Chapter 39
Chapter 39
39.
The Victor Doesn't Remove Their Mask
I glared at Hongshin and said,
"If you hand over all the money you have, I'll consider our sect's bond and let you go with all your limbs intact today."
I said that, but I had no intention of letting Hongshin go in the first place.
"If you bring back even more money next time, I'll accept your challenge again. If you win against me even once, I'll return all the money. I wonder if you've heard of Combat Gambling."
Combat Gambling.
It was literally fighting with money on the line.
Theft and gambling were inseparable, so it would be an irresistible offer for Hongshin.
Hongshin's eyes changed.
"Are you serious?"
I provoked her with a smile in my eyes from behind the mask.
"Junior Sister, consider it fortunate that I'm not killing you. If you're scared, just hand over the money and disappear quietly."
She'd have no choice but to challenge me like this, right? Right?
Hongshin replied,
"Combat Gambling... Surely, Senior Brother wouldn't decide the terms of the combat against his Junior Sister, would he?"
"You decide."
Either way, I was planning to beat Hongshin up if she lost the bet.
Hongshin was startled inwardly.
"Then, without dragging it out, let's make it a match where I lose if you take off my mask within half a shichen, using any means and methods. Would it be right for us Senior and Junior Brothers to settle things with brute force? But if we just compete in running, I'll have the advantage. Setting a time limit seems just right. Combat Gambling is about taking off my mask, how about it?"
I nodded.
"Fair enough."
I had already seen the walkthrough, so I expected her to suggest a combat involving lightness skill. But this was an easier development.
"I've already told you. I won't be picky about means and methods. Let's do it within the confines of the Black Cat Clan. If you go over the wall, you lose."
Throwing hidden weapons or spreading smoke.
She would try to fill the time by mixing those petty tricks with lightness skill. I yawned widely and replied,
"Let's start. I need to take a nap after settling this."
Hongshin let out a bizarre cackling laugh, leaped onto the wall, and threw a small hourglass towards my subordinates.
"Referee, flip that over, and when the sand runs out, it's exactly half a shichen. Start."
Hongshin beckoned to me with her finger.
"Come on, Senior Brother."
I slowly approached Hongshin with my hands behind my back.
'How presumptuous.'
Hongshin said with a smile,
"Are you a snail? What are you doing?"
"Playing tag."
Since I was approaching too slowly, there was no reason for Hongshin to run away quickly.
Hongshin watched me and backed away on the wall.
I glanced at Hongshin, casually followed her, reached out with both hands on the wall, and climbed up normally and slowly.
"Heave-ho..."
"..."
Hongshin said in a still bewildered tone,
"Half a shichen isn't that long."
"Shut up, how dare you lecture your Senior Brother."
I rolled up my sleeves and said to Hongshin,
"I'll give you a proper lesson today. I clearly said I'd let you go unharmed if you just handed over the money, yet you don't know your place."
I glared at Hongshin and approached.
There was no need to run fast from the beginning to catch the nimble Hongshin. Hongshin was now backing away, checking my position. Then, thinking there was no need to step on the walls or roofs, she lightly jumped down to the wide center of the outer grounds.
"You're very relaxed."
I also went down to the outer grounds and chased Hongshin at the slowest speed in the world. A slow and frustrating speed, like a turtle approaching its prey.
This was, of course, psychological warfare.
Because I was too slow, Hongshin didn't need to show off various techniques. The outcome would be decided in an instant anyway, and at that moment, my hand would be faster than Hongshin's eyes.
"It's not too late now. If you just hand over the money, you won't be humiliated in front of my subordinates."
"Oh, I'm so scared."
I stopped completely and looked at Hongshin.
The distance between Hongshin and me was about three zhang (approximately 9 meters).
Hongshin slowly widened the distance by backing away and opened her mouth.
"Senior..."
Just as Hongshin was about to utter the word, I soared into the air like lightning striking in reverse. To be exact, I shot out diagonally, passing over Hongshin's head.
