Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Suddenly, It Feels Unfair
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The members of the Underworld Sect scoured the street where the Black Axe Gang had been.
First, they cleared and organized all the corpses. In the process, they checked for any survivors.
They found two people on the verge of death and, after providing swift treatment, sent them to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
They received help from the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric in the process.
The Underworld Sect members had been moving since the moment the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion gave the order, so they began the cleanup at dawn.
By the time the sun rose, the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric had arrived with Cho Seoran, and from then on, they began treating the dying.
The three of them not only checked the living but also examined all the dead.
This was because there might be someone who had revived among them, or they might discover something from the corpses.
And it was also to give Cho Seoran more experience.
As it was, Cho Seoran had been growing at a frightening pace since her night with Byeok Taesan. With each new experience like this, she leaped forward in her skills.
This time was no different.
"By the way, these bodies... it looks like one person took care of them all, doesn't it?"
At the Divine Doctor's words, the One-Needle Eccentric nodded.
"I think so too."
The two of them looked at Cho Seoran simultaneously.
Cho Seoran was carefully examining the marks on a corpse.
"It seems... they took some kind of medicine?"
The Divine Doctor marveled at Cho Seoran's words.
"As expected of someone who handles medicine well, you're a natural at spotting that. That's right. These bastards took Blood Augmenting Pills."
The One-Needle Eccentric nodded as if in agreement with the Divine Doctor's words.
"Now, look closely."
The Divine Doctor then diligently explained the characteristics of those who had consumed Blood Augmenting Pills.
Cho Seoran listened with a serious expression, nodding her head repeatedly.
Occasionally, the One-Needle Eccentric would chime in where additional explanation was needed.
With two renowned physicians teaching her so sincerely, Cho Seoran's skills couldn't help but improve.
"By the way, looking at the wounds, it doesn't seem like our Young Master was involved."
At the Divine Doctor's words, Cho Seoran's eyes sparkled.
"How can you tell?"
"If our Young Master had stepped in, they'd all have been slapped, but there are no such marks. All you see are sword wounds or blows from the process of inflicting those wounds, right?"
The One-Needle Eccentric chimed in.
"I heard the Young Master went for a rare night walk yesterday."
The Divine Doctor gave the One-Needle Eccentric a sullen look.
"He didn't say that 'night walk' was *here*. That's why *we're* here."
"Tsk, tsk, use your head. If the Young Master came here for a night walk, and he wasn't the one who took care of these guys, who else could it be?"
"Huh? Yesterday, Cheon Gyeongwan, that fellow, was in the training grounds with his lover until late at night, sweetly spilling blood."
"Yeon Harin."
At the One-Needle Eccentric's words, the Divine Doctor smiled slyly.
"Aha, so our Young Master wanted to spend a passionate night with his fiancée yesterday."
Hearing this, Cho Seoran's expression darkened slightly.
"Then that means Harin did all this..."
The Divine Doctor muttered to himself, then brought his nose close to the ground and sniffed.
"What are you doing, you pig?"
"Don't call me a pig, you should smell this too, brother. Something was here."
"What was here?"
The One-Needle Eccentric scowled at the Divine Doctor's words but still lowered his nose to the ground and sniffed.
"Huh?"
The two physicians tilted their heads at the same time.
"These guys used some kind of poison... feels similar to a Qi-Scattering Poison, doesn't it?"
"My thoughts exactly. What do you think?"
When the Divine Doctor asked Cho Seoran, she jumped in surprise.
"Pardon? W-What?"
The Divine Doctor's eyes narrowed.
"Hmm? Look at this? Why are you so startled all of a sudden? This is suspicious. What were you thinking to react like that?"
"I-It's nothing."
"She said it's nothing. Stop bothering the kid. She already has trouble sleeping at night because of you, do you have to torment her like this?"
The Divine Doctor leaped to his feet.
"This old man is saying something outrageous. When did I ever torment her? Hey, you, speak up. Did I torment you?"
"N-No, you didn't."
