Chapter 1506: Some People Settle Things Through Words (Part 1)

Pungyeong Shin Gae's fist trembled slightly.

Was all of this really his fault? As the Chivalrous Sword said, was this the result of his actions?

He wanted to deny it. It wasn't what he intended.

But he couldn't deny it.

"Courage is courageous because it is not calculated."

Chung Myung's calm words penetrated Pungyeong Shin Gae's ears one after another.

"You... No, all of you said that those who stake everything on courage without a price are pitiful."

"..."

"Yes. Pitiful. Regrettable. But that's why it's the Beggar's Union. That's why it's worth protecting. Look. Is this the Beggar's Union you wanted to protect?"

Pungyeong Shin Gae closed his eyes tightly.

Because he knew the look in the eyes of the elders staring at him.

Even though they understood clearly how the situation was unfolding, the eyes of those who deceived themselves for momentary gain, for the sake of security.

By now, Pungyeong Shin Gae also had to realize.

He and his Shifu, Hyun Jong Shin Gae, had intended to protect the Beggar's Union but instead changed the Beggar's Union they intended to protect.

More than they intended.

The people gathered here were no longer the Beggar's Union that could sacrifice everything for the righteous blood boiling in their hearts in the past. They had become mere businessmen accustomed to calculating profits and pulling out their bodies.

Could he really blame these people gathered here? No, he couldn't.

Whatever the situation, it was Pungyeong Shin Gae himself who instructed to think first about one's own security and the profit of the sect.

Ten years, another ten years, and so on for decades.

What they had been doing for a long time had gradually consumed the Beggar's Union that was overflowing with righteousness, leading to the present.

"...Chivalrous Sword."

He couldn't lift his face in front of Chung Myung.

But unfortunately, Pungyeong Shin Gae did not even have the luxury of regret and repentance.

"What are you doing, elders? Did you not hear me say to arrest him immediately?"

"Yes!"

With the shout of Ilho Shin Gae, beggars who had invaded the hall moved around Pungyeong Shin Gae like surrounding him.

And at that moment.

"Please wait a moment."

Baek Cheon, who had been silently watching the situation, opened his mouth. Ilho Shin Gae frowned.

"Deputy Sect Leader, please step back. If you step back now, the sin of mobilizing a villain against this act of Beggar's Union will not be questioned."

Baek Cheon smiled faintly.

"Did you say sin?"

Instantly, Ilho Shin Gae furrowed his brows and bit his lower lip. It was a slip of the tongue due to excitement.

"Can I accept what Elder said just now as the Beggar's Union's stance?"

"...Deputy Sect Leader."

"What you are saying is that an elder of the Beggar's Union may hold Deputy Sect Leader of Mount Hua accountable."

Ilho Shin Gae silently gnawed at his lower lip.

It was difficult to answer hastily.

If answered in the negative, it would be a posture of yielding and entering, and if answered affirmatively, it might turn into a situation where Mount Hua turns into an enemy.

Instead of Ilho Shin Gae, who was lost in thought, the elders following him spoke up.

"Deputy Sect Leader! Is this not the case! It wasn't enough to bring someone impersonating the Sect leader, but you're putting pressure on the Elder of the Beggar's Union!"

"Even if this is Mount Hua, this is not something that can be tolerated."

Baek Cheon turned his gaze towards them. The elders were startled, but contrary to their concerns, Baek Cheon calmly nodded.

"Indeed... It's not a wrong statement. If the one I mobilized truly impersonated the Sect Leader, then I should apologize. No, not just me, but also those from Mount Hua and Heavenly Comrade Alliance should formally apologize to Beggar's Union."

"Naturally..."

"But."

Baek Cheon's voice echoed clearly within the hall.

"If the one I mobilized is indeed the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union, then who should apologize then?"

"What is that...?"

"I, as the Deputy Sect Leader of Mount Hua, guarantee that the one here is indeed Pungyeong Shin Gae, the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union."

The shocked elders widened their eyes for a moment. Their eye corners seemed almost torn.

"W-What are you talking about!"

"The one who denies that this person is the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union must clearly prove that fact in front of Mount Hua!"

The faces of the elders turned pale, almost bluish. Even Ilho Shin Gae looked at Baek Cheon with a dazed expression as if shocked by the situation.

They were not the only ones bewildered by this situation.

"...Sahyung."

"Why...?"

"Wasn't this the plan from the beginning?"

..."At least I didn't hear it. And..."

Yoon Jong glanced at the expressions of the other Five Swords and chuckled as if amused.

"It seems like the others didn't hear it either."

"...But why is that guy acting like that?"

"I understand."

Yoon Jong's eyes confidently turned towards Baek Cheon's back.

"Just... There's nothing to argue about. Do you need a reason to say that what's right is right?"

"...If something goes wrong, I don't think we'll make it out alive, right?"

"That's right. But well, that hasn't happened just one or twice, right?"

"That's true."

While listening to the murmuring voices, Pungyeong Shin Gae looked around at the Five Swords.

It wasn't just Yoon Jong and Jo Gol. The group led by Chung Myung seemed more puzzled than dissatisfied with Baek Cheon's unexpected action.

