I Am the Youngest Disciple of the Martial Arts World’s Mastermind
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
I Am the Youngest Disciple of the Murim’s Hidden Mastermind
Episode 2
“It seems there is a pitiful lack of movement art masters in Hunan.”
“Ayy, how could you say something so hurtful….”
Regardless of whether the two adults babbled on or not, I was staring intently at the man’s sleeve.
“Wait.”
Perhaps sensing my gaze, the man suddenly stopped the hand that was fluttering the fan.
“…….”
Then, he pulled a piece of sugar candy out from inside his sleeve.
“Do you want to eat this?”
“Yes!”
I thought I smelled something sweet, and as expected, there was something in there.
I gulped and nodded my head quickly.
As if confirming my gaze, the man shook the hand holding the candy a couple of times before suddenly flinging it behind Wangcho’s back.
“……!”
It was so fast that if it had been a hidden weapon instead of candy, Wangcho might have been killed in an instant.
Wangcho reflexively clenched his fists as if to unfold a boxing technique.
But for me, it was even faster—I ‘saw’ it.
I sprang into the air toward the flying candy, caught it precisely in my mouth, rolled once on the ground, and hopped back up.
“…Can I eat it?”
“Oh, she really is fast.”
Looking at me with the candy in my mouth, the man nodded in admiration.
“Eat it.”
“Thank you!”
Jackpot.
As I sat down and nibbled on the candy, Wangcho poured out praises as if introducing a piece of merchandise.
“As you can see, her feet are very quick, and she forgets what she heard yesterday by today, so she’s perfect.”
…Is that really a compliment?
Well, since I’m pretending to be a fool, there’s nothing for it. I nodded with a goofy grin.
The man replied disinterestedly.
“She’s such a brat, I feel like she’ll only be a hindrance to the errand.”
‘Errand?’
I kept my ears open even as I inhaled the candy like a hungry ghost.
So, this time I’m doing an errand for that man instead of Wangcho? Then I’ll be going outside the village?
‘What a stroke of luck!’
An opportunity to head out into the jianghu has arisen even before becoming a One-Knot Beggar.
My heart began to thumping wildly. Finally, an opportunity to grab onto a Master-tier spoon has come to me.
Wangcho continued to bow and scrape to the man.
“Oh, don’t be like that. If you are going to Dongting Lake, I will even provide you with a map.”
In the meantime, I quickly racked my brain.
Dongting Lake. The largest lake in Hunan…. What kind of setting was there?
It would be great if I didn’t have to return to the Beggars’ Sect and could steal a great fortuitous encounter, one big enough to make a master take notice of me….
It was time for my reincarnation perks, which had been useless while stuck in the Beggars’ Sect, to shine.
And then, it occurred to me.
‘There was a cave at Dongting Lake where the Mount Heng Sect obtains spirit medicine.’
In Hunan, there is the Mount Heng Sect, which is considered the lowest of the Nine Great Sects and One Clan. There was a setting where a first-generation disciple of that sect was pursued by the Demonic Cult and found a fortuitous encounter at Dongting Lake.
Since the Demonic Cult hasn’t made its debut in the jianghu yet, that encounter should still be resting quietly inside the cave.
If I obtain that and form a dantian, I can take my first steps toward surviving in the martial world.
‘Then I’ll run away immediately and find a Master….’
My heart was already halfway out of this beggar’s den.
Just then, the man stood up and handed Wangcho a heavy silk pouch.
“I understand for now. This is the promised referral fee.”
“Hehe, thank you, thank you.”
Wangcho accepted the money pouch with a grin that reached his ears.
“……?”
What’s with that money? Don’t tell me….
Meanwhile, the man was already leaving the hut and urged me.
“What are you doing not following me?”
Wangcho also gave me a quick send-off.
“Have a safe trip, Sogae!”
“…….”
You sold me for money, didn’t you?
“…Yeees.”
I gave the Branch Leader a rotten smile and followed the man out.
This damn beggar’s den. See if I ever come back!
…….
And a moment later, I stepped back into the hut.
“Wangcho.”
“Huh?”
Chink, chink. The Branch Leader, who had been stroking the silver pieces spread out from the heavy pouch, looked up with a puzzled expression.
“Sogae, why did you come back…”
And then I bunched my chestnut-sized fists and struck Wangcho’s head with all my might.
“You… need a beating! You unscrupulous jerk!!”
Whack!
“……??”
Since it was the small fist of a child, it only made a loud sound and probably didn’t hurt much.
