Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: I Wonder if They're Still Alive
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Byeok Taesan walked slowly toward the training ground where his companions were fighting.
He felt a pressure crushing his entire body, but he paid it no mind.
The reason Byeok Taesan had gathered his companions in that training ground was because of the formation.
He wasn't an expert on formations, but his exceptional senses allowed him to quickly grasp how one was activated and where its blind spots were.
Even if the formation wasn't active, he could deduce its presence from the flow of ki.
As soon as he had settled in the Black Iron Fortress and anticipated an enemy attack, Byeok Taesan had meticulously inspected the premises.
That was how he had discovered the formation's existence.
The formation was also why he was certain the enemies would come to the Black Iron Fortress.
He hadn't determined the formation's effects, but he had identified its blind spot.
That blind spot was the very training ground he had herded his companions into.
It was a place where various ki flows intertwined, ultimately canceling each other out, creating a sort of void in the ki.
Even when fighting Ma Jingwan earlier, he had to endure the pressure crushing his body.
It didn't just exert pressure; it also disrupted the natural flow of ki.
It was a formation that imposed restrictions in various ways, but Byeok Taesan had endured it all with his body while fighting Ma Jingwan.
If not for the formation, he would have simply crushed them in an instant without needing such a troublesome plan.
In any case, as he walked through the formation's power, he soon arrived at the training ground.
His companions were still fighting.
Still, they had dealt with most of them, and only ten enemies remained.
Byeok Taesan clicked his tongue as he watched.
"Tired already? Hmm... I'll have to change the direction of their training."
As if they had heard Byeok Taesan’s muttering, the One-Needle Eccentric and the Divine Doctor of the Ages suddenly let out a yell and charged at the remaining foes.
Then, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon moved swiftly to strike from behind.
The others also began to attack with all their might.
With that onslaught, they were able to finish off the rest in an instant.
Only after the fight was over did Byeok Taesan approach them.
He carefully checked to see if anyone was injured.
There had been sixty men who had consumed the improved Blood Augmenting Pills. It was impossible to fight them without sustaining any injuries.
He could see blood staining the arms, legs, and sides of the maids.
Byeok Taesan's eyebrow twitched.
The condition of the Underworld Sect members was even more serious. However, none had suffered life-threatening injuries.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon's wounds were the worst.
Blood stained them in several places, and each wound was quite deep.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, and Cho Seoran had many wounds, but they were all just scratches.
"I'm at a loss as to where to even begin again."
Byeok Taesan said, shaking his head.
Hearing this, the faces of his companions turned pale.
"Y-Young Master. Still, didn't we do pretty well? Those guys were no ordinary opponents, I tell you. The Black Beads didn't work, and they were incredibly strong..."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages trailed off, then his eyes widened as if he remembered something, and he exclaimed.
"And the formation! There was even a formation! Didn't we hold out well despite all that!"
Byeok Taesan scoffed.
"Do you even know what effect that formation had on you?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages shut his mouth.
He had nothing to say. Because he didn't know.
His eyes darting around, the Divine Doctor of the Ages took a step back.
"It would be better to see for yourselves."
Byeok Taesan muttered, nodding his head.
Come to think of it, the formation's effects are quite good. For training, that is.
If I can modify it well, it will be useful for repelling external invasions.
Of course, that would require a formation expert. Byeok Taesan didn't have one under him yet.
'Come to think of it, there were a few formation experts at the Fragrant Flower Pavilion, weren't there?'
Of course, their skill level was too low for him to consider recruiting them.
If he gave the order, the Underworld Sect would find a skilled formation expert.
If they couldn't recruit one, Byeok Taesan could just go himself.
"Everyone, follow me."
Having organized his thoughts, Byeok Taesan led his companions out of the training ground.
Everyone followed Byeok Taesan with tired faces.
The day's schedule had been tougher than expected.
They had been through hellish training all day, had a short break, and then had to fight enemies.
As the group, unable to hide their exhaustion, stepped out of the training ground, their eyes went wide as saucers.
