The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan

That evening, a small banquet was held at the headquarters.

"For a long time, the Beggars' Sect has been in debt."

"..."

"I think everyone has had a hard time because of that. You have all endured and persevered well until now, even when you received all sorts of contempt."

In front of the members, Gae Du-sik was giving a short speech before the banquet began.

Today was the day that the Beggars' Sect had escaped from the pile of debt after several years and had become free.

This banquet was to commemorate that.

"If the members had not endured... I would not have been able to endure either."

"..."

"Well done! You have really endured well until now!"

A deep emotion was mixed in Gae Du-sik's voice.

Rightly so, looking back on the past few years when he had been poor because he had no money, it was truly sorrowful.

Gae Du-sik was sincerely grateful and sorry to the members who had steadfastly endured that time with him.

However.

Drip—

The members' ears were not hearing Gae Du-sik's deep emotion now.

Because the meat that had been shimmering in front of their eyes from a while ago had completely captivated their attention.

Like a dog that could not eat even with food in front of it, saliva was flowing from the members' mouths like a waterfall.

'They're going to be exhausted from drooling at this rate.'

It wasn't an exaggeration, Namgung Il really thought that might happen.

Well, it wasn't that he couldn't understand that reaction.

Because the members had been living without even seeing proper meat until now.

They were brats who had shed tears at just one piece of meat last time, so it was natural for them to go crazy like that when there was so much meat in front of them.

"And also..."

As if he couldn't see the saliva flowing from the members' mouths, Gae Du-sik continued to give his speech.

And so, the members who were gradually going crazy.

In the end, Namgung Il quietly said to Gae Du-sik from the side.

"Leader, how about we start the banquet now?"

"Uh...?"

"The food will get cold. I understand that you have a lot to say, but I think it would be better to say it later."

When Namgung Il said that, Gae Du-sik finally began to see the members' faces.

How could there not be a single brat who was making eye contact with him...

In the end, Gae Du-sik coughed as if he were embarrassed and opened his mouth again.

"Ahem... then I'll just say one last thing."

"...!"

"This food was prepared to praise your hard work so far. So... eat and drink to your heart's content today!"

"Kwang—!"

As soon as Gae Du-sik's words ended, the roars of beasts were heard from all over.

The members, who were gobbling down the meat in front of them as if they were beasts that had been starved for several days.

The meat on the many plates was now less than half left.

'This... the meat might not be enough.'

All the meat used for the banquet was bought by Namgung Il.

He had bought it, telling them to grease their stomachs a little, as he had felt so sorry for the sight of several people sharing one piece of meat last time.

As expected of beggars. Seeing that combative look, Namgung Il thought that the meat might not be enough.

"Thank you."

Just then, Gae Du-sik said to Namgung Il from the side.

"Not only did you help, but you even provided food like this... I don't know how to express my gratitude."

"Don't worry about it. I just did it because I wanted to."

"...I have something to give you."

Gae Du-sik said and held out something to Namgung Il.

A bamboo plaque with the word 'Benefactor' written in the middle.

As soon as he saw it, Namgung Il's two eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"It's called the Benefactor Beggar Bamboo Plaque."

"..."

"It can be said to be a token given only to the benefactors of the Beggars' Sect."

Namgung Il, of course, knew well about it.

For the Beggars' Sect, which valued faith, that bamboo plaque was the utmost expression of gratitude.

'The Benefactor Beggar Bamboo Plaque... with just this, one can receive treatment almost on par with the leader in the Beggars' Sect.'

That was why the number of people who had actually received this in history could be said to be really small.

Because with just the Benefactor Beggar Bamboo Plaque, it was no different from being able to use almost all the power of the Beggars' Sect.

Namgung Il had really never thought that Gae Du-sik would express his gratitude to him to this extent.

"If you need the help of the Beggars' Sect, you can show that at any time."

"..."

"This is all I can give you."

"...Thank you."

It was more than enough.

As soon as he received the Benefactor Beggar Bamboo Plaque, Namgung Il put it in his clothes like a precious treasure.

'I've received something tremendous without even thinking about it.'

It was an unexpected harvest.

Although not right now, a time might come when he would need the power of the Beggars' Sect someday.

With just this, it could be said that Namgung Il had obtained something tremendous in Kaifeng, but before returning to Luoyang, Namgung Il was planning to take one more thing.

'Let's go there tomorrow.'

For now, he should just enjoy this moment.

Namgung Il looked at the members and tilted his cup with a pleased smile.

* * *

The next morning, a wild mountain near the headquarters.

Namgung Il was walking there alone.

'I think it was around here.'

In the past, Namgung Il had often come to this wild mountain.

So he had originally known the geography of this area very well, but since it had been a really long time, Namgung Il was a little lost.

Although it felt like it had been a few years, in reality, about twenty years had passed.

During that time, the appearance of the wild mountain had changed quite a lot.

"Hoo—"

Namgung Il sat on a rock and let out a deep sigh.

It had already been two hours since he had been wandering around the wild mountain.

No matter how much it was Namgung Il, since he had been wandering around without rest for that long, his breath couldn't help but become a little rough.

'Am I going to end up not finding it and just going back at this rate?'

Namgung Il was planning to leave Kaifeng tomorrow morning.

