Chapter 55

“Let’s just sit over there and watch.”

Receiving glances from the new visitors, Namgung Woo casually found an empty seat and sat down.

Inside the Mercenary Association building, there was a space resembling an inn, likely prepared for clients and mercenaries to negotiate or converse. A quick glance revealed that while it wasn’t a proper restaurant, they did sell simple snacks and drinks.

As Namgung Woo sat down first, Paeng Ha-ryeong and Yang Jeong also took their seats. Meanwhile, Yang Kwae strode over to the center of the commotion.

Let’s see how he handles this. Namgung Woo focused on Yang Kwae’s actions.

“Hey, I heard you’re looking for a Peak Master.”

The young man, who had been grappling with someone from the Mercenary Association, turned his head sharply at Yang Kwae’s words.

The young man’s eyes scanned Yang Kwae up and down, as if trying to figure out what kind of guy he was.

“That’s right. Why? Having trouble finding one?”

“If you’re just messing with me, leave.”

“Messing with you? You need a Peak Master, right? I think I can help.”

The Mercenary Association staff reacted to Yang Kwae’s words faster than the young man did.

“Where are you from? It’s problematic if you’re poaching from another association.”

“Hah, where am I from? I’m from Hapbuk. I’m a mercenary looking for work, so don’t be so sensitive.”

“Hapbuk? You came from far away. But if you want to take jobs from our Mercenary Association, you’ll need to pay the basic membership fee first.”

“How much?”

“One tael of silver per person. Pay it once, and aside from the commission, we’ll handle things like mediation and deposit management for you.”

“One tael? Isn’t that too expensive? One tael of silver is enough for a commoner to live for a year.”

“Do you think this is some rural backwater like Hapbuk? This is Nanjing, Nanjing!”

Watching the Mercenary Association staff shout about how different Nanjing was from Hapbuk, Namgung Woo could sense the pride and wounded ego of the Nanjing locals.

No wonder the Black Path Martial World, which is anti-establishment, thrives here with less interference from the authorities.

The Grand Canal, which costs an enormous amount to maintain, is essentially there to transport the wealth and produce of the south to Beijing.

The budget spent on the long journey to Beijing for tax purposes is astronomical. Naturally, the burden on the south, which is far from Beijing but connected to the Grand Canal, is greater than other regions.

Since the common people are more cooperative with the Black Path Martial World than the Imperial Family, it’s difficult for the authorities to secure enough evidence to impose sanctions.

While Namgung Woo was pondering the ecology of the southern martial world, the argument between Yang Kwae and the staff grew louder.

“What, not confident in your skills? In Nanjing, you can earn five or six taels of silver in just a few jobs. If you’re stingy about one tael, you’re just a third-rate nobody.”

“What, what? Third-rate nobody? Are you saying that to me, Yang Kwae, a Peak Master?”

Yang Kwae was quite sharp-tongued, but compared to the rough mercenaries who lived by their wits, he was like a novice trying to show off in front of a master.

However, the words Yang Kwae blurted out in anger completely changed the atmosphere.

As Yang Kwae began to reveal his aura without hiding it, the young man, who had been like a sack of rice, was startled and shouted.

“A Peak Master? You?”

Before he could rejoice at finally finding a Peak Master, the young man was shocked by Yang Kwae’s apparent age.

‘He looks about my age, but he’s a mercenary…’

The young man was 29 years old, just half a year away from being excluded from the category of a Late Blooming Prodigy.

The young man belatedly sharpened his senses. Having barely achieved the Peak Master realm at the beginning of the year, he still felt awkward about constantly being aware of his aura.

‘Is he really a Peak Master?’

Only a Supreme Peak Master could perfectly discern someone’s level with just their aura, but even below that, a rough estimation was possible.

And from Yang Kwae, an aura similar to or even deeper than the young man’s was emanating.

To confirm, the Mercenary Association staff added.

“It’s true. With this level of aura… If you’re a Peak Master, the story changes. If you become an exclusive member of our Mercenary Association, we’ll treat you specially without a membership fee. And the three people you came with, too.”

The Mercenary Association staff had considerable experience. Even while talking to the young man, he had been observing everyone entering the building.

Yang Kwae shrugged at the staff’s words.

“Well, it’s not something I can decide.”

“…You’re a Peak Master, right?”

“I’m just a lackey. And I probably won’t be in Nanjing for long.”

Regaining his composure, Yang Kwae spoke to the young man instead of the staff.

“If you’re looking for a Peak Master, you must have prepared a hefty commission. Pay our share as the mediation fee.”

“…Non-members negotiating in the Mercenary Association is prohibited.”

“If you pay more mediation fee, it’s fine, right? Isn’t that how it works in Nanjing?”

“For a special case like a Peak Master, we can make an exception. But the mediation fee will be quite expensive.”

“I don’t think I need to worry about that. Let’s go then.”

Yang Kwae smoothly passed the mediation fee to the young man and brought him back to where Namgung Woo was waiting.

“Not bad, huh?”

“Haha, in this line of work, just being a Peak Master gets you recognized, boss.”

Why had Yang Kwae been so happy about becoming a Peak Master, singing about it every day?

Perhaps it was the accumulated frustration from being treated differently as a mercenary compared to a Peak Master.

In prestigious sects, a Peak Master might just be a member of the martial force, but in general, being a Peak Master gets you respect anywhere.

