Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Translator: Penny
Chapter 18
The Elixir's True Master (1)
The old man's prayer revealed the demeanor of a true martial arts master. Though he no longer possessed the sharp, precise perception of his younger days, he could still roughly gauge his opponent's nature.
He was likely the person in charge of this place, or someone of similar rank. After all, among the various martial arts goods sold here, the elixir was undoubtedly the most valuable.
"What form would you prefer? Pill, herb, or pellet?"
"Anything will do."
"Are you running an errand?"
The old man could only hear my voice, as my face was concealed by a bamboo hat. In truth, I had subtly altered my voice as well. It was best to keep such matters confidential.
During my early days as Alliance Leader, I often had to wear human skin masks. That was when I learned how to modify my voice. Thanks to that training, I could now produce several distinct voices. I was currently using one of them.
"No."
"You're a capable young man. Have you ever been here before?"
"No."
Despite my terse answers, the old man persisted with his questions. I suspected why he kept probing.
Back in the old days, this was how people sized each other up. The Black Market was a treacherous place then, dangerous for both patrons and the market itself.
This old man, trying to gauge my intentions through idle chatter, must have worked here for a long time.
I answered all his trivial questions without showing any irritation, even though my responses remained brief. The old man seemed satisfied nonetheless.
"You're unusually polite for someone of your generation."
Truthfully, I hadn't gone through the trouble of answering so patiently just to hear those words. I was keeping future transactions in mind. I'd made a connection, and I wanted to keep it open for future visits.
"You're incredibly fortunate. No elixirs have arrived at our branch in the past six months."
It seems elixirs are truly scarce these days.
"But coincidentally, one arrived just two days ago."
"What kind is it?"
"A Thousand-Year Sun Banana Herb."
A Thousand-Year Sun Banana Herb! Known to grant between ten and fifteen years' worth of Internal Force, it was exactly what I needed.
"How much?"
"Forty-four thousand taels."
Damn it! I was fifteen thousand taels short.
"As you may know, all items sold in the Black Market have fixed prices. If you're worried about being overcharged, you can check with another branch."
I already knew that.
There were two main reasons why the Black Market had grown to become the largest trading network in the Central Plains.
First, the Black Market never betrayed its customers. It never sold counterfeit goods, leaked customer secrets, or swindled their money.
Second, it maintained fixed prices.
The prices for goods were uniform across all of the Black Market's dozens of branches throughout the Central Plains. Whenever a price changed, it changed simultaneously at every branch.
While the Black Market's prices weren't cheap, people trusted that they wouldn't be ripped off there, which drew many customers.
This was why the Black Market had endured for so long.
"If I don't buy it, it'll sell quickly anyway, right?"
"Most likely."
Elixirs were like that. If you missed the chance to buy one when it was available, it might not appear again for months, or even years. The old man was right; the appearance of the Thousand-Year Sun Banana Herb now was truly fortunate.
But it was beyond my means.
"I don't have enough money prepared. I'll have to wait for another opportunity."
As I stood to leave, the old man asked, "Why do you want the elixir?"
"To become stronger, of course."
"And what will you do with that strength?"
Many reasons came to mind. I blurted out the first one that surfaced.
"I've been an unfilial son my entire life, only realizing my mistakes belatedly. Now I want to try being filial."
The old man stared at me blankly for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! That's the most absurd thing I've heard in all my years running this business!"
"Why is that?"
"Because none of the martial artists who've sought elixirs here have ever been filial sons."
I knew exactly what he meant. I had been there myself. When you're obsessed with becoming stronger, it's easy to neglect everything else around you.
I had dreamed of becoming the Foremost Person Under Heaven so I could finally repay my mother for all she had done. But she didn't live long enough to see it.
This life would be different. I vowed to hold onto everything that truly mattered.
"Unfortunately, it seems you've missed your chance to become the first filial son," the old man remarked unexpectedly. "I'll give you ten days. If you can gather the money by then, I'll sell it to you. Exactly ten days."
I couldn't tell if he was reminded of his own parents or simply appreciated my polite demeanor, but he was extending me a kindness.
"Thank you for your consideration," I said.
"This old one believes the Elixir has its rightful owner. Prove to me that it's you."
I bowed to him and left.
Could I really raise another fifteen thousand taels in just ten days?
Despite my recent string of positive achievements, there was one person within the family whose opinion of me remained unchanged: Chief Steward Jong, the same old man who had been cursing me when I first awoke.
"I don't trust you," he declared.
"May I ask why?"
"Intuition. I have a gut feeling you'll reveal your true nature someday and cause trouble."
Stubborn old fool, I thought. Why can't he set aside his suspicions and trust people when he should?
The elders of the Martial Arts Alliance Elder Council were all like this: as greedy as they were suspicious, and equally stubborn.
I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Chief Steward, do you happen to have any spare taels?"
Chief Steward Jong's eyes widened, his expression practically screaming, "See? I told you so!"
"Over my dead body!"
He strode away, his footsteps echoing in the distance.
I chuckled softly, watching him go. He was a stubborn old man, but indispensable to the Byeok Clan Sword School, especially for his remarkable medical skills.
Still, this was a serious predicament.
Three of the promised ten days had already passed. Time was slipping away, and I had no way to secure the money.
There was only one option left.
