CLS-Chapter 527

Chapter 527:

“Wei Yan-ho.”

Jang-il’s voice was filled with dignity.

“I acknowledge and respect you.”

It made one wonder if Jang-il had ever shown such a demeanor even once before. His current appearance was incredibly solemn.

It carried a weight that made one understand how this man had distinguished himself among the hundred thousand members of the Beggar’s Sect, and why he had been designated as the Small Beggar who would lead the next generation of the Beggar’s Sect.

“Even when the world criticized you and pointed fingers calling you ignorant, I never doubted that there was a flash of brilliance hidden within your rough actions. The path walked by one who follows the greater cause would be full of incomprehensible matters when viewed through the eyes of petty people. Therefore, I tried not to guess at the intentions of a great bird with the eyes of a lowly person. Everything is as it naturally should be. I believed that Heaven entrusted you with governing this chaotic world because there must be a good reason for it.”

A righteous light flowed from Jang-il’s eyes. Will could be felt from his tightly pressed lips.

His shabby appearance posed no obstacle whatsoever.

Jang-il’s appearance, radiating righteous light from both eyes, was more than sufficient for him to claim to be one of the world’s wise men.

“Though I scolded you with words and muttered about my own hardships, I believed in you. I never doubted that following you was the work of saving the world from suffering. In the past, Emperor Wu of Wei committed adultery with women even while surrounded by enemies, and the First Emperor of Qin built the Afang Palace and threw himself into pleasure. Heroes of the world are indeed those who casually commit acts that cannot be understood through the perspective of petty people. I believed you were the same… no, I believed, damn it!”

But such an attitude didn’t last long.

Jang-il’s eyes that had been radiating righteous light instantly contorted.

“Hey, damn it! You bastard! Please, let’s act like humans, like humans! What I’m asking of you isn’t so difficult that you can’t do just that one thing and drive a person to this state, huh? Please! Pleeeease!”

It was as if Jang-il might burst into tears at any moment.

At this moment, Jang-il was feeling it.

The Demonic Cult? Baek Sword Castle?

Those were secondary problems.

No matter how frightening the Demonic Cult might be, they weren’t currently causing Jang-il pain. The probability of that happening in the future was incredibly high, but at least not right now.

The one making his breath stop right now was Wei Yan-ho.

It had been like this before! It had always been like this!

There’s a saying: Renew yourself day by day, and again renew yourself

It means becoming new day by day. Usually it’s a phrase used when admiring how a talented person develops day by day.

‘To think il-sin-u-il-sin could be used so negatively.‘

Wei Yan-ho’s condition worsened day by day. At least when he first met him, he was just at the level of someone whose actions were a bit strange and peculiar, but the current Wei Yan-ho…

Jang-il looked at Wei Yan-ho with speechless, vacant eyes.

“No… No! No, damn it!”

“Why is your voice rising so sharply?”

“You should be saying things that make sense! Things that make sense!”

“What doesn’t make sense!”

“Ah, so!”

Tears welled up in Jang-il’s eyes.

When he turned his head to look at the others, their faces weren’t much different from Jang-il’s. Though they didn’t add words of support, they were all sending passionate gazes toward Jang-il.

Of course they would.

No human could maintain composure in such a situation.

Absolutely not!

“No, damn it. No, Wei Yan-ho. No! Master Fish! Master Fish!”

Wei Yan-ho spoke with a blank expression.

“You’re doing something you’ve never done before.”

“Please think about it just one more time. This is insanity!”

“Hey! Beggar.”

“Yes.”

“It’s not as insane as you think. Don’t you trust me?”

The tears that had welled up in Jang-il’s eyes finally rolled down.

Trust you?

Of course I can’t trust you, you crazy bastard!

How could someone in their right mind trust you!

Jang-il’s head slowly turned to the side. Ancient castle walls entered his vision.

Castle walls.

Right, just castle walls.

Neither particularly high nor particularly low, just moderate.

They were just old castle walls weathered by sandstorms over a long period.

However, anyone involved in the martial world wouldn’t dare consider those castle walls merely ordinary walls of an old castle.

Why?

“You crazy bastard… You crazy bastard, even if you’re going to be crazy, you should be moderately crazy.”

Because the castle walls currently in Jang-il’s sight were precisely those of the Demonic Cult.

Just looking at them made his knees weak. His legs were trembling.

‘I wasn’t even this scared in the Imperial Palace.‘

The place that the people of the Great Ming should fear most is the Imperial Palace. There should be no place more frightening than where the Emperor resides. However, there existed a place in this world that made even the Imperial Palace seem like a warm bedroom. It was precisely those crumbling castle walls.

The Demonic Cult.

The Thousand-Year Demonic Cult.

No matter how many forces in the world held their heads high with arrogance, who among them would dare boast of their might before the Demonic Cult? Their unadorned barrenness felt more like their confidence, and the desolate emptiness without human presence became a subtle fear that pressed upon Jang-il.

But…

But what?

“Attack that place?”

“Yeah.”

“The Demonic Cult?”

“Yeah.”

Watching Wei Yan-ho answer so calmly, he felt an impulse to personally reach out and twist that neck.

“Even if you’re going to be crazy, you should be gracefully crazy!”

“Ha, really. This beggar fellow is quite cowardly too.”

Living as a beggar, one suffers countless unjust treatments.

It’s not even about going to beg for rice; just passing by, one gets doused with cold water for being unlucky, or gets their begging bowl smashed for no reason at all.

