“Hmm. It seems the request from the Tang family is wrapping up.”
Upon receiving news about Ho Cheon-an, the Black Cat looked down at the documents in front of her.
“There was a clue, but…”
Information about Ho Cheon-an’s birth or the hidden realm was limited to what could be extracted from paperwork. After a week’s worth of gathering all available data, there were some results, but…
“It’s still lacking… Is there nothing to be done?”
Wolbok-dang is a pure information group.
Basically, the Black Cat selectively accepts members of Wolbok-dang based on their dispositions. They are individuals who, since birth, possess an instinct for information. They prioritize the knowledge that only they, as members of Wolbok-dang, have over the desire of a male to want the world’s most beautiful woman for himself.
Hence, there are no martial artists affiliated with the Wolbok-dang.
A martial artist naturally thinks too highly of themselves just because they learned martial arts.
The martial artists she encountered in her life were like balloons filled with baseless confidence, thinking, “I could take that beauty if I wanted.”
“That’s why Senior Ho is good.”
Compared to the other men, drunken with unfounded confidence and bothering her, Ho Cheon-an’s behavior was refreshingly straightforward. Whenever he approached, he would flinch slightly, so there seemed to be some charm in him…
After smiling at the thought of Ho Cheon-an, the Black Cat decided to head back to Sacheon City.
“To also understand Senior Ho’s intentions.”
What’s needed moving forward is a field investigation, which in turn requires an expert. It was clear that if she let information about the hidden realm slip to a martial artist, it would lead to trouble, so she had to investigate herself.
She found herself in a situation where she had to inquire about Ho Cheon-an’s thoughts and act accordingly.
The Black Cat stood to return to the Outcast Inn.
* *
The return journey was pleasant.
Instead of a Bicheongmacha modified by a crazy technician, she rode a standard rapid carriage back to Sacheon City.
Of course, every time Tang Do-yeon set up camp or took a break, she’d grumble,
“If we had the Bicheongmacha, we would have arrived at Sacheon already.”
But Tang Do-yeon’s carriage driving skills were superb. It wasn’t without reason that she was said to possess divine-level horsemanship; it was the first time she enjoyed such a comfortable carriage journey.
Except for being obsessed with matches, Tang Do-gyeong was a likable person, and except for the speed aspect, Tang Do-yeon wasn’t half bad either.
As they approached a view of Sacheon City, the carriage came to a stop.
Wearing the black rib and Pifeng uniform she hadn’t used during the days of travel, she looked at Tang Do-yeon.
“Thanks to you, Miss Tang, I had a comfortable journey.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Tang Do-yeon took something out from her pocket and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“If you feed this token to a pigeon, it will fly to the Tang Clan. It’s an essential means of communication for my family. If Outcast Ya calls for it, I’ll rush there on the Bicheongmacha.”
“You really don’t have to. The family head has already given me lavish gifts.”
“Just a little something to express my gratitude. You understand, don’t you? I’m currently serving a punishment by managing mundane tasks because of Brother Do-gyeong, and it’s a rather dull affair. So, if you, Outcast Ya, were to request the Bicheongmacha, it would be a perfect situation for me.”
If she could summon the Bicheongmacha through a pigeon, it could indeed be helpful. The speed of the Bicheongmacha was extraordinary, making it usable in emergencies.
“Thank you, Miss Tang.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave. Please take care.”
Tang Do-yeon grabbed the reins of the rapid carriage and took off.
After taking in the last view of her departing carriage, the Black Cat made her way toward Sacheon City.
As she passed through the unavoidable city gates, she was greeted by some hostile glares she’d long forgotten about.
Ah, yes, those sharp, stinging looks. Receiving such glares made her feel the reality that she had returned to Sacheon.
Hmm.
How should she put it? Walking through the alleys of Sacheon, she felt strangely at ease psychologically. In truth, she had never felt any physical discomfort at the Tang family. Each and every treatment she received was like that of a guest of honor, making this the most physically comfortable period in her martial arts career.
The time spent in the Tang family was not unpleasant psychically either.
Yet, the reason why her steps were getting faster now was simply that she wanted to sprawl out on her bed in Mokran Room, reading martial arts novels until she fell asleep.
Yes, it’s been seven years since she settled in Sacheon. It could well be considered the birthplace of “Ho Cheon-an.”
While she had received external requests during her Outcast activities, she had never been away for such an extended period.
As soon as the B-dong investigation concluded, she had been abducted straight to the Tang Clan, meaning she had spent over two weeks wandering outside her territory.
By this point, it was natural to miss her room.
And thus, she reached the Outcast Inn, exiting the alley.
“Oh, Senior Ho is back.”
“Yeah, it seems the external request went well?”
The same scene as always. Since it had been over two weeks since Tang Do-gyeong had left, it seemed even those suffering from depression over the Great Hero had fully shaken it off and returned to their usual selves.
“Yeah, I wrapped it up nicely and came back.”
