Jin Sohan drank the fairly strong liquor while occasionally observing the Moonlit Night Pavilion Master. Armed warriors were stationed even on the staircase leading to this floor, and a considerable number of guards surrounded the Pavilion Master as well.
If the Pavilion Master hadn’t caught his eye, Jin Sohan would have spent the night quietly resting in the pleasure house. But now that they had already crossed gazes, his thoughts had changed.
I’ll watch the auction first….
Once the stripping sword-dance performance ended, people poured out like a receding tide. Most left the pleasure house, while some went upstairs and disappeared into their rooms.
Soon, a bell began ringing at fixed intervals, and only those interested in the auction remained on the first floor.
The atmosphere suddenly sank.
As Jin Sohan surveyed the crowd, he felt a strong stench of something rotten in the makeup of those gathered.
Merchants with escorts, huh….
He found himself wondering what kind of goods were being traded here. Some men sat alone at large tables, while groups that looked like gangs occupied two or three tables at once, sitting in silence.
Among them, one figure drew attention.
A man wearing a shabby blue martial robe was drawing his longsword and wiping the blade with a cloth, indifferent to who might be watching.
The man’s eyes gleamed as he, like Jin Sohan, occasionally scanned his surroundings.
When the bell finished ringing, a metallic clack sounded from the rear. Someone locked both the front and back doors, and Moonlit Night Pavilion’s martial warriors blocked the staircase.
Someone walked up onto the stage and spoke.
“Thank you for participating in the auction. As always, we have prepared a variety of goods. The suppliers are present to verify the items, so if you have any questions, please ask them directly. As a note following a previous incident—should anyone purchase goods using forged certificates, appropriate measures will be taken. While certificates are being verified, you will not be permitted to leave Moonlit Night Pavilion.”
When the announcer finished, the suppliers stood, clasped their fists toward the audience, and sat back down.
The announcer on the stage said,
“First item: poison.”
A nearly naked woman wearing only undergarments stepped onto the stage, holding the item in both hands. The announcer turned to a supplier.
“Master Man.”
The supplier called Master Man immediately continued.
“This is Two-None Three-Blend Poison. Suitable for coating weapons or mixing small amounts into food. It has no color and no scent. Upon exposure, it disrupts internal energy circulation, induces drowsiness, and causes severe rashes accompanied by high fever. It will not kill on its own, but when used against a matched opponent, I dare say there is no better poison. Even an autopsy won’t reveal the cause. I’ve prepared a generous quantity.”
The announcer said,
“If you have questions, please ask. We’ll start at seven thousand nyang.”
Usually, few people asked questions. It was mostly a formality.
But Jin Sohan, who was drinking, immediately spoke up.
“What are the three poisons, and how are they blended?”
All eyes in the room turned toward Jin Sohan. The announcer looked flustered, but Master Man answered calmly.
“Mihon, Changru, and Sangeun. The precise blend is a trade secret, but you may consider it a poison difficult to treat—colorless and scentless.”
Jin Sohan replied,
“Changru must be stored cold in the shade… No warning about that? And Sangeun carries strong yang energy. With that combination, within three or four days it’ll discolor and give off a foul stench. You must be quite skilled with processing, then. But if you want seven thousand nyang, you need tastelessness added—Three None. Anyone with a refined palate would notice immediately. Changru has astringency, and Sangeun has sourness. Tastelessness is the hardest part to handle. I heard impressive items were coming up, but this is a major disappointment. It’s not even worth a thousand nyang.”
Murmurs spread. Moonlit Night Pavilion’s experts widened their eyes, while auction participants stared at Jin Sohan with intrigue.
The man polishing his sword said curtly to Master Man,
“Master Man, refute him.”
All eyes turned to Master Man, whose face reddened as he failed to respond.
The announcer looked panicked and glanced toward the Moonlit Night Pavilion Master observing from above.
The Pavilion Master glared at Jin Sohan, then asked his subordinates,
“What is that man doing?”
“He’s a first-time guest. We received a report that he hasn’t paid for his drinks. Appears to be alone.”
The first floor grew chaotic.
The announcer tried to prompt Master Man, but he remained silent, face stiff.
Finally, the announcer spoke as if patching things over.
“We’re fortunate to have a guest well-versed in poison. As intermediaries, we apologize. Since Master Man has nothing to add, we’ll accept the guest’s assessment and reprepare Two-None Three-Blend Poison as Three-None Three-Blend Poison. Next!”
The woman carrying the poison stepped down, and another woman came onto the stage holding something else.
The announcer, glancing uneasily at Jin Sohan, said,
“Hundred-Year Crimson Crane Inner Pellet. Starting at ten thousand nyang. Elder Cho?”
The man called Elder Cho began,
“Among the crimson cranes that occasionally appear in Chujeong Mountain—”
Before he could finish, Jin Sohan spat out the liquor he’d just been about to swallow.
