Chapter 278
Chapter 278
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 278
Chapter Title: The Secret Market
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“How in the world did you do that?”
A greatly surprised Jongjeong-yak approached and asked. Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
“I injected my internal energy to temporarily neutralize the poison.”
After speaking, he once again injected his Reverse Polarity True Qi.
*Vwoom.*
As two streams of hot energy spread from the mingmen acupoint, color slowly began to return to the assassin's deathly pale face.
The Reverse Polarity True Qi, which contained both yin and yang energy, was the natural enemy of poison.
The reason Bu Eun-seol was immune to most poisons was not only due to his profound internal energy, but also because the Reverse Polarity True Qi in his body naturally repelled them.
“Impossible.”
Jongjeong-yak couldn't believe it, even seeing it with her own eyes.
While numerous internal energy techniques existed in the martial world, there was none that could neutralize a poison that had already spread throughout the entire body simply by injecting internal energy.
“He’s spouting nonsense.”
Neung Jo-un, also disbelieving, scoffed and whispered to Jongjeong-yak.
“He must have secretly fed him a potent antidote.”
Mercenaries always carried antidotes, as they never knew when or how they might have to fight.
Hearing this, Jongjeong-yak gave a slight nod.
“They are mercenaries who roam the martial world, taking on all sorts of dangerous jobs… They must have some clever tricks up their sleeves.”
“My point exactly. That man is far too boastful.”
While the two were whispering,
‘The poison has already spread to his internal organs.’
Bu Eun-seol, paying no mind to their reactions, frowned as he examined the assassin.
The poison he had ingested was so lethal that even after injecting his Reverse Polarity True Qi for half a quarter-hour, all it did was bring him to his senses for a brief moment.
“Who hired you?”
“I… I don’t know…”
The assassin seemed to be a low-ranking member, shaking his head.
“I really… don’t know.”
Jongjeong-yak stepped forward and exclaimed urgently.
“Then where are the stolen Zisudan?”
The assassin only shook his head, not answering. Bu Eun-seol, who had been watching quietly, doubled the amount of Reverse Polarity True Qi he was injecting.
The assassin’s entire body turned red, and thick veins bulged on his forehead.
As the poison absorbed by his organs clashed with the fierce injection of Bu Eun-seol’s Reverse Polarity True Qi, he felt an indescribable agony.
“Secret… market.”
With that last word, the assassin breathed his last.
The deadly poison had already dissolved his organs and solidified his blood. Not even the Great Luo Immortals could save him now.
“Secret market?”
Jongjeong-yak’s eyes lost focus.
“Secret market” was a general term for the clandestine markets held in various regions.
Neung Jo-un, who had been standing with a dazed expression, nodded.
“They can’t openly distribute a treasure like the Zisudan, so they must be planning to sell it all at once at the secret market.”
No matter how audacious the faction was, they couldn't openly sell the Mount Hua Sect’s sacred medicine that was destined for the Murim Alliance.
But in a black market like the Secret Market, they could easily sell not just the Zisudan, but even Shaolin's Great Rebirth Elixirs.
‘The Secret Market is held once a month… They probably haven't sold it yet.’
Finally grasping a thread of hope, Jongjeong-yak spoke to the two warriors standing at the front.
“U-myeong, Jeong-hak. The two of you will help the injured return to the Alliance.”
Then, looking at Neung Jo-un and the uninjured warriors, she declared forcefully.
“The rest will follow me, your Law Enforcement Minor Master, as we continue our pursuit of the Zisudan.”
The expressions of the warriors, except for Neung Jo-un, were weary and dark.
Continuing to chase after the Zisudan was an extremely dangerous and reckless task.
But how could they refuse the order of their esteemed Law Enforcement Minor Master?
“Understood.”
The warriors had no choice but to cup their hands in salute.
***
In the past, black markets were typically run under the leadership of the Hao Clan, a coalition of the lower classes.
However, as the Hao Clan gradually became a mere figurehead and lost its influence, the underworld factions that held sway in various regions slowly began to take control of the black markets.
The Secret Market.
Under the name of the Secret Market, the underworld factions located in every corner of the towns traded not only various stolen goods, but also hidden weapons, explosives, aphrodisiacs, deadly poisons…
They even dealt in smuggled goods whose use was forbidden or distribution was banned in the martial world.
However, since they couldn't openly display and sell such items, and with the constant risk of a raid from the authorities, the situation was precarious.
