Ch#28
Still, it wasn’t my place to judge whether Jeok I-geon had done the right thing or not.
A million taels wasn’t my money anyway, and if he wanted to squander his own fortune, who was I to stop him?
They did say that the wealthy had to spend generously for the economy to keep moving.
I wasn’t sure if that logic applied to this specific situation, but regardless, I decided to stop caring.
But wait, if things played out like this, did that mean the thief would target us instead?
Oh dear. Suddenly, I felt terribly sorry for him.
In the original novel, he had used his nimble movements to successfully pull off the heist, but this time, his opponent was none other than Jeok I-geon.
If Jeok I-geon caught him, he wouldn’t even have bones left to bury. Knowing that, I couldn’t just stand by and watch with a clear conscience.
Thievery was undoubtedly a crime, but the thief had his own desperate reasons.
Despite his eccentricities, he was a serious, deeply righteous character—honestly, he was one of my favorites.
Of all people, Honghwan had to fall into Jeok I-geon’s clutches.
Talk about terrible luck.
Was it because the original plot had deviated once more?
Despite telling myself to stop caring, my head was completely filled with thoughts of Honghwan.
“Now, finally, the long-awaited Pacheonsingeom(破天神劍)! I am sure you have all been waiting anxiously for this moment! What more needs to be said? First, let us unveil Pacheonsingeom to our esteemed guests!”
It was the highlight of today’s Black Market.
That was when Pacheonsingeom finally made its appearance.
In an instant, the very air in the room shifted. The moment the auctioneer’s long-winded explanation drew to a close, the bidding war began in earnest.
“Two million!”
“Three million!”
“Four million!”
As expected of a legendary divine weapon, the starting bids were on an entirely different scale.
Virtually everyone gathered here today had come for the sole purpose of claiming Pacheonsingeom.
I remembered finding this particular part of the novel quite entertaining.
It was a blade shrouded in mystery; no one knew what era it had been forged in, or whose hands had crafted it.
Yet, the reason the martial artists of the Murim were so eager to tear each other apart for it was due to a single legend.
He who wields Pacheonsingeom shall conquer all under heaven!
Behind this cheesy, dramatic line lay the legacy of the sword’s previous owner: Sword Emperor(劍皇) Dam Cheon-hak.
Born the son of a humble farmer in a small rural village, he had risen to become the supreme master of the land with nothing but a single blade before he had even reached his fiftieth year.
He had possessed no wealth and no formal education. While his rise to the title of Sword Emperor was partly attributed to natural genius, many believed it was largely due to the miraculous energy dwelling within Pacheonsingeom.
Because of this rumor, thieves and ambitious martial artists had scaled his walls daily even when Dam Cheon-hak was alive. His life must have been incredibly exhausting.
When Dam Cheon-hak vanished overnight without a trace, the entire Murim was thrown into an uproar.
Tens of thousands of martial artists set out to track him down, but Dam Cheon-hak never showed his face again.
Years later, a simple herb gatherer happened upon a mystical sword. Upon appraisal, experts concluded that it was indeed Pacheonsingeom.
This was the part I found highly amusing.
I mean, on what basis could they possibly look at a sword used centuries ago and confidently declare it to be Pacheonsingeom?
Naturally, skeptics existed.
If every single martial artist had blindly believed the legend of Pacheonsingeom, an auction like today’s would never have taken place in the first place.
The world would have dissolved into a bloody pandemonium of endless slaughter and theft.
Knowing how the original story unfolded—with Jeok I-geon ultimately unifying the Murim—one might wonder if it really was thanks to Pacheonsingeom. Personally, though, I believed his success was entirely due to his own peerless, monstrous talent.
Though the man in question didn’t seem to share my opinion.
“Fifty million!”
The bidding, which had been hovering around ten million, suddenly leaped to fifty million taels in an instant.
The one who threw out that outrageous sum was, as you might have guessed, Jeok I-geon sitting right beside me.
As if on cue, the other bidders, who had been furiously calculating their budgets, all turned to stare in our direction.
Their faces were concealed, so I couldn’t read their expressions, but I could hear their muffled curses clear as day.
Some even snapped whatever they were holding in their hands, unable to contain their fury.
“We have fifty million! Are there any other bids?”
The auctioneer’s voice was practically trembling with excitement.
And why wouldn’t he be?
Even under the best circumstances, the sword would have fetched around ten million taels. Now, it had jumped to five times that amount.
The commission he would pocket from this single sale would be astronomical.
Fifty million taels was a sum so massive I couldn’t even begin to comprehend it.
I could only guess it was roughly equivalent to fifty billion won.
