Chapter 166
After returning to the Tang family alongside Tang Jincheon, who came out to greet me, a few uneventful months passed.
It’s not like I wanted something to happen, but things were so peaceful that it felt a little disappointing.
If I had to mention anything, perhaps the retainers freaking out because an unexpected Flowering Stage master had joined the household, or the fact that Seorin seemed more harmless than expected, which put people at ease.
Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang had received flashy titles like “Sky-Winged Poison Phoenix” and “Pure Sound-Frostflower,” but their son-in-law ended up with something as ominous as the “Blood Flame Sword Demon,” which made people tilt their heads in confusion.
Also arriving were various rumors—one about the famous master of the Black Sky Sword Sect, another about the notoriously infamous Bloodflame Fist Demon, and even one saying that I had defeated the old monster from the Hwangbo Clan, who had lost his mind.
These rumors caused people to keep a bit of distance...
But that didn’t last long, likely because of Tang Sowol, who would stick to me like glue at every chance, grinning from ear to ear.
Just like right now.
“Brother Cheon, Brother Cheon! What’s the plan for today?”
“Morning training just ended, so first, I’m going to eat.” “And after that?”
Tang Sowol stepped closer, hands behind her back.
“I was thinking of heading back to the training hall to swing the sword a bit. I’ve been learning how to control willpower from Senior Seorin… and while it’s small, I feel like there’s been a bit of progress.”
“Wow! That’s amazing! And then?”
She took another step closer.
“After that, I’m going to spar with Seol Lihyang. She’s decided to use the whip purely as support now and is focusing on her sonic arts, so she said she needs as many sparring matches as possible to get the feel for it.”
“True. Her whip techniques weren’t bad, but she really seems to have talent with sound-based martial arts. It’s said to be difficult to master, but if it suits her, she’ll probably improve quickly. And then?”
Each time she said ‘and then?’, Tang Sowol drew closer until she was right in front of my nose.
Because of her posture, with her hands behind her back, her upper body was leaning slightly forward, and although we were just a handspan apart, her poison pouch gently pressed against my chest.
Was this intentional? I flinched, and Tang Sowol giggled as she rose up on tiptoes. In that breath-close distance, she whispered.
“Is there nothing else on your schedule?”
Green light flickered in her eyes. That confident gaze, as if she already knew my answer, made me chuckle and nod.
“Of course… there is.”
“Oh my, what is it?”
“I figured I’d spend time with my fiancée, who looks particularly bored today.”
“Hehe. I shall look forward to it with joy.”
Only then did Tang Sowol finally back away, humming a tune and swinging her long-sleeved arms as if dancing.
She seemed in a great mood—so much so that just watching her lifted my own spirits.
Tang Sowol lingered around me for a while longer, clearly content. For someone like me, who wasn’t exactly sociable, it was no doubt thanks to her that I was so warmly welcomed by the Tang family.
Even on the way to breakfast, we chatted about when I’d make time and what we’d do…
But unfortunately, all those discussions and plans were nullified with a single letter.
***
“Here, take this. It seems to be addressed to you.”
“Huh?”
It was during the family breakfast that Tang Jincheon insisted on, as he believed that if lunch and dinner were busy, at least we should try to eat breakfast together.
Seol Lihyang and Seorin had recently begun attending as well, and in that gathering, Tang Jincheon handed me a letter.
—Cheon Hwi-da
Just my name, written plainly on the outside. Upon opening it, I found a crudely drawn map inside.
“This is... Gansu Province?”
Though the drawing looked like something a child had scribbled, the names of places were written in neat handwriting, contrasting the map’s rough style.
Gansu Province—more specifically, a place called Mount Giryeon.
And that was it for text. The rest of the map guided the way using notable landmarks, ending with a picture of a small tombstone and something resembling the character for “gold.”
I immediately knew what kind of map this was.
A hidden treasure map. A map that records the location of hidden treasures. And there was only one person who would send me something like that.
“The Ghost Shadow Thief…”
“Huh? Why would he… Oh…”
Tang Sowol peeked at the map in my hand, and her expression darkened.
Had it already been over three years? Nearly four?
I had encountered the Ghost Shadow Thief in a place said to house a lucky chance, inherited some of his martial arts, and… heard his real name, not just his nickname.
At the end of his life, the Ghost Shadow Thief gathered everything he had ever stolen into a single vault, hoping that news of it would spread and that every martial artist in the Central Plains would go mad trying to reach his grave.
This treasure map was proof that his final wish had come true—and it was effectively a death notice.
So it was only natural that Tang Sowol’s voice faltered.
“Father-in-law.”
“I think I know what you’re going to say, but go ahead. What is it?”
“I need to make a quick trip to Gansu Province.”
