Chapter 110
The next morning, she met up with Jin-Wi in front of the Guest Quarters.
Jin-Wi, dressed more lightly than usual, smiled brightly at Baek-Cheong.
“Young Lady Baek, you are heading to Yeon-gi (Artifact Forging) Peak today, right?”
“Yes, let’s stop by Yeon-gi Peak first and then head to the venue for the Martial Arts Competition opening ceremony.”
“Oh, Yeon-gi Peak is a Peak with many sights even within Our Sect.”
Jin-Wi immediately laid out a cloud at her feet.
Baek-Cheong grabbed her hem and stepped onto the cloud.
She had become quite accustomed to riding the Concealment Art.
The cloud rose just like that and swiftly advanced toward the east.
It seemed to be quite a distance away, as the journey took some time.
In the distance, black smoke was dyeing the sky above the Peak a dusky shade.
It was distinctly different from the scenery of the other peaks.
Unlike Jinmunbong Peak, which shimmered with formations from the Peak’s entrance, and Je-bu-bong Peak, which was permeated with the scent of ink from every Pavilion, Yeon-gi Peak simultaneously exuded the black smoke of braziers, the metallic stench of iron, and the smell of ash.
Unknown clanging sounds of metal also echoed endlessly from all over the Peak.
“…The Peak is a bit on the rough side.”
“Because one must melt iron in a brazier to forge Dharma Tools, this is naturally what Yeon-gi Peak looks like.”
When Baek-Cheong spoke, Jin-Wi replied with a goofy smile.
As they stepped inside Yeon-gi Peak like that, small stalls lined the street filled with pavilions.
On the stalls were things like a short Flying Sword, a well-carved hairpin, translucent cotton garments, bundles of engraved talismans, and a black-painted bell-shaped object.
All sorts of items, even unidentified artifacts, were scattered about in a mess.
At the stalls, Artificers with robes covered in traces of ash kept fiddling with their goods, and whenever they saw passing Cultivators, they would gesture and loudly pitch their wares.
“Dao Friend, please take a look before you go! It is a Flying Sword crafted by This Humble One’s hands!”
“Dao Friend, this spirit pouch is one that never leaks spiritual energy!”
“This jade seal is a divine item that blocks evil energy. How about you give it a…”
The passing Cultivators waved their hands dismissively as if accustomed to the sales pitches and moved on.
There were even frequent sights of Artificers stealthily grabbing the robe hems of those Cultivators and clinging to them with desperate voices.
Baek-Cheong looked around the stalls and let out a small sigh.
[They’re so grubby.]
The scenery of Yeon-gi Peak was far too different from what she had imagined.
At the other peaks, the alchemists, talisman masters, and Formation masters of the Biun Sect maintained their dignity and proudly displayed their Arts, but the Artificers of Yeon-gi Peak looked no different from minor rogue cultivators in the middle of a Marketplace.
Moreover, the Artificers' robes were blackened and the backs of their hands were covered in ash, making their appearances far from neat.
“Senior Jin-Wi, do Artificers normally look like this?”
“Ah, since Artificers work while working with braziers, a blackened appearance is quite common.”
Jin-Wi replied with a small smile, then added more words as if noticing Baek-Cheong’s reluctant gaze.
“Still, Yeon-gi Peak is a Peak that is visited by no small number of Cultivators during every New Spring Exchange Gathering.”
“Why is that?”
“As you can see, the artifacts crafted by the Artificers' hands are released in droves onto the stalls, and there are times when one or two rare artifacts that are hard to find on other peaks are mixed in. That is why not only the disciples of Our Sect but also external guests visit in large numbers.”
Jin-Wi continued speaking excitedly, looking proud.
“There are often items that are only released during the New Spring Exchange Gathering, and sometimes secret artifacts of unknown origin are mixed in, so there are quite a few among the external guests who come early hoping to catch a fortuitous encounter every time.”
“A fortuitous encounter?”
“Yes, I heard that if you are lucky, you might snatch up an artifact that perfectly suits you.”
Baek-Cheong listened to the story and carefully looked around.
Certainly, the number of Cultivators wandering between the stalls was noticeably higher than at the other peaks.
Quite a few disciples of the Biun Sect could be seen, and the sight of Cultivators who looked like external guests like her lining up at every Stall to examine the artifacts frequently caught her eye.
However, with such a large crowd, empty spots could also be seen on the stalls here and there.
As the academic exhibition of the New Spring Exchange Gathering entered its third day, it seemed the truly rare items had long since been sold out.
“If you look here, this is favored by a close Dao Friend of a close Dao Friend of mine…”
Jin-Wi led Baek-Cheong and moved between the stalls.
While Baek-Cheong examined the stalls, there were hardly any where her gaze lingered for long.
