Chapter 47

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 26, 2025

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“The Great Justice Gate’s sect leader, Wang Gae-yuk, was a good person.”

Looking at the mountain of snacks piled on the table, Qing didn’t need to confirm anything; it was obvious enough.

And indeed, he was maintaining good deeds, so he was more than qualified to be a leader of an orthodox sect.

While Namgoong Shin-jae kept a strangely polite distance and chatted around, Qing decided to dig in.

With a bitter local tea called Banhancha and a mountain of fried dough and two kinds of cakes, the feast was laid out.

Those fried dough snacks were one of Qing’s favorites.

They tasted just like the twisted pastries he used to have back in his hometown. Well, the recipe was the same, so of course, the taste would be identical.

The cakes were generally just a type of pastry that was cooled and hardened.

They could be sweet, sour-sweet, or even salty.

Qing didn’t hold back when it came to food.

He thought his only advantage was his enormous stomach.

Looking back, his obsession with food might stem from suffering in ancient, primitive China.

It felt like a mix of giving and taking.

After filling his snack belly for the time being, he suddenly remembered that the snacks weren’t his goal.

“Ah. Sect Leader, do you happen to know someone named Lee Ha-sam?”

“Lee Ha-sam? Lee Ha-sam… Was there such a disciple? I don’t recall anyone like that. Haha, embarrassing as it is, I can’t remember every disciple’s name. Anyway, why are you looking for him?”

“Well, you see…”

Qing recounted the incident that occurred at the side door.

Wang Gae-yuk slapped his palm with his fist.

“Ah, that old woman. It’s truly unfortunate, but I wonder why she’s tarnishing the name of our Great Justice Gate.”

“Did you know?”

“Of course. The situation is dire, so I’ve been asking around. But that Lee Ha-sam is a real scoundrel.”

“A scoundrel?”

“Obsessed with gambling, he lost everything and even sold his wife to a brothel. No doubt he ran off to escape his creditors. And then he sold the name of our sect. Tsk tsk.”

Wang Gae-yuk clicked his tongue with a disapproving look. He wasn’t putting on an act.

Qing suddenly recalled the old woman’s words.

She definitely said she’d received a big assignment from the Great Justice Gate and was looking to live well by finding her daughter-in-law again.

It did not sound right as if one could just store away a daughter-in-law somewhere. If he sold his wife, it would mean he intended to buy her back with money.

At that moment, Wang Gae-yuk subtly brought up something.

“Ah. Those incompetent ones keep pestering me to introduce you to a guest. Would you mind?”

Qing looked at Namgoong Shin-jae.

A wordless exchange passed between the sword masters.

‘Is this a price for the meal?’

‘Right.’

They seemed to understand each other quite well.

If you eat, you have to pay for it.

Since they had to wait for Pang Dae-san and Chang-bin anyway, chatting with the kids for a bit wouldn’t hurt.

—

When Pang Dae-san and Chang-bin returned, their stories weren’t much different either.

A guy addicted to gambling who even sold his wife.

He must have run off to avoid his gambling debts.

But that wasn’t all.

“Many guys like that escape. They said Lee Ha-sam had the attitude of someone who struck it big. They even said three people mentioned our Great Justice Gate alongside Lee Ha-sam.”

“So, is there a connection to the Great Justice Gate?”

“The amount of food brought into the Great Justice Gate and the amount of leftover waste hasn’t changed. It’s not really a case of kidnapping.”

Pang Dae-san relayed what the informant had told him. The informant, a former courtesan, had given everything without holding back. Historically, beauty was power.

“When they talked about activities outside the Great Justice Gate, it was all just patrols. No one was sent out, so they said there shouldn’t be any connection with our sect.”

“Hmm. So he just ran off? Did they ask those beggars?”

“The beggars… Wait, that expression.”

Pang Dae-san shuddered suddenly.

That look again. The one that says he doesn’t know anything.

“You don’t know what beggars are…?”

“I don’t?”

At this point, he could only marvel at the situation.

Has his ignorance gone beyond comprehension?

In truth, he was just uninterested.

He never cared to find out, nor did he have anyone to ask about it during his travels.

The only thing he cared about was food.

Seomun Sulin had looked at Qing in shock and taught him a lot of common knowledge.

But even Seomun Sulin couldn’t have possibly taught him something so basic.

How could one dare fathom the absence of common sense beyond the realm of imagination?

So today, Qing finally learned the identity of the ‘Beggar’ group.

That the fierce beggars he saw strolling around with new ropes were indeed the beggars from this gang.

