Chapter 2 What kind of situation is this? (2)

"It seems like I'm going crazy."

Guqil looked at Chengming with a serious expression.

"Did I get hit so hard that I lost my mind?" He had indeed taken quite a beating.

Wangchao had a tendency to hit people excessively even on normal days, but today he seemed particularly intent on it.

Even if one were to catch a dog on a hot day, it wouldn't be beaten that badly.

Normally, those who would have tried to stop Wangchao were too intimidated by his momentum to even think about it.

So, if he were a normal person, he should be groaning by now...

"So you're saying I'm a beggar?" "Is my body fine but my head gone crazy?" The beggar was asking if he was a beggar.

Could there be a more ridiculous situation than this? It was clear that this guy was acting strangely today.

No, he was acting very strangely.

He usually had a lazy demeanor, and Guqil had thought that one day he would get a good beating.

Today, it was just unfortunate timing; he had been slacking off as usual.

Even if it hadn't been today, he would have eventually gotten a good thrashing.

If a beggar couldn't beg for food with their own hands, they would either starve to death or get beaten up; that was the iron rule of the beggar's life.

Whether it was a dog or a person, after getting beaten, one would come to their senses for a while.

That was normal.

But what was in front of Guqil was not normal at all.

"Really, am I living in a place like this as a beggar? That can't be true." "…Don't you have eyes?" "Huh?" "Just by looking at what you're wearing, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out your identity."

Chengming lowered his head.

A ragged piece of cloth that looked like a tattered quilt caught his eye.

It could be called clothing since it was draped over his body, but if it were discarded, one wouldn't even recognize it as clothing.

Normally, a person would nod and walk away at this point, but Chengming was not one to give up easily.

"You don't have a name?" Guqil sighed softly.

"A beggar doesn't have a name. It's just something made up to call you. You are Chaosan." "…Sounds just like a beggar's name."

Look at that.

His condition is not good at all.

"Of all things, to be a beggar. How can this happen?" "…" "You're about sixteen or so?" "How would a beggar know their age?" "That's true."

There were many strange things.

From the way he spoke to every little action, everything had changed.

It was too much to accept that it was all due to a severe blow to the head.

Moreover, he was asking questions as if he knew nothing.

"So what year is it now?" "…I've seen everything in life, but now I see a beggar counting the years. Are you telling me to be a beggar who counts the years?" "Really sounds like a beggar."

Guqil raised his hand and rubbed his eyelids.

A beggar's life is always tired and hungry, but at this moment, he felt twice as exhausted as usual.

"Then let me ask you something." "…You've been asking all along."

"Aren't you the Celestial Demon?" Guqil's eyes twisted.

"You mentioned the Celestial Demon earlier, so why are you suddenly searching for the Celestial Demon?" "Answer me first."

"I know. Who doesn't know the Celestial Demon? The Great Demon who died a hundred years ago."

"What?" "The Great Demon…."

At that moment, Chaosan lunged at Guqil and grabbed him by the collar.

"Did you just say the Celestial Demon has been dead for a hundred years? A hundred years? Did you say a hundred years?" "…."

It seemed he really had lost his mind.

"That's what I'm saying."

"It must be an undeniable fact."

"What would I gain by lying to you? You beggar without even a bowl of rice."

Chengming, who had been glaring, opened his mouth in shock and then suddenly released Guqil's collar.

He then began to scratch his head vigorously. 'He must be crazy.' Looking at that face, there was no other thought possible.

He seemed dazed, as if he had lost his mind.

Guqil realized for the first time that a person's face could express such a variety of 'confusion.'

"A hundred years?" "Should I repeat it?" "…I'm going crazy."

Chengming looked up at the sky with a vacant expression.

He thought seeing the blue sky might bring him some comfort, but all he could see was the dark ceiling of the shabby hut.

It was as gloomy as Chengming's heart at that moment.

"So you're saying a hundred years have passed?" Guqil, who was starting to get annoyed, shouted.

"Why are you repeating what you've already said? I said a hundred years have passed! The Martial Alliance's expedition team faced the Celestial Demon at the peak of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and ultimately beheaded him, that… what was it…? Yes! The Great Mountain Blood Incident happened roughly a hundred years ago!" "…I understand."

And that was driving him mad.

Chengming looked at Guqil with a blank expression. 'If only he were a beggar who knew nothing.' The one who had just beaten him up was a member of the Open Sect.

