Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Azure Sky Manor
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“I can't fathom why a place this fine is still sitting empty as an abandoned manor.”
Se Yeong was utterly taken with the estate.
It wasn't too far from the village, and the wide-open surroundings meant any intruders from outside would be spotted right away.
Instructor Kang seemed quite pleased with it too.
“Guess we'll have to poke around the village and see what we can dig up.”
“Sounds good to me.”
***
The value of a single silver tael was truly remarkable.
The innkeeper spilled every dirty secret about the manor without holding back.
“Plenty of folks have tried buying up that estate. But with this lord demanding a million silver taels, who's gonna buy the manor and the surrounding land? For a million taels, you could snag a far better estate and plot elsewhere.”
“Is the price still the same for the manor and land now?”
“Yep. This lord's greedier than most—he never budges on the price.”
Se Yeong felt a tightness in his chest.
He only had two hundred thousand silver taels on hand, but the manor and land would cost a million.
“Brother, we should look elsewhere.”
Paeng Se Gi had already given up at the mention of a million taels.
But Se Yeong wasn't ready to let go of the manor and land that easily.
“It's the same everywhere else. Most of it's owned by this lord, so you won't find cheap land around here.”
“How about we just threaten him, brother?”
The innkeeper waved his hands frantically at Paeng Se Gi's words.
“Oh, please don't even joke. He's from a martial family himself—a real expert—and his kids are skilled in martial arts too. Plus, he's got plenty of renowned masters among his guests. Threats won't fly.”
Hmph.
“Those so-called martial arts experts...”
Paeng Se Gi snorted derisively, dismissing the lord entirely.
“How much did this lord pay for the manor and surrounding land?”
At Se Yeong's question, the innkeeper glanced warily around.
“Word is, he got it for a hundred thousand silver taels. During the Demonic Cult war, most of the manor's household died off, so he snatched it up cheap. Rumor has it he led his retainers there and strong-armed the deal.”
“What kind of man is this lord?”
“A real tyrant—can't even describe it. If you fall out of his favor in this village, you're either dead or hightailing it in the dead of night. Some say his family survived the Demonic Cult war because they surrendered without a fight.”
He'd learned most of what he needed to know.
“What's the manor called?”
“Azure Sky Manor.”
An estate of the azure sky... What a fine name.
***
Se Yeong stepped out of the inn with his squad members.
“What's the plan?”
“Need to look around a bit more.”
“Didn't they say all the estates and land in the village belong to this lord? Maybe we should cut our losses here.”
Instructor Kang's words had the whole squad nodding in agreement.
“Better to move on somewhere else, Hero Han.”
“Not like this village is the only place with manors.”
But Se Yeong stubbornly held his ground.
“Nowhere else comes close. I've got an idea, so let's scout a little longer.”
With Se Yeong digging in like that, Instructor Kang and the squad had no choice but to follow.
“What land are you looking at?”
“The most barren plot nearby.”
“Not the manor—actual land?”
“Yeah. I've got a great plan.”
Instructor Kang was curious about Se Yeong's intentions.
“Let's go take a look.”
The spot Instructor Kang led them to was a rugged barren hill.
It was quite a hike from the village, and the ground was littered with rocks, making it unfit even for fields.
To farm it, you'd have to clear every last stone—truly abandoned land.
Se Yeong surveyed the hill and turned to his squad.
“How much do you figure this land goes for?”
Dang Ok Yi answered first.
“Even at top price, I doubt it'd break ten thousand silver taels. But what would we even do with it?”
“This lord's so greedy, he'll probably ask fifty thousand, Hero Han.”
Yi Cheon Yeong gave a different estimate.
Se Yeong held out his hand to Paeng Se Gi.
“Hand over fifty thousand in clean banknotes from what I entrusted you with.”
“What for, fifty thousand taels?”
“To buy this land, obviously.”
“There's no place here for the squad to even stay, brother.”
“We'll rough it in grass huts for a while.”
The squad stared at Se Yeong in stunned silence.
They'd steeled themselves for death when leaving the Murim Alliance, so grass huts weren't the issue.
But this place wasn't fit for human habitation.
“Th-this is way too far from the village, Hero Han.”
Sa Sa Un, who'd been quiet until then, finally spoke up in frustration.
Se Yeong ignored his timid protest.
“Go to a big distant village or a gold mine and gather a ton of gold dust.”
“Gold dust for what?”
“To sprinkle on the land, naturally.”
The squad was left speechless by Se Yeong's reply.
“Om mani padme hum. If you're just gonna waste gold dust on dirt, donate it to this poor monk instead. I'll put it to very good use.”
Se Yeong brushed off Yeong-gak's words.
“Gotta jack up the land price to sell it high.”
Keh heh heh!
Instructor Kang burst out laughing first.
His hearty guffaw snapped the squad back to their senses.
“I get it now, brother. How much gold dust should we get?”
“Greedy types are always suspicious. So we'll need to spend fifty or sixty thousand taels on gold dust.”
