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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Mancheon, who had received a rough treatment, was dragged to the Martial Alliance meeting hall.
He slowly scanned the elders of the righteous martial world, who were glaring at him with menacing auras.
Their gazes were like those reserved for intolerable reactionaries.
He liked the attention, but this was a bit much.
Well, he had been prepared for this when he caused the commotion.
A true star drove both fans and haters crazy.
This wasn’t so bad.
And fortunately, there were some familiar faces.
Jegal Liang, who seemed displeased with the situation,
“Hmph… what a pathetic display.”
and his senior brother, Zi Lu, who was presiding over the meeting at the head of the round table, his face weary.
Considering his position as the Martial Alliance leader, he couldn’t openly help him, but it was better than nothing.
As he was sizing up the situation, a large, middle-aged man, the elder of the Hebei Peng Family,
“Brat, speak when you’re spoken to. Who taught you the Dog Beating Staff Technique?”
Peng Wuxun questioned Mancheon, his voice menacing.
‘Hoo~ here we go.’
Mancheon’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of the Dog Beating Staff Technique.
If they had just asked who had taught him martial arts, he could have just presented his Emei Sect certification (Wang Meiyang).
But… the Dog Beating Staff Technique was a secret art of the Beggar’s Sect, so he couldn’t do that.
Anyway, he couldn’t tell the truth, so he hid it.
“A long time ago, a passing beggar saw my bravery and chivalry, comparable to that of Zhang Fei at the Battle of Changban, and taught me.”
They were all old foxes who had climbed the ranks by being shrewd.
It was better to tell a half-truth than an obvious lie.
What could they do if he said he had learned it from a beggar? Would they bring the Beggar King here?
“The Beggar King, Jin Gai Xianren, Lao Rouxin, has arrived.”
Shit… they actually brought him.
As soon as he finished his thought, the doors of the meeting hall opened, and a man with black hair, who looked both young and old, dressed in white silk robes,
“What’s all the commotion? Waking an old man from his nap…”
Lao Rouxin, who had been napping, entered the meeting hall with a leisurely gait, having been summoned by the elders.
“Oh… you’re…?”
“Ah?! Your name is…?”
And as it turned out, the two of them knew each other.
Mancheon and Lao Rouxin, who had met by chance, guided by the Dog Beating Staff, recognized each other.
Mancheon’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘That… old man… I thought he was someone special, but I never thought he would be the Beggar King.’
His mouth went dry as he realized he had been caught, but a question came to mind.
Then… why didn’t he question him about the Dog Beating Staff Technique when they first met?
Why did he even give him advice?
Unbeknownst to Mancheon, Jegal Liang, who was personally acquainted with Lao Rouxin, sent him a secret message.
[Old man, for now, please save this young man. He’s my Go friend.]
He didn’t care about the Eight-Foot Tall Monster or anything else. The brat was too talented to die as a scapegoat for the elders’ anger.
[Old man, you’re our master’s friend. Help him.]
Zi Lu also sent a secret message, trying to save his foolish junior brother.
That’s right, the other elders didn’t know, but…
Lao Rouxin, the Beggar King, was also one of the Eight-Foot Tall Monster’s cronies who had infiltrated the martial world in secret.
“……”
And Lao Rouxin disliked this kind of atmosphere, where everyone ganged up on one person.
“Beggar King, the young man before you has learned the Dog Beating Staff Technique, which only the Beggar King can learn. Do you know anything about this?”
So, he nodded without hesitation at Peng Wuxun’s question.
“Hmm~ of course, I know. I taught him.”
“Excuse me?”
“I taught this child, Mancheon, martial arts when he was young.”
He defended Mancheon with a gentle smile and a calm expression.
“That’s against the rules of the Beggar’s Sect! Isn’t the Dog Beating Staff Technique a martial art that only the Beggar King can learn?!”
An elder with a long beard shouted, but Lao Rouxin simply chuckled.
“Is the young man holding a staff? Or a cane?”
“I taught him how to fight with a cane, leaving out a few moves. It’s the Dog Beating Cane Technique.”
Peng Wuxun’s face contorted as the situation took an unexpected turn.
“That’s just sophistry. Why are you defending that brat, ignoring the rules of the Beggar’s Sect? Are you… taking the Eight-Foot Tall Monster’s side?”
“Gasp…?!”
