Chapter 208
Chapter 208
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: The Shadow Thief's Triumph
The Dang siblings were genuinely shocked in two ways.
First, there was Chudal's attitude—casually chopping off limbs the moment he was caught, yet calling it a fine spectacle to watch.
And second... his stealth skills, slipping in and out of the inner sanctum of one of the 136 Great Sects without a single soul noticing.
'He's grown. Everyone's been saying it. And fast.'
"Chudal, brother. Fine, what's done is done. But what about the fallout? You're absolutely sure no one spotted you?"
"You could end up sounding the retreat drums for real if you're not careful, little brother Chudal."
Chudal slowly rose to his feet.
Was he getting cold feet now and planning to bolt...?
The siblings were growing uneasy with such thoughts when...
"Brother. Who do you think I am?"
Normally, Yang-hwi would have shot back with something like, "Who? The ugly Chudal, of course!" but this time, he grinned brightly and played along.
"In the Way of the Thief, I dare say I'm the world's best! The sole and rightful heir to the Divine Thief Lineage!"
Chudal puffed out his chest, shoulders squared wide.
"That's right! I'm not Chudal... I'm Hu! Grand-disciple of the previous Divine Thief, inheritor of the entire Shadow Ghost Sect legacy!"
Yang-hwi slapped his knee, chiming in perfectly.
"Heck yeah!"
Opinions varied on which sect held the supreme swordsmanship in the world.
But if you asked which lineage boasted the greatest stealth arts...
Everyone would utter one name.
The Divine Thief Lineage, Shadow Ghost Sect!
"I am none other than Shadow Ghost Sect's young master, the Ghostly Wanderer Hu!"
"Whoa there!"
"Brother, not 'whoa there'—say 'heck yeah'."
"Oops?!"
"...Gotta ask for what I want."
Chudal's excited mood deflated as he continued.
"Anyway, no worries, Young Heir Dang. No one caught on."
"...For real?"
"I didn't go anywhere I'd get spotted in the first place. Places likely to hold martial manuals were guarded tight."
...Never mind that he'd confirmed it with his own eyes.
"So, exactly where did you poke around?"
"The sect leader's office."
Dang Gun couldn't hold back and raised his voice.
"You went somewhere dangerous! Somewhere you'd get caught! The Taiji Sect Leader is the sect's top expert, trained in the Wudang homeland itself!"
"Wasn't there, though?"
"Huh?"
"Something must've come up. Looked like he'd gone out. No trace of an expert on his level anywhere in the sect."
Come to think of it, Chudal knew the most intel among them all.
As the core of Baek Clan's information network, he handled their regular communications.
This eased worries about any backlash, at least a bit.
But Dang Gun hardened his expression again.
"Chudal, brother. Smart call, well judged. But you should've thought it through more."
Chudal and Yang-hwi felt a strange sense of déjà vu from Dang Gun's face.
What was it? Like the stern look of a stuffy adult lecturing.
"Sneaking into another sect's inner chambers without permission is hardly proper. It's no different from outright theft."
Chudal had just one reply.
"What about Liangshan Marsh?"
"......"
Liangshan Marsh—the infamous bandit stronghold from the tales of Water Margin, one of the Central Plains' most legendary storybooks.
A mountain bandit lair, plain and simple.
"Water Margin's heroes were Liangshan's bandits. And yet they're hailed as true heroes, aren't they?"
"...It's a novel."
"Every tale carries the dreams of the world's masses!"
"So... you're saying it's righteous theft, like Liangshan's outlaws?"
"Exactly! I'm this era's vigilante!"
Beside the babbling Chudal, Yang-hwi nodded with an expression that said not quite, not quite.
'Ah. I see.'
Not long ago, after reuniting with Chudal for the first time in years...
Dang Gun had thought the guy looked a bit sharper.
But this was way beyond that!
Chudal had always been sly but with a clear moral line...
Ha ha ha. That line had shot right up.
Just like someone else.
"Chudal's right, Brother Dang. This counts as righteous action."
"...I'd love to hear the logic."
Yang-hwi just chuckled softly.
It was natural they couldn't accept it yet.
But it was righteous.
Thwarting Wudang's scheme would ultimately prevent rivers of blood.
Well, explaining facts now wouldn't convince them anyway.
So, keep it short and punchy.
"Stopping the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans' greed."
Yang-hwi's answer was simple. Which was why Dang Gun grasped it instantly.
The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans—prestigious Orthodox powers. No one knew better than the Dang Clan, born from their whims, just how unreasonably they pursued their desires.
"I see. Their greed often blinds them to others' suffering."
"Knowing Wudang's plans is crucial. They're acting more tyrannically than even the greed-soaked Five Great Clans."
Zhuge Seol-ha, who'd been listening quietly, whispered in a voice like an ant crawling.
"Sorry on behalf of Zhuge Clan..."
"Ah."
"Huh?"
Didn't see that coming.
"Ha ha, ha ha ha! Zhuge Clan's peerless Dragon Among Men is famed for his sense of justice! He's always admired this Young Heir Dang greatly, my lord!"
"Right... Father's a good man. Unlike our family..."
