CLS-Chapter 450

Chapter 450:

“Hey, you bastard! Don’t you have anywhere else to go for fun that you’re coming to a beggar’s den? In all my years as a beggar, I’ve never seen someone as beggar-like as you.”

“That doesn’t seem like something a beggar should say?”

“I’m saying this because someone who’s not a beggar is acting like one, you fake beggar!”

“What’s a fake beggar?”

“Someone who has money overflowing but pretends to be a beggar is a fake beggar!”

“It’s not like I’ll wear out just from taking a look at a beggar’s den once.”

Jang-il forcibly calmed his boiling insides.

‘Damn bastard.’

Of course, it wasn’t like anything major would happen just because he took Wei Yan-ho to the Beggar’s Sect Seongdu branch. The Beggar’s Sect branches were open places, and they didn’t particularly stop anyone from visiting.

Unless they were people who had committed great crimes and were on the run.

So it was a place that was wide open to Wei Yan-ho as well, but the problem was that Jang-il didn’t particularly want to bring Wei Yan-ho along.

Who would want to travel together with someone who caused trouble everywhere he went and stirred up unintended storms on flat ground?

“Ugh.“

If his lightness skill was at least poor, he could shake him off, but once Wei Yan-ho made up his mind, there was no way to shake him off. In the end, he had to drag this tumor-like bastard around with him.

Jang-il felt heartbroken by this fact.

“Your father is running around with his feet on fire trying to solve this matter, but is it okay for you to be playing around like this?”

“Why are you asking when you already know? Me not being visible is helping.”

“…I can’t argue with that.”

Wei Yan-ho certainly knew his place.

“But what’s that tumor?”

“…Don’t even mention it.”

Wei Yan-ho shook his head from side to side. Jang-il tilted his head as he looked at So Ryeo-gun who was stuck tight to Wei Yan-ho’s side.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“Usually children and animals instinctively guard against bad people. So naturally, they shouldn’t want to stick close to your side, but that kid seems a bit strange.”

“How would a beggar understand the heart of a pure child? Recognizing good people is the privilege of children.”

“Bullshit.”

Jang-il shook his head from side to side and walked forward.

He was talking like this, but Jang-il’s insides weren’t very comfortable.

With the situation being like this, how could his insides be comfortable? He had told Wei Yan-ho it was nothing special, but since they couldn’t find any clues inside, he was going to the Beggar’s Sect with the mind to at least search the outside.

“But where is the beggar’s den around here?”

“Over there.”

“Over there?”

“You can see it over there, over there.”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes widened as he looked at the building Jang-il was pointing to.

“Over there?”

“Yes.”

“That looks like a perfectly normal mansion?”

“Right.”

“Why right?”

Wei Yan-ho glared and shouted at Jang-il.

“No! What are we supposed to do if beggar bastards live in places like that? If they’re beggars, shouldn’t they properly build huts and live there, or gather and live under bridges? How can someone with a house be a beggar?”

“It’s not a house, it’s a building owned by the Beggar’s Sect.”

“Why does the Beggar’s Sect have buildings!”

“Good grief.”

Jang-il got angry.

“Why! Can’t beggars have buildings?”

“How can you be beggars if you have buildings!”

“Don’t you know the saying ‘many a little makes a mickle’? If the hundred thousand beggars of the Central Plains each beg for just one coin, how much money would that be? If you push with numbers, there’s nothing you can’t do!”

“…These fake beggars!”

“That’s not it. Actually, the Seongdu magistrate won’t let us build huts in the city. Since it’s such an important place, beggars can’t not be active here, and if we build huts outside the city, work won’t get done, so we purchased a building inside.”

“He won’t let you build huts? Can he do that?”

“The Heavenly Alliance’s influence must have been involved. There are many people who don’t like beggars wandering around in the city. The justification is sufficient.”

“It’s a harsh world.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Jang-il sighed.

Seongdu was a place where the Heavenly Alliance’s influence was particularly strong, so beggars also operated carefully. If they unnecessarily caused discord with Heavenly Alliance members, the Righteous Martial Alliance wouldn’t look favorably on it either.

Of course, since the Heavenly Alliance side also had to tolerate Righteous Martial Alliance intelligence agents wandering around in their front yard, they would pick fights with beggars whenever they felt like it to humiliate them.

The beggars who endured this pain and operated deserved this kind of treatment. Of course, well, since they were beggars, they didn’t receive particularly great treatment.

“It really is a beggar’s den, isn’t it?”

From a distance, it looked like a decent building, but as they got closer, its true nature was revealed. It still had the qualifications to maintain the name of a building, but if it got a little more run-down, it would be more suitable to call it ruins or an abandoned house rather than a building.

“What did you expect? It’s still the Beggar’s Sect.”

“You spoke so confidently!”

“Hey! You bastard! We’re beggars, do you think it would be easy to have a building like this?”

“Didn’t you say beggars could just beg one coin each?”

“How many mouths do those bastards have! Do you think we do information trading to make money and enjoy wealth and glory? There are so many beggars that begging alone doesn’t provide an answer! To put it bluntly, if beggars could survive just by begging, who would work? Everyone would become beggars!”

“That makes sense.”

Wei Yan-ho became solemn.

“Shut up! Follow me, you bastard. Time is precious.”

Jang-il roughly went inside. Perhaps because it was a beggar’s den, there was a gate but it was wide open, and no one could be seen guarding it.

Well, what’s the point of guarding when there’s nothing to steal? What would there be to steal in a beggar’s den?

“It’s not good for a child’s education to show them something like this.”

“Then don’t come!”

