WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 54: My Entire Fortune for Internal Energy (1)

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Cheon Geuk entered the manor with a little girl.

Anyone would find the girl adorable, but she was actually Na Sarin, an elder master of the Assassin Alliance.

She was the one who had used the Soul-Seizing Art to extract a confession from Master Jong of the Mythic Gang. Because she had learned the art at too young an age, she developed an illness that stopped her growth.

After Baek Socheon asked Cheon Geuk to buy spiritual medicine, she immediately sought Na Sarin's help.

"I'm sorry to trouble you."

"What are you apologizing for? If the Alliance Leader needs this old woman's help, of course I should lend it."

Perhaps Na Sarin's unwavering loyalty to the alliance and its leader was why she had remained such a respected figure in the Assassin Alliance for so long. Today, Cheon Geuk intended to rely on this loyal elder master's connections for Baek Socheon's sake.

A middle-aged man was waiting in the manor's spacious reception hall.

He wore clothes that looked expensive at a glance. His shoes were fine, as were the ornaments he wore. Yet he did not appear ostentatiously lavish. He looked like a man who dressed well for business.

The moment Cheon Geuk entered the hall, she sensed two masters concealing themselves behind the wall near the man. Another presence lingered overhead, in the ceiling.

The man they protected was named Maekga.

He was a famous spiritual medicine merchant in the martial world. He bought spiritual medicines cheaply and sold them at high prices, or connected sellers and buyers for a commission.

It seemed like he would make an enormous amount of money, but that was not necessarily true. To keep thieves from stealing his medicines, he had to spend vast sums on master bodyguards. Trouble also broke out over spiritual medicines from time to time. Whenever that happened, it often cost a great deal to conceal who had sold him the medicine in question.

That much came from Maekga himself, so there was no way to know exactly how much money he made.

"It has been a long time."

Maekga greeted Na Sarin politely. He knew what kind of person she was. They had formed a connection by chance long ago, and he was not someone who sold goods to just anyone. He had prepared such expensive spiritual medicines and waited because he knew exactly who his customer was.

"It has been a long time."

"It has also been a long time since I heard your clear, lovely voice."

"Just my voice?"

"How could that be? You seem even more mature than when I saw you last."

He knew very well that Na Sarin loved hearing that she had grown more mature, even if it was empty flattery. Sure enough, she broke into a bright smile. When she smiled like that, she looked exactly like a child.

"You look a little thinner."

"I've been busy lately."

"Where are you going to spend all that money you earn so desperately? Stop selling all those fine spiritual medicines and take some yourself."

"I can accept all your other advice, Elder, but that much is impossible."

"Why?"

"How am I supposed to chew and swallow money?"

"Just what I'd expect from a miserly merchant."

"If anything too precious enters this body, it'll cause trouble."

Maekga smiled amiably.

Cheon Geuk did not smile beneath her bamboo hat. Those pleasant-looking merchants were the ones people had to watch out for. Their faces made people let down their guard and pay outrageous prices.

"Where are the goods?"

"I brought them. You said you wanted the finest spiritual medicines, correct? I had to travel far and wide to obtain these."

Emphasizing his efforts, Maekga set the first of the three prepared boxes on the table.

He slowly opened it.

"This is an Emperor Pill."

It was a spiritual medicine said to grant a martial artist twenty to twenty-five years of internal energy.

"How much?"

"Four hundred ninety thousand nyang."

"That's expensive."

"As you know, almost all spiritual medicines were consumed during the Orthodox-Demonic War. The only things circulating on the market are low-grade Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Roots at best. Even those are not easy to obtain."

It was half true and half false. Many spiritual medicines had been consumed during the Orthodox-Demonic War, but merchants like Maekga had also held back stock, expecting prices to soar after the war. These medicines were among those goods.

"Give me a discount for my sake."

"Very well. For you, Elder, I'll let it go for four hundred thousand nyang. That's my cost price."

It was a lie. He had bought it for two hundred thousand nyang.

One might wonder whether he dared lie before Na Sarin, but merchants always tried to make a greater profit, no matter how frightening their customer was.

Maekga had dealt with every sort of martial artist. In fact, martial artists were easier to deal with than other merchants. A martial artist wealthy enough to purchase spiritual medicine was either a formidable master or came from a powerful family. If he handled their reputation and pride carefully, he could make a massive profit. Of course, he had to judge his customer well. Trying to earn a few extra coins could get his head cut off.

