Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: I'll Just Live Comfortably
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Byeok Taesan slowly opened his eyes.
Today, he had brought in two more clumsy physicians and purified their souls.
According to the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric, they were decent physicians, but they were far from satisfactory.
Still, the two physicians who had faced him today were quite lucky.
By burning away the dross of their souls with the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts—in other words, after cleansing their souls—it would be of great help to them in mastering the medical arts in the future.
Of course, that was under the assumption that they would continue to research and study medicine.
If they just went on living as they had been, they would return to their original state. And very quickly at that.
As Byeok Taesan treated his qi channels using the spiritual energy he had obtained from the physicians today, he suddenly recalled a question the One-Needle Eccentric had asked him yesterday.
When asked why he was so interested in this matter, he had replied, "Just because." And while that was about eighty percent true, there was actually another reason.
'But I couldn't just say it was because it reminded me of the old days.'
From the moment he first received the request regarding the Black Iron Gang, he had been lost in old memories.
'Honestly, it was rather unlike me...'
But what did it matter? If he wanted to do it, he would.
In any case, reminiscing about the old days for the first time in a while had fired him up a bit.
The memory of the Poison Demon surfacing in the midst of it all was like an added bonus.
The person the Poison Demon feared most in the world was the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, this was not a well-known fact.
Nor was the fact that the Poison Demon had many disciples.
In truth, the Poison Demon wrapped himself in an aura of mystery, so people treated him as if he were half a divine hermit.
But he was a pervert, more human than anyone.
For one, he didn't discriminate between men and women in bed. As long as they were handsome or beautiful, that was all that mattered.
And he resolved most matters not with his own hands, but with those of his disciples.
He was such a madman that he didn't even eat with his own hands.
The problem was that when that lunatic went on a rampage, he didn't care who his opponent was.
No matter how powerful a master was, facing the Poison Demon was bound to be an unpleasant affair.
The Poison Demon was, by his own admission and that of others, the greatest poison master in the world.
If he truly went berserk, not only his opponent but everyone in the vicinity would suffer.
And the damage would be catastrophic.
So what did he have to fear? He could see the renowned masters of the world cautiously avoiding him, trying not to get entangled.
Then, he met his true match.
That was the Heavenly Demon.
A smile formed on Byeok Taesan's lips as the old memory surfaced.
The Poison Demon's first mistake was failing to recognize that his opponent was the Heavenly Demon.
Even the Poison Demon could not act rashly towards the Heavenly Demon. Had he known, he probably wouldn't have suffered such a fate.
It would have been better if his opponent had been the leader of the Martial Alliance.
The Poison Demon's second mistake was not realizing quickly enough that his poisons had no effect on his opponent.
The Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts were demonic arts that burned the very soul.
If it could burn the soul, there was no way something like poison could withstand it.
In other words, a practitioner of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts became impervious to all poisons.
There were some aspects that were different from what he knew before gaining a new enlightenment about the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts, but the important thing was that poison didn't work.
The Poison Demon had to follow the Heavenly Demon for a month.
It wasn't of his own free will, but the words "Please, let me follow you" did come out of his own mouth.
"That was fun."
At the time, the Poison Demon had to spit out one poison recipe he knew every single day.
The ones following along with them back then were the Demonic Physician and the Blood-Consuming Demon.
Those two also possessed considerable knowledge of poisons, though not to the extent of the Poison Demon.
The Poison Demon had to teach them a poison that those two did not know.
It was only for a month, but every day, the Poison Demon agonized over which poison to reveal.
However, the Blood-Consuming Demon and the Demonic Physician already knew most of the common poisons, so in the end, the Poison Demon was forced to reveal completely unknown poisons that he had created himself.
The poison he had told the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric about was one of them.
Byeok Taesan found it strange all over again.
When the Poison Demon had spoken of the poison recipes back then, he had been there too, so he heard everything.
But he hadn't been interested, so he hadn't made any particular effort to remember it.
