The night streets of Luoyang were dazzling.
Right now, I was walking through those very streets.
Clad not in luxurious silk garments, but in plain cotton clothes and even a bamboo hat, we didn’t look like a scion of one of the Hundred Merchant Groups and his escorts.
That was exactly how I liked it.
Wandering around in flashy clothes might draw attention, and someone else could snatch what I needed to obtain.
“Young Master, where are we headed now?”
Escort Guard Seo Wu asked.
I was currently walking with Escort Guards Yeo Eung-am and Seo Wu.
Since only an illusion of me remained in the inn, it might raise suspicion if I took all the escorts with me.
So I’d brought just two, one from each room.
Still, Seo Wu was a Peak level warrior, and Yeo Eung-am was a seasoned First-rate martial artist.
And I too was at the Peak level.
There was no need to worry about safety.
“We’re going to pick up something that doesn’t have an owner.”
“Excuse me?”
Both looked confused.
But the information I had came from my previous life, so I couldn’t just speak plainly and had to come up with a plausible excuse.
“Do you remember when we visited that book street in Beijing?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“I found an interesting note inside one of the books I bought then. I’m going to check if it’s real.”
“Huh?”
“It might be someone’s prank. But if it turns out to be real, that’s good. And even if it’s not, just getting to walk Luoyang’s night streets is worth it.”
“So you’re saying… you found a treasure map?”
“Something like that.”
I continued.
“And honestly, don’t we all carry a bit of romanticism in our hearts when it comes to treasure maps?”
At that, Yeo Eung-am and Seo Wu let out a soft chuckle.
Why’re they laughing?
Still, it felt awkward to ask, so I just let it go.
Before long, we arrived at an abandoned manor.
“This is tonight’s destination.”
Looking at the crumbling manor, Yeo Eung-am commented.
“Looks like a ghost could pop out any minute.”
Seo Wu answered instead.
“That might actually happen.”
“What?”
“This place is where a massacre once took place. Those who died unjustly might’ve become ghosts.”
“A… massacre?”
Seo Wu calmly continued.
“I heard about it a long time ago. The owner of this manor was said to be incredibly wealthy. But he became obsessed with the sinister martial arts of the Unorthodox Sect and eventually went mad.”
“…”
“In the end, he began slaughtering his own household. The Murim Alliance had to intervene before the matter was resolved.”
Seo Wu took a breath and went on.
“After such a bloodbath, who would live here? And because the lord’s entire family was wiped out, the place ended up ownerless and abandoned.”
Then he turned to me.
“Even so, are you still going in?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Then allow me to take the lead.”
He stepped inside cautiously, scanning the surroundings, with Yeo Eung-am and me following behind.
Inside, it was truly desolate.
If the story of the massacre was true, then the shattered and scattered furniture certainly supported it.
But besides that, there was nothing left.
Seeing this, Yeo Eung-am asked,
“This seems strange. Wasn’t this supposed to be an incredibly wealthy place? And didn’t they say there were no survivors? In that case, the authorities should’ve collected the remaining assets. So why wasn’t this manor cleared out?”
“They say thieves struck right after the bloodbath. Before the authorities could even recover anything, the valuables were taken.”
“I see. That explains why it was left like this.”
As expected of a former Escort Chief, Seo Wu was quite knowledgeable about this manor.
But there was one thing even he didn’t know.
The ones who’d stolen everything were from the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
At a previous gathering of the Hundred Merchant Groups, this manor had come up in conversation.
To be precise, the treasure found here had been the topic.
Back then, I’d overheard the Lord of the Baekcheon Merchant Group speaking to his Deputy.
“Didn’t you say nothing was left?”
“I checked again and again.”
At the time, I didn’t know what they were talking about, but later I realized.
They’d been speaking of this manor.
I smirked, recalling the details I’d heard.
I remembered clearly—behind the building on the left, a large jar was buried.
After a quick scan of the area, Seo Wu said,
“There’s no one around.”
I nodded and headed to the back of the left building.
Soon, I found a vacant lot overgrown with yellowing, withered grass.
That’s when it happened.
From inside my sleeve, Geumryeong poked its head out.
Seeing that, I let out a short laugh.
This little one really had a miraculous nose for money.
I spoke to Geumryeong.
“You smell something valuable here, don’t you? Try finding where it is.”
“Kui?”
“If you find it, I’ll give you a silver tael.”
At my offer, Geumryeong shook its head. Now it was bargaining with me.
But if it reacted like this, then a silver tael clearly wasn’t enough.
Which meant whatever was here must be incredibly valuable.
Its instincts were sharp, alright.
So I raised the offer.
“I’ll give you a gold tael.”
At my words, Geumryeong wagged its rear excitedly and planted itself in the lot.
Then it began scurrying around.
Its twitching tail practically radiated joy.
Then, suddenly, it stopped in one spot and started digging.
Papapapapak—!
The speed at which it tore into the ground was astounding. One Geumryeong was doing the work of ten men.
Before long, it stopped digging and looked up at me from inside the pit.
Its sparkling eyes looked like it was waiting for praise.
“Good job.”
“Kui…”
Ah, that meant it wanted the gold tael.
“I need to see what it is first. I’ll give it to you back at the inn.”
At my words, Geumryeong nodded and tried to crawl back into my sleeve—
“Hey, hey! Where do you think you’re going all covered in dirt?!”
I caught it, gave it a rough shake to dust it off, and wiped it clean with a handkerchief.
Once we got back, Palgap was sure to have another scuffle bathing this little one.
Anyway, the jar in the pit came first.
“I’ll open it.”
