Chapter 220
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: A Rather Long Walk
Hyeokryeon Bigwang stared at the pitch-black gourd with a dumbfounded expression.
It was the gourd that had held the soul of Cheongeum Magun.
Cracks began to spiderweb across the blackened gourd. Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s eyes widened in shock.
“What… is this?”
This had never happened before.
If Cheongeum Magun’s soul had been erased, the gourd should have simply remained black.
But for the gourd to crack like this meant something else had occurred.
*Crack!*
The gourd shattered into pieces.
In that instant, Hyeokryeon Bigwang felt a chilling sensation, as if something was connecting to this very place.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s reaction was swift.
He mustered all his strength and swung his sword with force.
The connection was cleanly severed.
He had definitely cut it, but a sense of unease lingered.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang quickly scanned his surroundings.
There were seven other gourds he absolutely had to take.
He hurriedly gathered them and quickly left the place.
Cold sweat dripped down his entire body.
As soon as Hyeokryeon Bigwang burst out of the pavilion, he waved a hand toward it.
*Fwoosh!*
Flames erupted from his hand and engulfed the building.
Soon, the pavilion was burning fiercely.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang watched the blazing pavilion and muttered under his breath.
“I can’t use this place anymore. It seems… I’ll have to do something before the Golden Moon Trading Company is completely ruined.”
The financial support the Golden Moon Trading Company had provided to Nameless was substantial.
It wasn't just the main branch that sent money; any branch with even the slightest connection to Nameless provided immense funds.
In return, they could borrow the power of Nameless, so it wasn't a bad deal for the Golden Moon Trading Company either.
After all, the power of Nameless included much more than just martial might.
But now, the Golden Moon Trading Company was slowly crumbling.
Nameless wasn’t sitting idly by, but it was difficult to intervene in Changsha, where the main branch was located.
Warriors from the Martial Alliance, the Black Alliance, and the Five Great Families were still there, as was Byeok Taesan.
So, the best course of action was to give up on the main branch and quickly seize whatever they could from the other branches.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang swiftly left the manor.
As he departed, all his subordinates in the manor followed.
Of course, before leaving, they didn't forget to kill everyone unrelated to Nameless, including the workers and servants.
Soon, the entire manor was engulfed in flames.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s party had set fires everywhere as they left.
The flames raged for a long time, consuming the manor before spitting out a pile of ashes.
* * *
Byeok Taesan quietly watched as the soul of Cheongeum Magun turned into a black fluid and flowed from his hand.
Previously, this black fluid had tried to seep into his body, but now it simply trickled down without even touching a single hair.
Byeok Taesan circulated his Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts and incinerated even that fluid.
The black liquid turned to ash and scattered in the air.
Watching this, Byeok Taesan wore a peculiar expression.
“A quick-witted fellow.”
Byeok Taesan’s tone sounded slightly amused as he muttered.
And for good reason. Today, he had glimpsed a new possibility for his Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts and spiritual power.
It had actually started on his way here from Changsha.
To be honest, when he heard that Nameless had attacked Wuhan, he felt a slight, a truly tiny, sense of urgency.
So, he used a bit of spiritual power for his journey. Unlike usual.
At first, his speed had just increased dramatically.
But as he continuously used spiritual power in his movement techniques, he quickly grew accustomed to it and began to experiment with various applications.
He rarely had the chance to use his spiritual power in such a way, so he decided to try everything he could while he was at it.
At some point, it was no longer just about speed; a sensation of leaping through space washed over him.
He hadn’t crossed a great distance. It was merely two or three steps.
At first, he thought he was imagining it. But after it happened a few more times, he confirmed it was real.
And he gradually started getting used to it.
As he grew accustomed to it, the distance he could skip across slowly increased.
Eventually, he was popping forward dozens of steps at a time, and it was so much fun that he lost track of time using his spiritual power.
Thanks to that, he arrived much earlier than expected.
Though he had used a lot of spiritual power.
In any case, in the process, he gained a small enlightenment about his spiritual power.
It was an epiphany that began with the thought that if his physical body could leap through space, it was only natural that his mind could too.
It was a vague idea, of course, but it played a major role in finding the thread connected to Cheongeum Magun’s soul as he was burning it just now.
He had intended to follow that thread back to find the true culprit pulling the strings, Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
But Hyeokryeon Bigwang had noticed and severed the connection.
Byeok Taesan dusted off his hands once and went outside.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was waiting for him to emerge.
As soon as he appeared, she bowed respectfully and reported.
“The fighting is all over.”
When Byeok Taesan stared at her silently, she quickly added.
“Twenty-three are dead, and seventeen are seriously injured.”
She didn't bother mentioning those with minor injuries. There wasn't a single person who hadn't been hurt.
“Do you have a map of Taiyuan in Shanxi?”
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked at Byeok Taesan with a puzzled expression.
“Taiyuan, you say? I can get one.”
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion turned her head and looked at a nearby courtesan.
She was a courtesan belonging to the Underworld Sect. As soon as her eyes met the Master’s, she scurried inside and reappeared a moment later with a large scroll.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion took it and spread it out on a table near Byeok Taesan.
“This is a map of Taiyuan.”
Byeok Taesan glanced over it and pointed to one spot.
“Check this place.”
“Pardon?”
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked back and forth between the spot his finger was on and his face.
But she couldn’t argue.
She bowed her head respectfully.
“I will investigate immediately.”
The reach of the Underworld Sect naturally extended to Taiyuan in Shanxi.
It wasn't difficult to order the members there to check the location Byeok Taesan had just indicated.
While Byeok Taesan was talking with the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, members of the Underworld Sect cleanly removed and dealt with the body of Cheongeum Magun in his room.
