Chapter 39. The Victor Does Not Remove Their Mask.

I glared at Hongsin and spoke.

"If you hand over all the money you have, I will consider the bond of our martial order and send you away today with your four limbs intact."

I said as much, but I never had any intention of letting Hongsin go in the first place.

"If you bring a thicker purse next time, I shall accept your challenge again then. If you beat me even once, I will return all the money. I wonder if you have heard of martial arts gambling (比武賭博)."

Martial arts gambling.

Literally, it means fighting with money at stake.

Theft and gambling share an inseparable bond, so this would be an offer Hongsin could not refuse.

Hongsin's eyes changed.

"Are you serious?"

I smirked from behind my mask, provoking her.

"Martial sister, consider yourself fortunate that I am not killing you. If you are scared, just hand over the money and disappear quietly."

With this, she will have no choice but to challenge me, right? Right?

Hongsin replied.

"Martial arts gambling... surely martial brother wouldn't dictate the terms of the match against his martial sister?"

"You decide."

At any rate, if she lost the bet, I had every intention of beating Hongsin black and blue.

Hongsin was inwardly startled.

"Then let's not drag this out. Within the span of half an incense stick, if you employ every means and method to remove my mask, I lose. Would it be fitting for fellow martial siblings to settle things crudely with our fists? But then again, if we simply competed by running, I would have the advantage. Setting a time limit seems just right. The martial arts gamble will be decided by the removal of my mask. How about it?"

I nodded.

"That sounds suitable."

I had already read the strategy guide, so I had expected her to propose a match involving lightness skill. But this made the proceedings even easier.

"As I said before, I will not shy away from any means or methods. Keep the location within the Heukmyo Bang. If you cross the wall, you lose."

Be it throwing concealed weapons or scattering smokescreens.

She would mix such cheap tricks with lightness skill to run down the clock. I replied while letting out a drawn-out yawn.

"Let's begin. I need to take a nap after settling this."

Hongsin let out a strange, cackling laugh, then sprang effortlessly onto the wall and tossed a small hourglass toward one of my subordinates.

"Referee, flip that over. When the sand runs out, that will be exactly half an incense stick. Start."

Hongsin wiggled her finger at me.

"Come, martial brother."

I approached Hongsin slowly, my hands clasped behind my back.

'Impertinent thing.'

Hongsin spoke with a smile.

"Are you a slug? What are you doing?"

"Tag."

I approached so slowly that Hongsin had no reason to flee quickly.

Hongsin kept her eyes on me, then backstepped along the wall.

I chased after her half-heartedly, as if barely looking at her, then placed both hands on the wall and climbed up in an ordinary, leisurely manner.

"Hup..."

"...."

Hongsin spoke in a still-bewildered tone.

"Half an incense stick is not very long."

"Shut up. Daring to lecture your martial brother."

I rolled up my sleeves and spoke to Hongsin.

"Today, I shall give you a proper lesson. I clearly said I would let you leave unscathed if you simply handed over the money, yet you did not know your place."

I approached Hongsin with a glare.

There was no need to sprint from the start in order to catch the nimble Hongsin. Hongsin now backstepped while checking my position. Then, perhaps deciding she did not need to stay on the wall or roof, she lightly leaped down to stand in the wide center of the outer courtyard.

"You certainly have impressive composure."

I also descended into the outer courtyard and pursued Hongsin at the slowest speed in the world. It was a leisurely, maddening pace, like a turtle approaching its prey.

This was, of course, a psychological battle.

Because I was so slow, Hongsin had no need to reveal various techniques. The match would be decided in an instant anyway, and at that moment, my hands would be faster than Hongsin's eyes.

"It is not too late even now. Just hand over the money, and you will not be humiliated before my subordinates."

"Oh my, how scary."

I stopped entirely and looked at Hongsin.

The distance between Hongsin and me was approximately three jang (三丈, approx. 9m).

Hongsin slowly widened the distance with backsteps and opened her mouth.

"Martial..."

The moment Hongsin's words were about to flow out, I shot into the air as if lightning had struck in reverse. To be precise, I surged forward in a diagonal direction passing over Hongsin's head.

