Became a God-Level M Chapter 215 : Fair Trade

Chapter 215: Fair Trade

Martial Palace.

Jin Seong-un was certain that Hanma Heaven’s grand thod was being conducted right here.

The direction of those who had been abducting children was headed straight toward Myriad Gold Manor.

Furthermore, the Chief Steward had confird through the manor’s ledger that Hanryeonghwa had flowed from there into this Martial Palace. Hanryeonghwa was a crucial material required for Hanma Heaven’s grand thod.

There was also information from the Hao Sect Leader that the demonic practitioners of Hanma Heaven had been moving through this Great Snow Mountain. And in reality, Martial Palace was indeed located in the Great Snow Mountain.

Everything — the circumstances, the evidence — pointed to the fact that Hanma Heaven’s anti-human atrocities were unfolding in this Martial Palace.

‘Where on earth is it hiding?’

The problem was the proof.

Accepting Ha Cheong-a’s trade proposal, Jin Seong-un had combed through every corner of Martial Palace.

Not just Jin Seong-un, but also Seo Yu-gyeom, Seomun Ak, and many others had ticulously searched the entire place.

Yet there wasn’t a single piece of evidence. Not only were there no children, but not even the smallest trace indicating children had ever stayed there.

Half a shichen had passed since the search began.

Bit by bit, the certainty began to fade from the others’ faces.

In particular, the sharp-minded Moyong Hyeon had turned visibly pale.

‘Could I have been wrong?’

Moyong Hyeon had never made a wrong decision in his life. At least, not until he t Jin Seong-un.

Challenging Jin Seong-un to a duel could be written off as a minor error. No, in fact, he had learned quite a bit from it, so it hadn’t been a wholly wrong choice after all.

But this ti, a creeping unease that he may have made a completely mistaken choice gnawed at him.

If this search yielded nothing, he would have to pay a massive sum to the eldest daughter of Myriad Gold Manor.

‘…I should’ve been more cautious.’

Even if it was humiliating, like the heirs of the other Five Great Clans and Nine Sects One Gang in Lanzhou, he should have first returned to his clan.

Seeing Moyong Hyeon’s expression stiffen, Ha Cheong-a spoke with a sly smile.

“By the way, who exactly is responsible for this search?”

At her words, Moyong Hyeon and the Special Task Force martial artists glanced toward Jin Seong-un and Hyeon-un.

Ha Cheong-a continued.

“I’m just a bit confused whether I should receive compensation from everyone equally, or from the one responsible. Technically, it was Guest Dragon who accepted the trade…”

Moyong Hyeon nodded before he realized it.

While he had hesitated at the imnse sum Ha Cheong-a demanded, it was Guest Dragon who had confidently entered this estate.

Moyong Hyeon’s mind spun quickly.

“Well, it’s not like we can definitively assign bla to anyone, but if we must, if we really must say…”

His gaze drifted toward Jin Seong-un.

But when their eyes t, he couldn’t finish the sentence and closed his mouth.

Jin Seong-un clearly understood Ha Cheong-a’s intent. What he learned from the rchant King wasn’t just sword techniques.

He had also mastered many of the tactics frequently used by rchants, big and small.

‘Divide and conquer.’

A very basic sche, but one that could be highly effective.

Indeed, Moyong Hyeon felt a heavy burden, and Ha Cheong-a subtly offered him a way out at just the right mont.

Divide-and-conquer tactics were effective but not considered high-level strategies. The reason was simple — they were not that hard to see through.

Jin Seong-un spoke calmly.

“Take it from .”

Almost at the sa ti, Moyong Hyeon said,

“No, how could Guest Dragon possibly bear that kind of sum alone? I, Sword Dragon Moyong Hyeon, shall of course share so of the burden.”

He hadn’t withdrawn completely. It was a way of securing an escape route in case of criticism for being cowardly.

At the sa ti, by offering to share the burden, he subtly pushed the primary responsibility onto Jin Seong-un.

He also casually reclaid his alias of Sword Dragon.

Once again, Moyong Hyeon proved to be quick on the uptake.

