Night draped the city in a soft veil of lantern light as Jin Tae-Yun followed Han Soo-bin.
They moved through narrow side streets, far removed from the raucous main avenues, until they stopped before a building that radiated a quiet, dignified power.
There were no flashy banners or golden ornaments, but the architecture was solid and imposing. This was the Flying Crane Merchant Union – Azure Branch.
Two guards stood at the entrance, their backs as straight as spears. The moment Soo-bin stepped into the light, they saluted.
-"Young Master."
Soo-bin nodded, glancing back at Tae-Yun. -"He is with me."
The guards hesitated for a fraction of a second, their eyes lingering on Tae-Yun's unusual presence, before stepping aside to let them pass.
Inside, the atmosphere shifted from the cold night air to the warm, busy hum of commerce. Rows of mahogany ledgers, shelves stacked with wax-sealed boxes, and softly glowing spirit lamps filled the spacious hall. Several senior merchant men with sharp, calculating eyes and silk robes looked up as they entered. At the center of the hall sat a man with graying temples and eyes that seemed to see through stone.
-"Uncle Liang,"
Soo-bin said, bowing respectfully.
-"Senior merchants. This is Jin Tae-Yun. He is the one who resolved the incident at the city gate today."
Branch Manager Liang raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest crossing his face.
-"Oh? The one with the... monstrous horse?"
A faint, knowing smile touched Tae-Yun's lips. -"It seems news travels fast in Azure Gate."
-"In this business, news is the only thing faster than a blade," Liang replied, gesturing to a chair. "Please, sit."
Soo-bin quickly recounted the day's events—the gate incident and the confrontation with the Golden Crow Union. As he spoke of the "formless strike" that sent two thugs flying, the room went deathly silent.
One senior merchant slammed his palm on the table. "Those Golden Crow bastards! They've been strangling us for months, blocking our supply routes and intimidating our tenants. If this continues, we won't last another season."
-"I came here to learn," Soo-bin said, his voice tight with frustration. "But I walked into a siege. And because of my age, they think I'm easy prey."
Tae-Yun, who had been observing the room like a hawk, finally spoke. "So, the Flying Crane is being choked out economically."
-"That is an accurate, if grim, assessment," Liang admitted. "Why the interest, Sir Jin?"
-"Because I dislike unnecessary attention," Tae-Yun said, leaning back.
-"My clothes, my mount, my weapon, I already stand out too much. To survive here quietly, I need a shadow to hide in. I want to buy ordinary clothing and discreet armor. And..." He paused, letting the silence stretch.
"I wish to sell a medicine."
-"What kind of medicine?" a merchant asked.
Tae-Yun replied, "A pill that can heal any form of internal damage. Completely."
The air in the room seemed to vanish.
-"Sir Jin," Liang said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "Such a claim is not made lightly in the Murim. Internal injuries can ruin a cultivation base for life. Even the Great Sects don't have a 'perfect' cure."
-"I'm not asking for your blind faith," Tae-Yun said, his hand resting near his pouch. "I'm offering a partnership."
-"If such a pill is real," a merchant whispered, his eyes gleaming with greed and hope, "we don't sell it in a shop. We auction it."
-"A city-wide auction," Liang agreed, his mind already spinning. "The sects, the City Lord... they would tear each other apart for it."
-"Thirty percent of the final bid goes to me," Tae-Yun stated. "And I want an identity plaque. Affiliation with the Flying Crane. No rank, no duties. Just a name."
Liang laughed, a genuine, relieved sound. "Thirty percent is charity, Sir Jin. And a plaque costs us nothing but wood and ink. You have a deal."
Later Soo-bin led Tae-Yun deeper into the building to the selection hall. Rows of garments filled the space—silk, wool, and enchanted thread.
Using [Wise Man's Eye], Tae Yun filtered through the clutter until he found what he needed: dark, high-quality travel robes that looked expensive but common.
Then, he reached the armor. He stopped before a matte-black vest with faint silver veins.
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[Item: Silent Star Inner Armor (Master-Crafted)]
[Trait: Qi Dampening]
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-"This one," Tae-Yun said.
A senior merchant gasped. "That was made by a master who vanished ten years ago! I didn't think anyone would recognize it."
Throughout the selection, an elderly man in plain robes stood silently in the corner. He was the branch's Head Appraiser. He watched Tae-Yun with a terrifying intensity.
"I cannot feel his Qi, the old man thought, his heart racing. It's as if he is a void in the middle of the room. Who is this person?"
Back at the counter, Soo-bin looked at the tally. "The clothing and the Silent Star armor... it comes to 2,000 gold coins."
He looked at Tae-Yun hesitantly. "Do you... have the currency?"
Tae-Yun reached into his bag (his gateway to the system inventory) to take out an Orichalcum ingot.
Clang!!!
Two massive, silver-blue metallic ingots slammed onto the table. They were so cold that a faint white mist began to curl off their surface, frosting the wood.
The Head Appraiser surged forward, his face pale. "T-This... this is...!"
Branch Manager Liang stood up so fast his chair toppled. "Thousand-Year Cold Iron?! Pure? Unrefined?!"
-"Impossible!" a merchant shrieked. "A piece the size of a thumb is worth a fortune! These are... these are whole bars!"
Tae-Yun tilted his head. "Is it enough? Take what you need for the clothes and armor."
The elders nearly choked. The appraiser's hands trembled as he hovered them near the metal. "Sir... sects would slaughter entire cities for this much Cold Iron. It is the ultimate conductor for ice and water Qi."
Soo-bin swallowed hard. "We... we don't have enough liquid gold to buy both."
-"Then take one," Tae-Yun said casually.
Soo-bin squared his shoulders. "One ingot. We deduct the 2,000 for your items... and the Flying Crane will pay you 38,000 gold coins from its emergency funds for the remaining value. It's the highest we can offer and arrange on short notice."
-"Fine," Tae-Yun said, as if he were agreeing to the price of a loaf of bread.
As Tae-Yun walked out of the hall, the merchants were already scurrying like ants. Within hours, whispers began to leak into the dark alleys and high tea houses of Azure Gate.
Tae-Yun looked at his new identity plaque—a simple piece of jade.
The board is set, he thought. Let's see how this world plays.