Episode 77: Fate Will Always Find a Way to Connect (2)
Light Novel: Volume 4 Chapter 1
Manhwa: Chapter 65-66
Chapter 1. Fate Will Always Find a Way to Connect (2)
Ki Jinhwi spoke without hesitation.
“I need gold dust, mercury, polished cinnabar, and a dozen tail feathers from a gold-crowned peacock.”
“You always ask for things that are impossible to get, Brother. Tail feathers from a gold-crowned peacock, really?”
Su-wol let out a sigh.
Even obtaining feathers from an ordinary peacock wasn’t easy, let alone getting feathers from a gold-crowned peacock.
The name of the bird came to be mainly because of its appearance as its head looked as if it wore a crown of golden light. Only one gold-crowned peacock was said to be born per generation, and since it inhabited the remote, uncharted regions of Southern Barbarian lands, most people didn’t even know such a creature existed.
“Can you get them or not? Just answer that.”
“Haa… You do know that a gold-crowned peacock’s tail feathers are worth their weight in gold, right?”
“Will this cover it?”
Ki Jinhwi pulled out a bead the size of a child’s fist from his robe. Even in the darkness, the orb radiated its own seven-colored glow.
Su-wol’s eyes widened in shock.
“Is that… a lightstone?”
“That’s right. A supreme-grade lightstone. A treasure worth ten thousand gold, easily.”
Su-wol glanced back and forth between the lightstone and Ki Jinhwi’s face, then sighed again.
“Hoo… How could I ever win against you, Brother? Just wait here a moment.”
She quietly walked away, leaving Lee Gwak and Ki Jinhwi behind.
Lee Gwak stared at the lightstone in Ki Jinhwi’s hand, his expression incredulous.
He couldn’t believe that such a small bead could be worth ten thousand gold. But Ki Jinhwi wasn’t the type to lie, and Su-wol didn’t seem like someone who could be fooled by falsehoods either.
So Lee Gwak asked Ki Jinhwi.
“Is the item you’re looking for really worth as much as that lightstone valued at ten thousand gold?”
“The value of an object is determined by the person who uses it. To someone else, this lightstone in my hand might be a priceless treasure but to me, the things I mentioned earlier are far more valuable than this useless glowing stone.”
“Hmm!”
“Everything is relative. There’s no such thing as something absolutely right, nor something absolutely wrong. Its value simply changes depending on need. Even the same item can be worth a fortune in one person’s hands, or less than a few copper coins in another’s.”
Ki Jinhwi’s words were said casually, but they made Lee Gwak pause and think.
‘There’s no such thing as something absolutely right, nor something absolutely wrong? Its use simply changes depending on need…’
When he thought of it that way, his mind felt much more at ease.
Moments later, Su-wol returned, holding a small wooden case.
She held it out to Ki Jinhwi and said,
“Please check it.”
“If it’s from you, I’m sure it’s good.”
Without even opening the case, Ki Jinhwi handed her the lightstone.
Su-wol turned the lightstone over in her hand and bit her lip. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking her mind.
“Brother… are you still not interested in joining the Black Market? With your skills, you could surely hold a major position here.”
“I told you already, didn’t I? I’ve got something else I need to do. But you… you should think about leaving this place sooner rather than later.”
“Brother…”
“I may be grateful to make use of this place, but the Black Market is far from clean. If you stay here long enough, you’re sure to get involved in something bad. So don’t get too deeply involved. I’d really like to see you get out of here.”
At his words, Su-wol looked at him with eyes full of quiet resentment. Ki Jinhwi’s face wasn’t cheerful either as he received her gaze. But he forced himself to maintain a calm expression.
In the end, Su-wol sighed.
“Hoo… In the end, our conversations always seem to end like this.”
“So it seems.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Brother. But people’s hearts can always change, can’t they? So if that happens—come find me anytime.”
“…alright.”
Ki Jinhwi responded merely out of courtesy. Su-wol knew that too, but didn’t say anything more.
Her gaze turned to Lee Gwak.
“I let you in because of Brother, but this isn’t a place someone as ordinary as you should be entering. So please, keep everything you saw here a secret once you leave.”
“I will.”
