After finishing the farewell to Ho Cheon-an, who left on the Tang Clan’s Bicheongmacha, Black Cat organized the swirling thoughts in her head.
Ho Cheon-an had asked her to look into his origins.
“Could it be that he lost his memory for some reason?”
Although tracking down Ho Cheon-an’s whereabouts wasn’t particularly difficult, it was like hitting a wall beyond a certain point. Considering the intelligence network of the Wolbok-dang, it was quite strange.
“It wasn’t just a dead end. Senior Ho definitely lived in a hidden place when he was young.”
Perhaps, a hidden location.
“For a person to live without leaving traces, there couldn’t be any answer aside from a hidden place.”
Other informants would have likely cursed in frustration.
A hidden place or a secret realm.
These terms usually referred to areas where some creature instinctively capable of manipulating Qi resided, forming a natural Array Formation that concealed itself.
“Entities, perhaps? Or beasts of the spirit? Or maybe spirit herbs…”
The entities and beasts that people talked about weren’t truly beings from another world. They were just types that struggled to grow in ordinary natural environments or ones that found it difficult to accumulate Qi for survival or reproduction.
Or those that mutated after prolonged exposure to extreme Qi.
“To search for such a hidden place?”
It was absurd to expect to find a site that could yield immense wealth if discovered.
“I never thought a person could come out of a hidden place.”
Since hidden places generally formed over the flow of time, Black Cat was trapped in her own preconceptions. It wasn’t easy to think that a person could create a hidden place as needed.
However, after experiencing Hyeon Cheon-ja’s secret technique, her biases began to shatter.
“If a person can create such a ridiculous technique, then surely they could create a hidden place as well.”
Whether the one who created Hyeon Cheon-ja’s technique was truly Hyeon Cheon-ja, Black Cat couldn’t say for sure, but it was clear that he was a remarkable individual who transcended time and possessed extraordinary skill. There was no law that said such a person couldn’t exist in the present.
Black Cat thought of Ho Cheon-an. If Ho Cheon-an hadn’t personally shown her Hyeon Cheon-ja’s technique, would she have arrived at such thoughts? A negative thought crept in.
“Could it be that Ho Cheon-an unintentionally gave me a hint about his past?”
“If Senior Ho knows about others’ realizations, it would make more sense that he gained such abilities in a hidden place.”
Though it was a completely flawed inference, Black Cat, who had no way of knowing that Ho Cheon-an had been hit by a truck and transported to another world, thought it more plausible that he had gained abilities from a secret realm rather than seeing realizations in the open.
“It won’t be an easy task.”
No matter how exceptional the members of the Wolbok-dang were, searching for a hidden realm was no small feat. Even if she stepped forward to handle the matter herself, she couldn’t guarantee success, so Black Cat decided to take her time.
“Senior, wait for me; I’ll return with a great gift.”
Black Cat smiled to herself as she recalled Ho Cheon-an.
*
Clang.
As soon as she heard the noise, she kicked the cart and dashed out. Though her legs were weak, rolling on the ground felt incredibly refreshing.
“Oh dear, are you alright?”
“…uhhhh.”
A middle-aged woman was the one who caught me and helped me stand.
“Th-thank you.”
“Not at all. You look like an Iryu; it seems the Bicheongmacha made you quite nauseous.”
I trembled a bit. How many times did I fly off the cart on that hill? I couldn’t remember, just that it was more than twice.
“Oh dear, tsk tsk… you’re coming from a Bicheongmacha driven by Tang Do-yeon.”
“Looks like this person is totally out of sorts.”
People who looked like mechanics were commenting on my state.
“I’m sorry for making the guest experience something so shocking. The kid meant no harm…”
I inadvertently looked at the middle-aged woman, who awkwardly smiled and offered a hand.
“She is the Master of the Ten Nights Hall, Tang Chu-ye.”
“…As a Sacheon Outcast, just calling me Outcast Ya will suffice.”
“Alright, Outcast Ya. I just wanted to clarify that the Tang Clan doesn’t create such monstrous carts like that. It’s just the result of one craftsman going rogue, and only Tang Do-yeon could possibly drive something so ridiculous.”
Supported by Tang Chu-ye, I sat in a chair and accepted the water she offered to me.
“Even if a cart is robust, how does it make sense to fly in the air? The horse wouldn’t be able to withstand such shocks. Do-yeon manages four horses perfectly with her Rider Qi technique, which dissipates those impacts.”
“…Then what’s this air-control thing?”
“Well, among craftsmen, there are always eccentrics. Why would they research a feature to balance something that shouldn’t fly in the first place… Anyway, you’ve gone through a lot thanks to Do-yeon and that child.”
So, I ended up on this rollercoaster ride thanks to a rogue rider and a mad engineer from the Tang Clan, huh? Hahaha.
