“Have you heard the news about the Head of the Branch?”
“Yeah! I heard he was dragged off crying to the Inspector!”
The notorious Head of the Branch, who had been sucking the lifeblood out of the common folk, was caught in corruption and hauled away by the Inspector.
From snot-nosed kids to the elderly barely able to move inside their homes, the news spread throughout Hubei Province, so much that no one in Wuhan didn’t know about it.
“They say the Shadowless Thief helped that Inspector.”
“What? Really?”
“Absolutely! They say the Shadowless Thief handed over critical evidence to the Inspector! The Inspector even acknowledged it!”
“Oh my! So the Inspector didn’t capture him; the Shadowless Thief completely cleaned him out!”
“Exactly! Talk about cleaning him out completely!”
Out of nowhere, a righteous thief appeared, sending a notice and boldly robbing the corrupt official’s home.
That alone was enough to shock Hubei Province, but the news that the Inspector helped punish the notoriously evil corrupt official sent shockwaves everywhere.
“Wait a minute? Isn’t this about the story of the Shadowless Thief and Un-hyeon from the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes? Did Mr. Ho Pil predict this?”
“More like he grasped it! To become a hero as a thief, you have to do this much!”
“Mr. Ho Pil is amazing, huh? Who would’ve thought a mere thief could become a hero!”
“There has been much debate over whether the thief was inspired by Mr. Ho Pil, but this incident has confirmed it! The Shadowless Thief is just following the path laid out in Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes!”
“If the Shadowless Thief is right here, I’d gladly recommend them as a member of the dark Tea and Book Club!”
The Shadowless Thief, Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes, Mr. Ho Pil.
What started as whispers in the Tea Bookstore became so famous that I could hear people discussing it on the streets.
“Honestly, is there any guy who wouldn’t get pumped reading Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes? My brother spent his whole life studying, but just the other day, he brought a stick that looked like a sword and started swinging it!”
“My cousin is a martial artist, and he praised it to no end after reading it!”
“Even martial artists? Is that true?”
“They say aside from the scene where the Shadowless Thief walks on water, there’s nothing to complain about.”
Why not? The Shadowless Thief could totally walk on water!
“Sure, that was a bit of a stretch. Even I, a master of the Nine Great Sects & One Alliance, have never heard of anyone walking on water.”
“Mr. Ho Pil is a writer too. He just exaggerated a bit.”
In my martial arts novels, the Shadowless Thief walks on water.
Being criticized for the settings of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes? The Shadowless Thief is a genius of Light Body Movement; it doesn’t match the setting if they can’t do that much!
I wanted to say something, but as a mature author, I decided to hold back so as not to disturb the playground of my readers.
“Mr. Kang, why are you trembling all over?”
It’s nothing at all.
——-
“Why have you been counting the raffle tickets since earlier?”
Even though the Shadowless Thief was a hot topic, not everyone in the Tea Bookstore was talking about them.
“It’s a secret.”
“How many raffle tickets do you have? Why aren’t you putting them in the box?”
One member of the Tea and Book Club asked as they saw some others organizing a pile of raffle tickets.
I’m curious too. If there are raffle tickets, just put them in. Why keep them piled up? I feigned doing something else while paying close attention.
“We’re waiting for the right moment.”
“Waiting for the right moment?”
“We made an incredible discovery.”
“What do you mean? You’ve got to tell me.”
“It’s sensitive information that I can’t just share…”
“Three sets of Cooperation Heart will do?”
“With that, I guess I could share it. Look at that raffle box over there.”
Is there a flaw in my sales technique? I casually approached the members while pretending to wipe the tables with a rag.
“The box?”
“Even though that box looks small and people misunderstand, if we actually put the tickets in, a thousand tickets fit in easily.”
“That’s true. Could fit around two thousand, I reckon?”
“Occasionally, winners are drawn, so people are filled with hope and throw in tickets, but the actual chance of winning is practically zero.”
