The Youngest Member Chapter 66

A room covered in thick smoke.

On the inhale, gray smoke entered deep into the chest, and on the exhale, all sorts of worries and anxieties were exhaled along with the smoke.

The Shadowless Divine Thief, feeling his body relax, intentionally controlled his breathing. Although he was usually a very cautious person, the man he was eting now was one of the most cunning in the world, so he had to be even more careful.

The Shadowless Divine Thief, who had shortened his breath, placed four bolts of silk on the desk and said.

"Here is the item you ntioned. With this, the debt from that ti is repaid."

The debt from that ti referred to when the Zhuge family, who had received a request before, had used a formation to catch and then release the Shadowless Divine Thief.

At that ti, the Zhuge family had compensated the client with a large sum of money under the pretext of having missed the Shadowless Divine Thief. The reason they had lied and given money even though they had caught him was one.

Because putting the Shadowless Divine Thief in their debt would be worth more than the money.

Of course, it was not a thought that a white path family that valued honor would have. Also, of course, it was Zhuge Seong's idea.

Anyway, Zhuge Seong, who was staring at the blue, purple, red, and white silks placed on the desk, asked.

"Is this the treasure map?"

"That's right."

"Hmm..."

"Of course, I don't know how to interpret it either. But since the Zhuge family has as many brilliant minds as stars, they will find a way sohow. Isn't that right?"

Zhuge Seong nodded his head with a reluctant face.

"You even know how to flatter. You seem to have experienced quite a bit of life."

"It's nothing. Anyway, I no longer owe a debt to the Zhuge family... no, to Elder Zhuge."

The Shadowless Divine Thief, who said so, got up from his seat. He wanted to get out of this room, out of Zhuge Seong's grasp, as soon as possible.

Suddenly, Zhuge Seong took out a money pouch and placed it on the desk.

Clink.

Just by hearing that sound, the weight of the money pouch was conveyed.

The Shadowless Divine Thief stared at the money pouch and asked.

"What is it?"

"It's a reward. If you give a request, a reward should naturally follow."

The Shadowless Divine Thief's eyebrows twitched. He couldn't figure out what Elder Zhuge Seong was thinking. It was partly because his insides were cunning, and it also seed to be because of this smoke that was gradually making his consciousness relax.

"I don't need it. I've repaid the debt from that ti."

"I am not a person who gives work without compensation. I've prepared it all in gold. You won't have to think about money for a while."

The Shadowless Divine Thief's Adam's apple bobbed. If that heavy money pouch was filled with gold, it would be a truly enormous amount.

However, if he accepted this, there was a high probability that he would get involved with the Zhuge family once again.

The Shadowless Divine Thief stared at the money pouch for a while. As he stood still and thought, the smoke continued to fill his chest, little by little.

Soon, the Shadowless Divine Thief, who had let out a sigh, picked up the money pouch.

"I'll use it well."

Zhuge Seong gave a sticky smile.

He knew that the Shadowless Divine Thief would grasp his shallow trick, and yet he would eventually pick up the money pouch.

Because that was the way of thieves.

"Right, go carefully. I won't see you off far."

"Ah, since I received the money, I'll give you a word of advice. This matter. Be more careful. A greater master than you think was involved. I was almost caught myself."

"What? You were almost caught?"

Zhuge Seong frowned. With the information he had grasped, there was no room for a master of that level to intervene in this Black Tortoise Unit mission.

Then...

Soon, Zhuge Seong, who had calculated all the circumstances in an instant, had a strange look in his eyes.

The most skilled masters in the Black Tortoise Unit, Cheol Jiak and Zhuge Lin, could by no ans follow the heels of the Shadowless Divine Thief. Then only two people whose martial might had not yet been accurately grasped remained.

The newcors, Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon.

It was highly likely that it was Cheon Woojin between the two. He was also the guy who had been the starting point of this incident.

"It's strange. It's a truly strange thing."

"Well, I'll be on my way. Anyway, be careful."

The Shadowless Divine Thief, who said so, bowed his head and left the room.

As he escaped from the thick smoke and breathed in the clear air, he finally felt like he could breathe a little.

As his mind cleared, he regretted a little that he had co out with the money pouch.

"Damn it, because of that damn Forget-Worry Herb smoke."

Although the Shadowless Divine Thief blad the smoke, he had no intention of going back and returning the money pouch.

* * *

The Shadowless Divine Thief, who had returned to his hideout, imdiately began to pack his things, including the money pouch. He had touched the treasure map of the Three Great Talents, who were revered as heroes in the white path, led by the Martial Alliance. Naturally, he had to be careful for a while.

"Master Divine Thief, are we leaving?"

Suddenly, a young, pale, and small man who was cooking rice in a cauldron asked.

The Shadowless Divine Thief nodded his head without looking back.

