Chapter 47. The Journey to Shaanxi (4)
According to the stories I had heard before my regression, this cave was supposed to contain a damaged martial manual, a precious elixir, and the remains of an ancient corpse.
But right now, inside this cave, there was not only a manual and an elixir but also a gaunt old man silently glaring in our direction.
…So at this point in time, he was still alive.
For a moment, I hesitated. Then, as I instinctively sensed a hidden killing intent, my sword was already drawn.
Srrng—
"Brother Cheon? Why are you suddenly drawing your—wait… huh?"
Tang Sowol, who had been tilting her head in confusion, finally noticed the old man in the corner of the cave. She gasped in shock and immediately stepped back.
Her hand had already disappeared into her wide sleeves, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
At the same time, the Blood Venom Unit leader stepped forward, adopting a similar stance as he kept a wary eye on the old man.
A tense silence fell over the cave.
And then, the old man was the first to speak.
"Let's put an end to this. It seems we have a misunderstanding."
His voice was slightly cracked but carried no hostility. In fact, the killing intent that had been directed at us had completely vanished.
I maintained my stance but eased my energy just slightly before speaking.
"Who exactly are you, and why are you here in this secluded cave?"
"I could ask you the same thing. Judging by that green robe, you must be from the Tang Clan. But what business do you have in this remote mountain in Shaanxi? This place is so deep in the wilderness that even wild beasts rarely roam here."
"…I should rephrase my question, then. Who did you mistake us for to have released such quiet, yet lethal killing intent?"
"Oh? You noticed? That was just for an instant, yet you caught on… You have a keen sense for one so young. Or perhaps… I truly am nearing my end."
He was right.
I had only sensed his presence after entering the cave, when I detected his killing intent.
Before that, outside the cave, I hadn't noticed even the slightest trace of him.
If not for my training in Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art, which had made me highly sensitive to murderous intent, I likely wouldn't have noticed it at all.
That explained why Tang Sowol and the Blood Venom Unit leader had reacted a little slower.
This old man had concealed his presence so completely, and their focus had been on the martial manual and the elixir.
The old man chuckled to himself before adjusting his posture.
As he did, the faint aura surrounding him became clearer, making his figure more distinct in the shadows.
White, unkempt hair. Clothes stained black with dried blood.
And a severed leg, roughly hacked off.
I see…
So that's why he deliberately left out the martial manual and elixir as bait while keeping his presence hidden.
With his crippled body, fighting multiple rounds would be difficult.
His plan was likely to kill his opponent in a single strike.
Whoever he had been waiting for, it clearly wasn't us.
Despite his frail body—so thin he looked like he couldn't even lift a spoon—his sharp gaze was still brimming with life as he spoke.
"Ghost Shadow Thief. It's been a long time, but that's what they used to call me."
"Ghost Shadow Thief…"
Tang Sowol widened her eyes as she repeated his name in disbelief.
She hesitated for a moment before whispering to me.
"Brother Cheon. Have you ever heard of the name 'Ghost Shadow Thief' before? I've learned about many renowned figures in the martial world as a daughter of the Tang Clan, but this is the first time I'm hearing this name."
"It's only natural that you haven't. He was already a relic of the past even among veteran masters, and he hasn't been active for decades."
And he never would be again.
In the future I had experienced, the name 'Ghost Shadow Thief' had never once resurfaced.
The only reason I knew about him was because the Ironblood Hall Leader had mentioned him in passing.
In other words, only martial artists old enough to have reversed aging would still remember his name.
Seeing our subtle reaction, the Ghost Shadow Thief slumped his shoulders, looking slightly sheepish.
"Heh. I suppose I really have been retired for too long. Rather, I'm surprised you even know my name, young warrior."
"My mentor once told me that you stole a martial art from their family when they were young. That's why I remember."
"…Hah. You're not about to take revenge on behalf of your master, are you?"
"No. They already buried the past. If they don't care, it would be ridiculous for me to avenge them."
"That's a relief."
The Ghost Shadow Thief let out a long sigh.
And it was the truth.
The Ironblood Hall Leader, Seomun Hwarin, had abandoned all past grudges after her clan was annihilated, choosing to focus solely on avenging her family's destruction.