Wow, talking blunt facts like that smells like black consumerism.
“What does that have to do with counting the raffle tickets?”
Holding a raffle ticket, the member glanced around and spoke quietly as if only we were supposed to hear.
“Only putting in a few tickets won’t give you any chance of winning. So we’re going for one big shot.”
“One big shot?”
“We form a small group to pool the tickets as one. And when the box is nearly full, we cover an entire layer with our tickets!”
“That would dramatically increase our chances!”
“We call this creating a ceiling for our tickets, as in ‘spending ceiling.’”
The member of the Tea and Book Club spoke with shining eyes, as if they had made a groundbreaking invention.
“The thicker the ceiling, the more likely we are to get the jackpot from our group! At the very least, we can go to our friend’s house to watch the win! I’ll be able to witness the scene where Un-hyeon does the enlightenment!”
“I want to see Jin So-yu leaning on Un-hyeon’s shoulder!”
“Tsk tsk. Isn’t the scene where the Shadowless Thief falls for Un-hyeon the best?”
“Oooh! Count me in too!”
Fortunately, it seems like there won’t be any issues with this month’s sales.
————————-
“Hey, what are you doing on the grass in the moonlight?”
Im Ha-yeon suddenly appeared, asking about my posture as I practiced Light Body Movement techniques on the grass of the inner garden.
“You startled me. Did you just get back?”
Miss Zhuge was sleeping, and Im Ha-yeon went to work, and I was trying to practice stealthily but got caught.
“I was quietly watching because it looked like you were practicing Light Body Movement, but it seemed a bit strange.”
“Haha. Everyone keeps saying it’s impossible. I was just testing if what was said in Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes is actually possible.”
I answered with an awkward smile.
“Are you trying to walk on water?”
“It’s obvious I can’t walk on water, but who knows, maybe I could manage to walk on the grass without damaging it with the Grass-Over-Surface Technique.”
The ultimate content you achieve when you’ve mastered Light Body Movement.
Grass-Over-Surface Technique (超上飛).
Walking on water (登萍渡水).
Walking on snow without leaving traces (踏雪無痕).
Walking in the air technique (虛空踏步).
What I attempted was the most basic content of mastering Light Body Movement: Grass-Over-Surface Technique.
“I think I understand.”
Im Ha-yeon looked at me as if a newbie was trying to challenge advanced content.
I guess I should have maxed out my level before trying the content. But even trying out low-level content can be fun!
I felt like I had grasped the trick, thinking if I loosen my legs a bit during landing and land softly…
“Not long ago, I reached level two of the Shadowless Body Technique. So maybe, it could be… Aah!”
I slipped right then and there.
“Be careful!”
Im Ha-yeon rushed over and caught my back just as I was about to fall.
I was several steps away, and she covered that distance in a single leap. Truly, the Shadowless Thief!
“Do I need to lose weight?”
If I could manage to weigh as light as just living on dew, it might be possible.
I murmured while feeling the sensation behind me that I hoped wouldn’t lose weight.
“It’s not just losing weight that makes it possible.”
I felt a small sigh from Im Ha-yeon, as she contemplated what to do with this troublesome person.
Everyone keeps saying it’s impossible, and that’s why I’m stubbornly trying!
“Gugu!”
“Gugu? What are you doing here?”
Hearing the familiar coo, I looked up to see Gugu gliding in circles above me.
“Looks like Master of Arcane Fragrance sent a letter.”
Gugu really did bring a letter. I’ve been keeping Gugu at the arcane place for secret correspondence with the Master of Arcane Fragrance, so I haven’t seen them in ages.
“Let’s go inside and read it… Gugu, why?”
“Gugugu!”
Instead of landing on my or Im Ha-yeon’s shoulders, Gugu landed on the grass, spreading its wings as if to show off.
Seems like they watched me trying.
“Well, you’re a bird, so you can stand on the grass.”