But perhaps due to the sheer absurdity of being struck by a No-Knot Beggar out of nowhere, Wangcho couldn’t even block or counterattack; he just stared at me.
“You, you… what….”
I shouted at Wangcho’s stupid face with all my strength.
“How can a Branch Leader sell a beggar from his own branch?! That’s why your hair is thinning!! Once you’re completely bald, go find the Shaolin Temple!! Not that they’d take you!”
I spat out all the things I’d been holding back and snatched the silk pouch off the desk before bolting.
“Eh? Hey, hey!!”
“Pbbbt!”
It was a place I’d never return to anyway. I was going to leave without any lingering bitterness.
The man who had been walking ahead of me looked bewildered when he saw me sprinting back with the silk pouch.
“Was that the ‘last thing’ you had to do?”
I nodded seriously.
“Yes. Come to think of it, I’m the one doing the errand, so why does Wangcho get the money? So I went and took it back.”
It was the money the man had given to Wangcho… surely he wouldn’t take it back?
When I tucked the pouch deep into my clothes and glanced up at the man, he laughed for the first time.
“I like your initiative.”
Just then, a familiar voice appeared from behind, screaming at the top of its lungs.
“Sogae!! You!! Stop right there!!”
It was Wangcho.
It seems that mentioning his few remaining strands of hair had deeply wounded his pride. Looking at him running toward us while kicking up a cloud of dust, the man gave me a casual piece of advice.
“But if you don’t have the skill, it will be taken from you again.”
“It won’t be taken.”
I snorted and increased my speed to keep up with the man.
Patter, patter!!
I’ll say it again, but I have never lost a race against Wangcho.
Even though he said it with his own mouth. Wangcho is an idiot.
“You…! You…! …Honored Master…!”
Eventually, after running for a while, Wangcho’s shouts gradually grew faint.
Once we lost Wangcho, I felt a bit more relaxed.
Unlike me, who was struggling to move my short legs quickly, the man ran as if he were folding the very ground with every stride.
So that’s a real movement art. It had a different kind of grace compared to Wangcho’s frivolous technique. How does he do it?
It’s the first time I’ve seen someone faster than me.
When I stared intently at the man’s stride out of curiosity, he said casually.
“I thought your being a fast runner was a bluff. Have you learned martial arts?”
“No.”
“Are you sure you’re not lying?”
“I don’t lie.”
“Is that so?”
As we gradually moved into a long-distance run, just as my young body began to give out and my breath grew labored.
The man suddenly asked in a calm, changed tone.
“You’re not a fool, are you?”
“…….”
Hiding the way my heart sank, I licked my lips and replied.
“Of… of course not? I’m smart, you know?”
On the contrary, answering that I was indeed a fool would be more suspicious.
When I avoided his trap, the man, wearing an ‘impressive’ expression, asked again.
“Really? Then what are you best at?”
I answered solemnly.
“Flea attacks.”
“You are a fool.”
The man clicked his tongue in disappointment, looked away from me, and just ran forward.
Whew. He fell for it.
I felt a secret sense of relief and stole glances at the man.
He possessed a level of beauty that couldn’t be found in a beggar’s den or a small village.
A flashy face that would have made life quite difficult if he had been born a woman.
With a bit of exaggeration, he looked like he could be one of the One Phoenix and Two Immortals—the beautiful rising stars of the Murim Alliance.
Who could he be? He doesn’t seem like a master from a prestigious orthodox sect.
First of all, he’s too young, so he’s disqualified from my list of Master candidates.
I watched the man’s reaction and asked tentatively.
“I’m Sogae…. What is your name, my lord?”
“What use is a brat like you knowing my name?”
“…….”
Brat, brat, he’s been saying that since a while ago.
Just you wait. Once I snatch the fortuitous encounter at Dongting Lake….
I’ll show you exactly why you should be careful of children and women in the jianghu.
I gnashed my teeth.
Then, the man whipped his head around to look at me.
“Got a problem?”
“No.”
I gave a goofy grin and shut my mouth tight.
That bastard is still running….
And so, we kept running without me even knowing the man’s name.
We ran for an incredibly long time, resting for fifteen minutes after running for an hour, then resting for five minutes after another hour.
During the long journey, the man led the way without ever opening the map he received from Wangcho.
…He does know the way, right?
I heard from other beggars that it takes several days by carriage to get from the village to Dongting Lake.
But is it okay to just run blindly like this?
Just as I was starting to doubt the man.
Thud!
“Argh!”
