Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Preparations Are Complete
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Despite the commotion behind him, Byeok Taesan continued up the stairs, his expression unchanging.
Halfway up, Hwaok and Yu Seoyeon caught up to him.
Ma Chung-sam, who was leading the way, took Byeok Taesan's attitude as a matter of course.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Hwaok suddenly moved closer to Byeok Taesan.
She whispered quietly in his ear.
"Young Master, I think you should be careful."
Byeok Taesan looked at Hwaok, his eyes asking what she meant.
Hwaok's expression was grim.
Byeok Taesan stopped walking.
Ma Chung-sam, who had been leading them, also stopped and turned to face Byeok Taesan.
There was not a hint of question in his expression. He simply seemed to be waiting for Byeok Taesan to start moving again.
Without looking at Ma Chung-sam, Byeok Taesan spoke.
"I have something to discuss with this child in private. Lead us to a quiet room."
Ma Chung-sam bowed respectfully.
"The room I was originally escorting you to is just that."
Ma Chung-sam turned and started walking again.
When they arrived at the room at the very end of the corridor, he opened the door and stood deferentially to the side.
As Byeok Taesan entered the room, Hwaok followed him.
Yu Seoyeon tried to follow as well, but Ma Chung-sam blocked her path.
She reflexively looked at Byeok Taesan.
When Byeok Taesan shook his head, Yu Seoyeon took a step back.
After closing the door, Ma Chung-sam spoke to Yu Seoyeon.
"Shouldn't you stand far enough away that you cannot hear the Young Master's voice?"
"Ah! You're right."
Yu Seoyeon looked at Ma Chung-sam with a newfound understanding and moved away.
***
Upon entering the room, Byeok Taesan sat in the seat that had clearly been prepared for him.
From there, he could survey the entire room.
"Young Master. I saw a scene in that man: a sword standing in a black sky."
"A sword standing in a black sky?"
"Yes."
Byeok Taesan asked with a puzzled expression.
"And?"
Hwaok said in a serious tone.
"In my experience... that scene is often seen in warriors belonging to the Heavenly Demonic Cult."
"The Heavenly Demonic Cult?"
"Yes. It's not certain, but I would guess he's a low-ranking warrior."
Byeok Taesan looked at Hwaok with interest.
"So, the low-ranking warriors of the Heavenly Demonic Cult carry within them a black sky and a sword? Interesting."
It was genuinely interesting. And he was once again struck by how remarkable Hwaok's ability was.
The black sky symbolized the Heavenly Demonic Cult, and the sword standing in it symbolized the master of the present heavens—in other words, the Heavenly Demon.
It was a perfect depiction of the essence of a Heavenly Demonic Cult warrior.
"But you said only low-ranking warriors?"
That part bothered him a little. Did it mean that as their rank increased, they harbored different feelings?
"To be honest, I've rarely seen high-ranking members of the Heavenly Demonic Cult... but the few high-ranking people I have seen were all a bit different."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
Hwaok's tone lacked conviction.
He could understand. It probably wasn't easy to see even a low-ranking warrior of the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
The fact that she had seen such people often enough to accumulate related experience was all the more impressive.
"I understand. Go and tell him to come in."
Hwaok replied with a resolute expression.
"Yes. Please... be careful."
As she opened the door and left, Ma Chung-sam and Yu Seoyeon, who had been waiting from a distance, approached.
Ma Chung-sam entered first. Yu Seoyeon tried to follow, but this time, Hwaok stopped her.
"I think it would be best for us to wait outside."
Once again, Yu Seoyeon had no choice but to look at Byeok Taesan.
A smile graced Byeok Taesan's lips. He shook his head.
Yu Seoyeon had no choice but to take Hwaok and return to where they had been waiting.
A slight question arose in her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. What did such a trivial question matter now?
'I hope today's schedule runs long.'
***
As soon as the door closed, Ma Chung-sam prostrated himself before Byeok Taesan.
"I greet you once more. I am Ma Chung-sam, at the Young Master's service."
Ma Chung-sam belonged to the Heavenly Demonic Cult's Secret Heaven Group.
The Secret Heaven Group was an organization within the Heavenly Demonic Cult that conducted clandestine activities externally.
They were strictly forbidden from ever revealing their affiliation with the Secret Heaven Group.
Ma Chung-sam faithfully adhered to his duty.
He never let it slip that he was from the Heavenly Demonic Cult, nor that he was a member of the Secret Heaven Group.
"Alright, why did you want to see me?"
