Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: When You Do Good Deeds
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"This is the place."
The place he arrived at with the Underworld Sect member was a rather large house.
Similar-sized houses were clustered nearby. It seemed to be a neighborhood where people with some money lived.
A high wall stretched on, with a large, firmly shut gate in the middle.
Byeok Taesan stood before the gate and tilted his head.
"Are you sure this is it?"
"Yes, I'm certain. His name is Seung Doheung. He's a formation expert of considerable skill, though not well-known. He came to Yichang three months ago and has lived in this house ever since."
Nodding once at the information recited by the Underworld Sect member, Byeok Taesan approached the gate and gave it a light push.
The gate swung open smoothly.
The Underworld Sect member's eyes widened.
That gate had definitely been locked. But now, it seemed it wasn't.
‘Strange. Seung Doheung is always meticulous about locking his doors.’
The Underworld Sect member hurriedly followed Byeok Taesan inside.
"Quite a few people live here. So, you should announce your presence first..."
His words trailed off.
The chill he felt the moment he stepped inside silenced him.
His experience of sneaking into countless houses told him it would be very difficult to find any sign of people here.
"This house is empty."
The Underworld Sect member nodded at Byeok Taesan's words.
"I-It seems so."
Byeok Taesan strode across the garden and entered the building.
The inside of the building was also empty. No one had stolen any furniture or belongings; there were no signs of anything being disturbed.
They probably left the furniture intentionally. Moving things out or breaking them inside would likely attract attention from the neighbors.
Byeok Taesan went inside, glanced around, and then beckoned to the Underworld Sect member with his finger.
The Underworld Sect member quickly approached him.
"Do you know anything about tracking?"
"I can, but there are others more skilled in tracking than I am. Shall I call for them?"
When Byeok Taesan nodded, the Underworld Sect member dashed outside and returned a moment later.
He had relayed Byeok Taesan's orders to other Underworld Sect members nearby.
Soon, three Underworld Sect members rushed in.
"We heard you were looking for us."
"Investigate the traces inside. Find out where the people who were here went."
"Yes, sir."
The Underworld Sect members quickly dispersed and began examining the traces.
Byeok Taesan had no intention of leaving everything to them.
He slowly walked through the house, carefully examining the traces and the flow of energy.
"So he's a formation expert. He even set up a formation in his own house."
The Underworld Sect member standing beside him was startled by his muttering.
"Are you saying there's a formation in this house?"
"Yes."
Of course, he didn't know what kind of formation it was, but it was a considerably large one.
"Hmm."
Byeok Taesan calmly examined the flow of energy and used it to understand the structure.
"I can smell a faint scent of blood, too."
The smell of blood meant that someone had bled here.
"How long do you think this house has been empty?"
"At least a month."
For the faint smell of blood to remain after a month meant that a massive amount of blood had been spilled.
Something definitely happened here.
Byeok Taesan stood there and waited for a moment.
The Underworld Sect members needed to find a clue for tracking first. If this place were destroyed, finding traces would become difficult.
How long had he waited? An Underworld Sect member came running, out of breath.
"We've found a trace."
"Oh?"
Byeok Taesan grinned and lifted his foot.
Everyone stared at him, bewildered.
Byeok Taesan stomped his foot down.
*Thump!*
A massive tremor spread out in all directions, centered on Byeok Taesan's foot.
Standing next to Byeok Taesan, the Underworld Sect members felt an invisible force pushing them back.
They ended up stumbling backward.
*Crack!*
Sounds of something twisting and breaking echoed from all over the house.
Byeok Taesan stood still for a moment, then looked in one direction and started walking.
"These formation experts... they're as cunning as ever, no matter the era."
With confused expressions, the Underworld Sect members followed him.
Byeok Taesan was heading toward the rear garden behind the building.
When they reached the garden, their eyes widened at the changed scene.
A pit had appeared in a corner of the garden.
It looked as if something beneath had given way, causing the earth to collapse inward.
The formation in this house was meant to conceal that very pit.
When Byeok Taesan shattered the formation, the pit it had been hiding was revealed.
Byeok Taesan strode toward the pit. The Underworld Sect members had all gathered behind him, following with curious expressions.
Inside the pit lay a box made of dark steel.
At a nod from Byeok Taesan, one of the Underworld Sect members quickly descended into the pit and retrieved the box.
He carefully brushed the dirt off the box and respectfully presented it to Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan took the box.
But the box had no seams. It looked as if it had been made by pouring molten dark steel into a single mold.
Yet it was clearly a box, for it was hollow inside.
The Underworld Sect members watched him hold the box, their eyes filled with curiosity.
A box like that could probably be forced open. They weren't confident they could do it themselves, but someone like Byeok Taesan could likely pry it open with just his fingers.
But Byeok Taesan didn't do that.
He simply turned the box over and over, examining it with a strange look in his eyes.
"Well, look at this."
The Underworld Sect members flinched at his muttering. His tone was incredibly cold, and they could almost feel a faint killing intent.
*Click.*
The Underworld Sect members' eyes widened.
Somehow, Byeok Taesan had opened the box. It had been a seamless box, but now the lid had come off perfectly.
Inside the box lay a bluish vial and a single needle made of dark steel.
The vial was tightly sealed, but Byeok Taesan pierced the seal with the needle.
He then took a slight sniff of the scent wafting out.
After identifying the scent, he rubbed his finger over the hole he'd made.
The pinprick hole sealed up as if it had never been there.
"Let's go."
Byeok Taesan spun around and began to stride away.
The bewildered Underworld Sect members hurried after him.
***
Go Jungwang couldn't hide his devastated expression.
