Chapter 66: Chapter 66
A room covered in dense smoke.
With an inhalation, ash-colored smoke entered deep into the chest, and with an exhalation, all sorts of anxieties and worries were spat out alongside the smoke.
Feeling his body relax, the Shadowless Divine Thief deliberately controlled his breathing. Though he was naturally wary by nature, the man he was meeting right now was one of the craftiest figures under the heavens, so he had to be even more cautious.
Reducing his breathing, the Shadowless Divine Thief placed four bolts of silk atop the table and spoke.
“It is the item you spoke of. With this, the debt from back then is repaid.”
The debt from back then referred to when the Zhuge Clan, having received a commission, had captured the Shadowless Divine Thief using a formation and then let him go.
At that time, the Zhuge Clan had compensated the client with a massive sum under the pretext of having missed the Shadowless Divine Thief. The reason they had deliberately lied and paid the money despite having captured him was solely one.
Because placing a debt on the Shadowless Divine Thief would be worth far more than that amount.
Naturally, it was not the sort of thinking suitable for a Righteous Path clan that valued honor. Moreover, it was, of course, Zhuge Seong’s idea.
At any rate, Zhuge Seong, staring blankly at the blue, purple, red, and white silk placed on the table, asked.
“Is this the treasure map?”
“It is.”
“Mhm…”
“Of course, I do not know the method of deciphering it either. However, since the Zhuge Clan possesses people whose intellects are far superior to mine as numerous as the stars, you will find a way somehow. Is that not so?”
Zhuge Seong nodded with a reluctant expression.
“You know how to flatter as well. It seems you too have weathered quite a few years.”
“Never mind that. At any rate, I no longer owe any debt to the Zhuge Clan… no, to Elder Zhuge.”
Saying so, the Shadowless Divine Thief rose from his seat. He wanted to escape this room, to slip out of Zhuge Seong’s clutches, as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, Zhuge Seong took out a money pouch and placed it atop the table.
Clatter.
Just hearing that sound conveyed the heaviness of the pouch.
Staring intently at the pouch, the Shadowless Divine Thief asked.
“What is this?”
“A reward. Naturally, if a commission is given, compensation must follow.”
The Shadowless Divine Thief’s eyebrows twitched. He could not tell what Elder Zhuge Seong was thinking. It was partly because the man’s mind was so deceitful, and partly because of this smoke that was gradually lulling his consciousness into comfort.
“There is no need. I have repaid the debt from that time.”
“I am not a man who has people work without compensation. I prepared it all in gold. You won’t be thinking about money for quite some time.”
The Shadowless Divine Thief’s Adam’s apple bobbed with a gulp. If that heavy pouch was entirely filled with gold, it would truly be an immense sum.
However, if he accepted this, there was a high likelihood he would become entangled with the Zhuge Clan once more.
The Shadowless Divine Thief glared at the pouch for a while. As he stood still and pondered, the smoke continued to fill his chest bit by bit.
Soon, letting out a sigh, the Shadowless Divine Thief picked up the pouch.
“I will put it to good use.”
Zhuge Seong smiled a thick, oily smile.
He had known that the Shadowless Divine Thief would see through his shallow trick, yet would ultimately pick up the money pouch anyway.
Because thieves were naturally like that.
“Yes, go safely. I won’t see you out far.”
“Ah, since I accepted the money, I will tell you this. Be even more careful with this affair. An expert far more formidable than expected was involved. Even I was nearly caught.”
“What? You were nearly caught?”
Zhuge Seong furrowed his brow. According to the intelligence he had gathered, there was no room for a master of that caliber to be involved in this Black Tortoise Squad mission.
If so…
Zhuge Seong, who instantly calculated all the circumstances, harbored a curious gaze.
Cheol Ji-ak and Zhuge Rin, the strongest experts in the Black Tortoise Squad, could never even reach the tips of the Shadowless Divine Thief’s toes. That left only two people whose martial prowess had not yet been precisely determined.
The youngest members, Cheon Woo-jin and Song Yi-yeon.
Between the two, the likelihood of it being Cheon Woo-jin was high. He was also the fellow who had become the starting point of this matter.
“Peculiar. It is truly a bizarre matter.”
“Well, I shall take my leave now. At any rate, be careful.”
Saying so, the Shadowless Divine Thief bowed his head slightly and stepped out of the room.
Escaping from the dense smoke and breathing clear air, he finally felt as if he could breathe properly.
Once his mind cleared up, he slightly regretted taking the money pouch out with him.
“Damn it, all because of that cursed worry-forgetting herb smoke.”
Even while blaming the smoke, the Shadowless Divine Thief never thought of going back to return the pouch.
* * *
Returning to his safe house, the Shadowless Divine Thief immediately began packing his luggage, including the money pouch. He had touched the treasure map of the Three Eccentrics, who were revered like heroes in the Righteous Path led by the Martial Alliance. Naturally, he had to keep a low profile for a while.
“Divine Thief, are we departing?”
Suddenly, a pale and petite young man who was cooking rice in a cauldron asked.
