Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: How Unfamiliar
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"The Yichang base has been completely wiped out."
At the sudden report from his subordinate, Seo Dogun's expression vanished.
"The Yichang base was hit? What are you talking about?"
"Someone attacked the stronghold, and all the river bandits were either killed or captured."
"What about Guk Yangdu!"
"His whereabouts are unknown. It seems..."
"He's dead. Damn it...!"
Seo Dogun frowned and asked again.
"I suppose we've lost all the jiangshi as well."
"Yes. We still need to confirm the exact details, but it appears to be the work of Byeok Taesan."
"Byeok Taesan? Didn't we lure him into a trap? I was told there was almost no chance of failure. You even took the Three Blood Crazed Demons for that."
"That failed as well."
"What? Failed? Are you kidding me?"
The subordinate bowed his head low.
"My apologies."
Seo Dogun's face twisted in anger. Just how great were the losses?
"So what does Byeok Taesan not falling for the trap have to do with him attacking the Yichang base?"
"We succeeded in luring Byeok Taesan into the trap. We surmise that he destroyed the trap and obtained information about the Yichang base from there."
"Is Byeok Taesan really that formidable? As far as I know, he has about ten men. You're telling me they destroyed the trap and captured Bu Ducheol with just that?"
Bu Ducheol, the man in charge of the trap, was the type to take his own life rather than be captured.
No, he had been brainwashed for a long time to ensure that was the only outcome.
"Besides, Guk Yangdu is no ordinary man..."
There was no way Byeok Taesan and his group could have handled him. Someone else must have intervened.
"At this rate, we, the ones who started this, will have to take full responsibility..."
Seo Dogun looked at his subordinate with an anxious expression.
"Surely this isn't a plot by the Hubei Martial Alliance, is it? Using Byeok Taesan as bait to lure us out. Check on all the other bases."
"We are already checking. The ones we've confirmed so far are all fine."
"Don't just check; tell them to look again for any suspicious signs."
"I will give the order."
"So, what are our total losses from this incident?"
"First, we've lost all the jiangshi at the Yichang base. We've also lost the Three Blood Crazed Demons, Bu Ducheol, and Guk Yangdu."
"Looking at that alone, it's not a huge deal aside from Guk Yangdu..."
"And there were also the Blood Augmenting Pills stored at the Yichang base."
"That's the problem."
A hint of fear appeared on Seo Dogun's twisted face.
He had proceeded with this matter on his own authority.
He was greedy for merit, and he had intended to wrap up the Yichang affair by dealing with Byeok Taesan, the man who had played the biggest role in thwarting their operations in Hubei.
The order from above had only been to investigate Byeok Taesan.
Seo Dogun had judged it better to capture him, believing the investigation would proceed smoothly afterward.
So he prepared a trap.
He figured that even if they couldn't capture Byeok Taesan, they could eliminate his associates, or if there was a mastermind, they would be forced to make a move. He considered it a profitable venture either way.
But now that the lid was off, he found he had suffered immense losses.
Losing Guk Yangdu and the Blood Augmenting Pills, if nothing else, was a truly grave matter.
There would likely be a severe reprimand.
"For now... destroy the evidence."
"Pardon?"
The subordinate looked at Seo Dogun with surprised eyes.
Seo Dogun glared at his subordinate with cold eyes and said,
"Organize the evidence to show only that we lured Byeok Taesan into a trap. Make it so that everything after that is not our responsibility. Can you do that?"
The subordinate finally understood the situation. He bowed his head heavily with a grave expression.
"I'll make it happen, no matter what."
It would not be easy.
If an investigator from the higher-ups came and started a proper inquiry, they'd be picked clean.
But he had to succeed, regardless.
Otherwise, they would have to live a life worse than death. For a very, very long time.
After the subordinate left, Seo Dogun paced with a restless expression.
His shadow wavered as anxiously as his expression.
***
Byeok Taesan stood atop a building. From there, he looked down at the many people moving about busily below.
They were men from the Underworld Sect.
Originally, he had planned to leave right after dealing with the half-jiangshi, but the plan changed when Hwaok and the Divine Doctor of the Ages discovered a significant amount of medicine while briefly looking around during a break.
In the meantime, the members of the Underworld Sect, who had been monitoring the surroundings and dealing with fleeing bandits, arrived. From that point on, a full-scale search of the stronghold began.
