The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan

A few days later, Namgung Il was looking down at the memorandum with the bet with Su Majin in his room.

"Hehe—"

From the first time he saw him, he could tell that Su Majin was a person with a very strong sense of pride.

So he had thought that if he provoked him a little, he might agree to a bet with him like this, and as things went as planned, Namgung Il couldn't help but laugh.

'If I get two hundred thousand gold taels, where on earth should I spend it?'

Namgung Il was already thinking about that and was spreading the wings of happiness in his mind.

Two hundred thousand gold taels.

That was an amount that would allow him to live a lavish life, being called a wealthy man even here in Anhui.

'Yes, first, I'll go there.'

After a moment of thought, Namgung Il first decided where to use this money.

The Dragon Pattern Tavern.

It was Namgung Il's wish to go to the top floor of that place, look at the night view, and have a drink.

Of course, one might ask if all he was going to do with that much money was to go to a tavern and have a drink, but there was a sad story behind it that could not be heard without tears.

"Alright! To celebrate the end of the exam, let's go to the Dragon Pattern Tavern and drink to our heart's content today!"

"..."

"Yeoksan! You're coming too, right?"

"Huh? Ah, I..."

"Ah, a beggar probably doesn't have the money to go to a place like that, right?"

The Dragon Pattern Tavern was one of the most expensive taverns in Luoyang.

To have even one drink there cost an astronomical amount that could not be compared to ordinary taverns, and of course, Namgung Il at that time did not have the money to go to such a place for a drink.

Because his status was, after all, a beggar.

No matter how much the Beggars' Sect was one of the Nine Sects and One Union, it was not a group that pursued profit, so the Beggars' Sect itself did not have much money.

"..."

In the first place, in order to enter the Beggars' Sect, one had to dispose of all of one's previous assets.

Those who were married had to give their assets to their families, and those who were not had to give them all to the poor around them and become truly empty-handed before they could finally become a member of the Beggars' Sect.

Then did the Beggars' Sect really have to live day by day, with all those numerous members just begging like beggars?

Of course, that was not the case.

Just as money was needed to maintain a group, the Beggars' Sect also had some sources of income to maintain the group.

'The problem is that they spend more than they earn...'

It was common knowledge that the Beggars' Sect had the largest number of members among the Nine Sects and One Union.

The Beggars' Sect used that advantage to make information activities its main source of income, but could that feed all the beggars, who were called the hundred thousand beggars?

No, it was far from enough.

In the first place, since they were all beggars, the amount they ate was no joke.

So no matter how much one was the leader of the Beggars' Sect, and also his disciple, one could not live as prosperous a life as the disciples of other prestigious families.

"Yeoksan! You want to go to the Dragon Pattern Tavern too, right?"

"..."

"Then beg me."

"...What?"

"Begging. Begging. Isn't that what beggars do as if they're eating?"

Suddenly remembering that time, a small laugh escaped Namgung Il's lips.

There was a brat who always picked a fight with him and bullied him when he was at the academy.

A brat who always looked down on his surroundings as if he were a king, and especially looked down on him the most because he was a beggar.

'His name... was it Paeng Jeongnam?'

He remembered that he was the only son of the Hebei Paeng Clan at that time.

That's why he was so rude.

It seemed that the fights had lessened after he had beaten him up soundly under the pretext of a spar.

"I will pay for this brat's money."

"Namgung Jeongung... you?"

"Yes. So let's just go and have a drink together."

Yes... that was his proper first meeting with Namgung Jeongung.

Until then, they had no particular contact, and he had come to know the brat named Namgung Jeongung for the first time like that.

'At that time, I wondered what kind of guy he was.'

His first impression was not very good.

Because he had thought that some pretty boy was acting all cool to win the favor of the girls.

But after getting to know Namgung Jeongung since then, he was able to find out that the brat was not acting cool, but was really a cool guy.

'...The name Dragon Pattern Tavern came to mind, so I was reminiscing for a long time without realizing it.'

