Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: There Are Side Effects
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Seo Mundeok entered the office of the Hubei Martial Alliance's leader.
The leader of the Hubei Martial Alliance pushed aside a stack of documents on his desk and looked at Seo Mundeok.
"Ah, the Patrol Leader. I heard it wasn't easy."
Seo Mundeok bowed his head slightly in greeting, then pulled up a chair and sat before the Alliance Leader.
"Nothing eventful happened."
"Nothing eventful? I heard you had a tough time cleaning up after those kids."
Seo Mundeok let out a small laugh.
"Still, I sent the troublemakers packing. They seemed like they would just muddy the waters here."
"Good. Keeping hopeless cases around is just a waste of effort."
Having said that, the Alliance Leader changed the subject.
"So, how was it?"
Seo Mundeok shook his head.
"I didn't find anything particularly unusual."
"Is that so?"
This time, Seo Mundeok had gone to Yichang to meet Seo Munjehak's group for another reason.
His target was the Golden Moon Inn.
Or, to be precise, the Golden Moon Trading Company.
He was investigating a rumor that the Golden Moon Trading Company had a dangerous backer.
If that dangerous backer turned out to be the Black Alliance or the Heavenly Demonic Cult, it would be a major problem.
That was why not only Seo Mundeok but also other capable members of the Hubei Martial Alliance were diligently working on this.
This was not an independent operation by the Hubei Martial Alliance but was being carried out at the request of the Martial Alliance.
Therefore, in an emergency, they could receive support from Martial Alliance branches or their affiliated sects.
In any case, that was why he had brought twenty elite warriors from the Hubei Martial Alliance just to pick up someone of Seo Munjehak's caliber.
They stayed at the Golden Moon Inn, each gathering information in their own way.
"The proportion of martial artists was higher than in a typical inn, but that's to be expected since it belongs to the Golden Moon Trading Company... Other than that, there was truly nothing."
The Alliance Leader stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"Reports from investigations in various places are trickling in... and they all say the same thing."
"They all found nothing?"
"At this point, we should probably consider them cleared of suspicion..."
"Is there something bothering you, sir?"
The Alliance Leader nodded gravely.
"The fact that there's nothing at all is what's bothering me."
"Indeed..."
"It feels contrived somehow. Though I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Then I will investigate further."
"I'm counting on you."
"Think nothing of it. It's my duty."
"Ah, right. I heard you came with the One-Needle Eccentric?"
"Yes. It just so happened."
"But I've been hearing some strange rumors."
As Seo Mundeok looked at him, the Alliance Leader continued.
"I heard the One-Needle Eccentric has joined the Golden Jade Trading Company. And not only him, but the Divine Doctor of the Ages as well. Is that true?"
Seo Mundeok answered calmly.
"It is true that the two of them were together."
The Alliance Leader's eyes gleamed.
"That's quite something. Was the Golden Jade Trading Company always that influential?"
"Nothing has been confirmed yet. I deliberately kept my distance on the way here. There will be plenty of opportunities."
The Alliance Leader nodded.
"Well done. Since they've accepted our invitation, they'll be with us until the gathering of the rising generation is over. We can arrange a meeting during that time."
"Yes. However..."
"What is it? Is something on your mind as well?"
"The second young master of the Golden Jade Trading Company came with them... He was a rather peculiar person."
A flicker of curiosity appeared in the Alliance Leader's eyes. It was rare for Seo Mundeok to give such an assessment of someone.
"In what way was he peculiar?"
"I only spoke to him directly for a moment when I asked to ride the boat with them... but somehow, he didn't seem his age."
"Aren't there plenty of old souls in young bodies?"
"More than that... this may sound ridiculous, but he had the air of a master."
The Alliance Leader's eyes widened.
"A master? Do you mean he's strong enough for you to call him a master?"
Seo Mundeok quickly shook his head.
"He definitely has no internal energy. Unless he's a master so far beyond me that he can completely conceal his presence, but frankly, not even the leader of the Martial Alliance can do that."
"True. Your senses are second to none."
"I wouldn't go that far. I'm just a bit more sensitive. In any case, he had no internal energy. I did some brief inquiries and found out he also suffers from an illness."
"An illness? And he still came all this way? From Wuhan?"
