Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: When the Young Master is in a Good Mood
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Byeok Taesan left the pavilion with a leisurely stride.
The first people he met were Heuk Il, Heuk Yi, and Heuk Sam. They were planting trees in the garden.
"Young Master, you've come out."
The three men stopped what they were doing and bowed deeply in unison.
"It seems you've been training diligently in the Limitless Steps."
The three men flinched at Byeok Taesan's words but quickly composed themselves and lowered their heads.
"Yes. It's a bit grueling, but we can definitely feel our bodies improving afterward, so we've been practicing consistently."
Of course, they were in a situation where they had no choice but to practice consistently, but they said it anyway. It would be truly troublesome if they seemed to be openly defying Byeok Taesan.
"Then, try to master this from now on."
With that, Byeok Taesan tossed a thin booklet.
Heuk Il fumbled to catch it.
He saw a title written in jet-black ink on a pure white cover.
But Heuk Il couldn't read.
As he stared blankly between the cover and Byeok Taesan, Byeok Taesan clicked his tongue and said,
"What have you been doing, not even learning to read yet? No one who works in my pavilion is illiterate."
Heuk Il, Heuk Yi, and Heuk Sam scratched the backs of their heads with embarrassed expressions.
"Soso is over there. Go ask her to read it for you."
Leaving those words behind, Byeok Taesan strode away.
Heuk Il glanced between the booklet, Byeok Taesan, and Soso, who had just come out of the pavilion.
Soon, Heuk Il rushed over to Soso.
"Soso, can you read by any chance?"
At Heuk Il's question, Soso placed a hand on her hip with a triumphant expression, lifted her chin slightly, and said,
"Of course. Do you know how many books I've read?"
Heuk Il tentatively held out the booklet.
"Then... could you read this for me?"
"Black Iron Arts? That's what it says."
Heuk Il swallowed dryly.
"Th-Then, does that mean this is a martial arts manual?"
"It seems so. Should I read the contents for you too?"
Soso opened the book and read each character one by one, explaining the meaning clearly.
Her explanation was surprisingly detailed and easy to understand.
Even though Heuk Il, Heuk Yi, and Heuk Sam weren't the brightest, the incantations stuck in their minds.
"The Young Master gave you this, right?"
Heuk Il nodded at Soso's question.
"He gave it to us for working hard."
Thinking about it, it was something to be very grateful for, but it felt a little strange.
"Come to think of it, the Young Master seemed to be in a very good mood today..."
"Really? I should go see him later. When our Young Master is in a good mood, there are a lot of things to gain by being near him."
"Huh?"
"He's been like that before. On days he's in a good mood, if you're nearby, he'll diligently give you all sorts of things, including silver coins."
"Really?"
Listening to Soso, Heuk Il quietly looked down at the Black Iron Arts manual in his hand.
"By the way... to master this, we need actual black iron. Where are we supposed to get that...?"
"Hey, why worry about something like that? This is the Golden Jade Trading Company. We can get as much black iron as we need. Of course, someone with a bit of authority would have to step in, not me..."
"You mean someone like our Young Master?"
"Exactly, right?"
Soso said with a soft smile.
Just then, a slight commotion arose from beyond the garden wall.
Curious about what was happening, they looked over, and a group of workers came pouring through a gate in the wall.
"What's going on?"
Soso approached and asked, and the man leading the workers replied.
"We brought this on the Young Master's orders. Where should we put it?"
The man asked very cautiously, as Soso's appearance and demeanor were anything but ordinary.
Soso checked what the workers behind the man were carrying. It was all black iron.
"Huh? It's black iron?"
Heuk Il, Heuk Yi, and Heuk Sam ran over in surprise to check the black iron.
"P-Please put it over here."
Heuk Il stepped forward and had them stack the black iron in a corner of the garden. No, he had them lay it out densely on the ground so a person could lie on it.
From now on, whenever they had a spare moment, they would lie here and train in the Black Iron Arts.
Inwardly, Heuk Il thanked Byeok Taesan dozens of times.
***
Byeok Taesan had gone out of his way to find the general manager and ask him to bring the black iron. As it happened, there was a good amount of black iron stored at the Golden Jade Estate, so the manager handled it immediately.
"Young Master, it's good to see you looking so bright today. Did something good happen?"
