It felt different from when I faced someone from the Unorthodox Sect.
Biting my lip at this unfamiliar sensation, I scanned my surroundings, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
I should probably ask Master about this.
Master said he would be watching the tournament too, so where is he?
Ah, now that I think about it…
Master did say something back then.
“Personally, the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering is a rather entertaining event, so I plan to observe it. However, please understand that even if we cross paths, we may not be able to greet each other.”
So he’s watching from somewhere, likely in disguise or hiding his presence.
I found myself wondering where he might be.
Huh?
I blinked. The aura that had made my skin crawl just moments ago had vanished without a trace.
What was that?
Normally, when that kind of energy fades, it disperses slowly. But this was different.
It disappeared all at once, as if it had been cleanly severed.
While I tilted my head in confusion, the Alliance Leader’s words of thanks came to an end.
“Then, from this moment on! We will begin the main rounds of the 36th Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering!”
“Waaaaah!”
“First, let me introduce the one hundred and eight qualifiers!”
At those words, the one hundred and eight participants who had been waiting below ascended the stage.
They must have been instructed beforehand on how to stand, because they lined up neatly and faced the audience in an orderly formation.
“These are the one hundred and eight rising stars who will lead the Murim in the future! Please give them a big round of applause.”
“Waaaaah!”
At the host’s words, the spectators pumped their fists in the air and let out thunderous cheers.
I joined in cheering for Eun Hyang-ok, along with Lady Zhuge Yu-ah, Lady Tang Su-bin, and Tang Jo-ung.
Anyway, one hundred and eight people…
I heard that setting the number of qualifiers at one hundred and eight was the stubborn insistence of a Shaolin Temple master who served as Alliance Leader when the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering was first founded.
Something about wishing for them to become heroes capable of eradicating the one hundred and eight earthly desires.
In any case, because of that fixed number, deciding the winner with a standard single-elimination bracket became a little awkward.
If one hundred and eight people fight, fifty-four move on.
Then, after that round, twenty-seven advance.
Which means it’s inevitable that some participants move up by bye.
Since the bracket is determined by drawing number tags, if your luck is good, you might get to advance once without even fighting.
Of course, you still have to win your first two matches to benefit from that bye.
So even though this is a tournament to test skill, luck in the drawing is also somewhat important.
“Then, as you descend from the stage, please draw your number tags in order.”
Following the host’s instructions, the qualifiers picked their numbers as they came down from the stage.
Next to them, the names of the warriors began to be written on the paper posted on a large bulletin board.
And since the paper could be damaged or lost, three clerks were also recording everything separately.
Thus, the final bracket was decided.
By the way, it should be about time for that incident where a warrior’s Sword Qi flies off the stage during a match and into the spectator stands.
Just in case, I had stayed by my mother’s side throughout the preliminaries, but as I recall, that incident took place during the main rounds.
But then, a thought suddenly came to me.
This tournament is quite different from the one in my previous life.
For example, Lady Zhuge Yu-ah and Tang Jo-ung have both made it to the main rounds.
Because of that, the bracket must have changed significantly as well.
In that case, isn’t there a chance that the incident from back then might not happen at all?
I considered the possibility, but soon shook my head.
If I let my guard down and it did happen, I don’t think I’d ever be able to forgive myself.
Still, while hoping as much as possible that nothing like that would occur, I kept my eyes on the matches.
.
.
.
Fortunately, today’s matches ended without any major accidents.
Of course, since this is a tournament where people fight with real swords, it’s only natural that the participants get injured.
From minor bruises from being thrown or rolling on the stage, to cuts and stab wounds from blades.
Some even suffered internal injuries from forcefully drawing on their qi.
So there were plenty of cases where they had to be carried off on stretchers.
In my opinion, the reason warriors push themselves to such extremes is because of honor.
In the main rounds, victory and defeat are decided when someone surrenders, steps out of bounds, or when the referee judges that they can no longer continue.
Situations where a match can’t go on include when a contestant faints, or when their life as a warrior would be at risk if the fight continues.
It would be best if they could judge their limits and surrender themselves, but even a single victory here is enough to build one’s reputation.
And to the warriors of Murim, reputation is more concrete and practical than one might think.