"It seems he's engaged to the young lady from the Yeon family who came with him."
"You've found out quite a lot. Did you investigate everything else, too?"
The Alliance Leader asked playfully, and Seo Mundeok shook his head.
"That's all I know. Oh, when I asked about his illness, they said it was severed meridians."
"Severed meridians?"
The Alliance Leader's eyes widened.
"Isn't that an incredibly serious condition? He shouldn't be here, should he?"
"It appears the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric are treating him together."
"This one... is quite the character, isn't he?"
Of course, he was half-joking.
But both Seo Mundeok and the Alliance Leader knew this wasn't something to be dismissed lightly.
"It seems there's a bit of a discrepancy with the Golden Jade Trading Company we thought we knew, wouldn't you say?"
"Yes. I will look into it."
"While you're at it, look into the relationship between the Golden Jade and Golden Moon Trading Companies."
"Yes, sir."
He had intended to do so anyway. In fact, that was what he planned to start with.
Perhaps the One-Needle Eccentric and the Divine Doctor of the Ages were connected to the Golden Moon Trading Company.
And the Golden Moon Trading Company had provided those two physicians to the Golden Jade Trading Company.
It wasn't an entirely impossible assumption.
"Then I shall take my leave. Ah, why don't you meet with the One-Needle Eccentric and the Divine Doctor of the Ages yourself?"
"I should. I must treat our guests with proper hospitality, after all."
Seo Mundeok bowed his head and departed.
The Alliance Leader, who had been smiling until then, instantly wiped the expression from his face.
"It feels like... something complicated is unfolding right under our noses."
The Alliance Leader shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and buried himself in the pile of documents once more.
***
The first day at the Hubei Martial Alliance passed without any scheduled events.
Although they had arrived relatively early, there was no need to greet anyone; they simply rested in their assigned quarters.
However, they didn't have to stay confined to their rooms. If they wished, they could take the initiative to meet other guests and exchange greetings.
And visitors with such intentions came to Byeok Taesan's quarters as well.
Naturally, they were not there to see Byeok Taesan, but to see Yeon Harin.
Rumors of Yeon Harin's beauty were now spreading beyond Wuhan and throughout the entire Hubei region.
It wasn't enough to shake all of Hubei just yet, but the rumors were spreading rapidly among those who had seen her even once.
People came to verify these rumors, though there were only a few for now.
That would change with time.
But as of yet, no one had come seeking the One-Needle Eccentric or the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
It seemed the news hadn't been properly disseminated yet.
Once everyone found out about that, wouldn't this place be swarming with people?
"Hmm, should I just lock the door so no one can come in?"
As Byeok Taesan muttered this, everyone else in the room turned to look at him.
Currently, the three maids and Cheon Gyeongwan were in the room.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric had gone to meet the leader of the Hubei Martial Alliance.
Yeon Harin and Yu Seoyeon were in another room, receiving guests.
"Young Master, are you bored?"
Soso asked Byeok Taesan, then flinched and quickly averted her gaze.
After hearing what he'd said earlier, she had been trying her best not to speak to him, but the words had slipped out unconsciously.
Habits truly were a fearsome thing.
"Why ask and then turn your head away? Are you ignoring me?"
"O-Of course not. How could I do that to you, Young Master? I-It's just..."
"Just what?"
Soso's face turned beet red. How could she possibly say such a thing here and now?
At this point, it was obvious to everyone in the room that something was going on between the two of them.
Even the dense Cheon Gyeongwan could tell.
And Danyeong and Chaewol had even figured out what that "something" was.
The two women looked at Soso with a mixture of envy and surprise.
"What's with you now?"
Byeok Taesan asked, looking at Cheon Gyeongwan.
Cheon Gyeongwan flinched, then said in a stiff voice.
"It's nothing, it's nothing, sir."
Everyone stared at Cheon Gyeongwan.
His tone was incredibly stiff, as if he were reading from a book. He also seemed unaware that he had repeated the word 'nothing.' Moreover, his expression was utterly bizarre.
"You should never try to lie to anyone."
"I'm not, I'm not lying."
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"Right, you're the one who couldn't even stand still with a straight face. Good thing I didn't give you any lines back then."
"It's different, it's different now."
"What's different? Do you even realize you're making a face you don't normally make?"
