readsfreenovel Chapter 238 : The Western Orthodoxy
Chapter 238 : The Western Orthodoxy
While Seo Yu-gyeom and Han Seong-chun were preoccupied developing dishes suitable for delivery,Jin Seong-un spent a moment staring at the Night-Glow Pearl, then soon made his way to the Martial God Realm.
Though Lee Seowon had already requested an appraiser from the Hwa-un Trading Company, Jin was convinced that his master, the Merchant King, would better know the treasure’s true identity.
As he stepped into the Martial God Realm, familiar scenery greeted him.
“You get better at Go by the day. I’ve raised a tiger cub.”
“Hoho, it’s thanks to having a fine teacher.”
As always, Noble Enchantress Dalgi won the game, while the Sword Immortal twitched his beard in defeat.
“What nonsense is this about thieves and merchants not being so different?”
“Because they both love money. At its core, theft is actually...”
The Merchant King and Divine Thief were once again engaging in a debate on yet another topic, never seeming to tire of it.
“….”
And even Blood Demon, lying in the same spot as always, stared up into the sky with endlessly deep eyes.
He turned his head and looked at Jin Seong-un.
As Jin bowed respectfully, Blood Demon shifted his gaze back to the sky.
He was a man of few words, but whenever Jin entered the Martial God Realm, Blood Demon was always the first to turn and look at him—even before the others.
Jin took that as his greeting.
“I’ve returned, Masters.”
Only when Jin spoke aloud did the others—excluding Blood Demon—welcome him.
The sight of all four masters looking his way felt both familiar and amusing, making it feel fresh once more that these were legendary Martial Gods whose names echoed through the ages.
“Nothing unusual happened, I hope?”
“No, Master. I’ve retrieved your treasure as well.”
As Jin calmly reported this, the Martial Gods visibly relaxed. No matter how much they trusted their disciple’s abilities, the Imperial Palace was no trifling place.
Jin began to recount what he had seen, heard, and experienced there.
How the powerful Princess had mistreated martial artists and blatantly sided with Ha Joo-myeong.
And how the Admiral of the Eastern Depot had reached the level called Huajing in the martial world.
“Oh, and it looked like the Princess and the Admiral had conspired to make the Emperor ill.”
“……”
A brief silence followed.
The Martial Gods exchanged looks. Then Divine Thief spoke.
“Hey now, Seong-un. There’s such a thing as being too calm. You're talking like it’s just gossip from the alleyway between Jeomsuni and Gaebok plotting something.”
It seemed even the others agreed with Divine Thief for once, as they nodded.
Though they were Martial Gods who had gone through all manner of experiences to earn their place in history, they still couldn’t quite get used to their disciple’s indifference.
While Sword Immortal mourned the downfall of the nation, Dalgi carefully asked,
“So, what did you do?”
“I released the twisted qi veins. From what I could tell, he should awaken soon. But I can’t be certain—there’s still much I don’t understand in that area.”
Even so, Dalgi’s expression noticeably eased. She nodded with a faint smile.
“Well done. When one witnesses malice about to turn into murder, it is only right to stop it.”
“Is that so.”
Though Jin didn’t exactly agree in his heart, he still nodded since it was his master speaking.
Once he had finished explaining, the Merchant King spoke.
“You must be curious—about what that treasure is. Did you sense anything from it?”
“Outwardly, it looked like a normal Night-Glow Pearl, but I kept feeling a faint warmth from it.”
The Merchant King’s face lit up with satisfaction.
“I knew you’d notice, Seong-un. Even the most skilled martial artists in the Central Plains can’t easily sense that energy.”
“What exactly is it?”
“Baekyang True Qi (白陽眞氣). That’s what they called it. The Night-Glow Pearl is a treasure I received after helping a practitioner of the Western Orthodoxy (西方正敎).”
“The Western Orthodoxy?”
Jin blinked slowly.
