Chapter 39. The Winner Does Not Remove the Mask.

I glared at Hongshen and said,

"If you hand over all the money you have, I'll let you go unharmed today, out of respect for our sect's bond."

Though I said this, I had no intention of letting Hongshen go from the beginning.

"If you bring more money next time, I'll accept your challenge again. If you ever beat me, I'll return all the money. Have you heard of a martial arts gambling match?"

Martial arts gambling match.

It's exactly what it sounds like—a fight over money.

Thievery and gambling are closely intertwined, so this would be an offer Hongshen couldn't refuse.

Hongshen's eyes changed.

"Are you serious?"

I provoked him with a smile from behind my mask.

"Sect sister, you should be grateful I'm not killing you. If you're scared, just hand over the money and disappear quietly."

This way, you have no choice but to challenge me, right? Right?

Hongshen replied,

"Martial arts gambling... Surely, Senior Brother, you wouldn't decide the terms of the match with a sect sister, would you?"

"You decide."

In any case, I planned to beat Hongshen in the bet.

Hongshen was taken aback.

"Then, let's make it a match where I lose if my mask is taken off within half an hour, using any means necessary. We don't need to drag it out. A simple fist fight between sect brothers would be too crude. If we just run, I'd have the advantage. A time limit seems appropriate. The martial arts gambling match will be about taking off my mask. What do you think?"

I nodded.

"Fair enough."

Since I had already read the strategy guide, I expected him to suggest a match involving lightness skills. But this made it even easier.

"I've already said, I won't hold back on the means. The location should be within the Black Cat Hall. If you step over the wall, you lose."

Throwing darts or creating smoke screens.

He would mix ridiculous tactics with lightness skills to fill the time. I yawned and replied,

"Let's start. I need to take a nap after this."

Hongshen let out a strange, cackling laugh, leaped onto the wall, and threw a small hourglass to my subordinate.

"Referee, flip it over. When the sand runs out, it's half an hour. Start."

Hongshen beckoned to me with his fingers.

"Come on, Senior Brother."

I approached Hongshen slowly with my hands behind my back.

'Arrogant brat.'

Hongshen laughed and said,

"Are you a snail? What are you doing?"

"Tag."

Since I was moving so slowly, there was no need for Hongshen to run quickly.

Hongshen watched me and took a few steps back on the wall.

I casually chased after him, then stretched out my hands and climbed up the wall slowly and steadily.

"Ugh..."

"..."

Hongshen said in a puzzled tone,

"Half an hour isn't that long."

"Shut up, daring to give advice to your Senior Brother."

I rolled up my sleeves and said to Hongshen,

"I'll give you a proper lesson today. I clearly said I'd let you go unharmed if you just handed over the money, but you have no sense of propriety."

I glared at Hongshen and approached him.

There was no need to run fast to catch the agile Hongshen from the start. Hongshen kept checking my position as he took steps back. Then, he seemed to think there was no need to step on the wall or roof, and lightly jumped to the wide center of the outer courtyard.

"You're very confident."

I also descended to the outer courtyard and tracked Hongshen at the slowest speed in the world. It was as if a turtle was approaching its prey, slow and frustrating.

This was, of course, a psychological tactic.

Since I was moving so slowly, Hongshen didn't need to show off various tactics. The match would be decided in an instant, and my hand would be faster than his eyes.

"It's not too late to back down. Just hand over the money, and you won't be humiliated in front of my subordinates."

"Oh, how scary."

I stopped and looked at Hongshen.

The distance between Hongshen and me was about three zhang (about 9 meters).

Hongshen slowly increased the distance while stepping back and spoke.

"Se...nior..."

At the moment Hongshen's words were about to come out, I leaped into the air like a bolt of lightning, aiming diagonally above his head.

Hongshen, who couldn't fully say "Senior Brother," quickly reacted, disappearing in an instant. However, instead of turning to run, he stepped back as if not to miss my strange move.

This way, I, who was faster than Hongshen, could catch up more quickly.

I leaped in a curve, reducing the three-zhang distance to one zhang in an instant, and as the distance widened again, I pushed off the ground and caught up instantly, like a bowstring returning to its original position.

Hongshen reached into his robe and sprinkled white powder into the air.

Before the view turned blurry...

I scattered the white powder with a palm strike, gauged the sound, and instantly closed the distance, appearing behind Hongshen like a ghost.

Hongshen suddenly screamed and, turning his body, leaped into the air with all his might.

At that moment, the gap between my outstretched hand and Hongshen's rising foot was extremely narrow.

When I expected Hongshen to barely escape...

I deliberately recited the name of the martial arts technique I had learned from the medicinal herb storage.

"Absorption Technique."

So-called, calling out the move name.

Calling out the move name during a fight in the martial arts world is taboo and childish.

However, calling out the move name so brazenly is proof that you can toy with your opponent. Hongshen's ankle, which was trying to escape while maintaining a narrow gap, was caught by my hand.

In an instant, Hongshen, gripped by the fear of death, twisted his body and unleashed a palm strike with one hand.

I swung my arm, holding his ankle, and threw Hongshen to the ground.

Hongshen quickly extended his hands to the ground and shouted,

"Save me..."

But surprisingly, Hongshen bounced off the ground with a palm strike, turned around, and extended a fierce palm strike toward my face.

Since any means were allowed, this was included.

I calmly struck Hongshen's palm with a finger technique mixed with Yanyuxiang, and simultaneously used the Absorption Technique with my left palm to pull off Hongshen's mask.

