Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: I'm Always Watching
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They decided to stay one more day.
The detached villa was expensive, but Byeok Taesan had never worried about money.
Not as the Heavenly Demon, and not now.
His older brother, Byeok Taesu, had given him so much money that not a hint of worry could be seen on his companions' faces.
"We'll need to travel by boat starting tomorrow, so I'll look for a suitable one."
At Cheon Gyeongwan's words, Byeok Taesan nodded and glanced at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages understood perfectly from his gaze alone and replied.
"I'll go with you."
The reason he sent the Divine Doctor of the Ages along was that he could recognize members of the Underworld Sect.
He had decided to make full use of the Underworld Sect active here in Jingzhou.
"How about I take a look at your martial arts while we digest?"
When Byeok Taesan asked, looking at Danyeong, Chaewol, and Soso, the three women's faces lit up.
They had been feeling frustrated, having hit a wall in their training.
"Let's see what you've got."
At Byeok Taesan's words, the three women headed to the villa's rear garden.
The villa's rear garden had a space suitable for training.
It was a small training ground, enough for two or three people.
It was certainly worth the high price.
The three stood at a reasonable distance from one another and began to calmly perform the martial arts they knew.
Byeok Taesan sat perched on an oddly shaped rock, casually watching the scene.
Since their levels were so different, even a casual glance was enough for him to see what the problems were and what they needed to do to fix them.
After watching for a moment, Byeok Taesan's expression turned a little strange.
Byeok Taesan stroked his chin, calmly observing the three women's martial arts demonstration.
His gaze lingered mainly on Soso.
When the demonstration was over, Byeok Taesan gave a simple evaluation.
"It's a total mess."
The three women's expressions darkened.
"No, I was talking about Soso. The other two show signs of decent effort."
Danyeong and Chaewol's faces brightened. Soso's, on the other hand, grew even darker.
Soso knew very well that she hadn't performed properly.
First of all, she didn't have the same talent as the other two.
Her beauty fell short, too.
The thought of it was truly upsetting. She had served the Young Master for much longer, yet it felt like she was becoming nothing, and her heart grew heavy.
"Soso, step aside for a moment."
"Pardon?"
Soso's eyes widened. She stared at Byeok Taesan for a moment before lowering her head and answering.
"Yes..."
As Soso moved to the side, Byeok Taesan approached Danyeong and Chaewol and pointed out a few things they needed to correct.
He also briefly told them what kind of training they should add and what they needed to do.
The two women listened with sparkling eyes, concentrating as if not to miss a single word.
They didn't know it, but receiving such guidance was akin to a fortuitous encounter.
Who in this world could receive the teachings of the Heavenly Demon?
Even the Heavenly Demon's own disciples had never received such kind instruction.
In any case, when Byeok Taesan's lesson ended, the two women bowed with the utmost politeness and respect.
And watching them, Soso's expression grew even more grim.
"You two, train on your own. Soso, come see me for a moment."
As Byeok Taesan left the training ground, Soso followed behind him with her head bowed low, looking as pitiful as a rain-soaked puppy.
***
"Pardon?"
Soso's eyes grew as wide as saucers. Her mind was a complete mess.
It was so jumbled she couldn't form a coherent thought.
It was only natural. Byeok Taesan's words just now had been that destructive.
"You always make me say things twice."
"No, no! That's not it!"
Soso said in a fluster, her face turning bright red.
"Young Master. You do know that Lady Yeon is also here in this villa, right?"
Byeok Taesan frowned.
"I just thought you might have forgotten... I mean, if you haven't forgotten, how could you possibly tell me to come to your room tonight?"
It was obvious what would happen if Soso were to visit Byeok Taesan's room at night.
"What's the big deal? Anyway, after watching you practice your martial arts today, I'm certain. If I just leave you be, you're going to get an innocent person killed."
Soso's face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
"You don't have to put it like that. And I'm not completely without talent, you know. It's just that those two are so amazing."
Soso pouted.