When the Merchant King nodded, Jin asked with a serious face,
“Is it something like the Demonic Cult?”
“…Well, I wouldn’t say that. Though time has passed, so who knows what they’re like now. Still, they were similar to the Taoists of the Central Plains, so I doubt they were inherently evil.”
He then went on to explain how he’d come to possess the Night-Glow Pearl—this treasure from the Western Orthodoxy.
It was a fairly long story, but in essence:
A large religious group from the west was crossing into the Central Plains when their ship sank.
Only one practitioner survived and ended up stranded in a remote land, struggling just to survive, let alone spread his faith.
He sought out the most respected merchant of the time—the Merchant King—who recognized the value of the treasure.
“The practitioners of the Western Orthodoxy eventually reached the Central Plains and wanted to buy it back from me. Guess what I did.”
There was no need to ponder. If he’d sold it, it wouldn’t be under the Emperor’s bed now.
“This is the final price they offered.”
As he said this, the Merchant King spread out all five fingers.
Jin’s eyes widened.
“Fifty thousand nyang in gold?”
The Merchant King shook his head grandly.
Startled, Jin asked again, more surprised this time.
“Wait… you don’t mean fifty thousand, do you?”
“I do.”
Only now did Jin truly realize the value of what he’d retrieved.
Fifty thousand nyang in gold was enough to buy an entire renowned trading company.
“But there are two problems.”
Jin focused intently as the Merchant King continued.
Being a merchant himself, he couldn’t help but perk up at the mention of money.
“First, while they were one of the largest religious groups in the Western Regions, we can’t be sure if they’re still in the Central Plains. They were a small and secretive group.”
“…If they’re no longer here, selling the treasure will be difficult.”
At that, the Merchant King smiled in satisfaction.
Most merchants would have considered selling it to anyone willing to pay.
But his praiseworthy disciple naturally thought of returning it to its original owners.
Returning something treasured to its rightful owner was usually the better course.
“Second, we don’t know its current value. No one knows what tomorrow holds. After so many years, who knows how their situation may have changed?”
Jin nodded.
If they had declined, or if the gap had been filled with another treasure, he might not get the same price.
“And third.”
“You said there were two.”
Divine Thief immediately caught the slip.
The Merchant King continued confidently, ignoring him—as merchants always valued momentum.
“Just thought of it. Anyway, the third. Even if they are still here, we don’t know how they’ll react to you. Back when I met them, it was only the practitioners. But I’ve heard that in the Western Regions, they also have figures similar to martial artists of the Central Plains. If they’re stronger than expected, or if they see you showing up with the treasure as a threat, things could get troublesome.”
Divine Thief burst into laughter.
“Who? Seong-un? Or them?”
The Merchant King gave a mysterious smile.
No one could say what would happen, but he firmly believed his disciple was not someone to be underestimated anywhere.
After a moment of thought, Jin finally spoke, seemingly having made up his mind.
“In short, you’re telling me to figure out how to sell it.”
They didn’t even know if the buyers still existed in the Central Plains.
He’d have to find them first.
Even if he did, their attitude was a mystery.
Their strength was unknown.
Their finances too.
In essence, the Merchant King had just given Jin a new assignment as a merchant.
Knowing how to properly sell a product was one of the most important skills a merchant should have.
What was certain was that this had once been a treasure worth a massive fortune.
It was clearly a symbolically significant item.
“Understood.”
For once, Jin’s eyes burned with determination.
He had been feeling unfairly branded as a martial artist by the world, and now he finally felt like he had a chance to prove his merit as a merchant.
“Master, I’ll make sure to get at least fifty thousand nyang.”
“Very good.”
As Jin and the Merchant King sealed their resolve as merchants, the thief murmured to himself.
“But… wasn’t it originally theirs? Wouldn’t returning it just be the right thing to do?”
Jin and the Merchant King both turned to look at Divine Thief at the same time.
