Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Become the Tenth
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After entering the Golden Jade Pavilion, Byeok Taesan and his companions went their separate ways.
Today's plan was for Byeok Taesan to finish his business here, after which they would all head to the docks and board a ship.
That was why he had brought everyone along; otherwise, he would have come alone.
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion and the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion guided Byeok Taesan to the same room as before—the one with the ornate jade throne.
As Byeok Taesan naturally took his seat on the jade throne, the two Pavilion Masters quietly sat in the chairs placed before him.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion began her report without being asked.
"We have tidied up all matters related to Baekri Jangcheon. We investigated through various channels in case there were any witnesses to that day's events, but we found no one."
Byeok Taesan wore an indifferent expression, as if he had little interest.
But the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion could not afford to be so.
"The skills of the Divine Doctor and the Eccentric were truly godlike. I never imagined that not a single trace would be left behind."
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion concluded by adding a few more details concerning Baekri Jangcheon.
For instance, she reported that several rumors about Baekri Jangcheon had spread throughout the Hongho area, home to the Baekri Family, as well as to the Hubei Martial Alliance.
Seeing Byeok Taesan's continued indifference, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion quickly moved on to the next report.
"We thoroughly investigated the base where the Half-Jiangshi were staying. After the investigation was complete, we informed the Hubei Martial Alliance of its location."
Byeok Taesan gave a casual nod, indicating he didn't care what they did.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion's report continued.
"We have identified the masters who were leading the Half-Jiangshi. They are known as the Four Fiends of Guangdong."
"The Four Fiends of Guangdong?"
Byeok Taesan tilted his head. The name sounded vaguely familiar.
"They are quite powerful masters. However, they were active a long time ago. The last confirmed sighting of them was thirty years ago."
"Thirty years ago? They didn't look that old."
"Aren't there plenty of ways to alter one's appearance?"
"But there were no signs of artificial alteration..."
Byeok Taesan stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment.
The first method that came to mind for becoming younger without artificial traces was age regression.
However, their martial arts were too weak for them to have undergone age regression.
They might have learned some youth-preserving arts, but their appearances weren't impressive enough for that to be the case.
"For now, we have preserved their bodies."
"Oh? In that case, I'll take one of them. The Divine Doctor of the Ages should be able to figure something out if he examines it."
A strange sense of unease prompted Byeok Taesan to investigate the body more closely.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion's report continued.
"Also, we are interrogating the one we captured, but he knows nothing."
"He knows nothing?"
"Yes. He doesn't even know why they became so young."
"What strange fellows."
To think they led the Half-Jiangshi to attack the Hubei Martial Alliance without knowing anything.
"What was their objective?"
"Their goal was to capture the rising talents of the Hubei Martial Alliance."
"And then?"
"That was all."
Byeok Taesan looked incredulous.
"They tried to capture the rising talents of the Hubei Martial Alliance without even knowing who gave the order?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion wore a troubled expression.
"That's why I was so perplexed. Honestly, I've never encountered a case like this..."
"Is there a chance he's lying?"
"None. We actually used a special drug."
"A drug?"
"It's a drug that confuses the mind, making it easy to extract the truth."
"You had something like that?"
Byeok Taesan gave the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion a peculiar look.
"We manufactured it using the Dark Shadow Tome you gave us."
Byeok Taesan's eyes lit up slightly.
"The Dark Shadow Tome includes information like that?"
In Byeok Taesan's view, the Dark Shadow Tome was merely an unusual martial art. He never expected it to contain instructions for making such a drug.
"Of course, it's not possible with the Dark Shadow Tome alone. The tome is like a key. This drug is the product of long years of research. The Dark Shadow Tome is essential to implementing the core part of the manufacturing process."
Byeok Taesan's eyes sparkled with interest.
"Interesting."
"In any case, the man knew almost nothing. All we learned from the drug was that he is one of the Four Fiends of Guangdong, and that when he came to his senses, he was with the Half-Jiangshi."