Having said all he needed to, he was about to move again when the sound of urgent footsteps reached him.
“Young Master!”
Byeok Taesan glanced over to see Cho Seoran running toward him.
Cho Seoran’s expression was a chaotic mix of joy, disappointment, relief, and accomplishment.
She practically threw herself at Byeok Taesan, lunging for an embrace.
Or rather, she tried to. If only Byeok Taesan hadn't taken a step to the side.
Having shot past him, Cho Seoran quickly slowed to a stop and turned to look at him with a bewildered expression.
“Wow… that’s so mean.”
Byeok Taesan calmly observed Cho Seoran and nodded.
It seemed a fair amount of time had passed since he left Wuhan. Cho Seoran’s soul had ripened quite a bit.
Seeing that, he figured the souls of the Heavenly Medicine Hall doctors must have matured as well.
The thought of roasting Cho Seoran and the others while he was here crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head.
It was better to let them ripen more. To harvest a small amount of spiritual power now by picking unripe fruit would be a loss in the long run.
“Did you come because you were worried about me?”
Cho Seoran asked, her eyes sparkling. Byeok Taesan answered calmly.
“It was a walk.”
“Pardon?”
Not just Cho Seoran, but even the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion nearby couldn't hide her dumbfounded expression.
“From Changsha to here?”
Byeok Taesan said with a nonchalant expression.
“The walk was a bit long.”
As the two women stared blankly, Byeok Taesan started to walk as if to leave.
“Where are you going?”
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion asked in surprise.
“The walk is over, so I’m going back.”
Byeok Taesan left those words behind and headed downstairs.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and Cho Seoran quickly followed him.
Cho Seoran stuck close to Byeok Taesan’s side.
“Young Master, are you really going back now? All the way to Changsha?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you just stay for a night?”
Byeok Taesan didn't answer. But Cho Seoran was persistent.
“I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”
Cho Seoran said, looking at Byeok Taesan. Her gaze turned slightly seductive.
Byeok Taesan chuckled and placed a hand on her head.
“Wait. It’s not time yet.”
Cho Seoran’s lips jutted out in a pout.
“Now is the perfect time, you know?”
The corner of Byeok Taesan’s mouth lifted slightly.
By then, they had already exited the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Cho Seoran asked with a flabbergasted expression.
“Young Master, don’t tell me you’re really just leaving?”
She had thought he was half-joking. To return to Changsha in the middle of the night—did that even make sense?
“Where is it that you have to go in the middle of the night? You need to sleep!”
“I took an elixir, so I’m fine.”
Cho Seoran stared at Byeok Taesan blankly.
What did taking an elixir have to do with sleeping? No matter how deep one’s internal energy, a person’s condition would worsen if they didn’t sleep.
And how could he just leave when she was acting like this?
Cho Seoran looked at Byeok Taesan with a very complicated expression.
But Byeok Taesan was being completely serious.
Thanks to the half-jiangshis today, he had cultivated a considerable amount of spiritual power.
So, if he returned the same way he came, he would have plenty of time to sleep.
Byeok Taesan strode forward.
Cho Seoran started to follow him but then hesitated.
Byeok Taesan had suddenly become distant. This was fundamentally different from just being fast.
Byeok Taesan receded into the distance as if he were blinking.
He would disappear and then reappear a hundred paces ahead.
After a few such blinks, he was no longer visible.
Cho Seoran stood there, blankly staring in the direction he had disappeared.
“I have plenty of elixirs I made, too…”
* * *
The Underworld Sect also had a branch in Taiyuan, Shanxi.
It wasn’t very large. There were no major sects or families in Taiyuan that required close monitoring.
However, that didn't mean the skills of the Underworld Sect members there were lacking.
After the Underworld Sect reclaimed the Shadow Arts, the average skill level of its members had risen considerably.
While not all members were equally skilled, even the weakest among them possessed abilities comparable to the intelligence organizations of respectable factions.
An order from the main headquarters came down to the Underworld Sect’s Taiyuan branch.
It was an urgent command, so the members moved quickly.
The directive was to investigate a location within Taiyuan, and being an order from headquarters, the branch had to take it seriously.
Ten of their most skilled members were dispatched, and they had just arrived at the location.
“When did this happen?”
One of the Underworld Sect members said with a frown.
Their target was gone.
All that remained were the charred ruins of a manor.
“Well, since we’re here, we should at least check.”
At someone’s suggestion, everyone nodded and entered the manor grounds.
They searched the area thoroughly.
Since the order itself was not specific, they tried to find anything they could.
But the place had been burned so meticulously that nothing remained.
In the end, the Underworld Sect members retreated without any significant findings.
And there were people watching the retreating members from a distance.
They watched without moving a muscle until all the Underworld Sect members were gone.
Only after they had all left did they speak.
“The Underworld Sect really did come to investigate.”
“It’s just as the master said.”
“So, what now?”
“What do you mean? We follow them and observe them quietly.”
This task was extremely important.
It would decide whether Hyeokryeon Bigwang would withdraw from Taiyuan or not.
He recalled how Hyeokryeon Bigwang had repeatedly stressed the importance of this before they came here.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang had said he’d been discovered.
And that the enemy would surely use the Underworld Sect to confirm it.
So, he had ordered them to find out exactly what the Underworld Sect knew and what specific instructions headquarters had given them.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang believed that once the Underworld Sect confirmed the place was completely burned down, they wouldn’t pay it any more mind.
But they couldn't just ignore it, could they?
If his speculation was correct, Taiyuan would become a very safe place for a while.
Carrying Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s hopes, the intelligence agents of Nameless moved swiftly toward the Underworld Sect’s Taiyuan branch.