Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Let's Talk, Just the Two of Us
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The day to visit the Yeon Family Estate had arrived.
In the meantime, various discussions had taken place between the Yeon Family and the Golden Jade Trading Company.
The Golden Jade Trading Company had tried to arrange for the Yeon family to come to them.
But in the end, they decided to hold the meeting at the Yeon Family Estate.
The Yeon family must have had no choice. The Jongli Family had insisted too strongly.
If they met at the Golden Jade Trading Company, the Jongli Family would have no pretext to intervene.
The Yeon Family Estate was about a half-hour's walk away.
Byeok Taesan was at the center, with Yu Seoyeon and Cheon Gyeongwan positioned behind him to the left and right. In front of him, the Lightning Sword Gyeong Chuhwang and the Colossal Blade Gal Jinhyeop stood on either side.
And right next to Byeok Taesan, the Divine Doctor of the Ages walked in step.
It was a formation designed for the four of them to protect Byeok Taesan and the Divine Doctor.
Only they moved from the Golden Jade compound.
In truth, the general manager had wanted to add a few more people. After all, wasn't the Sword Dragon Brigade raised for moments like this?
But Byeok Taesan had coldly refused.
The general manager pleaded several times, but he couldn't break Byeok Taesan's stubbornness.
Furthermore, after Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop took one look at the Sword Dragon Brigade, they even commented that their presence might be more of a hindrance than a help.
At that point, the general manager had no choice but to back down.
Seeing how disappointed the general manager was, it seemed Byeok Taesu had ordered him from behind the scenes to increase the escort no matter what.
Not long after leaving the Golden Jade compound, the Divine Doctor of the Ages asked casually.
“Young Master, even if their skills are lacking, wouldn't it be better to have more numbers?”
In a pinch, they could be used as meat shields.
That meaning was left unsaid in the Divine Doctor’s question.
“It would be an unnecessary sacrifice.”
The Divine Doctor’s eyes widened. He never imagined Byeok Taesan would say such a thing.
Just then, Gyeong Chuhwang, who was walking ahead, glanced back and spoke.
“Doctor, you need not worry too much. No matter how the Jongli Family is, they won't draw their swords recklessly.”
“Do you think so?”
When the Divine Doctor tilted his head, Gyeong Chuhwang answered as if it were obvious.
“Of course. Honestly, why do you think I and Great Warrior Gal over there accepted the Golden Jade Trading Company’s offer?”
“I wonder.”
“Everyone else would say it's for the money. But that's not it. We came because of you, Doctor.”
The Divine Doctor's eyes grew wide.
“Me?”
Of course, he was only pretending to be surprised. He knew better than anyone why Gyeong Chuhwang was saying this.
After all, he had been a physician for over a decade.
“It's the hope that if we make a good impression on you, we might receive your help later on.”
The implication was that the Jongli Family wouldn't dare draw their swords recklessly because of the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
The Divine Doctor smiled faintly.
“Well, for men of such fine character as you two, I should always be willing to help. Of course, I would need our Young Master's permission first.”
At those words, Gyeong Chuhwang's and Gal Jinhyeop's eyes widened.
Without realizing it, the two stopped walking, turned around, and looked back and forth between Byeok Taesan and the Divine Doctor.
“We still have a long way to go…”
At the Divine Doctor’s words, the two snapped to their senses and started walking again.
“Ah, my apologies. I was just so surprised… By the way, were you serious just now?”
“Of course. I have decided to follow the Young Master until the day I die.”
“Hah. That's truly astounding. How…”
The two men stole glances at Byeok Taesan with fresh eyes.
They couldn't even begin to guess what it was about this young, frail master that had moved the heart of a great physician like the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
“In any case, I don't understand why the Jongli Family, despite their poor reputation, is orchestrating something so unreasonable. They usually care a great deal about justification.”
Gyeong Chuhwang subtly moved closer to the Divine Doctor, continuing the conversation.
His intention to build a rapport with the Divine Doctor on this occasion was clear.
“It seems the family head's youngest son is utterly smitten with the Yeon family's daughter. He's so headstrong that even after his father reprimanded him several times, he continues to insist.”
“Hah. Is that so… The Jongli Family must have quite a headache on their hands.”
