Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: I'll Be Watching for a While
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"Oh? It's the Young Master!"
Soso's eyes sparkled as she saw Byeok Taesan passing in the distance.
She saw him every day, but it always made her happy.
Today, however, Byeok Taesan's expression seemed a little different than usual.
"He seems strangely excited, doesn't he?"
At Soso's murmur, Danyeong, who was beside her, asked.
"Excited?"
"Yes, what do you think, sis?"
Danyeong studied Byeok Taesan carefully, then tilted her head.
"Hmm. I suppose he does seem that way..."
"And he also looks a bit impatient."
"Definitely..."
Danyeong could see that too.
Byeok Taesan had been exuding that kind of aura lately.
"It's understandable. It's already been ten days since we started staying here."
"I heard he has to stay at least five more days... It must be hard for the Young Master."
Danyeong looked at Soso and smiled playfully.
"Then why don't you go and comfort him, Soso?"
"Huh? M-Me? H-How?"
"Well, how should you comfort him?"
Soso's face turned beet red. Danyeong found her so adorable that she pulled her into a tight hug.
Then she started pinching her cheeks.
"Hey, sis. Don't do that. You'll squish my face."
"Oh? It's Miss Cho."
Danyeong, still pinching Soso's cheeks, spotted Cho Seoran passing by and her eyes gleamed.
Cho Seoran's gaze was fixed squarely on Byeok Taesan.
Just then, Soso gently took Danyeong's hand from her cheek and pulled it away.
"Something definitely happened. Right?"
At those words, Soso's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Danyeong and Cho Seoran.
"W-Well, I don't know."
"Don't you think Miss Cho has been getting prettier lately?"
"W-Well, that's true, but..."
That was the clearest proof that something had happened.
After all, everyone who spent a night with Byeok Taesan became beautiful like that. Soso couldn't deny it, having experienced it herself.
Danyeong nodded as if it were a matter of course.
"That's what happens to everyone who catches our Young Master's eye."
Soso looked at Danyeong with an awkward expression.
'That's only because you're completely on the Young Master's side.'
Although she liked Byeok Taesan herself, she couldn't think only of him the way Danyeong did.
Sometimes, when she looked at Danyeong, Chaewol, and Byeok Taesan's other maids, she could see them thinking and acting with an excessive focus on him.
It was almost frightening at times.
'Well, it's all because they like our Young Master, but still...'
Soso turned her gaze back to Cho Seoran, who was only watching Byeok Taesan from a distance.
'Will she become like that too?'
Cho Seoran watched Byeok Taesan for a while longer, then let out a deep sigh and turned away.
Seeing this, Danyeong took Soso's hand.
"Let's go, too. It's about time to prepare the meal."
"Okay, sis."
As Danyeong led her away, Soso kept glancing back at Cho Seoran.
* * *
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric nodded as they watched Cho Seoran skillfully administering treatment.
Recently, Cho Seoran's skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
"As expected of our Young Master."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages nodded emphatically as he said this.
Cho Seoran was currently treating Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon.
Their training had become incredibly intense lately, and they would often sustain rather deep injuries when they finished.
At first, the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric had treated the two, but recently, Cho Seoran had taken over almost exclusively.
Her skills, which had been skewed toward medicine, were now expanding into other areas.
If she continued to develop like this for a few more years, she would likely build skills comparable to their own.
After the treatment was finished and Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon had left, the One-Needle Eccentric approached Cho Seoran.
"Do you have something on your mind these days?"
Cho Seoran listlessly shook her head.
"No. It's just..."
"Just?"
"I'm just a little worried."
"About what?"
"The Heavenly Medicine Hall. I feel like I just abandoned it and ran off, so I'm a bit concerned."
Hearing this, the One-Needle Eccentric looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"Why are you looking at me? What are you going to say now?"
"Haven't you heard anything?"
He asked because he knew that the Divine Doctor of the Ages was also in charge of gathering information.
Lately, the Divine Doctor had been frequently visiting Hwaok to discuss events in Yichang and Wuhan, or to help analyze intelligence.
While the One-Needle Eccentric focused on medicine and martial arts, the Divine Doctor of the Ages focused on medicine and information.
"Well... it's not that I haven't heard anything..."
The One-Needle Eccentric and Cho Seoran's eyes lit up as they looked at the Divine Doctor.
"It seems the Heavenly Medicine Hall's situation has gotten a bit more difficult."
