Chapter 150
It's a monster.
Gongjin inwardly clicked his tongue as he watched the Eastern Sword Dragon.
How could a person drink like that?
And toward the end, even that massive liquor vat wasn't enough—he had someone fetch another small jar and kept on chugging.
Paeng Yu-gun had fought valiantly, living up to his title as the Dao King, but it still wasn't enough.
In the end, even the Dao King collapsed. The Poison King had already clicked his tongue in disapproval and left long ago.
If the Dao King had been in top form, it might have been a problem.
Even someone as quick and nimble as himself could have been in danger.
But right now, the Dao King was dead drunk, barely conscious.
He could probably dispel the intoxication with his internal energy, sure.
Lucky break. Feeding him the Mountain Emptying Poison.
Someone of the Dao King's caliber might have been able to neutralize it even at a cost.
But in his drunken state, recovery would take far longer—and by then, the whole operation would be over.
Of course, the most crucial part was the target item.
The alcohol is hitting him after all.
The Eastern Sword Dragon's face had flushed bright red. Anyone would think he was holding his breath.
That means he was under real pressure. Beating even the Dao King must have let him relax.
It was about time to make his move.
The crowd was already roaring in excitement, perfect cover.
"I'll step out to the latrine for a moment."
"Go ahead."
Slipping away from the group, Gongjin scanned the surroundings. Drunken revelers were everywhere, but no Tang Clan warriors in sight.
Inviting guests but no guards posted? Is this boldness or carelessness?
Having no idea this was Dong Yun's doing, Gongjin smirked at the Tang Clan's complacency and entered the empty latrine.
As Gongjin shed his robes, a pitch-black night suit clung to him perfectly. With a black mask and hood, he looked every bit the master thief.
Time to go.
Bouncing lightly off the ground a couple times, Gongjin's form vanished onto the eaves above in an instant. Ghostly movement.
"Let's begin."
Gongjin twisted one of the beads on his bracelet counterclockwise. Then—
Pssshhh—
White mist suddenly billowed from the bead.
It swelled rapidly, blanketing the banquet hall in thick fog like a sudden haze.
White Cloud Mist.
A mystical smoke that froze the natural energies of heaven and earth in an instant.
This neutralizes all formations and treasures.
Freezing the energy flow even restricted experts' ability to sense presences.
Which left only—
Thud!
—time for the Shadowless Divine Thrower.
Gongjin lightly kicked off from the eaves, and in a blink, he was at the banquet's center—right where the drinking contest had raged.
A demonic lightness skill at its peak. Not even enough time for an eye to blink.
That's the jade.
The pale pinkish jade exuded an otherworldly mystery, hinting at immense power at a glance.
But...
Gulp!
This sword.
Up close, the Eastern Sword Dragon's blade was breathtakingly beautiful, like a work of art.
......
Time was almost up—mere seconds left.
In that split second, Gongjin ultimately chose.
Grab the jade.
Stealing a warrior's weapon felt a step too far, even for him.
But then—
Slurp!
He'd only yanked the jade, yet the sword slid after it effortlessly, weightless.
......Namu Amida Bul. Is this fate?
A ridiculous excuse, but Gongjin had his logic.
Humans harbor both good and evil.
Thus, they suffer, cling to delusions, and plunge the world into chaos.
Better for dangerous artifacts to rest in Buddha's embrace than human hands.
That was why Gongjin stole but never used them—he merely relocated them to safety. Using one himself would taint him with worldly strife.
Fine, if it's fate, I'll take it.
Gongjin seized the Eastern Sword Dragon's blade and leaped away.
His afterimage faded into nothing.
Back at the latrine, Gongjin pondered the sword.
The jade fit neatly in his pouch, no issue. But the sword? It screamed "stolen." A famous blade like this—bumping into anyone meant instant recognition.
......No choice.
It pained him, but sticking it to the latrine ceiling should hide it well.
He could retrieve it secretly once the chaos died down.
Gongjin pressed his palms together toward the Pa Cheon Sword, then moved to take it inside.
Or tried to.
"?!"
If the sword hadn't stuck to his right hand like glue.
"Wh-what's this?"
Panicking, Gongjin grabbed it with his left hand to pry it free. But now his left wouldn't budge either.
Gongjin tried channeling internal energy to shake it loose, scabbard sliding up and down.
Right then—
"Kuh?!"