It was due to the sudden pressure crushing their entire bodies.
After a little time passed, they realized that wasn't its only effect.
Their senses dulled, and when they tried to use their internal energy to withstand the pressure, they found the flow of their ki was not smooth.
What would have happened if they had fought those men earlier in this condition?
The thought was terrifying.
They looked at Byeok Taesan with renewed awe.
"Young Master, is this why you herded us into the training ground?"
Byeok Taesan gave a slight nod to the Divine Doctor's question.
"It's an interesting formation, isn't it?"
No one could answer. Could this really be described as 'interesting'?
"Shouldn't we stop the formation? We just need to find the core and destroy it."
Everyone nodded vigorously at the Divine Doctor's words.
They didn't know how long they would stay in Yichang, but as long as they were here, they would be using the Black Iron Fortress. Having such a formation active would be truly inconvenient.
No, it was more than inconvenient; it could be dangerous.
"The formation will remain active."
"Pardon?"
"Why would I destroy such a perfect training environment?"
"Ah...!"
Everyone stared at Byeok Taesan, their jaws agape.
They had never imagined he would connect this to training.
"W-Won't it be dangerous?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages asked, his voice filled with desperation.
Byeok Taesan's scornful laugh was his only reply.
"And it's not dangerous without it? Wouldn't it be safer to become stronger through training?"
There was nothing to say.
As everyone fell silent, a hush fell over them. For a while, they just walked behind Byeok Taesan.
A short time later, they arrived at the pavilion they were using as their quarters.
Naturally, the formation's power was active in the pavilion.
The only place in the entire Black Iron Fortress untouched by the formation's power was the training ground where they had fought.
"For today, go inside, treat your wounds, and get plenty of rest. And get used to the formation's power while you sleep."
Everyone looked at Byeok Taesan and swallowed nervously.
Byeok Taesan waved his hand dismissively, gesturing for them to hurry inside.
They all entered the pavilion, drained of energy.
Treatment wasn't an issue. They had the Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, and Cho Seoran.
Once all his companions were inside and had begun their treatment, Byeok Taesan turned and left the Black Iron Fortress.
***
Night had fallen, but the Black Iron Fortress was still bustling with activity.
Members of the Underworld Sect who had flocked over were cleaning up the fortress.
There was more to clean up than expected.
They had to clear the bodies scattered throughout the fortress, as well as the corpses and traces of the men who had surrounded it and gone berserk after being hit by the Black Beads.
The numbers were so great that even with a large contingent of Underworld Sect members, it took quite a while to clean up.
Byeok Taesan had summoned the Underworld Sect members himself.
Since everyone was injured and treating their wounds, he had decided to act himself.
It wasn't difficult, as he only needed to go to the Golden Jade Pavilion, the Underworld Sect's Yichang branch, and give the order.
However, while doing so, Byeok Taesan fell into deep contemplation.
This too was something he had never done or even considered in his past life.
No matter how gravely injured his subordinates were, for him to handle such a bothersome task in their place... Did that even make sense?
No matter how serious the injury, either the subordinate handled the task, or they handled it after being treated. It was one of the two.
But today, no one was that badly injured—that is, no one was on the verge of death—yet Byeok Taesan had acted personally.
Byeok Taesan stood atop an empty pavilion, watching the Underworld Sect members at work, then leaped away.
It was time to leave the rest to them and sleep.
From tomorrow, he planned to plunge his subordinates into a swamp of training for the foreseeable future.
As for Byeok Taesan himself, he had other things to do.
***
Hearing the news that the Black Iron Fortress had been attacked, the Leader of the Hubei Martial Alliance let out a sigh.
"I expected this might happen, but it's still bitter now that it has."
"It couldn't be helped. They laid the groundwork so well."
"No, we were hasty. And we failed to respond properly. There were ways to watch both sides."
"It's in the past now. And didn't he defend it splendidly? What comes next is more important."
"That's true."
