The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family
Chapter 5
Becoming the direct disciple of an elder of the Beggar Sect.
Except for Ha Hyeon, everyone else understood the significance of those words.
âIt means he might qualify as a successorâŠâ
The Beggar Sect differs from other martial arts sects in one crucial aspect.
The sect leader of Beggar sect, known as the Dragon Head Leader, could not take in disciples by their own will.
This might raise the question of how the next generation’s Dragon Head Leader is selected.
The successor to the Dragon Head Leader, known as the Next Leader(or âHoukeâ), is chosen through a consensus among all the Elders and Law Protectors of the sect.
Only after the Next Leader is chosen does the current Dragon Head Leader begin teaching them everything they know.
The candidates for âHoukeâ can be any disciple of the Beggar sect.
In other words, anyone with the ability could become the sect leader – the Dragon Head Leader of Beggar sect.
However, the greatest possibility lay with the direct disciples of the eight Elders.
‘Elder Chwiwol Geolgae has never taken even a single direct disciple until now.’
Chwiwol Geolgae was an exceptionally free spirit even within the already free-spirited Beggar sect.
Without settling in any one place, he was someone who wandered the world doing as he pleased.
Because of this, he earned the not-so-positive nickname âMad Dogâ…
‘The main reason no one can touch him is because he’s one of the top masters not just in the Beggar sect… but in the entire martial arts world.’
In this moment, Bokwoo found himself feeling envious of Ha Hyeon without even realizing it.
Whether aware of this fact or not, Ha Hyeon’s expression remained puzzled.
Then, as if coming to his senses, he spoke in a clear voice.
“I apologize.”
“What?”
Even in his confusion, Ha Hyeon’s eyes remained firm.
“I cannot become your disciple.”
Faced with Ha Hyeon’s unexpected answer, Chwiwol Geolgae couldn’t respond immediately.
And just as he was about to say something, a loud voice burst out from an unexpected place.
“Do you even know what kind of opportunity you’re rejecting?!!”
It was Ma Yun-cheol, who had been quiet as a mouse since being thoroughly defeated in his match against Ha Hyeon.
“Why! Why are you refusing? Do you know how much we dream of such an opportunity?!”
“Enough.”
Chwiwol Geolgae stopped Ma Yun-cheol’s angry outburst, and Ma Yun-cheol had no choice but to shut his mouth.
“Well then. Let’s hear the reason why.”
“First, it’s because we’ve known each other for less than half a day, and second… because I have somewhere I need to go.”
“Somewhere you need to go?”
Instead of answering, Ha Hyeon nodded with a stern face.
After carefully observing Ha Hyeon’s face for a moment…
“Hahaha. Right. This was the first time in my life I tried to take a disciple, but thinking about it now, it would be nothing but troublesome. You thought well, young master.”
“…May I now go on my way?”
“Where is your destination?”
Ha Hyeon hesitated to answer.
“That’s…”
“Don’t make me ask twice.”
“The Namgung Family.”
Ha Hyeon quietly spoke the truth.
Chwiwol Geolgae smiled slightly and nodded.
“I see. I wish you good fortune in martial arts. Hey! Jung! Bring out some food!”
Chwiwol Geolgae shouted as he flung open the closed shop door and went inside.
“Phew. Should I be grateful this passed with just this much?”
And Bokwoo, feeling an inexplicable relief, let out a deep sigh and suddenly looked at Ha Hyeon, making a fist-palm salute as he continued speaking.
“Young master. Please forgive our disciple’s misunderstanding. It’s my fault for teaching him that we must protect our territory with our lives.”
“No, it’s fine. I also should have handled it more gracefully. I learned a lot, thanks to this.”
Ha Hyeon returned the fist-palm salute while looking at him.
Ma Yun-cheol approached Ha Hyeon hesitantly and spoke in a voice less forceful than before, but filled with determination.
“Next time we meet, I’ll definitely win. I’ll grind my teeth in training and master these Striking staff Ninety-Eight Techniques to the extreme.”
“Do as you please.”
“What’s your name?”
“…Ha Hyeon.”
“Your surname?”
“……”
Ma Yun-cheol smirked.
“Fine, if you don’t want to say it, don’t. But remember my name clearly. I am Ma Yun-cheol.”
