The Swift Blade's Negotiation

Namgung Woo scanned the new visitors with a calm gaze. “Let’s just sit over there and watch.”

He found an appropriately empty table and took a seat. The Rogue Association building had a space resembling a tavern, apparently so that clients and mercenaries could negotiate or converse in comfort. A quick look around showed that while they didn’t serve proper meals, they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did offer simple snacks and drinks. Once Namgung Woo sat down, Paeng Ha-ryeong and Yang Jeong followed suit and claimed their own seats.

In the meantime, Yang Kvae strode boldly toward the source of the commotion. Let’s see how he handles this. Namgung Woo watched Yang Kvae’s actions with keen interest.

“Hey there. I heard from outside that you’re looking for a Peak Realm expert.”

The young man who had been arguing with the Rogue Association staff whipped his head around at Yang Kvae’s words. His eyes swept up and down Yang Kvae, as if trying to figure out what kind of person he was dealing with.

“That’s right. So?”

“What, having trouble finding one?”

“If you’re here to mock me, just leave.”

“Mock you? I’m saying I might be able to help. You need a Peak Realm expert, don’t you?”

It was the Rogue Association staff member who reacted first to Yang Kvae’s words, not the young man.

“Where did you crawl out from? Soliciting business in another association’s territory is going to cause problems.”

“Pfft, where did I come from? I came from Hebei. I’m a rogue looking for work, so don’t get so touchy.”

“Hebei? That’s quite far. But if you want to take a job through our Rogue Association, you’ll need to pay the basic membership fee first.”

“How much?”

“One silver tael per person. Pay it once and we’ll handle everything—referrals, deposit management, everything except the brokerage fee.”

“One tael? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Isn’t that a bit expensive? One silver tael is enough for an ordinary person to live on for a whole year.”

“Do you think this is some backwater village in Hebei? This is Nanjing! Nanjing!”

Watching the Rogue Association staff member shout about how different it was from Hebei, where Beijing was located, Namgung Woo could feel the pride and wounded self-respect of Nanjing’s citizens. No wonder the anti-government Black Path Murim is flourishing here with relatively little interference from the authorities.

The Grand Canal, which required enormous maintenance costs, existed to transport the wealth and goods of Jiangnan all the way to Beijing. The budget spent on the long journey to the distant capital for tax collection was truly astronomical. Naturally, the burden on Jiangnan—which was both far from Beijing and directly connected to the Grand Canal—was far greater than in other regions. Since the common people were more cooperative with the Black Path Murim than with the imperial family, it would be extremely difficult for the government to gather evidence and impose sanctions.

While Namgung Woo was pondering the ecology of Jiangnan’s Murim, the argument between Yang Kvae and the staff member grew increasingly heated.

“What, you don’t have confidence in your own skills? In Nanjing, you can earn four or five taels in just a few jobs. If you think one tael is too much, that just proves you’re third-rate trash.”

“What? Third-rate trash? Are you seriously saying that to this Peak Realm expert, Yang Kvae?”

Yang Kvae was fairly quick-witted, but in front of a Rogue Association employee who spent his entire life dealing with rough mercenaries using nothing but his silver tongue, he was like a silkworm trying to show off wrinkles in front of a cocoon. Still, Yang Kvae’s impulsive outburst completely changed the atmosphere in the room.

When Yang Kvae stopped hiding his aura and began releasing it openly, the young man—who had been standing there like a sack of barley—jumped in surprise and shouted.

“Peak Realm expert? You?”

Before he could even rejoice at finally finding a Peak Realm expert, the young man was stunned by Yang Kvae’s apparent age. He looks about the same age as me… how is he already a rogue…

The young man was twenty-nine years old. He had exactly six months left before he would turn thirty and be excluded from the list of late-stage rising talents.

Only then did the young man focus his senses. Having barely reached the Peak Realm at the beginning of the year, he still found maintaining constant awareness of his qi perception awkward.

He really does seem like a Peak Realm expert…?