"What? Is that really true?"
Cho Seoran's eyes widened in shock.
"That can't be..."
It had only been a few months since she had left the Heavenly Medicine Hall.
How could any problems have arisen in that short time?
Especially since they were supposed to be receiving help from the Martial Alliance.
"Where did you hear that?"
"Where else? The Underworld Sect has been diligently gathering information on that front, so that's how I heard."
"Why is the Underworld Sect gathering information on our Heavenly Medicine Hall?"
"Why? Because the Young Master ordered them to, of course."
"So why did the Young Master...?"
She had heard that the Underworld Sect was under Byeok Taesan. So she could believe that they were gathering information on his orders.
But why on earth would he bother gathering information on the Heavenly Medicine Hall?
"Because it's strange."
"Strange?"
"I heard the cooperative structure between the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Medicine Hall is set up so that the Heavenly Medicine Hall is bound to lose out. Is that correct?"
Cho Seoran nodded.
"For now, we're the ones receiving help. But our Heavenly Medicine Hall has the strength to make up for that level of loss quickly. Once we get past the initial difficulties..."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages shook his head.
"I heard the financial situation is continuing to worsen."
"How can that be...!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages looked at Cho Seoran steadily and asked.
"Is there a reason the Heavenly Medicine Hall must be maintained in that specific location?"
"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"
"The Heavenly Medicine Hall is in Kaifeng right now, isn't it? How about moving it to Wuhan?"
Cho Seoran's expression hardened instantly.
"I will pretend I didn't hear that."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages nodded.
"I was just letting you know that such a method exists. Whether you do it or not is your decision."
Cho Seoran suddenly wondered why the Divine Doctor was going this far.
As if he knew her thoughts, the Divine Doctor spoke.
"Did you know that there are people targeting the Heavenly Medicine Hall?"
"I don't know about that, but I did think something was strange."
How often does the cash flow of a place like the Heavenly Medicine Hall get tangled up? Moreover, if it had been ongoing, it was highly likely that someone was pulling strings.
"It seems the Underworld Sect investigated that part. They said there are many signs of artificial manipulation."
Sparks flew from Cho Seoran's eyes.
"Then are you saying someone deliberately tried to ruin our Heavenly Medicine Hall?"
As she said this, Cho Seoran's eyes widened as if she had realized something.
"In that case, joining hands with the Martial Alliance in such a way might have actually been poison!"
"As time goes on, the debt owed to the Martial Alliance will grow. Because the cash flow will remain tangled."
"So...!"
"That's right. In times like these, cutting it all off and starting anew is one option."
"But our financial situation for that..."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said in a suggestive tone.
"Our Young Master is a very wealthy man."
That was true even without using the power of the Golden Jade Trading Company.
Byeok Taesan had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth from the incidents he had caused, and the money he had gathered through the power of the Underworld Sect was also immense.
And if he wanted, he could use the Underworld Sect's funds at any time.
He was also set to receive one-tenth of the net profits from the business the Golden Jade Trading Company was running with the Hubei Martial Alliance.
Given the situation, helping to resolve the Heavenly Medicine Hall's debt and assisting with its relocation was nothing.
"I will... think about it some more."
"Don't just think, discuss it too. Contacting the Heavenly Medicine Hall and summoning people who can help with the decision-making to Wuhan is one way."
Cho Seoran nodded with a heavy expression.
At first, she had simply gone to the Golden Jade Trading Company to find traces of the Poison Demon and to check Byeok Taesan's pulse.
But now, things had gotten a bit bigger.
Of course, she didn't regret it. If she hadn't come here, the Heavenly Medicine Hall might have truly been in trouble.
In any case, having confirmed the information in advance and having at least one solution was very reassuring.
Cho Seoran bowed her head deeply.
"I'll be turning in a little early today to rest. I apologize."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric waved their hands simultaneously.
"Go on and get some rest."
"Think it over carefully."
* * *
Deep in the night, the Divine Doctor of the Ages and Hwaok were seated in Byeok Taesan's room.
Naturally, Byeok Taesan was with them.
It was Hwaok who spoke first.
"Bang Durip, the leader of the Martial Alliance's Heavenly Sword Unit, was at the center of it."
"The leader of the Heavenly Sword Unit? The Heavenly Sword Unit is just a bunch of sword-swingers, aren't they? Why are they eyeing the Heavenly Medicine Hall?"