"Yes."

"The rice is just ready..."

"If you like rice so much, eat it all and co. I'll go first."

"...No, sir."

The man began to erase the traces of the hideout as if he were used to it. First, he scraped the rice from the cauldron and threw it in the backyard. The beasts in the mountain would co down and eat it all without a trace.

After putting the wooden utensils in the furnace and burning them, he sprinkled a little water to put out the fire.

He deliberately did not remove the cobwebs that were hanging here and there. Originally, when moving a hideout, it was important not to leave any traces of people having been there.

As the man was moving busily, a woman with her top half-naked and sweating profusely appeared. In her hand was a rough axe.

"What. Are we leaving again?"

"Yes, you prepare too. It's the first ti I've seen Master Divine Thief in such a hurry. He wasn't like this even when he was being chased by the Sword King."

Although the woman grumbled and cursed, she soon packed her axe and a few clothes. Unlike the young man, her luggage was simple.

By the ti they were ready to leave.

The Shadowless Divine Thief, who was standing in front of the main gate of the hideout, tried his best to calm his pounding heart. Although he had succumbed to the money that Zhuge Seong had handed over, there was one fact that he had not told in the end.

"So, where are we going?"

The woman asked, covering her copper-colored skin with a robe.

The Shadowless Divine Thief recalled the treasure map and then had a cunning smile.

"We have to go find the treasure. No matter how much the Zhuge family is, it will take so ti to interpret it."

As they say, the one who finds the treasure first is the owner.

Thinking so, the mont he was about to take a step.

Swoosh-!

A sound of tearing air erupted.

At the sa ti, the Shadowless Divine Thief tilted his head to the side.

An arrow, which had narrowly missed his face, was stuck in the ground. On the arrowhead was a finely folded letter.

The Shadowless Divine Thief's expression crumpled.

Because there was only one arrogant bastard in the world who would send a request to him in this way.

"Why of all tis now..."

But he couldn't ignore it.

The Shadowless Divine Thief was originally a man with little fear. Since even the most famous masters in the world could not catch him, what was there to be afraid of?

He was not afraid of the leader of the Martial Alliance, nor the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. No, to be honest, he was a little afraid of the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, but at least not as much as the guy who had sent this letter.

The man who stood at the highest place of the black path at this point in ti when the great evil, the Dark Heavenly Son, had disappeared, and only a few of his disciples remained.

The Black Plaque Star Lord, Ha Yulcheon.

"Damn it."

The Shadowless Divine Thief spat out a curse as he picked up the letter.

* * *

A night with few clouds and an unusually bright moonlight.

Although it was a weather where the thieves of the world would be careful, it did not an much to the Shadowless Divine Thief.

The Shadowless Divine Thief, who had co out of the office of the World's Richest Man with a single sword, looked around.

The World's Richest was the rchant group with the most money in the Central Plains of the era. Although they traded with the great families of the white path on the surface, they also actively interacted with the black path sects behind the scenes.

Originally, the businesses that could handle big money were generally distributed on the black path side rather than the white path, so it was a natural thing.

However, if the rumor that they were openly trading with the black path spread, it would beco impossible for the white path families to pretend not to know even if they knew.

And so, the most important ability for the World's Richest Man was to walk the tightrope in the middle, and he was actually doing it quite well.

That is, until a few nights ago.

The World's Richest Man, Yang Daesu, was on brotherly terms with the heads of the Five Great Families and the Nine Sects One Gang. Naturally, his fear of the Black Plaque Star Lord also washed away day by day.

And then he had caused trouble. In the middle of a transaction, he had beco so angry at the high-handedness of the Black Plaque Star that he had eventually sent a letter to the Star Lord.

The content was long and rambling, but to summarize, it was like this.

'If you co out like this, I will no longer trade with the Black Plaque Star. You're not a back-alley ruffian, but you do your work in a very dirty way.'

Yang Daesu was not afraid of the Black Plaque Star Lord. He was trading with all the famous groups of the white path, so how could that guy touch him?

However, there was one fact that Yang Daesu had overlooked. In the Black Plaque Star, there was a madman who would draw his sword if he didn't like it, even if the leader of the Martial Alliance was in front of him.

The letter was torn to pieces in the hands of the Young Star Lord, Ha Inseong, before it could even be delivered to the Black Plaque Star Lord. The Star Lord acknowledged the ability of his son, Ha Inseong, and had entrusted most of the money-making to him.

The reason was that he liked martial arts more than money.

Anyway, the Young Star Lord, who had been thinking for a long ti about how to fix this bastard Yang Daesu's habit, had t Cheon Woojin.

For that reason, the Shadowless Divine Thief, who had received a request from the Black Plaque Star, had snuck into the bedroom of the World's Richest Man and had stolen his most cherished treasured sword as a warning, let out a sigh.

