Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Cause and Effect

If there is a cause, there is an effect. The effect is determined by the cause that each has accumulated.

This saying applies not only to martial artists but to anything in the world.

What is given to those who walk a difficult path—is it a brilliantly shining fruit, or is it a rotten, defective product?

The one who decides that is none other than yourself.

Raise the karma of Uicheonmun disciples to a certain level within the limited time.

Depending on the form of karma accumulated during the commission period, special effects will be applied to the weapons crafted by Elder Cheon.

Time Limit: 90 days (88 days remaining)

Minimum karma to be accumulated: Seventh grade or higher

Amount of karma accumulated from the start of the commission to present:

Baek Riyun: Tenth grade

Seohwa: Tenth grade

Wangpal: Tenth grade

Seonwoo Gang: Tenth grade

“……Are you listening?”

“Hm?”

Haun Merchant Company reception room.

I was staring blankly at the window that appeared before my eyes when I came to my senses at the voice I heard and turned my gaze forward. Yi Liang’s appearance looking at me with a strangely displeased expression.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

At Yi Liang’s words, I naturally lowered the window I had up with a gesture and coughed. Because it would definitely look strange if someone else saw it.

“What were we talking about?”

“I asked why you came alone and what happened to the other disciples.”

“Ah, if you mean the disciples, I sent them ahead to Uicheonmun. Because I didn’t think there was a need for them to hear what we’re about to discuss. It wouldn’t be good if Merchant Leader Yi Liang was discovered to be a Haomun disciple, would it?”

“About that.”

Yi Liang, who seemed to pause for a moment at my story, let out a deep sigh and pressed his brow.

“How did you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that I’m a Haomun disciple. It shouldn’t have been easy to figure out.”

“What if I said it’s a secret?”

“Could there be a proper transaction in a situation where we both have secrets?”

“That’s also true.”

I chuckled and agreed with Yi Liang’s words. It wasn’t difficult to tell him, so well, shall I tell him?

“There were various clues. First, when you lent me the Heuksi entrance pass.”

“……The Heuksi entrance pass is something that any merchant company or person above a certain level has.”

“Well, that’s true. Normally.”

From what I found out, if you go through proper procedures, getting a Heuksi entrance pass issued isn’t that difficult.

Right nearby, Baekgeommun has one, and even if not a large sect at Baekgeommun’s level, countless people have them. If Uicheonmun’s fame spreads greatly from this incident, we could also get a Heuksi entrance pass issued separately, so the issuance conditions aren’t strict.

Right.

The issuance conditions aren’t strict. It’s also true that anyone with even a little fame can receive one. But that’s actually the blind spot.

Because there’s a limit to the number of Heuksi entrance passes that can be issued.

“I found out that only one lower-grade entrance pass can be issued per group. If you lose it, you can’t get it reissued. Isn’t that right?”

“To me, you were a good merchant, but you weren’t a foolish merchant. You weren’t foolish enough to hand over the only Heuksi entrance pass to someone you’d only known for a short time.”

Handing it over carelessly without any thought is because you judged it wouldn’t be a burden. Then why wouldn’t it be a burden?

Simple. You have one entrance pass, or perhaps a few more. Entrance passes that can be reissued even if lost.

“Having multiple entrance passes. There aren’t many such forces. In this area, perhaps Baekgeommun could receive two or three, but Haun Merchant Company isn’t quite that scale.”

“Did you guess there was a backing?”

“That would be it.”

Haun Merchant Company has a backing.

Just thinking that far narrows the scope considerably. After all, Haun Merchant Company is small but quite solid internally, and being able to operate such a merchant company secretly means the backing’s size is considerable.

“I understand up to that point. That’s reasonable deduction.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

At my appearance joking around, Yi Liang sighed and shook his head. And the question that followed.

“But you can’t read all the way to it being Haomun just from knowing the backing is somewhat sizable. Specifically, how did you identify it as Haomun?”

“It’s a simple story. Among forces with that kind of size, which place would want to be close with me? I thought like that.”

