Where Does Fortune Come From? (2)
Outside, the weapons were displayed in neat rows, grouped by type.
Swords with swords, sabers with sabers, armor with armor. The protective gear was stacked meticulously.
This didn’t mean they were cheap. In fact, they were of much better quality than what you’d find in a typical iron shop.
I picked out the best saber among them. It was for Gwangdu.
“How much for this one?”
“Oh! You’ve got a keen eye.”
The old man knew I had chosen the finest saber from the display.
“Six thousand nyang. Honestly, this saber could easily be kept inside.”
“The handle and scabbard are damaged.”
“Sharp eyes. That’s why it’s out here.”
If not for the damage, it could have fetched at least ten thousand nyang.
It wasn’t quite a treasure, but it was too good to be called an ordinary saber. Perfect for Gwangdu. With his current skills, anything better would be too much for him.
“I’ll take it.”
“A wise choice.”
Next, I selected a sword for Gwanhui. It was the best-crafted sword on display.
The price was two thousand nyang.
The old man widened his eyes and asked, “Are you from a smithy?”
I didn’t feel like explaining, so I just nodded.
“I thought so! You’ve got an exceptional eye for weapons.”
He glanced at the sword at my waist, perhaps regretting his earlier dismissal of it as shabby. He seemed to want me to draw it, but I had no intention of obliging.
Just as I was about to leave with the sword and saber, something caught my eye in the distance.
“What are those?”
In a corner display, there were small wooden figurines lined up. They were old and worn, with peeling paint, yet they strangely drew me in.
Each figurine was posed differently. One was throwing a punch, another was kicking, and yet another was striking with its shoulder or back.
None of them held weapons. They seemed to depict martial arts, but unlike typical styles that focused on fists, these used the entire body.
There were thirty-three figurines in total, each exuding a peculiar aura.
“Are these for sale too?”
“Of course. I don’t display anything I can’t sell.”
“How much?”
“I don’t sell them individually. The whole set is two thousand nyang.”
I turned to the old man in surprise.
“These figurines are one of a kind. You won’t find them at any other Black Market branch. I’ve been in this business my whole life and never seen anything like them.”
“I’ll take them.”
“Really?”
The old man was taken aback.
“No one has ever offered two thousand nyang for these figurines.”
While rare swords and elixirs could sell for tens of thousands, those were essential to martial artists. Two thousand nyang was a significant sum.
“There’s always a first.”
Despite the sale, the old man seemed reluctant. He confessed, “Honestly, I didn’t want to sell them. Just seeing them displayed made me feel good. I set the price high so no one would buy them. But here you are. Consider the two thousand nyang my consolation.”
The old man misunderstood. I was surprised because I thought they were too cheap.
To me, their value was much greater. I might have paid five thousand, even ten thousand nyang. That’s how much they captivated me at first sight.
If I had to explain, it was because the poses of the figurines seemed extraordinary. They weren’t just random movements. They made me want to study them closely.
“Let’s pack them properly, shall we?”
The old man brought out a box designed specifically for the figurines, with thirty-three compartments.
He carefully placed each figurine inside.
I paid the old man for the sword, saber, and figurines—a total of ten thousand nyang—and left the Black Market.
“Come again.”
“I will.”
“If you ever want to sell those figurines, bring them back. I’ll buy them for the same price.”
I agreed, but I doubted that would happen.
Though I didn’t buy the elixir I intended to, I felt content. I had bought swords for Gwangdu and Gwanhui, and the figurines felt like a great purchase.
With the remaining money, I invested in the three major battlefields of the continent: the Great Battlefield, the Central Plains Battlefield, and the Wind and Cloud Battlefield.
A total of 190,000 nyang.
If another elixir appeared at the Black Market, I’d buy it, and I’d also invest in my family and sword unit.
Even though I wasn’t one to obsess over money, I felt good. I finally understood the saying about feeling full without eating.
I returned home in high spirits.
I wanted to share this good feeling with others.
I called Gwangdu and Gwanhui together.
Gwanhui, who had rushed over after training, looked tense, wondering what was going on.
I handed each of them a sword and a saber.
Gwanhui asked, “What kind of sword is this?”
“It’s yours now.”
“What?”
Gwanhui’s eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.
“Thank you for your hard work. I look forward to more.”
“Master!”
“It’s not an extraordinary sword, so use it without pressure.”
“May I draw it?”
Gwanhui’s voice trembled.
“Of course.”
With a look of awe, Gwanhui drew the sword.
Ssshing!
Even the sound of it being drawn was different.
“Ahhh!”
His face lit up with joy.
“I’ve never seen such a magnificent sword.”
Indeed. Most martial artists had swords worth a few dozen nyang. Even a decent one might cost a few hundred.
But a two-thousand-nyang sword? It must have felt incredible, the joy overwhelming.
“Thank you so much, Master!”
If it had been any other gift, he wouldn’t have been this happy. But Gwanhui was dedicated to becoming stronger. These days, he’d jump out of bed at the mention of martial arts.
His usually stoic demeanor made his joy even more apparent.
