He executed a basic strike, with no preparatory motion at all.

Kwaaaang!

The tree exploded as if it had been hit by a shotgun.

It hadn’t simply snapped; it was the shockwave of an internal explosion. This meant he could perfectly control Internal Clan’s Heavy Qi, and infuse it deep inside an enemy’s body. It was the mark of a master at the Peak Realm.

It’s possible. At this level, I can do it.

He could feel his internal energy moving with absolute freedom along his qi meridians, now open all the way to his upper danjeon, as if racing down a highway. He was, in effect, no longer bound by form.

“Good. For the next step, I suppose I’ll rely on the favor I’m owed.”

Her Imperial Highness, Wangya Ju. She was the one who had insisted she was indebted to him.

There was just one problem. He had to be wearing something before he could see anyone, and the thought of walking into town naked to buy clothes was horrifying.

***

Jin Cheon-hee, the Junior Pavilion Master, used his lightness art to swiftly race past the village at the foot of the mountain, which was connected to the White Qilin Medical Pavilion. His task was to head for a town much farther away. Distinguishing between the villages affiliated with his pavilion and those that weren’t was a simple task, one of the perks of his position.

When he arrived at the town gates, completely naked, a guard blocked him with a spear, his eyes raking up and down Cheon-hee’s bare form before he clicked his tongue.

“Did bandits strip you of everything?”

Jin Cheon-hee presented the fake token the Beggar’s Sect had made for him.

“Cheon Gyeon?”

The character for ‘dog,’ combined with the surname ‘Heavens Dog,’ gave Lady Seol Gyeon a terrible sense of humor. She had mentioned that the token had fewer strokes, making it harder to forge. It seemed that in their quest for simplicity, they had arrived at this.

“Get inside. A handsome fellow like you… tsk tsk.”

Just as the Beggar’s Sect’s Faction Leader, Lady Seol Gyeon, had promised, he was allowed to pass with no real suspicion.

Blushing furiously, Jin Cheon-hee headed straight for the clothier’s shop.

“Oh, my!”

“Good heavens!”

The naked form of the beautiful young man became an excellent spectacle for all.

Jin Cheon-hee wanted to bite his tongue and die. But he couldn’t.

I’ll die later. I’ll kill myself right after I catch the Ten Thousand Years Fire Carp.

Resigning himself to this eventual suicide, Jin Cheon-hee entered the clothier’s shop.

“Please, I need clothes.”

“Tsk, tsk. The mountain bandits these days are truly vicious. They took everything, right down to your undergarments. Did you manage to borrow the money for clothes somewhere?”

Fortunately, they didn’t see him as a madman, but as a pitiful victim. It spoke volumes about the viciousness of the local bandits, but for Jin Cheon-hee, it was a stroke of luck. He paid his money and changed into the clothes.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Well, it’s a blessing they didn’t rough you up, what with a pretty face like that. Better to be stripped of your undergarments than to be beaten and left with crippling injuries, eh?” the owner said, offering consolation.

“…Thank you.”

Jin Cheon-hee, now fully clothed, looked transformed. The blue robes gave his clear features an added air of nobility. The shop clerks couldn’t help but blush. As a final touch, he took out the North Sea Coral ornament he had received as a gift from the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency and fixed his hair with it.

“I hardly recognize you! Hohoho!”

“I’m just grateful you provided such fine clothes.”

“Not at all. It was nice, you remind me of my son who left for work last year. Besides, I got paid fairly, so what’s not to like? The clothes have met their proper owner.”

The shop clerks chimed in. “Young Master, you are truly handsome.” “Of all the customers I’ve ever seen, you are the most dashing!”

Jin Cheon-hee smiled softly, his eyelashes lowering.

The people in this town are so kind.

His features, already outstanding, were now radiant after his Metamorphosis. It was a beauty that could steal one’s breath. For a moment, everyone stared, dumbfounded.

Jin Cheon-hee, on the other hand, was just thinking that this was a great town, where they showed pity to a naked man instead of chasing him away. He gave a deep bow of clasped fists and went outside, making sure to memorize the name of the shop that had sold him the fine clothes.

***

Now fully dressed, Jin Cheon-hee went straight to the Beggar’s Sect.

“What brings a noble-looking Young Master like you to this beggars’ den?” A beggar with three knots at his waist, came out to meet him.

I expected him to yell at me while swinging his Dog-Beating Staff, but he’s asking first.

Instead of answering, Jin Cheon-hee took out a token.

Cheon Gyeon. His fake Identification Card.

“Why do you have…”

“I need to send a letter to Her Imperial Highness, Wangya Ju.”

“Do you think we’re an escort agency? Good grief. And what’s with this token…” The Three-Knots Beggar looked at the token for a long time, then his hand froze, as if he’d found something suspicious. “Wait, just a moment…”

He took the token and disappeared into the hut. A moment later, a sharp, scolding voice echoed out. “Don’t tell me, the Faction Leader…!”

The Three-Knots Beggar reappeared, a fresh bruise on his eye, and bowed deeply. “Please, give me the letter. This beggar will use any means necessary to deliver it immediately.”

He didn’t ask what it was for or who Jin Cheon-hee was. He simply understood what this fake token signified.

The Beggar’s Sect’s discipline is tighter than I thought.

He now understood what the former Faction Leader meant when he’d smacked Seol Gyeon on the head and said she was far from ready to lead.

