Forum Flame War and the Sword Sovereign's Token
Baek Muyoung's eyes shook ceaselessly. Over long years leading the merchant house, he'd seen countless treasures, but the pills in the jade bottle before him utterly defied common sense.
"In the world... Elder Pill Refiner has finally shattered the limits of low-grade pills and succeeded in forming pill scripts! Is this truly a first-realm low-grade Chwi-ryeong Dan?!"
Baek Muyoung let out a gasp of admiration in a trembling voice. He was utterly convinced that this scripted Chwi-ryeong Dan was the work of Elder Gok the Pill Refiner.
No need to correct him and say I made it myself.
Baek Cheong saw no reason to dispel the misunderstanding. Even if she revealed she'd crafted it, they wouldn't believe her—and she'd just face another tiresome interrogation like with the Patcheon Sword Sovereign.
"Uncle, so... can you put that up for auction tomorrow?"
At Baek Cheong's question, Baek Muyoung flinched and clutched the jade bottle tightly.
"This precious thing? Surely Elder Pill Refiner bestowed it specially for your cultivation. Would it even be right to dare put it in our merchant house auction?"
"It's fine! The medicinal potency is too strong for me right now—it's overwhelming, and I'm hesitant to take it immediately. It's mine anyway, so sell it however you like; Grandpa Pill Refiner won't mind."
Baek Cheong brazenly lied as she replied. She then plucked one scripted Chwi-ryeong Dan from the jade bottle, tucked it into her bosom, and pushed the bottle with the remaining three pills toward her uncle.
"A jade bottle with pills inside looks best with at least three, right? One is plenty for me. Please auction the rest."
Baek Muyoung's face lit up with genuine emotion at his niece's generosity.
"Haha, so our little Cheong had such profound intentions! A scripted Chwi-ryeong Dan crafted by Elder Pill Refiner would perfectly crown tomorrow's auction! What a golden opportunity to elevate the Baek Merchant House's prestige!"
Unable to hide his excitement, Baek Muyoung carefully stowed the jade bottle. But then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he slapped his forehead with an "Oh no."
"Good grief, I nearly made a huge mistake. It'd be too much to put it last. Tomorrow's auction already has a major item consigned personally by the Sword Sovereign slotted for the finale—I almost forgot in my excitement."
At the mention of the Patcheon Sword Sovereign's consignment, Baek Cheong's ears perked up.
"The Patcheon Sword Sovereign? What item did he entrust?"
Baek Muyoung glanced around cautiously, then lowered his voice and spoke carefully. Since his niece already had ties to the Sword Sovereign, there was no need to hide it from her.
"It's a divine token granting entry to the Cheongeom Sect's Sword Mound."
Seeing Baek Cheong's interest, Baek Muyoung elaborated on the Sword Mound.
"The Sword Mound of the Cheongeom Sect is a sacred site every disciple must visit once in their lifetime upon entering the sect. It's where sect members deposit swords they no longer use or broken blades at the end of their lifespan. Countless swords form mountains and valleys there, said to create a sea of sword intent in and of itself."
An overwhelming scene formed in her mind just from the description.
"To swordsmen, it's a land of fated opportunities. They can read the wills of ancient sword masters lingering in the myriad blades to gain enlightenment, or if fortune smiles, be chosen by a masterless spirit sword and soar. That's why Sword Mound jade tokens are treasures beyond measure to swordsmen."
Stroking his chin beard, Baek Muyoung recalled the jade token he'd slipped her at the auction house.
"That 'Meteor Wave' sword name you unraveled before—even I've never heard of it, but it must be a peerless sword art left by some illustrious ancestor of the Cheongeom Sect. It's a shame you're not walking the swordsman's path."
Baek Cheong nodded outwardly in regret, but inwardly she was on the verge of yawning. She'd asked, but the boring explanation was too awkward to interrupt midway, so she endured it.
"Wow, what an amazing place."
Baek Cheong tossed out a soulless agreement and swiftly changed the subject.
"Uncle, the scripted Chwi-ryeong Dan is ultimately for Yeon-gi-gi cultivators, right? Instead of last place, why not make it the very first auction item to grab everyone's attention from the start?"
Baek Muyoung's eyes sparkled at the unexpected idea. As head of the Baek Merchant House, he quickly calculated in his mind.
"Oh ho, what a brilliant notion! Opening the auction with a scripted Chwi-ryeong Dan crafted by Elder Pill Refiner himself... Nothing could more perfectly seize the cultivators' souls and hype the crowd from the outset! Cheong-ah, your business acumen surpasses mine!"
Baek Muyoung reframed his niece's whimsical suggestion as the pinnacle of commerce and slapped his knee.
"I'll adjust the auction order right away and prepare everything perfectly. Look forward to tomorrow's Baekgeumgak auction house!"
With that, he snatched the jade bottle and dashed out of the garden like a shot.
Her fun toying with the Ice Dragon Chains suddenly felt utterly deflated.
"My mood's killed."
Baek Cheong stretched and headed back to her residence. She flopped onto the soft bed and immediately accessed Moomyeongbang.
The casual chat board was still its usual chaotic mess.
The aftermath of her scripted pill refining method and the shwoosh sword art incident still dominated the board. But as a massive community teeming with countless Dou users, unrelated miscellany updated endlessly too.
Users bickered over unverifiable demonic sect rumors. Baek Cheong browsed the posts, observing the Dou ecosystem, when a mischievous smile crept across her lips.
Time for some pure troll bait after a while.
She opened the compose window and crammed the search bar with every keyword that'd hook Moomyeongbang users.
She listed every cultivation art she knew. Not quite a hundred, but plenty.
"Hehe... All Dou are in the palm of my hand..."
As soon as she posted, views skyrocketed at breakneck speed. Dou with fierce pride in their specialties bit the bait and swarmed in.
In seconds, it devolved into a brutal arena where Dou representing each profession savaged each other. Thousands of replies piled up, trash-talking rivals and hyping their own trades.
"Pffft, now that's the gallery vibe."
Baek Cheong rolled on the bed, giggling. Watching her single spark divide and enrage the Moomyeongbang Dou was pure delight. It compensated for the missed fated opportunity she'd failed to find despite days of lurking.
"Yawwn."
Thus, savoring the arena's heat with pleasant drowsiness, Baek Cheong slowly drifted into sleep.