Chapter 66
Ha Hyeon barely managed to dissuade Chwiwol Geolgae, who wanted to leave right away.
They needed to make at least minimal preparations before departing.
So they decided to leave first thing tomorrow.
After asking a servant to relay this news to Namgung Min, Ha Hyeon returned to his room to pack his few belongings again.
However, this time he wasn’t alone.
Chwiwol Geolgae, who had repeatedly claimed to be busy, followed Ha Hyeon all the way to his room.
“Master, please sit here.”
“It’s fine!”
Chwiwol Geolgae plopped down on the floor, not on the chair or bed.
He was worried that he might dirty Ha Hyeon’s bed because of him.
Anyone from the Beggars Sect would be shocked to see Chwiwol Geolgae being so considerate of others.
“But Master, didn’t you say you were busy?”
“I am busy, but my own matters are more important than the affairs of the martial arts world.”
Ha Hyeon chuckled.
By now, Ha Hyeon knew well that Chwiwol Geolgae didn’t really think that way.
But now he also knew the opposite.
That those words weren’t just a joke.
“What happened between you and Master Juwon? And what bet are you talking about?”
“That damned monk. Malgodosa is the same!”
“Malgo… You mean Yuyeop the Taoist from Mudang, right?”
Ha Hyeon had asked casually, but Chwiwol Geolgae clenched his fist in indignation.
“Yes! In my entire life, there was nothing I lost to those guys, except for just one thing.”
“What was it?”
“Disciples!”
Chwiwol Geolgae snorted loudly.
He had been a free person all his life.
So he never thought of taking disciples.
By his standards, if he were to take disciples, he thought he should teach them diligently for at least a few years.
“That monk Juwon has four disciples, and his disciples have thirteen disciples of their own.”
“Wow. That’s a lot.”
“Shaolin always has numbers on their side. And Yuyeop is the same. He only has one disciple, but that one disciple is called the Sword Saint.”
“Ah! I’ve heard of him. The First Sword of Hubei!”
Chwiwol Geolgae frowned at Ha Hyeon’s response.
“First Sword of Hubei, my foot! He’s not even as good as his master!”
“Wow… Is Taoist Yuyeop that strong?”
“Yes. He’s not as good as Mu-ryong, but that Yuyeop guy is good with a sword. He’s a little weaker than me.”
He seemed embarrassed by his own words, clearing his throat and stroking his beard a couple of times before continuing.
“Anyway! That’s not what’s important. As those guys got older, they started acting like they were some kind of adults. They’re always boasting about their disciples and looking down on me because I don’t have any!”
Seeing that the conversation was likely to be lengthy, Ha Hyeon also sat down on the floor opposite Chwiwol Geolgae.
Just that small gesture was enough to soften Chwiwol Geolgae’s previously indignant expression.
Ha Hyeon, with a concerned face, scolded Chwiwol Geolgae who was eighty years his senior.
“Even so, given your status, how could you go so far as to fight?”
“I didn’t intend to fight from the beginning! But that monk…”
“What did Master Juwon do?”
Chwiwol Geolgae’s face turned slightly red.
“W-well, wouldn’t you say he was speaking too harshly without knowing his limits?”
“What did he say to make you react like this?”
“He said that because I have no disciples, all my enlightenment and study would come to nothing. And because I have no children, there’s no one to carry on my legacy!”
“That was indeed harsh…”
Chwiwol Geolgae nodded vigorously at Ha Hyeon’s words.
“Right?!”
“Yes. Even between close friends, one shouldn’t say such things. You must have been upset.”
Ha Hyeon sincerely comforted Chwiwol Geolgae and took his hand.
Chwiwol Geolgae flinched momentarily when Ha Hyeon’s hand touched his, but he didn’t pull away.
He felt a strange emotion.
The anger he had felt toward Juwon until just a moment ago was being replayed, but wasn’t that knot of emotions melting away like snow?
“Ahem. That monk did suggest I should take disciples even now, but still, he shouldn’t have spoken like that.”
