Heavenly Inquisition Sword

Episode 127: Is It Safe to Have Them Behind Us?

The Beggar’s Sect, also known as the Union of Beggars, is a faction within Murim, but its identity is somewhat ambiguous.

To begin with, many people wonder if it truly is a faction of Murim.

Among the leaders of the subdivisions of the Beggar’s Sect, some were appointed by the government as Dan-Du (단두). The Dan-Du are heroes who were exiled by the government due to their great crimes. They did not obtain their position because of their martial skills, but by appointment.

The factions of Murim did not view the Beggar’s Sect favorably, as it accepted people who had committed serious crimes.

Moreover, the behavior of the members of the Beggar’s Sect was often questionable.

To make a living, many of them engaged in petty theft and caused trouble at weddings and funerals. Many also had secret connections with the Evil Faction.

Although the Beggar’s Sect promoted justice, it did not receive much recognition in the Justice Alliance due to these factors.

Seo Chang, one of the Dan-Du, was known for moving between orthodox and unorthodox factions. According to him, he did so to survive, but the truth is that his greed blinded him.

“Forgive our intrusion. We did not know you were great experts from Nokrim. Had we known, we would not have entered in this manner.”

Seo Chang bowed repeatedly.

Yeon Jeokha, feeling no respect for him, simply walked outside. He had nothing to say to a leader of a subdivision of the Beggar’s Sect.

Shim Tong, the Namgung brothers, and Seol Chaesu’s group quickly followed.

Seo Chang watched the cart move and smiled maliciously.

“Pung Gae, Tu Gae. Follow that cart.”

“Yes!”

Two members of the Beggar’s Sect, experts in light techniques, instantly disappeared.

After dispersing his subordinates, Seo Chang sent one of his confidants to Guangming Manor.

Obviously, it was to sell information about Yeon Jeokha.

Shim Tong had mentioned that Yeon Jeokha was the “Angel of Death” of the Yoomyung Cult, so Seo Chang assumed there was some kind of connection between them. He felt no remorse for selling information about a bandit from Nokrim.

Butang Village.

Late afternoon (around 5 PM).

After leaving Menglin, Yeon Jeokha’s four-horse cart arrived at the entrance of a large village.

The coachman, Lee Sa, stopped the cart in front of an inn called “Anbin Banjeom.” As it was getting dark, he decided they would spend the night there.

When Yeon Jeokha’s group got off the cart, Lee Sa went in search of the stable.

Since it was winter, the inn’s rooms were almost empty.

Thanks to this, Yeon Jeokha’s group was able to secure enough rooms to rest.

After unpacking, they gathered in the inn’s dining hall, sitting as usual at two separate tables.

Jin Seolha still couldn’t sit next to Yeon Jeokha.

Yeon Jeokha, Shim Tong, and the Namgung brothers occupied a full table.

While waiting for the food, Shim Tong remembered something and asked.

“Young Master Namgung, do you know anything about the Beggar’s Sect?”

“I know a few things. Why do you ask?”

“It seems those beggars have been following us since the morning.”

“Haha. The members of the Beggar’s Sect often do that. If they are curious about something, they will follow us all day until they figure it out. It seems they are very interested in knowing who we are.”

“Is the Beggar’s Sect part of the Justice Alliance?”

“To be exact, no. Some members do not recognize them.”

“Why don’t they recognize them?”

“Among the leaders of the subdivisions of the Beggar’s Sect, there are some called Dan-Du. They are heroes who committed serious crimes and were exiled by the government. The emperor appointed them as Dan-Du and sent them to the Beggar’s Sect. It’s a way of punishing them by turning them into beggars but also leaving them a way to survive. Many in Murim oppose this, wondering if Murim should accept criminals. Moreover, the actions of the members of the Beggar’s Sect, who often move between orthodox and unorthodox factions, make some not accept them. For these reasons, the Beggar’s Sect is still not part of the Justice Alliance.”

Shim Tong muttered with a disdainful tone.

“Tch! Can we keep having these people behind us?”

“They are not as bad as they seem. In fact, many of them seek justice. There are several famous heroes in Murim who come from the Beggar’s Sect.”

Yeon Jeokha, who had good memories of the Beggar’s Sect, intervened.

“Old Shim, why are you so irritated? We’re not doing anything wrong. Let them be. It’s cold, they’ll get tired and stop following us.”

“Young Master, in Murim it is dangerous to have something behind you. It’s better not to have anything behind you. I’ve never seen anything good come out of it.”

“That’s because you’ve always done bad things. They said they seek justice. There will be no problems. Don’t bother people who are just trying to make a living.”

Yeon Jeokha showed his magnanimity by recalling old times.

Namgung Cheon, with his experience, saw no problem, so he decided to let it go.

“Understood. If you two say so, it will be.”

“Look at that, trying to put the blame on us! That attitude is not clean at all.”

“Haha. A subordinate must always make it clear who is responsible to avoid problems later.”

Yeon Jeokha stared at Shim Tong.

“Don’t say that. I won’t blame you if you do something wrong. There’s no need to live so rigidly.”

“Yes, I’ll remember that.”

“What? What will you remember? That you shouldn’t live rigidly?”

“That you won’t blame me if I do something wrong. I heard it clearly.”

Yeon Jeokha quickly added a clarification.

If he didn’t, Shim Tong might think he had carte blanche to do whatever he wanted.

“What I mean is that you should live with an open mind.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me? Are you planning to do something bad?”

“Don’t worry. Although I did bad things in the past, I never planned them.”

