Chapter 108
Chapter 108
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Good Medicine is Bitter to the Taste
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Everyone moved frantically.
Cheon Gyeongwan took charge of butchering and preparing the wild boar. He was quite skilled, suggesting he had done this a few times before.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, and Cho Seoran went into the mountains to gather herbs that would eliminate the gamey smell of the meat.
Using these, Byeok Taesan's attendants started a fire, grilled the meat, and cooked.
Byeok Taesan simply sat and watched the group bustle about.
As he watched, he thought they truly had a long way to go.
The movement technique Byeok Taesan had taught them today was one he had personally created and passed down to the Sky-Reaching Brigade in the past.
On its own, the technique was nothing special, but when the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts were involved, it was a completely different story.
He had used it often when leading the Sky-Reaching Brigade. He had to link them with the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts so they could properly keep up with him.
But this group couldn't even manage that.
They could only barely follow when Byeok Taesan slowed down considerably.
And to think they couldn't even endure that and lost consciousness—it would have been unimaginable in the past.
'Well... they'll get better with practice.'
Come to think of it, during his time as the Heavenly Demon, he never saw such clumsy individuals around him.
His subordinates had always filtered out those who were below standard—those not worthy of the Sky-Reaching Brigade.
So, taking care of people like this was a first for him.
But it wasn't so bad.
Perhaps because it was such a novel experience, it was even somewhat entertaining.
Leading a group of already perfected warriors wasn't bad, but raising them from the ground up like this was quite nice as well.
As he was lost in thought, the food was ready.
Byeok Taesan savored the taste as he ate slowly.
Perhaps because his attendants were skilled, it tasted quite good.
Once Byeok Taesan began to eat, the others also started tearing into the meat.
They all ate ravenously, likely because they had expended so much energy running here.
And the more they ate, the more strength returned to their bodies.
They ate so frantically that before long, everyone was stuffed and collapsed.
When the meal was over, Byeok Taesan stood up.
Everyone looked at Byeok Taesan with eyes full of disbelief. A sense of anxiety welled up deep within their pupils.
Their gazes screamed, "What if he makes us run again like before when we haven't even digested our food?"
If their opponent were someone they could take lightly, they might have just lain down in protest, but no one had the courage to do so in front of Byeok Taesan.
All they could do was look at Byeok Taesan with desperate eyes.
Without saying a word, Byeok Taesan swept his gaze over the group.
Under that silent pressure, everyone sluggishly got to their feet.
It seemed that resting further to digest their food was not an option.
Byeok Taesan glanced over the group once more and muttered.
"It's no fun if no one falls behind."
For some reason, those words sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
And they all clenched their jaws, their faces hardening with resolve.
The determination to never fall behind was firmly etched into their hearts.
Byeok Taesan took a large step. Then he strode forward.
Everyone hurriedly followed him.
And so, the midnight run began.
***
The midnight run was not very long.
By the time the group had lost consciousness, they had already nearly reached Yichang.
Having left Wuhan in the morning and arrived near Yichang before sunset, it was clear just how fast they had traveled.
When Byeok Taesan's group arrived in Yichang, it was still the middle of the night.
"Young Master, where shall we go?"
Hwaok approached Byeok Taesan's side and asked.
There were two options. Go directly to the Hubei Martial Alliance, or find rooms at a nearby inn.
Byeok Taesan didn't answer Hwaok's question and instead strode off somewhere.
Hwaok followed him with a puzzled expression.
The place where Byeok Taesan stopped was the Black Iron Faction.
This was the faction from which all people and supplies had vanished overnight when Byeok Taesan had last come to the Hubei Martial Alliance.
And it was where he had found traces of the Poison Demon.
Hwaok was the former branch manager of the Underworld Sect in Yichang. Therefore, she remembered the events of that time well.
She had also personally experienced several incidents alongside Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, shall I call the members of the Underworld Sect?"
Hwaok judged that Byeok Taesan wanted to investigate the Black Iron Faction again. And since the Black Iron Faction was a rather large estate, a proper investigation would require many people.
"No need."