“That’s right.”
Ha Hyeon almost chuckled at the situation but managed to hold it in.
Even though he himself was a child, the Chwiwol Geolgae before him was truly childlike.
Master Juwon probably hadn’t intended to insult Chwiwol Geolgae from the beginning.
He likely brought up the earlier comments while trying to suggest that Chwiwol Geolgae should take disciples, but since Chwiwol Geolgae was already indignant from that point, there was no chance for a proper conversation.
“But actually, that wasn’t all.”
“Oh? What else happened?”
“When I said I had a child who could be called my disciple, he dismissed it, saying what kind of disciple is that…”
Ha Hyeon’s eyes widened.
It was the first time he had heard that Chwiwol Geolgae had a disciple.
“You took a disciple?!”
“No, it’s not like that.” “Then what?”
Chwiwol Geolgae cleared his throat and spoke hesitantly.
“Ahem. Well, first of all. Anyway. Although he’s not from our sect, there is someone who calls me master…”
Suddenly realizing what he was talking about, Ha Hyeon pointed at himself and said.
“Me?”
“Yes! You, kid.”
Chwiwol Geolgae, seemingly embarrassed, raised his voice instead.
Ha Hyeon now understood how Chwiwol Geolgae normally thought of him.
And why he had been so fixated on being called master.
Ha Hyeon smiled.
A bigger, brighter smile than ever before.
“No matter what anyone says, you’re truly my master. I’ve learned so much from you. Actually, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to come here safely.”
“Nonsense! That’s not true. You’re such a clever kid. It might have taken longer, but you definitely would have made it here.”
Ha Hyeon ended up laughing softly.
Once, he had comforted a child who was crying after getting lost in the village.
It felt just like that time.
“But Master, why haven’t you taken other disciples?”
“Hmm… I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Why? Please tell me. I’m curious.”
Chwiwol Geolgae’s brow furrowed then relaxed.
It was clear that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk about it, but that he was embarrassed to.
“Umm… Well. Before I met you, I wasn’t interested, and after meeting you, no one else measured up, so I couldn’t accept anyone as a disciple.”
“Haha…”
Ha Hyeon laughed awkwardly.
It essentially meant that he couldn’t take disciples because of Ha Hyeon.
“Then, can’t I become your real disciple?”
“You already have Mu-ryong standing firmly in your way, so what are you talking about being my disciple?”
“Couldn’t we talk to Grandfather about it? From what I’ve heard, in other sects, there are cases where multiple masters teach together.”
“Is… that so? That’s right! Even Jinmihwaso of Cheongseong had three masters! Such cases do exist!”
Chwiwol Geolgae jumped up happily, but soon spoke in a deflated voice.
“No, before that, you’re not a disciple of The Beggars Sect…”
“True, other sects have secular disciples, but The Beggars Sect doesn’t have that. I guess it’s because you have to become a beggar to join The Beggars Sect…”
“Secular disciple!”
Chwiwol Geolgae’s eyes sparkled.
Ha Hyeon found that expression somewhat frightening.
“Yes! Just because it hasn’t existed until now doesn’t mean it can’t exist in the future, right?”
“I-I suppose so?”
“In all my life, I’ve never heard a rule in The Beggars Sect that says we can’t have secular disciples. So all we need is permission from our Dragon Head Leader, right?”
“It can’t be that simple…”
Chwiwol Geolgae firmly shook his head.
“It’s not simple. Even though The Beggars Sect is a beggar’s den, it’s not that easy for the leader to create and implement a new rule.”
“Then what are you planning to do, Master…?”
“But it’s simple for me!”
“What?”
Chwiwol Geolgae started to chuckle.
“I’m one of the few people who can meet the Leader whenever I want.”
Chwiwol Geolgae suddenly tried to leave the room.
“Master! Where are you going now…?”
“I’m going to Mu-ryong. I need to tell him that I’m going to be your master too.”
“Right now?”