"He was with the Half-Jiangshi when he came to? Did he lose his memory?"
"It appears so. It was as if a certain period of his memory had been completely carved out."
"Did he lose his memory of the time he joined the Half-Jiangshi?"
"A much longer period than that—about twenty years of time—has been erased."
Byeok Taesan thought for a moment before speaking.
"Well, that's enough. I'll leave the disposal of that man to you. And continue the investigation. I sense something dangerous is afoot."
"Yes. I will do so."
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion replied respectfully.
Byeok Taesan's gaze then turned to the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion.
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion tried her best to remain calm and lowered her head slightly.
"Now, it's your turn."
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion said calmly.
"The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion has already given the full report."
"You know me, don't you?"
"I do not."
There wasn't a hint of hesitation in her answer, as if she truly didn't know.
"If you don't know, why are you trembling?"
Startled by his words, the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion clenched her legs tightly. She had been shaking them unknowingly.
"The Yichang branch manager possesses an ability to see through to the essence of things."
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, unable to watch any longer, stepped in.
Byeok Taesan's gaze shifted to the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
"See through to the essence?"
"It's a kind of... insight, I believe. She instinctively sees through to a person's nature by observing their gaze, expression, and other information about them."
Byeok Taesan let out a small laugh and looked at the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion.
"Insight? That's a little different from what I was thinking. Isn't it?"
"I-I just have unusually good intuition."
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion said quickly.
"So, what did that intuition of yours see in me?"
"Th-that is..."
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion hesitated greatly to answer.
And seeing this, Byeok Taesan's eyes gleamed.
"You really did see it, didn't you?"
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion's face turned pale.
"N-no! I didn't see anything! I really didn't!"
Byeok Taesan smiled faintly. Then he looked at the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and asked.
"Find a new Yichang branch manager."
"Pardon?"
Ignoring the bewildered Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Byeok Taesan looked back at the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion.
"From now on, you're coming with me."
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion's face went deathly pale.
"M-me?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
He answered the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion, but directed his question to the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion answered with a dazed expression.
"It is surprising, but there is no particular problem. Still, you should at least tell us the reason you're taking her..."
Byeok Taesan gave the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion a strange look.
"Do you really want to know?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion finally snapped to her senses and shook her head vehemently.
"No! On second thought, I think it's fine if I don't know!"
Having settled the matter, Byeok Taesan looked at the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion again.
"I didn't originally plan on taking in any more, but things in this world don't always go as planned."
Byeok Taesan paused after saying that much.
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion and the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion swallowed hard in unison.
"You will have to be the tenth."
"Th-the tenth?"
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Yes. You will be my tenth handmaiden."
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion stared blankly at Byeok Taesan. She had just been demoted from the Underworld Sect's Yichang branch manager to a handmaiden of the Golden Jade Trading Company.
Byeok Taesan grinned at the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion.
"What? You don't like it?"
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion quickly bowed her head.
"H-how could that be? I am truly delighted to be able to accompany you, Young Master."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"I thought as much."
Having said that, Byeok Taesan rose from his seat.
"Let's go, then."
With her head bowed low, the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion followed Byeok Taesan.
And the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion watched her go with a pitying gaze.
* * *
Byeok Taesan's group headed for the docks. It was finally time to return home.
During the journey, the Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion greeted the other three handmaidens and got to know them through conversation.
The Master of the Golden Jade Pavilion had used the courtesan name Hwaok, and she decided to keep using it, just like Danyeong and Chaewol.
Thanks to this, Hwaok realized that Byeok Taesan's handmaidens were not mere servants.
And when she heard the name of the martial art they were learning, she was so shocked she nearly fainted.
The Flying Spirit Divine Art.
From that moment on, Hwaok's worries began.
'Can I really learn the Flying Spirit Divine Art and the Dark Shadow Tome together?'
The Dark Shadow Tome is a footwork manual, but it's not a simple one. It contains the principles of various martial arts.
