The Path of Radiant Ascension
After a scorching stretch of time in the inn room, Seomun So-ryeo and I headed downstairs to the first-floor dining hall as evening settled in. Outside, the light had faded to gloom, and the restaurant was filling with customers.
The moment we stepped onto the first floor, every eye in the place swung our way. Most of those stares belonged to men, so I was certain they were for Seomun So-ryeo.
Well, I understood. Right now she looked more lewd than even the highest-class courtesan. Her clothes showed less skin than a courtesan’s, yet the flush still burning on her face and the traces of sweat that hadn’t dried told their own story. Anyone looking at her would know she had been fucking only moments ago.
We took a table that was reasonably empty. Instead of sitting across from me, Seomun So-ryeo slid into the seat right beside mine. Under the table her hand found my crotch and began to stroke it.
“Let’s eat quick and go back up. We still have to finish what we started, right?”
“I’ve been pounding you without a break until now… and that still wasn’t enough?”
“Why the sudden polite talk? Compared to usual, that was nowhere near enough. For you or for me.”
“……”
She was right, so I had nothing to fire back with.
Her hand kept caressing me until the waiter finally approached.
“I’m not big on fish,” Seomun So-ryeo said.
“Same here. I’ve eaten nothing but fish in this city and I’m sick of it. Bring us pork and beef dishes.”
“Ah… Young Hero. There are more than one or two kinds of pork and beef.”
“Bring them all.”
“All of them together would run over ten silver taels, though…”
“You talk too much. I said bring them, so bring them. Isn’t that your job?”
“…Yes, sir! Order received.”
A little pressure and the waiter shot off toward the kitchen like a startled rabbit. Watching his back, Seomun So-ryeo let out a snort of laughter.
“Did you really have to treat him like that?”
“Be too kind and they forget their place and start climbing all over you.”
“You’re not talking about me, are you?”
“You climbing all over me is more than welcome. I’ve been riding your body until just now… this time I’d like you to climb on top of mine.”
“Heh. Fine. Look forward to it. I’ll suck you dry.”
Watching Seomun So-ryeo’s lewd little smile, I already regretted ordering so much food. It wasn’t the money. It was the time. If I’d just ordered one or two dishes, they would have come out fast.
I was about to let my restless hand wander over to fondle her ass when someone approached our table. It wasn’t the waiter.
A short middle-aged man with a goatish beard. He clasped his fists in greeting.
“A pleasure to meet you, Seomjeon Blade Yeom Gu-seok. I am Bu Yeo-tae, a merchant who does business with the Heavenly Demon Cult. At present I am traveling west under the protection of Miss Seomun.”
I looked him over carefully. Not a martial artist. A complete civilian who had never even learned the first character of martial arts. Yet the sharp presence he carried was every bit as keen as a martial artist who had survived a hundred battles. Just like in the original story.
Ordinarily I would have radiated pressure and told him to get lost. Being interrupted while I was with Seomun So-ryeo had put me in a foul mood. But he was the man she was escorting. Anything that happened here could affect her, so there was no need to make an enemy of Bu Yeo-tae.
I rose from my seat and returned the fist salute.
“A pleasure, sir. I am Yeom Gu-seok. The moniker Seomjeon Blade is one I only picked up after arriving here, so it still feels strange.”
“Haha. That’s how it is for most people. You’ll get used to the moniker soon enough, Young Hero Yeom. May I join you at the table?”
“I have no objection.”
I turned my head to glance at Seomun So-ryeo. She smiled and nodded.
“Of course it’s fine, Sir Bu. Please sit. Honestly, this guy just ordered a mountain of land-meat dishes and I was starting to worry.”
“You two seem quite close. Might I ask if the relationship is what I am thinking?”
Seomun So-ryeo shot me a quick look, then waved her hand.
“No. We’re not like that. But we are close. We entered Ipmaso in the same class. He’s helped me out in all sorts of ways.”
“Ah. It seems I misunderstood. My apologies.”
“It’s fine.”
“Miss Seomun, would you mind raising a sound barrier around us?”
“It seems Sir Bu has something to say. All right.”
Seomun So-ryeo agreed readily. She bit her lip lightly and focused. Inner energy surged from her dantian and poured outward, forming a barrier of qi. Its purpose was not defense, but to keep conversation from leaking out.
“Done.”
“My thanks, Miss Seomun. Young Hero Yeom, as you have no doubt already guessed, I am a black-market merchant.”
“Mm. I know. The Cult would never assign escorts of our caliber to an ordinary merchant.”
Every martial artist from Ipmaso could be called elite. They would never waste such high-grade manpower guarding some ordinary peddler.
“Today I spent the daylight hours walking the city and gathering information. A kind of habit of mine. Depending on the information, the value of goods can rise or fall, so I always try to keep my ears open.”
“Meaning you heard about me.”
“Yes. It seems you have entered an irreparable relationship with the Seon Family Estate.”
It wasn’t particularly unpleasant news. Rumors that my relationship with the Seon Family Estate had gone completely to hell were already spreading all over the city.
“I still don’t understand why Sir Bu is telling me this.”
“Ah, please do not misunderstand. I have no intention of threatening you or offering unsolicited advice. I am a merchant. Even a black-market merchant still chases money.”
