The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strongest Maid - Chapter 27
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 27
Tonight was a day with a very important event in Eok I-geon’s life.
Thanks to that, despite my disgraceful behavior, I was able to get through the crisis without any particular sanctions.
I should be grateful for just that, but Eok I-geon even bought me expensive clothes.
Eok I-geon and Cheon-gang also transformed from the comfortable outfits they wore while coming to Sichuan into splendid attire.
Eok I-geon, who was already strikingly handsome, looked absolutely otherworldly, and Cheon-gang also looked twice as handsome as usual, proving that clothes make the man.
Of course, all of this was planned.
Why would Eok I-geon suddenly buy clothes for someone like me just because he found me pretty?
We had simply dressed appropriately for the place we were about to visit.
A place that could be said to be where Eok I-geon’s history began in the original work.
In the dark night, relying only on moonlight, the place I was heading to was called the Black Market.
“From here, it would be better to wear bamboo hats.”
Cheon-gang, who had done reconnaissance at the site the night before, handed bamboo hats to me and Eok I-geon respectively.
“There’s a veil attached?”
When I showed a perplexed expression at the unfamiliar hat style, Cheon-gang explained.
“In places like this, hiding one’s identity is originally an unwritten rule. Since people gather for illegal transactions, showing your face would be rather strange.”
If that’s the reason, wouldn’t a human skin mask be better?
It’s not like they lack money, so I honestly didn’t quite understand why we had to wear uncomfortable bamboo hats with veils.
But I was a lowly maid who had to do as told.
The veil swaying in front of my eyes was somewhat inconvenient as it obstructed my vision, but it wasn’t enough to make me stumble, so there was no problem following along.
The location where the Black Market opened was a manor quite far from the center of Chengdu.
Two warriors were guarding the main gate where torches were lit, and when Cheon-gang showed them an entry pass, the gate immediately opened.
Where did Cheon-gang get that entry pass?
As far as I knew, becoming a customer of the Black Market required going through very strict procedures.
The Black Market, which opened only once a year with its location delivered about a month in advance, was simply put an illegal auction black market.
Though it wasn’t clearly revealed in the original work who ran the market, the products that appeared at the Black Market were real.
Expensive gold and silver treasures were basic, and they handled various items including all kinds of elixirs and divine weapons.
Eok I-geon and Cheon-gang didn’t tell me anything, but I naturally knew what they had come here to obtain.
As a reader, I found it somewhat childish, but originally such clichés need to be included sometimes to make things interesting.
It was also quite an important scene in the novel.
To see it directly with my own eyes, wasn’t this also quite amusing?
“Please come this way.”
We passed through a well-decorated garden and arrived in front of a pavilion.
While walking, we didn’t encounter a single person, but I sensed over fifty hidden presences.
That means there were at least more than that.
“These days, night visitors are rampant at the Black Market.”
“Night visitors?”
“Those with bad hand habits.”
“Ah, so that’s why…”
It seemed all those positioned everywhere were to catch thieves.
Tsk tsk, how unfortunate.
To prepare this much only to end up being robbed.
Ah, this story didn’t apply to Eok I-geon though.
In fact, it was only revealed five years later that something had been stolen that day.
The secret story that became widely known when turmoil arose in the martial arts world with the appearance of a young master would begin here today.
It would be interesting in many ways.
A smile naturally formed on my lips as I entered the pavilion.
Though it was a dangerous place if you could call it dangerous, perhaps because of Eok I-geon, I wasn’t scared at all.
After all, wouldn’t Eok I-geon handle whatever bastard appeared?
He wasn’t the protagonist of the original novel for nothing.
“That spot would be good.”
Befitting the name Black Market, the interior of the pavilion was overall dark.
Candles that barely illuminated the path were lit here and there, and only four luminous pearls shone like light bulbs above the platform that appeared to be the stage where the auction would proceed.
Dozens of chairs were lined up in front of it, and we took seats toward the front right among them.
Inside was already more than half full of people.
They were all wearing veils like us or masks.
But why could I still feel gazes?
Had they instinctively recognized Eok I-geon’s extraordinariness?
Still, they could never think that the son of Cheonma was here, right?
A strange sense of pride that only I knew this fact filled me, and I grinned foolishly again.
