Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Empty House Burglary (1)
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"What do you think is the most famous tourist spot in Hubei?"
Gu Hwan-gae's question made Yi-kyung and Yi-yul's eyes sparkle.
"Mount Wudang!!"
"Because Taoism has such a huge influence on the people of the Great Empire!"
The two shouted loudly, then sneaked a glance at Hwan-gyu.
"I actually wanted to say Mount Jipyeong, but..."
"Reality is important."
Hwan-gyu smiled wryly at his disciples' words.
Honestly, it was hard to deny.
The fact that Mount Wudang was more famous as a Taoist site than Mount Jipyeong.
"Heh heh. Right you are. So, excluding Taoist sites, what's the most famous tourist spot in Hubei?"
"Uh..."
"W-We don't know that one..."
Gu Hwan-gae shouted gleefully at the two young Taoists fumbling for words.
"It's Yichang!"
Gu Hwan-gae shouted with delight.
"That good, huh?"
"Yeah. As a branch chief of the Beggars' Sect, I've wandered countless regions of the Central Plains."
"Yes."
"And among them, Yichang was pretty special."
"Why is that?"
Interest flickered in Seol Ryu-a's eyes.
'Maybe there's information that could help the young master...'
"The food there is out of this world."
"...Ah. Yes."
She nodded with a face full of disappointment.
But Hwan-gyu's two disciples were different.
"Really?!"
"How good is it?!"
The young Taoists' sparkling eyes and anticipation must have felt great.
Gu Hwan-gae grinned.
"Just follow me! I know a good spot!!"
Yichang County was coming into view before long.
He whipped the horse's reins faster.
Thus began Gu Hwan-gae's guidance.
And its end was not so pleasant.
"Why?!"
Because the inn he was heading to had collapsed.
"No... What is this...?!"
Gu Hwan-gae trembled like he had lost his mind.
-It's funny seeing a peak expert lose it over one collapsed inn.
'Don't tease him too much.'
-If even that always laid-back guy is acting like this, it must've been a real gem of a place.
'I don't think it's just that.'
Gu Hwan-gae's expression held more than just disappointment.
There was shock. And anger.
"I-I'm going to look around first."
"Go ahead."
Muyang Inn.
Staring at the half-destroyed signboard, Gu Hwan-gae muttered softly while still trembling.
He was probably going to get information from the Beggars' Sect members in Yichang.
"We'll be at the nearest inn."
"Chiwang Pavilion is right next door. The food there's decent too, so wait there."
With that, Gu Hwan-gae vanished in an instant.
He seemed so urgent he even used lightness skill.
"Let's head to Chiwang Pavilion for now."
Chiwang Pavilion wasn't far.
Upon entering, they saw a few martial artists and ordinary folk seated, eating.
"Bring us something decent."
"Yes."
The waiter went inside after taking the order.
Only then did Hwan-gyu speak with a grave expression.
"It's the first time I've seen the elder that flustered..."
"Same here."
"Little brother. Do you know something?"
"No idea."
"Aren't you close with him?"
"He doesn't share personal stories."
"How about we look into why Muyang Inn got smashed first?"
As Seol Ryu-a said.
Of course, the Beggars' Sect beggars could provide info too.
But info from folks in the same trade couldn't be ignored.
"Hey."
"Yes! More orders?"
Seol Ryu-a tossed a few coins to the approaching waiter.
"Do you know why Muyang Inn ended up like that?"
"Muyang Inn? Oh man, don't get me started."
He knew.
Seol Ryu-a nodded, and the waiter cleared his throat a few times.
Then, under everyone's gaze, he began his tale.
"It was a few days ago. Hong Sa-hwa, the Divine Thief, showed up at Muyang Inn."
"Hong Sa-hwa?!"
"Who's that?"
"They call him the Divine Thief."
Divine Thief Hong Sa-hwa.
A madman who spreads red paper flowers before stealing.
-A lunatic. Why bother with thieving like that?
'He's no mere madman. He's a righteous thief too.'
Those the Divine Thief targeted were mostly corrupt officials.
Dang Yu-wol recalled facts from before his regression.
"He's got a bounty of a hundred gold nyang on his head."
Yi-kyung and Yi-yul marveled at Seol Ryu-a's explanation.
A hundred gold nyang.
Even most criminals didn't have that much.
"A hundred gold nyang for one thief."
"Bounty hunters must be dying to catch him."
Hwan-gyu, who had been listening, spoke up.
"But isn't Hong Sa-hwa famous for not killing and sparing commoners?"
"Yes, that's right."
"So why was an inn run by commoners destroyed?"
The waiter sighed in regret.
"The problem was the martial artists who went after him."
Word spread that he'd appear at Muyang Inn.
Martial artists lay in ambush there.
"And when Hong Sa-hwa showed, they drew their swords. That's where it went wrong."
-Tsk tsk... Looks like the martial artists caused the mess.
"A hundred gold nyang. Enough to turn any martial artist's eyes red."
Not just that, but the honor of catching the Divine Thief.
For that, they unleashed their arts in that cramped space.
"And martial artists have their grudges too."
Some among the gathered had bad blood.
"They made a pact to focus on catching Hong Sa-hwa first, or so I heard."
"Hah. They probably attacked pretending to go for him the moment he appeared."
The waiter nodded at Seol Ryu-a's words.
It was heartbreaking just hearing it.