After casually chatting with the Outcasts, she turned to see the Black Cat had come closer.
“The timing is just right. I arrived just a little while ago myself.”
“Oh really? It’s nice to see you after such a long time.”
“Me too, Senior. Were there any exciting happenings in the Tang Clan?”
“I’m tired today, so I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.”
The Outcast Inn remained exactly the same except for the sight of them practicing the Manghobeop collectively in the Training Hall.
“Did the Tang Clan create any strange incidents again?”
“Oh, if you see the deposit for the request fee, you’ll be shocked.”
“Ugh. That’s unsettling. What in the world did they do? Spill it straight!”
“I said I’m tired! Let’s talk about it tomorrow!”
I brushed aside the Black Cat and Yu Sa-yeon, eager to hear what had transpired in the Tang Clan, while I pressed the Cook for some fried chicken to take back to my room, the Mokran Room.
“Phew.”
I set the fried chicken on the makeshift table by the head of the bed and retrieved the “Kyungshin Martial Arts Edition – 8” from the shelf where I kept my martial arts novels. Lately, life had been so busy that I hadn’t paid much attention to my novels.
I had read volume seven in Gyeongsu Market, but now I was stuck on just one since then.
Tomorrow, I should stop by the bookstore and check out the new list of martial arts novels.
Thinking about that, I sprawled out across the bed. Perhaps because I had experienced the luxury of the finest bedding at the Tang Clan, the softness of the bed beneath me didn’t satisfy me as much…
But still, I felt at ease.
It had been seven years living in Sacheon. Seven years spent in this Mokran Room. Having spent seven out of eight years of Ho Cheon-an’s life here, simply rolling around in Mokran Room was enough to bring me peace of mind.
I browsed through the martial arts novels on the shelf. Though countless martial arts novels had been devoured in my seven years of life as Ho Cheon-an, not many had secured space on this shelf. The ones that survived here had passed through my discerning aestheticism—indicative of a picky modern individual.
Truly, they could be considered a collection of masterpieces.
I lay back on the bed, opened the Kyungshin Martial Arts Edition, and took a bite of the chicken leg.
“Ahh~ This is life.”
This is life, and this is bliss. Turning the martial arts novel with greasy fingers, I thought Kyungshin Martial Arts Edition might not be a fit for my shelf, but one never knows. It could explode with excitement in the latter half.
What if Kyungshin Martial Arts Edition turned out to be a masterpiece worthy of a spot on the shelf? Well, then it could always be repurchased.
With those thoughts, I delved into the novel and soon drifted off to sleep.
It was a sweet rest after a long time.
* *
“Yunnan? Hyeong Gwi-san?”
“That’s right.”
I couldn’t directly say that I’d been summoned as a helper by the Tang Clan’s head, Tang Guanglie, after being completely drained from a gamble on Hidden Weapons against Tang Do-gyeong, so I decided to align the story and say that I was invited by the Tang Clan to enjoy a retreat.
“That’s surprising. While it’s true Senior Ho accomplished something great, to get a chance to receive his diagnosis…”
Black Cat’s reaction was more lukewarm than I anticipated.
This was completely unexpected.
It’s an opportunity to meet none other than the Poison Doctor, one of the three great names. Naturally, I thought she would be thrilled, but her response was rather indifferent.
However, having Black Cat as a companion was crucial.
Yunnan was completely in the domain of the Outcast Faction. Unlike Sacheon, where one cannot draw their blade recklessly for the sake of a hero’s image, that place was filled with individuals ready to pull their swords at merely a glance.
For safety’s sake, I definitely needed a quasi-peak expert like Black Cat.
“Indeed. Since it’s become this way, I wouldn’t want to miss out on how the situation unfolds… Now that I think about it, it must be necessary for us to accompany each other.”
I had no idea what she accepted, but she nodded her head, convinced of her reasoning.
“So when do you plan to depart?”
“I was thinking of hitching a ride with a southbound carriage heading toward Yunnan… Does that work?”
“Well, we’ll just have to consider what we can manage.”
Though Black Cat seemed hesitant, she reluctantly agreed.
In reality, since we received a hefty compensation from the Tang Clan, buying horses or carriages for either of us wasn’t difficult at all. But our destination was Yunnan.
In particular, the border between Sacheon and Yunnan is a paradise for vile individuals. Those expelled from Sacheon convene there.
If we couldn’t find a traveling companion, it would be one thing for just the two of us, but in areas where one could travel with a group, it was best to remain with others.
“Alright, I’ll check for southbound arrangements, so let’s set off on that date.”
After looking here and there, I judged it better to coordinate with the Southbound Ticket Office.
Afterwards, Black Cat and I stepped out of the Black Rib, ready to head to Yunnan, visiting the ticket office.
“Hahaha! I am Ha Seon-su of the Southbound Ticket Office!”
And immediately, a rascally fellow stuck to us.
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