Dark and Light Martial Emperor

Chapter 26. The Reason for Fighting (1)

“Brr, it’s cold. How did it get so chilly all of a sudden? I’ll freeze to death if I keep wandering around in this rag.”

His body was shivering, but his face was bright.

“I finally made it!”

Gadeuksang looked at the huge garden. To be precise, he was scanning the signs of life inside.

‘As expected, there are many.’

He felt countless presences of people. What was surprising was that most of them were masters worthy of being called first-class.

Gadeuksang smiled excitedly and clapped his hands.

‘Are these the heirs of the clans? They even sent top-notch guards.’

He was more impressed by the guards’ aura, which was stealthy but sharp, than the heirs’ confidence, which was full of energy. After all, it was natural to attach experts when sending successors to the martial world, where anything could happen.

“Well, then, let’s go and see the faces of the young masters and ladies…”

That was when.

“Who are you?”

“Gasp!”

Gadeuksang quickly straightened his posture and turned around.

There was a middle-aged swordsman standing there. His expression was as blunt as a carved stone, but his aura was as sharp as a sword.

Gadeuksang coughed.

‘I made a mistake again.’

He couldn’t be a martial artist if he didn’t notice such a swordsman approaching. He was the type who would forget everything around him once he focused.

“You have a remarkable inner power. You don’t seem like a simple beggar… Are you from the Beggar Sect?”

“Yes, I am, Great Sword of the Storm.”

Shinmo widened his eyes.

“Do you know me?”

“Haha, I have to be quick-witted when I live by begging for food.”

The Beggar Sect’s martial arts were comparable to the Nine Great Sects. But surprisingly, their specialty was not martial arts.

It was information. The Beggar Sect’s information network was the best in the martial world. Of course, one had to be smart and alert to join the Beggar Sect.

Shinmo looked at Gadeuksang’s waist.

‘Eight knots?’

The Eight Knots.

Shinmo’s face showed surprise.

“The Second Beggar?”

Gadeuksang scratched his head awkwardly. Flakes of dandruff fell off.

“I’m just a rice worm who gets beaten by my master even at this age.”

He described himself cheerfully, but no one could ignore the Second Beggar of the Beggar Sect.

The Beggar Sect was a group that was rated as equal to the Nine Great Sects and the Seven Great Families. As a single sect, they had the most disciples, so they were also called the Hundred Thousand Beggars.

The king of all the beggars scattered in the Central Plains. The top mogul of the information world.

Gadeuksang was the successor of such a person.

Shinmo bowed.

“I apologize for being rude. I didn’t know you were the successor of the Beggar Sect.”

“Oh, don’t say sorry! You’re too courteous to a lowly beggar!”

He was a martial giant who could proudly call himself lowly.

His attitude seemed even more admirable. Even though they just met, Shinmo was sure that Gadeuksang was not an easy person.

“But what are you doing here so early in the morning…?”

“Ah! Hahaha! I just had some business around here, and I heard that the Seven Great Families were having a gathering of their young heirs. I thought I might be able to learn some skills by sneaking around.”

Shinmo’s eyes sparkled.

A person who was the Second Beggar of the Beggar Sect wouldn’t have just found out about the gathering of the Seven Great Families. He must have come to find out something.

“I’m sorry. I’m a swordsman of the Yeon Family, so I don’t have the authority to let you in.”

“Hey, it’s okay! A beggar shouldn’t bother the guests of the feast!”

Shinmo nodded.

“Then I’ll go in first.”

“Yes, please go ahead… Huh?”

Gadeuksang tilted his head.

“But what’s that bundle?”

“Ah, this…”

Shinmo coughed.

“It’s an errand from the eldest son of the main family.”

“An errand? What kind of errand is so heavy…”

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Huh? Oh, yes! Please go ahead!”

Shinmo entered the garden.

Gadeuksang’s eyes shone sharply.

“The eldest son Yeon Hojeong.”

