Chapter 34. A Fight Over a Small Sum (4)

I had successfully deceived the guy so convincingly. He seemed to trust me completely. I decided to carefully move on to the next step.

"Then, when would be a good date?"

"Let's meet here, four days from now, at this time."

"Understood. Let me see, then... hmm. That should be fine."

"Good. Then I'll leave it to you."

With that, he tried to leave. I grabbed his shoulder and pressed him back down. When I applied a bit of my inner strength, he let out a cry and slumped back into the chair.

"What, what is it?"

"By the way, I need to inspect the goods today."

"Inspect? What do you mean by that?"

The guy started to get angry, saying it wasn't part of the plan. I smiled slyly and tried to calm him down.

"Come on, you know. I need to see the goods with my own eyes to make sure the estimate is correct. If the goods are bigger or heavier than described, it could be a problem. In this line of work, things often turn out different when you get to the site."

"There was no such talk. It's impossible!"

"I'm doing it now, aren't I?"

I spoke smoothly and picked up a dish in front of him, putting it in my mouth. Then, while chewing, I continued.

"What, if you don't like it, it's fine. If it's hard to verify, it's your loss."

"Loss? What do you mean?"

"Listen. If we see the goods on the day and it doesn't seem right, we'll back out right there. Then the loss will be entirely yours, won't it?"

"Well... that..."

The guy seemed to be carefully thinking about something. I chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Are you worried about what I might do?"

"Hmm... no, that's not it."

"Are you worried that the hidden location might be exposed? Then just blindfold me and take me there. What's the problem?"

"Well... no, sigh. Fine."

He tried to say something but swallowed it. I dismissed it as nothing.

"Then let's go now."

***

We left Donghua Pavilion and walked for a while. The guy had me blindfolded halfway through.

I accepted the blindfold without hesitation.

'Wizian will be following me.'

I sent subtle signals at intervals to check if she was following. Each time I touched my shoulder, Wizian sent a mental message.

[Following closely.]

Of course, I couldn't send mental messages, so the communication was mostly one-sided. It was a bit frustrating.

'I really want to learn how to send mental messages.'

According to Wizian, you need at least ten years of inner strength to send mental messages. Ten years of inner strength sounded a bit daunting, but it didn't feel completely out of reach.

'My inner strength is accumulating faster now.'

Following Wizian's guidance, I focused on basic cultivation, and the speed at which my inner strength accumulated gradually increased. The new Heavenly King Heart Sutra I learned was particularly useful. I felt I might reach three years of inner strength in no time.

"Be careful of your steps."

"Don't worry."

I was walking behind the guy, holding onto his sleeve. As the path became rough, he seemed to be concerned that I, a civilian, might be uncomfortable with the blindfold, so he kept saying things like this. But I wasn't at all uncomfortable.

'My center of gravity is much more stable now thanks to basic cultivation.'

Thanks to following Wizian's basic cultivation, my center of gravity was more stable, so I wasn't worried about falling even with a blindfold on a rough path.

"Quite a long way, isn't it?"

"Not that far."

I sent a signal. Wizian replied with a mental message.

[We're going in circles.]

That's right. I continued walking, relieved that Wizian was following.

After walking for about 30 minutes, I started to feel a chill on my back.

It wasn't that the weather had suddenly turned cold, but the bustling atmosphere had disappeared.

We seemed to have left the village...

"Still far?"

"Just a bit more."

I sent another signal to check if Wizian was still following. But no mental message came.

'What? Did she miss it?'

I waited a moment and sent another signal. Then a small voice, like a whisper, reached my ear.

[The area is completely open, so I'm keeping a distance. I'll follow in a moment.]

'I see.'

Just in case, I raised my inner strength and turned around. I felt a warm sensation as energy filled my body.

'If something unexpected happens, raise your inner strength first.'

Wizian had taught me that it's important to raise your inner strength before a fight. She said that if you try to raise it in a hurry during a crisis, you might suffer internal injuries.

After a while, the guy's voice came.

"We're here."

I took off the blindfold. A shabby shack appeared before me. It looked like it would collapse if I pushed it.

The surroundings were completely open, so I couldn't find where Wizian was hiding. I was about to send a signal when—

"You! Deokgu! Who is this guy?"

A sharp shout that seemed to tear through the air rang out. I turned to find the source and saw a man with a slightly nervous look. A fine sword was hanging from his waist.

The man glared at me and gripped the hilt of his sword, shouting at the guy who had led the way.

"Deokgu, you! I clearly told you not to let anyone in!"

"Oh! Young master, please calm down."

I observed the man. I immediately noticed something.

'This guy has martial arts training.'

His stance was ready to draw his sword at any moment, and I could see the strength in his feet. He was prepared to cut me down at any moment, depending on the guide's answer.

I tried to stop the guy, who was stammering in panic, and spoke instead.

