The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan

"What did you say?"

Namgung Cheong asked Suseonghwa, who was standing in front of him, with a rather serious face.

"Father is coming tomorrow for your birthday."

"..."

"I heard it suddenly too, so I'm only telling you now."

There was only one person Suseonghwa could be referring to as 'Father'.

Su Majin, the head of the World Escort Agency.

Hearing that he was visiting tomorrow, Namgung Cheong was momentarily at a loss for words.

'Why is that person suddenly coming here?'

Namgung Cheong was not particularly pleased with Su Majin's visit.

A person who had never shown his face on his birthday before, what sudden whim made him want to come here tomorrow?

Knowing Su Majin's personality well, Namgung Cheong was having such suspicions.

"Why is my father-in-law suddenly visiting?"

"Well, maybe he's coming to celebrate your birthday?"

"...Suddenly like this, when he has never visited before?"

"You are also approaching the age of fifty, so Father is probably coming to congratulate you in person."

"..."

Although Suseonghwa said so, Namgung Cheong still had a somewhat uneasy expression.

The head of the World Escort Agency was coming all the way here just to celebrate his birthday.

No matter how much he was the head of the Namgung Clan and his son-in-law, it didn't seem like Su Majin would use his time for such a reason.

'An escort agency is ultimately a business.'

Therefore, it was the escort agencies that were more concerned with their own interests than anyone else.

The World Escort Agency could be said to be at the very top among them.

The person who had raised the current World Escort Agency to that position was Su Majin, so Namgung Cheong could not take Suseonghwa's words at face value.

"Oh, and there will be a grand banquet tomorrow."

"...A banquet?"

"Yes, it's your birthday, so it should be held splendidly."

"..."

"Most of the influential figures in Anhui will be attending, so please be aware of that."

At that moment, displeasure was clearly visible on Namgung Cheong's face.

"You know well that I dislike such things, don't you, wife?"

"We've spent it modestly so far, so this time we should hold a splendid banquet to show off the prestige of the Namgung Clan."

"..."

"Tomorrow's banquet is a place to celebrate your birthday, but at the same time, it's also a place to let the outside world know that the Namgung Clan has grown to this extent."

When Suseonghwa said that, Namgung Cheong could no longer say anything.

The Namgung Clan, which had been on the path of decline due to the past Great War of Justice and Evil.

The days when they were called the head of the Five Great Clans were already a distant past.

Peace may have come to the martial world, but only the immense damage of the war remained for the Namgung Clan.

The deaths of numerous disciples. And the then clan head, Namgung Jeongung, had died without even properly appointing a successor.

In that situation, Namgung Cheong had become the clan head and had tried to rebuild the Namgung Clan somehow, and in the end, he had been able to restore their strength to the current position.

"..."

The reason he had married Suseonghwa was also largely because of that.

He thought that with the financial power of the World Escort Agency, it would be of great help in rebuilding the Namgung Clan in many ways.

In fact, Namgung Cheong had received help from the World Escort Agency several times, and he was still in a position to receive considerable support from the World Escort Agency.

'As expected, he can't refute anything when I say it like this.'

Watching the silent Namgung Cheong, Suseonghwa was smiling inwardly.

The part that could be called Namgung Cheong's only weakness, that was the Namgung Clan itself.

No matter how much Namgung Cheong disliked it, if the Namgung Clan was mentioned, he had always accepted most things.

Suseonghwa already knew well that Namgung Cheong's sense of responsibility towards the Namgung Clan was abnormally strong.

"Since Father is coming, we should show him a good side."

"..."

"It's alright to proceed with the banquet tomorrow, right?"

When Suseonghwa asked, Namgung Cheong remained silent for a while.

But the answer was already decided.

As long as the Namgung Clan was involved, Namgung Cheong didn't really have a choice.

"...Do as you wish."

Hearing that, Suseonghwa's face brightened.

Now that she had obtained the permission of Namgung Cheong, who seemed to be the biggest obstacle, there would be no more interruptions.

She hadn't told Namgung Cheong the biggest purpose of holding the banquet tomorrow yet, but there was no need to say it now.

"Thank you."

"..."

Suseonghwa said so and left the inner chamber.

As she left the clan head's residence, Suseonghwa's face changed drastically.

She was still smiling, but now an indescribable coldness could be felt in that smile.

"I can't just let it end. Yes... I will make you suffer as much humiliation as possible."

Suseonghwa muttered to herself in a tone that was not directed at anyone in particular.

* * *

Namgung Il sat in his room with his eyes quietly closed.

Although it was not visible on the outside, every time Namgung Il exhaled, the qi floating in the air entered his body, and that qi passed through the blood points all over his body and slowly accumulated in his dantian.

This was Qi Circulation.

It was something that all martial artists had to do habitually like eating, and it was a training that could never be omitted to enter the path of a master.

"..."

Namgung Il trained his sword style at the training ground in the morning and afternoon, and he practiced Qi Circulation in his room in the morning and evening, just like now.

Training of external and internal energy.

Only when these two were properly combined in training could martial arts truly exert their true power.

"...Hoo."

