Chapter 46
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46
After accepting the mission, the first thing Ise did was gather information.
He compiled the victims' names, their estimated times of death, their cultivation realms, and even the specific types of Dharma Artifacts they usually carried.
He extracted every detail he could from the mission records and the memories of his peers.
Since a murderer was on the loose, the initiate disciples willingly shared any memory that might serve as a clue, no matter how trivial.
After spending a full day gathering intelligence, three peculiarities stood out in Ise's mind.
First, all the victims were top-tier disciples who actively undertook missions. They possessed decent Dharma Artifacts and had accumulated a relatively healthy stash of spirit stones.
Second, all three were murdered while carrying out Grade 7 difficulty missions. Their bodies were discovered not far outside the Great Martial Dao’s territory, shortly after they descended Mount Cheongsan.
Finally, the dates the victims set out on their missions were the first, the tenth, and the fifteenth of the month.
Ise analyzed these three facts together.
Because they actively took on missions, they must have had plenty of resources on hand.
To undertake a Grade 7 mission, one needed to be thoroughly equipped with Dharma Artifacts.
Since the permanent shops in Cheongsangyeong had a limited selection, they likely visited the periodic marketplaces where a wider variety of Dharma Artifacts could be found.
The Five-Day Market of Cheongsangyeong.
Every five days, a marketplace opened in Cheongsangyeong, drawing rogue cultivators and outer gate disciples from all over.
The murderer undoubtedly targeted those specific times.
The problem was how to identify the perpetrator.
If they were selling the victims' stolen Dharma Artifacts, it would be easy to resolve... but that was unlikely.
If the killer were such a stupid rogue cultivator, they would have been caught long ago.
They had either sold the loot off in another market town or hidden it deep away.
If clues couldn't be found, there was only one way: force the killer to attack first.
Even if someone wasn't an official mission target, killing anyone who attacked first was the natural rule of the cultivation world.
Making them confess during that struggle was the best approach.
‘The next Five-Day Market is in two days.’
He would begin the mission then.
U Jeol had mentioned that even if he didn't request a senior cultivator's help, he didn't need to act alone—but Ise, desperate for every single spirit stone, had no desire to share the reward.
No matter how close they were, unpaid labor was an absurd concept in the cultivation world.
Furthermore, the potential resources tied to this mission were larger than expected.
Putting the completion reward aside, he could claim all the wealth the predator had accumulated so far, along with the relics of his deceased peers.
Having this mission assigned to him was a great opportunity.
The Great Martial Dao had no intention of investing extra resources into cases involving initiate disciples, and cultivators refused to undertake missions that didn't pay adequately.
They avoided complex cases that were time-consuming or uncertain of resolution.
It was precisely due to that mentality that this opportunity had fallen into his lap.
‘I will succeed, no matter what.’
A grudge to settle and a guaranteed reward. His motivation was more than sufficient.
*
Two days later, after completing his dawn cultivation, Ise was heading toward Cheongsangyeong when a cultivator approached him with a dry cough.
It was the youngest cultivator from the Medicine Hall—his sworn enemy who had extorted one hundred spirit stones from him for pills worth only seventy.
For some reason, he stood before Ise with a hesitant, fidgety posture before opening his mouth.
"Um, well... I wish to apologize for charging Fellow Daoist excessively for the Regeneration Pellets before."
"Now of all times?"
Ise tilted his head.
Of course, even though Ise had added this man's name right behind his family's enemies and the Cheolyang Lightning Sect Demonic Cultivators on his grudge list after that day, he hadn't expected him to act like this.
"I failed to consider Fellow Daoist's feelings after losing a limb. I only counted the remaining Regeneration Pellets. I believe I was far too harsh... So I will recalculate at the minimum price and return the extra spirit stones."
A cultivator spitting back spirit stones that had already entered his pouch?
Inside the pouch he held out were thirty spirit stones.
Ise took the pouch and remained silent for a moment.
Observing Ise's gradually stiffening expression, the cultivator hastily stuffed five more spirit stones into the pouch.
"As they say, resources accrue interest over time. This is a token of my sincerity."
