ROTMHS Special Spin-off - Chapter 16

Chapter 16. No way, right? (1)

Yoon Jong tilted his head.

“Does that even make sense? Beggars have no money, but the Beggar Union is rich? How can they have so much money when it's just swarming with beggars?”

“Tsk tsk, sahyung, think about it. Let’s say those swarming beggars each pay just one coin a year to the sect. Then how much money do you think that adds up to?”

“Well…”

Yoon Jong trailed off and shut his mouth.

When people refer to the Beggar Union, the phrase most often used is the hundred-thousand Beggar Union. It means the number of its members reaches a staggering hundred thousand. Of course, that’s probably exaggerated…

‘…Or is it really?’

The idea that there are a hundred thousand beggars trained in martial arts is surely an exaggeration. If there really were that many, the jianghu would have long since been unified under the Beggar Union.

But if you consider that even ordinary beggars who don’t practice martial arts are still loosely connected to the union one way or another, then the number of beggars under its management reaching a hundred thousand might not be an exaggeration after all.

And if those hundred thousand people each contribute even a single coin a year, then just how much money would be flowing into the Beggar Union?

“…They’d be rich.”

Yoon Jong conceded.

But Jo Geol didn’t.

“Wait, hold on. I get that the Beggar Union makes a lot of money. But it costs money to manage that many beggars, doesn’t it? If expenses are higher, they can’t be rich.”

“What expenses?”

“Huh?”

Cheong Myeong let out a scoff and replied flatly.

“We spend money feeding our disciples, clothing them, housing them, buying them weapons.”

“…Right?”

“But what expenses do beggars have? They beg for food, pick up clothes to wear, and use clubs they carve themselves as weapons.”

“…Huh?”

Jo Geol’s eyes began to shake like an earthquake.

“At most, you’d spend a bit treating them when they get sick. That’s just hiring a few physicians. It’s not that much.”

“…There’s… no expense…?”

Jo Geol’s head slowly tilted to the side. He looked over the beggars of the Jinan branch with fresh eyes.

From that perspective, these beggars were beings that cost nothing yet only brought in money. Of course, each individual earned just a pittance, but when a hundred thousand people were combined, small change was no longer small.

Quite literally, geese that lay golden eggs… no, beggars that lay golden eggs.

“…They’d be rich.”

“Right?”

Even Jo Geol was convinced.

At that point, the disciples suddenly looked at Sunhak Gae with cold eyes. It felt like realizing that the beggar you’d been giving spare coins to out of pity was actually getting into a four-wheeled carriage at sunset and heading back to a mansion the size of a whale.

Sensing the betrayal and contempt in their gazes, Sunhak Gae frantically waved his hands and shook his head.

“N-no! That’s not…!”

“We’ve been fooled.”

“I thought he was really pitiful.”

“I said that’s not it!”

Sunhak Gae shouted angrily and thumped his chest.

“H-how could a beggar have money! If I had money, I wouldn’t be a beggar!”

“What’s stopping you? Cheong Myeong is a Taoist, after all.”

“True.”

“…Pardon?”

However, the Taoists of Mount Hua, having been through far too much already, didn’t believe him at all.

“The money beggars contribute isn’t that much, and it costs more than you think to manage them! It’s a misunderstanding!”

Sunhak Gae protested vehemently, looking truly wronged.

But the Mount Hua disciples, who had been tricked countless times by Cheong Myeong, neatly picked out the truth hidden in his words.

“Oh, so it’s not that you don’t have money.”

“…Pardon?”

At Baek Cheon’s words, Sunhak Gae blinked blankly.

“You said it costs more than expected to manage the beggars.”

“Th-that’s right?”

“And this Jinan branch manages all the beggars in a large city like Jinan.”

“…That’s correct.”

“Then.”

Baek Cheon smiled.

“Doesn’t that mean that while you personally might not have money, the Jinan branch itself does?”

“……”

Clap clap clap clap clap.

The moment he finished speaking, the Mount Hua disciples broke into applause.

“Damn…”

“Just as expected of sasuk.”

