Chapter 93: The Masked Man
The Zhongnan Sect, one of the Nine Sects and One Gang.
As befitted a Daoist sect that split control of Shaanxi’s martial world alongside the Mount Hua Sect, the number of experts under its banner was countless.
It was late at night.
Zhongnan’s Daoists were strolling about with light steps, each either digesting their evening meal or contemplating their own enlightenment.
“What is that?”
Elder Heo Myeong of the Zhongnan Sect suddenly lifted his head. His falcon-like sharp eyes glared fiercely at the roof of the Sutra Pavilion.
“What is it, Martial Uncle?”
“……”
At his disciple’s question, Heo Myeong continued staring at the roof for a while, tilting his head repeatedly.
“No, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Martial Uncle.”
The two soon departed.
Then, a round black shape suddenly leapt up from the roof.
‘……Still not enough.’
If it had been Master Divine Thief, would the elder of Zhongnan have even felt the slightest suspicion?
Of course not. No matter how strong the Zhongnan elder was, Master Divine Thief was a man who had once toyed with the Nine Sects and One Gang as well as the Five Great Clans.
Jin Seong-un’s eyes sank deeply.
A strange, vexed feeling rose within him.
“……”
Was this really right?
For a brief moment, Jin Seong-un had such thoughts, but he soon propelled his body forward again.
…
Half an hour passed.
He had wandered through the vast Zhongnan Sect grounds without anyone noticing.
In the end, he could draw only one conclusion.
‘It is impossible to collect the swords of their martial artists.’
This was not due to a lack of ability.
Upon closer inspection, he realized the swords of Falling Flame Manor and those of Qinghai Iron Workshop were different even from their scabbards.
Surprisingly, among all the martial artists, those who used swords from Falling Flame Manor could be counted on one hand.
Considering that Zhongnan housed hundreds of martial artists, this was bizarre.
Jin Seong-un recalled the words he had overheard from Zhongnan Daoists at the inn.
– Yeah. Calling this a Five-Combination Sword is a waste. Three-Combination Sword fits better. Why would the elders even bother fetching swords from Falling Flame Manor? Everyone should just get them from Qinghai Iron Workshop.
The Zhongnan Sect scorned the swords of Falling Flame Manor.
From what he had heard, if a sword broke, they would simply get a new one from elsewhere.
With ever more practiced movements, Jin Seong-un floated through the air, reading the names of each hall.
After some time, he found it.
‘There.’
The Armory.
Its name was very straightforward, and even in the middle of the night two Daoists stood guard.
Coincidentally, those same young Daoists were the ones who had mocked Falling Flame Manor over dumplings at the inn.
Jin Seong-un observed the Armory for a moment. Naturally, a storage hall had no windows.
“Yawn……”
Watching the Daoists yawn from atop the roof, Jin Seong-un suddenly dropped down.
He landed right between the two of them.
Even though he was right beside them, they did not notice.
Tap. Tap.
He pressed their acupoints, and the two collapsed instantly.
Time was short.
There were many Daoists roaming throughout the Zhongnan grounds.
He had to finish before anyone realized something was wrong.
Jin Seong-un entered the Armory at once.
For a warehouse, the air was surprisingly fresh, and not a speck of dust rested on the stacked goods.
As expected of the Nine Sects and One Gang, it seemed they maintained things meticulously even in ordinary times.
Finding the swords from Falling Flame Manor was not difficult.
One box alone was covered in dust.
When he opened it, a wave of acrid dust blew up. Jin Seong-un brushed it aside with a flick of his hand and peered inside.
As expected, it was full of swords.
Naturally, they were swords from Falling Flame Manor.
He counted carefully—exactly sixty-seven.
It seemed it would take years before this box was emptied.
The swords stacked within looked like burdens no one wanted.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jin Seong-un closed the box and lifted it whole.
Even if he stole twenty swords, forty-seven would remain.
For some reason, he did not want to leave those forty-seven behind.
Soon, Jin Seong-un carried the box of Falling Flame swords on his shoulder and stepped outside.
The Daoists were still slumbering, ignorant of the world.