Without even looking back, the Shadowless Divine Thief nodded his head.
“Yes.”
“The rice was just finished, though…”
“If you love rice so much, stuff your face and follow. I’m leaving first.”
“…No, sir.”
As if accustomed to this, the man began erasing traces of the safe house. First, he scraped the rice from the cauldron and tossed it into the backyard. Beasts from the mountain would come down and consume it all without leaving a trace.
After placing the wooden tableware into the hearth to burn them, he sprinkled a little water to put out the fire.
He deliberately left untouched the cobwebs hanging in various spots. Originally, when relocating a safe house, leaving no trace of human presence was of paramount importance.
While the man was bustling about, a woman half-bare from the waist up and dripping with sweat appeared. A crude ax was held in her hand.
“What. Are we leaving again?”
“Yeah, get ready too. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Divine Thief in such a hurry. He wasn’t even like this when being chased by the Sword King.”
Muttering curses under her breath, the woman soon gathered her ax and several sets of clothes. Unlike the young man, her luggage was modest.
Around the time their preparations to leave were finished.
Standing before the front gate of the safe house, the Shadowless Divine Thief struggled to calm his pounding heart. Although he had succumbed to the money handed over by Zhuge Seong, there was one fact he had not told him to the very end.
“So, where are we going?”
Covering her copper skin with a robe, the woman asked.
Recalling the treasure map, the Shadowless Divine Thief harbored a sly smile.
“We must go find the treasure. No matter how great the Zhuge Clan is, it will take them some time to decipher it.”
From ancient times, the finder of a treasure was its rightful owner.
The moment he thought so and was about to step forward.
Swoosh!
A sound of breaking air tearing through the atmosphere erupted.
Simultaneously, the Shadowless Divine Thief tilted his head to the side.
Narrowly grazing past his face, an arrow struck into the ground. A tightly folded letter was attached to the arrowhead.
The Shadowless Divine Thief’s expression crumpled drastically.
Because there was only one insolent bastard under the heavens who would send him a commission in this manner.
“Why of all times right now…”
Still, he could not ignore it.
The Shadowless Divine Thief was originally a man with little fear. When not even the most renowned experts under the heavens could catch him, what would he fear?
He feared neither the Martial Alliance Leader nor the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader. No, honestly, he was slightly afraid of the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader, but at any rate, not as much as the fellow who sent this letter.
At this point in time, with the peerless great evil Dark Emperor gone and only a few of his disciples remaining, the man who stood at the absolute pinnacle of the Unorthodox Path.
Ha Yul-cheon, Lord of the Black Overlord Castle.
“Damn it.”
The Shadowless Divine Thief spat out curses as he picked up the letter.
* * *
A night with few clouds and exceptionally bright moonlight.
It was weather where thieves under heaven would keep a low profile, but to the Shadowless Divine Thief, it held little significance.
Stepping out of the World Manor Lord’s office carrying a sword, the Shadowless Divine Thief surveyed his surroundings.
The World Manor was the merchant house with the most wealth in the Central Plains of the present era. On the surface, it traded with the giant clans of the Righteous Path, but behind the scenes, it also actively interacted with factions of the Unorthodox Path.
Originally, businesses capable of handling great sums of money were mostly distributed on the Unorthodox side rather than the Righteous Path, so it was a natural occurrence.
Even so, if rumors spread that they openly traded with the Unorthodox Path, it would become impossible for the Righteous Path clans to pretend not to notice while knowing it.
Walking that tightrope skillfully in the middle was the most important ability for the World Manor Lord, and he was indeed doing quite well at it.
Up until just a few nights ago, that is.
World Manor Lord Yang Dae-soo was on brotherly terms with the leaders of the Five Great Clans and the Nine Great Sects and One Clan. Naturally, his fear of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle was washed away day by day.
Then he caused trouble. In the midst of transactions, enraged to the top of his head by the high-handed demands placed by the Black Overlord Castle, he ultimately sent a letter to the castle lord.
The content was long and winding, but summarized, it went like this.
‘If you act in this manner, I will no longer do business with the Black Overlord Castle. It’s not like you’re back-alley ruffians, yet you conduct affairs so dirtily.’
Yang Dae-soo did not fear the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle. When he maintained open trade with all the prominent groups of the Righteous Path, by what means could that fellow dare touch him?
However, there was a fact Yang Dae-soo had overlooked. In the Black Overlord Castle, there was an unruly scoundrel who would draw a blade if something displeased him even if the Martial Alliance Leader were right before his face.
The letter was torn apart in the hands of Young Castle Lord Ha In-seong before it could even be delivered to the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle. The castle lord acknowledged the abilities of his son, Ha In-seong, and entrusted most of the money-making matters to him.
His reason was that he preferred martial arts over money.
At any rate, while the Young Castle Lord was deliberating for a long time on how to teach this bastard Yang Dae-soo a lesson, he had met Cheon Woo-jin.
For that reason, having received the commission of the Black Overlord Castle, snuck into the World Manor Lord’s bedroom, and stolen his most cherished precious sword as a warning, the Shadowless Divine Thief let out a sigh.
