Receiving By The Doe, Repaying By The Mal (1)

The sun had risen high into the sky. Neung Je-gang woke from a comfortable bed for the first time in a while. The golden bedding used by the Imperial House was itself a treasure. Since he had slept inside it, it would have been stranger if his body felt uncomfortable.

Neung Je-gang got up, washed his face with the water that had again been prepared, and ate a meal with the food that had been prepared. It felt as though the whole world was revolving around Neung Je-gang.

He hurriedly finished his meal and went outside. If he stayed inside the tent any longer, he felt as if he would become stained by that comfort. He now felt he understood why Kunlun’s Taoists had changed so much after coming out into the world.

Neung Je-gang did not meet the princess and instead met Cheong Yeon and Ma-jil, then went with them to the imperial army camp. Since the princess had left her place, he thought he at least should be there.

But the princess had beaten him to it again. The princess had already gone there first and was handling official work. It ended up looking as if Neung Je-gang had deliberately come to see her.

“Welcome. Did you rest well?”

“Yes, but what work are you doing now……?”

“Ah! It is because of the soldier who discovered the enemy who infiltrated this place last night.”

“What is the matter? If he earned merit, you can just give him a reward.”

“But his origin is not Han Chinese, you see. Perhaps because of that, the generals seem opposed to promoting him.”

“Do you mean he is a foreigner?”

“Yes, they said he is one of the Dongyi? He himself said he was a Goryeo man. But it seems this soldier has earned merit several times, yet even then he still could not be promoted because of his status.”

Neung Je-gang was suddenly surprised. Dongyi was merely a name used by the Han Chinese, and if he was a Goryeo man, then he was of the same people as his master, Nam Yeong. Neung Je-gang became curious about that soldier. Why had he joined the army of this foreign country that would not even promote him?

Thinking of his master, he wanted to help that soldier. If he helped someone of the same people, his master would surely be pleased as well.

“It seems wrong to refuse to promote him simply because he is a foreigner. If he earned merit, naturally giving him a suitable reward would also be good for raising the soldiers’ morale. However, I would like to meet that soldier once.”

“Why?”

“My master is also a Joseon man. He is of the same people as a Goryeo man.”

“Ah, I see. Understood. Deputy Commissioner, please meet him once.”

The princess gave a glance to the messenger beside her. The messenger quickly rushed out again.

Neung Je-gang withdrew from the princess’s tent and went to another place beside it. It was a tent used by the Eastern Depot, and when Neung Je-gang entered, everyone sprang to their feet and could not even move. They said the Deputy Commissioner was an honorary post, but it seemed that was not necessarily all there was to it.

“I am sorry. Could you please step out for a moment?”

He felt a little sorry for taking someone else’s place, but since there was no suitable place to use, there was nothing he could do. In that way, Neung Je-gang occupied one tent and sat there waiting for the soldier who claimed to be a Goryeo man.

“Haaam!”

Perhaps Ma-jil had still not sobered up, because he yawned while giving off the smell of alcohol. He did not even know Cheong Yeon was glaring at him while covering his nose.

Gongsun Gyeong-in was satisfied that things were going according to his thoughts. As expected, the Han Chinese were a narrow-minded race. He had heard that this time, too, his promotion would be omitted because he was a foreigner. While he smiled triumphantly inside, he pretended to be disappointed on the outside. That way, those Han Chinese would feel refreshed when they saw that expression. Fools.

Roll, roll.

Still, since he had earned merit, he was exempt from duty for the day. For a low-ranking soldier, resting for a day was quite a large gift. Rather than being promoted, resting like this was actually better for Gongsun Gyeong-in.

But then he heard the sound of someone approaching.

Rustle!

Gongsun Gyeong-in sprang up, sat properly on his bed, and pretended to diligently polish his weapon, which he had somehow taken out at some point.

“Who is it?”

“I came from the Eastern Depot.”

“Ah, and?”