“By the way, Miss Tang Do-yeon was saying something about being a specialist in Bicheongmacha…”
Tang Chu-ye’s face turned red.
“That kid insisted they should take a test to drive the Bicheongmacha. They even created the test themselves. But really, no one wants to drive the Bicheongmacha…”
“Which makes sense.”
Right, Tang Do-gyeong and the same generation as Do-yeon must be quite the unusual personality too, considering Tang Do-gyeong was making a fuss about creating a new martial art. Guess I need to be careful when meeting the Tang Clan’s Do generation.
“While it’s a bit of a ‘give and take’ scenario, thanks to riding the Bicheongmacha, we’ve arrived at the Tang Clan’s headquarters quickly, right? So, please rest well in the guest house to recover your strength.”
“…Yes.”
“If you make a mistake at the headquarters, saying you arrived in the Bicheongmacha driven by Do-yeon might let you off the hook just this once.”
Just how far has this bad reputation spread?
At this point, I wanted to protest that they shouldn’t be boarding guests, but the thought flashed through my head that if that protest had any effect, we wouldn’t have even departed in the first place, so I kept quiet. Anyway, I managed to get a one-time immunity card.
Thinking back, the woman must be the one who created the air-control mechanism too. It made sense now.
As I adapted to the motion sickness and stabilized my mind, I noticed Tang Do-yeon, whose face was now shiny from handing over the horse.
“Let’s go, Outcast Ya!”
“…Yes.”
Tang Do-yeon and I started walking toward the Tang Clan’s headquarters, and perhaps it was due to the unique Black Rib appearance of a Sacheon Outcast, all eyes were immediately on us.
As expected, this was the Tang Clan’s territory, where only the members of the Tang Clan lived. Even outside personnel needed permission to enter; a unfamiliar person walking around was already an odd sight, and on top of that, an outsider being a Sacheon Outcast attracted attention.
Though no one blocked our path, the gazes were quite intense.
“First, let’s unload our things in the guest house and head to greet the Family Head.”
“…The Family Head is expecting to see me?”
I was surprised and asked back. Meeting the Family Head of the Tang Clan? Just this Iryu martial artist, Ho Cheon-an?
If I told tales to the merchants, just the story of meeting the Family Head should be enough to eat for a lifetime, right?
“Hmm, yes. Oh, speaking of which…”
Tang Do-yeon tilted her head in thought before nodding again.
“Well, as you’re the individual concerned, it should be fine. Have you heard that brother Do-gyeong has reportedly created a new martial art?”
“Is it the one after the Tiger Leaping Technique?”
“So, you’ve heard of it? The Outcasts are quite informed… it’s called ‘Tang Clan’s Bat-Leaping Tiger Method.’ I heard that you helped in creating that martial art, which is why the Family Head wants to meet you. That’s probably the reason, right?”
“Hmm.”
It looks like the martial art created by Do-gyeong is something quite useful. I felt it was a bit strange that I had a share in it.
In fact, if there’s a manufacturing technique that complements hidden weapons best, it would undoubtedly be gambling. After all, hidden weapons are all about stealth, deception, and skill.
And truthfully, my gambling skills are closer to magic tricks than what real con men use. Since I’ve achieved mastery, the specific type doesn’t matter much, but true gambling skills should deceive without anyone realizing they’ve been deceived.
It’s better to avoid being noticed entirely than to deceive while being the center of attention.
The reason I showcased my skills in front of Do-gyeong was that I knew he would struggle with the mastery of hidden weapons after gaining realizations.
Gambling skills provide considerable enhancement to hidden weapon techniques, so if he absorbs even a bit of my gambling techniques, it should aid in mastering hidden weapons.
I can’t say I was entirely confident, but it’s something I had picked up during my life as Ho Cheon-an.
It seems the injection of my gambling skills into Do-gyeong had a greater effect than I anticipated.
“How is the martial art created by Brother Tang performing? What about the internal evaluations?”
“They gathered the direct and branch clan members to witness a demonstration, and most were quite enthusiastic in their response. Even an incomplete martial art had several clansmen eager to learn it right then and there.”
“Oh.”
Could this mean I should expect a hefty reward during my meeting with the Family Head?
Since Do-gyeong had crafted a valuable martial art and I played a part in it, this invitation for a meeting with the Family Head must be part of that as well.
Hey, if I play my cards right, I might be able to sell the precious Jade Jade Carving right for a lavish price.
Maybe I should invest that money properly into a merchant guild?
Being able to predict which guild will thrive or fail is merely the basics of the Martial World. If you let that slip, you’ll be exhausted running around for cash instead of practicing martial arts.
I reached the Family Head’s quarters, lost in such thoughts.
“Are you the Sacheon Outcast known as Ya?”
However, something felt awry about the atmosphere.
The Family Head of the Tang Clan, Tang Guanglie, was glaring at me with burning eyes.