"Tsk, tsk, *that's* what tormenting is. So inconsiderate."
The One-Needle Eccentric chided him, then spoke gently to Cho Seoran.
"Don't you worry about a thing. I'll give you an acupuncture treatment that will help you sleep well, so make sure to come see me later."
"Yes."
At Cho Seoran's reply, the Divine Doctor pounded his own chest.
"Ugh, this is so frustrating! I didn't torment her! Why is it my fault she can't sleep!"
"Then whose fault is it?"
"How should I know! How would I know that? Maybe there's some rascal keeping her up at night, or maybe she just has insomnia!"
Cho Seoran's face turned slightly red. Unable to hide her flustered expression, she began to fidget.
"Sh-Shouldn't we hurry up and finish our work and go back? The Young Master might be looking for us."
"Oh, right. We need to have something to report if the Young Master asks. So why didn't you listen properly in the first place? It seems like someone used poison here, so you should check it out too."
Cho Seoran quickly examined the ground.
All the expressions and emotions that had been on her face a moment ago vanished in an instant. Her eyes gleamed, and her senses sharpened.
"It certainly... has the feel of a Qi-Scattering Poison. Do you think we might find something? For now, I'll take some of this soil to examine."
The Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric nodded and went to find the Underworld Sect members who were searching the area.
Cho Seoran sighed as she watched the two of them.
"Huu. Suddenly, it feels unfair."
Even in her frustration, Byeok Taesan's face came to mind.
Cho Seoran lightly tapped her head with her fist, as if telling herself to snap out of it.
* * *
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was frantically handling her work.
There were so many to interrogate, so much to investigate, and so many things to find that even ten bodies wouldn't have been enough.
And amidst all that, she had to organize the information and deliver it to Hwaok.
It was exhausting to do that as well, but she had no choice. In truth, it was the most important task of all.
The current Underworld Sect belonged to Byeok Taesan. What could be more important than reporting to its master?
So, just as she was preparing the information to pass to Hwaok, Byeok Taesan suddenly arrived.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was startled by the news and quickly went down to the first floor. Or rather, she intended to. But before she could even leave her office, Byeok Taesan barged in.
"Y-Young Master!"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked at Byeok Taesan in surprise.
"Sit."
As Byeok Taesan headed to his seat, she finally took in her surroundings. Her eyes fell on Hwaok. Byeok Taesan had brought Hwaok with him.
Not knowing what was happening, she sat down and looked at Byeok Taesan as he began to speak.
"Hwaok suggested we come."
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked at Hwaok with a puzzled expression.
"I thought you'd be busy, so I brought him here. I figured organizing the information for me would be the hardest part. And while I'm here, I thought I could help out a bit. Is that alright?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion gave a wry smile, then looked at Hwaok with a grateful expression.
If Hwaok was helping, it was as good as gaining a thousand troops.
Work would probably become much easier for a while.
Moreover, Hwaok had even received command of the Secret Heaven Group from Byeok Taesan. She would be a great help in any task.
Byeok Taesan gestured with his chin.
"Begin."
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion collected herself and began her report.
"First, interrogation results confirm the Black Axe Gang is part of Nameless. We also found the Qi-Scattering Poison used in the attack on you, Young Master, at their base."
"Qi-Scattering Poison?"
"Yes. It's been sent to the Heavenly Medicine Hall for analysis. I've received confirmation that they'll be able to find a countermeasure soon."
A series of minor reports followed.
Thanks to Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin wiping out the Black Axe Gang's base, they had found clues to track them.
But despite that, the pursuit seemed likely to take some time.
This enemy was very good at hiding, and their level of disinformation was extremely high.
It seemed they had already grasped what had happened on this end and were implementing countermeasures.
"We saved a few of the men who were living on the street. We will begin interrogating them once they are in a condition to be questioned."
Doing so would allow them to confirm some of their methods. Furthermore, they would be able to find out where the warriors of the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance were being hidden.
The reports continued after that.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion had far more work than one might think.