“I told you, he never loses when it comes to milking people dry.”

“As expected of Cheong Myeong’s top disciple.”

“I’m the sasuk here, you bastards.”

Cold sweat began to pour down Sunhak Gae’s back.

“Am I mistaken, by any chance?”

“Th-that is… well…”

Sunhak Gae wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with his worn sleeve.

“I can’t exactly say it’s wrong. However, that money is for the branch’s operating expenses, and it absolutely cannot be used for personal—”

“Oho. Personal, you say?”

Cheong Myeong cut in abruptly, frowning.

“Mount Hua is formally requesting assistance right now. How is that ‘personal’? It’s not me borrowing money, it’s Mount Hua borrowing it.”

“Then at the very least, there should be a request from Mount Hua’s sect leader—”

“No! What is this old man even saying right now?”

Cheong Myeong stared at Sunhak Gae in disbelief.

“Pardon? I mean, what—”

“If we were going to borrow money under the sect leader’s name, we’d go to the Beggar Union leader, not come here and bother some branch leader like you.”

“…Pardon?”

“You might be a clueless beggar, but at least say something that makes sense! This is so frustrating, seriously!”

“Alright, alright. Cheong Myeong-ah, calm down.”

“He’s a beggar. How much could he possibly know about money matters?”

“Ugh, this is driving me insane.”

Sunhak Gae fell into confusion.

Is that bastard really getting mad at me right now? Is that even allowed? And why are the people around him trying to calm him down?

They were perfectly reasonable questions, but unfortunately, no one bothered to answer them.

“Alright, no need to drag this out.”

Bang.

Cheong Myeong slammed his palm down on the rickety table.

“So, are you going to lend it to me or not?”

Sunhak Gae’s face twisted bizarrely.

Never in his life had he imagined he would be in a position where he had to consider lending money to someone.

Under the silent pressure bearing down on him, his mind went hazy, and Sunhak Gae found himself speaking without thinking.

“H-how much do you need…?”

“Well, not that much.”

Cheong Myeong shrugged.

“Around ten thousand nyang should do.”

Sunhak Gae’s jaw dropped.

“T-ten thousand nyang? Did you just say ten thousand?”

“I don’t even think we need that much, to be honest.”

Cheong Myeong added nonchalantly,

“But it’s better than borrowing too little and coming up short. It’d be a hassle for you too if we had to come back and borrow more later.”

The strength drained out of Sunhak Gae’s body.

“You’re bleeding a flea dry…”

“Hey, that won’t do. Fleas are pitiful.”

“Then what about beggars? Aren’t beggars pitiful?”

“Why would beggars be pitiful? They’ve got perfectly fine limbs and still choose not to work, just begging for a living.”

Cheong Myeong scowled.

“If they were just ordinary beggars, that’d be one thing. But these guys even know martial arts and still live by begging. What’s pitiful about that? The people giving them alms are the pitiful ones!”

The Mount Hua disciples found themselves nodding without realizing it.

“He’s not wrong.”

“That’s true.”

“They could make a living if they worked. Why don’t they?”

Sunhak Gae grabbed his face with both hands. These people were even more insane than he’d thought.

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Come on now, don’t be like that.”

“I-it’s operating funds! If that money doesn’t come in on time, I’ll be dismissed! No, before that, the beggars will starve! It’s impossible! Absolutely not!”

“Then it’s fine as long as it comes in on time, right?”

“…Pardon?”

Resting his chin on his hand, Cheong Myeong grinned.

“In that case, it’s not like there’s no solution.”

“…What do you mean?”

Sunhak Gae’s eyes trembled with unease.

✿ ✿ ✿

A few days later, Huayin.

 

“W-what kind of bullshit is this…?”

Hong Daegwang’s hand, holding the stiff letter, began to tremble.

“Mount Hua disciples borrowed money from the Jinan branch?”

Up to that point, it was still manageable.

He had never in his life heard of Taoists going around borrowing money, but Hong Daegwang’s composure wasn’t so shallow that he’d be shaken by something like that. He had spent years here in Huayin, dealing with Mount Hua.