Danyeong and Chaewol were certainly incredible. No, all the women who came to serve Byeok Taesan were incredible.
In Soso's eyes, their talent and beauty were simply on another level.
'Maybe they're the normal ones, and I'm the one with no talent?'
Logically, based on numbers alone, that would be correct. But one only had to watch them for a moment to see that their talents were special.
They were truly special.
Suddenly, a wave of disappointment and sorrow washed over her. Tears welled up naturally.
"Stop."
"Pardon?"
"If you're going to cry, go do it alone outside. And don't forget to come by tonight."
The tears instantly vanished.
"Wow...!"
The words "That's so harsh" reached the tip of her tongue, but she didn't say them. She just stared blankly at Byeok Taesan with wide eyes.
Byeok Taesan waved his hand dismissively. It was a signal for her to leave.
As Soso left Byeok Taesan's room, all sorts of delusions filled her mind.
Her face turned bright red.
'How am I going to face Lady Yeon from now on?'
***
In the afternoon, people from the Hubei Martial Alliance arrived.
Having exchanged several messages with Seo Munjehak, they came straight to the Golden Moon Inn as soon as they entered Jingzhou.
It was a group of twenty warriors from the Hubei Martial Alliance, led by the head of their patrol division, Seo Mundeok.
The Golden Moon Inn, having apparently been notified in advance, expertly guided them.
Seo Mundeok moved separately from the warriors.
They were staying the night and leaving early the next day anyway, so he had told the warriors to eat heartily and get plenty of rest.
Seo Mundeok first went to find Seo Munjehak.
Seo Munjehak was not alone; he was with Gu Yangsu and Chu Yeonghak.
"Greetings, Uncle."
After Seo Munjehak greeted him, Gu Yangsu and Chu Yeonghak also bowed politely.
Seeing Seo Mundeok, a flicker of anticipation appeared in their eyes.
He was truly the patrol division head of the Hubei Martial Alliance. His presence was immense.
With help from someone like him, they could surely crush a man like Byeok Taesan with ease.
Seo Mundeok sat down first, then spoke to the three young men.
"Have a seat. By the way... you all look terrible. Did something happen?"
Having had the grime of their souls removed, everything should have improved. But the effect didn't apply to them.
No, it had the opposite effect.
This was something even Byeok Taesan didn't know about yet.
"Uncle, I have something urgent to tell you... no, a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
Seo Mundeok looked puzzled. It seemed this "favor" was related to the reason their faces looked so worn.
"Let's hear it."
He had no intention of blindly agreeing. Even if they were family, he had no desire to handle unfair requests or clean up after their misdeeds.
Seo Munjehak had some idea of Seo Mundeok's disposition. However, he believed that if Seo Mundeok heard his story, he would surely take action.
After all, they hadn't done anything particularly wrong yet.
They had merely picked a fight with Byeok Taesan and gotten beaten up. No, they had been tormented.
Seo Munjehak organized his thoughts and opened his mouth.
Or rather, he tried to.
But his mouth wouldn't open. Cold sweat poured down his body, and his tongue felt as if it were paralyzed, like a pressure point had been sealed.
"Why did you stop talking?"
At Seo Mundeok's question, Seo Munjehak looked at Gu Yangsu and Chu Yeonghak with pleading eyes.
But the other two were in much the same state.
Soon, a look of disappointment crept into Seo Mundeok's eyes.
Seeing that, Seo Munjehak's heart sank.
He tried desperately to speak, but it was impossible.
It was a wretched situation where his own body wouldn't obey him.
Seo Mundeok drew upon his internal energy and calmly released it. A tranquil aura spread throughout the area.
"First, calm your minds and center yourselves with your internal energy."
Seo Mundeok could guess why Seo Munjehak was acting this way. He had seen similar cases before.
It was a phenomenon that occurred when one was severely overwhelmed by another's presence.
That made it all the more disappointing.
It would be understandable if he were being overwhelmed right now, but the actual event must have happened some time ago.
The fact that he still hadn't overcome it was a matter of willpower, not talent.