As for the medicine found in the stronghold, the Divine Doctor of the Ages, the One-Needle Eccentric, and two physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Hall were huddled in a corner, examining it.
He had a rough idea of the medicine's identity. It was likely the very drug that had unleashed the bandits' latent potential.
This stronghold held more than he had expected.
For one, a considerable amount of wealth was hidden here.
It was far too much to have been amassed by mere river bandits, and there were quite a few valuable items as well.
Even if they had gathered the wealth of all the nearby bandits, the amount was still too large.
Therefore, he had to assume that the wealth of the culprits behind this scheme was mixed in.
Right now, the members of the Underworld Sect were diligently searching for anything else that might be hidden.
There was more than one or two hidden locations, so it seemed a full search would take quite some time.
They might have to just sleep here for the night and depart tomorrow morning.
With that thought, Byeok Taesan walked slowly toward where the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric were.
They were in the middle of a heated conversation.
"It would be best if you two just stepped aside."
At the Divine Doctor's words, the two physicians' eyes widened in disbelief.
"We are from the Heavenly Medicine Hall. We pride ourselves on being more skilled than anyone when it comes to medicine."
"The Heavenly Medicine Hall might be, but that doesn't apply to you two."
"That is why we said that if you just send a small sample of this medicine to the Heavenly Medicine Hall, they can find out all about it through thorough research and investigation."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages scoffed.
"What a ridiculous pair. Who found this medicine? Who captured this stronghold, and who dealt with all those half-jiangshi? Honestly, what have you two done? And now you're telling me to just hand over the medicine?"
"No, when did we ask you to hand it over? We merely requested that a small amount be sent to the Heavenly Medicine Hall. And what do you mean we've done nothing? We fought against the bandits too."
"Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to protect you two from getting hurt? If it weren't for me, you'd no longer be in this world. I should be charging you for saving your lives, and you're what? Asking me to hand over the medicine?"
"No, we're not doing this just for our own benefit. We are doing this for the greater good..."
"Greater good, my foot. Who do you think you are, trying to claim a piece of the pie?"
The Divine Doctor cut the physicians off and said his piece.
"The only reason I called you here was on the off-chance, however slim, that you might be helpful in analyzing this."
"And that is why we are helping you now."
The Divine Doctor shook his head firmly.
At the same time, the One-Needle Eccentric also shook his head.
"You're no help at all. Your knowledge is too shallow. It makes me suspect that the Heavenly Medicine Hall is taking this matter far too lightly."
"What nonsense is this? Taking it lightly? The Heavenly Medicine Hall never treats matters involving the Poison Demon lightly."
"And yet they sent the likes of you? Does this mean the Heavenly Medicine Hall's skills are insignificant to begin with?"
"That's not true!"
The physicians shouted, incensed.
But they couldn't deny that their skills were insignificant compared to the Divine Doctor or the One-Needle Eccentric, and their faces flushed.
'Both of them are peerless physicians, the likes of which the world has never seen. Of course I'm no match for them!'
He admitted his skills were lacking for now. But he couldn't stand them looking down on the power of the Heavenly Medicine Hall.
The strength of the Heavenly Medicine Hall was different from that of an individual.
They could dissect any medicine, piece by piece.
Of course, that didn't mean they could replicate the medicine exactly.
Generally, pills are made by finely grinding the ingredients and binding them together.
This makes identifying the ingredients extremely difficult.
And yet those two monsters, the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric, were managing to do just that, one by one.
Even if they couldn't figure out the exact ratios, they were identifying each ingredient used. It was truly unbelievable, even seeing it with his own eyes.
"We are considered quite skilled within the Heavenly Medicine Hall. But please do not judge the Hall by us alone. The power of a collective is far greater than one might think."
The Divine Doctor nodded.
"That's true."
He had no intention of underestimating the power of a group. Sometimes, a collective could display greater ability than a single outstanding genius.
"Anyway, you're useless right now, so go. I'll call you later if I need you."
In the end, the two physicians had no choice but to retreat, their faces full of dissatisfaction.
Byeok Taesan, who had been watching the entire scene from nearby, approached them.
"Did you find anything out?"
The Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric shook their heads simultaneously.
"It's impossible to figure out the manufacturing method from this. However, it might be possible to create a new medicine to counter it using these pills."