Divine Thief wore a slightly guilty expression for some reason.
The Merchant King continued.
“Tsk, what would you know? It was, without question, a legitimate transaction. I placed my faith in what was, at the time, a useless lump of rock whose value I couldn’t prove, and gave him all the support he needed to establish a foothold in the Central Plains. Eventually, it turned out my ‘investment’ was the right one.”
“Why did you trust him?”
“Because I saw conviction in his eyes. I had no way of knowing the stone’s value back then. But the emotion in his gaze was real. A treasure held by someone with conviction is bound to be worth its price.”
Divine Thief slowly nodded as he chewed over those words.
Now that he thought about it, if some foreign-looking fellow had come to him out of nowhere, claimed a common Night-Glow Pearl was the greatest treasure of the Western Regions, and demanded a fortune for it, he would’ve kicked him out on the spot.
Conviction or not, Divine Thief had never cared about such things.
Which is why it had been the Merchant King’s insight that had made the difference—and it had been entirely his choice to buy the item and then later sell it back to them.
Of course, Divine Thief had no intention of admitting this sincerely, so he said:
“If you’re so great, how’d you let Myriad Gold Manor get taken?”
“……”
A thick vein bulged on the Merchant King’s forehead.
Jin Seong-un knew exactly what was about to happen.
When Divine Thief was on the back foot, he’d bring up Myriad Gold Manor, and the Merchant King, being utterly incapable of ignoring it, would respond just like that…
And it would lead to a collar-grabbing showdown.
The Martial Gods were long used to it, and Jin Seong-un no longer found the sight strange, so he simply looked away and addressed the other Martial Gods.
“Masters, I’ll be dropping by again soon.”
The Next Morning.
Members of Seong-un Inn sat around a table with a stranger—an unfamiliar middle-aged man.
He was Heo Yeong-un, an appraiser from the Hwa-un Trading Company, a man who made his living mainly by pricing antiques.
As Heo Yeong-un stared down at the Night-Glow Pearl with a look that could kill, Jin Seong-un asked,
“Are you well-versed in Western Region artifacts?”
“Oh ho, that happens to be my specialty.”
“…Is that so.”
And so, a rather lengthy silence resumed.
Jin began to wonder if the man was trying to crack the pearl with his eyes.
Since Jin already knew what the item was, he was merely curious about its value, and the wait made him feel a bit impatient.
But he couldn’t just blurt out the treasure’s identity. There was no way to explain it without mentioning his relationship with the Merchant King.
So instead, he said:
“A glowing stone like this would appeal to a religious group, wouldn’t you say?”
“Religion, religion…”
A flicker of intrigue passed through Heo Yeong-un’s eyes.
Jin Seong-un wasn’t fully convinced by the man, but he trusted the Hwa-un Trading Company, so he kept talking.
“As far as I know, there aren’t any Central Plains religions that consider stones sacred.”
“True. In Taoism and Buddhism, that’s not really a thing. Then could it be… the Heav—!”
“Well, the Demonic Cult values power, so abstract treasures probably aren’t their style either.”
“Indeed, I think so as well.”
“……”
Some more time passed.
Just as Seomun Ak was silently mouthing, Should we just tell him to leave?, something happened.
“W-wait a moment…!”
Heo Yeong-un’s eyes went wide like the Night-Glow Pearl itself.
He even shot to his feet—only to collapse back down like his legs gave out.
His reaction was so intense that everyone turned serious and stared at him. Then, with a trembling voice, he said:
“D-Daejin Divine Cult? Could this be the On Gwang Pearl of the Daejin Divine Cult?”
“…Daejin Divine Cult?”
Jin remained nonchalant. He already knew it was a treasure of the Western Orthodoxy.
“Well, there must be other groups too, right? For example, the Wes—”
“Yes, Daejin Divine Cult. Their old name was Western Orthodoxy. Though I doubt many people know either name.”
