Chapter 121

“L-Lord Yong’s head was cut off!”

The auction hall was filled with shock.
A deep furrow had formed between my brows.
It wasn’t only because of the blood splattered all over my clothes and the foul smell of blood.

‘Gu Cheong-won……’

Lord Yong died to some unknown hidden weapon he threw.
Right before he was about to say something.
I had nearly been hit too.
If I hadn’t sensed the killing intent rushing in through my senses, I’d probably be lying here with him.

“Young Lord! Are you all right?”

Im Yeon cried out urgently.
Even though she herself was injured, she held her sword upright toward the direction the hidden weapons had come from.
As if to say that if another ambush came, she would block it herself.
I told her I was fine, then sank into a brief thought.

‘Why?’

A question surged up in an instant.
Lord Yong had been about to say something just now.
I’d instinctively felt it wasn’t something trivial, and then Gu Cheong-won had taken his head off.
As if he were trying to silence him.

Step, step, step.
Footsteps echoed through the auction hall after the shock subsided.
It was Gu Cheong-won.
The masked bidders, only now realizing his presence, held their breath and stared at him.

“That was close.”

He greeted me as if he were seeing me for the first time.
A roundabout way of saying he didn’t want his identity exposed.
But the choice was mine.
If I said just one phrase, ‘Third Sahyung,’ his identity would be exposed.

‘For now, I’ll play along.’

The fact that Gu Cheong-won had expressed that he didn’t want it, when turned around, meant I had gained something I could use against him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I dropped my tone immediately.
I no longer wanted to treat Gu Cheong-won like a senior brother.
He answered as if it were nothing.

“I killed those who trampled on the dignity of the Divine Cult.”
“Dignity? Where were you while we were fighting? You only showed up after it was over.”
“It looked to me as though the Seventh Young Lord wasn’t going to kill him.”
“Because there was something I needed to find out.”

There was a high chance Lord Yong had been an important figure within the Heaven Rebelling Society.
Otherwise, there was no way he could have handled that much money.

“Seventh Young Lord seems to have a way of thinking that doesn’t suit our cult. There was nothing to be learned from such a man.”
“Or was there information that shouldn’t be found out?”

I could be mistaken.
But right now, I was thinking something I had never once thought before.
That perhaps Gu Cheong-won and the Heaven Rebelling Society might be connected.
Whether he knew that thought or not, Gu Cheong-won let out a faint laugh.

“Those entangled with the Heaven Rebelling Society do not fear the Divine Cult. Since there was no telling what blasphemous words might come out of his mouth, I judged it better to stop him beforehand. As the master of the Golden Resonance Vault.”

The word ‘master’ carried weight.
The masked bidders began murmuring.

“The Master of the Golden Resonance Vault?”
“So he must be someone from the Dark-Shadow Gu Clan.”

The masked bidders did not know who the man in the black mask was.
It seemed they only knew that the Golden Resonance Vault belonged to the Dark-Shadow Gu Clan.
Then again, Gu Cheong-won had been pretty surprised when I brought up the auction house.

“We can’t leave the body like this, so it should be removed. First Chief Steward.”
“Yes. I’ll handle it at once, Master.”

At the First Chief Steward’s gesture, warriors approached Lord Yong’s corpse.
But just then, Gal So-ye ascended onto the auction stage with an ethereal movement art.
Gu Cheong-won asked her,

“Madam Bong, are you interested in this man as well?”
“I’m curious what his face looks like. We had that sort of relationship where affection grew out of mutual dislike.”

Without even asking permission, Gal So-ye immediately approached the severed head.
She was trying to confirm Lord Yong’s identity.

[Young Lord, please handle the body.]

She meant for me to search it.
I had already felt the need to do that, so I quickly searched through Lord Yong’s clothes.
All that came out was a money pouch, a named voucher with a huge amount written on it that was otherwise useless, and a nameplate proving his identity within the cult. No doubt they were forged.

‘There’s disappointingly little here.’

Meanwhile, Gal So-ye removed Lord Yong’s mask.
The face of an ordinary middle-aged man you could see anywhere was revealed.
Gu Cheong-won spoke.

“Do you recognize him?”
“It’s my first time seeing him.”

Gal So-ye answered calmly, but I noticed her hand stop ever so slightly before moving again.
As if she knew who Lord Yong was.
For the time being, I pocketed the nameplate, the voucher, and the money pouch.
The money pouch felt satisfyingly heavy… not that that was why. It was so I could hand it over separately to Gal So-ye later.
They meant nothing to me, but she might be able to draw some kind of information from them.

‘Do I really have to give her the money pouch?’

That pointless thought did cross my mind for a second.
Gu Cheong-won turned to me.

“If you’re done with the corpse, I’ll have it removed.”
“Do as you like.”

After the warriors removed the corpse and wiped away the blood.
Gu Cheong-won stood there and spoke as if nothing at all had happened.

“First Chief Steward.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Resume the auction.”
“What? Ah, yes.”