Hongsin, who had not even fully uttered the word 'martial brother,' reacted swiftly, her form vanishing in an instant. But while turning to flee would have been the normal response, she stepped backward as if unwilling to miss my strange movement.

This meant that I, who was already faster than Hongsin to begin with, could catch up even more quickly.

I traced a curve and bounded, narrowing the gap from three jang to one jang in an instant. Then, the moment the distance began to widen again, I stomped on the ground and followed like a bowstring snapping back into place.

Hongsin reached into her bosom and scattered white powder into the air.

Before my vision could cloud over...

I dissipated the white powder with a palm wind, judged her position by sound, and stomped the ground again, closing the distance like a ghost to stick right behind Hongsin.

Hongsin suddenly let out a shriek, then finally turned her body and surged into the air with all her might.

At that moment, the gap between my outstretched hand and Hongsin's foot, which had just launched upward, was perilously narrow.

Just when Hongsin thought she had barely escaped...

I deliberately muttered the name of the martial art I had acquired from the spirit medicine vault.

"Star-Absorbing Great Technique."

Otherwise known as shouting a technique's name.

In the martial world, shouting a technique's name during combat is both a taboo and a childish act.

However, shamelessly shouting a technique's name like this is proof that one can toy with one's opponent. As Hongsin tried to escape while maintaining the narrow gap, her ankle was drawn into my hand and caught by a hair's breadth.

In that instant, seized by the terror that she might die, Hongsin twisted her body and poured out a palm strike with one hand.

While gripping her ankle, I swung my arm and slammed Hongsin into the ground.

Hongsin hurriedly stretched out both hands to touch the ground and screamed desperately.

"Spare..."

But astonishingly, Hongsin propelled herself off the ground with palm force, spun around, and thrust a fierce palm strike toward my face.

After all, not shying away from any means or methods included things like this.

I calmly struck Hongsin's palm with a finger technique infused with smoke-flower incense, while simultaneously executing the Star-Absorbing Great Technique with my left palm to pull at Hongsin's mask.

In an instant, a thwacking sound rang out as Hong Shin’s body was driven into the air and engulfed in flames in several places. Her upper garment crumbled into tiny pieces like ash and scattered away, revealing her bare flesh. But as befit a woman renowned as a thief, beneath her clothes she wore protective undergarments of tough material.

The subordinates who witnessed the sight let out strange exclamations.

“Ooh-yah.”

Spread-eagled, Hong Shin’s upper garment was burned in places, exposing her bare skin.

But I did not think for a moment that Hong Shin was dead.

The amount of internal energy I had felt when my finger strike landed was not inferior in the slightest to that of the former Black Cat Den Chief.

‘Not bad.’

In any case, it seemed the strategy guide’s mention that she had a considerable amount of internal power from stealing and consuming elixirs was true.

While the subordinates were gawking at Hong Shin’s exposed figure, I pinched the back collar of a black robe with my fingers and flung it toward her. The fluttering black robe flew through the air and covered her body.

Only then did the subordinates’ gazes break away.

“Stop staring.”

“Yes, Den Chief.”

I examined the red mask in my hand and spoke.

“By the way, I won easily, leisurely, in a single blow, and without the slightest crisis.”

“I am in awe.”

“Think nothing of it.”

By my estimation, Hong Shin should have regained consciousness by now. And yet she still did not get up. Taking this as an opportunity, I kindly explained the psychological warfare of the martial world to my subordinates.

“Everyone, look at Martial Sister Hong. Does she still seem unconscious?”

“Yes.”

“No. She will lie like that, get carried away on a stretcher, then wake up in the dead of night. She will raid the elixir storage or take the Black Cat Den’s funds and slip out leisurely like a burglar. But that does not work on me. You must always be wary of honey traps. Especially so on the demonic path.”

The moment I finished speaking, Hong Shin shot up like a ghost and hurriedly donned the black robe I had thrown her.

“Martial Brother, I learned many things today.”

Only then did the martial artists of the Black Cat Den confirm Hong Shin’s face without her mask. I realized that the very act of removing her mask was a honey trap. It was a pretty face that nine out of ten men would fancy. Moreover, most female experts who trained in martial arts had good figures. From the perspective of the trash-like men of the demonic path, she was certainly a woman worthy of envy.