‘Damn it. Why do I even have to do this kind of chore.’
What the Shadowless Divine Thief truly feared was neither the Righteous Path nor the Demonic Path, but the Unorthodox Path.
Not the commonplace Unorthodox pretenders of the current era, but the real Unorthodox Path.
The Shadowless Divine Thief was someone who had grown up watching from up close those who wielded profound influence since the previous generation and became towering giants of the Unorthodox Path, such as the Dark Emperor, Black Elder’s martial brothers, and the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle.
Naturally, an instinctive fear had no choice but to settle deep within his heart across his entire life.
At any rate, this commission was completed. Because it was a period where one had to beware even falling leaves, he had even brought two subordinates along just in case. Unlike their appearances, they were experts recognized by the Shadowless Divine Thief, so unless it was a master of at least the Sword King’s caliber, they would pose no threat.
However, the World Manor had established security of a level similar to normal times. Piercing through it was nothing to the Shadowless Divine Thief.
‘I wasted time needlessly. I should head straight for the secret cave.’
The Shadowless Divine Thief gestured to his two subordinates who were guarding him while hiding along both side walls of the World Manor.
It was a signal that he was about to depart.
It was at that moment.
“An intruder!”
A shout rang out from the bedchamber. The Shadowless Divine Thief let out a sigh. It seemed the suspicious World Manor Lord had awakened from his slumber.
Normally, he should have sealed his acupoints so he would sleep more deeply, but in his rush thinking that the secret cave was waiting, he had skipped it.
At the World Manor Lord’s cry, around two hundred martial artists moved in orderly unison. Looking merely at the number of martial artists, it was a scale that would not fall behind compared to any decent major sect.
Once again, the reality that the World Manor’s financial power touched the heavens was felt.
Of course, to the Shadowless Divine Thief, martial artists of such a caliber posed no problem whether there were two hundred or two thousand.
The Shadowless Divine Thief watched the World Manor martial artists gradually swarming toward him. He deliberately showed them the World Manor Lord’s precious sword, waving it before them. As the moon was bright, the scabbard adorned with jewels glittered brightly.
In the first place, it was a warning sent by the Black Overlord Castle to the World Manor Lord. In fact, the more clearly visible it was, the better.
The surrounding martial artists had closed in so close that they were within arm’s reach, yet the Shadowless Divine Thief’s heart was not in the least hurried.
Even if the heavens split in two, there was no way he would be caught by fellows of this caliber.
Even if he were caught, even if the heavens cleaved into five pieces, as long as his two subordinates were present, he would never fall to these bastards.
Soon, a martial artist stealthily approaching from behind in his own way reached out a hand toward the Shadowless Divine Thief. Naturally, the Shadowless Divine Thief was fully aware, as if eyes were attached to the back of his head.
The moment the Shadowless Divine Thief sneered and began to move his feet to slip out of the World Manor.
“Huh?”
He was caught. Not by the fellow aiming stealthily from behind, but by the man standing right in front of him.
The Shadowless Divine Thief’s pupils trembled wildly.
What is this?
Something that could never happen even if the heavens split in two had occurred.
Squeeze!
What was more, the grip strength was so colossal that it felt as though he were locked tightly inside iron shackles.
Soon, the man who had seized his arm scratched around his neck and peeled away a layer of skin. The face hidden behind the human skin mask was someone he already knew.
“Bl-Black Tortoise Squad…”
It was that monster from the Black Tortoise Squad.
That fellow who had tenaciously pursued him.
But how on earth was this punk here?
In that brief instant, the Shadowless Divine Thief’s head spun rapidly and ultimately reached this conclusion.
‘That dog-like Lord of the Black Overlord Castle played me!’
Lightness art aside, in terms of overall martial prowess, he had no means to defeat the youth before his eyes. What was more, with his arm seized like this, the ways to escape were exceedingly few.
The Shadowless Divine Thief’s gaze swept over both side walls of the World Manor.
Bringing his subordinates just in case was truly a fortunate thing. There was no way this monstrous kid could possibly be stronger than the Sword King.
Operating their stealth to the extreme, the subordinates were already closing in little by little, mingled among the hundreds of martial artists.
No matter how acute the fellow’s qi sensitivity was, distinguishing merely two enemies from among this many martial artists lacked realism.
With the intention of drawing his attention, the Shadowless Divine Thief deliberately attempted to pull his arm free, exerting rough force.
However, not only did it not budge in the slightest, but the grip tightened forcefully instead, bringing intense pain.
‘This monstrous bastard…’
It was at that moment.
The monstrous fellow, who had been staring blankly at him with chilly eyes, opened his mouth.
“Let us have a talk.”
It was a dry tone.
Perhaps that was why it felt all the more chilling.
“…”
As the Shadowless Divine Thief held his tongue, Cheon Woo-jin’s words continued.
“Along with the two people behind you as well.”
At the exact same time, the two subordinates who had been stealthily approaching Cheon Woo-jin, mingled among the martial artists, stopped dead in their tracks.