Chapter 31

Wang Wu, the owner of Infinite's best antique shop, Ancient Sword Merchant, and the Sixth Master of the Palm Heart Clan, was going through his usual routine today.

"We have a new item."

Yu entered with a small box.

Yu, with his kind face, worked as a clerk, but in reality, he was no ordinary clerk. He was a Martial Artist recognized within the Palm Heart Clan for his skills. Besides ordinary Martial Artists, there were five top-notch experts like Yu stationed here.

That's how many precious items there were.

When Wang Wu opened the box, there was a Golden Frog Statue inside.

"Finally got my hands on it."

"It was hard to persuade them."

Yu's grinning face held a certain murderous intent. It was a kind of chilling feeling that made you understand without asking how he had persuaded them.

"How much did you give?"

"Eight thousand nyang."

Wang Wu grinned broadly. The value of this Golden Frog Statue was at least over twenty thousand nyang. If he ripped them off properly, he could get at least fifty thousand nyang.

"Good work."

Wang Wu took out money from his sleeve. Two hundred-nyang bills.

"Get a drink later."

The excessive amount for drinks was a bonus for this job. A price for corruption.

Yu, who took the money, disappeared through the back door with a grin.

Wang Wu looked at the Golden Frog Statue and smiled pleasantly. Although two hundred nyang was a large sum for Yu, the money he skimmed off would be ten times that amount.

Wang Wu was too corrupt to live only on the monthly salary from the Palm Heart Clan.

A world where illegalities and corruption were rampant. Only a fool wouldn't do it. That was Wang Wu's thought.

Then someone came inside.

The middle-aged man who entered spoke abruptly.

"Master Wang!"

Wang Wu was startled by the words.

Very few people knew the title of Master Wang.

Most of the Palm Heart Clan's businesses were operated secretly.

This antique shop was the same.

"Who are you?"

Then the middle-aged man said quietly.

"I am Im Yun-oh of the Bukcheon Pae Clan."

"Ah!"

At that moment, Wang Wu remembered Im Yun-oh. How could he not remember, even with that big wart next to his nose?

"It's been a while, Master Im."

Wang Wu's back bent involuntarily. Although they were both Masters, how could the Bukcheon Pae Clan and the Palm Heart Clan be the same?

'Why is this guy here?'

Wang Wu was inwardly nervous.

After a few words of greeting, Wang Wu cautiously asked.

"But what brings you here?"

He couldn't have just dropped by as a greeting.

"That's..."

Im Yun-oh hesitated and looked at Wang Wu.

The quick-witted Wang Wu took him inside. It was a secret room prepared inside the store.

Only after entering there did Im Yun-oh carefully open his mouth.

"This matter must never be leaked."

"Don't worry."

As if that wasn't enough, Im Yun-oh said quietly.

"It's a matter of risking your life."

Wang Wu was inwardly nervous. He had learned from doing this job for a long time that the more dangerous it was, the more money it would bring.

Wang Wu nodded as if he was prepared.

"Tell me."

"I want to dispose of an item."

Only then did Im Yun-oh take out a box from his chest.

And slowly opened the box.

Wang Wu's eyes widened as he checked the item inside.

"This is!"

It was a jade Buddha statue about the size of an adult's palm. It was no ordinary Buddha statue. It was an Asura Buddha statue with several hands attached to its back.

"Could it be?"

Wang Wu's hand began to tremble as he thought of one thing.

Im Yun-oh nodded.

"That's right. It's the God-Demon Jade Buddha."

Wang Wu's eyes widened.

God-Demon Jade Buddha.

The God-Demon Jade Buddha was the most famous and precious Buddha statue among jade Buddha statues.

There were various stories about it, from being the treasure of the Cheonma Shin-gyo to being a sacred object of esoteric Buddhism. There were rumors that great Martial arts were hidden in the God-Demon Jade Buddha, and there were also rumors that the God-Demon Jade Buddha itself was a terrifying Hidden weapon.

The God-Demon Jade Buddha was an item that made your heart flutter just by looking at it.

Wang Wu carefully examined the God-Demon Jade Buddha. The perfect balance and the sculpture were very elaborate.

"Can I check it?"

Then Im Yun-oh nodded with a natural expression.

Wang Wu turned off the lights in the secret room.

When the lights were turned off, the room became completely dark.

"Oh!"

Wang Wu couldn't help but exclaim.

Depending on the direction you looked, the color of the God-Demon Jade Buddha appeared differently. When viewed from the front, it emitted a brilliant jade color, from the side it emitted a red color, and from the back it emitted a blue color.

"It's genuine, it's a genuine article!"

It was definitely the God-Demon Jade Buddha.

Wang Wu turned on the lights again.

"How did you get this?"

"I happened to acquire it a while ago. You know the value of this item well, right?"

"Of course."

Wang Wu's voice was trembling.

Im Yun-oh asked seriously.

"Will you buy it?"

Wang Wu nodded without hesitation. This was the most valuable of all the items he had ever traded.

"How much will you pay?"

After a long deliberation, Wang Wu calmly replied.

"I'll give you two hundred thousand nyang."

It was a gamble that risked his life.

It was an item worth at least five hundred thousand nyang or more. If he did well, he could sell it for even more. If he succeeded in this deal, the Manor Lord of the Palm Heart Clan would be very pleased.

Suddenly, Wang Wu's whole body trembled with excitement. Greed soared from deep within his heart.

'If it's the God-Demon Jade Buddha!'

Wang Wu thought of something he shouldn't do. If he took it and ran away, and learned the Martial arts of the God-Demon Jade Buddha, he could transform into the best expert in Jianghu.

