Chapter 173
My clove oil and Tang Sowol’s hairpin—both shamelessly listed among the items stolen from the Tang Clan.
“So I didn’t just lose them… they were actually stolen.”
A dry laugh escaped me. Seriously, the Ghost Shadow Thief wasn’t in his right mind.
As I laughed to myself, Tang Sowol peeked her head over to see what I was looking at.
“Cheon Hwi-da? What’s so funny over there?”
“Take a look at this.”
I pointed to the inscription on the pedestal and the hairpin inside the stone box that sparkled as if it were brand new.
“My hairpin?!”
Finally realizing the situation, Tang Sowol let out a chuckle of her own and picked it up.
She inspected it from all angles and nodded. “It’s definitely mine. Though he polished it up nicely—maybe out of guilt for stealing it—this little nick here is still present. I thought I lost it somewhere around Zhongnan Sect... He must have placed it here thinking we’d be the ones to find it first, right?”
“Maybe partly. But I see it a bit differently. Whatever else you might say about the Ghost Shadow Thief Elder, he was immensely proud of his achievements. No matter how mischievous he was, he wouldn’t have stored these with the Tang Clan’s stolen goods unless there was a reason.”
“Meaning…?”
“It means we need to read this too.”
Just like Tang Sowol’s hairpin, my half-used clove oil had also been refilled. Tucked under the lid of the bottle was a small, folded letter. I unfolded it and read:
You are nameless now, but when you read this letter, that won’t be the case anymore. The two of you I saw were bound to become famous in the martial world. That’s why I placed these here in advance.
“So he says.”
“Hmm. It’s been quite some time since our titles became known… Could it be he died much earlier than we thought?”
“Maybe. It’s possible he placed these in the box before the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly even began.”
“Well, if it had shown signs of being opened before, the mood would’ve been ruined.”
With a small smile, Tang Sowol replaced the hairpin she was wearing with her old one. I also tucked the clove oil and letter into my inner coat instead of my pack.
Then, feeling a bit more uplifted, I turned to the next pedestal.
“Alright, let’s check the rest quickly.”
“Ah, by the way, Cheon Hwi-da…”
“Hmm?”
“What do you plan to do about that one over there?”
Tang Sowol pointed toward the far end of the room. Unlike the others, that pedestal was lavishly decorated with gold and red dye, and space had been cleared around it.
No matter how you looked at it, it clearly housed the most valuable item in the room.
If it was the most precious among stolen goods from the Five Supreme Clans and the Nine Great Sects, then… it could only be that.
“Should we return it to the Imperial Family? And if so, how do we even go about doing that?”
“Not a simple matter.”
I wasn’t well-versed in the imperial family’s lineage, but judging by the Ghost Shadow Thief’s age, he must’ve stolen it from either the current Emperor’s mother or grandmother.
Being part of the imperial family meant she may not have trained in martial arts herself, but she would’ve had access to quality cultivation and food.
In other words, she might still be alive.
Truly not an easy decision. So—
“Don’t you think it’s best to leave difficult problems to the elders? I’ll hand it over to my future father-in-law and let him handle it.”
See? This is the kind of thing you have to deal with if you’re going to become the head of the Tang Clan.
How could I possibly be plotting to take over the Tang Clan through marriage?
I’ll just let Brother Tang Cheong handle all the tedious affairs while I go travel with Tang Sowol.
***
After that, we went through the rest of the rooms and gathered what we needed.
Just like in the first room, there was more stolen loot than expected, so we had to be selective.
As a result, anything not taken from a renowned sect had to be put back.
Of course, there were things we could deal with immediately—like mid-tier elixirs that were safe enough to consume casually, or poisons that Tang Sowol could absorb and replicate later.
When we emerged, both of us carrying packs stuffed to the brim, Sama Yuryeon spoke with a serious tone.
“Now comes the important part.”
“We’ve already explored everything, haven’t we?”
“Which means it’s time to leave. There aren’t many people who could break through the formation and traps to get into the Vault this quickly, but…”
“…”
“You’re saying there may be quite a few people waiting for us outside. Like I said earlier, don’t worry about it.”
“I remember. I’m not saying it’ll be impossible to get out safely. Just that things might get complicated.”
“Complicated, huh.”
“Even if the two of you could get out just fine, I might not be so lucky.”
“What, are you saying I should kill you now and take the Sama Clan’s share while I’m at it?”
“Of course not. I’m just saying I might get caught up in a fight and get hurt or killed. And by the way, that joke about ‘neck’ and ‘share’ wasn’t funny.”
“I wasn’t aiming for a joke…”
As I shook my head, Sama Yuryeon shrugged and continued.
“I’m not trying to say anything grand. Just… if we get up there and there really are people waiting to fight, I’ll immediately turn around and hide back inside. Don’t take it the wrong way.”
“Huh…”
I was startled by how brazenly she said she’d hide until the fight was over, but on second thought, it made perfect sense.
Sama Yuryeon was at best a first-class martial artist, and barely so. If she ran around aimlessly, she’d only get in the way.
Just as she said, she could get hurt by a stray blade.
“Alright. Just don’t hide too deep.”
“Of course. I’m not planning to sneak off with anything we left behind.”
