Chapter 67
Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: I'm Actually Looking Forward to It
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Byeok Taesan was about to approach Yeon Harin, but seeing her and an old man locked in a serious conversation, he turned away.
He had no desire to interrupt them.
Besides, it wasn't as if he had any urgent business with her.
Byeok Taesan's gaze shifted to the muscular giant being interrogated by the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion a short distance away.
Yes, in times like these, grabbing someone for a serious chat was the best course of action.
With lightened steps, Byeok Taesan approached the giant.
As he slowly walked over, he recalled the strange sense of familiarity he'd felt when he first witnessed the fight between Yeon Harin and the giant.
*Why did it feel so familiar?*
Even though he could recall memories from his time as the Heavenly Demon as vividly as if reliving them, the source of this familiarity remained elusive.
It was definitely familiar, yet he couldn't pinpoint where it came from.
At first, he wondered if he knew the giant from before. But that wasn't it.
While the giant was reasonably skilled, he was far beneath the station of an acquaintance of the Heavenly Demon.
*Then was it the weapon he was holding?*
The giant wielded a massive blade befitting his frame. Byeok Taesan shook his head.
That wasn't it either. The chances of him encountering such a low-quality blade during his time as the Heavenly Demon were practically zero.
Before he became the Heavenly Demon, perhaps.
*Wait, before I became the Heavenly Demon?*
Byeok Taesan tilted his head in thought, then shook it again.
That wasn't it either. Even in his memories from before he became the Heavenly Demon, there was no recollection of such a large, low-quality blade.
Even if he had come across one, it wouldn't have left enough of an impression to feel familiar.
Lost in thought, he arrived in front of the giant.
The giant was sitting up, halfway recovered.
His latent power had exploded, so while he wouldn't die, he couldn't return to his original, vibrant state either.
No, he *could* be healed completely, but they simply chose not to.
As Byeok Taesan approached, the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion hastily stepped aside, making way for him.
In truth, she didn't want to be here.
It meant revealing her identity in front of so many people.
But with a single nod from Byeok Taesan, she had to abandon all reservations and do as she was told.
Still, she had no complaints. Byeok Taesan's orders were always incomparably more important than something as trivial as her identity.
Besides, there were many who could replace her as the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion. If her identity was exposed, she could simply take on a different role.
"Find anything out?"
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion replied respectfully to Byeok Taesan's question.
"For now, just his name and affiliation."
At the mention of his name and affiliation, the giant's eyes widened. He hadn't said a word about any of that.
"His name is Ma Seokgwang, former leader of the Clear Stream Bandits."
"Clear Stream Bandits?"
"They were river pirates active around Uichang. They're no longer active. Their leader also disappeared several years ago."
"So... the leader of a defunct band of river pirates has reappeared, leading a group of Half-Jiangshi?"
"That is correct."
The giant, Ma Seokgwang, stared at the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion with a look of utter bewilderment and shock.
The questions she had asked him were completely trivial.
So how in the world did she find out all this?
Byeok Taesan looked at Ma Seokgwang and asked.
"You don't know anything, do you? Of course not. It'd be strange for a dog who just does what he's told to actually know something."
Ma Seokgwang glared at Byeok Taesan but couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal. It was the truth.
"By the way, why did you detonate your latent power? You weren't trying to kill yourself, were you?"
"I only meant to detonate half of it. That way, it can be healed."
"Detonate only half your latent power? Is that even possible?"
"I can do it. It's a technique I can use once in an emergency."
Byeok Taesan turned his head to look for the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric. It was now their turn to investigate.
"Still, they're really messing with the human body too much."
Byeok Taesan muttered, his brow furrowed.
***
Yeon Harin was sitting opposite the old man, deep in conversation.
In fact, she hadn't sought him out; the old man had approached her first.
"Thank you. If not for you, the damage would have been far greater."
"You're too kind. I didn't really do much."
As she said this, Yeon Harin glanced over at Byeok Taesan in the distance.
"He was the one who did everything."
The old man readily nodded at her words. It was true. If not for Byeok Taesan, they all would have met their end here.
