594 Chapter 1482: Why Are You Suddenly Here? (Part 2)

'We're in trouble.'

'We're fucked!'

'No, why is that guy here!'

'I told you it would definitely fail, Chung Myung, you bastard! Sweat poured like rain from the disciples of Mount Hua.

Even if the heavens were indifferent, who could have imagined that they would encounter Lee Songbaek in this faraway place, not even in Xi'an?

'What should we do? Should we fly?'

'How can we escape in this situation?'

'Besides, even if we run into each other, why do we have to run into other beggars!'

The bigger issue was that Lee Songbaek was accompanied by none other than the high-level experts of the Beggar's Union. Wasn't this situation akin to revealing a coup d'etat in the heart of the Imperial Palace? The frozen disciples of Mount Hua exchanged desperate glances.

But no matter how great their confusion was, it couldn't compare to the bewildered expression of Lee Songbaek, who unexpectedly encountered them.

"...Great Sahyung?"

Lee Songbaek stared blankly at the figures in front of him.

The attire of those swordsmen was undoubtedly the attire of the disciples of the Southern Edge Sect, and the one at the forefront was undoubtedly Jin Geumryong. But...

'Who are they?'

He sword the people standing behind him were people he had never seen before. Could there be Southern Edge's disciples that he didn't know?

"No....."

As Lee Songbaek blinked his eyes, the faces of those people gradually turned pale like blank sheets of paper. Among them, the slightly shorter man in the back was twisting his whole body like an itchy puppy.

"Huh?"

Lee Songbaek, who was carefully examining his strange beard, suddenly raised his eyebrows. His expression twisted strangely in an instant.

"Sohyeop. Who are these people?"

"Ah... well..."

A beggar standing next to Lee Songbaek asked with a somewhat sharp voice. Lee Songbaek glanced at the figures in front of him and then spoke.

At that moment, Baek Cheon unconsciously tightened his grip on his sword.

As the suffocating tension settled...

"Great Sahyung, we meet again."

Lee Songbaek politely bowed to Baek Cheon with a composed posture. In the face of such neat courtesy, Baek Cheon inadvertently blinked his eyes.

Tap!

"Ah!"

Feeling someone poking his back, Baek Cheon quickly put on a haughty expression.

"Well, Saje. It's been a while."

With a tone that was unmistakably Jin Geumryong, Baek Cheon glanced at Lee Songbaek with a subtle anticipation.

'Did he fall for it?'

Well, no matter how familiar Lee Songbaek was with Jin Geumryong, it was possible to be deceived for a brief moment...

"But... you're a bit too much, Great Sahyung."

"Hmm?"

"Regardless of how unreliable this Saju is, it shouldn't be like this. You came without even saying anything. Wasn't this matter entrusted to me?"

Momentarily tensing his mind, Baek Cheon reproached in a calm voice.

"This was an order from the Sect Leader. Understand that."

Given the circumstances, this was an appropriate response.

"Yes?"

But when Lee Songbaek heard the answer, he frowned as if something was strange.

'Huh? Did I make a mistake?'

Maybe the order from the Sect Leader was a twisted answer that didn't make sense...

"I understand...it seems like it's the first time I've heard Great Sahyung talk like that. I thought you would say it was nothing I needed to know." 

Lee Songbaek's reaction, strange yet sad, made Baek Cheon's eyes tremble with horror.

'How on earth are you living your life, Jin Geumryong, you crazy bastard!'

His clothes were already damp with cold sweat. He didn't know that he would face such an absurd situation where he would be suspected and doubted.

At the moment when the sweat was about to soak through his forehead, a beggar spoke.

"Then this person is Southern Edge's Jin Daehyeop."

For them, the conversation a while ago seemed meaningless. The tension of the beggars who had been watching the situation somewhat relaxed.

Lee Songbaek spoke.

"Ah, yes. That's right. Let me introduce you...."

"No, it's not necessary. We're in a hurry, so let's do the formal introduction next time."

"Oh, will we?"

"Then Daehyeop here may have something to discuss with Jin Daehyeop, so we'll make time for it later."

"...Do you have something to do?"

"That's okay now."

After the beggar smiled slightly and wrapped things up neatly.