Anyway, he wanted to go there and drink with his own money this time.

Because that was also a place where his memories with Namgung Jeongung were embedded.

Well, in fact, although he was already thinking as if he had received the money, in order to make all of this a reality, he first had to pass the entrance exam.

'Unless a natural disaster occurs, there's no way I'll fail.'

He was already a graduate of the Flying Dragon Academy.

How could such a person not be able to pass a mere entrance exam?

On top of that, he was the one who had defeated the Blood Demon and saved the world, so he was confident that he could pass that much with ease.

'Still, I have no intention of being careless.'

One thing that bothered him was, of course, Su Majin.

A bet with two hundred thousand gold taels at stake. And he had bet his right of succession to the clan headship.

On top of that, since he had even shown the notarized document at the end and properly screwed him over, the other side would probably try to win this bet desperately.

In other words, it meant that there was a high possibility that he would not be able to take a normal entrance exam.

'I think I shouldn't have shown the notarized document at the end.'

Since the other side had accepted the bet, there was probably no need to show it.

Forget it. Since it was a thing of the past anyway, Namgung Il decided not to pay much attention to it.

Swoosh—

Just then, Namgung Il got up and took out the jar he had hidden behind the wardrobe.

'This is the last of it today.'

There was no liquor left in the jar now.

All that was left was one thousand-year-old wild ginseng.

Namgung Il picked up the thousand-year-old wild ginseng in the jar with a rather serious face.

'My internal energy has deepened considerably in the past few days thanks to this brat.'

The increase in his internal energy through the infused liquor was quite smooth.

On the contrary, the effect was greater than he had expected.

But since the real thing that would decorate the finale was still left, Namgung Il couldn't help but be more nervous than on other days.

"..."

From now on, he would swallow this thousand-year-old wild ginseng whole.

No matter how much he had changed it into the form of infused liquor, the real thing was not the liquor, but the thousand-year-old wild ginseng he was holding now.

The energy equivalent to... or perhaps even more than the liquor he had drunk so far would still be left in this thousand-year-old wild ginseng.

'I've done well so far. So I just have to get through today well.'

On the contrary, if he didn't get through today well, it meant that all the efforts he had put in so far would be in vain.

That was the reason for the tension that appeared on Namgung Il's face.

Namgung Il finished his preparations and put the thousand-year-old wild ginseng in his mouth.

Woong—!

As soon as he swallowed the thousand-year-old wild ginseng, the energy inside began to boil strongly.

A movement on a different level from before.

If the past few days had been a calm wave, now it was a rough wave accompanied by a storm.

'As expected... but I already expected this much.'

Namgung Il sat in a cross-legged position and entered Qi Circulation.

At that moment, a flash appeared around Namgung Il's body.

Such a phenomenon was appearing as he began to recite the incantation of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor's Divine Art.

Crackle—

As much as it was visible on the outside, a very fierce battle was continuing in Namgung Il's dantian.

A thunderbolt striking down on a rough wave.

Namgung Il was suppressing the rampaging energy in his dantian with force.

"..."

But he shouldn't just deal with it with force.

If he did that, the energy of the thousand-year-old wild ginseng would be swallowed up by his internal energy, and its form would completely disappear.

Sometimes strongly, and sometimes very gently, as if taking care of a baby.

Only by handling the energy by appropriately adjusting the strength and weakness in that way would the energy of the thousand-year-old wild ginseng finally become his own internal energy.

And now... it was time to strongly grip the energy with his own internal energy.

'...Done.'

Quite a considerable amount of time had passed.

The energy had now calmed down to some extent.

But that didn't mean that these had become Namgung Il's internal energy yet.

"..."

Now he would slowly move the energy and absorb it as his own internal energy.

However.

There was one thing Namgung Il had decided in advance before sitting in this spot.

'To do this twice, it's really nerve-wracking.'

What Namgung Il was about to do now was the opening of the Ren and Du meridians.

