The sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting long shadows over the courtyard.
The final check was filled with imnse tension.
The sun was nearly gone, yet Hyang was still struggling to distinguish between Chen Hour and Xu Hour.
They were completely different characters, yet to Hyang, they must have looked similar.
Maybe it was because both had a closed top?
"Damn… Learning classical characters is really tough. Are we about to break our daughter with this?"
A small, creeping worry entered my mind—was Hyang going to develop anxiety over this?
In my past life, I had once heard a saying: "For every ten new English imrsion kindergartens, a new child psychology clinic opens."
Now, I wasn’t sure if Hyang was experiencing English-level stress, or if she just needed a psychologist.
“Alright, Hyang, you can do it! Try again—Chen Hour!”
Hwa-eun’s gentle voice encouraged Hyang, while Grandfather, Father-in-law, and Mother-in-law all held their breath, watching where she would move.
Chrr… chrrt…
But Hyang hesitated again, hovering between Chen and Xu, unable to decide.
Seeing this, Cho suddenly stretched out an antenna and lightly tapped Chen Hour.
Tuk…
That was a huge mistake.
At Cho’s interference, Hyang suddenly lunged at him, shrieking in outrage.
Chrrr! Chrrr! Chrrt!
The ssage was clear: “I knew it already! I KNEW IT!”
After all, when you’re solving a problem or morizing multiplication tables, nothing is more infuriating than having an older sibling try to act smarter than you.
Backseat learners were the worst.
"Wait a minute… doesn't this technically make Cho a 'backseat bug'?"
Strictly speaking, centipedes were arthropods, not insects, but in this world, they were still classified as bugs.
So technically, Cho was acting like a backseat bug.
As Hyang continued growling at Cho, the poor centipede turned to in shock, wiggling its antennae as if saying, “What the hell did I do wrong?”
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, I decided to take Cho outside for a bit.
“Alright, Cho, co with . Let’s step outside.”
Chrrt.
Maybe Cho was just bored from not being included in the lesson.
Or maybe he felt left out since all the attention had been on Hyang.
Either way, I patted Cho’s head to reassure him.
“You actually morized all twelve hours already? That’s amazing, Cho.”
Chrr… Chrrt…
At my praise, Cho awkwardly nodded, clearly embarrassed.
It was always funny how people struggled to learn things directly, but when they picked it up passively, they learned instantly.
“You did great, Cho. But for now, let’s just let Hyang figure it out on her own, okay?”
Chrrt.
After showering Cho with complints to make sure he didn’t feel left out, I sat down on the steps outside the Main Hall, waiting.
Then, from inside—
“Good job, Hyang! Mommy is so proud of you!”
“Haha, that kid actually managed to morize it all in just one day. That’s impressive.”
“She’s just as clever as Hwa-eun was.”
Judging from the cheers, it seed like Hyang had finally finished her training.
Which ant—it was ti to catch a thief.
I patted Cho’s head one more ti.
“Alright, Cho, as soon as the sun sets, fly up into the sky and wait for my signal, okay?”
Chrrrt!
After briefing Cho on his role, I ran back inside.
There, perched on Hwa-eun’s shoulder, was Hyang, standing proudly with her antennae fully raised.
The very definition of arrogance.
The way she stretched her head toward scread: “Praise .”
So I reached out and rubbed under her chin, giving her the praise she clearly wanted.
“Aww, you did amazing, Cho.”
Chrrt!?
“…I an, Hyang.”
The sharp sting of betrayal hit imdiately.
The silent glare that followed was enough to remind just how fierce sibling rivalry could be.
I was never making that mistake again.
"Damn… How did my parents survive raising and my sister in my past life?"
***
The Night of the Heist
The Shintu warning letter had stated that the thief would arrive after Xu Hour—soti after 7 PM.
As planned, the warriors and elders of the Tang Clan moved into their designated positions as soon as the sun set.
Since we were in the mountains, night fell quickly after six.
