Chapter 118: Stolen Goods (4)

Translator: bjgoofy

One who inherited the title of Divine Thief could never receive an object from someone through ordinary means. It always had to be stolen.

So after buying food for the Heavenly Silkworm Thread artisans, the ones she had stolen away on her master's behalf, what rose to the surface of Yeong-ryeon's mind was the worry that the two ducks she had prepared earlier might not be enough.

If they ran short, her master would simply steal more, but still, it was better to avoid petty thefts from common folk when possible.

Yeong-ryeon, who was never fond of stealing from the poor, had picked up two more ducks and a couple more bottles of wine and arrived beneath the old tree where the Beggar Emperor Elder was staying.

It seemed the two of them had already stolen some wine to make up for the shortage; empty bottles were strewn all around them. Her master, pleasantly flushed with drink, called out to Yeong-ryeon just as she was trying to set down the duck and wine and slip away quietly.

"Yeong-ryeon, come here."

"Did you have something to say, Master?"

"Ah, yes. Yeong-ryeon, would you make a trip to Sichuan's Tang Family for me?"

"The Tang Family, Master?"

Her master was suddenly telling her to visit the Tang Family, the largest clan in all of Sichuan.

Wondering what kind of errand this could be, Yeong-ryeon tilted her head and looked at him. Her master smiled with evident pleasure and spoke.

"That's right. Go and deliver a letter from the Divine Thief to the Tang Family."

"To the Tang Family!?"

Her eyes went perfectly round at the command to deliver the Divine Thief's letter to the Tang Family.

And for good reason: in all her time as his disciple, he had never once sent a letter to a great clan like the Tang Family.

Her heart began to pound.

The thought of scaling the walls of Sichuan's Tang Family, one of the Seven Great Families, alongside her master set Yeong-ryeon's chest racing with anticipation.

This was no petty theft of commoners' spare change. They were clearly going to steal something from one of the most renowned families in all the Central Plains, one of the Seven Great Families no less, and her heart went thump-thump at the thought.

Robbing common folk or the poor was one thing, but if they were going to hit a grand estate, that was something Yeong-ryeon could get excited about.

Dodging guard dogs and warriors to slip inside was thrilling in its own nerve-wracking way, and she was curious to see what one of the Seven Great Families actually looked like.

"Understood, Master! What should the letter say?"

"Write that we're coming to fetch, no, to steal the Tang Family's live-in son-in-law, a young hero by the name of Wei Soryong. Also, the Beggar Emperor has arranged for intelligence on the Tang Family through the Beggar's Gang's Sichuan branch. Go pick it up and burn it after you've read it."

Yeong-ryeon committed every word of her master's instructions to memory and answered at once.

"Understood, Master. I will deliver the letter to the Tang Family tonight."

She was about to take her leave when it happened.

Just as she offered a Cupped Fist Salute and turned away, her master's voice reached the back of her head.

"And that young hero, Wei Soryong, you will steal him by yourself."

"!"

Her eyes flew wide at the order to steal him alone, and wondering if she had misheard, she asked again.

"S-surely you don't mean by myself?"

She turned back with an expression of disbelief, and her master, the smile still lingering on his face, continued.

"That's right. How long are you going to keep moving with me or running petty errands? You've already mastered our sect's martial arts to the eighth level. Carry out this task under the name of the Divine Thief.

Here, Heavenly Silkworm Thread. I'm entrusting you with the name and the Divine Token for this mission, so give it your best."

"Th-the name of the Divine Thief!? And even the Divine Token!??"

Yeong-ryeon's hands trembled at the words telling her to go to the Tang Family bearing the name of the Divine Thief.

With shaking fingers, she received the bundle of thread held out to her.

To receive the Divine Thief's name and Divine Token.

It meant that for this task alone, she would not be the Divine Thief's disciple, but the Divine Thief herself.

It was not yet a declaration that he would pass on the title permanently, but it meant her master trusted her enough to carry out a mission on her own. That was why her hands would not stop trembling.

"Y-yes, understood! Your disciple will never give you cause for disappointment!"

"Good, give it your best. If by any chance a Guard Flag goes up...... never mind. No need for unnecessary words. Just be careful of the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons. So then, two days should be enough?"

"Of course, Master!"

Yeong-ryeon prostrated herself in a deep bow on the spot, and as she drew away, her master's laughter followed from behind.

"Ha ha, if I'd known she'd be this happy, I should've given her a mission sooner. You really are never wrong, Brother."

"Of course not, you fool. You think this is my first time raising a disciple? By the way, do you wrap that Heavenly Silkworm Thread inside your Stealth Garment?"

"That's right. I keep it wound around both arms at all times."

"Can't even bugs bite through it?"

"Bugs? Not a chance. It's impervious to blades and needles alike. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Let's just drink some more. Bringing duck and everything, you've really raised yourself a fine disciple."

It sounded like nothing more than idle chatter, so Yeong-ryeon left her master behind and swiftly set off toward the Beggar's Gang's Sichuan branch, launching into Qinggong.

