Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Righteous Thief of Gancheon
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Gancheon, a town in northern Shaanxi bordering Gansu.
The place where Neung Un-bi was staying with the merchant caravan was a stronghold of the Orthodox Faction.
In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire region of Shaanxi was Orthodox territory.
This was because two major sects, Mount Hua and Zhongnan, had established their roots there.
The fame of these two sects, both members of the Nine Great Sects that were pillars of the Orthodox Faction, made it impossible for the Unorthodox Faction to gain a foothold.
It wasn't that they were completely absent, but they could barely maintain their names in the far north, distant from the provincial capital of Xi'an.
Thus, most sects established in Shaanxi were either affiliated with Mount Hua and Zhongnan or founded by their vassal families.
The Seoncheon House of Gancheon was one such place.
A sect founded long ago by a vassal family of the Zhongnan Sect.
Although they were hundreds of li away from Mount Zhongnan and only participated in the vassal family gatherings once a year, they never acted in a way that would tarnish the Zhongnan Sect's reputation.
They readily offered help to those in need and never turned a blind eye to injustice.
Thanks to these efforts, Gancheon's public safety was stable enough to be counted among the best in Shaanxi, and the Seoncheon House's reputation as an Orthodox sect was quite high.
“Sigh, this long drought is a serious problem.”
Jeong Ik-su, the Patrol Leader of the Seoncheon House, sighed as he patrolled the streets as usual.
A great famine had struck due to a three-year drought.
As a result, Gancheon was enduring a time of suffering.
The starving commoners often resorted to begging from passersby, and the sounds of hungry cries from every household never ceased.
Even the boisterous drunks who used to roam the nights were no longer seen.
With the continuous hardships, people's pockets were empty, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets, save for outsiders.
The Master of the Seoncheon House had already opened the granaries and generously distributed relief rice, but the prolonged famine meant the situation hardly improved.
“Leader, please don't worry too much. Won't things get better soon?”
“You think so? Winter will be here soon...”
“I heard a grain caravan requested by the government is on its way.”
“I heard that too. But aren't they merchants? They won't be giving it away for free, so the situation for those with empty pockets due to the long famine won't improve easily.”
“...”
“Look. Aren't people selling even their household goods just to buy what little food is available?”
“Well...”
At Jeong Ik-su's words, his subordinate warrior, An Pyeong, fell silent with a sullen face and lowered his head.
It was the truth.
On every street, people were trying to sell their furniture and household items. But since everyone was in a similar situation, the goods just piled up, unsold.
The relief rice had its limits, and even those who had rationed it couldn't hold out any longer.
Meanwhile, those who had been helping out of goodwill alongside the Seoncheon House were locking up their granaries one by one. The prolonged famine was now threatening their own livelihoods.
The situation grew more severe the farther one went from the city center toward the outskirts.
In the commoners' village, where the poorest people lived, it was not uncommon to see people who had been forced out onto the streets.
“Haa... If only it would rain heavily. But even the night sky is so clear...”
Jeong Ik-su looked up at the night sky in frustration.
It was then.
*Whoosh.*
“...?”
What was that?
A black shadow flashed across the sky he was looking at, disappearing in an instant toward the commoners' village on the outskirts of Gancheon.
What was it?
Wasn't it too large to be the shadow of a bird in the moonlight?
“Could it be?”
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind, and Jeong Ik-su's brow furrowed sharply.
A thief...
That's how the world worked. Thieves thrived more in times of scarcity than in times of abundance.
When they couldn't receive, they took. Because times were too hard...
But that was unacceptable. To try and fill one's own belly by stealing from others when everyone was struggling—he could never let that stand.
“Damn bastards! Stealing at a time like this?”
“...?”
An Pyeong tilted his head in confusion as Jeong Ik-su, who had been looking at the sky, suddenly burst out in anger.
“An Pyeong!”
“...Yes?”
“Secretly summon the patrol team here.”
“What's this about?”
“It seems there's a thief in the commoners' village.”
“A thief? What kind of bastard!”
“It's because the times are hard.”
“...”
“I'll go check it out first. Call the patrol team and have them wait on the outskirts of the village. Tell them not to act until they receive my signal.”
“Yes, Leader.”
After An Pyeong replied and left, Jeong Ik-su hurriedly climbed onto the highest nearby roof.
He hid in the shadow of the roof ridge, peeking out to carefully survey the area.
It had just passed overhead, so it couldn't have gone far.
As Jeong Ik-su meticulously scanned the vicinity, starting from the closest areas, his eyes caught a moving shadow in the dim light of a commoner's house.
A hidden shadow was looking around in front of a house, seemingly checking if anyone was nearby.
It was clearly planning to rob the house once it confirmed no one was around.
Damn thief, trying to steal from others in such difficult times?
I'll catch him right now and... huh?
Jeong Ik-su, who was about to stand up and apprehend the thief in a surge of irritation, suddenly paused.
The thief's actions, while checking for people, were strange.
It cautiously approached the door, placed something it took from its robes on the ground, glanced around, and then knocked on the door as if to wake the owner before immediately leaping away.
The series of movements was flawlessly executed.
If Jeong Ik-su hadn't known of its presence and been watching closely, he wouldn't have been able to find it with his skills.
“Who is it?”
The voice of what seemed to be the homeowner came from inside, but there was no reply. The one he suspected of being a thief had already vanished.
“I said, who is it!”
Angered by the lack of response, the homeowner flung the door open.
“Damn it! I'm starving to death as it is, who's playing these stupid games! What kind of... huh?”
Exhausted and on edge from hunger, the owner was shouting in anger when he noticed something at his feet and tilted his head.
