The Ghostly Secret Auction (3)
Just the fact that they hired someone capable of crafting such an exquisite fake, and dared to pull this stunt against the North Sea Ice Palace, was proof enough.
Even Bok Yun, the sub-branch leader, treated Bing Hae-rin, the minor palace lord, with such deference—showing just how fearsome the North Sea Ice Palace's reputation was in this land of Yonyeong.
Was he being blackmailed, or had he thrown in his lot with them?
It was too early to judge.
For now, tonight—the night before the Ghostly Secret Auction—I planned to infiltrate Im Cheong-mil's residence, the merchant leader's quarters.
If my suspicions were correct, something would turn up.
I had breakfast with Bok Im-gil, the merchant group leader.
Bok Yun, the sub-branch leader, was naturally there, along with Bing Hae-rin, my brother Jin Ho, and Escort Leader Ha Cheol.
I'd heard before that the Gwangjun Merchant Group shared morning meals with important guests.
That's why our group was joining them.
After the meal, I met privately with Bok Yun sub-branch leader.
"First, here's the information on Im Cheong-mil, the merchant leader."
He handed me the documents.
Yesterday, I'd asked him for intel on Im Cheong-mil.
Our Eunhae Merchant Group's intelligence network was skilled, but it couldn't surpass the Gwangjun Merchant Group here in Yonyeong territory.
"That's impressively quick."
"Of course. There's no corner of this Yonyeong where our Gwangjun Merchant Group's eyes and ears don't reach."
"Thank you. I'll repay this debt someday."
"Don't think of it as a debt. I don't either."
I chuckled at his words.
"May I open it here?"
"By all means."
I unsealed the envelope and pulled out the papers inside, reading them over.
Name: Im Cheong-mil.
Age: Turning fifty this year.
A fairly well-known figure in Yonyeong, leader of the Cheongmil Merchant Group, named after himself.
His father had been a herb gatherer who fell to his death from a cliff while foraging.
His widowed mother raised him through hardships, and he worked as a herb gatherer too until he luckily acquired a spirit medicine, using the funds to start an apothecary.
Trading with the North Sea Ice Palace meant it was a sizable operation, and trustworthy to boot...
Then my eyes caught the next piece of information.
[Merchant Leader Im Cheong-mil has noticeably reduced his attendance at Yonyeong merchants' gatherings recently. He only shows up for the most important ones.]
This was seriously suspicious.
Gatherings were crucial for merchants—places to build camaraderie and exchange information.
Information was money, and Im Cheong-mil couldn't possibly be ignorant of that.
That night.
I left Bok Yun's house with Jin Yu warrior. There was a place we needed to visit tonight.
Im Cheong-mil's residence.
To unravel the mystery of his suspicious behavior, infiltration was necessary.
Not going to fight, so I only brought Jin Yu, specialized in stealth.
Im Cheong-mil's house wasn't far.
A sizable tiled-roof manor, with the Cheongmil Merchant Group's main branch right next door.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
We vaulted the wall in an instant. And immediately sensed something off.
—My lord, there are more warriors than expected.
I nodded at Jin Yu's sound transmission.
A major merchant group would naturally have guards, but even accounting for that, this was excessive.
It was like they were gearing up for war with another group.
And they lacked any sense of disciplined unity.
Not just sects or clans—merchant guards were trained systematically too.
For organized movement.
But these guys showed none of that.
They looked ragged, almost like...
Ronin?
A few seemed trained, but they were oddly subdued.
—Let's check the study.
—Yes.
We headed for Im Cheong-mil's study.
Fortunately, the lights were off, and security wasn't tight, so we slipped in safely.
The interior was a perfectly ordinary study.
Then something caught my eye: marks on the chair's backrest.
Small traces, but unmistakably from a sharp blade.
Why would such marks be here...? Ah! He was threatened!
Exactly the spot where a sword pressed to the neck would leave a scar.
I recalled one detail from Bok Yun's intel on Im Cheong-mil.
[About two months ago, mysterious sounds of weapons clashing were heard from the Cheongmil Merchant Group premises.]
This merchant group and manor had been seized by these people.
Now the puzzle of why Im Cheong-mil acted that way clicked into place.
They'd coerced him with overwhelming force, bending him to their will.
From his position, with his life and family at stake, he had no choice but to comply.
That raised another question.
Who was blackmailing Im Cheong-mil to orchestrate this?
And what was their true goal?
We took everything salvageable from the study.
There seemed to be a hidden secret compartment, but I didn't bother checking it.
No fool would touch a safe while under their watch.
Besides, if it was there, they'd have ransacked it already.
As we left the study and moved elsewhere, warriors approached—likely on patrol.
We quickly hid and suppressed our presence.
"Wish they'd cut us in on some of that spirit medicine sale money."
"We'll rake in a fortune."
"Auction's tomorrow, right?"
"More precisely, tonight. It's dawn now."
True, those spirit medicines were hot potatoes. Better to offload them at the Ghostly Secret Auction.
Holding onto them proved they were behind this scheme.
From the talk, the medicines didn't seem to be the main goal.
Had something like this happened in my previous life?