The spilled water had toppled for a whole different reason.
"Come on, logic doesn't matter now. Water's spilled—let's make good use of the intel we got."
He tossed one more line at the crestfallen Zhuge Seol-ha.
"Might be a chance to screw over Wudang."
Zhuge Seol-ha brightened instantly.
"Right! Hope we can pay back every headache they've caused. Hee hee hee!"
"......"
"What is it, brother?"
"Nothing."
Yang-hwi had felt no guilt modding Baek Heon-so and Chudal.
But this felt... off somehow.
Seol-ha, don't laugh so flippantly with that face...
"Anyway, Chudal. Spill what you learned, quick. Anything useful?"
"Yes, brother. Found something juicy. Like Wudang's ultimate goal?"
This intel had even Dang Gun hooked.
The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly was normally a joint event run by elders from various prestigious sects.
Yet this time, Wudang had forced through hosting it solo, half-bullying the others.
Couldn't help but wonder why.
"To solidify their seat as the Nine Great Sects' leader and boost their name as the world's top sect?"
"Yes. But it goes way beyond that."
Yang-hwi's lips curled slyly.
Chudal had brought back more than expected.
'Wudang's final goal. Must stop it. Didn't think we'd uncover it so soon. Perfect.'
"First off, Young Heir Dang's right. Wudang wants greater fame and position. But their method is shockingly radical."
"Out with it. What did you see?"
"Alliance formation. That's what Wudang wants."
Dang Gun looked puzzled.
"That shouldn't be hard. We've formed the Wing Alliance ourselves."
Using even the decennial Dragon-Phoenix Assembly to expand influence seemed small-scale for that.
Sects allying when interests aligned was commonplace.
"The alliance name is the Murim Alliance."
A simple answer, but Dang Gun's face hardened.
He instantly grasped Wudang's ambition in the name.
"Overreach."
"And arrogant."
What was Murim?
The world.
The realm of countless martial artists.
Slapping that name on an alliance?
The implication was clear.
"They want influence over... all of Murim. At least the entire Orthodox Murim."
Not just fame and position.
Real power to lead Orthodox Murim.
That was Wudang's ultimate prize: authority.
"And even that power's just a means to an end."
"What do you mean, Brother Hwi?"
"Obvious. They want to steer all Orthodox Murim toward some goal."
That goal was what Yang-hwi was dead set on stopping.
"Oh, right, Brother Hwi. One thing to tell you."
"What?"
"Dragon-Phoenix Assembly's main tournament finals... at latest, semifinals. That's when all Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans' leaders or proxies will gather. Invited by Wudang."
Secretly, of course. But as a direct Zhuge Clan descendant, Seol-ha knew.
"I see. Murim Alliance. Wonder if it'll actually form."
"Looks tough, but Wudang will pull strings."
"Their moves become crucial then. More, Chudal."
"Huh? That's all I got."
"Hm...? Really?"
Chudal looked wronged.
"Hey, snagging this much is a big fish! Don't make that face—it hurts!"
True, but...
"That's everything? For sure?"
"You lot act like you've never done vigilante work. Sneaking in undetected takes insane care! Time was too short!"
Fair point. Time in Taiji Sect was just over an hourglass.
Uncovering Wudang's endgame was praiseworthy alone.
"Hm. Still a bit vague."
"Need more details. Like exactly how they'll move."
"Go steal... er, act righteously again?"
...Again?
Dang Gun revised his earlier impression.
Chudal's line hadn't just risen.
It might've vanished entirely.
"No need. We'll dig from our end too. We're one of the 36 Great Sects ourselves, yet Wudang gave no notice. Makes me curious."
'Brother Dang. They probably figured Dang Clan would follow orders if told.'
That was the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans' view of Dang Clan's role.
Bound to change after this Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, though.
"We snagged their Heavenly-grade invitation from Taiji Sect and humiliated them too. So..."
As Yang-hwi spoke, a server knocked on the guest room door.
Yang-hwi's voice overlapped with the server's.
"From this, we can predict Taiji Sect and Wudang's moves..."
"Guests, the Taiji Sect Leader has come to visit."
"Knew we'd see it coming. This? Total curveball."
No, this was genuinely unforeseen.
Why was he here?
"Chudal!"
"No way!"
Everyone's eyes widened, faces paling with urgency.
Chudal was most shocked.
"No way they spotted me! For real! Absolutely!!"
"Then why's the sect leader here, you fool?!"
"Eek, what do we do? Run?"
"Everyone, stay calm. Faces! Faces! Control your expressions!"
A solemn aura climbed the stairs from below.
Soon, the Taiji Sect Leader appeared.
"Members of Dang Clan, Baek Clan, Zhuge Clan. Pleased to meet you. I am Taiji Sect Leader Yeon Mu."
In worldly affairs, first move wins.
Yang-hwi spoke fast.
"About that—we apologize for the rudeness!"
"You knew. To think you'd use the matches as cover to create such trouble while I was away."
A hint of hostility in his tone and words.
Yet the group sighed in relief.
Wait... not because of Chudal?
Then why the sudden visit?
From a sect leader of one of the 36 Great Sects, no less.