"Something good? Well, I'm always doing well. Isn't it a good thing just to be able to move around properly like this?"
"Goodness, Young Master. Why would you say such a thing? With the Divine Doctor and the Eccentric here, you'll surely recover soon."
Byeok Taesan grinned at his words. He had no intention of telling him that his illness was completely cured.
Still, he was in a very good mood.
'The general manager has worked hard all this time, so I should give him something...'
As he had that thought, Byeok Taesan suddenly tilted his head.
'What is this feeling?'
Back when he was the Heavenly Demon, the idea of him taking care of someone was unthinkable.
Even if he did provide for them, it was his subordinates who acted on their own, making it seem as if the Heavenly Demon had done it.
Earlier, he'd felt the urge to take care of Heuk Il, Heuk Yi, and Heuk Sam, so he'd created the manual before leaving the pavilion.
The martial art he gave them was the Black Iron Demonic Arts. Of course, he'd written the title as Black Iron Arts.
It was a superior martial art that required black iron to learn, but upon mastery, the practitioner's entire body would become as hard as black iron, impervious to blades, and capable of exerting immense physical strength.
In any case, he had provided them with the Black Iron Demonic Arts and the black iron; the rest was up to them.
And now, it was time to take care of the old general manager before him.
"Come to think of it, you've grown much weaker, General Manager. Don't the Divine Doctor of the Ages or the One-Needle Eccentric give you any restorative medicine?"
"Goodness, I take good care of myself. The Estate Lord also makes sure I get medicine that's good for the body, which is why I'm still so spry."
Byeok Taesan frowned.
"What's the use of being spry on the outside? You're completely rotten on the inside. Wait a moment."
Byeok Taesan took the ink, brush, and paper from a nearby writing desk and quickly wrote something down.
A three-page manual was created in an instant.
"Practice this as soon as you wake up in the morning, and before you go to sleep."
The general manager looked back and forth between the manual and Byeok Taesan with a puzzled expression.
"What... is this?"
"Essence-Draining Arts."
The general manager's expression turned sour.
The name was somewhat unsettling. It didn't sound righteous.
"It's nothing much. It's a cultivation method that absorbs the essence from your surroundings, and it's quite effective for restoring vitality and stamina."
"Where did you acquire this?"
"I just happened to come across it."
"Well, you've always been very knowledgeable, Young Master."
The general manager was someone who had personally witnessed Byeok Taesan's flashing genius when he was young.
So, whatever Byeok Taesan said, he was inclined to believe it.
"Then, I'll take this and later..."
Byeok Taesan shook his head. He then pointed at the Essence-Draining Arts.
"Memorize it now."
Cold sweat formed on the general manager's forehead.
Byeok Taesan watched silently until the general manager memorized the incantations.
The general manager had no choice but to read the incantations. He was already quite sharp, and the formulas weren't long, so he was able to memorize them quickly.
"Try it now."
"Pardon?"
"It's better to learn it properly while I'm watching. Don't regret it later. You've already memorized the incantations, haven't you?"
A terrifying thought suddenly struck the general manager. Could it be that this Essence-Draining Arts took effect simply by memorizing the incantations?
What would happen if he learned it imperfectly and there were side effects?
"I will try."
In the end, regardless of his own will, the general manager perfectly mastered the Essence-Draining Arts.
Only then did Byeok Taesan leave the general manager's room, satisfied.
The general manager stared blankly at Byeok Taesan's departing figure.
The words Byeok Taesan had said before leaving echoed in his mind like thunder.
'As soon as you wake up in the morning, and before you go to sleep at night. If you skip even a single day, the Essence-Draining Arts could run rampant and your body might explode, so be careful.'
On the verge of tears, the general manager repeatedly checked whether he had memorized the incantations correctly and whether he had learned the Essence-Draining Arts properly.
***
The next place Byeok Taesan headed was the large training ground.
A considerable number of people were currently training in the Limitless Steps there.
Upon arriving, Byeok Taesan immediately checked on Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon.
As expected, their mind, spirit, and body were properly aligned. They no longer needed to train in the Limitless Steps.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon felt a sharp sting in several of their pressure points and reflexively looked toward the entrance of the training ground.
Sure enough, Byeok Taesan was standing there.
Their bodies completely relaxed, and the pain vanished as if it were a lie.