Jin Cheon-hee handed over the prepared letter. The Three-Knots Beggar bowed low again. “It will arrive within two days. In the meantime, our esteemed guest should rest in a good place. I will guide you.”

Jin Cheon-hee passed the time at an inn arranged by the Beggar’s Sect. It was the largest and cleanest room. With nothing else to do, he treated a few of the sick beggars, and his reception became even more reverent.

Physicians are valuable in this world.

As he was waiting, someone came looking for him. Downstairs, a tall, strapping man stood. He wore plain clothes, but his straight back and vigorous gait marked him as a martial artist.

“Are you perhaps Young Master Cheon Gyeon?”

“I am.”

The man glanced around before handing over a cloth-wrapped bundle. “I was ordered to deliver this discreetly. Please take it with care.”

This entire process is the opposite of ‘discreet.’ Jin Cheon-hee realized this man was definitely not a martial artist who’d lived by the sword in the Sword Forest in the Capital. Only someone who ate the government’s rice could be this clueless about the ways of the world. The only saving grace was that this was an inn run by the Beggar’s Sect.

Jin Cheon-hee accepted it with a silent, clasped-fist bow.

Is it fortunate or unfortunate that my master is bedridden? If I did this a few more times, I’d be 100% caught. I can only pray that Yoo Ho is doing a good job of covering my master’s eyes and ears.

Back in his room, he opened the bundle. Inside was a horse plaque. It would allow him to use the official post stations. She had helped him so he could borrow horses freely.

There was also a short letter. On red silk, inky characters ran with bold, confident strokes.

—Go and play to your heart’s content.

A single, short line.

Jin Cheon-hee let out a small sigh. “It’s a welcome favor, but it’s also a little terrifying.” The horse plaque suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand geun.

***

In the Murim, the Beggar’s Sect was known to have over a hundred thousand members. Jin Cheon-hee had read a passage in Supreme Heavenly Demon that mentioned their numbers directly.

“You’re the Heavenly Demon, you say? Everyone knows you killed our Faction Leader. Two hundred thousand members of the Beggar’s Sect are watching you!”

Of course, that future had changed. Jin Cheon-hee had saved the Branch Leader. In any case, according to that passage, the number of Beggar’s Sect members in the Central Plains was closer to two hundred thousand, not one hundred thousand.

It was no exaggeration to say that no other organization in the Gangho could match their numbers. The Beggar’s Sect stood as the largest sect in the world. Yet, despite their size, they did not rule the world. They had close to two hundred thousand members, but fewer than twenty thousand could actively operate in the Gangho. Training in martial arts demanded discipline and endurance, and only a small portion of the beggars had the strength and determination to persevere. In truth, anyone with the physical and mental ability to master martial arts would usually seek other work instead of choosing a beggar’s life. Even saying ten percent were active was being generous.

Most people joined the Beggar’s Sect only after their lives had collapsed, rather than entering with the goal of becoming disciples. In ordinary sects, members were taught martial arts from a young age, instilled with the sect’s values, and tightly bound to its identity. The Beggar’s Sect, on the other hand, welcomed those who were already middle-aged or elderly. This led to a chaotic and mismatched membership, lacking the unity and cohesion that other sects naturally possessed.

Nevertheless, with a scale approaching two hundred thousand members, it was a faction that no one, orthodox or unorthodox, ever wanted to make an enemy of.

The debt of saving such a sect’s leader was no ordinary matter. That’s why, from the moment Jin Cheon-hee had requested their help, a critical order had been issued: protect Jin Cheon-hee at all costs and grant all his requests.

There was a reason behind this order. The Beggar’s Sect had discovered that information about Jin Cheon-hee was being spread through government officials. It wasn’t bribery; it was simply that the scholar-officials, who “ate ink,” had no way of knowing the potential ripple effect this news would have in the Murim.

And there were those who reacted most sensitively to Jin Cheon-hee’s movements…

“What? That kid just appeared? When did he leave the pavilion?”

“Calm down.”

“No, but the White Qilin Divine Physician was holding him so tightly that he wouldn’t let him go. How in the world did he get out?”

“Kekeke. Disciples are always like that. They never grow up the way you want them to.” As he said this, Il-geol, the former Faction Leader, glanced at his own disciple and the current leader, Seol Gyeon.

“Old man, don’t you know people get crooked if you keep comparing them to others?” Seol Gyeon grumbled.

Il-geol stroked his chin. “Why? Is that child on your mind?”

“Jin Cheon-hee might not know it himself, but he’s the eye of the storm. We still don’t know how the Hao Sect’s grudge will play out…”

Jin Cheon-hee had left two major incidents in his wake.

First, he had treated the members of the Hao Sect, curing syphilis, a condition once deemed incurable, without any adverse effects. This unprecedented achievement was a remarkable feat.

Second, he had exposed the Hao Sect’s Gu incident, which triggered a Blood Calamity in their branches. Wangya Ju’s anger had not subsided, and the Hao Sect had suffered a significant blow in the process. Countless branch leaders and disciples lost their lives.

“Kekeke. That’s just how it is, my mad dog. They’re the ones who farted, but now they’re angry they got caught.”

“But old man, you know better than anyone the nature of the Unorthodox Faction…”

“Yes. They cannot be measured by common sense.”

“…” Seol Gyeon fell into thought. It was Il-geol who spoke first.

“That kid even got the right to use the post stations from Wangya Ju. He’ll be moving swiftly. If we don’t know his exact destination, it’ll be challenging to track him. That will be the same for us, and for the Hao Sect.”

What would be the outcome?