She had once said that she held no resentment toward a mere thief who had stolen some martial techniques when her clan was still intact.
The only reason I brought up the Ghost Shadow Thief was not to denounce him, but to use him as an example—someone like myself who had mastered various martial arts through theft and adaptation.
The old man smiled in relief upon hearing that his past crimes had not made him a target.
However, his expression soon hardened.
"I see. And I can tell neither of us has any intention of fighting.
I don't know why you came here, but wouldn't it be best if we simply went our separate ways?"
"…That's a bit difficult. We were just playing a game of 'searching for a hidden fortune'—and it seems we actually found one."
"Why? Are you after the martial manual and the elixir?"
"I won't deny it."
"Brother Cheon?!"
Tang Sowol gasped, shocked at my blunt response.
I smirked and added,
"Of course, I'm not saying we intend to take them by force. Not that it would be easy to do so, anyway."
The old man scoffed.
"So, I refuse to hand them over, and you don't plan to rob me. Would you mind explaining in more detail?"
"…You seem to be in quite a dire situation."
"I'd like to put on a brave front in front of young folks, but with one leg left and nearly a month of starvation, even that's beyond me."
"Then allow us to help you. In return, would you be willing to share the elixir?"
"So you're saying I should exchange my life for the elixir. That's quite reasonable. No matter how valuable an elixir may be, it can't be worth more than a life. But unfortunately, I must refuse."
"Why?"
My brow furrowed instinctively.
The Ghost Shadow Thief chuckled before answering.
"First, because I have no lingering attachments to life. I'm over ninety years old. I've lived long enough and accomplished almost everything I wanted."
"'Almost'…?"
"Let me finish. This is actually the most important reason— No one, not even you, should take that elixir. To be precise, no one should ever consume it."
"…Why?"
"No matter how obsessed martial artists are with their swords and their pursuit of strength, there's a line that shouldn't be crossed. How could one be born as a human… and consume humans to gain power?"
"…I don't understand what you mean."
The Ghost Shadow Thief's voice grew solemn.
"That elixir… was made from human lives. I stole it from the Demonic Cult."
And in that cult, there was only one person who could be called a monster.
The Heavenly Demon.
The fact that the Heavenly Demon had already ascended to the position of Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and was preparing to invade the Central Plains was something I had learned while interrogating Ye Neunghak, the leader of the Bloodhound Unit.
But I hadn't expected his name to come up here.
"…Can you tell us everything you know?"
The Ghost Shadow Thief looked at me for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Very well. I'll start from the beginning. It's a rather shameful story, but in my youth, I was a grave robber."
What followed was a tale that, while hardly honorable, was certainly eventful.
The Ghost Shadow Thief had once made his living by digging up graves and selling the treasures buried within.
One day, while plundering the tomb of a martial artist, he happened upon an ancient martial manual.
And thus, he began his path as a warrior.
But old habits die hard. Even after mastering martial arts, he didn't abandon his ways.
Instead of robbing the dead, he started robbing the living.
Money, elixirs, martial arts manuals, rare artifacts—anything of value, he stole without hesitation.
"Only two things were exceptions: human lives and things as precious as life itself. After all, there's no point in stealing something you can't use or even brag about."
To him, thievery was a way to test his own skills and validate his worth.
"To live as a shameless thief my entire life, then to gain the title of Ghost Shadow Thief, earning both contempt and admiration— There was no greater thrill."
"…If you loved it so much, then why did you retire?"
"Because there was nothing left to steal."
At his peak, Ghost Shadow Thief was virtually unstoppable.
His combat ability was merely top-tier, but his mastery of stealth and movement techniques allowed him to evade even Flowering Stage grandmasters—if only for a brief moment.
"The last thing I ever stole… was the former empress's undergarments."
"…I see. That's… quite impressive."
Tang Sowol, who had been listening quietly, forced out an awkward compliment in a voice laced with disgust.
The old thief merely shrugged as if pleased with himself.
"I had stolen from the most prestigious martial sects, slipped past imperial palaces guarded by elite warriors and formation arrays, and walked in and out as I pleased. As a thief, I had already achieved everything there was to achieve."
At that moment, he realized—no matter what he did from then on, he would never surpass what he had already accomplished.
