The night had deepened before he knew it.

Danya had so many mysterious things hidden away.

However, due to circumstances, he couldn't take everything, so he only packed a few simple items and the journal containing all of Danya's research.

The luggage was also simple.

One well-worn hammer that was also used as a weapon, and old, stained... he would have to buy him some new clothes.

How could the great blacksmith of the Tang Family's estate be dressed so shabbily?

First, he had to meet Yongcheon and Sanghui and introduce him...

"Cheon... Family Head! Family Head!"

"...?"

As soon as he entered the market street of Yeongin, Baekta came to find Cheonyeong as if he had been waiting.

Does he have good eyes? Or good ears?

No matter how small the market was, how could he find him so quickly?

Is it a characteristic of Beggars' Sect members?

"You're here early. Did your business go well?"

Cheonyeong waved with a bright smile, but Baekta's expression looked serious.

"That's not important right now."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

While making a fuss, Baekta spoke respectfully, perhaps conscious of Danya next to him, and Cheonyeong still frowned.

This punk... there's a new family member right next to him.

But after thinking for a moment, something was strange.

With Baekta's personality, if someone he didn't know was with him, wouldn't he have shown interest in him first?

Furthermore, if he had such an urgent expression...

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"It's about Yongcheon and Sanghui..."

"...Huh?"

"First, let's talk as we go. Hurry."

Cheonyeong's face darkens at Baekta's urging words.

Yongcheon and Sanghui?

What is this situation?

Did something happen to them, who should have been enjoying a cozy time looking around the market?

"Danya."

"I will go with you."

"Alright."

Cheonyeong, who was about to tell him to wait at the inn since he had just become a family member, followed Baekta with him at Danya's firm answer.

"What on earth is going on?"

"There's a problem."

"You can stop with the honorifics. You've decided to become our family member from now on."

"Ah... I see."

"But what kind of problem was there?"

"I'm not sure either, I just came back about half a sichen ago and heard people murmuring."

"...?"

"It seems there was quite a big commotion in the market."

"A commotion?"

"The Five Poisons Gate is a confederation founded by five tribes located in the north of Yunnan."

"Five tribes?"

"Yes, the Centipede, the Snake, the Black Scorpion, the Lizard, and the Toad."

In order, they were centipede, snake, scorpion, lizard, and toad, so it was clearly a sect that dealt with poisons.

"It seems the young chief of the Black Scorpion Clan was in the Yeongin market."

"And?"

"I didn't see it myself, so I don't know the exact situation, but I heard the fight was quite big. They said a man as big as a bear and a woman who wields twin swords fought with the warriors of the Black Scorpion Clan and were captured."

"What?"

Cheonyeong's face contorted.

It was definitely Yongcheon and Sanghui.

Wasn't it Yongcheon, who was as big as a bear, and Sanghui, who had the martial name of Twin Flash Asura?

"It seems the damage to the Black Scorpion Clan was severe. I heard that more than ten warriors were injured."

Ppudeudeuk.

Cheonyeong's eyes twitched and he gritted his teeth.

Yongcheon and Sanghui. There was no way they would have fought recklessly.

He wasn't trying to defend them because his arm bends inward.

Those two were punks who revered his orders as if they were from heaven. He had taught them not to use their strength carelessly, so they would have done so.

Especially Yongcheon was a punk who would have endured it even if someone picked a fight with him and harmed him.

But Sanghui was different.

She usually had a calm personality. She was the most thoughtful one among the family members.

But when the hunters of Ganyang had attacked, hadn't her eyes flipped at the sight of an arrow that wasn't even deeply embedded in Yongcheon's shoulder?

The martial name of Asura was also given at that time. How terrifying must her appearance have been for that to happen.

What if Yongcheon was injured while fighting with the Black Scorpion Clan?

"Dammit, this is a mess. Where do we have to go?"

"I heard that the branch of the Black Scorpion Clan is about twenty li north of Yeongin. It's one of the branches that was deployed to the front this time."

"Twenty li north?"

"Yes."

"That's a relief. Let's hurry!"

Cheonyeong added speed to his lightness skill.

It was a relief.

If it weren't for Baekta, wouldn't he have been completely in the dark?

His information network, which he usually found annoying as it was so good at hearing things from anywhere, was so grateful today.

* * *

About twenty li north of Yeongin.

The branch of the Black Scorpion Clan.

As night fell, the fence made of sharpened large trees and the watchtower were lit up.

Since they had cleared about twenty jang around the fence to monitor the enemy's invasion, it was not difficult to find the branch from a distance.

"It seems to be that place."

A little away from the branch of the Black Scorpion Clan.

Baekta, who was hiding in a place full of darkness in the dense forest, pointed at the fence with his finger.

The fence was high, so the inside could not be seen.

But just by the number of people guarding the outside and the watchers on the watchtower, he could tell that it was not a small scale.

"What are you going to do?"

"What?"

"It's a place we have no connection with. Also, we can't use the name of the Beggars' Sect here."

"That's true."

It would only stir up a hornet's nest.

If you had to put it one way, Yunnan and the Central Plains were in a hostile relationship.

So there was no way they didn't know about the Beggars' Sect, and if they found out Baekta's identity, they would think he had come to spy on them, which would only provoke them.

"Shouldn't we look around first?"

"Hmm..."

That's right.

He knew nothing about the Five Poisons Gate, and about the Black Scorpion Clan.

He could only guess that since their name was Black Scorpion, they would use the poison of scorpions and use martial arts that could utilize it.

Furthermore, if Yongcheon and Sanghui were captured, the skills of the young chief of the Black Scorpion Clan and his subordinate warriors, with whom they had had a friction, would not be low.

