Chapter 116
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Synergy
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Beom Gye-wi scoffed.
“The way? What a load of crap. If thievery is 'the way,' then murder must be 'benevolence.'”
Aside from Dan Ak-seon, no one took Ga Du-dal's words seriously.
But Ga Du-dal paid them no mind.
“It's a way to secure both a just cause and a practical gain.”
“But does it have to be Physician Dan? Just tell us the location. I'll go get it.”
Ga Du-dal shook his head firmly.
“Only Physician Dan can do it.”
“Why?”
“Because of the severing formation set up there.”
At those words, Dan Ak-seon's eyes lit up with curiosity.
“A severing formation?”
Ga Du-dal nodded and continued his explanation to the group.
“The formation has only one opening, just barely large enough for a child to squeeze through. Without mastering the Bone Shrinking Art, it's impossible to sneak in undetected.”
A look of doubt crossed I Rip's face.
After all, places protected by a formation worthy of being called a severing formation were so rare you could count them on one hand in the entire martial world.
“Where is this place?”
“Well...”
Ga Du-dal trailed off before finally speaking with an awkward smile.
“It's the Cloud Formation Hermitage.”
“What?”
I Rip couldn't hide his bewilderment.
“You're completely out of your mind!”
I Rip sighed at the confused faces of the others, who didn't understand the significance.
“The Cloud Formation Hermitage is inside the Hengshan Sect's grounds.”
And it's one of their most heavily guarded areas.
A place where outsiders are strictly forbidden.
Even members of the Hengshan Sect need permission to enter.
The one in charge is the Iron Gall Swordsman, Yang Il-so, an elder second only to the current sect leader. The fact that he personally oversees the Cloud Formation Hermitage shows how important it is.
“How can you speak so lightly of trespassing in a forbidden area of a prestigious orthodox sect!”
Ga Du-dal laughed in response to I Rip's rebuke.
“Well, trespassing in forbidden places is what I do.”
“...”
I Rip was left speechless.
Ignoring them, Han Seol-hwa asked with a puzzled look.
“But why is that divine object at the Hengshan Sect?”
Cho Ak-ryang chimed in.
“Instead of stealing it, couldn't we just tell them about it?”
“And why would I do that?”
Ga Du-dal shot back with a shameless expression.
“Not only do I have no reason to, but even if I did tell them, they wouldn't believe me. They'd probably just pin the blame on me and come after me.”
“Come after you?”
“Because everyone else who knew the truth is dead.”
“...?”
“Who do you think was the one who spirited away the Treasured Sword of Yuan Gong?”
Ga Du-dal grinned at the confused group.
“It was none other than Yang Il-so.”
I Rip was stunned by Ga Du-dal's words.
“He... why?”
He is the senior martial brother of Jin Jo-un, the current sect leader of the Hengshan Sect.
Moreover, the bond between the two martial brothers was known to be exceptionally strong.
“I don't know the full story behind it.”
It was then.
“But sir, how did you find that out?”
Ga Du-dal readily answered Dan Ak-seon's question.
“I heard it at a gambling den.”
“A gambling den?”
“That's right. There was a disciple from the Hengshan Sect who was addicted to gambling.”
Then and now, Ga Du-dal occasionally visited gambling dens. Of course, it wasn't for the thrill of gambling.
“In gambling dens, people often put up their possessions as collateral for gambling funds.”
Some of those items were of exceptional value.
“And among the things left as collateral, you sometimes find information.”
One day.
While I was hidden on a roof gathering information as usual, I overheard something that made my ears perk up.
“The fool said his master was secretly keeping the Hengshan Sect's divine object, the Treasured Sword of Yuan Gong. He claimed it was currently ownerless and that he could steal it at any time. In return, he asked for a high price, since he'd be risking his life.”
To verify the truth of his claim, Ga Du-dal immediately infiltrated the Cloud Formation Hermitage.
“But the formation gave me a hell of a time.”