In fact, he forgot it all as soon as he heard it.
But now, as he recalled the situation, everything came back to him with perfect clarity.
He remembered the entire conversation, even the expressions on their faces as they spoke.
That was how he was able to recount the complex ingredients and mixing methods for the poison.
Still, he was a little curious. What on earth had happened?
The last time Byeok Taesan had met the Poison Demon was about three years before his own death.
And that had been his last excursion before he died.
After that, he had devoted himself solely to the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts, so almost no one had seen the Heavenly Demon.
At that time, the Poison Demon was exactly the same as before.
The way he treated his disciples like slaves, his perverted nature, even his appearance was the same.
Of course, his attitude toward the Heavenly Demon had changed significantly.
In any case, considering his memories from that time, it didn't seem likely that anything had happened to the Poison Demon.
Though one could never know what life had in store for a person. Still, judging by the atmosphere back then, it seemed the Poison Demon would continue to live well for decades to come.
Normally, something like this wouldn't have piqued his curiosity.
But now, he wasn't the original Heavenly Demon, but Byeok Taesan.
He felt an immense curiosity.
Byeok Taesan decided to calmly accept this change in himself.
After organizing his spiritual energy and thoughts, Byeok Taesan rose from his seat and went outside.
As if they had been waiting, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon rushed over.
"Where is Yeon Harin?"
At Byeok Taesan's question, Yu Seoyeon answered with a bright face.
"She went to a gathering of the rising generation. Shall I go and bring her back?"
Yu Seoyeon was happy just for the fact that Byeok Taesan was looking for Yeon Harin.
She had felt very sorry for Yeon Harin, who seemed to be the only one giving her heart, and now it seemed that her persistent efforts were finally starting to break down Byeok Taesan's walls.
Byeok Taesan spoke bluntly to Yu Seoyeon, who was looking at him with expectant eyes.
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why would you call someone who's enjoying a gathering? Just leave her be."
Yu Seoyeon stared at Byeok Taesan, her mouth agape, not knowing what to say.
Byeok Taesan paid no mind to her reaction and started walking.
Cheon Gyeongwan quickly followed and asked.
"Are you going out?"
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Where are the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric?"
"They went to see the Alliance Leader. It seems their schedule will continue to be packed after that."
Of course. Those two were about to get truly busy. They had to treat those who had been poisoned.
Those still in the process would need their symptoms treated, and those who had finished the process would need an antidote.
Each case had different symptoms, and the method of administering the antidote was different for each one, so they were probably in for a major headache.
Just as Byeok Taesan was about to leave the residence, he saw three maids staring intently at him from a distance with longing gazes.
Byeok Taesan was about to just leave, but for some reason, he felt compelled to say a word.
"Go and train."
The three women nodded eagerly. Then, with determined expressions, they headed for the training grounds.
A wry laugh escaped Byeok Taesan as he left the residence.
"Hah, really. What is this..."
A warm smile briefly touched the lips of Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, who were quietly following him, before vanishing.
* * *
Byeok Taesan strode through the bustling streets of Yichang.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, following behind him, suddenly felt a sense of unease.
The two looked at each other, their eyes meeting. A lengthy conversation passed between their gazes.
In the end, Cheon Gyeongwan, the loser of that silent debate, cautiously called out to Byeok Taesan.
"Um... Young Master."
Byeok Taesan didn't stop or turn his head.
"What?"
"May I ask where you are going?"
"The Golden Jade Pavilion."
"The Golden Jade Pavilion... isn't that a courtesan house?"
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"I heard it's the largest one in Yichang."
The complexions of Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon soured.
They never imagined he would go to a courtesan house, even here.
"The sun is still high in the sky. I doubt they've opened for business yet..."
"What does that matter?"
With that, Byeok Taesan widened his stride and walked on.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon exchanged another glance before quickly following after him.
Soon, they arrived at the Golden Jade Pavilion.
