Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Robbing the Thief (2)
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After the commotion died down, the wide-eyed Jegal Tan asked,
"How did you know?"
"Know what? Oh, the sleeping drug?"
Nod.
Jegal Tan nodded.
Everyone was equally curious. He hadn't noticed anything off at all.
Judging by their expressions, the other three were the same.
Chu Un-hwi answered casually, as if it were no big deal.
"You learn to recognize it after eating a lot of it."
Eating a lot of it?
Thud thud thud.
Chu Un-hwi pulled a small vial from his pocket and lined up several.
"These were in the kitchen. Common stuff from the unorthodox sects, so get a whiff and a taste to remember them. It'll help."
"Mm."
Indeed.
After sniffing a few and dabbing them on his tongue, he could detect the subtle foul scent and taste.
It wasn't easy, though.
"Well, this time the signs were pretty clear. We got pegged as easy marks the moment we walked into the inn."
"I thought I'd handled it pretty well."
Was there something to nitpick?
Tap tap.
As Chu Un-hwi tapped his wrist, Jegal Tan glanced at his sleeve and jumped in surprise.
A thin needle dangled from the cuff.
Seeing the yellow-stained tip made his hair stand on end.
"Why is something like this on my sleeve...?"
"Some people habitually roll up their sleeves when eating. It was attached so it'd prick them then."
"So, blocking my way and getting on my nerves was..."
"Distracting you to slip it on. Simple trick, right?"
Simple trick.
Easy to say, but experiencing it firsthand made it no small thing.
The way he'd subtly belittled him while directing his gaze toward Moyong So-hye had left him oblivious.
"I thought hidden weapons were just for throwing..."
"Heh. Everyone fights in their own way."
Quite different from what we learned at the academy, right? Chu Un-hwi added with a growl toward Nangong Yun-ho.
"Yun-ho. You idiot, were you just hugging the wall?"
"The wall wasn't paper-thin. What if they stabbed right through while I was hiding?"
"Especially feel this floorboard here. It's hollow underneath. What if someone hid below and ambushed you?"
Chu Un-hwi finally stopped his tirade when the thoroughly cowed waiter brought fresh noodles.
"Fresh noodles are here."
"Oh!"
Chu Un-hwi slurped them up, pausing his words.
"Whew. See? Told you it's the real deal."
By now, taste was the last thing on their minds.
***
After finishing the meal, Chu Un-hwi stepped out of the inn alone.
He wanted to give them time to reflect on the day's events.
Just cramming knowledge wouldn't help.
"La la la~."
As he strolled lightly, a small shop appeared ahead.
A rickety place that looked ready to collapse any second.
"Heave-ho."
He sat casually on the worn bench out front, and an old woman who seemed to be the owner appeared.
"A customer."
"I'd like some tea."
"No fancy stuff here. Just rough tea—might not suit a young fellow like you."
"Bring the cheapest one from the bottom shelf."
Pause.
The old woman's hand froze as she brushed off the bench.
"Right away, young sir."
Soon, she returned with dark tea and roasted rice cakes.
"Here you go."
Chu Un-hwi lifted his teacup as the old woman vanished without a word.
A small paper beneath it.
- Hao Clan.
He slurped the tea and unfolded the paper.
Scanning it quickly, Chu Un-hwi muttered,
"The thieving bastard got away."
Unfortunately, the Silver Moon Flying Thief had left his hideout empty.
'Would've been nice to run into him.'
Fighting a wounded master was a rare experience.
"A bit disappointing... Let's see."
As expected of the Hao Clan.
They'd meticulously tracked the Silver Moon Flying Thief's movements.
Even with Shadowless Thread laced in Thousand-Li Tracking Scent, following the elusive thief's trail was impressive.
Whoosh.
As the paper crumbled to ash in his hand and scattered in the air, Chu Un-hwi murmured,
"Time to end this."
***
The next day,
when he gathered everyone, they all had dark circles under their eyes.
They hadn't slept well.
"I was too tense wondering if something might happen overnight."
What would happen?
"Did we have to stay right in front of a black path sect's turf?"
Pfft.
Over something like that?
"You slept like logs on the dirt during mountain treks."
"The mountains were better."
"Bodies tired, but hearts at ease."
"No drunken singers all night either."
Chu Un-hwi chuckled.
"Good, then. We're heading back to the mountains."
As their faces paled, he added,
"Pack your things now."
***
Half a day after leaving Wuam Village, a rugged rocky peak jutted up sharply.
"Mount Ak."
Steep enough that it would've been tough before adapting to the wilds.
Luckily, forced into a natural lifestyle, scaling sheer cliffs was no issue now.
"Ah! Snake cave here. Let's dig some."
"Sis, we don't need dinner sides anymore. Stop."
"This! This! Leave it? It's precious stone mushroom."
"...The more you chew, the heartier it gets."
Their ingrained survival habits were more problematic than the mountain's harshness.
"Kids. Enough. Let's go."
