Chapter 205: A Day Without Work is a Day Without Food (2)

Right after Hong Gae shut his mouth, Il-mok turned to address the beggars.

"From now on, those who wish to follow the doctrines of our Maitreya Luminous Cult and earn wages through honest work should head over to those stone basins and wash yourselves. As for those who don't. Leave. Now."

Il-mok's declaration sparked some resistance among the beggars.

“W-Wait, you just gave us free food last time!”

“Changing your tune like this? You’ve definitely got something up your sleeves!”

But their protests didn't amount to much.

"The Maitreya Luminous Cult exists to punish the wicked and save the common people. So, let me ask you this: when you're given the opportunity to work but refuse and choose to just keep begging for handouts, does that make you a good person? Or does it make you wicked?”

The ones who answered Il-mok's question weren't the beggars.

"They're wicked!!"

"Those shameless bastards!"

The crowd, realizing that these beggars were refusing to even wash themselves for alms, turned on them with condemnation.

The beggars were officially stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Most of them started glancing nervously at Hong Gae and the martial artist beggars—members of the Beggar Gang. They were checking to see what their leader would do.

"I-I'll work!"

"I want to try living like a proper human being, sir!"

But a few beggars squeezed their eyes shut, turned their backs on Hong Gae and grabbed the cleaning stones.

"Boss!"

Some of the Beggar Gang disciples urgently called out to Hong Gae when they saw their people abandoning them, but he just shook his head with a face as dark as if a demon had possessed him.

"...Let's go. We're leaving."

In the end, the beggars split into two groups—those who left following Hong Gae, and those who stayed behind to wash themselves.

Even those who left weren't doing so because they hated work.

It was because of their faith in Hong Gae, who had protected them all this time. More precisely, they were thinking that maybe these people really were suspicious, just like Hong Gae had said.

The second they were gone, Il-mok gave the order.

"Begin the gathering!"

The moment Il-mok's command fell, the Branch Leader stepped forward and began his sermon.

You’d think the argument would have killed the mood, but the crowd was more fired up than ever.

The crowd had been deeply moved by the way Il-mok had disciplined the beggars.

While everyone's attention was focused on the Branch Leader's sermon, Il-mok used his stealth technique to quickly return to his original hiding spot.

—That was truly a moving teaching, Young Master, one that showed how deeply you have contemplated the doctrine of our Divine Cult. I was able to reflect on my own shallow understanding of our teachings. I can only express my gratitude again and again.

When Il-mok returned to the tree, he received a voice transmission message from Dam Bin, who had been hiding elsewhere to observe the situation.

On top of that, Hyeokryeon Seon-ah—who had remained in the tree following Il-mok's instructions—was giving him a look he recognized all too well.

How should he put it?

It was the exact same look the fanatics in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult get on their faces when they meet the Heavenly Demon himself.

Meanwhile, the Branch Leader's brief sermon came to an end, and Baek Cheon stepped forward with three women.

Instantly, the vibe of the crowd shifted.

Everyone who’d been here last time knew what was coming. They sensed it was hymn time.

"W-wait just a moment!"

Just then, some members from the brothels and taverns raised their hands and called out.

“We have prepared a musical performance over the past nine days! If it is not too much trouble, would it be alright for us to join in?”

Baek Cheon burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha! Your devotion to Maitreya is truly admirable! Of course you may join us!"

Following Baek Cheon's answer, the courtesans began to take out the instruments they'd brought with them.

Watching this, Baek Cheon asked. "We'll start with something powerful—'We Shall Fight Against the Wicked!' Are you ready?"

The courtesans gave an energetic yes and then gave each other a look.

Right after they all nodded, a rich harmony of different instruments filled the air.

Baek Cheon savored the melody with a face of pure bliss before beginning to sing the hymn at just the right moment.

“He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat…”

Those who had attended the previous gathering immediately began singing along with Baek Cheon from the very beginning.

“Glo~ ry! Glory! O’ Divine Cult!!”

“Glo~ ry! Glory! O’ Divine Cult!!”

Even those who hadn't memorized the song yet sang the chorus at the top of their lungs without missing a beat.

Meanwhile...

A woman hiding in a different location from Il-mok, watching the gathering. Dam Bin was observing the scene with eyes filled with turbulent emotion.

'Ahhh. If only the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons could have witnessed this moment.'

The supreme being she served, the true identity of the Maitreya these people were desperately seeking—she only regretted that she couldn't show him this scene of people worshipping the Heavenly Demon.

More than anything else...

‘Just as the Supreme One said, the Eighth Young Master is without a doubt the great talent who will guide our Divine Cult to greater heights!'

The profound stratagems of the Eighth Young Master, who had orchestrated this entire affair, were simply too wondrous.

***

After several rounds of sermons and hymns had passed...

“It’s getting late, and everyone must be hungry. Please help yourselves to the late-night snack we’ve prepared.”

It was finally time for the food—the same food the beggars who remained had been waiting for.

As everyone was enjoying the food and chatting in little groups, Jin Hayeon walked over to the beggars who were ravenously devouring their food.

"After you finish your snacks, follow me."

At the cold beauty's words, the beggars either stared at her with dazed expressions or hung their heads in embarrassment.

They felt that she was so far out of their league that the thought of talking to her was unimaginable.