When the Divine Doctor of the Ages asked with a tilt of his head, Hwaok calmly replied.
"It is not Bang Durip who is eyeing the Heavenly Medicine Hall. He was merely playing the role of creating the situation."
"So there's another bastard who's going to swallow the Heavenly Medicine Hall whole. Where are they from?"
"The Golden Moon Trading Company."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages nodded. It was certainly possible if it was the Golden Moon Trading Company.
They could easily mess with the Heavenly Medicine Hall's cash flow, and recruiting an accomplice from the Martial Alliance was well within their capabilities.
Byeok Taesan, who had been listening quietly, asked.
"This Bang Durip fellow, was he just recruited? Or was he with the Golden Moon Trading Company from the start?"
"We are still investigating that part. However, based on the circumstances, the relationship seems too deep for him to have been merely recruited."
"What measures have been taken?"
At Byeok Taesan's question, Hwaok bowed her head slightly and answered.
"We have transferred the debt the Heavenly Medicine Hall incurred to the Underworld Sect. And we are guiding them to slowly sever their ties with the Martial Alliance."
And throughout that process, the existence of the Underworld Sect was not revealed at all.
They found out about the Golden Moon Trading Company's existence in the process.
They interfered so much that the Underworld Sect's existence was almost exposed.
"So from now on, the Heavenly Medicine Hall will only be indebted to the Underworld Sect?"
"Yes. All the losses the Heavenly Medicine Hall incurs while dealing with the Martial Alliance will accumulate as debt to the Underworld Sect."
That was why they had guided them to sever ties with the Martial Alliance.
Even for the Underworld Sect, if losses snowballed like this, it could become difficult to handle.
This time, Byeok Taesan looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
The Divine Doctor said confidently.
"Who am I, if not the greatest persuader in the world? I had a good talk with her today, so she'll make a positive decision soon enough."
Having said that much, the Divine Doctor carefully asked.
"But Young Master. Is there... a particular reason you want to move the Heavenly Medicine Hall to Wuhan? To be honest, Kaifeng isn't a bad location. With the Martial Alliance in nearby Zhengzhou, it could be useful for something later on."
"The physicians of the Heavenly Medicine Hall are quite useful."
"What? Physicians? Now, Young Master, don't be so disappointing. When one says physician, they mean the Divine Doctor of the Ages; when one says the Divine Doctor of the Ages, they mean physician, do they not?"
Byeok Taesan stared at the Divine Doctor for a moment before speaking.
"Then you can come to my room tonight. I happened to need a good physician, so this works out well."
The Divine Doctor, catching on immediately, completely changed his tune.
"The physicians of the Heavenly Medicine Hall are renowned for their excellence. Of course, to protect the Young Master's side, one must have such fame and skill. Absolutely."
The Divine Doctor chuckled and continued.
"You should have told me sooner if that was the case. I will be much more proactive in persuading Seoran from now on. Ah, should I go and have a few more words with her before she sleeps?"
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"Enough. Just draw up a list of the Secret Heaven Group members near Yichang. I'll have to meet with them for a while."
The Divine Doctor's eyes twinkled.
"I will present it to you immediately!"
* * *
It took a total of twenty-five days to analyze and dismantle the estate's formation.
As the days stretched on, Seung Doheung was consumed by anxiety and unease, becoming so haggard that it seemed he might lose his mind.
In any case, he finished the job brilliantly and immediately reported to Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, it is done."
Byeok Taesan stared at Seung Doheung for a moment before asking.
"Have your skills improved?"
"They have."
At Seung Doheung's confident reply, Byeok Taesan asked again.
"Have you surpassed the Illusion Demon?"
Seung Doheung was at a loss for words.
Why was the Illusion Demon being brought up here, and how on earth could he possibly surpass him?
But he couldn't easily say no.
Byeok Taesan stared at Seung Doheung for a moment, then turned away.
"I'll be watching for a while."
Seung Doheung stared blankly at Byeok Taesan's retreating back after he left those words behind.
His mind was a tangled mess.
'He'll be watching? Does that mean he's letting me off for now? Or that he'll kill me later? Or is he telling me to do better in the future?'
All sorts of thoughts raced through his head.
In any case, that was their last day in Yichang.
Byeok Taesan's group, having finished their longer-than-expected schedule, headed back to Wuhan.
< I'll Be Watching for a While > End