Quite the Venomous Guest (1)
"Stop drinking alone," Namgung Seha said, frowning as she looked at my sword. A faint, translucent sword qi was gently wrapping around the blade.
"Does it make sense to gain enlightenment in your sleep? Or did you raid some unknown ruin behind my back?"
"Yeah. I actually raided the tomb of Tushin."
"...Where on earth is something like that even supposed to exist?"
Tushin. A figure who had acquired a fortune so vast it ranked among the greatest in all of Murim history. If one asked how a mere brawler could obtain such immense wealth, the answer was simple: he was no brawler. The tou in his name did not mean "to fight," but "to steal." A legendary thief who had plundered the Nine Great Schools, the Five Great Families, and even the imperial palace itself. The treasures he took were priceless—the Yin-Yang Sword of Wudang, the formless poison of the Sichuan Tang Clan, the imperial seal of the crown prince—and so he became the only thief in history to have his name recorded for posterity.
Yet no one knew when, where, or how he had used the wealth he had so slyly acquired. After escaping the Murim Alliance's prison in just two months, he was never caught again.
"It does exist."
But I knew. That man had stolen a mountain of treasures and then buried every last piece inside his own tomb, turning it into a private exhibition. The Heavenly Demon Cult had discovered Tushinryeong, the Tomb of the God Thief, hidden away in the western regions. At first glance it looked like nothing more than an ordinary hill, so how the Heavenly Demon had known about it was something that would have baffled even Tushin himself.
"The Demonic Cult found Tushinryeong and raided it."
Namgung Seha stared at me with a rigid expression, her eyes burning with the demand for a full explanation. Why didn't you tell me?
"That's also where I found Mukrin, my old beloved sword."
Not wanting to get scolded again, I acted as if I hadn't noticed her glare and casually made a suggestion.
"I know where it is, so I'll tell you later. Even if I guide you while avoiding the major traps, the sheer volume of burial goods would be a bit much for the Namgung Clan to handle alone. Start looking for some reliable people to come with us."
"....When exactly did the Demonic Cult raid it?"
Understanding my desire to change the subject, Namgung Seha pressed her temples and asked the question anyway.
To help the conversation move on smoothly, I explained in detail.
"It started when I was twenty-five and took a year and a half, until I turned twenty-six. The mechanisms weren't actually that difficult. It just took you so long because you were trying to do it in secret."
"Since we already know all the answers, wouldn't it take a little less than a year?"
She gave a light nod of agreement, then asked one more thing.
"Is there anything else? Any other secrets of the Murim that only the Demonic Cult knows about?"
There were a few. Hidden poisons, special corpse refinement techniques. But among those, the ones we could actually snatch from the Demonic Cult's grasp...
"There are about three things worth trying to steal. But nothing on the scale of Tushinryeong."
I spread three fingers. She turned her head with a look that said she had committed it to memory.
As she stood there, something suddenly slammed into me from behind with a soft poof. A small black shape wrapped itself around my waist. Namgung Hye was giggling "hee hee."
She had finally escaped from her mountain of books. Congratulations.
"What are you talking about? Sister? Brother?"
We couldn't talk about the Heavenly Demon Cult in front of Namgung Hye.
"Let's put that aside for now. What are they preparing over there?"
I pointed to the side. It was the same spot where the celebration banquet had been held before. They weren't usually negligent about cleaning, but today people were sweeping with unusual diligence. Not only that, the entire clan was in a state of bustle.
With a soft "Ah," Namgung Seha answered.
"We have guests coming to the main house today. Didn't my older brother tell you?"
"He didn't mention it."
She was referring to her older brother, the young master Namgung Jinhak. He was one of the three people who knew the secret between me and Namgung Hyeok. Thanks to that, he would often come by, saying he wanted to see Seha's friend. As a result, we had developed a comfortable relationship where we would talk whenever we met. Knowing I was different from the other warriors of the great clans, he would come and inform me whenever an event like this was planned.
"No wonder you were dressed so shabbily. I thought you at least had the consideration to dress properly when guests were coming."
"That consideration was all thanks to your brother."
To be exact, it was because if it became obvious that I was receiving special treatment and freedom, it would cause trouble for both the Namgung Clan and me.
"....You don't happen to have any spare clothes at your house, do you?"
Namgung Seha thought for a moment, then nodded.
"We do, but none that would fit you. You're tall for a ten-year-old, but you're still rather small."
