Treasure Hunters. (1)

Yu Seol knitted her brows and drew a line in the air.

“Grandpa, you heard them, right? They’re insulting us.”

Being insulted by people they hadn’t even met was not something that felt good.

Across from her, her grandfather waved a hand and said.

“Don’t mind it. You don’t need to react to every bit of gossip in the martial world.”

“Who on earth are they to be saying that about us?”

They had screens set up around the table so faces weren’t visible, but it wasn’t hard to guess who they were.

“Hmm. From what I heard, it sounds like those Wudang sect fellows.”

The name Mu-jin they mentioned was, after all, the Taiji Sword Master of the Wudang sect.

“Phew. Those foul-tongued Taoists…”

Yu Seol trembled with anger in her shoulders.

She wanted to show them a lesson, but her grandfather forbade it, so she had to hold back.

Besides, the food they had ordered would be coming out soon.

For now, filling their stomachs was the priority.

But their stream of insults seemed endless.

“Yin Yang Twin Monster, you tiny specks! How dare you touch the pride of our Wudang sect?”

“Brothers, you’ve heard the rumors, right? They’re as treacherous as snakes.”

“I’d like to hang them upside down and beat them to death if I could.”

Their voices, as if drunk, were filled with unrestrained anger.

“Lower your voices a bit. If those wicked ones hear, who knows what mischief they’ll do.”

“What mischief? Those puny things?”

“You’ve heard the story. They even raided the Emei Sect, they say.”

“No need to worry. They’ve never shown up in Hubei Province anyway.”

The Taoists gossiped about the Yin Yang Twin Monster, but there was a subtle fear in their eyes.

They were that notorious among the Murim Alliance’s members.

“We’re not the only ones in the inn; it’s not bad to be careful.”

“Are you actually afraid of the Yin Yang Twin Monster? Tell them to come to me! Those rat-like brats, if they catch my eye I’ll just…”

Meanwhile, Yu Jinsan kept silent with his fingers interlaced.

His granddaughter’s expression looked serious.

Their conversation came through as if they were right beside them, and Yu Seol’s face grew stony.

“Grandpa, you heard them, right? They called us nothing but rat droppings—treacherous like snakes, like rats.”

“Leave them be. We’re not the sort to bother with such small fry. First, let’s eat.”

Although the table was piled with appetizing dishes, Yu Seol didn’t seem inclined to touch them.

After poking at her food half-heartedly with her chopsticks for a moment.

“Grandpa. Where is the Wudang sect located?”

“They’ll be on Wudang Mountain nearby. But why do you ask?”

“…Is that so?”

Yu Seol narrowed her eyes and began to contemplate something.

Yu Jinsan was not one to be unaware of what his granddaughter was thinking.

He scooped a handful of food with his chopsticks and placed it on his granddaughter’s bowl: shredded vegetables and pork stir-fry, qingjiao rousi.

“So you want to rob the Wudang sect. But you have no justification, no righteous cause.”

It wouldn’t be a practical problem, but it could harm their reputation.

Considering their grand plans ahead, indiscriminate raids wouldn’t be beneficial.

“Why wouldn’t we have a cause? They insulted us first.”

“That’s not enough. Even if we’re not righteous heroes, we can’t be branded outright as thieves.”

Yu Seol scoffed in reply.

“Grandpa, we used to be bandits. I grew up with Black Mountain troops from when I was little. Don’t you remember?”

Yu Jinsan couldn’t deny that.

Hadn’t he spent time associating with bandits together with his granddaughter when she was an infant?

In that time they even robbed the Tianlong Trading Company together and shared life and death.

At that time, it had been a choice forced by survival.

“Even so, our reputation has grown; we should think of dignity. Do you want to grow up to be a bandit princess?”

Yu Seol tapped her chin with a finger and gathered her thoughts.

“Hmmm. That’s not bad, but I can’t. Mom would hate it.”

“Of course. She’d be shocked in heaven.”

But from her expression, it seemed she had another plan.

“Instead of bandit princess, how about treasure hunter? I have a good idea. First, let’s eat, Grandpa.”

“Alright. Eat up.”

At that, Yu Seol grabbed a nicely grilled fish and put it onto her grandfather’s bowl.

“It’s good for you, so eat a lot. They say eating fish helps you grow tall quickly.”

“Yes, yes. Only our Seol cares about her grandpa.”

The grandparent and grandchild focused only on eating, regardless of the Taoists’ gossip.

They ate in a hurry.

By the time both their bellies were swollen like tadpoles.

Suddenly Yu Seol’s ears perked up.

“Let’s go! We have to follow them now.”

“Huh? Where to?”

Yu Seol snapped her chopsticks down onto the table.

“I’ll make that justification for us.”

It looked like the Wudang sect’s Taoists were leaving the inn now.

Yu Jinsan decided to watch what his granddaughter would do.

The two who went outside began to discreetly tail the Taoists.

There were four of them in total.

Their white robes bore Taiji patterns, leaving no doubt they were from the Wudang sect.

One peculiar thing was a red emblem drawn beneath the Taiji.

Hidden behind a tree, Yu Jinsan examined them and muttered.

“I thought they were a bunch of riffraff, but it seems the Wudang sect has some decent fighters.”

From behind the tree, Yu Seol asked with curious eyes.

“Who are they? Do you know them?”

