Tang Pae groaned.
“We don’t have the funds to buy that many weapons.”
“They aren’t particularly expensive. How much do you think the four weapons on this table cost?”
“What?”
At his subordinate’s question, Tang Pae examined the four weapons laid out before him.
“Given their quality... at least a hundred gold taels?”
“One gold tael apiece.”
“What? Th-They’re that cheap?”
“Yes.”
A single gold tael was enough for an ordinary commoner to live comfortably for a year, but to people like them, it was hardly a staggering sum.
“H-How many weapons did the True Martial Merchant Company appear to have for sale?”
“Approximately two hundred.”
Tang Pae immediately began rifling through the ledgers.
“That should still fall within a manageable budget. Go back and purchase every last one immediately!”
“Understood!”
*****
The Tang Family members hurried back to buy the weapons.
Unfortunately, martial artists who had recognized their true value were already lined up in droves.
Worse still, the sign fluttering above the stall crushed the Tang Family’s hopes.
Limit one per customer.
Their faces went pale.
Now that they thought about it, each of the four of them had bought only one weapon.
How did we fail to notice that?
They must have been so captivated by the weapons that they had overlooked the sign entirely.
What are we supposed to tell the Family Head?
As they stood there in despair, a group of Taoist priests passed nearby.
The Tang Family martial artists recognized them at once.
“The Qingcheng Sect.”
“Those men practically never descend from the mountain. What brings them down now?”
“They must have heard about the weapons.”
“The sales only began today. Word couldn’t possibly have reached the mountain this quickly.”
“Then perhaps they merely happened to come down. Damn it. Of all the days, why did they have to choose the day these weapons went on sale? Lucky bastards.”
“They haven’t bought anything yet. Let’s keep watching.”
Please ignore the True Martial Merchant Company’s stall and keep walking.
They prayed with all their hearts.
Had heaven heard their desperate plea?
Apparently not.
The Qingcheng priests’ gazes naturally shifted toward the True Martial Merchant Company stall surrounded by a dense crowd.
“Ja Un, there is an unusual number of people gathered over there.”
The speaker had a short, coarse, rugged beard. At his words, a man with a long, silken white beard turned his head.
“So there are. Ha ha. They must be selling something worthwhile. It is good to see the streets so lively.”
“What could they be selling? The sign says only one item per person, so it must be something rare.”
“I’ll go take a look.”
When the youngest-looking priest volunteered, the other two smiled.
“Ha ha. Myeong Un, are you that curious?”
“It seems our youngest still hasn’t abandoned his attachment to worldly things, despite his age.”
“N-No, Seon Un. I was merely curious...”
“Ha ha ha. Don’t be too hard on him. I’m curious myself. Let us all take a look.”
“Ja Un, won’t that make us late?”
“We still have time. We rarely descend into the secular world, so let us enjoy ourselves a little before we leave.”
“Very well.”
The three went over to the True Martial Merchant Company’s stall.
“It appears they’re selling weapons.”
“Oh? I see.”
Their eyes lit up at the word weapons.
They might have been Taoist priests, but they were also martial artists.
It was only natural for weapons to attract their interest.
The moment they drew close enough to examine the merchandise, they could not hide their astonishment.
“J-Ja Un! Every one of these is a masterwork sword!”
“How can this be?”
Even Ja Un, who was rarely shaken by anything, stared openly at the weapons in amazement.
“No wonder they limit purchases to one per person.”
Then his gaze fell on the price.
“The price is... one gold tael?”
“What? A sword this fine costs only one gold tael?”
“Yes.”
“Could these perhaps be stolen goods?”
Seon Un whispered the question, but the man standing behind the stall heard him and laughed.
“Ha ha! Rest assured, they are not stolen. Look closely at the blades. You will find our merchant company’s insignia engraved on them.”
Upon closer examination, the same insignia was indeed engraved into every weapon.
It had not been added afterward. The markings had clearly been incorporated during the forging process.
“How can you sell weapons of this quality so cheaply?”
“That is precisely what we have been wondering. But these are the Merchant Master’s orders, so we must obey. You should know one thing, however. Once today ends, you may never see weapons like these again.”
“Hmm!”
The warning that they might never have another opportunity stirred desire in Ja Un’s heart.
Startled by his own greed, he murmured a Taoist maxim.
“The Way gives rise to nonaction.”
A Taoist priest was supposed to relinquish worldly desire, yet here he was coveting a material possession.
Thinking that his cultivation still had far to go, he turned away—only to find his two fellow disciples already utterly enthralled by the weapons displayed on the stall.
“Let us go.”
“What? Can’t we look a little longer?”
Myeong Un could not bring himself to speak. He merely stared at Ja Un with desperate longing.
Ja Un lamented inwardly.
This is all my fault.
I never should have indulged the youngest.
He had barely overcome the same temptation himself, so he could hardly blame the others.
They did have money.
But it was money they absolutely could not spend.
It was meant to pay the debts they had accumulated on credit.
If they delayed any longer, the merchant company they dealt with would cut them off completely.
That company had continued supplying them only out of consideration for the Qingcheng Sect’s circumstances. If even that relationship ended, the Qingcheng Sect might genuinely be reduced to surviving on wild grass.
Seon Un knew that as well, which was why he could not bring himself to suggest spending the money.
They were turning to leave when someone called out.
“Elder Ja Un?”
Ja Un turned and saw a familiar face.
“You are... Ha Muhyeon, aren’t you?”