“Didn’t you say it yourself? That this is all investment.”

Yi Liang’s favor has a price. He shows favor expecting some price from me. From that perspective, the answer comes easily.

Yi Liang started showing me favor even before I established Uicheonmun.

Then Yi Liang’s investment isn’t an investment in Uicheonmun. It should be seen as an investment in Baek Riyun as an individual, not Uicheonmun. And if it’s an investment in an individual, what he wants is one thing.

“You invested looking at my martial power. Isn’t that right?”

Seeing Yi Liang affirming my words with silence, I smiled faintly.

“Quite large in scale yet thirsty enough for masters to need to invest in outsiders, with enough information power to know exactly who I am, and also a group whose tendencies don’t greatly diverge from mine. When you get this far, there aren’t many left.”

“Well, for such reasons, I concluded it was Haomun. If Merchant Leader Yi Liang had been determined to hide it, I wouldn’t have guessed, but that’s not the case, is it?”

If a Haomun disciple was determined to conceal their identity, it wouldn’t be this sloppy. They wouldn’t have been caught by me this easily either.

“I can’t match you.”

At my words, Yi Liang, who wore a bitter smile, unfolded his fan on the table and covered his mouth.

“That’s right. I am a Haomun disciple.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Precisely, I am Yi Liang, a Xiangzhu of Haomun. I’m the second among the Xiangzhu.”

“……Wait, if you’re a Xiangzhu.”

“The Haomun Sect Leader is my master.”

I expected it, but you’re quite a big shot.

Looking at Yi Liang calmly introducing himself, I smiled pleasantly. The more outstanding Yi Liang’s ability, the better it was for me.

“Do you know why I invested in Sect Leader?”

“Because you needed a master, isn’t it?”

“That was true at first. There was information that Sect Leader, while being Orthodox, doesn’t unconditionally shun the Demonic Path. I thought you were worth investing in.”

“You have all kinds of information. But saying ‘at first’ means it’s not like that now, right?”

“Yes. Because many things have happened in the meantime.”

From the auction, Baekgeom Competition, basic technique plagiarism review, to Baekgwiyahaeng and the academy exchange battle.

As Yi Liang said, many things happened in a short time of less than half a year. It seems Yi Liang’s thoughts about Uicheonmun have changed during that time.

“Sect Leader’s excellent skill and the disciples’ outstanding talent. An extraordinary manor and the disciples’ growth rate that’s unprecedentedly fast. It’s awkward to say this as someone who’s already proceeded with investment, but the current Uicheonmun is fully worth investing in.”

“Haven’t you already made a lot of investment?”

“That’s hard to see as a lot of investment. Until now, I’ve only prepared a hidden dagger in case of emergency. Not a fine sword to cut enemies.”

“I see. Then what you want would be different too.”

“That would be so.”

Yi Liang folded his fan with a snap and looked directly at me with a meaningful smile.

“Can you handle it?”

“Handle what?”

“I can’t provide everything, but I can provide most of what Sect Leader needs.”

“Wealth? In this Central Plains Murim, it’s hard to find a sect with more money than Haomun. Honor is the same. If you wish, I can use all sorts of methods to rapidly raise Uicheonmun’s reputation.”

Ancient elixirs, peerless secret manuals.

I can’t say we can definitely obtain them, but using Haomun’s information, we can find them much more easily. If such Haomun decides to make a full-scale investment in Uicheonmun, Uicheonmun will definitely gain wings.

“But you must keep this in mind. Sect Leader. There is no favor without cost.”

“If you receive investment, you must return that much to me.”

Can you handle that much investment? Can you return compensation worth its value?

“There’s no need to make my mouth sore by saying more.”

At Yi Liang’s appearance that seemed to say that, I chuckled and shrugged.

“No need to return it. I’ll prove it.”

“What will you prove it with?”

“What Merchant Leader Yi Liang wants most.”

“……What do you mean?”

