“Meow meow!”
“Oh~, our precious Gold Spot~”
The Black Cat quickly found the Snow Leopard. It was quite impressive to find it in just half a day in the large Sacheon City.
The rumored Snow Leopard was smaller than expected. Its height barely exceeded one meter, making it almost the size of a large dog, but definitely too small to be called a tiger.
Today’s client, Kang Chi-san, who loses his Snow Leopard more than four times a year, rushed out when he saw the Black Cat leading the Snow Leopard back home.
“Master! How do you handle our Gold Spot so well? I want to learn your tricks!”
“Hmm… I’ve heard the Snow Leopard tends to run away often. Are you sure you’re not bothering it?”
“That’s an absurd statement! I do my best for our Gold Spot!”
As mentioned earlier, requests involving the Snow Leopard come in regularly. It’s been about two years now, right? Originally, there were four Outcasts known as the Snow Leopard Capture Crew who’d catch it, but they’ve stopped since it became strong enough to break capture traps. I think it was after the last time or the time before that.
“I’ve seen it come back tied up or trapped, but I’ve never seen anyone make Gold Spot return on its own like you! Please teach me!”
“Ah. A sincere gaze. You show the true spirit of a cat lover!”
I just wanted to return and rest, but since this request was mainly accomplished by the Black Cat solo, I had no choice but to follow the storm of tips about cat nurturing being discharged by the Black Cat.
“Hmm! These items all seem valuable, but I doubt the servants would let a cat scratch them. Please pile up logs in one corner of the yard for nail trimming.”
“Where does the cat relieve itself? Please lay some fine sand in one corner of the yard for a spot.”
“What’s this? Kumquat scent? Mint scent? Get rid of them all.”
Meow.
The Snow Leopard, seemingly delighted with the Black Cat’s storm of advice, rubbed its face against the Black Cat’s body. Its fur shone with a glossy sheen that made even someone like me, who didn’t particularly care for cats, want to touch it just once.
“Thank you so much, Master.”
There seemed to be a genuine understanding, as after the reorganization of the Snow Leopard’s space under the Black Cat’s command, it settled in with a satisfied expression.
“Ah~ this feels good.”
“Mhm.”
Kang Chi-san handed over a hefty pouch. It seemed to contain about five times the payment for this request.
In fact, the Black Cat’s actions had effectively cut off a hefty funding stream. If it had kept quiet, the Snow Leopard would have continued to run away, and every time, the Black Cat could just swoop in and bring it back.
“Senior, are you really thinking that you missed out on an opportunity to take requests for bringing back the Snow Leopard each time?”
“No? I haven’t even thought about it?”
“Your tone is totally strange. It’s not a request you can use repeatedly for long. In just two more years, it’ll be almost human-sized, and it won’t be able to hide in Sacheon with that size. If it ran away just a few more times, it would have completely returned to the wild beyond Sacheon.”
“Hmm…”
“I thought it was just a decorative pet kept merely because it ran away often, but it seems like the owner has some genuine commitment, so I gave it a look.”
I was curious about what the Black Cat would have done if it hadn’t, but I didn’t want to spoil the happy mood of the Black Cat, who was smiling for no reason, so I kept that to myself.
“It seems I’ve experienced some basic requests.”
“Mhm. Is that so? Black Bandit extermination. Raids. Delivery of martial arts manuals. Did the request for a cat delivery slip your mind?”
“That’s impossible since you’re already rumored to be a Peak Expert.”
Basically, the correct tier must match for the matches. If a Peak Expert loses to a Peak Stage, it wouldn’t affect the other. The one who challenged the Peak Expert would be the one getting criticized.
“So, about that…”
I cautiously observed the Black Cat’s mood while pretending it was nothing important.
“Have you thought of making some side profit?”
“Side profit?”
Purely my speculation, but it seems the Black Cat has quite a bit of money. Initially, the plain cloth made from the creature’s whiskers would be a considerable item, and it showed little concern for the request income further proved that.
The Sacheon Outcast earns a substantial amount.
An Expert is still an Expert, and making money is making money. At this level, it’s only natural to want more, and the fact that this person doesn’t raise any complaints about the distribution suggests they’re wealthy.
“Hmm… mind telling me more?”
“I have knowledge of a secret cave.”
“Senior knows about such things?”
“When you’re an Outcast, you inevitably come across various information.”
Currently, my skill level would mean I couldn’t gain anything there, but with the Black Cat, it would be possible. Trustworthy Outcasts aren’t strong enough, and if I brought along Peak Outcasts, who knows what chaos could arise.
“Is it for sure a secret cave?”
“I’ve confirmed the entrance, so don’t worry.”
And it’s also a final check on the Black Cat.
In this world, nothing is more certain than the material. If I consider the person I’ve built the most trust with while living as Ho Cheon-an… it’s probably Yeo Jin-sang or Jeong Sam. But even then, I couldn’t be sure whether I could really trust them with my back when we stood before the true value.
Whether the Black Cat really did something to me or not remains an unknown.
However, based on the attitude displayed so far and the actions it would take in front of true value, I could gauge how trustworthy it really is.
