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SERIES: Return of the Divine Thief
CHAPTER 8: Return of the Divine Thief
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Return of the Divine Thief - Chapter 8
The old innkeeper kept bringing out food and wine, so Muryang drank without pause.
“Well, this is no fun. I can't even get drunk.”
The alcohol was purified as soon as it entered his system, so Muryang's complexion remained unchanged from before he started drinking.
In contrast, Jo Yangtae, his face flushed, said with a half-sneer.
“I'm starting to feel a buzz, but looking at you, it seems you're the worst drinker here.”
“Nonsense. Enough of that. I have a lot to do, so I'm leaving first.”
“Things to do? What kind of things?”
“I'm thinking of paying a visit to the Daewoong Faction.”
At the mention of the Daewoong Faction, the expressions of Jo Yangtae and One-Eye and his brother freezed.
And for good reason. The Daewoong Faction was the underworld group that controlled Uiju.
The only difference between them and the Red Bridge Faction was that their power was far greater.
This was only natural, considering the difference in size and population between Muihyeon and Uiju.
“Why are you going to the Daewoong Faction?”
“Someone's been nagging me to go make money. I can't stand the pestering.”
Though he said it like that, Muryang was also concerned about the Red Bridge Faction's financial situation.
Even if he could enforce his will for now with the former Lodge Leader's wealth, they needed money to live on until a new profit structure could be established to sustain it.
“Do you know someone in the Daewoong Faction?”
“Maybe?”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“That's what I'm going to find out. While I'm gone, manage the men well. You probably won't have much else to do, so build up your stamina. And you, get rid of that greatsword. It doesn't suit your body.”
Jo Yangtae gripped his greatsword and replied.
“You want me to change my weapon?”
“You're too slender to handle a greatsword. Try training with a lighter sword, and you'll understand what I mean.”
In his past life, Jo Yangtae had lost an arm, changed his weapon, and improved by leaps and bounds, eventually rising to become one of the Hundred Great Masters.
Simply getting him to wield a suitable weapon at an earlier stage would be effective enough.
“It's advice from my benefactor… so I'll follow it for now. Of course, if it's not effective, I'll just go back to my original sword.”
“That's good enough.”
“By the way, when will you be back?”
Muryang thought for a moment before answering.
“I don't know. I might be back in a month, or depending on the situation, it could be next year.”
“It'll take that long? When are you leaving?”
“Right now.”
“Now?”
Muryang drained his cup and rose from his seat, saying.
“A hero's work is never done.”
Muryang had been given time to prepare for the Demonic Cult.
‘But it's only a few years. Those bastards from the Demonic Cult have been building their strength for hundreds of years.’
To face a group of madmen who had been amassing power for centuries, he had to move without rest.
‘Still, it's a good start.’
He had stolen the hearts of the Red Bridge Faction and the future Great Master, Jo Yangtae.
Moreover, there was the internal energy he gained from absorbing the Poison Flower Lotus.
But these seeds alone were not enough to stand against the Demonic Cult.
‘First, I'll absorb the underworld of Uiju.’
And make some money on the side.
With that thought, Muryang set off.
* * *
Leaving Muihyeon, Muryang's steps led him to Uiju, the transportation hub of Guangxi Province.
After traversing dusty country roads, he arrived in Uiju, a city of a scale that couldn't even be compared to Muihyeon.
As he stepped through the city gates, a wave of people and a deafening noise washed over him.
Countless merchants in splendid silk clothes and martial artists exuding killing intent walked along the well-paved main street.
‘Everyone's so busy.’
It was only natural for the underworld to thrive in a place overflowing with people and money like this.
Thus, Uiju was home to dozens of underworld factions that had secretly taken root, starting with the various ruffians belonging to the Haomun (Lower Five Gates).
And the one that had unified these Uiju underworld factions was the Daewoong Faction.
Muryang did not act immediately.
‘Relying on memory alone is not enough.’
No matter how well he knew the information from his past life, this was a time before he had seriously entered the world of martial arts.
Rumors were like living creatures, changing from moment to moment, and besides, this wasn't the main stage of the Central Plains.
Basic information gathering was essential.
For two days, Muryang roamed every corner of Uiju like an ordinary traveler.
He listened in on the conversations of market thugs, hearing the complaints of merchants.
His movement technique was not in vain; a rough picture of Uiju's public sentiment and power structure formed in his mind.
That was enough of the vague, floating stories.
‘Now it's time to get real information.’
Based on the information he had gathered over two days, Muryang headed for a certain inn.
The executive members of a large faction like Daewoong didn't just frequent any place.
To avoid unnecessary conflicts with other underworld groups, they were bound to have hideout-like places that only they used.
The atmosphere inside the inn was different from the other places he had visited.
There were fewer customers, but every one of them carried a blade and had a menacing air.
Muryang took a seat in a corner, ordered some simple side dishes and wine, and quietly observed his surroundings.
The gazes of a few men who had been sizing him up soon lost interest and returned to their own business.
This place didn't forbid entry to the public, but they had been momentarily wary of a new face.
When they didn't sense the same underworld scent from Muryang, they dismissed him as just a bold, wandering martial artist and lost interest.
Soon, their conversation began.
“It was so satisfying when the Lodge Leader crushed that ronin, Hong Yuchang.”
“That's what happens to a bastard who dares to act up in our Daewoong Faction's territory. Lodge Leader Wi Mugeuk's might is unmatched under the heavens.”
The boisterous conversation naturally flowed into praise for Lodge Leader Wi Mugeuk and heroic tales of recent fights with other factions.
Muryang silently tilted his cup, waiting for useful information to emerge.
