I woke up early in the morning and opened the window to find it foggy, just like deep in the mountains. The glory of the central street that had been so flashy and bustling last night disappeared like a dream, and only fleeting fog filled the air. Zhongqing's other name was Wudo.
It was the City of Fog. When I first came to Zhongqing, I was quite flustered by this terrible fog. Because of the Yangtze River and the lakes, water mist always floated in Zhongqing.
The fog was trapped in the basin and did not leave easily. In spring, summer, or autumn, when the sun rose and the temperature went up a bit, the wind blew and scattered it. In winter, when the air was stagnant, visibility only opened up completely around noon.
In midwinter Zhongqing, sunny and clear days were countable on one hand. Still, winter was less cold, and thanks to the boats coming and going along the river, goods were abundant, making it not bad to live in. I closed the window, packed my long blade and bundle, and came out of the guest room.
I knocked on Tang Hye-seo and Gwang-hyo's room doors and went down to the first floor first. Among the guests eating breakfast, I saw the horseman.
"You woke up early."
"One must be diligent to take care of the horses."
"Is it fish porridge?"
"Yes. Maybe because the inn is big, the cook's skill is quite good."
The horseman savored the taste with a satisfied expression and moved his spoon. Even though he was a subordinate of Bok Ha-gyu, perhaps resembling his superior, the horseman did not look like he was from the dark path at all. Tang Hye-seo and Gwang-hyo soon packed their things and came down as well.
I called the waiter and ordered three bowls of fish porridge. We all sat around the table and filled our stomachs with the warm and savory fish porridge.
"The fog is too thick, will we be able to leave?"
At Tang Hye-seo's question, the horseman smiled as if telling her not to worry.
"Fog is a daily occurrence in Zhongqing. Still, it would be better to leave after it clears up a bit. If we make a mistake and hit a person or carriages collide, we could be tied up at the authorities for a few days."
"Let's do that."
I readily agreed. Rather than hurrying for no reason and causing problems, it is better to move as safely as possible, even if it is a little late. We finished our meal and were drinking tea while waiting for the fog to thin when martial artists wearing swords entered the inn.
A middle-aged man wearing a blue martial arts uniform with a dignified beard and three young men following him. Seeing that their attire was similar, they seemed to be from the same sect. Beside the middle-aged man looking around the room was the Qingcheng Sect pretty boy who had flirted with Tang Hye-seo yesterday.
As the saying goes that one acts according to their appearance, it seemed the petty man who looked like he wouldn't even have a decent pair of balls had brought back-up. The Qingcheng Sect Daoist who recognized us approached quickly.
"Long time no see."
Gwang-hyo received the greeting and stood up from his seat. Tang Hye-seo, the horseman, and I also pushed our chairs back and stood up at the same time. Gwang-hyo raised his right hand, assuming the unique half-palm greeting of a Shaolin monk, and bowed his head slightly.
"Long time no see. Patron Jeong."
When the middle-aged man's eyes turned to her, Tang Hye-seo politely took a fist-and-palm salute.
"Have you been well all this time? I did not expect to see you here."
"Me too. I heard you left Sichuan with Heroine Tang, but I did not know you would be in Zhongqing."
"My aunt is at a certain place, and I am serving the Zen master for a while."
Since she used Gwang-hyo as an excuse, the Qingcheng Sect Daoist could not ask any further. An unwelcome gaze turned to me.
"The Young Hero seems to be a stranger, who are you?"
I reluctantly took a fist-and-palm salute and made up a suitable excuse.
"I am a nameless wandering swordsman accompanying the Zen master with Young Lady Tang."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Perhaps his interest vanished at the word wandering swordsman, as the Daoist did not even ask for my name. After glancing at the horseman, he spoke to Gwang-hyo again.
"What brings you to Zhongqing?"
Gwang-hyo answered calmly.
"We were just passing through. We plan to leave when the fog clears, so do not mind us."
"If you are not in a hurry, could you spare some time?"
"What is it?"
When Gwang-hyo tilted his head, the Daoist sent his disciples back and lowered his voice.
"It is quite a headache because of the master thief."
"Master thief? Is there a master thief in Zhongqing too?"
In the Central Plains, there were not just one or two thieves famous as master thieves. From pickpockets in the market to masked robbers who had jumped over some walls, they all called themselves master thieves. Since Zhongqing was rich in goods and had a large population, it was natural for there to be a master thief.
"He announces when he will go to the house he will steal from in advance and then climbs the wall, so he is called the Notification Master Thief."
"Two places have already been robbed this month alone. I stopped by Zhongqing for business and am guarding against him at an acquaintance's request, but he is quite elusive. Where is the party headed?"
Gwang-hyo answered without blinking an eye.
"Hubei."
"That is good. The Manor Lord of Radiant Star Pavilion, who received a notification from the master thief this time, is a tycoon who owns several merchant ships. If you help the Manor Lord, he will give you space on a merchant ship going to Hubei."
