Chapter 264: Receiving the Price
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 264: Receiving the Price
"Liar."
Neung So-hwa spoke curtly, her eyes fixed on Sun-woo.
Damn it.
Hearing her words, Sun-woo cursed inwardly.
Did she actually see that one guy get away?
"You are telling a lie."
Neung So-hwa continued, looking at Sun-woo as if he were something cute.
"You saw it?"
Sun-woo asked, maintaining a feigned serious expression.
"Of course. The trajectory shifted; it only severed his arm as it passed."
Hearing her, Sun-woo knew for certain. She had seen everything with perfect accuracy.
He was struck with shock. Just what kind of eyes did she have to see something so clearly from such a distance? The spot where the Northern Unit member’s arm had been severed was a considerable distance away. At that range, even Sun-woo, whose eyesight had improved significantly through his cultivation realm, could only see people as tiny dots.
How could she see the scene so vividly?
"……."
Sun-woo fell silent. Now that his lie had been exposed, a wave of awkwardness washed over him.
"Did you truly think I would not see?"
She let out a faint smile, seemingly finding his reaction endearing.
"How cute."
"I apologize."
Sun-woo bowed his head slightly. He decided it was better to just admit it like a man. He could have made excuses or been stubborn, but looking into those mysterious eyes that seemed to pierce through to his very essence, he didn't feel like trying.
"You are quick to admit it. A true man, indeed."
Seeing Sun-woo’s apology, Neung So-hwa’s smile deepened. A man with his level of martial power could have easily been stubborn or piled on excuses, and no one would have been able to say a word. After all, he was her life's savior.
Yet, he offered no excuses and simply bowed his head in apology—and to a mere woman whose status, high or low, was unknown to him.
It occurred to her that what moved this man’s head was not the hierarchy of status, but his own convictions. How could she not find that admirable?
Neung So-hwa slowly approached Sun-woo.
Step.
She placed her hand on Sun-woo’s cheek and slowly tilted his face up.
"Being quick to admit a fault is manly and wonderful, but I do not like how readily you bow your head."
Her mysterious red eyes locked onto Sun-woo’s pupils as she continued.
"Carry yourself with more gravity."
Having said her piece, she slowly withdrew her hand from his cheek. Sun-woo could only stare at her blankly.
When her hand first touched his cheek, his eyes had widened in surprise. He hadn't expected such a soft touch or that warm body heat. And when his head was lifted and he met those mysterious eyes, a sensation stirred deep within his heart.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart began to race frantically.
"I will hand over Pi Sang-deuk’s corpse to you," she said, looking at him.
"But… I failed the promise…" Sun-woo stammered at her sudden declaration.
"I am one who is precise with rewards and punishments. Though one escaped, how could I act as if all your efforts were for naught? You annihilated every bandit except for one. That effort deserves its price."
Neung So-hwa spoke in a firm, decisive tone.
Ah…
Sun-woo marveled inwardly. For a moment, he hallucinated a halo shimmering behind her. How could someone speak so imperiously yet so beautifully?
It wasn't just her appearance that was beautiful. His already racing heart began to beat even faster.
"In exchange, I shall set another condition."
"……Speak." Sun-woo replied dazed.
"May I ask where your destination is?" she asked, her gaze burning with intensity.
"……The North Sea Ice Palace."
Sun-woo answered without hesitation.
"In that case, would you be willing to travel with the merchant guild?"
"The merchant guild?"
"Yes. The guild has suffered significant damage. If other bandits were to strike now, they would not be able to endure it easily."
She maintained a dignified expression as she continued.
"Thus, I am requesting an escort. If our paths were to diverge, it would be unavoidable, but since our destinations are the same, I believe this is an enticing proposal."
"Hmm."
Sun-woo put on a thoughtful expression. In truth, traveling with them to the North Sea Ice Palace wasn't difficult. Their destinations were the same, and the route was in one direction anyway. Besides, there was the excellent reward of Pi Sang-deuk’s body. It didn't seem like a bad deal.
"Furthermore, the merchant guild will pay you a large sum of money if you accompany us."
Then, Neung So-hwa made an offer he couldn't refuse.
"What!?"
"Wait, why!?"
"My lady, what are you saying!?"
The merchants, who had been listening silently, suddenly erupted in protest. How could a woman who wasn't even the Chief Merchant decide such things on her own?
"Is it not the way of a merchant to pay a price worthy of the value received?" Neung So-hwa asked, turning her gaze toward them.
"Isn't the price Pi Sang-deuk’s body!?"
"You speak strange words. Pi Sang-deuk’s body is clearly the price I am paying him. Why are you trying to hitch a free ride?"
Neung So-hwa tilted her head slightly.
"Don't we all live in this world together!? How can you be so selfish!?"
"Even so, there is such a thing as professional courtesy!"
The merchants cried out as if they were the ones being wronged.
"You say such amusing things."
Neung So-hwa flashed a cold smile at them.
"Did you value 'courtesy' so much when you tried to sell me off?"
"That… that was… everyone… just to survive…"
"…It was a matter of… sacrificing the few for the many…"
The merchants stammered in response to her question.
"How pathetic. How can men have such long tongues?"
Neung So-hwa looked at them with eyes full of contempt.
"Why bring up something that's already over!?" one merchant shouted, raising his voice.
It was true they had tried to sell her, but why bring up the past? The past should be left in the past, and one should live in the present, shouldn't they?
"It is not over. The rage and betrayal I felt then still live deep within my heart. By whose authority do you decide it is finished?"
Neung So-hwa lashed out with a chilling glare. Cowering under her majestic rebuke, the merchant shrank back. An untouchable aura of dignity began to radiate from her.