“I shall count to three. One, two, three…… Sold!”
Unlike Honghwan, Pacheonsingeom fell into Jeok I-geon’s hands exactly as it had in the original novel.
The Black Market spared no expense in treating the VIP customer who had purchased two of their most expensive items.
When we were escorted to a private room to collect our purchases, we found a table laden with every delicacy imaginable.
Yet, none of us so much as touched the food.
After all, who in their right mind would eat food of unknown origin in a place like this?
Dining in such an environment was practically screaming to the world that you were a fool.
“The bank notes have been verified. Thank you for your patronage.”
Bank notes and merchandise were exchanged with a minimal exchange of words.
To think that Pacheonsingeom and Honghwan were sitting right before my eyes.
Even though I had watched the entire auction unfold, it still felt utterly surreal.
Up close, the bracelet looked even more beautiful.
Since Jeok I-geon had such pale skin, that vivid red would probably look stunning on him, wouldn’t it?
“Do you wish to try it on?”
“…Pardon?”
To ensure the customer’s privacy, only Jeok I-geon, Cheon Gang, and I remained in the room.
I had briefly lifted my stuffy veil to admire Honghwan, and for a moment, I doubted my own ears.
“Was it not something you desired?”
“…Me?”
“You seemed exceptionally focused on it.”
No way. Was he saying he had bought Honghwan because of me?
Spending a whopping million taels just for that?
I had assumed he bought it because he recognized its true value, but what on earth was this sudden development?
Completely dumbfounded, I could only blink my eyes, unable to utter a single word.
And then, of all things, Jeok I-geon reached into the box, picked up Honghwan, and personally clasped it around my wrist.
Frozen solid by the unexpected physical contact, the thought of refusing didn’t even cross my mind.
Heart hammering in a daze, I could only stare down blankly at Honghwan fastened to my wrist.
The bracelet was still undeniably beautiful.
My skin was also on the paler side, so the crimson band suited me perfectly.
But why did it suddenly feel like a shackle?
Just moments ago, I had been admiring Honghwan, but the second the bracelet was locked around my wrist, an eerie sensation washed over me.
“It is beautiful.”
That snapped me out of my daze.
I had no idea what Jeok I-geon was plotting by giving this to me, but an alarm blared in my mind: I absolutely cannot accept this.
“P-Please, take it off! I cannot possibly accept something so incredibly precious!”
“Do you women not typically favor such ornaments?”
“That may be so, but this is far too extravagant for someone of my station. What if I wear it and happen to lose it? Please, I beg you to take it back.”
“It is merely a bracelet. If you lose it, I shall simply buy you another.”
Even if he didn’t know the true value of Honghwan, how could he casually talk about buying another after spending a fortune of a million taels?
Was this just how the obscenely wealthy operated?
“Do you perhaps dislike it?”
“……?”
“I must have misunderstood your feelings. In that case, simply throw it away. I have no use for it.”
“You want me to…… throw this away?”
“Hmm, on second thought, no. Someone else might scavenge it, so it would be better to destroy it.”
This crazy bastard was dead serious.
The cold, unyielding light in his eyes left no room for doubt: the moment I unclasped this bracelet, he would crush Honghwan to pieces.
As expected of a certified psychopath, his methods of intimidation were truly on another level.
“No! You mustn’t do that! This is far too extravagant a gift for someone like me, but if you insist, Young Master, I shall accept it with deepest gratitude.”
In the end, to save Honghwan from destruction, I chose to willingly wear these shackles.
I felt a pang of guilt knowing I had taken something meant for that other character, but if this was how fate was going to play out, I would accept it with grace.
“We must move immediately.”
While Jeok I-geon and I were locked in our tug-of-war, Cheon Gang, who had been keeping watch outside, stepped forward cautiously to urge us on.
“The pests have already begun to swarm.”
“Just as we anticipated.”
“We must leave the city first.”
Jeok I-geon looked down at me, his gaze silently asking if I was ready.
“Yes. I will do my best to keep up.”
Ever since he mentioned the “pests,” I had felt it too.
The stage was being set exactly as it had in the original novel.
A bloodthirsty mob, all aiming to slaughter Jeok I-geon and seize Pacheonsingeom.
At the thought of the imminent bloodbath, a deep frown creased my forehead.
Misinterpreting my grimace as fear, Jeok I-geon patted my back reassuringly.
He’s certainly been getting touchier lately.
Or was I just imagining things?
“Let us go.”
I had no time to ponder my doubts.
The moment the door flew open, Cheon Gang bolted, and I sprinted after him at full speed.
