Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: I'm in a Bad Mood
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"Huh? Young Master?"
The Sword Demon's eyes widened when he saw Byeok Taesan suddenly appear.
He had been in the annex's rear garden, repeatedly practicing the Mind Sword he had recently comprehended.
During his fight with the old man at the medicine shop not long ago, he would have been in serious trouble if he hadn't been able to use the Mind Sword.
The old man and the Sword Demon were nearly evenly matched, but the old man had a slight edge.
Moreover, the Sword Demon was at a psychological disadvantage.
He would have eventually been defeated.
The one thing that had turned the entire situation around was the Mind Sword.
The more he trained, the more he painfully realized that he still lacked the capacity to wield it properly.
And he knew that this enlightenment was not achieved through his own power alone.
All of this was thanks to Byeok Taesan.
On the very day Byeok Taesan had told him to approach, something had clearly been done to him, and he had changed.
And then he had obtained the Mind Sword.
In any case, now that he had gained something beyond his station, he had to work himself to death to make himself worthy of it.
That was the Sword Demon's way, the very driving force that had made him who he was today.
The Sword Demon looked at Byeok Taesan with a gaze full of goodwill and respect.
Byeok Taesan stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"I heard you were injured."
At Byeok Taesan's words, the Sword Demon's mind raced. He thought of Soso.
"My apologies. I did not anticipate they would resort to such methods. From now on, I will take a few more men with me."
Of course, now that the medicine shop was closed, there was no longer any need to go there.
Byeok Taesan's brow furrowed slightly.
He would take more men to prepare for it? That wasn't the answer Byeok Taesan wanted.
In reality, taking more men for safety was the correct course of action, but that wasn't how the answer should have been phrased.
This was because the answer should have contained the Sword Demon's resolve.
"It seems I'll have to help with your training for a while."
The Sword Demon's eyes glinted. He never imagined such a fortunate opportunity would come his way.
The gazes of the others training nearby all fixed on the Sword Demon at once.
The Sword Demon thought they were all just jealous.
If he had been just a little less ecstatic, he would have surely noticed the pity in their eyes.
"And you haven't been fully cleansed yet, so tonight… No. Come find me every night starting tomorrow. Until I say you're done."
"Yes, Young Master."
Tonight was Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon's turn.
Once he cleansed their souls, everyone around him would be finished.
'Ah, there's also Na Heontak.'
Byeok Taesan waved a dismissive hand at the Sword Demon, a gesture for him to hurry up and go train.
There was nothing more to be heard from this one anyway.
This kind of discussion was best had with Hwaok.
As if she had just stepped out of Byeok Taesan's mind, Hwaok was suddenly standing beside him.
She reported exactly what Byeok Taesan wanted to hear.
"It originally started with the Okcheon Trading Company, but the Golden Moon Trading Company has gotten involved. They've sent an unlimited number of people to begin an investigation into the Heavenly Medicine Hall in Wuhan."
It was nearly impossible to evade Hwaok's eyes in Wuhan, of all places.
The Golden Moon Trading Company moved with extreme secrecy, but from the moment they set foot in Wuhan, their every move was being monitored.
And at a moment of Byeok Taesan's choosing, they could all be captured.
The agents sent by Golden Moon were quite strong, but they were no match for the Secret Heaven Group.
Besides, weren't there also the growing factions of the underworld and the ronin in Wuhan?
"So, what about the ones who hurt Soso?"
"They have all been locked up. Interrogation is underway. Oh, what should we do with Bang Durip now?"
Bang Durip had been thoroughly interrogated by the Underworld Sect and the Secret Heaven Group. He had coughed up a surprising amount of information.
Unlike Nameless, he couldn't withstand the Underworld Sect's interrogation properly.
"Bring him to my room."
If the Underworld Sect was done with their interrogation, wasn't it time for Byeok Taesan to grill him a bit?
Byeok Taesan stared at Hwaok. The answer he wanted hadn't fully come out yet.
"The one who died by Lord Sword Demon's hand is presumed to be a member of Nameless. The ones who fought Soso belong to the Golden Moon Trading Company."
They seemed to be from the same organization as the agents dispatched to Wuhan.
They were the ones the Golden Moon Trading Company used to gather or manipulate information, and occasionally for kidnappings or assassinations.