“How would I know such young lads? I just remember the emblem on their clothes. They’re Taiji Swordsmen.”

They were among the strongest disciples of the Wudang sect.

Each of them had martial skill enough to rival the Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Mount Hua.

But the feeling was markedly different from when he had seen them in the past.

That was because he himself had grown much stronger.

“They look like they’d fall with a single light strike.”

“Of course. If they wouldn’t fall after hitting you, they’d have to be counted among the top ten masters of the martial arts world.”

Even by Yu Jinsan’s standards, they seemed clumsy.

As they walked the quiet forest path, they all looked thoroughly drunk.

Although they could dispel their intoxication with internal skill, they kept themselves drunk on purpose.

One of them was shouting in a slurred tone.

“This makes no sense!? The great Mu-jin Master was defeated by some Yin Monster? Isn’t that right, brothers?”

His voice was full of indignation.

And the others felt much the same.

“The Murim Alliance leader said he was assassinated by a cowardly trick. If they had fought honorably they wouldn’t have lost.”

“Is it a lie that the Yin Monster is a master who uses the Spear Control Technique?”

“You believe that? Of course it’s a lie concocted by the Evil factions.”

“That filthy bitch. If she catches my eye…”

He couldn’t finish the threat and instead widened his eyes.

Because someone had leapt down from a tree ahead.

“If she catches your eye, what then?”

It was a girl neatly dressed in a pink uniform.

The Taiji Swordsmen, as if by agreement, simultaneously expelled their intoxication with internal skill.

Tension was obvious on their faces.

They still did not know who the girl before them was.

One thing was certain: she was a master skilled enough that their ambush hadn’t detected her.

“W-who are you?”

Yu Seol smiled icily and took one step toward them.

“Who do you think I am? Hmm? A treacherous snake, a rat droplet?”

The Taiji Swordsmen froze.

Because those had been the insults they hurled at the Yin Yang Twin Monster back at the inn.

“…Seol, no way?”

One corner of Yu Seol’s mouth tugged upward.

“Yes, it’s me. Yin Monster, sister.”

The Taiji Swordsmen still couldn’t grasp reality.

The scene unfolding before them felt like a dream.

But none of them were actually frightened.

That was because Yu Seol had gathered all her qi and looked like an ordinary person without martial arts.

Was that why she seemed easy to handle?

“Yin Monster!!”

The youngest-looking swordsman among the Taoists suddenly charged in a sneak attack.

He was skilled enough to emit sword qi in an instant and swing it.

But the Yin Monster did not dodge even as the attack approached.

In fact, she didn’t even glance at him.

Swoosh—!

“…?”

Everyone’s eyes widened. The Taiji Swordsman had cut the Yin Monster.

But to have the attack succeed so easily—no one could believe it; they were dumbfounded.

But as always, appearances can be deceiving.

They soon realized the attack had failed.

Strangely, all he had sliced was a piece of clothing.

Beneath the torn cloth, her shoulder showed no small wound at all, despite the sword qi striking it.

“What are you going to do about this? Do you know how much this garment cost?”

Yu Seol held up the torn clothing and demanded.

To calmly ask for a garment’s worth in the middle of this situation.

The swordsmen didn’t know what to do.

But they couldn’t just stand idly by.

The most experienced-looking swordsman swung his sword with all his might.

“Die, you bitch!”

The sword’s tip aimed precisely at the Yin Monster’s throat.

It was a spot that even Vajra Indestructible couldn’t harden against.

But Yu Seol still did not dodge.

She simply lifted her right arm slightly.

Screeeech—!!

The sword’s tip struck the Yin Monster’s bracelet.

At that moment, red-hued beads fell to the ground with a patter.

“You ruined my precious bracelet too? I bought this for thirty thousand coins of gold.”

What on earth was happening?

The Yin Monster stood as if daring them to keep attacking.

But the intimidated Taiji Swordsmen could no longer continue their assault.

They were certain that no attack would work.

“Th-this…”

A vast barrier they could not cross.

That was how the presence of the Yin Monster felt.

The Taiji Swordsmen felt fear for the first time in their lives.

Then the most senior Taoist among them slowly bent his torso forward.

It wasn’t by his own will.

It felt as if an invisible force was forcibly pulling his head down.

“Ughhhh.”

He tried to resist, but it was futile.

When his head reached chest height.

The Yin Monster grabbed his earlobe with her right hand.

“Feel that now? Hmm?”

“…Guh.”

“What are you going to do?”

“…W-we didn’t do it on purpose.”

Where had their earlier confidence gone?

The face of the one whose ear was held now wore utter abasement.

“My clothing and bracelet—together they’re forty thousand coins of gold! What are you going to do about that?!”

No wealthy man in the Central Plains would have forty thousand coins of gold; perhaps an emperor might.

It was an enormous sum.

“I-I’ll consult with our Sect Leader.”

Yu Seol shook his ear back and forth, hardening her gaze.

“Sect Leader? What is your Sect Leader doing right now? What kind of person is he?”

“S-sorry. sob…”

The Taiji Swordsman unexpectedly welled up with tears.

It wasn’t that he was scared of the Yin Yang Twin Monster.

It was guilt at having brought shame upon his sect.

At that moment, the Yin Monster’s gaze slowly turned to the right.

There, the Yang Monster had already appeared, approaching with hands clasped behind his back.

“Is Wudang Mountain this way? Let’s head up.”