Chapter 3: The Night Market
The night market was bustling with people.
On both sides of the street, tents, makeshift stalls, and carts displaying goods lined up in a row.
It wasn’t just merchants. A throng of customers, seemingly from nowhere, moved through the crowd.
Seong Wangbo could tell. Both the merchants and the customers belonged to the mysterious underworld of the trading guild.
“The night market opens at midnight and runs until dawn,” explained the Dark Merchant.
Since the organization was founded, there had been nine night markets. Five ended on the first day, one lasted three days, two went on for five days, and one stretched to seven days.
In other words, more than half of the time, the target was eliminated on the first day, and the longest a conflict lasted was seven days.
Whether any of the top leaders, the Ten Dark Lords, were among them was unknown.
Everyone wore masks that concealed their true identities.
Some might be small-time grain shop owners hiding their true wealth, while others could be the heads of large trading companies. Or perhaps one of them was one of the ten leaders of this vast organization.
Seong Wangbo suddenly had a thought.
Maybe the masked faces they showed at the night market were their true selves. After all, they lived their entire lives hiding their real identities.
Only the Dark Merchant knew who was behind those masks.
“Do you know why we call it ‘opening’ when we go to war and hold a night market? It’s to remind ourselves of our true nature. We are merchants, after all.”
“But… in the end, don’t we resort to violence?”
“Of course. But that’s merely a means of survival. For a long time, martial artists have extorted money from us merchants. The money we earned through hard work was taken by those parasites.”
Seong Wangbo had felt that anger his entire life.
They extorted money under the guise of protection fees, demanded support funds, and expected expensive gifts on birthdays.
What infuriated him the most was how they took it all for granted.
This was why Seong Wangbo ultimately joined the organization.
“Identity and purpose are crucial for our organization. We are not fundamentally a group that pursues martial arts. We use our wealth to buy martial power and suppress our opponents. We are people who earn money to hire those who have mastered martial arts. Therefore, our martial power is fundamentally different from that of martial artists.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“Now, shall we take a proper look around?”
We walked through the bustling market.
“All of them are heads of combat trading companies. They employ powerful martial artists.”
The first cart we stopped at sold sweets and various skewered foods.
“Two candied fruits, please.”
“Thank you.”
The owner handed over two skewers coated in honey.
The Dark Merchant and Seong Wangbo each took one.
“How much?”
“Five coins.”
“Here you go.”
The Dark Merchant handed the money to the owner. Seong Wangbo found their genuine exchange of goods and money quite impressive.
The two continued walking.
“Each shop has different martial artists. The candy shop we just visited is backed by a group called Snow Flower, composed entirely of beautiful women. Sweet treats and lovely ladies go well together, don’t they?”
“Indeed, they do.”
“But we can’t send out the women right away, can we? Besides, the target doesn’t seem like someone who’d fall for a honey trap.”
Next, they stopped at a clothing shop. It sold everything from undergarments and casual home wear to various martial arts uniforms and ornate robes.
The owner was a woman dressed in a lavish gown, exuding an alluring charm.
“Welcome. We have many fine clothes, so take your time to choose.”
After browsing through the clothes, the Dark Merchant picked one out.
“What do you think of this?”
He pointed to a yellow martial arts uniform.
“You have a keen eye for clothes. It would suit you well.”
The woman’s compliment made the Dark Merchant chuckle.
“I’m buying it for him, not me.”
Seong Wangbo was taken aback.
“You’re buying it for me?”
“I noticed before that this color suits you.”
The Dark Merchant had once visited Seong Wangbo unexpectedly and dressed him in a golden robe.
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Wear it well.”
Despite having previously discussed eliminating Seong Wangbo, the Dark Merchant’s current demeanor was so friendly that it was hard to believe he harbored such intentions.
“What kind of martial artists are there?”
“The Seven-Colored Treasure Robe Group, led by the Black Star Sword. They’re very powerful.”
Seong Wangbo had heard of the Black Star Sword, a master who once dominated the northern martial world.
“Do you plan to send them out?”
“They’re strong, but there are too many of them. The Seven-Colored Treasure Robe Group numbers seven hundred. It’s too much to send them out first.”
The Dark Merchant paused, scanning the surroundings before his gaze settled on something.
“That place would be a good vanguard.”
He pointed to a stall selling musical instruments.
“How about it? Any good instruments?”
A young man smiled brightly.
“Yes. We have many instruments that produce excellent sound.”
“Great. I’ll take one of those.”
The Dark Merchant bought a small lute.
“I recently met a charming young lady. I think this would make a nice gift for her.”
“Oh, I see.”
Seong Wangbo was caught off guard by the unexpected comment.
Why did he feel so intimidated in front of the Dark Merchant? It wasn’t just because he was the leader of the organization. There was an indescribable aura about him, and his unpredictability was part of it.
The Dark Merchant pulled out a gold coin from his pocket. It wasn’t ordinary currency. It was slightly larger, with the character for “commerce” on one side and “money” on the other.
The shopkeeper’s expression changed upon receiving the coin.
“Thank you. You’ll be very satisfied with the instrument you chose from our shop.”
“I look forward to it.”
As they moved away, Seong Wangbo asked.
“What kind of martial artists are there?”
“They’re known as the Three Music Masters.”
Seong Wangbo hadn’t heard of them before.
“They’ll play some excellent music. Ah, shall we have a drink over there?”
Across the street, a tent tavern was selling alcohol.
They took a seat, and the friendly owner brought out drinks and snacks.
Seong Wangbo cautiously asked.
“Are there masters here as well?”
