Rebirth of the Thunder God

[Zhongyuan Inn]

In a way, it was a name that could be seen as arrogant.

Even if it meant it was the representative inn of Zhongyuan County.

And even if it referred to the Central Plains, which meant the martial world itself, it could be called grandiose.

As much as its name, the Zhongyuan Inn, seen from a distance, was elegant.

Although the ravages of time remained, its size and momentum were not just magnificent but overwhelming.

How was it built to be so sturdy and intact?

The skills of the artisans who built the inn were no ordinary.

Namgung Hui looked up at the inn and then stepped into the wide-open inn.

-Hubbub!

He was dazed by the noisy voices coming from here and there.

Although he had come much earlier than lunchtime, the place was full of people.

Did it mean it was the representative inn of the Central Plains?

Well, since it was the period of the Martial Alliance tournament, unless it was rented out entirely like the Cheongi Inn, it was bound to be crowded.

Namgung Hui, after confirming that the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar was not yet there, sat at an empty table in the corner.

Then a waiter rushed over and spoke.

"Young hero. Did you come alone?"

"For now, I'm alone."

"Then you'll have to share a table. Since it's a time when many people will be coming. It would be troublesome if you occupy a four-person table by yourself."

When in the Central Plains, one must follow the laws of the Central Plains.

He didn't know when the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar would come.

And since the waiter's words made sense, Namgung Hui dusted off his bottom and stood up from his seat.

"Then where should I share a table?"

"You can share a table with the young heroes over by the window."

Looking in the direction the waiter pointed, he saw two members of the younger generation wearing hero's headbands.

One of them had a bulging solar plexus, and his sharp eyes were extremely clear.

However, it was a shame that he seemed to lack internal energy.

The man next to him, on the contrary, seemed to have a lot of internal energy, but his eyes were slightly cloudy, as if it were not pure.

Still, seeing his neat clothes and handsome features, he was surely a child of a prestigious family.

Namgung Hui approached those members of the younger generation and greeted them.

"Hello. It seems there are no seats in the inn, so I'll have to share a table."

"Go ahead."

Although the member of the younger generation spoke nonchalantly, he kept glancing at Namgung Hui's face out of the corner of his eye.

Since Namgung Hui was a handsome man who even drew the gazes of men, his gaze was by no means strange.

Because the people at the other tables were also glancing at Namgung Hui.

"Hey, young hero. What would you like to order?"

"I'm waiting for a companion, so I'll order then. Since we're sharing a table, it won't matter, right?"

"Yes. Then please call me later."

As Namgung Hui nodded, the waiter disappeared again with quick steps.

At a glance, it was a speed that was difficult for an ordinary person to achieve, as if he had learned a movement technique.

"Young hero. Excuse me, but what is your name? I'm asking because I've never seen such a handsome person since I came out to the martial world. For the record, I'm not a homosexual."

"The name of this humble person is Namgung Hui."

"Namgung...! You mean you're a person of that Azure Sky family?"

"Yes. I am the youngest son of that place. Then what are the names of you young heroes?"

The two members of the younger generation looked at each other and then spoke calmly.

"My name is Hwangbo Cheongsan, and this younger brother here is Hwangbo Cheonggang. It's an honor to meet the little hero of the Namgung family."

"..."

The younger brother, Hwangbo Cheonggang, was shy and just cupped his fists and kept his words to himself.

Namgung Hui felt a mix of joy and sorrow at the surname Hwangbo, which he had heard after a long time.

'Although they were a family close to the five great families, in the end, they couldn't become one of the five great families. And the Hwangbo family, like me in my past life, enjoyed using fist and palm techniques. It's quite a pleasure to meet them.'

But the Hwangbo family was now a family trying to enter the five great families instead of the Namgung family.

It was only natural.

The Namgung family had lost the latter half of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art and had walked the path of decline.

And the Hwangbo family was the family that had produced the Invincible Fist Dragon, Hwangbo Seong, one of the Seven Dragons.

Looking at that Hwangbo family, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

As Namgung Hui was reminiscing about the past.

A foul stench brushed past Namgung Hui's nose.

And at the same time, a burst of laughter pierced his ears.

"Heh heh. You brat, did you bring a lot of silver?"

Namgung Hui, knowing who the owner of the voice was, stood up from his seat and followed him.

"Did you come, elder?"

"Yes. You brat. I'm hungry, so let's eat first."

As the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar appeared, people stealthily moved away.

Of course, it was also because of the foul stench, but considering his sometimes eccentric nature.

'It feels like they're avoiding him because he's dirty, rather than because they're scared.'

The gazes of the people were more of avoidance than respect.

Well, even though the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar was a person who deserved to be respected in the martial world.

Namgung Hui thought that this was a part that showed the peaceful state of the martial world.

But the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar had not come alone.

He had appeared with a disciple, and there were as many as seven knots on his waist.

If an elder had six, then a person higher than that would be.

'He must be the next sect leader. He's brought a great person.'

On the one hand, it was also strange.

His momentum was not easily read.

A feeling of having learned martial arts yet not having learned it.

Seeing his developed lean muscles and the flow of his internal energy, it was clear that he had learned martial arts, but his level was not easily gauged.

As if he had felt Namgung Hui's gaze, the next sect leader cupped his fists first and greeted him.

"I've heard a lot about you from the elder. As the rumors say, you're like a sleeping dragon. A great momentum."

"And you, next sect leader, your level is not easily read. Come on. Instead of doing this here, let's sit down."

"Heh heh. You brat, when have you ever seen us beggars sit down and eat at an inn? We'll be out in the back, so you order the food and come out."

Just because they were beggars didn't mean they couldn't eat at an inn.

