Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: You Brought a Tail
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Byeok Taesan took out a gold ingot and kneaded it like clay.
The ingot, changing shape in his hand, soon began to lengthen.
Taking out another gold ingot, Byeok Taesan stretched that one out as well.
Then, he twisted the two together like a braid.
A rather plausible-looking bracelet was formed.
Byeok Taesan pushed his Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts into it.
"Hmm. It seems this won't work as is."
The Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts that entered the gold simply slipped out and scattered into the air.
It seemed he needed a way to trap the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts within the gold to make use of this.
He briefly recalled the enlightenment he'd gained from the Golden Wall.
Then he began to handle the bracelet again.
He carefully manipulated the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts to carve out the inside of the bracelet.
He didn't just carve it; he carved it into a somewhat complex pattern, creating a path within the bracelet most convenient for the energy of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts to move through.
The gold bracelet, twisted from two strands, was complete once more.
The reason he bothered to twist two strands was that he wanted the path for the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts to be as long as possible.
That would make it more efficient.
He infused the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts again. This time, the energy was trapped inside the bracelet without scattering.
Byeok Taesan observed it intently.
"Still, a slight leakage seems unavoidable."
With more research, he could probably trap the energy inside perfectly.
But he felt no need to do so.
He could just infuse it whenever necessary.
"Shall we test it?"
Byeok Taesan fastened the bracelet to his wrist and went outside.
Arriving at the training ground, Byeok Taesan circulated the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts.
He then attempted to create a resonance with the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts dwelling in the bracelet.
*Whooosh!*
Through resonance, the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts grew even stronger.
The amount of energy didn't increase, but the range of its movement expanded significantly, resulting in a tremendous boost in destructive power.
*Kwaaaaaa!*
Byeok Taesan unleashed the energy of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts into the sky.
A portion of the clouds hanging high in the sky evaporated in an instant.
"Well… this is decent enough."
The enlightenment from the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts within the Golden Wall was a method of extracting great destructive power from a small amount of force.
The original idea was that by accumulating only a little of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts' energy and amplifying its power through resonance with the energy dwelling in the gold, one could escape the side effects of the arts.
That was precisely why Byeok Taesan had initially deemed the enlightenment from the Golden Wall useless.
This wasn't a fundamental understanding of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts, but a method of escape.
The Heavenly Demon does not flee from obstacles in his path. He shatters them.
That is the Heavenly Demon.
In any case, this was a rather useful method for Byeok Taesan.
A typical Heavenly Demon probably couldn't have used this method, as they would have struggled to even handle and control the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts accumulated in their own body.
If you can't control what you already have, how could you possibly handle a spiritual power that has been forcibly amplified and made even more violent?
The moment you tried, your entire body would be torn to shreds.
But Byeok Taesan was different.
Because he had accumulated a much purer spiritual power, he suffered no side effects from the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts.
Moreover, he was in perfect control of every situation and all his energy.
So, wasn't this secret method like giving wings to a tiger?
"I'll need some practice."
With its power amplified several times over, the energy became far more violent and explosive, making it quite difficult to control.
Byeok Taesan began his training, continuously resonating the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts and controlling it.
The clouds that had covered the sky slowly, little by little, disappeared.
***
The Heavenly Medicine Hall finally entered Wuhan.
It had been a rather long journey of over a thousand li. And they had faced danger along the way.
But despite it all, they were able to arrive in Wuhan with almost no casualties.
As soon as he entered Wuhan, No Jugang first greeted the Seventh Team Leader of the Heavenly Sword Group.
"Thank you so much for your help until now. Thanks to you, we were able to arrive in Wuhan safely. Are you heading to the Martial Alliance branch, Team Leader?"
"I should."
To be precise, he was going to find Jin Sahong, who was preparing to establish the branch, not the branch itself, but he said it that way since it would be built eventually.
The Seventh Team Leader caught the coldness deep in No Jugang's eyes.
'Trust has been broken.'
The Seventh Team Leader's gaze flickered to one of the freelance warriors before moving away.
This situation was all because of that man.
He had used a captured warrior from the Golden Moon Trading Company to sow a seed of distrust between himself and No Jugang.
He was annoyed that things had gone awry before they even began.
'Honestly, what are these guys doing, not even investigating properly?'
How was he supposed to handle his assigned mission like this?
"Yes. I wish you all the best."
The Seventh Team Leader had no choice but to back down at that point. First, he had to find Jin Sahong, who was staying in Wuhan to establish the Martial Alliance branch, and secure a foothold.
Just then, people who had come to greet the Heavenly Medicine Hall party approached.
It was Cho Seoran, the Divine Doctor of the Ages, and the One-Needle Eccentric.
No Jugang was the first to spot them.
"Master!"
Paying no mind to the Seventh Team Leader, No Jugang quickly ran to Cho Seoran, looking as if he might burst into tears.
"You've arrived safely. I hope you had no trouble?"
At Cho Seoran's greeting, No Jugang held back his tears and forced a bright smile.
"Thanks to the freelance warriors you sent, Master, we were able to arrive safely."
"Something must have happened."
"Yes. It did."
As he spoke, No Jugang glanced at the Seventh Team Leader, who was still standing over there, watching them.
"And who is that gentleman?"
At Cho Seoran's words, the Seventh Team Leader's eyes glinted, and he quickly approached, cupping his fist in his hand.
"I am the Seventh Team Leader of the Martial Alliance's Heavenly Sword Group."
"Ah, so you accompanied us to assist with the Heavenly Medicine Hall's relocation. I will be sure to reward you handsomely later. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
The Seventh Team Leader said, looking at the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric. He was hoping for a quick introduction.
