Chapter 63 The Transfer Market

Chapter 63: The Transfer Market

The Nine Dragons Tournament concluded successfully.

The victor, Danun, received the Blue-Red Twin Swords, 1,000 taels of silver, and a sword renowned as a divine weapon.

If one had to pick the most valuable item, it was undoubtedly the sword.

The Black Steel Divine Sword.

It was the signature weapon of the famed Black Demon Sword Master from a hundred years ago, forged by blending black iron and cloud iron to achieve unparalleled hardness.

For Dan-un, who had already mastered the middle sword, it was an unparalleled gift.

And as for me, the runner-up.

‘This filthy world only remembers the winner.’

I got nothing.

All I received was 500 taels of silver, and even that was snatched away by the cleaning service.

“You have to pay for the medicinal herbs!”

“Didn’t you say you’d fix it for free if I won?”

“So you expect me to cover the medicine costs too? Did you bury your conscience deep in the ground? Do you even know what it takes to heal internal injuries? Fine. If you’re that stingy, I’ll just treat you with acupuncture. But be prepared to spend a year or two confined to a bed.”

“······.”

Well, that’s how it turned out.

After paying for all the herbs, only 10 taels remained of the prize money. Unfolding the Lotus Flower Formation had cost him 490 taels.

‘Losing 500 million in one go? That’s definitely forbidden magic.’

Yet, even amidst this regret, his heart felt rich.

“Hehehe.”

Because the winnings from Nine Dragons’ Battle were still sitting pretty in his coffers.

About 3,500 taels.

In modern terms, a whopping 3.5 billion won.

‘Just a little more saving!’

And he could leave Nine Dragons Castle.

The very thought made his belly swell with delight.

“Hehehe.”

As he was savoring this solitary happiness, Myohyang entered carrying a small tray.

Clunk.

“Your meal!”

It was porridge, steam rising thickly from it.

“Ugh, porridge again?”

“You wouldn’t be able to digest anything else. But I shredded chicken into it, so it should be edible. “

Slurp.

Just as Myohyang said, one spoonful revealed a deep flavor.

Who knew ordinary chicken porridge could be cooked this deliciously?

Especially in this era where you couldn’t find MSG, let alone chicken stock.

When I leave Guryongseong, I’ll definitely take Myohyang with me.

I’ll hire plenty of housekeepers, so by then, Myohyang will only need to cook three home-cooked meals a day.

Just thinking about it is fantastic.

Living with three wives and four concubines, eating warm home-cooked meals made by Myohyang—what could be better than a life of luxury?

Lost in such happy imaginings, I was fully focused on my recovery when…

“You don’t look too bad. “

Bukgung Baek came to visit.

”Master.“

”Stay lying down.“

”Yes.“

”······.”

Bukgung Baek stood beside the bed, silently looking down at me.

His already intimidating appearance seemed even more imposing from below.

Especially the aura emanating from the scar that ran from his jaw across his eye was overwhelming.

Still, maybe because we’ve been through battles together?

He feels more familiar than before.

“Is there something you wish to say…?”

“Hmph.”

He hesitated, unusually for him.

Considering his usual habit of spilling words without filtering them through his brain, this was quite an unusual attitude.

“…Soon, guests will arrive from the Inner City.”

“From the Inner City?”

“Probably for recruitment.”

“…Recruitment.”

I understood roughly.

Once initiated into the Inner City’s sects, one fundamentally cannot transfer.

That’s the same for any martial arts sect.

Allowing transfers would be tantamount to saying they’d open-source their sect’s martial arts to rival schools.

Furthermore, not charging a fee for learning martial arts is another reason the transfer market remains closed.

After all, they’ve painstakingly taught their core techniques without payment. How could they possibly allow disciples to suddenly become true servants of another sect?

For these reasons, martial arts sects strictly punish traitors.

It’s not enough to sever their tendons and destroy their dantian as they often cry out; most are beheaded as well.

Even if the dantian is destroyed, the martial arts they learned remain in their minds, so it’s only natural.

But in my case, the situation is a bit different.

Having learned martial arts for free at the Nine Dragons Sect, I cannot defect to rival factions like the Martial Emperor Sect or the Ten Demons Alliance.