The underworld factions held the Secret Market irregularly, about once a month, moving the location to secluded and secretive places.
They not only took a portion of the profits from the Secret Market but also shrewdly sold the information about its time and location for a fee.
Deep in the mountains, near a public cemetery.
Paper lanterns hung there, and stalls were set up here and there.
People wandered around wearing masks, and the merchants running the stalls also had their faces covered.
The Secret Market in this area was being held in a public cemetery, far from the town.
*Step, step.*
A woman wearing a wide cloak and with her face covered, along with a man who appeared to be her servant, was climbing the mountain path.
When they finally reached the cemetery where the Secret Market was held, the woman paused to catch her breath.
“Hoo.”
Walking along the winding path illuminated by the paper lanterns, the woman stopped and began to look around.
She then spotted a group of menacing-looking underworld figures gathered under a large tree.
In front of them were large chests, filled with a variety of items.
There was a glass bottle containing a blood-red, sticky liquid, and a wooden box engraved with an antique pattern.
“How much for all of this?”
At the woman’s question, the underworld man guarding the front scoffed.
“These are not for sale.”
“Then?”
“They’re items to be put up in the upcoming auction.”
“An auction?”
As the woman blinked, the man chuckled lowly.
“First time at a Secret Market, I see.”
He then pointed a finger toward a clearing deeper inside.
“Expensive items can be bought at auction. This is just a place to temporarily store the items that will go up for auction.”
“I see.”
“You seem to have some money. You should go take a look. Some pretty good items are coming up.”
“Alright.”
Her eyes sparkling with interest, the woman headed straight in the direction the man had pointed.
There was a wide clearing there, and with lanterns hung everywhere, the area was quite bright.
In the center of the clearing, a curtained stage was set up. In front of it was a table for placing items and a platform for a person to stand on.
On the platform stood a man wearing a monkey mask, likely the one presiding over the auction.
“Now, let’s proceed to the next item.”
The masked man pointed to a small wooden box on the table and said.
“This next item is the Rotting Corpse Blood Poison.”
Rotting Corpse Blood Poison.
It was one of the deadliest poisons, its use strictly forbidden in the martial world.
This was because when someone was poisoned with it, all of their blood would transform into more Rotting Corpse Blood Poison.
In other words, by poisoning just three or four healthy adults, one could obtain about a *mal* (approx. 18 liters) of the deadly poison.
Due to this terrifying characteristic, mere possession of the Rotting Corpse Blood Poison was enough to make one a public enemy of the martial world.
And yet, that forbidden, monstrous poison was being brazenly auctioned off?
“We will start the bidding at thirty thousand nyang.”
At the masked man's words, people in the crowd began to call out prices one by one.
“Thirty thousand nyang.”
“Thirty-five thousand nyang.”
The price continued to skyrocket.
In the end, the Rotting Corpse Blood Poison was sold to an old woman with her face veiled in purple cloth for the hefty sum of two hundred thousand nyang.
After that, various other rare items were put up for auction.
There were authentic hidden weapons that had found their way from the Sichuan Tang Clan, and even a spirit beast, believed to be extinct, was sold alive.
After about an hour had passed,
*Thud.*
This time, a large, gold-leafed wooden box was placed on the table.
Even without opening the lid, a sweet and subtle fragrance spread in all directions.
It was the very same wooden box that had been on the old man's stall earlier.
“This next item is the Zisudan, a miraculous elixir created by the Mount Hua Sect through generations of collecting spiritual herbs.”
The masked man’s eyes glinted as he scanned the crowd.
“The quantity is a staggering fifty pills. As it is a very rare elixir, we will start the bidding at one hundred thousand nyang.”
At that, the masked woman who had been watching the auction all along raised her hand.
“One hundred thousand nyang.”
Then, a fat masked man on the opposite side raised his hand.
“Two hundred thousand nyang.”
The woman watching also raised her bid.
“Two hundred and forty thousand nyang.”
“Three hundred thousand nyang.”
As time went on, the price of the Zisudan also began to soar.
“Five hundred thousand nyang.”
When the fat man called out the price, the masked woman who had been eagerly bidding fell silent.
“Five hundred thousand nyang. Any more bids?”
At the masked man’s call, the woman lowered her head as if giving up.
“The fifty Zisudan are sold for five hundred thousand nyang.”
As soon as the bid was won, the fat man nodded to the sturdy servants standing behind him.