“Have you been well?”
“Ha ha ha. I have indeed.”
“What brings you here?”
“We had business in the secular world and happened across this fascinating display.”
“Ah! You saw the swords.”
“We did. Judging by your clothing, are you affiliated with this place?”
“Ha ha. That I am. I serve as Chief Escort of this merchant company.”
“My word! Is that so? Ha ha ha. You’ve done well for yourself.”
“I still have a long way to go.”
Ha Muhyeon, Chief Escort of the True Martial Merchant Company, was a lay disciple of the Qingcheng Sect.
Seon Un asked urgently, “Since you’re the Chief Escort, could you perhaps make an exception for us?”
“What?”
Ja Un immediately rebuked him.
“Seon Un! That is enough.”
“Ja Un, they said these swords would be gone after today.”
“You call yourself a Taoist priest, yet you cannot relinquish your greed?”
“Is this truly nothing but personal greed? I am thinking of the Qingcheng Sect. You know as well as I do that our sect no longer possesses a single proper masterwork sword.”
It was true.
The Qingcheng Sect’s finances had recently fallen into a disastrous state.
A sudden earthquake had caused severe damage, and the cost of repairing it had emptied the sect’s coffers.
They had not even been able to complete the restoration.
After retaining only the bare necessities, they had sold everything else of value.
That included their weapons.
The fact that a martial sect had been forced to sell its own weapons showed just how desperate matters had become.
They had sold one weapon, then another, until the Qingcheng Sect eventually had almost nothing serviceable left.
Ha Muhyeon, who knew nothing of these circumstances, tilted his head.
“What do you mean? How could the great Qingcheng Sect lack proper weapons?”
“It is nothing. You need not concern yourself. We must be going now. The next time we meet, let us sit down over tea.”
“Understood, Elder. Travel safely.”
Barely acknowledging Ha Muhyeon’s farewell, Ja Un hurriedly ushered Seon Un and Myeong Un away.
Has something happened at the sect?
Ha Muhyeon was thinking that he should investigate when a voice suddenly came from directly beside him.
“Why? What’s going on?”
Ha Muhyeon nearly jumped out of his skin.
He turned to find Jeok Wigang standing beside him with a grin.
“Please, Merchant Master! Make some noise when you approach. You nearly stopped my heart.”
“I made plenty of noise. You were too focused to hear me.”
Ha Muhyeon shook his head at Jeok Wigang’s innocent smile.
“Do you know them?”
“Yes. They are elders of the Qingcheng Sect.”
“Ah, that’s right. You’re a lay disciple of Qingcheng, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“So what was the problem?”
“They desperately wanted the swords, but it seems they have no money.”
“Shouldn’t a sect like Qingcheng be able to afford something like this with ease?”
“Their circumstances appear to be poor. They said they no longer have even a single proper weapon...”
“Oh? They’re so desperate that they don’t even have decent weapons left?”
“It seems so. It pains me that I have been unable to help them as a lay disciple. I lost my parents when I was young. To me, the Qingcheng Sect is both my family home and my family...”
“Then help them.”
“What?”
Jeok Wigang turned to the employee behind the stall.
“That’s enough business for today. Pack everything up.”
“Yes, Merchant Master!”
At a single command, the employees moved in perfect order.
The martial artists browsing the weapons immediately erupted in protest.
“W-Wait! How can you close without warning while we’re still looking?”
“Exactly! I haven’t finished examining them yet!”
“We apologize. An unexpected matter has arisen, so we must close for today. We will return with even finer goods next time.”
“And when will that be?”
“Tell us before you go! I’ll have the money ready by then!”
Jeok Wigang grinned.
“We will open a stall here on the first day of every month. Come back then.”
The crowd’s anger quickly subsided once they learned that the stall would return every month rather than disappearing forever.
“Ahem! Then we shall meet again on the first of next month.”
“I’ll have my money prepared by then, so bring me a fine sword.”
“You aren’t planning to raise the price next time, are you?”
When someone questioned the price, Jeok Wigang answered,
“It will remain one gold tael.”
“Can you guarantee that?”
“Of course. I am the Merchant Master selling these goods.”
“You’re the Merchant Master? Forgive me. You were so young that I failed to recognize you.”
“No offense taken. Then I’ll see you all here again next month.”
The martial artists nodded and stared regretfully at the stall.
In moments, it had been cleared away, and the weapons were packed neatly into crates.
Ha Muhyeon asked, “Why are you suddenly closing when business is going so well?”
“You looked miserable because you couldn’t help your parent sect.”
“What?”
Jeok Wigang addressed the workers.
“Donate every weapon here to the Qingcheng Sect in the Chief Escort’s name.”
“Yes, Merchant Master!”
After giving the order, Jeok Wigang turned back to Ha Muhyeon with a grin.
Ha Muhyeon stared at him in shock.
“M-Merchant Master? What exactly are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m showing a little generosity to my subordinate’s family.”
“B-But donating all of those weapons is absurd.”
“What are you talking about? If you’re going to give a gift, you should do it properly. Don’t you agree?”
“Merchant Master...”
“Deliver them yourself. You can visit your old home and relive some memories while you’re there.”
Ha Muhyeon dropped to his knees.
“Thank you, Merchant Master! I will repay this kindness until the day I die!”
“There’s no need. Just keep working as hard as you have.”
Unable to speak, Ha Muhyeon looked up at Jeok Wigang as tears of gratitude streamed down his face.