Chung Myung had a dream.
No, he couldn't tell if it was a dream, a memory, or just a fleeting image. He couldn't discern whether he was dead, dying, or still alive.
What he saw was only the past.
A memory from his very early years.
It was his first time stepping into Mount Hwasan.
Scenes of him training with his brothers.
And his figure, struggling to adapt to the rigid rules of the school and wandering outside.
– Before you are a martial artist, you are a Taoist. Do you not understand that strength without the Tao is nothing more than violence?
It was the same old nagging.
It was tiresome.
Because of this, while he was a disciple of Mount Hwasan, he never fully adhered to its teachings. His innate talent was so extraordinary that he earned the extravagant title of Plum Blossom Sword Saint, but he was considered a heretic in the eyes of Mount Hwasan.
Why didn't he realize it?
Even if the teachings didn't align with his beliefs, even if they all seemed dull and outdated... he should have known that everything about him came from Hwasan. That he revered Hwasan so deeply.
It was a realization far too late, and regret too late to undo.
If he had only valued the teachings a little more, if he had only gotten a little stronger, maybe he could have changed this horrible fate. Maybe... just maybe...
– Do you regret it?
Chung Myung quietly absorbed the voice that echoed softly.
It was the voice of his older brother.
Jang Mun-sa, his father, his brother, his family, and his goal—this was the man he followed, yet ultimately could not follow and had to turn away from.
Yes, I regret it.
I regret it, hyung.
– There's no need to regret.
The warmth of his brother's voice was faintly present.
– In the end, it's still Hwasan.
...Hyung.
– One.
He could almost hear his brother's laughter.
It was endlessly warm, endlessly kind.
– But still, it's Hwasan.
Thwack!
But still Hwasan...
Thwack?
Huh? Thwack?
"Aaaaargh!"
An excruciating pain hit his head.
It hurt. It hurt so badly that tears almost came.
What was this pain? Even when his arms and legs were severed, it never hurt this much.
"C-Chunma?"
Hadn't this bastard died yet?
Instinctively, Chung Myung raised both hands to cover his head. If this bastard wasn't dead, he had to choke the life out of him again...
"Chooonmaaa?"
But instead of Chunma's deep voice, what returned was a voice that was twisted and irritating.
"Huh?"
When he opened his eyes, an unfamiliar face greeted him.
"Beggar?"
A beggar. Not just any beggar, but one from a neighboring area. From the knot around his waist, he could tell this was someone at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, just beginning to learn the way of the beggars.
The beggar, with a face marked by deep resentment, was glaring at Chung Myung.
"What the hell is this beggar?"
The situation didn't make sense.
Chung Myung tilted his head, staring at the beggar blankly. The beggar's face twisted further with irritation. Truly, this beggar was making no effort to hide his dislike.
"Chunma? Hah! That bastard's frozen to death! Here you are, lying around sleeping like some lazy bastard. Don't you know that everyone else is out begging? And here you are, just sleeping away like this, huh? Did you think the great Hwa-ja's words were just a joke?"
The beggar spun his wooden staff in the air.
Wait a second.
"So... Is this bastard threatening me?"
"Huh?"
A laugh escaped Chung Myung involuntarily.
The situation made no sense, but this didn't need any further explanation.
Who was Chung Myung?
One of the top three swordsmen in the world. People praised his swordsmanship as the very essence of Mount Hwasan's martial arts and revered him as the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
Even among the three great swordsmen of the world, none could stand up to him. Even Chunma himself had once acknowledged Chung Myung's sword as the greatest before his final breath.
No one, not even the great Beggar Master, would dare stand tall in front of him.
A threat?
Threat?
"Huh? You laughing, kid?"
The beggar looked at him with a look of disbelief.
"Listen here, Hwa-ja."
"Hwa-ja?"
"It seems you're a bit slow on the uptake, so put that stick down for now."
"Ha. Hahaha. Hahahaha."
The beggar started laughing, as if he found it truly absurd. Watching this, Chung Myung scowled.