Jin Seong-un looked at their faces for a moment, tapped them lightly on the necks, then slipped out of the Zhongnan Sect without a trace.
…
A commotion soon broke out within the Zhongnan Sect.
“What in the world are you doing!”
Elder Heo Myeong roared.
At his thunderous shout, the two Daoists guarding the Armory jerked awake.
With a furious face, Heo Myeong stormed up to them.
“Were you truly that sleep-deprived?”
“N-No, Elder!”
“And yet.”
“……”
“Do you think I didn’t see you yawning endlessly?”
The two Daoists had no excuses, no matter how many mouths they had.
They felt wrongly accused, yet no words came to their lips.
It was true they had been sleepy. It was true they had yawned lazily again and again.
But it was also true that they had not been close to actually falling asleep.
“Go to the Hall of Repentance at once. You will not emerge for three days.”
“E-Elder……”
“Go! Do you take my words as a joke?”
The two Daoists bowed hastily and ran off toward the Hall of Repentance.
Clicking his tongue, Heo Myeong glanced around, then entered the Armory.
With his sharp eyes, he inspected every item inside.
“Nothing seems amiss.”
Within Zhongnan, swords from Falling Flame Manor held little importance. All the more so since Qinghai Iron Workshop’s swords were worthy of being called true treasured blades.
Falling Flame Manor.
Chae Ga-hee and Chae Seo-ryeong were still there conversing. To be exact, it was Seo-ryeong one-sidedly demanding answers.
“I admit that just words alone aren’t enough for me to believe you are the successor of Master Divine Thief.”
“……”
“But to say you went to Zhongnan Sect and stole twenty swords from Falling Flame Manor?”
Chae Ga-hee shook her head as if unwilling to listen further. In truth, she also knew it was impossible.
The Zhongnan Sect was no ordinary sect. It housed hundreds of martial artists, and among them at least a hundred could be called masters of the martial world.
How could anyone slip through them and steal twenty swords? She thought even stealing one would be extremely difficult.
Perhaps if it were the Great Thief of the Ages, Divine Thief, it might have been possible. But his successor, and such a young man at that? Impossible.
She suspected he might be a fraud. If he had set an impossible trial and later gave some convenient excuse, her suspicions would only deepen.
What she had expected to hear was simple:
‘I cannot.’
For surely, if he truly was the successor of Divine Thief, then at the very least he would not try to deceive others with flowery words or boast that the impossible could be done.
“That man likely will not return,” Chae Ga-hee declared.
At that, Chae Seo-ryeong narrowed her eyes.
“No, I’m telling you, that man is incredibly strong! And he’s an amazing thief too.”
Chae Seo-ryeong glared at her mother as she casually uttered what would have made Jin Seong-un flip inside out if he had heard it.
Chae Ga-hee continued.
“Even if he does return, he’ll come up with some excuse and try to change the nature of the trial. Seo-ryeong, remember this well—one must never judge a man by his face alone.”
“Wh-when did I ever look at his face!”
“A fine-looking man will always act according to his looks. Have you forgotten why our Falling Flame Manor ended up this way? Why you inherited your mother’s surname instead of your father’s?”
“No…”
Chae Seo-ryeong was dumbfounded.
She knew why her mother distrusted men, especially handsome ones.
But she herself had never liked Jin Seong-un for his face.
‘No, I’ve never liked him in the first place.’
Then, with a sigh in her voice, Chae Ga-hee said,
“Let’s sleep for now. Even if he does return, if he has any conscience, he’ll come back around morning, pretending he struggled, just to show that he at least tried…”
Thud—!
Suddenly, a heavy sound echoed from the courtyard.
Chae Ga-hee stopped speaking and looked toward the door.
At the same time, Chae Seo-ryeong jumped to her feet.
“……”
For a moment, Chae Ga-hee’s thoughts froze.
This was strange.
Whether he was a fraud or truly Divine Thief’s successor, he should not have returned yet.
The mother and daughter stepped outside together.
The noise had been loud enough to rouse all the servants and blacksmiths of Falling Flame Manor.
Among them stood a masked man.
