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Chapter:07
The Weakest Under Heaven Village .
The greatest thief under heaven, the Shadowless Divine Thief, Bi Gwang (비광).
The world praised this mere thief as a righteous hero who understood virtue and justice — a hero of benevolence and righteousness (인의협사).
He stole from the rich and powerful — nobles, prestigious clans, the Nine Great Sects of the orthodox faction, and even from the leader of the demonic alliance known as the Evil Black Union (사흑련).
Even the imperial palace of the Great Ming was not exempt from his thefts. Yet, the treasures he stole were used mostly to aid the poor and the starving.
Thus, until his dying days, Bi Gwang walked a solitary but glorious path, and he evaluated his own life as follows:
It was sometimes dangerous, but thrilling and fun — a life without a single regret.
Yet as he grew older, a hint of regret began to form in his heart.
It was not for fame or glory — he had no desire to pass on his name through disciples. What troubled him was the thought that his martial arts, especially his unparalleled lightness skill (경공), might vanish from the world when he died.
So Bi Gwang began his search for a worthy successor.
But none satisfied him.
Those with talent lacked willpower. Those with willpower lacked talent. And those with both lacked virtue.
Teaching such men would either waste his art or unleash chaos upon the world.
That was why Bi Gwang had come here — to this remote corner of the land — grasping at straws.
“Go to Jilin.”
“Jilin?”
In a bustling marketplace at the edge of Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan, palm trees lined the streets, and people of all sorts passed by.
There, in a corner of the market, in front of a stall piled with sweets, Bi Gwang spoke bluntly.
“You’re telling me to go to Jilin? I couldn’t find what I was looking for after more than ten years in the Central Plains, and now you want me to look in that backwater?”
The old woman behind the stall swatted away insects as she replied.
“You can’t dig a well where there’s no water. You have to dig where the stream flows if you want a spring to rise.”
She waved her fly whisk in a wide arc.
“Half a year from now, on the ninth day, go to Jilin. There, the spring you seek will rise.”
Bi Gwang chewed his candy silently.
“Are you sure about that?”
The old woman chuckled.
“Sure? A fortune can only be right or wrong. Stop pestering me like some newlywed asking if her husband truly loves her. Hoho.”
“…”
Despite her tone, Bi Gwang’s face grew serious.
She was no mere fortune teller — she was the chief priestess of the Wudoumi Sect (오두미교), the progenitor of the Wudang Sect.
Her words were not to be taken lightly.
He hadn’t traveled to the far southern end of Yunnan for nothing.
Bi Gwang clenched the candy in his hand.
“Will there be a sign to recognize this successor?”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
“When I see it?”
“That’s right.”
Bi Gwang clicked his tongue.
“You’re being vague, old woman. Even if Jilin is a small city, it’s still a city. You’re just guessing, aren’t you?”
The old woman smiled, wrinkles deepening.
“The Heavenly Scripture (구천태경) gave me that much. Anything beyond that, even I don’t know. Fate after the fortune is something the living must carve out for themselves.”
Then she waved her fly whisk again.
“If you’ve heard what you came for, go now. Because of you, I haven’t even opened my stall yet.”
Bi Gwang looked back and noticed people staring — his foreign clothes and skin made him stand out.
There was no point in asking further.
Still, he had gained a shred of hope. He placed a heavy pouch of silver on the stall.
The old woman pushed it back with her whisk.
“No need. Just go.”
“Take it. I don’t want the chief of the Wudoumi Sect to be struck by misfortune for skipping her offering.”
She shook her head.
“It’s fine. I owe your family a debt.”
“Huh? I’m an orphan.”
“Not your family.”
“What?”
She waved her whisk fiercely.
“Off you go! You’re in the way!”
She beat his shoulder lightly with the whisk, and Bi Gwang reluctantly stepped aside.
Immediately, new customers crowded the stall.
“Line up! Don’t touch that, you brat!”
Bi Gwang popped the rest of the candy into his mouth and turned to leave — when a voice echoed directly in his mind.
『If the Heavenly Scripture’s fortune is true, half a year from now the fate of the world will change. Remember my words well.』
Bi Gwang snorted.
『You exaggerate. How could the fate of the world hinge on a thief’s errand?』
『If that thief is the Shadowless Divine Thief, it’s another story.』
『…Are you telling me to find a successor or not?』
『I told you, I don’t know. I don’t give answers — I merely point to crossroads.』
『…』
The old woman folded her hands in prayer, signaling the conversation was over.
