“The Shadowless Thief has appeared again!”
“Following the Head of the Branch, huh?”
“What year is it? It’s been ages since then, and several households have been robbed since!”
The antics of The Shadowless Thief were far from over. In fact, the Head of the Branch was just the beginning.
Sending out warning notes to mock the wealthy and confidently crossing fences to steal the most precious things. Plus, robbing the rich to give to the poor?
Even those who had been hoarding money like a greedy belligerent were trembling in fear.
All because of one thief.
The people of Wuhan had no choice but to pay attention to the daily news of The Shadowless Thief’s warning notes.
“What’s The Shadowless Thief?”
“This guy, have you not read Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?!”
“Pardon?”
“Hurry to the Tea Bookstore and read Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes!”
“Ho Pil the Author is quite something, turning a mere thief into a heroic figure.”
“That’s what makes Ho Pil the Author so amazing!”
This thief known as The Shadowless Thief had been inspired by Ho Pil’s novel and became a righteous outlaw.
When the official announcement from the government office left many baffled, after reading Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes, they couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
“Give me the whole Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes series!”
“What book features The Shadowless Thief? Give me everything!”
In the end, the Tea Bookstore became the busiest place in Wuhan due to all the happenings.
“Did you hear? They delivered a bag of rice to the poor villages? He had black paper that said to buy rice equal to the amount of money left at the grain shop and give it away!”
“And that’s not it! They say money was left at the physician’s house who treated patients for free! Told to make medicines too!”
“There’s never been a thief like this! Is The Shadowless Thief a hero or a righteous outlaw?!”
“I’m not sure about heroism, but a righteous outlaw seems definite!”
“Redistributing wealth! Robbing pig-like rich men to feed the poor!”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if The Shadowless Thief raided that guy’s house?”
“I heard another warning note from The Shadowless Thief has arrived, and Manager Kang will likely step out again.”
As the rumors of The Shadowless Thief spread, so did whispers about Ho Pil.
“Why is Manager Kang involved?”
“Haven’t you heard the news about the Head of the Branch? Ho Pil predicted the route of The Shadowless Thief’s invasion.”
“What?! Is that true?”
“They ignored him when he advised, and got robbed by the thief.”
“So the rumors about the famous Ho Pil weren’t lies after all.”
The ghost ship incident, the mansion murder case, and the fake The Shadowless Thief capture. The suddenly emerging famous Ho Pil was trying to catch The Shadowless Thief.
People started chipping in their comments about the intriguing duel.
“Last time, only the house he advised wasn’t robbed.”
“Is The Shadowless Thief wary of Manager Kang?”
“I guess he’s cautious. The advised house was robbed on the same day the warning reached the other mansion!”
“Have you heard about the clash between The Shadowless Thief and Ho Pil?”
“What are you jibber-jabbering about?”
“Ho Pil predicted The Shadowless Thief‘s route again, but nobody believed him. So he said, ‘I’ll prove it!’ and stood guard alone! But then someone approached him at night and said he wouldn’t let him disturb him any further!”
“No way! Did The Shadowless Thief come?”
“I’ll definitely catch you! When the guards of the mansion rushed over from the sound of fighting, The Shadowless Thief had already vanished in panic!”
“A confrontation between the famous Ho Pil and a thief! It’s as thrilling as Tang Jung versus Un-hyeon!”
“That’s not even close. In the end, all the wealthy homes enacting the warning were robbed.”
“It’s like Ho Pil might turn out to be as promising as future Un-hyeon!”
“Nowadays, when a warning note from The Shadowless Thief flies in, everyone rushes to Ho Pil. Rumor has it that mansion owners competed right in front of him, asking how much they should pay to have him come first!”
The infamous thief and his only rival. The renowned Ho Pil Kang Yoon-ho.
As the world chatted endlessly about The Shadowless Thief, mentions of Ho Pil increased, and every time The Shadowless Thief sent a warning to the wealthy, Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes flew off the shelves by the dozens.
“Y-you said you would take the secret ledger to the Inspector?!”
Miss Zhuge tilted her head, wondering if she had heard wrong.
“The Head of the Right Guards claims to be friends with the Inspector. I was thinking of asking for an introduction.”
If the Head of the Right Guards is the police, then the Inspector is the prosecutor. With that mutual cooperation, it feels like things could go smoothly.
“Though the Inspector investigates the official’s corruption, do you really think it’s a good idea? They could think I’m involved!”
Miss Im Ha-yeon asked, crossing her arms, looking worried.
“I’ve ensured that nobody suspects anything. We’ll simply say the secret ledger was given by The Shadowless Thief.”
“W-what?! What if it goes wrong?!”
Miss Im Ha-yeon reached out to grab my sleeve, as if questioning my sanity.
“That’s why I’ve created a story with the name to cover it up.”
It wasn’t for nothing that I had synchronized with Miss Im Ha-yeon for several days.
“A story with the name, you say?”
I felt the urge to explain in detail to ease the worried expressions of the two ladies.
How should I put it?
“An audacious challenge to the rotten world by the thief, The Shadowless Thief! Ah! A stunningly handsome figure with keen intellect stands in his way! The renowned Ho Pil! They keep clashing and start acknowledging each other as rivals!”
There’s nothing better than storytelling in cases like this.
As I exaggerated my voice and body movements, Miss Im Ha-yeon wore a grin, clearly skeptical of my intentions, while Miss Zhuge watched me with interest.
“I’m not sure about the sharp intellect part.”
“Don’t nitpick on the details!”
“Well…”
Miss Im Ha-yeon nodded in a peculiar way as if to agree.