But seeing the customers who were avoiding him right now, it felt like the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar was personally avoiding the place.

Although 60 years ago, it was not uncommon to have a drinking party with beggars.

'The world has changed a lot. Don't they know the importance of the Beggars' Sect? Well. It's not a time for the Beggars' Sect to be active.'

"Then what would you like to eat, elder?"

"First, bring three roasted ducks and a few bottles of distilled liquor."

Namgung Hui tilted his head slightly at the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar's words to bring a lot of silver.

He couldn't understand why he had told him to bring so much if he was only going to order this much.

Well, since it was a relief that he had saved money, he quickly ordered the roasted duck and a few bottles of distilled liquor from the waiter before the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar changed his mind.

"I'll bring the roasted duck to the open space in the back. Please take the liquor first."

As expected, a waiter who knew the preferences of the Beggars' Sect well.

It seemed that the waiters of such a well-run place grasped the preferences of the customers well.

As Namgung Hui came out to the open space of the inn with three bottles of distilled liquor, the next sect leader and the divine beggar were sitting on the floor.

"Elder. Here is the distilled liquor you ordered."

"Heh heh. I didn't just order this distilled liquor, did I? You brought that Thunder Ki Liquor or Thunder Chamber Liquor, right?"

"Of course, I brought it. And you, elder, did you bring the information that would surprise me?"

"Next sect leader. This brat. Doesn't he act as if he's entrusted the information to me?"

The next sect leader looked at Namgung Hui, smiled broadly, and said.

"Our elder is a little eccentric. But I hope you will understand him generously, young hero."

"It's alright. It's not that I'm particularly offended. Then, elder. Let's get to the point. What on earth is the information you're going to give me?"

"You're a very impatient child. Well, yes. There's no good in dragging it out, so I'll be direct. First, what I'll give you is the whereabouts of the Blood Cult."

The Blood Cult, which he had been so focused on the Hoicheon Association that he hadn't been able to pay much attention to.

Although there were many innocent disciples in the past.

Now, the color was clearly different.

Didn't the name itself, as if symbolizing revenge, exude the smell of blood?

Although he couldn't deal with them right now because he didn't have the power, the enemies of the Namgung family were originally the Ouyang family and the Dugu family, not the Hoicheon Association.

"I'll tell you their location first. Guangdong Province, Ten Thousand Great Mountains..."

"I know that."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Just know that I also have my own sources of information. That's not the end of it, is it?"

"Yes. You brat. What I really want to say is that the Blood Cult is desperately looking for something."

Only then did Namgung Hui show interest.

If it was something the Blood Cult was looking for, it would surely be no ordinary thing.

Whether it was an object or a person.

It would hold a very important weight for the current Blood Cult.

"What is it?"

"The divine object or the successor of the Heavenly Demonic Cult. I don't know exactly what it is. But if we can find it first. We'll be able to cook those guys however we want."

As the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar finished speaking, the waiter brought out three roasted ducks.

The divine beggar tore off a plump leg of the duck, stuffed it in his mouth, and continued.

"Chomp chomp. Originally, you shouldn't negotiate with the axis of evil, but it will be a deterrent. It's okay to use this to wipe them out in one fell swoop. The military strategists might come up with a better plan. Since the heretical groups will rush in desperately if it's a divine object."

If it was a religious group that claimed to be the successor, like the Blood Cult, they would need a divine object, the symbol of the cult, or a legitimate successor to secure their legitimacy and justification.

That way, it would be easier to gather the scattered public opinion within the Blood Cult.

Even the martial arts sects had many objects with such religious symbolism.

The Green Jade Buddhist Staff of the Shaolin Temple.

The Dog Beating Staff of the Beggars' Sect could be said to be an example.

"So you're saying you don't know the identity of that divine object or successor?"

"Chomp chomp. As expected, the duck is delicious. I don't know the identity of that divine object for sure yet. There's an opinion inside that it might be the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. And some say it's a statue symbolizing the demon god. As for the successor, since it's a person, there's no way to know. That's something we'll find out in the future, so I brought the next sect leader here. Since you two are of a similar age, I hope you'll get along well in the future."

Namgung Hui stared at the next sect leader for a moment.

Unlike a beggar, he washed himself quite cleanly.

This was a great relief.

However, the problem was how the people around would react to him walking around with a shabby beggar, even if he was a member of the Beggars' Sect.

'Still, it's a relief that I'm not walking around with girls for a while. Especially Jegal Jihye or Eun Seolrin, who like cleanliness, would hate it.'

"Then, next sect leader. I look forward to working with you in the future."

"Young Hero Namgung Hui. From now on, don't call me next sect leader, but call me Chwigeola. You don't have to use honorifics either."

"You must like liquor. Alright. I'll speak comfortably from now on."

"Heh heh. Now that we've introduced ourselves, you brats should also eat a roasted duck. It won't be delicious if it gets cold."

Since it had been a long time since Namgung Hui had finished his meal, he yielded the roasted duck to the divine beggar and asked.

"You wouldn't have demanded the Thunder Ki Liquor just for the whereabouts of the Blood Cult, elder. Now, bring out the real hidden information."

"As expected, you're no ordinary person. Burp~! Now that I've finished a duck, I should give you an answer. As you said, the whereabouts of the Blood Cult was just a prelude. The main point was actually this."

The divine beggar took out a letter that was dripping with grime from his bosom.

At the sight of the shabby letter, Namgung Hui's brow furrowed.

But as soon as he read the content written in the letter, his eyes widened like lanterns.

'The Black Tortoise Troupe Leader is not a person of the Hoicheon Association?'

(End of Chapter)