“Do you think they’re worried? They must think it’s a golden opportunity. Honestly, a prize like the Golden Jade Trading Company is enough to make the Jongli Family drool.”
“Doctor, do you believe the Jongli Family will use this as a chance to make a move on the Golden Jade Trading Company?”
“Well… it's just a guess.”
In truth, it was more than just a guess. It was a conclusion drawn from extensive investigation.
On Byeok Taesan's orders, he had scoured the information surrounding the Golden Jade Trading Company, and in the process, a few of the Jongli Family's movements had been caught.
It was true that it all started with the Jongli Family's youngest, Jongli Ung, falling for Yeon Harin.
But after that, the cunning of the Jongli Family had intervened.
They were the ones who had planned today's events.
Byeok Taesan was heading to the Yeon Family Estate knowing all of this.
Finding the conversation between Gyeong Chuhwang and the Divine Doctor interesting, Gal Jinhyeop also subtly joined in.
“No matter what the Jongli Family tries, they won't dare draw their swords recklessly with you here, Doctor.”
“They probably don't even know that you've decided to follow Young Master Byeok, so they'll be utterly confused. It should be quite a sight to see later.”
After that, Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop continued their back-and-forth conversation.
It was mostly about how the Jongli Family might act, but it wasn't particularly insightful.
In the meantime, the group arrived at the Yeon Family Estate.
***
Byeok Taesan was sitting face-to-face with the Yeon Family Head, alone in his room.
The Yeon Family Head observed Byeok Taesan carefully.
Right now, outside the door, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, as well as Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop, stood guard.
They were in a state of high alert.
And for good reason. Not far from them, the warriors of the Jongli Family were positioned.
The tension was so thick that it wouldn't be strange if they charged at any moment, so the four couldn't let their guard down for an instant.
Knowing this situation all too well, the Yeon Family Head was checking to see how Byeok Taesan would react under such pressure.
‘Incredible. Is this boy really the same one from back then?’
The Yeon Family Head had, of course, met Byeok Taesan before. No, it was more than that; they had seen each other often when he was young.
As Byeok Taesan's illness became apparent, their visits dwindled, and as time passed, their relationship grew distant, but they were originally very close.
However, the Byeok Taesan in the Yeon Family Head's memory was completely different from the one before him now.
The current Byeok Taesan was brimming with a composure he lacked before. Moreover, he showed no signs of being intimidated in his presence.
No, it was quite the opposite.
He felt slightly intimidated in front of Byeok Taesan.
‘Does this even make sense?’
In any case, since he was the one who had summoned him, he had to speak first.
“Do you remember what you said to me when you came to see me before?”
Byeok Taesan's eyes widened slightly. How could he possibly know about something like that?
When in doubt, it was best to keep one's mouth shut.
“But… it seems I couldn't do it. That girl, Harin, I don't know who she takes after to be so stubborn. I just couldn't stop her.”
The Yeon Family Head paused there for a moment. He observed Byeok Taesan briefly before continuing.
“So I've felt very sorry all this time. But… looking at you now, I feel like I don't necessarily have to be sorry.”
From the Yeon Family Head's words, Byeok Taesan roughly inferred what conversation the two had shared in the past.
‘Ha, so this pathetic fool must have told him to make Yeon Harin give up on him since he didn't have long to live.’
He must have expected that if he acted coldly and the Yeon Family Head applied pressure as well, it would naturally happen.
What they hadn't anticipated was that Yeon Harin would endure with such desperation.
“The Divine Doctor of the Ages must be truly remarkable. It seems your body has recovered quite a bit. Is that right?”
“Well… I still have a long way to go, but I will eventually make a full recovery.”
At Byeok Taesan's calm words, the Yeon Family Head wore a strange expression.
“It seems I haven't seen you for too long. You seem like a completely different person.”
Again, Byeok Taesan remained silent.
“Then again, people can change with even the smallest catalyst. I was the same.”
The Yeon Family Head looked at Byeok Taesan with a complicated gaze.
“Anyway, things have gotten a bit difficult this time.”
The Yeon Family Head shook his head.
“It seems the Jongli Family is determined.”
The Yeon Family Head calmly explained the situation.
