Chapter 192: Chapter 192
“Would one gold ingot be insufficient?”
Around the time Cheon-hwi smacked his lips.
“What are you trying to do by being so greedy for money as a Daoist?”
A scolding was heard from the side.
Heavenly Ear Beggar, who had been secretly hiding among the crowd, stood next to Cheon-hwi while grumbling.
Cheon-hwi raised an eyebrow.
“Even a beggar bets a large amount of money that other people can’t touch in their entire lives, so what difference would it make if a Daoist is a bit greedy for money?”
“Ahem, hem, what do you mean by that?”
Heavenly Ear Beggar repeatedly let out fake coughs.
At that, Cheon-hwi smiled brightly.
“Still, we’ve known each other for quite a long time, so I’ll only take ten percent.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Heavenly Ear Beggar jumped up in surprise.
However, Cheon-hwi was resolute.
“You’re earning money for free thanks to me.”
“……I bet with my own money.”
“So you don’t want to?”
As Cheon-hwi asked with an expressionless face, a feeling of anxiety instantly rose up within Heavenly Ear Beggar.
“Sheesh! Forget it, forget it! Alright. Ptooey! I’ll just give it to you because it’s dirty.”
“Aren’t you the dirty one, Elder? Even now you haven’t wiped the sleep from your eyes…….”
“This guy turns a person’s insides upside down until the very end. Oh my! I’m dying, I’m dying!”
While Heavenly Ear Beggar was beating his chest as if he was exploding with anger.
“By the way, what did you do with the Ten Thousand Illnesses Eccentric before coming here?”
Cheon-hwi changed the mood and asked.
In that instant, Heavenly Ear Beggar clicked his tongue with a ‘tsk’ and immediately stopped throwing a tantrum.
“I handed him over to the Murim Alliance’s Shaanxi Branch for now.”
“You handed him over? Didn’t you say you were going to get information from him?”
“That guy will be escorted to the Murim Alliance. Then the Gang Leader will take care of it.”
“That is quite irresponsible.”
Veins bulged on Heavenly Ear Beggar’s forehead.
“What? Isn’t this all because you called me! I also wanted to dig into the things that guy had been hiding.”
Cheon-hwi, who was looking at the grumbling Heavenly Ear Beggar, tilted his head and spoke.
“I have never called you directly, Elder.”
Heavenly Ear Beggar’s eyebrows shot up.
“Then when you said you needed an informant, who else was I supposed to call other than myself?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to leave your clean-up duty to others?”
“Is there any reason it shouldn’t be? Wouldn’t any other Beggars’ Sect disciple be sufficient for the job?”
Heavenly Ear Beggar was dumbfounded.
Were the things Cheon-hwi had done so far tasks that ordinary Beggars’ Sect disciples could handle?
The annihilation of a sect, and tying with the Zhongnan Sword Saint.
Each and every one of them were events that would cause a massive ripple if they were made known to the Jianghu.
Heavenly Ear Beggar, whose head began to ache, touched his forehead and shook his head side to side.
“Sigh, forget it. I shouldn’t even speak.”
At that moment, Heavenly Ear Beggar’s eyes shone.
“More importantly, since word got out that the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect are making a move, many guys have come.”
“Is there anyone you know?”
“Not just people I know. There are also guys who shouldn’t be showing their faces here.”
Heavenly Ear Beggar’s gaze swept over people with familiar appearances among the crowd.
“Tsk, did they also come from the Flying Heaven Society and the Four Black Alliances? It seems people from the Green Forest came as well…….”
Around the time Heavenly Ear Beggar grumbled and spoke.
“Waaaaah!”
A shout erupted from a distance.
“Hmm?”
Cheon-hwi turned his neck toward that direction.
“Are they already here?”
The gazes of the crowd were directed toward the large martial arts arena situated in Cheongyapyeong.
A flimsy martial arts arena that seemed to have been hastily built.
However, when the figures who would make the arena shine appeared from the left and right, the arena somehow seemed to sparkle.
Naturally, they were no ordinary people.
“It’s Mount Hua and Zhongnan!”
“It’s the Divine Province Four Hegemons!”
Shouts burst out from both sides.
Their eyes could not tear themselves away from the appearances of those who emerged from both sides.
The two forces competing over the current Shaanxi Province.
They were the Zhongnan Sect, the Mount Hua Sect, and the Divine Province Four Hegemons.
In particular, they were busy swallowing dry saliva as they watched the Daoists of the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect appear from the left.
The Daoists of the two Daoist sects were walking confidently while wearing their respective Daoist robes.
The cloud patterns engraved on the blue and white Daoist robes.