“I’ve heard it so much these past few days that I don’t think I could forget it even if I wanted to.”
“Then let’s definitely meet again and compete, Ha Hyeon.”
Ma Yun-cheol picked up his striking staff that was rolling on the ground, tucked it into his waist, and followed behind Bokwoo who was already leaving.
Ha Hyeon felt like smiling as he watched the two figures walking away.
And although Chwiwol Geolgae was a beggar, he seemed likely to remain in Ha Hyeon’s heart as an incredibly impressive martial artist.
“Good. Not much further now.”
Ha Hyeon started to step towards the Namgung Family again.
No, just as he was about to take that step.
BANG-!
“I can’t stand it anymore. I was going to let you go, but I’m dying of curiosity!”
Chwiwol Geolgae, who had gone into the store, suddenly kicked the door open and came out again.
The shop owner, Mr. Jeong, followed behind him.
“You, you crazy beggar! If you break the door when you don’t even have money, how will you pay for it?!”
“Is the door the issue right now? Jeong! Didn’t I tell you? He refused when I offered to become his master!”
Ha Hyeon couldn’t make sense of what was happening.
Where had the impressive Elder Chwiwol Geolgae of the Beggar sect gone, replaced by this troublesome old man?
“I thought you wouldn’t have left yet. Did you really refuse me?”
Ha Hyeon reflexively looked in the direction where Bokwoo and Ma Yun-cheol had departed.
And he could see Bokwoo, who was practically carrying Ma Yun-cheol, escaping from this place at his maximum speed.
‘If you get caught by the Mad Dog, it’s over. We need to run even one step further while it’s still quiet.’
He might have foreseen this situation.
“Child, won’t you answer? Do I look that inadequate as a master?!”
“That’s not it! I just have somewhere I must go…”
“What, the Namgung Family? Why must you go there!”
This perfectly demonstrated why people called Chwiwol Geolgae a mad dog.
“There’s someone I must meet!”
“Must meet…? Hmm… Wait a moment. Now that I look carefully, your face seems familiar. Have we met before?”
“No. If we had, I definitely would have remembered you.”
Ha Hyeon meant that he could never forget such an eccentric beggar.
But interpreting it differently, Chwiwol Geolgae took it as a compliment that one couldn’t forget an Elder of the great Beggar sect.
“True. I couldn’t have seen you when you were younger, let me think… This pale face like a courtesan’s brother and these eyes… Where have I seen them?”
Chwiwol Geolgae fell into thought for a moment.
‘Should I run? No, I’d be caught immediately. Then…’
Ha Hyeon quickly tried to think of a way to resolve this situation.
However, his thoughts stopped at Chwiwol Geolgae’s next words.
“Yeongryeong?”
“What?”
Chwiwol Geolgae looked into Ha Hyeon’s eyes as he spoke.
“Your eyes. They’re exactly like Namgung Yeongryeong’s, the Poisonous Heart Beautiful Flower!”
“…!”
Chwiwol Geolgae’s demeanor had completely changed from just moments ago.
Just before he was undoubtedly a mad dog, but now he showed the dignity befitting an Elder of the great Beggar sect.
Beggar sect is both a martial arts sect and the strongest intelligence organization in the martial arts world.
His status as an Elder meant he was among the top ten in such an organization.
Could one become an Elder with just strong martial arts?
The conclusion is absolutely not.
The position of Elder required not only powerful martial arts but also an incredible level of information processing and analysis.
For someone like Chwiwol Geolgae, remembering the face of a martial artist who left a deep impression was nothing.
“You. What’s your relationship with Namgung Yeong-ryeong?”
Chwiwol Geolgae asked solemnly.
As if he knew something.
“I…”
“No, don’t answer. I don’t need to hear your story. You’re coming with me to the Namgung Family now.”
Ha Hyeon had been experiencing one surprise after another.
Even with his clever mind, he could barely grasp what was happening.
“Jeong.”
“What is it, beggar?”
“I’ll have to drink another time.”
“Tch. When have you ever drunk leisurely? Having a crazy beggar as my only friend… Wait a moment.”
The shop owner clicked his tongue several times before returning to the store and bringing out a dusty A-frame carrier and a bundle of dried meat.