Perfectly discerning someone’s realm through qi perception alone required at least the Transcendent Realm, but even those below that level could make rough estimates. And from Yang Kvae, he felt a qi that was similar to his own—or perhaps even deeper and more refined.

As if to deliver the final confirmation, the Rogue Association staff member spoke up.

“It’s real. With an aura like this… if he’s truly a Peak Realm expert, the story changes completely. If you’re willing to become an exclusive member of our Rogue Association, we’ll waive the membership fee and treat you as a premium client. That includes the three people who came in with you.”

The staff member clearly had a lot of experience. It meant he had been observing everyone entering through the door even while talking to the young man.

Yang Kvae shrugged at the employee’s words.

“Well, it’s not something I can decide on my own.”

“…You’re a Peak Realm expert, though?”

“I’m just a subordinate. And we probably won’t be staying in Nanjing very long anyway.”

Having regained his composure, Yang Kvae turned to the young man instead of the staff member.

“If you’re looking for a Peak Realm expert, I assume you’ve prepared a generous commission fee. You’ll need to cover our share of the brokerage fee as well.”

“…Non-members are prohibited from conducting negotiations inside the Rogue Association.”

“Then just pay a higher brokerage fee. Or does Nanjing not allow that?”

“For a premium client at the Peak Realm level, we can make that kind of accommodation. But the brokerage fee will be quite expensive.”

“That’s not my problem. Let’s get going, then.”

Yang Kvae smoothly passed the brokerage fee onto the young man and led him back to where Namgung Woo was waiting.

“Not bad.”

“Haha, in this line of work, just being a Peak Realm expert gets you respect, Captain.”

This was why Yang Kvae had been so overjoyed upon reaching the Peak Realm and sang about it every single day. It was the explosion of all the resentment he had built up during his previous life as a rogue, constantly receiving discriminatory treatment compared to Peak experts. In prestigious major sects, Peak Realm experts might only qualify as squad members, but in the wider world, reaching the Peak Realm meant receiving respect wherever you went. Some even founded their own sects. Hadn’t Hwang Mu-tak, despite being only at the Peak Realm, established a gang that ruled an entire county?

Especially in the rogue industry, once someone reached the Peak Realm they usually retired, settled down somewhere, and lived comfortably off their reputation. That made Peak Realm experts even rarer and more valuable.

“So you’re the one looking for a Peak Realm expert.”

When the conversation turned to him, the young man swallowed nervously. It was already shocking enough that someone who looked roughly his own age had reached the Peak Realm while working as a rogue, but the real surprise was elsewhere.

That man looks even younger!

And yet the Peak Realm expert called him “Captain”? Of course, martial prowess didn’t necessarily determine hierarchy. But there had to be something special about him for that Peak Realm rogue to call him Captain. It was only natural that the young man’s attitude became cautious.

And the woman beside him…

She was clearly wearing practical, commonly seen martial attire, but the material was obviously far from ordinary at first glance. Moreover, the dignity she exuded simply by sitting still was not something that could be acquired in a day or two. Even with her face veiled, one could immediately tell she must be beautiful. All of these things raised the young man’s trust in the group.

They seem far more trustworthy than some suspicious rogues.

Having finished his first impression assessment of Namgung Woo’s party, the young man spoke.

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

“I’d like to hear the details.”

“Well, it’s like this…”

With clear tension in his voice, the young man began to explain. His name was Wi Ji-ryang. Not from the prestigious Wi clan, but simply Wi as the surname and Ji-ryang as the given name. He was the young master of the Clear Water Sect in Cheonjang County and had been heading to Gyeonghyeon County in pursuit of the Four Seasons Pearls. However, after leaving Nanjing, he had been attacked by assailants presumed to be from the Bokmanghoe and had barely managed to return.

“No one died and we made it back to Nanjing, but the escorts who were protecting us were all injured. That’s why I was trying to hire some rogues to accompany us.”

“You seem to be in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quite a hurry?”