How dare this lowlife react this way in front of him?
In that moment, the beggar suddenly swung his staff at Chung Myung's head.
"Huh."
Chung Myung felt a chill run down his spine. How dare this idiot?
He needed to teach this beggar a lesson.
For now, he had to block that slow swing...
Chung Myung raised his right arm lazily, preparing to catch the staff and show the beggar the difference in their skill...
...Huh?
Wait a second.
'Slow?'
Why is my arm so slow?
The staff was already flying toward him, but his hand still hadn't touched it.
No, he should have already grabbed the staff by now. Is it because his injury hasn't healed yet?
If that's the case... he should try harder...
Wait, what's going on?
Chung Myung's eyes widened.
The staff was flying right toward his head, and in the corner of his vision, a small hand was moving toward it. A tiny hand, moving at a snail's pace toward the staff.
It was so small, so...
Short?
Wait.
It shouldn't be this short. If it's this short, I can't stop...
The beggar's staff brushed past Chung Myung's arm and landed on his skull with a sickening thud.
Boom!
The sound of thunder seemed to reverberate in his head.
Thud.
Chung Myung's body collapsed to the ground with a clean flip.
Twitch. Twitch.
His body twitched violently on the ground.
The thoughts about what was happening or how he should respond vanished entirely from his mind. All that remained was an overwhelming pain as if the world itself had crumbled.
"Gaaaah!"
Chung Myung rolled around, clutching his head.
Even when his arms were ripped off by Chunma, it didn't hurt this much!
"You bastard!"
The beggar, now having hit Chung Myung on the head, spat on his hand and began to beat him mercilessly.
"Understand the situation? Understand the situation, huh? I'll make you understand it today, you little bastard! Are you out of your mind? It's the heat, you fool! You're a beggar, and heat's your weakness!"
The staff swung down rapidly, landing blow after blow on Chung Myung's body.
"Ah! Ugh! Ah! Has this beggar gone crazy?! Stop it, stop!"
"Die! Die!"
"Aah, it hurts! Ugh!"
As the beating continued, Chung Myung's cries became more desperate.
Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
"This bastard! I won't let you go! I'll open up a wound and—"
"Open it! Open it! Go ahead, open it!"
"Ah! It's not stopping! Ugh!"
Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
"Damn... it... stop... ahhh!"
The beatings showed no sign of stopping.
"...Save... me..."
Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
"Please, please save me!"
The new life that was to come was clearly not going to be easy for Chung Myung, as he was beaten senseless by the beggar.
❀ ❀ ❀
"...Ah, my pride hurts."
Chung Myung pulled the rag from his nose.
"Ah, ouch."
He felt a sharp pain in his nose. Looking at the dirty cloth stained with blood, his face twisted with utter frustration.
It wasn't just blood from internal injuries—it was blood from a beating!
How could this happen?
His entire body was bruised and battered. His eyes were swollen with dark bruises, and every bone in his body felt like it had been crushed. Had he ever been beaten so senseless before?
Even in Mount Hwasan, with its strict discipline, he had never experienced anything like this. And now, it was by the hands of a beggar.
"Damn beggar..."
The beggar's swinging staff showed a level of expertise. The way he struck, hitting every spot with precision, was almost an art.
Had the target not been himself, he might have applauded.
"Damn these beggar bastards. I'll make sure to put an end to this."
But for now, the only thing he felt was rage.
Unable to hold back his frustration, Chung Myung lay there, thrashing about. But no matter how much he struggled, all it did was make his body ache more.
"No, wait…"
Chung Myung quickly got up and staggered toward the beggar's lair. He tried to run.
"Ughh."
He barely managed a few steps before collapsing again.
"Damn it, he hit me hard."
His eyes were burning with fury.
"No matter the situation, I'll make sure to take down that beggar."
Just because he had been brought back from the dead, didn't mean his temper had changed.
And so, he slowly rose again and hobbled toward the beggar's lair.