We waited for darkness to settle before moving. Moving in broad daylight could risk tipping off the thief.
“Move discreetly!”
“Yes, Clan Lord!”
“Let’s head out as well.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Understood, Grandfather.”
Mandok Shingun, Father-in-law, and Mother-in-law positioned themselves at the center of the estate.
The elders spread out across the surroundings.
Most of the warriors—except for a few key response units—took concealed positions across Tangga Mountain, waiting for Shintu.
anwhile, I was inside Yo-hwa’s lair, hidden in the webbing alongside Yo-hwa.
Yo-hwa’s webbing blocked infrared vision, which ant it also trapped heat incredibly well.
I had experienced it before, but once again, I was reminded of just how warm and cozy it was.
"A peaceful mont inside the warm embrace of my companion spider… If only we weren’t waiting to catch a thief, this would be the perfect place to nap."
As we waited, ti dragged on.
The endless stillness made my eyelids heavy.
And just as I dozed off for a second—
Dong!
A temple bell rang in the distance, signaling the start of Zi Hour.
Kiish!
Shaaa!
"Shit—I fell asleep!?"
“Chuuurp… Uh, no, I wasn’t sleeping!”
Yo-hwa and Yeondu, both coiled around my neck, let out exasperated hisses.
The bell’s deep chis echoed in the distance.
I was still underage, so my body naturally started feeling drowsy past 10 PM.
I slapped my cheeks lightly to shake off the fatigue.
"Ugh, when is this damn thief coming? Don’t tell they’re going to pull the worst move possible—arriving at 3 AM or 4 AM?"
In the army, night shifts between 3 AM and 4 AM were absolute hell.
Surely this thief wouldn’t be that cruel?
But, of course—
As soon as the bell tolled to announce Yin Hour—
Dong! Dong!
Yo-hwa imdiately signaled .
Kiish!
The thief had appeared.
From Tangga Mountain.
At precisely Zi Hour’s direction.
***
"Hoo..."
Yeongryeon let out a deep breath, trying to push away the tension.
Below, the towering walls of the Sacheon Tang Clan lood.
Beyond those walls, not a single person was visible. Every light had been extinguished.
The eerie sense of careful preparation made her uneasy.
But if all of this was rely a test orchestrated by her master to assess her skills—then she had no choice but to break through.
Clenching her fists, Yeongryeon’s body shot forward toward the wall.
As she soared over the Tang Clan’s walls, her form disappeared into the night using Shadowless Silent Movent Technique. She barely took two steps inside before—
—Fweeeeee!
A piercing alarm whistle split the air.
"What!?"
There were no guards nearby. No one had spotted her from a distance.
Yet, within two steps of crossing the wall, a warning whistle was launched directly over her head.
That ant…
The exact mont she entered, soone—or sothing—had detected her.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
From all directions, warriors burst forth, searching for her.
Sothing was off.
She swiftly retreated beyond the wall, scanning her surroundings.
"Did you find them!?"
"Not yet!"
"They must be nearby! Keep searching!"
Judging from their voices, they hadn't actually seen her.
Yet, they still knew she had entered.
Backing away toward the mountain, Yeongryeon quickly grabbed two rabbits from a nearby burrow and tossed them over the wall.
"Let’s see how they’re detecting ."
People assud Shintu relied only on speed and movent techniques to steal.
But that was only half the truth.
The real skill of Shintu lay in analyzing security asures and exploiting weaknesses.
The mont the rabbits landed inside the wall—
—Fweeeeeee!
—Fweeeeee! Fweeeee!
"How!?"
The instant the rabbits touched the ground, two more alarm whistles were launched.
And, of course, warriors rushed in imdiately.
Whatever touched the ground inside the walls—whether a person or even a rabbit—was imdiately detected.
Yeongryeon narrowed her eyes and activated Hundred-League Eyes to examine the inner courtyard.
Since the Tang Clan’s estate was near a river, a thick mist had started to rise as the night deepened.
