Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Stage is Set
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Ah, that guy.
Byeok Taesan's monotonous life continued for a while.
If there was one major change recently, it was that he now embraced two courtesans a day.
Of course, he didn't bring both into his room at once, but one at a time.
Naturally, the time allotted for each was cut in half.
This was partly due to Byeok Taesan's increased mastery of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts, but the real reason was the improvement in his physical condition.
After mending his major qi meridians, his body's condition improved dramatically.
The danger of collapsing at any moment was now gone.
However, that didn't mean his body was perfect. He still needed to continue his treatment for a long time.
And just because he had mended the major qi meridians didn't mean they were completely healed.
He had merely reconnected them.
Now, he had to work on strengthening them.
After reconnecting the other severed meridians, of course.
In any case, being able to handle two courtesans a day meant his recovery speed had increased.
Meanwhile, Byeok Taesan consistently reviewed the information gathered and organized by the Divine Doctor of the Ages' subordinates.
The desired information was mainly about the Fragrant Flower Pavilion and the Golden Silk Lotus.
He had almost completely lost interest in the Jongli Family.
Of course, losing interest didn't mean he planned to leave them be.
Once something is started, one must see it through to the end.
Meanwhile, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon pushed themselves even harder in their training.
While it was what they both wanted, the Divine Doctor of the Ages had drastically increased the intensity because of a brief comment Byeok Taesan had made.
The two were training on the brink of death. It was truly hellish.
But as grueling as it was, their skills grew by leaps and bounds.
Cheon Gyeongwan had a goal.
It was the beautiful movement Byeok Taesan had displayed when he fought Jongli Seongrak not long ago.
He didn't want to simply copy what Byeok Taesan had done; he wanted to paint that beauty with his sword.
That clear goal was a great help in his rapid improvement.
Furthermore, as Cheon Gyeongwan's skills improved, so did Yu Seoyeon's, who had to face him.
During that time, the Golden Jade Trading Company was also moving frantically.
Having discovered what the Golden Silk Lotus was up to, they prepared to counter it and, if the opportunity arose, to land a blow.
Byeok Taesan was spending his time leisurely when he met with the Divine Doctor of the Ages after a long while.
“Young Master, what are you doing?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages asked, seeing Byeok Taesan lost in thought, clenching and unclenching his fist.
“I'm gauging how many I can kill.”
“My, my, what are you planning now to be saying such bloodthirsty words?”
His words sounded frightened, but his tone and expression were anything but. In fact, his face brightened, like a child anticipating candy.
“So, where are you striking this time? You're planning to deal with the Jongli Family yourself, I presume?”
Currently, the Jongli Family was in dire straits.
The moment they gathered their martial forces to deal with the criminal underworld, someone had struck the family directly, as if they had been waiting.
In other words, they were burglarized, and as a result, the family's already-faltering finances collapsed.
Moreover, they failed to deal with the criminal underworld factions. They had all fled.
And now, the other martial families and clans that had been suppressed by the Jongli Family's power began to slowly rear their heads.
In the past, they could have crushed them with force in an instant, but that was no longer possible.
The weakness of the Jongli Family's martial arts had spread widely throughout the region.
And now, the Golden Silk Lotus was secretly moving to absorb the Jongli Family.
As if it had been their plan from the very beginning.
That was why the Divine Doctor of the Ages was asking if it wouldn't be better to deal with the Jongli Family first, before they were truly absorbed by the Golden Silk Lotus.
“What about the ones behind the Golden Silk Lotus?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages stealthily averted his gaze.
“They are quite the shadowy bunch... For now, we've found out that the Fragrant Flower Pavilion is connected to them.”
Originally, we had expected the Fragrant Flower Pavilion to be an intelligence organization secretly cultivated by the Golden Silk Lotus or the Jongli Family.
But that wasn't the case at all.
Back when we got entangled with the Fragrant Flower Pavilion, the ones who tried to ambush Byeok Taesan were also under the command of that same unidentified organization.
“It's annoying.”
Byeok Taesan was annoyed by this so-called unidentified organization.
During his time as the Heavenly Demon, it wasn't that he didn't care, but rather that he could know anything he wished to know.
