Chapter 1514: People Experience All Kinds Of Things As They Live (Part 3)

"Hurry!"

"Yes? Oh... yes!"

"Hurry even more, faster! It's the headquarters! Let's go to the headquarters!"

"Yes, Elder!"

The elders of the Beggar's Union, who had quickly gathered the beggars outside the headquarters, began to lead them, rushing forward. The beggars, with bewildered expressions, followed suit without question. Just by observing the elders' desperate demeanor, one could grasp the urgency of the situation inside.

"When we enter the headquarters, we must defeat anyone attacking the elders! Understand?"

"Yes!"

"I'll say it again, without exception! Regardless of the reasons!"

Doubt flashed across the beggars' faces. Was there a need to emphasize such an obvious matter?

"Enter!"

"Yes!"

Suddenly, they reached the headquarters and saw the wide-open entrance. Following the order...

"Halt!"

But at that moment, someone jumped in, blocking their way.

"Huh!"

"What's this?"

The beggars came to an abrupt stop. The elders immediately raised their voices.

"Ignorance is no excuse! Attack!"

The beggars instinctively carried out the command, infusing strength into their staffs.

"Haaaah!"

Kwaaaaang!

Before the beggars could swing their staves, the person blocking their way struck the ground forcefully with a staff. The solid ground in front of the headquarters cracked and sunk deeply.

"That, that!"

The beggars stood still, shocked. It wasn't just the sheer power that surprised them; it was undoubtedly the Beggar's Union's secret skill, the Jade Profound Divine Technique. The jade-colored aura wrapped around the staff was proof of its authenticity.

"Do not go any further."

The beggars were stopped by Pungyeong Shin Gae, who had blocked their way.

"Beggars of the Beggar's Union, obey the command of the Sect Leader! Everyone, stay in your positions!"

"B-But, Sect Leader? Is it really the Sect Leader?"

The beggars murmured. This was a completely different appearance from the Pungyeong Shin Gae they knew, but the martial arts displayed were undoubtedly those of the Beggar's Union. What was happening? Everyone was thrown into confusion.

One of the elders wore a sinister smile.

"Deception! It's all lies! Everyone..."

"Gisim [ 'Memories of the Heart' ] (記心)!"

Pungyeong Shin Gae's roar fell upon him.

"Aren't you not ashamed of your title?"

Gisim Gae bit his lips at Pungyeong Shingae's words.

In fact, his nickname was bestowed by his Shifu as a reminder not to forget the warmth in his heart. So now, Pungyeong Shin Gae's words were painfully true.

But there was no turning back now.

"What are you doing! Immediately take down that imposter pretending to be the Sect Leader!"

The eyes of the beggars were filled with venom as Gisim Gae shouted.

"Look and see."

Bang!

Pungyeong Shin Gae took a step forward again.

"I must rectify the wrongs I've committed. Even if I fall and die here, I will not open the path with my own feet."

He tightly gripped the staff, suppressing the burning emotions.

Why wouldn't he be afraid?

If they all attacked at once, with the injuries he already had, he couldn't endure. Perhaps he would become the first Beggar's Union leader to die at the hands of the very beggars he led to ruin.

But he wouldn't take a single step back.

'It's a death that suits me best.'

If the Beggar's Union was to punish him for ruining it, he could only accept it sweetly.

"If you want to go, step over my corpse!"

Pungyeong Shin Gae firmly planted both feet, as if to say he would lay down his life right there. The elders shouted in unison.

"What are you waiting for! Kill that scoundrel right now!"

But there were no beggars enthusiastically responding to that command. A flustered Gisim Gae shouted.

"Can you not hear me?"

"Well... maybe it's the Sect Leader?"

"You're as foolish as ever! What kind of nonsense is this about the Sect Leader? Can't you see through that scoundrel?"

"W-Well..."

"Take him down right now! Hurry!"

The beggars continued to look back and forth between Gisim Gae and Pungyeong Shin Gae with hesitant expressions. Gisim Gae was boiling with anger.

"What foolishness! No time to delay..."

"Then let the elders handle it themselves."

"...What?"

At that moment, a voice interrupted the commotion from behind, silencing the murmurs. Startled, Gisim Gae looked in the direction of the sound, finding some beggars with disgruntled faces.

"It's just one person. Not even the Sect Leader. Why don't the elders take care of it themselves?"

"He corrected himself earlier, saying he wasn't really the Sect Leader. Why leave it to us?"

"I saw earlier that they were running properly, but why are they leaving this to us?"

"If he turns out to be the real Sect Leader, the blame will all fall on us. Well, I'm not doing it."

"These scoundrels!"

Enraged, Gisim Gae immediately sought to hunt down those who voiced complaints and punish them as an example. However, amidst the crowd of beggars, finding the one who spoke first was not easy, and to make matters worse, discontent spread like wildfire among the beggars.

"Honestly, we clearly saw people from Shaolin heading towards the headquarters earlier. Why now call them attackers? Are we supposed to fight with Shaolin?"

"Should we go there and fight with Shaolin?"

"If the elders can't handle it, why should we?"

"You acted like elders until now, and now..."

"Gisim! Can't you shut these mouths? Have they all gone mad?"

Fuming, Gisim Gae turned around, looking at everyone in a hurry. The beggars seemed reluctant to get involved in the situation.

"Come to think of it, we got some food earlier, and we'll be able to rest soon."

"Then let's go eat."

"Even if the headquarters is under attack, is that okay?"