Still, he was genuinely offering Na Sarin a lower price. If he had been selling it to someone else, he would have started at six hundred thousand nyang.

"Show us the others."

"Yes."

Maekga took a slightly larger box from his luggage.

"This is top-grade Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root."

It was said to grant a martial artist between half a sixty-year cycle and a full sixty-year cycle of internal energy. If the martial artist absorbed all its efficacy, they gained a full sixty-year cycle. If they failed to absorb it properly, they gained only half.

"How much is this?"

"Eight hundred forty thousand nyang."

A Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root traded for between ten and thirty thousand nyang, depending on its quality.

It would be easy to think that, since a thousand years was ten times a hundred years, even a top-grade one should cost only three hundred thousand nyang. Spiritual medicines did not work that way.

The higher the grade, the more enormous the added cost for even a single additional year of internal energy. If Na Sarin had not been his customer, Maekga would have named a higher price.

"How low can you go?"

"For you, Elder, I can make it seven hundred fifty thousand nyang."

"Is there anything else?"

"Of course. You said something poisonous would be acceptable, so I prepared one."

Maekga took out another box.

"This is a Seven-Colored Centipede Pill."

The Seven-Colored Centipede was a venomous centipede with seven colors, a spiritual creature like the White-Horned Golden-Line Snake. This poison pill was made from the inner core extracted from such a creature and was a spiritual medicine mainly used by Poison Masters.

If someone capable of enduring its poison took it, it was a peerless elixir that could likewise grant between half a sixty-year cycle and a full sixty-year cycle of internal energy.

"It costs six hundred eighty thousand nyang."

As expected, a spiritual medicine based on poison was cheaper than medicines with the same effect.

"I'll make it six hundred thousand nyang for you. The three medicines I brought are things I acquired especially for you, Elder. If you don't buy them today, you won't be able to find spiritual medicines of this quality for years."

It was true that spiritual medicines were scarce. It would not be years, but they would not be easy to obtain for the time being.

"How much for all three?"

"One million seven hundred fifty thousand nyang."

Having done all she could, Na Sarin looked at Cheon Geuk.

Maekga found that strange.

'Why is she looking at her bodyguard?'

Until then, he had naturally assumed Cheon Geuk, standing beside Na Sarin in a bamboo hat, was her martial escort.

The truly surprising part came next.

Cheon Geuk spoke for the first time.

"Master Maek."

There was an overwhelming pressure in those two words. Maekga realized his mistake at once.

'She isn't just a bodyguard.'

Cheon Geuk began revealing all the aura she had concealed.

"Let's take all three for one million four hundred thousand nyang."

"I cannot!"

"Master Maek, you'll still make a profit."

"No. I'd be taking a loss. I already named a low price for Elder Na's sake. I could sell them for much more elsewhere."

"I heard something once. They say capable spiritual medicine merchants make three times their investment."

"That is only a rumor."

"So before coming here, I looked into the spiritual medicine merchants of the Central Plains. Among them, Master Maek is known for charging particularly high prices."

Maekga looked at Na Sarin.

"Elder, please say something."

As he tried to use Na Sarin as a shield, Cheon Geuk turned that shield into a weapon.

"Ah, that works out well. Since you know what Elder Na is capable of, we can confirm whether Master Maek is telling the truth."

Maekga flinched. He was still making a large profit, even if it was not three times his investment.

Selling the medicines for one million four hundred thousand nyang would not be a loss. There were many people who wanted them and few spiritual medicines available, which was why he could make such a huge profit.

Na Sarin spoke to Cheon Geuk.

"Alliance Leader."

"Yes."

Maekga was startled by that form of address. There was only one person Na Sarin called Alliance Leader.

'She is the Alliance Leader of the Assassin Alliance!'

Na Sarin asked Cheon Geuk, "Do you only have one million four hundred thousand nyang?"

"Yes."

"Then buy only two."

"I can't. I need all three. I'll persuade Master Maek myself."

It was a great discourtesy toward Na Sarin, who had arranged this meeting. Yet when Cheon Geuk behaved unlike herself, there had to be a reason, so Na Sarin did not intervene further.

