Chapter 223
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: What Was Over There
The matter at the pavilion was handled smoothly.
The pavilion itself wasn't a contact point for the Golden Moon Trading Company.
Nor did the Golden Moon Trading Company own the pavilion.
The Company had simply invested money when the pavilion was established to gain some conveniences.
The money they paid was, in a sense, for secrecy.
It was too large a sum just for a few minor conveniences.
That made cleaning up easy.
All they had to do was capture the three Golden Moon members staying at the pavilion and the three men who had come down from the Jade Cliff Sect.
The captured men were subdued and taken away by the members of the Underworld Sect.
They would be interrogated and dealt with as necessary.
The men from the Jade Cliff Sect had likely planned to spend a night at the pavilion before leaving.
Otherwise, there was no reason for them to come down from the mountain in the dead of night.
Their plan was clearly to finish their business, stay the night, and depart early in the morning.
Of course, the exact truth would have to be uncovered through interrogation.
Once the situation was resolved, Byeok Taesan and Hwaok returned to the inn.
After the two left, the pavilion gradually returned to normal.
Though it was late, new customers were still arriving.
Meanwhile, the Divine Doctor of the Ages and his companions dragged a stumbling, drunken So Cheongmyeong by the scruff of his neck into a room.
So Cheongmyeong collapsed on the floor, spread-eagled.
The Divine Doctor looked down at him and grumbled.
"He's definitely doing that on purpose..."
"Let him be. He must have a lot of pent-up frustration."
"What could that fool possibly have to be frustrated about?"
The One-Needle Eccentric gave the Divine Doctor a look of disbelief.
"Are you being serious?"
The Divine Doctor grumbled again, looking down at So Cheongmyeong.
"So pathetic."
"That's enough. Let's all go our separate ways. Be back on your own in the morning. You know not to be late, right?"
After saying that, the One-Needle Eccentric turned to the gisaeng next to So Cheongmyeong.
"You take care of him."
"Yes, sir. You need not worry. I will take good care of him."
The Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric gave So Cheongmyeong one last glance, then each left the room with a gisaeng.
Now, only So Cheongmyeong and the gisaeng remained in the room.
A sudden silence fell.
The gisaeng sat gracefully beside So Cheongmyeong.
"You can open your eyes now."
At her words, So Cheongmyeong flinched and slowly opened his eyes.
"How long have you known?"
The gisaeng smiled gently.
"The two elders who just left probably knew as well."
"No, that can't be. I tried so hard not to get caught."
The gisaeng said no more on the matter, but her confident gaze made So Cheongmyeong uneasy.
"Is that really true?"
"Yes. I'm certain. The two elders were very considerate of you."
A hint of envy flickered in the gisaeng's eyes as she spoke.
So Cheongmyeong scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression.
"Well, they're no ordinary men. In that case, I should be going."
As So Cheongmyeong tried to stand, the gisaeng quickly moved to his side and hugged his arm tightly.
"How can you just leave? The real study of people is only just beginning."
So Cheongmyeong looked at the gisaeng, flustered.
The gisaeng gently leaned against him, shifting her weight.
Normally, he would never have fallen, but pushed by the gisaeng, So Cheongmyeong tumbled to the floor.
And so the night passed.
* * *
Early morning.
The first to emerge from the inn were the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
Both looked utterly refreshed.
Following them, So Cheongmyeong trudged out with hollow eyes.
"What's with you? Didn't you sleep?"
So Cheongmyeong quickly shook his head.
"I did."
"Then why do you look like that?"
"It's the alcohol."
At the mention of alcohol, the Divine Doctor scowled.
"You really need to learn how to drink properly. What kind of drunk are you?"
So Cheongmyeong sheepishly averted his gaze.
"Huh? This guy looks suspicious."
The Divine Doctor approached So Cheongmyeong with a wry look.
"It's not just your eyes that are hollow. You look terrible overall."
"Nothing happened."
At So Cheongmyeong's words, the Divine Doctor's eyes glinted. He spoke slowly, his expression full of meaning.
"Ah, I see. So *nothing* happened?"
So Cheongmyeong shuffled backward, avoiding the slowly advancing Divine Doctor, unable to meet his eyes and turning his head away.
Just then, people began to stream out of the inn.
The Divine Doctor's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at So Cheongmyeong.
"Did you do some 'studying of people' last night?"
So Cheongmyeong nodded unconsciously, then flinched and looked at the Divine Doctor in alarm.
The Divine Doctor's grin widened.
"One can never study too much. Let's go study again sometime."
