Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Let's Find Him First
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Byeok Taesan finished his training with the Sword Demon and returned to his room.
The room was spotless.
It seemed the maids had cleaned it.
Byeok Taesan recalled the events of yesterday.
Not his time with Hwaok, but the incident while steering the ship.
He had intervened slightly to help the group propel the ship forward, enveloping it in energy.
In truth, he hadn't given it much thought at the time.
It was something he had done often in the past.
The ones who usually experienced it were the Heavenly Vanguard.
It wasn't with a ship like this time, but far more direct.
They would charge, their bodies wrapped in energy.
When all members of the Heavenly Vanguard did this, their energies would merge into one massive clump.
That mass would then rush forward, shattering everything in its path.
During his time as the Heavenly Demon, Byeok Taesan would intervene, altering the nature of the energy to heighten its destructive power.
When the Heavenly Demon intervened, the destructive force would be amplified several times over. Moreover, every time they used it, the skills of the Heavenly Vanguard improved dramatically.
Of course, there was a limit to their growth, but they strengthened quickly up to a certain point.
In any case, nothing like this had happened back then.
In fact, he had used far more energy back then than he had this time.
His control over the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts had been crude back then, incomparable to his current level.
But no matter how much he did it, he had never touched the depths of their senses like he did this time.
This time, because he had touched the depths of their senses, a specific emotion had been stirred.
Perhaps it wasn't just because he had touched the depths of their senses.
Honestly, he still hadn't fully grasped the cause.
That was why he had hurriedly trained the Sword Demon. It was so he could continue his own training for a while, introspecting alone.
Byeok Taesan sat on his bed and gently closed his eyes.
He would use it again if the opportunity arose. He couldn't have his subordinates consumed by lust every time.
Today, his body and mind felt particularly clear, and he quickly sank into a state of selflessness.
* * *
The Sword Demon watched the people training in the rear garden and chuckled softly.
Seeing this, Na Heontak wore a hesitant expression.
He had come because the Sword Demon had summoned him, but that smile made him feel uneasy. It looked incredibly sinister.
"But there are some guys missing."
At the Sword Demon's words, Na Heontak snapped to attention and looked at the rear garden.
"The two physicians are not here. That young pair of guards is also missing."
"Aren't they the ones who went out with the Young Master yesterday? Hwaok came back, didn't she?"
"Training isn't mandatory, is it? They must have had some personal business."
"Hmph. Business, my foot. They're probably rolling around in some brothel. Send the men. Go find them right now."
Na Heontak, sensing the Sword Demon's unusual mood, watched him with tense eyes.
As long as they hadn't left Changsha, finding them would be quick.
It would have been so even with just the Secret Heaven Group, but now they had the Underworld Sect as well. They could probably be found within an hour.
But there was no need. The four of them were just entering the rear garden.
"Where have you been, taking your sweet time?"
The four who had just arrived could also clearly tell that the Sword Demon's mood was unusual.
The Sword Demon pointed toward the training area in the garden.
"Go over there. I will relay the Young Master's orders."
The words "Young Master" were enough to silence even the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
He had been about to let loose a torrent of complaints, but as soon as he heard "Young Master," all the words rising in his throat sank as if they had never been.
Only then did the Sword Demon look at the gathered group with a satisfied expression.
Then, he drew a long line slightly behind the center of the rear garden.
Everyone watched what the Sword Demon was doing with curious eyes. Since it was an order from Byeok Taesan, it surely wasn't something foolish.
"If you cross this line, the Young Master said he would personally oversee your training one-on-one."
At those words, everyone's expression stiffened slightly.
The Sword Demon grinned as he watched them.
"I've experienced it once. It's not something a human should endure."
As he said this, the Sword Demon shivered involuntarily. Everyone clearly saw a flicker of fear in his eyes before it vanished.
A chilling tension spread through the air.
The Sword Demon divided the group in two. He roughly balanced their strengths, though it didn't really matter much.
"One side attacks, the other defends. You'll switch roles every quarter-hour. Let's see how well you hold out."
With that, the Sword Demon stepped back and signaled for them to begin.
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion but began the group spar.
And in that moment, the Sword Demon joined the attacking side.
"Aargh! What is this!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages cried out in surprise. At this rate, he would be pushed back and cross the line at any moment.
"If you don't want to die, come at me with everything you've got! Hahahaha!"
Seeing the madness in the Sword Demon's expression, everyone's face changed drastically.
From that point on, a true battle, one where they staked their lives, began.
To avoid being pushed back, they had no choice but to advance unconditionally.
The Sword Demon was always on the attacking side, helping the defenders physically grasp and learn their weaknesses.
They all fought so fiercely that their mouths tasted of copper.
And the fight showed no signs of ending.
* * *
Pyeong Jarim, the head of the Golden Moon Trading Company, frowned at his general manager.
"So, you're telling me those damn river pirates, who deserve to be chewed up and spat out, are demanding money in exchange for the hostages?"
In other words, it was a hostage negotiation.
"Yes. But there are quite a lot of them. The martial artists alone number over three hundred."
Having destroyed dozens of ships and captured everyone on board, how could the number not be massive?
On each ship, fifteen martial artists from the Upper Heaven Sect, the Azure Martial Guild, and the Nine Dragons Sect had been placed.
On top of that, the number of separately hired warriors was also considerable.
In addition, the two escort agencies had each mobilized sixty escorts.
If that was just the number of martial artists, how many laborers must there have been?
Tallying it all up, the numbers were overwhelming.
"This is serious indeed."
With a scale like this, it was no wonder the Golden Moon Trading Company had taken a staggering blow.
"What will you do?"
Pyeong Jarim considered for a moment.
