“The smell is atrocious.”
“Isn’t that true for all places where beggars live?”
Well, those guys aren’t going to bathe every day, after all.
I wrinkled my nose at the intense stench, reminiscent of the homeless at Seoul Station’s Line 1, as we entered their territory.
Naturally, countless gazes were fixed on Ha-jin and me.
It felt like I was at customs with the way they were eyeing me up and down.
Are they estimating how they can fleece me?
But with Ha-jin, dressed in the robes of Hainam Sword Sect beside me, they’re probably just trying to figure out who I am.
I spoke to Ha-jin, who was looking around the surroundings with a slightly tense expression.
“Brother Im. Do you know how to make contact with the Beggar Sect? I heard there’s a special method required.”
“How should we…”
“Hye-ryeong told me.”
Though it feels a bit underhanded to use Hye-ryeong this way, for smooth problem-solving, it’s best not to fret over trivialities.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We ignored the beggars’ gazes and moved further inside.
Indeed, in the original story, a special method was necessary to contact the Beggar Sect.
“First, we need to find the House of Begging.”
Ha-jin looked around for the residence of the local branch master who oversees this village’s beggars. But it was unlikely we’d find the House of Begging in such a shallow area.
“We’ll have to go deeper.”
Before these guys summon the Beggar Sect’s beggars… judging by how they’re pretending to do their own thing while covertly observing us, they don’t seem inclined to approach first.
Beggars are lazy unless there’s an emergency, after all.
Silently, we continued moving further inside. The village was rather large, so the beggar village was quite extensive. We spent a good amount of time walking deeper, one day and then another.
“It’s well-hidden. We’ll probably have to keep searching.”
“Not quite. I think we’ve found it.”
“Really?”
I pointed in one direction to help Ha-jin confirm the House of Begging. Amidst the chaotic structures stood a rough building made hastily from mud. It was difficult to distinguish visibly, but it was the only place relatively cleaner in this filthy slum.
It likely houses documents, either on bamboo strips or paper, and they wouldn’t want those dirtied.
“You have keen eyes, Hero. This humble servant is impressed.”
“We still need to confirm that it’s truly the branch master’s residence. Let’s go take a look.”
With Hae-jin looking on with admiration, I walked straight to the interior. The beggars’ gazes grew more intense. They were subtly glancing before but now scrutinized us openly.
Hae-jin seemed uncomfortable with the gazes, coughing lightly but remained composed; after all, beggars are one of the most shameless types in the world.
Unaffected by his uneasiness, the beggars continued glancing at us.
“Brother Im. This is the house.”
“It’s certainly different from the others.”
From a distance, it appeared similar, but the mud house was strangely cleaner than its surroundings.
I crossed my arms and looked at the makeshift barrier instead of entering through the door.
Without permission, opening it might invite a mob of beggars. We don’t need to unnecessarily offend the righteous Beggar Sect, so entering properly would be the wise choice.
“Brother Im.”
“Yes. We can only rest briefly here (只可路過暫棲息).”
“We cannot settle down here (不可長川作住居).”
Ha-jin began the chant, and a voice responded from beyond the door. Then, with bustling noises, an acrid smell reached my nose.
Do they recognize people by smell? Holding my breath, the barrier was pushed aside, and a beggar appeared, flaring his nostrils.
“Who are you?”
“I am Im Ha-jin, the eldest disciple of Hainam Sword Sect.”
“Ahh, the Wind-Cutting Sword. I am Wang Jeong. As you see, I’m the third disciple. Why have you come?”
“Perhaps it would be better to talk inside…”
“There’s no need to worry; all these guys are my subordinates.”
Well, that makes sense. The title of branch master of the Beggar Sect implies being the local top dog. Ha-jin seemed to belatedly realize this fact, nodding before speaking.
“Do you know of Hong’s Tavern?”
“Oh, I know it well. He was quite a good person, giving much charity to the beggars. Though he’s down on his luck now.”
His face wore a bittersweet smile, indicating he had a fairly good reputation among the beggars.
“I’d like to obtain information about him.”
“Hmm… please come in.”
We followed him inside. The interior of the building was reasonably organized compared to the surroundings. Of course, ‘compared to the surroundings’ meaning it was tidier – still a messy room that hadn’t been cleaned in a while for a beggar’s lair.
The unidentified top dog placed his hands behind his back and walked to his desk, flopped down in the chair, and cupped his chin before speaking.
“What’s the reason for wanting information about Hong’s Tavern?”
“Well…”
Ha-jin methodically explained everything we’d seen and experienced so far. From the decline of Hong’s Tavern to the eldest son leaving home and attacking his father in a duel with a water sword, up to his mysterious disappearance.
After listening to the entire story, the beggar scratched the side of his head and replied.
“What will you pay in return?”
Payment.
Just how valuable is the story of the Hong’s Tavern’s eldest son and master?
As I gauged the value, Ha-jin pulled out a money pouch from inside his robes.
Payment with money, huh.
“How much will suffice?”
“What use is money to a beggar? I’d rather have information.”
Information.
It’s probably better for me to step forward here.
Ha-jin’s unfamiliarity with negotiations might lead him to overpay for the information.
I placed my hand on Ha-jin’s shoulder and stepped forward. Seeing my face beneath the wide-brimmed hat, he widened his eyes in surprise and muttered.