Instead, I am free to switch allegiances within the sect itself.

After all, what I learned were the Nine Dragons Sect’s foundational techniques, not the inner sect’s Eight Sect Secret Arts.

And yet, such a guy finished as runner-up in the Nine Dragons Tournament?

To the Inner Eight, recruiting me would be like securing a future supreme martial master.

The problem is.

‘You can’t trust those who promise big money. They’ll just make you work yourself to death.’

Whether it’s a corporation or a martial sect, they must squeeze out returns commensurate with their investment.

For reference, once you learn the martial arts of the Nine Dragons Fortress and become a warrior, there’s no resignation. It’s not that you ‘don’t’ quit; it’s that you ‘can’t’ quit.

You must live your entire life fulfilling the orders the Fortress commands. That’s the price for teaching you martial arts.

Therefore, I planned to escape the Nine Dragons Fortress once I saved the money I needed, buy a secluded estate in some remote mountain valley, and live in retirement.

“What will you do?”

Lost in thought for a moment, Baek Bukgung asked again, and I answered firmly.

“I won’t go. How could I leave our leader? I’ll bury my bones in the outer courtyard.”

Of course, that was a lie.

It was true I would stay in the Outer Sect until I achieved my goal, but why on earth would I bury my bones there?

‘Once I save five thousand taels, I’m outta here.’

But Bukgung Baek, unaware of my thoughts, wore a satisfied smile.

He probably liked my firm answer.

“I see.”

He rose from his seat and handed me something.

“Take this.”

A small black box.

Even closed, a pure fragrance wafted out—it seemed like no ordinary object.

” ······What is this?”

“It’s a potent elixir passed down in our family. You can only take it once, so consume it when your body is at its peak. You may call for me then.”

“The master’s favor! ······Cough cough. I shall treasure this grace as the glory of three lifetimes.”

I choked on my own exaggeration.

As he opened the door to leave, Baek turned back to me.

“I’ll verify this later, so don’t go selling it off.”

Baek knew me well in many ways.

* * *

Just as Baek said, guests came nonstop.

The first visitor was O Daesan, the mighty warrior of Eunryongdang.

I’d once escorted the son of the Great Chieftain of Namman to Guryongseong with him.

True to his role as an executive of the Biao Bureau—a martial arts sect that functioned almost like a corporation—he tried to recruit me with smooth talk.

“I know our Jin Captain is a master. You must have enjoyed that. Hehehe, no matter how formidable the Hui Long Sword is, could it match our Jin Captain, who effortlessly took down the elders of the Nantian Palace?”

“How much did you earn?”

“……Well, that.”

“You were defeated by the White Dragon Sword at the last moment.”

“That’s not important now. If you knew what proposal I brought, even Jin Zhaozhang would be shocked.”

“What is it?”

“I spoke specially to our Sect Leader and decided to recruit Jin Zhaozhang as our leader. How about it? Doesn’t the thought of traveling the world and seeing its wonders already make your heart race?”

It was essentially telling me to sleep rough, using the dirt as my bed and the sky as my blanket.

“No.”

He hadn’t even brought a transfer fee and was spouting nonsense.

I firmly rejected Mount Odae’s proposal.

Walking into the Central Plains? What nonsense.

The second to come was Huilong Hall. The deputy leader, boasting massive forearms, came personally.

“Working in a mine is a bit…”

“Huh! It’s a training method that kills two birds with one stone—earning money while cultivating both internal and external skills! Why refuse?!”

There are all those uncle-like people gathered there.

“I’m a martial artist, but…”

“How frustrating! That’s precisely why you should train in the mine, isn’t it?!”

“…”

As I shut my mouth at the absurdity, he slammed his fist on the table and bellowed.

“Your back! You can train your back! Have you ever heard of a demon’s back?!”

He began stripping off his top, flaunting his back muscles.

What’s more, the muscles on the back of the Hui Long Bu Dang leader actually resembled a demon’s face.

‘Was that achieved through effort?’

Honestly, wouldn’t it have been better if someone a bit more… well-built than me had come to the martial arts world?

I was slightly impressed, but.

“……I’m sorry, but I have no intention of leaving the Outer Sect.”

