Book 3 Chapter 7

Call me Thunderhawk

With Jang Hong's help, I successfully enrolled in the course.

There's not much going on with Bi Ryuyeon, so the

You decide to return to your home.

It was not in her nature to stay there and join the fray of people who were fighting over an incomprehensible issue (signing up for a Yeomdo class). Maybe Jun Ho or Hyorong would have been willing to risk suffocation and join the fray, but not her. Can you imagine a master using his qi to learn from a pupil?

Returning to their quarters, the four suddenly sensed a fine ripple in the air and lifted their heads to look up at the sky. It felt as if a sword had sliced through the dense atmosphere at breakneck speed. At the same time, a tearing wail rang in their ears.

In their field of vision, they saw three falcons swooping down from the sky at terrifying speeds toward the ground. The three falcons, which you could bet your life on not being wild, were all domesticated by humans and were flying over the fence and into a building to one side. However, due to the height of the fence, I could only guess at the approximate location of the building. But even more curious than the location of the building was the significance of what the falcons had just done.

"What is that?"

"Uh, don't you know?"

Hyorong stared at Bi Ryuyeon in amazement. He should have gotten used to it by now, but he still often found himself surprised when dealing with Bi Ryuyeon's astonishing lack of knowledge.

"Yes."

"Those are the famous heraldic falcons of the Heavenly Martial Academy, specially trained to deliver letters, news, or information."

"Really? I've never heard of that."

Despite being exposed to new information on a daily basis, she was still unable to break out of her rut.

"Isn't correspondence and information usually sent by pigeon (telegraph)?"

At Yun Jun's question, Jang Hong gave him a rebuking glance, as if to say, "You're no slouch either, wake up.

"Nowadays, the powerhouses are all shifting away from the old school to the new school, and everyone prefers the new school, which is far less risky and far more secure than the old school, so it's rare to find a famous martial artist who doesn't have a new school."

"So it's kind of a fad."

Yoon wasn't entirely wrong.

"I think it's fair to say that it's more than a fad now, it's almost universal."

Nowadays, the telegraph is a relic of the past. Nowadays, no one would dare to risk the jeers of those around them to deliver news. No one who values honor and dignity would dare to take such a risk.

"And the icing on the cake is that you can enjoy falconry when you're not delivering scouts. Falconry is a very classy hobby, even among the great powers."

Falconry literally refers to a very luxurious way of hunting with falcons. And anything that is used for a luxury hobby tends to fetch a high price, no matter what it is. The mere fact that falcons are used makes it clear that falconry is not a subsistence activity. The price of a falcon used for hunting alone was enough to feed a family of five commoners for three months.

"I want one of those, how can I get one?"

Like a child asking for a toy, Bi Ryuyeon said. His curiosity had kicked in again.

"You can buy it."

"That's nice of you to put it so simply."

"I always like to cut to the chase."

Jang Hong smiled and said.

"But don't talk to me like that. I'm afraid something will happen to you."

"Haha, that sounds like a crack in a precious friendship."

Bi Ryuyeon laughed. Jang Hong tried his best to ignore her.

"That's assuming there's a friendship to be had, right?"

"What a wonderful discovery that there ever was such a thing as an unbreakable friendship between you and me."

"How lucky I am that I know about it now. Otherwise, I might have never known it existed."

Jang Hong laughed and began to explain about Zhen Xueying.

"Nowadays, there are more and more places in Ganghwa that sell professionally trained warriors. This has lowered their prices. It's become popularized, and the most famous of them is Chen Ning Bang, and their biggest source of revenue is the business of selling them. Nowadays, he's more famous for that business than for martial arts."

Ch'an Ning Bang, a Murim sect that celebrates the Eight Great Gongs of Ch'an Ning, was in full swing. Ten years ago, it was only a small sect, but as the craze for zhenxiong swept the country, it began to rise rapidly, and now it is building a superpower that is the envy of the great schools. It was a sect with an unusual history that had achieved great success by transforming itself into an information buying and selling organization by using the ability to quickly exchange information through the medium of jinseng along with the business of selling jinseng.

"Operations?"

"Indeed. Even the best messengers can't travel all over the Zhongyuan to deliver news. How can they cover the vast land of the Zhongyuan? It's hard work, even for a winged falcon. It takes a long time, so they have built many places for the falcons to rest. The largest of these is the 24 bases in Tian'erbang. If they need to spread the word in a particular neighborhood, they'll use it."