“Colored-eyed person…?”
“You’ve never seen a Colored-eyed person?”
“Can you even speak Central Plains language too?”
“Is it that surprising?”
“Wouldn’t it be strange if it weren’t surprising? It’s quite rare for those skilled in Central Plains language to come from a Colored-eyed person reaching so far inland from Central Plains.”
It’s true; seeing a Colored-eyed person in Central Plains isn’t exactly easy. And someone like me, a genuine European, would be even rarer. I asked while maintaining eye contact with him.
“The information on Hong’s Tavern shouldn’t be that expensive. First, what level of information are you seeking? No, there’s something I should inquire first.”
I paused to assess the situation.
Is it because he’s a beggar, or perhaps he’s speculating on the potential value of important information from a Colored-eyed person? His eyes sharpened.
Should I throw the dice?
I spoke calmly.
“Has a messenger from Hainam Sword Sect arrived at the Martial Alliance?”
“How would I know something like that?”
Playing dumb or genuinely clueless? I decided to probe further.
“The Demon Sect attacked Hainam Sword Sect.”
“That much has already reached our information network.”
He sneered as if disdainful that I offered such a meager piece of information. I added with a smirk.
“What about the information that they used the Wallbreaker Bomb?”
I pulled out the Wallbreaker Bomb from within and placed it on the desk. It was the same one I had quenched with water to extinguish the fire. Wang Jeong gasped as he grabbed the Wallbreaker Bomb, examined it thoroughly, and cried out.
“The Wallbreaker Bomb has resurfaced!?”
“So, what else could this be if not proof? With the eldest disciple of Hainam Sword Sect here as a witness, the information is reliable, wouldn’t you say?”
“But I heard they had destroyed all the manufacturing methods decades ago!”
“It seems there was more left than they had let on. Surely enough information to pay for what you seek?”
“That’s more than sufficient! Let me see… there’s information on Iron Hero in the Iron Hero records…”
Wang Jeong searched through a neatly ordered archive that was oddly out of place for a beggar’s appearance and retrieved a book. On the cover was a stylish title that read ‘Iron Hero’.
“Iron Hero was a well-known expert even in Wuchang. However, he suddenly left his martial path at quite a young age to establish an inn in Wuchang.”
“Most people thought he was settling down after getting married, but it seems there was some other reason.”
“Many questioned it at the time, but because he was so affectionate, people accepted it. Such a loving couple.”
It seems Iron Hero was a family man. Certainly, quite a few people change once they have a family; it wouldn’t seem strange to many.
“There was no problem until then. But around the time the eldest son was born, and fifteen years had passed, the situation began to change.”
“Change?”
Was there some incident between Iron Hero and his eldest son?
“The eldest started acting out around the time he turned fifteen. He drank, caused trouble, and hung out with neighborhood hooligans. Iron Hero tried to discipline him strictly, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Isn’t that just the storm-and-stress period?”
“No… he was more of a wild child. No, he was a pure troublemaker. But what was strange was the words he spoke. He asked his father why he wasn’t teaching him martial arts. Then, he suddenly disappeared.”
“The disappearance caused Iron Hero’s wife to fall ill, and eventually, she passed away. Since then, Hong’s Tavern has been run by Iron Hero and the second son.”
“Until the wild child returned after five years and challenged his father to a duel.”
“Five years is quite a long time, but surely not enough for someone to defeat a master of Iron Hero’s level?”
“As talented as your own rapid ascension? Though you seem to have had quite exceptional talent for which even the sect leader was reluctant to kill.”
“Indeed.”
“Surely five years alone wouldn’t be enough for a wild child to attain the skill necessary to defeat such a master?”
“Isn’t that a wuxia story?”
“Absolutely a wuxia story.”
“What we know is only the result since the duel was carried out in secrecy by the two alone.”
“See.”
“Ultimately, the thread we’re looking for lies with Iron Hero who seems to be nearing his end.”
“Does he know where the eldest son is?”
“He’s likely somewhere within the Four Black Wind Sect.”
“Is he affiliated with them?”
“Yes, exactly. They’re troublesome sorts.”
So, the ill-gotten child reared by him turns against his family.
“Any other information?”
“That’s all we have. It’s not right to pry into family matters anyway, is it? It’s awkward even to dig into Hong Lord’s background who has been so benevolent to beggars.”
“Brother Im. Let’s go. This much information is sufficient.”
“Come again if you need more.”
“We’ve got the thread for now, but we might meet again.”
“What?”
Without giving any further response, I left the slum with Ha-jin. Once we were out of the slum, Ha-jin carefully asked me.
“What thread exactly did you find?”
“The reason Iron Hero didn’t pass down martial arts to his eldest son. That’s the core of this case.”
“Ah! I see!”
It seemed Ha-jin understood what I meant and looked at me with admiration.
…Is he cut out to be a Sect Leader?
He seems rather slow on the uptake in this regard.
No, if he’s good-hearted and skilled, it’ll suffice. Political abilities can be cultivated later.
After all, the Hainam Sword Sect’s Sect Leader rarely leaves the island.
In any case, the secrets of this case likely lie with Iron Hero and his Seven Segment Staff.
I contemplated the handling of this matter while heading towards the clinic where Iron Hero might be, to meet Ma-ryang who may possess evidence corroborating my assumptions.