“Of course. The ones here are very powerful. They’re ten absolute masters modeled after the top ten martial artists from a hundred years ago.”
“Then what was the gold coin you gave to the instrument seller?”
“It’s called an ‘Eun Deok Coin.’”
“What is that?”
“They’re my subordinates, but they’re also crucial to maintaining the underground trading world. I can’t just give orders. So when I need to use their martial artists, I give them an Eun Deok Coin. Later, the coin can be used for various purposes. If their trading company or organization faces difficulties or crises, they can return the coin to me, and I’ll step in to resolve the issue.”
“It’s a kind of debt of gratitude.”
“You could say that.”
Seong Wangbo realized how little he knew about the organization. He only knew that a night market opened when a war broke out, but he had no idea it was conducted this way.
The Dark Merchant continued to visit several more shops, handing out Eun Deok Coins.
Each place housed formidable martial artists.
“Send a message to arrange a meeting. Those people will take our place.”
“Understood.”
Seong Wangbo was torn. Should he reveal this information, or should he side with the Dark Merchant?
He recalled something the Dark Merchant had said while they were walking.
Life isn’t easy, is it?
Indeed, life wasn’t easy.
In the secluded garden of the island, they created a new space using the Heavenly Qi Heart Technique.
It was for training in the Celestial Demon’s martial arts.
They were as excited as novices who had just learned martial arts.
Both were based on the path of dominance. Of course, the Celestial Demon’s martial arts were far more intense.
[Let’s have a sparring match.]
[Alright.]
He accepted the Celestial Demon’s challenge. He felt it was time to test himself.
They faced each other barehanded.
It was more nerve-wracking than any other fight. It was his first time facing the Celestial Demon’s martial arts.
The Celestial Demon attacked fiercely. His strikes were twice as intense and brutal as any punch he had thrown at his enemies before. It felt like an entirely different martial art. Was it necessary to use such a domineering technique?
If he countered with the Celestial Demon’s martial arts, he could win. Despite being based on demonic arts, the Celestial Demon had trained for a much shorter time than he had.
Instead, he wanted to try something.
Let’s see how long I can hold out!
He wanted to see how far the Celestial Demon would go.
He focused solely on defense.
The Celestial Demon’s attacks grew faster and more ferocious.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
He took a hit from the Celestial Demon. It wasn’t because he wasn’t focused. The extreme dominance of the Celestial Demon’s martial arts made it difficult to defend with just defense.
Despite his efforts to block with the Celestial Demon’s martial arts, he eventually reached his limit.
Whoosh.
His body flew through the air. He had fallen for the very move he often used to throw his opponents.
As I plummeted to the ground, a single conclusion crystallized in my mind: the ferocious martial arts of the Heavenly Demon couldn’t be countered by mere defense alone.
A tremendous pressure enveloped my entire body. I knew that resisting this force would only result in a greater shock.
Ah, so this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end.
For the first time, I understood what my enemies must have felt.
Could I possibly block it by pushing my protective energy to its limits?
Bang.
The moment I hit the ground, everything went dark.
As the Heavenly Qi Illusion shattered, I was jolted back to reality. Despite my protective energy, I had lost my life to that single move. It was the first time the Heavenly Qi Illusion had ever been broken.
“Impressive.”
“Heh, you just realized that now?”
“Not you. I meant the martial arts.”
“Yeah, I get it. It’s humbling, isn’t it?”
Should I let him bask in his victory for a moment? As the Heavenly Demon boasted, I pondered the martial arts.
Why did his grandfather perfect such a gentle martial art? A more aggressive style would be far more powerful.
“What do you think? Do you think this martial art will help unravel the secret of the Demon Heart?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Perhaps it was his grandfather’s influence. If the founder of the martial art couldn’t solve it, he might doubt his own ability to do so.
Unlike him, I hoped that all these efforts would help unlock the Demon Heart.
＊ ＊ ＊
Upon hearing of my arrival, Galsaryang came to the inn.
“Do you have a moment?”
“Of course.”
We strolled through the garden together.
I told Galsaryang everything about the Sacred King. How Cheon So-seon had sent Ju Cheol-ryong to kill him, and how Ju Cheol-ryong had died by my hand.
“A wind of change is about to sweep through the martial world.”
“Indeed.”
Ju Cheol-ryong had been at the heart of the betrayal. His defection had caused other leaders to follow suit. This time, the opposite might happen.
“Ma Cheol-gun won’t miss this opportunity. If he places Gwangwol as his ally, he’ll control the two strongest factions alongside the Myeolma Clan.”
For now, Ma Cheol-gun’s growing power wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“What about Cheon So-seon’s whereabouts?”
“We’re investigating discreetly, but haven’t found him yet. He seems to have gone into deep hiding.”
“I doubt he tried to kill the Sacred King just for revenge or escape.”
I could sense this more acutely than Galsaryang, having dealt with the old man and Cheon So-seon directly.
“Do you think there’s another motive?”
“After speaking with Lady Im, we must consider the possibility that they’re preparing some grand scheme.”
“If that’s the case, it could be extremely dangerous.”
“Indeed.”
“I’ll track down any items that could be used for such a scheme to find their trail.”
“Good idea. And remember, the Sacred King is the key to the door leading to the Dark Object. Use him wisely.”
“I will.”
Just then, one of Galsaryang’s men approached, whispered something, and left.
“It seems the gentleman isn’t who he appears to be.”
“The Sacred King?”
“Yes, he’s reached out to meet secretly with our lord.”
This was the first contact since I promised to fulfill his dream. It must be something significant related to the Dark Object. Or perhaps a trap.
“This time, we’ll find out exactly what dream he’s chasing.”