If they had also been sent by Nameless, it would not have been easy for Soso to face them alone.
"Golden Moon Trading Company, is it?"
Byeok Taesan spun around and strode away.
Hwaok quickly followed behind him and asked.
"Young Master, surely you're not planning to go to the Golden Moon Trading Company now?"
At her words, Byeok Taesan stopped in his tracks.
Wiping out the Golden Moon Trading Company's headquarters in Changsha would be a simple matter.
But doing so wouldn't bring down the company.
The Golden Moon Trading Company was the closest thing to the world's number one merchant guild.
It had branches all over the world, some of which were even larger than the headquarters.
"Where would it hurt them the most?"
Byeok Taesan asked, looking at Hwaok.
Hwaok calmly organized her thoughts before answering.
"The Golden Moon Trading Company isn't concentrated in any one area; they deal in a variety of fields."
When Byeok Taesan nodded, Hwaok continued.
"The weight of their businesses is all similar, but if we were to pick those that would suffer the most impact, there's the escort agency. Depending on the cargo, the damage could be beyond imagination."
In particular, the escort agencies owned by Golden Moon were assisted by elite warriors from the Sangcheonmen, Cheongmubang, and Guryongmun.
Naturally, their credibility was high, and they were entrusted with many expensive and important items.
Hwaok continued her report while observing Byeok Taesan's expression.
"The Golden Moon Trading Company's escort agencies are connected to their waterway distribution. They own a great number of ships, as well as many experienced and skilled sailors and workers."
Naturally, the company's goods were also distributed via waterways. They essentially controlled a massive logistics network.
That was undoubtedly the foundation of the immense power held by the Golden Moon Trading Company.
"Smashing the ships would kill two birds with one stone, then."
"Indeed."
In particular, if they were to smash and sink the ships carrying escorted goods, the damage would be immeasurably severe.
As Byeok Taesan stared at Hwaok, she quickly lowered her head.
"I will begin the investigation at once."
Only then did Byeok Taesan nod with a satisfied expression and head back to his room.
"I'm starting to get hungry."
Come to think of it, he had come out without eating.
Returning to his room, he saw Jihyang and Soso pacing about restlessly.
Byeok Taesan sat down with an unfazed expression and began his meal.
Jihyang and Soso also attended to his meal with a relaxed demeanor, as if nothing had happened.
* * *
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon stood before Byeok Taesan's room with tense expressions.
After taking a moment to calm themselves, the two slowly opened the door.
They saw Byeok Taesan sitting on a chair placed in the middle of the room.
"Young Master, you called for us."
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon bowed their heads respectfully.
The two were on high alert, clueless as to why Byeok Taesan had summoned them together, especially at this late hour.
Their relationship had been deepening recently, and they were just starting to wonder if it might be time to get married.
They felt a mix of hope and worry that he might have called them to discuss that very matter.
It would be truly troublesome if Byeok Taesan were to oppose their marriage.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon were merely the bodyguards of Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin, respectively. In truth, neither Byeok Taesan nor Yeon Harin had any right to meddle in their marriage.
But even so, if Byeok Taesan were to oppose it, they planned to wait for a while.
If Byeok Taesan objected, there was surely a good reason for it.
As the two entered the room, Byeok Taesan gestured toward the bed with his chin.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon were bewildered.
But since it was Byeok Taesan's command, they headed to the bed. They then sat down side-by-side in an awkward posture.
"Um… Young Master, what is the meaning of this…?"
Byeok Taesan rose from his seat and strode toward them.
He then placed his hands on the crowns of their heads.
Before they could react or say a word, Byeok Taesan swiftly pulled out their souls.
* * *
The next morning, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon awoke in bed together. They shot up at the same time.
This was Byeok Taesan's room, and this was Byeok Taesan's bed.
"What in the world…!"
Yu Seoyeon wore a look of utter bewilderment. Cheon Gyeongwan was the same.
Both of their faces flushed crimson.
They couldn't remember what had happened last night. Only feelings and sensations remained.
It had been very painful, and then good, and embarrassing.
The problem was that Byeok Taesan had been in the room with them.
"Aaaargh!"
Cheon Gyeongwan let out a tormented scream, shaking his head as if trying to banish the thought.
The two looked around, checked their surroundings, and then quietly exited the room.