Byeok Taesan said, approaching the main gate of the Black Iron Faction.
Hwaok stuck close to Byeok Taesan's side and diligently recited information about the Black Iron Faction.
"After the incident, the Black Iron Faction has been managed by the Hubei Martial Alliance. But with the recent turmoil in Yichang, they've stopped managing it."
"So now?"
"It's empty. But since the Hubei Martial Alliance only pulled out about five days ago, there shouldn't be anything unusual."
At Hwaok's words, the corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly.
These bastards certainly use their heads in all sorts of ways.
Byeok Taesan looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages and held out his hand.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages looked back and forth between Byeok Taesan's hand and face with a bewildered expression.
"The black beads."
The black beads were the black orbs that sent those who had unleashed their latent power with Blood Augmenting Pills into a frenzy.
"Ah, here they are. How many should I give you?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages quickly ran up and asked.
Byeok Taesan checked the Black Iron Faction again and said.
"Three should be enough."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages quickly took three black beads from his robes and respectfully offered them.
Byeok Taesan picked up the black beads and tossed them inside the Black Iron Faction grounds.
Seeing this, the Divine Doctor of the Ages was horrified.
"No, Young Master. If you throw them around so carelessly...!"
As he spoke, he realized that Byeok Taesan wouldn't do such a thing without reason.
"Uh... don't tell me, are those madmen inside?"
He didn't know how he knew, but considering Byeok Taesan's level of perception was so extraordinary it was beyond his comprehension, he thought it was entirely possible.
Monstrous screams came from within the Black Iron Faction.
Everyone's expression hardened. There really were people who had taken the Blood Augmenting Pills inside.
Only they would react to the black beads.
And once they reacted to the black beads, it wouldn't be long before they exhausted their latent power and collapsed.
As the screams and commotion subsided, the Divine Doctor of the Ages stepped forward and pushed the gate of the Black Iron Faction.
"Ugh. It's locked. Should I break it down?"
When the Divine Doctor of the Ages asked Byeok Taesan, Byeok Taesan waved his hand as if to tell him to move aside.
Then, he walked past the Divine Doctor who had stepped aside and casually pushed the gate.
As if by magic, the gate opened.
The group turned to stare at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
The Divine Doctor said with a flustered expression.
"No, I'm serious, it was locked! It wouldn't budge no matter how much I pushed or pulled!"
The One-Needle Eccentric walked past him, turning his head to look at him.
"Tsk, tsk."
Clicking his tongue and shaking his head a few times, the One-Needle Eccentric entered the Black Iron Faction with a pleasant smile.
"Wow, seriously. Argh! This is so unfair! I'm telling you, it was locked!"
Cheon Gyeongwan said as he passed the Divine Doctor.
"I... I believe you, Divine Doctor."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages's expression twisted.
***
Inside the Black Iron Faction were numerous people. They were all dried up, as if their latent power had run rampant because of the black beads.
"Goodness, they hid a lot of them."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages shook his head as he surveyed the scene.
He never imagined so many people who had taken the Blood Augmenting Pills would be hiding here.
They didn't fill the entire Black Iron Faction, but there were enough to pack several of the inner pavilions and three training grounds.
And not all of them had gone berserk and died yet.
The ones in the training grounds were all dead, but most of those in the pavilions were fine.
Byeok Taesan had judged that throwing the beads into the pavilions would be ineffective, so he had only cleared out the training grounds.
The men from the pavilions poured out in a rush.
Black beads landed in front of them.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric threw black beads at appropriate intervals toward the charging men.
Seeing the men going berserk and running wild, they quickly retreated.
It would be a headache if those guys charged at them while berserk. Since they were unleashing all their latent power at once, the momentary strength they displayed was truly immense.
The men shrieked, flailing their arms and legs in all directions. Those with weapons swung them wildly.
A few charged toward the Divine Doctor, their speed much faster than he had anticipated.
The Divine Doctor, greatly flustered, urgently swung his hands.
*Crack!*
A shock ran through him as if the bones in his hand were breaking.