Ha Cheong-a raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“All of it? Your inn business must be doing well.”

“It’s doing reasonably fine.”

Nodding, Jin Seong-un paused for breath and continued.

“However, as a rchant, I’d like to slightly revise the terms of our trade.”

“You’re not about to change your tune now, are you?”

Ha Cheong-a narrowed her brow and asked.

Jin Seong-un shook his head.

“Of course not. I just want to point out that the deal was flawed from the start.”

“In what way?”

“The agreent was to pay if Martial Palace’s innocence was proven. Then, conversely, if proof is found, what happens?”

“That’s a fair point.”

Ha Cheong-a nodded in acknowledgnt.

She too, as a rchant, knew that mutual trade had to be fair.

“Although I don’t think it’ll co to that, if evidence proves I committed such shaless acts, I’ll pay you the agreed amount instead.”

“That’s an unfair deal.”

“Why?”

“Myriad Gold Manor is rich. If that trade is considered reasonable, then it ans the wealthy can commit atrocities without concern. How is that right?”

Ha Cheong-a let out a snort.

If that’s unfair, then you should beco rich, shouldn’t you?

Of course, she didn’t say that aloud.

With a touch of curiosity, Ha Cheong-a asked,

“Then what do you want?”

“Along with the money, let’s stake sothing that is equally fair.”

“What is it?”

“Life.”

Ha Cheong-a’s expression hardened.

So did everyone else’s.

Especially Moyong Hyeon, who had earlier said he’d share the burden if the deal went south — he imdiately stepped back three paces. He had absolutely no intention of staking his life.

‘Is he crazy?’

For half a shichen, seasoned martial artists with considerable cultivation had scoured this place with sharp eyes.

And yet, they found nothing. That ant there was no proof to be found here.

And now, he wanted to wager his life on such a thing?

Only now did Guest Dragon seem like a complete lunatic — a moth flying into fla.

As Moyong Hyeon sched to quickly distance himself, Jin Seong-un and Ha Cheong-a locked eyes.

It was clear now that Ha Cheong-a was different from her brother Ha Joo-yeon. Even in the face of a top-level martial artist, she showed no signs of flinching.

“I hear many in today’s Murim find Guest Dragon quite charming. Even Elder White Cloud Sword here is one of them, isn’t she? If you lose this bet and have to surrender your life to , wouldn’t Elder White Cloud Sword turn against Myriad Gold Manor?”

Saying so, Ha Cheong-a looked toward Hyeon-un.

She considered Jin Seong-un’s proposal an opportunity.

Lately, Guest Dragon’s presence in Myriad Gold Manor had been a thorn in her side.

She hoped that if she were the one to cleanly remove him, she might gain a few points in the succession competition against her brother.

After a brief pause, Hyeon-un responded.

“If that is the outco of a fair wager, I may personally resent it, but what can I do?”

“Hmph, but I don’t want to be hated,”

Ha Cheong-a feigned hesitation, prompting Jin Seong-un to speak in a calm tone.

“Choose. Either we proceed with the trade or pretend none of this happened.”

Since the opponent had first employed a shallow divide-and-conquer tactic, Jin Seong-un threw out bait — a thod rchants often used.

This too was a lesson from the rchant King.

Provocation Strategy — a technique to stir the opponent’s emotions and guide them in the desired direction.

Jin Seong-un had subtly provoked her rchant’s pride.

rchants were greedy by nature.

Just monts ago, Ha Cheong-a had imagined being able to claim not only a massive reward but even Jin Seong-un’s life.

To let that slip away when it was within reach — no woman raised in a rchant household would allow that.

‘Such a petty trick…’

Ha Cheong-a recognized the ploy instantly.

However, a true sche was one that the opponent recognized yet couldn’t avoid.

Jin Seong-un added one more line.

“If it were Ha Joo-myeong, he would have accepted.”

“You t my brother?”

Her voice rose slightly.

Jin Seong-un nodded nonchalantly.

“I t him while looking into this Martial Palace. He’s an unpredictable man.”

In every way.