When the report concluded, Byeok Taesan nodded and asked.
"Are you learning the Shadow Phantom Steps well?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion couldn't hide her troubled expression.
"I am learning it, but... the progress isn't as fast as I'd like."
If she had to make an excuse, it was a lack of time to train.
The Shadow Phantom Steps required more than just physical practice. It demanded delving into and researching the martial art itself, but she was so busy that she had far too little time for that.
It was truly remarkable that she had learned this much in the meantime.
Byeok Taesan nodded and rose from his seat.
He felt he needed to take some action soon.
"Then I'll be going."
Byeok Taesan felt there was no need to take up any more of her time and thought he should return quickly.
Indeed, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion's complexion was terrible.
A thought suddenly struck him that if her fatigue continued to build, she might die from overwork, no matter how much martial arts she had learned.
Byeok Taesan stopped as he was about to leave.
He slowly turned and looked at the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
She looked back at him with a puzzled expression.
Byeok Taesan looked at the door on one side of her office.
"Is that the bedroom?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked at Byeok Taesan with trembling eyes and swallowed dryly.
"Yes. Th-That's right."
Byeok Taesan strode toward the bedroom.
The Master's eyes widened in surprise.
"Follow me."
As if possessed, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion blankly followed Byeok Taesan.
And they entered the bedroom together.
Hwaok, who remained in the office, smiled wryly as she gazed at the bedroom door the two had entered.
A moment later, a continuous stream of soul-melting moans began to flow from the bedroom.
* * *
Having impulsively extracted and burned the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion's soul, Byeok Taesan walked on with a refreshed expression.
He wouldn't have done it if she hadn't looked like she was on the verge of death.
In any case, though it was an impulsive act, the result was excellent. And it was very satisfying in many ways.
The quality of the spiritual power he obtained from burning her soul was quite superb.
Of course, it was a far cry from the elixir-like spiritual power obtained through the physicians of the Heavenly Medicine Hall, but it was still good enough.
Now, he was thinking of going back, refining this spiritual power, and steadily accumulating it in his body, then perhaps visiting Seung Doheung.
It had been quite some time since he had given the fragments of the Golden Jade to Seung Doheung, so he must have achieved some results.
While analyzing them would improve his skills in formations, it could also provide the spark for a new enlightenment regarding the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts.
In any case, with such thoughts, Byeok Taesan was leisurely heading toward the Golden Jade Villa.
About halfway from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to the Golden Jade Villa, someone came running breathlessly.
Seeing him running from the direction of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, it was highly likely he was an Underworld Sect member sent by the Master.
Byeok Taesan stopped walking and turned to look at the approaching man.
But his expression seemed unusually grave.
It appeared that far behind him, someone was rushing forward at a furious speed.
Judging by the speed and aura, they were a considerable master.
Of course, in Byeok Taesan's eyes, they were of a mediocre level.
In any case, their objective was blatantly obvious, so he couldn't just leave them be.
Byeok Taesan took a step forward and reached out his hand.
*Crack!*
In an instant, Byeok Taesan was standing before the pursuer, his hand clamped around the man's neck.
The man, caught by the neck, couldn't even let out a groan, unsure of how he had been attacked.
Byeok Taesan turned his head to look at the Underworld Sect member who had been running toward him.
The Underworld Sect member was startled when Byeok Taesan, his target, suddenly disappeared. He reflexively looked back and spotted him.
He stared blankly at Byeok Taesan, unable to quickly grasp the situation.
But soon, with an urgent expression, he ran toward Byeok Taesan.
There was no time to understand the situation now. It was a true emergency.
"Young Master! It's an attack! Some bastards at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion are—!"
The Underworld Sect member couldn't finish his sentence, staring blankly at the spot where Byeok Taesan had been.
The man who had been chasing him was on the ground, his body twitching as if having a seizure, blood pouring from all seven of his orifices.
And Byeok Taesan was nowhere to be seen.
< Suddenly, It Feels Unfair > End