Chapter 61

The Personnel Hearing (人事聽聞會)

Personnel Hearing.

I was trying to look good in front of my wife, but I almost became a pervert in a major disaster.

I didn't know that the restaurant with the bamboo basket on the chrysanthemum stand was a place for decadent business, so I suffered yesterday, but fortunately, Zhuge Qing believed my claim that I knew nothing.

To ease the awkwardness from yesterday's incident, after breakfast, I was drinking tea with Zhuge Qing in the garden when a servant came running to inform me that a guest had come looking for me unexpectedly.

"Sir, a guest is looking for you."

"Guest? For me?"

"Yes."

It was a strange occurrence.

For someone to come looking for me, I had no connections here, no friends or acquaintances, so it was impossible for a guest to come.

I checked if my body's memory had any connections or acquaintances here or anyone who might come looking for me, but this body had only traveled and met other people after being kicked out of home.

It was a hikikomori who had been locked in a room, reading books, and no one who knew this body would come looking for me.

Moreover, the only people who knew I was here were the Zhuge family and the Tang family.

With a puzzled expression, I asked the servant.

"Are you sure they're looking for me?"

"Yes, I confirmed with the guards on duty."

The servant's assertion that it was certain.

Though I was curious, I decided to meet the guests who had come.

"Well, that's surprising. First, lead me to where the guest is."

"Yes, sir."

"Qing, a guest has come looking for me, so I'll be back shortly."

"You don't have any acquaintances in Tokyo. Should I come with you?"

Shaking my head in response to her offer to come along, I replied.

"What, it's just a family matter. There's nothing to worry about. The family's guards are here, so I'll be back soon."

"I understand. Sir."

With a regretful look, Zhuge Qing replied. I left her in the garden and followed the servant to where the guest was waiting.

However, as I followed the servant to where the guest was, something seemed off.

The servant's steps were heading outside, not to the guest reception area.

"Why are we heading outside if a guest has come?"

Feeling strange, I asked, and the servant awkwardly laughed and replied.

"The guests refused to come inside. And it's a bit difficult to invite them in..."

"Is that so? So they're outside the gate?"

"Yes, sir."

Hearing that the guests who came looking for me refused to come inside, I felt odd and decided to send the servant away.

"Then I'll go alone. You can go back to your duties."

"Is that alright?"

"If they're just outside the gate, I can go alone. Don't worry. The family's guards are here."

The servant bowed and quickly disappeared.

As I headed to the main gate, the guards of the Zhuge family, who were on duty, greeted me.

"Good day, sir. The guests are waiting outside the gate."

"Ah, I see. Thank you."

After greeting the guards inside the gate, I stepped outside, and the guards outside also greeted me. After exchanging greetings, I looked around for the guest who had come looking for me, but strangely, no one was in sight.

'What is this?'

Looking around, I saw no one. The only things visible were a stray dog on the street and two beggars crouching under a tree a bit away.

No people, just a dog and two beggars.

I looked at the guards and asked.

"I was told a guest came looking for me, but did they leave?"

Thinking they might have left because they couldn't wait, I asked, but the guards pointed in a direction and replied.

"Over there, sir."

Following the guard's finger, I saw the beggars crouching under the tree. They confirmed it was me, and with sleepy eyes, they started to approach me, their mouths curling up in a very excited manner.

'No, how can these beggars be the guests looking for me?'

Seeing the approaching beggars, I couldn't help but look at the guards with a disappointed expression.

The beggars, having been turned away, must have lied about knowing someone inside, and somehow it matched up with me. It was shameful that the guards, who were supposed to be on duty, were fooled by such a shallow trick.

'They say a soldier who fails in a mission can be forgiven, but a soldier who fails in guard duty cannot be forgiven!'

Clicking my tongue, I said to the guards.

"You know, I'm part of the Zhuge family now, so don't take it too personally. Listen."

"Huh? What?"

"Those on duty should be alert. How could you be so lax?"

"Sir? What do you mean?"