A person with a strong will would never be shaken by such a thing.
The solution in such cases was simple. One had to release the suppressed mind and body, then use internal energy to find their center. It had the effect of forcibly steadying them.
Seo Munjehak did as he was told.
But still, he could not open his mouth.
"Hmph. Speak when you are ready. If you can't even manage that, then there's no need for me to hear your story. Do you understand?"
Seo Munjehak lowered his head deeply and replied.
"Yes."
Seo Mundeok then stood up and left.
The three remaining in the room bowed their heads with troubled expressions.
Still, they figured they just needed more time.
It would take about three days to travel slowly by boat from here to the Hubei Martial Alliance.
Wouldn't that be enough time for things to work out?
"It's enough. Of course."
Seo Munjehak muttered to himself.
"Enough for what?"
At the sudden voice, all three of them snapped their heads up.
Byeok Taesan was standing in a corner of the room.
Upon seeing him, the three began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Seeing as you ignored my words, you must have believed you could handle the consequences?"
The three shook their heads furiously.
"No! That's not it!"
Byeok Taesan let out a smirk.
"Really?"
"Really! Please believe us! We weren't going to talk about you, sir! We were just trying to greet him!"
Byeok Taesan glanced over the three of them.
"Remember this: I'm always watching."
The three nodded frantically, as if their lives depended on it.
When their nodding stopped, Byeok Taesan was already gone.
The tension in the three men instantly vanished.
And so did their sphincters.
***
Soso stood in the middle of the Golden Moon Inn's villa garden, her expression tense.
She looked up at the sky. A bright moon was hanging there.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Soso's gaze lowered again and shifted slightly to the side.
A tall pavilion stood there. Her eyes rested on the top floor.
That was Byeok Taesan's room.
She had to go there now.
"Haaaah."
Soso had served Byeok Taesan since she was very young. It would be a lie to say she had no personal feelings after spending over ten years with him.
There was a time she had dreamed of being with Byeok Taesan.
Of course, that dream ended very quickly. Because Byeok Taesan had fallen ill.
And because Yeon Harin had appeared.
Even without those things, she wouldn't have been able to hold onto that dream for long. She knew better than anyone that she and Byeok Taesan could never be together.
In any case, she hadn't harbored any other feelings since then. To her, Byeok Taesan was simply the Young Master she had to serve.
But today, that steadfast heart was shaken violently.
Soso shook her head. This wasn't right. But she couldn't disobey an order, could she?
Soso slowly turned toward the pavilion.
"Gah!"
Soso let out a startled scream. Someone was standing a short distance away.
She screamed first and looked after, only to see it was Yeon Harin.
"Oh? My lady, what are you doing here?"
Soso's heart pounded even harder than before. Surely she hadn't come here knowing, right?
Yeon Harin smiled prettily and said.
"I couldn't sleep because of the commotion earlier, so I came out for a short walk."
The "commotion earlier" referred to the incident where Seo Munjehak and his cronies had soiled themselves again.
Those bastards, who knows what their intestines were made of, had achieved the rare feat of soiling themselves twice in the same inn.
For a while, it was chaos, with everyone trying to air out the smell and clean the rooms.
Because of the disturbance, Byeok Taesan's group hadn't stirred from the villa.
Perhaps that was why she wasn't tired and couldn't sleep.
"I see."
Yeon Harin took a step closer to Soso. Soso flinched but stood her ground.
"Could you... stay with me for a little while?"
"Pardon?"
Soso's eyes widened.
"There's something I want to hear about."
Soso pressed a hand to her chest. If she didn't, it felt like her heart would leap out.
"Wh-what is it you want to hear?"
"Stories about the Young Master."
"St-st-stories about the Young Master? Wh-what kind...?"
"Just everything. I realized I know so little about him. When I thought about who knows our Young Master best, Soso was the one who came to mind."
Yeon Harin gave Soso a gentle smile.
Soso thought the smile was truly beautiful, but at the same time, it was somehow frightening.
"You'll... tell me, won't you?"
Soso could only nod.