“You’re saying you want to sell me something?”
“Yes. I would like to introduce my wares. Young Hero Yeom, black-market merchants deal in illegal goods. Narcotics, people, extreme poisons, martial arts manuals… and weapons forbidden by law. I am a weapons merchant.”
Something clicked in my head.
“I take it you don’t sell ordinary things like swords or spears.”
“Haha. Those can be found anywhere, can’t they? There are black-market merchants who deal in famous blades or demonic swords, but unfortunately I am not one of them. I sell rather more special weapons.”
“What kind of weapons?”
“Thunderbolt Bombs.”
Thunderbolt Bombs. In other words, bombs. Murim-style bombs packed with as much gunpowder as they could hold. Their power made modern grenades look like toys. One of them could casually erase an entire inn. Even martial artists who had reached the realm of Chulji would not walk away unscathed if they took a direct hit.
“…You deal in dangerous goods.”
“Yes. Extremely dangerous. Every city regulates Thunderbolt Bombs with an iron fist. Just possessing one is a capital offense. But precisely because of that, they are a sure weapon. Young Hero Yeom… you look very interested.”
In my current situation I could not freely use modern weapons. I was on an Ipmaso mission. The eyes of the Heavenly Demon Cult were on me. If I started freely deploying modern firearms here, the Cult would inevitably demand to know where they came from.
That alone would be enough of a headache, but if the transmigrator Cheon Yu-un ever learned I had used modern weapons, the trouble would not stop at mere inconvenience.
But if I bought Thunderbolt Bombs from Bu Yeo-tae and used those, the story changed. Thunderbolt Bombs were bombs that existed in this world, and their source was clearly Bu Yeo-tae.
The only remaining issue was the source of the money, but I could bluff that. I would claim I ran into bandits on the way to Haga City and robbed them instead. What mattered to the Heavenly Demon Cult was not my personal wealth; they would not dig too deeply into my funds.
“Sir Bu. How many Thunderbolt Bombs do you currently have?”
“I am carrying forty-two in total. At the current market rate I sell them for five gold taels each.”
“Expensive.”
“That is the nature of Thunderbolt Bombs. They are hard to obtain, and merely possessing them is a death sentence.”
“I’ll buy them. But can we do it in goods rather than coin?”
“Goods, is it? Of course that is possible. What sort of goods?”
“Herbs. Not ordinary ones—spirit herbs that contain spiritual energy.”
“Excellent. Unlike Thunderbolt Bombs, spirit herbs can be sold easily, and plenty of people want them. Still, I hope those spirit herbs are worth as much as the bombs.”
“Once we finish the meal I’ll show you the goods. You won’t be disappointed. I obtained them through a connection before I entered Ipmaso. Spirit herbs that were useless to me are finally finding a use.”
Soon the waiter brought the food.
Seomun So-ryeo dropped the sound barrier. We continued the meal while talking about other topics.
After dinner we went to Bu Yeo-tae’s room and completed the transaction.
“Oh. Excellent. Yes, every one of them is top quality.”
“Enough to buy every last Thunderbolt Bomb?”
“Haha. This is more than enough. Yes, more than enough.”
Bu Yeo-tae’s mouth stretched all the way to his ears.
I handed over the spirit herbs without a second thought.
I had the Celestial River Star System. The attendance event was still running. Every week the attendance reward gave me spirit herbs. With good luck I even received higher-grade spirit pills.
“Haha. A most enjoyable transaction. Young Hero Yeom, if you ever need more Thunderbolt Bombs, contact me. You can find me through the Yeodu Merchant Guild of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“I’ll remember that.”
With the deal finished, Seomun So-ryeo and I returned to our room.
The moment she stepped inside she stripped. Her body still burned with the heat of sex and had not cooled. Her C-cup breasts rose in full, pretty mounds, the soft pink nipples at their tips standing stiff. Clear love juices soaked the hair of her pussy so thoroughly that they ran down her thighs in glistening trails.
“I didn’t know you had that many spirit herbs. Then again, you must have had that many if you could give me the Earth Spirit Pill and the Demon Essence Pill.”
“You’re a woman worth more than those pills.”
“Even if it’s empty flattery, it sounds nice.”
“It’s not empty flattery.”
She stepped right up to me and lifted her right leg high. True to a martial artist who had reached Chulji, her flexibility was absurd. She split her legs into a perfect straight line yet kept perfect balance. Her openly displayed pink pussy fluttered and dripped love juices in thick drops.
“That deal just now was a loss for you. You didn’t even try to haggle. Did you see Bu Yeo-tae’s mouth split open? He’s probably thinking you’re a sucker.”
“Let him think that. That kind of deal doesn’t matter to me. I just wanted to fuck your pussy as soon as possible.”
I closed the distance. I rubbed the head of my cock against her twitching pussy. It jumped and fluttered with delight. An expectant moan slipped from Seomun So-ryeo’s lips.
“Haa… haah… Put your cock in already.”
“Where?”
“In your personal pussy!”
I snapped my hips forward. In one thrust I buried my cock to the hilt and slammed against her womb. Seomun So-ryeo’s face went slack at once and a sweet, lewd cry spilled from her mouth.
“Haaaaaah!”
I kept swinging my hips without rest until the hour of dawn when she had to leave.