprising truth remained buried:

Though the earnings were enormous, the amount of money left in hand was drastically small.

‘Because the sect uses all the money obtained through begging and selling information solely to uphold righteousness.’

To chase after demonic practitioners who had vanished after committing bloodshed.

To prepare countermeasures against demonic practitioners who used horrifying demonic arts.

To rescue the innocent civilians who had suffered because of them.

The Beggars' Sect never used the wealth it earned for selfish purposes.

They focused solely on proving their righteousness and eradicating evil.

There was only one reason the sect could maintain such a path.

From the lowest rank of Unknot Beggars to the Dragon-Head Sect Leader who led the sect—

The Beggars' Sect was a group composed entirely of those “with nothing left to lose.”

Because they had nothing to lose, they never compromised with injustice.

Because they had nothing to lose, they revered only righteousness.

Revere righteousness.

That was the one and only rule that defined the Beggars' Sect.

But any martial artist in the world would know how difficult and arduous it was to live one's life while adhering to that sole principle.

Yet the members of the Beggars' Sect, even in the face of meaningless deaths, never broke that rule.

‘…How long has it been?’

Because this place revered righteousness—

Perhaps it was because for far too long, they had only heard others call their lives foolish and pitiful.

To meet someone who understood and recognized the values they believed in and protected—it was something so welcome and heartening.

For the first time in so long, Successor Beggar Jang Sopyeong felt the pride of being a disciple of the Beggars' Sect surge within him.

The way Jang Sopyeong looked at Sewoon had softened significantly.

"…You’ve come to the right place, I suppose. This is that kind of place."

"I didn’t say it to flatter you."

Sewoon’s words made Jang Sopyeong chuckle faintly.

"I know. I could feel the sincerity."

Then Jang Sopyeong straightened his posture.

And with a seriousness that left no room for doubt, he spoke again.

"Let’s get back to the main point. We want the Ten-Thousand Mile Pursuit Fragrance. So what do you want from the Beggars' Sect in return?"

Jang Sopyeong’s tone was solemn.

The Ten-Thousand Mile Pursuit Fragrance, currently the only known method to track the Scattering Fragrance Water, was essentially priceless.

However, Jang Sopyeong already knew that his master, the Dragon-Head Sect Leader of the Beggars' Sect, Quirky Hong Ilshin, would provide it even if the request cost a fortune.

‘Never mind that he trusted us rather than the Alliance. We’d have to trace the demonic practitioner’s trail anyway, so it’s an essential item. Even if the other party gets greedy, we have to consider it.’

Just as Jang Sopyeong was thinking that—

Tak.

Tatak.

"Huh??"

Sewoon suddenly pulled out several items from his robes.

A soot-covered, unidentifiable ledger, a glass bottle, and a gauntlet fitted with a crossbow.

"…What are these?"

"Crane Spirit Liquid and the Soul-Chasing Bolt."

"…!"

At the mention of forbidden artifacts in the martial world, Jang Sopyeong was visibly startled.

These were the items Sewoon had set aside after his battle with Tang Hoyeol.

"My uncle, Tang Hoyeol, bought these forbidden items from a mysterious group. He was planning to purchase the Scattering Fragrance Water from them in the next deal."

"W-Wait. Don’t tell me?!"

Jang Sopyeong’s eyes widened in shock as he grasped the implication.

Sewoon nodded.

"It seems they’re connected to the mysterious group that provided the Scattering Fragrance Water to the demonic practitioners."

"…!"

"There’s a record in the ledger of the location where they met. My condition is that the Beggars' Sect use this lead to track them down."

As soon as Jang Sopyeong heard the words, he started flipping through the ledger frantically.

He had been wondering where to even start tracking this unknown group.

And whether any captured demonic practitioners would ever reveal anything about their backers.

In the midst of all those concerns—

He never expected Sewoon to provide them with such a direct lead.

Watching Jang Sopyeong’s reaction, Sewoon felt a sense of satisfaction.

‘That’s the perfect amount of intelligence to leak.’

The meeting location written in the ledger was one of the Blood Cult’s smaller forward bases that Sewoon knew of thanks to his memories from his previous life.

It was a front sect involved in drug production and distribution. If the Beggars' Sect began their investigation there...

He was certain they’d be able to deliver information about the Blood Cult to the orthodox side at the right time.

"Phew, alright. Got it. Then what’s next?"

"Hm?"

"What else do you want?"

"What do you mean, what else?"

"…??"

Sewoon tilted his head.

And Jang Sopyeong tilted his head in the opposite direction.

‘…This brat, don’t tell me!?’

Then, reading Sewoon’s thoughts, Jang Sopyeong blinked rapidly in disbelief.

"W-Wait. You mean to say you don’t want anything else from us, aside from tracking them?"

"Yeah."

"???"

"Oh, and don’t worry about the Ten-Thousand Mile Pursuit Fragrance running out during the pursuit. I’ll keep supplying it as it’s made."

"????"

This wasn’t a deal.

It was a pure request.

Because in truth, there was absolutely nothing the Sichuan Tang Clan stood to gain from this.

