Chapter 444: Every Treasure Has a Sad Legend (5)

For now, they first had to sneak and test the waters before entering Mount Lao. After all, the Divine Thief’s way always lay in theft.

If you were just going to slaughter everyone and snatch things away, how could that be the Divine Thief?

The problem was, the next Divine Thief looked like she really might do exactly that.

So, as her teacher, he had to instill the proper way of a Divine Thief—at least, that was what Cheon Yuhak thought.

So first, like tourists who had come up empty-handed, they blamed the foul weather for nothing and drank and ate from the morning.

And then, “Eh, no use. Let’s go,” and they departed Jimo County.

Out in a deserted, remote place, Cheon Yuhak changed into shabby clothes stolen from somewhere.

To be precise, clothes “purchased” without consent in exchange for silver.

For the Divine Thief must never prey on the innocent commonfolk’s possessions.

“Uh, Master? Aren’t these men’s clothes? They’re so loose that if I jump even once, my chest is going to pop right out.”

“You should know without me saying it. Why do you think I purposely gave you men’s clothes? And what’s this about ‘pop right out’? Pop right out? There’s nothing a wench won’t say. Bind it tight and hide it.”

“It’s stuffy and sticky. In this weather, if skin keeps pressed together it gets sweaty too. And it’s not like normal sweat from the heat—it’s this clingy, murky feeling, ugh, what do you even call it.”

“Do I need to hear such an explanation?”

“Damn, this is really gross, but I can’t explain it properly. Well, Jangmyeong doesn’t get how I feel... right?”

At that, veins bulged on Jin Jangmyeong’s forehead.

“If I weren’t sick, I’d know.”

She was blaming it on her Heavenly Yin Body.

“Uh... no. Fine. Fine. If you say so, then so it must be.”

Maybe it was just a genetic-level problem?

Qing suddenly thought of Jangmyeong’s mother, that Auntie Yang Sowol.

But there was no need to bring her up, so she just muttered “oh, I see, right,” and left it at that.

Then, once they threw on straw raincoats to ward off the rain—hm. Even those raincoats were second-hand.

“Ugh, the smell. Can’t we just buy new raincoats?”

“Yes!”

Jin Jangmyeong nodded fiercely.

But Cheon Yuhak only snorted.

“You dress shabby from head to toe, then have a shiny brand-new raincoat on top? Does that make sense?”

“Hm. Do we really have to go this far?”

“Even if wealth disappears, you must not covet human life. Hm? You understand what I’m saying?”

“Hm.”

Qing’s expression turned vague.

She didn’t particularly agree. If it was about removing dangerous things from dangerous men, then why not just remove the dangerous men too?

But she couldn’t very well say, “Let’s just kill them all,” to her Master, so she only made a vague face.

The Divine Thief sighed deeply at that expression.

Anyway, once they put on old rags and shabby raincoats, they looked exactly like three generations of beggars standing in a row: old beggar, young beggar, child beggar.

“Not beggars, but herb gatherers. You think I threw on this basket for nothing?”

In truth, with rags, a basket on the back, and a stick in hand, anyone would take them for proper herb gatherers.

Tradition had it that herb gatherers often traveled in a set of old man, young man, and child.

So, after finishing their disguises in that deserted field, they quietly slipped toward the trackless slopes of Mount Lao.

This was just how country commonfolk in the Central Plains were.

Dress like a beggar but carry a plow—you’re a farmer.

Dress like a beggar but carry a basket—you’re an herb gatherer.

Dress like a beggar but carry a net—you’re a fisherman.

Peasants’ work clothes were just worn until they could no longer be used even as rags, then discarded and replaced with new.

Did they really have to go this far?

“Who goes there!”

They hadn’t climbed much of the ridgeline before a small mountain path appeared, and sure enough, a warrior standing there shouted at them and thrust his swordpoint.

“Oh, good sir, wh-why are you doing this?”

Cheon Yuhak’s acting was quite convincing.

Qing, who had no particular skill in acting, just hugged Jangmyeong close into her arms and pretended to shield her behind.