The auction hall stirred.
No one had expected the auction to continue in this situation.
The First Chief Steward said,

“S-Since one of the two bidders who competed to the end is no longer in a state to complete the purchase, the final successful bidder is the Seventh Young Lord.”

The auction ended the moment it resumed.
Grinning, Gu Cheong-won said,

“Was the winning bid two thousand five hundred taels? Congratulations, Seventh Young Lord.”
“Uuugh.”

I was the one being congratulated, yet groans burst out here and there from the masked bidders.
That was because their own hundred taels was included in that two thousand five hundred.
With Lord Yong dead, it must have felt like a waste.
They were people with enough wealth to spend hundreds of taels every time an auction was held, but that and actually losing the silver were two very different matters.

‘If I were in their place, I’d feel the same.’

They weren’t actually going to make me pay, anyway.
I had promised Gal So-ye that I’d make it so she wouldn’t have to spend a single coin.
More than anything, I had absolutely no desire to increase the Golden Resonance Vault’s sales.
This way only Gu Cheong-won profited. Why would I do him that favor?
Staring straight at Gu Cheong-won, I said,

“Isn’t there something you ought to do before you start talking about the auction?”
“What would that be?”
“Apologize. You should be saying you’re sorry for disrupting the auction through poor management, and that you’re ashamed the Golden Resonance Vault ended up serving as the Heaven Rebelling Society’s treasure vault.”

The Golden Resonance Vault was a place where Gu Cheong-won reigned like a god, but that didn’t mean I should grovel.
If anything, I needed to crush him with logic and wipe that smirking look off his face.
Only then could I produce the result I had promised Gal So-ye.

“The Golden Resonance Vault is a place that thoroughly protects the identities of its buyers.”
“So that’s your excuse for letting someone from the Heaven Rebelling Society take part in your auctions again and again?”

I raised my voice.

“What were you doing while Lord Yong bought dangerous items dozens of times? At this point, wouldn’t you have no right to complain even if people suspected you of being an accomplice? The crime of letting the Divine Cult’s treasures be carried out to the Heaven Rebelling Society is a very heavy one.”

The masked bidders nodded along.
I turned toward them and shouted loudly,

“Have you ever heard of anything like this? Today we suffered mental and material damage! I was even the target of an assassination attempt!”
“Exactly! If the Seventh Young Lord hadn’t possessed such a miraculous skill to ward off the cold Qi, you’d be a frozen corpse by now!”

I hadn’t even asked him to, but the horse-mask man eagerly chimed in.
I shouted again.

“And yet the master of the Golden Resonance Vault suffers no loss at all. Does that look fair to you?”
“No!”
“Absolutely not!”

The masked bidders grew more and more heated.
Looking straight at Gu Cheong-won, I delivered the final blow.

“Shall I formally report this to the Heart Demon Court and the Discipline Court? On suspicion of aiding the Heaven Rebelling Society?”

In an instant, the auction hall fell silent.
Everyone waited for Gu Cheong-won’s reply.
But what came from Gu Cheong-won was an unexpected burst of laughter.

“Hehehehe.”

He’s laughing right now?
Does he think this is a joke?

“I can’t find any argument against the Seventh Young Lord’s logic. So, what do you propose?”

That was the reaction I wanted.
Something about it felt unpleasant, but either way, I had no intention of letting it slide.
He was going to pay the price for jerking me around these past few days.

“The Golden Resonance Vault should suffer its fair share of losses too. Therefore, the auction is void!”
“That’s right!”
“Exactly!”

Judging by how loudly and eagerly they shouted, it seemed they had been holding quite a lot in.
“Will that satisfy you?”
“Not at all. Like I said earlier, I infiltrated this auction house to prevent the Defeated-Spirit Paste from falling into the wrong hands. I even fought while risking my life, so you all understand my resolve, don’t you?”
“Of course!”
“I’m about to make a proposal that will satisfy everyone. You all save your money, the auction house still earns at least a little after losing its strongest bidder, and I take the Defeated-Spirit Paste. Which means-”

I paused for a moment, then said,

“We hold a re-auction! I’ll bid alone and isolate Defeated-Spirit Paste in a place no one can ever retrieve it from!”

That place, naturally, was Ak Mu-jin’s stomach.
Sweeping my gaze over the masked bidders, I asked,

“Well? Anyone have a complaint?”

Maybe it was because I was covered head to toe in blood.
They all said in one voice that they had no complaints.
This time, I asked Gu Cheong-won.

“So then, what choice will the master of the Golden Resonance Vault make? Make things more complicated? Or quietly hold a re-auction?”
“Hahaha. Hahahahaha!”

Gu Cheong-won suddenly burst into loud laughter.
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen it, but whenever he did this, he was unsettling in a way that crept under the skin.
Like a madman.

“We’ll do as the Seventh Young Lord wishes.”

The auction began again.
The First Chief Steward shouted,

“We will begin the re-auction of Defeated-Spirit Paste. The opening bid is one hundred taels.”

I bid immediately.
And the amount was.

“One tael.”
“The opening bid is… one hundred tael.”
“One tael.”