They had to trace Tang Hoyeol’s path anyway to pursue the mysterious group.

In that situation, the Beggars' Sect sharing progress in the investigation with the Tang Clan was incredibly simple and easy for them.

But to hand over the Ten-Thousand Mile Pursuit Fragrance—something that fetches any price in the market—for free like this?

It was such an incomprehensible situation that Jang Sopyeong began to wonder if Sewoon had some hidden motive.

"…You talk about Equivalent Exchange, so why aren’t you asking for anything more?"

"I already said what I wanted—track down those connected to me. What more should I ask for?"

"That’s…!"

Faced with Sewoon’s innocent question, Jang Sopyeong was at a loss for words.

It felt like he’d been struck on the head with a hammer.

Only then did he realize—

That the other party had never even considered the idea of receiving a fortune in return.

Sewoon, standing before him, simply wanted to do the right thing.

‘He’s clearly ten years younger than me…’

Jang Sopyeong slowly looked at Sewoon.

A childish brat.

That was his honest first impression upon seeing him.

But now, he looked completely different.

The Sewoon before him was someone just like himself.

No—he was already a completed chivalrous warrior, far beyond even him.

And the moment he realized that—

"Ha, hahaha!"

Jang Sopyeong burst into laughter without even realizing it.

At the sudden shift in mood, Sewoon tilted his head in confusion.

Meanwhile, Jang Sopyeong laughed so hard he nearly teared up.

When he finally calmed himself—

"Hoo, hoohoo. You’re one funny guy."

"…Are you really a Successor Beggar? You just seem like a lunatic."

"I’m both a lunatic and a Successor Beggar, so don’t worry."

"Huh."

"Now then, let me properly relay our stance."

In that moment, Jang Sopyeong’s demeanor changed completely.

The laughter vanished in an instant, and the true face of the Beggars' Sect’s successor—one of the Nine Sects and One Gang—revealed itself.

Faced with that heavy, weighty presence—

‘Did I misjudge him?’

For a moment, Sewoon wondered if he’d made a mistake.

All his previous actions and words had been part of a carefully constructed script.

Knowing Jang Sopyeong’s personality from before his regression—

He had deliberately behaved like a chivalrous warrior, someone aligned with him in values.

But if Sopyeong had caught on to that and was now withdrawing cooperation…

The loss would be immeasurable.

However—

The next words out of Jang Sopyeong’s mouth were more than enough to erase Sewoon’s worries.

"As fellow martial artists who uphold righteousness and revere virtue, how could we accept and send you away empty-handed?"

"…!"

"I will formally propose a cooperation between the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Beggars' Sect."

"……!!"

"For as long as this cooperation lasts, anyone from the Sichuan Tang Clan who visits any Beggars' Sect branch in the Central Plains will be granted the information they seek without paying a single coin."

"!!"

And that wasn’t all.

"Moreover, I intend to speak with the Sect Leader about forming a formal alliance with the Sichuan Tang Clan in the near future."

"!"

"It’s hard to find others in the world today who share our values, after all."

"!!"

It was an absolute windfall.

That Jang Sopyeong was offering to serve as a bridge in negotiating an alliance with the Sect Leader was beyond all expectations.

If this alliance formed so swiftly, the Beggars' Sect could help prevent even more massacres and needless casualties.

Sewoon managed to calm his pounding heart and slowly spoke.

"…Not a bad offer."

"Keh. What a cold reaction."

Jang Sopyeong chuckled as he looked at Sewoon’s response.

As if he finally understood what kind of person Sewoon was.

Then, Jang Sopyeong added something lightly.

"And this is more of a personal request, really…"

"…?"

What’s this now?

Does he want something else?

When Jang Sopyeong uncharacteristically hesitated, Sewoon raised an eyebrow.

"What is it? Just spit it out."

In response, Jang Sopyeong’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

And then came a line Sewoon had never expected.

"I want to be your friend."

"…What?"

…Friend?

The Heavenly Battle Divine Beggar of the Anti-Blood Alliance wanted to be his friend?

Sewoon was truly caught off guard for the first time.

It was a proposal that defied all logic within his “common sense.”

As mentioned earlier, Jang Sopyeong was one of the former Nine Dragons Four Phoenixes—like Sewoon’s older sister.

There was a generational gap and a ten-year age difference.

And yet, he wanted to be friends?

"What are you talking about? We’re ten years apart. Friends?"

"Come now, in the martial world, age doesn’t matter. What’s a little age difference?"

"It’s not just a year or two. Ten years isn’t ‘a little.’ And besides, you’re friends with my sister."

"Sheesh. You’ve been speaking informally with me this whole time. Why get so uptight now?"

"That’s because you started speaking informally first."

"Exactly. So keep doing it. Say it—‘Sopyeong-ah.’"

"What the hell is this nonsense??"

"Hey now, friend. Are you insulting beggars in front of a beggar?"

And so the debate over whether or not they could be friends raged on.

The once-quiet hut was now noisy and showed no signs of calming down, no matter how much time passed.

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