Greedy folks tended to be paranoid.
But that greed made them easy to trap.
“Got it. We'll head out right away.”
“Move without rest using lightness skill. Buy from far away to avoid rumors—Beggars' Sect might be hunting us, so stay vigilant in villages.”
The squad hurried to prepare for the road.
But Instructor Kang seemed uneasy about sending them alone.
“Hold up a moment.”
“Something to say, Instructor?”
He scanned his bright-eyed squad and spoke up.
“Just some old-man advice, even if you know the jianghu well. Pick your inns carefully. Stick to ones near villages, and if you're in a remote one, scout the surroundings first.”
The squad knew exactly what he meant.
They'd heard it drilled into them since childhood in their families.
“We haven't run into any of those inns yet.”
Se Yeong stepped forward at Hahu Yeon's retort.
“Just haven't encountered 'em yet—doesn't mean they don't exist. Skip inns that escort agents avoid, and any built where there's no real road. If the innkeeper's a pretty woman or they've got a ton of pigs, steer clear no matter what. Could end up as mandala flower fodder.”
“I get skipping pretty innkeepers, but why avoid pig farms, brother?”
Se Yeong flashed a chilling smile at Paeng Se Gi's question.
“How's a remote inn feeding that many pigs?”
“No way...”
Realizing what he meant, the squad grimaced in unison.
People fed to the pigs as feed.
“Not all are like that. But caution never hurts.”
“Understood, brother.”
***
The lord's manor on one side of the village was impressively vast.
Its high walls stretched endlessly, and the grand gate was adorned with ornate patterns.
‘In this village, this must be the palace.’
Se Yeong approached the manor guarded by young retainers.
To ease their wariness, he carried no weapons.
“What brings you here?”
“Looking to buy some land.”
The young retainers eyed Se Yeong carefully.
His clothes were plain but clean, and his leather boots looked expensive.
“Come inside.”
The gate opened, and the young retainer led Se Yeong to an inner hall.
Even up close, the manor was spacious and well-kept.
Hah...! Hah...!
The voices of retainers practicing martial arts in the training yard rang out loud and strong.
‘Their swordsmanship is sharp enough, but lacks the edge for a major martial house.’
Se Yeong assessed their sword techniques at a glance.
At the main hall, the retainer announced politely.
“Family head. Someone here to buy land.”
A middle-aged man's voice came from inside soon after.
“Let him in.”
The young retainer entered the hall with Se Yeong.
Pushing open the door, they found a middle-aged man intently painting with brush in hand.
He was so absorbed he barely spared Se Yeong a glance.
His brushwork was actually quite decent.
Setting down the brush, he nodded, pleased with his own skill.
“How's my work?”
He asked without even looking at Se Yeong's face.
“Looks pretty good.”
His expression soured slightly at Se Yeong's tone and reply.
The man's narrowed eyes quickly scanned Se Yeong.
“What land are you here to buy?”
“The barren hill six or seven li west of the village.”
“The barren hill six or seven li west... Hmm... Isn't that where rare herbs grow?”
The young retainer chimed in eagerly at the man's words.
“Right you are, family head. Just the herbs from there bring in a thousand silver taels a year easy.”
The middle-aged man seemed greatly offended by the retainer's words.
“Forgot we made two thousand taels from herbs there last year?”
The young retainer bowed his head hastily.
“My apologies, family head. I forgot about last year.”
Se Yeong was dumbfounded.
He hadn't even seen a single herb on that hill, let alone any signs of people gathering them.
‘They're having quite the fun time playing pretend.’
Ahem...!
The man cleared his throat awkwardly and broached the price.
“Normally seventy thousand taels, but for your young master's face, I'll take sixty thousand.”
Se Yeong was floored.
He'd guessed fifty thousand at most, but this lord jacked it up by ten thousand more.
“Don't have enough silver. Can't do it.”
Se Yeong feigned deep regret.
The man scowled and waved him off.
“Coming to buy land with no silver? Send him out.”
‘Tough opponent.’
This lord was even sharper than expected.
But Se Yeong was no pushover.
“My apologies.”
As Se Yeong turned to leave, the middle-aged man spoke up.
“If it's no good for the young master, I'll drop it to fifty thousand taels.”
Se Yeong shook his head, looking sorely disappointed.
“Forty thousand is all I have.”
Well...
“If the young master offers his entire fortune, how can I insist on full price? Forty thousand it is.”
Se Yeong pulled four ten-thousand-tael banknotes from his pouch and placed them on the table.
The man handed over the land deed.
“So, what do you plan to do with it?”
“Plant beans.”
Heh heh heh...
“Perfect land for beans.”
The man laughed like a sage but seethed inside.
‘He'll come crawling back to sell in a year or two.’
That hill was no good for farming.
With all the rocks, clearing it for fields would take years.
This foolish young man would suffer through the labor only to return and try selling it back.
‘I'll buy it back for two thousand then.’