Only when you build a name for yourself does your standing in your clan or sect rise, and support follows.
A declining clan or sect can even seize a chance at revival.
Because of reasons like that, everyone fights desperately, which is also why there are far more injuries than in the preliminaries.
I’d wondered why they lacquered the ironwood of the stage… It must be because once blood soaks into wood, it’s nearly impossible to clean out.
After escorting my parents back to the inn, I headed to the Merchant Group’s temporary shop.
However…
“I am truly sorry. We are out of stock at the moment…”
What? Out of stock?
What is that supposed to mean?
I hurried over to Supervisor Yun.
“Supervisor Yun, what’s going on?”
“Ah! You’ve arrived, Deputy Merchant Lord?”
“I heard we’re out of stock. Didn’t we just fully restock the goods the day before yesterday?”
“That is correct. We still have plenty of our other items, but we’ve run out of fish bone powder and lime powder, the ingredients for Golden Wound Ointment.”
Golden Wound Ointment is a medicine used to stop bleeding from external injuries.
And among its ingredients, fish bone powder is the most crucial for making top-grade Golden Wound Ointment.
Lime powder is a cheaper, inferior substitute.
Drawing on the memories of my past life, I knew that fish bone powder and lime powder would sell well around this time, so I had stocked up in large quantities—but we’re already out?
“It can’t be helped. Send a message to the main Merchant Group right away and have them replenish our fish bone powder and lime powder.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll go around to the nearby merchant groups and see if they have any spare fish bone powder or lime powder we can buy.”
.
.
.
A few hours later.
I couldn’t help wearing a dejected expression.
“…You don’t have any?”
“That’s right. We’ve been cleaned out as well.”
I visited several merchant groups, but the answer was the same everywhere.
And now, at the last place I checked, I was hearing the same thing again.
“What about lime powder?”
“None of that either.”
Just what on earth is going on?
I returned to the inn, reported the situation to my father, and then went up to my room.
“Palgap, please brew me a cup of tea.”
“Understood.”
I organized my thoughts as I sipped the tea Palgap had prepared.
Hmm, his tea brewing skills are improving day by… No, that’s not the point…
In my previous life, around this time, I had been busy running the textile shop with my frail body.
Because of that, I don’t know much about the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering itself. I only heard the general situation from my brother Jin-ho, who went to Luoyang back then during the tournament.
The reason Jin-ho went at the time was because the External Chief Administrator strongly recommended it, saying he should broaden his horizons, especially since Jin-ho had a keen interest in martial arts.
Also, our Merchant Group’s standing back then was much lower than it is now, so the pressure on us wasn’t as great.
But circumstances now are quite different, which is why I ended up coming instead.
Anyway, according to what Jin-ho told me back then…
“It seems there were a lot of injured people. All of the fish bone powder and lime powder we’d prepared was completely sold out.”
“So what did you do?”
“What could I do? I nearly died rushing around to bring back more, but in a way, I felt relieved.”
“Huh? Relieved?”
“Because while I was away from Luoyang to get more, Sword Qi from the matches flew into the stands. And of all places, it hit the Grade B section.”
“Ah… I see. That is fortunate.”
“Anyway, even the stock I brought back was gone in no time. It wasn’t just us—everywhere else was the same. That’s why the prices of fish bone powder and lime powder skyrocketed. More than tenfold.”
Remembering that story, I had brought much more than I originally would have.
However, thinking it over now, something didn’t quite add up.
More than a hundred merchant groups had come to Luoyang for the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering and set up temporary shops.
And practically all of them stocked fish bone powder—the key ingredient for Golden Wound Ointment—or at least cheap lime powder.
If you combined everything they brought with what we brought, there would be enough to coat the entire bodies of all one hundred and eight qualifiers.
In fact, there should have been plenty left over.
But… even if the main rounds are far fiercer than the preliminaries and injuries are rampant, how is it that all the fish bone powder is gone after just one day?
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Even putting aside the cheapest lime powder, fish bone powder costs four silver coins per hop.
About the price of a chicken.
Yet they say it’s selling for ten times that. Which means people are actually paying that price.