The other elders’ faces hardened at the direct accusation leveled at Lao Rouxin, a great elder of the righteous martial world whom even the wild Jegal Liang addressed with respect, along with the Tiger-Taming Divine Monk of Shaolin.
“I didn’t know you were so interested in the affairs of the Beggar’s Sect. Are you thinking of becoming a beggar?”
And at Peng Wuxun’s attitude, Lao Rouxin’s gentle voice hardened for the first time.
“But… in the Beggar’s Sect, there’s a rule that if you slander or frame someone, you get stabbed.”
“If you try to harm someone with your words, you should be prepared to be stabbed yourself.”
Lao Rouxin’s ageless eyes turned to Peng Wuxun.
“Are you prepared to be stabbed? What grudge do you have against this child that makes you want to kill him?”
“……!!”
If he had a grudge against the Eight-Foot Tall Monster, he should have taken it out on him.
Peng Wuxun’s face flushed with shame at the accusation that he was picking on an aspiring martial artist who was clearly weaker than him, simply because he was suspected of being the Eight-Foot Tall Monster’s disciple.
Lao Rouxin didn’t stop there. He slammed his staff on the floor, as if to seal the deal.
-Bang!!
The entire meeting hall shook, and a shockwave brushed past the elders’ faces.
“I, Lao Rouxin, the Brocade Beggar Immortal, one of the Ten Great Masters, swear on my honor.”
He warned the elders with a voice filled with inner energy.
“I was the one who taught him the Dog Beating Staff Technique, so don’t associate this child with a public enemy of the martial world anymore.”
The honor of one of the Ten Great Masters and the Beggar King.
At those heavy words, the elders’ mouths fell shut.
Regardless of the truth, when one of the greatest elders of the righteous martial world came out so strongly, it was customary in the righteous martial world, which valued hierarchy and honor, to take a step back.
“……”
As the elders, including Peng Wuxun, fell silent in agreement,
“Then I’ll go and catch up with my disciple, whom I haven’t seen in a long time.”
Lao Rouxin’s voice returned to its gentle tone, and he led Mancheon out of the stuffy meeting hall.
“Let’s go, Mancheon.”
“Ah… yes! Master!!”
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In the martial world, a master was like a parent. He had received the surnames of his four masters in addition to the name his real parents had given him.
[Sima Mancheon, Gang Mancheon, Mo Mancheon, Wang Mancheon, Lao Mancheon]
He had become a servant with five surnames, surpassing even Lu Bu, but…
‘Wow~ I really escaped death.’
…he was relieved to have survived the den of vipers and followed Lao Rouxin out of the meeting hall.
“Thank Liang and Zi Lu later. They were very worried about you.”
“Of course, I will. But Liang…?”
“Jegal Liang, I met him when he was your age. I felt sorry for him, a young boy with the eyes of a world-weary old man, so I taught him Go.”
At his question, Lao Rouxin smiled warmly, as if recalling a fond memory.
“To fix his temper and teach him patience.”
“Judging by his personality now, it doesn’t seem to have been very effective.”
“Haha~ you’re right. He even got better at Go than me and learned the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms by betting on Go games.”
Mancheon cautiously studied Lao Rouxin’s face.
He treated Jegal Liang, who was clearly over sixty, like a child. How old was he?
He looked young, but his occasional demeanor made it impossible to guess his age.
Anyway, he was his savior, so Mancheon bowed respectfully and thanked him.
“Sir, thank you so much for helping me. But was it alright to stake your honor?”
“You’re a smart kid asking a foolish question.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
He asked, confused, and Lao Rouxin suddenly grinned like a mischievous child.
“What honor does a beggar have? They were all fooled by me!”
He was stunned by the lighthearted, brazen statement.
“No… but honor is something that… regardless of…”
As he stammered, the old man smiled faintly, a look of weariness, or perhaps freedom, on his face.
“I saved a precious life with a few words. That’s all that matters.”
His face, which had abandoned wealth, honor, and even his name to wander the world, strangely resembled his master’s, and he was speechless.
“And to be precise, it wasn’t a complete lie.”
“Excuse me?”
However, his sense of awe was fleeting.
“I was the one who taught your master, the Eight-Foot Tall Monster, Confucius, the Dog Beating Staff Technique.”
He smiled mischievously again and revealed a shocking truth as if it were nothing.
“So, in a roundabout way, you learned the Dog Beating Staff Technique from me.”
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The master’s master is also your master😏
Dang plot twist
kekw love the beggar gramp