After Gwanhui left, I turned to Gwangdu, who had been standing quietly.
“You don’t seem too happy?”
“How could I not be? Seeing Gwanhui so happy, I just stayed quiet. I let him have the spotlight.”
Of course, he wasn’t unhappy. He was letting Gwanhui enjoy the moment fully. If he had shown his own joy, it might have overshadowed Gwanhui’s.
That’s the kind of person Gwangdu is. It’s why I like him.
Finally, Gwangdu drew his saber.
“It looks decent enough.”
Though he turned away, I could see his reflection in the blade. Despite his nonchalant words, he looked like he might cry. This saber was incomparable to the one he received before.
“Doesn’t seem that great. Maybe I should take it back. There are plenty in the small sword unit who use sabers.”
As I moved to take it, Gwangdu panicked and backed away.
“Can’t you take a joke? It’s amazing. Truly an incredible saber.”
Gwangdu’s face was filled with delight. He looked fitting, standing there with the saber, having learned quite a bit of martial arts.
“You said the last saber was the best.”
“This one’s more expensive, right?”
“Much more.”
“Then this is the best.”
“Hahaha.”
Gwangdu looked at me with a serious expression, his eyes filled with respect.
“In a past life, when you saved the martial world, I must have helped.”
“Maybe so.”
Though I said that, I didn’t believe it.
I think I saved the martial world in a past life to meet you.
Gwangdu grinned and asked confidently, “But… mine’s better than Gwanhui’s, right?”
“Who knows.”
“Tell me. How much more expensive is it? Fifty nyang? A hundred?”
I never told him, and Gwangdu spent the whole day following me, unable to contain his curiosity.
I could have told him it was three times more expensive, but teasing him was much more fun.
That night, I was in a mountain cave.
I always came here when I wanted to be alone or had something important to do. Today, it was because of the figurines I bought at the Black Market.
A set worth two thousand nyang.
I set them up on a flat rock outside the cave. Under the moonlight, the figurines practicing martial arts looked almost mystical.
Upon closer inspection, the figurines were a bit rough and unrefined. They probably weren’t made by a professional craftsman.
That might be another reason they hadn’t sold despite the high price.
But I was even more excited.
It meant a martial artist who knew the techniques might have carved them.
The angles and directions of the punches and kicks were precise, not randomly made.
I examined each figurine closely.
They seemed to embody some kind of technique.
I tried mimicking a few of the poses.
I felt it. These were made by someone who truly understood martial arts!
If it had been swordsmanship, I would have immediately recognized the technique. But this was an entirely new martial art, and I couldn’t easily discern its secrets.
Still, I once dabbled in the mighty Fist of the King, the Gwangse Pungshinkwon. Although I only mastered it up to the fifth level, my body had tasted the essence of a supreme martial art.
I experimented with different sequences, trying to piece together the movements.
Even if there were follow-up moves, it was impossible to tell just by looking whether they were meant to strike downward or upward. Without a manual, deducing the techniques from the movements of the mannequins was nearly impossible.
Yet, I persisted, rearranging the sequences and studying them. It felt like solving an incredibly complex puzzle.
This wasn’t a typical martial art. It was a transformed style that utilized not just fists and feet, but also the back of the hand, elbows, knees, shoulders, and even the back—truly a full-body martial art.
This made it all the more confusing. I had never encountered anything like it before.
Nevertheless, I calmly analyzed the movements. No matter how unfamiliar the martial art, I had the achievements of my past life to guide me.
I tried this way and that, repeating the movements over and over.
Calmly, and with persistence.
When the morning sun rose, I received the reward that only those who refuse to give up can achieve. I had deciphered the techniques the mannequins were demonstrating.
Five techniques.
These thirty-three mannequins were performing five techniques in sequence. The movements were both practical and exquisite. I could tell just by assuming the stance once.
However, without knowing the mental discipline to execute them, I couldn’t gauge their true power.
How powerful must these techniques be for someone to have gone to the trouble of creating mannequins to preserve them? Perhaps, given the chance, I could fully unleash these techniques one day.
I placed the mannequins back into the box.
I wanted to organize them properly, so I arranged them in the order of the techniques.
As I placed the last, the thirty-third mannequin, into the box, a click sounded, and the bottom of the box opened.
A thin, cleverly concealed drawer slid out.
I realized that the secret drawer was designed to open only when the mannequins were placed in the correct order.
It was an astonishing mechanism.
Inside was a single folded piece of paper, so old it seemed it might crumble at any moment.
Carefully, I unfolded it to reveal a single line.
Tianmen Mountain, Immortal Crane Peak.
Tianmen Mountain was in Hubei Province, not far from Wuhuan, where the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance was located. I knew Tianmen Mountain well, having even visited it during my younger days when I roamed the land seeking duels.
Tianmen Mountain was known for its treacherous terrain. If memory served, Immortal Crane Peak was its main summit.
Why was the location of Immortal Crane Peak so discreetly noted in this mannequin box?
Could there be a manual revealing the entirety of this martial art? Or was there something else? Was it fate that drew my attention to these mannequins?
There was only one way to find out: I had to go there myself.