The attacker's body was shriveling up, but his attacks grew faster and more powerful.
*Bang!*
Just as the Divine Doctor's limbs grew clumsy, the man was sent flying with a loud bang.
The One-Needle Eccentric, who had approached at some point, clicked his tongue at the Divine Doctor.
"Are you even going to earn your keep like that?"
"It's because I'm not yet used to the new martial art."
"You think I'm used to it?"
"Are you and I the same? Yikes! Here comes another one. You take him, brother."
The Divine Doctor quickly moved away.
Five men, their bodies shriveling, were charging toward them at once.
The One-Needle Eccentric scoffed and flicked his needles at them.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!*
Five needles accurately embedded themselves in the men's foreheads.
That was the end of it. The men could no longer move and collapsed backward.
The One-Needle Eccentric looked around.
The black beads had done their job, and most were down. The group was appropriately dealing with the remaining ones without any casualties.
'By the way... I don't see the Young Master.'
***
Byeok Taesan was in the inner courtyard of the Black Iron Faction.
He was heading toward the faction leader's private training ground, located in the deepest part of the inner courtyard.
Because that was where the Half-Jiangshi were gathered.
The very reason Byeok Taesan had come to the Black Iron Faction was because of those Half-Jiangshi.
The unique energy of the Half-Jiangshi was so dense that it had been pricking at Byeok Taesan's senses from the moment he entered Yichang.
Entering the training ground, Byeok Taesan understood why he had felt that sensation.
The Half-Jiangshi here were somewhat different from the ones he had seen before.
A total of thirty Half-Jiangshi stood there, and the internal energy each one possessed was immense.
It seemed they had been turned into Half-Jiangshi after being considerable masters in life.
Even turning a regular martial artist into a Half-Jiangshi made them strong; how much stronger would they be if they were masters?
Of course, to Byeok Taesan, it meant nothing.
Byeok Taesan carefully observed the Half-Jiangshi gathered in the center of the training ground.
"Don't tell me these guys are from the Black Iron Faction?"
It seemed likely. If so, the men outside who had taken the Blood Augmenting Pills might also be from the Black Iron Faction.
It meant they had taken everyone from here, turned some into Half-Jiangshi, fed others Blood Augmenting Pills, and then returned them to their original place.
"Well, I'll just consume the spiritual medicine that's fallen to the ground first and check later."
Byeok Taesan grinned and approached the Half-Jiangshi.
But at that moment, the Half-Jiangshi twitched and began to move.
It was a different reaction from the Half-Jiangshi he had encountered so far.
"Look at these things."
Byeok Taesan watched the Half-Jiangshi with intrigued eyes.
The Half-Jiangshi, which had been clustered together, suddenly spread out at appropriate intervals, drew their swords, and began to surround Byeok Taesan.
"Good medicine is bitter to the taste, they say."
Three of the Half-Jiangshi charged at Byeok Taesan simultaneously. Their attacks were fast and precise.
Byeok Taesan dodged the swords coming from three directions by simply turning his body slightly.
Then, he lightly flicked both his hands.
*Clang!*
The Half-Jiangshi struck by Byeok Taesan's hands flew through the air and tumbled to the ground. They did not get up again.
Confirming the dense spiritual energy flowing from the bodies of the Half-Jiangshi, Byeok Taesan grinned.
It was indeed good medicine. The quality of the spiritual energy flowing out was incomparably better than that of any Half-Jiangshi he had encountered before.
"No need to waste time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Byeok Taesan lifted his foot and stomped it on the ground.
*CRASH!*
The floor of the training ground shattered, and countless stone fragments floated into the air.
Byeok Taesan's hands moved swiftly, striking the fragments.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!*
The stone fragments struck by Byeok Taesan's hands flew in all directions, blowing off the heads of the Half-Jiangshi.
*Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!*
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
The headless Half-Jiangshi collapsed to the ground, emitting a dense spiritual energy.
Standing in the center of the training ground, Byeok Taesan closed his eyes and absorbed the spiritual energy filling the area with his entire body.
The spiritual energy slowly swirled and moved, with Byeok Taesan at its center.