Chapter 90
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The One-Eyed Divine Thief's Secret Vault
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‘Not to mention her being a woman.’
Recalling the numerous rumors about the eccentric patrol captain, Seo Mun-ha felt puzzled, and with him leading the way, the three found themselves lost in their own thoughts for a moment.
‘……Hundred Refined Spirit Steel, handled so easily?’
It was shocking.
“Kuh!”
Ya-ul-gi barely pulled himself together, fixing his crumbling stance as he swiftly retreated several steps.
‘……No way, Dragon Scale Claw?’
The eccentric patrol captain was just as stunned.
“Whoever you are, run!”
But denying what her own eyes had seen, she shouted urgently, as if it couldn't be true.
“Hurry!”
Amid the group struggling to hide their bewilderment, Seo Mun-ha stepped up to emphasize his purpose.
“I have questions.”
From trivial matters to weighty ones, he shared the same mindset as the two, with plenty he wanted to ask.
For instance, why a woman barred from official positions would risk her life playing patrol captain.
Or about the hidden master watching them from afar.
“There are, but first……”
Seo Mun-ha toyed with his grip, reliving the sensation in his hand.
Before smooth questioning could begin, the faces of the obvious threats—clear interlopers—twisted viciously.
“Who the hell are you?!”
Following the fan leader's bellow, the stalled time began to flow rapidly again.
The bandits, exhausted from repeated battles and squeezing out what little energy they had left, straightened their limp swords and spears. The unexpected intervention of this third party reignited the tension that had barely subsided.
“Do I look like some passing traveler?”
Seo Mun-ha, having stated his business several times, clicked his tongue pointedly.
“With a head just for show, you're the perfect bandit.”
The fan leader's face flushed red and purple at the provocative cheap shot.
“You little brat……!”
“Hold on a moment.”
This time, Ya-ul-gi stepped in to restrain him.
“Stranger—or should I say young hero—do you know whose operation you're interrupting?”
His spine still tingled.
Though they'd only clashed indirectly, having lost his unique weapon, he relied on his warrior's instincts, suppressing his anger while wary of the young master before him.
He wasn't the type to charge recklessly, and since his appearance didn't pinpoint anyone specific, resolving this verbally would be ideal.
“The Southern Evils of the Yangtze, right?”
“……That's right. I'm Ya-ul-gi, the fourth.”
His other, less flattering moniker was Severing Flash Guest.
Having reached the peak realm, he bore a relatively dignified title compared to his three brothers.
Not that the Southern Evils of the Yangtze were hugely famous, but crucially, unlike typical unorthodox scoundrels, he wasn't devoid of reason.
“And these local bandits must be from Dragon King Stronghold. Bold enough to defy the officials, so you're probably the fan leader, huh?”
While Seo Mun-ha bantered casually, the veins on the burly fan leader stood out even more prominently.
“You know that and still pull this? Can you handle us alone, young hero?”
Ya-ul-gi probed subtly, confirming Seo Mun-ha was by himself, even fishing for backing.
“If there's no grudge, step aside. We don't meddle in others' vendettas—reckless meddling born of youthful bravado only tarnishes one's karma.”
Seo Mun-ha smirked.
“Talkative, aren't you.”
A snort escaped at their petty scheming.
“Cut the crap. State your real intentions, short and clear.”
Finally, the fan leader couldn't hold back and bellowed.
“Leave the women and scram, you bastard!”
With words that suited him perfectly, the bandits lunged at Seo Mun-ha from both sides.
Taak!
Pillage, murder, arson.
They'd already looked ridiculous pretending to be heroes after preying on commoners.
“Die!”
Disgustingly so.
Thud.
Seo Mun-ha responded with utter simplicity.
One bandit caught by his ankle suddenly floated into the air.
In an instant unworthy of first prize, as the bandit plummeted pathetically, Seo Mun-ha grabbed his back and swung the lanky body like a weapon.
“Urk?!”
The bandits hastily withdrew, but in that moment, they scattered like fallen leaves in autumn. Despite their ruthless deeds, they seemed to have some camaraderie.
Whoosh!
Seo Mun-ha dodged the blade slicing toward his front and evaded the chaotic thrusts one by one.
“No grudge, sure.”
Having strung them along just enough, he shifted to offense, ignoring the two behind him.
“But as the saying goes, a beast that tastes human blood will strike again.”
A dull thud imprinted in everyone's minds.
Thwack—!
The bandit's face crushed, he died on the spot.
“You've rampaged far too long.”
No sword needed—just raw fisticuffs sufficed, without even proper form.
