Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: 31. The Nest (6)
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Flying Tiger rose at the crack of dawn and stared quietly at Gong Won-yeong for a moment before stepping out into the inner courtyard.
He slowly unrolled the Nine Forms of the Ancient Stone Sword Technique. Revisiting Ma Yeop's teachings, he focused intently on each movement. After finishing his dawn training, he washed up and prepared breakfast.
After the meal, he bustled around the house, sweeping, scrubbing, and pulling weeds. He patched up the broken window frames and replaced cracked roof tiles. The place was already well-maintained, so there wasn't much to fix, but he searched diligently anyway. Just like when he'd cleaned her room the day before, he wanted to leave his touch everywhere.
Before he knew it, the sun had passed its zenith. He hurriedly prepared lunch. Cooking alone might have been a chore, but he grilled meat, stir-fried vegetables, and put genuine effort into his limited skills.
Once everything was laid out, he realized the portions were overly generous despite the few side dishes, leaving him in a bind. That's when two unexpected guests arrived.
"What, you haven't eaten yet?"
"Hello."
"Oh, hello. Perfect timing. I've been running around since morning and was getting hungry—thought I'd grab a snack later. Mind if I join you?"
It was U-i.
She smacked her lips as she entered the house, barely acknowledging the greeting as her eyes locked onto the spread. She made a beeline for the table.
Trailing behind her was Iron Scripture.
This stoic man was one of Hidden Moon's closest aides, alongside U-i. They'd first met the other day when he'd guided Flying Tiger to the Face Pursuit Squad's test.
"It's been a while."
"Indeed it has. What brings you here?"
"Silver Moon asked me to deliver the items you requested yesterday. Thought I'd drop by and see your face while I was at it."
U-i added with a lip-smack,
"Even better if we share a meal."
"Let's do that. I'd enjoy the company. But you haven't had lunch yet?"
"Nah. I usually skip it. Everyone does. You're the weird one piling up a whole table like this."
Two meals a day. Unless you were among the wealthy few, that's how the world worked.
Flying Tiger was the same, normally. So today was a special day disguised as ordinary routine for him.
He fetched two more bowls and pairs of chopsticks, setting places at the table. U-i gleefully claimed her spot, while Iron Scripture looked awkward. He clearly felt burdened by the unplanned intrusion.
"Ahem, I'll pass, so you two..."
"Shut up and eat. You're the guy who devours a whole pig in one sitting—what's with the holdout? What, you gonna sit over there sucking your thumb?"
It was an awkward situation.
Flying Tiger laughed and urged Iron Scripture to join. With a reluctant "Then I'll help myself," the man sat down.
In his mind, refusing would just make U-i insist louder, turning him into the fool.
And so the three ate together.
U-i chattered away casually, as if she and Flying Tiger were old pals, diving into all sorts of trivial gossip. He played along, matching her energy.
Flying Tiger had no idea what her intentions were.
She'd come on strong last time too—though it was all talk. Was it genuine interest? Or just good customer service since he'd shelled out big for Gong Won-yeong's personal protection?
He was fine either way.
Whatever it was, it'd benefit Gong Won-yeong and not cause harm. Plus, this light banter eased his heavy heart, so he welcomed it.
While U-i and Flying Tiger chatted over the meal, Iron Scripture focused solely on eating. He emptied and refilled his rice bowl three times, polishing off the piled-high plates of grilled meat and stir-fry.
Flying Tiger was inwardly impressed. No wonder she'd joked about a whole pig. He even wanted to introduce him to A Jeok-gang, another big eater he knew.
Then a random thought struck Flying Tiger, making him chuckle.
U-i noticed and asked why he was laughing.
"What? Why the sudden grin?"
"Just occurred to me—you two make a strangely good pair."
"Me and Iron Scripture?"
"Yeah."
"Hmph, boring. Tch, you've ruined my appetite."
She slammed her chopsticks down as she spoke, but her bowl was already scraped clean. Proof her complaint had nothing to do with the food.
U-i grumbled and shot up from her seat. Flying Tiger asked where she was going; she replied "to prepare tea" and left.
That left Flying Tiger and Iron Scripture sitting there awkwardly.
A moment passed.
Iron Scripture cleared his throat and spoke up.
"You two seem close."
"Do we?"
"You're casual with each other."
"Well, we've met a few times."
"Heh heh heh. The great U-i dropping formalities after just a few meetings? To someone younger, no less? Every guy who's pined after her must be a total loser then."
"Uh... you mad?"
"No!"
"..."
"Personal question, but why'd you think that?"
"Think what?"
"What you said earlier. That you two oddly..."
"Oh, how'd I know you were dating? Wait, past tense?"
He flinched.
"No way—she told you that much?"
"Huh? It was real?"
"What?"
