Chapter v16c3

The chain, shimmering like a silver serpent, pierced through the air. It unfurled like an endless thread, its cruel steel scales glinting coldly. With venomous fangs bared, it lunged towards the tree where No-hak was hiding, swift and deadly, its power shaking the night air.

“Gasp!”

No-hak choked back a cry of terror. Before he could react, the chain had wrapped itself around him, its cold metal constricting his movements. It moved with a life of its own, hissing and slithering.

With a deafening roar, the chain, now a colossal serpent, coiled around the entire tree. No-hak, trapped, trembled as the cold metal pressed against his skin.

“Heave!”

Big Guy, the chain’s master, pulled on it with a grunt.

The silver chain, with a grinding screech, devoured the tree, its teeth sharp and merciless. Splintered wood rained down like a shower of debris, piling up at the base.

Slap!

A sharp crack echoed through the forest as Small Guy slapped Big Guy across the face. It was a humiliating blow for a martial artist, but Big Guy didn’t dare retaliate.

“Careless fool! Have you forgotten the importance of secrecy? You’ll attract the attention of the Law Enforcers. I doubt they’re deaf and blind.”

Small Guy scolded him. He had told him to catch the rat, not wake up the entire mountain.

“I-I’m sorry, Brother.”

Big Guy, usually a wild stallion, was now a docile pony in front of his brother.

“What do we do now, Brother?”

He asked.

“We’ll say we were practicing our martial arts. If we can’t come up with a better excuse. But I suggest we leave before anyone sees us.”

Bear said.

“Be more careful next time. I won’t be so lenient.”

Small Guy warned. Big Guy remained silent.

“Anyway, let’s see what kind of rat we caught.”

Bear said, walking towards the pile of debris.

“Hmph, it’s probably just a pile of dust.”

Big Guy said smugly.

“You’re right. It’s useless now.”

Chatterbox said, examining the debris. But he couldn’t just stand there and gloat.

“It missed.”

Small Guy said coldly.

“W-What?! Impossible! My attack never misses…”

“Then explain the empty chain.”

Small Guy pointed at the chain, which was still tightly coiled around something. It was a tattered shirt. But there was nothing inside.

“H-How…?”

Big Guy stammered, his face pale with shock.

“Whew, what a bunch of lunatics…”

No-hak ran as fast as he could, desperate to escape.

He had narrowly avoided being turned into mincemeat. It was a close call. The thought of what had almost happened sent shivers down his spine. His body still tingled from the shock.

Beggars were often caught and tied up while begging or gathering information. So the Beggars’ Sect had developed techniques for escaping such situations. No-hak had used one of those techniques, dislocating his shoulder to shrink his body and slip out of the chain’s grasp. If he had been a moment slower… he would be dead.

Achoo!

He sneezed, his bare skin exposed to the cold night air. He needed to get back to his warm room. He hated colds.

“What do we do now?”

Bear asked, standing over the pile of debris. Their meeting had been compromised. They didn’t know how much the rat had heard, but they had to silence him. Secrecy was paramount.

“This plan has been ten years in the making! We can’t let it fail now!”

Bear said, his voice gruff.

“We’ll take responsibility for letting the rat escape.”

“How? It’s too late to chase after him.”

Small Guy said, his eyes cold as he looked at the tattered shirt. It was a patchwork of rags, even before it had been shredded by the chain. He picked it up carefully. It was torn and frayed, but he recognized the stitching.

“There aren’t many beggars who wear rags like this.”

His eyes gleamed in the darkness.

*Baiting the Trap*

The day of the Metal Gate trial.

No-hak forced himself awake, his eyes heavy with sleep. He washed his face, changed his clothes, and – surprisingly – headed to the dining hall for breakfast.

The Mount Hua Sword Conference was proceeding smoothly. There was no need to skip breakfast and take the trial on an empty stomach.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

A voice behind him stopped him in his tracks. He turned slowly to see two unexpected figures standing there. It was Chu Myeong, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Seven, and Oh Chu, the Fifth Demon, Broken Wind Sword.

‘What are they doing here?’

They hadn’t been this friendly last night.

“I slept like a log. I dreamt I was feasting on the Emperor’s banquet, but I woke up before I could finish. I cried myself to sleep.”

He said sarcastically.

“I’m glad to hear it. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t use lack of sleep as an excuse to hold us back.”

Chu Myeong said.

“I’m in top condition! Don’t worry about me.”