But the next line shattered even that hard-earned composure in an instant.

“Then why the hell are they billing us for it! You crazy beggar bastards! What the hell is that idiot Sunhak Gae even doing! Aaaaargh!”

Hong Daegwang clutched his head.

Why would Mount Hua borrow money, only for it to be charged to the Huayin branch?!

“Does this make sense? Huh? Does this make any sense to you?!”

He felt like grabbing something and smashing it, but there was nothing in the shabby beggar’s den worth breaking.

“Um… what should we do, Branch Leader?”

At the subordinate’s cautious question, Hong Daegwang shouted without a moment’s hesitation.

“What do you mean what should we do! Tell them to stop spouting nonsense! Why should we pay back money the Jinan branch lent out?!”

“…It says they’ll return it later.”

“That’s not the point!”

Of course, the letter also stated that they should collect the amount from the Mount Hua Divine Dragon. It even said Mount Hua’s disciples had agreed to it.

But Hong Daegwang didn’t believe that for a second.

‘You think I don’t know what kind of bastard the Mount Hua Divine Dragon is?’

Money? He’d pay it back. That much he believed. Well, not because he trusted the Mount Hua Divine Dragon, but because he trusted Mount Hua. At the very least, Hyeon Jong was a man who handled matters like this cleanly. If nothing else, that bastard would repay it to avoid getting beaten by the sect leader.

The problem was what he would demand in return for paying it back. It would definitely be something horribly troublesome, complicated, and soul-crushing.

“Tell them to handle it themselves! Say we absolutely won’t pay!”

“Yes, understood. But, um…”

One of the Beggar Union members scratched his head awkwardly.

“What. What is it?”

“Is that really okay?”

“What do you mean? Did we do anything wrong? They borrowed it themselves, so why should we pay it back?!”

The beggar glanced at him before speaking.

“You’re right, Branch Leader… but if that happens, the Jinan branch will take the fall.”

“That’s only natural.”

“But the ones throwing that mess at them… would be Mount Hua.”

“…What?”

Hong Daegwang looked at him, confused.

“Well… didn’t you come all the way here, leaving the prime Luoyang branch behind, because you were betting on Mount Hua?”

“That’s true.”

“But… if this happens, it’ll look like Mount Hua extorted money from the Beggar Union and ran off…”

“Uh…”

“Then wouldn’t you be the one who ends up screwed for backing Mount Hua?”

Hong Daegwang’s mouth fell open.

“No… wait… how does that—”

“That’s how it is. The Jinan branch leader might take some blame and get removed, sure… but Jinan isn’t that important anyway. The higher-ups will probably consider the circumstances if they hear the Mount Hua Divine Dragon barged in and caused chaos. But us…”

“…We’re screwed.”

He knew it instantly. If this got reported, it wouldn’t end with just a slap on the wrist.

He had insisted on overseeing Mount Hua so strongly that he even set up a branch in Huayin for it. And this was the result?

He could already picture the elders storming in, cudgels in hand, demanding if this was what he called ‘management’.

“B-Branch Leader, I think—”

He didn’t need to hear the rest.

After calculating everything in an instant, Hong Daegwang shut his eyes tightly and spoke.

“…Send it.”

“But—”

“Just give it to them. Give it.”

“No, it’s just—”

“I said give it and be done with it!”

As Hong Daegwang snapped, the beggar frowned.

“That’s not the issue.”

“Huh?”

“We’re short on money.”

“…..”

“Even if we scrape together all the operating funds, it won’t be enough.”

Tears welled up in Hong Daegwang’s eyes.

“If you dig under the doghouse in the backyard… there’s something I buried. Sell that, and it should cover the rest…”

“You’ve managed to save up a lot in the midst of all this. Understood.”

As the beggar turned and left, Hong Daegwang, looking half-drained of life, muttered blankly,

“Now they’re causing trouble all the way in Shandong…”

A single tear traced a path down his face and fell onto the knees of the miserable middle-aged man.

✿ ✿ ✿

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