Ah, so the name had changed.
Thinking that, Jin glanced at Seo Yu-gyeom and Lee Seowon—the two people he believed knew nearly everything.
Seo Yu-gyeom looked completely blank, as if he was hearing it for the first time. Only Lee Seowon tilted his head thoughtfully a few times before showing a face of recognition.
Judging by the reaction of Seo Yu-gyeom, a former Deathshroud assassin, they must have little to no influence in the martial world.
Jin asked,
“So, what’s it worth?”
Heo Yeong-un gave him a bewildered look.
“Before we talk about the price… this item can’t be sold at all.”
“…And why is that?”
“If you take this to them, you’ll die. Though it’s technically a Western religion, they’re now entirely made up of Central Plains natives. Most of them are martial artists.”
Heo Yeong-un’s panic began to grow.
He claimed they were so extreme that even antique dealers avoided Western artifacts if there was any chance of connection.
That they didn’t want the world to know of their existence and were extremely hostile toward any who approached them.
There were even conspiracy theories claiming their martial strength was enough to shake the world.
In short, the On Gwang Pearl (溫光珠) was essentially their sacred item. If a stranger suddenly showed up carrying it, there was no telling how they’d react.
“Think it over. No matter how desperate you are for money, is it worth more than your life? I know your name is well-known in the murim, but…”
Heo Yeong-un quickly glanced around and then whispered with utmost secrecy.
“I heard a rumor during my antique work… the Demonic Cult once tried to wipe them out. But they’re still around. What do you think that means?”
That the Heavenly Demon Cult would try to suppress another group using the name ‘Divine Cult’ wasn’t exactly surprising.
If what Heo Yeong-un said was true, it meant one of two things:
Either the Daejin Divine Cult was powerful enough to resist the Heavenly Demon Cult, or they had formed some kind of hidden relationship.
Either way, it was extremely dangerous. The expressions on Moyong Hyeon, Seomun Ak, and Lee Seowon turned to horror.
Satisfied that he’d said enough, Heo Yeong-un tried to rise from his seat when—
“So, where are they now?”
“You didn’t understand a word I just said, did you?”
“I did.”
“Then why…?”
“Pardon?”
Jin Seong-un blinked, genuinely puzzled. Heo Yeong-un clutched his chest in exasperation.
“After hearing all this, you still want to go?”
“Yes, I need to sell the item. I am a merchant, after all.”
“……”
Heo Yeong-un’s face turned to disbelief.
He suddenly remembered what the Chief Steward of the Hwa-un Trading Company had told him before sending him here.
– The innkeeper is a little… unusual. A bit bolder than most people, you could say. You’ll see when you meet him.
‘A little unusual?’
To Heo Yeong-un, it was clear this innkeeper’s fear response was broken.
Regardless, Jin asked,
“You know where they are, right?”
“I do, but…”
“Then let’s go right away.”
“…Me too?”
Jin nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Someone needed to lead the way, didn’t they?
As Heo Yeong-un appeared to tremble slightly, Jin offered him a thumbs-up and a small smile for encouragement.
While Heo Yeong-un was sinking into existential dread, a firm voice suddenly stopped Jin in his tracks.
“This feels risky.”
It was Seo Yu-gyeom.
Heo Yeong-un was finally expecting a normal reaction, but then Seo Yu-gyeom spoke with grim determination.
“You’re not going to go kill everyone again, are you?”
“…Seriously? Do you think I’m some kind of slaughtering demon?”
“Pretty close.”
Everyone nodded slightly at Seo Yu-gyeom’s comment.
Then he added,
“I’m going with you. I don’t trust you going alone.”
He wasn’t worried for Jin Seong-un.
Quite the opposite.
As soon as Seo Yu-gyeom declared he’d be going too, the others at the inn looked visibly relieved.
And at that moment, Heo Yeong-un realized something.
There wasn’t a single normal person in this inn.