It was a matter of giving the medicine to someone, observing the reaction, and then finding a medicine or prescription that could control that reaction.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy. But if the ones doing it were the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric, that was a different story.
The Heavenly Medicine Hall could probably devise a countermeasure in a similar fashion.
"It is definitely a drug that unleashes latent potential. And the ingredients used are no ordinary things."
The One-Needle Eccentric continued the Divine Doctor's thought.
"Meaning it's a very expensive medicine."
The Divine Doctor chimed in, looking thrilled.
"Based on the ingredients we've identified so far, a single one of these pills would cost at least one tael of gold. And since there are still ingredients we haven't identified, the price will be much higher."
Hearing this, Byeok Taesan turned his head to look at the medicine boxes stacked neatly in a corner.
Each box contained dozens of pills, and there were hundreds of such boxes.
"Someone's stomach must be churning."
At those words, the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric cackled with schadenfreude.
"Just leave countering this medicine to us. We can solve it in no time."
The Divine Doctor said this, then quickly looked around.
Only after confirming no one was around did he lean close to Byeok Taesan and whisper in his ear.
"We must guard this medicine with an iron fist. The Queen of Medicine will likely be unable to resist and come running."
The One-Needle Eccentric, watching this with a pathetic look, said,
"Why do you keep mentioning that blasted Queen of Medicine?"
"They say she's beautiful."
"Haven't you seen her?"
At the One-Needle Eccentric's words, the Divine Doctor's eyes grew as wide as lanterns.
"You don't mean you've met her, brother?"
"I have."
The Divine Doctor asked, his eyes sparkling.
"What was she like?"
The One-Needle Eccentric frowned.
"She was... not ordinary."
The Divine Doctor tilted his head.
It was a vague answer. So just how beautiful was she?
***
It took a full half-day to clear out the stronghold and get back on the boat.
When it came to finding hidden things, the Underworld Sect was truly the best.
The Underworld Sect found every single treasure, even those that were very cleverly hidden.
In the process, they found an additional stash of pills stored separately.
In any case, it was decided that the Underworld Sect would hold onto all the discovered wealth for now and deliver it to Byeok Taesan later.
Only the medicine was loaded onto the boat carrying Byeok Taesan's party.
Throughout the boat journey, the Divine Doctor and the One-Needle Eccentric were cooped up in their cabin, researching the medicine.
Byeok Taesan would occasionally visit them and was impressed every time.
They poured out opinions and rebuttals as if in a competition, their words so fast and their fervor so intense that it was like watching two supreme masters engaged in a duel to the death.
As a result, just before they arrived in Wuhan, the two finally came up with a solution.
"So, in the end, the ingredient that unleashes latent potential is the Bloodtear Herb contained in this pill. It's called Bloodtear Herb because its flowers resemble drops of blood. It is a very rare medicinal herb."
The Divine Doctor explained proudly to Byeok Taesan.
"The other medicinal ingredients were likely mixed in for the purpose of slowing down the process."
The Divine Doctor paused for dramatic effect and grinned.
"So, if we can drastically accelerate the reaction of this Bloodtear Herb, it wouldn't matter whether they unleash their latent potential or not, would it?"
"If their latent potential explodes faster, won't they become much stronger?"
"We can just do it from a distance. It varies from person to person, but when latent potential is forcibly exploded, they usually exhaust all their strength in anywhere from half a quarter-hour to two. That should be manageable, don't you think?"
"Indeed..."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Furthermore, the method I've devised is very cheap. It can be made by properly combining just a few very common herbs."
At those words, the One-Needle Eccentric, who was standing beside him, gritted his teeth and said,
"Why is that a method *you* devised? I'm the one who thought of it."
"Come now, brother. This is unseemly. It was eighty percent me and twenty percent you, was it not?"
"It was the other way around."
As the two started to bicker, Byeok Taesan raised a hand to stop them.
"Prepare this medicine as soon as we arrive. Improve it if you can."
The Divine Doctor grinned.
"Leave it to me."
Byeok Taesan rose from his seat and went out onto the deck. He stood at the prow, gazing at the massive city visible in the distance.
He was finally back in Wuhan.
Watching the approaching city, Byeok Taesan murmured softly.
"It still feels... unfamiliar."