It was fortunate that there was a veil to hide my ridiculous expression.
Flash!
Then suddenly light flickered and some man appeared on the platform.
He was the only one in this place who revealed his face.
“So that’s what a human skin mask is…”
“You can tell?”
At my unconscious whisper, Eok I-geon looked at me as if surprised.
Of course, I hadn’t actually recognized it.
I had simply read in the book that the hosts of the Black Market always wore human skin masks, so their real faces could never be known.
“…It just feels somewhat unnatural.”
It wasn’t at all, but flustered, I rambled randomly.
“I see.”
“I can’t tell at all.”
Eok I-geon and Cheon-gang stared intently at the host, then tilted their heads and praised me as if I were amazing.
“Fellow martial artists, you’ve worked hard coming from afar. Since you’re all busy people, I’ll skip the small talk and start the first auction right away!”
It was fortunate that the auction had just begun, otherwise my face under the veil would have turned red from the lie.
“The first item is Punghon-dan, comparable to Shaolin Temple’s Great Return Pill. As many of you know, Punghon-dan is an elixir made by the now-vanished Punghon-mun. Though it was a small sect, their skill in making elixirs was truly tremendous. That’s why they could raise most of their disciples to peak masters. If not for those wicked demonic cult members, the unfortunate Punghon-mun would still be maintaining its lineage! This Punghon-dan here is a premium product that was stored in the sect leader’s secret vault. Our Black Market found what even Maegyo missed! I’ll skip the proof of authenticity. The very fact that you came here means you’re seated here because you trust and have faith in us, right? The starting price will be three hundred thousand nyang!”
As soon as the host finished speaking, hands shot up from here and there.
Though it was an elixir that would drive any martial artist crazy and worth showing interest in, Eok I-geon sat upright and unwavering.
Since Maegyo destroyed Punghon-mun, had he already taken Punghon-dan?
While I was having my own rational thoughts, the auction moved at a rapid pace.
As if they handled items by category, elixirs continued in succession for a while.
Then it appeared.
At the appearance of the bracelet I had most wanted to see since before coming to the Black Market, the Rainbow Ring, my neck instantly stretched like a crane’s.
If I could, I would have wanted to go close to the platform to examine it in detail.
As expected, it’s still red.
Just like in the original work, the host was describing the Rainbow Ring as a simple bracelet.
Of course, since it appeared at the Black Market, the creator of the Rainbow Ring was a very famous craftsman whose name everyone would recognize.
It was truly a pathetic moment watching the host ramble on about how giving the Rainbow Ring to a woman would definitely make love come true.
What kind of item is that!
Seeing them treat such a precious thing in such a manner, the Black Market was also a place that couldn’t be completely trusted.
Later, several of the Black Market’s greatest mistakes would be revealed to the world, and the Rainbow Ring was by far the biggest issue among them.
“Then let’s begin the auction. The starting price is one hundred thousand nyang!”
What was the winning bid amount again?
I tried to recall, but couldn’t remember exactly.
Was it about three hundred thousand nyang?
It was practically given away for free.
Though it ended up being stolen by a thief anyway.
Who would take it?
I don’t know the name since they weren’t an important character.
I heard they later died of anger-induced illness after learning the true function contained in the red pill.
Perhaps everyone was thinking of giving it as a gift to someone they admired, as the price kept rising steadily.
“Two hundred fifty thousand nyang!”
Oh, it’s almost over.
It was a man wearing a white mask, and quite a few people lowered their hands at his shout.
It was right after that when the amount suddenly skyrocketed.
“One million nyang!”
Murmuring sounds could be heard from here and there at the auction price that shot up in an instant.
But why is everyone looking this way?
Even then, I hadn’t realized who the owner of the one million nyang bid was.
Only after following people’s gazes did I discover Eok I-geon with his hand raised, and my first thought was whether this guy had gone crazy.
What’s with spending a whole million nyang on a single bracelet!
No matter how much money you have, still, are you stupid? A sucker?
This is indeed a tremendously good item, but you don’t need it, you know?
You’re already a monster, so how much more of a monster do you want to become!
It was a moment when both I and even Cheon-gang lost our composure at Eok I-geon’s impulse purchase.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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