"If you wish for protection, pay the price. Pi Sang-deuk’s body is the price my guard and I are paying him, so do not covet it."
Neung So-hwa declared, her voice ringing out to all the merchants.
"……."
"……."
"……."
Overwhelmed by her majesty, the merchants could not utter a single word.
"I also," Sun-woo spoke up, having listened to her. "I agree with her. If you want protection, pay the price."
Sun-woo continued with a small smirk playing on his lips.
"How much will you give me?"
At his words, the merchants' faces turned pale.
*
The merchants were in despair. They had no idea how much they should offer as a price.
"Um… well… how much were you thinking?"
Seok-gyu, the Chief Merchant, looked at Sun-woo and asked.
"How much can you afford?"
"…In that case… well… the market rate for ronin is…"
"I'm disappointed. To think you'd compare me to mere ronin."
Sun-woo cut Seok-gyu off as he tried to lowball him with wholesale prices. In the ronin market, even those treated as top-tier were only at the Peak Realm. How could he treat Sun-woo the same as them?
"……."
Seok-gyu could only stare at him in silence. He had to save money somehow. They had lost half of the guild's personnel. The condolence money and compensation for the dead alone would be astronomical. Furthermore, they had to recruit new guards in the North Sea. With their remaining strength, they would be easy prey for bandits.
"Um… then… would it be possible for you to accompany us until we return to the Central Plains?"
"Impossible. I will only accompany you to the North Sea Ice Palace."
Sun-woo spoke firmly. He had only agreed to this because they were heading in the same direction. If their paths had been different, he wouldn't have agreed even if they gave him ten of Pi Sang-deuk’s corpses.
Chief Merchant Seok-gyu looked like he was about to cry. He realized he was definitely going to lose a lot of money. The others felt the same, hanging their heads and sighing.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
It was then. The sound of galloping hooves began to echo from not far away. The merchants flinched and huddled together. They were terrified that the bandits might have returned.
They quickly turned their eyes toward the source of the sound.
There, they saw a long procession of many carriages.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Rattle, rattle.
After some time, the long line of carriages reached the guild's location.
Click.
The door of the lead carriage opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out.
"Ah!"
Seeing the man, Chief Merchant Seok-gyu’s eyes lit up. It was a face he recognized.
"Taoist Un-jeok-ja!"
Seok-gyu greeted him with a brightened face. The First Sword of Qingcheng, with whom he had some acquaintance, had appeared.
"Is that not Chief Merchant Seok of the Bukmun Merchant Guild?"
Un-jeok-ja asked back in surprise. The Bukmun Merchant Guild was a place that had readily lent money to the Qingcheng Sect back when they were struggling with debt. Even after the debt was fully settled, they had maintained a good mutual relationship based on that friendship. Naturally, Seok-gyu and Un-jeok-ja were not strangers. They were of similar age and shared the commonality of holding key positions in their respective sect and guild.
Un-jeok-ja was shocked to suddenly see Seok-gyu here.
"What on earth happened?" Un-jeok-ja asked, sounding bewildered.
Upon hearing the question, Seok-gyu began to pour out everything that had happened with a sorrowful expression. Un-jeok-ja listened to his story quietly.
*
"I see. Hero Jang saved you all."
Un-jeok-ja nodded after listening to the story.
"Is that young man's surname Jang?" Seok-gyu asked. He had been curious about the youth.
"The one who saved you is Hero Jang Sun-woo. He is the disciple of the Poison King," Un-jeok-ja explained briefly.
"The Poison King, the Head of the Tang Clan!?"
Seok-gyu’s eyes widened in shock. Who was the Poison King? He was one of the absolute masters of the Central Plains, rumored to have reached the Profound Realm. To be the disciple of such a man—how could he not be shocked?
"That is correct."
Un-jeok-ja nodded in confirmation.
"Ha."
Seok-gyu let out a hollow laugh. If he was the disciple of the Poison King, was he not a pillar of the Orthodox Faction? How could a pillar of the Orthodox Faction demand money like that?
Soon, Seok-gyu shook his head. It seemed the Poison King might have taught him martial arts well, but he certainly hadn't taught him the Chivalric Code.
His character can't keep up with his martial arts!
He cursed Sun-woo inwardly before looking at Un-jeok-ja with sparkling eyes.
"What brings you to the North Sea?"
"My disciples have gone missing, so I came to find them," Un-jeok-ja replied calmly. He felt there was no need to hide it.
"Then why is Hero Jang here?" Seok-gyu asked curiously.
"It wasn't just Qingcheng's disciples who went missing. Disciples from the Tang Clan and Emei have also disappeared."
"Ah."
Seok-gyu let out a sympathetic sigh. He understood immediately. This was a search party dispatched by Qingcheng, the Tang Clan, and Emei.
Realizing this, Seok-gyu smirked inwardly. He thought he could get an escort to the North Sea without paying a high price. Surely, the leader of the search party would be Un-jeok-ja, the First Sword of Qingcheng. And since Qingcheng and the Beijing Merchant Guild had a deep friendship, Un-jeok-ja wouldn't refuse if he asked to travel together to the North Sea Ice Palace.
"Taoist Un-jeok-ja, the safety of the Beijing Merchant Guild is being threatened by bandit attacks. Would it be possible for us to accompany you to the North Sea Ice Palace?"
Chief Merchant Seok-gyu asked in a pleading voice, putting on his most pitiful face. He was certain that Un-jeok-ja would help them.
"You should discuss that with Hero Jang."
"Pardon!?"
But his certainty was shattered. He had received a completely unexpected answer.
"Hero Jang is the leader of this search party. So, shouldn't you discuss it with him?"
At Un-jeok-ja’s following words, Chief Merchant Seok-gyu’s expression became even more bewildered.