Bi Gwang looked at her one last time, then vanished like the wind.
That was exactly half a year ago.
“Urgh!”
Now in Jilin, as foretold, Bi Gwang trailed quietly behind a young man who had just left an inn.
The boy looked barely twenty.
His frame was average, his body soft, his face youthful — an obvious wanderer with a pack slung over his back, gawking at everything around him.
But Bi Gwang’s eyes didn’t miss the truth.
His steps were measured and balanced.
Soft, yet full of hidden strength.
A master.
A formidable one.
And yet — there was no trace of inner energy.
Reversed return of energy?
Impossible. Even Bi Gwang himself, after fifty years of cultivation, could only imitate that realm poorly.
Then there was only one explanation — this boy was born with divine martial talent.
He moved like a master purely by nature.
Half a year from now in Jilin, the spring you seek will rise.
Could the old woman’s words truly be coming to pass?
Bi Gwang did not let excitement cloud his mind.
Before teaching, there must be a test.
He was about to pass down the greatest lightness skill in the world — a technique that, in the wrong hands, could be used for limitless evil.
Thus, the successor of the Shadowless Divine Thief had to possess a righteous heart above all.
Many had talent. Few had virtue.
Bi Gwang hunched over, having already changed into beggar’s garb, and pulled a gourd from his robe.
Groaning pitifully, he approached the boy.
“Oh kind sir, spare a coin! Just one coin!”
“Huh?”
“My youngest babes are starving from the drought! Please, sir, just one coin!”
Nothing revealed a man’s nature more than a moment where power and status were clear.
Bi Gwang bowed even lower.
“Just one coin… please…”
The boy blinked, then rummaged through his pack.
“I don’t have much, but a little is okay, right?”
“Oh, well…”
Flap.
Something light landed in the gourd.
“…?”
Bi Gwang carefully lifted the paper slip.
Gasp.
[One Thousand Taels of Gold]
Perfect.
“Wha—!”
A score of ten out of ten — no, one hundred out of ten.
“You want me to be your disciple?”
“That’s right. Your generosity— no, your character — is truly exceptional.”
“?”
The young man, Kang Yu (강유), looked puzzled as Bi Gwang stuffed the note into his robe.
A moment ago he was begging for alms, and now he wanted to take him as a disciple?
“I am the Shadowless Divine Thief, Bi Gwang.”
“Ah. Hello, sir.”
“….”
Such a lukewarm reaction — as if greeting a neighbor’s grandpa during a stroll.
Bi Gwang frowned, glancing around.
“Hmph. Is this village so small that no one’s heard of me?”
“Pardon?”
“Answer quickly! Will you become my disciple or not?”
“Hmm.”
Kang Yu scratched his head.
“If I do, what will you teach me?”
“What else?”
Bi Gwang said proudly:
“The greatest lightness skill under heaven!”
But the response was, again, underwhelming.
“Lightness skill? What’s that?”
“….”
Bi Gwang blinked.
He knew the boy wasn’t trained in martial arts, but not even knowing what lightness skill was?
A young man not obsessed with martial heroes? Impossible.
Yet the look on Kang Yu’s face showed genuine ignorance.
“You really don’t know what lightness skill is?”
“No.”
“Never even heard of it?”
“This is the first time.”
“….”
Had he lived his entire life in some mountain village?
Not that it mattered.
If he didn’t know, he’d simply show him.
Bi Gwang clasped his hands behind his back.
“Then try jumping as high as you can.”
“Huh?”
“Jump as high as you possibly can. Then I’ll show you what lightness skill truly is.”
No need for explanations.
Seeing is believing.
And once the boy experienced it, he’d be in awe — and willing to learn.
There was a hint of disrespect in the boy’s casual attitude, and Bi Gwang would fix that soon enough.
“Just… jump as high as I can?”
“Yes. As high as you can.”
“Hmm. I’m not very good at jumping.”
“I can tell. Just do your best.”
Kang Yu scratched the back of his head.
He didn’t quite understand what was happening, but decided to humor the old man — he reminded him of the elders from his village.
“Alright, I’ll jump.”
“Good, now—”
The ground shook violently.
Rumble—
“?”
A massive shockwave blasted dust into the air.
When it settled, the boy was gone.
Bi Gwang looked up.
A small dot was silhouetted against the bright full moon.
『This is really all I can do!』
“!”
Bi Gwang’s jaw hit the ground.