“You just got back, can’t you stick around the house a little longer?”
“He said the chaos to come would be the best funeral possible… but I still think I should pour him a drink at his grave.”
“Didn’t you say it was a treasure map?”
Tang Jincheon looked exasperated. Come to think of it, I’d never told him the full story of the Ghost Shadow Thief, so I gave him a quick summary.
“If that’s the case, I guess it’d be hard to stop you. And... honestly, I don’t think you’re in much danger anymore.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
While Tang Jincheon was giving me a once-over to gauge my martial level, Tang Sowol suddenly raised her hand high.
“I’ll go with Brother Cheon, Father.”
“What?”
Tang Jincheon blinked in surprise.
Tang Sowol continued calmly.
“The Ghost Shadow Thief had ties with me as well. So I’d like to send him off properly.”
“Huh...”
We met the Ghost Shadow Thief while pretending to visit Shaanxi, chasing a pre-return opportunity. Naturally, Tang Sowol had been there too, and though she didn’t receive direct tutelage like I did, she had grown close to him.
“And we’ll collect the contents of the vault while we’re at it.”
“???”
Both Tang Jincheon and I widened our eyes at her sudden, outrageous statement.
Tang Sowol straightened her back and added, smiling confidently.
“The Ghost Shadow Thief wanted people to burn with desire over his vault, so his name would be remembered forever.”
“Well, he did say that...”
“Isn’t honoring the deceased’s will the most important ritual of all?”
“Is… is that so?”
Tang Jincheon’s expression was complicated. He knew she had a point, but still wasn’t entirely convinced.
I felt the same, so I understood him instantly.
But then Tang Sowol continued, her tone growing serious.
“He once said he’d stolen everything worth stealing in the Central Plains. Even in his final years, he came and went freely between North Sea Ice Palace and the Southern Savage Beast Palace. He did lose one treasure in an accident and gave another to Brother Cheon…”
“Now that I think about it, the Glacial True Qi that Lady Seol learned was stolen property, huh.”
“Yep. It may not be the most righteous path, but he had the skill to back it up, and he declared that just revealing the vault would shake the whole martial world. I’m sure there’s a lot of valuable stuff in there that could benefit the Tang family.”
“Mm. That does seem likely. He was a senior of my generation, so I never heard vivid tales, but… I do know that even the Tang family had a few precious items stolen.”
“Ah, um, from what I heard, he only took a lesser whip technique and a paralyzing poison recipe…”
“Not quite wrong. But actually, there were more valuable things nearby. Like a poison three times as expensive as gold, and core martial arts like the Five Poisons Technique or Body-Chasing Steps. Instead, he stole an obscure technique that few practiced and a prototype poison with volatility issues.”
“Huh?!”
“He didn’t go after the most important things, but the ones hardest to steal. Just to prove he could. That was his style.”
That’s why, at Wudang, he stole the sheath instead of the sect leader’s sword. At North Sea Ice Palace, he took Glacial True Qi instead of Ice White Divine Art. At the imperial palace, he stole the Empress’s undergarments instead of the jade seal.
So if he stole something from the Tang family, it must’ve been the hardest-to-reach, most obscure item.
Most likely the Golden Dragon Hundred Victories Whip Technique and that prototype paralyzing poison.
Tang Sowol, finally realizing she’d been duped, pulled a weird face and spoke up.
“A-anyway, regardless of how useful it is, it’s bound to be full of valuable stuff, so won’t it help the Tang family a lot if we bring it back?”
“Well, better than nothing… Sowol.”
“Y-yes?”
“Be honest.”
“I just really, really want to go on a treasure hunt that starts with a hidden map, Father.”
At last, the truth came out, and Tang Jincheon burst into laughter.
“Then there’s no helping it. Go ahead.”
“Really?!”
“Of course. But don’t ever leave his side. Not even for a moment.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Day or night, on the road or at an inn—I’ll be stuck to him the whole time.”
“Now that I think about it, maybe that’s a bit much.”
“But Father insisted. Right, Brother Cheon?”
“Son-in-law.”
Tang Jincheon gave me a look, while Tang Sowol sparkled her green-black eyes with absolute confidence that I’d take her side.
It wasn’t something worth agonizing over, so I shrugged.
“Don’t worry, Father-in-law. Rain or shine, day or night, no matter what happens—I’ll never let go of Tang Sowol’s hand.”
“You rascal!”
And so, with Tang Jincheon’s loud roar—the first in a while—our journey to Gansu was decided.
At the same time, torn pieces of the treasure map began circulating throughout the martial world, and rumors of the Ghost Shadow Thief’s vault spread far and wide, bringing his legend back into the spotlight.
Just as he had claimed—the entire martial world was starting to tremble.