“It’s fine as long as it’s interesting.”

Jang-il went inside with irritation.

“Beggar bastards! I’m here!”

“…In some ways, you might be the one who looks down on beggars the most in the world.”

Jang-il walked sluggishly inside and suddenly opened the door of a pavilion.

“Wha, what?”

For a moment, Jang-il was flustered and looked around inside.

‘Did I come to the wrong place?’

No beggars could be seen inside the pavilion. It wasn’t that there were no people, but while some humans were bustling about on the mats spread on the floor, those humans weren’t beggars.

“Oh? Little beggar?”

“You came?”

But those humans were showing beggar-like reactions.

“You, why are all your clothes like that?”

“Sigh, don’t even mention it.”

One of those sitting on the floor stood up and waved his hands.

“The magistrate has gone crazy and now tells us not to go around wearing rags.”

“What?”

“He says not to wander around looking like beggars.”

“So, so?”

Jang-il looked around at everyone with blank eyes.

There was no such thing as special beggar clothing. But people recognized beggars at a glance. The reason was that beggars’ clothes were naturally old and worn, and dirty beyond measure.

Having no clothes to change into, they had to wear the same clothes through all four seasons, and for beggars who had to end their begging for the day if they went to a stream once, it was unavoidable.

But now, all the beggars inside were dressed neatly. If it weren’t for the mats spread on the floor, one might have thought a feast was being held.

“No, even so. If you guys are like this, who would know you’re beggars!”

“Then what can we do? If we wander around looking like beggars, we get kicked out of the city.”

“…Good heavens.”

“We even have to wash once a day. If we show even a little beggar-like behavior, we get kicked out.”

Wei Yan-ho, who had been watching the situation, spoke as if groaning.

“So this is when you use the saying ‘it’s hard to make a living by begging.'”

Everyone nodded as if in agreement.

“But that magistrate is really strange too. Actually, beggars exist because they can’t provide proper governance. They should try to do better, but instead they even persecute them.”

“It wasn’t this severe originally. But recently it’s gotten extremely bad. I think he’s made up his mind to drive all beggars out of Seongdu.”

Grumble grumble grumble grumble.

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud sound erupted from the beggar’s stomach. It was so thunderous that one might have mistaken it for thunder.

“Ah…”

The beggar who had been talking clutched his stomach and collapsed to the floor.

“Come to think of it… why are you so thin? When I saw you three years ago, you seemed plump.”

“Would begging work in this state?”

It wouldn’t.

They were dressed so neatly that they looked perfectly fine—if they went begging like this, they’d be lucky not to get beaten up.

“Everyone is starving like it’s a daily meal. In the past, the people here had decent hearts so it wasn’t bad to get begging rice, but recently the people’s hearts have become harsh, and after we couldn’t wear rags anymore, it has become too hard to get even a lump of rice.”

“Then you should go out begging more diligently! Why are you all gathered here!”

“We don’t have strength, no strength.”

The beggar spoke softly as if he didn’t have the strength to get angry.

“The guys who went out begging couldn’t return properly and we’ve carried them back after they collapsed on the road more than once or twice. Now it’s become harder, so we told them not to go out unless absolutely necessary.”

“Gasp.“

Jang-il’s face turned pale.

If beggars don’t go out begging, what are they supposed to eat?

“Can’t you ask headquarters for support?”

At Wei Yan-ho’s words, Jang-il got angry.

“You bastard! If we lived with stockpiled food to give support, would we be beggars? We’re beggars!”

“But you’re still the Beggar’s Sect.”

“We already made a request to headquarters. But… the food that came last time is all gone, and we’re waiting for additional support, but since Kaifeng is so far away, it can’t come quickly. At this rate, we’ll all starve to death.”

Jang-il became like someone who ate honey and lost his voice.

“No, if something like this happens, you should hurry and report to headquarters.”

“We did report! But those crazy bastards at headquarters said it’s natural for beggars to starve, so what’s all the fuss about! Agh… I shouted and now I’m even hungrier. Little beggar, don’t you have a lump of stale rice hidden somewhere?”

“…”

Jang-il looked around at everyone with blank eyes.

Come to think of it, only their clothes were decent, but they were all skin and bones. It was natural for beggars to be thin, but this wasn’t at that level. They were so withered that it wouldn’t be strange if they collapsed and died at any moment. They looked like they didn’t even have the strength to sit.

‘Oh no, this won’t do.’

At this rate, they’ll all starve to death. For now…

Jang-il turned his head with bloodshot eyes.

“…Why?”

Wei Yan-ho, sensing uneasiness in Jang-il’s gaze, slowly backed away.

“Wei Yan-ho!”

“Yeah?”

At that moment, Jang-il flew like lightning and grabbed Wei Yan-ho’s trouser leg.

“What does friendship mean! Friend!”

“Who’s your friend!”

“Give me some money! You’re rich, aren’t you? At this rate, these guys will all starve to death! If beggars starve to death, they can’t even go to hell! The demons of hell chase them away saying there’s no food! They become wandering ghosts!”

“Let go! Won’t you let go!”

“Money! Give me some money! Some money! Wei Yan-hoooooo!”

The impact brought by the word “money” was tremendous.

“What? Money?”

“Who has money?”

“Gi, give me one coin!”

The beggars, realizing that someone to beg from had rolled in on their own, rushed toward Wei Yan-ho.

Looking at their ghoulish appearance, Wei Yan-ho looked up at the sky with tearful eyes.

“Damn it…”

Why does it turn out like this everywhere he goes, why!

No luck at all.

No luck at all.