And under the soft glow of the moonlight—
She saw it.
A faint, glimring white sheen spread from the ground to the rooftops.
"That... that’s!?"
Focusing her vision, she saw thin threads stretched across every pathway and rooftop—glistening with dew.
That was how they knew.
The thin threads, nearly invisible in the darkness, were spread everywhere.
A single misstep on any of them—and the alarm was triggered.
Yeongryeon smirked.
"Of course. Leave it to the Sacheon Tang Clan to co up with sothing this brilliant!"
Excitent rushed through her veins.
Her heart pounded.
But she quickly cald herself.
If the ground and rooftops were covered in threads, then all she needed to do was use Grass-Stepping Flight.
Her feet barely grazed loose pebbles, scattered leaves, and stones as she drifted forward, avoiding the tripwires.
She had just breached the outer periter when—
—Chrrrrr!
A new sound ca from above.
It was different from the previous alarm whistle.
And the next mont—warriors rushed toward her again.
"There! Over there!"
"What now!?"
Her Shadowless Silent Movent Technique made her completely soundless and invisible, so how were they still tracking her?
She tilted her head upward—
And froze.
"A... dragon!?"
For a brief mont, she thought she was witnessing the Azure Dragon of legends soaring through the moonlit sky.
But as her eyes focused—she realized.
It wasn’t a dragon.
It was an O-gong.
A flying centipede.
And it was tracking her from the sky, producing a sharp, chittering cry to alert the guards.
"Holy shit—The Tang Clan has a spirit beast!?"
The intelligence from the Beggar’s Sect hadn’t ntioned anything about a spirit beast.
And yet, here it was—floating above, revealing her location.
The only silver lining?
It wasn’t that fast.
She had been caught off guard, but as long as she was being followed, she could always shake it off.
A surge of energy burst from her body.
The advanced technique of the Shadowless Silent Movent—Rapid Wind—was unleashed.
Her body stretched forward, blurring into the shadows—
And in an instant, she vanished from the Sacheon Tang Clan.
***
"You lost them!?"
Cho’s ntal report had been clear—Shintu was right there.
And then, suddenly, gone.
Even Yo-hwa’s webs had been detected.
The thief had definitely entered the estate, but now—no one could track them.
"The greatest thief in the Central Plains, indeed..."
“We can’t be sure. Yo-hwa, let’s move toward the Golden Wasp Kings’ lair just in case.”
According to the plan, they needed to secure the final defensive zone.
Hopping onto Yo-hwa’s back, I rushed toward the ancient tree where the Golden Wasp Kings resided.
As I slid down from Yo-hwa’s back, I turned to Seol and Bini, who were waiting at the training grounds.
"I’m counting on you, Seol, Bini. Don’t overdo it, okay?"
—Gggukku!
—Kyuuu!
Leaving them in charge of the outer periter, I slipped into the beehive.
The sound of buzzing wings imdiately surrounded .
—Bzzzzz!
"It’s , guys."
The bees had been told in advance not to attack, so the warning vibrations quickly faded.
As I crouched inside the hollow of the ancient tree, waiting—
The sounds of chaos continued outside.
And just as the first light of dawn began to creep in—
A voice called out from the entrance of the training grounds.
"So-ryong! We got them!"
It was Seol.
They caught Shintu.
I dashed out of the beehive toward her.
"Really, Seol!?"
"Yeah! They just dragged them to the Main Hall. Let’s go!"
"I can’t wait to see what this legendary thief looks like!"
As I stepped past Seol—
Her face suddenly changed.
The warm familiarity vanished, replaced by a stranger’s face.
A cold voice whispered—
"Caught you."
My neck went stiff.
My legs buckled.
Pressure sealed my pressure points.
The woman grabbed my wrist—but at that mont, Yeondu lashed out, sinking its fangs into her hand.
—Shaaaaaa!
"Got you too!"
The woman toppled over, landing right on top of .
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