Defeated-Spirit Paste alone wasn’t enough.
He had given me two hundred taels, so I ought to keep at least one hundred ninety-nine of it as compensation for everything I’d gone through.

“M-Master.”

The First Chief Steward looked at Gu Cheong-won with an awkward expression.
Without answering, Gu Cheong-won nodded.

“…Defeated-Spirit Paste has been won by White Ghost Mask, no, Seventh Young Lord, for one tael.”

‘Kuh.’

It wasn’t just thrilling, it was exhilarating.
I was finally getting Defeated-Spirit Paste!
Perhaps because they had seen at least some of what I’d gone through, the masked bidders applauded to congratulate me.
As I glanced around at them, I thought,
I’d won the bid, so it was about time to wrap things up.

‘It’d be a shame to send them off just like this.’

Anyone who could participate in a secret auction like this had at least a fair amount of wealth.
I didn’t know who they were, but they knew who I was, so if I left them with a good impression, it might help me somehow later.
First, I had shown them how deeply I cared for the Demon Cult, and that I had saved them a hundred taels.
What if I drove in the final nail?
Facing them, I spoke in a voice dressed up to sound sincere.

“Well, your hundred taels is now going back into your own hands. Are you satisfied?”
“Of course!”
“I’m satisfied with your cooperation too. You did not participate in an auction today.”
“We did not participate in an auction?”
“Then what did we do?”

I said to the puzzled masked bidders,

“You participated in protecting the future of our cult.”
“Ah!”

Everyone let out exclamations of admiration.
Some nodded heavily, and some had eyes reddening behind their masks.
Even the ones I’d scolded earlier for bidding on Defeated-Spirit Paste reacted in much the same way.
If someone asked later, “What kind of person is the Seventh Young Lord?” they would all shake their heads in amazement and answer,
“He’s an admirable man.”

“Well then, let’s break up here.”

The horse-mask man approached and gave me a thumbs-up.

“It was a truly impressive time. To think that the newcomer who kept muttering to himself was the Seventh Young Lord.”
“I surprised you, didn’t I?”
“Not exactly. I just thought perhaps you were someone unwell. But through what happened here today, I think I’ve learned which line I ought to hold onto.”

He meant the succession line.
I shook my head.

“Holding onto my line won’t do you much good. Though if you want to support me, I’ll accept it gratefully.”
“Of course. We’re not on the level of the Iron-Gold Wi Clan, but even so, I come from a family that handles a fair bit of money.”
“For someone like that, you seemed rather stingy. I saw very clearly how you kept bidding small amounts and getting shut out every time.”
“T-That was only because there weren’t any items I really wanted today. Hehe.”

The horse-mask man laughed awkwardly, then gave a fist-clasp salute.

“I’ll pay a visit to your residence before long.”
“Sure.”

And so the masked bidders began leaving one by one, offering me fist-clasp salutes as they went.
Only moments ago they had watched a man lose his head and die, yet every one of them was leaving with a satisfied smile.

“Today’s auction was incredible.”
“I probably won’t forget it for the rest of my life.”

The last person to approach me was Madam Bong, Gal So-ye.
After confirming that only her guards and mine were nearby, she shook her head.

“I’ve felt it for some time now, but Seventh Young Lord’s cunning has truly reached astonishing heights.”
“Instead of cunning, how about calling it resourcefulness?”
“They mean about the same thing.”

Gal So-ye smiled faintly.

“You need to develop more in this direction too, Grand Strategist.”
“This sort of thing is inborn, so I don’t think I could ever keep up.”
“You think too grandly. Try thinking in a petty and shameless direction.”
“In a petty and shameless direction…… I’ll learn a lot from the Seventh Young Lord from now on. Thanks to you, I saved a great deal of money again this time. And I achieved the purpose of my visit as well.”

There was a subtle nuance in the words purpose of my visit.
I had found it odd for some time now that Gal So-ye had come to the auction house in person, so I asked her directly.

“Was Lord Yong not your true purpose?”

Instead of answering, Gal So-ye merely smiled with her eyes.

“Stop smiling and answer me. You discovered something from Lord Yong too, didn’t you?”
“As expected, you’re quick to notice. That’s right. His appearance was exactly like someone from the Central Plains, but he was from beyond the frontier.”
“From beyond the frontier?”
“This isn’t something appropriate to discuss here. Let’s have a more in-depth conversation soon.”

I nodded faintly.

“Could you hand over the things that came out of the body search earlier?”
“Ah, of course.”

I handed over the nameplate and the voucher.
Gal So-ye stared at me silently.

“What?”
“It feels like one thing is missing.”
“…As expected, you’re quick to notice.”

I repeated what Gal So-ye had said earlier.
Then I handed over the money pouch too.
Then Gal So-ye looked in the direction Gu Cheong-won had disappeared and said meaningfully,

“About the Third Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know how far he intends to go.”

Only then did I realize Gal So-ye’s true purpose.
It hadn’t been Lord Yong. It had been Gu Cheong-won.