Since Cheonyeong had taught the two himself, he knew better than anyone else.

If he approached recklessly, he might get into trouble.

As Baekta said, to safely rescue the captured Yongcheon and Sanghui, he had to first carefully examine the branch in front of him.

He knew it in his head.

But his heart couldn't.

His heart was urgent with worry for Yongcheon and Sanghui.

"There's no time."

"Hmm."

Who knew what kind of hardship those two were going through among the tribes of Yunnan, who had different cultures and thoughts?

"First, take this."

"This is..."

"If those punks use poison, it will be difficult without an antidote."

Cheonyeong gave the antidote he had bought from the merchant to Baekta and Danya.

"Thank you. But you..."

"I can't wait. I have to go in."

"Family Head Tang!"

"I know what you're thinking. But they're like family to me."

"That's true, but..."

"Myeongseon, you can wait outside. I don't want the Beggars' Sect to be harmed because of the Tang Family's estate."

"Cheonyeong."

"It's okay. This is sincere. This is the Tang family's problem. The Beggars' Sect doesn't need to get involved."

Cheonyeong patted Baekta's shoulder with a smile.

And then.

"Danya."

"I will go with you."

"What?"

"Didn't you say so? I am also a member of the Tang family now."

"..."

"And, have you forgotten what I have?"

Danya patted his bulging chest.

"It will be helpful. And, you know, right? Although I'm not as good as you, Family Head, I have enough skill to take care of myself in a dangerous situation."

Cheonyeong nodded his head at Danya's smile.

It would be helpful. If it was the weapon he had in his pocket...

And wasn't he a former assassin?

If he put his mind to it, there would be no problem in escaping.

"Alright. Then I'll ask you."

"Ask me? You just have to command me."

Danya grins.

A frontal breakthrough.

Cheonyeong planned to reveal his identity as the family head of the Tang Family's estate and formally negotiate with the Black Scorpion Clan.

"Stop."

"...?"

Baekta, who had been contemplating for a long time, grabs Cheonyeong's clothes.

Don't tell me, is he trying to stop me?

For the reason that the relationship between the Central Plains and Yunnan could worsen?

But Baekta's words were in a completely different direction from Cheonyeong's expectation.

"I'm... going with you."

"What?"

"Didn't I tell you? My disguise in Yunnan is a member of the Tang Family's estate."

"You?"

"And, you want me to watch while you two go into a place where there might be some danger? That's not right. I'm a Beggars' Sect member who values righteousness."

Baekta wears a mischievous smile.

But.

"Myeongseon."

"Why?"

"A fight might break out. No, it's highly likely that it will."

"I know."

"If you use the martial arts of the Beggars' Sect..."

"The martial arts of the Beggars' Sect? You're looking down on me too much."

"What?"

"Don't tell me you thought I only learned the martial arts of the Beggars' Sect."

"..."

"I'm just the best at that. I know a few martial arts to hide my identity as a Beggars' Sect member, so don't worry."

"Myeongseon. You..."

"Don't say thank you. Just repay me with something else later. Ah! How about the promise we made before? At this point, it's possible to call it even with one heaven-grade information, right?"

It's possible, you punk.

Is a heaven-grade information the problem now?

Right now, he needed even one more hand.

"Instead, just promise me one thing."

"...?"

"Don't use your hands recklessly."

Baekta made a request with a serious expression, as if asking for a promise.

"That's..."

"I'm not saying never use them."

"..."

"Just, hold back three times. Just three times is enough. They say that if you endure three times, you can even avoid murder. That's my only wish."

"Hoo, alright. I'll try."

"Now, let's go. Family Head. We have to rescue the family members as soon as possible."

Baekta takes the lead in guiding Cheonyeong with a bright smile.

As they stepped out of the darkness and into the light, the branch of the Black Scorpion Clan, which had spotted Cheonyeong's party, quickly became noisy.

Warriors gathered in the direction Cheonyeong was walking, and a voice shouting something from the watchtower to the inside of the fence could be heard.

"Stop!"

As they got closer, a warrior of the Black Scorpion Clan took out a gently curved sword, aimed it, and shouted.

First, negotiation...

"This is the branch of the Black Scorpion Clan! Who are you punks?"

At the words trying to confirm their identity, Cheonyeong stepped forward and said confidently.

"The Tang Family's estate."

"The Tang... Family's estate?"

"The family head of those you have captured."

"..."

"I heard that they are here. I don't know what wrong they have committed, but since I have found out that the people of my family are being held, I want to get them back."

"Impossible! Not only have we not heard of your visit, but we cannot recklessly open the gate to a man from the Central Plains!"

It was a refusal.

But Cheonyeong did not back down.

"Are you the master of this place?"

"What?"

"Doesn't the Black Scorpion Clan know basic etiquette? How can a mere guard who protects the barrier make a decision and convey that decision to the family head of a sect!"

The warrior of the Black Scorpion Clan flinched and stepped back at Cheonyeong's shout that echoed all around.

It wasn't because his shout was loud.

It was because he was startled by the wave of energy contained in Cheonyeong's voice without realizing it.

He did it on purpose.

For those inside to hear.

"What are you doing? If you are not the master of this place! Why don't you report to your superior!"

The warriors of the Black Scorpion Clan exchanged glances with each other at the dignified and confident gaze.

And a short while later.

Kkigigik.

The huge wooden gate began to open on both sides.

A warrior with a sharp gaze who came out from inside looked Cheonyeong up and down and asked.

"The family head of the Tang Family's estate?"

"That's right."

"Come in. The young chief is waiting."

Cheonyeong slowly moved his steps, following the warrior.

He had to keep his wits about him.

Because he might be putting his head in the tiger's mouth right now.

The Tang Family's Departure from the World