Cheon Geuk looked at Maekga.

"If I'm going to ask such an unreasonable favor, I should at least show my face."

As she moved to remove her bamboo hat, Maekga squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, "Don't take it off!"

He was a merchant who had survived all sorts of dealings. Among the faces he never wanted to recognize, the Assassin King's face ranked among the top two. He also understood perfectly that Cheon Geuk was trying to remove her hat to pressure him.

"All right! I'll sell them for one million four hundred thousand nyang."

Having confirmed that his customer was the Assassin King, Maekga gave up on today's deal.

"Thank you, Master Maek. Please understand. I needed these spiritual medicines urgently, so I behaved discourteously today."

Her polite apology improved Maekga's mood somewhat.

"It is nothing."

"But please understand this. Your favor today may someday prove to have been a wise choice that protected your fortune."

Maekga could not understand what she meant. Her words carried the implication that, should the Black Heaven Alliance win the war and rule the martial world, Maekga's entire fortune would be taken from him.

She paid him and received the three boxes packed in a leather bag.

"I'll wait outside first."

"I'll be out shortly."

Cheon Geuk left the room.

Now that they were alone, Na Sarin spoke to Maekga.

"Are you all right?"

"Sometimes, one must take a loss in business."

He had not taken a loss, but even now, he claimed he had. That was what merchants did.

"When you deal with assassins like us, rough things happen sometimes. Think of it that way. Besides, today's transaction will not have been a loss for you."

Her words carried a slightly different meaning from Cheon Geuk's.

The Alliance Leader now owed him a debt. If he ever faced death, that debt might save his life at least once.

Maekga smiled and said jokingly, "Please visit again next time."

"Do you mean that?"

"No. Please take care of your health."

"Haha, I will. Don't only make money. Take care of yourself too."

When Na Sarin came outside, Cheon Geuk was waiting for her.

"Alliance Leader."

"I'm sorry, Elder."

"It is all right. You must have had a good reason."

"Thank you for understanding. There's someone I truly want to help, even if it means becoming a bitch over this."

If it had been for herself, Cheon Geuk would have simply bought two.

But because she was buying spiritual medicines for Baek Socheon, she wanted to buy all three.

The fact that Maekga was an unscrupulous merchant had also played a part.

When Na Sarin said she knew a spiritual medicine merchant named Maekga and would arrange a meeting, Cheon Geuk had secretly sent the Guardian Assassin Stars to investigate him.

She could not say it in front of Na Sarin, who had a connection with him, but Maekga was someone who made enormous profits selling spiritual medicines. Most spiritual medicine merchants made enormous profits, but he made more than most.

That was why she had pushed the price down as far as possible. In any case, thanks to Na Sarin arranging the meeting, she had obtained the medicines more cheaply than the market rate.

"I am curious about this person."

What sort of person was it that made the Alliance Leader act so differently from usual to take care of him? Na Sarin could not help wondering.

Cheon Geuk answered carefully.

"It is Baek Socheon."

"Baek Socheon? Do you mean the War God of the Murim Alliance?"

Na Sarin recognized him immediately from the name alone.

"Yes. That is who I mean."

Na Sarin's expression hardened at once. Baek Socheon was the man who had killed the previous Assassin King.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you beforehand, Elder."

Cheon Geuk lowered her head deeply.

Na Sarin had served not only Cheon Geuk, but also the previous Assassin King and the Assassin King before that with loyalty. Since these spiritual medicines were meant for the man who had killed the previous Assassin King, Cheon Geuk could not hold her head high before Na Sarin.

Na Sarin watched Cheon Geuk for a moment, then spoke calmly.

"This old woman is eighty-four this year. I have only a few years left to devote myself to serving our Alliance Leader. What has passed is in the past. I trust the Alliance Leader's decision."

Her age had not made her rigid or closed-minded. She was reasonable and filled with affection for Cheon Geuk.

Cheon Geuk expressed her gratitude once more.

"Thank you, Elder."

"I would like to see this person once."

"Shall I introduce you?"

Cheon Geuk suddenly wondered what kind of person Na Sarin would see when she looked at Baek Socheon.

"Would that be all right?"

"Of course. Come with me."

The two climbed into the waiting carriage.

Their destination was Wuhan, where the Murim Alliance headquarters stood.

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