And finally, the name he had been waiting for appeared.
“Actually, Elder Heuk deserves a lot of credit for this one. It wouldn't have been easy if the Elder hadn't laid the groundwork.”
In that instant, all of Muryang's senses focused on their conversation.
‘Heuk Cheolsan.’
One of the reasons Muryang came to Uiju.
In his past life, he was a figure who walked the line between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, known by the name 'Black Sword'. In the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, he sided with the Orthodox Faction.
‘His martial skill wasn't on Jo Yangtae's level, but he was still a competent man.’
Muryang planned to absorb the underworld in Uiju.
If he did, he would naturally need someone trustworthy to manage the Uiju underworld.
After all, Muryang couldn't stay in Uiju himself.
The person chosen for that role was Heuk Cheolsan, known as Elder Heuk.
As Muryang was organizing his thoughts, one of the men looked around cautiously and spoke in a low voice.
“But it's strange, Elder Heuk hasn't been showing his face at all lately. I wonder if something's wrong?”
Another man sighed and replied.
“Haven't you heard? They say his daughter's illness has gotten worse.”
‘…He had a daughter?’
This was something he had never heard of in his past life.
To think that Heuk Cheolsan had a family, and a sick daughter at that.
‘Then again, considering his age, it's not strange for him to have a child.’
Unlike with Jo Yangtae, he hadn't been close with Heuk Cheolsan in his past life, so he didn't know much about his personal affairs.
The conversation ended there.
They soon changed the subject to other trivial matters, and no more information about Elder Heuk came up.
Muryang finished the rest of his food and wine and got up from his seat.
He had only learned one unexpected fact, but that alone was enough.
As he left the inn, his eyes glinted coldly.
‘I'll have to see for myself if the rumors are true.’
His steps were already heading toward Elder Heuk's residence.
* * *
After leaving the tavern, Muryang lingered around Elder Heuk's residence, planning his next move.
A pitch-black night, where even the moonlight was hidden by clouds.
Beneath the walls of Elder Heuk's residence, Muryang slipped in without a sound.
He held his breath and observed the state of the mansion's security.
‘For the residence of a provincial underworld Elder, the security is unbelievably tight. The eyes of those patrolmen are sharp.’
The patrol units moved in perfect order, their guard routes intersecting without a single gap.
It was an entirely different sight from the discipline he had seen in the Daewoong Faction.
He felt a strange sense of unease, but that wasn't what was important right now.
‘As expected of someone from a general's family. It shows.’
This was why Muryang wanted to recruit Heuk Cheolsan.
A talent that went beyond personal martial prowess—the ability to command an ‘army’.
It was an ability absolutely necessary for the day he would have to face the Demonic Cult.
But no matter how ironclad the security was, it couldn't detect Muryang's movements.
He seemed to run toward the wall, then vaulted over it as lightly as a leaf carried by the wind.
The inside of the residence was vast and complex, but Muryang didn't hesitate.
He followed the path he had mapped out during the day by observing the servants' movements, heading for the annex located in the deepest part of the estate.
Everywhere else was dark and quiet, but that annex alone was brightly lit, and the hurried footsteps of servants could be heard coming and going.
Muryang hid himself on the ridge of the annex roof, carefully lifted a single tile, and peered inside.
Inside the lavishly decorated room.
Amid the strong scent of expensive medicinal herbs, Elder Heuk paced the room with an anxious expression, all his usual dignity gone.
And on the bed where his gaze was fixed, a young girl lay motionless, just as the rumors had said.
A pale face, parched lips, and a faint breath that seemed as if it could extinguish at any moment.
Anyone could see she was gravely ill.
“*Cough, cough*….”
Just then, a white-haired old doctor in the room cleared his throat and bowed his head to Elder Heuk.
“My deepest apologies, Elder. I have practiced medicine for over fifty years, but I cannot even begin to fathom Young Lady Aran's illness. Her pulse is faint, and her Qi is scattered… It is as if her very life force is draining away like water from a cracked jar. Beyond this… it is beyond my power….”
When the doctor finished speaking, a heavy silence fell upon the room.
Elder Heuk only wiped his face with a dry hand, not offering the slightest rebuke.
His usual dignity was gone; he was just the image of a haggard father.
“…Doctor. Is there… is there truly no other way?”
“……”
“If there are any necessary herbs, I will procure them, no matter the cost. A thousand gold, ten thousand gold, it doesn't matter. So please… just tell me if there is a way.”
His trembling voice was filled with desperation.
The doctor could not bring himself to raise his head and pressed his forehead to the floor.
“My apologies… my deepest apologies….”
Watching Elder Heuk quietly crumble, Muryang silently replaced the roof tile.
The rumors were true.
No, it was more than just a rumor.
Elder Heuk's weakness was clear, and that weakness was an incurable disease that no doctor could currently solve.
Just as he had entered, Muryang left the residence without a trace.
On the roof of a distant building, he drank alone, the bright lights of Elder Heuk's residence serving as the side dish for his wine.
‘Even the highest castle wall is no different from a paper door if someone opens it from the inside.’
Countless pieces of medical knowledge and secret remedies he had learned in his past life surfaced in Muryang's mind.
The cause of the illness, invisible to the eyes of ordinary doctors, was clearly visible to him.
‘They're looking for a doctor who can perform a miracle.’
Muryang swallowed the bitter smile on his lips along with his drink.
“I intended to be a hero in this life… but it looks like I'll have to start by playing the clown.”
But his eyes shone colder and clearer than ever before.
A new game to play, not as the Divine Thief, but as the Divine Doctor.
Muryang quietly began to take out a ‘new face’.
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