"The level of training of a warrior is indicated by the number of rings on his ankle. The more rings, the more trained the best."

"Is that hanger a parent item because it has seven hooks?"

Even from that distance, she could see the number of rings on the hawk's ankle.

"Sure. That's a sign that she's been trained for seven flight paths. Twelve is the most common, and she chooses her flight paths based on the beeps that mark them. The beeps give her directions to specific places."

"So that we don't go around in circles?"

"Exactly, why go in circles when you can take a straight path, that's a waste of time."

"I agree that it's a waste."

"Hmmm, I'd really like that……."

Like a whiny child, she said. The more she explained, the more she wanted it.

"If you want it, you can buy it."

"Really? In what way?"

"There's a branch of the sales and distribution network within the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, called the Heavenly Emperor's Bunta, for short. It's the center of the Hundred Islands Martial Arts Academy, so all the big names have a base here, like a liaison office, and the Heavenly Emperor's Warrior Sword is a staple in the life of a warrior, so they sell it along with training in the warrior sword. It's their biggest business, and by the way, all of their students have a reputation for being brilliant."

It was a story that made my ears perk up. Although it was heartbreaking to have to spend the hermit's money, it was something he really wanted, so he hurried Jang Hong to the Tianhebang Bunta. It was a large building next door to the Bianhebang. Right next door to it was the secretary who oversaw the training of the cadets and the entire Guan family.

It's a kind of boarding house for falcons, and what impressed her most about it was the fact that they take care of the falcons for free. It's a lot of work for individuals to take care of their own falcons, but it's hard to overstate how indispensable and useful it is to have a place that takes care of that for you.

Upon entering the building, which is far too shabby to be a bunta-it's not small by any means, but it's about the size of a large store-we were greeted by a large number of falcons in numerous cages. Upon closer inspection, all of them were slightly different in appearance and shape, and I had never seen so many different colors and types of falcons in my life.

As Bi Ryuyeon carefully scanned the branch, her eyes caught sight of an unusual bird, a zhen seo ning. It was a peculiar creature, its feathers glowing a bluish color, its eyes like sharpened blades, and it sat stoically. Even though it was confined to a small cage, it had the spirit of a heavenly emperor, undaunted by its confinement. Bi Ryuyeon liked him as soon as she saw him. He had twelve thin golden rings on each ankle, so it was obvious that he was a top-notch harness.

"Ah, sir, he's too fierce, no one's ever tamed him, he's too proud and stubborn, everyone who's tried to take him has failed, he's called Hae Dong Cheong, he's from the country of Goryeo in the east, he's too fierce, and he won't follow anyone but those he approves of."

"Really?"

The owner took an interest in the bird of prey, which had sent more than 30 people home with four or five harlequin marks.

The owner shook his head in disbelief as Bi Ryuyeon paid no attention to him and refused to give up. This was because everyone had started well, but ended badly. They'd all tried with great enthusiasm, only to give up with torn clothes and bleeding wounds. The shopkeeper's view was that this time would be no different.

"So… customer!"

When the owner looked away for a moment and then back at Bi Ryuyeon, his pupils were as big as saucers.

"Why, he's a pretty good boy."

Whatever he had done, the blue-feathered Haedongcheng stood gracefully on Bi Ryuyeon's wrist. Even more amazing was the fact that he had opened the cage door and taken the falcon out without the owner's permission. A decent human being would never do such a thing, let alone open the cage door to capture the fierce falcon if it were to escape.

Once he had calmed down a bit from his surprise at his guest's unauthorized opening of the cage, he thought about filing a stern protest. However, he did notice something unusual. The hawk's talons were unable to penetrate Bi Ryuyeon's forearms, despite the lack of wrist protection. Of course, it wasn't because Hai Dongcheng had suddenly developed a newfound compassion and was weakening his claws. He could have sworn on the honor of the Goryeo Haedongcheong.

His eyes were filled with admiration as he watched Bi Ryuyeon handle the blue-feathered Haedong Cheng like a docile chick, which no one had ever tamed and made it drink only the bitterness of failure.

"That's a curious thing, he was so ferocious… I think he has a master, sir."

"How much?"

"He was originally an expensive breed, but we couldn't find his owner, so we're giving him away for cheap to commemorate meeting him."

The salesperson was quite a personable guy. His offer of a bargain made her feel even better.

"Thank you."

But the next offer was enough to send his desire to buy to rock bottom.

"I'll pay you fifteen silver coins for a perfect cut."

As soon as she heard the amount, Bi Ryuyeon's body turned to stone.