This was the current atmosphere in the military camp. After the masters of the Secret Institute were annihilated by one man, the soldiers no longer trembled at the name of the Eastern Depot. Since Gongsun Gyeong-in was merely doing what everyone else did, he had no choice but to act this stiffly.

“The Deputy Commissioner of the Eastern Depot is calling you. Follow me.”

The messenger was angry, but there was nothing he could do. He could also read the current atmosphere in the military camp. In the old days, this would have been something absolutely impossible.

“Huk!”

No matter how much he acted stubborn, he could not do so even toward the Deputy Commissioner of the Eastern Depot. A Deputy Commissioner was at the level of a general. No, rather, even higher than that. He had heard rumors that even the three great Institute Lords of the Eastern Depot spoke down to generals. Of course, those were baseless rumors meant to show what the Eastern Depot’s power was like.

Gongsun Gyeong-in sprang to his feet. The weapon he had been diligently polishing had already disappeared somewhere. It was a dazzlingly swift movement, but the messenger did not see it even with his eyes open.

After the messenger left, Gongsun Gyeong-in hesitantly followed behind him. All sorts of stray thoughts came to him along the way. There was no way to know why the Eastern Depot wanted to see him. Moreover, the Deputy Commissioner…….

‘They said the Deputy Commissioner is called Secret Shadow in the martial world, right?’

Just because he was in the army did not mean news was blocked off. Rumors or news reached soldiers through various channels. When you thought about it, men’s gossip was not to be underestimated either. Something known by one person spreading to the whole unit happened in an instant.

Moreover, Gongsun Gyeong-in had once belonged to the martial world. He was knowingly or unknowingly attentive to rumors of the martial world. In particular, he also had not very good memories regarding the Eastern Depot.

‘What was that man’s name again? Anyway, after entering the army, I could barely escape his pursuit……’

One of the reasons he had joined the army was to avoid a certain person. He had been a very persistent and sharp person.

‘If I had not entered the army, I might have been caught by his hands and been in prison by now. Kkeul-kkeul-kkeul!’

Gongsun Gyeong-in briefly recalled the past and laughed pleasantly. Joining the army had certainly been an outstanding choice.

“We have arrived. Wait a moment.”

The messenger entered the tent first.

“I have brought that soldier.”

“Oh, sorry, but if there is a personal record, bring it and send him in.”

“Yes, understood.”

The messenger left the tent, went to the princess’s tent, said that Neung Je-gang wanted the soldier’s personal record, and brought it out.

“Follow me.”

The messenger entered the tent first, and Gongsun Gyeong-in followed behind him. Gongsun Gyeong-in saw the messenger hand some documents to a young man and stealthily looked around. He was trying to find who the Deputy Commissioner called Secret Shadow was.

‘Huk!’

But Gongsun Gyeong-in saw something and his face turned black. He stealthily twisted his body, trying not to show his face directly to someone.

“Hm? This is unusual. The surname Gongsun?”

Neung Je-gang suddenly asked while reading the personal record.

“Yes, sir!”

Gongsun Gyeong-in answered strongly.

“Ho! A volunteer. And quick-footed as well?”

Looking at Gongsun Gyeong-in’s record, Neung Je-gang showed more and more interest.

〔Ma-jil!〕

Neung Je-gang suddenly sent a sound transmission to Ma-jil. Ma-jil answered with his eyes. Ma-jil was not so stupid as to make a sound here.

〔Get up quietly and block the entrance.〕

Ma-jil’s gaze turned strange, but without asking anything, he got up and blocked the tent entrance. He was in a state of operating Earth-Soil True Energy so that he could create an earthen wall at any moment.

“Cheong Yeon!”

“Yes?”

“Why, there was that thief we were the only ones unable to catch, ten years ago or so, wasn’t there?”

‘Huk!’

Gongsun Gyeong-in’s heart nearly stopped.

‘We…… he said? But it isn’t that face?’