Looking at Yi Liang’s expression hardening stiffly, I tapped the handle of Uicheongeom with my finger. At this point, what Yi Liang wants is probably one thing.

“If you make a dangerous gamble, there should be compensation to match.”

“The Haomun Sect Leader position.”

Wouldn’t that be enough?

At my appearance skipping the context and hitting the core, Yi Liang wore a bitter smile again. And the answer that followed.

“Really, I can’t match Sect Leader.”

Seeing Yi Liang smiling faintly, I also smiled faintly.

Well then, shall we adjust the partnership conditions a bit?

Uicheonmun.

“It’s better than I thought……”

“Right? It’s big, isn’t it?”

When Baek Risan, who roughly looked around Uicheonmun’s grounds, spoke with an unexpected look, Seohwa, who brightened up, picked up Baek Risan’s words.

“Sect Leader said he bought it at an incredibly cheap price. He said he bought it for four Eunyuanbo.”

“He bought this for four Eunyuanbo?”

Baek Risan, who gauged the size of the built structures and the grounds, stuck out his tongue. Because it was a manor so large that you couldn’t think of it as a four-Eunyuanbo manor.

From what Baek Risan had found out, land prices in Hwayonghyeon were never cheap.

While not as much as Sangsan where the Murim Alliance is located or Yufang in Shandong where the Baek Ri Family’s main house is, Hwayonghyeon also belongs to a city with quite a lot of logistics movement. It’s a good place to live, and naturally so since there’s Dongting Lake nearby.

When logistics movement is high, land prices are expensive. Therefore, Hwayonghyeon’s land prices belong to the quite high side. Even cheap land, considering material costs and such, would make this kind of manor difficult with four Eunyuanbo, yet he bought this kind of manor in Hwayonghyeon?

‘Did he commit fraud or something?’

Something is strange.

“I’m asking just in case, but isn’t there some problem with this manor?”

“Huh?”

“Did someone commit suicide here, or do ghosts appear……”

“Say something that makes sense. Where are there ghosts?”

“Right. There are no ghosts.”

When Seonwoo Gang scolded Baek Risan, who asked with an uneasy expression, Seohwa nodded in agreement. And the statement that followed.

“Well, many people did die, but still, after living here for a few months, ghosts didn’t appear, did they?”

“What?”

“In the past, it was even called the haunted manor. But since Sect Leader moved in, no one’s dying and it’s fine, isn’t it?”

At Seohwa’s words, Baek Risan’s complexion turned pale white as he looked around. Until just now, he probably only thought it was spacious, but looking around again, the grounds’ scenery looked eerily desolate for no reason.

“Th-that’s a lie, right?”

“That’s real. You’ll know if you ask the villagers.”

“You’re teasing me. Right?”

“Hey, I wouldn’t tease you about something like this.”

Seeing Seohwa smiling faintly, Baek Risan turned pale and turned around trembling.

“Wh-where in the world are there ghosts? I don’t believe it. I’m not scared at all.”

“Is that so?”

“Right!”

Baek Risan, who shouted loudly, calmed his breathing while stroking his sword hilt. Thoughts flowing like water.

‘People died?’

It must be a coincidence. Until now, he’d heard stories of yokai but never heard ghost stories. Does it make sense for things like the souls or grudges of the dead?

‘Right. It’s a coincidence.’

There are no ghosts. Didn’t Seohwa just say there’s been nothing strange for several months?

“I should decide on my room. Where should I choose?”

Baek Risan, who organized his thoughts, turned around with a fresh face and asked Seohwa. And.

“Ah, room assignments are when Sect Leader comes……”

The moment Seohwa opened her mouth at Baek Risan’s question.

[Confirmed the Sect Leader’s return.]

[Updating status window status.]

[The sect’s grade has risen.]

[Facilities will be expanded as the grade rises!]

Gugugugugung!

“Huh?”

At the manor’s appearance suddenly trembling and starting to change.

Baek Risan, who quietly screamed, fell backward in the posture he was standing.

“Hieek.”