Chapter 176

Meanwhile, Qing, who sent one guy away, was flustered.

What’s up with this woman’s walls?

Did she just rise like Oki-rin or something?

…No, she actually did rise, didn’t she?

Qing pondered for a moment.

Should he pretend to know her or not?

The conclusion came quickly.

Even if he pretended to know, he would only suffer.

Once that distribution was done, she’d just frown and smack her tongue at him, acting like he was a beggar.

He figured he should see her in the shape of a human at the Martial World Tournament.

While Qing was measuring his escape route, suddenly, Pang Dae-san came striding up in big steps and grabbed his wrist.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Shut up and follow me.”

Honestly, if he wanted to shake her off, he could easily do so.

Not only could he shake her off, but he could also swing her around like a weapon.

But rather than breaking through that woman’s defensive wall of Oki-rin’s guards, it was more advantageous to take the alleyway, so he went along docilely.

However, that foot-dragging was anything but obedient.

“Oh my, what are you doing? No matter how urgent you are, this isn’t okay. First, get the ambiance right. Hm. You won’t break it even if you put some effort in.”

Suddenly, feeling the pressure squeezing his wrist, Qing spoke up.

The beautiful wrist of the Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat, which vied for first among the Heavenly Ten Demonic Arts, could withstand a hammer blow without a scratch; it was hard to break but not truly invincible.

“What are you doing, anyway? What’s with this look?”

Qing flinched.

As a seasoned expert on Pang Dae-san, he had to classify the voice of his friend’s mood in the highest risk category, the low bass, low-frequency tone bursting forth from the very beginning.

Qing tried to lighten the atmosphere.

“Oh, did I get caught? You recognized me! Wow, it must be true that friends know each other well. Long time no see, San.”

Pang Dae-san’s eyes trembled violently.

Meeting a female friend in any situation was the worst possible form.

Meeting Seomun Qing again was the absolute worst.

“What on earth did you do? Who was that man that just left?”

Pang Dae-san’s voice shook.

If Pang Choryeo had heard it, she would have recognized it as a sign of a major explosion of anger, but since Pang Choryeo raised Pang Dae-san, how could Qing know?

“Oh, that dude? I don’t know why there are so many like him lately. This guy was trying to pull some shtick during broad daylight, so I smashed him up and chased him off for his coin.”

“What?”

Pang Dae-san’s expression twisted into a grimace.

He recalled that subtle expression on the face of the conman with tears staining his cheeks, meaning he had been hit and then briefly fell into the river of the afterlife but come back to life.

Amidst the fleeting relief, there was an explosion of anger erupting like a volcano.

“Ha. Are you even kidding me? What? You smashed him and took his money? What kind of face-saving effort was that? Do you even plan on living with your head held high in the Central Plain?”

“San, my friend, calm down for a moment…”

“Do I look calm? Ha, do you have any idea what all the men in the city are saying about you?”

“Um… They say there’s a dirty, foul-mouthed lady beggar you shouldn’t mess with?”

“Ha. There’s a city attraction. A beggar prostitute who sleeps with one hundred men a day. I even arrived today around lunch, yet I’ve already heard the rumors.”

“What?”

Qing’s expression soured immediately.

“What kind of filthy bastard is spreading those rumors? Who did it? Who made up such nonsense?”

“All the guys around the manor.”

“Damn it.”

Qing’s insides boiled with rage.

What’s the deal with that?

Yeah, okay, it’s my fault, I messed up.

I should have burst his head with a proper taste of the Master of Dark Demon Arts instead of just a slap.

“This won’t do. Who are these bastards? I’ll carve them into star shapes.”

Qing’s gaze started losing its shine.

As Qing couldn’t hide his rising anger, Pang Dae-san’s energy seemed to deflate instead.

“Ha. So, you really didn’t know. While pretending to be a beggar, what have you been doing without hearing such news?”

“Well, I didn’t hear it.”

