Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: An Evening Stroll After a Long Time
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"Young Master, where are we going?"
Yeon Harin asked, gently wrapping her arm around Byeok Taesan's.
Walking like this, she finally felt like they were a real couple.
Yeon Harin gently lifted her head to look at Byeok Taesan.
He was calmly looking straight ahead.
She thought he might glance her way and meet her eyes at least once, but he didn't.
How long had she been staring?
Just as Yeon Harin was about to give up and look forward again, Byeok Taesan turned his head slightly and looked at her.
Their eyes met.
Startled, Yeon Harin quickly looked away.
She chided herself inwardly.
She'd wanted him to meet her gaze, yet the moment he did, she'd turned away as if fleeing. How foolish.
"If you let your gaze wander, it's difficult to respond to unexpected situations."
"Ah... yes. I suppose that's true."
Yeon Harin grumbled to herself. Did he really have to say that right now?
"You've been training hard. You're much stronger than before."
A pleased smile spread across Yeon Harin's face at Byeok Taesan's words. She had been training with deadly resolve recently, and hearing this reward made her feel like she could fly.
Yeon Harin hugged his arm a little tighter.
Come to think of it, this was the first time the two of them had walked alone like this.
Her mood brightened even more.
"So, where are we going now?"
Yeon Harin asked, her tone much brighter.
Byeok Taesan stopped and seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Young Master?"
Yeon Harin called to him with a puzzled expression, but Byeok Taesan remained silent, not answering.
It didn't take long. Having finished his thoughts, Byeok Taesan looked at Yeon Harin.
"I was originally planning to just take a light stroll around the area... but since you've been working so hard, I think it's okay to go there."
"Huh?"
Yeon Harin's face flushed, whatever she was thinking. She nodded her head.
"Let's go."
Byeok Taesan strode forward, and Yeon Harin stuck close to his side, walking in step with him.
* * *
"Young Master, where... where are we?"
Yeon Harin tightened her grip on Byeok Taesan's arm.
The street was incredibly dreary.
Seeing taverns, courtesan houses, and inns, one would expect a fair amount of foot traffic, but perhaps because it was night, the street was completely empty.
However, the courtesan houses, taverns, and inns had lights on inside, indicating they were open for business.
Each building lining the street cast a faint glow.
Byeok Taesan walked slowly down the street.
He didn't forget to extend his senses to assess the surroundings.
This was the street where the Black Axe Gang used to be.
It was a street that the more prominent underworld figures in Wuhan had never bothered with, so now that the gang was gone, there were no longer any notable criminals to be seen.
The fact that they managed to lure and capture members of the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance on a street like this showed they had put in a great deal of effort.
And in Byeok Taesan's opinion, those responsible were definitely still in Wuhan.
If they had caused such a stir and then fled Wuhan, there was no way they could have completely evaded the eyes of the Underworld Sect.
The Underworld Sect had been growing at a truly remarkable rate recently.
The Underworld Sect's eyes were certainly on this street as well.
But most of them had been eliminated.
Knowing the Underworld Sect was here, they had moved stealthily to avoid their notice, then wiped them out the moment they made their move.
They were truly meticulous bastards.
"First, let's have a light drink."
With that, Byeok Taesan entered a tavern.
The tavern was almost completely empty.
Byeok Taesan frowned the moment he stepped inside.
He could understand it being old and shabby, but being dirty was another matter entirely.
Who would possibly want to drink in a place like this?
"I see why there are no customers."
Yeon Harin said with a frown.
Honestly, she didn't want to drink here. If she weren't with Byeok Taesan, she would have left immediately.
A waiter scurried over to the two of them.
"Welcome. Please, have a seat wherever you'd like."
Byeok Taesan stared blankly at the waiter.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?"
The waiter looked at Byeok Taesan with slightly anxious eyes.
"Tell the owner to come out."
"Huh?"
"Tell the cook to come out, too. Call everyone who works here."
"Wha—? Sir... if you do this..."
*Crack!*
Before he could finish his sentence, a nearby table shattered on its own.
The waiter, startled, stared at the broken table.
"Uh... I-I'll go get them right away!"
The waiter hurried inside. A commotion arose from within.
Yeon Harin looked at Byeok Taesan with worried eyes.