Hongshin, who couldn't even fully utter the word 'Senior Brother,' reacted quickly, as if disappearing in an instant. But instead of turning around and running away, she stepped back as if not wanting to miss my strange behavior.
In this case, I, who was faster than Hongshin in the first place, had no choice but to catch up even faster.
I leaped in a curve, instantly narrowing the three zhang gap to one zhang, and just as the gap widened again, I kicked off the ground and followed like a bowstring returning to its original position.
Hongshin put her hand into her bosom and scattered white powder into the air.
Before my vision turned blurry...
I scattered the white powder with a palm strike, gauged the sound, and as soon as I stepped on the ground again, I narrowed the distance like a ghost and closely followed Hongshin's back.
Hongshin suddenly screamed, and only then did she turn her body and leap into the air with all her might.
At that moment, the gap between my outstretched hand and Hongshin's just-leaping foot was very narrow, almost precarious.
Just when Hongshin thought she had barely escaped...
I deliberately recited the name of the martial art I had gained insight into in the Elixir Storage.
"Great Art of Plundering Vigor."
The so-called, shouting the technique name.
In the Martial World, shouting the technique name when fighting was taboo and childish.
However, shamelessly shouting the technique name like this was proof that I could mock the opponent. Hongshin's ankle, which was trying to escape while maintaining a narrow gap, was pulled into my hand and barely caught.
Instantly, Hongshin, seized by the fear of possibly dying, twisted her body and poured out her inner energy with one hand.
I grabbed her ankle, swung my arm, and slammed Hongshin to the ground.
Hongshin quickly reached out with both hands to support herself on the ground and shouted as if screaming,
"Save..."
But surprisingly, Hongshin bounced off the ground with inner energy and turned around, extending a fierce palm towards my face.
After all, not being picky about means and methods included this as well.
I calmly struck Hongshin's palm with a Finger Technique mixed with Flame Flower Scent, and at the same time, I used the Great Art of Plundering Vigor with my Palm Strike to pull off Hongshin's mask.
Instantly, a booming sound rang out, and Hongshin's body was pushed into the air, engulfed in flames in places. Hongshin's upper garment was shattered into small pieces like ashes and scattered, revealing her skin. However, as befitting a woman known as a thief, she was wearing protective clothing made of tough material in the underwear area.
The subordinates who saw the sight let out strange exclamations.
"Ooh-yah."
Hongshin's upper body was burned in places, revealing her bare skin.
But I didn't think Hongshin was dead at all.
The amount of inner energy I felt when I struck with the Finger Technique was not at all inferior to that of the former Black Cat Clan Leader.
'She's quite something.'
Anyway, the walkthrough's mention that she had a considerable amount of Inner energy from stealing and eating Elixir seemed to be true.
While the subordinates were admiring Hongshin's naked body, I grabbed the back of the Black Robe with my fingers and threw it towards Hongshin. The fluttering Black Robe flew and covered Hongshin's body.
Only then did the subordinates' gazes stop.
"Stop staring."
"Yes, Leader."
I examined the red mask in my hand and said,
"Anyway, I won easily, leisurely, in one go, without any crisis."
"Congratulations."
"You're welcome."
I guessed that Hongshin would have regained consciousness by now. But she wasn't getting up. Regarding this, I kindly explained to the subordinates the psychological warfare that took place in the Martial World.
"Everyone, look at Junior Sister Hong. Does she still look unconscious?"
"Yes."
"No. She'll stay like that, be carried away on a stretcher, and wake up in the middle of the night. She'll raid the Elixir Storage or take the Black Cat Clan's funds and slip away like a night thief. But that won't work on me. You must always be careful of various seduction techniques. Especially in Heukdo."
As soon as I finished speaking, Hongshin sprang up like a ghost and hurriedly put on the Black Robe I had thrown.
"Senior Brother, I'm learning many things today."
Only then did the Black Cat Clan's martial artists confirm Hongshin's face without the mask. I realized that her act of taking off the mask itself was a seduction technique. She had a pretty face that nine out of ten men would like. Moreover, most female masters who had mastered martial arts had good figures. From the perspective of the trashy Heukdo men, she was definitely a woman worthy of envy.