The moment he unfolded the small, paper-like cloth wrapper.
“Gasp!”
“...?”
The owner's eyes widened in shock as he quickly looked around.
“Honey! Honey! Come out here, quickly.”
He suddenly shouted into the house.
The bewilderment in his voice was palpable.
What on earth did he see?
“Why are you shouting like that? I'm so hungry I don't even have the strength to move...”
“L-look at this.”
“What is that... Gasp!”
The reaction of the woman, presumably his wife, was the same.
No, she went a step further, covering her mouth with her hands as she frantically looked around.
Then, she hastily closed the door and went back inside.
What could it be?
Jeong Ik-su, watching from the roof ridge, couldn't hide his curiosity.
What had the person he thought was a thief left behind to elicit such a reaction from them?
Unable to contain his curiosity, Jeong Ik-su jumped down and, despite knowing it was improper, flung open the door of the house he had been watching.
“W-who are you?”
“My apologies for visiting so suddenly in the middle of the night. I am Jeong Ik-su, the Patrol Leader of the Seoncheon House.”
“...Ah, Sir.”
The Seoncheon House was well-known in Gancheon, so the homeowner immediately bowed his head upon hearing the name.
“But that item...”
Jeong Ik-su asked, staring at the object in the homeowner's hand.
“Th-this is... ah, it's nothing.”
“...”
Seeing the homeowner hide his hands behind his back with a flustered expression, Jeong Ik-su's eyes narrowed.
He had to see what it was.
“Let me see it for a moment.”
“No, I told you it's nothing!”
“...”
The homeowner hesitated and backed away, but he couldn't stop Jeong Ik-su's movement.
Dodging the homeowner's hand as it swung out in resistance, Jeong Ik-su snatched the object in an instant.
“Th-this is?”
It was a money pouch. And inside were three gleaming silver coins.
“This...”
“W-we didn't steal it.”
“...”
The husband and wife prostrated themselves on the floor with aggrieved expressions.
I know. I was watching the whole time.
The question was why that "thief" had left a pouch full of silver.
“We don't know anything. Please forgive us. Someone left it in front of our house, so we just picked it up.”
“...”
He felt he should first reassure the couple.
“I know. I saw someone leave it, and I have no intention of taking it.”
“Yes...?”
“Here, take it.”
“...”
The couple looked bewildered as Jeong Ik-su handed the pouch back to them.
“Was there anything else?”
“Anything else... Ah! There was this.”
“...?”
The homeowner handed him the cloth that had been wrapped around the money pouch.
When he spread it open, he saw words and a drawing inside.
*Silence.*
Keep it secret and do not speak of it.
And a drawing of a finger held to the lips.
It meant the same thing.
It was a kind gesture, adding a drawing in case the recipient couldn't read.
But why?
In that moment, a story passed down like a folktale came to mind.
A righteous thief who leaves wealth in front of the homes of the needy...
Was this person one of them?
He had to find out.
“I will pretend I saw nothing. You two should also keep silent. Understand?”
“Huh? Yes...”
After getting a reply from the homeowner, Jeong Ik-su immediately left the house and began searching for the person who looked like a thief.
Surely someone with such impressive movement skills wouldn't have snuck in here just to give away a few silver coins. He was bound to visit other houses.
But he wasn't visible nearby.
Then?
Jeong Ik-su immediately acted on the thought that came to his mind.
*Pak!*
Wasn't Gancheon County like his own backyard?
There was only one place from which he could look down and survey the entire commoners' village.
The roof of the watchtower on the nearby fortress wall.
It was patrolled by government soldiers and access was restricted, but did that matter now?
At this hour, the soldiers would be lax anyway. With no threat of foreign invasion, they were likely drunk and asleep.
Jeong Ik-su rushed to the fortress wall and, as expected, passed the dozing soldiers and climbed onto the watchtower roof.
Then, he enhanced his vision with his internal energy and scanned the village.
Where are you? Where could you be?
The person had excellent movement skills. Judging by how adeptly they moved in the shadows, their stealth skills must be just as good.
But he was sure to reveal himself again.
He had to wait for the moment he left money at a house.
About a quarter of an hour after Jeong Ik-su had focused all his concentration.
“There! I found him.”
Jeong Ik-su finally spotted his target and immediately leaped into action.
What was needed now was the Shadow Submersion Step.
A movement technique that originated from Zhongnan.
Although it was a lesser technique compared to the Shadowless Void Step practiced by the main sect's warriors, Jeong Ik-su was confident the stealthy figure would never detect him.
Of course, he didn't get too close. Now that he had found the trail, he could follow as long as he watched carefully and didn't lose sight of him.
He had to find out who this person was, but not yet. He had to wait for the moment the person finished everything and left the village.
He might have accomplices.
Fortunately, the person seemed unaware of his presence and continued their righteous act(?).
But he was truly remarkable.
A moment ago, he had passed the spot where the patrol team was waiting, but no one had noticed his presence.
After all, wasn't this person so agile that even he found it difficult to follow?
[An Pyeong!]
“...?!”
Hearing the mental message Jeong Ik-su sent while chasing the righteous thief, An Pyeong, who was waiting with the patrol team, looked around in surprise.
[No time to explain. I'll leave markings, so follow immediately. Tell the patrol team not to act rashly and to stand by.]
Though he couldn't locate his leader to reply, An Pyeong nodded to show he understood.
That was settled.
Jeong Ik-su immediately followed the righteous figure running out of the village, leaving marks on the walls with blasts of finger wind.
How long had he been chasing?
The righteous figure entered the depths of the city and suddenly leaped over the wall of an inn.
“...Cheonga Inn?”
It was the back garden of a rather famous inn in Gancheon.