Qing replied defensively.

After all, it was a topic gossiping among men, so why would it reach his ears as the main character being a woman?

“…First, I think you need to explain why you’re dressed like a beggar.”

“Oh, this? How did this happen, you ask…?”

Qing began explaining what happened in the tavern.

Old man sobbing. Heterodox guys. Eating maggots.

A bizarre choice of a human trafficker wanting the latter instead of the former for a gold coin.

And a bounty of ten thousand coins.

“…So, I didn’t want to cause any trouble for anyone, so I disguised myself as a beggar to keep my head down.”

“Seriously, do I have to say this is so you?”

Hearing this, it turned out Qing had done nothing wrong.

Moreover, Blackspots were originally a conglomeration of low-lifes dealing in all sorts of poisons, drugs, stolen goods, even human flesh.

“Well, it’s okay. Anyway, only three people know my true identity—no, actually, just our San is in the know. I’ve already made a promise with the two. They’ll keep my secret, right, San?”

After all, the beggar flower of the manor was someone who wouldn’t be around soon anyway.

With only a few people knowing his identity, A-Joon and the uncle would keep quiet, and since A-Joon was a good kid who listened well, there wouldn’t be any trouble.

The appearance of Nugok Grandfather’s name helped them maintain a plausible deniability.

So, once he leaves, it’s over.

The beggar flower would disappear from the world.

“Ha, with that body, good luck disappearing,”

“What’s wrong with my body?”

“Do you not know? Is there another woman of that height and that, well, let’s say, that… generous figure in this martial world?”

Somehow, Pang Dae-san turned his gaze away as he spoke.

Qing chuckled.

“Why are you being so careful with your words? Why can’t you just say it’s a ridiculous pair of melons?”

“…Did you remember that? And melons, damn, I didn’t say anything that vulgar.”

“Oh, was that Seolga’s line?”

“Who the hell said anything about melons? I’ll retract my comment, so just forget about it.”

“Not happening. I’ll never forget. And you know, people tend to judge by appearances? When you’re dressed like a beggar, you’re just a tall beggar, and when you’re in Divine Maiden Sect robes, you’re seen as a martial female warrior. And what if I say I’m not?”

Pang Dae-san paused in contemplation.

Thinking it over, he vaguely remembered occasionally saying such flamboyant statements.

At that moment.

“Wow, but how did you recognize me so instantly? Even after I transformed completely, my arms and legs have changed lengths, right?”

“Hmm. Still, you need to be careful. Rumors can be malicious and stick to you if they want. What’s going to happen if a truly horrible rumor spreads?”

Pang Dae-san changed the subject.

“San! Are you worried about me!? Wow, Seomun Qing is overwhelmed with emotion. A flood of tears of gratitude! Don’t worry; when that happens, I can just show my face, right? Look! Ta-da!”

“What does showing your face even change?”

Pang Dae-san’s words were abruptly cut off.

It was the fate of one who faced Qing’s harmful face without a moment’s preparation.

Just as a smile full of radiant charm, intimately woven with delighted joy and thrilling warmth, seemed dazzlingly bright with those playful, red lips gracefully arching.

For some reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off that singular hue of red fading into the gray world around.

But that moment was short-lived.

Qing didn’t give him any chance to relax.

“See? I’ve become prettier, right? This is the power of transformation. Ah, this transformation is really something; I can’t explain it. You won’t know unless you experience it. Some still have no idea? How could a warrior at the peak of their skills understand rebirth? Ah, what a pity.”

That loose tongue of hers.

Pang Dae-san’s eyebrows twitched.

“Peak? Now it’s the late stages of transformation.”

“Yeah, yeah, now you’re a bit more awake? You see my face and nothing else pops into your head?”

“Cough.”

Understanding its power, Pang Dae-san couldn’t reply but instead cleared his throat out of stubborn pride.

Seeing that, Qing felt a surge of triumph.