In short, if I stayed like this I would end up greeting the guests in sweat-soaked clothes. Fortunately it didn't seem like they would arrive right away, and my house was close enough.
"Damn it, I'll run home and be right back."
Just as I picked up my sword, a question suddenly occurred to me.
"By the way, do you know who the guests are?"
Namgung Seha smiled at the question.
"The Sichuan Tang Clan. It's them."
Quite the venomous guests, then.
A carriage escorted by dozens of warriors rolled along. Inside, a young noble was playing a grass flute.
"Young Master."
A warrior knocked on the carriage door. The noble stopped playing and opened it.
"May I ask why you insist on using this kind of road?"
The carriage jolted violently. The young master swayed, then settled back into his seat.
"Are you not uncomfortable?"
It wasn't just this warrior. None of the escorts could understand why their young master would ignore well-maintained roads and deliberately lead the luxurious carriages down such a rough, out-of-the-way path. They simply followed, as escorts should.
"Well...?"
The young master gave no clear answer. He only offered a sly smile that suggested even he wasn't entirely sure, dodging the question entirely. This wasn't the first or second time, so the warrior gave up on receiving an answer and turned to leave. That was when the young master spoke again.
"Have you never thought about it?"
He clenched the grass flute in his fist. The crushed flute immediately turned black and rotten before being tossed out of the carriage.
"The thought of entering enemy territory alone and annihilating dozens of foes single-handedly."
It was the stuff of fantasy. If the enemies were far beneath him, it might be possible. Most of the escort warriors were at the Peak Realm; against second-class opponents, it could be done. But that was not what their young master meant. He was clearly thinking of opponents of equal strength—or stronger.
"That is impossible."
"Is it?"
The young master turned his head for the first time, looking at the warrior with interest after hearing the declaration of impossibility.
"Well, that's a natural way to think. From your position, that would be correct."
He tilted his handsome face, then twisted his expression and snapped.
"Do not dare to universalize your own limits and impose them upon the world."
Just as he was about to continue, a commotion erupted outside. As both of them turned their heads toward the noise, another warrior approached and reported.
"Bandits, sir. They are from Tiger King Fort, one of the Green Forest's Seventy-Two Forts."
At those words, the young master slowly rose from his seat.
"The guests I've been waiting for have arrived. I'll go myself."
He opened the door completely and stepped down from the carriage, then began walking forward unhurriedly. The warriors' attempts to stop him were useless. In fact, he restrained them and advanced even further until he stood roughly ten paces from the bandits.
"Watch carefully. Your limits belong only to you."
He raised a hand to point at the warrior standing behind him, then lowered it while flicking his sleeve.
"An ordinary martial artist cannot face a hundred enemies."
He stamped his foot. That was all.
The bandits, thinking it was a threat, charged at him all at once with their weapons raised. The Peak Realm warriors tried to rush forward to block them, but the young master spat, stopping them in their tracks.
"No matter how strong your sword screen or qi barrier is, you cannot completely block attacks pouring in from all directions with mere weapons."
By the time the weapons reached him, they no longer moved. More precisely, they could not move.
"However, our clan is different."
The bandits' entire bodies had gone rigid. They trembled violently, then one by one dropped their weapons, coughed up blood, and collapsed.
"With a single throw of a hidden weapon from where you stand, you can fell dozens of enemies. With a single dose of poison, you can fell a hundred."
That was the end of Tiger King Fort.
"That is why our clan is called the ruler of Sichuan."
He walked over to the warrior who had charged earlier, picked up the spit that had fallen at the man's feet, and spoke as if it were nothing important.
"Well, I just find fighting thrilling."
He turned his back on them and headed toward the carriage.
"All of you, remember this."
"Remember who stands before your eyes."
I am Dokryong, Dang Hoyeong.
He looked at his clothes, which had a few drops of blood on them, and took them off with a displeased expression. He tossed the outer robe onto the baggage cart behind them.
"Let's go. We'll take the fastest route now."
Once back inside the carriage, he looked up at the sky. Unusually, there were no clouds in the southern sky.
"They say the Namgung Clan has two geniuses, don't they?"
Namgung Seha, who had reached first-class at the age of eight. And the sword prodigy said to surpass even her—Geommang. There were many wild rumors about him already reaching the Peak Realm or mastering divine arts, but that only proved how extraordinary Geommang truly was.
"Heh. I'm looking forward to it."
I wonder what kind of fight we'll have.