At Namgung Woo’s question, Wi Ji-ryang’s expression changed. He understood exactly what the other man was pointing out.

“There’s no harm in hurrying. It’s better for us if we move quickly as well. Shall we summarize? The request is to escort us to Gyeonghyeon County. The targets are three people, including Young Master Wi. Since the Bokmanghoe has already been identified, combat is highly likely. That leaves only one crucial matter.”

The commission fee. The key factor that would decide whether Namgung Woo’s group would accept the request or not. Wi Ji-ryang offered the maximum amount he could afford, desperately hoping it would be enough.

“Twenty silver taels. If all three of us arrive unharmed before winter, I will pay an additional ten taels as a success bonus.”

A total of thirty silver taels. That was enough money for an ordinary commoner to live on for twenty years. Even for Namgung Woo, whose financial sense had grown slightly dulled after staying with the Hebei Paeng Family, it didn’t seem like a small amount. He wasn’t sure if it was appropriate pay for commanding a rogue squad that included a Peak Realm expert, but the content of the request itself was quite appealing.

“Good. We’ll take it.”

The next day, right after Wi Ji-ryang, who had promised to meet the group at the southwest Fengtai Gate, finished paying all the brokerage fees and left, Namgung Woo’s party also exited the Rogue Association to find lodging.

“Whoa~ Our Captain really has the perfect aura of a rogue! Thirty silver taels on the very first request? This is the appearance of a monstrous rookie who’s about to shake up this overly relaxed rogue industry, isn’t it?”

“For a four-man rogue squad that includes a Peak Realm expert, how does thirty silver taels rank?”

“It’s not bad at all. Usually, hiring one first-class martial artist costs about three silver taels per month. That’s roughly two to three times a soldier’s monthly salary.”

If they calculated Namgung Woo and Paeng Ha-ryeong—who hadn’t revealed their true strength—as first-class, and added Yang Jeong, it came to roughly ten taels. That meant the remaining twenty taels were essentially Yang Kvae’s share as the Peak Realm expert.

“The gap between first-class and Peak is enormous, huh?”

“Of course. You might not feel it as strongly, Gaga, but the wall of manifesting sword qi is incredibly high.”

It felt like a fair market price. As a first commission, it wasn’t a bad result at all.

“Since we’ve taken our first request, let’s have something delicious for dinner tonight.”

“They say Nanjing duck is incredibly tasty. The cooking method is different from Beijing’s, so we really should try it at least once…”

“Duck sounds good.”

Back at the inn they had chosen as their lodging, Wi Ji-ryang explained everything about the rogues he had hired and the details of the request to his companions. Upon hearing it all, the group exploded.

“Are you out of your mind, Brother?! If you give away thirty silver taels, what are we supposed to do on the way back?! Have you gone crazy? Really!”

While desperately trying to calm his younger sister, who looked ready to grab a pillow and start swinging it at him, Wi Ji-ryang quickly made his excuses.

“By then our senior brother will have recovered! Right, Senior Brother?”

“It should be possible within a month.”

“See?!”

“Ugh… Is that the problem right now? You signed the contract the moment you heard the words ‘Peak Realm expert.’ Did you even see him manifest sword qi? Did you ask for his title? Did you at least confirm if he’s a disciple from one of the Nine Great Schools’ branch families?”

“That’s…”

The issues he hadn’t thought of in the heat of the moment under the other party’s overwhelming presence poured out of Wi Seong-ha’s mouth.

“I really can’t deal with you. You’re not even a newcomer to the Jianghu and you do something like this.”

“Seong-ha, don’t be too harsh. If he isn’t actually a Peak Realm expert, we can always back out then, can’t we?”

Even with Yi Gong-seo’s mediation, Wi Seong-ha’s anger showed no signs of subsiding.

“Senior Brother is too soft, that’s the problem. Really… Tomorrow I’ll go myself and set things straight. Just watch!”

The next morning.

“U-um, h-hello… I-I’m Wi Seong-ha… P-please take care of us.”