“I’m coming out of the government office.”
A few days later, constables in work clothes came to the Tea Bookstore.
“Is that the Head of the Left Guards? What’s going on?”
So the guy who pocketed the bribe turned out to be the Head of the Left Guards. Those who got scammed spent quite a lot of money on someone high up.
Since Wuhan is the provincial capital of Hubei Province, the law enforcement structure isn’t just simple with the Heads of the Guards and constables, but has the Head of the Right Guards above the Heads of the Left and Right Guards, followed by constables.
“Kang Yoon-ho of the Tea Bookstore, come out here!”
One of the constables shouted.
“What’s the matter?! Why are they looking for the store manager at the government office?!”
One member of the Tea and Book Club stood up and protested.
“We need to investigate regarding the Shadowless Thief! If you interfere, we’ll judge you by the law!”
“Don’t worry, everyone, it’s nothing serious. Can I just follow you as I am?”
If I have to, I can just head home. What sort of nonsense is this that disrupts business? I raised my hand to show I was Kang Yoon-ho.
“Where’s the author Ho Pil?”
“Well, you see… He’s a bit of a wanderer, so I don’t really know where he is. Occasionally, he sends me his manuscripts.”
“Alright. Then you’re coming with us! As you’re not a criminal yet, if you behave, we won’t bind you.”
As if I could quickly become a criminal…
“Kang Yoon-ho!”
While about to follow the constable, Ha So-so called me with a worried face.
“So-so, please send a message to the mansion.”
“What should I tell them?”
“Just tell them to proceed as planned. Let’s go.”
I had already anticipated this situation and prepared accordingly. I just need to act as planned.
“Follow me!”
I nodded at So-so, who looked a bit uneasy, and headed towards the government office.
—
“There’s been a report that the Tea Bookstore and the Shadowless Thief have a special relationship.”
The place I followed the Head of the Left Guards to turned out to be a sort of interrogation room. Is this where they conduct witness interrogations? Contrary to my worries, the Head of the Left Guards first seated me in a chair in front of a desk.
Am I not a suspect yet? Thankfully, they didn’t start testing if a human could handle 100,000 volts or pull out tools to forcibly turn someone into an instrument.
Having been dragged to an interrogation room, I needed to act innocent.
“This is unfair! A special relationship?!”
Honestly, I do have a pretty close relationship with the Shadowless Thief.
Let’s just act scared and wronged for now.
“Right after the novel Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes came out, the Shadowless Thief appeared in Wuhan! How can this be unfair?!”
“I’m already unfairly accused by the very term ‘Shadowless Thief’!”
“The term ‘Shadowless Thief’ is unfair? The name clearly appeared in the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes!”
“There have been thieves with the name ‘Shadowless Thief’ even before. The reason ‘Shadowless Thief’ was mentioned in the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes was simply because it was a famous thief’s name. But suddenly, to attach the name to an unknown thief, how can that be fair?!”
“The name of the thief currently active is definitely not the Shadowless Thief. What sort of nonsense is that?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! Head of the Left Guards! If I got bitten by a dog while passing by, and sticking the name ‘Head of the Left Guards’ on the dog claimed it bit me, how unjust would that be?!”
Hah!
As my outburst unexpectedly turned into an insult, one constable behind me let out a laugh.
“Are you mocking me?!”
The Head of the Left Guards shouted, scrunching his face.
“Oh! Did I misspeak? I’m sorry! I’m just a Joseon man! I meant it in the sense of puppy!”
Oh, darn. I was using Central Plains dialect. I acted flustered while apologizing.
“Hmm. Right. Being a barbarian, it’s understandable that you know the words but not the nuances. I can let that slide.”
I did insult you, you bribed rascal.
“But in the Central Plains dialect, how should I phrase ‘Head of the Left Guards’ dog?”
Hah!
As I asked naively again, this time, all the constables except the Head of the Left Guards burst into laughter.
“Alright! I get that! But how do you explain this? The black paper crane!”
The Head of the Left Guards asked with a flushed face.
“Are you talking about the Shadowless Thief leaving a black paper crane at the crime scene?”
Now I have to speak logically. I kept a wronged expression and spoke calmly.
“Yes! I heard that scene appeared in the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes! What else could this be if not evidence?!”
The black paper crane.
It is the connection that links the Shadowless Thief from the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes to the Shadowless Thief in Wuhan. It is, by all means, proof of the special relationship between the Tea Bookstore and the Shadowless Thief.
Trying to claim it was mere coincidence would likely earn ridicule.
But you know, I had already prepared countermeasures for this.
