Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 50 : Myriad Gold Merchant Guild

Myriad Gold Merchant Guild

The nights in the Central Plains are dark. This isn't a metaphorical expression.

Unless it's a fairly large city, it's hard to find a street illuminated late at night.

It's an era where working during the day and sleeping once it's dark is taken for granted.

Among them, counties with relatively small populations fall into darkness quickly once the day ends—even at the town center.

Shops close, and people lock their doors, rarely venturing outside.

'Hmm...'

Of course, there are exceptions. Places like Huayeon Gate are like that.

Lamps are lit everywhere, and guards keep watch in case any intruders dare climb over the walls.

The Yu household where Jeong-un had been was the same.

Even though it was a martial household guarded by swordsmen, there were still those who attempted to climb the walls.

That's why what surprised Jeong-un wasn't the sight of Huayeon Gate.

As he lightly stepped onto the wall and looked around Dangyang County, one place immediately caught his eye.

"Huh."

So many lamps were lit that it shone alone in the pitch-black darkness, illuminating the surroundings.

Even someone without extraordinary eyesight could spot it from afar.

'On such sprawling land.'

There were several pavilions, each two or three stories high.

Standing alone on the outskirts of the county, encircled by relatively high walls, it looked almost like a small fortress at a glance.

'So that's what they mean by overwhelming wealth.'

Seeing it for himself, he could feel the true might.

It was no wonder people said that it suppressed the surrounding security bureaus, merchant guilds, and sects with its wealth.

He heard the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild had moved here barely over a year ago.

For them to have built such grand pavilions in that short time meant a tremendous sum of money and manpower had been invested.

Tap!

He lightly stepped forward and sprang up.

He leaped across rooftops in rapid succession, rushing toward the place.

'It feels strange.'

Following the flow of Moonlight Swift Steps, true ki coursed through his veins and pushed his body forward.

The sensation of riding on the wind was the same as ever.

But, for some reason, the true ki at his toes didn't feel smooth.

It felt segmented, as if each step was disconnected.

As if he was stepping along a series of connected spots. It just wasn't smooth.

At least, thankfully, the speed hadn't diminished.

'Is it because I still can't fully control my cultivated power?'

He sensed he'd need to grow accustomed to it again through several fights.

If this was how his body-strengthening art felt, what would swinging a sword be like?

He regretted that, due to focusing on internal energy accumulation and controlling true ki, he hadn't really swung his sword lately.

There was definitely something different about it.

While pondering this, Jeong-un arrived atop the high wall of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild.

As expected, the place shining so brightly was the guild's headquarters.

Red flags emblazoned with the characters Myriad Gold 萬金 fluttered everywhere.

The fact that they could use such a large site alone within the county wall—

They must have bribed the official in charge as well.

He slowly turned his head, taking in the overall layout.

It was so he could respond without hesitation, no matter the situation.

Then he noticed two men walking side by side along the path in the estate.

They must have been a patrol making their rounds at night.

"It's been ages since I got with a wench. I'm reaching my limit."

"Crazy bastard. Do we fools at the bottom have the luxury to be picky about that sort of thing?"

They chatted without a care in the world, paying no attention to their surroundings.

Jeong-un thought, just how carefree do you have to be as a patrol to act like this?

He hid his presence and followed closely, listening in on their conversation.

"Picky? It's not as if I crave the blood and flesh of those martial artists. It's just that the men who grew up poor have muddy blood and such coarse flesh. It doesn't suit my taste."

"If you want flesh you like, just get stronger. Then, they'll bring you whatever pretty girls match your palate."

"Don't you think I know that? But to do that, I first have to obtain the flesh of martial artists brimming with cultivated power, that's the problem."

"Heh, what can we do? We're low-class by birth."

It was an utterly casual exchange, full of madness.

Had he only heard their conversation, he could have mistaken them for two ordinary commoners grumbling.

"..."

Jeong-un listened quietly to their words.

He wasn't easily agitated.

If he planned to draw his sword over something like this, he would have already done so when he ran into the men who came with Wei Jinmyeong at Huayeon Gate.

'I have to see it all with my own eyes.'

He took his eyes off them and scanned farther afield.

He couldn't conclude that everyone here was their accomplice.

There would be ringleaders, and those like the ones he'd just seen would be the core.

For instance, that maid just now emanated no suspicious energy—she was an ordinary commoner.

Unaware of the men's lustful gazes as they stared her up and down, she hurried her steps.

'I must kill every last one of them.'

That was why he'd come here to investigate in the first place.

Just then—

A foul stench assaulted his nostrils.

"...!"

Without a second to ponder what it was, he dashed straight toward the source.

He leaped onto and over the high roof of a pavilion in one bound.

Because the odor vanished instantly, he felt a sense of urgency.

Tap!

He looked down from atop the pavilion roof.

'... That.'

There was a middle-aged man with strikingly pale skin.

While his face was the type you'd see anywhere, the pallor lent him an eerie impression.

There were several armed men around, but no one dared meet the man's gaze.

Just one look told Jeong-un this was the boss here.

"Will you be heading to your chambers now, merchant guildmaster?"

"Yes."

'That's the merchant guildmaster?'

His appearance was so different from what Jeong-un had expected that it caught him by surprise.

For someone who, by profession, surely traveled all over, his skin was extremely pale for a merchant guildmaster.

It was clearly abnormal even at a glance. Perhaps it had something to do with the martial arts he practiced.

Moreover, he must have had peculiar tastes—he even wore a white long robe.

It stood out even more since all the men around him wore ordinary green martial clothes.