Playing at being a father protecting his child.

The warrior lowered his swordpoint.

“What, mountain folk?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.”

“Hmph. Ah, well then, just as well. Do you come to Mount Lao often? Is there a large graveyard or a big tomb here?”

“Oh, good sir, who would bury graves on a stony mountain?”

“Really? Then any suspicious caves?”

“If you mean caves for sheltering from rain, there are some used for ages, but suspicious...?”

“Hmph. Useless. Just bad luck. Don’t resent me too much.”

And with that, he suddenly swung his blade—

But Cheon Yuhak’s arm naturally reached out, like shaking hands, and as their hands met, the sword passed into his grasp as if choreographed.

It was the pickpocketing skill honed to the extreme, the art of the Divine Thief.

“Eh?”

The warrior, his bare hand left swiping the air, made a stupid sound.

“Tsk. Waving such a hideous thing about so carelessly? A wicked fellow indeed.”

Cheon Yuhak thrust the stolen sword to the man’s throat.

One would think blood would gush forth—but instead, though stabbed, he only clutched his throat and coughed up dry hacks.

Cheon Yuhak circled behind, wrapped his arm around the man’s neck, and locked tight.

The man struggled, but Cheon Yuhak only swayed oddly side to side while his strong forearm clamped the windpipe shut.

Soon enough, the man went limp.

Of course, Qing already knew Cheon Yuhak was a master of the Flower Realm.

His fighting style—somewhere between softness and fluidity—she had never seen before. Impressive, yes, but... not her taste.

But Jin Jangmyeong had no idea.

To think this elder she had only ever known as a respected scholar was also a martial master!

Jangmyeong’s eyes turned perfectly round, and she jabbed Qing’s side repeatedly.

“Hm? What?”

“He’s a master. Did you know?”

“Heh. Jangmyeong. In the martial world, you must beware the old, the women, and the children. Look at us: the old, the woman, and...”

Qing looked at Jangmyeong and, hm, then said:

“Come to think of it, children don’t need to be wary of. One should let down one’s guard with children. Little brat.”

“...?”

While Jangmyeong tilted her head in confusion, Qing took the man from Cheon Yuhak, casually winding his hair once around her hand to grip him firmly, and followed her Master as he slipped into the trees across the path.

****

Cheon Yuhak’s lesson in binding arts.

“Tie them like this, and even if it were Xiang Yu the Mighty himself, he couldn’t break free.”

Qing thought that was nonsense—and didn’t feel any need to hold her tongue.

“Eh, strong force breaks everything, you know? Can’t break bindings? Stronger force!”

“Hmph. No matter how strong, every force has its point of application. If that point is suppressed, one can’t budge.”

“Or maybe the person just isn’t strong enough?”

“Then, want to be bound yourself?”

“Fine, let’s try.”

And—creeeak, hah! snap snap snap!

Qing ripped the bindings apart with pure strength, leaving Cheon Yuhak dumbstruck.

“What kind of brute force is this, what—have you never heard anyone call you a female Xiang Yu?”

“No, Master. You said Xiang Yu the Mighty couldn’t break them. I don’t want to be compared to someone weaker than me.”

Xiang Yu couldn’t break free, but Qing did.

Clearly it wasn’t that she should be called a female Xiang Yu—rather Xiang Yu ought to be called the male Qing.

Regardless, Cheon Yuhak was sincerely impressed.

No wonder the Bone-Joint Tempering racks were becoming useless for her.

Was this really human strength?

He didn’t know the exact physical principles like leverage, but the binding art tied limbs in ways that left the body at its weakest strength.

Even so, she tore through it as if it were only vine.

“Let me go. This isn’t working.”

Jin Jangmyeong, writhing on the ground, finally gave up.

Wanting to copy Qing’s feat, she ended up just a sparrow splitting her crotch.

Qing’s eyes curved mischievously.

Ah, strange.

Why was it, whenever she saw little ones, she just wanted to tease them, bother them, torment them?

But that wasn’t wrong, was it?

No need to hold back, right?