Su-wol looked at Lee Gwak for a long moment. Lee Gwak found her gaze burdensome, but he didn’t avoid it.
It was Su-wol who eventually turned her head away first.
She led the two men back outside. Once they were back at the gambling house entrance, she looked at Ki Jinhwi with longing in her eyes.
“Then… let’s meet again sometime.”
“Let’s do that.”
Ki Jinhwi replied as calmly as he could and turned to leave.
“Let’s go, Squad Leader.”
He and Lee Gwak quickly left the alleyway.
Since Ki Jinhwi’s expression looked so heavy, Lee Gwak didn’t say anything.
Even on their way back to the guest house, Ki Jinhwi remained silent. Upon arriving at the guest house, Lee Gwak ordered a simple meal and some liquor from the inn servant.
Then, he carefully opened his mouth to speak.
“I take it you two have known each other for a long time?”
“We used to live in the same neighborhood, long ago. It was before we even understood each other’s hearts, so yes, it’s been a while. After that, I left suddenly due to personal matters, without a word. So I’m sure she held a lot of resentment toward me for it. Many years later, we met again by chance, only to find she’d ended up involved in the Black Market like that.”
“……”
“As you could see, the Black Market is extremely secretive and operates from the shadows. No one knows how long it’s been around nor who its real owner is. Even Su-wol doesn’t seem to know who’s truly in charge. That’s why it bothers me even more.”
“Hm…”
“Personally, I think the Black Market may have been created to rival the Ten Thousand Merchant Union.”
“Do you have any reason to think so?”
“Because the Black Market exists at every major route leading to the Ten Thousand Merchant Union. Doesn’t it feel like someone’s set traps at every path leading to a wild boar’s den? That’s how I see it.”
As the drinks flowed, Ki Jinhwi continuously blabbered on about things Lee Gwak hadn’t even asked him about. Perhaps it was because he had kept these thoughts bottled up for so long, it had built up into frustration.
Lee Gwak listened silently to his rant.
Ki Jinhwi, who normally looked so composed, looked particularly scattered tonight. And so, he spoke about things he wouldn’t normally mention.
“You’ve probably already guessed to some degree, but the skill I possess isn’t something ordinary. It’s a form of special cultivation that twists and aligns the natural energies of yin and yang and the five elements, to create an artificial harmony. The items I got today are tools to assist in that.”
“Is it something like mystical arts?”
“Hmm… The logic behind it is quite different from the mystical arts practiced here in the Central Plains. It’s easier to just think of it as foreign cultivation.”
“Mm!”
Ki Jinhwi was speaking as if it was no big deal, but Lee Gwak knew better.
This was the same Ki Jinhwi who had casually unraveled the spell techniques of Go Cheon, a renowned Taoist of the Maoshan Sect. There was no way such a practice could be considered ordinary.
Lee Gwak asked carefully,
“Does this mission have anything to do with the person you’re looking for?”
“……”
“If you don’t feel comfortable telling me, you don’t have to answer.”
“Hoo… There is someone who has stolen a part of my family’s secret manual. From what I’ve gathered, they’re definitely hiding somewhere within the Jade Heaven Alliance… but I have no idea who it is. They’ve done such a thorough job of erasing their identity.”
Ki Jinhwi, visibly frustrated, downed another cup of liquor. Lee Gwak silently followed suit.
It was then.
“What’s this? You’re drinking already?”
A familiar voice rang out as a petite girl descended the stairs. It was Lim Sobo.
Her hair was still slightly damp, as if she had just taken a bath.
She sat down at the table with Lee Gwak and Ki Jinhwi, then asked,
“Where’s Brother Cheon-wol?”
“He hasn’t come out yet.”
“Hmph!”
Apparently dissatisfied with the answer, Lim Sobo scrunched her nose. Her expression was so adorable that Ki Jinhwi let out a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! I’ll leave the two of you to talk.”
“Why are you leaving so soon?”
“I’ve got some things to take care of.”
He gave a little shake of the wooden case he had left on the table. The one filled with items obtained from the Black Market.
Lee Gwak, knowing what was inside, showed no reaction but Lim Sobo couldn’t hide her curiosity.
She deliberately made a sulky face.