The same was true for its internal arts.
That is why members of the Underworld Sect must learn an internal art that complements the Dark Shadow Tome.
Hwaok had also learned such an internal art.
The problem was that while it was highly compatible with the Dark Shadow Tome, the internal art itself was not very powerful.
If the Flying Spirit Divine Art and the Dark Shadow Tome were compatible, she wanted to abandon her current internal art and switch to the Flying Spirit Divine Art immediately.
The problem was that to confirm this, she would have to learn the Flying Spirit Divine Art.
While she was lost in these worries, Byeok Taesan's group arrived at the docks.
The Underworld Sect had prepared a ship in advance, so all they had to do was board.
The Underworld Sect's preparations were meticulous.
Sailors to handle the ship were already on board, and it was fully stocked with supplies for the journey to Wuhan.
When they arrived at the docks, they saw a familiar face.
It was the general manager of the Hubei Martial Alliance.
"I have been waiting for you."
The general manager said, bowing respectfully to Byeok Taesan.
At that, the Divine Doctor of the Ages stepped forward.
Dealing with other people like this was a role mostly handled by the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
If Byeok Taesan were to step in, things were unlikely to go smoothly, so it was best to handle everything at a lower level whenever possible.
"What is it? I thought we had no more business with the general manager of the Hubei Martial Alliance... Surely you're not here to take us back to the Alliance."
"Goodness, no, that's not it at all. We are simply here to ask a small favor of Young Master Byeok."
"Go ahead and speak."
"As even you can see, Divine Doctor, the incidents currently unfolding around the Hubei Martial Alliance are far from ordinary, are they not?"
"That is true. They are certainly not ordinary matters."
"That is why we would like to ask for your help in this regard. Young Master Byeok does not need to stay. We would be grateful if you would simply accompany our people."
"People from the Hubei Martial Alliance?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages shifted his gaze to the space behind the general manager.
Two middle-aged men were standing there.
"They are physicians we worked hard to find."
At the word 'physicians,' the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric looked at the two men with interest, then nodded.
'They have a decent air about them.'
Of course, they would have to converse with them and see their skills in action to know for sure, but their aura was promising.
"To be honest, it's a bit of a stretch to call them Hubei Martial Alliance personnel... They are from the Martial Alliance."
"The Martial Alliance?"
At the mention of the Martial Alliance, Byeok Taesan's entire group looked at the physicians with interest.
Even Byeok Taesan was among them.
The general manager continued with a self-satisfied expression.
"Currently, our Hubei Martial Alliance's patrol leader is in Wuhan. These two physicians are scheduled to join him."
"So you mean we are to cooperate with the patrol leader's work?"
The general manager quickly waved his hands in denial.
"Goodness, you misunderstand. It's not like that. We are simply asking you to continue your research on the Half-Jiangshi."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages glanced at the two physicians from the Martial Alliance.
"And share the results of that research with those two?"
"We humbly ask."
The general manager bowed his head even more respectfully and politely.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages turned to look at Byeok Taesan. He could not make such a decision on his own.
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt."
Once Byeok Taesan gave his permission, everything proceeded swiftly.
As a token of gratitude, the general manager of the Hubei Martial Alliance offered to cover all travel expenses to Wuhan.
Even though the Underworld Sect had already procured a ship, he paid for the cost in full.
He also mentioned that the Hubei Martial Alliance was currently engaged in several large transactions with the Golden Jade Trading Company.
He even made a show of saying that if Byeok Taesan wished, they could request him to be the person in charge of those transactions, and that he only needed to say the word.
Of course, Byeok Taesan had no intention of doing so.
In any case, with the situation settled, everyone boarded the ship.
And the ship set sail for Wuhan.
Byeok Taesan stood at the prow, feeling the wind, and was momentarily lost in thought.
'The Martial Alliance...'
It was a word that stirred up memories.
After all, besides the Heavenly Demonic Cult, it was the organization with which he had the longest-standing connection in his life.