“Is the 3rd volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes coming out?”
“How long has it been since the 2nd volume was released? I thought we’d at least have to wait six months!”
“The Rise of the Tang Family has had 3 volumes in one year! What kind of insane writing speed is this?”
In a world where it can take years for a single book to be published, how can the 3rd volume be coming out when we just finished arguing about Un-hyeon and Tang Jung in the 2nd volume?
The people at the Tea Bookstore were unable to wrap their heads around the announcement for the 3rd volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.
“If that’s the case, why don’t you just release the 4th volume of The Rise of the Tang Family!”
“Could it be that Ho Pil has lost interest in The Rise of the Tang Family…….”
“Oh no! Don’t you dare say something like that! He said it would be published as soon as the debt issue is resolved!”
The loyal readers of The Rise of the Tang Family sighed, but their disappointment quickly faded as the speed of the 3rd volume’s release was simply extraordinary.
“Anyway, Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes 3 is out for real!”
“Let’s gooo! The story of Un-hyeon living with the beautiful lady martial artist and the Shadowless Thief!”
The shock was brief, but the joy and excitement lasted much longer. The loyal readers cheered so loudly it echoed throughout the Tea Bookstore at the unexpected news which wasn’t even an official announcement.
—-
“Why are you wandering around since dawn, you rogue? You’ll be 20 in two days, and you’re still acting like this?!”
In a mansion located in Wuhan, a mother yelled at her son who returned home long after lunch.
“Mom! I was out with the governor and his officials!”
The son answered confidently, as if it were completely legitimate today, although usually there were reasons to feel guilty.
“What? Where?”
“To learn the true heart of a hero and practice the art of waiting calmly.”
“You’re not pulling my leg, are you? Did you really go to the temple and do 108 bows?”
The governor was known for his strict discipline over the officials. The mother looked at her son suspiciously but couldn’t hold onto her doubts for long, given his assertive demeanor.
“I practiced something even more important! I’m tired, so I’ll head inside!”
If he got caught by his mother, he was dead. The son pretended to be tired and walked into his room, hoping she wouldn’t find out what he was hiding.
What he took out from his clothes was the 3rd volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.
In truth, he was queuing up to buy the new release with the governor, who happened to be a loyal fan of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.
“Reading it on the very day it comes out!”
This is why people need to practice. He had stood in line from dawn and felt no fatigue whatsoever.
The young man set aside the tattered second volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes that he’d read too many times and couldn’t hide his excitement as he opened the first page of the 3rd volume.
—————
[It is Un-hyeon the young hero!]
[Last time, he was said to have cut down the infamous three-eyed three-headed beast with a single sword!]
[One-eyed members of the Black Knife? Did those bastards finally die? They refused to pay protection fees last time and ended up killing a street vendor! That feels good.]
“Even after saving Jin So-yu, he’s not slacking off as a hero. Awesome! But what about the Shadowless Thief?”
Hadn’t the three of them started living together? What could possibly happen? The young man couldn’t take his eyes off the book.
[Ok-ryeon.]
[Un-hyeon, you don’t need to be overly courteous to your enemies.]
[It’s the Wind and Cloud Hero’s enemy, not mine. She didn’t speak informally to me; I prefer it this way.]
[So if I speak informally, you will too?]
[Huh?!]
[Hehe, no. Un-hyeon, you’re quite the character!]
“Ah, this is why I love the Shadowless Thief! Talk about a strong personality!”
That’s a pass.
With that kind of personality, she’d be a match for Jin So-yu, who crossed the line. The young man couldn’t help but smirk.
[Ok-ryeon. You were preparing ingredients, right? I can help.]
[There’s no need for that.]
[It’s fine. I’m good at it. I used to do it a lot when I trained with my master in the hermitage.]
[It’s not that you’re bad, so I’m saying don’t do it…….]
[Ok-ryeon. Are you going shopping today? Let’s go together.]
[I can go alone.]
[How can a woman go to the market alone? There must be heavy things that a man should carry, so let’s go together.]
The Shadowless Thief had a somewhat annoyed expression but didn’t seem to mind.
“If I do that, people will tell me to catch on!”
The young man bitterly smiled, recalling Un-hyeon’s face from a scroll in the Tea Bookstore.
[Good thing I followed along. How dare they try to take advantage of Ok-ryeon!]
[Thank you. I’ll treat you to dinner.]
[How much does a hero’s salary even cover that? You have quite a bit of money…]
[Yeah, or else I was going to cut into another pocket.]
[What?]
“Haha! He just robbed the pocket of that jerk who tried to take advantage of her!”
I wondered if he was just a simple thief, but it turns out he’s the Shadowless Thief through and through.
With a bold personality and attractive looks, even though the young man liked Jin So-yu enough to have worn the second volume down to tatters, he couldn’t deny the charm of the Shadowless Thief.
[Is this guy Un-hyeon?]
[Didn’t you already know? Why bother confirming?]
[Just one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch! Today, we will settle the debts of the three-eyed three-headed beast brothers!]
“How cowardly to ambush someone while they’re eating!”
Even if it was Un-hyeon, the opposing numbers were too overwhelming. What to do? Is the Shadowless Thief going to help? The young man skimmed through the text.
[Ha! So you think you can set a trap? What a pitiful sight, slinking away like a dog with its tail between its legs!]
[It’s all set.]