Even so, Jeong-un's expression hardened.

'The stench of blood is thick.'

Finally, he realized what the strange smell earlier had been.

A pungent stench of blood. Definitely not from just one or two people.

'And also...'

Each step the man took exuded the solid, composed energy unique to well-trained martial arts.

At that level, his every movement was suffused with the intricacies of a top-tier body-strengthening art.

There was no doubt he could be called a master—discounting that sinister aura.

'Can I cut him down?'

He gauged the gap between himself and the man.

Clearly, he was a master of a level Jeong-un had never fought before.

Except, of course, for the one who had called himself the Ming Sect leader.

'... That bastard.'

With a body-strengthening art close to sorcery, that man had dodged the full-force Traceless Flash.

The follow-up palm technique had slammed into Jeong-un's side—the sensation still vivid.

It was his first time experiencing a heavy striking technique.

'He's not quite that bad.'

Jeong-un shook his head slightly.

A strange conviction settled over him.

Although this man's movements hinted at high-level martial arts, he wasn't on par with the Ming Sect leader.

'Well, does it matter?'

Either way, both of them were obstacles to overcome.

He'd long since accepted that he had a long road ahead.

There was no reason to get arrogant just because he'd won a few duels and survived several real fights.

Someone like that, he had to be able to cut down with ease.

His goal wasn't people like that. It was beyond.

That Ming Sect leader was the same.

They were all just part of the process.

'I'll cut them all down.'

One by one, step by step.

Eventually, he'd reach the farthest end of his goal.

Jeong-un scrutinized the pale-skinned merchant guildmaster.

He observed the man's techniques through his movements.

The man carried no sword at his waist, so he wasn't a swordsman. Did that mean fist-and-palm arts were his specialty?

Or, judging by his bearing, maybe it was the infamous claw technique he'd only heard about.

Soon, the man disappeared from view.

Jeong-un turned his attention to the building the man had just exited.

The overpowering foul smell came from there.

Now, with the chief gone, only two men stood guard outside the door, their faces already relaxed.

They looked just like the two patrolmen he'd seen earlier.

'What's inside there?'

It was a wooden structure resembling a storage shed.

But looking closely, it was unique—the ceiling wasn't high, and there wasn't a single window.

It was purposefully constructed as a perfectly sealed space.

Tap.

Jeong-un lightly pushed off the pavilion roof and sat atop that building.

Even with him right above, the guards below had no idea.

As one of them turned his head, he dropped silently onto the other.

He extended his forefinger and pressed a sleep acupoint.

Slip.

The man's body slumped to the ground without a sound.

He lost consciousness instantly, never realizing what had happened.

Jeong-un immediately rushed at the other man and likewise sealed his acupoint.

In just a blink, both guards lay sleeping before the doorway.

Creeeak.

Without hesitation, he opened the door and walked in.

Perhaps because it was a guarded area, it wasn't even locked.

"..."

He frowned before he realized it.

The stench was overpowering.

Pushing through the reek, Jeong-un moved forward.

It was very dark, but he didn't have to walk far.

An appalling scene lay right ahead.

"..."

There were piles of human corpses.

He instantly grasped what the man in the white long robe had been doing here.

The man had come to this place to feast on human blood and flesh.

'... Again.'

It wasn't his first time seeing something like this.

He'd seen a scene just like it during his first mission.

They had kidnapped villagers and held a feast.

Then, Jeong-un killed them all.

'Should I just, right now...'

He closed his eyes for a moment, torn. His anger surged.

"..."

But he soon shook his head.

Acting rashly, carried away by rage, wasn't the answer.

Even if he drew his sword and cut everyone down now, even if he managed to kill that boss as well—

He couldn't guarantee he'd catch every single one.

If they split up and fled, there was a high chance some would escape.

'I'll go back.'

He shut the door and left.

The two men still lay collapsed outside.

"..."

He immediately struck their central acupoints.

"Ugh!"

"Keugh!"

They groaned briefly, unable to cry out in pain.

By then, Jeong-un had already disappeared.

After a while, the two awoke with puzzled expressions.

They looked at each other, horror spreading across their faces.

"We fell asleep? And at the same time?"

"This makes no sense..."

As one checked his own body, the other ran into the building and came back out.

"Inside's the same. There's not a single trace."

"My body's fine too. It doesn't feel like I was attacked."

They exchanged silent glances.

"... Should we report this?"

"Are you crazy? Report that we both fell asleep at our posts at the same time, and it's instant death for us!"

"..."

"Nothing happened, right? That's that. We keep our mouths shut."

They composed themselves and stood at attention anew.

Gone were the slack faces from before; now they stood tense and stiff.

"..."

Jeong-un, watching briefly, quickly moved on.

* * *

'I wanted to handle this alone.'

It wasn't a matter of whether he could face them all.

What mattered was whether he could annihilate every single one.

He had to kill every last one of them.

That couldn't be done alone.

'... I have no choice.'

Jeong-un returned to his quarters and wrote a letter.

It wasn't long—he simply stated what needed to be said.

He folded it carefully and headed outside again.

Tap.

He leaped to the roof of the tallest pavilion at Huayeon Gate.

He raised one arm lightly.

'Was it like this?'

He slowly imbued his hand with true ki.

Just as Jo Yoo-hyeon from the General Affairs Department had done when Jeong-un first entered the Heavenly Martial Hall.

Before long—

He heard the faint sound of wings flapping in the distance.

It was the white hawk of the Heavenly Martial Hall, said to be a spiritual beast.