After returning to the Tang Clan following Tang Jincheon, who had come out to welcome us, a few months passed without any particular incident.
It wasn't that I expected something to happen, but it was so peaceful that I felt a little disappointed.
If I had to mention anything, it was that a Harmony Realm master had suddenly appeared in the household, startling the retainers, or that Seomun Hwa-rin seemed more harmless than I'd expected, which was a relief.
Tang So-wol and Seol Ri-hyang each received impressive aliases—Flying Butterfly Poison Peak and Clear Sound Ice Flower—but I tilted my head at the fact that I, the son-in-law, had been given a menacing alias like the Blood Flower Sword Demon.
Besides that, rumors arrived that I had taken down the Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate, who had made a name for himself, and the infamous Blood Flame Fist Demon, even if he was treated as a master of the previous generation.
And that I had even defeated the mad old monster of the Hwangbo Clan, so everyone kept a bit of distance from me… but that didn't last long.
It must have been because of Tang So-wol, who would cling to me and grin whenever she had the chance.
Just like now.
"Young hero Cheon, young hero Cheon. What's the plan for today?"
"Morning training just ended, so first I need to eat."
"And then?"
Tang So-wol, hands clasped behind her back, takes a step closer.
"I'm thinking of swinging the sword again at the training ground. I've been learning how to handle Intent from Senior Seomun Hwa-rin… and it seems I've made a little progress, even if it's only slight."
"Wow! That's amazing! And then?"
She takes another step closer.
"After that, I've also agreed to spar with Seol Ri-hyang. Since she seems to have decided to fully relegate the whip to a supporting role and focus on her Yin Art, she said she needs to get a feel for it through as many sparring bouts as possible."
"That makes sense. Hyang-i's whip technique wasn't bad, but she really does seem to have talent when it comes to Yin Arts. It's a martial art that's tricky to master, but when it clicks, it seems to come along in leaps and bounds. …And then?"
"…"
Each time she said "and then," Tang So-wol inched a little closer, and before I knew it, she was standing right in front of me.
With her hands clasped behind her back, her upper body was tilted forward that much more.
There was clearly a handspan of distance between us, yet Tang So-wol's poison pouch, larger than that, pressed gently against my chest.
Was it intentional? Giggling at my startled reaction, she rose onto her tiptoes. At a distance close enough for our breaths to mingle, she whispered.
"Is there nothing else on your schedule besides that?"
Her eyes shimmered with a green light. As if she already knew everything I was going to say, that confident gaze made me let out a hollow laugh as I nodded.
"Of course… there is."
"Oh my. What is it?"
"I suppose I should keep my betrothed, who looks rather bored today, some company."
"Hehe. I shall look forward to it with great pleasure."
Only then did Tang So-wol pull away from me. Humming a tune, she swung her wide-sleeved arms as if she were dancing.
She seems to be in a good mood. It's enough to make even me, watching her, feel cheerful.
For a long while, Tang So-wol flitted around me, expressing her satisfaction. If I, who am not particularly sociable, am welcomed by the Tang Clan, it must surely be thanks to her.
Throughout the meal, we talked about when we would find the time and what we would do… but.
Unfortunately, all of that discussion and planning was rendered null and void by a single letter.
***
"Take it. It seems to have come for our son-in-law."
"Yes?"
Following Tang Jincheon's principle that since lunch and dinner were busy, breakfast should be eaten with the family whenever possible, we had all gathered together.
At some point, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin had also begun joining us… but in any case, it was at such a gathering that Tang Jincheon handed over a single letter.
- Cheon Hwi
The outside was plain, bearing only a single name—mine. When I opened it, a crudely drawn map lay inside.
"This is… Gansu Province."
The drawing was rough, as if a child had sketched it, but in contrast, the place names were written in neat, precise calligraphy.
Gansu Province. Specifically, a place called the Qilian Mountains, it seemed.
However, the writing was all there was. The rest was drawn to guide the way using a few distinctive landmarks, and at the end, a small tombstone shape was drawn alongside a picture resembling Gold Coins.
The moment I saw it, I knew what kind of map this was.
A treasure map. A map recording the location of a hidden treasure—and there was only one person who would send me such a thing.
"Elder Gwiyeong Sin-tu…"
"What? Why would he suddenly… Ah."
Tang So-wol peeked her head out to look at the treasure map in my hand, and her expression darkened.
Had it already been nearly four years, well past three? At the place where a Fortuitous Encounter was supposed to be, I had met Gwiyeong Sin-tu while he was still alive, inherited a portion of his martial art… and heard his name, not his alias.
In his final years, Gwiyeong Sin-tu had built a secret vault to store everything he had stolen over his lifetime, hoping that every martial artist on the Central Plains who heard the news would go wild and swarm to his tomb.
This treasure map was proof that Gwiyeong Sin-tu's last wish had been fulfilled—and was, in effect, a death notice announcing his own passing.
It was only natural that Tang So-wol, who understood what that meant, would trail off mid-sentence.
"Father-in-law."
"I can guess what you're going to say, but I'll hear you out. What is it?"
"I need to make a quick trip to Gansu Province."
"What, you've only been back for a short while—can't you stay home a bit longer?"
"I said that the chaos about to unfold would be the finest funeral, but… I still feel I should pour a drink of wine at the grave."
"…Didn't you say it was Jang Bo-do?"
Tang Jincheon looked baffled. Come to think of it, I'd never told him the full story about Gwiyeong Sin-tu, so I took this opportunity to explain it briefly.
