Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker
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He took the bait.
“This way, please.”
Ga Mujin, the steward of the Golden Jade Estate, felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he guided the esteemed guest who had arrived today, the One-Needle Eccentric.
Come to think of it, he had guided the Divine Doctor of the Ages just like this before.
And a situation identical to that time was unfolding.
The One-Needle Eccentric's gaze had landed on Danyeong, who was standing near Byeok Taesan's pavilion.
“Who is that child?”
Ga Mujin answered the One-Needle Eccentric's question calmly.
“She is one of our Young Master's handmaidens.”
“A handmaiden, you say? That child?”
Seeing the glint in the One-Needle Eccentric's eyes, Ga Mujin quickly replied.
“But she will not be going anywhere. Not even if you were to ask her to become your disciple, sir.”
The One-Needle Eccentric looked incredulous. Refusing a position as his disciple? Was that even conceivable?
But as he read between the lines of what Ga Mujin had just said, the One-Needle Eccentric's expression hardened.
“Right, the Divine Doctor of the Ages came here first...”
“Yes. He went through the exact same process. For your information, she is not our Young Master's only handmaiden.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Please, step inside. You will find out naturally.”
As he stepped into the pavilion, Ga Mujin felt a surge of pride.
When else would he get to treat someone as great as the One-Needle Eccentric like this?
The One-Needle Eccentric would likely be shocked speechless once he entered the pavilion. Just as the Divine Doctor of the Ages had been.
Sure enough, the One-Needle Eccentric's steps halted as he entered the pavilion.
He looked around in disbelief at the handmaidens cleaning various parts of the pavilion.
“There seem to be... quite a few handmaidens.”
There were seven of them in total. Including Danyeong outside, that made eight.
With Soso, a total of nine handmaidens were serving Byeok Taesan.
Except for Soso, all the others were former courtesans who had come of their own volition to serve Byeok Taesan.
They served Byeok Taesan with the utmost devotion. No matter how menial the task, they accepted it with joy, without a single word of complaint.
And their beauty was so remarkable that anyone who saw them couldn't tear their eyes away.
This made him feel even more proud.
Ga Mujin looked at the One-Needle Eccentric as if to boast that these were all people who served his Young Master.
“They are all girls who came here themselves, seeking to serve our Young Master and place themselves in his care.”
“They came... themselves.”
Ga Mujin looked at the One-Needle Eccentric and asked.
“Sir, did you perhaps take an interest in them because of their constitutions?”
The One-Needle Eccentric nodded.
“That's right. I must have those girls attend to me. I cannot stand by and watch such talent go to waste.”
“That is for the girls to decide. And it would also require our Young Master's permission.”
The One-Needle Eccentric was about to shake his head at Ga Mujin's words but stopped.
It would happen anyway. Because it was what he wanted.
The mere Golden Jade Trading Company could not stand in his way.
So, he planned to take care of his other business first before proceeding.
He would see this physician called the Divine Doctor of the Ages, and also the brat who had managed to tie him down here.
While he was here, he was willing to check the boy's pulse and, if he found it interesting, even administer his needles.
“Let's go in for now.”
At the One-Needle Eccentric's words, Ga Mujin smiled faintly and continued to guide him.
“This way, please.”
* * *
Byeok Taesan quietly stared at the One-Needle Eccentric sitting before him.
Beside Byeok Taesan sat the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages glared with a deeply displeased expression at Ga Mujin, who was seated next to the One-Needle Eccentric.
Understanding the Divine Doctor's feelings, Ga Mujin bowed his head with a very apologetic look.
“I have no excuse to offer you, Divine Doctor. Please, try to understand our Master's position.”
The Divine Doctor was about to say something, but Byeok Taesan gently raised his hand. It was a signal to say no more.
The Divine Doctor clamped his mouth shut and slowly turned his head away.
“Alright, you can go now, Steward. I'll handle the rest of the conversation myself.”
At Byeok Taesan's words, Ga Mujin glanced at the One-Needle Eccentric with a slightly anxious expression.
“Wouldn't it be more comfortable if I were present?”
Byeok Taesan shook his head firmly.
“It's much more comfortable for us to talk alone.”
Ga Mujin bowed as respectfully as he could to both the One-Needle Eccentric and Byeok Taesan.
“Please... I'm counting on you.”
To the One-Needle Eccentric, it was a plea to treat Byeok Taesan well. To Byeok Taesan, it was a plea not to get on the One-Needle Eccentric's nerves.
As Ga Mujin left, the One-Needle Eccentric spoke as if he had been waiting.
“On my way here, I saw your handmaidens. They're quite something.”
As he started with the handmaidens, the Divine Doctor of the Ages let out a smirk. It reminded him of the past and gave him a glimpse into the One-Needle Eccentric's character.
Instead of answering, Byeok Taesan sized up the One-Needle Eccentric's level.
He had grasped it to some extent the moment he first saw him, but a bit of concentration was needed to know more precisely and certainly.
After confirming, Byeok Taesan's eyes gleamed.
He was impressive. His level was much higher than Byeok Taesan had estimated at first glance.
He knew how to properly contain his ki, and he was in complete control of it.
To have complete control over one's own ki was a truly difficult feat.
In the martial world, there were perhaps a hundred people capable of it. Maybe a few more.
“So you're interested in my handmaidens?”
At Byeok Taesan's words, the One-Needle Eccentric's eyebrow twitched. He didn't like the tone. How dare this boy speak so informally to him?
Yet, for some reason, it felt so natural that he didn't say anything about it.
“Yes. Your handmaidens, from what I can see, are letting their talents rot. I'll take them and raise them well. I'll teach them medicine and martial arts.”
“I'm already teaching them martial arts, you know.”
The One-Needle Eccentric scoffed.
“How dare you compare some paltry martial art to the profound art I would teach them.”
The One-Needle Eccentric had the right to say such things.
However, that only applied if his opponent was the Golden Jade Trading Company. Unfortunately for him, his current opponent was Byeok Taesan, the former Heavenly Demon.
“I don't understand how you can say that without even knowing what that 'paltry' martial art is.”
At those words, the One-Needle Eccentric scoffed.
“There's no need to know. The martial art I intend to teach those girls is the Flower Moon Arts.”
“Flower Moon Arts?”
Byeok Taesan frowned.
“Isn't that the martial art used by a pervert?”
Correct. The Flower Moon Arts was a technique used by a pervert known as the Flower Moon Demon. But the One-Needle Eccentric was unashamed. So what? As long as the martial art was outstanding, it didn't matter who used it.
“I happened to come across a good martial art.”
In his heyday, the Flower Moon Demon had fought against the Heavenly Steel Sword Brigade, one of the Namgung Family's warrior units, and survived.
He hadn't won, but just surviving was a tremendous feat.
The One-Needle Eccentric looked at Byeok Taesan as if to ask, 'What do you think of that?'
“So you did have another motive. The Flower Moon Arts isn't something one can master just by training, is it? Am I wrong?”
“Of course! To learn such a great martial art, it's only natural to pay a price! It's just fast-forwarding something that would happen naturally while attending to me.”
Byeok Taesan was so dumbfounded that he spoke quickly. He needed to break the man's spirit.
“The art I taught the girls is the Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit. I wonder if you've heard of it.”
“The Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit?”
The One-Needle Eccentric's eyes widened like saucers.
“Surely that's not the same Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit I know? If you're trying to show off with some trashy art that just shares the name, you'd better be prepared for the consequences.”
“I don't know which Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit you know, but this one is the same one used by the Soaring Spirit Divine Lord of old.”
“Don't lie! Those arts were lost over a hundred years ago!”
The Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit was a martial art that had been lost when the Soaring Spirit Divine Lord disappeared.
But what Byeok Taesan taught was truly the Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit. After all, the reason the Soaring Spirit Divine Lord had disappeared was because of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
“Believe it or not, that's up to you. Now, you choose. Between the Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit and the Flower Moon Arts, which will it be?”
At Byeok Taesan's question, the One-Needle Eccentric clamped his mouth shut. Anyone who knew even a little about the two martial arts would have no choice but to pick the Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit.
So, the One-Needle Eccentric changed tack.
“I am a physician. Therefore, what I teach is medicine. A good martial art? Learning that is fine. But a physician must, above all, be skilled in the medical arts. That is how one benefits the world, is it not?”
“It's clear you've never once reflected on your own life.”
Saying that, Byeok Taesan suddenly extended his hand.
The One-Needle Eccentric tensed for a moment.
*'What? Did he just steal my breath? Me? From this brat?'*
The moment Byeok Taesan reached out his hand was too perfect.
Perhaps it was a coincidence piled upon a coincidence. But to steal the breath of a master like himself, one had to strike an opening that appeared in a fraction of an instant.
No matter how coincidental, it wasn't something just anyone could do.
His guard shot up.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“What do you mean, 'what's the meaning'? Aren't you going to check my pulse?”
“Ah... the pulse. Right. I should check it.”
The One-Needle Eccentric was getting a little annoyed that nothing was going according to his plan.
He lightly gripped Byeok Taesan's wrist. First, he had to investigate. Was that moment just now a coincidence, or was it skill?
The energy stirred by the One-Needle Eccentric seeped into Byeok Taesan's body.
The One-Needle Eccentric's pulse diagnosis relied entirely on his internal energy. This was why his diagnosis was so accurate, and also why his acupuncture was so exceptional.
*'First, no internal energy.'*
It seemed it was a coincidence after all. If a guy who possessed a great martial art like the Divine Arts of the Soaring Spirit didn't even have internal energy, it meant he hadn't trained in it.
But as the diagnosis continued, the One-Needle Eccentric realized his initial assumption was wrong.
This brat was someone who couldn't practice martial arts.
“Your body is a complete wreck.”
That was what the One-Needle Eccentric said after finishing his diagnosis.
Byeok Taesan smirked and asked.
“Oh? Is it that bad?”
“Your major meridians are barely holding on, but most of your minor meridians are severed, so the flow of ki is completely disrupted.”
“So, can you treat it?”
“Treatment is certainly possible. However, it will take some effort. You'll need to be pierced by my needles many times.”
“So it's not 'one needle'?”
The One-Needle Eccentric grinned.
“My 'one needle' is only for when I kill.”
Byeok Taesan asked calmly.
“When you say you can fix it, you're talking about the major meridians, right?”
“Of course. To treat the minor meridians with needles, how many times do you think I'd have to pierce you? Besides, if you treat them for a long time, the ones that were initially connected will sever. It's an endless cycle. Why would I bother with that?”
Hearing that, Byeok Taesan looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
“He says it's like that.”
A faint smile formed on the Divine Doctor's lips. Seeing it, Byeok Taesan continued.
“You're more skilled.”
At Byeok Taesan's declaration, the One-Needle Eccentric's face twisted.
“What... did you just say?”
“I said he's the better physician. He said a full recovery is possible in a few years.”
“Don't be ridiculous! You're saying that fool can do what I cannot?”
Byeok Taesan just grinned and said what he wanted to say.
“Alright, so your martial arts are inferior, and your medical skills are inferior. What are you going to show me now?”
The One-Needle Eccentric's face contorted violently.
There was only one thing left.
“I'll show you my strength.”
Byeok Taesan scoffed.
“So when you can't win with your head, you'll use force to take what you want?”
The One-Needle Eccentric said proudly.
“What's the problem? If you possess a treasure, it's only natural that you need the strength to protect it.”
Byeok Taesan nodded.
“That's one way to look at it. Then how about this?”
The One-Needle Eccentric watched Byeok Taesan with wary eyes. He'd been getting played this whole time, and he suspected things were about to get complicated again.
“Let's make a bet.”
“A bet?”
The One-Needle Eccentric's eyes flashed.
Byeok Taesan had brought up a bet because he had confirmed the information from the Underworld Sect.
According to the Underworld Sect's intelligence, the One-Needle Eccentric loved to gamble. He was also famous for always honoring the results of his bets.
Though, the One-Needle Eccentric won most of those bets.
“You like bets, don't you?”
“It's not that I like bets. I simply enjoy a fair and square contest.”
“So let's do that, then.”
“Fine. But if I don't like the terms of the bet, I won't do it.”
“You'll like it. If you don't, just say so. I can change it anytime.”
“You're probably thinking of only betting your handmaidens, but I have other ideas. Bet the fool next to you as well.”
“Hoh. Playing hardball, are we?”
Saying that, Byeok Taesan glanced at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
“What do you say?”
“We're at a disadvantage. The only thing he can bet is himself, but my medical skills are superior, are they not?”
The One-Needle Eccentric's face turned red, then blue.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan shook his head.
“Well, let's just do it. All that matters is that we win. Right?”
He said the last part while looking at the One-Needle Eccentric. The One-Needle Eccentric nodded emphatically.
“That's right. If you win, it's over.”
“So you should put up more, too. Since winning is all that matters.”
“More or less, this body is all I have to bet.”
“Is your body all you have? After being a physician for so long?”
“What else could there be? With this body alone, there's nothing I can't do.”
Byeok Taesan shook his head and tapped his own with a finger.
“The real prize isn't the body, it's what's inside the head. Bet your soul as well. If you lose the bet, not only your body but your very soul becomes my property. How about it?”
The One-Needle Eccentric let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
“What, are you asking for my true loyalty, or some nonsense like that?”
Byeok Taesan shook his head.
“I mean it literally. Just bet your body and soul.”
“Fine. I'll bet it.”
Byeok Taesan grinned and stated the terms of the bet.
“A fair and square one-on-one duel with me. How about it?”
The One-Needle Eccentric stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
“You... you have no intention of winning, do you?”
Byeok Taesan looked at the One-Needle Eccentric with meaningful eyes.
He took the bait.