I could go to the Yang Association and squeeze Jeong Yeo for every last tael. By quickly liquidating everything, I might be able to scrape together around Fifteen Thousand Taels.
But that would utterly ruin my relationship with Jeong Yeo. He would see me as nothing more than a leech, trying to bleed him dry, and start harboring dark thoughts about me.
Fifteen Thousand Taels wasn't a small sum, but it felt like a waste to lose the Yang Association's trust over it. He had planned to leverage their relationship for far greater gains.
As he wrestled with this dilemma, Gwangdu, with his uncanny ability to sense trouble, picked up on his distress like a ghost.
"Something's bothering you, isn't it?"
His intuition was almost on par with Gal Saryang's, though his assumptions were completely off.
"Missing Miss Song again, huh? No matter how much you deny it, you still want to see her, don't you?"
"I need some money."
By then, Gwangdu had already backed away a considerable distance.
"Seriously? Just when we were starting to get along, you're asking to borrow money?"
"I haven't actually asked yet."
"Spare me the act. So, how much? Fine, I can lend you up to fifteen taels. But you absolutely have to pay it back."
"I need Fifteen Thousand Taels."
"Huff!"
"And I need it within seven days."
Gwangdu blinked, dumbfounded. "That's an amount I'd need fifteen lifetimes to earn, even if I didn't get swindled out of my drink money by some greedy landlord."
He sat down beside me. "What about the compensation money you got from the Yang Association?"
"It's not enough."
"Are you planning to buy an entire estate or something?"
"I need it for something far more important."
In my past life, money had never been a concern. Now, I realized that my inexperience with financial matters might be my greatest weakness. I wished we had a sharp, young steward instead of old Chief Jong.
"Speaking of money, it reminds me of the past. You were desperately trying to raise funds back then and ended up causing a huge mess. That's how you got into debt with the Yang Association."
"How on earth did I rack up a debt of twenty thousand taels?"
"The Patriarch cut off your allowance because you were causing so much trouble. Desperate for money, you decided to capture a wanted criminal for the bounty, only to become his hostage. In the end, he extorted a fortune from you instead."
I really pulled out all the stops with my foolish antics, didn't I?
"But with your martial arts skills in such a state, how did you even come up with such a reckless idea?"
"Great Hero Gong put the notion in your head."
"Great Hero Gong?"
"Yes. He's the Qufu Branch Head of the Martial Arts Alliance."
The mention of the Martial Arts Alliance stirred something deep within me. How long had it been since I'd heard that name?
"So, what do you mean by 'put the notion in my head'?"
"Ever since he started associating with that man, he's been gripped by this obsession with being a chivalrous hero."
"Really?"
An inexplicable sense of unease crept over me.
Could a branch head of the Martial Arts Alliance really associate with such a scoundrel, especially a greenhorn like that?
"What was our family's situation back then?"
"We were at our lowest point. That incident proved to be the final blow that ruined us."
"I see. So Great Hero Gong is the branch head here. Then who was this guy with the bounty on his head?"
"Gwak Dosu. A vile wretch who broke into the Wu Family Manor in Shandong, stole their wealth, and massacred the entire family. They say he's committed countless other acts of theft and murder."
I'd never heard of him before. Not surprising, I suppose; I can't be expected to know every scoundrel out there.
"How much was the bounty the Martial Arts Alliance offered?"
"At the time, it was five thousand taels."
Five thousand taels meant I was classified as a heinous criminal.
"That scoundrel just took the money and let me go? Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"Great Hero Gong mediated the situation. That's how you survived."
"How did he mediate?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
"Did Gwak Dosu demand twenty thousand taels?"
"No, fifteen thousand. I heard the five thousand went to Great Hero Gong as his fee for mediating."
"A bribe?"
"We shouldn't call it a bribe. It was a gift from the Patriarch."
"A father might give money to save his child. But a public official should have refused it."
Knowing my father's personality, I doubted he'd offered the money first. More likely, that scoundrel had subtly hinted for it.
After hearing the whole story, a strong suspicion arose: Could Great Hero Gong be in league with Gwak Dosu?
Perhaps they had exploited the immense trust afforded by Gong's position as the Martial Arts Alliance Branch Head to pull off a scheme, preying on the vulnerability of parents desperate for their children's well-being.
"Has Gwak Dosu been captured yet?"
"I haven't heard any news of his capture."
Seeing me nod, Gwangdu feigned shock. "You're not planning to catch him yourself, are you?"
"Of course I am. That piece of trash swindled Fifteen Thousand Taels from me. I can't just let him get away with it."
"It's too dangerous! He's notorious for being truly vicious!"
"Then at least lend me all your money first."
"Young Master, you're more than capable of capturing him. You handled the Yang Association affair with ease, didn't you?"
"Hahaha."
Gwangdu's expression turned serious. "Then I'll come with you. I can't lend you the money, but I'd gladly lend you a hand."
I understood Gwangdu's concern perfectly. Taking him along could give him valuable experience.
But this matter needed to be resolved swiftly.
I had a hunch that resolving this issue might also solve my financial troubles.
"That right arm of yours is still just for show. Focus on your martial arts training. Just tell your parents I'll be away training for a few days."
As I left the house, my eyes turned cold.
What if those two were in cahoots and had embezzled the Twenty Thousand Taels?
If that were the case, they'd better be prepared.