Some even establish their own sects. Hwang Moo-tak, for example, was a Peak Master who established a faction that dominated a county.

Especially in the mercenary industry, once you become a Peak Master, you usually retire and settle down somewhere to live comfortably, making Peak Masters even rarer.

“Right. You’re looking for a Peak Master, I hear.”

When the conversation turned to him, the young man gulped.

It was surprising enough that a mercenary, who looked about his age, had reached the Peak Master level, but what was truly shocking was something else.

‘That guy looks even younger!’

And he’s being called “boss” by a Peak Master? Of course, martial prowess doesn’t always correlate with age. But there must be something special about him to be called “boss” by a Peak Master mercenary.

It was only natural for the young man’s attitude to become cautious.

‘And that woman next to him…’

Though she was wearing a common martial outfit, the quality was clearly exceptional at first glance.

Moreover, the dignity she exuded just by sitting there wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight.

Even with a veil, it was clear she was beautiful.

These points increased the young man’s trust in them.

‘They seem more reliable than some shady mercenaries.’

Having finished his initial assessment of Namgung Woo’s group, the young man spoke.

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“I’d like to hear the details.”

“Well…”

With a noticeably tense voice, the young man began to explain.

His name was Wi Ji-ryang. Not from the Wi family, but his surname was Wi, and his given name was Ji-ryang. He was the young master of the Cheongsu Gate, a sect in Cheonjang County, and was heading to Gyeonghyeon for the Four Seasons Brew event.

However, after leaving Nanjing, they were attacked by what they believed to be the Bokmang Association and barely made it back to Nanjing.

“No one died, but the escort party was injured, so I thought of hiring mercenaries to continue.”

“You were in quite a hurry, huh?”

At Namgung Woo’s question, Wi Ji-ryang’s expression changed.

He understood what Namgung Woo was implying.

“There’s no harm in hurrying. It’s good for us to move quickly too. So, let’s summarize. The request is to escort you to Gyeonghyeon. The escort targets are three people, including you. Since the Bokmang Association has already been spotted, the likelihood of combat is high. There’s one more important thing left.”

The commission.

The key factor in whether Namgung Woo’s group would accept the request.

Wi Ji-ryang hoped they would be satisfied and offered the maximum he could afford.

“20 taels of silver. If all three of us arrive safely before the start of winter, I’ll add another 10 taels as a success bonus.”

A total of 30 taels of silver.

Enough for a commoner to live for 20 years.

Even for Namgung Woo, whose financial sense had been slightly skewed after staying with the Hapbuk Paeng Family, it wasn’t a small amount. Whether it was appropriate for hiring a mercenary group including a Peak Master was uncertain, but the request itself was appealing.

“Alright. We’ll take it.”

§

The next day, after Wi Ji-ryang paid all the mediation fees and left, Namgung Woo’s group also left the Mercenary Association to find lodging.

“Wow, our boss really has the aura of a true mercenary! Our first request is for 30 taels of silver. Isn’t this the emergence of a monster rookie who’s going to shake up the relaxed mercenary industry?”

“How does 30 taels of silver for a four-person mercenary group including a Peak Master compare?”

“Not bad. Usually, hiring a first-rate martial artist for a month costs about 3 taels of silver. That’s about two or three times a soldier’s monthly salary.”

If Namgung Woo and Paeng Ha-ryeong, who hadn’t shown their full strength, were considered first-rate, and Yang Jeong was included, it would roughly be 10 taels. The remaining 20 taels would be Yang Kwae’s share as the Peak Master.

“The gap between first-rate and Peak Master is huge, huh?”

“Of course. You might not feel it, boss, but the wall between sword energy practitioners is enormous.”

It felt like a fair price.

Not a bad result for a first attempt.

“Now that we’ve got our first request, let’s have something delicious for dinner tonight.”

“I heard Nanjing duck is really good. It’s cooked differently from Beijing, so I’ve been wanting to try it…”

“Duck sounds good.”

§

Returning to the inn they had booked, Wi Ji-ryang explained the mercenaries he had hired and the request to his companions.

After hearing everything, his companions erupted.

“What! Are you crazy, brother? If you give away 30 taels of silver, how are we supposed to get back? Are you insane? Really!”

As his younger sister, who looked like she would hit him with a pillow if she had one, raged, Wi Ji-ryang quickly defended himself.

“By then, our senior brother will have recovered, right? Isn’t that right, senior brother?”

“If it’s a month, it should be possible.”

“See!”

“Ugh…that’s not the point! You just heard he’s a Peak Master and jumped into a contract. Did you see him release sword energy? Did you hear his nickname? Is he from some famous sect or something?”

“Well…”

At that moment, overwhelmed by the other party’s presence, Wi Ji-ryang hadn’t thought about those issues.

Wi Seong-ha’s complaints poured out.

“I can’t live like this. What are we supposed to do if we’re not even from a prestigious sect?”

“Seong-ha, don’t be too harsh. If it turns out he’s not a Peak Master, we can always back out.”

Despite the senior brother’s attempts to calm her, Wi Seong-ha’s anger didn’t subside.

“Senior brother, you’re too soft. Really… Tomorrow, I’ll go and set things straight. Just watch!”

§

“A-Ah, um, I’m Wi Seong-ha… Nice to meet you.”