Bam!
Setting aside the need for anonymity, the bandits had been far from fresh even before.
The loot from Cheongdan County was no small amount, and hauling it while enduring grueling fights had left their bodies feeling like a thousand catties.
“Kuhk!”
Though few in number, Seo Mun-ha dominated the area, toying with the many like playthings.
Two bandits thrusting from both sides accidentally shredded their comrade's flesh. Indiscriminate fresh blood and chunks of meat splattered repeatedly over the blood-soaked gravel.
“Ah……”
The woman, who'd been worrying for his safety, licked her dry lips.
“Uwaaak!”
As if entranced, she stared blankly at the one-sided slaughter.
Best to cover your eyes.
Following the curt order, she'd pulled the tear-streaked boy close.
‘This man……’
While showing ruthless hands, he didn't seem purely evil—that was her assessment.
For a woman who naturally despised all martial artists regardless of affiliation, it was an exceedingly generous evaluation. Separately, he felt oddly familiar.
Whoosh!
The Dragon King Stronghold's fan leader, whose sword at his waist was mere ornament compared to his iron head, unleashed his signature fist and palm arts amid his dwindling underlings.
“Hahp!”
True energy backed his booming shout.
Aiming for the side to exploit an opening, he sought to avenge his fallen subordinate with the same technique.
Only to meet the same end.
Seo Mun-ha raised his forearm simply, dismantling it.
Crack! Whoosh! Thud!
He gave no chance to regather the scattered energy.
Suddenly, the strike to the fan leader's gut was a clenched fist.
“Kuheuk!”
Seo Mun-ha turned away immediately, stirring a bit of true energy against the bandits charging desperately.
Pa-ba-bak!
Sharp true energy burst from his fingertips.
Five vertical marks etched a straight line across the bandit's torso.
Drip.
Deep, engraved traces marked the fleeting moment, and the bandit, vomiting blood, collapsed lifelessly.
Two remained.
The groaning fan leader in pain and Ya-ul-gi, briefly honing his energy, glared murderously.
“……”
Seo Mun-ha's stance was clear.
He was no longer an official or soldier.
Not quite a righteous wanderer either, though a warrior yes.
Yet his response to the bandits' pillaging had been excessively merciless.
He set aside unfamiliar notions of chivalry; from his past life carried a policy, almost instinct, sparking the same revulsion he'd felt toward eunuchs devouring the nation.
Grip.
Ya-ul-gi tightened his hold on his sword hilt.
He'd captured every move of Seo Mun-ha's without missing a beat, yet his identity and arts remained a mystery.
A head-on clash offered no chance of victory—he needed an opening.
But none visible, an unexpected voice provided one.
“Iron Cavalry's…… Exemplary Harmony Fist……”
Seo Mun-ha's eyes flashed toward the eccentric patrol captain.
‘Now!’
Ya-ul-gi kicked off the ground, thrusting his broken longsword.
Scree!
True power filling half the blade shimmered like a heat haze.
A sword strike pouring all his inner energy.
Manifesting sword energy, he infused its essence—met by Seo Mun-ha drawing his sword a beat late.
Drip.
Unexpectedly, Ya-ul-gi screamed.
“Kwaaak!”
More blood gushed from his gripped wrist, the half-longsword clattering pitifully from his hand.
Clang.
The tangible draw exceeded Ya-ul-gi's expectations in speed and motion; the tiger-claw momentum was pure Seo Mun Clan swift sword.
Swish.
As if to ease her pain, Seo Mun-ha indifferently slashed down.
“Don't kill him!”
The moment of the downward strike.
“We need to get answers from them!”
Seo Mun-ha's sword halted at Ya-ul-gi's nape.
Click.
Sheathing his blade, he asked,
“Want to keep going?”
Behind the clutching, prone Ya-ul-gi, the lone fan leader clicked his tongue.
“Y-You bastard! The Dragon King Stronghold brothers won't let this……”!
His strained shout cut off as a blow to his occiput made his eyes roll back, collapsing.
“So, what is it we need to find out?”
Judging by his shifted tone, Seo Mun-ha was openly wary of her bundle of mysteries.
“That's……”
“Not here—let's move first. Too exposed for talk.”
He'd meant to offer measured aid for info.
“Your shoulder needs proper treatment, or it'll be useless forever.”
Swept by emotion, he sensed things had veered slightly; they needed to share backgrounds.
The two found a pavilion by the water.
Unable to suture fully, the eccentric patrol captain had bandaged her shoulder crudely, while the unconscious Ya-ul-gi and fan leader wheezed faintly in a nearby corner.
