Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Look Into My Eyes
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Look into my eyes
The eleven warriors of the Jongli Family exuded a fierce aura, glaring at Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon before them.
It was clear this situation couldn't be easily dismissed.
Just then, one of the Jongli Family warriors stepped forward.
“Instead of doing this here, why don't we move to another location?”
“And why should I do that?”
He let out a smirk.
“After what you just said, we can't simply stand by. According to the young master of the Golden Jade Trading Company, you should be in a position to crush us, aren't you?”
The Jongli warrior spoke in a rather polite tone. However, the raw fighting spirit emanating from his entire body was anything but polite.
“So, how about we move and have a simple spar?”
“If we're going to do it, let's do it here. We don't know when the young master will return.”
The Jongli warrior smirked.
“It will probably take a while.”
Cheon Gyeongwan looked at him, as if asking what he meant.
“I heard you were the only one to be wary of from the Golden Jade Trading Company, but this is a bit different from what I expected.”
He continued, looking at Cheon Gyeongwan with a meaningful gaze.
“Sending your charge off alone... don't you think that's too careless? It's something that would never happen in our Jongli Family.”
Cheon Gyeongwan immediately retorted.
“Didn't the Jongli Family just do the same? That rude young master who left earlier, wasn't he your charge?”
The Jongli warrior looked dumbfounded.
“Surely you're joking? I hope you don't say such things elsewhere. The Golden Jade Trading Company's reputation will fall even further.”
Cheon Gyeongwan stared at him silently.
Something in what he just said was jarring.
‘Further?’
The Golden Jade Trading Company's reputation wasn't bad. It wasn't likely to fall, nor was it likely to improve much.
Though Byeok Taesan's recent eccentricities had made his name known, they didn't fundamentally sway the company's reputation.
No, if anything, it was slightly positive. After all, the title of the Wild King wasn't something just anyone could obtain.
“Well, if you're afraid to go somewhere quiet, we can do it here. But isn't it a bit cramped for a spar? We might unintentionally cause damage to the surroundings...”
As the Jongli warrior said this, he glanced at the Yeon Family Lord's room and the Divine Doctor of the Ages sitting nearby.
Seeing this, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon frowned.
“Let's go.”
Cheon Gyeongwan said, then turned to Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop.
“The two of you, please stay here with the Divine Doctor and explain the situation to the young master when he returns.”
The two were taken aback by his words.
“You're going with just the two of you?”
“You're going to follow them blindly without even knowing where you're going?”
Cheon Gyeongwan nodded nonchalantly and looked at the Jongli warriors.
“Wherever we go, I doubt it'll be outside the Yeon estate, am I right?”
“That's correct. There's a suitable place nearby. Well... you're all welcome to come along.”
At the Jongli warrior's words, Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop's faces lit up, and they were about to say they would follow.
But Cheon Gyeongwan spoke first.
“No. Please, do as I say. The person you two must protect is not us, but the young master.”
At this point, Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop found it hard to insist further.
“Then we will do as you say. Please be careful.”
Cheon Gyeongwan gave a meaningful nod and looked at Yu Seoyeon.
“Let's go.”
Yu Seoyeon smiled brightly and followed the Jongli warriors with Cheon Gyeongwan.
Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop silently watched them leave.
* * *
Byeok Taesan and Jongli Ung, who had left together, returned.
Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop tilted their heads in confusion upon seeing the two.
Both were perfectly calm, as if absolutely nothing had happened.
‘That can't be right...’
Byeok Taesan walked straight to the Divine Doctor of the Ages, not even glancing at the two men.
“Where did everyone go?”
“They went to have a go at it.”
The Divine Doctor replied with a cheerful expression, then looked at Jongli Ung.
“Aren't you a little too unscathed?”
“What did you expect me to do to him?”
The words ‘Isn't it obvious?’ rose to the tip of his tongue, but he suppressed them with superhuman patience.
If he said that now, the aftereffects would probably be severe.
“What will you do now?”
Byeok Taesan answered the Divine Doctor's question.
“We all agreed to have dinner together later. It'll probably be... interesting.”
Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop looked back and forth between Byeok Taesan and Jongli Ung with incomprehensible eyes.
It was because Jongli Ung was acting so docile, unlike before.
Byeok Taesan, on the other hand, was exactly the same as always.
‘Could it be...? No, that's ridiculous. I know what kind of person Jongli Ung is.’
Gyeong Chuhwang entertained a foolish thought for a moment before smirking and shaking his head.
It seemed nothing had happened after all. Both Byeok Taesan and Jongli Ung were too pristine to have been in any sort of incident.
If something had happened, shouldn't there be at least a scratch or two?
But it also didn't make sense that Jongli Ung would go off and return without doing anything.
That bastard was human scum. He was the last person on earth who knew the meaning of restraint.
“How long have they been gone? Is it about time they came back?”
The Divine Doctor answered Byeok Taesan's question.
“Not even an hour.”
“An hour? And they're still not back?”
“Even so, there are eleven of them. Do you think it's easy to return in less than an hour?”
Byeok Taesan shook his head firmly.
“No. It's only eleven men. They should have finished them in an instant and returned.”
Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop stared blankly at their conversation.
What on earth were they talking about?
“When we get back, double their training.”
The Divine Doctor was overjoyed at those words.
“I will follow the young master's command with all my heart and soul. Hahahaha!”
Words were exchanged that would have made Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon have a seizure if they'd heard them.
Of course, from the perspective of Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop, who were watching, it was just a baffling conversation.
* * *
“Hoo. Honestly, I was half in doubt... but it was real.”