There’s no beggar who hasn’t been beaten up for no reason.

Even Jang-il hadn’t been part of the Beggar’s Sect from the beginning; he too had been a common beggar once. What would be the point of talking about the humiliation he suffered during those days?

However, Jang-il was confident in himself as a true man.

Though he couldn’t escape his beggar appearance due to lack of possessions, he was a bold man who had never shed a single tear over any unjust treatment. That was Jang-il’s pride.

But…

‘I’d rather be beaten up for no reason.‘

The tears that had never once moistened Jang-il’s eyes were now streaming down continuously. Tears that never came out even when he was beaten all over his body until it ached, just from trying to get a lump of cold rice.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! What are we that we should attack the Demonic Cult!”

“Ah, so noisy! My ears are going to fall off!”

Jang-il beat his chest.

How many times had Wei Yan-ho committed crazy acts? But what Wei Yan-ho was trying to commit today made all the previous incidents seem like mere pranks.

“How can we attack that place!”

“Why can’t we go?”

“That’s the Demonic Cult! The Demonic Cult! Don’t you know what the Demonic Cult is?”

“I know.”

“If you know, how can you do this? How can you? Hey, you crazy bastard. Try telling any neighborhood kid that the six of us are going to attack the Demonic Cult. The kid will spit at you calling you crazy and feed you knuckle sandwiches!”

“Because you’re so negative, you still can’t escape your beggar appearance.”

“I have no intention of escaping my beggar appearance.”

“It’s something to be proud of.”

Jang-il rolled his eyes back.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have become a beggar.‘

No matter what he says, the response is that’s why he’s just a beggar. Since being a beggar is a fact, there’s nothing to say about it. His insides are burning up to the point of bursting out of his mouth.

“…But, Yan-ho. I really don’t think this is right.”

Peng Dao-ji also cautiously watched Wei Yan-ho’s mood. Though Peng Dao-ji had been showing an incredibly bold demeanor recently, upon hearing about entering the Demonic Cult’s headquarters with this number of people, he seemed to quickly regain his former timidity.

“My lord, may I speak honestly?”

“Don’t.”

When Zhuge Mun-in tried to start, Wei Yan-ho cleanly waved his hand. But when had Zhuge Mun-in ever listened to Wei Yan-ho’s words?

“This is insanity.”

“Amitabha!“

Mu San cheerfully added his Buddhist exclamation as accompaniment.

“Though life and death are the same, do you know what they call purposeless death?”

“What do they call it?”

“A dog’s death, benefactor. I think it would be good to stick your head in cold water and cool it down a bit.”

“…”

How did a Shaolin monk come to be like this? Wei Yan-ho sighed looking at Mu San.

“After gorging on meat all night, the monk has lost his mind.”

“Wh-when did I eat meat!”

“Everyone else ate one piece of jerky each, but you gobbled down two pieces, and who was it that was rummaging through the bundle at dawn!”

“L-look at my build! How am I supposed to survive on just that!”

“You ate meat! Buddha would laugh and smack your bald head if he knew!”

“…A ghost that dies after eating has a good complexion too.”

Now Mu San had completely forgotten his duty as a Shaolin monk.

“But Yan-ho.”

As the situation became drawn out, Wei Jeong-han opened his mouth with a reluctant expression.

Wei Jeong-han, who had accepted the fact that his grown son now surpassed him and had come this far without saying much, still couldn’t shake the thought that this was truly insane.

“Are you really going to attack?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Before Wei Jeong-han could say anything, Jang-il was about to burst out shouting. But when Wei Yan-ho raised his hand, Jang-il stopped with his mouth open.

“Calm down your agitation and listen to what I have to say first.”

“…”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue and continued speaking.

“Now, think about it carefully. The Demonic Cult is currently attacking the Central Plains, right?”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

“And this expedition is also an all-or-nothing battle for the Demonic Cult. If they lose, there’s no backing down. Right?”

“Of course.”

Jang-il nodded his head vigorously.

The Demonic Cult and the Central Plains had already fought each other to the death once. Fighting again means they’re prepared to fight to the death.

“Then they must have gathered all the military power they could mobilize. If they lose, they die, so what would they have left behind?”

“What obvious thing are you going on about!”

“Then what’s in there?”

“…Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho’s fingertip was pointing at the Demonic Cult.

“All the guys who can fight have flocked to the Central Plains right now. Right?”

“R-right.”

“If I were the Demonic Cult leader, I would conscript anyone with even a little strength, whether young or old, and send them all to attack the Central Plains. Right?”

Jang-il nodded like someone who had eaten honey and become mute.

“Then do you know what that place is called?”

“Th-the Demonic Cult?”

When the dazed Jang-il gave a stupid answer, Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

“It’s called an empty mountain without a master, you fool!”

Wei Yan-ho puffed out his chest and shouted.

“The best way to tie down the enemy’s feet is to smash their headquarters. No matter how much they call themselves the Demonic Cult, no matter how heartless and tearless they are. If their home gets completely destroyed, surely they won’t continue going to the Central Plains, right?”

“Th-then what you’re trying to do there is…”

Wei Yan-ho wiped the drool that had flowed from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and spoke wickedly.

“Let’s see if they can still go to the Central Plains even when their headquarters burns and all their wealth is plundered!”

Especially the word “wealth” was emphasized with force.

Looking at Wei Yan-ho’s eyes filled with greed, Jang-il felt his soul leaving through his mouth.

He’s lost it.

This bastard has lost it.