I pondered deeply, then sighed inwardly.
Back then, I was scrambling to survive the famine—no time to probe distant affairs.
But I remembered: a few years from now, the North Sea Ice Palace lord would venture into the Central Plains.
The entire martial world trembled; it was unforgettable.
The palace forces rampaged unchecked, purpose shrouded, but bloodbaths followed everywhere.
Now I saw the reason.
Something similar must have happened back then too.
Straining the Ice Palace further.
Meaning they'd been scammed repeatedly...
Hunting and foraging couldn't sustain them for years.
Anyway, the North Sea Ice Palace weren't fools. Their own investigation revealed a deliberate plot against them.
So the palace lord stepped in personally.
I wouldn't have tolerated it either.
The ronin involved, or their backers, were probably revenge targets.
That clarified the motive.
Their goal: cripple the North Sea Ice Palace.
To pull this off against them!
It required either a massive force to weather their wrath, or hatred deep enough to burn everything.
Suddenly, Bing Hae-rin's words resurfaced.
"Our North Sea Ice Palace has more enemies than you'd think. Stepping into the jianghu stirs blood winds, complicating grudges and favors."
"Favors fade in fifty years, but grudges endure a century."
Still unclear if this was grudge-driven or power play.
But beheading with a sword was one thing—these dirty tricks grated on me.
I sent a sound transmission to Jin Yu warrior.
—Time to head back.
—Yes.
Dawn broke.
Today was the full moon—the day of the Ghostly Secret Auction.
I sought out Bok Yun sub-branch leader.
"You seem busy."
"Not at all."
He rose from reviewing documents in his study.
"I have time for a chat."
He offered me a seat, and I sat at the low table inside.
He personally brewed and poured tea.
"What brings you?"
"A few questions. Haven't there been new groups arriving in Yonyeong lately?"
"Hm..."
He thought a moment, then nodded.
"Come to think of it, a merchant group did settle here. Never heard of them before."
"And weren't they all armed?"
He flinched at my question.
"How did you...?"
I replied calmly.
"From my investigation, they seem like ronin posing as merchants."
"Heavens... That explains it. Their movements differed from ordinary merchants. But when Cheongmil's leader called them for help shortly after, I thought nothing of it..."
His expression showed he'd pieced it together.
"On that note, any info on their leader?"
"Of course. I kept the file from my earlier check."
Bok Yun stood, went to the bookshelf, and manipulated a mechanism.
A hidden shelf appeared. He rummaged, pulled a document, and handed it over.
"Lucky I didn't discard it, just in case."
"That shelf—isn't it secret?"
He answered candidly.
"Yes, a secret shelf. Can't leave background check files out in the open."
"Safe to show me?"
"Hahaha. Even if Eun sub-branch leader knows, it won't harm me."
Such deep trust.
He called me close friend, but this level of faith was touching.
"I'll repay that trust."
I cupped my fists in thanks and began reading.
A basic description of appearance and scant info.
Name unknown, surname Cho.
Forties, merchant active in Shaanxi.
Sparse details overall.
So little known? Likely a false identity.
Then Bok Yun asked.
"Planning to go to the Ghostly Secret Auction tonight?"
"Yes."
"Mind if I join?"
"Nothing there for you to want. Doing it for me?"
His eyes wavered.
Bingo.
"Grateful, but no."
"Why...?"
"It's dangerous. With your wedding soon, can't risk you there."
The place had order.
But illegal goods meant frequent stabbings.
No guarantee of avoiding trouble.
I smiled gently.
"Your body isn't just yours anymore, Bok sub-branch leader."
He pondered, then nodded.
"You're right. I'll be more careful from now on."
"Wise choice."
"Going alone then?"
I shook my head.
"Hardly. I have reliable escorts."
Midnight came. I left the Gwangjun Merchant Group with Seo-u warrior and Jin Yu warrior.
We wore pitch-black attire.
The Ghostly Secret Auction required it—black clothes to conceal identities.
Likely to prevent recognition by garb.
I asked my two escorts.
"Ever heard of the Ghostly Secret Auction?"
They nodded. Seo-u spoke first.
"Only hearsay. During an escort run, a merchant came back from sightseeing there."
Jin Yu followed.
"I investigated once. Tracked a target attending; checked if I could operate inside. Concluded assassination impossible."
Seo-u asked.
"Why can't you kill inside the Ghostly Secret Auction?"
"The host—the owner of the Ghostly Secret Auction."
"Owner?"
"Yes. His presence maintains order. He's that terrifying."
Jin Yu was right.
The Ghostly Secret Auction had an owner whose name no one knew, called only Blood Sea.
His sword turned rivers to blood seas—hence the title.
Also Dark King, ruling shadows like a monarch.
Together: Blood Sea Dark King.
His moniker matched his prowess—rumored Transcendent Realm.
Why such a figure ran an auction drawing crowds was a mystery.
I told my escorts.
"Tonight, never draw your sword lightly there."
"Understood."
"We'll keep it in mind."
After walking another incense stick's time, I halted.
Gazing into the darkness, I asked.
"What brings you here?"