Sure enough, the subordinates' eyes already seemed to be filled with sympathy.
"Tsk."
Seduction techniques were this scary.
"Junior Sister, don't think about running away. Kneel. The moment you're caught, I'll take that Long Robe away first. I'm faster than you anyway."
Hongshin, who had been putting strength in her legs, staggered involuntarily and knelt obediently.
"Senior Brother, I was very rude today. I didn't know your martial arts had developed so quickly."
"Quiet. You lost, so spit it out."
Hongshin glared at me and took out a heavy Money Pouch from her bosom. I slowly approached, and before Hongshin could say anything, I reached out towards the Money Pouch and used the Great Art of Plundering Vigor.
Whoosh!
The Money Pouch, accompanied by a bizarre phenomenon like a whirlwind forming in reverse, stuck to my palm. The Great Art of Plundering Vigor, based on the power of the Celestial Jade, became more familiar the more I used it.
'This is amazing...'
The Money Pouch was quite heavy.
When I opened it, it was full of thin rectangular Gold Coins and Silver Coins that were commonly used as currency in the area.
"As expected, Junior Sister is rich."
Hongshin looked up at me and asked,
"By the way, Senior Brother, what is the Great Art of Plundering Vigor?"
"The Great Art of Plundering Vigor is the Great Art of Plundering Vigor. It's my unique martial art. Why? Doesn't it seem like there's no better martial art for stealing? Well, if you master my Great Art of Plundering Vigor, you might be called the greatest thief of all time."
But this was a martial art that I couldn't teach. I was the only one with the Celestial Jade. It was something that happened much later, but if the Cult Leader tried to recreate this, I was planning to step in and kill him. There was still plenty of time.
Hongshin suddenly said in a pleading tone,
"Senior Brother, can you teach that martial art to your pretty Junior Sister? I'll get whatever you want and bring it to you. You know my skills..."
"You can never learn my unique martial art. Dream on. Even if you stole the world and placed it at my feet, it's a martial art I can't teach you."
"It seems like a type of Telekinesis that you can naturally learn when your Inner energy is deep, but you're being too harsh."
"Think what you want. Tell the other lower Divine Generals as well. Tell them not to bother me anymore since the gap has widened even further."
Hongshin replied as if she was cleanly giving up.
"I will. And, thank you for sparing me."
I examined Hongshin's mask. Like the Black Cat mask, it was a mask that had been made with considerable effort.
"Senior Brother, please give me the mask."
I said, wondering what this mask meant.
"For free? No way. Bring a hundred Silver Coins and exchange it. I'll keep it safe."
Hongshin replied in a cold tone.
"Are you really going to do this?"
"Two hundred Silver Coins."
"You know I'm closer to the Divine Generals Senior Brothers, right? I'm also closer to Senior Brother Baek-yu."
"Three hundred Silver Coins."
"Give it back."
"Four hundred Silver Coins."
"I'll tell Master."
The moment Hongshin mentioned Daenachal and turned around as if she was sulking, I quickly approached and tapped both sides of her Gyeongeonghyeol with the Wooden Chicken Finger Technique.
Hongshin's body was as stiff as a Wooden Chicken.
I ordered the subordinates.
"Lock Junior Sister in the shed. I'll torture her myself."
I went forward to watch the expression of the stiff Junior Sister and glared at her.
Only then, Hongshin could see the look in my eyes beyond the mask in detail, and said in a subdued tone.
"Who are you?"
I sent her a smile and slapped Hongshin's cheek. The sound of a smack echoed in the Black Cat Clan.
"Is that how you talk to your Senior Brother? Junior Sister, did you think I was easy to bully because I treated you nicely? Take her away."
The subordinates lifted the Wooden Red Monkey and headed to the shed. After confirming that the executives were staring blankly at me, I said.
"You've had enough rest now, right? Start the afternoon training."
Only then did I yawn again. I had been researching the Great Art of Plundering Vigor until late at night for several days, so I was sleep-deprived.