He had never met the Divine Doctor or the One-Needle Eccentric before, so he didn't know their faces, but he could just tell it was them. It was too obvious.
So Cho Seoran remained silent. She had no intention of introducing them.
Knowing what the Heavenly Sword Group's leader had done, she had no desire to exchange lengthy words with anyone associated with him.
But the Seventh Team Leader had no intention of backing down.
"Our Leader spoke highly of you, Master. He also asked me to be sure to pass on his regards."
"I see. Understood. When you return, please tell your Leader that I was grateful for his help."
The Seventh Team Leader replied with a strange expression.
"Why not thank him in person?"
Cho Seoran smiled brightly.
"I don't think I'll have any reason to go to Kaifeng or Zhengzhou in the future."
The Seventh Team Leader grinned.
"You never know what the future holds, do you?"
In the past, she might have been swayed by such words.
But she had been through too much now.
Especially the experience of swimming a two-hundred-li waterway.
Cho Seoran had learned tremendous patience through that ridiculous training.
"That's true. In any case, we'll be on our way."
With that, Cho Seoran gave No Jugang a gentle smile.
"You've worked so hard to get here. Let's go celebrate, have a drink, eat something delicious, and rest. Follow me."
Cho Seoran spoke and then coolly turned, walking away with light steps.
The Heavenly Medicine Hall party followed behind her.
The Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric gave the Seventh Team Leader a meaningful look before falling in step beside Cho Seoran.
The Seventh Team Leader quietly watched Cho Seoran's retreating back.
"Doesn't she look even more beautiful?"
At his words, one of the Heavenly Sword Group members answered.
"She certainly does. My heart was pounding like crazy."
"Our Leader is going to cause another uproar when he sees her."
"I know, right? He's already in a frenzy over Cho Seoran as it is."
"But she seems to have grown sharper thorns today, don't you think?"
"So what? You know what our Leader is like. He's a man who never forgets his subordinates' hard work, so maybe our turn will come too. So everyone, do your best."
"Yes. Hehehe."
They all laughed with lewd expressions.
They stood there until Cho Seoran was out of sight, then turned and headed for the place where Jin Sahong was staying.
***
"Is this the place?"
No Jugang looked around the estate with astonished eyes.
It was a much larger and finer estate than the Heavenly Medicine Hall in Kaifeng.
"How on earth did you acquire a place like this? Our financial situation is obvious…"
The answer to his question came from behind them.
"An investment in the future."
Everyone turned to look.
Byeok Taesan stood there, one hand gripping someone's neck.
Cho Seoran, as well as the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric who were with her, were startled to see it.
So one could only imagine how the physicians of the Heavenly Medicine Hall, like No Jugang, who didn't know Byeok Taesan well, must have felt.
"M-Master. Who is that gentleman…?"
Cho Seoran answered with a composed expression.
"He is the one I serve."
No Jugang's head whipped around to look at Cho Seoran so fast it seemed his neck would break.
His eyes were filled with shock.
"Y-Young Lady! No, Master!"
He was so surprised that the old title he used to use slipped out of his mouth.
No Jugang looked back and forth between Byeok Taesan and Cho Seoran.
He had heard they received help from the Golden Jade Trading Company while relocating to Wuhan, but that was a completely different story from Cho Seoran serving someone.
For her to serve him meant that the Heavenly Medicine Hall was now under that man.
"What are you so flustered about? I serve him too. Did you think you'd be any different?"
It was the One-Needle Eccentric who spoke.
No Jugang looked at the One-Needle Eccentric with a bewildered expression.
He knew him quite well due to his connection with the Heavenly Medicine Hall.
But he never imagined there was someone the One-Needle Eccentric would speak of in such a way.
While everyone was processing this, the Divine Doctor approached Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, who is that man?"
Byeok Taesan casually tossed the man he was holding.
*Thud!*
Everyone stared intently at the man who had fallen in front of the Divine Doctor.
He was an ordinary-looking man. And no one here knew him.
"You brought a tail."
"Pardon?"
The ones startled by those words were the freelance warriors who had accompanied them.
Their faces turned pale as they looked back and forth between the fallen man on the ground and Byeok Taesan.
They should have noticed if they were being tailed. But it seemed they had been so focused on the Seventh Team Leader that they hadn't realized.
"He's nothing special."
Byeok Taesan said, then looked at the leader of the freelance warriors.
He was a subordinate of Yuk Taegu.
Cold sweat dripped down his body as he stood at attention, perfectly still.
Byeok Taesan gestured with his chin.
"Find out exactly who he is."
A few freelance warriors quickly ran over, picked up the fallen man, and returned to their original positions.
After that, Byeok Taesan looked at No Jugang.
No Jugang swallowed hard.
He had fully recognized how formidable these freelance warriors were on the way here.
But seeing such fearsome warriors acting like mice before a cat, a wave of fear washed over him.
'What did I say just now? Did I make a mistake? Did shouting at the Master look strange? It should be fine, right?'
All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind. He was so busy trying to read the situation that he couldn't say a word, and Byeok Taesan frowned.
"What's with this guy?"
No Jugang was suddenly terrified and shouted loudly.
"I-I'm sorry!"
Byeok Taesan glanced at No Jugang.
"For what?"
"I'm sorry for everything! I'll do better from now on!"
Byeok Taesan nodded. If the man said he'd do better, he couldn't very well tell him not to.
"Fine, whatever."
After speaking, Byeok Taesan suddenly vanished.
Everyone was shocked. They had been looking right at him, yet he simply disappeared before their eyes.
Even though they hadn't even blinked.
And while everyone was still bewildered, Byeok Taesan reappeared in his original spot.
Once again, with his hand tightly gripping the neck of another man.
"Why are there so many bastards after my elixirs?"