Chapter 81: An Extraordinary Thief
Hubei Province, Murim Alliance.
Inside the deepest chamber of the inner court, more than a dozen figures sat across a long table.
Every gaze was unfathomably deep, and though they merely sat, their unique presence filled the hall with weight.
Naturally so—after all, the representatives of the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans were gathered here.
It was no exaggeration to say that the fate of the orthodox Murim itself could be decided in this room.
The Murim Alliance convened an external assembly three times a year. Unlike the general assembly presided over by the Alliance Leader, these were led by the Chief Strategist, Sima Baek.
“That will be all for the main agenda.”
The man seated at the highest seat spoke.
On his chest was embroidered, in blue thread, the character for Alliance. The strokes bore a firm resolve, as though upholding the laws of the world itself.
This was Sima Baek, Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, known as the Sage of Wuhan. Yet even he now showed signs of weariness.
The heads of the Nine Sects and the Five Great Clans were proud and obstinate by nature, and presiding over a meeting attended by all of them consumed a considerable amount of his strength.
Even though the meeting had concluded, the atmosphere remained stiff.
A light quarrel had broken out between the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect and the Abbot of Shaolin, and the Clan Heads of the Tang Clan and Zhuge Clan had clashed over geopolitical interests.
In the midst of the stifling silence—
Sima Baek let out a faint sigh and brought up a lighter subject.
“Have you all heard of the thief roaming about?”
Here and there, eyes glimmered with intrigue.
Though the burdens upon their shoulders were heavy, they were, in essence, martial artists.
‘Of course their interest would be piqued.’
With elusive movement arts, the thief had stolen countless valuables. At first, he even mocked the defenses of mid-tier sects and clans.
Despite minor clashes with the Sima Clan and Namgung Clan, the thief still roamed freely across the world.
A man with a fierce, tiger-like face chuckled as he spoke.
“Quite the amusing fellow. If I may wish for something, I’d like him to pay my Peng Clan a visit.”
This was Saber King Peng Woo-hyeok, Clan Head of the Peng Clan.
As he displayed blind confidence, Namgung Do-cheon, Clan Head of the Namgung Clan—who had once let the thief escape—frowned.
“That will not happen. He will be caught in Yichang. Until now, we merely underestimated him. This time will be different, as Rin herself went.”
Namgung Do-cheon believed firmly in the skill of his daughter, Namgung Rin.
But his deep love for his daughter was so well known that the others only smiled knowingly.
Just as Sima Baek intended, the mood eased, and the topic of the thief soon filled the hall with lively chatter.
It was tacitly agreed that masters at the level of top experts would not intervene this time.
There were two clear reasons:
First, the thief’s deeds carried little malice. He never injured anyone, nor did he steal anything truly precious.
Second, he was far too elusive. If a Clan Head or Elder personally acted and still failed to catch him, it would be a humiliation beyond compare.
For these practical reasons, the matter had turned into a contest of pride among the prodigies of the younger generation.
Those who had sent their disciples or children to Yichang voiced confidence, while those who hadn’t quietly speculated on who would succeed.
Naturally, the name most often mentioned was Sima Hwi.
Quimu Gai, the Beggars’ Union branch leader, laughed boisterously.
“Surely the Chief Strategist also thinks so. The boy’s skill earned him the title Rising Dragon, counted among the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes. Above all, for catching a rat, formations are far more useful than martial arts.”
Hearing his grandson praised, Sima Baek smiled, unable to hide his delight.
“I appreciate the compliments, but results are uncertain. The boy is talented, but he tends to be reckless.”
With humility, Sima Baek nonetheless spoke with a touch of sincerity.
“Even so, if I were to hazard a guess……”
All eyes brimmed with anticipation.
For the words of the Sage of Wuhan were seldom proven wrong.
Sima Baek smiled faintly as he continued.
“Not only my grandson, but also—regrettably—the Sword Phoenix, Poison Phoenix, and even the youth from Wudang will likely fail to capture the thief.”
Several expressions stiffened at once.
Those who had hoped for a definite answer even showed hints of disappointment.
Sima Baek added,
“I believe the Tang Clan Head’s thoughts are similar to mine.”
All gazes shifted toward one corner.
Though seated at the far end, it did not reflect his standing in this council. He simply preferred quiet and chose the most secluded spot.
For who among them would dare disregard the Poison King?
And indeed, it was odd—Poison King Tang Tae-won, who loved his daughter as fiercely as Namgung Do-cheon, had been silent until now.
At last, Tang Tae-won swept the room with his jade-colored eyes before smirking slyly.
“Who can say? If the thief continues pilfering trifles, he may remain unharmed. But should he touch upon the wrong ‘something,’ that strange journey of his through the murim will end.”
His cryptic words left many confused, unable to grasp his meaning.
But Sima Baek only met his gaze and nodded with a smile.
It seemed the two were recalling the same figure.
Jin Seong-un was rarely ever so dejected.
“Why the shop signboard, of all things……”
A signboard was a peculiar item.
If stolen, it served no purpose.
What use was another’s shop nameplate, save as firewood?
Yet for its owner, it was beyond precious. When, after years of struggle, one finally opened an inn, the very first thing was to carve and hang the signboard.