He realized that the old beggar tangled up in knots was actually someone high up in the beggar society, and that he was just a minor player in the distribution game, so there was no need to bother about it.

“They say the man who ran away was over thirty and that most sightings of him were noteworthy, but it seems unusual.”

“So, what does that mean? They all ran away together?”

“Someone must have promised a big profit using the name of the Great Justice Gate to lure them out, or so I’ve heard.”

“Oh. Clever beggars.”

Qing marveled at that.

Then something felt off.

“But is that all? Why do only they know? Shouldn’t the Great Justice Gate know too? Shouldn’t someone have investigated this?”

Pang Dae-san replied as if it were obvious.

“Well, these are just losers living life on a whim, thinking they could hit it big. Is it necessary to find them?”

“Huh?”

Qing looked at Namgoong Shin-jae.

Namgoong Shin-jae spoke.

“Trash that sold his own wife. It’d be better for his mother if he just disappeared.”

“Oh?”

Qing turned his head to see Chang-bin.

Chang-bin nodded, but as their eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze.

What’s going on? Am I the weird one here?

Qing felt unjustly accused and defended himself.

“Is that right? If someone is scheming…”

“Are you having difficulty facing about thirty unimpressive warriors?”

“Of course not!”

It was natural that Pang Dae-san referred to Qing by name, but no one noticed.

“Even a third-rate warrior who knows how to swing a sword isn’t a problem, so what kind of scheme could thirty losers from the gutter cook up?”

“Oh.”

Listening further, that was indeed true. But that wasn’t the problem, was it?

“Brother Chang-bin. You say something too.”

“Uh, well. Young Lady. You see, it’s not really our business to intervene…”

Chang-bin sneaked a glance at Qing here.

His hesitant words seemed wanting to drop their formality.

Qing nodded.

He had asked to be friends long ago, so his reluctance to drop the honorifics was actually surprising.

“It’s the commoners’ affair. Ultimately, it’s something the government should handle.”

Official Imposition of Non-Interference.

It meant that the government and the martial world did not intrude on each other, leaving their respective domains untouched.

That was why fights between warriors weren’t considered murder worthy of apprehension.

On the other hand, a warrior who killed a commoner was hunted down, with a bounty placed on their head. Those who went too far could even expect government masters to come out swinging swords at them.

“Of course, there are families like the Shin Chang Yang family, who have protected the commoners while bleeding for generations. Just because the government is incompetent and can’t stop the Japanese invaders, does that mean the Yang family needs to step up? Even their family is located inland, so they shouldn’t even be related to the Japanese.”

The Shin Chang Yang family seemed fitting enough.

Qing frowned at their name, which he had considered akin to child molesters.

Ah. I wonder if Jang Myung is doing well?

Since he said he’d return around winter, I could enjoy some sights of Hwasan and drop by the Divine Maiden Sect for a bit.

Then, he suddenly felt an emptiness.

Something felt missing. What could it be?

It seemed there was something obvious that he was lacking.

Suddenly, the answer popped into his mind.

The status window.

More precisely, his mission window wasn’t popping up.

Why?

Usually, at this point, a sudden mission would pop up, screwing with a person’s mood, right?

Did I overcome that feeling last time??

Qing opened the mission window with a strange feeling.

As if floating in the corner of his vision, the mission window emerged and unfolded right in the center of his gaze.

His eyes trembled slightly as he scrolled through the completed missions.

Sudden missions didn’t pop up at any random time.

They appeared when Qing felt insulted or threatened.

Or in the presence of an imminent martial conflict.

So really, the disappearance of some common person’s case wasn’t his concern at all.

Qing covered his mouth.

His previously swallowed snacks threatened to make an encore performance.

Ugh! This damned status window.

Whether it appears or not, it’s a fuss either way.

Does the mission discriminate who it picks, then?

So, what are deeds good or bad to it?

Does the government have its standards, while the martial world has its own for good and bad deeds?

What were the underlying criteria anyway?

Was the status window arbitrarily rating him, making the distinction of good and evil irrelevant?

Then what about me?

What about what I’ve done…

“Seomun Qing!”

Pang Dae-san’s exclamation snapped Qing back to reality.

“Are you alright? Your complexion suddenly turned pale.”

“No. I’m not alright… or not quite.”

Qing’s hands trembled slightly.

He was thirsty.

A thirst inside that couldn’t be quenched with water or alcohol.

Blood. Blood. I need to see blood, I need to see blood…

Then suddenly, a face came to mind.

Right! I had seen someone I could kill.

Just a bit longer, let’s wait until nightfall to see some blood.

“Huh…”