With a light sigh, Namgung Il opened his eyes.

The movement of internal energy was still vividly felt in his dantian.

Namgung Il touched his lower abdomen with his hand and let out a light laugh.

'As expected, with this much internal energy, I don't think I'll fall behind brats of a similar age.'

Is this what they call the early education of a prestigious clan?

Suddenly remembering his life as a beggar, Namgung Il couldn't help but compare then and now.

'What was I doing back then... Ah, had I just become an official disciple of the Beggars' Sect?'

When one first enters the Beggars' Sect, that beggar is called a White-Clothed Beggar.

A beggar who has no knots on his clothes, just as the name suggests.

At that time, one could not learn the martial arts of the Beggars' Sect, and had to simply wander the streets, begging.

Literally, one had to live a truly beggar-like life.

After enduring that for three years, one could finally become a one-knot disciple and learn the martial arts of the Beggars' Sect.

'Hah... Thinking about it now, I really didn't live a smooth life.'

Some have to beg to death for three years to become an official disciple and learn martial arts, while some can comfortably learn martial arts as soon as they are born.

Is that all? Even after getting one knot, one still had to beg.

Because the jobs that everyone dislikes always go to the brats with lower ranks.

After getting two knots, one could somewhat escape from begging and finally focus on martial arts training.

"..."

Compared to then, his current self could be said to be truly happy.

There were no restrictions on learning martial arts, and he didn't have to be bullied by his seniors.

Of course, the previous owner of this body seemed to have been bullied considerably by brats like Namgung Ji, but compared to him, it was honestly a weak level.

'Or maybe not. Still, my seniors back then didn't have any malicious intent.'

They just smelled a little.

Looking back on the memories now, they were quite good memories.

"Yeoksan! Press my finger here!"

"Pardon? Like this?"

"Poot— How was it? I haven't pooped for ten days."

"..."

Perhaps they weren't such good memories after all.

Well, anyway, he should be grateful to the previous owner of this body.

He could tell just by looking at his dantian that he had been steadily training his internal energy even in that situation.

'He had no talent for sword styles, so he must have been steadily training his internal energy.'

Thinking that, Namgung Il's heart suddenly felt heavy.

Although he had no past memories, he was Namgung Il himself.

Perhaps because of that influence, he could easily empathize with the emotions that brat must have felt to some extent.

'Don't worry. The internal energy you have trained so hard is being helpful now.'

At least, he would use it to the fullest, as much as the brat couldn't.

Namgung Il thought so to himself and got up.

Thud— Thud—.

Walking to a corner of the room, Namgung Il opened the wardrobe.

A neatly placed blanket and pillow inside.

Among them, Namgung Il took out the pillow and thrust his hand deep inside.

Grab—

With a rustling sound, something was caught inside the pillow.

What came out of the pillow was a neatly folded piece of paper.

For now, it was just a simple piece of paper, but after tomorrow, it would become a precious treasure map that would turn into a spiritual medicine called a thousand-year-old wild ginseng.

'I'm already looking forward to it.'

With this notarized document, Namgung Ji would have no choice but to give him the thousand-year-old wild ginseng.

Because it was written in this document that if he didn't keep his promise, he would pay an even greater price.

As the thousand-year-old wild ginseng already seemed to be shimmering before his eyes, Namgung Il licked his lips without realizing it.

'Well, the condition is that I have to win the spar first, but would I lose to a kid like that?'

He had heard that Namgung Hae had already learned the advanced sword style of the Namgung Clan, but a kid is a kid in the end.

Unless there was a huge difference, the experience of age could not be beaten.

He was also quite accustomed to sword styles now, so he was confident that he could win.

"Hehe, I wonder what a thousand-year-old wild ginseng tastes like?"

It was then.

The sound of urgent footsteps came from outside.

As soon as he realized that someone was heading for this room, Namgung Il hastily put the notarized document he was holding back into the pillow.

'What is it?'

Who on earth was running down the corridor at this time of night?

It didn't seem to be Yeonghwa's footsteps, so Namgung Il looked at the door with a slightly wary gaze.

Creak—

Soon, the door opened, and a figure appeared.

Since the sound of footsteps from outside had stopped, that figure must be the owner of the sound.

At that moment, Namgung Il's eyes widened in surprise.

'That woman... who on earth is she?'

He could say for sure right here.

The woman in front of him was more beautiful than any other woman he had ever seen.

With such looks, there was no way he wouldn't remember her, so Namgung Il couldn't understand at all where such a beauty had suddenly popped out in front of him.

However.

Namgung Il soon had to experience something even more incomprehensible.

"Il-ah!"

"...?"

"I missed you!"

The woman shouted and rushed at Namgung Il.

At the same time, Namgung Il's face was buried in the woman's embrace.

With a soft touch, a fragrant scent tickled the tip of Namgung Il's nose.

'Ah... so this is the life of a handsome man.'

A handsome man just stands still, and a peerless beauty comes and embraces him.

It was an ecstatic experience he would never have felt living as Do Yeoksan, and Namgung Il quietly nodded his head.

(End of Chapter)