After saying that, he chuckled and turned to the inn's entrance, his eyes widening.
"My, my, Young Master! You look as radiant as ever today. Are we departing now? But is there really a need for all of us to go in such a large group? How about just a small party, with you, that well-behaved fellow over there, and a few others?"
Byeok Taesan stared silently at the Divine Doctor.
The Divine Doctor quickly changed his tune.
"Of course, climbing a mountain is always best with a large group, isn't it? Come, come, let's get going!"
As the Divine Doctor took the lead, the others watched him and smiled faintly.
Byeok Taesan's party set off toward the Daeyeo Mountains, where the Jade Cliff Sect was located.
* * *
The Jade Cliff Sect was situated midway up the part of the Daeyeo Mountains closest to Hwapyeong County.
Since Hwapyeong County was adjacent to the mountains, reaching the Jade Cliff Sect was a short journey once they set their minds to it.
Byeok Taesan headed for the Jade Cliff Sect with his entire retinue.
The captives were left in the care of the Underworld Sect members, as they needed to be interrogated anyway.
Byeok Taesan walked at a leisurely pace.
The mountain terrain wasn't particularly treacherous, but the Jade Cliff Sect was located high and deep enough.
Now, only three martial artists remained at the Jade Cliff Sect.
The rest were all laborers or scholars.
Thus, their real duty was not to guard the sect, but to watch over the scholars and laborers within it.
Guarding the Jade Cliff Sect with only six men was nonsensical.
Of course, they would deal with any clumsy hunters or bandits who might appear.
There were no proper bandit strongholds in the vicinity.
The Golden Moon Trading Company had already cleared them all out before taking control of the Jade Cliff Sect.
Therefore, the martial artists here had nothing to do but train and watch.
"Just in case, I will check the surroundings for any lookouts."
Byeok Taesan nodded at Hwaok's words.
In truth, he already knew there were no lookouts, as a considerable radius was already within his senses, but he didn't want to stop Hwaok from taking the initiative.
Every one of these small things was a learning experience.
Moreover, if you constantly stop someone from trying things, you also stop the expansion of their abilities.
Byeok Taesan quietly watched as Hwaok spoke to a few handmaidens and scouted the area.
In his days as the Heavenly Demon, he had never shown such consideration or even had such thoughts. No, there had been no need to.
The people around the Heavenly Demon, with the exception of the Hocheondae, were all already perfected beings.
There was no need to worry about hindering the expansion of their abilities.
Yet now, he was naturally considering that aspect and showing a form of consideration.
Byeok Taesan quietly looked inward.
Was this a change brought about by gaining a new body and being with these people, or was it a difference caused by the original Byeok Taesan's soul being buried within him?
As he was looking inward, Hwaok approached.
"Are you finished?"
Hwaok bowed her head.
"Yes. The area is clear."
Byeok Taesan nodded and resumed walking.
After about another half a quarter-hour, the Jade Cliff Sect came into view.
There was no one on lookout.
But that didn't mean they could be careless.
Hwaok gestured with her eyes to the group following behind.
Cheon Gyeongwan, Yu Seoyeon, Na Chungil, and Na Heontak were the first to move.
They quickly executed their movement techniques, leaping over the sect's walls.
The Jade Cliff Sect was not very large, so chaos erupted the moment they crossed the walls.
The rest of the group rushed forward.
Byeok Taesan watched his companions leap over the wall, continuing to walk slowly at the same pace.
When he finally reached the Jade Cliff Sect, the main gate was wide open.
The situation was already over.
Inside, the residents of the Jade Cliff Sect were gathered together, kneeling.
The laborers and scholars, unable to hide their fear, kept glancing around nervously.
The three martial artists, their wrists bound behind their backs, knelt and glared around with menacing eyes.
They squirmed as if they wanted to charge forward and swing a sword at any moment.
But not only were their hands tied, their pressure points had been sealed, leaving them powerless.
Byeok Taesan approached them.
The martial artists fixed their gazes on him. They seemed to have instinctively realized that Byeok Taesan was the leader of the group.
Their terrifying glares, as if they wanted to tear a man to pieces, were now focused on Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan looked at each of them in turn.
At that, they suddenly screamed and squeezed their eyes shut.
"Aaargh!"
Tears of blood streamed from their closed eyes.
The scholars and laborers kneeling with the martial artists shrank in fear, bowing their heads low.
Byeok Taesan walked past them and went deeper into the Jade Cliff Sect.
From within, he felt something strange brush against his senses.
It was probably the Jade Cliff.
The Jade Cliff was at the very back of the Jade Cliff Sect.