Many warriors on the battlefield die not only because they’re struck in vital spots like the neck or heart, but also because they bleed out before they can be properly treated.
So what choice do they have?
If they don’t want to die, they have no choice but to buy Golden Wound Ointment, no matter how expensive it has become.
Because nothing in this world matters more than one’s own life.
But Jin-ho definitely said this back then.
“Even what I brought back ran out quickly. It wasn’t just us; it was the same everywhere. That’s why the prices of fish bone powder and lime powder skyrocketed.”
If the fish bone powder and lime powder ran out everywhere, where are people buying it now?
Something about this reeks.
I asked Palgap for an indigo cloth and hung it over the window.
I had a feeling I needed to meet Chun-il.
.
.
.
The next morning.
As I was eating breakfast, Palgap approached me.
“Um, a child just dropped this off.”
I unfolded the note Palgap handed me.
“I will see you next to Yumi Inn at the beginning of the Hour of the Snake.”
If it’s at the beginning of the Hour of the Snake, I can meet Chun-il first and still make it to the tournament arena afterward.
After explaining the situation to my parents and asking them to go on ahead to the arena, I headed to Yumi Inn.
While I stood there, pretending to wait for an order, a waiter approached me carrying a plate of dumplings.
“Customer, here are the dumplings you ordered.”
Sensing a familiar aura, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Ah, thank you.”
I accepted the dumplings, handed them to Palgap, and spoke.
“There’s something I need you to take care of.”
“What is it?”
I briefly explained the situation to Chun-il and gave him his instructions.
“…Please investigate that.”
“Understood.”
I was about to leave, but had to stop when Chun-il spoke again.
“Customer, that will be seven copper coins.”
“…”
With a sigh, I rummaged through my clothes and handed over seven copper coins. Chun-il accepted them with a bright, professional smile.
“Thank you very much. We look forward to your continued patronage.”
He really is serious about his disguise.
After entrusting the matter to Chun-il, I headed straight for the tournament arena.
Today’s matches were extremely important, because Eun Hyang-ok would be competing.
According to the bracket I saw yesterday, she was fourth in the lineup.
“Did you finish your business?”
“Yes, I settled it.”
“That’s a relief. The matches haven’t started yet.”
I nodded at my parents’ words and took my seat.
Just then, the host stepped onto the stage.
“Now, we will begin the second day of the main rounds! The first match is…”
Two warriors climbed onto the stage.
They were disciples of the Mount Hua Sect and the Mount Zhongnan Sect, respectively.
Since both sects are located in Shaanxi Province, they naturally have a competitive relationship.
In other words, they don’t get along very well.
“Wow, you couldn’t have drawn that matchup even if you tried…”
“Indeed.”
I heard murmurs rising from the crowd. Father also looked quite intrigued.
“Mount Hua Sect versus Mount Zhongnan Sect… On top of that, they’re the same age and of the same generation…”
One thing was certain.
Whoever lost here would have a grim future ahead.
For both of them, this was a fight with no room to retreat.
Dong-!
The match began with the beat of the drum.
Normally, warriors start off by cautiously probing each other, but there was none of that this time.
They had probably crossed swords many times before.
“Haaat-!”
The first to swing his sword was the Mount Hua disciple. Brilliant Sword Qi extended from his blade.
“Hah! Sword Qi already!”
In truth, even a first-rate warrior can manifest Sword Qi. They just can’t sustain it for long.
Perhaps because of that, he sent out short bursts, making his Sword Qi scatter like falling plum blossom petals.
There weren’t many petals, but each one carried considerable power.
Using Sword Qi right from the start meant he intended to finish the fight quickly.
However, the Mount Zhongnan disciple, unwilling to be overwhelmed, also unleashed his Sword Qi.
Mount Zhongnan Sect’s signature technique—the Thirty-Six Swords of the World!
The moment the two warriors’ blades clashed violently—
The Sword Qi, into which both had poured their full strength, rebounded.
Someone once said that counting on the unlikely can get you killed.
The situation now was exactly like that. The deflected Sword Qi shot off the stage, straight toward the spectator stands—straight toward us, to be precise.
Damn it!
I hurriedly drew my sword.
–TL Notes–
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