They then brought a large chest and placed it before the masked man.
“Five hundred thousand nyang.”
“The amount is correct. Take it.”
At the monkey-masked man's words, the fat man immediately tucked the wooden box into his robes and left the auction site.
It seemed this was the last auction, as two underworld men were already dismantling the platform in front of the auction stage.
The man in the monkey mask also went back behind the curtain.
The woman watching this nodded. She then slowly began to place her hand on the sword hanging at her waist.
That woman was none other than Jongjeong-yak.
‘The underworld thugs wouldn't have stolen the Zisudan themselves. If I rough up the organizer, I can find out who did.’
After hearing the assassin's words, she had immediately gathered information about the Secret Market in the vicinity and found this place.
And at last, she had found the group of underworld figures with the wooden box containing the Zisudan.
However, the ones selling the Zisudan were unlikely to be the culprits.
Her plan was to first recover the Zisudan and then return to the Murim Alliance.
Just retrieving the lost Zisudan would make this investigation worthwhile.
*Click.*
Just as she was drawing the sword at her waist,
「Don’t.」
A man who had been watching the auction drew close and sent a telepathic message.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
「The chances of that box containing fifty Zisudan are almost nil.」
「What are you talking about? I clearly smelled the scent of the Zisudan from the box earlier.」
「The scent was too faint for fifty pills. At best, there are probably two or three in there.」
「The number doesn’t matter.」
Jongjeong-yak said with a serious expression.
「If I can’t catch the culprit, I have to find and retrieve even one or two Zisudan.」
This investigation was something Jongjeong-yak had pushed for against the pressure from her superiors in the first place.
If she returned empty-handed, she could be reprimanded for having lost good warriors for nothing.
「If you really must seize it, do it at the fat man’s destination. This wasn’t a normal auction anyway.」
「What do you mean by that?」
「I heard it’s been quite some time since the Zisudan were stolen. What do you think are the chances of a Zisudan auction being held right when you happen to arrive at the Secret Market?」
Jongjeong-yak blinked.
Now that he mentioned it, it was indeed strange.
The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence.
「It could be that they’re adding another complicated step to make the goods untraceable.」
「Of course, that’s a possibility.」
Bu Eun-seol nodded and sent another telepathic message.
「That's all the more reason to watch. To see where that fat man takes the Zisudan.」
Jongjeong-yak’s large eyes sparkled as she nodded.
「So you’re saying the winning bidder could also be an intermediary.」
She only lacked experience in the martial world.
Her mind was sharp, and her judgment was quick.
Otherwise, she would never have been appointed as a Law Enforcement Minor Master among a sea of geniuses.
「Either that, or he’s the final buyer. Or this is all a trap.」
‘She catches on quick.’
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
「Exactly.」
「Alright. I can’t pass up a chance to catch their tail.」
Jongjeong-yak turned to Neung Jo-un, who had been following her all along, acting as a servant.
「Get the agents at the foot of the mountain ready. Make sure we don’t lose track of that man.」
Nodding, Neung Jo-un slowly exited the auction site.
Watching the fat man disappear with his servants, Jongjeong-yak clenched her fists.
If they secretly tailed the winning bidder… they might be able to catch the trail of those who stole the Zisudan.
***
An ornate eight-horse carriage left the Secret Market and sped along the main road.
Inside the carriage was the fat man who had won the bid for the Zisudan.
The place it finally arrived at was a large estate situated by a lake.
Song Family Estate.
This was the estate of a merchant, located a short distance from the town.
A faint question arose in the eyes of Jongjeong-yak, who had been secretly tailing him.
Could it be that the one who wanted the Zisudan was the master of the Song Family Estate or his closest aide?
*Fwip, fwip, fwip.*
Putting her complicated thoughts aside, she immediately leaped onto the roof of the Song Family Estate and secretly observed the situation.
‘I must be cautious.’
Having had a bitter experience at the Ugang Escort Agency, she surveyed the estate with extreme caution.
She had learned that her title as Law Enforcement Minor Master and her token held no power against those who were after her life.
*Step, step.*
The fat man, after getting out of the carriage and entering the estate, did not head towards the living quarters but instead walked towards an old warehouse built on the outskirts of the estate.
He carefully carried the wooden box containing the Zisudan inside the warehouse and came out empty-handed a short while later.
“It seems there’s a secret storehouse over there.”
Jongjeong-yak nodded at Neung Jo-un’s words.