"Young Master. May I ask... what's going on?"
"It's nothing. That waiter is no ordinary waiter. I'm just trying to see if the rest of them are the same."
"Huh? What do you mean...?"
Yeon Harin couldn't understand. But looking at Byeok Taesan's expression and his eyes, she could tell he wasn't joking. He was dead serious.
A moment later, the waiter came out with the owner, the cook, and even a handyman.
Seeing them, Byeok Taesan let out a smirk.
"Let's go."
As Byeok Taesan turned and walked out, everyone in the tavern stared at his back in bewilderment.
Yeon Harin gave them an apologetic look, bowed her head slightly, and quickly followed Byeok Taesan.
"Wow... she's really beautiful."
The tavern owner muttered, inappropriately for the situation. The cook chimed in.
"Did you see her apologetic expression as she left? I almost caused trouble."
"By the way, why do you think he called us all out?"
At the waiter's question, everyone shrugged. They really couldn't understand it.
"Should we see where they're going?"
The handyman quickly went outside. He saw Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin entering a courtesan house a short distance from the tavern.
"This is a bit strange, isn't it?"
"Why? What's going on?"
Everyone rushed outside.
A moment later, the two emerged from the courtesan house. Then they entered a nearby inn.
Finding it strange, the courtesans and other workers from the house also poured outside.
Byeok Taesan went into every building on the street, checking who was inside.
After he was done, the street was swarming with people.
A large crowd formed a loose circle around Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin, glaring at them.
"Hey, Young Master. What is this outrage? Business is already so bad we're all dying here. You can't be acting like this."
The most well-built man among the crowd stepped forward and spoke to Byeok Taesan.
As he spoke, he kept glancing at Yeon Harin, who stood beside Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan asked him.
"You know who I am, don't you?"
"How would I know a Young Master I've never seen before in my life?"
The man said confidently. However, both Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin clearly saw his eyes tremble slightly.
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"Next time you lie, practice keeping your eyes still."
Yeon Harin looked around nervously.
These were the residents of this place, and they all seemed like ordinary people.
But she couldn't let her guard down. Above all, the fact that Byeok Taesan had come all this way meant something was up.
"Where did you lock up the men from the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance?"
Yeon Harin was startled by his words. She had been so focused on her training that she hadn't known what was going on. To think something like that had happened.
"They locked up people from the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance?"
"I believe you're misunderstanding something, Young Master."
This time, an elderly-looking man stepped forward.
"We are just ordinary people. What power would we have to imprison the fearsome members of the Martial Alliance or the Black Alliance?"
"Ordinary?"
Byeok Taesan smirked.
The souls of the people gathered here were caked with a truly foul filth.
Even that young waiter was more vile than the man whose soul he had burned and destroyed back at the Fragrant Flower Pavilion.
And yet, these people claimed to be ordinary. Who did they think they were spouting such nonsense to?
"But... did the two of you come here alone?"
At those words, Byeok Taesan glanced around. Everyone's eyes were glinting sharply.
"These guys are a bit clumsy, aren't they?"
At Byeok Taesan's comment, the expressions of a few people hardened.
"I know what you're worried about, but you don't need to be. We came alone, just the two of us."
Meanwhile, people were moving busily in the distance, checking to see if anyone had followed Byeok Taesan.
They seemed to be checking quite a wide area, and once they were certain no one had followed, they sent a signal.
Then, the elderly-looking man who had spoken earlier smiled faintly and said.
"So you really did come alone."
"I already told you we did."
"Did you say we were clumsy?"
Curious to see what this man would say next, Byeok Taesan watched him quietly.
"We have already investigated thoroughly. We know that you, Young Master, are from the Golden Jade Trading Company, and that this young lady is your fiancée. Ah, and that she is the daughter of the Yeon Family Head."
Byeok Taesan looked at Yeon Harin. Yeon Harin, in turn, stared back at him with wide eyes.
She mouthed her words without making a sound.
'They really don't seem to know anything.'
A thought occurred to him: perhaps they weren't part of Nameless.
If they were from Nameless, how could they be so ignorant after all their past encounters with Byeok Taesan?
"You didn't bring the Half-Jiangshi?"
At Byeok Taesan's question, the old man tilted his head.
