Yoon Jong tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Does that make sense? Beggars don’t have money, but the Beggars’ Union has lots of money? There are beggars crawling everywhere—how could they be rich?”
“Tsk tsk. Sahyung, think about it. Suppose those swarming beggars each pay one coin a year to the Branch. How much would that add up to?”
“Well….”
Yoon Jong opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.
When people refer to the Beggars’ Union, the phrase most commonly used is “one hundred thousand Beggars’ Union.” It means the number of beggar groups belonging to the Beggars’ Union supposedly reaches a staggering one hundred thousand. Of course, that’s likely an exaggeration….
‘No, is it really just an exaggeration?’
Saying there are a hundred thousand beggar groups is certainly an exaggeration. If that many beggars had mastered martial arts, the murim world would already be under the Beggars’ Union’s control.
But if you consider that even beggars who haven’t learned martial arts are still connected to the Beggars’ Union in small ways, the number of beggars the Beggars’ Union manages could very well reach one hundred thousand—not necessarily an exaggeration.
Then, even if those one hundred thousand each paid just one coin a year, how much money would flow into the Beggars’ Union?
“…They’d be rich.”
Yoon Jong was convinced. But Jo Gul was not.
“Wait a minute. I get that the Beggars’ Union might take in a lot of money. But managing so many beggars costs money. If the outgoing is larger, they can’t be rich.”
“What kind of expenses?”
“Huh?”
Chung Myung scoffed and said indifferently.
“We spend money feeding our disciples, clothing them, housing them, and buying weapons for them. That’s where the money goes.”
“…Right?”
“What money do beggars need? They beg for food, wear found clothes, and use wooden clubs for weapons.”
“Huh?”
Jo Gul’s pupils began trembling as if from an earthquake.
“At most they might get treated when they’re sick. That much can be handled by hiring a few medics. How much could that cost?”
“Money… it doesn’t… cost much?”
Jo Gul tilted his head to the side. He glanced anew at the beggars of Henan Branch with fresh eyes.
From that perspective, these beggars don’t cost money—they bring it in. Of course, each one’s earnings are petty change, but when you combine a hundred thousand of them, petty change is no longer petty.
They are literally geese that lay golden eggs… no, beggars that lay golden eggs.
“They’d be rich.”
“Right?”
Even Jo Gul was convinced.
At that, the disciples suddenly looked at Beggar Sun-Hak with cold eyes. It was as if they had seen the beggar they kept feeling sorry for—whom they’d tried to give a few coins to—climb into a four-wheeled carriage at dusk and enter a house like a whale’s back.
Feeling the betrayal and contempt in their eyes, Beggar Sun-Hak frantically waved his hands and shook his head.
“Ah, no! No….”
“We’ve been deceived.”
“I really thought they were pitiable.”
“I told you they’re not!”
Beggar Sun-Hak yelled and thumped his chest.
“How, how could beggars have lots of money? Then they wouldn’t be beggars!”
“What’s impossible about that? Chung Myung is a Taoist too, after all.”
“Exactly.”
“…Huh?”
But Mount Hua’s Taoists had been through so much they didn’t believe such claims at all.
“The beggars’ contributions aren’t that large, and managing them costs more than you think! It’s a misunderstanding!”
Beggar Sun-Hak protested vehemently, genuinely feeling wronged.
But the Mount Hua disciples, who had been fooled by Chung Myung countless times, neatly caught the truth hidden in his words.
“Ah, so it’s not that you don’t have money.”
“…Huh?”
Beggar Sun-Hak blinked at Baek Cheon’s remark.
“You said managing the beggars costs more than expected.”
“Th…that’s right?”
“And this Henan Branch manages all the beggars of the large city called Henan.”
“…That’s right.”
“Then.”
Baek Cheon smiled faintly.
“The Branch Leader himself may not have money, but doesn’t that mean Henan Branch does have money?”
“…”
Clap clap clap clap clap.
No sooner had he finished than the Mount Hua disciples applauded.
“Kruu.”
“As expected, sasuk.”
“When it comes to fleecing people, we never lose.”