"I see. If that's the case, it would be hard to stop you. And… you no longer seem all that dangerous to me."
"Thank you for understanding."
As I bowed my head to Tang Jincheon, who was sizing up my martial level with a light glance, Tang So-wol suddenly raised her hand.
"I'll go with young hero Cheon as well, Father."
"What?"
Tang Jincheon's eyes widened, clearly not expecting Tang So-wol to suddenly say such a thing.
She continued calmly, facing him.
"Elder Gwiyeong Sin-tu has a connection with me as well. So I wish to see him off on his final journey."
"…Hah."
Gwiyeong Sin-tu was someone I had met while pretending to go sightseeing in Shaanxi Province, trying to secure a Fortuitous Encounter from before my regression.
Naturally, Tang So-wol, who had come along on that trip, was by his side as well, and though she hadn't received his martial arts teachings directly like I had, she had grown fairly close to him…
"While I'm at it, I might as well raid his secret vault too."
"???"
"???"
For a moment, Tang Jincheon and I widened our eyes, wondering if we had heard correctly.
At that, Tang So-wol straightened her back and added confidently with a gentle smile.
"Elder Gwiyeong Sin-tu wished for people to burn with desire within his secret vault, so that his name would be known far and wide by future generations."
"Th-that's what he said."
"Isn't following the will of the deceased the most important rite in a funeral?"
"I-is that so?"
Tang Jincheon wore a subtle expression. It was a fair point, but one could feel the complexity in his face—whether this was truly right.
I could tell immediately, since I felt much the same.
But I grew serious at Tang So-wol's next words.
"He said he stole everything worth stealing from the Central Plains, and in his later years, he came and went from the North Sea Ice Palace and the Beast Palace of the Southern Barbarian lands as if they were his own home. There was an accident along the way, so he lost one of them, and gave the other to young hero Cheon…"
"Now that you mention it, the Glacier True Energy that young lady Seol mastered was originally stolen goods."
"Yes. In any case, it wasn't a desirable direction, but he was a man of such ability, and he who was called Sin-tu boasted that if the secret vault's existence were known, the entire martial world would be turned upside down. Surely it must be filled with precious things, so it would be of great help to the Tang Clan as well."
"Hmm. That is certainly true. Gwiyeong Sin-tu was a martial artist of an older generation than me, so I never heard vivid rumors about him… but I do know that the Tang Clan has had quite a few precious things stolen from it before."
"Ah. Ugh. According to what I heard from Elder Gwiyeong Sin-tu, he only took a relatively low-grade whip technique and the recipe for a paralysis poison…"
"It's a bit different, but not wrong. Right next to it was a poison worth three times its weight in gold, and a little further away were the Tang Clan's main martial arts like the Five Poison Art and the Churyeo Divine Technique… but he insisted on stealing the Geumryong Baekseung Whip Technique, which few had ever mastered, and the new paralysis poison that was still being developed at the time."
"Pardon?"
"Strictly speaking, they weren't of lower grade—they were simply less important because so few people used them. As for the paralysis poison, it had the problem of being too volatile, so it kept eating development funds without producing any results."
"Ah…"
Only then did Tang So-wol realize she had been deceived.
In hindsight, it was only natural. Gwiyeong Sin-tu never stole what his target valued as much as their life, but he always left proof that he could have stolen anything he wanted.
That was why, at the Zhongnan Sect, he stole the scabbard instead of the sect leader's sword; at the North Sea Ice Palace, he stole the Glacier True Energy instead of the Ice White Divine Skill; and at the imperial palace, he stole the empress's undergarments instead of the royal seal.
If he had stolen something from the Tang Clan for the same reason, it would surely have been the most subtle thing in the most difficult place to steal from.
The Golden Dragon Hundred Victory Whip Technique and the Paralysis Poison that had been in development were probably exactly such cases.
Tang So-wol, whose thoughts had reached that point, quietly made a strange expression before hurriedly opening her mouth.
"Ah, well, setting aside their practical use, they must have only kept the most precious things, so wouldn't it be a great help to the Tang Clan if we brought them back?"
"It's certainly better than not having them, but… So-wol."
"Yes…"
"Tell me honestly."
"…I really want to go on a secret vault expedition starting with Jangbodo, Father."
Only then did Tang Jincheon reveal his true feelings, letting out a hearty laugh and nodding his head.
"Then there's no helping it. Do as you wish."
"What?! Are you serious?!"
"Of course I'm serious. Just make sure you never leave your son-in-law's side."
"I'd planned to do that even without you telling me. Whether it's day or night, on the road or in an inn, I'll always stick by his side, so don't worry."
"…Now that I think about it, you don't need to go that far."
"Since Father has instructed me, you must never let me out of your sight, young hero Cheon."
"Son-in-law."
Tang Jincheon glared at me without a word, silently pressuring me, while Tang So-wol, not doubting for a single moment that I would take her side, sparkled with her characteristic greenish-black eyes.
It was a problem that required no deliberation, so I simply shrugged.
"Don't worry, Father-in-law. Whether it rains or snows. Day or night. I will never. No matter what happens. Let go of Tang So-wol's hand."
"…You brat!"
With Tang Jin-cheon's scolding, a sound I hadn't heard in a long time, my and Tang So-wol's trip to Gansu was decided.
At the same time, torn pieces of the map began to circulate throughout the martial world, and rumors about Gwiyeong Sin-tu's secret vault began to spread, with his past deeds being brought back into the spotlight.
Just as Gwiyeong Sin-tu had boasted, the entire Central Plains martial world was buzzing.