"Half-Jiangshi? Ah, so that's what you people call them. Indeed... it's a much more fitting name than simply calling them jiangshi."
Since they knew about the Half-Jiangshi, they had to be from Nameless. But for them to be ignorant about Byeok Taesan seemed contradictory.
"So, what have you prepared? Surely this isn't everyone, right? It doesn't look like any of you have even learned martial arts."
The old man smiled broadly.
"What need is there for martial arts? As they say, there's no overcoming sheer numbers."
Yeon Harin wore a look of disbelief at his absurd words.
"Are you kidding? You're going to attack us with them?"
"Does it seem laughable? You won't be laughing for long."
Hearing this, Byeok Taesan looked down at the ground.
A black smoke was spread across the ground. Since it was a dark night, the black smoke was difficult to notice.
"Do you know why martial artists are so fearsome? It's all because of their internal energy. A martial artist without internal energy is nothing but an empty shell."
At the old man's words, Yeon Harin's expression stiffened. She quickly circulated her energy to check her internal power.
Just as she feared, her dantian was as hard as a rock, clumped together and unmoving.
Yeon Harin's expression became rigid.
Byeok Taesan looked at her and said.
"Can you handle this on your own?"
At a time like this? Yeon Harin looked dumbfounded for a moment, but then she nodded with determined eyes.
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Yeon Harin drew her sword.
"I am Yeon Harin. Even without internal energy, Yeon Harin is still Yeon Harin. I won't lose to clumsy fools like them."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"A good attitude. Well then, shall we begin?"
The moment Byeok Taesan finished speaking, the people gathered in the street charged forward.
With demonic expressions, they all rushed toward the pair, brandishing long knives.
This wasn't the work of amateurs.
They weren't just charging blindly; they formed a proper formation, even employing the subtleties of a coordinated attack.
Watching this, Byeok Taesan took a few steps to the side.
Some rushed at Byeok Taesan, while others went for Yeon Harin, with more targeting her.
Driven mad by Yeon Harin's beauty, a significant number of the men charged at her.
"Hey! Don't kill the woman! Keep the injuries to a minimum! Got it?"
Hearing those ridiculous words, Yeon Harin swung her sword gracefully.
*Swish!*
Though it wasn't imbued with internal energy, Yeon Harin's sword was powerful.
She cut through their openings like a phantom.
Blood splattered from all directions.
But not a single scream was heard. They were truly tenacious bastards.
Even with severed limbs and blood pouring from their chests, sides, and stomachs, they didn't let out a single groan.
Such a sight would sicken most, but Yeon Harin's expression didn't change as she calmly swung her sword.
She had to conserve as much strength as possible. To deal with so many of them, stamina was key.
*Clang! Swish! Clang! Swish!*
She parried an incoming blade while simultaneously slashing a chest, then deflected another blade while thrusting at a throat.
The fight continued in this manner.
The attackers, growing weary of Yeon Harin, began to hesitate.
At that moment, the old man's shout was heard.
"This isn't working. Take the medicine!"
As if receiving an absolute command, they all took a pill from their clothes and swallowed it.
In an instant, their aura changed.
They had taken Blood Augmenting Pills.
Even without learning martial arts, taking a Blood Augmenting Pill unleashes one's latent potential, causing a rapid increase in physical abilities.
Yeon Harin's expression hardened.
She wouldn't have lost against them in their previous state, but this might be difficult.
Just then, Byeok Taesan's leisurely voice came from the side.
"If it gets too hard, you can give up at any time. I'll help you."
Yeon Harin gritted her teeth. Weren't those words designed to make her never give up?
"Bring it on!"
Yeon Harin shouted and charged toward the enemy instead.
She skillfully parried the blades coming from all directions, exploited openings, and moved ceaselessly.
She couldn't stop. The key was to keep moving with a different rhythm so the enemy couldn't read her movements.
And Yeon Harin was succeeding.
Watching the scene from the side, Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Not bad."
A pleased smile flickered on his lips before vanishing.
The men who had been charging at Byeok Taesan were repelled by something and pushed far back.
Without harming anyone, Byeok Taesan stood still and watched Yeon Harin's fight.
< An Evening Stroll After a Long Time > End