And so, he chose to retire.
"I never took a disciple. After all, all I had ever learned was thievery. I may have been addicted to the thrill of success, but… It wasn't exactly a noble pursuit, was it?"
"…At least you were self-aware."
"That self-awareness is the only reason I managed to live this long."
Starting with a stolen martial art from a grave, he had pieced together, adapted, and refined countless techniques—
All for the sake of stealing.
But he had no desire to pass down his legacy.
At this point, Tang Sowol cautiously asked,
"Um… You said you stole from many prestigious sects. Then… by any chance…"
"Don't worry.
True inheritance arts are more precious than life to martial artists.
From the Tang Clan, I only stole a rather mediocre whip technique and a formula for anesthetic poisons."
"…That is still highly classified information."
Tang Sowol let out a dry laugh, looking exasperated.
But it seemed she had no intention of holding him accountable for ancient crimes.
"After retiring, I lived a peaceful life with the fortune I had amassed. But as death slowly crept closer… I realized I couldn't bear to let everything I had stolen go to waste."
"Did you decide to distribute it among the common folk, like some kind of righteous outlaw?"
"That would be far too boring. Since I started as a grave robber… wouldn't it be fitting to end as one?"
He wasn't saying he planned to rob graves again.
It was the opposite.
He wanted his own grave to be robbed.
He planned to gather everything he had ever stolen into a single massive and elaborate tomb—
Then spread rumors and maps across the Central Plains, leading future treasure seekers to it.
"But in my old age, a new desire arose. I had already stolen from both orthodox sects and imperial treasures— Wouldn't it be perfect if I also had treasures from the outer martial world?"
Thus, the Ghost Shadow Thief targeted two places:
Northern Sea Ice Palace and Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
His body wasn't what it once was, so he couldn't steal anything too significant.
Still, he managed to take a noteworthy yin-based internal technique from Ice Palace and a beast-hide breastplate from the Beast Palace's secret vault.
"And lastly… I planned to steal something from the Demonic Cult. Honestly, I wasn't too worried. After all, while their poisons are impressive, their martial arts… are far from remarkable."
His original goal?
To steal something simple—perhaps even a fire poker used to maintain the sacred flames they revered.
But what he saw there changed everything.
He witnessed people willingly sacrificing themselves, offering up their very innate energy to be refined into an elixir.
"…It was a horrifying sight.
But the truly terrifying part?
No one was forced.
They volunteered."
"…Why in the world would they do such a thing?"
Tang Sowol looked horrified.
But I… had a feeling I knew the answer.
The Demonic Cult was a gathering of vengeful spirits, either fueled by personal grudges or raised from birth with a thirst for revenge.
Many of them were powerless, unable to change their fates.
But then, someone arrived.
"The Heavenly Demon.
That is what the current Cult Leader calls himself.
And he possesses power great enough to justify such arrogance."
For those who had nothing, he was a savior.
He could avenge them, change the world—
And if offering up their own bodies and lives could help that cause, they were more than willing.
That was the true horror of the Demonic Cult.
"…I may have lived a life far from righteousness, But this… this was something I couldn't ignore. If left unchecked, the Central Plains would soon be bathed in blood."
And so, the Ghost Shadow Thief stole the elixir that was meant to be presented to the Heavenly Demon.
In return, the Heavenly Demon severed one of his legs, shattered his internal meridians, and left his vital energy completely disrupted.
Even after barely escaping Xinjiang Province, he was relentlessly pursued by assassins from Sal Valley.
"I ran, and I ran, and in the end… I made it here. It seems they either gave up or I managed to lose them, But my injuries left me too crippled to move any further."
The Ghost Shadow Thief gave a bitter smile, still seated cross-legged.
"Now do you understand? This elixir must never fall into anyone's hands. It may greatly enhance internal energy, but… It is guaranteed to cause deviation. Unless someone has already lost their mind, they must never consume it."
His voice was firm—
But suddenly, he froze.
Then, he let out a long sigh.
"…I was too careless. It seems our uninvited guests still haven't left."
From outside the cave, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.
The steps were unnervingly light.
Like those of an assassin.
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[TL]
Happy Christmas! <*~*>