Raiding a hideout—why leave traces?
But on second thought, it might not be bad.
'They might think it was some mad herb hunter, not murim folk.'
Proud jianghu warriors don't rummage caves greedily or tremble over root damage while gathering herbs.
"Did I overdo it?"
Implanting survival skills for future use seemed to have side effects.
Minor ones.
***
Not far off was a small cave between cliffs.
So cleverly hidden between sheer walls that you'd pass it unnoticed without close inspection.
"Instructor. Trap here."
"Hidden weapons buried in the ground here. Poisoned, looks like..."
"Mm. Pitfall trap. Hollow space inside."
Poison needles along the path to the entrance, simple traps.
The now-accustomed group spotted and avoided them deftly.
Pointing out overlooked ones, they evaded in unison.
Baek Ri-seol, scouting the entrance, straightened up.
"Instructor. Lots of traps in that grass patch."
Of course.
"Famous for flighty footwork. He set traps on paths he doesn't use much."
"I see."
Baek Ri-seol nodded easily and scurried off to dig at the dirt.
Then, with nimble footwork, climbed a tree, fiddled around various spots, and returned.
"What'd you do?"
"Set traps on paths the thief likely uses."
"Pfft haha."
Didn't think of that.
Wonder what face he'll make tripping his own traps?
"Hehe. Good idea, right?"
"Yeah. Brilliant."
I should do it too.
***
"How's the entrance?"
"Nothing special. For a famous thief's lair, I expected a huge secret door or tunnel."
Jegal Tan smiled faintly at Moyong So-hye's words.
"Wouldn't be easy. Can't do major construction alone, and helpers risk leaks."
"Just saying."
"Using a natural cave for the same reason?"
Baek Ri-seol, on bad terms with Jegal Tan, asked him directly.
"Yeah. Fewer who know, safer the hideout."
"As expected, Instructor. You know everything."
"Shall we start?"
***
Squeezing into the cave and crawling briefly, the passage widened.
Soon, they could stoop-walk into a small chamber.
"Whoa. This thief bastard."
The sight upon descending made his lips twitch.
"Ate well, didn't he."
One side had a bookshelf with several manuals, the other wooden boxes.
Weapons leaned against a wall, gold nuggets too.
Keeping all this good stuff to himself?
"Hiya. Let's share the good stuff, you thieving punk."
Rubbing his cheek on a golden elephant, the others gaped at the chamber.
"Gasp."
"All stolen goods?"
"Whoa. Jackpot."
"What's all this?"
Jegal Tan, dusting off as he emerged, inspected the shelves and swallowed hard.
"Pure Energy Technique. This is Qingcheng Sect's manual..."
"Tan. Wudang's Returning Wind Palm and Nine Palaces Sword here too. Stamped authentic."
The shelves brimmed with sects' secret arts.
Not ultimate techniques, but mastering one made you a master.
Unlike them, Baek Ri-seol eyed the weapons.
"Getting past Three Swords to aim for Five Swords."
"Ahh. Such brilliant sword glows."
"Can I take these kids?"
Moyong So-hye startled at the talk.
"Sis! Using stolen goods and getting caught by the owner spells trouble!"
Spot on.
Rare famed swords worthy of the name; owners spotting them would be bad.
"So-hye's right. If the owner recognizes and demands them back, no choice."
Worst if sect treasures or family heirlooms.
Refusing return could lead to blades drawn.
So.
"I'll teach you how to fence stolen goods."
"Instructor!"
"Perfectly. Even the thief's folks won't recognize it after my touch."
"How do you even know how to dispose of stolen goods...?"
To Moyong So-hye's teary question, he answered simply.
"Know it all, comes in handy."
Swap scabbards and hilts to change appearance.
Or douse in strong acid to dull the gleam.
Then Jegal Tan asked,
"Instructor. What about these manuals?"
"Can't help it with manuals."
Ideally, sell on black market.
Or to Hao Clan for good price.
'Risk of tails, though.'
Orthodox sects strict on their arts.
Even minor ones, they'll rage if theirs.
Disposal easy, aftermath annoying.
"Burn them."
"All of them? Returning to sects would earn huge thanks."
"Thanks with words only. And rumors of Divine Martial Academy rookies looting Silver Moon Flying Thief? The jianghu brats would love it, eh?"
"...We'll dispose of them."
In a world where famed swords stir blood winds daily,
Jegal Tan, knowing treasure rumors' dangers, bowed at once.
"But..."
Burning orthodox arts with his own hands still nagged him.
"Collapse the cave, rig it to be found later?"
"Hm, that's an idea."
Scheming when nice, petty when not—classic Jegal Tan.
"First, this."
He lifted a wooden box, peeked inside.
Whoosh.
A fresh, spring-breeze scent wafted; all four pairs of eyes widened.
"No way."
"Yep. Elixirs."
Five gleaming elixirs revealed, Chu Un-hwi grinned.
"You lot struck gold, idiots."
So. Open wide.