Yeo Eung-am carefully brushed aside the dirt and removed the lid.
The moment he did—
“…”
We were all struck speechless.
Inside, it was filled with luminous pearls.
Even though I’d known what was hidden there, the sheer quantity left me momentarily stunned.
“It seems that note you found, Young Master, was real.”
At Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am’s words, Seo Wu nodded as well.
“By the way, how much do you think this is worth?”
“There must be at least over a hundred.”
The luminous pearls brightly lit the space around us.
I said to the two Escort Guards,
“Let’s pack them up.”
“Yes, sir.”
I pulled out the pouch, and the two of them began placing the luminous pearls carefully inside.
This worked out well for me—I could gain something and also prevent a future incident. Two birds with one stone.
These luminous pearls were so valuable, they left all of us speechless.
Which is exactly why they eventually caused an incident.
Every five years, the Murim Alliance hosts a martial tournament.
It’s called the Dragon and Phoenix Martial Meet (龍鳳比武會). Those who place in the top ranks gain honor and the qualification to become a Murim Alliance martial artist.
Countless warriors flock to Luoyang to compete in the Dragon and Phoenix Martial Meet.
Among them were the ones who found these luminous pearls. They too had come to Luoyang for the tournament.
They were sons of poor martial families, without a proper place to stay.
Because of the scale of the tournament, countless sects and martial clans had poured into Luoyang.
By chance, they heard this manor was abandoned.
While staying here, they spotted a faint light, dug at the spot, and found this jar.
At the time, the jar had been cracked, which is how the light escaped.
It could be called a fortuitous encounter, but for them, it turned out to be a curse.
They tried to sell the luminous pearls to pay for lodging, but the rumors somehow spread.
Naturally, people aiming for the pearls emerged. In the end, the brothers had to hand them over to the Murim Alliance.
Which means these luminous pearls brought hardship to the brothers who found them and ended up in the hands of the Murim Alliance.
And I had just snatched up the very treasure that would’ve fallen into their hands.
It felt like a weight had lifted from my chest.
.
.
.
The next morning.
As agreed in advance, I came down to the first floor at the hour of the dragon (辰時: 7 to 9 AM).
My diligent father had already come down before me.
“Good morning.”
“Yes, did you sleep well?”
“I did.”
I sat across from Father, and soon after, Mother came down, fully dressed.
Breakfast was served shortly after.
As we’d ordered, breakfast was congee, just like what we had back home. It came with small plates of various toppings to add to the white congee.
While sipping tea after the meal, Father asked,
“So, what are your plans for today?”
“I was thinking of visiting the marketplace in Luoyang.”
Just then—
“In that case, it wouldn’t be bad for you to accompany my son.”
Turning around at the voice, I saw the family of Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol from yesterday entering the dining hall.
“Ah, good morning.”
“Yes, good morning.”
Standing behind Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol was a young man I hadn’t seen before.
“This is the one who’ll succeed me. He had some business and left late, so he arrived late last night.”
At his introduction, the young man stepped forward and offered a martial greeting.
“I am Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang.”
“I am Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho.”
After our introductions, Father spoke.
“It’s fate that we’ve met like this. Why not explore the market with Deputy Sa?”
With the agreement of both Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol and Father, it was settled that I’d tour the market with Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang today.
Truthfully, I had planned to pick up a second treasure today while exploring the marketplace after securing those luminous pearls yesterday.
But I had no proper reason to refuse.
Well, I could just bring him along.
A little while later,
I left the inn with Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang.
“…”
Deputy Sa Gang was extremely quiet.
It was nice that he didn’t talk unnecessarily, but it was so extreme, it became difficult.
“That silk’s color is quite beautiful—it looks like it’s made of Shu brocade.”
“I see.”
“I think that painting might be the work of the famous artist Seong Geum… though I’m not certain.”
“…”
At this rate, conversation wasn’t going anywhere.
However—
Even he had a moment when his eyes sparkled. That was when we passed a blacksmith’s forge.
“Let’s stop for a moment and take a look.”
He stood and watched the smiths work the metal for quite some time. Seeing that, Palgap whispered quietly,
“What concentration, truly. No wonder they became one of the Hundred Merchant Groups through weapons alone.”
That’s true.
After watching the blacksmiths, we continued on our way.
At one point, I stopped in front of a jewelry shop.
“Let’s go in here.”
“…?”
Deputy Sa Gang tilted his head.
“Since we’re in Luoyang, I thought I’d buy some jewelry for my mother.”
I continued,
“Wouldn’t you like to pick out something for a gift as well, Deputy?”
He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.
“Mother, younger sister… yes.”
He must’ve meant to get gifts for his mother and younger sister.
Once we entered, the shopkeeper came to greet us.
“Welcome, sirs.”
“We’ll just take a look around for now.”
“Yes, feel free to browse.”
I began to look through the merchandise leisurely.
As expected of Luoyang, the store was filled with ornate items.
“…”
But Deputy Sa Gang looked troubled.
“Is something wrong?”
“Which…”
“You’re not sure which one to choose?”
He nodded with a helpless expression.
“From what I can see, this red-colored one would suit your mother well. And this one…”
Drawing on the taste I’d cultivated under Jeong-ho in my past life, I helped pick out some jewelry that would suit his family.
Once Deputy Sa Gang looked satisfied with his choices, I began looking through the goods as well.
No, I pretended to.
I was searching for the treasure I came here to find.
There were two special artifacts I was looking for.
Finding even one treasure in a store was rare—finding two was about as likely as lightning striking the same coin twice.
But the unbelievable had happened in this shop.
I smiled.
‘That’s the one!’
–TL Notes–
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