The Sleepless City (9)
“Thief!”
“Looks like it’s about that time.”
“Ugh… what the hell is this nonsense?”
For a thief, he certainly knew how to make a flashy entrance.
We rose at the sound of something shattering. Just as I expected, that so-called senior brother had slipped into Chief Zhang’s quarters instead of the warehouse.
…Though I still wasn’t entirely sure he really was the senior brother.
“Shall we?”
“Right.”
We opened the door and stepped outside at once. The courtyard had already erupted into chaos. Naturally—everyone now knew an intruder had broken in. We made our way toward Chief Zhang’s room at a measured pace, neither rushing nor dawdling.
“Is this really all right? Shouldn’t we hurry—”
“Chief Zhang will have rigged the manual somehow. You can count on it.”
Just the fact that he’d scattered the tracking scent proved how obsessive he was about his possessions. He would fight like a cornered animal to keep the manual from being taken. A scuffle breaking out in the middle of it all was only to be expected.
“Ugh…”
Constable Meng trailed after me with a groan. I swept my gaze across the guard warriors encircling the room, watching nervously.
The way they hung back told me their loyalty wasn’t exactly ironclad.
Well, no need to worry about them.
Not right now.
I strode straight inside. No one tried to stop me.
No point in knocking. I simply threw the door open.
“…Just as I thought.”
I stared at the man in black confronting Chief Zhang.
Killing intent rolled off him in waves.
So the manual had never been his true goal.
“Sorry for spoiling the party, but I’m guessing you’re the senior brother?”
“…Stay out of this.”
Madness bored into me. He was clearly far from sane. The floor beneath his feet was already soaked in blood.
Had Chief Zhang installed some kind of trap formation in the room? I scanned the chamber before turning my attention back to the pair. Chief Zhang was clutching his left arm. The man in black was drenched in blood.
“So which one of you is the senior brother?”
“Obviously that bastard—!”
“Senior Brother! Will you keep lying until the very end?!”
“A lie no one discovers becomes truth.”
What a disgusting thing to say. I shot Chief Zhang a glare, then looked back at the man in black. His killing intent had thickened even further.
“You stabbed our master in the back, set the house on fire, and ran. Do you really think you have the right to speak?”
His voice dripped with bitter resentment and hatred.
It was almost strange he hadn’t killed Chief Zhang already.
Or rather, he probably couldn’t.
“Look, just seize this man right—”
“Let’s hear the whole story first.”
“What…?”
I felt killing intent at my back. The guards, most likely. But unlike them, I had a sword. I rested my hand on the hilt and spoke.
“I’m curious how this all fits together. Whose version is true?”
“Who cares about that?! It’s obviously my—”
“…Senior Brother had no talent for martial arts. Yet he desperately wanted to learn the Shadowless Step. Master tried to stop him, afraid he would only hurt himself, even beating him to drive the lesson home. But blinded by greed, Senior Brother killed our master and stole the manual.”
“However, Master had prepared for such a day. He had written the manual in two separate volumes.”
Thorough, I had to admit—for a thief.
Anyway, the picture was becoming clear.
It was hardly rare for the untalented to envy those with true gifts.
If what the man in black had said earlier was true, he had stabbed his master in the back, set the house ablaze, and fled. But why wait decades to return?
“Why come for revenge after so many years?”
“By the time I barely escaped the burning house and recovered, years had already passed. Tracking down a senior brother who had vanished without a trace was no simple task.”
His words carried weight.
In the 21st century you could hunt someone with CCTV and forensic science even if they went to ground. Here, in this medieval world, a year was enough for all traces to disappear.
Unless the target made a spectacle of himself, changing his identity and living quietly made him nearly impossible to find. If he was a disciple of the Shadowless Divine Thief—whose face was barely known—then even asking around would have been pointless.
Even mobilizing the Hao Clan would require mentioning the Shadowless Divine Thief, making that option dangerous. Without a special means of contact, he couldn’t even send a message. The odds had been stacked against him.
“How did you finally locate him?”
“While wandering the Central Plains in search of that damned senior brother, I caught wind of rumors about the Shadowless Divine Thief’s manual. I wanted to confirm whether the one holding it was truly him.”
“So you stole it. To find out if Chief Zhang really was your senior brother.”
“Correct. Therefore, do not interfere in our business.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Yes! Quickly, take this bastard—!”
“First, let’s settle one thing. Why didn’t you allow the guard warriors inside?”
The question already carried its own answer, but I asked anyway. Chief Zhang glared at me as though I were stating the obvious.
“B-because this matter must not become known, of course…”
“Even now? After decades, would it really matter if people learned he was your disciple?”
He must have stolen quite a few dangerous items along the way.