[What?! What do you mean by that?!]
[I mean, all the innocent people on the first floor have managed to escape. I’ll even give you a chance. Will you run away?]
[Bring it on!]
“Even in crisis, he cares for the innocent! This is why Un-hyeon the young hero is amazing!”
Un-hyeon was certainly not the type to display confidence lightly. As expected, the Eight Trigrams Swordplay unfolded before the members of the Black Knife, as the young man anticipated.
[No way! How can he have achieved this technique?!]
“Wow. Last time, similar situations were filled with crisis, but he’s grown incredibly. Even the numerous low-level martial artists can’t compete!”
The young man unconsciously clenched his fist in joy at Un-hyeon’s performance. To resolve the situation so easily was a joyful achievement, as if it were his own.
—-
[Let me treat your wounds.]
The Shadowless Thief returned to the mansion and began wrapping bandages on Un-hyeon’s wounds.
[Thank you.]
[It’s great to act as a hero, but isn’t it a bit reckless?]
“True. I sometimes wish he’d pay a bit more attention to his own well-being.”
Un-hyeon’s actions were cool, but sometimes he needed to drop the single-minded approach and think about his safety first. The young man nodded at the Shadowless Thief’s words.
[There are people in need of help.]
[Sometimes, it’s okay to live in ignorance.]
That was true. However, he couldn’t allow himself to be that way. Un-hyeon thought of a past incident as he looked at the Shadowless Thief’s frustrated expression.
[……When I was young, my village was attacked by bandits.]
[So there’s a reason behind it.]
[In a remote hilly village, we couldn’t pay the bandits’ demands, and enraged, they began slaughtering us. I was the only survivor of that village.]
[Is the reason you became a hero because of your grudge against bandits?]
[No. That day, had my master chosen to ignore the smoke rising from afar and turned back upon seeing the bandits, I wouldn’t exist.]
[…….]
Just like his master did back then, he wouldn’t turn away from those he could help. This was Un-hyeon’s unwavering resolve from childhood to now.
Of course, the young man’s feelings while reading this scene were entirely different.
“Un-hyeon, this guy. He’s not a Taoist but more like a love Taoist….”
Was he purposely aiming for that?
To demonstrate genuine feelings for being a hero in front of a thief who also robs from the rich to help the poor is quite the bold move.
Even the Shadowless Thief, the greatest of the world, became speechless in front of Un-hyeon.
[Un-hyeon the young hero. Let’s go shopping today.]
From that day on, the Shadowless Thief’s attitude toward Un-hyeon began softening.
[Shall we?]
[What do you mean? A guest like you should go to the market?]
“He’s out! Jin So-yu!”
After busy resolving the debt issue, Jin So-yu finally made her appearance.
[I’m going voluntarily with Ok-ryeon. Jin So-yu, just calm down.]
[I’m Jin So-yu…….. Is the thief Ok-ryeon?]
[What?]
[Ah, no, that’s not it. If so, I’ll go too.]
“Uhuhuh! I can’t handle this! Yes! Ho Pil’s writing is just on another level! Jin So-yu gets jealous of Ok-ryeon’s homemaker-like personality!”
As the subtle battle of nerves between the two women began, the young man’s smile knew no bounds.
One martial artist rising to fame as a hero in the Martial Arts World, and two women’s affections for the same man deepening. However, Un-hyeon’s face wasn’t exactly bright.
——-
[Un-hyeon the young hero? Did you get hurt?! Call a doctor!]
[Ugh!]
[I have some experience with healing! I’ll take care of this. What the heck happened?]
[I couldn’t stop it…….]
“Un-hyeon got hurt? What the heck? How strong was his opponent?”
[The son of the Black Knife member who cut off my arm last time came to stab me. He said we were thrown to the streets because of you.]
[You got hurt over something so trivial?]
[I was prepared for this when I chose the path of a hero. I knew that as I wielded a sword, enmity would arise. I knew this, but today, this wound hurts quite a bit.]
Though Un-hyeon usually felt rewarded in heroism, today, his face seemed rather dark.
“Heroism and enmity. Right. That’s why true martial artists avoid the path of a hero.”
The young man recalled what the governor had said.
Even though the righteous spoke of being a hero, true heroes were rare, as everyone was only willing to act in their own interests. They loved to wrap their self-interest in a cloak of justice. While they observed Un-hyeon, they should reevaluate what true heroism is.
The governor praised Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes day after day.
“Could it be? Did Ho Pil, knowing the current Martial Arts World, propose this question?”
No one loved heroes more than Ho Pil.
Un-hyeon, who came out to the world to become a hero, got hurt at the hands of a Black Knife member.
The inner turmoil of a hero. What may seem to be the right thing might not be right at all. It could continue to create another victim.
What would you do? Could it be that he was trying to raise this question?
“Despite being famous even in The Rise of the Tang Family, is Un-hyeon still searching for an answer?”
As a mere martial artist in a martial artist institution, contemplating such a profound issue was not something easily resolved.
If Un-hyeon, who is still rising as a hero, might have come to a conclusion.
[Is it a matter of conflicting beliefs? There’s always a way.]
The Shadowless Thief chuckled as if Un-hyeon’s heartache was no big deal and disappeared into the night.
What kind of answer will Ho Pil deliver to us through the Shadowless Thief?
The young man turned the page once more in search of answers.
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