The villain who set fire to the Choseong Tower and burned the enemy alive. The eldest son of the Byeoksan Yeon Family, who was once rumored to be the disciple of the Tiger Lord.

Shinmo knew that he was the Great Master of the Changyeong, and that he had done a great deed at the Choseong Tower. But he didn’t ask him about Yeon Hojeong when he met him by chance. He didn’t think he would tell him anyway.

‘The real fun is to meet him in person and scratch him gently.’

Ah, I can’t wait.

Gadeuksang banged on the closed door.

“Hey, are you having a party or something? It smells so good since morning! If you have any leftovers, let me have some!”

* * *

“Huff!”

Yeon Hojeong threw the iron rod away, dripping with sweat.

He had gotten up early in the morning and swung the iron rod non-stop until now, the end of the hour of the dragon.

‘I’ve done enough with the Whirlwind Rod. I can move on to the spear.’

His body had not healed as much as he had hoped, but he had mastered the basics of the spear-rod technique. He had learned the rod technique while also looking ahead to the spear technique, but wielding a real spear with a blade was a different matter.

It was a much faster progress than he had expected. As he learned the Black Tortoise, the subtlety of his martial arts came alive, and the time it took to learn new skills was halved.

‘I can’t skip the spear.’

His real weapon was a huge axe that weighed tens of kilograms.

He had to master the spear technique to the level of an expert in order to handle the axe like his own limbs. As the Black Tortoise energy deepened day by day, the spear technique would also be learned in no time.

‘The weapon is important, but so is awakening all the Four Divine Energies. I should start with the White Tiger.’

If the Black Tortoise of the Four Divine Arts was specialized in perfect defense, the White Tiger was specialized in relentless attack. There was no martial art like the White Tiger for combat and advance.

He thought of the Four Divine Arts, and suddenly he thought of the man called the Four Directionless.

‘A martial art that is flawless in offense, defense, and evasion, and that commands a golden dragon?’

Yeon Hojeong stroked his chin with a serious face.

‘There are many martial arts that excel in offense, defense, and evasion. But the part about the golden dragon bothers me.’

What if the man called the Four Directionless was really the successor of the Four Divine Arts?

‘He must have reached the Yellow Dragon Energy.’

The Yellow Dragon Energy was the ultimate of the Four Divine Arts.

He thought that there was no absolute invincibility in the world, but he also thought that the Yellow Dragon Energy was the closest to invincibility. It was a secret technique that was so difficult that even Yeon Hojeong of the Black Darkness Era could not enter the threshold.

‘If I have a martial art that can bring out the Yellow Dragon Energy, I’m confident that I won’t lose to anyone. At least in this life…’

This time, he would never leave the same regret as before.

Yeon Hojeong tried to forget about the Four Directionless. He had grilled Yeon Aryeon with questions about the possible successor of the Four Divine Arts, but now was not the time to learn about the past of a stranger.

He finished his bath with cold water and felt a presence in his room.

“Is it Pyeong?”

“Yes, brother.”

Yeon Jipyeong greeted Yeon Hojeong with a smile.

“Did you wash up?”

“Yeah.”

“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s go together.”

“Let’s go.”

The Yeon brothers left the room and headed to the dining hall.

The brothers were silent on their way to the dining hall. Yeon Hojeong was not very talkative, so that was understandable, but it was surprising considering Yeon Jipyeong’s personality.

Yeon Hojeong glanced at Yeon Jipyeong.

Yeon Jipyeong’s expression was bright. But his eyes were scanning the surroundings sharply.

“What are you thinking?”

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Yeon Hojeong sighed as he watched Yeon Jipyeong casually.

“You don’t have to worry about the surroundings.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to be nervous because of what happened yesterday.”

“Ah…”

Yeon Jipyeong scratched his head.

“I was just being cautious.”

“I’m sorry. You must have been worried because of me.”

“No, brother. It was the eldest son of the clan who caused the trouble yesterday. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Yeon Jipyeong’s expression was quite serious. He seemed to be sincere, not just saying nice words.

Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.

“But fighting with the third son of the prestigious family…”

“Haha, I don’t want to think about that.”

“Huh?”

You don’t want to think about it? What does that mean?

Yeon Jipyeong whetted his appetite.

“I had this thought on my way here. I was really nothing but a frog in a well. The world was much more interesting and dangerous than I thought.”

That’s true.

“But you were different, brother. No matter how I thought about it, you didn’t fit the clan’s doctrine, but you had a strong sense of self and a clear conviction.”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes became strange.

He confidently said that he didn’t fit the clan’s doctrine. That meant he understood the clan’s teachings well.

“I don’t think I’m as smart as you, brother. But I know one thing. You would never do anything that would harm the clan.”

“…”

“I’ll think about whether your way of handling things is right or wrong later. All I know is that I trust you, and you don’t waver. That’s what matters.”

Yeon Jipyeong smiled.

The fifteen-year-old boy’s smile was not childish, but strong.

“But I didn’t know you were so good at martial arts, brother. I think I have to learn from you from now on?”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.

No, he felt like he had to learn from Yeon Jipyeong.

His younger brother had lived by the clan’s teachings all his life. But even though he was shocked by his brother’s radical words and actions, he didn’t lose his faith in him.

He had enough worries on his way here, but now he decided to trust his brother and follow him.

‘Did he have this side to him?’

He was strong.

Maybe his younger brother was born with a strong nature. Or maybe he just didn’t have to show it until now.

“But why are you looking around like that?”

“You said it yourself, brother. This is the martial world, where killers appear in broad daylight and saints appear in back alleys.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you know? Maybe someone will try to harm you because of what happened yesterday.”

Yeon Hojeong chuckled.

“Who would dare to harm me, with your skills?”

“Why are you saying that? I’m not as good as you, but I’m decent enough.”

Considering his age, he was not decent, but amazing.

Yeon Hojeong ruffled Yeon Jipyeong’s hair.

“Ouch!”

“Don’t be so tense and relax. I’ll protect you if anything happens.”

“My hair is all messed up!”

“That’s what I’m doing, you brat.”

Yeon Hojeong’s tone changed slightly.

It was exactly like when he was in the clan. But after he came out to the world, his attitude towards his brother was more like a father than a brother.

It was because it was dangerous, as Yeon Jipyeong said. He naturally acted like the Black Darkness Lord, who was forty-six years old, to protect his brother.

But Yeon Jipyeong was not weak. He confirmed that and was able to treat Yeon Jipyeong like he did in the clan.

“By the way, what’s for breakfast today?”

“I don’t know. But it smells like braised pork belly.”

“Meat for breakfast, huh? That’s what money does to you.”

That was when the Yeon brothers arrived at the dining hall.

“Burp! Wow, am I getting old? I’m full after eating just this!”

A beggar kicked the door open and patted his belly as he came out.

Surprisingly, there was no contempt in the eyes of the young heirs who saw the beggar enter. They looked nervous, though.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes shone.

‘A beggar? From the Beggar Sect? The knots are… eight?’

He looked at the beggar’s face. The beggar also looked at Yeon Hojeong’s face.

For a moment, Yeon Hojeong saw a vision of the past.

The rascal who never stopped laughing while stroking his dirty, half-white beard. The one who knew his true identity as the Black Darkness Lord, but didn’t spread it to the martial world.

The leader of the Beggar Sect who helped him push the forces of the Evil Sect, and one of the few heroes who treated him, the King of the Black Path, the same as the leaders of the martial world.

Yeon Hojeong overlaid the memory of the past over the beggar’s face.

If his filthy and dark beard grew a little longer and turned half-white?

If the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth deepened, and his sparse hair was tightly tied up?

If the knots increased from eight to nine, and he wore a neat short rod with a jade inlaid on his waist?

“Gadeuksang, the Dragon Head of the Beggar Sect?!”