He refused firmly.

After all, lean muscle was the trend these days, wasn’t it?

The third to arrive was Jikryonggeom Jikil of the Jikryongdang.

“Have you thought about it?”

“What…?”

“Hwaran.”

“Ah…”

He began by making an absurd proposal.

“The moment you join the Red Dragon Sect, I’ll tell Grandfather to unite you and Hwaran.”

“······Have you discussed this with her?”

“Hwaran is also a member of the Red Dragon Sect. She’ll understand my intentions.”

“At least consult her first. No, even if you do, don’t come back. I have no intention of leaving the Outer Sect.”

“Is it that you don’t like our Hwaran?”

He glared down at me, eyes blazing, but I didn’t flinch.

Whether she’d been consulted or not, it didn’t matter. A woman with a heart smaller than an egg, like Jik Hwaran, wasn’t my style.

Moreover, if I were to become a son-in-law to that family, even if it were one in a thousand, or one in a million, I’d have to spend the rest of my life with those vultures.

And take a concubine in the midst of that?

The chances of my precious parts being cut off within three days are high.

Therefore, I declared boldly.

“No, that’s not it…”

After dealing with the enemy like this, a familiar face arrived.

“Long time no see?”

It was Geum Jong-dae, my classmate from Deungcheongak.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.”

For reference, when I kidnapped Geum Hwaru-ju at Jik Hwaran’s request, I inadvertently exposed this guy’s SM tendencies.

Though the rumor didn’t spread, I definitely had a hard time keeping his mouth shut.

“Haven’t seen you around for a while. What happened?” ”

I said, doing my best to keep a straight face.

Perhaps because the memory was too vivid, seeing Geum Pil-dae’s face made the moans he’d let out while being whipped play back vividly in my mind.

‘Ahh… Ah… Hmm… Ah… Huh…’

“I’ve been avoiding going out to practice my martial arts… ? But what’s so funny? Why are you smiling like that?”

“Just glad to see you after so long.”

For reference, this guy and I weren’t exactly close.

I only hung around him when I was hungry, hoping to pick up even a single silver coin that might fall.

Perhaps because of that, Geumjongdae cut straight to the chase.

“I won’t beat around the bush. Fifty taels monthly. Equal treatment to the chief bodyguard.”

“……?”

An incredible offer.

As my mouth gaped open, Geumjongdae smiled confidently and continued.

“The job isn’t difficult. Just stay by my side and be my strength.”

” “Be my strength?”

“Yes. Normally, you’ll handle my personal protection. Later, when the time comes and the succession battle begins, you’ll help me seize control of the family…”

“Enough. Get out of here right now.”

Like he could drag me into his family feud.

This guy has zero chance of taking over Geumryongdang.

How could a man who was toyed with by a pretty courtesan and half-involved in human trafficking ever ascend to the position of Golden Dragon Sect leader?

If not for his father’s backing, this bastard would have rotted away in the underground dungeons for life.

Moreover, while Golden Feather wasn’t a prodigy for the ages, he was far more capable than this fool in every way.

In other words, sticking close to this bastard just because he offers big money is a surefire way to get your head chopped off.

Only after sending off Geumjongdae did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

There were no more factions coming for me.

Nokryongdang was notoriously closed-off, lacking any scouting system. Mukryongdang was a Taoist sect only accessible to Taoist masters. Cheongryongdang was famously known for its vast talent pool from the start.

Only the White Dragon Sect remained…

Since I caused their sect leader to suffer utter humiliation, they wouldn’t come looking.

But if they did propose recruitment, it wouldn’t be an offer to work together—it would mean they intended to kill me at the first opportunity.

Having rejected all recruitment offers, I then focused entirely on recovery. Only after a week had passed was I able to move again.

From here on, my recovery speed depended entirely on my actions.

If I just lay around complaining about the pain, I’d recover at the average pace of a sturdy martial artist.

‘Training might speed it up even more.’

Given the nature of the Zhenwang style, pouring oneself into training would drastically shorten the recovery period.

Therefore, I went out into the courtyard and began practicing the Zhenwang style movements.

“Are you crazy?! I just stitched you up, and now what are you doing?!”

I heard the scolding from the cleaning staff.