“From what I hear, you’re heading to Anhui right away, aren’t you? With your personality, rather than dragging a child along, it would be better to carry them in this.”
Chwiwol Geolgae frowned, seemingly displeased with the carrier.
“Tsk, carrying an A-frame doesn’t suit an Elder’s dignity.”
“Hmpf. Since when did you have any dignity?”
“That’s true, isn’t it?”
Chwiwol Geolgae chuckled at something amusing, blew off the dust from the carrier, and shouldered it.
“Get on.”
Ha Hyeon climbed onto the carrier without a word.
He had already made his decision.
‘There’s no way to escape from this master’s hands anyway. He seems to have known my mother, and if he’s really going to the Namgung Family, this could be greatly beneficial for me.’
“Hold on tight. If you fall and get hurt or die, I’ll leave you behind.”
“Yes.”
Whoosh-!
‘Ugh!’
The moment Ha Hyeon answered, he had no choice but to concentrate his inner force in his hands.
Chwiwol Geolgae’s speed was unlike anything he had ever experienced or seen before.
Holding on to avoid falling – that was all Ha Hyeon could do right now.
It was after running for an entire day that Chwiwol Geolgae finally stopped.
“Phew, running like this after so long is tiring. Child, are you still holding on well?”
“……”
Ha Hyeon gave no response to Chwiwol Geolgae’s question.
Though he could still feel the heavy weight on his back, so he hadn’t fallen off…
When he put down the carrier, Ha Hyeon finally came to his senses.
“Why weren’t you answering? Were you perhaps sleeping?”
“No.”
“Then what were you doing?”
“……”
Chwiwol Geolgae asked Ha Hyeon again, who had been silent for a while.
“Didn’t I ask what you were doing? As you can see, I’m a person with very little patience.”
“I was studying your running technique.”
“What?”
Although Chwiwol Geolgae had met countless martial artists in the world, his expression unconsciously turned to shock.
“My running technique, you say?”
“Yes. Of course, with my current limited inner force, I can’t replicate it yet.”
“Are you saying you could follow it if you had sufficient inner force?”
Chwiwol Geolgae’s expression had changed from shock to curiosity.
“Not perfectly… but I’ve been running until now with the feeling of releasing inner force through my feet. However, Elder, it seems you recover a significant portion of your inner force when lifting your leg after stepping on the ground.”
“…!”
Whether aware of Chwiwol Geolgae’s expression or not, Ha Hyeon continued speaking while still deep in thought.
“Of course, I have no idea how you recover it, so I’ll have to keep trying.”
From shock to curiosity, and again from curiosity to shock.
Chwiwol Geolgae didn’t even think to hide his expression.
Since what Ha Hyeon just explained about martial principles (wÇ lÇ) was an insight that Chwiwol Geolgae had barely grasped after years of research.
‘A once-in-a-millennium genius who can understand just by observing?’
Chwiwol Geolgae felt a moment of fear.
But he soon regained his rationality.
‘If he really is a child of the Namgung Family… he might become the hope of the martial arts world.’
Ha Hyeon’s face looked the most excited among all the faces Chwiwol Geolgae had seen all day.
He had never seen a child who found such joy in understanding martial principles.
“If I had met you earlier, Elder, I could have run longer. And thank you.”
“Let me give you one piece of advice, just in case.”
“What advice?”
Chwiwol Geolgae spoke with a serious attitude.
“In the future, never tell other martial artists that you can copy their martial arts, or that you think you could copy them.”
“Why is that?”
Though he appeared so proper on the outside, inside he was still just a ten-year-old child.
Just as Chwiwol Geolgae was about to explain the ways of the martial arts world.
“Ah…! I see. I would like to apologize for my rudeness just now. Elder, I’m sorry.”
“Haha……”
Ha Hyeon’s genius didn’t even allow time for such explanations.
“Get back on. We don’t have far to go now.”
Chwiwol Geolgae chewed on some dried meat as he hoisted Ha Hyeon back up.
Originally, he had planned to rest and camp for a day, but now he couldn’t wait even a moment longer.
Whether this boy was truly from the Namgung Family.
He wanted to confirm it right now.
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