Chapter 84
Chapter 84
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: I Hate Noisy Things
-----------------------------------------------------------------
News that Byeok Taesan had arrived at the Golden Jade Villa spread like wildfire.
The first person to come running was the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
As soon as Byeok Taesan stepped through the main gate of the villa, the Divine Doctor rushed over and bowed deeply.
"Oh, Young Master, you've arrived. You must have gone through so much trouble. I was worried you might be tired, so I've prepared a very precious medicine that will blow away your fatigue in an instant."
The Divine Doctor respectfully offered a pill with both hands.
Byeok Taesan stared at him silently.
The Divine Doctor remained in his slightly bowed position, holding out the pill, not moving an inch.
He appeared quite calm on the outside, but in reality, cold sweat was trickling down his spine.
Byeok Taesan took the pill offered by the Divine Doctor.
The Divine Doctor breathed an inward sigh of relief. He then slowly straightened up, looked at Byeok Taesan, and grinned.
"That is truly good for the body. Not only does it relieve fatigue completely, but it's an elixir that even enhances the internal energy of martial artists. You could call it my masterpiece. Indeed."
"Is that so? It enhances internal energy, you say?"
"That's right. It's nothing extraordinary, but its effects last for a long time, so if you take it while training, you'll see results you can feel in your body."
"A fine medicine, indeed."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Byeok Taesan looked calmly at the Divine Doctor and asked.
"How many do you have?"
"Pardon?"
As Byeok Taesan gazed at him, the Divine Doctor startled and quickly answered.
"I currently have three on me."
Byeok Taesan disliked repeating himself. On any other day, it might not matter, but today, it absolutely could not happen.
Today, he had to be careful, as if walking on thin ice.
"Three, you say… Does the effect of this one also diminish after the first dose?"
That was often the case with so-called spirit pills.
Due to tolerance, taking them repeatedly would reduce their effectiveness compared to the first time.
The better the medicine, the smaller the reduction, and in the case of truly exceptional spirit pills, the effect barely diminished at all.
Of course, in such cases, the ingredients were so extraordinary that consuming multiple pills was virtually impossible.
The Divine Doctor puffed out his chest as if the suggestion was absurd and said.
"How could that be? This is a spirit pill I spent a full ten years creating, through all sorts of hardships. There are seven other spirit pills that produce the same effect but with subtly different ingredients."
"So you're saying if I alternate between those seven, I won't have to worry about tolerance?"
"That is correct. It is a truly revolutionary spirit pill. This, I haven't told anyone. I'm telling only you, Young Master."
"The ingredients must be precious as well."
The Divine Doctor chuckled.
"That is the core of this spirit pill. It doesn't use common herbs, but it doesn't use extremely expensive and rare ones either. This is a spirit pill made not with ingredients, but with devotion."
Byeok Taesan nodded deeply.
"Those are very good words. Not with ingredients, but with devotion…"
"Young Master, please do not forget that I am always serving you with devotion."
Byeok Taesan nodded and then asked abruptly.
"Why did you meet with the Master of the East Lake Escort Agency separately?"
The question came so suddenly that the Divine Doctor was too shocked to control his expression for a moment.
"Uh… well… wouldn't it be good to help each other out in times of difficulty? So, as a courtesy call…"
"For a courtesy call, the conversation seemed quite harsh. Why did you absorb the underworld?"
"Ah… those underworld fellows are perfect for running minor errands, aren't they? As a loyal servant to you, Young Master, let's just say I was pursuing a bit of convenience."
Byeok Taesan let out a smirk.
"So you did it all for me?"
"Of course. If not for you, Young Master, for whom would I have done such a thing?"
The smile that had graced Byeok Taesan's face slowly vanished, and his expression grew increasingly cold.
Watching this transformation head-on, the Divine Doctor felt his heart freeze.
His jaw trembled, and his teeth chattered.
"I've summoned the Master of the East Lake Escort Agency. He should be here soon."
"Pardon?"
The Divine Doctor was startled.
Byeok Taesan paid him no mind and continued.
"Who should I hear it from?"
"I-I will tell you."
The Divine Doctor had no choice but to answer as such.