“How far does it take from Sacheon?”
“On foot, it would take about 3-4 days.”
“Great! I’ve been feeling too stifled in the dull clothes and just Black Rib lately. It’s a day out!”
Despite my tension, the Black Cat nodded cheerfully.
* *
“Outing? Just the two of you?”
Yu Sa-yeon looked back and forth between me and the Black Cat before pulling my ear.
“Are you two dating?”
“Has this inn gone crazy.”
“…Ho Cheon-an, it’s not your place to be angry. You’d need to bow a million times to meet a woman like the Black Cat.”
It was a sad point that I couldn’t refute since it was so true.
“Well, yeah. It’s noisy because of the money singer Da Jeryong at the Western-style restaurant. The members of the Solar Association are raving about finding the Outcasts who insulted Da Jeryong; this mess is your doing, isn’t it?”
“What’s Solar Association?”
Yu Sa-yeon silently touched her forehead and rubbed it all the way to the back of her head.
Oh, I see; it means a group of bald heads.
“Don’t underestimate the Solar Association. From Masters of Heat Qi to nobles and high-ranking officials. Members can be found throughout not just Sacheon but the entire Nine Continents. Especially scary is that not all of its members are publicly known.”
“If members of the Solar Association can recognize anyone from ten lis away…?”
“Wigs.”
“Oh.”
Got it. There must be countless bald-headed guys pretending not to be to blend in with the world. I might have inadvertently touched a group I could barely manage.
I was surprised to learn about such a large group I didn’t know about, but in the martial arts world game, there were no options for mocking bald heads, so it made sense I might not know.
But then again, thinking about it, it was the Black Cat that mocked them, so isn’t it unrelated to me?
Well, if it’s the Black Cat, it could handle any ambush with ease. At least there are no Peak Baldies in this Sacheon.
“So, when you go out, don’t stroll around carelessly; instead, change your appearance mid-way and exit quietly. The Black Cat stands out for many reasons.”
“Okay. Thanks for the advice.”
“If you want to cause trouble, do it somewhere far from me and come back when you’re done, got it?”
Anyone would think I’m the one causing all the trouble. After being quiet for seven years, it felt like I was being judged too harshly just because there have been a few incidents recently.
After reporting my outing to Yu Sa-yeon, I slipped out of the inn at dawn.
“Pull this line out and then fold it like this… just like that, the Black Rib folds like a single scroll.”
“Mhm, I see.”
The Black Cat let its bangs drape over its eyes. Since its eyes were hidden behind the hair, it seemed like it was operating the Black Shadow Qi Technique in that area.
I was curious to see the Black Cat’s face, but there’s a saying that curiosity killed the cat. I wasn’t willing to take that risk, so I managed to leave Sacheon without incident.
“Hmm. It’s been a few days, and I don’t see a single bandit, which is rather peaceful.”
Typically, when appearing into the martial world with a beauty like this, you’d expect to encounter:
[Hehehe! I, the Mountain Hero, have arrived!]
[Kiyoo! You! The pretty one next to him, we’ll take good care of her, so leave! Hooha!]
It would be normal for low-class bandits to show up with cheesy lines, but this was Sacheon. With the Outcast Faction diminished and the remaining sects struggling to survive, the situation was dire in Sacheon.
If rumors spread about bandits taking even a penny from anyone in Sacheon, then masters from various sects would rush out to apprehend them, making announcements across Sacheon that they captured bandits left and right.
For a few days on foot from Sacheon, it was a true safe zone.
The Black Cat and I arrived without any disturbances at the entrance of the secret cave.
Secret Cave!
In martial arts, there are many unique opportunities known as Qi Connections (奇緣), and while many lump them together under that term, in the martial arts world, they are divided into several categories.
One of those is the Secret Cave.
The biggest characteristic of the Secret Cave is its mechanisms and trials. Plus, the reward is usually presented in an easily usable form, making it all the more attractive.
For example, let’s say I found a millennia-old artifact that provides the main material for the Black Cat’s fabric. Imagine overcoming an epic battle and countless hardships to finally defeat the millennia-old beast, only to find the materials it dropped, like inner dan whiskers? They’re just raw materials.
Raw materials need to be processed to be relevant. Once you process them into finished goods, their value skyrockets, but if you need to acquire other materials for processing or locate a master craftsman… it’s no simple task to transform raw into finished products.
Also, let’s say I stumbled upon a Qi technique, but what if I can’t learn it? Suppose I’m currently training in a swift blade technique, yet the acquired technique is a ten-thousand sword technique.
Even if such an opportunity presents itself, these situations aren’t rare.
However, the Secret Cave is different.
The tests and traps of a Secret Cave help assess your aptitude to learn martial arts, so if you can break through a Secret Cave, you’re usually able to learn the martial arts contained within. Even if what’s inside is Spiritual Medicine or Essence, they are prepared for people to use without additional processing.
The Secret Cave is precisely the kind of opportunity I need right now, where it’s challenging to find processing means before even acquiring the materials!
“Let’s go in.”