'Damn it. Why do I have to do this kind of thing?'

What the Shadowless Divine Thief truly feared was not the white path or the demonic path, but the black path.

Not the common black path wannabes of the era, but the real black path.

The Shadowless Divine Thief had grown up watching the brothers of the Dark Heavenly Son and the Black Master, the Black Plaque Star Lord, and others who had exerted a deep influence from the previous generation and had beco the great trees of the black path.

Naturally, an instinctive fear had to be placed deep in his heart throughout his life.

Anyway, this request was finished. Since it was a ti to be careful even of falling leaves, he had brought two subordinates just in case. Unlike how they looked, they were masters that the Shadowless Divine Thief acknowledged, so unless it was a master of at least the Sword King's level, they would not be a threat.

However, the World's Richest was maintaining a similar level of security as usual. Breaking through this was nothing to the Shadowless Divine Thief.

'I've wasted too much ti. I should head straight for the secret cave.'

The Shadowless Divine Thief hid himself on both walls of the World's Richest's mansion and gestured to his two subordinates who were guarding him.

It was a signal to leave soon.

It was then.

"Intruder!"

A single shout spread from the bedroom. The Shadowless Divine Thief let out a sigh. It seed that the suspicious World's Richest Man had woken up from his sleep.

Originally, he should have pressed a pressure point to make him sleep more deeply, but he had skipped it because he was in a hurry with the thought that the secret cave was waiting.

At the shout of the World's Richest Man, two hundred martial artists moved in perfect order. Just by the number of martial artists, it was a level that would not be pushed back even when compared to a decent great sect.

It was keenly felt that the financial power of the World's Richest reached the sky.

Of course, to the Shadowless Divine Thief, even if there were two thousand of these level of martial artists, not two hundred, it would not be a problem.

The Shadowless Divine Thief looked at the martial artists of the World's Richest who were slowly flocking towards him. He deliberately shook the treasured sword of the World's Richest Man and showed it to them. Since the moon was also bright, the scabbard decorated with jewels sparkled.

In the first place, it was a warning that the Black Plaque Star was sending to the World's Richest Man. Rather, the better it was seen, the better.

The martial artists who had surrounded him were now close enough to reach out and touch him, but the Shadowless Divine Thief's heart was not in the least bit anxious.

Even if the sky split in two, he would not be caught by these guys.

Even if he were caught, even if the sky split into five, as long as he had his two subordinates, he would not be defeated by these guys.

Soon, a martial artist who was approaching rather secretly from behind reached out to the Shadowless Divine Thief. Of course, the Shadowless Divine Thief was clearly aware of it as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

The mont the Shadowless Divine Thief snorted and was about to move his feet to escape the World's Richest's mansion.

"Huh?"

He was caught. He was caught not by the guy who was secretly aiming from behind, but by the man in front.

The Shadowless Divine Thief's pupils shook wildly.

What is this?

Sothing that would not happen even if the sky split in two had happened.

Squeeze-

Moreover, the grip was so enormous that it felt as if he were tightly held by an iron shackle.

Soon, the man who had grabbed his arm scratched the area around his neck and then peeled off a layer of skin. The face hidden behind the human skin mask was soone he already knew.

"B-Black Tortoise Unit..."

It was that monster from the Black Tortoise Unit.

That guy who had chased him so persistently.

But how on earth was this guy here?

In that short mont, the Shadowless Divine Thief's head spun, and he finally ca to this conclusion.

'This son of a bitch, the Black Plaque Star Lord, has played !'

Although he didn't know about his movent skills, he had no way of winning against the young man in front of him in terms of overall martial might. Moreover, in this state where his arm was caught, there were very few ways to escape.

The Shadowless Divine Thief's gaze swept over both walls of the World's Richest's mansion.

It was a truly good thing that he had brought his subordinates just in case. There was no way this monstrous child was stronger than the Sword King.

His subordinates had already used their concealnt to the extre, and they were mixed in with the hundreds of martial artists and were slowly approaching.

It was unrealistic for that guy's senses, no matter how keen, to distinguish two enemies among so many martial artists.

The Shadowless Divine Thief, with the intention of drawing attention, deliberately tried to pull his arm and put strength into it roughly.

However, not only did it not budge, but the grip tightened, and pain ca.

'This monstrous bastard...'

It was then.

The monster guy, who was looking at him with cold eyes, opened his mouth.

"Let's have a talk."

It was a dry tone.

For that reason, it felt even more eerie.

"..."

As the Shadowless Divine Thief kept his mouth shut, Cheon Woojin's words continued.

"The two behind you as well."

At the sa ti, the two subordinates who were mixed in with the crowd of martial artists and were secretly approaching Cheon Woojin stopped in their tracks.

(End of Chapter)