'What are they up to...'

Amidst the confusion, Ilho Shin Gae finally spoke again.

"...Deputy Sect Leader, can you take responsibility for those words right now?"

The gazes of Ilho Shin Gae and Baek Cheon clashed in the air.

"If this person is really the Sect Leader of Beggar's Union, it means that I and the elders lied. Deputy Sect Leader, can you take responsibility for that?"

"No, Elder."

Baek Cheon smiled faintly and raised his head.

"I think we need to make it clear. If this person is indeed the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union, then it is none other than the elders who lied. Not just you, Elder."

Ilho Shin Gae's pupils trembled faintly.

Baek Cheon turned away from Ilho Shin Gae and looked at the other elders.

"You cannot cover the sky with your palm! I will clearly convey what I know and what I have seen and heard here."

"Nonsense!"

Ilho Shin Gae exploded in anger.

"Mount Hua trying to drag the Beggar's Union into Heavenly Comrade Alliance! Who can prove that you are not scheming in such a situation!"

"Amitabha. What's so difficult about that?"

At that moment, Hye Yeon, who quietly walked out from behind Baek Cheon, intervened.

"If it's not Mount Hua, can anyone prove it?"

"Shaolin's Hye Yeon. You..."

Ilho Shin Gae gritted his teeth.

"You have already been excommunicated by Shaolin! And the fact that you are aligned with Mount Hua's intentions is widely known. How can we trust you!"

Listening to this, the Five Swords chuckled.

"Now the monk is practically treated like a Mount Hua member."

"But it's not entirely wrong, is it?"

"Wouldn't it be awkward to grow your hair, monk?"

"In this situation, isn't that understandable?"

In fact, Ilho Shin Gae's criticism was sharp and valid. To outsiders, Hye Yeon was already halfway considered a member of Mount Hua. His defense of Mount Hua in such a situation would inevitably lose its power.

However...

"Then what?"

"Yeah, nothing else we can do."

"Sorry, but..."

The gazes of the Five Swords, Hye Yeon, and even Pungyeong Shin Gae slowly turned to one place.

The one who received the collective gaze seemed momentarily surprised, but after a while, as if deciding something, he nodded heavily and stepped forward.

"In that case..."

Next to Hye Yeon, the person standing raised his chest and tapped it firmly.

"I, too, will guarantee that this person is Pungyeong Shin Gae, the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union, along with Mount Hua."

"You..."

"Lee Songbaek, disciple of Southern Edge."

Looking at Ilho Shin Gae, Lee Songbaek spoke firmly.

"I may not be in a position to represent Southern Edge, but as a swordsman and a senior disciple, I guarantee that this person is the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union."

Ilho Shin Gae's face momentarily lost its color.

Nowhere else but Southern Edge.

No matter how young the swordsman was, the fact that someone from Southern Edge agreed with Mount Hua on a matter was not to be taken lightly.

If there was an issue where Mount Hua and Southern Edge shared the same opinion, no one in the world would doubt the correctness of that opinion. Because the entire world knew that even a slight disagreement between these two sects would lead to clashes lasting at least a hundred years.

Ilho Shin Gae swallowed dry saliva and cut in with a chilling voice.

"By what authority do you guarantee them? Originally, Mount Hua wouldn't even ask Southern Edge's opinion."

In response to his words, Lee Songbaek smirked slightly.

"I find it hard to understand what you're saying."

"What...?"

"I may not be a wise person, but I'm not so foolish as to not know right from wrong. What does the sect's position have to do with guaranteeing what I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears?"

Ilho Shin Gae's eyes trembled faintly.

It was a clear argument. Nothing to add or subtract. However, in this world, could there be such a straightforward person? You had to push the truth to where it needed to go.

"What will you do?"

Baek Cheon glared sharply at Ilho Shin Gae.

"Mount Hua, Shaolin, and Southern Edge have guaranteed that this person is the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union. Will you continue to make such absurd claims?"

"..."

"Or will you now admit that this person is the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union and rectify the misunderstanding?"

Ilho Shin Gae scanned Baek Cheon, Hye Yeon, Lee Songbaek, and even Pungyeong Shin Gae without missing anyone. Then he looked at the elders again. Their confusion was clearly visible.

That's how his gaze, which had been moving, stopped when it reached Chung Myung. Looking at Chung Myung for a while without saying anything, Ilho Shin Gae slowly opened his mouth.

"There are two types of right information."

His tone had changed in the meantime.

As if trying to prove why the title 'Tiger Beggar' had been added, the elder of the Beggar's Union was emitting a pressure to manipulate the situation as if to prove the reason for being here.

"One is what was right from the beginning. And the other is... what eventually became right."

"Elder!"

"Since it has come to this, there's no choice. To make the information that the Beggar's union has died... ultimately right."

Thunk!

Ilho Shin Gae's scream burst out like the roar of a tiger.

"Do not let them escape! And bring me the neck of the one who impersonated the Sect Leader of the Beggar's Union!"

The inside of the hall was covered with murderous intent in an instant.