Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Let Them Handle It
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Let them handle it.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked over the courtesans of her establishment, who sat demurely before her.
There were five of them, all exceptionally beautiful. Though they hadn't learned martial arts, their insight was second to none.
They were the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion’s direct subordinates.
The Hundred Flowers Pavilion was a branch of the Underworld Sect, established with funds from the Thousand Gold Guild, and its Master was the branch chief.
Furthermore, she was also a disciple of the Master of the Underworld Sect.
“Nothing from the Thousand Gold Guild?”
The woman on the far right answered the Master’s question.
“No. The consensus is to wait and see for the time being. They must have been flustered. They likely never imagined the Golden Jade Trading Company was this capable.”
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion nodded.
The Underworld Sect had barely been involved in this matter. Their role had been limited to establishing the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, gathering information on the unorthodox factions, and finding ways to manipulate them.
And they had performed that role brilliantly.
The problem was what came next, which had been entrusted to the Thousand Gold Guild and the Jongli Family.
And they failed spectacularly.
The issue stemmed from the information the Thousand Gold Guild had provided about the Golden Jade Trading Company.
More than half of the intelligence they possessed was incorrect.
This was because the Golden Jade Trading Company had formulated countermeasures with the intervention of the Divine Doctor of the Ages, but on the surface, it simply looked like a failure of information gathering.
“Have you compared it with the information we’ve gathered?”
“Yes. Even if we had handled it, we wouldn’t have been able to avoid the problems completely.”
“Impressive.”
“They are not to be underestimated.”
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion nodded. She had never underestimated them in the first place, but now she felt an even greater sense of caution.
From now on, the investigation had to be conducted with extreme care.
Because a monster lived there.
‘Byeok Taesan… Who is he, really?’
He was a man she simply couldn't comprehend.
After a moment of organizing her thoughts, the Master’s eyes glinted as she surveyed the group.
“Starting today, investigate the Golden Jade Trading Company.”
The five women looked at the Master, awaiting more specific instructions.
“Investigate everything the Golden Jade Trading Company has acquired related to martial arts.”
The five women looked puzzled.
It was true that the Golden Jade Trading Company had a keen interest in martial arts, but acquiring useful manuals was another matter entirely.
It wasn't as if they hadn't investigated the company at all before, so they already had most of the relevant information.
But it had never seemed important enough to warrant this level of attention.
“You must be extremely careful.”
“Pardon?”
The women’s confusion deepened. Of course, they would be careful. But for her to explicitly mention it meant they had to be far more vigilant than usual.
For instance, even when ordered to investigate the Thousand Gold Guild, she hadn't told them to be careful.
But now, she hadn't just said to be careful, but *extremely* careful, leaving them unsure of what standard to follow.
“How careful do we need to be?”
“Proceed as if you were investigating one of the prestigious families.”
“What?”
While the Golden Jade Trading Company was formidable, it was in a different league from the prestigious families.
The five women couldn't hide their bewildered expressions as they looked at their Master.
“And don’t even think about going near the second young master, Byeok Taesan.”
Only then did the women’s expressions turn serious.
Byeok Taesan had come and gone yesterday. And he had shattered the underhanded schemes of the Thousand Gold Guild and the Jongli Family head-on.
It was known that the ones who had accomplished this were Byeok Taesan's escorts, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, along with the Divine Doctor of the Ages who was with them.
But now, it seemed there was more to the story.
“And…”
As the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion began to speak again, the five women grew even more tense. The situation was already confusing enough; what more could there be?
“Investigate the Thousand Gold Guild more deeply. Cautiously approach the organization behind them as well. You know this side is also dangerous, right?”
“Yes. We are well aware.”
An organization that used the Black Moon Sword as a messenger, no less. Uncovering the secrets behind such a group would be anything but easy.
They might suffer significant losses.
But it had to be done. The Shadow Phantom Steps were at stake.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion's expression grew serious as she thought of the Shadow Phantom Steps.
‘I think… I’ll have to request support.’
This might very well be a matter of life and death for the Underworld Sect.