Chae Ga-hee’s eyes trembled as she looked at the box set down before him. It was clearly the kind used when sending swords to the Zhongnan Sect.
“Is… is it real?”
Chae Seo-ryeong asked in shock.
Jin Seong-un simply nodded once.
Chae Ga-hee hurriedly stepped forward to check the box, her face filled with disbelief.
It was swords—the Yukhap Swords that Falling Flame Manor had sent to Zhongnan Sect.
Of course, she knew they derisively called them the Ohap Swords. But these were unmistakably the same Yukhap Swords that had been sent there for decades.
“……”
For a long moment, Chae Ga-hee stared at the swords in silence.
She didn’t know what to say.
She couldn’t even grasp what was happening before her eyes.
As everyone else kept quiet, Chae Seo-ryeong was the first to speak.
“How did you do it?”
Her voice carried genuine curiosity.
As a thief herself, as someone who understood Jin Seong-un’s talent, she sincerely wished to learn his secret.
Jin Seong-un replied in his calm, steady tone.
“I just went and took them.”
“…Huh?”
Chae Seo-ryeong blinked rapidly.
Then, Chae Ga-hee set the swords down and rose to her feet. Jin Seong-un asked evenly,
“Is this enough?”
Chae Ga-hee stared at him intently.
In her eyes swirled astonishment, a trace of disbelief, hope, and even respect—emotions that did not belong together.
Finally, she spoke.
“…Why are you still wearing a mask?”
Her tone shifted at once.
If the man before her truly was Divine Thief’s successor, then protocol demanded as much.
“Ah, right.”
Only then did Jin Seong-un remove his mask.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
Jin Seong-un clenched the mask tightly in his hand. With each day, each hour, wearing it had become more natural.
He thought that he had to quickly fulfill Master Divine Thief’s request and escape from this life.
Chae Ga-hee kept gazing at him before finally turning to the servants.
“…Prepare a room for him.”
The night was already too deep.
The conversation would be postponed until morning.
…
Early morning.
Before the appointed time she had set with Jin Seong-un, Chae Ga-hee headed straight to the Zhongnan Sect.
As the master of Falling Flame Manor, which had long traded with Zhongnan, everyone greeted her with outward courtesy.
“What brings the Falling Flame Manor Master here today?”
Elder Heo Myeong greeted her with a question.
As always, Chae Ga-hee looked at him with her impassive face and replied,
“I came to repair the swords.”
She raised a hammer as she spoke.
Heo Myeong’s face turned baffled.
“You yourself, Manor Master? And this early in the morning?”
“Yes.”
Her dry reply.
Heo Myeong clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Still as arrogant as ever.’
In his eyes, Falling Flame Manor was nothing more than relics clinging to past glory.
All they had left now were a few red-haired beauties.
Even so, decades ago, when Falling Flame Manor enjoyed its peak, they had bestowed grace upon the Zhongnan Sect. At that time, the Sect Leader had signed a contract binding for decades, so there was no choice.
During the war with the Outer Regions, when weapons were in desperately short supply, Falling Flame Manor had given them swords without asking for any payment.
But gratitude waned with time. Especially when the ones repaying it were descendants rather than those who had received the favor themselves.
Yet to break the contract would have dishonored their forebears. So they had no choice but to keep paying money for it.
“Well then, go ahead.”
Heo Myeong sneered as he led Chae Ga-hee toward the Armory.
But soon, as he searched through the Armory, his face gradually stiffened.
Chae Ga-hee noticed his restlessness and asked,
“Is something missing? Considering the broken sword fragments we’ve collected, there should be nearly seventy swords left. Are there fragments you haven’t yet sent back?”
Whenever a sword broke during training, its pieces were gathered and sent back to the smithy.
In fact, when blacksmiths and martial factions bought and sold swords, the price always factored in the return of fragments.
If a sword was lost or shattered beyond retrieval, the martial faction had to compensate the smithy according to the value of the missing fragments.
For blacksmiths, it was beneficial since they could recycle the fragments to forge new swords. For martial factions, it was advantageous since the purchase price was reduced by that much.
What seemed like a win-win custom now weighed heavily on Heo Myeong’s mind.