Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: I Don't Think He's the Right Person
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The Hubei Martial Alliance was in an uproar once again.
This time, the situation was even more dire than when the Black Iron Gang collapsed.
After all, the rising stars from all over the Hubei region had been targeted.
For now, they had contacted each family and instructed them to send at least three times the number of escorts as reinforcements.
In any case, this incident left the Hubei Martial Alliance with a mountain of work to handle.
The Alliance Leader of Hubei sighed, looking at the stack of documents that, with a bit of exaggeration, reached the ceiling.
"When will I ever get through all this?"
He couldn't just skim through it. The incident itself was highly sensitive, so every detail had to be handled with care.
And the manager would probably double-check everything meticulously.
He would surely pick apart anything that was handled carelessly, so to avoid a lecture, it was best to do it right from the start.
As the Alliance Leader of Hubei was sighing heavily and carefully examining the documents one by one, the manager rushed in.
His eyes widened at the sight of the documents piled on the desk.
"Is that all you've managed so far?"
The Alliance Leader of Hubei stared at the manager in disbelief.
"If you were trying to get on my nerves, you've done a fine job. A complete success."
The manager walked over to the side of the desk, picked up the documents the Alliance Leader of Hubei had already processed, and quickly scanned them.
He then pulled out two of them.
"You need to review these again."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei stared blankly at the manager.
"Staring at me like that won't help. I have plenty to do as well. Please stop resting and pick up the pace."
Hearing those words, the Alliance Leader of Hubei felt a surge of anger.
Resting? Who in the world was resting?
The manager, ignoring the Alliance Leader of Hubei's glare, neatly placed the documents he had checked to one side.
"I just handled this while I was here, but... I've received word from Byeok Taesan that he intends to leave."
"What? He's leaving at a time like this? Is he out of his mind?"
The manager continued calmly.
"The problem is, if Byeok Taesan leaves, the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric will go with him. We still need those two."
"Of course we do. We still haven't found a way to deal with the half-jiangshi."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't that they hadn't found anything. They had figured out how to fight them effectively by exploiting a few of their characteristics.
Moreover, the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric had further refined that method, making it more efficient.
But what the Alliance Leader of Hubei wanted wasn't that, but a more fundamental solution.
Like what Byeok Taesan had done.
"And you still haven't figured out how Byeok Taesan defeated the half-jiangshi?"
"No. He himself claims not to know, so what can we do?"
They had no choice but to rely on the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
It was unlikely that other physicians could discover what those two couldn't.
"So you're saying it's impossible unless we bring in the Divine Physician."
"Honestly, even if we did bring in the Divine Physician, there's no guarantee it would be possible."
To ordinary people, the Divine Physician and the One-Needle Eccentric were both equally incredible doctors.
And here, they also had the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
Having met and experienced him firsthand, the Divine Doctor of the Ages was by no means inferior to the Divine Physician or the One-Needle Eccentric.
"We have to hold onto them, no matter what."
The manager gave a bitter smile.
"I'm afraid that will be difficult."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei looked at the manager as if he'd caught him in a mistake.
"Where's that bravado from when you said you'd recruit Byeok Taesan? Why such a weak-willed response now?"
The manager shook his head.
"He's impossible to reason with. In all my life, I've never met anyone so stubborn."
The manager couldn't bring himself to admit that he couldn't talk to him for long because he was, for some reason, scared.
In truth, he had tried to recruit Byeok Taesan several times.
He had even tried this morning.
And today had been the peak. He had been so scared that he'd stopped mid-sentence and simply returned.
"In any case, we can't keep Byeok Taesan here through simple means."
"Then what about meeting with Yeon Harin? Couldn't we persuade that child?"
The manager smiled bitterly again.
"I've already tried."
"Really? And it didn't work? I thought the two of them were quite close."
"Yeon Harin, that child is no ordinary person either. My words had no effect on her whatsoever."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei's eyes widened.
"So you couldn't even convince Yeon Harin?"
"Yes. That's why I think we need to try a different approach."
"A different approach?"