“Jangmyeong. To attempt something beyond what you can handle is called recklessness. And thinking, ‘If I fail, someone will help me,’ is called positive distortion. With that kind of attitude, how will you ever survive the perilous rivers and lakes?”

“...?”

“It hurts my heart, but for your sake, I shall deliver a great lesson.”

And so Qing seized Jangmyeong and tickled her mercilessly.

Squeals and ultrasonic girlish laughter burst out—then turned into gasps, coughs, and desperate cries for air as her belly cramped and her breath failed.

At that, the captured man snapped awake.

“Ghhk! Mmmph! Mmph!”

His mouth gagged, no words were clear, but his intent—I’m awake! I’m here!—was obvious.

Thanks to that, Jangmyeong escaped Qing’s tickle torture, collapsed flat on the ground, and sucked in ragged breaths.

“See? Now you know. Don’t trust people carelessly.”

“That’s too much. Hhh, I almost died.”

“No one ever died from tickling. After a fraction more, you stop feeling anything. Do you think I’d do something dangerous to my Jangmyeong?”

Whether because survival shuts off sensation, or because the body quickly adapts, tickling never actually kills—she’d tested it on villains before. It only made them laugh too hard.

“Come here.”

“Hmph.”

“Not coming? I’ll count to five. One, two—there, that’s better.”

And Jangmyeong quickly slipped into Qing’s arms.

Qing sat down, hugged the little one, and cooled her with Guardian Qi.

It was giving the disease and then the medicine.

But Jangmyeong, always starved for an older sister, instantly forgot her recent ordeal and melted into the blissful chill with a relieved sigh.

The captured man was still gagged and groaning.

But no one paid him any mind.

Cheon Yuhak, dumbfounded, finally asked:

“What are you doing?”

“Hm. Watching? Aren’t you going to interrogate him?”

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

“Honestly, what’s the use of having disciples? Must an old man take on even the nasty jobs himself?”

“Ughhh!”

“Hm. If I do it, blood tends to splatter. That’s not fit for a child’s eyes. Hm. Jangmyeong, want to go pick some flowers?”

“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!”

“I’m twenty years old.”

“Eh. Don’t lie. How could a little brat be twenty? Jangmyeong, how old are you? Twelve? Eh, where do you think you’re going.”

“Let go.”

Jangmyeong squirmed, but it was just wasted effort.

“So, Master, do you have a way to make him answer without splattering blood?”

“Hm. There is a method called Dispersing the Muscles and Shattering the Bones.”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

“Dispersing the Muscles and Shattering the Bones? Ohh. I like the sound of that.”

Tearing muscles, crushing bones?

It already sounded delightful. But... didn’t it sound familiar?

Wasn’t that the very principle behind Bone-Joint Tempering?

“Ah. Shall I teach you while we’re at it? You forcibly reverse the meridians, inducing convulsions in every muscle of the body.”

Qing’s eyes gleamed.

Convulsions in every muscle?

Making the entire body cramp?

What a monstrous method!

She wanted to learn it right now!

“Yes! I want to learn! Please teach me!”

“However, you must first completely suppress the opponent’s internal force. Unless you’re a master of acupoint sealing, or know one of those prohibition-type great laws... to demonstrate now, I’d have to shatter this fellow’s dantian.”

“Mmphhh!”

Ah. She should have asked Hwiyoung to teach her one of those prohibition great laws.

When he had kicked her and left her lower half paralyzed—hm, now that she thought of it, that bastard was really damnable.

Anyway, thanks to that, since she had clearly suffered some great law, the demonic sect bastards were utterly convinced she would remain crippled, and never suspected otherwise.

So the effectiveness was proven.

Well, she’d see him again—she could just ask him to teach her then.

“Oh right, if you know a clean way to shatter the dantian, please teach me that too. Every time I try, the dantian bursts along with the viscera and the guy dies.”

“Mmmphhh! Mmph! Mmmphhh!”

The man shook his head desperately.

He realized he had stumbled into the clutches of truly vicious fiends.

With eyes filled with desperate pleading, he looked back and forth from the old man to the young woman to the little girl.