When third-rate martial artists rampage, it's pure terror for commoners.
"To go after Hong Sa-hwa, they'd be at least first-rate... If they went wild..."
"Exactly. How could the inn survive that?"
In the end, their fight trashed Muyang Inn completely.
"Ugh..."
Yi-kyung and Yi-yul looked grim.
They were Taoists, but martial artists too.
They newly realized how dangerous martial artists were to ordinary folk.
"That's the nature of power."
Hwan-gyu decided to use this chance.
"To you, it might just be light techniques."
But to them, it's the terror of death.
He taught them to be careful when using martial arts.
"...Yes, Master."
"Got it."
After sharing that bitter truth, Hwan-gyu asked the waiter.
"So? What happened to the innkeeper of Muyang Inn?"
"He survived, luckily... But with the inn gone, what could he do?"
It went bankrupt in the end.
"He's living down in the lower village now. Such a shame. He was a really good man..."
The food arrived as the story wrapped up.
The waiter bowed and left.
Those at the table fell silent with the dishes before them.
"Let's eat first."
Dang Yu-wol said lightly and took a bite of the noodle soup.
Then Gu Hwan-gae entered the inn.
Beside him was a kindly-looking middle-aged man in shabby clothes.
"Say hello. This is Yang Il, the former owner of Muyang Inn."
"Pleased to meet you. It's an honor to meet heroes of the martial world."
Though beggared overnight, Yang Il appeared composed.
As the others greeted him one by one, Gu Hwan-gae plopped down in a seat.
"I can't just let this slide."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Innkeeper Yang is a good man."
-If even Gu Hwan-gae says so, he must be the real deal.
"This man never skimped on using his earnings to care for orphans and beggars."
"Impressive."
"Right, Yu-wol. Just as you said, an impressive man."
He patted the embarrassed Yang Il on the back.
"And not just that—he even donated his fortune to help during floods."
As Gu Hwan-gae's praises continued, he shook his head humbly.
"I just did what anyone should as a person."
-When most can't even do that basic stuff.
'Tell me about it.'
"Don't gild my face like that, elder."
"Quiet, you. Anyway, there are plenty who need to take responsibility for this."
"I see."
"Can you help?"
Gu Hwan-gae looked straight at Dang Yu-wol.
A serious gaze unlike his usual relaxed, playful self.
"Sure."
"Huh? Really?"
"Why the surprise?"
"Well... I figured a heartless guy like you would say, 'Not my problem, so I don't care.'"
"I'm human too—if you poke me, I bleed; if I cry, tears come out."
"For real?"
"But I don't work for free—that's my principle too..."
Dang Yu-wol looked at Yang Il.
"If I ask for your help later, will you lend a hand?"
"Pardon? Of course, but... I'm just a beggar without an inn now."
He looked troubled.
But Dang Yu-wol had his reasons.
-He'll be plenty useful.
'Who'd have thought I'd meet the Gold Nyang Seal here.'
Before regression, a man respected by many for his business acumen and character.
He even rose to one of the Ten Great Merchant Groups in the martial world.
'He was definitely in charge of supplies for the resistance.'
-Yeah. The Blood Cult even tried assassinating him directly... Even if left alone, he'd make a comeback.
"So? How do you plan to hold them accountable?"
"I'll collect from everyone involved."
"How?"
"What do you think?"
"By Tang Clan rules... graces repaid double, grudges fivefold."
"No need to go that far..."
Yang Il panicked.
But that was none of his concern.
The point was to bestow a favor on him.
-Started with ten silver nyang and built a Ten Great Merchant Group.
'Then with ten gold nyang, he'll become the world's richest man.'
Of course, it might not be that simple.
Still, extending a hand wouldn't hurt.
"By the way, was the Divine Thief caught?"
"Nah. He trashed the place and slipped away leisurely."
"I see. Then we should catch him too, to hold him accountable."
Dang Yu-wol said nonchalantly, like pulling up neighborhood weeds.
"...Do you even know who Hong Sa-hwa is?"
"The Divine Thief, right?"
"If he was that easy to snag, would there be a hundred-gold-nyang bounty?"
Even Beggars' Sect intel had no leads on the Divine Thief.
So how?
As Gu Hwan-gae looked baffled, Dang Yu-wol grinned.
-Because you know his identity.
'Yeah.'
Before regression.
The Divine Thief had been caught.
Handling compensation from the other martial artists would be Hwan-gyu and Seol Ryu-a together.
Two super-peak experts, no less.
Plus Dang Yu-wol made poisons for them—should be fine.
-The Divine Thief is the issue... Can you do it?
'No problem.'
The shaking carriage stopped.
They had arrived at their destination.
"Wow!! This is Jongnam County!!"
"So cool!!"
Those in the same carriage admired the surroundings.
Jongnam.
One of the Nine Great Sects, a prestigious orthodox faction that produced countless experts.
The Divine Thief was there.
-You know the way?
'I remember.'
Dang Yu-wol climbed halfway up Jongnam Mountain, then veered off the path.
"Hey. That's not the path."
"Looking for some Jongnam opportunity, are you?"
"Don't. You'll get scolded by the Jongnam Taoists!"
Dang Yu-wol grinned at the worried folk.
And kept walking.
'First, let's raid the Divine Thief's warehouse.'
The guy whose home turf got hit won't stay quiet.