Only then did the corners of Ise's mouth curl upward slowly.
"What magnanimity, truly befitting a Daoist."
Ise offered a smile toward the cultivator, who let out a breath of relief.
"Please take good care of the initiate disciples for the remaining period. And the kids coming in next year, too."
"...O-of course. Most certainly."
The cultivator quickly bowed his head and scurried away.
Ise watched his retreating back for a moment before turning away.
He felt a strange sensation, as if he were becoming a miser. But living in a cultivation world where resources dictated one's realm and served as a lifeline meant the pure mindset he once held back at the Ghost-Guarding Temple was gradually diluting.
It was a regrettable thing.
Of course, with his pouch now heavy with spirit stones, his steps were light.
Cheongsangyeong was bustling with people.
This was because the mortal marketplace was open alongside that of the cultivators.
While the whole city saw an influx of people, the mortal market street in particular was packed shoulder to shoulder.
Avoiding the pungent odor of turbid Qi, Ise headed toward the outer fringes of Cheongsangyeong.
Like the permanent shops, the cultivators' market was situated in a quiet location away from the mortal crowds.
There were four market streets in total.
Positioned at the east, west, south, and north points of Cheongsangyeong, they were known as the Magnolia Market, Plum Blossom Market, Mugunghwa Market, and Chrysanthemum Market.
Ise first visited the nearby Magnolia Market, strolling naturally among the stalls.
Most cultivators were browsing casually, though occasionally some raised their voices or scowled in anger.
The permanent shops operating daily were authorized by the Great Martial Dao. Thus, prices were fixed, and no one played tricks with spirit stones.
However, the open-air stalls in the market were different.
Most buyers and sellers were rogue cultivators who would likely never see each other again.
Price gouging, backstabbing, and deceit were the norm—a true wilderness.
"If you're ignorant, you get scammed" was practically the fundamental rule.
Ise stayed sharp as he examined the stalls.
Although the mission was his highest priority, he was open to purchasing a useful Dharma Artifact if he found one.
He had already disposed of all his single-use Dharma Artifacts, which had become useless as his realm increased.
Currently, all he had left were the Twin Sickle Spirit Domain Uprising, the Meridian-Severing Blade, a single Spirit Sealing Talisman, one Lightning Bomb, Healing Pellets, and Detoxification Pills.
Excluding the Spirit Concealment Bead and Life-Saving Armor that he had to return, his equipment was embarrassingly sparse for his cultivation realm.
Ise walked toward a stall located in a prime spot.
The cultivator who saw him quickly gauged Ise's realm and beamed. To his eyes, Ise probably seemed to be around the 4-Star or 5-Star level.
Still, that was considered quite high for this market.
"Welcome, Senior. Please feel free to look around."
Ise examined the Dharma Artifacts laid out one by one.
Most of them were single-use artifacts unnecessary for him.
"Do you happen to have any Defensive Dharma Artifacts?"
"Ahem, what cultivator would bring such high-priced artifacts to an open market...?"
"I see."
Ise replied curtly and moved to the next stall. He repeated this several times, but everyone merely looked troubled.
Ise knew as well. No rogue cultivator would have a Defensive Dharma Artifact.
Even so, asking persistently at every stall he visited was a way of casting bait.
So that if he ran into the killer, or if rumors reached the killer, he would appear as appetizing prey.
Searching for a defensive artifact implied that he currently lacked the means to protect himself.
It also implied that he had enough wealth to afford one.
Finally, it made him look like a naive fool who didn't even know that defensive artifacts couldn't be found in a market of this scale.
Just as he had visited most of the stalls in the Magnolia Market, a merchant stopped Ise as he tried to walk past.
"Senior, wait a moment! I have something precious in my possession—would you care to take a look?"
"Something precious?"
When Ise showed interest, the rogue cultivator pulled out a carefully hidden wooden box.
Inside was a medicinal pill emitting a soft pink glow.
‘A medicinal pill!’
Since pills were a rare sight in open markets, the rogue cultivator smiled with confidence and explained proudly.