"I've always, I've always had expressions."
Byeok Taesan chuckled.
"Seeing you like this... it looks like you have something you want to say to Yu Seoyeon, don't you?"
"Miss Yu, Miss Yu has nothing to do with this!"
Finally, Danyeong and Chaewol turned their heads slightly and covered their mouths with their hands. Their shaking shoulders suggested they found it quite amusing.
Once Danyeong and Chaewol started laughing, Soso, who had been holding it in, also huddled close to them, her shoulders shaking.
Still, worried about embarrassing Cheon Gyeongwan, she barely made a sound.
Byeok Taesan teased Cheon Gyeongwan for a while longer.
And to the very end, Cheon Gyeongwan never realized that when he lied, he repeated the first word twice.
***
While Byeok Taesan was amusing himself by teasing Cheon Gyeongwan, Yeon Harin had just sent off her guests and was taking a short break.
"I've only greeted three groups, but if I'm this tired already, what will I do later?"
At Yeon Harin's words, Yu Seoyeon, who was beside her, smiled gently.
"You seem quite certain that more guests will be coming."
Yeon Harin blinked, propping her chin on her hand as she looked at Yu Seoyeon.
"With a face like this, you think people won't flock to see me?"
It was a side of her she never showed unless she was with Yu Seoyeon.
"Many will come, I'm sure. The people who saw you today will probably spread plenty of rumors on their own. Many will admire and revere you, my lady."
Yeon Harin's expression turned a little sullen.
"What good is that? The one person I want a reaction from shows none at all."
"My lady..."
"We came all this way, and he hasn't even held my hand once. Does that make any sense? How can he be like that with a fiancée like me by his side?"
Yeon Harin said this and pouted. Even that expression was heart-stoppingly beautiful.
And she was a woman herself.
"And yet he's so diligent about visiting the brothels."
"As I've said, that seems to be for the sake of curing his illness."
"That's my point! Why does he have to go to a brothel to cure that illness? He has a perfectly good fiancée right here. I even told him to come to me instead of going to the brothels!"
Yu Seoyeon looked at Yeon Harin with a sympathetic expression.
This was not a problem she could solve for her.
It was something Yeon Harin and Byeok Taesan had to resolve on their own.
Watching the pensive Yu Seoyeon, Yeon Harin continued.
"And Soso's been acting strange lately."
"Pardon? Soso?"
"I think... something's going on with her and the Young Master. Or something is about to."
"That can't be. Soso and the Young Master are like family. There's absolutely no room for any other feelings."
"There's no such thing as 'absolutely' in this world."
Yu Seoyeon's expression turned resolute. She couldn't do anything about Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin's relationship.
But perhaps she could offer a little help?
For example, something like this.
"My lady, would you like to try this?"
Yeon Harin looked at Yu Seoyeon with a puzzled expression.
Yu Seoyeon took a long needle from her robes and snapped it in two.
"Wh-What is that?"
Even after being broken in half, the needle was still quite long.
"It's a needle made from a solidified poison that paralyzes the senses upon contact."
"P-Poison?"
"I thought it paralyzed muscles, but when I asked for details, I was told it temporarily paralyzes one's senses."
"S-So, what am I supposed to do with that?"
"This poison has a side effect."
"A s-side effect?"
"It greatly amplifies small desires, causing one to do things they normally wouldn't. In the case of Sir Cheon, who was pricked by this, he tried to pounce on me. He failed, of course."
As she said this, Yu Seoyeon's expression looked somewhat disappointed.
Yeon Harin swallowed hard.
"I was thinking of saving it for a potential situation later, but I think you could use it right now, my lady."
As she spoke, Yu Seoyeon's eyes gleamed.
For some reason, Yeon Harin found Yu Seoyeon a little frightening today. Yet, despite that, she found herself reaching out and taking the needle.
"You must use it only when you two are alone."
"I-I know that much, okay?"
Yeon Harin's face turned beet red. She spoke to Yu Seoyeon as if making an excuse.
"It looks dangerous, so I'm just going to keep it safe. I'm definitely not going to use it, you know?"
Yu Seoyeon smiled brightly.
"Of course. I'm sure you won't."
Yeon Harin's face turned an even deeper shade of red.
< There Are Side Effects > The End