“Tch! Keeping secrets from me…”
“Heh.”
But Ki Jinhwi wasn’t swayed by her pouting expression.
After he left, Lim Sobo’s eyes lit up as if she’d never been sulking at all, and she looked directly at Lee Gwak.
“Tell me honestly. Where did you two go?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Hmph!”
“I don’t think Cheon-wol likes girls who snort like that.”
“That’s where you’re wrong! Do you know how much Brother Cheon-wol likes me?”
“Isn’t that just what you think?”
“Are you seriously doing this right now?”
The corners of Lim Sobo’s eyes twitched up, and Lee Gwak couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute it was. And just then, Cheon-wol came down the stairs.
“Brother! Over here!”
Lim Sobo waved at him cheerfully.
Cheon-wol hesitated briefly, looking slightly awkward, but then he sighed and walked over to join them.
“Sit here.”
Lim Sobo patted the seat next to her with her palm.
Cheon-wol looked at Lee Gwak, his expression pleading for help. But Lee Gwak quietly lowered his head, avoiding his gaze.
“Haa…”
In the end, Cheon-wol let out a low sigh and sat beside Lim Sobo. The moment he did, she broke into a wide smile.
Lee Gwak smiled faintly as he watched the two of them.
At first glance, it looked like Lim Sobo was the only one pursuing the relationship, but Cheon-wol didn’t seem particularly unhappy about it either.
Lee Gwak knew Cheon-wol well.
Cheon-wol had a rigid, unyielding personality. The type who wouldn’t bend even if a sword was at his throat if it was something he didn’t like or didn’t want to do.
So the fact that he let Lim Sobo drag him around like this meant there were definitely feelings on his end too.
“Your future looks pretty obvious.”
“……”
Cheon-wol said nothing at Lee Gwak’s words and only lowered his head. His silence only made Lim Sobo smile even more brightly, as if his reaction pleased her.
Shaking his head, Lee Gwak turned to her and asked,
“Aren’t you tired? Why’d you come out already instead of resting more?”
“Because I have something to give Brother Cheon-wol.”
“Really?”
Lee Gwak gave her a puzzled look.
In an instant, the smile vanished from Lim Sobo’s face, and the entire atmosphere shifted. The cold gleam in her eyes and the sharpness of her expression were not something a girl in her early teens should have been capable of.
Yet Lee Gwak wasn’t surprised.
Because he had a feeling that this was Lim Sobo’s real face.
She wasn’t just anyone’s disciple, but the chosen student of the genius strategist Yeo Jung-wol. The innocent demeanor she showed in front of Lee Gwak and Cheon-wol was likely nothing more than a well-crafted façade.
Lim Sobo looked at Cheon-wol.
“I already know you have talent in martial arts, Brother Cheon-wol. And I know you’ve been learning something from Brother Gwak.”
Cheon-wol lifted his head and looked at Lim Sobo.
The fact that he was learning martial arts from Lee Gwak was a secret among secrets. He had never told a single soul, so how did Lim Sobo know?
“There’s no need to be so surprised, Brother. I’m at least that observant.”
“Hmm…”
As Cheon-wol let out a quiet grunt, Lim Sobo pulled a yellowish booklet from inside her robes and handed it to him.
“If you don’t plan to be satisfied with where you are now, then learn this martial art.”
“This?”
Cheon-wol’s eyes wavered.
On the cover of the booklet she handed him, the words ‘Hidden Sword Art’ were written.
Just the name alone was enough to make it clear that it was no ordinary manual.
“This is a martial art I obtained with great difficulty from the Secret Court’s vault. It felt like it would suit you well, so I brought it.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Brother, if you trust me, then don’t say anything. Just learn it.”
At Lim Sobo’s words, Cheon-wol looked at Lee Gwak.
When Lee Gwak gave a silent nod, Cheon-wol carefully took the secret manual from her.
His hands were extremely cautious as he touched the Hidden Sword Art manual. Lim Sobo smiled faintly as she watched Cheon-wol, but it was only for a moment, and her gaze immediately turned to Lee Gwak.
“Brother Gwak!”
“Speak.”
“Please transfer Brother Cheon-wol to the Secret Court.”
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
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