“Truly Chung Myung’s top disciple.”
“I’m the sasuk, you bastard.”
Cold sweat began pouring down Beggar Sun-Hak’s back.
“Am I wrong?”
“Th…that is…”
Beggar Sun-Hak wiped the sweat from his brow with his worn sleeve.
“Certainly… I can’t say that’s wrong. But that money is Branch’s operating funds; it’s never for personal…”
“Aha. Personal, you say.”
Chung Myung frowned sharply and abruptly cut in.
“Right now Mount Hua is formally requesting help. How is this personal? It’s not me borrowing the money—it’s Mount Hua borrowing it!”
“Then at the very least there should be a request from the Mount Hua Sect leader….”
“No! What is this man saying right now?”
Chung Myung looked at Beggar Sun-Hak as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Yes? No, what…”
“If you’re going to borrow money in the Sect leader’s name, we’d go to the Beggars’ Union Leader, not come begging like this from a Branch Leader mister, would we?”
“…Huh?”
“Even if you’re a beggar ignorant of the world, you should say something that makes sense! It’s infuriating, really!”
“Now now. Chung Myung, you hold back.”
“He’s a beggar, after all. How much would he really know about money matters?”
“Ugh. This is making me sick.”
Beggar Sun-Hak was thrown into confusion.
Is that guy really angry at me right now? Is he allowed to be? And why are those others trying to calm him down?
It was a reasonable question, but sadly no one answered Beggar Sun-Hak.
“Alright, no need to drag this out.”
Bang.
Chung Myung slapped the near-collapsing table down with his palm.
“So. Are you going to lend it or not?”
Beggar Sun-Hak’s face contorted grotesquely.
He had never once in his life thought he’d have to decide whether to lend someone money.
Under the mounting, unspoken pressure, Beggar Sun-Hak, dazed, unwittingly opened his mouth.
“Uh, how much do you need…?”
“Well, not a huge amount.”
Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.
“About ten thousand coins.”
Beggar Sun-Hak’s mouth dropped open.
“T-ten thousand coins? Did you just say ten thousand coins?”
“Honestly, I don’t think we need that much.”
Chung Myung added with indifference.
“It’s better to borrow a bit more than to come up short. And it’d be a nuisance for you if we had to come borrow again.”
Beggar Sun-Hak felt all the strength leave his body.
“They’re eating the flea’s liver….”
“Hey, no. Fleas are pitiful.”
“Then beggars? Are beggars not pitiful?”
“Why pity beggars? They’re physically fine; they don’t work and just live by begging.”
Chung Myung’s face snapped into a scowl.
“If they were just ordinary beggars, fine. But martial artists who’ve trained begging and living off alms—why pity them? The ones who give alms to those bastards are the pitiable ones!”
The Mount Hua disciples listening couldn’t help nodding.
“It’s not wrong.”
“He’s right.”
“If they worked they’d earn a living. Why don’t they work?”
Beggar Sun-Hak grabbed his face with both hands. These guys were crazier than he thought.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Hey now. Don’t be like that.”
“I-I’m talking about operating funds! If this money doesn’t come in on time I’ll be fired! No, more importantly the beggars will starve to death! No! Absolutely not!”
“Then it just needs to come in on time, right?”
“…Huh?”
Chung Myung, who had been resting his chin on his hand, grinned.
“Then it’s not like there’s no way.”
“…What?”
Beggar Sun-Hak’s eyes trembled with anxiety.
A few days later, Hwa-Um village.
“W-what kind of bullshit is this….”
Hong Dae-Kwang’s hand trembled as he unfolded the stiff letter.
“W-Would Mount Hua disciples really borrow money from Henan Branch?”
Up to that point it was conceivable.
It’s a notion he’d never heard in his life—that Taoists went borrowing money—but Hong Dae-Kwang’s tolerance wasn’t so shallow that such a thing would fluster him. He had spent years in Hwa-Um village rubbing shoulders with Mount Hua.
But the following lines shattered even that well-earned composure in an instant.