I hadn’t thought she would. My concern was that it would be hard to call her back if she went too far in… but if she’ll take care of herself, that’s better for me.
“Good. Let’s handle this well. But before that, could you check if anything is hidden nearby? A formation or mechanism, perhaps.”
“Here??”
Tilting her head, Sama Yuryeon pointed to the entrance of the Vault—the large portrait of the Ghost Shadow Thief.
“Yes. Didn’t I say it earlier? We didn’t just come here to retrieve the Vault’s contents. The main reason we came was for the funeral.”
“Ah… So you think his grave is here too.”
“Considering the Elder’s personality, I’d say there’s a high chance.”
He was someone who took pride in his thievery and even left signs of his theft for recognition.
He threw out invitations just for the fun of it and wanted everyone to admire his achievements.
Of course, he’d want to be buried in the one place where he could watch people covet his treasures after death—the final grand festival.
Was my guess correct? After examining the area around the portrait and stone tablet for a while, Sama Yuryeon soon approached.
“I think I found it.”
“Then please proceed.”
“Yes. Just take a few steps back.”
Sama Yuryeon moved her hands over the wall behind the portrait and the stone tablet.
Kugugung.
The floor split open, revealing a hidden staircase.
We slowly followed it down into a lower chamber.
At the bottom was a modest, square room. Not ornate, not spacious.
The ceiling held a dimly glowing night pearl, and in the center was a rough coffin.
Next to it stood a wooden crutch, leaning at an angle.
The crutch was just the right size for the Ghost Shadow Thief, who had lost one leg in a battle with assassins.
That made it obvious who was lying in the coffin.
“So here you were. Hiding a little too well, weren’t you?”
“We may have arrived a bit early, but in the end, just as the Elder boasted, all of Central Plains has come to know his name.”
Tang Sowol and I exchanged a few brief words, our voices heavy with emotion.
Our time with the Ghost Shadow Thief hadn’t been long, but it had left a deep impression.
The footwork I used most, Ghost Shadow Step, had come from him.
And the Blood Soul Pill he stole from the Demonic Cult had played a crucial role in the Murim Alliance becoming wary of the cult.
If I hadn’t returned in time…
If I hadn’t gone to the cave from memory during that fateful encounter…
The Ghost Shadow Thief would’ve died quietly in that small cave, without meeting us, without passing on his martial arts, and without ever revealing the Vault to the world.
Yet, by chance or fate, all of it became possible.
Instead of dying alone, he now lay peacefully in the completed Vault, watching martial artists flock to his name.
After a moment of thought, I drew my sword.
Sring.
“Cheon Hwi-da??”
Tang Sowol looked puzzled, but I gave her a faint smile and stepped toward a nearby wall.
“The Ghost Shadow Thief Elder succeeded in his goal. His name will echo across the Central Plains for at least the next hundred years.”
“No doubt about it.”
“But a title alone isn’t a name.”
After passing on his martial arts to me, he had sensed that we wouldn’t meet again.
And he had said—
“Though the world will know me as the Ghost Shadow Thief, I ask you to remember me by my name.”
As the only martial artist to inherit his skills—if only partially—I had promised I would.
“This should be acceptable. It felt wrong that such a grand tomb didn’t even have a gravestone.”
I raised my sword to the wall and began carving, as if painting with a brush—delicate, yet unhesitating.
Here lies Jang Cheok, the Gentleman Thief who passed through the world as if it were his own courtyard.
After gazing at the inscription for a moment, I spoke.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes, let’s.”
We offered two bows to pay our final respects.
Drk.
Suddenly, the passage we came from sealed shut, and a new path opened on the opposite wall.
I hadn’t expected a mechanism here. And it opened from a bow, of all things.
As I stood dumbfounded, Sama Yuryeon explained as she scanned the surroundings.
“This doesn’t lead to another chamber.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s a direct path to the outside. But it seems the mechanism can only be operated from here.”
“So it wasn’t made for his own convenience. He expected someone would find their way here… maybe even bow. Which means…”
It was likely he had anticipated Tang Sowol and me specifically.
I chuckled lightly and bowed toward the coffin.
“Thanks for the shortcut.”
***
After walking a long stairway free of traps, we finally reached the exit.
It was still a dark cave, but the view outside was familiar.
It was the same cave marked “Divine Thief’s Hidden Vault”—the one Tang Sowol and I had mistaken for the entrance.
“So it loops around like this, huh.”
With a hollow laugh, we stepped outside, past the formation barrier.
And just as expected, a sizeable crowd was waiting for us.
However, all of them were either already dead… or dying.
“What the…?”
Startled, we came to a stop as a man stepped forward.
A middle-aged man with sharp, venomous features, clad in a purple robe, his body radiating toxic energy as blood dripped from his fingers.
Green hair and eyes—the symbol of a Tang Clan expert.
A face I had never seen while living in the Tang Clan these past years, but one I remembered clearly from before my regression.
The Sect Leader of the Thousand Poison Gate—who had taken advantage of the chaos caused by the Demonic Cult to invade the Central Plains.
One who bore Tang Clan blood, but was no longer of the Tang Clan.
The Poison Demon’s gaze now turned toward Tang Sowol.