Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: A Memory Even Hwang Gyu Doesn't Know
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Byeok Taesan left the room.
He had something to do today.
As he stepped out, he saw Hwaok. It seemed she had just returned from dropping Hwang Gyu off at the Hwangbo Family estate.
Of course, Hwaok hadn't handled it personally but had used members of the Underworld Sect.
"Young Master, are you heading out?"
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"I have something to take care of."
At the mention of taking care of something, Hwaok looked at Byeok Taesan with a slightly anxious expression.
Honestly, what could Byeok Taesan possibly have to take care of here in Nanchang?
In Nanchang, he had used the Hwangbo Family to wipe out all the remnants of Nameless.
He had even dealt with Hyeokryeon Hwi.
So, all that remained was the Hwangbo Family.
An image of Byeok Taesan storming the Hwangbo Family estate and destroying everything flashed through Hwaok's mind.
It wasn't an entirely impossible scenario.
Byeok Taesan watched Hwaok for a moment, her mind clearly filled with all sorts of wild thoughts, before speaking abruptly.
"Do you want to come along?"
"Yes? I-Is that alright?"
"It is. There are some tedious tasks, anyway."
The "tedious tasks" Byeok Taesan mentioned usually referred to things that required a lot of manual effort.
For instance, moving many objects or people, erasing traces, or handling various forms of cleanup.
And so, Byeok Taesan set out with Hwaok.
"May I ask where we are going?"
"We're going near the Hwangbo Family estate."
Hwaok tensed up at his words.
The image she had imagined earlier came back to her.
Could he really be going to destroy the Hwangbo Family?
Hwaok cautiously observed Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan looked the same as always. A calm expression, eyes full of confidence, and a leisurely stride that suggested nothing in the world could stand in his way.
It was not easy to discern what he was thinking just by looking at him.
However, she was gradually getting a sense of whether he was in a good mood or not.
To her, he didn't seem to be in a bad mood. In fact, he seemed slightly better than usual.
So, she decided it would be better to say what was on her mind now.
"Um... Young Master. Are you perhaps planning to strike the Hwangbo Family?"
Byeok Taesan stopped walking and turned to look at Hwaok.
Hwaok quickly bowed her head.
"I apologize if I overstepped my bounds."
Byeok Taesan shook his head.
"It's not that. Why would you think so?"
Hwaok spoke cautiously.
"We've had several entanglements with the Hwangbo Family recently, and since we're heading in their direction, I just assumed. It felt like you were going to deal with a nuisance in advance..."
Byeok Taesan smiled slightly and stroked his chin.
"You have a keen eye. You're right, I am going to deal with some nuisances."
Hwaok's eyes widened.
"Then you really are going to... the Hwangbo Family!"
Hwaok's mind raced.
She knew Byeok Taesan was strong. He might even be able to wipe out the Hwangbo Family on his own.
But attacking the Hwangbo Family now was not a good choice.
It could become dangerous. Or if not, it could become even more troublesome.
"I'm not attacking the Hwangbo Family directly, so there's no need to worry. I suppose I must look rather thoughtless."
Hwaok, startled, frantically waved her hands.
"No! That's not it at all. How could I dare...!"
Byeok Taesan chuckled.
"It was a joke. And I know that wiping out the Hwangbo Family would just create more trouble. It's not like the old days."
Hwaok found his words a bit strange.
What did he mean by 'not like the old days'?
In truth, he meant it literally. In his past life as the Heavenly Demon, he could have wiped out one of the Five Great Families without a second thought. The cleanup would have been handled for him.
But now, he couldn't do that. It would become incredibly troublesome.
"Let's go. The one I want to see is that man Hwang Gyu's superior."
"Hwang Gyu's... superior?"
Hwang Gyu's superior would be the head of the Hwangbo Family's Secret Pavilion.
How on earth did he find out about the head of the Hwangbo Family's Secret Pavilion?
Hwaok knew that Byeok Taesan had a special method for extracting information.
She didn't know the exact method, but Byeok Taesan could easily extract information even from those the Underworld Sect couldn't break with drugs.
Of course, the information was so jumbled that it required considerable effort to sort through, but its quality was immense.
But this time was different.
Hwang Gyu was someone who responded very well to drugs. It was puzzling why the Hwangbo Family's Secret Pavilion hadn't prepared him for such a possibility.
However, Hwang Gyu knew nothing about the head of the Secret Pavilion.
He knew almost nothing even about the other members of the Secret Pavilion.
