Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: I Won't Regret It
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Jeok Gyeolmyeong headed to the Golden Jade Estate with a joyful heart.
The day he had promised the Divine Doctor of the Ages was today.
Today, he was to meet a handmaiden of Byeok Taesan named Chaewol. And he would take her as his disciple.
The thought that Chaewol might refuse his offer never even crossed Jeok Gyeolmyeong’s mind.
It wouldn't matter how much she was indebted to Byeok Taesan, or how much she wished to remain loyal.
Logically, if she wanted to repay Byeok Taesan’s kindness, becoming the disciple of a man of his stature within the Black Alliance was the far better choice.
It might take some time, but she would become much stronger and gain power.
And depending on her actions, she could grasp even greater strength and authority.
Whether for the present or the future, accepting his offer was beneficial for everyone.
So, he had no worries about Chaewol.
What concerned Jeok Gyeolmyeong was Byeok Taesan.
It would be troublesome if Byeok Taesan spoke to Chaewol separately and prevented her from leaving the Golden Jade Estate.
He hadn't yet grasped Chaewol's disposition, so he couldn't be certain, but from the way things were going, if Byeok Taesan interfered in such a manner, it would likely become very complicated.
'I should have prevented that beforehand…'
Jeok Gyeolmyeong scowled. He had failed to do what was necessary.
He should have handled this issue when he last met Byeok Taesan. But the atmosphere that day had made it impossible.
Jeok Gyeolmyeong still found it strange how they had all acted that day.
Even now, he was investigating the Golden Jade Estate and Byeok Taesan's surroundings, thinking there might be a hidden master, but he had found absolutely nothing.
All he had managed to find out was that Byeok Taesan had some minor connections with the rogue market and was acquainted with a few figures from Wuhan's underworld.
And that was not strange at all.
It was common for the young master of a wealthy trading company to use money to command rogues and underworld figures.
Lost in thought, he arrived at the Golden Jade Estate and was met by its head steward, who had been waiting for him.
"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Gamujin."
The steward bowed politely and guided Jeok Gyeolmyeong inside.
"I was told you would not be seeing our Young Master today."
At the steward's words, Jeok Gyeolmyeong nodded.
"That is correct. Today, I will only meet the Divine Doctor and the Young Master's handmaiden before returning immediately. Something urgent has come up…"
"Ah, I see. As expected of a high-ranking member of the Black Alliance. Please, this way."
Jeok Gyeolmyeong followed the steward with a sour expression.
Truthfully, he had wanted to meet Byeok Taesan today. Wouldn't it be much easier to take Chaewol if he settled things with Byeok Taesan first?
But the meeting had been canceled because Byeok Taesan was supposedly busy.
It was truly infuriating, yet strangely, he didn't feel angry.
He just felt a little displeased but let it go.
This too was rather odd, but when Jeok Gyeolmyeong heard he couldn't meet Byeok Taesan, he honestly felt a bit relieved.
'Do I find Byeok Taesan uncomfortable? But why?'
The thought crossed his mind, but he couldn't dwell on it. They had already arrived at the reception room.
"You may enter. The Divine Doctor is waiting."
Jeok Gyeolmyeong offered a brief word of thanks and entered the room.
For a moment, his vision seemed to brighten.
'She really is beautiful.'
There were several people in the reception room.
Yet his gaze was drawn only to Chaewol.
'Does she look even more beautiful than before?'
That was his impression. She was more beautiful now than when he had first seen her.
"Please, have a seat here."
At the Divine Doctor of the Ages' words, Jeok Gyeolmyeong finally came to his senses and quickly sat in the offered seat.
He was seated opposite Chaewol, the Divine Doctor, and the One-Needle Eccentric.
Chaewol sat in the middle, flanked by the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric.
Only after sitting did Jeok Gyeolmyeong allow his gaze to shift behind the three.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon were standing behind them.
Jeok Gyeolmyeong’s expression turned peculiar.
'Well, look at this.'
Jeok Gyeolmyeong instantly assessed the skills of Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon. They were clearly far below him.
But they were by no means easy opponents.
Jeok Gyeolmyeong recalled the information he had on Byeok Taesan’s associates.
'Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon. Were they always this skilled?'
Jeok Gyeolmyeong decided he would have to reinvestigate Byeok Taesan and the Golden Jade Trading Company from scratch when he returned.
And the One-Needle Eccentric sitting before him was no pushover either.
In fact, the Black Alliance had been collecting a great deal of information on the One-Needle Eccentric for a very long time.
Information on skilled physicians was crucial for a martial organization.
But the One-Needle Eccentric was also very different from what the Black Alliance's investigation had suggested.
'It would be a close call.'
He was confident he would win in a fight. But it would be far from an easy victory.
Suddenly, this place felt a bit burdensome.
If something were to happen and a fight broke out, it could get rather difficult.
"Well, the stage is set. So, please say what you wish to say."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said with a gentle smile.
Jeok Gyeolmyeong tried to remain calm as he looked at Chaewol.
But upon seeing the look in her eyes, he felt that things would not go well today.
'Hah, and I can't even pressure them with force.'
Honestly, the thought had crossed his mind. But after seeing the lineup present today, he cleanly discarded it.
If he tried that here, he wouldn't even break even.
"Did you come here knowing what I was going to say?"
"Yes. I did."
"And you came with the intention of refusing."
"That is correct."
"Is it because of Young Master Byeok?"
"That is half the reason."
"Then I suppose I must bet on the other half."
It was as good as asking what the other half was.
Instead of answering with words, Chaewol slowly looked around.
At the One-Needle Eccentric and the Divine Doctor of the Ages beside her, at Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon behind her, and even at the others who were not here but somewhere in the Golden Jade Estate.
Jeok Gyeolmyeong let out a dry laugh.
"You're not leaving even a needle's worth of room."
Jeok Gyeolmyeong glared at Chaewol with a hardened expression.
"This concerns the future of you and those around you. If you make such an emotional decision, you will surely regret it later."
Chaewol replied calmly.
"This was not a purely emotional decision."
Jeok Gyeolmyeong’s eyebrow twitched.
"And I won't regret it."
Jeok Gyeolmyeong silently stared at Chaewol. It wasn't a glare, but his gaze was filled with pressure, enough that most people wouldn't have been able to meet his eyes.
But Chaewol did not avoid his gaze; she met it head-on. She didn't even blink.
Jeok Gyeolmyeong shook his head and rose from his seat.
He knew there was no point in talking further.
"I certainly hope you can stand by those words until the very end."
After saying that, Jeok Gyeolmyeong looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
"I will be taking my leave now."
He gave a slight bow, turned, and left the reception room. The Divine Doctor of the Ages gestured to Cheon Gyeongwan with his eyes.
Cheon Gyeongwan quickly followed to escort Jeok Gyeolmyeong out of the Golden Jade Estate.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages looked at Chaewol, who was sitting quietly.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Fine? With your hands trembling like that."
The One-Needle Eccentric said chidingly. He then abruptly held out a pill wrapped neatly in paper.
"Take this. It will calm your mind and body. The trembling will stop too."
"Ah… Thank you."
"It's not good enough to be thanked for. Just hurry up and take it."
Chaewol smiled softly at the One-Needle Eccentric. She then unwrapped the paper, placed the pill in her mouth, and slowly chewed.
"Do you really have to be so gruff all the time?"
"What about me, you punk."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages looked at Chaewol and said.
"You'll have to understand. He's lived his whole life cussing, so he doesn't know how to speak kindly. I wonder when he'll ever fix that… tsk tsk."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages shook his head and continued.
"These days, I can't tell if I'm serving my elder brother or teaching a child."
Chaewol covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.
Seeing this, the One-Needle Eccentric shouted.
"What's so funny? You shouldn't laugh at his words like that! He'll think he's always right!"
"Goodness, brother, why are you taking it out on Chaewol? You didn't even open your mouth in front of that guy earlier."
"Hey! Why bring that up now! Besides, you told me to keep my mouth shut! Dammit, should I go pick a fight with him right now?"
"Stop with the swearing. Chaewol, you have to understand. Didn't I tell you earlier? He's lived his whole life cussing. It's hard for people to change. So what can we do? The sane ones like us have to be understanding."
The One-Needle Eccentric clenched his fist and raised it. The trembling fist made it clear he was filled with rage.
"Oh dear, come to think of it, I haven't finished chopping the medicinal herbs. Well then, I'll be off."
As the Divine Doctor of the Ages scurried away, the One-Needle Eccentric stomped after him.
Chaewol watched the two of them with a warm smile on her lips.
She was no longer trembling.
Yu Seoyeon gently patted Chaewol's shoulder. A smile similar to Chaewol's had also formed on her lips.
* * *
Namgung Jun and Jegal Gwan sat at a large, round table, sharing cups of wine.
The relationship between the Namgung Family and the Jegal Family was neither particularly good nor bad.
The territories where the two families operated were quite far apart, so their spheres of influence didn't overlap, and since there hadn't been any major incidents for a while, there was rarely a need for the two families to cooperate on anything.
In any case, with their families having such a relationship, the bond between Namgung Jun and Jegal Gwan was about the same.
It used to be, anyway, but now they had grown closer.
The catalyst was their recent meeting with Byeok Taesan.
As they talked about the events of that day, they began to meet more frequently and converse more, gradually becoming closer.
Today, too, they had come here to drink as soon as the sun set.
It was the largest tavern in Wuhan, so there were plenty of private spaces for the two of them to drink alone.
"We've sized each other up enough. How about we speak our minds today?"
At Jegal Gwan's words, Namgung Jun smiled slightly and nodded.
The time they had spent was a process of gauging each other's disposition and character.
Now that they had a measure of each other, it was time to reach a conclusion.
"I'll be frank first. I came to Wuhan because of those who are eating away at our family from the inside."
"The same goes for me. There are despicable fools trying to shake our Namgung Family."
"And you can't identify them?"
"They're also very good at covering their tracks."
A brief silence fell between the two men.
"It makes me think that the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance might have come here for the same reason."
Namgung Jun said, and Jegal Gwan nodded in agreement.
"I believe so. If they've meddled with us, it's highly likely they've meddled with the Martial Alliance or the Black Alliance too. But from what I can see, Jeok Gyeolmyeong and Jin Sahong are clearly unaware of the matter."
"Unaware?"
"The Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance are likely using Jin Sahong and Jeok Gyeolmyeong as bait while they move beneath the surface."
At Jegal Gwan's words, Namgung Jun chuckled and shook his head.
"Perhaps the rest of the Five Great Families are being played without even knowing it."
The conversation between the two men was quite serious.
"Don't you think the incident at the Hubei Martial Alliance was their doing as well?"
"They weren't as overt on our end, so I can't be certain, but… the possibility is very high."
"The problem is… that all traces in Wuhan have vanished completely."
At Jegal Gwan's words, Namgung Jun's brow furrowed.
"To think that Byeok Taesan would clean up those bastards who entered Wuhan so quickly."
"It's certain that Byeok Taesan is connected to the rogue market and the underworld… but we haven't been able to figure out how he used them at all."
"He's an incredible man, one way or another. There's definitely a hidden master… but where could he be hiding?"
"By the way, what are your plans now? Do you intend to stay in Wuhan?"
Since the shadowy figures in Wuhan had covered their tracks and disappeared, it was unlikely that anything significant would happen in the city for a while.
The logical step would be to withdraw. But Jegal Gwan had a nagging feeling that he shouldn't.
The reason why was as clear as day.
"Byeok Taesan…"
Byeok Taesan’s existence was a constant preoccupation.
Jegal Gwan looked at Namgung Jun and said.
"Let's try to get closer to the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric."
"Is there a need for that?"
"We can't exactly become friends with Byeok Taesan, can we? Look at the age difference."
"True. So you're suggesting we work on his periphery."
"Precisely. From what I've seen, unlike most distinguished physicians, they seem to enjoy alcohol and women, so approaching them should be easy."
"Let's do that."
The two men smiled, raised their cups to their foreheads, and drained them in one go.
They had no idea that the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric were currently unable to move an inch, busy processing medicinal herbs.