Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: I Told You to Come at Night
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The Hundred Flowers Pavilion decided to close its doors.
A massive hole had been punched straight through from the first floor to the ceiling. How could they possibly repair that?
No, even if they did, it would never be sturdy.
In the end, they decided to demolish the building, leaving the Hundred Flowers Pavilion no choice but to suspend business for the time being.
The Hundred Flowers Pavilion was no ordinary tavern.
It was a tavern, yes, but it was also the Underworld Sect.
Just because its doors were closed and it wasn't serving customers didn't mean its work could stop.
So, the place they chose—no, the place that was chosen for them—was here.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked at Byeok Taesan, her expression tense.
They were in a building near the main gate of the Golden Jade Villa.
It was originally used as temporary lodging for guests, but now it would serve as the Underworld Sect's provisional headquarters.
The surviving members of the Underworld Sect were resting in the building.
And in a makeshift office set up on the top floor, Byeok Taesan and the other key figures were gathered.
Naturally, Byeok Taesan sat at the head seat, while the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion sat below, her hands folded respectfully.
Hwaok sat facing the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, with Seung Doheung beside her.
Next to the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion sat the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
Byeok Taesan scanned them all before turning his calm gaze to Seung Doheung.
Seung Doheung's face was flushed with excitement.
"I haven't completed a full analysis yet, but I've already learned a great deal from it."
When Byeok Taesan nodded once, Seung Doheung continued excitedly.
"First, I've perfectly mapped out its structure. You can take the gold chunks back now."
The Golden Wall had been truly massive. The sheer volume of its shattered fragments was immense.
It was probably enough to buy several decent-sized merchant guilds outright.
Byeok Taesan shifted his gaze slightly to look at Hwaok.
Hwaok bowed her head respectfully and replied.
"I will take them into my custody and use them as the situation demands."
With that matter settled, Seung Doheung grew restless.
Noticing this, the Divine Doctor of the Ages blurted out.
"Stop fidgeting like a puppy that needs to relieve itself. If you have something to say, say it. Surely you're not afraid our Young Master will give you a hard time over it?"
Startled, Seung Doheung waved his hands frantically.
"No! I would never think such a thing!"
The One-Needle Eccentric scowled and glared at the Divine Doctor.
"Why are you bothering the kid again? Don't project your own rotten thoughts onto him."
The Divine Doctor, taken aback, was about to retort when Byeok Taesan raised a hand to stop him.
If left unchecked, their bickering would be endless. Cutting it short was essential for a smooth meeting.
Once the room fell silent, Byeok Taesan looked at Seung Doheung, as if to say, *Go on.*
"Um... I have something to say about the new estate."
Seung Doheung took a deep breath and continued.
"What if we were to alter the design of the estate?"
Everyone looked at Seung Doheung with puzzled eyes.
Construction of the estate was already underway. Changing the design now would mean all the money and effort invested so far would go to waste.
"There's no need to halt the construction. I went and checked myself. With a few modifications and a new plan from this point forward, it'll be more than enough."
Hwaok asked.
"What benefit would that bring?"
"We could use the buildings to construct a massive formation."
"Wasn't that already part of the plan?"
"We can install a formation on a much larger scale. One that utilizes not only the estate, but the area outside it as well."
"Utilize the area outside the estate?"
"The Hundred Flowers Pavilion needs to be rebuilt anyway, right? We could build it close to the estate and, while we're at it, develop the entire street."
Hwaok stared at Seung Doheung in disbelief.
"Do you have any idea how much money that would cost?"
"I do. But once it's done, it will be the ultimate defense against any intruders."
Besides, they could procure the funds somehow. They had plenty of gold, after all.
The One-Needle Eccentric chimed in.
"What about the Heavenly Medicine Hall? Isn't its current location quite a distance from the new estate?"
"That's something we'll have to consider. Wouldn't it be better to build the new estate more efficiently? Frankly, considering the future growth of our faction, the current Heavenly Medicine Hall would have to be moved eventually anyway."
"So it will cost even more money. Will the gold we have be enough?"
At Hwaok's words, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion spoke up.
"If we scrape together every last coin from the Underworld Sect's funds, we might be able to make an attempt."
After saying so, she looked at Byeok Taesan.
"We would also need to use all the money the Young Master entrusted to us."
She was referring to the wealth he had acquired through his battles. The spoils from raiding bandit strongholds and fighting Nameless amounted to a considerable sum.
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Use it all. Well, taking over an entire street while we're at it doesn't sound too bad."
This wasn't just a street; it was tantamount to creating Byeok Taesan's own village within Wuhan.
A village shrouded in a massive formation, at that.
Byeok Taesan thought for a moment, then looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"Among the remaining members of the Secret Heaven Group, are there any with deep pockets?"
Every member of the Secret Heaven Group had their own special profession. Some, like the Divine Doctor, were physicians, while others, like Jang Gagu, ran escort agencies.
Pooling all the surplus funds from each member would be a significant help.
They would have to bring them all into the new district anyway.
"I will look into it."
As it happened, the Divine Doctor's disciples had been diligently searching for other members lately.
He had heard they were making some progress, so he should be able to get the right information.
The meeting continued after that.
They also discussed the identities of the recent attackers, but since Byeok Taesan had killed every last one of them, there was almost no information to be had.
He had actually tried to leave two of them alive, but they had self-destructed, leaving him no choice.
Recalling the incident, Byeok Taesan's expression darkened slightly.