"We follow them."
"Follow them? You mean assign people to them under the pretense of escorting them?"
The manager shook his head.
"A clumsy trick won't work. We should be honest and ask for their cooperation. Very politely."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei nodded.
"Then let's do that. Come to think of it, we can send my older brother. He doesn't have much to do back at the family home anyway. We can tell him to build a friendship with Byeok Taesan."
At those words, the manager looked troubled.
"Um... Alliance Leader. I don't think he's the right person for the job."
"What? What do you mean? Why not?"
***
The Alliance Leader of Hubei looked down with pity at Baekri Jangcheon, who was lying in bed.
"Brother, are you feeling any better?"
Baekri Jangcheon forced himself to sit up.
"Please, just lie down. You're not well..."
"No. How could I do that in front of the Alliance Leader? Besides, I'm not that unwell. It's just..."
Baekri Jangcheon trailed off. He quickly sat up.
"This old man has taken up the precious time of the busy Alliance Leader. My apologies."
"Please don't say that. Don't worry about me; you must focus on getting well."
Baekri Jangcheon gave a faint smile, sensing the sincerity in the Alliance Leader of Hubei's tone.
"But what exactly happened? I've only heard bits and pieces, so it's difficult to grasp the situation."
"I just... just had a bit too much to drink."
"You drank too much?"
The Alliance Leader of Hubei couldn't understand.
Baekri Jangcheon was a master. He was skilled enough to be ranked within the top twenty of the Baekri Family, if not the top ten.
But for such a master to pass out from drinking too much—who would believe that?
Sensing that Baekri Jangcheon was reluctant to say more, the Alliance Leader of Hubei changed the subject.
"By the way, I heard you moved separately after fending off the enemy's surprise attack. What happened?"
"Ah... that."
Baekri Jangcheon started to say something but then closed his mouth. It was as if his mind was foggy, with gaps in his memory.
When he didn't speak, the Alliance Leader of Hubei added another question.
"I heard that the Divine Doctor and the Eccentric were with you at the time, and that Byeok Taesan's group, including Yeon Harin, also went along."
"So... Ah! Right. The remnants. We went to find the remnants."
"The remnants? This is the first I'm hearing of it."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei was genuinely bewildered.
Of course, he knew there were remnants. He had received a report that some had fled when the initial ambush was thwarted.
But he had been completely unaware that Baekri Jangcheon had pursued them with Byeok Taesan.
'Did Byeok Taesan intentionally not mention it?'
He should have heard this from Byeok Taesan's group or Yeon Harin. But they hadn't said a single word about it.
The Alliance Leader of Hubei looked at Baekri Jangcheon with a hint of suspicion.
He could understand Byeok Taesan not saying anything, but if something so important had happened, shouldn't Baekri Jangcheon have come and told him first?
To neglect such an important matter and go drinking instead—did that make any sense?
"So what happened? Did you take care of all the remnants?"
"Uh... well?"
"Pardon?"
"I remember chasing them, and ah! There was a formidable master there. I fought him."
"I see. And what happened to that master?"
"What do you think happened? Of course, I won."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei suppressed a sigh and asked.
"Where was this located? I think we should send people to investigate."
"The location... well... I can't seem to remember."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei asked with a worried expression.
"Brother, are you really alright? It seems your memory might have been damaged by some kind of shock. Did this happen while you were fighting that master?"
Baekri Jangcheon shook his head.
"No, that's definitely not it. The fight with him was tough, but I wasn't injured. I'm sure of it."
Baekri Jangcheon himself was going crazy. He really couldn't remember.
The scene of the fight, the moment he stabbed the man's shoulder and thigh with his sword, and the final scene where he plunged his sword into the man's heart to claim victory—it all came back in fragments.
The next thing he remembered was drinking with the two old men, calling each other sworn brothers.
'And after that...'
Suddenly, Byeok Taesan's face flashed in his mind.
Baekri Jangcheon's whole body began to tremble.
"Brother? Brother, what's wrong?"