Yu Seoyeon said, looking at Cheon Gyeongwan beside her, her eyes still shimmering with excitement.
Unlike Yu Seoyeon, Cheon Gyeongwan was calm.
“I believed in the young master.”
He meant it. That was why he had so confidently followed the Jongli warriors here.
Last night, Byeok Taesan had summoned Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon to teach them how to deal with the Jongli Family.
The weaknesses he pointed out were so exquisite, it was as if he had thoroughly researched and deconstructed the Jongli Family's martial arts.
They couldn't describe how astonished they were when they heard it.
But despite their surprise, it was hard to believe if it was real.
At least, that was true for Yu Seoyeon.
Cheon Gyeongwan, on the other hand, had believed Byeok Taesan's words implicitly.
Nevertheless, it was true that a sliver of anxiety had remained.
That anxiety vanished the moment they met the Jongli warriors.
Every time he saw their stances, the aura they emitted, and their movements, Byeok Taesan's teachings came to mind.
He was certain. Byeok Taesan was a true genius.
And the result of that faith was right before their eyes.
Eleven warriors of the Jongli Family were sprawled on the ground, groaning.
They weren't killed, but it would be difficult for them to move for a while.
He wanted to shatter their energy centers, but he restrained himself.
Doing so would only give the Jongli Family a pretext to retaliate.
“By the way... what do we do now? I don't think anyone will believe this. We should have come with Great Hero Gyeong and Great Hero Gal.”
If they had, the two could have been witnesses.
Yu Seoyeon looked at Cheon Gyeongwan with a hint of regret, since he was the one who had stopped the two men from coming.
But Cheon Gyeongwan's reply shook her to the core.
“It was the young master's order.”
“What?”
Yu Seoyeon stared blankly at Cheon Gyeongwan.
“But why...”
“He told us not to trust those two.”
Yu Seoyeon's expression hardened instantly. Byeok Taesan wouldn't say something like that for no reason.
Cheon Gyeongwan looked at her and continued.
“Besides, something like this won't cause any major problems.”
Hearing Cheon Gyeongwan's words, Yu Seoyeon looked down at the sprawled Jongli warriors.
“True... no one would believe it. They were said to be elites, after all.”
Who would believe that just two people had taken on eleven elite warriors of the Jongli Family and left them in such a state?
Even the ones who were defeated probably couldn't believe it.
“Let's go back. The young master will be waiting.”
Yu Seoyeon wore a worried expression.
“The young master... he'll be okay, right?”
“He said he wouldn't kill him, so he should be fine.”
That wasn't what she was asking, but on second thought, worrying about Byeok Taesan seemed ridiculous, so she just let out a dry laugh and let it go.
* * *
When evening came, everyone gathered in the Yeon estate's dining hall.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon sat side-by-side with the other warriors, too busy sneaking glances at Byeok Taesan to focus.
It was because of what Byeok Taesan had said when they returned from the fight.
‘Your training is insufficient.’
They couldn't describe how startled they were by those words. They had instinctively looked at the Divine Doctor, whose radiant smile still hadn't faded from his face.
The thought that they were now dead men walking made it impossible to even look at the food.
Across from them sat the Jongli warriors in a row. They didn't say a word, simply devouring their food.
It was not a pleasant atmosphere.
But the place where the mood was truly at rock bottom was the table with the Yeon Family Lord and Yeon Harin.
With them sat Byeok Taesan, Jongli Ung, and the Divine Doctor of the Ages, who could be considered guests of the Yeon Family.
Yeon Harin's gaze never left Byeok Taesan.
Though it should have been uncomfortable, Jongli Ung showed no reaction and silently focused on his meal.
In fact, his current demeanor was quite surprising, given how much of a complete wreck he'd been during his stay at the Yeon estate.
Perhaps because of that, the key figures of the Yeon Family eating nearby kept glancing at Jongli Ung and Byeok Taesan.
“I heard the two of you met privately today...”
Yeon Harin was startled by the Yeon Family Lord's words.
“Is that true? Are you alright?”
Yeon Harin asked, her eyes wide as she looked at Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan pointed at himself with a look of disbelief.
“Are you asking me right now?”
Yeon Harin nodded, her eyes filled with concern.
“Who else would I ask?”
Byeok Taesan smirked and looked toward Jongli Ung.
“We had a serious talk. You could say it was a soulful conversation.”
“What? What did you talk about that...”
Yeon Harin's face flushed slightly. She was excited to know what Byeok Taesan might have said to Jongli Ung.
She felt like she could guess. She stared intently at Byeok Taesan, indulging in happy fantasies.
Byeok Taesan spoke to Jongli Ung.
“We talked a bit about what you're going to do from now on. Right?”
Jongli Ung flinched at Byeok Taesan's question. Then he answered quietly.
“Yes, we did.”
“When you're having a conversation, isn't it polite to make eye contact?”
Jongli Ung flinched once more, then slowly raised his gaze to meet Byeok Taesan's.
The moment their eyes met, Jongli Ung's face turned deathly pale. A shock, as if his very soul was being twisted, washed over him.
And suddenly, a foul stench filled the air.
Jongli Ung had soiled himself.
Everyone present witnessed the disastrous scene.
“Wh-what is this...!”
Yeon Harin shrieked, jumping up from her seat and quickly backing away.
She had been sitting close to Jongli Ung, and the stench was so unbearable she couldn't stand to be there a moment longer.
Everyone there stared at Jongli Ung in horror.
Everyone except for one person: Byeok Taesan.