That meant the guy in front of him was also someone who had one foot in the Open Sect.

They often referred to it as the Ten Thousand Open Sects, right?

But the Open Sect was not some great wealthy sect that could feed and shelter all ten thousand disciples.

Even though the Open Sect was rumored to be a treasure trove, there were limits to its resources.

Most of those ten thousand disciples were just beggars like Guqil.

The Open Sect gave these beggars the name of 'Unbound Beggars,' treating them as if they were disciples.

The beggars rolling around in the market were more knowledgeable about the martial world than most commoners.

So, they should be considered somewhat credible.

If they accurately knew that the expedition team from various sects had climbed the Great Mountain, there was no need to doubt further.

"Ha. Crazy. A hundred years."

Five cycles of change in the world.

It was time to accept it.

He had been reborn in another's body.

But… 'Couldn’t I have been reborn right after dying?' If a hundred years had passed, everyone who knew him would have died.

Of course, even if a hundred years hadn't passed, most of those who had some connection with him would have died on the Great Mountain, but still, this was a different case, wasn't it? No matter how much Chengming was a martial artist, he wouldn't have only shared bonds with other martial artists.

Among those he knew were merchants and commoners as well.

But given that a hundred years had passed, the chances of them being alive were slim.

He felt like he was alone in the world. 'No matter how tangled the situation gets, it can't get this tangled.

If this continues, the Volcano…' "Huh? Wait a minute, the Volcano!" As Chengming suddenly jumped up and shouted, Guqil closed his eyes as if resigned.

It was no longer surprising.

"The Volcano! What happened to the Volcano?" "What are you talking about?" "What happened to the Volcano?" "The Volcano?" "Yes!" "What about the Volcano?" "…Huh?" Chengming's eyes widened.

He didn't know about the Volcano? A beggar from the Open Sect? "Come on, stop joking. What is the current situation of the Volcano Sect?" "The Volcano Sect?" Guqil tilted his head.

He didn't know? He didn't know? He didn't know the Volcano Sect? "You mean the Volcano Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects? You…."

"The Nine Great Sects? What nonsense is that? There’s no Volcano Sect among the Nine Great Sects." "…Not there?" "Shaolin. Wudang. Jongnam. Jeomchang. Gongdong. Cheongseong. Ami. Haenam. Kunlun. Open Sect. That's ten sects."

"Haenam? Are you saying those island bumpkins entered the Nine Great Sects? Ah, wait a minute, that's not important. Did the Volcano get kicked out of the Nine Sects?" Guqil sighed softly. 'Should I call a doctor?' It seemed he had to do something.

He was completely out of it.

"The Volcano, the Volcano got kicked out of the Nine Great Sects? No, let's say that could happen! But you don't know the Volcano Sect? They say a rich family can last three years even after going bankrupt! A beggar from the Open Sect doesn't know the Volcano Sect?"

With the audacity to call the person in front of him a beggar, it seemed he wouldn't starve to death anywhere.

He might get beaten to death, though.

Chengming now rushed at Guqil, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.

"Does this make sense? Does this even make sense?" Guqil's head was shaken helplessly.

"You really don't know, the Volcano? You don't know the Volcano Sect? The Volcano?" "…The Volcano."

"Yes! The Volcano!" Guqil tilted his head.

"Now that I think about it, I think I heard there was such a sect in Shaanxi."

Chengming's eyes widened.

"Yes! It's in Shaanxi! The Volcano Sect in Shaanxi."

"As far as I know, they went bankrupt." "…What did you say?" He felt breathless.

"I don't know much about the Nine Great Sects, but I think I heard that a prestigious sect called something like 'Hwa' was completely destroyed in the Great Martial War. I'm not sure about the details. If you want to know more, you should ask the higher-ups…" What kind of nonsense is this? The Volcano is destroyed? The Volcano? The Volcano is destroyed? This beggar was saying something absurd.

Guqil looked up at the ceiling with slightly moist eyes.

No matter how much he told him what he knew, all he received in return was insults.

This is why one shouldn't take in a black-haired beast.

"No! I can't believe it!" Chengming pushed Guqil away and jumped up.

"I have to see it with my own eyes!" Even if the sect was declining, the Volcano had a history of several hundred years.

He couldn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

"I'm going to the Volcano!" He would go! He would confirm it! Chengming's eyes began to blaze.

A huge event that would stir the peaceful martial world was about to begin.