Gongsun Gyeong-in’s entire body trembled. Ma-jil watched Gongsun Gyeong-in’s appearance with interest.

‘There was a thief that that vicious captain could not catch?’

Ma-jil felt awe toward Gongsun Gyeong-in for that fact alone.

“Yes, there was such a thief. Did we not even give him the nickname Divine Thief Hands? I remember being surprised because the Captain could not catch him. But why that, all of a sudden……?”

Cheong Yeon asked as if puzzled.

“Do you not remember? That fellow was also surnamed Gongsun, I think?”

“Was he?”

“Yes, and he was also a master of lightness skill. And ten years ago, he disappeared at some point, I believe.”

“Yes, but?”

“Look at this. It says this soldier also entered the army around that time. Surnamed Gongsun, volunteered, and both were fast on their feet. The characters are different, but I remember his name was also Gyeong-in.”

Neung Je-gang looked at Gongsun Gyeong-in and ended his words like that. His face was full of smiles. Was it because of the joy of finally catching the Divine Thief Hands whom he could not catch at the time?

Gongsun Gyeong-in’s eyes kept moving without rest. He had never imagined Secret Shadow would be that vicious Eastern Depot man from back then. And he had also never imagined that the man would still remember him.

But there was no path to escape. Now he understood why Ma-jil had quietly gotten up and blocked the entrance. He had blocked the retreat path. And there was Cheong Yeon, ready to act at any moment.

In the past, too, those two had always chased him. But now there were four people, including the messenger. Since the messenger was also from the Eastern Depot, his ability would not be easy either.

In the end, there was nowhere to run.

“Whew! I spent ten years suffering in the army and living in avoidance, and yet I got caught exactly like this. I was crazy. Why did I have to blow the whistle?”

It was a belated regret. If he had not blown the whistle, he would not have been caught like this.

Gongsun Gyeong-in now straightened his gaze. The one whose face he had avoided was Cheong Yeon. But it seemed Cheong Yeon himself had already forgotten. To think instead that some ridiculous person he had never seen before would recognize him.

“So you are confessing now? But this is unexpected. To think the Divine Thief Hands under heaven was a Goryeo man.”

“Damn it! Let us not provoke each other. But no matter how I think about it, I do not think I have ever seen you. How do you know me?”

Gongsun Gyeong-in asked as he looked at Neung Je-gang. No matter how much he racked his brain, this was absolutely not the person who had chased him. Ten years had passed. Just as he had aged, Cheong Yeon had also aged. But how could this young brat recognize him?

“Have you heard of illusion arts?”

“Illusion arts? I am a thief in name, so how would I not know illusion arts? But no matter how much it was illusion arts, you could not have deceived me. Anyway, if that is so, are you really the person who chased me ten years ago?”

“Yes, that was me.”

“Damn it!”

Since he was right in front of him, he could not even think of escaping.

“Now my life is over too.”

Gongsun Gyeong-in spoke emptily. But Neung Je-gang laughed loudly.

“Hahaha! You do not need to worry. I have no intention of taking you away.”

“Fine, hurry and take me aw…… wh-what? You are not taking me?”

Gongsun Gyeong-in looked at Neung Je-gang with an expression of disbelief.

“Yes. If you suffered in the army for ten years, it seems you have paid for your crimes. Anyway, the people who were robbed back then have probably all forgotten about it.”

“Th-thank you.”

Gongsun Gyeong-in was moved by the words that he would not be taken away. It had been ten years in which he had lived with bated breath, thinking he would die if he was caught.

“Captain! If we are not catching him, then there is no need to block him, right?”

Ma-jil asked Neung Je-gang.

“Yes, good work.”

“Hehe! What work……”

Ma-jil came back and sat in his place again. That place was beside Cheong Yeon.

“Gongsun Gyeong-in! Sit here.”

“I-I am all right.”