Perhaps manuals from the Nine Great Schools. Martial artists were unrivaled when it came to holding grudges. If they discovered he possessed their secrets, they would come running with blades drawn.
The orthodox sects might at least demand their manuals back with some courtesy. The unorthodox factions or the Demonic Cult… they would simply grind him to pieces while he still breathed.
“I understand—so spare me!”
“Do not… interfere…”
Left alone, they would kill each other.
“You…”
“Constable Meng. Be quiet.”
If you’re going to act, do it properly instead of hovering and muttering. I silenced Constable Meng and took three steps forward—close enough that a single sword swing could reach both men. With my hand on the pommel, I spoke.
“Chief Zhang, when you established your trading company, did you sell treasures stolen by the Shadowless Divine Thief?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
“Then let’s make a deal. If I save you—”
Easy there.
I intercepted the black-clad man’s blade as it slashed toward Chief Zhang’s throat. The strike carried considerable power, but the technique was crude. His realm clearly wasn’t very high.
“Do not stop me!”
“The story isn’t finished yet. Let’s hear the rest. My offer isn’t only for Chief Zhang.”
“What?”
“What did you say?”
Both men stared at me in astonishment.
“You… what are you talking about…”
“Isn’t he the one who tried to kill us? Even if we spare him, he’ll wring us dry.”
Negotiations were always most effective when the other party was desperate.
Chief Zhang’s face had gone deathly pale at my declaration. I ignored him and raised my voice.
“Warriors outside, listen well! Chief Zhang is actually—”
“Wait!”
Chief Zhang’s frantic shout cut me off.
So this was his reverse scale.
It might be an empty rumor for now, but once rumors began to spread, someone would inevitably take interest. If things went badly, his past could be exposed and powerful figures might gain leverage over him.
There were no perfect secrets in this world.
“…This is absurd.”
Constable Meng muttered beside me, sounding utterly dumbfounded. The man in black’s eyes held a similar expression. Still, how much longer could he last in that condition?
I needed to conclude the negotiation before one of them died.
“If you want your revenge, make a deal with me as well.”
Chief Zhang didn’t necessarily need to survive.
“…You want to deal with me?”
“Didn’t I say so earlier?”
“…Why?”
“I only need to collect my compensation and leave. I have no reason to involve myself in your personal grudge.”
“My entire fortune! I’ll give you half!”
His desperation suggested he no longer had the strength to protect himself. I smiled, having gained another piece of useful information.
“The Shadowless Divine Thief’s manual. Hand it over to me, and I’ll look the other way.”
“…!”
There was no guarantee the man wouldn’t come after me later even if things resolved cleanly, so I might as well play a card. I began circulating a thin thread of aura from my mana core and waited for his answer.
The man in black agreed without hesitation, as though it no longer mattered.
“…It seems I won’t be able to live with a healthy body much longer anyway. On the roof of the inn where you stayed, there is an attic. Pull out the lowest drawer of the cabinet there and turn it over.”
I lowered my sword.
“Wait—if I die, you two will also—!”
“Constable Meng. Tragically, Chief Zhang was struck down by the intruder’s blade and has passed away.”
“You… isn’t this a bit too heavy-handed…?”
For a man built like a mountain, he had surprisingly little nerve.
I snapped at Constable Meng, whose face had turned ashen.
“He should blame himself for refusing to let the guards inside because he didn’t want his secret exposed. Besides, Chief Zhang’s death will benefit us more.”
He should have at least started a family.
“You son of a—Kugh!”
The metallic scent of blood filled the air. Hearing the wet gurgle and the sound of a body collapsing, I turned to the man in black.
He lay on the floor, gasping for breath.
At this rate he wouldn’t last much longer.
I approached the fallen man.
“Were you the one who put the tracking scent on me?”
“…I obtained the Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent separately to create confusion… It seems some of it got on you as well. If I’ve caused you trouble, I apologize…”
“It’s fine.”
I had already confirmed the manual’s location while scattering powder in the warehouse. Now I only needed to collect the remaining half and leave.
I would also need to coordinate our stories with the guards. Since I had caused the incident, matching accounts and going our separate ways was the cleanest solution.
“Since it’s come to this… use it well.”
“Isn’t it a precious manual??”
“If I die… what use is it? Better that it be used than forgotten…”
True enough.
I looked down at the man whose head had drooped, then turned to Constable Meng.
“Constable Meng. You understand, yes?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“If you don’t want any headaches later, you’ll need to match your story carefully.”
I slipped the manual into my robe and regarded him. He stared back with a complicated expression.
“You really are a frightening man…”
“We still need to coordinate with the guards, so let’s head out.”
An unexpectedly good harvest in a place I hadn’t anticipated.
I left the room, pondering what to do with the Shadowless Divine Thief’s manual.