The plum blossom patterns engraved on the white and red Daoist robes.
The sight of the two Daoist sects boasting the longest histories within Shaanxi Province, the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect, appearing together was a grand spectacle.
Several people watched with enchanted eyes.
“To think that Mount Hua and Zhongnan are together.”
“And look at their Sect Leaders there. Doesn’t it look as if Immortals have descended?”
“When would we ever see this again?”
Meanwhile, the opposite side was also stirring.
However, it was a different feeling from those who were looking at Zhongnan and Mount Hua.
“S-such terrible killing intent.”
“Such an intense aura.”
The momentum of the Divine Province Four Hegemons was heavy.
In particular, they could not take their eyes off the three men and women walking together with the sect leaders of the Divine Province Four Hegemons, excluding the Four Directions Valley.
A tall man with a bamboo hat pressed firmly down.
A handsome Young Master with a smile spreading across his face.
And a beautiful young woman who revealed herself while supporting the Death Ghost Gang Leader.
The appearances of the three men and women, each showing a peculiar charm, were enough to overwhelm the sect leaders of the Divine Province Four Hegemons next to them.
“T-the Divine Province Four Hegemons are not to be underestimated either.”
“I don’t know who will win……!”
Like that, when the two forces established their respective formations with the martial arts arena in the center.
“I’ll be going now, so please gather some information from here, Elder.”
Leaving behind words that were close to a notification, Cheon-hwi disappeared. Heavenly Ear Beggar wrinkled his nose while looking at the afterimage of Cheon-hwi, who had vanished before he could even reply.
“I would have done so even if you didn’t say it!”
Speaking with a grumble, his eyes shone.
Cheongyapyeong, where countless people were gathered right now, was an unparalleled treasure trove of information.
He immediately perked up his ears.
“I also heard this, but…….”
“In the Divine Province Four Hegemons…….”
* * *
When Cheon-hwi arrived at the left camp where the Daoists of the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect had gathered.
“Are you here?”
The Sect Leader approached and welcomed him gladly.
However, Cheon-hwi’s gaze was drawn to the people in the camp rather than the Sect Leader.
“The atmosphere here is quite peculiar.”
Even though they were in the same camp, the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect kept their distance from each other like water and oil, showing no thoughts of approaching closer.
To be exact, it seemed neither Mount Hua nor Zhongnan had any intention of approaching first or striking up a conversation.
“Could the deep chasm of conflict carved over many long years be filled in just a few days?”
The Sect Leader spoke calmly.
His gaze was directed toward the Zhongnan Sect’s side.
Although there were a few among them who showed goodwill, that was all.
They did not try to approach any further.
‘And they are looking at us like that.’
Cheon-hwi read their emotions.
At first glance, the feelings Mount Hua and Zhongnan showed toward each other seemed to be mutual reluctance, but if observed closely, one could tell they were ever so slightly different.
Most of the Daoists from the Zhongnan Sect tried not to show it, but they implicitly looked down upon and underestimated the Mount Hua Sect.
And likewise, the Daoists of the Mount Hua Sect also found the Zhongnan Sect disagreeable.
‘We won’t be able to get close.’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes narrowed.
When Cheon-hwi turned his head.
“More importantly, it’s starting now.”
The Sect Leader, who spoke quietly, raised his head and looked at the martial arts arena located in Cheongyapyeong.
Originally, the Sect Leader would not have stepped out of the Mount Hua Sect, but this time was different.
A martial arts competition risking the fate of Shaanxi Province.
For the Mount Hua Sect, which was in the midst of vigorously flapping its wings, wasn’t this competition a crossroads deciding whether they would soar even higher or plummet?
‘We must absolutely win.’
Meanwhile, unlike the tense Sect Leader, Cheon-hwi yawned and bobbed his head.
While doing so.
“Hmm?”
A familiar face entered his sight.
As soon as Ha Woo-jin locked eyes with Cheon-hwi, he revealed delight across his entire face.
And then, waving his hand, he ran over.
“It’s Cheon-hwi!”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
Ha Woo-jin smiled brightly.
After doing so for a moment, he scanned the Daoists of the Mount Hua Sect. Then, hardening his face, he approached closer to Cheon-hwi.
And carefully asked near his ear.
“Could the representative of the Mount Hua Sect be…….”
“It’s me. Why?”
“Heo-eo.”
Ha Woo-jin’s expression became complicated.
“Are they not hiding it anymore?”
Worry was evident in his tone of voice.
At that, Cheon-hwi almost snorted in laughter.
‘Who’s worrying about whom?’