I barely managed to escape, but I was almost caught by Yang Il-so.
“And not long after, people started dying.”
Every single one of them had either mentioned or heard the story about the Treasured Sword of Yuan Gong at the gambling den.
“Among the dead was the Hengshan disciple who had revealed the sword's location. I found out later he was Yang Il-so's student. It wasn't hard to guess who the culprit was.”
“Then why did you give up without stealing it in the end?”
“I didn't feel it was worth the risk. Stealing a divine object from the Hengshan Sect holds no value for me.”
Dan Ak-seon recalled what Ga Du-dal had said before and nodded.
“Oh, right. You said you were planning to steal the treasures of the Nine Great Sects and display them for all the Central Plains to see, didn't you, sir?”
Ga Du-dal froze in surprise and glanced over at I Rip.
Just as he'd expected.
Meeting I Rip's murderous glare, his eyes wide and menacing, Ga Du-dal cleared his throat and quickly looked away.
After a moment.
“In any case, the best course of action is to sneak in, grab it quietly, and get out.”
If we bring back the Treasured Sword of Yuan Gong and return it, the Hengshan Sect's leader will be grateful and gladly add his signature to the joint petition.
There would be no need to worry about Yang Il-so either.
Given his pride as an elder, he would never come forward and confess that he was the one who lost the sword.
The others looked at Dan Ak-seon with troubled expressions.
If Ga Du-dal's story was true, it was certainly a viable plan. But for Dan Ak-seon to go himself was a bit...
Ga Du-dal, on the other hand, was inwardly cheering.
The art of thievery isn't just about secretly taking things.
It is elevated to a true art form when the value of the stolen object is combined with a dramatic story like this one. And the sense of accomplishment that comes from it is on a different level from the pleasure found in drink and gambling.
'Heh heh. First, I'll let him get a taste of what it's like to steal.'
As the saying goes, there may be people who have never stolen, but there are none who have stolen only once.
Unaware of Ga Du-dal's inner thoughts, Dan Ak-seon began to persuade Cho Ak-ryang, Beom Gye-wi, and Han Seol-hwa.
“Please, leave it to me. I think this method will cause the least harm to everyone involved.”
“But you've never stolen anything before, have you?”
At Han Seol-hwa's concern, Dan Ak-seon turned his head toward Ga Du-dal.
“Sir Ga will help me, right?”
“Of course.”
Ga Du-dal nodded and exclaimed excitedly.
“I'll pass on every skill I have without holding anything back!”
Unlike the gleeful Ga Du-dal, Han Seol-hwa looked reluctant.
But she soon let out a soft sigh.
Dan Ak-seon's stubborn gaze.
She knew his obstinate personality better than anyone.
The next morning.
As soon as breakfast was over, Dan Ak-seon began receiving lessons from Ga Du-dal.
Watching them with a confused expression, Beom Gye-wi suddenly spoke up.
“Are we sure this is the right thing to do?”
Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa were also feeling strange about it.
To think he had to learn the art of thievery. It was hard enough to master one art to its limit, but now he had to learn miscellaneous skills on top of it.
And yet, Dan Ak-seon himself was displaying frightening concentration.
The pickpocketing techniques passed down from Ga Du-dal.
Dan Ak-seon's face was incredibly serious as he practiced them.
What's more...
“Look at that. He's already improved so much.”
Dan Ak-seon was practicing moving the bell he had received from Ga Du-dal without making a sound.
But unlike before, it now made almost no noise.
“Excellent!”
Even Ga Du-dal couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Dan Ak-seon's skill in silently taking the bell hidden in his sleeve was a truly remarkable feat, flawless even in the eyes of the Divine Thief, the greatest in the world.
He had thought the boy's talent was great, but not to this extent.
“Hehe. Thank you. It's all thanks to your teachings, Sir Ga.”
The more he saw of him, the more he coveted the boy.