"The preparations are complete."
Byeok Taesan tilted his head slightly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"We have consolidated all the surrounding underworld forces, centered on the East Lake Escort Agency. We have also absorbed all the major underworld factions in Wuhan."
Byeok Taesan's expression turned cold.
It seemed the underworld thugs on the first floor of the inn were the ones they had absorbed in Wuhan.
"By whose authority?"
"Pardon?"
Ma Chung-sam, startled, jerked his head up to look at Byeok Taesan.
"I'm asking by whose authority you did such a thing."
"I... I was merely following the Chief's orders."
The Chief of the East Lake Escort Agency was the leader of their Secret Heaven Group team. Ma Chung-sam was just a member.
"Following orders? Would you follow his orders if he told you to stab me in the back?"
Cold sweat streamed down Ma Chung-sam's entire body.
"N-No, sir."
Byeok Taesan continued in a cold tone.
"Were you all planning to expand into Wuhan?"
"Th-That... to be honest, I'm not sure."
Byeok Taesan let out a short laugh.
Ma Chung-sam probably wasn't trying to pin all the blame on the Agency Chief. He was simply stating what he knew.
In other words, the Agency Chief was the one behind this.
"Who did he say I was?"
"I was not told."
"Who do you surmise I am?"
Ma Chung-sam hesitated, unsure how to answer.
He thought Byeok Taesan must be the child of someone very high up in the Heavenly Demonic Cult, but he couldn't say that.
He was, after all, a member of the Secret Heaven Group.
"I believed you to be... a very noble person."
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"Have you been assigned to take charge of Wuhan here?"
Ma Chung-sam cautiously raised his head. The atmosphere seemed to have softened considerably compared to before.
"Yes. I am to take charge. But it is only temporary. The situation could change at any time."
"Go and tell your Chief to come here himself. Tell him to prepare a thorough report on what he has done so far, what he is currently doing, and what he plans to do in the future."
Ma Chung-sam slammed his forehead on the floor.
"As you command!"
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan let out another smirk.
It had been a long time since he'd seen such a sight.
***
When Byeok Taesan came out, Yu Seoyeon and Hwaok were standing in the middle of the corridor.
At the end of the corridor, where it led to the stairs, Cheon Gyeongwan had just appeared.
He had finished dealing with the group of thugs on the first floor.
Ma Chung-sam followed behind Byeok Taesan, his posture as deferential as a servant's.
Byeok Taesan strode toward his companions.
"Let's go."
Yu Seoyeon and Hwaok quickly fell in step behind Byeok Taesan. Cheon Gyeongwan, who had just reached the second floor, waited for Byeok Taesan to pass before quietly joining the group.
When they went down to the first floor, they saw men sprawled everywhere.
It looked like some had a broken bone or two, but not a single one was dead.
Byeok Taesan stood at the bottom of the stairs and glanced over the fallen men.
"It seems you've taught them something special."
At Byeok Taesan's words, Ma Chung-sam quickly came to his side and bowed his head.
"Yes. I taught them the Three-Cycle Energy Arts."
He called it the Three-Cycle Energy Arts, but it was actually the Three-Cycle Demonic Arts.
It was the best for rapidly increasing one's strength.
However, its ceiling was too low, and the foundational training in the beginning was so agonizing that it was a martial art rarely used within the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
If the goal was to quickly secure a certain number of warriors, it was the perfect solution.
It could produce warriors who were moderately strong and possessed considerable viciousness.
From the looks of it, they had barely taken their first steps.
That was why so many of them had been unable to even touch a single hair on Cheon Gyeongwan.
"Well, handle it as you see fit."
With those words, Byeok Taesan left the inn.
Ma Chung-sam remained deeply bowed, not moving a muscle until Byeok Taesan was out of sight.
Once Byeok Taesan disappeared from view, Ma Chung-sam slowly straightened up and went back inside the inn.
The men sprawled on the floor, having regained consciousness, were groaning and beginning to stir.
They struggled to force themselves up.
Ma Chung-sam looked at them and muttered under his breath.
"First... I'll have to make these guys useful. So as not to bring shame upon our lord."
The faces of the men who heard him turned deathly pale.
They looked at Ma Chung-sam with eyes mixed with terror and misery, a desperate plea within them.
Of course, Ma Chung-sam's expression didn't change in the slightest at such a sight.
"Train with the resolve to land a blow next time. There will definitely be another chance."
Did that mean they would have to fight that monster again next time?
They all fell into despair.