"This is a Rejuvenation Pill. While not quite as potent as a Joy-Gathering Pill, it literally makes you feel as though you are strolling among the clouds. It was extraordinarily difficult to obtain."
"A Rejuvenation Pill? What are its effects?"
"Ah, you don't know? Well, that's understandable."
The merchant chuckled slyly and lowered his voice.
"It's a pill that lets a man and a woman experience a boost in cultivation during intercourse, even without learning a Dual Cultivation Art. And with a very pleasurable sensation, at that."
Ise's face stiffened. The embarrassing phrase about "intercourse" caught his attention, but something else bothered him even more.
"Wait a moment. What did you say a Dual Cultivation Art was?"
The merchant stared at Ise with a puzzled expression.
"You seem to have reached the mid Qi Refining Stage, yet you don't know what a Dual Cultivation Art is? It's when a man and a woman cultivate together while engaging in intercourse."
"..."
"What do you think? The price is seventy spirit stones."
At that moment, the rogue cultivator's voice no longer registered in Ise's ears.
“Dual cultivation? ...It's a training method where a man and a woman aim for the union of Yin and Yang, right?”
“Why would a man and a woman need to be together to train?”
“Who knows? Maybe they play patty-cake or something. To be precise... I don't know either.”
“Sounds like you do know?”
“I said I don't! Why are you asking such things?”
“Well, since it's a training method, I just asked to see if we should try it together.”
Even though Ise had barely reached adulthood at the age of sixteen, he knew what intercourse between a man and a woman was.
"...How about sixty-eight stones?"
He had learned it against his will due to the Dogwi Tribe's mating season festival.
"Fine, fine! I'll give you a huge discount. Sixty-five stones! I absolutely can't go any lower than that!"
Now that he finally understood why Seol Ryeong had leaped up in outrage back then, Ise felt a wave of shame so overwhelming it felt like a threat to his life.
"Senior! Senior!"
Ise fled the scene as if running for his life.
He squatted in a quiet corner, burying his face in his palms for a long while.
Passing cultivators glanced at him, but he didn't have the mental capacity to care.
After wallowing in self-loathing for quite some time, he slapped his own cheeks twice.
Get a grip. Making a slip of the tongue out of ignorance isn't a crime. If it bothers me that much... it's a shame, but I'll just have to cut ties with Seol Ryeong.
Ise decided to proceed with his mission.
After walking around all four markets throughout the morning, the effect began to show.
By the afternoon, merchants who saw Ise's face spoke up before he could even open his mouth.
"We don't have any Defensive Dharma Artifacts."
Ise nodded bitterly and moved on to the next stall, only to freeze in front of a particular display.
It was something he had never seen before. Two small bottles were bundled together; one contained a transparent, finely milled powder whose particles could barely be felt, while the other held a grayish-white liquid.
"What is this?"
"You have a sharp eye. These are Dharma Artifacts called Lingering Scent Powder and Scent-Tracking Water. They are used as a set. If you sprinkle even a tiny amount of Lingering Scent Powder, its fragrance remains for a day. If you drink the Scent-Tracking Water, you can smell that scent within a hundred-li radius."
Ise looked back and forth between the two bottles. This was quite a useful item.
"How much?"
"Thirty spirit stones per pre-portioned bundle."
"That's way too expensive."
"Aiyoo, at this price, I'm barely making a profit! It might look small, but if you use it sparingly, it lasts quite a long time. You really should get one."
"Good day, then."
Ise set the bottle down and turned around.
"Wait, wait! Senior, you like the item, right? How about twenty-five stones?"
Cultivators really do try to rip people off every chance they get.
Coupled with a threat asking if he dared to overcharge a Great Martial Dao Daoist, Ise ultimately picked up the items for twenty-three spirit stones.
Having finished browsing all the open stalls with that last stop, Ise sat in a secluded corner with a tired expression and waited.
Feigning a glum expression, he quietly waited for the fish to take the bait.
How much time had passed?
At last.
"You're looking for a Defensive Dharma Artifact?"
The bobber dipped.
At the voice coming from behind his back, Ise turned his head slowly.