The two guards looked at me with puzzled expressions.

They still hadn't realized their mistake.

Originally, guard duty should be handled by experienced soldiers, but it seemed these were the least capable or the lowest-ranking guards.

Thinking I should inform the head to recheck the guard duty, I clicked my tongue and replied.

"Tsk tsk... How could the guards on duty not distinguish between a guest and a beggar? I'll tell the servants to give them some cold buns on my way back."

"No, that's not it..."

Feeling criticized by the son-in-law of the regiment commander, the two guards looked like they had eaten shit. As I turned to go back inside, a voice came from behind.

"Are you Sir Liu Qingyun?"

The beggars were quick, already having crossed the street and reached the tree.

And the stench that followed.

Wrinkling my nose at the smell, I took a step back and slowly turned around.

'Heh, how do these beggars know my name?'

I had no reason to leak personal information in Tokyo, the capital of Song, so it was strange.

'Could there be something like phishing in this era?'

While marveling at the long history of phishing in the Central Plains, I realized that the beggars knowing my name was definitely due to the guards' mistake.

Clearly.

"I know someone in this house."

"Who do you know, beggars?"

"Well, I know the son-in-law of this house."

"What? You know Sir Liu Qingyun, the chef?"

"Of course. I'm his friend!"

I could already picture the scenario.

Turning around, I smiled at the beggars and replied.

"Well, with that kind of skill, you deserve a meal. I'll tell the kitchen to give you the leftover buns from breakfast. Take them. With that kind of skill, you can easily get a meal..."

Praising their begging skills, I looked them over.

They seemed to be quite articulate beggars.

Though dirty, they looked greasy, which was unusual for beggars. Even if they were slightly lacking, to fool the guards of the Zhuge family, their greasy appearance made sense.

Also, the knots tied around their waists...

'Knots?'

Seeing the knots tied around the beggars' waists, I was shocked.

The knots on the beggars' waists symbolized the Beggar Sect (丐幇).

Recalling my knowledge from my previous life, the Beggar Sect (丐幇) was a major force in the martial world, known for handling information, consisting of beggars spread throughout the Central Plains.

They gathered useless stories from beggars everywhere to create information and provide it to the martial world. They had come looking for me.

However, it was a bit surprising that they had come looking for me.

Usually, the information and people the beggars dealt with were those who could influence the martial world or those with exceptional martial skills.

I was just a chef.

But my surprise was short-lived. I had to apologize to the beggars first.

I had been a bit rude.

Moreover, one of them had five knots, indicating a high-ranking beggar.

"Yes, I am Liu Qingyun. I apologize for my rudeness. I didn't realize you were from the Beggar Sect."

Bowing in apology, the high-ranking beggar with five knots smiled and replied.

"Calling a beggar a beggar, what's there to apologize for? That's a compliment. This guy! A beggar! What could be better to hear from a beggar? Heh. I am Jielun, the Chief of the Grass Beggar of the Beggar Sect. Sir Liu."

The high-ranking beggar, with his oily tongue, had a very smooth way of speaking.

Indeed, he was a high-ranking figure.

"Chief Jielun, what brings you from the Beggar Sect?"

To avoid the stench, I quickly asked, as my wife was waiting inside and I didn't have time to chat with beggars.

"Ah, right. I came to verify that you recently earned the nickname 'Dragon Eater.'"

Jielun smiled and replied to my question.

And his palms rubbed together like flies.

"Verify?"

Seeing my puzzled expression, the beggar who introduced himself as Jielun explained.

"I heard you earned the nickname 'Dragon Eater' at the Poison King's birthday banquet, so I came to verify it. There are many extraordinary people in the martial world, but verification procedures are necessary. Not everything people say is true, and stories often get exaggerated. Of course, I'm not doubting your skills; it's just a routine procedure."

Introducing himself as the Chief of the Beggar Sect, he seemed to be a leader among the beggars.

Given that the Beggar Sect, which handles information, was sending a high-ranking figure