"Well then."

"Ah... yes. May you have a safe journey."

The remaining beggars that had encircled Lee Songbaek and Baek Cheon and quickly moved away.

Only then did a collective sigh burst from the disciples of Mount Hua.

'We survived.'

'Ah, I feel a bit dizzy.'

'I survived. Now I have the confidence to escape even if I fall into hell.'

'Really endured for ten years...'

Everyone shivered. However, not all problems were resolved yet. Baek Cheon, glancing at Lee Songbaek with a cold sweat, imitated Jin Geumryong to the best of his ability and spoke.

"Anyway... I have a separate command from Sect Leader, and I have to go to a certain place. We can talk later."

"Is that so?"

Baek Cheon nodded firmly. As much as possible, he wore a haughty expression.

"Fine. Well then..."

"Yes. Please take care, Baek Cheon Dojang."

"What... huh?"

Baek Cheon, who was casually turning around, flinched and froze. Turning his creaking head to look at Lee Songbaek, he found him smiling brightly.

"If that's the case, um... I'm sure Chung Myung Dojang is also busy?"

"Hiccup."

Chung Myung's shoulder, with an absurd beard attached, twitched for a moment.

"I suppose everyone else in Mount Hua is busy too?"

Everyone fell silent. They only hunched their shoulders like criminals getting caught red-handed by the police.

"We said we'd meet again, but I didn't expect to meet you in a place like this. Isn't that the case for everyone?"

"Ha..."

"Haha..."

Awkward smiles spread across Mount Hua's disciples. Lee Songbaek grinned.

"If you're busy, we should send you off quickly. If this is something you have to do to this extent, it must be important."

At that moment, everyone was amazed by Lee Songbaek's character. Just not drawing a sword and attacking them was enough to be considered Buddha-like in this situation.

"But... at least."

"...Yes?"

Lee Songbaek gave a gentle smile again.

Everyone flinched again. They realized one thing for sure. Lee Songbaek's eyes, with a friendly smile, showed... not a hint of emotion.

"I think there might be time to explain what's going on here..."

"..."

"...Is that not so?"

"I apologize!"

Bowing deeply with all the sincerity he could muster, Baek Cheon apologized vehemently.

* * *

"...So that's how it turned out."

A room out of earshot of the public.

Lee Songbaek nodded as if he understood. Then he carefully looked around at the people in front of him.

"I'm sorry."

"I was wrong."

"I apologize."

"I deserve to die. Please spare my life."

Watching the disciples of Mount Hua prostrating to the floor and bowing, Chung Myung grumbled with a pout.

"No, even if you committed a crime, there isn't a need to be so servile..."

"Shut up!"

"Big mouth, this bastard!"

"Someday I'll definitely kill you! Don't take this as a joke! I'll really kill you!"

Pressed by the bloody momentum, Chung Myung flinched and shrank his neck like a turtle.

Lee Songbaek sighed deeply without knowing it.

"...You've been through a lot."

In response to those words of sympathy and understanding, everyone's eyes turned red as if on cue. How long has it been since they met someone who understood their suffering?

"But... no matter how much you say that, pretending to be a disciple of another sect like this is a bit..."

"...I have nothing to say."

"I thought so, that's why when the people from the Beggar's Sect suddenly said they had a place to go, I thought I did something wrong. It turns out they came to check on this."

"...I really have nothing to say..."

Baek Cheon was realizing how flexible his waist could be today. Every time Lee Songbaek spoke, his waist automatically bent and straightened. 

But to be honest, even with this, it wasn't enough. If Lee Songbaek hadn't noticed and sided with them, by now they would have been making a desperate escape from Kaifeng.

Lee Songbaek sighed and said.

"In fact, as a disciple of Southern Edge, it's not easy for me to overlook this. If the roles were reversed and I was caught impersonating a disciple of Mount Hua wearing Mount Hua's robe..."

"I would have beaten him to death on the spot, wherever that Southern Edge bastard is!"

"Shut up, please!"

"Think before you speak, you bastard!"

"Someone shut this fucker's mouth!"

Hye Yeon immediately took off the wig he was wearing and stuffed it into Chung Myung's mouth. No one sympathized with Chung Myung.