Though Neung Je-gang said he would not catch him, there was no telling when he might change his mind. Gongsun Gyeong-in was wary even of Neung Je-gang’s gentle words. It could be a trick to put him at ease and interrogate him about other crimes. In fact, the places he had robbed in the past were twice as many as the known ones.

Those in power interpreted every matter in a way favorable to themselves. If they heard news that he had been caught, there would be more than one or two people who would come forward, saying they too had been robbed. And most of them were powerful high-ranking figures.

“By the way, you earned merit several times while in the army. No, considering your level of skill, should I say it is rather few? Several times early on, and after staying quiet all this time, you earned merit yesterday. Was it because you earned merit early on and were not promoted that you stayed quiet until now?”

“No. The merit I earned at first was completely by mistake, and what came later was the real thing. I simply wanted to live quietly without standing out.”

“Is that so? Well, if you became famous and your rank rose, someone might recognize you. But why did you blow the whistle yesterday?”

“They were trying to kill me. I had no choice. If I did not want to die……”

“Haha! With your lightness skill, you could have simply run away.”

“It seems I became attached before I knew it. To the place called the army. If I ran away, they would charge me with desertion, and if that happened, I would either die or be expelled from the army. I disliked both.”

Since Neung Je-gang asked about matters that were not from the past, there was no need to hide them.

“That is why I am saying this. I am thinking of promoting you quite a lot. Would that be all right?”

“Yes?”

“I would like you to move with me for a while……”

“Wh-what……?”

“Well, it is nothing much. There are a few places we need to sneak into.”

Gongsun Gyeong-in’s face hardened. As expected, the Eastern Depot bastards were not trustworthy. They had wagged their tails, saying they would not catch him, because they had all these tricks in mind.

“It has been a long time since I washed my hands of that.”

“You do not need to think suspiciously. I told you, I will be moving with you. And just because you washed your hands, would that skill go anywhere?”

“What if I still say I cannot do it?”

“There is nothing I can do. I will have to do it alone. You will be promoted in the army to about Squad Leader. A Squad Leader after ten years, should that be called a remarkable success?”

Neung Je-gang asked while looking at Cheong Yeon.

“I do not think so.”

“Is that so? There is nothing that can be done. I cannot interfere with promotions in the army.”

Neung Je-gang waved his hand. It was a gesture telling Gongsun Gyeong-in to leave.

“M-may I leave?”

“Then were you planning not to go? Ah! That was not why I asked to see you, was it? My goodness, my mind……. My master is a Joseon man. So when I heard you were a Goryeo man, I asked to see you out of gladness. There was no other meaning. Then go. Serve well in the army.”

Neung Je-gang handed the document containing Gongsun Gyeong-in’s personal record back to the messenger. Gongsun Gyeong-in hesitantly walked toward the tent door. But truly, no one stopped him. They only watched him until he left.

At last, he stepped completely outside the tent. Somehow, he had not even given a greeting. Immediately after, the messenger came out and went to Princess Jang-ok’s tent. Gongsun Gyeong-in was left alone there.

“I did not know the former Divine Thief Hands had changed like that. But what exactly is going on? Is the Divine Thief Hands absolutely necessary?”

Cheong Yeon asked Neung Je-gang.

“Why? Do you plan to do it in his place, Cheong Yeon?”

“If it is something I can do……”

“No. We are going to steal. Cheong Yeon dislikes that sort of thing.”

“Steal?”

“If not for that, why would I have said such things to the Divine Thief Hands?”

Cheong Yeon closed his mouth. No matter how he thought about it, stealing was not in his nature.

“Should I do it with Ma-jil?”

“Hehe! I would be delighted. Am I not the true Divine Thief Hands?”

“You are not a thief, but a robber. You steal by force and set fires if necessary.”

Neung Je-gang told the story of how Ma-jil came to have the epithet Blazing Flame Master.

“That fellow even committed robbery?”

Cheong Yeon asked Neung Je-gang with an extremely serious expression.