Hold on. I can’t let them lose their focus. I’ll wrap it up quickly.
“Guh! Th-the thief! W-what’s this?”
Under the bright moon, embodying a budding Ho Pil full of passion but still clumsy.
“Take it.”
The Shadowless Thief hands over something with curious eyes. I twist my body for each character.
“Anyone like you can be trusted.”
“W-what is this? The secret ledger of the Head of the Branch?!”
“I can’t be the only one feeling disillusioned in this rotten world.”
“Are you telling me to report the Head of the Branch?”
“Do what you will—it’s your choice. I’ll take my leave.”
The Shadowless Thief completes the twist and vanishes into the night, ending Act 1 of the story.
“Wow! You’re better than a storyteller at a banquet!”
Miss Zhuge wore an expression reminiscent of how she reacts to my novel critiques as she naturally clapped.
“Hmm. That story from the end of volume 3 of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes. D-do you have the next part?”
Miss Im Ha-yeon, looking pleased to be portrayed so stylishly, joined her in clapping.
“I’ll get to creating the next part soon.”
Seems like my storytelling talent is still intact. Unintentionally, my shoulders lifted with pride at the compliments from the two beauties.
“I see your intentions, but do you really think the Inspector won’t suspect anything?”
“Worry not too much. Since he’s known for his integrity and the Head of the Branch, it’ll drive him crazy just thinking of such a secret ledger.”
“Well, then I guess I’ll let you proceed as you wish.”
After gaining the approval of the two ladies, I headed straight to the government office where the Head of the Right Guards was.
“Ugh.”
In the Wuhan government office, a manager in his thirties was checking the contents of his bowl from last night, looking haggard.
“Inspector sir, how many days has it been? How many cups did you drink last night?”
The clerk assisting the Inspector looked at him in disgust.
“It’s a world so hard to endure with a clear mind. I have to rely on the power of alcohol! I’ll drink again today and tomorrow as well!”
“You’ll get dismissed for negligence at this rate.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Typically, an official should fear dismissal, but the Inspector didn’t seem to care.
“Inspector!”
“I tried hard to reveal the Head of the Branch’s corruption. What do you think the court said?”
“What did they say?”
“Don’t slander a reputable Head of the Branch with baseless evidence! They didn’t give me a reward but nearly dismissed me instead!”
Despite all that drinking last night, he craved more. He felt he needed it to calm the bubbling anger inside him, and the Inspector regretfully patted his chest.
“What’s this dirty Head of the Branch?”
He had indeed crossed the line.
The young Inspector, now just having passed through his past and acquired a low position, dared to challenge the Head of the Branch.
Even if he were an Inspector who could send a report directly to the Emperor, once a matter goes to the court, the outcome is as clear as day.
“If another manager had committed a crime like the Head of the Branch, they wouldn’t have all body parts intact. But instead of the common people, it seems the world and everyone is mocking me.”
The most motivated young official who wished to expose the Head of the Branch’s corruption tasted despair as large as his ambition.
“I dunno. Just handle it.”
The clerk sighed, knowing how vigorous the Inspector had been, and stood up from his seat.
“Where are you going? If you’re free, how about bringing me some honey water?”
“Heard that Kang Yoon-ho is coming to testify in the Shadowless Thief case; they need a clerk.”
“Kang Yoon-ho? Ah… That black-haired Ho Pil? That Ho Pil must be struggling. Even when he tries to block the thief, he gets robbed anyway. He must be a laughingstock to the public.”
“You don’t know what’s going on these days, having drunk so much. The people of Wuhan are praising Kang Yoon-ho to no end.”
“Praising him?”
The Inspector’s brow furrowed.
“People admire him for doing his best in his field, and even if he fails, they applaud him. Did you hear? The Shadowless Thief robbed the Head of the Branch?”
“Haha. I should’ve known.”
The Inspector grinned, remembering the last drink he had.
“Today Kang Yoon-ho will report on the Head of the Branch’s incident. Seems worth it to treat the guy who originally planned to go instead.”
Hearing that he could talk about what had happened to the Head of the Branch nearly got the Inspector motivated.
“How much did the meal cost?”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll give you 2 Silver, so let me in instead.”
I shouldn’t be giving this guy freebies in the future. The clerk’s expression shifted dismally.
*
“Pretend you don’t know…”
“It’s not going to work.”
“Head of the Right Guards!”
Why was the Head of the Right Guards outside the government office? I waved my hand while approaching the Head of the Right Guards, who was speaking with someone in the distance.
“Welcome. You’ve been going through a lot lately.”
“I should show my face more often, but I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. I can’t expect a busy person to come. Should we head to my office?”
“Sure. But who’s this?”
I glanced at the man sulking in a corner, not looking like a reliable ally, and asked the Head of the Right Guards.
“Oh, this is… Clerk! Clerk! You’ll be taking notes as I speak; that’s it.”
“Clerk?”
“Greetings. Please call me Clerk Jeong, Kang Yoon-ho.”
Huh?! I nodded and examined the man’s appearance.
He looked to be around thirty, dressed shabbily, resembling a bottom-level manager.
Since Ho Pil worked on scene jobs, having a clerk to write reports isn’t unusual, but…
‘What’s this guy doing here?’
I knew this person.
The identity of the official before me was the Inspector hiding under a mask while reporting the official’s corruption to the Emperor.
I could not know this individual because I had never seen the Inspector in Wuhan. It was unlikely that I would be able to recognize him immediately.
Yet, I knew who this person was.
I had no way I could mistake him.
‘Why is this Inspector from the Princess route here?’
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