The Ren and Du meridians refer to the Ren and Du meridians among the numerous meridians that occupy the human body.

The meridians, the passages through which qi and blood flow.

Among them, the Ren and Du meridians were one of the very important meridians for a martial artist.

No, to put it bluntly, among those who were called masters in the martial world, there was no one who had not opened the Ren and Du meridians.

That alone should show the importance of the Ren and Du meridians.

Of course, Namgung Il had also opened the Ren and Du meridians in the past when he was called the Beggar King.

"..."

As one gets older, turbid qi accumulates in the Ren and Du meridians.

In other words, it meant that it becomes more and more difficult to open the Ren and Du meridians as time passes.

That was why Namgung Il was trying to open the Ren and Du meridians with the help of the thousand-year-old wild ginseng when he had the chance like this.

'In my experience... it would be better to open them all at once.'

The process of opening the Ren and Du meridians is, to be sure, accompanied by tremendous pain.

After all, it's a matter of forcibly opening something that is blocked, so it can't be helped.

That's why another name for the Ren and Du meridians was the Gate of Life and Death.

To do such a thing not once, but twice, to be honest, he really didn't want to do it... but isn't there a saying that it's better to get the beating over with first?

If he didn't want to remain a mediocre martial artist in the future, he had to do it even if he didn't want to.

"..."

Now, unlike then, he was doing it all by himself without his master.

And he was going to open the Ren and Du meridians all at once.

It would probably be twice as painful as then.

Namgung Il counted in his head and then moved the energy he had gathered in advance.

Crash—!

The gathered energy simultaneously collided with the Ren and Du meridians.

"...!"

As expected, it was a tremendous pain.

But if he were to scream at this moment, everything would be over.

Literally, it meant the end.

Since the qi and blood could get twisted and he could fall into Qi Deviation, if he didn't want to die, he had to endure it with all his might.

Woong—!

The turbid qi accumulated in the Ren and Du meridians was holding on quite stubbornly.

As a result, as time went on, the pain Namgung Il felt also grew.

'Aaaah—! Damn it, please just open, you damn turbid qi!!'

Did Namgung Il's desperation reach the heavens?

A slight crack began to form in the turbid qi that hadn't budged.

'Let's go!'

He couldn't miss this opportunity.

Namgung Il did not stop and continued to push the energy towards the gap.

Crack— Crash—!

He didn't actually hear such a sound.

But for Namgung Il, it was as if the sound of the wall collapsing so refreshingly was heard in his ears.

'I-I did it...'

The sage time that comes after refreshingly opening the Ren and Du meridians.

He just wanted to collapse without doing anything.

However,

Namgung Il immediately came to his senses and focused on absorbing the remaining energy.

Woong—!

How much time had passed like that?

Only after absorbing all the energy inside did Namgung Il lie down on his back.

"Hah— Hah—"

The sun had already risen, and sunlight was coming into the room.

And in it, Namgung Il was gasping for breath.

Although he was quite tired from the long and arduous work, his heart was very proud.

"Hoo... With this, I've overcome a big mountain."

Having opened the Ren and Du meridians, he could say that he had taken a big step forward as a martial artist.

Perhaps the result would be revealed in his martial arts from now on.

In a word, he was now at a level where he wasn't particularly worried about what Su Majin would do in the entrance exam.

"Young Master, are you up..."

It was then.

Yeonghwa, who opened the door with her voice.

At that moment, Yeonghwa confirmed the scene in the room and swallowed her words.

"...!"

Namgung Il, who was lying in a star shape, gasping for breath from the morning. And his clothes were strangely disheveled here and there.

And the floor, which seemed to be wet with something.

Suddenly, Yeonghwa's face began to turn red on its own, wondering what on earth she had imagined.

"E-excuse me!"

"...?"

Click—

What on earth was she excusing herself for?

Namgung Il couldn't understand why Yeonghwa had said that and had hurriedly closed the door.

(End of Chapter)