Ch#27
Tonight was a day of monumental importance in the life of Jeok I-geon.
Thanks to that, even though I had made an unsightly spectacle of myself, I managed to get through the crisis without any major repercussions.
I was grateful enough for just that, but Jeok I-geon had even bought me expensive clothes.
Jeok I-geon and Cheon Gang had also shed the comfortable clothes they wore while traveling to Sichuan, transforming their appearance with luxurious attire.
Jeok I-geon, with his already striking looks, was truly out of this world, and Cheon Gang, proving that clothes make the man, looked twice as handsome as usual.
Of course, this had all been planned.
It wasn’t as if Jeok I-geon had suddenly bought clothes for someone like me out of the goodness of his heart.
We had simply dressed appropriately for the place we were about to visit.
A place where it was no exaggeration to say Jeok I-geon’s true history began in the original novel.
In the pitch-black night, relying solely on the moonlight, the place I was heading toward was the Black Market.
“It would be best to wear bamboo hats from here on.”
Cheon Gang, who had scouted the location the night before, handed a bamboo hat to both Jeok I-geon and me.
“They have veils?”
When I looked perplexed by the unfamiliar style of the hat, Cheon Gang explained.
“In places like this, hiding one’s identity is an unwritten rule. It would be rather strange to show your face when gathering for illegal transactions.”
If that was the case, wouldn’t a human-skin mask be better?
It wasn’t as if they lacked money, so I honestly couldn’t understand why we had to wear these uncomfortable, veiled bamboo hats.
But I was just a lowly maid who had to do as she was told.
Though the veil fluttering before my eyes obstructed my vision and made things somewhat uncomfortable, it wasn’t enough to make me trip, so I had no trouble keeping up.
The Black Market was being held at a manor located quite far from the center of Chengdu.
Two guards stood before the torchlit main gate, and as soon as Cheon Gang showed them a pass, the gates swung open.
Wherever did Cheon Gang get that pass?
From what I knew, one had to go through an incredibly rigorous process to become a customer of the Black Market.
Held only once a year, with its location disclosed barely a month in advance, the Black Market was, simply put, an illegal underground auction.
Although the organizers of the market were never clearly revealed even in the original novel, the goods offered at the Black Market were the real deal.
Expensive gold and silver treasures were just the baseline; there was a diverse array of items on offer, including all kinds of rare elixirs and divine weapons.
Neither Jeok I-geon nor Cheon Gang had said a word to me, but of course, I already knew exactly what they had come here to obtain.
As a reader, I had found this part a bit cliché, but sometimes a story needs these tropes to be entertaining.
It was also a fairly important scene in the novel.
To think I would witness it with my own eyes—how incredibly exciting.
“This way, please.”
We passed through a well-manicured garden and arrived in front of a pavilion.
Although we didn’t encounter a single soul on our way in, I could sense more than fifty hidden presences myself.
Which meant there were likely far more than that.
“I hear night visitors have been active around the Black Market lately.”
“Night visitors?”
“He means thieves with sticky fingers.”
“Ah, so that’s why…”
It seemed all those hidden guards stationed everywhere were there to catch thieves.
Tsk, tsk. How unfortunate.
Even with all these preparations, they were still going to get robbed in the end.
Ah, but this didn’t apply to Jeok I-geon.
In fact, the truth that something had been stolen on this very night wouldn’t be revealed until five years later.
The hidden history behind the sudden rise of an incredibly young master, which would throw the entire Murim into upheaval, was beginning right here tonight.
This is going to be thrilling in so many ways.
A smile naturally played on my lips as I stepped inside the pavilion.
Although it was a dangerous place in its own right, perhaps because Jeok I-geon was with me, I didn’t feel a shred of fear.
After all, wouldn’t Jeok I-geon handle any trouble that came our way?
He wasn’t the protagonist of the original novel for nothing.
“Over there would be best.”
True to its name as the Black Market, the interior of the pavilion was thoroughly dark.
Dim candles barely illuminated the pathways, and only on the stage where the auction would take place did four night-glowing pearls shine as brightly as lightbulbs.
Dozens of chairs were lined up in neat rows before the stage, and we took our seats toward the front on the right.
The hall was already more than half-filled.
Every single one of them, like us, wore either a veil or a mask.
And yet, why did I feel eyes on us?
Had they instinctively sensed Jeok I-geon’s extraordinary presence?
Still, they would never dream that the son of the Heavenly Demon was sitting right here, would they?