“But why are they charging that debt to us! You crazy beggar bastards! What the hell is Beggar Sun-Hak doing! Aaaaah!”
Hong Dae-Kwang tore at his hair.
Why would Mount Hua borrow money and then bill the Hwa-Um Branch for it!
“Does this make sense? Huh? Do you think this makes sense?”
He wanted to pick something up and smash it, but in their desolate beggar den there wasn’t much worth breaking.
“W-what should we do, Branch Leader?”
At the Beggars’ Union member’s hesitant words, Hong Dae-Kwang shouted without a moment’s hesitation.
“What do you mean what to do! Tell them to stop talking nonsense! Why should we pay back money we lent to Henan Branch!”
“…It does say they’ll return it later, though.”
“That’s not the problem!”
Of course, the letter also said to charge Mount Hua Divine Dragon for the amount they had advanced. It also said Mount Hua’s disciples agreed to that.
But Hong Dae-Kwang refused to take that at face value.
‘What kind of fellow is Mount Hua Divine Dragon?’ he thought.
Money? They’ll pay. He believed that. Not that he trusted Mount Hua Divine Dragon personally, but he trusted Mount Hua as an institution. At least Hyun Jong was neat about these matters. He’d probably pay back the money just to avoid being beaten by the Sect leader.
The problem was that in return for repaying the money they’d demand something else—surely something filthy, tedious, and disgusting.
“Tell them to handle it themselves! Say we absolutely won’t pay.”
“Yes, understood. But that…”
One Beggars’ Union member who heard the order twisted his head and scratched at his scalp as if uneasy.
“Well. What’s wrong?”
“Is that really okay?”
“What do you mean? Did we do something wrong? Why should we pay for what they borrowed in the first place!”
The Beggars’ Union member glanced at Hong Dae-Kwang and then spoke up.
“What the Branch Leader says is right… but if that happens, Henan Branch will be splattered with shit.”
“That’s what would normally happen.”
“But it’s Mount Hua that’ll be splashing that shit onto us, isn’t it?”
“…Huh?”
Hong Dae-Kwang looked at the member as if to ask what he meant.
“Well… the reason the Branch Leader abandoned that advantageous Luoyang Branch and came all the way here is because he put a lot on Mount Hua, isn’t it?”
“Right?”
“But… if that happens, it will look like Mount Hua extorted the Beggars’ Union’s money and ran off….”
“Uh….”
“Then only the Branch Leader who backed Mount Hua gets screwed over, doesn’t he?”
Hong Dae-Kwang’s mouth dropped open.
“No… that… why is it…”
“See. The Henan Branch Leader might take some flak and be kicked out of his post… but Henan Branch isn’t that important, and the higher-ups will understand if Mount Hua Divine Dragon barged in and caused a ruckus. But us…”
“…We’ll be screwed.”
He instinctively knew: if this got reported up, it wouldn’t end with just a broken pot.
They had insisted on managing Mount Hua and even set up a Branch in Hwa-Um village—now he could already see the elders coming with cudgels, asking if this was the result of their management.
“Th-Branch Leader. In my opinion…”
He didn’t need to hear the rest to know what came next.
Having calculated the situation in an instant, Hong Dae-Kwang closed his eyes tight and spoke.
“…Let them have it.”
“But…”
“Just give it. Give it.”
“No, but…”
“Enough—give it and end it!”
When Hong Dae-Kwang snapped angrily, the Beggars’ Union member’s face hardened.
“It’s not that.”
“Hm?”
“We’re a bit short on money.”
“…”
“Even if we emptied the operating funds, it seems it’d still be insufficient.”
Clear moisture formed in the corners of Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes.
“If you dig under the doghouse in the back yard… there’s something I buried. If you sell it, it’ll cover the shortfall…”
“Even in this, you’ve been thrifty and saved something. Understood.”
The Beggars’ Union member turned and left, and Hong Dae-Kwang, half-drained of color, muttered blankly.
“Now even in Shandong they’re causing trouble….”
A single tear traced a dirt-streaked path as it slid down and fell onto the knees of the sorrowful middle-aged man.