Instantly, a loud drum sound echoed, and Hongshen's body was pushed into the air, enveloped in flames. Hongshen's upper garment split into small pieces and scattered, revealing her skin. However, as a woman known for thievery, she wore a tough protective garment under her clothes.

My subordinates let out strange exclamations at the sight.

"Wow."

Hongshen's upper body, stretched out in a T-shape, was burned, revealing bare skin.

However, I didn't think Hongshen was dead.

The amount of internal energy I felt when my finger technique hit was not inferior to the former Black Cat Hall master.

'She's quite something.'

It seems the strategy guide's mention of her having a significant amount of internal energy from stealing medicinal herbs was true.

While my subordinates were admiring Hongshen's exposed figure, I grabbed the back of a black robe with my fingers and threw it to her. The fluttering black robe covered Hongshen's body.

Only then did the subordinates stop staring.

"Stop looking."

"Yes, Hall Master."

I examined the red mask in my hand and said,

"Anyway, I won easily, leisurely, decisively, and without any danger."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I expected Hongshen to have regained consciousness by now. But she still hadn't gotten up. I explained the psychological tactics of the martial arts world to my subordinates.

"Everyone, look at Sect Sister Hong. Does she still look unconscious?"

"Yes."

"No. She'll pretend to be unconscious, be carried away, and wake up in the middle of the night. She'll steal from the medicinal herb storage or take the Black Cat Hall's funds and escape like a thief in the night. But it won't work on me. Always be cautious of various beauty schemes, especially in the black path."

As soon as I finished speaking, Hongshen suddenly got up like a ghost and slowly put on the black robe I had thrown her.

"Senior Brother, I learned a lot today."

Only then did the Black Cat Hall martial artists see Hongshen's face without her mask. I realized that her act of removing the mask itself was a beauty scheme. She had a pretty face that most men would like. Moreover, most female martial artists with high skills have good figures. From the perspective of the trashy black path men, she was certainly an object of admiration.

Sure enough, my subordinates' eyes seemed to be filled with sympathy.

"Tsk."

Beauty schemes are so terrifying.

"Sect Sister, don't think of running. Kneel. The moment you're caught, I'll take off that robe. I'm faster than you anyway."

Hongshen, who was about to run, stumbled and obediently knelt.

"Senior Brother, I was very disrespectful today. I didn't know your martial arts had improved so quickly."

"Shut up. Since you lost, spit it out."

Hongshen glared at me and took out a heavy money bag from her robe. I slowly approached and, before Hongshen could say anything, extended my hand toward the money bag and used the Absorption Technique.

Whoosh!

A strange phenomenon, like a reverse whirlwind, occurred, and the money bag stuck to my palm. The Absorption Technique, based on the power of the Heavenly Jade, became more familiar with each use.

'This is amazing...'

The money bag was quite heavy.

When I opened it, it was full of thin rectangular gold and silver ingots used as currency in the region.

"Sure enough, Sect Sister is rich."

Hongshen looked up at me and asked,

"By the way, Senior Brother, what is the Absorption Technique?"

"The Absorption Technique is the Absorption Technique. It's my unique martial arts technique. Why? Is there a better technique for thievery? Well, if you learn the Absorption Technique, you might be called the greatest thief of all time."

However, this is a technique I can't teach. I'm the only one with the Heavenly Jade. If the sect leader tries to recreate it in the future, I'll kill him. There's still plenty of time.

Hongshen suddenly pleaded,

"Senior Brother, can you teach this technique to a pretty sect sister? I'll get you anything you want. You know my skills..."

"My unique technique is something you can't learn. Wake up. It's a technique I won't teach even if you bring the world to my feet."

"It seems to be a type of object-grabbing technique that can be learned naturally with deep internal energy. You're being too harsh."

"Think what you want. Pass it on to the other subordinates. Since the gap has widened, don't bother me in the future."

Hongshen replied as if she was giving up cleanly.

"I will. And, thank you for sparing my life."

I examined Hongshen's mask. It was a well-crafted mask, similar to the Black Cat mask.

"Senior Brother, can I have the mask?"

While thinking about the meaning of this mask, I said,

"For free? No way. Bring 100 silver coins to exchange. Keep it well."

Hongshen replied in a cold tone,

"Are you really going to do this?"

"200 silver coins."

"I'm closer to the other four Senior Brothers, and even to Senior Brother Baiyou."

"300 silver coins."

"Give it back."

"400 silver coins."

"I'll tell Master."

At the moment Hongshen mentioned the sect leader and turned to leave, I instantly approached and struck the Jianjing points on both sides with the Muke technique.

Hongshen's body stiffened like a wooden chicken.

I ordered my subordinates,

"Lock Sect Sister in the shed. I'll torture her myself."

I went forward to look at the stiffened sect sister's expression.

Only then did Hongshen, able to see my eyes through the mask, say in a low tone,

"Who are you?"

I sent a smile and slapped Hongshen's cheek. The sound echoed through the Black Cat Hall.

"Is that your habit with Senior Brother? Sect Sister, Sect Sister... Do I look like a joke to you? Take her away."

My subordinates picked up the wooden red monkey and headed for the shed. I confirmed that the officers were staring at me and said,

"Should be a good rest now. Start the afternoon training."

I yawned again. I had been researching the Absorption Technique for several nights, and I was sleep-deprived.