The Daoist observed Gwang-hyo's reaction and persuaded him persistently.
"From here to Hubei, no matter how much you urge the horses, it takes a full fifteen days. If you go down the Yangtze River, a few days is enough."
I thought he would flatly refuse, but Gwang-hyo pondered for a moment and left room for compromise.
"I will consult with the party."
"If you decide, come to Radiant Star Pavilion. If you ask the innkeeper, you will know."
Perhaps because he received a positive answer, the Daoist led his disciples back without a word. After all the uninvited guests disappeared into the fog, which had become a little thinner than before, Gwang-hyo asked the horseman.
"How would it be if we went by boat?"
"We can save a lot of time. If it is a large merchant ship, we can load the carriage too."
"How much shorter would it be?"
As if he had a lot of experience in this area, the horseman's answer was fluent.
"If we take a boat from here and get off at Gaehyeon, it is exactly a five-day distance to Shaanxi."
"It gets shortened that much?"
I had been to Zhongqing a few times, but I had never taken a boat, so I could not help but be surprised. When I wandered the Central Plains as a wandering swordsman, I always walked on my two feet, whether on the main road or mountain paths.
Sometimes I used a carriage, but I had no occasion to ride a horse or a boat. Horses were precious and boat fares were quite expensive.
"It is five days to the territory of Shaanxi province. If we take a boat, we can reduce the time spent on the road by at least ten days. If there is a river in the direction we are going, a boat is much faster. Horses and people have to sleep at night, but the river flows day and night."
"Can we not find a boat separately?"
Perhaps having already checked, the horseman immediately shook his head.
"There is a passenger ship that runs once every five days, but only people can board it. Only large merchant ships can load a carriage."
Tang Hye-seo shook her head cautiously as if she wasn't keen on it.
"We have to catch the thief called master thief or whatever, or prevent the theft to ride Radiant Star Pavilion's boat, right? Looking at it, the Qingcheng Sect Daoists don't seem confident either, so if things go wrong, we might just waste time here."
That is true. If he was a guy who could be caught easily, the government soldiers who were inspecting with their eyes lit up would have bound him long ago. Gwang-hyo, who had been listening silently, put an end to the conversation.
"I will negotiate that matter."
He seemed to have already decided to take the boat. It seemed Jeok Chu-yeong, left behind in the Western Village, weighed heavily on his mind. Jeok Chu-yeong's Hidden Force was not fully healed.
He seemed even more urgent than me to go to Shaanxi as quickly as possible, finish the business, and return to the Western Village to root out the Hidden Force. Since we could shorten the journey by ten days and Gwang-hyo confidently said he could do it, I had no reason to oppose.
The wall of Radiant Star Pavilion was so wide and high that it was hard to capture it all in one glance. It was not a mere manor but almost a fortress wall. It looked hard to climb over easily even if one threw a ladder or a rope with a grappling hook.
We parked the carriage at the main gate and stated our identity and purpose to the gatekeepers armed with broadswords. A servant came out, brought the carriage inside, and guided us to the reception room. While we were enjoying an awkward luxury for a moment with top-quality tea amidst lavish and extravagant decorations, the owner soon appeared.
Daoist Jeong Gyun of the Qingcheng Sect, whom we saw at the inn earlier, also came along.
"Oh, you came from Shaolin Temple?"
The Manor Lord was a chubby, good-natured man. Uncontrollable enthusiasm overflowed from the eyes, expression, gestures, and voice unique to a person who had lived without yielding to failure all his life.
"I intend to add my meager strength. I do not know if this humble monk's ability will be of help."
"Hahaha, your modesty is excessive. How can the strength of the Shaolin, famous under the heavens, be meager?"
Seeing the Manor Lord rejoice greatly, Daoist Jeong Gyun added a few words quietly from the side.
"Zen Master Gwang-hyo excels in both martial ability and spiritual power, so the Manor Lord can be at ease now."
Perhaps realizing he had been too happy praising a Shaolin monk right in front of a Qingcheng Sect Daoist, the Manor Lord smiled sheepishly.
"I will never forget the goodwill and chivalry shown by Qingcheng this time."
"We only did what we had to do."
It looked exactly like the Qingcheng Sect couldn't handle it and was dragging Shaolin in. Even though his pride could have been hurt, Daoist Jeong Gyun looked relieved instead. He ended up here getting involved with the master thief, but he must have been quite perplexed too.
At first, he probably assured the Manor Lord, who was anxious after receiving the master thief's notification, to trust only the Qingcheng Sect. He must have underestimated a mere thief. His thoughts must have completely changed while investigating the past two acts of the master thief, which were not well known because the authorities silenced them.