“It’s just a stone’s throw away, so why delay? If Mu-ryong agrees, I’ll go to The Beggars Sect right away.”
Ha Hyeon, who hadn’t expected the situation to develop this far from his attempt to comfort Chwiwol Geolgae, couldn’t even respond properly.
“I’ll be back soon!”
“Mas…ter…!”
Ignoring Ha Hyeon’s call, Chwiwol Geolgae kicked open the door and left.
Using his most confident movement technique at full power, he moved truly like the wind.
“Hahaha…”
Ha Hyeon just laughed, dumbfounded. And as Ha Hyeon came to his senses, he began running toward his grandfather’s quarters.
* * *
By the time Ha Hyeon arrived at Namgung Mu-ryong’s room.
Whoosh-!
A streak of wind passed by him.
Thanks to his martial arts that had grown considerably stronger, Ha Hyeon had excellent eyesight, but the movement was so fast that he couldn’t properly make out the figure.
However, Ha Hyeon had a feeling he knew who it was.
“M-Master Chwiwol Geolgae!”
The wind stopped abruptly.
Only then could he clearly see the figure.
As Ha Hyeon had guessed, it was Chwiwol Geolgae.
“Yes, Ha Hyeon. This ‘master’ is going to make a quick visit to The Beggars Sect. After that, we’ll depart for Songshan right away, so be prepared. Oh, and if you’re going to train, practice concentrating your inner force at a single point! The Eighteen Arhat Formation – it’s not that big a deal!”
After saying what he wanted to say, Chwiwol Geolgae activated his movement technique again.
In the time it took to take a few breaths, he had already disappeared from sight.
Since Ha Hyeon couldn’t chase after the vanished Chwiwol Geolgae, he ran to Namgung Mu-ryong’s room.
“Grandfather!”
“Yes, Ha Hyeon.”
The door to Namgung Mu-ryong’s room was wide open.
It seemed that Chwiwol Geolgae had left without closing the door.
“Just now, Master Chwiwol Geolgae…”
“Yes, I heard.”
“So you gave permission?”
Namgung Mu-ryong nodded with a smile.
“To be honest, there was nothing to give permission for.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are my grandson and disciple… but you’re not my possession.”
“What?”
“If someone sincerely wants to teach you, whether it’s two or three people, accepting more Masters isn’t a problem for me at all.”
Namgung Mu-ryong continued with a benevolent smile.
“Moreover, if it’s someone like Chwiwol Geolgae, whose temperament and martial prowess I know so well, I welcome it even more.”
Ha Hyeon felt touched by Namgung Mu-ryong’s words, but at the same time, he felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.
But as if reading his mind, Namgung Mu-ryong approached Ha Hyeon, gently embraced him, and said.
“However, as I said before, while you’re not my possession, you are my precious grandson and my only disciple. Now I’ll have to compete with Chwiwol.”
“Compete for what?”
“I mean I’ll have to do better so that you don’t trust and follow Chwiwol Geolgae more than me.”
“I think grandfather will still be… number one for me.”
“Is that so? Hahaha!”
Namgung Mu-ryong laughed heartily, clearly pleased about something.
“By the way, you’re truly remarkable, Ha Hyeon.”
“In what way?”
“Chwiwol Geolgae has lived his life freely. He has always thought of disciples as constraints. That’s why he’s lived alone without a single disciple until this age.”
Ha Hyeon nodded.
He already knew this.
“And yet that same Chwiwol Geolgae is so eager to teach you. I’ve never seen such an earnest look in Chwiwol’s eyes.”
At this moment, Chwiwol Geolgae should be grateful that he made this request to Namgung Mu-ryong.
If it had been Master Juwon or Taoist Yuyeop, this matter would have surely become a subject of mockery for years to come.
“And, thank you.”
“But I haven’t done anything special…”
Namgung Mu-ryong looked at Ha Hyeon warmly.
The look in his eyes now wasn’t that of someone looking at a grandson or disciple.
It was a look of gratitude for helping his closest friend, who had lived a lonely life, break out of his shell.
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