"Calm down. I'm from Jeolgeon Gate. I need to see the goods in person to make sure."

"What? From Jeolgeon Gate?"

The man looked at me and said, "But why are you here?"

"It seems you haven't done this kind of thing before... Normally, you need to inspect the actual goods to get an accurate estimate."

I spoke smoothly and asked where the goods were. The man seemed confused for a moment, then clicked his tongue and told me to follow him.

I thought about attacking from behind, but it didn't seem like it would work.

'He's probably a higher rank than me...'

What's wrong with this martial world? There's no one easy to deal with.

I decided to change my plan. I hadn't expected someone like this to be here, so my original plan was to subdue the guide and capture Kaeseong as soon as I arrived. But seeing the man in front of me, it seemed difficult.

I needed Wizian's help. So I secretly sent a signal.

But there was no response.

'How far away is she?'

I was about to send another signal when the man stopped in front of what looked like a warehouse and took out a box. When he put it down, a heavy thud was heard.

"There are ten of these in total."

"Is that so. Can I take a look?"

"Sure."

When I lifted the box, it felt like it weighed about 20 kg. I confirmed the weight with both hands and put it down.

"It's about 5 guan, as you said."

"Right. Is that all?"

"Confirmed."

Wizian's mental message still hadn't come, so I didn't know if she had seen my signal.

'Time to change the plan.'

I decided to retreat and come back with Wizian later. She had probably memorized the route, so it wouldn't be a problem.

"What's all the noise about?"

At that moment, the door of the shack opened, and a woman came out, grumbling. It was Kaeseong.

'Damn it!'

Why did she come out at this moment?

Kaeseong came out and saw me, frowning slightly.

"Hmm? I've seen this face somewhere..."

"What? Do you know him?"

"No way."

I quickly turned my head. Kaeseong tilted her head and approached me.

"That's strange. I definitely saw him somewhere."

"I've never seen you before. Stop it, it's making me uncomfortable."

I turned my head even more. But she kept coming closer and looked at my face. Then, as if she finally remembered, she exclaimed, "Ah!"

"You, were you at the hometown association?!"

"Damn."

I immediately drew my sword. As soon as he saw me draw my sword, the man quickly drew his as well. He took two steps back to create some distance and glared at me with a fierce look.

"You, did you deceive me?"

"Thief, what do you want."

I cautiously held my sword and slowly moved. I couldn't be careful enough since I didn't know his level. It was ambiguous...

"Do you not know that I am one of the Ten Swords of the hometown association? You are now a dead man!"

I started with a bluff. Where is Wizian?

But Kaeseong was the problem.

"Lie! There's no such thing!"

"Damn."

As soon as the man heard that, he attacked with lightning speed. He was really going to kill me. There was no way I could let her live.

I resolved to open a great killing intent today and raised my sword to block his attack.

*Clang!*

After a few clashes, we moved away and faced each other again. The man seemed to have read my skill level from those few exchanges and sneered.

"You're just a beginner!"

"Everyone I've faced has said that, but they're all six feet under now."

"Hmph! Your tongue is long. Let's see if you can still talk after this!"

The man's figure blurred slightly as he pulled back and then lunged forward with his sword like an arrow. It was so fast that I lost sight of his sword's movement. I instinctively twisted my body to barely avoid it.

'Almost got killed!'

I was breathless. That was really dangerous. The thrust was so fast it felt like an arrow.

It was a stroke of luck that I avoided it. I had little confidence that I could block it if it came again.

I jumped back to create some distance and immediately used a doctor's stop.

"Wait, wait! Just a moment!"

"What is it!"

"We haven't even exchanged names!"

"What kind of nonsense is that? Prepare to die!"

"Even if I die, I should know who killed me, right?"

I tried to buy some time by suggesting a belated exchange of names. I just needed to hold out until Wizian arrived. I was anxious. The man smiled coldly.

"You must have been mesmerized by the Sa-il Sword Technique."

"Sa-il Sword Technique? Then you're from Jianchang Sect?"

Sa-il Sword Technique (射日劍法)!

This sword technique, which means "shooting the sun," is a secret martial art of the Jianchang Sect. As expected, it's a technique that can only be learned by members of the Jianchang Sect.

"Once, yes."

The man said this with a tone that seemed to contain regret, disgust, and anger.

I felt I had made a terrible mistake. Jianchang Sect? What is a member of one of the Nine Great Sects doing, swindling people in the countryside?!

I cursed the Jianchang Sect's lack of discipline, from the founder to the 18th elder, while trying to buy as much time as possible.

"Sir, let's talk. Or a duel is fine too..."

"What nonsense! You will die here!"

Why do all the guys I face refuse to talk?

The man readied his sword again. The sword was about to shoot at me like an arrow again.

I tensed my whole body.

Can I block it?