It was the symbol of Seong-un Inn, the treasure that embodied Jin Seong-un’s decade-long effort.
With a heavy sigh, he trudged toward his quarters. He was already displeased by the uproar in Yichang caused by the thief, and now the fellow had chosen to steal something so spiteful.
Before long, Jin Seong-un stepped into the Martial God Realm.
As always, the Martial Gods who were playing Go, quarreling, or lounging around turned to him with puzzled looks.
“What troubles you now?”
The disciple, whose lack of emotion often worried them, now wore a face of pure gloom.
It was as if a wilted vegetable had walked in.
“The signboard was stolen.”
So saying, Jin Seong-un handed them a sheet of paper with the word “Justice” written upon it.
“……”
The Sword Immortal and Noble Enchantress resumed their game of Go. The Blood Demon lay back down.
Only two reacted with genuine anger—Merchant King and Divine Thief.
“How could anyone steal the very symbol of your inn?!”
Thus was Merchant King’s fury.
The Divine Thief, however, saw it differently.
“That damned fellow dares to provoke us!”
Shentu had only one disciple—Jin Seong-un.
And lately, a false rumor had spread that the thief causing such commotion might be Shentu’s descendant.
In other words, from Shentu’s point of view, a fake trying to steal his honor had dared to appear right before the ‘real one’ and openly provoke him.
“He must be caught!”
For once, Shentu spoke with firm resolve.
He wanted to show that thief just how extraordinary the true disciple of Shentu was.
“Me?”
“Of course you! Who else would catch him?”
“But the fellow has surely already left. I heard that once he succeeds in one place, he immediately moves to the next. Still, abandoning my business to chase a thief around seems a bit much……”
At this, Shentu grinned with confidence.
“And who do you think I am?”
“Elder Shentu, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and who is Shentu?”
“A thief.”
“……Not just a thief, but the ‘Greatest Thief of All Time!’”
Jin Seong-un nodded.
Indeed, if it was his master Shentu, he might know a way.
Shentu’s words continued.
“I can tell you the thief’s mind with perfect accuracy. Reasons that only I can know, things the other Martial Gods couldn’t even guess.”
“……”
The Martial Gods looked at him with displeasure.
Well, good for him if he was skilled at stealing.
Their expressions made that sentiment plain.
Regardless, Shentu explained with a face full of amusement.
“The thief has a basic tendency to show off. Three proofs of this. First, he steals only trivial things. That shows he isn’t after money but to flaunt his skill.”
“Second, he deliberately leaves behind a note marked ‘Justice.’ He purposely makes his work known to all.”
“Third, he specifically targeted the Seong-un Inn. Just days ago, thanks to that Mad Rooster Byeokcheon-gae, the inn had become the focus of Murim’s attention.”
“I too, when I was young and foolish, once stole things with such feelings in mind.”
“Didn’t you continue until the day you nearly died?”
“Silence. At any rate, that’s why only I know how to catch that thief. I even know how to lure him back here……”
Lightly brushing aside Merchant King’s jab, Shentu explained further with unabated confidence.
As the explanation went on, Jin Seong-un’s and the other Martial Gods’ expressions grew increasingly twisted.
By the time it ended—
“……Why don’t we just let him be? The signboard, well, I’ll just carve a new one.”
The method Shentu proposed was truly something Jin Seong-un hated to do.
But Shentu shook his head firmly.
“No! When a master’s honor is in peril, it is only right for the disciple to step forward. Or do you wish to be known as an inn waiter who abandoned his duty?”
“……”
Jin Seong-un sighed.
When pressed like this, there was nothing left to say.
Besides, it was the first time Elder Shentu had spoken with such earnestness.
“……I will do it.”
When Jin Seong-un reluctantly nodded, Shentu’s face finally brightened with laughter again.
It was a laugh filled with nothing but pure amusement, as though he found the whole thing entertaining.
In truth, it wasn’t about honor or anything lofty.
Could it be that he was simply bored?
Such a reasonable suspicion crossed Jin Seong-un’s mind, but……
It changed nothing. With a bow, he took his leave.
That evening.
Tang So-yeon, Baek Sang, and Baek Seol came to bid farewell, saying they must now depart from Yichang.
Naturally so.
Their purpose here was to catch the thief.
Since a crime had already occurred in Yichang, they now had to patrol the nearby regions.
The thief’s movements so far showed a very clear pattern, so there was no helping it.
Jin Seong-un nodded calmly to the disappointed prodigies.
“I hope you catch the thief. Come by anytime. Even Young Master Seomun, though pretending otherwise, was quite pleased.”
“Pleased my foot.”
Seomun Ak grumbled for no reason, and so, in a somewhat warm atmosphere, their farewell was made.
After the prodigies all departed and the inn’s business ended—
In the pitch-black darkness of the empty inn—
Jin Seong-un stood still, staring at the object in his hand, lost in thought.
“……”
He had to do what needed to be done.
Resolving himself, Jin Seong-un pulled the black mask over his face.
Perhaps it was because he had learned Shentu’s secret techniques over the past few days.
He felt as though he had become the world’s most extraordinary thief.
……The feeling was rather complicated.