The meeting finally concluded around noon.
The incident had occurred, they had hastily dealt with the aftermath, and then everyone had gathered for the meeting. They had been talking nonstop for several hours.
As the meeting wrapped up, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion said.
"I will report on the Underworld Sect's situation later, once I have a full assessment. We still haven't grasped the full extent of the damages..."
Byeok Taesan nodded with an indifferent expression.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion bowed respectfully. And with that, the meeting was over.
After the meeting ended and everyone had left, Byeok Taesan remained alone in the office, lost in thought.
He quietly recalled the moment those two men had self-destructed.
They had clearly reacted to his words about "pulling" it out. Until that moment, they hadn't intended to self-destruct.
That meant they were confident they could withstand any torture. It also meant they were sure they wouldn't break under the Underworld Sect's special interrogation methods.
But to do so at the mere mention of "pulling"—didn't that mean they knew what it implied?
'Is that too much of a leap?'
Byeok Taesan tilted his head.
Those men had definitely witnessed the Heavenly Demon using his powers properly. Or, at the very least, they had heard a vivid account from someone who had.
Of that, he was certain.
And if they truly had reacted to his words, it meant they had experience watching the former Heavenly Demon extract a soul from up close.
Back when he was the Heavenly Demon, he hadn't extracted souls so gently.
He would kill everyone first, then suck out their souls in one go.
He had nothing to hide, so it didn't matter. In fact, it was much faster and more effective than pulling souls out one by one from the crown of their heads.
Nevertheless, there were times when he did extract them directly—when he intended to interrogate them through their souls.
When he pulled out a soul and burned it, the lingering thoughts left within it would seep into him.
The strongest memories from that time would flow in, and when combined with interrogation, he could extract high-quality information.
"Who... who saw me do that?"
Byeok Taesan began to carefully sift through his old memories. It seemed it would take some time.
***
"My lady, what are you doing here?"
Soso asked, her face full of surprise.
Yeon Harin looked up at Soso with hollow eyes.
She was squatting in front of Byeok Taesan's bedroom, hugging her knees.
She couldn't bring herself to answer Soso's question right away.
How could she possibly admit that she had been squatting here since last night, waiting for Byeok Taesan?
He told me to come at night!
Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
Seeing Yeon Harin like this, Soso's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me you've been waiting for the Young Master? Since when?"
Yeon Harin hesitated before answering.
"S-Since last night?"
Soso's shocked expression didn't fade.
"My lady, haven't you heard the news?"
"News? What news?"
"That some bad men attacked the Hundred Flowers Pavilion last night."
"Bad men at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?"
Startled, Yeon Harin shot up to her feet.
"So? What happened?"
"A lot of people died, they say."
"Ah...!"
Yeon Harin knew that the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was the Underworld Sect. She had also met its master several times.
She had heard that many of the courtesans and workers there were also members.
"So..."
Soso nodded.
"Yes. So the Young Master has been fighting and holding meetings all night because of it... Anyway, that's what's been happening. I only heard about it myself, so I don't know the details."
"I see. Thank you so much for telling me."
Yeon Harin thanked Soso and quickly started walking.
Such a major incident had occurred, yet she had spent the whole night squatting here to satisfy her own selfish desires. A sudden wave of self-loathing washed over her.
"My lady! Where are you going? Do you know where the Young Master is?"
Yeon Harin stopped in her tracks. Blushing, she sheepishly turned and shook her head.
Seeing this, Soso smiled gently.
"Try the building next to the main gate. I heard everyone is gathered there."
Yeon Harin sheepishly avoided Soso's gaze and said.
"Th-Thank you."
She quickly ran toward the main gate.
Soso watched Yeon Harin's retreating back for a long time.
***
Byeok Taesan pulled himself out of his deep thoughts.
It was because of the presence that had been pacing back and forth in front of the door for some time.
He knew who it was. Yeon Harin's aura had a very distinct color.
If she wanted to come in, she could have just asked. But whatever she'd heard outside, she just kept pacing.
Byeok Taesan waved his hand, and the door swung open.
Through the open door, he saw Yeon Harin, her eyes wide.
Apparently, she hadn't expected the door to open so suddenly.
"If you're coming in, then come in."
Yeon Harin quickly composed her expression. Then, she pouted.
"You told me to come, and then..."
She knew something had happened. She knew it couldn't be helped. She was just grumbling for the sake of it.
Of course, she also knew her pouting wouldn't work on him.
Yeon Harin glanced around before quickly stepping inside and closing the door.
Then she approached Byeok Taesan and studied his face.
"Are you okay?"
Byeok Taesan nodded at her question. Why wouldn't he be?
Byeok Taesan stared at Yeon Harin quietly.
"Get stronger."
"Huh?"
Yeon Harin's eyes widened as she looked at Byeok Taesan.
At first, she wondered what this sudden remark was about.
But after a moment's thought, she felt she understood what he meant.
Yeon Harin's eyes sparkled as she looked at Byeok Taesan.
"I'll become strong enough not to hold you back, Young Master. You don't have to worry. It's not just me; everyone is trying hard. So..."
Yeon Harin couldn't finish her sentence.
Because Byeok Taesan had suddenly smiled.
Come to think of it, she couldn't recall ever seeing him smile so brightly.
No wonder it felt so unfamiliar.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
For some reason, his words brought her a sense of comfort, as if wrapping her in a warm embrace.
A smile similar to Byeok Taesan's formed on her lips.