The Alliance Leader of Hubei studied Baekri Jangcheon's face. Was this what a mixture of fear and rage looked like?
"Byeok Taesan! It was that bastard, Byeok Taesan!"
"Pardon? What did Byeok Taesan do?"
"He beat me to a pulp!"
"He what?"
"All night long! Do you have any idea how much it hurt? It wasn't just a simple beating; he inflicted pain as if he were carving up my entire body with a knife. It was truly unbearable!"
"Carving up your body with a knife?"
"That's right! How else could he inflict such pain!"
"So... you didn't actually see it happen."
"No, do I have to see it to know? I was in so much pain I couldn't even open my eyes! But you can tell just by looking at the marks on my body!"
The Alliance Leader of Hubei looked at Baekri Jangcheon with profound pity.
How on earth had his brother ended up like this?
Perhaps the story about going with Byeok Taesan's group to deal with the remnants wasn't true either.
No, maybe he had moved separately from the start. He'd heard they hadn't gone together.
"Brother, your body is perfectly fine. There are no knife marks, not even a common bruise. The physicians examined you carefully, and there are no external or internal injuries whatsoever. You're just a bit exhausted."
"How can I believe those physicians! They're probably in league with Byeok Taesan!"
"The physicians who examined you are from our Hubei Martial Alliance. The Divine Doctor and the Eccentric were too busy preparing to leave to have had a chance to check on you."
Baekri Jangcheon read the emotion in the Alliance Leader of Hubei's eyes. He waved his hands in alarm.
"No, it's not like that! It's not what you're thinking, Alliance Leader! I'm not crazy! I'm perfectly sane! It's just my memory... my memory is a little strange!"
"Of course, I believe you, brother. Of course you are."
The Alliance Leader of Hubei slowly rose from his seat. He spoke politely to Baekri Jangcheon.
"Please take care of yourself. I must return to my duties. I will come to see you often whenever I have time. For now, please just focus on your health."
"Wait! Alliance Leader! I'm telling you, it's not true! It's really not!"
Baekri Jangcheon called out desperately, but the Alliance Leader of Hubei was already gone.
"Ha! What is this? To be treated so disgracefully in my later years."
Baekri Jangcheon muttered, staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.
How long had he been staring blankly? He heard someone outside the door.
"Sir, you have a visitor."
"A visitor?"
"Yes. They've come to check on you... The Divine Doctor and the Eccentric have come with their party."
The images of the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric appeared in Baekri Jangcheon's mind. At the same time, the face of Byeok Taesan, who was surely part of their group, also came to mind.
Startled, he was about to say no, to just send them away.
But the door had already swung wide open.
Through the open door, he could see the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric.
And standing between them, looking his way, his eyes met Byeok Taesan's.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan frowned.
"This won't do. Let's just go back."
"Pardon?"
"No, Young Master, we've come to check on him, so we should at least go inside..."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages' expression stiffened as he spoke.
He looked at Baekri Jangcheon with an awkward expression and slowly closed the door.
"Well then, take care. You should probably take a bath, too."
*Click.*
The door closed.
Baekri Jangcheon stared blankly at the scene before letting out a shriek.
"This can't be happening!"
It was the moment he became the subject of rumors that would shake the Hubei Martial Alliance for some time.
***
Byeok Taesan entered the Golden Jade Pavilion.
Since he was about to leave this place, it was time to tie up loose ends.
Before he even reached the Golden Jade Pavilion, its doors swung open, and a crowd of courtesans rushed out to greet Byeok Taesan.
Having experienced the same thing before, some of them were unfazed.
However, the reactions of Yeon Harin and Byeok Taesan's maids, who were seeing this for the first time, were different.
Even Danyeong and Chaewol, who were former courtesans themselves, were visibly surprised.
To receive such a welcome from a pleasure house in broad daylight was no easy feat.
Everyone looked at Byeok Taesan with renewed admiration.
Byeok Taesan's gaze was fixed on the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion, who had come out with the courtesans.
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion saw the smile playing on Byeok Taesan's lips and couldn't help but shiver.