“Pffft!”
As people turned, it looked like Jin Sohan couldn’t contain his laughter and had sprayed his drink. He waved apologetically, shoulders shaking as he snorted quietly.
“Ah—sorry. It went down the wrong way…”
The auction atmosphere turned ice-cold because of Jin Sohan.
The man polishing his sword smiled and said to him,
“Young brother, why are you laughing? If something’s funny, shouldn’t we laugh together?”
Jin Sohan waved him off.
“No. It was just funny, that’s all.”
And with that, Jin Sohan shut his mouth—infuriatingly so.
But the moment he laughed, the expressions of those intending to bid turned even colder. In that instant, the value of the item had been decided by Jin Sohan’s laughter.
This time, even Elder Cho glared at Jin Sohan with murderous eyes.
Where the hell did this bastard come from?
Watching from above, the Pavilion Master sighed.
“That… that white-robed one—what’s wrong with him? Has he lost his mind?”
The subordinates around him stood tense. When the Pavilion Master got agitated, he sometimes lost control of his words.
The Pavilion Master closed his eyes briefly, then said,
“Tell them to scrap poisons and spirit medicines for now. Start with something else. Lower the starting prices too.”
“Yes.”
“And bring that white-robed man up politely. I need to talk to him.”
“Yes.”
Receiving the signal, the announcer moved on to concealed weapons and arms, continuing the auction.
Naturally, the atmosphere didn’t improve.
With the crowd murmuring, the announcer’s words were barely audible.
The Pavilion Master said to the executives seated with him,
“You all stand by.”
“Yes.”
As they rose, the Pavilion Master pointed at a wine bottle.
“Put something in the liquor.”
“What should we use?”
“Aphrodisiac.”
“Yes.”
“Treat him well. Bring the prettiest girl who’s free right now.”
“Yes.”
Looking at Jin Sohan, the Pavilion Master muttered,
“Damn it. This auction never passes smoothly.”
*****
A Moonlit Night Pavilion staff member approached Jin Sohan and whispered softly,
“Young Master.”
“What?”
“The Pavilion Master would like to see you briefly…”
Jin Sohan replied in a rather loud voice despite the ongoing auction,
“The Pavilion Master wants to see me? Why?”
As attention gathered, the staff member panicked.
“He wishes to offer you a drink… ah, and to formally introduce himself.”
Jin Sohan replied flatly,
“I won’t get stabbed if I go up, will I?”
“Of course not. No, absolutely not. You seem knowledgeable about poison, so he’d like to hear your insights.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, the man who had been polishing his sword finally sheathed it and interjected,
“Young brother, shall I accompany you?”
As if offering protection, but Jin Sohan smiled and replied,
“It’s fine.”
The man returned the smile easily.
“As you wish. Be careful.”
Jin Sohan stood and looked up at the Pavilion Master. The Pavilion Master sneered and pointed to the seat directly across from him.
Come up.
That was the message.
All of the Pavilion Master’s subordinates stood and lined the passageway.
As Jin Sohan followed the staff member up the stairs, Moonlit Night Pavilion’s warriors glared at him from both sides.
When Jin Sohan strolled calmly through them, a man blocked his path and said,
“Sir, we’ll hold onto your weapons for the time being.”
As Jin Sohan was about to respond, the Pavilion Master shouted,
“I told you to treat him politely! Are you out of your mind?!”
The subordinate hurriedly apologized.
“My apologies.”
“Come. This is our first meeting.”
Jin Sohan approached and sat opposite the Pavilion Master without a word. The Pavilion Master appeared to have trained external techniques. Jin Sohan guessed that they often confiscated weapons from strangers because it gave them an advantage.
The Pavilion Master sighed as he looked at Jin Sohan seated across from him.
What an ill-mannered bastard.
After probing Jin Sohan’s breathing, the Pavilion Master spoke lightly.
“Care for a drink?”
“Let’s.”
A maid approached Jin Sohan’s side carrying liquor laced with an aphrodisiac.
The Pavilion Master, arms crossed as usual, smiled at Jin Sohan.
Jin Sohan asked the maid,
“What kind of liquor is this?”
“It’s Moonlit Night Wine, brewed by us.”
The Pavilion Master interjected,
“Can you not handle strong liquor, perhaps?”
As the Pavilion Master spoke casually, Jin Sohan smiled and replied just as bluntly,
“As if.”
The Pavilion Master was forty-one this year. Being spoken to like that by someone who looked barely mid-twenties made his blood boil. Still, in the Unorthodox Faction, dealing with people required caution, so he suppressed his anger.
The Pavilion Master held out his cup to the maid, as if to drink alongside Jin Sohan.
“Give me some too.”
Since the aphrodisiac had been applied inside the bottle, the tainted liquor had already been poured into Jin Sohan’s cup.