And sure enough, sympathy already seemed to be settling in my subordinates’ eyes.

“Tch.”

So this was how terrifying a honey trap could be.

“Martial Sister, do not think of running. Kneel. The moment I catch you, I will strip that robe off first. I am faster than you anyway.”

Hong Shin, who had been gathering strength in her legs, staggered involuntarily before meekly kneeling down.

“Martial Brother, I was rude in many ways today. I never knew your martial arts had progressed so quickly.”

“Quiet. You lost, so cough it up.”

Hong Shin glared at me, then pulled a heavy pouch from her bosom. As I slowly approached and reached out toward the pouch before she could say a word, I unleashed the Absorbing Force Great Technique.

Swoosh!

Accompanied by a bizarre phenomenon that seemed like a whirlwind forming in reverse, the pouch was pulled along and stuck to my palm. The Absorbing Force Great Technique, based on the power of the Heavenly Jade, grew more familiar in my hands the more I used it.

‘This is the jackpot…’

The pouch was quite heavy.

When I opened it, it was packed with thin, rectangular gold and silver notes used as currency in this region.

“As expected, my Martial Sister is rich.”

Hong Shin looked up at me and asked.

“By the way, Martial Brother, what is the Absorbing Force Great Technique?”

“The Absorbing Force Great Technique is the Absorbing Force Great Technique. It is my secret martial art. What of it? Does it look like there is no better martial art for thievery? Indeed, if one masters my Absorbing Force Great Technique, they might be called the greatest thief in history.”

However, this was a martial art that could not be taught. It was because I was the only one who possessed the Heavenly Jade. It was a matter for quite some time later, but if the Cult Leader tried to recreate this, I intended to step forward and kill him. There was still plenty of time.

Hong Shin suddenly spoke in a pleading tone.

“Martial Brother, could you teach that martial art to your pretty martial sister? I will somehow obtain and bring you whatever you desire. You know my skills….”

“You can never learn my secret martial art. Wake up. It is a technique I could not teach even if you stole the whole world and laid it at my feet.”

“It looks like a type of隔空取物 that one could naturally learn once their internal energy is deep enough, but you are being too harsh.”

“Think what you want. Pass it on to the other junior commanders as well. The gap has widened further, so tell them not to bother me from now on.”

Hong Shin replied as if cleanly giving up.

“I will relay it. And thank you for sparing me.”

I examined Hong Shin’s mask. Like the Black Cat’s mask, it was crafted with considerable effort.

“Martial Brother, please give me the mask.”

I spoke, pondering what this mask could mean.

“For free? Fat chance. Bring a hundred silver notes and exchange for it. I shall keep it safe.”

Hong Shin replied in a frosty tone.

“Are you really going to do this?”

“Two hundred silver notes.”

“You know I am closer with the Sasinjang martial brothers, right? I am also close with Martial Brother Baekyu.”

“Three hundred silver notes.”

“Give it back.”

“Four hundred.”

“I will tell Master.”

The moment Hong Shin mentioned Dae Nachal as if pouting and turned around, I instantly closed in and tapped both Jianjing points with the Wooden Chicken Finger Technique.

Hong Shin’s body stiffened like a wooden chicken.

I ordered the subordinates.

“Lock Martial Sister in the storage shed. I will personally torture her.”

I stepped forward to get a good look at Martial Sister’s rigidly frozen expression and glared at her.

Only then was Hong Shin able to carefully look into my eyes beyond the mask, and she spoke in a composed, low tone.

“Who are you.”

I smirked with my eyes and slapped Hong Shin’s cheek. A crisp smack rang throughout the Black Cat Den.

“What kind of way of speaking is that to your Martial Brother? Did you take me lightly because I called you Martial Sister so kindly? Take her away.”

The subordinates hoisted up the stiff red monkey and headed toward the storage shed. After confirming that the officers were staring blankly at me, I spoke.

“You have had enough rest now, have you not? Begin afternoon training.”

Only then did I let out a long, drawn-out yawn. Having researched the Absorbing Force Great Technique until late at night for several days, I was short on sleep.