Even though he notified them in advance when and where he would rob, two other influential figures were robbed helplessly. It is unlikely they didn't invite martial arts masters. If Radiant Star Pavilion gets robbed by the master thief this time, it was as clear as fire that the furious Manor Lord would hold a grudge against the Qingcheng Sect.
Since rumors would spread widely, a great scratch would be left on the Qingcheng Sect's reputation as well. If he returned to his school, he would not be able to avoid a reprimand in one way or another. However, having agreed to take on the guard duty, he couldn't just ignore it now.
Just when he was suffering a headache because there was no good solution, a high monk of Shaolin unexpectedly appeared. Shaolin Temple was the head of the Nine Great Sects. Even if he shamelessly passed the buck on the requested job, they had enough stature that the Qingcheng Sect's face would not be damaged.
Gwang-hyo surely noticed Daoist Jeong Gyun's scheme, but he did not waver in the slightest.
"Can I see the notification?"
"Of course."
The Manor Lord ordered a servant to bring the notification. What the Notification Master Thief was targeting was the Radiant Star Pavilion's family treasure, the Blue Jade Buddha Statue. The notification came ten days ago, and it was written that he would come to take the Blue Jade Buddha exactly tonight, so pack it nicely.
"Is the Blue Jade Buddha well stored?"
"I hid it firmly where no one can find it. Even if the master thief's grandfather came, it would be impossible."
The Manor Lord was confident, but his determined expression soon clouded with anxiety. The other two places the Notification Master Thief robbed were also residences of prominent officials and rich people in Zhongqing. If he became the master thief's third trophy, not only would it be a total humiliation, but he would also have no face to see his ancestors.
The conversation between Gwang-hyo, the Manor Lord, and Daoist Jeong Gyun grew long. I watched the situation for a moment and then quietly withdrew, intending to look around the interior. Because there were so many pavilions and warehouses, Radiant Star Pavilion did not feel as wide as it looked from the outside.
I walked while checking the size and arrangement of the buildings to move comfortably at night, and stopped near a warehouse where work was in full swing. Laborers were unloading goods from a carriage and moving them to the warehouse. I was glancing over them and passing by when something caught my eye.
A scar...
I looked back again and saw a middle-aged laborer walking with a load on his shoulder. His sun-tanned face was somewhat familiar. When the scar from a sword cut on his left cheek came into view, a light turned on in my head.
It was a face I had seen somewhere. A forest in the middle of the night with moonlight pouring down. Hidden weapons flying like bats.
A bamboo shield. I remembered who it was. And what kind of human he was.
Why does the Notification Master Thief notify the house he will rob in advance? Is it arrogant guts saying catch me if you can? Does he want to make a name for himself as a master thief?
Maybe it is a scheme to turn attention elsewhere. Just because he says he will steal on a set day doesn't mean he climbs the wall on the set day. If he infiltrated beforehand and is waiting for the time...
I felt a presence behind me. I turned around and it was Tang Hye-seo.
"What are you doing?"
"...... I think I found the master thief."
"Huh?"
Tang Hye-seo blinked her surprised eyes and looked at me. I thought about teasing her by taking my time, but I smirked and pointed to the middle-aged man with my hand.
"That man."
Tang Hye-seo narrowed her eyes and stared piercingly at the laborer I pointed out. Although we had only seen his face once reflected in the moonlight in the middle of the night a few months ago, his features were bold enough to recognize who he was. Tang Hye-seo was dumbfounded.
"Why is that human here... Didn't the Underworld Information Clan agree to take him?"
"Let's ask him directly. What he is doing here."
Even when Tang Hye-seo and I approached, the laborers just glanced once and did their own work. That middle-aged man could not do that. His two eyes, which tilted as if he saw something wrong, grew larger and larger, and his mouth dropped open.
It was clear he recognized us too. At that point, it was certain. It is that middle-aged man from back then.
One of the three swordsmen hired at the Wandering Swordsmen Inn by Tang Se-yeong, who was being chased by the Tang Clan pursuit squad last summer. The middle-aged wandering swordsman whom Won Seo-gang called Brother Dong. The self-proclaimed master thief who says there is no wall he cannot climb and no safe he cannot crack.
When Tang Hye-seo tried to kill him to silence him because he saw the Tang Clan's shame, Won Seo-gang saved him by mentioning the Underworld Information Clan. He saved him with the intention of using him when climbing the wall of the Black Night Gang.
Thanks to Bok Ha-gyu, we were able to enter the Black Night Gang through the back door, so there was no occasion for that wandering swordsman to be active. After returning from the mountain, I had never encountered him in the Western Village. He said the sword wound on his cheek was from climbing the wall of the Namgung Family.
He said he changed his job from thief to wandering swordsman after that day, but to think he would be active in Zhongqing again. I remembered his name too.
"Dong Ho-sak."
When I mentioned his name, Dong Ho-sak's two eyes shook uncontrollably. The blood drained completely from his face.