The Half-Jiangshi's assault had been that fearsome.
Moreover, stopping that formidable master on the enemy's side would have been no easy task.
The moment Byeok Taesan appeared, that formidable master had retreated. The unusual Half-Jiangshi who had come with him also withdrew in a rush.
They were significantly stronger than the other Half-Jiangshi, and they had inflicted considerable damage on their side.
The ordinary Half-Jiangshi were manageable. After all, the people here were the promising young talents of their respective families, accompanied by masters to protect them.
But the stronger Half-Jiangshi were extremely difficult to handle, even for those masters.
They were much stronger and faster. Furthermore, their attacks were sharp and cunning, as if they had trained in martial arts.
If only the old man had been able to fight at his full capacity, the situation wouldn't have become so dire, but he had to face their leader.
That man was a formidable master, so much so that the old man struggled to face him.
"Still, if you hadn't been here, your fiancé wouldn't have come either. So, in the end, the credit is yours."
Yeon Harin didn't deny this. She smiled softly. It was both her wish and her belief.
The old man looked at Yeon Harin with a regretful expression.
"I thought you would have been a perfect match for the boy from our family. It's truly a shame. If only we had been a little sooner..."
The old man's name was Baekri Jangcheon, an elder of the Baekri Family.
He was also the older brother of Baekri Yeop, the current head of the Hubei Martial Alliance.
Naturally, the boy he had in mind was Baekri Munryang, the most promising heir of the Baekri Family.
Yeon Harin smiled brightly and said.
"We were betrothed when we were very young, so I doubt anything would have changed even if we had met earlier."
Baekri Jangcheon chuckled. What an answer, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Your faith is truly unwavering. However... I'm not so sure your fiancé feels the same way. Don't you think so as well?"
Yeon Harin replied with a serious expression.
"Why does that matter?"
Baekri Jangcheon's eyes widened in surprise at her unexpected answer.
"Believing in him and following him to the end is simply my own will. And..."
Yeon Harin hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"I have already received more than enough."
Baekri Jangcheon smiled at her resolve.
"This only makes it more regrettable. Truly... I envy that fellow."
Yeon Harin didn't reply. Honestly, she believed she was the one to be envied, not Byeok Taesan, but there was no need to bring that up.
It would only prolong a pointless conversation.
"In any case, the reason I asked to see you is that I wish to write a letter of recommendation for the Yeon Family."
"A letter of recommendation?"
Yeon Harin's eyes grew round.
"I may not look like much, but I am the blood brother of the Head of the Hubei Martial Alliance. With my recommendation, securing a position within the Alliance should not be difficult. As it happens, a few positions have recently opened up."
Baekri Jangcheon continued, observing Yeon Harin's expression.
"It's not a position of the highest rank, but I can assure you it's quite important. I would like to place someone from the Yeon Family there. What are your thoughts?"
It was a remarkably generous offer.
The Yeon Family was, in truth, considerably less distinguished than other prominent families.
Although they were members of the Hubei Martial Alliance, securing a proper position was a distant dream.
The positions were limited, and the number of families connected to the Alliance was immense.
However, Yeon Harin did not accept it outright. She considered it carefully.
"I apologize, but... I don't believe that is a matter for me to decide. I must return to my family and consult with the elders."
Baekri Jangcheon smiled warmly.
"Why think so hard about it? I am merely writing a letter of recommendation. Whether you use it or not is up to you."
With that, Baekri Jangcheon took an envelope from his robes.
It was a letter of recommendation he had prepared in advance for such an occasion.
Yeon Harin, feeling it would be rude to hesitate further, accepted it respectfully.
"Thank you."
Baekri Jangcheon smiled and nodded.
"It pleases me to see a proper young talent like you after so long. I hope you continue to strive forward."
"I will take it to heart."
And so, the conversation between Baekri Jangcheon and Yeon Harin concluded.
Yeon Harin immediately began searching for Byeok Taesan.
Whenever she looked for him, her eyes moved much faster than usual. She quickly spotted him in the distance.
