Chapter 190

Jeok Wigang and Listening-Eye Beggar had traveled deep into a mountain range where rocky peaks rose one behind another.

What in the world was he planning to show him out here?

Then Listening-Eye Beggar heard Jeok Wigang mutter to himself.

“Ah. If people keep asking me to prove how strong I am, there won’t be any mountains left in the Central Plains.”

For a moment, Listening-Eye Beggar couldn’t make sense of what he had just heard.

What did proving his strength have to do with the mountains of the Central Plains disappearing?

He had absolutely no idea what the man was talking about.

Jeok Wigang rested a hand against his chin and thought for a moment. Then he clapped his hands as if an idea had struck him and pointed ahead.

“Would you believe me if I made that rocky mountain float?”

“What?”

Listening-Eye Beggar was dumbfounded.

Was this man making fun of him?

That wasn’t a rock.

It was a mountain.

And he was going to make it float?

Anyone capable of lifting a boulder the size of a man would already be revered by the entire world.

But he was talking about lifting a mass of rock the size of a fortress?

It wasn’t even worth listening to.

Then Jeok Wigang began muttering something.

Don’t tell me...

Was he planning to lift that mountain with sorcery?

That made even less sense.

If sorcery could do something like that, who would bother learning martial arts?

Everyone in the world would be scrambling to learn sorcery instead.

Fine.

Let’s see how far this ridiculous boast goes.

Listening-Eye Beggar stared at the rocky mountain Jeok Wigang had pointed to, his expression clearly saying he would believe it when he saw it.

RUMBLE—

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

RUMBLE—!

The enormous rocky mountain shuddered.

He’s actually going to lift that thing?

The trembling grew stronger and stronger.

Then the mountain slowly began to rise.

Listening-Eye Beggar was so stunned that he forgot to breathe.

The entire rocky mountain truly rose into the air.

“Ghk! Cough! Cough!”

His breath finally burst free, and he promptly choked on it.

After barely managing to stop coughing, he looked again.

“G-Good heavens...”

It wasn’t an illusion.

“Th-The mountain... it really...”

It was floating in midair.

“Is this not enough?”

Not enough?

This isn’t enough?

What else could he possibly intend to show him?

Jeok Wigang started thinking again.

Listening-Eye Beggar was beginning to fear the sight of him thinking.

“Ah!”

Apparently, he had come up with something else.

“I can just smash it and put it back together afterward.”

What was he talking about now?

Smash it and restore it?

Surely he didn’t mean he was going to shatter that mountain and then return it to its original state.

Surely not.

So why did Listening-Eye Beggar have the terrifying feeling that this latest absurdity was about to become reality too?

Jeok Wigang clenched his fist.

GULP—

Listening-Eye Beggar swallowed hard.

Then Jeok Wigang’s fist moved.

To Listening-Eye Beggar, the motion seemed almost unbearably slow as his eyes tracked it.

His gaze naturally shifted toward the mountain floating in the air.

KWA-KWA-KWAAANG—

And he witnessed something utterly impossible.

The enormous rocky mountain shattered into countless pieces, exploding outward in every direction.

THUD—

Listening-Eye Beggar’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.

Was this really happening?

The shattered fragments of the mountain remained suspended in midair, scattered everywhere.

A sight his own eyes refused to believe was unfolding directly before him.

He had lived his entire life as a beggar of the Beggars’ Union and had seen more bizarre things than most people ever would.

But never once had he witnessed anything this shocking.

Wait.

Hadn’t Jeok Wigang said he would smash it and then restore it?

Listening-Eye Beggar’s gaze returned to the scattered chunks of rock.

Seriously?

He was going to put all of that back together?

Could this be a formation?

Maybe he had unknowingly stepped into some formation and was being shown an illusion.

That would explain everything.

It was the only explanation that made sense.

Jeok Wigang began muttering again.

Just what can’t that damned sorcery do?

If Listening-Eye Beggar had known sorcery was this outrageous, he would have learned that instead of martial arts.

WHUMP— WHUMP-WHUMP-WHUMP—

The scattered chunks of rock began flying back together.

In moments, the mountain had been restored exactly as it had been before.

Listening-Eye Beggar no longer had the strength left to be surprised.