***

-Chirp chirp. Chirp chirp.

With the sun down and even the moon hidden behind clouds, the peak of Tang Family Mountain was shrouded in darkness.

Having thoroughly studied the materials obtained from the Beggar's Gang, Yeong-ryeon deployed the Shadowless Soundless Movement Technique and descended onto the summit of Tang Family Mountain, from which the Tang Family's Inner Courtyard could be seen below.

The Shadowless Soundless Movement Technique erased even shadow and sound, so not a single soul detected Yeong-ryeon's approach from the back of the mountain.

Not the owl in the trees, not even the mice on the path.

The reason Yeong-ryeon had chosen this spot was that it offered the clearest view of the Inner Courtyard used by the Tang Family's direct bloodline, and it was an ideal position from which to launch an arrow.

Having arrived at the summit, she looked down below. Far in the distance, the Tang Family's Inner Courtyard appeared no larger than a fist.

'Phew...... I can do this.'

Delivering letters was something she had done many times on her own, but today her heart was racing more than usual.

It seemed to be because she was completely alone this time, so Yeong-ryeon steadied herself with a deep breath.

Then she activated her Hundred-Li Eyes, which could bring distant sights close, and fixed her gaze on the foot of Tang Family Mountain.

Before long, the Inner Courtyard, no bigger than a chestnut a moment ago, grew steadily larger in her vision, and the open window of her target, the quarters of the Tang Family's live-in son-in-law, filled her sight entirely.

-Creak.

The sound of the bowstring being drawn on the Thousand-Li Bow.

-Whoosh!

The instant Yeong-ryeon released her fingers, the arrow streaked forward with a crisp sound, cutting through the night sky and vanishing into the targeted window in the blink of an eye.

That was when it happened.

A woman who had poked her face out the window of the quarters used by Sichuan's Tang Family's live-in son-in-law shouted something, and then another woman came dashing out of the quarters.

-Shreeee!

The shrill cry of a Signal Arrow split the night sky, and warriors carrying torches surged along the paths toward the Inner Courtyard, flowing like Internal Energy through acupoints.

A shiver of excitement ran through Yeong-ryeon at the speed of their alarm and the swiftness with which they gathered.

Their systematic, rapid response was incomparable to any of the smaller clans she had seen before, and her heart pounded with anticipation.

"As expected, this is the Tang Family of Sichuan!"

She could not help but imagine how exhilarating it would be to break through all of that with everything she had.

Setting aside the homes of common folk, who did not warrant a letter in the first place, it was standard practice that upon receiving the Divine Thief's letter, families would leave the requested item in a convenient spot for retrieval.

That meant Yeong-ryeon had never once needed to infiltrate with her full effort to take something and get out.

She had occasionally dodged warriors when raiding the homes of slightly wealthier gentry, but that had never truly gotten her blood pumping.

But that anticipation was short-lived.

Contrary to the urgency with which they had gathered, the warriors slowly began to disperse.

"Ah......"

Only then did reality set in.

She had been elated after receiving the Divine Thief's name and even the Divine Token, but watching the Tang Family's warriors sluggishly scatter brought the realization that she had gotten far too carried away on her own.

The reputation of the previous Divine Thieves was so formidable that even the Tang Family would clearly not bother trying to stop her.

After all, if they simply set the item out, they would one day receive the Divine Thief's aid in return. There was no reason to choose the losing option of having the item taken and forfeiting that favor as well.

Judging by what she saw, they would most likely prepare the son-in-law, that boy, somewhere convenient for her to take.

And so, her excitement cooled.

"Well, I suppose I should just take pride in handling this alone."

She resolved to find meaning in carrying out a mission solo, bearing her master's name and the Divine Token. Just as she was turning to leave, it happened.

A sound that cut through the night sky and reached her ears with startling clarity, despite the great distance.

-Flutter!

She turned her head toward the source of the sound, and there, at what appeared to be the Family Head's Hall and the Nine Progress Gate, flags had suddenly been raised.

The moon happened to emerge just then. Activating her Hundred-Li Eyes, she made out what was on the flags: a pair of fierce-looking dogs.

Two snarling dogs facing each other, the flags hung above the Family Head's Hall and above the Nine Progress Gate.

"G-Guard Flags!"

A bolt of electricity shot through Yeong-ryeon from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes.

Seeing Guard Flags for the first time in her life, sparks blazed in her eyes and a fierce competitive spirit surged up from deep within her chest.

Petty thieving had never appealed to her, but she had always dreamed of piercing through that kind of ironclad security.

And then she recalled what her master had said about Guard Flags when he sent her here.

'So this is why Master told me to go alone!'

It seemed her master had known things would turn out this way, and she realized he must have wanted to test the results of her training so far, using the Tang Family as the proving ground.

"Wei Soryong, Gae Soryong, whatever your name is, just you wait. I will steal you without fail!"

Yeong-ryeon clenched her fist tight, looked down upon the Tang Family, and smiled.

***

The next day, they decided to make several preparations with the Tang Family household.

With the Guard Flag raised, the thief would surely come at them with everything he had.