His martial arts, his thoughts — there was nothing about the eldest son of Myriad Gold Manor, Ha Joo-myeong, that could be guessed in advance.

Ha Cheong-a also regarded her brother that way. To her, Ha Joo-myeong was soone she admired, feared, and soone who triggered a deep sense of inadequacy.

She thought that, indeed, if it were her brother, he would have accepted Guest Dragon’s proposal. He was not one to back down from a challenge.

‘They’ll never find it anyway, thanks to the formation.’

With that thought, Ha Cheong-a nodded.

In a situation where there wasn’t even a sliver of a chance they’d find evidence, claiming both a fortune and Guest Dragon’s life was a justifiable risk.

“Fine, let’s do it. Mu-wol.”

At her command, a middle-aged man silently stepped behind her. He was her bodyguard, Mu-wol — a man even Hanma Heaven’s Grand Elder had once admired inwardly.

“Yes, Palace Head.”

“The mont my innocence is proven, take Guest Dragon’s head.”

Mu-wol glanced toward Jin Seong-un.

As always, Jin Seong-un calmly t his gaze with a blank expression.

“As you command.”

Mu-wol drew a straight saber.

At the sa ti, a piercing murderous energy descended around them.

Just by drawing his blade, he altered the very air — proof that his martial prowess had reached a mature state even among peak-level masters.

While even the Special Task Force martial artists and Hyeon-un were wary of Mu-wol’s cultivation, Ha Cheong-a continued.

“Then search all you want. I’m curious how you plan to find evidence that doesn’t exist.”

Jin Seong-un nodded and turned to his companions. Seo Yu-gyeom, Seomun Ak, and the rest all wore concerned expressions.

He addressed them in a composed voice.

“The children are definitely here. Perhaps even Hanma Heaven’s demonic practitioners. But we’ve already searched every inch of Martial Palace and found nothing.”

Puzzlent appeared on everyone’s faces.

They couldn’t understand what Jin Seong-un was implying. If that were the case, wasn’t there even less reason to make such a reckless wager?

Jin Seong-un continued.

“If we accept that they are indeed here and still failed to find them — then there’s only one possible explanation.”

While everyone tilted their heads in confusion, the quick-witted Moyong Hyeon had a flash of realization.

“Formation?”

He was quite close with Sima Hwi, the Rising Dragon.

The two shared a similar temperant.

Because of that, he knew a little more about formations than most.

But the mont he said it, Moyong Hyeon grimaced.

Even if everything was hidden by a formation, that would only make things worse.

A deliberately deployed formation could never be detected. And if it was a formation created with the imnse resources of a group like Myriad Gold Manor — there was no hope of uncovering it.

‘I really do need to back out now…’

Just then—

Everyone’s eyes turned to the entrance of the estate.

Being exceptional martial artists, they had all sensed soone approaching imdiately.

Jin Seong-un murmured softly.

“Perfect timing.”

When they departed from Lanzhou, Jin Seong-un had said there was soone he needed to send a letter to. That letter’s recipient had just arrived.

In this snowy white landscape, the contrast of her red hair drew every gaze toward her like a magnet.

What began as curiosity about her striking hair soon shifted to her dazzling features.

The ever-calculating Moyong Hyeon found himself dazed for a mont, while Seomun Ak — as always — was ntally naming their future grandchildren.

The woman planted both hands on her waist and glared at Jin Seong-un.

“You send

a single letter and expect

to co running? Would it kill you to visit and greet

properly? Do you know how much the Manor Lord and Grandma…”

She trailed off, eyeing the tense atmosphere.

“…Why’s the mood so serious here?”

“I had sothing to ask of you, young miss.”

At the word ask, Chae Seo-ryeong looked embarrassed.

“Well, about that. Actually, the Falling Fla Sword isn’t quite ready. I kept getting greedy while crafting it, and it’s still not finished. But soon…”

“That’s not it.”

Jin Seong-un promptly sent her a voice transmission.

– Is there a formation here?

Imdiately, Chae Seo-ryeong’s expression turned serious.

In all the world, there were only two people capable of seeing formations with their own eyes.

Chae Seo-ryeong was one of them.