The restored mountain slowly descended and settled back onto the ground as though nothing had ever happened.

For a moment, it felt as if he had dreamed the entire thing.

“Want me to show you more?”

More?

More what?

What could possibly come after this?

“No... That is quite enough.”

It wasn’t a formation.

He was certain of that now.

Would anyone believe him if he told them what he had seen today?

They would call him insane.

Even he, the man who had witnessed it firsthand, was wondering whether he had lost his mind. How could anyone else react differently?

Now he understood.

He understood exactly why the Lower Gate had fallen into Jeok Wigang’s hands.

They had finally found a secure home.

The perfect shelter named Jeok Wigang.

No one in the Central Plains would dare treat the Lower Gate lightly anymore.

Anyone who touched them would have to face the calamity known as Jeok Wigang.

Listening-Eye Beggar let out a long sigh.

“Fine. I acknowledge it. What do you want from the Beggars’ Union?”

“Invite me to the Beggars’ Union headquarters. I’d like to speak with your Union Chief and elders.”

“Hmm...”

Listening-Eye Beggar’s expression turned troubled.

“What’s wrong?”

“That isn’t something I can decide on my own. I’ll discuss it with the Union Chief and let you know afterward.”

“Because you’re not allowed to reveal the location of the headquarters carelessly?”

“The headquarters is in Kaifeng, Henan. Every person in the Central Plains knows that.”

Jeok Wigang grinned.

“I meant the real headquarters, not the fake one.”

“What are you talking about? Kaifeng is our headquarters.”

“The abandoned fortress in Baijia County, Hebei.”

Listening-Eye Beggar’s pupils trembled.

“Wh-What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t it? Strange. I was sure that was the place.”

“No. You are mistaken.”

“Really? That’s confusing. I should go blow the place up so nobody gets confused about it anymore.”

“Hm? Blow up what?”

“The abandoned fortress in Baijia County. There could be other people making the same mistake.”

“There’s no need to destroy it. It has historical value.”

“No, it’d be better to knock it down and build something new there. Now that we’re talking about it, I might as well go demolish it right now.”

Listening-Eye Beggar panicked.

If the fist that had just obliterated a mountain was real, reducing an abandoned fortress to powder would be effortless.

“A-All right! Fine! I give up!”

“On what?”

“You were right. That abandoned fortress... is our headquarters.”

“See? I knew it. I was so disappointed for a moment there, thinking I’d gotten it wrong.”

“How did you find out?”

Listening-Eye Beggar genuinely wanted to know.

“The Lower Gate?”

It couldn’t have been.

If the Lower Gate had known where the true headquarters was, they would surely have stationed people nearby.

“I happened to learn about it.”

Nonsense.

Jeok Wigang grinned.

In truth, Jin Muryang had told him.

Long ago, Jin Muryang had discovered the location of the Beggars’ Union headquarters. He had been on his way there when he ran into Jeok Wigang’s grandfather and fought him.

Listening-Eye Beggar had never imagined that one of the Four Divine Demons had discovered their headquarters.

He remained utterly bewildered.

How had Jeok Wigang possibly found out?

A powerful formation surrounded the abandoned fortress that housed the Beggars’ Union headquarters, making it impossible for just anyone to approach.

The surrounding land was an empty wasteland with nothing nearby. Long ago, an epidemic had killed everyone in the fortress, leaving it abandoned.

People believed the place cursed and avoided it entirely.

And since a different location was publicly known as the Beggars’ Union headquarters, no one had ever suspected that this abandoned fortress was the real one.

At least, no one had until now.

What if Listening-Eye Beggar had kept denying it?

With Jeok Wigang’s fist, it felt as though he would have blown away the formation, the fortress, and everything else along with them.

That would make the Beggars’ Union Jeok Wigang’s mortal enemy.

And that would be nothing short of disaster for the Beggars’ Union.

Listening-Eye Beggar sighed.

“I’ll speak with the Union Chief.”

“Let’s go together.”

“Hm? Now?”

“Yes. Why waste time?”

“No... We have procedures too, you know.”

“Then should I just go find the place by myself?”

He was completely unreasonable.

If Jeok Wigang went there alone?