"With elders up there and people from Shaolin, what's there to worry about? I saw someone from Southern Edge Sect going up earlier."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. If those high-ranking people are all gathered, what can we do by going there? It's fortunate if we don't cause trouble."

The beggars gave Gisim Gae a strange look, sneering and gradually dispersing.

"You scoundrels! Come back immediately!"

Considering it was not a serious matter, going to rest was naturally out of the question. The situation involved a power struggle between the Sect Leader and elders. Intervening would serve no purpose.

Furthermore, there was another reason.

"Do you think you can get away with this! This is rebellion!"

Gisim Gae's furious shout echoed, but some beggars just chuckled.

"So, you were flaunting yourself as an elder, but now it seems you're not even a beggar anymore? Perfect timing for a good beating."

"What did you say?"

"Think about it. We've lived our whole lives eating scraps and surviving. Given our circumstances, do we even know which side we're provoking now?"

"These scoundrels! This is for the sake of the Beggar's Union!"

"Indeed, the elders are no longer beggars."

"What, what did you say?"

Sneers echoed at the lips of the beggar.

"We become beggars because we don't know what's advantageous, and even if being a beggar isn't right, we can scrape by. If a wretch like me feels sorry for taking a swing, or if you can't endure a footfall, you shouldn't have stuck with the Beggar's Union from the start. Why didn't we beat people down and take their money, making our lives easier?"

"That's right!"

"I didn't like the elders these days. What kind of bastards are putting so much pressure on their shoulders?"

The beggars' cold gaze was directed at Gisim Gae and the accompanying elders.

"In any case, we don't know, so figure it out yourselves."

"These scoundrels! Can't you see the collapse of the Beggar's Union if the headquarters falls? If that happens, you'll also..."

At that, one beggar shrugged his shoulders.

"What does it matter if it collapses?"

"...W-What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it better if it collapses? We're not even worse off if it collapses."

In the moment, Gisim Gae, who was at a loss for words, stiffened in place. The beggars laughed among themselves and moved on.

"Let's go. Let's have a meal."

"Hey, let's go together."

Watching the beggars dispersing like ebbing tide, the elders wavered. And witnessing all of this, Pungyeong Shin Gae tightly closed his eyes.

'We're not even worse off if it collapses...'

Yes, that was the Beggar's Union. Being able to collaborate because you had nothing. Being able to discard even your own body because you had nothing to protect.

It was none other than Pungyeong Shin Gae who taught that in order to embrace the Beggar's Union, one must be willing to endure injustice for the sake of gaining something, protecting something, and even sacrificing for personal interests.

However...

'Some things remain unchanged.'

Those who had gained something had changed, but those who still had nothing were preserving the Beggar's Union of the past.

Then, there might still be hope.

"W-What is this... if it continues like this..."

Unable to hide his confusion, Gisim Gae turned to Pungyeong Shin Gae with a puzzled look, biting his lips.

"Do you know what you're doing right now, Sect Leader?"

"I don't know. I didn't know. It was something that should have been known sooner."

"What are you talking about?"

"Neither you nor I have the right to determine the fate of the Beggar's Union now. We are the means of the Beggar's Union, but we are also those who have lost the spirit of the Beggar's Union."

Gisim Gae stared at Pungyeong Shin Gae with questioning eyes.

"Now only a few individuals have the right to determine fate. Those who still follow the spirit of the Beggar's Union and..."

Pungyeong Shin Gae, whose words trailed off for a moment, glanced towards the direction where the battle was taking place at the headquarters.

"Those who still hold what the Beggar's Union sought to follow."

He closed his eyes and called out in his mind.

'Sword Saint.'

Loss was the same. No, the Mount Hua Sect lost much more than the Beggar's Union and was betrayed in countless places.

Even so, Mount Hua rose again. Just like in the past.

Kwa-aa-ang!

At that moment, a loud noise echoed. One side of the headquarters's wall burst, and crimson plum blossoms scattered into the sky of Kaifeng.

"Blooming again."

Rising again, no matter how many times it falls.

That's how it was. Because the flower was just the result. Making that flower bloom was ultimately the root of the Mount Hua Sect and the spirit of the Mount Hua Sect. As long as that spirit did not completely disappear, the flower would bloom again at any time.

Pungyeong Shin Gae's gaze followed the plum blossoms.

"We too must open a new era."

Kwa-aa-ang!

Riding the blue energy bursting from the hall's wall, Chung Myung soared into the air.

"Ah!"

"T-That!"

With his body flipped like an illusion at the center of the plum blossoms he had bloomed, Chung Myung swiftly shot towards the hall. He resembled a powerful eagle.

The reddish glow emanating from the tip of the sword, resembling a sunset, unhesitatingly cut through the strong blue energy. 

"Chasing righteousness (追義)..."

Even without looking, it could be known. The Eighteen Righteous Stances, which no longer followed righteousness(義), couldn't block the plum blossom sword carrying the soul of the Mount Hua Sect.

The red glow poured out by Chung Myung simply cut through the resisting blue, sweeping away the worn-out headquarters.

That was not a sword aimed at Iho Shin Gae.

It was a sword aimed at the Beggar's Union.

What they should never forget.

"Haaaaap!"

Chung Myung's roar reached the sky. Soon, the red sword was embedded in the headquarters of the Beggar's Union.

Kwa-aa-aa-aa-aang!

"T-That!"

"Hiiiiiiieek! It's collapsing! Run away!"

The symbol of the Beggar's Union, the headquarters that had continued for centuries.

A part of it began to collapse with a roaring sound.