Dizzying pain surged as the internal energy he'd gathered flowed out through his hands.
"Ughhh!"
He wanted to clamp his mouth shut, but both hands were glued fast.
It's not the pain holding me—I'm holding the pain—urk!
Reciting Buddha's teachings did nothing. It felt like someone wringing his meridians like laundry.
Tears, snot, and drool streamed down Gongjin's face in a mess.
The soul-draining agony dropped him to his knees on the latrine floor.
Buddha!
The moment he wished for someone to end it—
Creeeak—
The latrine door opened.
Gongjin lifted his wrecked face.
There stood a divine general.
The divine general spoke in a dignified voice.
"Found you."
What's wrong?
Calm down, calm.
Pa Cheon was raging. I pried it from Gongjin's hands.
Gongjin gasped for air.
Pa Cheon had imperfectly achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, and now it could "appropriately" drain energy.
No longer sucking every last drop unto death.
Thanks to that, Gongjin wasn't in mortal danger—but he was utterly drained, unable to lift a finger.
"Th-that's a demonic sword!"
Gongjin scrambled back on his butt, blurting desperately.
"It devours human vitality! How could a righteous sect member carry such an evil blade?!"
Gongjin pressed on.
"Melt that cursed sword away now, or calamity will strike!"
"A Shaolin monk stealing is fine?"
"That's—"
Then—
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Anyone in there!?"
Someone pounded on the latrine door from outside.
"From now on, do exactly as I say."
I propped up the still-shaky Gongjin. Utterly spent, he had no choice but to obey.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Anyone—"
I opened the door. Tang Clan warriors stood grimly, torches in hand.
Seeing me, they startled and bowed.
"Young Lord! What happened?"
"Felt a suspicious presence, so I came straight to the latrine."
"Of course!"
"There was a shady figure. Seems Great Master Gongjin here tried to subdue him and took some internal injuries."
"Are you alright, Young Lord?"
I nodded casually.
"I'm fine, but the culprit got away. Masked and hooded—I couldn't make out his face."
"Damn...!"
"Tighten security around the clan. I'll escort Great Master Gongjin."
"To the infirmary?"
"No. My quarters."
"Pardon? Ah, yes. As the heir of the Medicine Sage, you must have secret remedies. This way."
The Tang warriors bowed without suspicion and stepped aside.
Just wait.
And so, I returned to my quarters effortlessly.
"Tak Horak."
"Yes, sir!"
"Seal it tight—no rats getting in or out."
"Understood."
"Sa Wol."
"Yes."
"Acupressure this guy."
Needle-struck by Sa Wol, Gongjin dropped to his knees.
"Step out for now."
"Are you sure?"
"Fine. Guard the perimeter with Tak Horak."
"Understood."
I sat at the desk and poured tea.
Pour—
Gongjin rolled his eyes, trying to piece together the situation.
Roll all you want. You won't figure it out.
"Listen, benefactor."
Gongjin finally spoke.
"Release me now. If you do, I swear not to mention this—or the demonic sword."
"You're misunderstanding something."
I pulled a scrap of cloth stamped with "Thief" from my robe and tossed it at his feet.
"I'm the one holding the sword's hilt right now. Not you."
"......What's this? I have no idea."
"Playing dumb?"
Gongjin sounded genuinely wronged.
"Just as you said. I was in the latrine, ran into a suspicious guy by chance, tried to stop him, and got hit."
This time, I drew a small vial from my robe. Clear liquid inside.
"This is Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Scent. Detects ten times farther than Thousand-Li Tracking Scent."
Nope. Just water.
"I've had this on you since the Medicine Sage ruins."
"......"
"You think, 'No way, I used a special method to neutralize it'?"
Gongjin stared like I was a ghost.
Makes sense.
In Murim Returner, they tried everything to catch the Shadowless Divine Thrower—including tracking scents.
All useless. Gongjin had ways to nullify them.
"As you know, I'm the Medicine Sage's heir. No method escapes Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Scent."
Gongjin squeezed his eyes shut in resignation, exhaling deeply. He fell silent for a long while.
What happens if we expose Gongjin as the Shadowless Divine Thrower?
Yeah. And his stashed treasures?
Right on cue, Gongjin spoke.
"Calling me here without exposing me means you want something. What is it?"
I suppressed a grin.
"Everything you've hoarded. All of it."