"I'm not a big fan of these financial jokes."

Bi Ryuyeon said with a forced smile. For fifteen silver coins, he had to expend an enormous amount of willpower to turn his crumpled facial muscles into a smile. The middle-aged man, however, was unconcerned with Bi Ryuyeon's feelings.

"Just kidding, sir. We pride ourselves on the fact that we always trade at fair prices. Our creditworthiness is the best in the land."

Of course, I didn't take it all at face value.

"I don't think you're going to ask me to believe that, unless you think I'm a hack."

"I'm serious, sir. He wouldn't normally be worth thirty guilders, but I'm giving him half price specially for you."

Of course, as is usual with any merchant, the thirty pieces were a lie. A merchant was always obliged to make his customer think he had gained an advantage, whether that advantage was monetary or spiritual, even if it was only an illusion……. If he could convince the other party of his gain by illusion alone, he would be a merchant of the highest order.

"Ten bucks. No more."

Ten silver coins was a lot of blood loss for him to risk anemia.

"Absolutely not."

The shopkeeper flatly refused, and Bi Ryuyeon's piercing gaze went straight to the man's eyes. But even though what he was doing was tantamount to a business, the owner was a martial artist. He couldn't be intimidated like this. It was his duty to protect the interests of the room and maximize profits.

"You can't even look at me like that."

Then, this time, an intangible pressure surged from Bi Ryuyeon's body and began to subtly pressure the man's body. The determination in his eyes was truly terrifying, an unspoken protest against risking one's life for something so trivial.

"Oh… no."

The man said, holding his breath against the suffocating pressure. His stalwart merchant soul was burning brightly. But this time, he'd picked the wrong opponent.

"There's no such thing as a bargain. It's the customer's prerogative to cut the price. I'm not inclined to give up that privilege."

Bi Ryuyeon's will was as hard as diamond and as unshakable as Mount Tai. Someone had to exercise the virtue of concession, but the problem was that they were both reluctant to be the one.

Undercutting a price takes time and passion. The value realized, the increase in price reduction rate, is proportional to the time invested and the persistence. And Bi Ryuyeon was unrivaled in this regard, and any owner who doesn't realize that is making a mistake.

He couldn't remember ever buying anything without haggling over the price. He has a sense of money that has been constantly cultivated by his master. No matter who the opponent is, there can be no defeat. Therefore, the shopkeeper was bound to lose in a reckless head-to-head confrontation with Bi Ryuyeon.

Their war of words, as tense as a plucked string, was now entering the long game. Each was holding their ground, refusing to give an inch. When things get to this point, it's always the weaker player who loses. Mental strength is everything. However, when it came to the fullness of chi, Bi Ryuyeon was second to none. Moreover, her obsession with money is unrivaled.

"Fourteen!"

As the owner's sanity deteriorated, the price dropped down a notch.

"Eleven!"

"Thirteen!"

"Eleven for twenty-five!"

The bargaining stage has now moved from silver to coins. It was a masterful move.

"Absolutely not."

"Eleven for fifty!"

Bi Ryuyeon gradually increased the intensity of her pressure. She sent a keen sensation that made her opponent cringe. As always, it worked. She had never tasted failure using it before.

"Eleven dollars and seventy-five sentences!"

Finally, the owner gave in and agreed to a coin-level deal. The tide had already turned.

"Eleven shillings and fifty dollars!"

Once you get to this level, you're completely out of the woods.

"I lost. I'll sell it to you for 11 shillings and 50 cents."

Unable to endure any longer, the shopkeeper finally capitulated and lowered the price. He cut, cut, cut, and cut, until he was able to get the price down to 11 yuan and 50 grams. That's a savings of three silver coins and 49 yuan.

Only then did a triumphant smile appear on Bi Ryuyeon's face, as if he had finally won the war. Watching them duke it out, Jang Hong, Hyorong, and Jun Ho grew tired of his ennui.

It was not a virtue of a good merchant to be disappointed in a price that had already been agreed upon," the shopkeeper told Bi Ryuyeon with a smile on his face.

"You're going to name it, right?"

"Uh, you don't have a name yet?"

"This is not a heartless place to take away a master's naming privileges."

The shopkeeper frowned. Naming a pet is supposed to be one of the prerogatives of the owner.

"What do you call it?"

He pondered for a moment, then looked up, palms slapping together as if he'd come up with a breakthrough name.

"We should call it the Thunderbird."