A strange sense of pride washed over me at the thought that I was the only one who knew, and I couldn’t help but smirk.
Thank goodness I had this veil to hide my silly expression.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light illuminated the stage, and a man appeared upon it.
He was the only person in this place showing his face.
“So that’s a human-skin mask…”
“You can recognize that?”
At my involuntary whisper, Jeok I-geon looked at me in surprise.
당연히 알아본 건 아니었다.
I had simply read in the novel that the hosts of the Black Market always wore human-skin masks, making it impossible to know their true faces.
“…It just looked a bit unnatural to me.”
That wasn’t it at all, but flustered, I sputtered the first excuse that came to mind.
“I see.”
“I can’t really tell.”
Jeok I-geon and Cheon Gang stared intently at the host, then tilted their heads, looking at me with admiration as if I had accomplished something impressive.
“My fellow martial artists of the jianghu, thank you for traveling so far to be here tonight. As you are all busy individuals, I shall skip the idle chatter and begin the first auction immediately!”
It was a relief the auction was starting; otherwise, my face beneath the veil would have burned bright red from my lie.
“Our first item is the Wind Soul Pill, an elixir comparable to the Shaolin Temple’s Great Restoration Pill. As many of you know, the Wind Soul Pill was crafted by the now-extinct Wind Soul Sect. Though it was a minor sect, their elixir-refining techniques were truly formidable. It is said that because of this, they were able to raise most of their disciples into peak experts. If not for the wicked demonic factions, the tragic Wind Soul Sect would still be thriving today! This Wind Soul Pill before you is a premium specimen that was stored in the Sect Leader’s private safe. Our Black Market managed to recover what even the Demonic Cult missed! I shall omit the proof of authenticity. Your very presence here tonight is proof of your trust in us, is it not? We shall start the bidding at three hundred thousand taels!”
The moment the host finished speaking, hands began rising all over the room.
Although it was an elixir any martial artist would go mad for, Jeok I-geon sat perfectly still, maintaining his upright posture.
Since it was the Demonic Cult that wiped out the Wind Soul Sect, had he already taken the Wind Soul Pill?
While I indulged in my own logical deductions, the auction proceeded at a rapid pace.
For a while, a succession of various elixirs was presented, as if they were dealing with them by category.
And then, it appeared.
At the appearance of the Rainbow Bracelet—the very item I had been dying to see even before coming to the Black Market—my neck craned forward like a crane’s.
I wanted nothing more than to run up to the stage and examine it closely.
It really is still red.
Just like in the original novel, the host was presenting the Rainbow Bracelet as a mere piece of jewelry.
Of course, since it was featured at the Black Market, the artisan who crafted the Rainbow Bracelet was a legendary figure whose name everyone would recognize.
I couldn’t help but find the host incredibly pitiable as he went on and on, claiming that gifting the Rainbow Bracelet to a woman would guarantee that her love would be returned.
If only they knew what that thing actually is!
Seeing them treat such a precious treasure in that manner made me realize the Black Market wasn’t entirely reliable either.
Later on, several of the Black Market’s greatest blunders would be exposed to the world, and the Rainbow Bracelet was easily the biggest scandal among them.
“Now, let the bidding begin. The starting price is one hundred thousand taels!”
How much did it sell for in the novel again?
I tried to recall, but the exact figure eluded me.
Was it around three hundred thousand taels?
It was practically a steal.
Though it was eventually stolen by a thief anyway.
Who was the one who bought it?
Since they weren’t an important character, I couldn’t remember their name.
I only recalled hearing that they later died of sheer frustration after discovering the Rainbow Bracelet’s true function.
Perhaps everyone was planning to gift it to their beloved, as the price climbed steadily.
“Two hundred and fifty thousand taels!”
Oh, it’s almost over.
The bidder was a man wearing a white mask, and at his shout, quite a few people lowered their hands.
But right after that, the price suddenly took a massive leap.
“One million taels!”
Murmurs broke out across the room at the astronomical bid.
But why is everyone looking over here?
Even then, I hadn’t realized who the bidder of the one million taels was.
Only after following everyone’s gaze did I spot Jeok I-geon with his hand raised, and my immediate thought was: Has he lost his mind?
Why on earth are you paying one million taels for a single bracelet?!
No matter how rich you are, are you stupid? Are you a pushover?
Sure, it’s an incredibly amazing item, but you don’t even need it!
You’re already a monster, how much more of a monster do you want to become?!
It was a moment where both Cheon Gang and I were utterly flabbergasted by Jeok I-geon’s impulse buy.