The moment they opened the door and stepped outside, they froze.
Standing in front of the door were the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
The expressions on the two old men's faces were so lewd that Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon were unable to react properly.
"Judging by your faces, you look like you're about to die of happiness. Isn't that right, brother?"
At the Divine Doctor's words, the One-Needle Eccentric nodded emphatically.
"Well, they're at that age, aren't they? We have to be understanding."
Cheon Gyeongwan waved his hands in denial.
"I-I-It's not like th-that!"
"What's not like that? What, are you trying to run away from your responsibility?"
"I'm not! I'm not running away!"
As Cheon Gyeongwan shouted, the Divine Doctor grinned.
"Who said anything? If it's not, it's not. Why are you yelling? You sound like someone with something to hide."
"I told you it's not!"
"I heard you, okay? Hey, he says it's not. Take note."
The Divine Doctor now turned to Yu Seoyeon.
Yu Seoyeon couldn't bring herself to say anything and discreetly turned her head away.
"Hey, hey, stop teasing them. You're going to make them cry."
"Who's crying! I'm not that kind of person!"
"I said I get it. Why do you keep shouting?"
After chiding him once more, the Divine Doctor continued.
"The Young Master said you two were a bit special. So I prepared this for you. Anyway, you'd better etch it into your minds that the Divine Doctor of the Ages is the only one who looks out for you."
As he spoke, the Divine Doctor took out two ginseng roots from his robes and offered them.
"What… is this?"
"It's a hundred-year-old wild ginseng. I scoured every inch of the mountains around here to find this."
"What do you mean, you scoured? You just went where the Young Master told you and pulled it out of the ground."
"Oh, come on! In any case, I'm the one who climbed the mountain and I'm the one who pulled this out, am I not?"
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon cautiously accepted a ginseng root each.
"Chew it up and swallow it here and now. We'll watch over you."
"Then, we're in your care."
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon chewed and swallowed every last bit of the ginseng.
A hot energy began to churn in their stomachs.
The energy spun, growing in size.
It sucked in all the scattered energy from every corner of their bodies, soon becoming a massive, hot torrent of power.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon sat down cross-legged on the spot and began to assimilate the energy.
Searing heat radiated from their bodies. The air around them shimmered from the heat.
The Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric watched the scene, shaking their heads.
"What on earth did the Young Master do to them this time?"
What could he have possibly done to make such a tremendous amount of energy swirl around them?
"Was the ginseng I gave them that amazing?"
"It was a little over a hundred years old, and not much different from ordinary ginseng. It was just ginseng."
"Is it possible to become like that just by eating that ginseng?"
"Impossible."
"I'm curious. If I knew, my Divine Elixir of the Ages would become several times more potent."
"As I see it, the Divine Elixir of the Ages has reached its limit. To improve it further, you'd have to tear it down and rebuild it from its very foundation."
"You really know how to say the nastiest things."
Though he said that, the Divine Doctor acknowledged it to some extent.
And the One-Needle Eccentric also found that part to be a great pity.
The two watched over Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, who were radiating heat, their minds filled with various thoughts.
* * *
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon slowly opened their eyes.
They couldn't hide their bewildered expressions.
"What is this outrageous amount of internal energy!"
Yu Seoyeon exclaimed in shock.
Cheon Gyeongwan was just as surprised. His dantian was so full of internal energy it felt like it would burst.
There was no way they could have gathered this much internal energy from a single, mere hundred-year-old ginseng.
'The Young Master did something.'
When the two of them were in the room together, Byeok Taesan had clearly done something.
As they were reeling from their newfound power, Byeok Taesan approached.
"Y-Young Master, you're here."
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon greeted him respectfully.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric, who had been watching over them the whole time, subtly averted their gazes.
For some reason, Byeok Taesan's aura felt ominous.
"Follow me."
At Byeok Taesan's words, the four of them reflexively started walking.
As they left the annex, Hwaok appeared and fell in step beside Byeok Taesan.
They left the inn and headed somewhere.
The Divine Doctor, unable to contain his curiosity, asked Byeok Taesan.
"Um… Young Master, where are we going?"
"I'm in a bad mood."
The Divine Doctor looked dumbfounded.
He had asked where they were going, so why was he getting an answer about his mood?
Silence fell after that.
< I'm in a Bad Mood > End