The Secret Pavilion was a strict cell-based organization, and Hwang Gyu rarely received orders from its head.
The Secret Pavilion was an intelligence unit directly under the family head, who gave orders personally.
Even when the head gave orders, he never met them in person. Orders were given only in writing.
So, it was natural that he wouldn't know about the head.
The head of the Secret Pavilion thoroughly concealed his identity.
The only person in the Hwangbo Family who knew the head's identity was the family head himself.
That was the extent of what Hwaok knew about the head of the Secret Pavilion.
And yet, Byeok Taesan had found out about him. Through Hwang Gyu.
In other words, Byeok Taesan had extracted a memory from Hwang Gyu that even Hwang Gyu himself did not know.
At this point, she couldn't help but be intensely curious.
Hwaok looked at Byeok Taesan with renewed awe.
Just what did he do?
"There it is."
Hwaok snapped back to her senses at Byeok Taesan's words.
She turned her gaze to where he was looking.
A small building stood there. It was a teahouse near the Hwangbo Family estate.
"Are you saying the head of the Secret Pavilion is in there?"
"The owner of that place is the head of the Secret Pavilion."
Byeok Taesan and Hwaok entered the teahouse.
Perhaps because it was next to the Hwangbo Family estate, most of the customers were affiliated with the Hwangbo Family.
And this teahouse was also a place frequently used by the members of the Underworld Sect.
Since the patrons were from the Hwangbo Family, useful information was often mixed into their conversations.
It was also a good location for observing movements near the Hwangbo Family estate.
Upon entering the teahouse, a waiter approached and guided them to a suitable table.
Byeok Taesan and Hwaok sat down and slowly drank their tea.
Hwaok's eyes sparkled as she carefully surveyed the teahouse's interior, all the while sneaking glances at Byeok Taesan to see what he was doing.
Byeok Taesan was doing nothing, just sitting still.
Hwaok wore a puzzled expression. This wasn't like the usual Byeok Taesan.
Normally, wouldn't he have just barged in, found the owner, and dragged him out by the neck?
He definitely wasn't conscious of the other customers. Byeok Taesan wasn't that kind of person.
If he wanted to, he could capture the head of the Secret Pavilion without any of them noticing.
There was no way Byeok Taesan didn't notice Hwaok's gaze.
Byeok Taesan tossed out a comment.
"He's not here right now."
"Ah...!"
Hwaok let out a small gasp and nodded at his words.
She then looked at Byeok Taesan with sparkling eyes.
Lately, she felt that Byeok Taesan had changed a little from before. No, actually, nothing had changed drastically. It was just a feeling that he had become strangely kind.
It wasn't just because he had just explained the situation. She got that feeling from his expression, his tone, his actions—everything.
He even made rare jokes sometimes. Hadn't she experienced one today?
Hwaok's eyes, watching Byeok Taesan, sparkled a little brighter.
The sight of Byeok Taesan and Hwaok sitting across a table from each other, drinking tea, was like a painting.
Since both were exceptionally good-looking, they looked very good together.
And so, they drew the attention of others.
Most of the people in the teahouse were sneaking glances at Byeok Taesan and Hwaok.
Just then, an old man entered the teahouse.
As the old man came in, the waiter scurried over and bowed deeply.
"Anything unusual happen?"
"No, sir. It's been the same as always."
"I see."
With that, the old man went upstairs.
Anyone could see he was the owner of the teahouse.
"So that's him."
Hwaok said, her eyes gleaming.
He was a truly ordinary-looking old man.
And no matter how she looked, he didn't seem like someone who had practiced martial arts.
Honestly, if Byeok Taesan hadn't told her he was the head of the Secret Pavilion, she would have never guessed. Based on his appearance alone, he didn't look the part at all.
The reason Byeok Taesan was sure that old man was the head of the Secret Pavilion was because he had seen his face in Hwang Gyu's memories.
He had even witnessed a scene where the old man used a special technique involving drugs to erase Hwang Gyu's memories.
"So, we just need to capture that old man now?"
"Perhaps."
Hwaok was a little taken aback by Byeok Taesan's reaction.
They had been waiting for the head of the Secret Pavilion all this time, and now he says "perhaps"?
"You capture that old man."
Hwaok replied immediately to Byeok Taesan's words.
"Yes. I'll handle it without anyone knowing."
Taking away one old man who didn't even know martial arts was a very simple task.
Moreover, by making good use of the Underworld Sect members, she could take him without anyone noticing.