Because the classes at the Flying Dragon Academy would officially start in a few days.

To arrive in Luoyang in time for that, he would have to leave at least tomorrow morning to be able to meet the schedule with some leeway.

In other words, the time that Namgung Il could be in Kaifeng was all of today. Before that, Namgung Il had to find something no matter what.

'My liquor! Where on earth is it!'

Namgung Il shouted in his heart out of frustration.

To be looking for liquor in a wild mountain like this.

Although it might sound a little strange, to be precise, what Namgung Il was looking for now was a warehouse where he had hidden the liquor.

"..."

Namgung Il had made liquor and had stored it in a warehouse whenever he had time every year.

Of course, in the old days, he had made so much of his master's liquor that he hadn't made any for a while after he had become a free man.

But isn't a person a really strange thing?

After a little time had passed, he had forgotten all the hard memories of that time, and Namgung Il was now making liquor again.

'How delicious would it have become by now...'

Liquor becomes more delicious as time passes.

He had originally planned to let it age for about five years and then drink it, but somehow, it had been aged for more than twenty years.

His own liquor that had been aged for more than twenty years.

Since Namgung Il himself had never drunk such a liquor, his mouth watered just by imagining it.

'Since I've thought of it, I have to find it no matter what.'

From the beginning, Namgung Il had not come here aiming for the liquor.

But after resolving the matter of the Beggars' Sect, wasn't it natural for the existence of the warehouse that he had forgotten to come to mind?

Then he had to find it no matter what.

For a liquor lover, and also for a martial artist, that warehouse was no different from a treasure warehouse.

'I think I remember making a few spiritual liquors as well.'

Even when he had drunk the thousand-year-old wild ginseng spiritual liquor that had been aged for only half a year, there had been that much of an increase in his internal energy.

But what if he drank a spiritual liquor that had been aged for not half a year, but more than twenty years?

Namgung Il was sure that he would be able to obtain a serendipitous encounter that could not be compared to now.

"Let's find it!"

Namgung Il shouted and got up from his seat.

He couldn't go back empty-handed when he knew that there was a treasure nearby.

Even if he had to stay up all night, Namgung Il was planning to find the warehouse.

"...?"

Just then, the rock that he had been sitting on just now came into Namgung Il's view.

The shape of this rock... it was familiar from somewhere.

Namgung Il carefully examined the rock and maintained his silence for a while.

"...!"

Just then, as if something had come to mind, Namgung Il's two eyes widened.

'I remember!'

He had thought it was familiar from somewhere, and this rock was what had been placed near his warehouse.

That meant that the entrance to the warehouse was in this vicinity.

Namgung Il carefully looked around and then moved his steps somewhere.

'This place is suspicious.'

At the place where Namgung Il was looking, rotten trees were piled up.

Since there was no other place that stood out, Namgung Il finally began to move the trees.

Swish—

Since they were rotten and their insides were empty, the trees were not that heavy.

As he removed the trees, the back view began to come into view.

Soon, the entrance to a rather large cavity was revealed.

"...!"

Because he was so happy, Namgung Il shouted without realizing it.

A cave large enough for one person to pass through.

It was undoubtedly his liquor warehouse.

"...?"

Just then, the smile disappeared from Namgung Il's lips.

At first, he had been so happy to have found the warehouse that he hadn't realized it... but was the entrance originally like this?

He felt that the shape of the entrance was a little different from his memory.

'That's right... there was originally a door at the entrance.'

To be precise, he had blocked the entrance with a huge rock.

Because it would be troublesome if someone were to invade here in the middle of him having made the liquor.

So he had brought a rock that even a decent brat would not be able to move here... but now that rock had disappeared cleanly.

'D-don't tell me...!'

As the memory came to mind, Namgung Il's face crumpled with anxiety.

His two legs, which were already moving without him realizing it.

Only after arriving inside the cave did Namgung Il stop in his tracks.

"...!"

Inside, there were several liquor jars used for making liquor.

However.

Among them, there were also many liquor jars that were broken into pieces.

Phat—!

Namgung Il hurriedly approached the liquor jar and looked inside.

But... why was there nothing that his hand could touch even when he put his hand inside?

Even after that, he searched all the other liquor jars, but Namgung Il's right hand just stirred the empty air in vain.

"My liquor..."

Nothing. Nothing at all.

Twenty years... no, the oldest one would be more than thirty years old!

Since he had come here with great expectations, the sense of loss that Namgung Il was feeling now was beyond words.

"Who on earth is the bastard!"

A voice full of anger echoed inside the cave.

He was sure that he was the only one who knew about the existence of the warehouse here.

Who on earth was the gutsy bastard who had stolen and drunk his liquor... if the culprit were in front of him, he would have already died at his hands.

"..."

After shouting, he calmed down a little more than before.

Namgung Il began to look around the inside of the cave with a cold gaze.

'This bastard... I'm definitely going to catch him.'

There might be some kind of clue.

Namgung Il thought so in his heart and began to search the surroundings thoroughly.

"...!"

Just then, as if he had discovered something, Namgung Il's movement stopped.

'...Don't tell me.'

He felt as if he vaguely knew the identity of the culprit.

(End of Chapter)