“Haha! It was a joke, a joke.”

Judging by Cheong Yeon’s expression, if he said it was true, their relationship would likely return to bickering again, so Neung Je-gang had to tell a white lie.

They joked and talked like that for a while. But it was then. The tent entrance opened, and Gongsun Gyeong-in suddenly came in.

“What is it?”

Ma-jil asked fiercely. He had already left, so why had he come back? Right now, Ma-jil was in the middle of feeling joy at the fact that he would get to move together with Captain.

“May I not know what kind of work it is first?”

Gongsun Gyeong-in was looking at Neung Je-gang.

“That will not do.”

“Is it a secret?”

“No, that is not it, but if I have to tell you what house we are going to rob first, it feels like I am begging. It feels unpleasant, so I dislike it.”

Neung Je-gang had his pride too. He could not submit first in order to draw in someone he did not absolutely need.

“Th-that is……”

“If you first say you will do it, I can tell you where it is.”

Neung Je-gang looked at Gongsun Gyeong-in with a relaxed gaze.

Gongsun Gyeong-in was conflicted. The path of the thief, which he had forgotten, kept pulling at him. He had been forcefully cutting it off, but because he had happened to meet Neung Je-gang, his old memories had fully returned. Those thrilling moments when he opened what could not be opened.

If he left like this now, he would once again step onto the path of the thief. And someday, he might be chased by Neung Je-gang again.

‘At that time, I will not be able to run to the army.’

Thinking that, Gongsun Gyeong-in suddenly felt his chest become heavy.

“I-I will do it.”

In the end, Gongsun Gyeong-in submitted first. If he was going to walk the path of a thief anyway, it would be better to move with the people of the Eastern Depot with an easy mind. At the very least, there would be no chance of being dragged away. Though there was the drawback that he could not steal as he pleased.

“Good. Welcome. Then I will tell you the goal you have been waiting for.”

Neung Je-gang looked around at the other three once each, and then finally opened his mouth.

“Tonight, Gyeong-in and I…… Ah, may I call you just by your given name?”

“Yes.”

“Anyway, the place we will rob tonight is the Governor-General Office inside Seon-yeong.”

“Yes?”

“Right now, that place has become the den of a man called Deung Myeong. And I hear all the wealth taken from Seon-yeong has gathered there.”

Among the things U Ha-pyeong had told him, there had been such a story. He had said it was full of wealth that would be used as military funds.

“Then is the target that wealth?”

“What I need is the list of an organization called Cheon-geum Domain that Kunlun raised. I will look for a list of every person included in Cheon-geum Domain, the list of people they recruited, and, if there is one, the list of people subjected to the Spirit-Command Mind-Washing Art.”

“Then the wealth?”

“Other than the lists I am looking for, do as you please. It is not theirs anyway.”

“Understood.”

Gongsun Gyeong-in’s face brightened. He was going to steal legally. It was something that made his heart pound.

“Gyeong-in, go pack your things and come here. Starting today, Gyeong-in and Ma-jil are Eastern Depot agents.”

“W-wait, is that something you can decide so freely?”

Cheong Yeon asked in shock. If all sorts of riffraff entered, the Eastern Depot’s dignity and class would fall.

“I will get permission from Her Highness…… no, from the Commissioner, so do not worry.”

“Uwaaaah!”

The one who was happiest was Ma-jil. He would finally wear the clothes of the Eastern Depot. For him, who had once been chased by the Eastern Depot, caught, and even thrown into the Forbidden Demon Prison, it was a monumental event.

Gongsun Gyeong-in was just as shocked. To think he had been promoted from a low-ranking soldier to the Eastern Depot in one leap.

The Eastern Depot! An organization of absolute power. A single thief had slipped into that group. The one who understood thieves best was another thief. Birds of a feather flocked together, after all. In that sense, the thieves of this world were now in great trouble. Because the Divine Thief Hands recognized by the Eastern Depot would be going around catching them.