The Hubei Martial Alliance Leader nodded and looked at his general manager.
"Anything unusual in Wuhan?"
"The Patrol Leader is quite competent, isn't he? We received word just yesterday that things are proceeding smoothly."
"That's a relief, at least."
"I'm more concerned about the Martial Alliance, the Black Alliance, and the Five Great Families."
"Why them? Is it because of their advance into Wuhan?"
"No. To be honest, their advance into Wuhan was bound to happen eventually, even if the timing is a bit early."
"That's true enough."
"So that's not a big deal... but something about their movements doesn't seem natural."
"What do you mean, not natural?"
"It seems their goal isn't just to advance into Wuhan. I suspect they're hiding some other ulterior motive."
The Hubei Martial Alliance Leader shook his head.
"What a headache. As if those madmen shaking up Yichang aren't enough to deal with."
"It seems those madmen are also meddling with the Martial Alliance, the Black Alliance, and the Five Great Families."
"What?"
"It's only a suspicion for now. There's no clear evidence, and we haven't heard their opinions."
"But for you to say so means the probability is over seventy percent, doesn't it?"
The general manager lowered his head slightly.
"Hah. You mean to tell me that group of madmen called Nameless is behind all of this at once? If so, I can't even begin to guess the scale of their organization."
"Which is why I suggest..."
"Speak."
"How about we provide more active support to Byeok Taesan?"
"Byeok Taesan?"
"Yes. So we can build more goodwill and then definitively recruit him."
"Recruit him, good. That's exactly what I want. Since those bastards are openly targeting him, if we offer our definite help, that Byeok Taesan fellow can't keep pretending not to notice."
"Exactly."
"In that spirit... I'll go and spend some meaningful time with him now."
The Hubei Martial Alliance Leader shot up, about to leave his office.
But he couldn't, because the general manager had already grabbed his collar in a tight grip.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"It would be problematic for you to leave while postponing work you absolutely must do."
"Was there such work?"
The Hubei Martial Alliance Leader laughed awkwardly and tried to pull his collar from the general manager's hand.
But the general manager poured all of his internal energy into the hand gripping the collar.
Just then, a flood of scribes carrying stacks of documents began to pour in from outside the office.
Seeing this, the Hubei Martial Alliance Leader's face turned pale.
"G-General Manager. What are you doing?"
The general manager said coolly.
"This is the work you have postponed and left unfinished. It must be dealt with by the end of today."
Even as the general manager spoke, documents were being stacked neatly on the desk.
The scribes who had brought the documents even brought their own desks and set up stations inside the Hubei Martial Alliance Leader's office.
"These are the people who will be assisting you, Leader."
The Hubei Martial Alliance Leader stared blankly, his gaze shifting between the general manager and the scribes.
"It looks less like they're here to help and more like they're here to watch me."
"You misunderstand. Well then, I have urgent official business, so I must take my leave."
The general manager bowed politely and withdrew.
For a long while after, the Hubei Martial Alliance Leader remained standing in place, staring blankly at the spot where the general manager had been.
***
When morning came, Byeok Taesan, as usual, bathed and ate with the help of his maids.
Then, he gave instructions for training and left the Black Iron Fortress.
Today, he went out alone, feeling unburdened. He had briefly considered bringing Hwaok, but decided against it, thinking he shouldn't let her waste such a good opportunity for training.
He had only one thing to do today.
As Byeok Taesan stepped out of the Black Iron Fortress, a member of the Underworld Sect bowed deeply.
This was the man who would guide Byeok Taesan today, the liaison for the Underworld Sect in Yichang.
As Byeok Taesan stared at him silently, the Underworld Sect member quickly spoke.
"Currently, there are exactly three formation experts in Yichang of the caliber you mentioned, Young Master. Two of them have lived in Yichang for over ten years, and one arrived three months ago."
"We'll start with him."
"I will guide you."
The Underworld Sect member quickly began to lead Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan followed leisurely behind him, muttering to himself.
"I wonder if they're still alive..."