Swallowing his laughter, Cheon-hwi spoke.
“They called it an awl in a pocket.”
“……That is also correct.”
Ha Woo-jin smiled bitterly.
Thinking about it carefully, it was rather impressive that they had managed to hide Cheon-hwi until now.
‘Since it will be revealed anyway, are they trying to place some fame in his hands at least.’
It was a convincing decision.
Ha Woo-jin, understanding the Mount Hua Sect’s decision, nodded his head and opened his mouth.
“Then you and I will step forward in this competition.”
“Huh? You’re entering the competition?”
Cheon-hwi tilted his head in confusion.
“What are you so surprised about? Is it that strange for me to participate in the competition?”
“That too, but I thought the Sect Leader of the Zhongnan Sect would step forward himself.”
Cheon-hwi spoke as if it were obvious.
Of course, Ha Woo-jin’s skills were also decent.
Whether he had gained some enlightenment after the decisive battle at White Ghost Castle, he had broken through the wall and was exuding a momentum different from before.
However.
‘He is still lacking though.’
Compared to Im Yeong, he was still lacking.
‘Since it’s a competition risking the fate of Shaanxi Province, I thought he would step forward himself.’
Ha Woo-jin let out a smile.
“Do you find me unreliable?”
“It’s because the Sect Leader is stronger.”
Ha Woo-jin’s eyes grew large.
Soon after, he hurriedly looked around before approaching Cheon-hwi and whispering.
“……H-how did you know that?”
“Yes?”
Ha Woo-jin’s expression became serious.
“The Sect Leader’s martial prowess is currently known in the Jianghu to have only barely reached the Limitless Realm. But how did you…….”
“You can just tell by looking, can’t you?”
“What……?”
Ha Woo-jin stared in bewilderment.
Then, he burst into a hollow laugh.
“No, I asked an useless question.”
His opponent was Cheon-hwi.
Someone impossible to grasp with his common sense.
When Ha Woo-jin harbored a bitter smile.
Step… Step…
A sturdy old man with white hair walked over.
Seeing him, Ha Woo-jin offered a martial salute.
He was Lord Baekpa of the Small Sword Sect, a sect that passed its teachings down to a single disciple, and a participant in this competition.
“It’s been a long time since we met. Great Hero.”
“I heard that you are also participating in this competition…… Is that correct?”
“That is correct.”
In that moment, Lord Baekpa’s eyes deepened.
“Then I would like to ask a favor.”
“What is it?”
“May I step forward first?”
As if he wanted to enter the competition even a moment sooner, he tightly clenched his fists.
“I beg of you.”
Ha Woo-jin’s eyes grew large.
Lord Baekpa was famous for being a lone wolf who didn’t listen to others. Such a man had lowered his head.
“I do not mind.”
Lord Baekpa offered a martial salute.
“Thank you for yielding.”
“Haha, it is nothing.”
Just as Lord Baekpa, who soon raised his head, was about to turn his body for a moment, he asked with an ‘ah’ as if remembering something.
“Come to think of it, do you perhaps know who is stepping forward for the competition from the Mount Hua Sect?”
As soon as that question ended.
“It’s me.”
Cheon-hwi, who was between them, spoke.
“……!”
Instantly, Lord Baekpa’s pupils wavered.
It was an event that also staked the fate of the Mount Hua Sect.
For that reason, he thought they would send out the Flowing Cloud Swordsman or an expert comparable to him.
But for it to be such a young child.
‘What is the Mount Hua Sect thinking?’
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
What did the Mount Hua Sect matter?
What he wanted right now was only one thing.
“If it is not impolite, may I step forward to the competition first?”
Lord Baekpa’s words were sincere.
No matter how young he was, the other party was a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect.
Moreover, he was a person who would participate in the competition.
“Do as you please.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“For just that, what’s there to thank. It’s not that big of a deal.”
As Cheon-hwi spoke nonchalantly, Lord Baekpa smiled for the first time.
“Hoho.”
Lord Baekpa briefly harbored a gentle smile as if he were looking at a grandson.
Tat.
Completely wiping away his smile, Lord Baekpa stomped his foot and soared into the air in a single breath.
Having gone up onto the martial arts arena in a single breath, he glared at the Divine Province Four Hegemons’ side and parted his lips.
“I am Lord Baekpa of the Small Sword Sect!”
He erupted with a resounding Lion’s Roar.
It was so loud and intense that the crowds, who had been about to burst into shouts at Lord Baekpa’s ascension, covered their ears.
However, as if he had no time to care about such things, Lord Baekpa shouted again.
“Let the Soul Snatching Sect Leader come forth!”
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