'No, that's too dangerous.'

Besides, he was too old to properly learn Martial arts. He had learned how to live well enough without Martial arts.

'Yes, let's sell it and leave a huge profit.'

If he could handle it secretly, he could embezzle two or three hundred thousand nyang.

One way or another, Wang Wu's heart was excited and trembling.

Im Yun-oh frowned and pondered. It seemed that the price was not up to his expectations.

Wang Wu was confident that Im Yun-oh would not refuse.

Because he had to dispose of it secretly. Because it was an item that he could never dispose of if it wasn't him.

"But! If you give me the money right away, in small bills that cannot be traced."

Wang Wu suppressed the feeling of wanting to shout for joy.

"Okay."

Im Yun-oh opened his eyes fiercely. A murderous intent flashed.

"Keep the secret."

"Of course."

That was what Wang Wu wanted to ask. Please.

Wang Wu racked his brains. First of all, the amount that Ancient Sword Merchant could mobilize on its own was one hundred thousand nyang. The wealth he had accumulated so far was fifty thousand nyang. Fifty thousand nyang was the amount that could be borrowed from the Palm Heart Clan's gambling house. For that transaction, he could create a fake item and deal with it. It was what he had been doing so far.

Wang Wu called Yu earlier and secretly gave him some instructions.

While waiting, Im Yun-oh said calmly.

"It's a precious item. If rumors spread, there will be many who will aim for it."

"Don't worry. It's unlikely, but even if rumors spread, the vault of this store is protected by twelve Mechanical Device. Even the best expert in Jianghu can never break through it."

Im Yun-oh nodded.

"As expected of the famous Ancient Sword Merchant."

"Please wait a moment."

Then Wang Wu left his seat.

An hour later, the result of Wang Wu and Yu running around with sweat on their feet was put in a large leather bag and handed over to Im Yun-oh.

"Then I wish you good fortune."

After exchanging greetings, Im Yun-oh came out.

He slowly moved his steps and entered the alley.

At the end of the alley, two people were waiting. They were Muyeong and Hwa Mucheol.

Tear--

Jeok Leegeon took off the Human skin mask from his face.

Muyeong and Hwa Mucheol greeted him happily.

"You've worked hard."

"Well, it's simple."

Jeok Leegeon handed the bag to Muyeong. Muyeong, who received it, handed over packaged meat.

"It's the best quality meat."

Jeok Leegeon joked as he received the meat.

"Is it two hundred thousand nyang worth of meat?"

"Hahaha!"

"How much has been collected so far?"

"It's roughly three million nyang."

Hwa Mucheol was surprised by the words three million nyang. He already knew that he was no ordinary person when he was brought in, but to have this much wealth.

What surprised Hwa Mucheol even more was Jeok Leegeon's next words.

"It's still not enough. We need to gather more."

Muyeong nodded.

"Money is money, but what's more important is people."

There were more than one or two people to gather. First of all, Hwa Mucheol, who could be said to be the best in Mechanical Formation, joining was a great help.

Jeok Leegeon smiled and said.

"Let's find some young talents at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering."

"I'll look into it separately."

Hwa Mucheol took out a few pieces of paper from his chest and handed them to Jeok Leegeon.

"There may be flaws because I made them in a hurry."

"I trust you."

Jeok Leegeon put it in his chest without even looking at it. Hwa Mucheol replied with a faint smile.

Jeok Leegeon, carrying the meat, glanced at the Ancient Sword Merchant at the end of the alley.

"I heard that there are twelve Mechanical Device installed that can never be broken through."

Then Hwa Mucheol smiled and said.

"There is no Mechanical Device in the world that can never be broken through."

"Hahahaha!"

The three of them burst into laughter at the same time.

Tonight, Muyeong and Hwa Mucheol will rob Ancient Sword Merchant. The two hundred thousand nyang received today and the God-Demon Jade Buddha will be recovered. In addition, if you add the items in the secret vault of Ancient Sword Merchant, you can get almost three hundred thousand nyang.

"The Martial arts contained in the jade Buddha has already disappeared, but I still have to recover it. It's what my mother had since I was young."

"But when did you complete the Martial arts of the jade Buddha?"

At Muyeong's question, Hwa Mucheol also waited for an answer with a curious face.

Jeok Leegeon grinned.

"It's been a few years. It's been so long that I'm about to forget it. I didn't have a chance to use it either."

"Haha, as expected of you, young Master."

Hwa Mucheol admired inwardly. He had also heard rumors about the God-Demon Jade Buddha. Witnessing that the God-Demon Jade Buddha was being treated as such an insignificant plaything was truly a new experience.

Muyeong stared at Ancient Sword Merchant and said calmly.

"By tomorrow morning, that place will be ruined. In addition, the Palm Heart Clan will suffer a great blow."

"We'll suck it all slowly. Like leeches."

"Of course."

"And don't kill them completely. The Palm Heart Clan is worth using a little more."

Muyeong added a word to Jeok Leegeon, who was turning around.

"Oh, and the elders have arrived."

"Both of them?"

"Demon Sword Senior has also come."

Jeok Leegeon shook his head as if he couldn't help it.

"Where are they now?"

"They said they'll be playing on their own."

"I should have known. First of all, I need to find a place to properly serve them."

Jeok Leegeon said to Hwa Mucheol.

"Soon, Clan Lord Hwa will have to show his true skills."

Hwa Mucheol bowed politely.

Jeok Leegeon's eyes twinkled.

"Because I'm going to build the safest and strongest house in Jianghu."