But regardless of their reactions, her expression remained as indifferent as ever.

When they looked like they were done eating, she led them somewhere.

Surprisingly, the place she headed to was none other than the empty estate of the Heavenly Orchid Society.

That night, they'd burned all the corpses to eliminate evidence and covered up all the traces of Demonic Arts throughout the estate, but they hadn't been able to remove all the bloodstains scattered here and there completely.

Jin Hayeon guided them to a hall that had relatively little blood remaining.

“It’s late, so you can stay here for the night. Starting tomorrow, the first task you'll be doing is cleaning this estate."

After delivering all the necessary information to those who were no longer beggars, she disappeared into the darkness.

Once she was gone, the beggars looked at each other nervously.

"W-we made the right choice, right?"

“Ahem. I think so. They gave us food and a roof over our heads.”

“Yeah, a roof where a bunch of people were just slaughtered a few days ago.”

While the former beggars were trying to calm their nerves, Jin Hayeon used her stealth skills to get back to the branch headquarters without a trace.

"I've guided the workers to the Heavenly Orchid Society's estate, Young Master."

"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Jin."

“Young Master… if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask a question?”

Il-mok noticed that her tone was even more worshipful than usual, which he found a little weird.

“Go ahead.”

“Do you mind if I ask what the plan is for them?”

She hadn't heard the full details either.

She’d just gotten a quick voice transmission message from Il-mok telling her where to take them and what to say.

Il-mok just shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Reinforcements from the main headquarters should be here in about two weeks, correct? I figure we can use these guys to get the place ready for them. On top of that, I’m planning to launch a few businesses here.”

Il-mok told her about several things he was planning.

And after hearing all of this, Jin Hayeon responded with her usual calm expression, but...

“I never would have dreamed you’d planned all this out in such a short amount of time.”

There was a very faint tremor in her eyes.

For someone whose Demonic Art was all about suppressing her emotions, that tiny twitch was the equivalent of a full-blown meltdown.

'...I can never tell if she's being sarcastic or sincere.'

From Il-mok's perspective, she just looked completely expressionless as always.

"I just got lucky, that's all."

Even Il-mok himself thought he was far from being called a "genius."

Looking at how he'd passed the Rank 7 civil service exam in his past life, he wasn't stupid, but he was nowhere near the word "genius."

Still, having passed the Rank 7 exam, he figured he could at least be considered bright.

The reason he could come up with various plans so quickly was simple.

While he was only eighteen as Il-mok, he had the experience of living as an adult in society from when he was Seo Ji-hoon.

'And I had the good luck of learning this damn Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword. Fucking hell.'

On top of that, the side effect of his Demonic Art had created a habit of calculating dozens of possibilities for any situation.

***

Early the next morning...

“Get up, you lazy bum!”

The owner of a fruit shop yelled at his son, Byuk.

"What the hell? Did you eat something bad after coming back from that gathering yesterday?"

Still half-asleep, Byuk threw back the same words his father had said to him a few days ago.

It turned out they had both gone to the gathering last night. What had initially seemed like his son's eccentric behavior began to make sense when customers who frequented the fruit shop started saying similar things or singing the same songs.

Now, the father’s eyes were blazing with conviction.

“Tch. Is that all you went for? To chase girls? Shame on you.”

Having said that, his father suddenly unfurled a large piece of paper.

"Remember what the Incarnation of Maitreya said! From today on, this phrase will become our family motto!"

Written on it were the words: [A Day Without Work is a Day Without Food].

As a father who had worked at the fruit shop for decades and built a household, he had been deeply moved by the sight of the Incarnation of Maitreya disciplining the beggars.

He'd even paid some middle-aged scholar to write out this phrase on paper before returning home.

"Come on, let's go!"

With those words, his father headed to the fruit shop with his still-drowsy son.

"I’ve got peaace~ liiike~ a river. I’ve got peaace~ liiike~ a river."

Humming that addictively catchy hymn was just a bonus.

Byuk had been annoyed about being dragged out of bed so early.

"I’ve got peaace~ liiike~ a river. I’ve got peaace~ liiike~ a river."

Before he knew it, he was humming the hymn along with his father as they started their work.

'When the Heavenly Orchid Society was around, life felt so threatening.'

'Now all we need to do is work hard.'

And for the first time in a long time, the sky looked bright and clear.

***

At the Heavenly Orchid Society's estate...

The men who used to be beggars were now hard at work, carrying materials, tearing down buildings, and patching up broken walls, all under someone's direction.

The man giving them orders was a carpenter hired by the Maitreya Luminous Cult.

Not just any carpenter doing odd jobs either, but a master craftsman capable of designing houses and estates.

'I have my doubts that a bunch of former beggars can do this right, but the pay is good, so I’ll give it a shot.'

He was giving instructions while looking at the former beggars carrying and organizing materials with a skeptical eye.

Honestly, he was skeptical about the cult just as much.

They’d shown up out of nowhere, wiped out the Heavenly Orchid Society, and were making a name for themselves through Lanzhou. Of course, he suspected they had ulterior motives.

But that wasn't the main issue.

'They want me to knock down the main buildings and put up one giant hall. Are they planning to build an indoor training ground or something? And on top of that, a school and a medical clinic? What the hell are these people even doing?'

He looked down at the blueprint request from the Maitreya Luminous Cult with a deeply confused expression.