They resolved to prepare a few surprises to catch the thief off guard.

First, Cho would stand by high in the sky and, upon spotting the thief, continuously follow and relay the thief's position to the others.

No matter how nimble the thief might be, centipedes could sense body heat.

It was essentially the same as having infrared vision, which would make it easy to find the thief from the night sky above.

"Cho, you wait up in the sky, and if you see the thief, keep following. Understood? And absolutely do not spray poison. He's a bad person, but he's not really a bad person."

-Tsureut?

"No, how am I supposed to explain this...... Ah! He's a bad person, but we want to catch him alive. We can't scold him if he's dead, right? And unless Daddy specifically tells you to, you must never use poison carelessly. Got it?"

-Tsureut! Tsureut!

If Cho were to spray venom and melt the Divine Thief to death, it would become a massive incident in the martial world.

After thoroughly drilling into Cho the importance of always being careful with her poison, he moved on to check whether what he had asked of Yohwa was ready.

"Yohwa, is everything ready? Did you lay it all out?"

-Kishi!

What he had asked Yohwa to do was spread webs, densely and thoroughly.

Not just on the ground, but hidden carefully along the rooftops of the buildings as well.

According to Grandfather, the Divine Thief's martial arts involved Qinggong that left neither shadow nor sound, and a Movement Technique so fast it was invisible to the eye.

Even Grandfather had said that once it was deployed, he could lose track of the thief in an instant.

But no matter how fast the Qinggong, feet still had to touch the ground. So the plan was to lay webs to detect the thief.

"Yohwa's ready too. That leaves Yeondu. Yeondu, you stay wrapped tight around your big brother, and if he's ever in danger, make sure you bite hard, okay?"

-Shaaa!

Hyang and the others had venom too potent, so if they were going to use poison, Yeondu with her paralysis venom or Yohwa were the best choices.

But since Yohwa had taken on a human guise, the thief would likely be on guard around her. That was why the final line of defense was entrusted to Yeondu, who could stay hidden by coiling around his body.

Once the review of the three main preparations was finished, Hwa-eun nodded and spoke.

"Soryong, then let's go over it one last time."

"Of course, Hwa-eun."

"First, from inside Yohwa's nest, Soryong relays what Yohwa detects to Hyang. Hyang stays with me and tells me which direction the Divine Thief appeared from.

Then, based on the warriors' movements, Cho searches for the Divine Thief from the sky and follows him. That's the first phase."

"Correct."

"Ideally we catch him in this phase, but if the Divine Thief slips past Yohwa's threads or Cho's sight, Soryong takes shelter inside the Golden-Furred King Bee's nest.

Snow and Ice hold the yard and engage the Divine Thief. If they're breached and the Divine Thief enters the old tree, the Golden-Furred King Bees block the entrance and capture him.

And if, by some chance, the Divine Thief gets past the Golden-Furred King Bees and lays a hand on Soryong, Yeondu springs out and bites to paralyze."

What Hwa-eun had laid out was the backbone of their plan.

When she finished her explanation, Grandfather, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, and his father-in-law both smiled.

"Even the Divine Thief would be caught for certain with all that. Bwahaha."

"Start thinking about what to wish for with those three wishes, Son-in-law."

That was when it happened.

His mother-in-law's voice came from beside them, tinged with concern.

"But I think Hyang might be a bit of a problem."

Everyone turned toward his mother-in-law, and there in the center of the twelve sheets of paper spread across the round table, Hyang was grunting with effort, her antennae quivering.

It seemed she still had not managed to memorize them all.

"She still can't do it?"

In response to his question, his mother-in-law, who had confidently volunteered to take charge of Hyang's training given her own experience with Hwa-eun, offered an awkward smile and spoke to Hyang.

"Hyang, the Hour of the Rat!" [TL Note: The Hour of the Rat (子時) corresponds to 11 PM–1 AM in the traditional twelve-hour system, which here doubles as a twelve-direction compass.]

At that, Hyang glanced nervously at his mother-in-law, then crept toward the Hour of the Snake.

-Tsureut?

She let out a small cry, looking back at them as if to ask whether she had it right.

When no one confirmed she was correct, Hyang drooped her antennae and shuffled over to the Hour of the Tiger.

-Tsu, tsureut?

'Gyaaah.'

His baby girl's adorable antics were melting her father's heart, but her mother, it seemed, was a woman of great ambition.

Hwa-eun gently encouraged Hyang and said,

"Hyang, if you take after Mommy, you can do it too. Everyone struggles at first. Now, let's try again. That spot is the Hour of the Tiger."

The reason Hyang was memorizing the twelve hours was to relay directions to Hwa-eun.

If everyone involved in giving orders gathered in one place, it would make it easy for the Divine Thief to pinpoint his location. So the plan was to stay apart, with Yohwa relaying the direction to Hyang via telepathy, who would then convey it to Hwa-eun using the twelve cardinal directions.

Until evening came, the sorrowful sounds of Hyang struggling to memorize the twelve hours continued without end.

-Tsu, tsureut?