As the largest courtesan house in Yichang, its scale was indeed impressive.
A plaque bearing the name Golden Jade Pavilion hung on the main gate of a vast estate surrounded by high walls.
Byeok Taesan confidently opened the main gate and walked inside.
There was no one outside the gate, but once inside, men who looked like martial artists of the underworld were positioned everywhere.
An inept martial artist trying to cause trouble would likely be taken down before they could even put up a fight.
The positions the martial artists occupied were quite clever.
And Byeok Taesan detected a faint flow of qi among them.
It was a rather high-level collaborative formation.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, who had followed Byeok Taesan inside, sensed the unusual atmosphere and sharply scanned their surroundings.
"We won't be open for business for at least another three hours. Please come back later."
One of the martial artists stepped forward and spoke politely.
The flow of qi connected to his body was the most concentrated.
It seemed that one of the functions of the collaborative formation was to channel a portion of the others' internal energy into this man.
"I'm not here to embrace a woman. The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion is here, isn't she?"
The martial artist replied politely to Byeok Taesan's words.
"This is the Golden Jade Pavilion. If you are looking for the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, shouldn't you go to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?"
It was true that the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion had come from Wuhan. And she was a person of rather high standing.
It was also true that many idlers came looking for her unannounced, claiming to have come from Wuhan.
Among them were sons of quite powerful families, so the martial artist remained completely unfazed, even though Byeok Taesan had brought two escorts with him.
"The Underworld Sect certainly isn't what it used to be."
At Byeok Taesan's words, the martial artist's expression changed completely. This man had come knowing this was the Underworld Sect.
The martial artist bowed his head respectfully and said.
"Please wait a moment. I will send word inside."
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"Wait for what? The one who needs something should be the one to come. I'm leaving, so tell her to come find me later if she wants, or don't. It's up to her."
After saying his piece, Byeok Taesan turned around coldly.
The martial artist, flustered, tried to grab him but couldn't even extend his hand. Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon had already moved to block his path, emanating a fierce aura.
"Ugh!"
The martial artist froze in the middle of reaching out, unable to move.
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon slowly turned and walked out. Their imposing aura did not waver for a moment.
The martial artist stood frozen in that position for a while before stumbling and coming to his senses.
He then rushed inside.
* * *
"So that was the Underworld Sect."
Yu Seoyeon said, looking back at the now distant Golden Jade Pavilion with fascination.
It was the same for Cheon Gyeongwan.
They knew that the Hundred Flowers Pavilion in Wuhan was a branch of the Underworld Sect, established with funds from the Golden Silk Alliance.
But seeing an Underworld Sect branch here in Yichang felt strangely novel.
The two of them looked at Byeok Taesan's back with expressions of wonder.
"Young Master, how did you know that place was the Underworld Sect?"
"How else? The Underworld Sect told me."
"Pardon?"
"It's just one of those things."
In exchange for teaching them the Shadow Steps, he had received information on all the Underworld Sect branches scattered throughout the land.
Having decided to make use of the Underworld Sect, it wouldn't do not to know where to find them.
"Still, the standards of the Underworld Sect have... really dropped."
Byeok Taesan muttered to himself, clicking his tongue.
Back when Byeok Taesan was the Heavenly Demon, or more precisely, a few decades before his death, the Underworld Sect's intelligence network was nearly on par with that of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
Moreover, the type of information they dealt with was slightly different, so even the Heavenly Demonic Cult would occasionally make use of the Underworld Sect's intelligence.
If it had been the Underworld Sect of that era, they probably would have sent a report all the way to the top the moment Byeok Taesan even approached the Golden Jade Pavilion.
And the moment he stepped through the main gate, he would have been received with the appropriate respect.
"Should I... whip them into shape?"
Byeok Taesan muttered, then chuckled and shook his head.
Why bother with such a troublesome task?
"I'll just live comfortably."
< I'll Just Live Comfortably > End