No-hak retorted.

“By the way, did you change your clothes? Or am I seeing things?”

No-hak flinched, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Hahaha! This old thing? I just decided to clean up and wear something new.”

He said casually, scratching the back of his head. But his muscles were tense, and he was sweating under his arms.

“Tsk, a beggar in new clothes… How arrogant!”

Oh Chu sneered. If Chu Myeong hadn’t stopped him, No-hak might have punched him.

“Chu, behave yourself!”

Chu Myeong said. But No-hak could tell he didn’t mean it. He was clearly looking down on him.

“Just a warning. Don’t expect anyone to save you if you get into trouble. And don’t even think about testing us. It won’t end well for you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t worry, I’m not stupid enough to expect help from wolves. I know you’re just waiting for me to make a mistake.”

Their eyes met, sparks flying.

“One last thing.”

Chu Myeong said.

“I’m all ears.”

“If your stupidity endangers our group or my master, you’ll regret it. If you’re still alive by then.”

His voice was cold, but No-hak wasn’t intimidated. He had endured worse. He only showed fear in front of Bi Ryu-yeon and Elder Yeom-do.

“Is that a warning, a threat, or a confession?”

He asked.

“Think what you will. But don’t forget it!”

He couldn’t forget it.

The two men turned and walked away. Oh Chu growled as he left.

“Arrogant beggar! Don’t expect anyone to save you if you fall off the cliff!”

No-hak watched them go, his face grim. Chu Myeong’s words echoed in his mind.

He was sure Chu Myeong had meant it.

And he was right. But he didn’t have time to celebrate his insight.

Because… no one had tried to save him.

Their words had come true.

What was this feeling?

What had just happened? And what was happening now?

Everything felt slow.

Was this the life flashing before his eyes experience? Every moment felt like an eternity. His perception of time was distorted.

The Beggars’ Sect’s secret movement technique, the Drunken Eight Immortals Steps, was useless in midair.

Was it intentional? Of course it was intentional.

It was too perfect to be an accident. They were willing to risk disqualifying their group to silence him. They needed to silence him that badly. So it was foolish to expect anyone to sacrifice themselves to save him. They would probably push him off the cliff if they could. Did he really overhear something that important?

But it didn’t matter now. It didn’t matter if the information was important or not. His lifeline was cut, and he was falling. Death awaited him below.

He was going to die… The thought filled him with rage. He was furious. His anger was directed at the root cause of his predicament. He couldn’t forget. He couldn’t forget the one who had put him in this situation. It was all Bi Ryu-yeon’s fault.

He was going to die anyway. He had nothing to lose. Everything was impermanent. All things changed, all things ended. Even his anger would disappear when he died.

‘Yes! I’m going to die anyway! What do I have to lose?!’

He might as well vent his frustrations before he died. He was a beggar, but he still had a voice.

“Hey, Bi Ryu-yeon! You bastard! You damn senior brother! Live long and prosper! You’re full of shit!”

He shouted, his voice surprisingly strong for a dying man. It was his last complaint, his last act of defiance. He didn’t expect a response. It was just a way to vent his anger. But then, a voice came from above.

“Did you call me?”

It was a casual voice, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It sounded like a hallucination.

But it was coming from right next to him. It was too real to be a hallucination. He turned his head to see “it.”

“Eeeeek! S-Senior Brother!!!”

He sounded like he had seen a ghost.

Bi Ryu-yeon was running down the cliff face, as if it were flat ground. His body was almost perpendicular to the cliff.

It was a cliff. Humans weren’t supposed to run on cliffs. It was an insult to cliffs. Humans were supposed to fall. But Bi Ryu-yeon was defying common sense, trampling on the cliff’s pride.

‘How am I supposed to deal with this?’

Even in his panicked state, No-hak couldn’t help but wonder.

Maybe dying was better than surviving and facing Bi Ryu-yeon’s wrath. It was a tempting thought.

“Grab my hand!”

Bi Ryu-yeon reached out his hand. But it wasn’t easy. No-hak was in freefall, and Bi Ryu-yeon was running down a cliff.

‘Should I grab his hand…?’

He had two choices: die from the fall, or survive and be beaten to death by his senior brother. There was no third option.

It was a difficult decision.

‘Screw it! I don’t care anymore!’

He closed his eyes and reached out his hand. But Bi Ryu-yeon pulled his hand back. No-hak’s eyes flew open.