The Jongli Family did not acknowledge that Yeon Harin and Byeok Taesan were engaged.
It was useless for Yeon Harin to be stubborn.
Their stance was that since marriage is a union between families, it was only natural for Yeon Harin to obey the family head's decision.
“It seems they intend to drag you into this and play some tricks. Perhaps humiliate you in front of Harin…”
It was clear they intended to provoke negative feelings and slowly escalate the situation.
After hearing the full explanation, Byeok Taesan nodded lightly.
“Well, I understand.”
He said only that much.
He thought to himself that the Jongli Family was just as he expected.
And that probably wasn't all.
It was unlikely that the Jongli Family, when making a move, would use a clumsy method of simply stoking emotions to escalate matters.
‘It doesn't seem like they're only targeting the Golden Jade Trading Company.’
The corners of Byeok Taesan’s mouth lifted slightly.
***
In front of the Yeon Family Head's room, the standoff between the Jongli Family warriors and Byeok Taesan's side, including Cheon Gyeongwan, continued.
Then, the door opened and Byeok Taesan appeared, causing the tension to spike in an instant.
The Jongli Family warriors secretly directed their killing intent toward Byeok Taesan.
They didn't directly use their internal energy, but it was by no means an easy feat for an ordinary person to withstand the fierce aura of a strong warrior.
Moreover, for Byeok Taesan, whose body was not in a normal state, it would naturally be even more difficult.
Of course, that was what the Jongli Family warriors thought; Byeok Taesan was completely unaffected.
What effect could they possibly have without using internal energy when it wouldn't work even if they released their full aura?
Besides, there was a precise reason why Byeok Taesan had referred to the Jongli Family as his meal.
In the past, when the alliance of noble families set a trap to ambush the Heavenly Demon, only the Jongli Family had fled.
But there was no way the Heavenly Demon would let them off the hook.
As Byeok Taesan had said with his own mouth, the Heavenly Demon had never once spared those who coveted what was his.
And the Jongli Family was no exception.
The Heavenly Demon tracked down and crushed every single member of the Jongli Family who had participated in the ambush.
How did he do it? He stormed the Jongli Family estate.
Leading only the Vast Heaven Brigade, who had survived the ambush.
In truth, they had received intelligence that the Heavenly Demon was targeting them, but they never expected him to come all the way to their estate with only the Vast Heaven Brigade.
They had judged that even the Heavenly Demon would need to bring at least five of the Heavenly Demonic Cult's main warrior brigades to fight the Jongli Family.
That was why they failed to accurately track the movements of the small-scale Heavenly Demon and the Vast Heaven Brigade.
And so, the Jongli Family was shattered by the Heavenly Demon's surprise attack.
The only reason the Jongli Family was not annihilated was that they had fled with only survival in mind.
In the process, the Heavenly Demon found the Jongli Family's secret repository.
It was a repository that held the secret manuals containing the core martial arts of the Jongli Family and their most valuable treasures.
Using the secret manuals seized in this way, he thoroughly dissected their martial arts.
Naturally, he didn't do it himself but entrusted it to a few of his elder-level subordinates. The Heavenly Demon merely received the results.
In any case, how pathetic must these Jongli Family warriors, who were now exuding their auras, seem to him?
As Byeok Taesan was contemplating how to deal with these fools, a man slowly stepped forward from among the Jongli Family warriors.
“Are you Byeok Taesan?”
The man who stepped forward, Jongli Ung, glared at Byeok Taesan with blazing eyes.
Byeok Taesan looked at Jongli Ung with a gaze that said, *And who is this moron?*
When Byeok Taesan didn't answer right away, Jongli Ung frowned.
“Did you not hear me? Or are you daring to ignore my words?”
As if on cue, the Jongli Family warriors began to move, forming a wide circle to surround Byeok Taesan's party.
They honed their auras, looking as if they would draw their swords at any moment.
At this blatant attitude, the expressions of Byeok Taesan's party hardened.
The only person maintaining his composure was Byeok Taesan.
However, Jongli Ung interpreted Byeok Taesan's composure as him being frozen in fear.
A smile formed on Jongli Ung's lips.
“How about it? Want to talk, just the two of us? Somewhere with no one else around, just you and me.”