The two of them quickly ran to Byeok Taesan and bowed their heads.
"Young Master, you've come."
Byeok Taesan nodded and said,
"You no longer need to train in the Limitless Steps. Your mind, spirit, and body are now properly aligned."
Surprise and joy spread across their faces.
"Thank you! Thank you, Young Master!"
"You should be thankful. Who else would care enough to enable you to train in the Limitless Steps like this? It would be impossible without me."
The two of them faltered for a moment at Byeok Taesan's words, but they managed to keep their mouths shut and maintain grateful expressions.
Byeok Taesan took out two booklets from his robes and tossed them to the pair.
They flew together before splitting in mid-air, each heading toward Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon respectively.
The two carefully caught the flying booklets.
They were different manuals; Cheon Gyeongwan received the Thunderclap Sword, and Yu Seoyeon received the Mist Wave Sword.
Their gazes shifted back and forth between the manuals in their hands and Byeok Taesan's face.
"Start learning these from today. If you have any questions while practicing, ask me immediately."
At Byeok Taesan's words, the two just stared blankly.
Nine-tenths of them wondered why he was acting this way today, while the remaining tenth was a complex mix of gratitude, anticipation, warmth, and all sorts of other emotions.
"You'll disturb the others, so use my training ground in the rear garden."
Leaving those words behind, Byeok Taesan moved a short distance away and carefully observed the other people in the training ground one by one.
Then, after nodding a few times, he briskly left.
Still dazed, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon just stared blankly at the training ground entrance where Byeok Taesan had disappeared.
***
The next place Byeok Taesan went was, of course, where the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric were.
The two were busy making medicine for external and internal injuries, a process so complex that it required their full concentration.
Byeok Taesan stood quietly, watching the medicine-making process until the two physicians reached a break in their concentration.
Soon, one stage of the fluid process was complete.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric finally noticed Byeok Taesan, their eyes widening.
"Oh? Young Master?"
"What brings you here?"
"No, more importantly, have you been waiting all this time?"
"Without calling for us."
Byeok Taesan let out a small laugh at their barrage of questions.
"It's fine. Well, you're doing a good job."
With that, he handed a booklet to each of them as well.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, who checked the manual first, had his eyes widen as if they would tear.
"Gh-Ghost Spirit Demonic Arts!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages's hands trembled.
It was only natural for him to be shocked. The Ghost Spirit Demonic Arts was the exclusive martial art of the Blood-Drinking Demon, who could be considered his master.
Naturally, no one had ever received the Ghost Spirit Demonic Arts from the Blood-Drinking Demon.
And yet, that very Ghost Spirit Demonic Arts was now in his hands.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages stared blankly up at Byeok Taesan.
"Y-Young Master. Am I really allowed to accept this?"
"If you don't want it, give it back."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages quickly tucked the manual into his robes. Then he turned his head to look at the One-Needle Eccentric beside him.
"What did you get, brother?"
The One-Needle Eccentric's expression was just as extraordinary.
"Expansive Elixir Arts."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages looked back and forth between the manual in the One-Needle Eccentric's hands and Byeok Taesan in shock.
The Expansive Elixir Arts was a martial art practiced by the Demonic Doctor.
It was a martial art useful for greatly expanding one's dantian, and it was also easy to incorporate into medical practice.
If the One-Needle Eccentric were to master these Expansive Elixir Arts, his acupuncture skills would become even more formidable.
Of course, his martial arts would grow stronger too.
The One-Needle Eccentric didn't know that the Expansive Elixir Arts was the Demonic Doctor's martial art. However, just by skimming the contents, he could tell how much it would help him.
This was an incredible stroke of fortune.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan turned and strode away.
The One-Needle Eccentric waited until Byeok Taesan was out of sight before asking,
"Just what is our Young Master's true identity?"
"If I knew that, do you think I'd be like this?"
The One-Needle Eccentric whipped his head around to glare at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"You don't know? You told me that without even knowing?"
He remembered how shocked he'd been when he heard the words 'Heavenly Demonic Cult'. And now he was saying he didn't know.
"That's what I'm saying. The more time passes, the less I know. But one thing is for certain..."
"For certain?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages turned his head to look at the One-Needle Eccentric.
"The lifeline we've grabbed onto is the thickest and strongest one there is."
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