“That’s the worst. It means you don’t know how to control your bad deeds.”

While Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong argued, the waiter brought the food.

The two tables fell into silence as they ate.

After dinner, the group paid extra to have hot water prepared for them. They wanted to cleanse themselves of any residue that might have remained from their stay in Menglin.

While waiting for the owner to prepare the water, the group relaxed by drinking tea in the dining hall.

Seol Chaesu and the others whispered among themselves, and finally, Jin Seolha stood up and approached Yeon Jeokha.

“Brother Yeon, could you spare us some time? We want to ask you something.”

“Sure.”

Yeon Jeokha agreed and stood up to join them.

Namgung Yeon looked longingly at the empty spot left by Yeon Jeokha. She felt as if something precious had been taken from her.

“Yeon, what are you thinking about so much?”

Namgung Cheon asked, noticing his sister’s lost look.

“Nothing.”

“Really? Didn’t you like the food? You seem uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine.”

Namgung Yeon responded briefly and she looked out the window.

For some reason, she could clearly hear the conversation at the next table.

“What do you want to ask?”

Seol Chaesu, representing the group, responded with an awkward smile.

“We are documenting everything we have found out about the Demon Warriors. I heard from Senior Shim that you have encountered the Demon Warriors twice before, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“We want to document that as well.”

“Oh…”

While Yeon Jeokha organized his thoughts, Jin Seolha explained.

“I’m documenting the characteristics of the Demon Warriors, especially the changes that occur after their death. It seems there are some differences.”

With those words, Jin Seolha unfolded a paper in front of Yeon Jeokha.

Pointing to different points, she continued.

“In the case of Sima Dan, he was about three meters tall and could spit fire. And the bandit from Guseonsan, although he was a little over one and a half meters tall, had a horn on his head and claws like blades.”

Yeon Jeokha nodded as he reviewed Jin Seolha’s records.

Seeing everything organized, the differences became more evident.

“It seems the two Demon Warriors you encountered were different. We want to document that as well.”

“The first one I encountered was a guy named Dae Ryeok Gwi. He grew to about 180 centimeters and his skin turned a dark red, like lava. His body emitted smoke.”

“Wow! That sounds like a monster straight out of hell!”

“The skin was as hard as rock, and he was very fast.”

Jin Seolha took notes of Yeon Jeokha’s words.

“Dae Ryeok Gwi, about 180 centimeters tall, skin like rock, fast. And then?”

“The next Demon Warrior I encountered was at Yonghuru in Gaebong. She was a woman, but I don’t know her name. She was brought by the head of the Chamber of Commerce to kill my sworn brothers and me.”

“Wow, that sounds terrible!”

“She was similar to Dae Ryeok Gwi. She was about 180 centimeters tall and had skin like rock. But when she moved her hands, she launched fireballs. The heat was felt even before they reached us.”

After taking notes, Jin Seolha shook her head.

“Wow! I saw Sima Dan with my own eyes, but putting it into words seems incredible. I’m not sure the Justice Alliance will believe our report.”

Seol Chaesu sighed.

“Ah! That worries me too. We’ve worked hard to gather this information, but they may not take it seriously. It’s hard to believe even for us who saw it with our own eyes…”

“Exactly. Hopefully, they won’t call us crazy.”

Yoo Geunsik shook his head.

After telling them everything about the Demon Warriors, Yeon Jeokha was about to stand up when Jin Seolha grabbed his arm tightly.

“They haven’t prepared the water yet. Could you stay a little longer and continue talking?”

Yeon Jeokha couldn’t refuse, so he sat down again.

Namgung Yeon sighed slightly.

“What’s wrong? Are you worried about something?”

Namgung Cheon looked at his sister curiously.

She had been quietly drinking tea and suddenly sighed, which worried him a bit. He considered her wise, so if she sighed, there must be something important.

“It’s nothing.”

Namgung Yeon shook her head.

She just felt a little uncomfortable, as if she had eaten something that didn’t sit well.

Ryangsan County.

Guangming Manor.

The Demon of Illusion, Ungjaegwi, stared at the leader of the Dark Division, Sah Do-yeong.

“You say someone calling himself the Grand Inspector of Nokrim appeared in Menglin.”

“That’s what I was informed.”

“Is he the one who killed the Demon Warrior Gok Ilgi?”

“Yes.”

Recently, Baekhwageom So Mujin and Baekjeolgeom Yi Shinwoong handed over the bandits to the authorities in Jeryeong. But since Je-ryeong was under the jurisdiction of Guangming Manor, the information quickly arrived there.

“Do you think you can handle it?”

“Leave it to me.”

Sah Do-yeong was full of confidence.

Unlike Gok Ilgi, who was a mid-level expert, he was a high-level expert.

Ungjaegwi looked at Sah Do-yeong with a doubtful expression.

He was troubled by the fact that a Demon Warrior had been killed.

Although Sah Do-yeong was an expert, he was still a Demon Warrior with his own limitations.

However, in the end, Ungjaegwi had no choice but to send Sah Do-yeong.

He couldn’t send two Demon Warriors just to capture a Grand Inspector of Nokrim. Moreover, Sah Do-yeong was a much more formidable expert than Gok Ilgi.

“Take the Dark Division and handle this. Don’t underestimate the opponent just because he’s a Grand Inspector of Nokrim.”

Objectively, sending Sah Do-yeong and the twenty members of the Dark Division was an overkill.

“I won’t disappoint your expectations.”

Sah Do-yeong bowed deeply, his forehead touching the ground, filled with youthful vigor.