“I have a plan, so I properly pretended to be a beggar. If I looked any less convincing, everyone would have doubted me, right?”

In that moment, Qing’s arrogance was slightly deflated.

Truth be told, he had no plan at all.

However, Qing, who wasn’t displaying his status, was unaware.

Sometimes ignorance was bliss.

“So, what’s your next move?”

“The beggar will exit. I planned to lie low until the Martial World Tournament, but now that I can’t do that, I’ll sneak out, have a bath at night. Ah, I can’t stand being dirty! Please understand; it would be weird for a beggar to be clean.”

“That’s fine.”

Given Pang Dae-san’s character, he expected a freak-out but was met with an unexpectedly calm acceptance.

What’s this? Is it a bonus for friends?

Has Pang Dae-san finally realized the value of friendship?

“Oh, wait. If I disappear like this, won’t it cause trouble for San? I’d end up being labeled as the beggar who shared a bed with a hundred customers a day.”

“Don’t even jokingly say that. It’s something I must keep hidden forever.”

“Now you’re lowering your voice again. Hmm, how about this? Actually, the beggar is the Great Demon Lord in disguise, and the righteous hero, San, ultimately banishes her after an intense duel.”

Even Qing thought this make-believe spun on the spot sounded really plausible.

Not only could it explain the disappearance of the beggar flower, but it also served to elevate Pang Dae-san’s name—truly a two-in-one brilliant scheme.

“Then, see you at the Martial World Tournament.”

“Are you really going to leave just like that?”

“Why not?”

“Becoming the beggar’s companion doesn’t sound too bad, actually. No, it might even be great. This way, all those annoying women following me will drop off—a golden opportunity. And besides—”

“And besides?”

“Um. No.”

Pang Dae-san swallowed his words.

Just in case this would raise suspicion later, it was best not to mention that.

But a man should never strip away his pride.

“What? Why’d you stop talking? There are two things that make people frustrated: one is when they stop talking in the middle of a conversation.”

Qing looked pointedly at Pang Dae-san.

Pang Dae-san waited quietly.

After a lengthy stare-down, Pang Dae-san realized he had been cornered.

“Alright, let’s just hang out together and grab a tavern. You can clean yourself up afterward, and why not? It’s not like a woman bathes secretly in the middle of the night—who knows who might see?”

“Oh, San. You’re trying to get all emotional on me, huh?”

“Enough. You can slip away and then meet me at Zhangyuan Daoist Gate. Since our destinations are the same, why bother going separately?”

“Sorry, but that’s a no-go.”

“What? Why’s that?”

Pang Dae-san’s eyebrows jerked up.

Qing answered seriously.

“As a swordsman, I can’t bear the shame of lingering around a beggar, that’s why. Hmph.”

“Cough.”

Suddenly, Pang Dae-san burst out laughing.

He clearly looked like he was struggling not to laugh but failed miserably with a bright red face trying to stave off the wind pushing up inside.

“Can’t you just laugh? Does it feel like losing if you laugh?”

“I didn’t… laugh…”

“Uhn… Oh…”

“Cough.”

Pang Dae-san suddenly sounded like he was sobbing.

Even as he held back the sounds from escaping his lungs, he was indeed a formidable character.

“Alright, so it’s the beggar’s lingering shame? Ah. That beggar of yours, is she inside too?”

“Oh, that damn protruding shock. If it’s the older sister you mentioned, well, I’m afraid so.”

Despite the lingering humor, Pang Dae-san’s voice drifted slightly off-key.

Then Qing jumped in quickly.

“Then again, back to Zhangyuan Daoist Gate. As a friend sharing principles, insulting the Dao is just as good as insulting me. A great sword is merely a pair of blades placed next to one another, right? From now on, I shall call the pair of swords the moonlight pair. Now that there are two moonlight blades, when will the full moon moonlight howling day come?”

At that, Pang Dae-san looked at Qing with a set gaze.

What on earth is this strange person?

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