* * *
“Young Master, the East Lake Escort Agency has contacted us, asking for instructions on what to do next.”
“East Lake Escort Agency? Tell them to handle it themselves.”
“Pardon?”
“Their identities haven't been exposed, and they were doing fine on their own, weren't they?”
“Well, yes, that’s true, but… the Jongli Family is involved…”
Byeok Taesan let out a smirk.
“You think the Jongli Family is going to survive?”
“No. They’ll eventually be absorbed by the Thousand Gold Guild. So, are you saying you’ll just watch that happen?”
“If we get more involved now, the East Lake Escort Agency will be exposed.”
“Come on, they can just move somewhere else. Aren't they good at that sort of thing? Lying low, changing regions, and setting up shop again.”
“Any other time, maybe, but not now. Maintaining the status quo is the best option.”
“What? Ah…!”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages finally understood Byeok Taesan’s words.
Under normal circumstances, they could receive support from the Heavenly Demonic Cult and succeed in whatever they did.
But right now, the Heavenly Extermination Formation prevented the Heavenly Demonic Cult from exerting its power.
“But that situation… won’t it be resolved soon?”
Normally, it would. But this was no ordinary situation.
It was the worst crisis in the history of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
It would likely take a considerable amount of time for a proper successor to the Heavenly Demon to emerge and destroy the Heavenly Extermination Formation.
Because all the likely candidates had been wiped out.
A similar incident had occurred hundreds of years ago, a fact he had confirmed through records.
Back then, the Heavenly Demon had also gone mad and killed everyone around him, but not as severely as this time.
After that incident, it became rare for many people to gather around the Heavenly Demon.
But this time was different.
Those bastards had been dead set on eliminating him.
‘Did those morons really believe they could defeat me?’
They must have. Why else would they have all swarmed him, trying to increase their chances even by a fraction?
The elders, the disciples, the heads of each organization—they all came. And he slaughtered every last one of them.
So, for the time being, the Heavenly Extermination Formation would not be opened again.
At least, not until the cult’s internal affairs were sorted out and a new Heavenly Demon appeared.
How long would that take?
“Hmm… maybe about ten years?”
“What? Ten years?”
“And that’s a minimum estimate. So tell them to handle it themselves.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages scratched the back of his head.
“Uh… understood. Then I will instruct them to sort things out on their own and act as they normally would.”
“Good.”
“Um… and I have one more question.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.”
“Let them handle that too.”
“What? Me? I don’t even know what the Shadow Phantom Steps are.”
“It exists. You can think of it as the core of the Underworld Sect’s martial arts. It's a unique art that incorporates an internal art, a movement technique, a sword art, and a concealment technique all into a single footwork style.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
“Why do you have it, Young Master?”
“I came across it by chance. Purely by chance.”
He really had acquired it by chance. When he was in the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
The entire top leadership of the Underworld Sect was currently in the cult’s Thunder Prison.
The insolent fools from the Underworld Sect had gotten in way over their heads, trying to dig into the Heavenly Demonic Cult, and had been caught red-handed by the Heavenly Demon.
Normally, he would have killed them on the spot, but because of the Shadow Phantom Steps they possessed, he threw them in the Thunder Prison and slowly extracted everything about the technique.
He hadn't extracted it to learn it, but out of curiosity.
He also wanted to see if it could be used as a basis to further develop his own martial arts.
In the end, it helped a minuscule amount. And thanks to that, the Shadow Phantom Steps remained perfectly preserved in his mind.
He learned how important the Shadow Phantom Steps were to the Underworld Sect back then, and he also foresaw what would happen to the sect once they lost it.
He had simply lost interest afterward.
But experiencing this recent incident brought those memories flooding back.
“And how did you know the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was part of the Underworld Sect?”
“There were a few people there wearing masks.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages’ jaw dropped.
“You figured out they were from the Underworld Sect just from that?”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Seeing that just made him look more closely.
And then he discovered traces of the Shadow Phantom Steps.
It wasn’t the true Shadow Phantom Steps, of course, but a lower-grade version.
But to the eyes of Byeok Taesan, who knew the real thing, it was glaringly obvious.
“Then what should we do about the Thousand Gold Guild?”
Byeok Taesan shot the Divine Doctor of the Ages an annoyed look.
“Let them handle it, I said. Let them handle it. The Hundred Flowers Pavilion will provide information, and you can pass it on to the Golden Jade Trading Company. They’ll take care of it from there. You don’t think a trading company of this size lacks the ability to deal with one little thing, do you?”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages had a very strange feeling.
Watching from the side, this "let them handle it" approach seemed simple and effortless, but in reality, it wasn't.
It was different from mere neglect. It was standing at the summit, looking down, making slight adjustments to the situation as needed, and letting the rest take care of itself.
Didn't it seem like that was exactly what Byeok Taesan was doing right now?
‘Is that taking it too far?’
Perhaps he was just being neglectful out of sheer annoyance. But the feeling was truly bizarre.
“Uh… then what will you be doing, Young Master?”
“Me? I have to visit the courtesan houses.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
Another thing he couldn't understand came to mind.
“How on earth is your illness continuing to improve when you’re visiting those places so diligently?”
Byeok Taesan grinned.
“There are… certain things. Things kids wouldn't understand.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages wore a dumbfounded expression.
‘Who’s calling who a kid?’
* * *
The Golden Jade Trading Company was incredibly busy for a while.
As the Thousand Gold Guild picked a fight, everyone affiliated with the company was swamped with work, responding to their attacks.
But now, the general outline of the conflict was beginning to emerge.
The power of the Golden Jade Trading Company was formidable.
No, the abilities of the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the Underworld Sect, who continuously fed them information, were formidable.
The Thousand Gold Guild, caught in the Golden Jade Trading Company’s counterattack, staggered badly, and now, internal problems were beginning to surface one by one.
Since it wasn't a single organization but a coalition of various trading companies, it was inevitable that each would look out for its own interests.
Difficult situations always create festering wounds within.
And as the Thousand Gold Guild reached that point, the atmosphere at the Golden Jade Trading Company became much more relaxed.
The company’s lord, Byeok Taesu, channeled that newfound leisure elsewhere, and the results came in today.
“Lord. We’ve made contact.”
At the General Manager’s words, Byeok Taesu’s face lit up.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. And we received a very positive response.”
“Finally…!”
Byeok Taesu couldn't hide his joyful expression.
“When did they say they could come?”
“They have some business to wrap up first, and they will come after that. They said it won’t take long and that they should be able to visit soon.”
Byeok Taesu nodded emphatically.
“That’s wonderful. You’ve worked very hard.”
“What have I done to deserve such praise? The ones who really ran themselves ragged were the people from the Investigation Hall.”
“Still, it’s because you consistently showed interest, General Manager, that this worked out so well, isn't it?”
The General Manager smiled faintly at Byeok Taesu’s words.
In truth, he had no choice. With the lord, Byeok Taesu, showing such interest and checking in every day, how could he not pay attention?
“Honestly, I’ve been a little relieved lately, hearing that Taesan’s health is improving, but my heart still felt otherwise. I wanted to do even more for him, somehow.”
“In fact, bringing in the Divine Doctor of the Ages was already a great accomplishment.”
At the mention of the Divine Doctor, Byeok Taesu’s expression turned proud. Hadn't Byeok Taesan been the one to recruit him?
Watching his younger brother’s growth was a truly joyful thing.
“In any case, now that we’re bringing in another great physician, I’m sure Taesan will be able to shake off his illness in no time.”
“If two renowned doctors put their minds together, it’ll be over in a flash.”
The General Manager replied, thinking of the doctor they had arranged to bring.
He was an eccentric physician known as the One-Needle Eccentric.
The reason he had agreed to this was because of the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
‘When you think about it, this is also something the Young Master accomplished, in a way.’
If Byeok Taesan hadn't recruited the Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric wouldn't be coming either.
The General Manager felt as if everything had been going smoothly lately.
‘Let’s see… was it since our Young Master started visiting the courtesan houses?’