It was unlikely they would leave a treasure like the Zisudan in such a shabby warehouse. There must be a secret space inside.
“It’s too early now. Let’s go in around the third watch.”
“Understood.”
As the night deepened, Jongjeong-yak looked at Bu Eun-seol and the warriors and said.
“While Deputy Neung and I investigate that place, the rest of you will wait here in secret.”
“I’ll go too.”
When Bu Eun-seol stepped forward, Jongjeong-yak shook her head.
“This investigation is being conducted in my capacity as a Law Enforcement Minor Master of the Murim Alliance.”
In other words, since Bu Eun-seol was not a member of the Murim Alliance, he could not enter the investigation site.
‘It must be because I’m a mercenary.’
It was unlikely that mercenaries would leave a treasure trove untouched.
She was clearly worried that Bu Eun-seol might secretly steal treasures from the Song Family Estate's vault.
But Bu Eun-seol stated firmly.
“I cannot do that.”
“What did you say?”
“You said you would follow my lead when it comes to your protection.”
“This is just an investigation to see if the Zisudan are there. You are not a warrior of the Alliance, so you cannot accompany me to the investigation site.”
“I am simply doing my job.”
At that, Neung Jo-un spoke up, showing his hostility.
“Hey, if you’re a mercenary, act like one. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“I am earning my pay like a mercenary should, so you should be the one to stay quiet.”
As Bu Eun-seol’s stance remained firm, Jongjeong-yak hesitated for a moment.
—No matter what happens, trust and rely on Young Master Seol. Understand?
At that moment, Dam Yu-yeon’s words popped into her head.
‘Sister Dam is not one to speak carelessly.’
After a moment of hesitation, she finally nodded.
“Alright. Then you may follow me.”
“Law Enforcement Minor Master!”
“Are you going to give me three thousand nyang? I spent all my personal funds to hire him.”
‘…She hired me for cheap.’
The down payment Dam Yu-yeon had given Bu Eun-seol alone was a whopping one hundred thousand nyang.
If he safely protected her and returned to the Murim Alliance, he was scheduled to receive another hundred thousand nyang.
But she thought Bu Eun-seol was a high-grade mercenary that she had hired for three thousand nyang.
What if she found out that not only was Bu Eun-seol a supreme-grade mercenary, but he was also the successor of the Martial Progenitor?
She would probably faint on the spot.
“Instead, as per our contract, you must not divulge what you see and hear from now on to anyone else. Understood?”
“Fine.”
In the end, Bu Eun-seol also entered the warehouse with Jongjeong-yak.
Inside, various weapons were piled up, and things like hidden weapons and strongbows were placed on shelves.
“I can’t seem to find any mechanism, no matter how I look.”
Neung Jo-un, who was meticulously examining the inside of the armory, frowned.
He had searched every nook and cranny, but there was no trace of a mechanism anywhere. The problem was that the wooden box containing the Zisudan was also nowhere to be seen.
“I agree.”
Beads of sweat formed on Jongjeong-yak’s forehead as well.
Could it be that the man had entered this warehouse and then left again with the Zisudan?
“It’s over there.”
Just then, Bu Eun-seol pointed to a wall in the corner where a weapon rack with rusty weapons stood.
“There’s a mechanism installed in that area. There’s probably a hidden door.”
Thanks to his experience with all sorts of traps in the Martial Emperor's Hidden Vault, he could spot the traces of a mechanism at a glance without even having to use his Void Soul Insight.
“A hidden door?”
“That’s right.”
At that, Neung Jo-un, who was next to Jongjeong-yak, laughed in disbelief.
“You don’t even know the basics of searching. The fact that there are cobwebs like that is proof that no one has touched it.”
“I see.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded and walked over to the weapon rack where the weapons were stacked.
He looked inside, then unhesitatingly pulled out a rusty sword.
*Grrr-rumble.*
With a vibrating sound, a section of the wall swung open smoothly, revealing a passage leading inside.
“Ahem.”
Neung Jo-un, avoiding the sharp gazes of Jongjeong-yak and Bu Eun-seol, cleared his throat.
“Excellent. The first rule of searching is to investigate the places no one would suspect.”
“…”
Jongjeong-yak, with a cold expression, brushed past Neung Jo-un and carefully examined the area around the passage.
“Huh? This is…”
Then, as she looked at the cobwebs stretched across the entrance, a glint flashed in her eyes.