Naturally, there was never a need to use the word 'unidentified'.
If he wanted to know something, he simply had to give the order.
But now, even when he wanted to know, he was met with dead ends like this. It was frustrating and annoying.
Just like his current body.
“Then... what will you do?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages asked cautiously, wiping all traces of playfulness from his face. He had a feeling that provoking Byeok Taesan right now would lead to real trouble.
To be precise, it had been that way since he'd said 'it's annoying'.
That single phrase had brought a scene from the depths of the Divine Doctor's memory to the surface.
“To get to the body, you have to pull the hair first.”
Byeok Taesan looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages and asked.
“Those businesses the Golden Silk Lotus established, what are they up to these days? Are they picking fights?”
“They're still quiet. But won't they make a move soon? They can't just watch like this forever.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages' eyes gleamed as he continued.
“It seems likely they'll start with the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. It's a good place to escalate things, as long as they can successfully involve you, Young Master.”
Byeok Taesan grinned.
“They would, wouldn't they?”
“Indeed.”
That was also why he had taken Byeok Taesan there.
“They won't use a clumsy trick, will they?”
“Jongli Ung and Won Mungwang have been sighted nearby recently.”
“Jongli Ung? Who's that?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, having fully expected Byeok Taesan not to remember, answered without a change in expression.
“He's the one who pissed his pants.”
“Ah, that guy.”
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly.
“So I did some digging, and it seems all the Jongli Family members who were at the Yeon estate have come here. There are twelve of them in total.”
“And?”
“Those bastards have been stirring up the criminal underworld clans of Wuhan lately.”
“The criminal underworld?”
Byeok Taesan scoffed. This was why they say a leopard can't change its spots.
The Jongli Family was doing the same thing here in Wuhan that they did around East Lake.
“Aren't they the easiest ones to use while hiding their own involvement? Easy to discard later, too.”
“Is the Golden Jade Trading Company so clumsy as to fall for something like that?”
“Of course not. How could they fall for it when I even passed on the intelligence?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said, looking at Byeok Taesan with sparkling eyes. It was his way of asking for his contribution to be recognized.
Byeok Taesan let out a small laugh.
I wonder how this guy would act if he knew I was the Heavenly Demon? Would he still be able to look at me with those eyes?
“What the Jongli Family bastards are trying to do is obvious.”
“Stir up the criminal underworld to create a commotion, while they do something else on the side?”
“Exactly.”
“And that something else is the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?”
“Precisely.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. I wouldn't bet my neck on it... but I could wager a finger. I can just cut it off and stick it back on.”
Saying he'd cut off a finger and reattach it, rather than just betting it, somehow made it seem far less credible, but since that wasn't an easy feat either, Byeok Taesan let it slide.
“Wouldn't I have investigated thoroughly? Those bastards are planning to cause a ruckus when you visit the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Young Master.”
“Aha, so they plan to drag me into the fight?”
“That's right. With the criminal underworld thugs stirring up trouble everywhere, it'll be difficult for the Golden Jade Trading Company to respond properly, won't it? Besides, that place is right in the middle of enemy territory.”
Byeok Taesan grinned.
“This should be fun.”
He was already planning on yanking out all the hair to get to the body anyway.
Since they were offering to help, shouldn't he make good use of them?
“Judging by the atmosphere, it looks like they'll make their move today or tomorrow. The entire criminal underworld of Wuhan is in an uproar right now.”
Even for the Jongli Family, it's impossible for a mere twelve people to take control of Wuhan's criminal underworld.
So they must have only stirred up the major players.
But subjugating the underworld isn't the end of it. They have to control and command them perfectly.
And that was an impossible task.
The way the Jongli Family controlled the underworld in East Lake wasn't like this; it was more about collecting tribute.
Therefore, whatever they plan to do, the longer they take, the lower their chances of success become.
They will try to handle it as quickly as possible, like a blitz.
“In my opinion, it's today. Assuming you make a move, Young Master.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages smiled slyly.
“Actually, if you just don't move for about four days, Young Master, they'll find themselves in a very awkward position.”
But there was no way Byeok Taesan would make that choice.