A short Flying Sword that looked like it had just been forged in a brazier was uneven, the spirit pouch claimed to gather spiritual energy was just a common 1st-Tier Spirit Pouch, and the occasionally seen unidentified artifacts were so incredibly suspicious that they were merely off-putting.
She even picked up a small seal engraved with a bizarre pattern, only to find spiritual energy slowly leaking out from inside.
It seemed the Artificers of Yeon-gi Peak were dumping out every artifact they had made in time for the New Spring Exchange Gathering.
However, even if the exteriors looked plausible, the skill used to weave spiritual energy inside was not very outstanding.
If they had been good artifacts in the first place, they likely wouldn’t have remained on the stalls or would have been sold through other channels.
Moving from Stall to Stall, Baek-Cheong let out another small sigh.
[There’s nothing that catches my interest.]
Among the artifacts released onto the stalls, she could hardly see anything tempting.
She already possessed the Baekju Dharma Tool she received from the Main Family, and the rare Five Elements Banner she had obtained from the Nameless Pavilion auction was also present in her Storage Platform.
There was no reason for her to bother looking at such mediocre artifacts, even if they were laid out on the stalls.
Nor did the Artificer’s art arouse her curiosity.
She had heard that Artificers melted iron in a brazier, poured in spiritual energy while manually striking with a hammer, added spirit stones to condense the spiritual energy to create Dharma Tools, and that Artificers who reached the pinnacle could even create a Natal Dharma Treasure that synchronizes with their soul.
It was an art that carried the reputation of being twice as grueling as Pill Refining.
Pill Refining was already grueling enough as it was, so she didn’t even dare to think about adding Artifact Forging to the mix.
She didn’t have even a sliver of a desire to step into a situation where she would have to spend her entire life handling two braziers.
[Besides, there’s already a 3rd-Tier Artificer working for the Clan.]
Having looked around the stalls, Baek-Cheong gave a slight shrug.
“Senior Jin-Wi, should we just go to the Martial Arts Competition opening ceremony?”
“You want to go this early?”
Jin-Wi tilted his head slightly with a puzzled expression.
“The Martial Arts Competition opening ceremony will be held soon anyway, so I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go a bit early and secure good seats.”
“…If you say so.”
Jin-Wi let loose a faint smile on his lips and nodded.
Since she didn’t seem to feel any particular interest in Yeon-gi Peak, which had been set as the final destination for the academic exhibition, there seemed to be no reason to linger.
As the two of them moved to exit from between the stalls.
“Oh my, could you perhaps be?”
An unfamiliar voice rang out from behind.
Baek-Cheong stopped in her tracks and shifted her gaze toward where the voice came from.
Standing to one side of the stalls was a Young Girl who looked like an External Guest.
She was a Cultivator who appeared to be around the same age, but her Attire, from her robes to her accessories, was exceedingly extravagant.
Her subtle dark brown robe was bordered with Earth-colored embroidery, golden jade bracelets dangled heavily from her wrists, and an intricately carved amber hairpin was pinned in her hair.
It was an outfit that made her look like a Scion of considerable standing from a Clan rather than a Sect.
Beside her, two maidservants of a similar age stood in attendance with their hands clasped together.
The girl, recognizing Baek-Cheong, raised her head arrogantly and continued speaking.
“Are you Dao Friend Baek-Cheong?”
There was a somewhat sharp edge to her voice.
Baek-Cheong tilted her head for a moment before looking the girl up and down from head to toe.
“Who are you?”
She couldn’t even fathom where she might have seen the girl in front of her before.
It was a face she had never seen, even among the guest scions she had encountered at the Main Family’s banquets.
The girl’s expression stiffened for a moment and then froze completely.
Her eyes gradually narrowed, and she lifted the sleeve covering her hand as if to point at Baek-Cheong.
“W-What did you say?”
“Who are you?”
Baek-Cheong kindly gave her the exact same answer.
Jin-Wi, who had been quietly listening, interjected with a small, fake cough.
“Young Lady Baek, this person is…”
Just as Jin-Wi, seemingly having guessed her identity, tried to add a word in a restless voice.
“Are you saying you do not know This Lady?!”
The girl’s nervous, shock-filled words came out faster.
And then, with a triumphant air, she introduced herself.
“This Lady is Seo Ju-A (Seo Ju-A) of the Hosan Seo Clan (Hosan Seo Clan), a Clan that would not be put to shame anywhere in the Southern Continent and whose Clan Head has personally reached the Late Golden Core!”
Seo Ju-A’s cheeks flushed red as she proudly showed off her Clan to the fullest.
[I said, “Who are you?”]
Meanwhile, Baek-Cheong blinked at the unfamiliar Clan and name.
It seemed her uncle had told her about other factions at some point.
But because she hadn’t paid attention to the stories, it was merely unfamiliar.