***
The atmosphere where Byeok Taesan stood was quite tense.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric were meticulously examining Ma Seokgwang's pulse.
They had to find something they had missed during their initial treatment of Ma Seokgwang, so both were proceeding with extreme caution.
Soon, the examination was complete.
The Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric quietly discussed their individual findings.
They repeated the process of checking his pulse, nodding, and conferring again.
This continued for a full hour.
Unlike his usual self, Byeok Taesan waited patiently without a single word.
This only made the atmosphere grow heavier.
The subject, Ma Seokgwang, felt crushed and intimidated by the mood, unable to speak and only glancing around nervously.
Once their discussion ended, the Divine Doctor of the Ages spoke to Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, this man is already a jiangshi."
"What?"
Ma Seokgwang cried out in shock. Him, a jiangshi? How could that be? He felt perfectly fine.
"From the looks of it, it's too late to reverse it. If he hadn't foolishly detonated his latent power, there might have been a chance..."
"Don't be ridiculous! Me, a jiangshi! Me, a jiangshi!"
"Be quiet."
Byeok Taesan said softly.
As if by magic, Ma Seokgwang fell silent. He cowered, watching Byeok Taesan warily, and began to tremble like a leaf.
"Continue."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, who had paused in surprise at the outburst, resumed his explanation.
"The procedure that supposedly allows one to use half their latent power is actually what paves the way to becoming a Half-Jiangshi. It opens up the meridian pathways for corpse qi to flow through."
"And the reason for blocking it off?"
"It seems to be because of their martial arts. Those with internal energy have a strong resistance to foreign energies, making them difficult to turn into Half-Jiangshi."
"So when they detonate their latent power, their internal energy is completely depleted, and the corpse qi fills the void. Is that it?"
"That is our hypothesis. But to be certain, we'll need to observe the situation directly and confirm."
The Divine Doctor said this while looking at Ma Seokgwang.
Since the situation was irreversible anyway, he intended to use the man to observe the process of becoming a Half-Jiangshi.
"One thing is certain: this procedure is by no means simple."
"Not simple?"
"A procedure that prevents death even after detonating latent power couldn't possibly be easy. It must have required a considerable amount of money and effort."
"That certainly makes sense."
"And it will take a long time. The meridian pathways for the corpse qi need time to settle."
Byeok Taesan stroked his chin and muttered.
"Is that why they all ran away?"
Earlier, when Byeok Taesan had appeared, defeated the Half-Jiangshi on the ship, and absorbed their spiritual energy, some of the people on the shore had fled.
Byeok Taesan had seen them, but he hadn't felt the need to pursue them at the time. He figured he could always track them down later.
In fact, the Underworld Sect was tracking their trail right now.
"I'm actually looking forward to it."
What would a Half-Jiangshi that had learned martial arts be like?
Of course, what he was curious about wasn't how strong the Half-Jiangshi would be, but what kind of spiritual energy they would emit.
It would surely be influenced by their internal energy, but he couldn't yet predict how that would manifest.
"By the way, why didn't you notice this when you first treated him? Is the one who performed the procedure better than you two?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages bristled at the comment.
"Young Master, how can you say something so disheartening? We were only able to discover it because it was us. Normally, this would be nearly impossible to detect. Why else would we have spent an hour discussing it?"
The One-Needle Eccentric picked up where he left off.
"The one who performed this procedure is certainly skilled, but it's too soon to compare them to us. One thing is certain: poison was used in this procedure."
"Poison? Are there traces of the Poison Demon?"
"If it were the Poison Demon, he wouldn't have left such traces."
The One-Needle Eccentric paused for a moment before continuing.
"This is a different poison from the one used on the Black Iron Gang. It's of a completely different nature. The method of using the poison is also different. This is someone else."
"Is it one of the poisons I told you about?"
"There is one that is similar."
He had previously passed on all the poison recipes he'd obtained from the Poison Demon to the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric. It seemed this was one of them.
Then this was another of the Poison Demon's disciples.
"So this isn't just a case of one disciple running off and getting involved."
His interest was piqued.
Just then, one of the members of the Underworld Sect he had sent to track the escapees returned.