“That wouldn't be any fun. And for them, it would just end with being in an awkward spot.”
A grin spread across the Divine Doctor of the Ages' face. This was what he had been hoping for, too.
“Let's have some fun today.”
At Byeok Taesan's words, the Divine Doctor of the Ages beamed with anticipation.
* * *
“I told you not to tell them.”
At Byeok Taesan's words, the Divine Doctor of the Ages gave an awkward laugh.
“Should we just leave them behind?”
At that, Cheon Gyeongwan said loudly.
“No! I can do it!”
But even those words were too stiff.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages shook his head.
“How can we take someone who has 'I'm going to cause some trouble today' written all over his face?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said that, then looked at Yu Seoyeon, who was walking beside Cheon Gyeongwan, and asked.
“Isn't that right?”
At that, Cheon Gyeongwan stared at Yu Seoyeon with blazing eyes.
Yu Seoyeon couldn't bring herself to answer and stealthily avoided Cheon Gyeongwan's gaze.
Honestly, even to her, it was too much.
No, it was a bit surprising.
Cheon Gyeongwan was not a man of many expressions to begin with.
He was rarely surprised and usually wore a blank face.
So she had thought that being a little tense wouldn't make him look much different from usual.
But that wasn't the case.
He looked like someone who had researched how to be as obvious as possible.
Expressions he normally lacked were so abundant today.
Anyone who saw him would think something was up today.
But how could she tell Cheon Gyeongwan, who was the most motivated for today's plan, not to come?
That must be why Byeok Taesan was only giving him a light scolding.
Honestly, Yu Seoyeon was a bit surprised herself. She had expected Byeok Taesan to firmly tell Cheon Gyeongwan not to follow.
But he didn't.
She didn't know if it was out of consideration, or if he simply didn't care if they were found out because of Cheon Gyeongwan's expression.
Anyway, in that situation, the Divine Doctor of the Ages spoke resolutely.
“Let's use poison.”
“P-Poison?”
Yu Seoyeon flinched and looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
“The point is to not give anything away with your expression, right? We'll just kill all the facial muscles with poison.”
Yu Seoyeon stared at the Divine Doctor of the Ages in horror.
How could he say something like that so casually? Killing all the facial muscles. Wouldn't that mean he'd have to live as an expressionless person forever?
No, before that, would there be no side effects from killing the facial muscles?
“Even I get my feelings hurt when you look at me like that. What do you take me for? I'm a doctor, a doctor.”
“Ah... I-I'm sorry. I was so startled by the word 'poison' that I couldn't help it...”
“Never mind. It's just temporary, so there's no need to worry too much. Well... there might be some side effects, but they're minor, so it'll be fine. How about it?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages asked, looking at Cheon Gyeongwan, who nodded as if there was no need to think about it.
“I'll do it.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned and pulled a needle as thick as a forearm from his robes.
Seeing it, Cheon Gyeongwan's face turned pale.
“A-Are you going to stick that in my face?”
“I'll only put it in a tiny bit, just a tiny bit.”
Of course, that was by the Divine Doctor's standards. The sight of the forearm-sized needle sinking halfway into the face made Yu Seoyeon's eyes widen so much she worried they might tear.
What was more surprising came next.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages snapped the needle that was stuck in the face.
“What are you doing!”
Yu Seoyeon shouted involuntarily.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages nonchalantly shook the broken piece of the needle.
“It's a needle made of solidified poison. It'll dissolve inside and be naturally excreted through urine later.”
“Ah...!”
Yu Seoyeon wore an apologetic expression. But she soon returned to her usual self.
“Th-Then, let's continue on our way...”
Of course, her speech didn't return to normal as quickly as her expression did.
A blushing Yu Seoyeon quickened her pace, and the Divine Doctor of the Ages patted the back of Cheon Gyeongwan, who was staring blankly at her retreating figure.
As if telling him to hurry up and follow.
Standing next to Yu Seoyeon, Cheon Gyeongwan's expression became the same as always. Meaning, it was gone.
After those trials and tribulations, they arrived at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
It felt as if a thick, murderous aura was crackling through the air.