"So this is it."
Byeok Taesan muttered quietly, slowly scanning the Jade Cliff.
The area behind the Jade Cliff Sect was a cliff face.
The cliff was wide enough to span the entire rear of the sect and was about a hundred feet high.
But the cliff was jade-colored.
Of course, the cliff itself wasn't made of jade. It seemed the rock that formed the cliff was heavily mixed with jade.
In other words, it was a jade mine.
The fact that it was left untouched suggested they either valued this Jade Cliff more than expected, or there wasn't enough jade buried within to make mining it profitable.
In any case, Byeok Taesan stood before the Jade Cliff and examined it carefully several times.
There were holes bored into the cliff here and there.
They looked like holes where something had been inserted.
Byeok Taesan was lost in thought for a moment.
To ask about something like this, a scholar would be better than a martial artist or a laborer.
Before the thought was even complete, screams rang out.
"Aaaaaah!"
Of the twelve kneeling scholars, five floated up into the air and flew toward Byeok Taesan.
It was only natural for them to scream and flail in surprise as their bodies were suddenly lifted and sent flying.
The five scholars landed with thuds in front of Byeok Taesan.
They ended up kneeling before him in the same position they were in before.
They all trembled as they looked at Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan pointed a finger at one of the holes and asked.
"What was over there."
One of the scholars hurriedly shouted.
"Jade orbs!"
"Jade orbs?"
"Yes! I haven't seen them myself, but it's in the records! It says that ordinary, unremarkable jade orbs were embedded there!"
Nameless had probably taken those jade orbs.
Byeok Taesan glanced at the scholars as if telling them to continue.
At that, another scholar, as if sensing a crisis, quickly spoke up.
"After that, other jade orbs were inserted. And a short while ago, the inserted jade orbs were retrieved."
A flicker of curiosity appeared in Byeok Taesan's eyes.
If they had retrieved the jade orbs, there must have been a reason.
Seeing his expression, one of the scholars quickly interjected.
"The jade orbs are being stored in the underground treasury! The Golden Moon Trading Company was originally supposed to collect them this month, but they haven't come yet!"
"Underground treasury?"
Hearing Byeok Taesan, one of the scholars pointed to a spot on the ground.
"It's around there! No one knows the way into the treasury except for the person in charge of the Jade Cliff Sect at the Golden Moon Trading Company!"
But that didn't matter.
Byeok Taesan looked in the direction the scholar had pointed.
His senses picked up a space underground.
*Kwwwaaaaa!*
The ground began to crumble as if an earthquake had struck.
The scholars' eyes widened in astonishment.
A dark, massive chest erupted from the collapsed ground.
It was a chest large enough to hold a dozen people.
*Thud!*
The chest landed on the ground.
A thick lock was fastened to the door, made of a material that was clearly not ordinary.
The chest itself was also made of very thick black iron. An ordinary person would have trouble even scratching it.
Of course, Byeok Taesan was no ordinary person.
With just a look from Byeok Taesan, the lock twisted and snapped apart.
The scholars' jaws dropped even wider.
The door swung open automatically, revealing the space inside.
It was called a chest, but it was really a small room made of black iron.
With the door open, he could see how thick the door and walls were. They seemed to be about three hands-spans of an adult.
Inside the room, smaller boxes were displayed.
They weren't neatly arranged, perhaps having been shaken when the chest was pulled from the ground.
Still, not a single one had fallen to the floor.
The boxes inside flew out and arranged themselves neatly in front of Byeok Taesan.
Seeing this, the scholars' mouths gaped even wider. It looked as if their jaws might break.
The lids of the boxes opened simultaneously.
Inside each was a single jade orb.
Byeok Taesan picked up one of the jade orbs and examined it closely.
It was truly ordinary.
"A wasted effort."
Of course, the ones who had wasted their effort were not him, but the fools from the Golden Moon Trading Company.
There was nothing left in these jade orbs.
It seemed they had hoped that some special power would accumulate in the orbs due to the Jade Cliff's influence, but there was nothing of the sort.
Byeok Taesan looked at the Jade Cliff.
The jade orbs floated into the air and then slipped neatly into the holes in the Jade Cliff.
Byeok Taesan's eyes widened slightly.
"Well, look at this."
A faint spiritual energy began to flow through the Jade Cliff.
It was so weak that even someone awakened to spiritual energy would have difficulty noticing it, but it was spiritual energy nonetheless.
The spiritual energy flowed along a set path. The jade orbs were clearly playing some role related to it.
It was worth investigating.
And it seemed it would take some time.