Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Something's Strange
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< Something's Strange >
Seo Munjehak glared at Byeok Taesan.
He couldn't fathom what the man was relying on.
He didn't seem like a complete fool, so it wasn't as if he couldn't grasp the situation.
That must mean he had something to back him up, though Seo Munjehak had no idea what it could be.
"You… what gives you this confidence?"
Seo Munjehak focused his entire aura on Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan casually deflected the pressure and nodded.
He was certainly skilled. At least a couple of notches above Jongli Ung.
The same went for Guyang Su and Chu Yeonghak, who were glaring from behind him.
In other words, they were all in the same league.
Byeok Taesan remarked nonchalantly.
"It's always the half-baked ones who are itching to show off their strength. Save it for when it's needed."
There were always guys like this, clumsily trying to flex their power.
In the past, whenever he went out, a few of them would inevitably latch onto him.
Each time, he had very kindly taught them that they shouldn't.
In a way their bodies would never forget.
He was just reminiscing about the old days, but it seemed the ones on the receiving end found it hard to accept.
Seo Munjehak's face turned red, then purple.
"Hooo. First, let's hear what you're banking on. Does the pathetic Golden Jade Trading Company dare to insult our Seo Mun Family?"
Byeok Taesan tilted his head.
"Why bring up the Golden Jade Trading Company? I'm the one talking to you. Surely you're not some loser who can't do anything without hiding behind his family's name, are you?"
Seo Munjehak's anger was about to explode.
"Hooo. Let's not do this here. Let's go somewhere quiet and have a calm conversation. It seems there are a few minor misunderstandings between us."
With that, Seo Munjehak glanced at the person who had followed Byeok Taesan out.
It was a rather old man who looked utterly ordinary.
"Old man, it would be best for you to stay here. A fall at your age could cause you a lot of trouble."
It was a half-threat.
He didn't want others to witness his 'conversation' with Byeok Taesan.
"For the record, I despise people talking about me behind my back. So, I trust you won't say a word to anyone."
At Seo Munjehak's words, the old man's expression turned peculiar.
Just as the old man was about to step forward, Byeok Taesan raised a hand to stop him.
"It's fine, just stay here."
The old man, the One-Needle Eccentric, looked at Byeok Taesan with a wronged expression.
His gaze fiercely asked if he was supposed to just stand there and take this humiliation.
Byeok Taesan shook his head.
"There will be another chance later, so be patient. Food is always best when you wait until you're hungry. The same goes for this."
Only then did the One-Needle Eccentric take a step back.
On second thought, Byeok Taesan was right. If he just waited a little, a feast would be served.
The One-Needle Eccentric carefully studied the faces of not only Seo Munjehak but also Guyang Su and Chu Yeonghak behind him.
As if to ensure he would never forget them.
"Where did you say they were from again?"
Byeok Taesan asked, looking at the Golden Moon Inn employee.
The employee struggled to maintain her composure as she answered.
"The Seo Mun Family, the Guyang Family, and the Chu Family Fortress."
"Did you hear that?"
Byeok Taesan asked, looking at the One-Needle Eccentric, who nodded emphatically.
"I've committed it to memory."
As the One-Needle Eccentric stepped back further, Byeok Taesan turned to Seo Munjehak.
"Alright, lead the way. For the record, I'm not going far. It's a pain to walk back."
Seo Munjehak's face grew redder. It was clear to anyone that he was forcibly suppressing his rage.
Guyang Su, Chu Yeonghak, and the Seo Mun Family warriors were used to this sight and remained calm.
But those who weren't looked on with great anxiety, their eyes darting between Byeok Taesan and Seo Munjehak.
"I spotted a very nice place earlier. It's not far, so it's perfect. Let's go."
Seo Munjehak said, then spun around and strode off.
Byeok Taesan leisurely followed behind him.
The rest of the group swarmed out, surrounding Byeok Taesan as if to cage him in.
The Golden Moon Inn employee, who had been watching the scene, looked at the One-Needle Eccentric and asked worriedly.
"Will he be alright? Should I contact your companions? We also have warriors on standby at our inn. If you promise to mediate, sir, we can even mobilize them."
In truth, she thought everything would be resolved if the One-Needle Eccentric stepped in, but she couldn't suggest it to him.
He had already decided not to.
The One-Needle Eccentric shook his head.
"It's fine. Their noses are stuffed, so they'll have to taste it to know if it's crap or bean paste."
She couldn't immediately grasp his meaning but simply bowed her head.
"Well… surely he won't kill them."
With those parting words, the One-Needle Eccentric went back inside.
A short while later, he came out again with the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"Do you know how hard it was for me to get here by carriage? Must you really drag me along?"
The One-Needle Eccentric scowled fiercely, glaring at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"Are you ever going to fix that tone? Am I your friend?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned.
"We're both servants. Why try to establish a hierarchy between us? Besides, I think I'm showing you plenty of respect, don't you?"
The One-Needle Eccentric looked up at the sky, then hung his head low.
"Haaaa. How did I ever end up in this state…"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages clapped a hand on the One-Needle Eccentric's shoulder.
"Isn't this all thanks to our wonderful Young Master?"
The One-Needle Eccentric's head snapped up to glare at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"So you're saying… this is all thanks to the Young Master?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned.
"You know, your face has really brightened up lately. Your skin's better, and you even seem younger. As a doctor, you must know your own body better than I do, right?"
The One-Needle Eccentric clamped his mouth shut.
Honestly, he couldn't deny it.
It wasn't just his body that had improved. His martial arts achievements had also seen significant progress recently.
A barrier that had been blocking him for so long had crumbled away naturally not long ago.
Somehow, his acupuncture skills seemed to have improved, as had his medical knowledge.
No, it wasn't just a feeling; it was real.
Since all these changes began after meeting Byeok Taesan, how could he deny it was thanks to him?
"Still… damn it, it hurts so much."
The One-Needle Eccentric muttered and trudged outside.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages followed with a smirk.
"Hurts? What do you mean? I haven't experienced anything like that yet. My, what a shame. Doesn't that mean our Young Master is taking special care of you? Hah, I wonder why the Young Master doesn't take care of me."
The One-Needle Eccentric pressed his lips together and quickened his pace.
Continuing this conversation would lead nowhere good. In times like these, it was best to ignore him and focus on the task at hand. Or change the subject.
"Anyway, is this really necessary? I'm sure our Young Master knows what he's doing."
"Still, they're sons of prestigious families. It'll be trouble if they die. We can fix broken limbs or busted bodies, but we can't bring back the dead."
"Surely he wouldn't kill them?"
"I'm saying this just in case. Just in case! And if we treat them quickly, we can erase any external wounds, which is even better. Right?"
"Well… I suppose so…"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned.
"Have you finally decided to pledge your loyalty to our Young Master?"
"I've always been a man of my word. Once I make a promise, I see it through to the end."
"Aha, so you were loyal from the start? What a respectable man you are. I misjudged you. Whoa, so that's why our Young Master has been taking such good care of you. I'm so envious. Hahahaha."
The One-Needle Eccentric scowled and walked faster.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages quickly followed, his mouth running nonstop.
The One-Needle Eccentric endlessly debated whether to sew the chatterbox's mouth shut.
***
"Oh? I didn't know there was a place like this near the inn."
Byeok Taesan glanced around.
It was a small forest located just around the side of the Golden Moon Inn, and in its center was a rather spacious clearing.
The trees surrounding it like a folding screen gave it a certain charm.
The sun had not yet set, so shafts of light streamed down in places, creating a rather scenic view.
"How is it? Not bad, right? I went to some trouble to find this place. Doesn't it seem like a great spot to beat someone up?"
In reality, Seo Munjehak hadn't found it. He just knew there was a forest behind the Golden Moon Inn and had come here on a whim.
He had no idea there was such a wide clearing.
Guyang Su and Chu Yeonghak looked at Seo Munjehak with surprised eyes.
"When on earth did you find a place like this?"
"We had no idea."
Hearing their admiration, he felt it was a good thing he'd pretended to know.
"Well, that's just how I am."
Seo Munjehak said, then looked at his family's warriors.
"You all go out and guard the forest so no one can enter."
"Yes, sir."
As the Seo Mun Family warriors rushed out, Guyang Su and Chu Yeonghak gave the same order to their respective warriors.
They had each brought seven warriors.
That should be enough to keep anyone from coming near the forest for a while.
"Now, we're all ready to talk. How about you? Are you mentally prepared?"
"Mentally prepared?"
"Because it's going to hurt quite a bit. This place is pretty secluded, so no one will hear you scream… The sun won't set for a while… Looks like the pain will last for some time."
Seo Munjehak smirked as he looked at Byeok Taesan.
Guyang Su and Chu Yeonghak positioned themselves at a distance, surrounding Byeok Taesan to prevent his escape.
Of course, they were confident they could stop him from running even without this precaution, but a little extra care couldn't hurt.
"What's this? You said you wanted to talk, but now you want to fight right away?"
Byeok Taesan looked at Seo Munjehak with intrigued eyes.
No, it wasn't intrigue, but anticipation.
How could he not be expectant? He could finally test what he had recently learned through the One-Needle Eccentric on these guys.
What was this if not practical training?
"Ah, the talk. I almost forgot. I was just in such a good mood. We should talk."
Seo Munjehak said, his eyes glaring.
"How long do you intend to burden Lady Yeon?"
"Burden her?"
"That's right. I looked into it, and your Golden Jade Trading Company is as good as finished. And you dare to covet Lady Yeon?"
Byeok Taesan looked at Seo Munjehak with interest.
"I covet Yeon Harin?"
"If not, why haven't you broken off the engagement? You should release Lady Yeon quickly so she can find a good match. Like me, for example."
"So, is that all you wanted to say?"
Byeok Taesan asked, this time looking at the other two surrounding him, Guyang Su and Chu Yeonghak.
It looked as if sparks were about to fly from their eyes.
He could clearly feel their determination not to let him go easily today.
"And just what is with the women you brought? How dare you bring other women when you have Lady Yeon?"
Hearing that, Byeok Taesan let out a small laugh. What honest fools, spewing their desires so openly.
"They're my handmaidens."
"Handmaidens? Impossible! You use women like that as handmaidens?"
Byeok Taesan waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn't want to hear any more.
"Alright, we're short on time, so let's get this over with. That way, we'll have more time to enjoy ourselves. I'm really looking forward to this, so do your best."
Before Byeok Taesan had even finished speaking, Seo Munjehak charged.
Seo Munjehak tried to grab Byeok Taesan's shoulder with his hand bent like a claw.
Byeok Taesan casually reached out, lightly grabbing Seo Munjehak's sleeve and pulling.
Whoosh!
Seo Munjehak flew rapidly toward Guyang Su.
Startled, Guyang Su raised his hands to catch Seo Munjehak lightly.
In that instant, Byeok Taesan appeared behind Chu Yeonghak.
Thwack!
After landing a light chop on the back of Chu Yeonghak's neck, Byeok Taesan immediately moved to where Seo Munjehak and Guyang Su were.
He had deliberately gathered the two of them to simplify his movements as much as possible.
Byeok Taesan slipped between Seo Munjehak and Guyang Su.
The two men flailed their arms in panic, but they couldn't even brush the hem of Byeok Taesan's clothes.
Byeok Taesan lightly threw a punch forward and backward.
Thud!
The eyes of Seo Munjehak and Guyang Su rolled back as they crumpled forward.
Humming a tune, Byeok Taesan gathered the three of them together.
***
Seo Munjehak faintly regained consciousness.
'What? What happened?'
His memory slowly returned.
'I was defeated? By Byeok Taesan of all people?'
Seo Munjehak was lying face down. Judging by the fact that he couldn't move his body at all, his pressure points must have been sealed.
"Oh? You're awake? I was just about to start. Just a moment."
He tried to shout, "What are you doing?" but he couldn't. His speech points had been sealed as well.
A sudden wave of fear washed over him.
And just then, Chu Yeonghak's scream pierced his ears.
"Kuaaaaaaaah!"
Seo Munjehak's entire body trembled. It was a truly terrifying scream.
It wasn't loud, but he could clearly tell how immense the pain must be.
The warriors guarding outside needed to come quickly. What on earth were they doing?
The fact that he himself had ordered them not to let anyone in was irrelevant now.
The ever-approaching terror had completely taken over Seo Munjehak's mind.
Chu Yeonghak's screams continued endlessly. Just how much did he have to torment him to be satisfied?
"Tsk, something's strange?"
He heard Byeok Taesan's calm words. To have reduced a person to such a state, though he couldn't see it, and to say only that—what on earth was this man?
"Kuaaaaaaaaaack!"
Next, he heard Guyang Su's scream.
Seo Munjehak was so terrified he nearly wet himself, but he held it in until the very end.
The scream that seemed like it would never end finally did.
And he could feel Byeok Taesan approaching him.
He wanted to scream, "Please don't," but he couldn't.
Suddenly, a vicious pain flooded him.
"Kuaaaaaaaack!"
It was a pain like being beaten to a pulp. No, that wasn't all. It felt as if every kind of agony a human could inflict upon another was converging on him at once.
And then, his consciousness abruptly vanished.
< Something's Strange > End