There would be chaos.

“Haaah. Fine. Let’s go together.”

“Thank you.”

Listening-Eye Beggar bowed his head in defeat and took the lead.

There was a reason Jeok Wigang was in such a hurry.

He wanted to make sure White Horse Heaven had not already extended its reach into the Beggars’ Union.

If it had, the most likely target would be their true headquarters.

He could inspect it personally while also establishing friendly relations with the Beggars’ Union.

Besides, he was busy.

He had a mountain of things to do.

He needed to distribute the clothing Baek Ryeongso had made, forge more weapons, and return to the True Martial Sect to see how everyone’s training was progressing.

More importantly—

Kang Mujin...

The last unreunited member of the Four Divine Demons, believed to be somewhere within the Zhuge Family.

Jeok Wigang needed to go get Kang Mujin.

And as he traveled, he could only hope White Horse Heaven’s reach had not already extended into the Beggars’ Union.

*****

Near the northeastern coast of Hebei stood an abandoned fortress.

It had fallen into ruin long ago, yet it had been built so sturdily that surprisingly little of it had actually collapsed.

The wooden gates had rotted until large sections had crumbled away, and they gave off an eerie sound whenever the wind moved them.

The moment the fortress came into view, Listening-Eye Beggar groaned.

This was the first time he had ever brought an outsider here.

Would the Union Chief try to kill him when he found out?

But he couldn’t exactly let Jeok Wigang blow up their headquarters.

And becoming Jeok Wigang’s enemy was something he did not even want to imagine.

When they entered the abandoned fortress, they found groups of beggars gathered together cooking porridge.

Several noticed Listening-Eye Beggar and started to greet him, only to flinch when they spotted Jeok Wigang.

Their eyes clearly asked what in the world he thought he was doing.

“He is an important guest. Is the Union Chief inside?”

“He is, but... Elder, how could you break the rules like this? The Union Chief will have your hide when he finds out.”

“It’s fine. Surely the Union Chief... foresaw that something like this might happen.”

“No matter how wise the Union Chief is in the ways of the world, how could he possibly have predicted this? You could truly be in serious trouble.”

Listening-Eye Beggar grinned at the worried beggar.

“It’s fine. Once the Union Chief meets our guest himself, he’ll say I did the right thing.”

“Only Beggars’ Union disciples can pass through the formation. You know that.”

“Hmm. Right. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Listening-Eye Beggar turned to Jeok Wigang.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go inside and bring the Union Chief out.”

“Let’s go in together. I’m curious what the Beggars’ Union headquarters looks like.”

“I’d bring you if I could, but anyone who isn’t one of our disciples can’t enter. The formation here reacts only to the inner cultivation method practiced by members of the Beggars’ Union.”

“I see.”

Jeok Wigang walked around for a moment, examining the surroundings, then smiled.

“It’s a type of Martial Qi-Gate Formation. Judging by the energy...”

He looked at Listening-Eye Beggar, then shifted his gaze to the beggars nearby.

“It responds to the Beggars’ Union’s cultivation method.”

“Huh... You know formations too?”

“I picked up a little by watching others.”

He had “picked up a little” and could identify the Chaotic Heaven Qi-Gate Formation with a glance?

Was Listening-Eye Beggar really supposed to believe that?

No.

Actually, if it was this man, that sounded perfectly plausible.

It was easier on the mind to simply assume that anything Jeok Wigang did was possible.

The beggars nearby watched Listening-Eye Beggar’s behavior and realized that Jeok Wigang truly must be an important guest.

For an elder to be this nervous around someone...

Even so, this was the Beggars’ Union’s true headquarters, a place whose existence was never supposed to be revealed to outsiders.

They still believed bringing him here was wrong.

Listening-Eye Beggar turned back to Jeok Wigang.

“Since you already understand formations, this should be easy to explain. Only someone who has cultivated the Beggars’ Union’s Chaotic Heaven Dragon-Subduing Heart Method can pass through this formation.”

Surely that would make him understand.

“I see.”

“Hm? You’re still planning to follow me inside?”

“Yes.”

“No, didn’t you just say you understand formations? I told you, this formation rejects anyone who isn’t a member of the Beggars’ Union.”