After replying, Hwaok carefully observed Byeok Taesan.
She could see that his interest in the old man, who seemed to be the head of the Secret Pavilion, had completely vanished.
Now, Byeok Taesan was staring at the waiter.
"Young Master?"
Hwaok called out to him cautiously.
Still looking at the waiter, Byeok Taesan spoke.
"That waiter over there, can you gauge his level?"
Startled by his words, Hwaok looked at the waiter.
She hadn't even considered the possibility that the waiter practiced martial arts.
Hwaok studied the waiter intently.
Unable to stare openly, she checked with furtive glances.
At first, she really couldn't tell. But as she continued to observe, even using her spiritual energy, an outline began to emerge.
The waiter was indeed a martial artist. And a master so skilled that Hwaok found it difficult to gauge his level.
What was surprising was that the waiter didn't look very old.
He appeared to be twenty-five.
But Hwaok glanced at Byeok Taesan and nodded to herself.
Byeok Taesan was even younger than that waiter. Yet he was a master whose strength was impossible to measure.
Could even the leader of the Martial Alliance defeat Byeok Taesan?
Hwaok believed not. At such a young age, Byeok Taesan had become a powerhouse who could surpass the Martial Alliance's leader.
So, what was so strange about there being another incredible master at the age of twenty-five?
"He seems to be a master whose level I cannot presume to gauge."
Byeok Taesan grinned and nodded.
"Yes. He's quite skilled. Isn't it strange for a man like that to be a waiter?"
"It is strange."
Hwaok agreed. The waiter had likely infiltrated this place while hiding his identity, or there was a high chance he was the real head of the Secret Pavilion.
The old man from before was just a figurehead.
Byeok Taesan stared intently at the waiter and stroked his chin.
"First, we need to catch that one."
The sun was setting. Once it set, the teahouse would close, making it easier to act.
A short while later, the teahouse closed.
The waiter finished the final cleanup neatly and went up to the second floor.
It seemed the second floor of the teahouse was used as living quarters.
Byeok Taesan and Hwaok watched the teahouse from nearby.
As the night deepened, the waiter quietly emerged from the teahouse.
Byeok Taesan gave Hwaok a look and then followed the waiter.
Hwaok immediately mobilized the members of the Underworld Sect.
The Underworld Sect members stealthily infiltrated the second floor of the teahouse, and a moment later, they emerged with the owner, the old man.
* * *
Byeok Taesan followed the waiter at a leisurely pace.
He didn't rush, wanting to see where the man was headed.
The waiter left Nanchang in an instant.
His movement technique was so fast that most people probably wouldn't have been able to keep up.
Byeok Taesan followed him with intrigued eyes.
The reason for his intrigue was that the waiter seemed to be luring him.
Byeok Taesan wondered what on earth the man was plotting.
After leaving Nanchang and arriving at a completely deserted place, the waiter finally stopped.
The waiter turned and stared straight at Byeok Taesan.
"Have you ever heard the saying that curiosity killed the cat?"
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"The weak are always saying things like that."
The waiter nodded emphatically.
He had fully grasped on the way here that his opponent was a far greater master than himself.
He was running at full tilt, while his pursuer followed leisurely; it was impossible not to notice.
Of course, strength and weakness couldn't be judged by movement techniques alone.
But now, standing face-to-face with the man before him, he felt it was a good thing he had led him here.
His opponent was an unfathomably great master.
The waiter cleared his thoughts and spoke.
"Right. Only the weak say such things. And the weak also know how to gather their strength."
Before the waiter had even finished speaking, people sprang up from all directions.
They had been hiding nearby and now revealed themselves.
Of course, Byeok Taesan had known they were there from the beginning.
Seeing that Byeok Taesan remained completely unfazed, the waiter grinned.
"And the weak don't care about the means to an end."
The men surrounding them quickly widened the distance between them. Then, they plunged the long rods they were holding into the ground.
They weren't rods, but long tubes. A sinister energy billowed out from the ends of the tubes.
That energy flowed rapidly, connecting one tube to the next.
Byeok Taesan's eyes gleamed as he watched.
"A formation?"
The waiter smirked.
"That's right. A formation we poured our heart and soul into creating, to deal with guys like you."
"Is that so?"
Byeok Taesan glanced around once more. The flow of energy was quite fast.
The waiter said confidently.
"You should be honored. This formation was actually researched and created to fight the Heavenly Demon. Well, he's dead now, but still."
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly.