novelraw Chapter 49 : Chapter 49
Chapter 49 : Chapter 49
Chapter 49: What, is there a fire?
When night fell, only my disciples and I remained in the main hall of the Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion.
I looked into the deep darkness under the eaves and was dumbfounded.
Crazy bastard.
Doesn't he even need to pee.
“You've got to be kidding me. What kind of pervert stays cooped up all day long doing that.”
Swoosh—
The darkness distorted and the Blood Demon's body dropped in a long shape.
As the writhing shadow transformed into the Blood Demon, the disciples' faces were filled with astonishment.
Whatever kind of concealment art it was, I couldn't help but acknowledge it.
No matter how much all my nerves were focused on me, even the Transformation Realm master, Namgung Sejin, had failed to detect that bastard's presence.
“That's strange. I haven't heard any rumors about such a formidable concealment art among the Blood Demon's martial arts.”
The Blood Demon's emotionless, indifferent eyes turned to me.
“It is the Hidden Demon Ghost Soul Art.”
“Hmm? Hidden Demon Ghost Soul Art?”
It was definitely a demonic art I had never heard of before, but it felt strangely familiar.
“As long as there is a shadow the size of a palm, I can hide my body in an instant.”
“That's not what I'm curious about.”
Concealment art is also a martial art, which means that internal energy must be used.
The more outstanding the concealment art, the weaker and more detailed the use of internal energy, but it is impossible to completely hide the subtle shockwaves that inevitably appear when internal energy is exerted.
At least, that was my common sense.
“…….”
As if reading my sticky gaze, the Blood Demon took a step back.
Damn it, that bastard knows me too well.
“It's not like it will wear out if you teach me.”
“C- crazy bastard.”
“Wait?”
Suddenly, a long-forgotten legend of the Demonic Way came to mind.
“Surely that's not… the martial art of the Ghost Demon, is it?”
A fallen esoteric monk from the Western Regions who had converted to the Demonic Cult.
He was a contemporary of the ancient Demon God.
Before the existence of the Eight Great Demon Families and the Five Great Bishops, that is, in the early days of the Demonic Cult, there were the Demon God and the Six Demons of the Demonic Way who governed his laws.
One of them was the Ghost Demon.
No one who knew his true identity has been passed down.
It is said that he only revealed himself to the Demon God.
I can say with certainty that he was the most mysterious figure in the history of the Demonic Cult.
“…….”
Silence is affirmation.
I could clearly read a small gleam in his indifferent eyes.
For there to be a waver in that Blood Demon's heart means only one thing.
“Wow, really?”
How?
The mysterious demonic art of the Ghost Demon has never appeared before.
Does that mean the roots of the Demonic Cult's Blood Witch Sect are that ancient Ghost Demon?
“……I can't believe it. Is the entire secret history of the martial world contained in that small head of yours?”
“Wait? If your Blood Witch Sect had inherited the legend of that great Ghost Demon, you would have announced it dozens of times already, wouldn't you?”
The Ghost Demon was a subordinate and colleague of the Demon God who opened the history of the Demonic Cult, a truly legendary demonic practitioner.
If the Blood Witch Sect, to which the Blood Demon belongs, had inherited the legacy of such a Ghost Demon, its legitimacy would reach the heavens.
Legitimacy is a lifeline to a religious order.
“……The Hidden Demon Ghost Soul Art is not the demonic art of our sect.”
“Hmm?”
No, he's the Blood Demon, yet he says it's not the demonic art of the Blood Witch Sect?
With a sense of foreboding, I asked the Blood Demon bastard.
“Did you, by any chance? Go into the Myriad Demon Tomb?”
“…….”
The Blood Demon was silent again.
No, does that even make sense?
The Myriad Demon Tomb is a place that no one can enter unless they are the Heavenly Demon of the time or the young cult leader who will succeed him.
I was itching to open that Blood Demon's closed mouth, my head was tingling like crazy.
He must have some incredible story, but looking at those indifferent eyes, he clearly has no intention of opening his mouth easily.
Wait?
Then it makes even less sense, doesn't it?
“Then you must already know the location of the Myriad Demon Tomb?”
The reason why this Blood Demon bastard is trying to find my Mad Ninja Heretics.
I had thought it was to find the Myriad Demon Tomb, which must be somewhere in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Because that would be the only way to bring the Heavenly Demon back to this land.
“Then your purpose is not the Divine Woman.”
The Blood Demon's eyes, which had been staring at me indifferently, slowly turned into smoke.
He disappeared, leaving a shadow behind.
‘Hmm…….’
His purpose is not as simple as I thought.
As I was engrossed in complicated thoughts, Moyong Baek asked cautiously.
“Master, should we continue like this……”
“You want to learn techniques, don't you?”
Those who have just set foot in martial arts inevitably want to manifest their martial soul.
But that was not my way.
“As I have already said, my martial theory follows the principle of Ki First, Form Second. Both of you need to have your ki art at the fifth stage.”
“The fifth stage……”
Moyong Baek, who was biting his lip thinly, looked at me again.
“How long will it take to reach the fifth stage?”
“With your kind of talent, probably about a year or two?”
“Ugh, that long……”
“Why? You don't want to do it?”
“Ah, no, sir.”
If martial arts were that easy, everyone would be one of the Seven Revered of Jianghu, you brats.
“Martial arts are perseverance. You have to repeat it endlessly every day. If that's difficult, it's better to quit early.”
I left the dumbfounded-looking fellows and came out of the Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion.
Looking inside the wall from a distance, the fellows were already sitting in a meditative posture and concentrating on circulating their ki.
As I watched them for a long time, fatigue set in.
Because of those damn Namgung bastards, I had been on edge for a few days, so my energy seemed to have been drained.
I headed to my residence.
***
“Young Master! Young Master!”
The aquiline nose was shaking me awake vigorously.
I was trying to get a good night's sleep for the first time in a while, but why is this guy doing this all of a sudden?
“Ugh…… What is it?”
“Carts started arriving early this morning! The procession is still continuing!”
“Carts?”
The carts must be the procession of the servants who have returned after purchasing the West Lake Longjing on credit.
It was a pity that the Namgung bastards had left early, so I couldn't see the full effect, but it didn't matter much.
“What time is it?”
“It's past the hour of the horse!”
Hmm? It's already that late?
If the procession of carts has been continuing since early this morning, it means the quantity is quite large.
Is there that much West Lake Longjing being distributed in Wuhan?
“But why are you waking me up? Are you asking me to pull a cart with you?”
“That's not it, there's a huge commotion right now! The Clan Head, This Steward, and even the clan's elders are looking for the Third Young Master!”
“Really?”
Since I had purchased a huge amount of West Lake Longjing without any notice, the fuss from the Jaegal Clan was somewhat expected.
By now, they would have also figured out that this was a credit transaction.
The pale face of This Steward came to my mind.
“Well then. Let's go.”
After washing up briefly and changing into my martial uniform, I couldn't help but frown when I saw the crowd gathered around the Yongso Stream.
It seemed that all the leaders of the Jaegal Clan were gathered.
“What, is there a fire? Doesn't the Jaegal Clan have any work to do?”
Around that time, my eyes met with This Steward's.
As I had imagined, his face had turned ashen.
“Y- Young Master!”
At his shout, all eyes turned to me at once.
My father and the Old Man of Heavenly Wisdom walked over with hurried steps.
“Explain yourself!”
Seeing my father's burning eyes, it seemed he was really angry.
“You left everything concerning Namgung to me, didn't you?”
“What on earth does this enormous amount of West Lake Longjing have to do with this matter!”
“No, I thought I had already explained everything last time? That I would make money my own way. Did I sell the house or something, did I use the family's silver.”
“You!”
As my angry father held out what I had given to the servant, it was the Phoenix Fan.
“You didn't sell the house, you sold the entire family! This Steward!”
“Yes, Clan Head!”
“Show that bastard what we have calculated so far!”
This Steward, who was looking at the ledger with a pale face, began to answer with trembling lips.
“……It is impossible to gauge the exact amount, but even a rough estimate suggests it will reach two hundred thousand packages.”
“In silver, I mean!”
“O- of course, it varies depending on the time, but the average market price of West Lake Longjing is about thirty nyang per package.”
My father, his beard trembling.
“Do you understand now? The amount of silver you have unauthorizedly procured by using the family's heirloom as collateral is a whopping six million nyang!”
I was rather pleased.
At this rate, it was safe to say that I had brought in almost all the West Lake Longjing being distributed in Wuhan.
The servants had done a pretty good job.
“It seems like a lot because you're counting in silver. In gold coins, it's about three hundred thousand nyang.”
“What! You brat!”
Huh?
As my father really raised his hand as if to strike me, the Old Man of Heavenly Wisdom hastily stopped him.
As expected, the only one I can rely on is my grandfather.
“Ahem, Clan Head. It's our Hwi-ah. We have to at least hear what kind of unprecedented plan is in that small head of his. Of course.”
Looking at my father's pitifully trembling beard, I finally shifted my gaze to the procession of carts that had come to a stop.
“That West Lake Longjing, you see. It can only be harvested in late spring. Now that summer is passing, it means it will take at least half a year until the next harvest.”
This Steward's face turned even paler.
“Then are you saying you will hold onto this West Lake Longjing until the next harvest?”
“Hey, no way. Our family doesn't even have a shaded place to store this much. Besides, I'm not going to make all the West Lake Longjing enthusiasts die of a stroke.”
The Old Man of Heavenly Wisdom spoke again.
“Yes, that's right. Tea is naturally sensitive to moisture and sunlight. Our family does not have a suitable place to store that much West Lake Longjing.”
“It's a pity, but well, that's the reality.”
This Steward cautiously asked again.
“Then for what reason did you bring this enormous amount of West Lake Longjing into the clan?”
“Are you really asking because you don't know? Of course, I bought it to resell it.”
“Yes……?”
This Steward, with a look of utter bewilderment on his face.
I sat on a cart and got drunk on the fragrant scent of Longjing.
“This West Lake Longjing, you see. It's not an essential item that people will die if they can't eat. It's clearly a luxury item. Who consumes this kind of thing?”
“Of course, places like government offices, famous manors, or well-known inns and taverns……”
This Steward's eyes were shaking as if he had realized something.
“Most of those places are extremely conservative when it comes to making deals. It means they won't change their existing suppliers overnight. If they suddenly don't have the tea to serve their customers, their reputation is finished that day.”
My father spoke in a bewildered tone.
“Do you take all the tea houses in Wuhan for fools? There's no way those cunning people would have given you all the supply that was due to be delivered!”
“Isn't that obvious? What kind of people are merchants. Of course, they've made sure to have a place to lie down.”
“……What did you say?”
Even the Old Man of Heavenly Wisdom's eyes began to waver.
“Hwi-ah. Are you perhaps……?”
A snicker.
“I'm going to sell it at half price.”
This Steward began to tremble all over.
“Y- Young Master……? Then the loss would be a whopping……!”
A loss of three million nyang of silver.
I smiled brightly at my father.
“There's only one way for a newcomer to win.”
I looked at Wuhan, nestled below the distant, rolling hills.
“Completely overturn the existing game.”