Flying Tiger was surprised too. He'd thrown it out as a jab because the man's tone grated, but now the guy had confessed out of nowhere. Iron Scripture realized his slip too late.
A little earlier.
Flying Tiger had realized something amusing.
He'd never thought about it before, but combining U-i and Iron Scripture's names gave "U-i Dok-gyeong"—as in "reading scriptures to a cow's ear."
In other words, a total waste of breath.
Watching them banter, it fit perfectly: U-i like a cow's ear, ignoring advice, and Iron Scripture reciting scriptures in vain.
He imagined Iron Scripture chasing her around with warnings and pleas, only for her to blow them off and do her own thing.
The thought made him chuckle involuntarily, and "strangely good pair" was what he'd meant.
But seeing U-i bristle afterward made him suspect there was real history there. Iron Scripture's guarded tone confirmed it.
That was as far as it went, though.
Truth be told, Flying Tiger had zero interest in others' love lives. His heart was full just thinking of Gong Won-yeong. It was a passing funny notion he'd shrug off.
Or so it should have been.
As Flying Tiger and Iron Scripture awkwardly averted their eyes, pretending nothing happened, U-i returned from the kitchen with the tea set, clicking her tongue. She'd clearly overheard their talk. Her sharp glare was fixed on Iron Scripture.
"Nice work. Now you're not just ruining my future—you're splashing shit all over my path from a thousand miles away."
"..."
Luckily, her scolding ended there. The three drank tea in silence afterward. Flying Tiger smoothly changed the subject.
"Shall we take a look at the materials Iron Scripture brought?"
Iron Scripture handed over a thick ledger and a letter in an envelope.
"He said to read the letter right away and destroy it."
"Got it."
Flying Tiger nodded, pulled out the folded letter, and scanned it.
It was packed with intelligence gathered by the Western Regions Bureau on the "Shaanxi Ghost Three Treasures"—Mask, Shell, and Water. As the priciest intel on the Ghost Trio, Silver Moon's message implicitly urged him not to leak it, given the bounty ties.
Flying Tiger read it in one swift pass and slipped it back into the envelope. He burned it to ash right in front of Iron Scripture.
His nonchalant reaction puzzled U-i, who was watching.
"Why? Bad info?"
"No, fascinating. Learned a bunch I didn't know."
"Then why the flat response?"
"It's just data for now. Time to turn it into something useful."
He patted the thick ledger as he spoke.
This was a summarized chronicle of major events in Shaanxi's martial world over the past decade.
Shaanxi Ghost Three Treasures and the history of Shaanxi's martial world.
To Flying Tiger, it was clear: Silver Moon and the rest of Shaanxi's folk were obsessed with the Ghost Trio.
If they were this hot on it now, how much more back then?
He planned to weave something useful from these threads.
"What do you think?"
"Impressive. I approve. You?"
"Surprising."
"What is?"
"From how you acted earlier, I figured you didn't like the kid much. But your conclusion's different."
"Hmph, that's personal. Keep business and pleasure separate."
"Business and pleasure... Heh heh. True, you're always strict about that. Must be nice being such a solid guy. Though it backfired personally."
"I..."
"Enough. Water under the bridge, right? No need to get mopey. I'm a woman who knows the line too."
"..."
"Anyway, I approve too—both professionally and personally. Seems the elder likes him as well. But it'll be tough."
"Why?"
"Will the kid himself want to join us? Heh, from my experience with men, guys like that rarely bow to anyone. More like... they're allergic to packs by nature?"
"Why?"
"Because they're tigers, not dogs! Right?"
"If you say so. But the elder we serve—isn't he on another level? A tiger king, if we're using that metaphor."
"Tch. If he just knelt because someone's stronger, would he even be a tiger? Then again, how would a lifelong dog like you know the difference?"
"Sigh, fine, drop it. Whether the elder takes him in or not—that's not our call anymore, is it? We just do our jobs."
"Agreed."
"Good. We're both on board, so let's start background checks on the kid and the woman in bed."
After seeing them off, Flying Tiger sat by Gong Won-yeong and read aloud from the materials Iron Scripture had given him. When something interesting popped up, he'd share his thoughts and chat with her.
He spent the rest of the day handling little tasks with her, eventually drifting off at her side.
It was their last night together in this nest of two.
The next morning.
Flying Tiger knelt on one knee, holding Gong Won-yeong's hand, and prayed in a tongue from some distant land.
He believed in no particular god.
The only ones he knew were vile creatures that sucked the marrow from believers' bones and made nonbelievers weep blood.
So he appealed to heaven and earth and all spirits.
To have mercy on the poor souls here.
With that, his simple rite complete, Flying Tiger left Gong Won-yeong's side.
Nine days remained of the ten he'd promised Silver Moon to retrieve the Mask.