I thought it was a fitting name for a lord of the skies, with his high and lofty weather and withering blue feathers. It also has a nice ring to it…….

"Thunder… that's a good name."

The owner agreed with him. After finishing their business, Bi Ryuyeon and the others went out with the newest member of their group, a falcon. As they walked out the door, they heard the owner's voice behind them. Not wanting to lose a potential customer, he remained friendly until the end.

"That's enough for the love business. Good luck with that."

The owner waved them off.

Just as Bi Ryuyeon was walking out triumphantly with Wu Luo, having won the fierce price negotiation battle, a young man walked in and stood in front of the cash register. The young man is in his twenties, with two fierce-looking, fierce-eyed falcons perched on his shoulders, and he wears a leather bracer around his shoulder blades that protects his body from the falcons' claws. There is no sword at his waist. Instead, the solid steel bracers on his forearms suggest that he is a master of kung fu or chi kung. The young man's ten blackened fingers suggest that he is a master of the art.

When the shopkeeper saw him, he greeted him politely. His formal greeting was by no means a casual one.

"Sam Confucius, have you come?"

"Greetings, General Ha."

A young man with a hawk embroidered in gold on his chest recognized him.

He was the third disciple of Gui Ningzuo Wu Shengchan, the third disciple of King Ning of the Heavenly Ark, Ning Sheng, so it's no wonder that Minister Ha's demeanor was so stern.

"Who are those people who just left? I don't recognize them."

"Yes, they're first-year cadets who joined this year, and they're probably here to buy one to commemorate their induction, because that's what they do every year."

At this time of year, as is always the case, the branch was packed with customers who came to buy their own jianxi. It was no big deal. But,

"By the way, isn't that the one that the customer just took?"

Woo's interest was not in the man, but in the falcon he carried. For starters, Woo Sung-chan hadn't yet learned Hae-dong-chung's new name, so he called him Gnome. What he was referring to was obviously the thunder that Bi Ryuyeon had purchased after a fierce bidding war.

"Yes, that's right, he finally met his match."

"Isn't he a good boy, untouchable by anyone but his master, and I can't believe he would obediently follow the customers, even a bunch of first graders?"

"Yes, I wasn't easily convinced either, for he had never been still in the presence of anyone but the Ark. But this time, he was sitting there like a mouse in front of a cat. It was quite unexpected."

"Ho-ho, that's very interesting, I bet you know the name of the guest who just left, teach me."

Since the jiexing was used to send and receive correspondence, it was customary for the sellers to mark their personal number and region, so as to prevent the jiexing from being switched. Naturally, the Tiannian branch also kept a record of the owners of the jiexing in its books.

Chen Ningbang was a sect that sold books, but also amassed enormous wealth from its book business. As Zhen Xue Ning pushed out Zhen Xue Gu and took over the expanse of Jianghu, Tian Ning Bang grew in power and wealth.

Chancellor Ha checked the books once more.

"Here she is. You're called Bi Ryuyeon."

"Yeah, I've never heard of him. Did any of the great late exponents have a name like that?"

The young man took a moment to run through the list in his head, but the name didn't exist, which meant that it was most likely anonymous.

"Well, we'll find out later, anyway. He's the one who made him quiet……. Don't mind me, I'm just curious to know who he is. He's got a nasty temper, but he's one of the best. No wonder the Master himself trained him."

"Right, and by the way, what can I do for you?"

"Oh, look at my sanity. It's my toddler's necklace. I need a new one."

Finally, the young man laid out his case. Takea was the name of the brown peregrine falcon perched on his left shoulder, one of two he owned. Most falcons wore collars according to their owners' hobbies. The collars bore the falcon's name and the owner's name, but these days they were often used for other purposes besides identifying the owner.

"No, what about the last necklace?"

When asked by the store's owner, Ha, Woo Sung-chan looked puzzled for a moment before speaking up.

"Oh… is that……. I lost that."

Suddenly, Minister Ha's face lit up.

"Congratulations, Master. You've made it, but which Sojae are you?"

He was quick to recognize……. Woo Sung-chan glanced at Minister Ha for a moment, then turned away, deciding that he didn't need to reveal all of that.

"Hmmm… none of that matters, just get me a new necklace."

Chancellor Achaho rebuked his imprudence. There was no need for a wastrel like him to interfere in young people's love affairs. It was just a way to score points with his opponent.

"Well, well, well. This old man got a little carried away, so leave it to me. I'll make sure it's done by tomorrow."

"Well, I'll take that as a favor."