"Hah! How utterly futile."
It was absurd. How could this plan possibly have failed?
Go Jungwang had only one goal for this plan.
To kill or capture Byeok Taesan.
So he had mobilized all available forces.
To eliminate any uncertainty, he had gone to great lengths to bring in Ma Jingwan.
In truth, Ma Jingwan shouldn't have been pulled in like this. He had another mission.
Still, he had been confident. He believed that with Ma Jingwan's help, they could certainly handle it.
Ma Jingwan was stronger than Gok Yangdu. With the addition of the Blood Draining Demonic Sword, he thought dealing with Byeok Taesan would be a simple matter.
Furthermore, he had gathered all those who had consumed the Blood Augmenting Pills and sent them to the Black Iron Room. He had used most of the improved pills as well.
At this rate, they could have killed even the Lord of the Hubei Martial Alliance if he had been there.
But they had failed.
Because everyone he sent had been annihilated, he was late in hearing the news.
Go Jungwang shook his head.
"Who in the world was there for things to turn out like this?"
He used to have some prejudice against Byeok Taesan because of his young age.
But recently, he had shed that prejudice. After re-evaluating him without bias, he was certain that Byeok Taesan was weaker than Ma Jingwan.
Therefore, it was rational to conclude that he had an accomplice.
However, Go Jungwang was leaning more toward the idea that he had misjudged Byeok Taesan's strength, rather than him having help.
"Haa, what use is that now?"
He was finished anyway.
The results of this incident would soon reach his master's ears.
The last chance he had been given was gone.
If he returned, he would surely die.
The only difference would be whether he died a painful death or a clean one.
"If I want to die cleanly, I'd better take care of what's left."
Go Jungwang muttered to himself, rising from his seat and walking to the window.
He was at the top of a five-story pavilion.
Outside the window, a rather large garden stretched out, filled with Half-Jiangshi.
If he could just protect those Half-Jiangshi, he might be able to die a clean death.
"Ah, and there was that one."
Go Jungwang frowned, thinking of someone.
He also had to decide what to do with that insolent bastard who tried to betray him a while ago.
Of course, he had mostly made up his mind. That man would be sent to his master and have every last bit of his talent drained.
Until he died of old age or exhaustion.
"Well, he was a talented one."
***
The Underworld Sect members called out to Byeok Taesan with anxious expressions.
"Um... Young Master."
Without stopping, Byeok Taesan glanced back at the member who had spoken.
"If you keep going this way, you'll leave Yichang."
"I know."
The Underworld Sect member flinched and quickly asked.
"May I ask where your destination is? I'd like to contact our colleagues there in advance."
That way, they could provide assistance and look up any information he might need beforehand.
"I don't know yet myself. What's this way?"
At Byeok Taesan's words, the Underworld Sect member answered quickly, looking flustered.
"If you keep going this way, you'll eventually reach Dangyang... Is Dangyang your destination?"
"It's highly likely."
But he wouldn't know for sure until he got there.
Right now, Byeok Taesan was following a tracking scent.
The dark steel box he had found at Seung Doheung's house was a special box created by the Heavenly Demonic Cult using a secret method.
It wasn't just a simple box; it was a special one where the contents would melt if not opened in the prescribed manner.
And the substance in the vial inside the box was a chemical used to track the tracking scent.
It was also a tracking scent used by the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
The basic formula was modified in various ways so that each user of the scent would emit a unique fragrance.
To track that scent, one had to use a special chemical created at the same time the scent was compounded.
So, Byeok Taesan's conclusion was that Seung Doheung, the formation expert, belonged to the Heavenly Demonic Cult and had prepared the tracking scent in anticipation of something happening to him.
The scent was extremely faint.
If it weren't for Byeok Taesan, tracking it might have been difficult.
And if more time passed or Seung Doheung was moved farther away, he might not be able to find him.
"We need to hurry."
Byeok Taesan's pace quickened.
The Underworld Sect members were startled and chased after him.
But the gap between them was widening.
Soon, Byeok Taesan's figure became a black dot and disappeared.
"What do we do?"
One of the Underworld Sect members looked at his colleagues, perplexed.
"What do you mean, what do we do? We head to Dangyang. You, send a message to the Dangyang branch. You, go back to Yichang and report. I'll go to Dangyang."
The Underworld Sect members moved quickly.
If they hurried, they could probably mobilize the Underworld Sect members in Dangyang in time.
***
The tracking scent grew stronger.
After entering Dangyang, Byeok Taesan followed the scent for a while before slowing his pace slightly.
The principle of the tracking scent was that a person marked with it would leave a trail of the scent wherever they went, allowing others to follow.
So, there had been no problem following it all the way to Dangyang.
Whether he had been dragged here or confined in a carriage, as long as there was a place to breathe, the scent would have continued to seep out and settle on the surroundings.
But upon entering Dangyang, he found that there wasn't just one trail of scent.
The one who captured Seung Doheung hadn't gone straight to the destination from here; they had moved in a complex, roundabout pattern.
Whether they had errands to run or were trying to throw off potential pursuers, the scent trails crossed all over the place, so it seemed tracking from this point would take some time.
Of course, he would eventually find him.
While Byeok Taesan was following the scent, the Underworld Sect members from Dangyang quietly approached.
"We greet the Young Master."
Byeok Taesan nodded and continued what he was doing.
And soon, he found the place where Seung Doheung was being held.
It was a rather large estate, and the tracking scent led directly to its main gate.
As Byeok Taesan stared at the estate, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Is it the way of heaven to be rewarded for doing good deeds?"
A powerful aura of numerous spiritual medicines was wafting from within the estate.