Chung Myung. You got it cheap.

"So my position is really awkward, but..."

Lee Songbaek, watching Chung Myung being beaten with a blocked mouth, smiled. 

"I'll just pretend I didn't see anything."

"...Are you sure about this? Eventually..."

"In fact, I'm a bit dull. So even if I mistakenly thought that Baek Cheon Dojang was the Dae Sahyung, the problem wouldn't get any bigger. I'll just eat insults."

Baek Cheon looked at Lee Songbaek with a slightly puzzled expression. But Lee Songbaek just sent a neat smile without any hesitation.

"I believe that what Chung Myung Dojang wants to do is not against justice."

"Sohyeop…!"

"Well, the method is a bit problematic, but…"

"I'm sorry!"

Watching Baek Cheon repeating apologies and expressions of gratitude over and over again, Jo Geol muttered.

"Sasuk will get mental illness at this rate."

"...He's probably already infected."

"There's no way he's normal after what he's been through."

"Anyways."

Lee Songbaek scratched his head lightly, looking awkward.

"There are disciples of Southern Edge here in Kaifeng right now, not just me. Please don't escalate the situation any further. If things get bigger, I won't be able to help either."

"Yes, yes, of course."

Baek Cheon kept groveling continuously as if he would take off his liver. Lee Songbaek looked a bit perplexed with a strange expression.

"Dojang... Please stop apologizing like that. I feel uncomfortable when you apologize with that face."

"..."

Leaving Baek Cheon speechless, Lee Songbaek turned his gaze to Chung Myung. Hye Yeon was busy adjusting Chung Myung here and there.

"But, Dojang."

"Hrm?"

"What are you going to do now? Even if you've avoided the eyes of the Beggar's Union, you probably can't maintain this situation for long."

"Urgh! Urgh! Urgh!"

…Baek Cheon covered his face and muttered.

"Monk-nim. Please take off the wig you stuck in his mouth. Let's do this only when we're alone."

It was so embarrassing to live together like this, really.

"Puhaha!"

Chung Myung spat out the wig from his mouth, spat a few times, pushed away Hye Yeon, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that."

Chung Myung, who had become lively, tapped his chest. Then Baek-Ah, who had raised his head just below Chung Myung's chin, quickly raised his nose and pointed with one paw.

Kiii!

"There seems to be a place with a scent over there. If we go there…"

Chung Myung walked to one side of the room, opened the window wide, and pointed outside.

"Woah!"

"Wow!"

At that moment, everyone involuntarily opened their mouths wide. The view from the open window was truly magnificent.

The night streets of Kaifeng, where the sun had already set, were shining brilliantly. The red lights that illuminated the street gorgeously captivated everyone's gaze.

"We found them. They seem to be somewhere over there!"

"Great."

"Lucky in many ways."

"Is it a pleasure district? It's a bit awkward."

"Then let's go."

Just when everyone confirmed their goal and exchanged glances to go outside.

"Wait a moment."

Lee Songbaek raised his hand slightly and stopped them.

"Huh? Why? Do you have something else to say?"

"...Are you going there now?"

"We have to. The smell leads there, right? What have you heard so far?"

Lee Songbaek's eyes trembled slightly as if he was embarrassed.

"Well... dressed like that?"

"..."

"At night? To a pleasure district?"

"Uh..."

Chung Myung alternately looked at his clothes and the outside scenery.

If disciples of Southern Edge walked around the street filled with gambling houses, taverns, and various brothels...

Eventually, Chung Myung, who had fixed his gaze on Lee Songbaek, smiled.

"Well, I don't know about that."

"Beggar's Union, this is... er! Er er er!"

Baek Cheon and Hye Yeon rushed over in an instant, covered Lee Songbaek's mouth, and suppressed him.

"Ssh! Be quiet, Siju! If you open your mouth, you'll get hurt!"

"Let's tie him up for now."

"Well! We have no choice."

The disciples of Mount Hua laughed lightly. Although it seemed like this would happen, they still felt devastated.

Now they were tying up and threatening a disciple of the righteous sect.

'Even the Evil Sect would've behaved better.'

But it was too late to go back now. Unfortunately...