***
Byeok Taesan silently looked down at the Divine Doctor, who was prostrated before him with his head lowered.
"You thought I was the Heavenly Demon's son?"
"Y-Yes, sir."
"Ha!"
Byeok Taesan let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
The Heavenly Demon's son. Did that mean he was his own son? It was a truly ridiculous situation.
But on reflection, he supposed that from the Divine Doctor's perspective, such a thought was plausible.
The Divine Doctor cautiously raised his head to look at Byeok Taesan.
"A-Am I wrong?"
"Of course you are."
"Then… N-No! I apologize!"
The Divine Doctor was about to ask who he was then, but he startled and slammed his head back to the floor.
‘Shit, then who the hell is he?’
No matter how much he thought, nothing came to mind other than a hidden son of the Heavenly Demon.
Frankly, no matter what he tried to piece together, the boy was too young.
To say he was a master who had returned to his youth, his past was too well-defined.
The first thing the Divine Doctor did after coming under Byeok Taesan was to investigate his background.
But no matter how much he dug, Byeok Taesan's past was too certain.
Byeok Taesan had grown up in the Golden Jade Trading Company from a very young age.
He was brilliant as a child, but everything changed when his illness manifested.
That was all the Divine Doctor could find out.
In any case, no matter how he pieced the information together, the only answer the Divine Doctor could come up with was the Heavenly Demon's son.
But now that he said it wasn't true, confusion washed over him.
"Have you ever seen the Heavenly Demon?"
At Byeok Taesan's question, the Divine Doctor flinched.
For some reason, casually calling him "Heavenly Demon" felt as awkward as having a fishbone stuck in his throat.
"Um… Young Master, even for you… I would appreciate it if you were a bit more careful with your words."
Byeok Taesan looked down at the Divine Doctor with incredulous eyes.
"Do you even know what you're saying right now?"
The Divine Doctor bowed his head low.
"I apologize. However…"
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan's eyes glinted.
"Are you saying this because I called him Heavenly Demon?"
The Divine Doctor didn't answer. That was the correct answer.
Byeok Taesan smirked. He wasn't sure if he should be pleased or not. Still, the feeling he got wasn't bad.
"It's fine. I'm someone who's allowed to do that."
Who could say anything if he called himself whatever he wanted?
Whether he called himself the Heavenly Demon or an idiot, that was his business.
‘Someone who's allowed to do that?’
The Divine Doctor's mind raced furiously.
‘Who could such a person be?’
There wasn't a single person under heaven who could say "Heavenly Demon" to the Heavenly Demon's face.
Not even the leader of the Martial Alliance.
So, what he was saying now meant he could casually refer to him as "Heavenly Demon" when talking to others.
But upon thinking about it, there were almost no such people either.
‘It comes full circle back to his son.’
If he were his son, a spoiled one at that, the apple of his father's eye, couldn't he act like that?
‘Even the elders couldn't do that.’
They all referred to him as Lord or the Supreme One, filled with reverence. That was only natural.
Then who would dare call him Heavenly Demon so casually? People who weren't affiliated with the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
But even they would never do so in front of a member of the cult.
The moment they did, they would have to face the warriors of the Heavenly Demonic Cult, who would come at them with their lives on the line.
When you can't figure it out no matter how hard you think, it's best to stop thinking.
The Divine Doctor pulled himself together.
For now, all he could do was lie low.
Byeok Taesan's words reached the Divine Doctor's ears.
"So, your answer?"
The Divine Doctor's mind spun furiously. He recalled Byeok Taesan's initial question.
"I have seen him."
"You have?"
Byeok Taesan's eyes widened slightly.
He said he'd seen him, but he himself had no memory of it.
In truth, it was natural not to remember. At the time, the Divine Doctor had been just one person among many, and the Heavenly Demon had been in the middle of destroying someone.
That was why the Divine Doctor trembled whenever the atmosphere of that time was brought up.
Byeok Taesan didn't think for long and asked.
"If you've seen him, then this should be simple. If I were his son, there should be some resemblance, shouldn't there?"
"That is correct."
"In your eyes, do I resemble him?"