“Have you read the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
“What? No, I haven’t read it.”
The Head of the Left Guards shook his head.
You accepted bribes, but shouldn’t you at least conduct a minimal investigation?
“Is there anyone among the constables who has read the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
“I have.”
Fortunately, several hands went up. Great. That makes this easier.
“Does it mention that the Shadowless Thief left a black paper crane?”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“What? How can you say that when I just heard it!”
“The Shadowless Thief folded black paper in an odd way. The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes clearly mentions that. Nowhere does it say anything about a paper crane.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?!”
“I’ve never heard that a thief could make a crane out of paper. How could I ever imagine a thief mastering such a skill?!”
Similar but different. Not completely identical.
The Shadowless Thief in the novel uses a common method. In contrast, the style of the thief appearing in Wuhan could be called a technique.
I had already set up an escape route from the writing stage to deny the relationship.
“The fact that a black paper crane was left behind remains unchanged!”
The Head of the Left Guards argued with a flustered expression.
“The easiest way to dye paper is to paint it with ink. If he wanted to leave evidence that he came and went, it wouldn’t need anything special.”
“Is all of this just a weird coincidence?!”
When a rat bitten by a cat considers it just a meal, the cat gets angry. We need to find a point of compromise here.
Now, it’s time to bring out my second strategy that I had prepared in advance.
“The nameless thief appeared leaving behind a black paper crane just a few days before the release of the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.”
“What?!”
“I got curious, so I did some digging. The nameless thief appeared two days before the release. They probably appeared around the same time, leading to some misunderstandings.”
It’s possible that the Tea Bookstore controls the Shadowless Thief. Even if that’s not the case, they could use this as a reason to halt the release of the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes by claiming it’s copycat crime.
If this is argued at the government office, what can they do?
I had already foreseen this from the writing stage. The answer was as simple as starting the activities of the Shadowless Thief first.
“Even if it was before the release, there’s no law saying the Shadowless Thief couldn’t see it!”
“What do you mean by that? The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes was on a boat heading from the Yichang printing house at that time. The Seocheon Post Office can confirm that.”
“Hmm.”
“A nameless thief couldn’t have seen it, and Ho Pil wouldn’t have been able to write the book in two days.”
We begin the activities of the Shadowless Thief two days prior. Create a situation where neither Ho Pil nor the Shadowless Thief could influence each other.
It becomes a perfect alibi.
“So, is it just a coincidence?”
The Head of the Left Guards looked at me as if he still couldn’t accept his defeat.
Two logical shields that cannot be pierced have been set up. Now it’s time to show my negotiation card.
“Of course, it’s possible that it was imitated.”
Let’s throw a bait that they can bite onto.
“What?! Are you admitting it?”
“It could be that the righteous thief imitated the Shadowless Thief after reading the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.”
“Imitating a thief isn’t the same as being one!”
“It’s said that while the thieving happened two days before the release, leaving money in a poor household happened a day after the release. Perhaps the thief wanted to show off and imitated the actions of the Shadowless Thief after reading the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.”
“You mean that, while not connected with the Tea Bookstore, it becomes a form of moral retribution from the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes to the thief?”
I nodded at the incredulous Head of the Left Guards.
“Yes. While it is unrelated to the Tea Bookstore, the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes certainly seems to have influenced the thief.”
While it has no connection to thieving, it could be connected to righteous acts.
Because the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes rehabilitated the thief. That’s the negotiation card I present to the Head of the Left Guards.
“In the end, isn’t it your fault? The suspicions haven’t been fully resolved yet, so we will have an additional interrogation tomorrow! Put this scoundrel in jail!”
So, is that where you’re going with this?
You’re going to regret this.
*
“Are you really letting me go?!”
That evening, the wealthy who were robbed by the Shadowless Thief invited the Head of the Left Guards to a tavern.
“You can’t hold them indefinitely.”
The Head of the Left Guards sighed, looking distressed.
“We need to make them confess the truth.”
One of the guests whose precious possessions had been completely stolen by the Shadowless Thief said.
“The words coming from the black-haired man sound reasonable. It looks like it’s likely just a coincidence.”
“That barbarian is selling a book that incites crime! You should punish him severely to set an example!”
The people gathered there didn’t care whether Kang Yoon-ho was actually related to the Shadowless Thief.
They needed a scapegoat to vent their anger at the Shadowless Thief who stole their precious items.
“Are you trying to give me orders?”
The Head of the Left Guards frowned when those who had gathered started to cross the line with their requests.
“Oh, no! ”
When one person startled and swallowed their dry saliva, another person spoke up.