If nothing else, they had to get back the martial artists from the Azure Martial Guild, the Upper Heaven Sect, and the Nine Dragons Sect.
Those three sects were the foundation of the Golden Moon Trading Company.
"We'll arrange to get back only the martial artists from our sects."
"What? But...!"
"I'm not saying we're abandoning them from the start. It would be best if we could save everyone. But I'm saying you should keep in mind the possibility that we can't."
"Yes. I understand."
"And when you meet those bastards for the negotiation, if you can take care of them, then do it."
"We will proceed with that part simultaneously."
There was no need to attack immediately. If they could just tail the negotiators and find the location of their base, subjugating them would be a piece of cake.
The problem was that it seemed difficult to subjugate them with the Golden Moon Trading Company's strength alone.
They needed the power of Nameless.
"Did you say all our ships were destroyed?"
"That's what I heard. They probably did it because capturing the ships would risk revealing their location."
"Have you found out how on earth they defeated us?"
The general manager shook his head with a bitter expression.
"We'll have to get the hostages back before we can find out anything."
"I suppose so. Try to find out what you can during the negotiation process. We need to know something before we can crush those bastards."
"Yes. I will do my best with that as well."
Pyeong Jarim nodded. This was the best they could do for this problem.
Those men were no mere river pirates. There was definitely someone backing them.
He had to find out who was behind them. Only then could he exact true and proper revenge.
He had to use this negotiation well. Pyeong Jarim had no intention of leaving this matter entirely to his general manager.
His mind spun quickly and intricately.
"Um... and the promissory notes have been circulated."
At the general manager's words, Pyeong Jarim's eyes flashed.
The notes the general manager had just mentioned were traceable. The ones kept separately by the fleet's superintendent.
It was a device created to track the location of the pirates' stronghold.
But the fact that they were being used meant the perpetrators of this incident were spending them.
"The tracking?"
"We are currently monitoring the ones who used the notes."
"Is that so? What kind of people are they?"
"They all seem ordinary."
On the surface, of course, they would seem ordinary. The problem was their true identity.
"You still don't know what they do?"
"Not yet. First, we need to determine if anyone is contacting them."
Pyeong Jarim nodded.
"Do that. And if it looks like... that won't work, you can just capture them all."
The general manager bowed his head with a dark expression.
"I will do so."
Pyeong Jarim waved his hand dismissively.
"You may go. You must have a lot to do."
After the general manager left, Pyeong Jarim leaned back in his chair and went limp.
"This... is an awkward time to have to ask Nameless for a favor..."
Pondering how to resolve this matter, Pyeong Jarim pressed his thumbs firmly against his temples.
* * *
"The operation has begun. We are currently in hostage negotiations."
Byeok Taesan nodded at Hwaok's report.
"The promissory notes we secured have also been randomly distributed. They've been placed under surveillance where the notes were used, and we've confirmed the observers belong to the Golden Moon Trading Company."
This was what the Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, Cheon Gyeongwan, and Yu Seoyeon had confirmed after staying out all night and tailing them to the end.
In this way, they had thoroughly scattered the Golden Moon Trading Company's manpower. The observers, in particular, were some of their most crucial personnel in the current situation.
Diverting the attention of such people would be a great help to Hwaok's upcoming operations.
Byeok Taesan listened to Hwaok's explanation and gave a slight nod.
From now on, there was no need to report. She could just proceed.
"Handle the rest on your own."
At Byeok Taesan's words, Hwaok looked surprised for a moment but quickly became composed.
"Yes. I will report whenever the situation changes."
The matter was now far from Byeok Taesan's interest.
A vast amount of money would come from it, but Byeok Taesan had little interest in that either.
His subordinates would earn the money, and as for him, he just needed to live without inconvenience.
When there was something he wanted, it was enough for it to simply be accomplished.
He had lived that way until now. And he would continue to do so.
"It is about time to deal with those bastards from the past. Have you confirmed the information I gave you before?"
Hwaok answered Byeok Taesan's question immediately.
"Yes. The analysis is complete. We have identified thirteen bases belonging to a man named Hyeokryeon Hwi, and separately, we have secured a partial list of masters belonging to the organization called Nameless."
The number of masters identified through the information Byeok Taesan had extracted was as high as fifteen.
In addition, each of Hyeokryeon Hwi's bases would have a considerable number of martial artists.
It was a more formidable force than he had thought.
"The organization called Nameless is far larger than we initially expected. It's hard to understand how such a large organization could have remained unknown while secretly building its strength."
But Byeok Taesan didn't pay it much mind.
What did it matter if it was large or small? They would all be crushed by him anyway.
"We leave in three days. Finish up any urgent business by then."
"Yes. Three days is enough."
There weren't many things Hwaok needed to manage and coordinate personally.
If the tasks were set in advance, she just had to proceed according to the schedule.
A little coordination might be needed at first, but later on, there would be less and less for Hwaok to handle.
"But, Young Master."
Hwaok spoke cautiously.
"We have not been able to secure the location of the man named Hyeokryeon Hwi."
As Byeok Taesan stared at her, Hwaok quickly lowered her head and continued.
"It seems Hyeokryeon Hwi does not stay in one place and changes his residence daily."
At least, that's what they had gathered from the information Byeok Taesan had provided.
"We will need to look more deeply into the Golden Moon Trading Company. Since there seems to be a connection, we might be able to catch his tail if we keep watch."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Handle that on your own as well."
Hwaok sighed in relief internally and gave her final report.
"And we have found a trace of the person you asked us to find, Young Master."
Byeok Taesan's eyes flashed.
"Already?"
"We were lucky. Of course, there are still things to confirm, but we have found someone who made a larger wound on their cheek to cover a scar."
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly.
"Let's find him first."