“They say a great master shows his disciple the path he must walk, and a great disciple shows his master the path he could not...”
Ga Du-dal nodded, genuinely impressed.
“Perhaps you are the one who will illuminate a new realm of thievery that I could never reach.”
At those words, Beom Gye-wi's eyebrow twitched.
“Who decided you're his master and he's your disciple?”
Faced with Beom Gye-wi's increasingly hostile glare, Ga Du-dal gave an awkward laugh.
“Haha, it's just an expression. Just an expression...”
Though he said that, Ga Du-dal's inner thoughts were different.
He could no longer imagine anyone but Dan Ak-seon as his successor.
Beom Gye-wi sighed.
“I'm worried he's going to awaken to something strange at this rate.”
Hearing those words filled with concern, Cho Ak-ryang finally stepped in.
He walked straight to Dan Ak-seon and tried to stop him.
“Let's find another way. No matter how I think about it, this doesn't seem right.”
Meeting Cho Ak-ryang's gaze, Dan Ak-seon smiled gently.
“I've realized something while doing this training.”
“...?”
“The fact that the art of thievery is also incredibly helpful for my medical skills.”
“You mean pickpocketing techniques?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Cho Ak-ryang's disbelieving expression.
“Would you mind closing your eyes?”
“Close my eyes?”
“Yes.”
At Dan Ak-seon's request, Cho Ak-ryang reluctantly closed his eyes.
A moment later.
“You can open your eyes now.”
Opening his eyes at Dan Ak-seon's words, Cho Ak-ryang looked puzzled.
It was because of Dan Ak-seon's beaming face, as if something wonderful had happened. And it didn't take long for him to realize why.
Dan Ak-seon raised his hand and pointed to the back of Cho Ak-ryang's hand.
“...!”
Cho Ak-ryang glanced down at the back of his hand and was startled.
“When on earth...?”
An acupuncture needle was stuck in his Hegu point, the spot where the thumb and index finger meet.
“You didn't feel any pain, did you?”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded, looking dazed.
Not only was there no pain, he hadn't felt a thing.
“To move the bell without a sound, you have to make the most of the delicate sensations in your fingertips. And in the end, acupuncture is also done with the hands. By applying the feeling and senses from moving the bell, this became possible.”
Cho Ak-ryang was speechless at the sight of Dan Ak-seon's bashful smile.
“That's not all. I think I can apply it to my grappling arts as well.”
Cho Ak-ryang frowned slightly.
“How can you compare such a paltry skill to my grappling arts...”
His pride wounded, Cho Ak-ryang trailed off with a displeased look.
“I'd like to show you. Would that be alright?”
At Dan Ak-seon's words, I Rip, who had been sitting at a distance, rose to his feet.
“Then shall we have a light spar?”
Thinking it was a good way to kill his boredom, I Rip strode over and stood facing Dan Ak-seon.
The spar began with Dan Ak-seon's first move.
I Rip was the chief of the Beggar's Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects and One Union. As such, his martial arts were quite formidable.
Naturally, he held the overwhelming advantage in the spar itself.
But as time passed, a look of astonishment appeared on I Rip's face.
'What in the world is he doing?'
I Rip shot a surprised glance at Cho Ak-ryang.
He had heard the boy had been learning martial arts for less than a year, yet Dan Ak-seon's fingertip control was incredibly delicate.
It was the same for Hong Jeok-mun, who was watching the spar.
Even considering he was taught by one of the Five Absolutes Under Heaven, Dan Ak-seon's grappling was simply astounding.
Watching those profound movements, even he, known as one of the Three Great Fists of the World, felt the urge to experience it firsthand.
'Is that really the skill of a mere child?'
Dan Ak-seon's grappling was so well-refined and fluid that one would believe he was a master who had already reached the peak.
However, the person who was truly the most surprised was someone else.
It was Cho Ak-ryang, the one who had taught Dan Ak-seon the grappling arts in the first place.