“Haha! I heard that this Kang Yoon-ho is the leader of the black-haired barbarians causing trouble in Wuhan. A barbarian leader selling books that promote crime! You’ve been keeping an eye on him, haven’t you?”
“I have too much on my plate to watch one side.”
How tiresome. Didn’t I do the investigation you all requested? The Head of the Left Guards pretended to be uninterested.
“Haha. Then perhaps we should provide you with some help keeping an eye on him.”
The representative of those gathered presented a luxurious box as though offering a precious item.
As the Head of the Left Guards feigned disinterest, one of the people sitting next to him took it instead, carefully showing what was inside the box.
Inside was a gold toad, about the size of a child’s fist.
“Oh, that looks quite radiant.”
A glint of greed flickered in the eyes of the Head of the Left Guards, a man responsible for the city’s law and order.
“Things like this are hard to come by for uplifting one’s spirits.”
“I’ve got lots of mouths to feed. It seems this toad should start having some babies.”
The Head of the Left Guards glanced at those gathered as if to say, “Is that all you have?”
“Hehe! Surely if you go through some trouble, that toad will certainly bear offspring!”
“Sounds good. Everyone, let’s drink.”
I’ll take care of those black-haired barbarians just how you want. The atmosphere quickly became lively as they shared drinks.
In the meantime, there was a courtesan in the corner who couldn’t help but feel a strange pigeon fly out, unnoticed by anyone.
“There’s been a tip-off.”
The next day, the room the Head of the Left Guards called me to was a far cry from the mild environment of yesterday’s interrogation room; it looked gruesome with patches of blood everywhere.
“What kind of tip-off?”
I doubt anything could be more grand than the previous day’s tidbit about you lot sharing gold toads at the tavern.
“You’re the leader of the black-haired barbarians, aren’t you.”
Looks like you did your homework since yesterday.
“Seems like you gave preferential treatment to those from your hometown.”
“The couriers under you have learned Light Body Movement! Making it easy for them to steal from those wealthy enough to afford the luxury of having you sell.”
“It’s a basic move. It just means they can run faster than others.”
You’re grasping at straws to connect dots here.
“If what you say is true or false, we’ll find out once we properly interrogate you. Prepare the tools!”
It seems they’re gearing up to add my blood to the stains on the floor.
“Do you really have to go this far?”
I stared firmly at the Head of the Left Guards.
“You’re finally showing some color! Were you just playing dumb until now?!”
“How can you torture an innocent person based only on circumstantial evidence?”
“Ha! Let’s see if you stay calm as hot irons burn through your flesh!”
“You’re going to regret this.”
For the first time, I tensed my brows in front of the Head of the Left Guards.
“Regret? HaHahaha! What is this barbarian saying? Regret? Hahaha!”
The Head of the Left Guards laughed so hard he clutched his stomach.
“You really will regret this.”
Soon, you truly will.
I’ve made all my arguments. But are you seriously going this far because a bribe has come in?
“Seems this barbarian is dying to meet the King of the Underworld today. Yes, today I’ll be your heavenly emperor and King of the Underworld. Now get out there and work that charcoal!”
“Yes! I understand… Oh? You shouldn’t come in!”
Now you’re moving.
From the direction of the door, a flustered constable’s voice could be heard.
“Get out of the way!”
The sound of angry footsteps got closer.
“Who are you? Oh?”
“Head of the Left Guards, you scoundrel!!!!”
“Head of the Right Guards? Wh-what brings someone as busy as you here? Urk!”
As I raised my head, the sight was the Head of the Left Guards performing a triple axel even a skating empress would cry about crashing into the wall.
“Kang Yoon-ho! Are you alright?!”
A bearded man in his middle years roughly grabbed my shoulder with a massive hand.
“Ugh…”
That hurts! You’re gripping too hard!
“What kind of nonsense has the Head of the Left Guards been up to? What are you all doing? Why haven’t you untied him?!”
“Y-yes, right away!”
The sudden appearance of the Head of the Right Guards had the constables trembling in fear as they promptly untied me.
“Hurry and escort Kang Yoon-ho to the bedroom and bring a physician!”
“Yes, understand! Kang Yoon-ho, this way!”
“Head of the Right Guards, what on earth is going on? Urk!”
On the way out as I followed the constables.
From behind, I could hear the furious tirade from the Head of the Right Guards.
“What the heck?! He touched the granddaughter of the Man Geum Battlefield’s heir and the daughter-in-law of the Jeokgalse clan!”
“N-nnnoooo?”
I told you.
You’ll regret this.