I’m a person, and you’re a pigeon! You silly bird.
“Gug? Gugugu!”
As I protested, Gugu responded with laughter-infused cooing, hopping around on the grass.
“Gugu. If you keep making fun of your master, you won’t be able to!”
Im Ha-yeon tried to stop Gugu, but the Grass-Over-Surface Technique just wouldn’t stop.
How dare you, Gugu! It’s been days since I’ve fed you and taken care of you, and now you tease me just because you changed departments?
I could tell you’re doing great, Gugu. You’re a true spirit, but…
“Look at how Gugu sits. The grass bends! How much have you been eating in the arcane place that just standing makes the grass bend? At this rate, you might make friends with a chicken soon.”
I’m a man of South Korea who gives my all against the challenges of lesser beings.
“Gugu…? Gugu!”
The instant Gugu froze up, it checked its wing surfaces, looking as if it were wronged while cooing towards Im Ha-yeon.
What’s with the shock?
“Gugu. Remember when you practiced the destructive laser beam and couldn’t use it?”
“Gugugu! Gugugugu!”
I think I can hear Gugu’s voice, but I don’t mind.
Anyway, that’s one win for me and one loss, right?
“Whether it’s the master or the bird…”
Im Ha-yeon looked at us with a bit of disappointment, but I have no regrets since I evened out the win ratio.
“It’s because Gugu is teasing you.”
I didn’t do anything wrong. When I get Gugu back from the arcane place, I will definitely set the rules straight.
“Ugh. Gugu. Give me the letter.”
“Gugu!”
Is it sulking?
Gugu pouted and flew up to a branch in a carefully arranged garden, turning its head away.
It was a moonlit night, and if it mistakenly stepped on an expensive flower while in the grass, they might ask for damages after the end of the lease.
What to do… In times like this, I’ll just have to practice the Grass-Over-Surface Technique…
“Gugu. Hurry up and give it to me.”
Im Ha-yeon, seeming to be wasting no time, dashed into the grass and grabbed Gugu before returning.
“Uh? What was that just now?”
“Why, what is it?”
Im Ha-yeon tried to avoid my gaze as if she felt something was off.
“Grass-Over-Surface Technique? You could do it?”
It was a moment easy to miss, but I was sure. Im Ha-yeon definitely snatched Gugu from the grass without damaging it.
“When you were explaining volume three of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes, I practiced to see if it was possible…”
“You practiced?”
“I tried, and it worked…”
Im Ha-yeon blushed, avoiding my astonished gaze while confessing.
What? While telling me not to practice, she ended up practicing herself?
“Oh my… then can you walk on water too?”
“Th-that was not possible.”
Did she test that one too?
“Looks like I have more reason to train the Shadowless Body Technique now.”
Challenge accepted. I will definitely walk on the grass!
“Sigh. This is why I didn’t want to say anything… If you’re going to use the Shadowless Body Technique, do it on the dirt ground. The maintainers of the garden are suffering behind you!”
Im Ha-yeon remarked while looking at the little divots in the ground and the signs of damage to the plants that the maintainers had patiently cultivated.
Glancing back at the maintainers standing behind us, it looked like they could shoot laser beams with their eyes.
I’ll have to practice secretly next time.
——————–
“What does the letter say?”
Avoiding the maintainers’ laser-like glares, I entered the office and asked Im Ha-yeon.
“It says to meet because there’s something to discuss. And…”
Im Ha-yeon’s lips turned up slightly.
“And?”
I expected her to say to meet, but was there some good news too?
“They say there’s been some communication among the officials in the Tumen in Hubei Province.”
“Communication from Tumen? Then could it be…?”
It’s rare for all officials in the province to receive messages all at once.
Unless there’s some significant news that everyone needs to know.
When I looked into her eyes, with an expression of hope, Im Ha-yeon nodded and said,
“Yes. It’s news that a new Master of Tumen is soon to be appointed.”