“Should I call you benefactor? Whatever your motives, thank you for the rescue first.”
Composed neatly, the woman clasped her hands.
“Call me Yeon-gung.”
Her tidy black hair matched her prim appearance, at odds with her patrol captain role.
“Though you probably know me better as the eccentric patrol captain.”
Utterly unadorned, a mere shift in perception revealed her delicate beauty.
“Yeon-gung?”
Probably around Seo Mun Young-ryeong's age.
Already stunning enough for the title of beauty, her youth promised even more in a year or two, rivaling Baek Ri-seol.
“Alias?”
A smile flickered on her pausing face.
No way she'd reveal her true name while disguised as a man, yet she did the unexpected.
“Yeon. North Palace Yeon.”
“……I see.”
Now it clicked for Seo Mun-ha.
Her ability to patrol incognito as a woman, command numerous officials as a mere captain, even the master surveilling her—all explained.
The North Palace family, one of the Ten Yellow Path Houses, had long wielded influence as a prestigious clan.
‘From Master Mun-seong, that old man.’
Recognizing his signature technique made sense for a woman from a court-connected house.
“I'd love to repay you properly, but it's tough right now.”
Hinting at rewards, she contrasted his nonchalant dismissal.
“Beauty is a nation's treasure, children its future, as they say.”
“Pardon?”
“Don't trouble yourself beyond this.”
“……Ah.”
“Speaking of, the boy?”
“Back to the village.”
The speechless boy from the shock was quietly stacking a cairn over the villagers' graves.
“No reinforcements from the yamen yet? With a Ding-yong around, you'd think.”
Most under a patrol captain were constables like Ding-yong; he knew their role in cleaning up ruined villages.
“They should arrive soon. Don't worry.”
North Palace Yeon added mischievously.
“You really know the bureaucracy well.”
“……”
“Grandfather mentioned it years ago: Yi Mok-yeom's successor appeared in the north. I thought it impossible, but the rumors were true.”
Sharp-eyed as her title suggested.
“And that it's Seo Mun Clan's young master.”
“What are you getting at?”
“The Seo Mun Clan wants one thing right now, don't they?”
She was bold too.
“Where all those warriors vanished to. Before I tell, teach me one thing.”
“One thing?”
“Your identity, benefactor—or should I say lord.”
“……Lord?”
Seo Mun-ha chuckled dryly, but her explanation hardened his expression.
“From Gansu, entered officialdom at seventeen. Rose from grunt to Embroidered Uniform Guard recommendation in under five years?”
She confidently recited Yi Mok-yeom's life.
“Commander before thirty. Court influence surely, but merits undeniable—the youngest promotion ever.”
Even his exile north after offending eunuchs—she knew Yi Mok-yeom's tale better than he did.
“Never met him, but us Ten Houses kids all knew.”
Hearing his feats daily like scripture—some bored, others admired.
“He left no heirs.”
Her assured tone, rising with fervor, belonged to the latter, mostly factual.
“Even so, not you—so my curiosity about your identity makes sense?”
But one guess was utterly wrong.
Unthinkable assumptions were absurd, so he couldn't correct her misconception outright.
‘I am him.’
Seo Mun-ha sighed deliberately.
“Lord?”
Brushing off the lengthy praise, he issued a veiled threat.
“Wondering if I should kill you to silence you.”
The fervent air chilled.
“In the jianghu, idle curiosity shortens lives.”
Light flickered in North Palace Yeon's bewildered eyes.
“……Huh?”
Chills ran through her.
From her excited chatter to grasping the situation, she clutched her sinking chest, glancing rigidly around.
“J-Joking, right?”
“Joking.”
Seo Mun-ha waved to refresh the air.
“No nonsense—stick to the point.”
Pouting, she proved as quirky and fierce as rumored.
“What kind of joke is that scary……”
“Kill you?”
“The Seo Mun warriors headed to Ghost Flash Valley.”
Her prompt reply suggested threats worked best.
“Where's Ghost Flash Valley?”
“Sea Floor Canyon. But really, are you his successor……”
“Kill you?”
“No precise path to Sea Floor Canyon is known. Even peak masters can't breathe underwater. Likely an island route leading to the canyon.”
She flipped attitudes readily, providing what she could. Seo Mun-ha pondered silently before a sudden thought.
“What's in Ghost Flash Valley anyway?”
The core reason, tying Iron Blood Fortress and Seo Mun Clan.
“A secret vault. The One-Eyed Divine Thief's secret vault.”