***
Byeok Taesan's next destination was Seomun Deok.
Truthfully, if he had waited at home, Seomun Deok would have come to him eventually, but since he was already out, he decided to meet him before returning.
Seomun Deok was staying at a large inn near the construction site for the Hubei Martial Alliance's Wuhan branch.
On the way to the inn, Hwaok moved close to Byeok Taesan's side.
"Young Master, may I ask what happened with those men?"
Byeok Taesan hesitated for a moment.
The time had come to decide what to do from now on.
The mission of the East Lake Escort Agency was to put down roots in the region and secretly aid the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
While running the escort agency, they were to secure information, spread rumors when necessary, and discreetly eliminate targets if needed.
The key was not to get caught. Therefore, they had to refrain from conspicuous actions as much as possible.
But they had already caused trouble.
Byeok Taesan had started it, but if it had ended there, there would have been no problem.
The Jongli Family was now in ruins.
But these men hadn't stopped there; they had escalated the situation.
Normally, they would never have done so.
But the Heavenly Demonic Cult was currently in a state of high alert.
And Byeok Taesan had appeared.
Byeok Taesan tried to recall his visit to the East Lake Escort Agency.
'Was the Chief an ambitious man?'
One could never know what was in a person's heart, but from what Byeok Taesan had seen at the time, he didn't seem like the type to escalate things to this extent.
A slight smile crept onto Byeok Taesan's lips.
"I think... I've found the answer."
"Pardon? What do you mean...?"
"It's nothing. Let's hurry a little. It seems I might have one more stop to make."
"Yes. Understood."
Hwaok had more questions she wanted to ask, but the atmosphere was too tense, so she held her tongue and quickened her pace.
Soon, they arrived at the inn where Seomun Deok was staying.
Seomun Deok had sought out Byeok Taesan simply to exchange pleasantries, hoping to maintain a good relationship in the future.
So, Byeok Taesan didn't need to speak with Seomun Deok for long.
They exchanged a few words of greeting, and that was all.
During their conversation, the topic of the pills obtained from the water fortress near Yichang came up.
Seomun Deok cautiously asked if he could have some of the pills, but Byeok Taesan refused, using the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric as an excuse.
Seomun Deok didn't seem inclined to press the matter further and left it at that.
Just as they were finishing up and about to leave, two physicians rushed out from inside the inn.
"Y-Young Master! You've finally come! We've been waiting for you with bated breath!"
The physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Hall were on edge.
They desperately wanted to obtain the pills.
They had already reported to the Heavenly Medicine Hall. They had no choice, as they had told Seomun Deok every little detail of their plan to ask for his help.
So, they had been secretly watching the meeting between Seomun Deok and Byeok Taesan.
But from their perspective, Seomun Deok was being frustratingly passive.
If he was going to be like this, why had they even asked for his help?
They couldn't understand why he wasn't using the power of the Hubei Martial Alliance to apply a little pressure, which could have easily created a more favorable atmosphere.
So, they had decided to step forward themselves.
"Young Master! Please, think of the greater good! Our Heavenly Medicine Hall will surely uncover the secrets of that medicine! For the peace of the world..."
Byeok Taesan raised a hand, silencing the physicians.
"It's finished."
"Pardon?"
"I mean the analysis and countermeasures are all finished."
"Th-That's ridiculous...!"
"No matter how great the Divine Doctor and the Eccentric are, that's impossible!"
Byeok Taesan's gaze turned frosty.
As the atmosphere chilled, the physicians fell silent, their faces pale as they watched him nervously.
"Are you... calling me a liar?"
"N-No... that's not what I...!"
Byeok Taesan said as he turned away.
"I understand the Heavenly Medicine Hall's intentions very well."
The physicians, flustered, tried to grab him, but Byeok Taesan was already gone.
Seomun Deok, who had been watching the entire scene, widened his eyes.
He had momentarily lost track of Byeok Taesan's movement.
'Wasn't he just a master in demeanor? How on earth?'
He had heard a few things from the Hubei Martial Alliance.
They said Byeok Taesan might be a greater master than he appeared. But he hadn't expected this.
He had believed that Byeok Taesan's achievements with the Hubei Martial Alliance were more due to the abilities of his companions than his own.
But seeing him today, he began to think that might not be the case.
'This is confusing.'
Seomun Deok felt he needed to investigate Byeok Taesan once more.
His eyes fell on the two physicians, who had collapsed to the floor with expressions of utter despair.
Seomun Deok clicked his tongue softly and went back inside.