Byeok Taesan asked with a slight sneer on his lips.
In his own mind, there was no resemblance at all.
‘But…’
Suddenly, Byeok Taesan tried to recall his old appearance. But he couldn't remember.
It was as if everything was shrouded in a thick fog.
"You do resemble him."
"What?"
For the first time in a long while, Byeok Taesan was genuinely surprised. He looked down at the Divine Doctor, not hiding his expression.
I resemble him? Byeok Taesan? Me?
"Yes. You truly do. Not just your appearance, but your disposition, your aura, your way of speaking… Honestly, I find myself startled from time to time."
So how could he not have been mistaken?
Frankly, the thought that Byeok Taesan might still be the Heavenly Demon's son hadn't completely disappeared.
He left a sliver of possibility and hope.
Byeok Taesan calmed his surprise and fell into thought for a moment.
Perhaps the influence of the soul had changed his appearance.
It could be due to using the vast spiritual power he had accumulated during his time as the Heavenly Demon for the young Byeok Taesan's survival in the beginning.
In any case, this too was interesting.
Byeok Taesan put aside his thoughts and looked down at the Divine Doctor.
If they believed him to be the Heavenly Demon's hidden son, their intentions were obvious.
They intended to build a power base within the Heavenly Demonic Cult, centered around him.
If he were the Heavenly Demon's son, then even after the next Heavenly Demon was decided, assuming he wasn't purged, he could at least secure a position overseeing a few warrior brigades.
"How far have you planned?"
The Divine Doctor's eyes lit up. He took Byeok Taesan's words as a positive sign.
"For now, we are searching for allies operating covertly near Wuhan. It requires confirmation, but we have identified a few suspicious locations."
"I was wondering where your disciples were. They must all be tied up with that, I suppose?"
The Divine Doctor smiled slyly.
"Hehehe. That's right. They are very capable fellows."
Having said that, the Divine Doctor flinched and quickly added.
"The Underworld Sect is sufficiently gathering information flowing through Wuhan. Their manpower is so robust that it's much more effective than having my disciples run around."
Byeok Taesan smiled faintly.
"Stop."
"Pardon?"
"I hate noisy things. I've decided to live quietly from now on, and you're disrupting that?"
"No, Young Master…"
The Divine Doctor forcibly swallowed the words that had come all the way up to his throat.
He wanted to ask why someone who wanted to live quietly had been acting the way he had until now, but he felt that doing so would lead to real trouble.
The Divine Doctor's mind raced.
He couldn't just end everything he had started here.
And he came to a conclusion.
The Divine Doctor looked at Byeok Taesan with the most pathetic and pitiful expression and gaze he could muster.
He summoned the pinnacle of his acting skills, a culmination of all the experiences he had gained while roaming the world for over ten years, and imbued his expression with a poignant emotion.
He must not shed tears.
It had to be the expression and gaze right before that moment. Only then could he convey a deeper emotion.
At least, that's what the Divine Doctor believed.
Byeok Taesan watched him and snorted.
To act in front of someone who could see into souls. Distinguishing between genuine emotions and those fabricated from within was a very simple task for Byeok Taesan.
And it had been the same when he was the Heavenly Demon.
The people of the Heavenly Demonic Cult feared the Heavenly Demon for his immense power, destructive nature, and authority, but his gaze, which seemed to pierce through one's very soul, wielded a power no less formidable.
Byeok Taesan considered crushing him in an instant but shook his head.
"Don't do any more. Stop here."
A flicker of life returned to the Divine Doctor's eyes.
"By that, you mean…"
"I mean, don't make things bigger."
The Divine Doctor bowed his head sharply and shouted loudly.
"As you command!"
Byeok Taesan looked down at the Divine Doctor with a strange expression and asked.
"By the way, about that pill you gave me earlier, does it have a name?"
Seeing the pill Byeok Taesan took from his robes, the Divine Doctor answered with a confident tone.
"Of course. It is the Divine Pill of the Ages."
Byeok Taesan was so dumbfounded that he let out a smirk.
"You said there were seven kinds?"
"Yes. That's right. It's a medicine made with devotion."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Good. Then… for now, make a hundred of each."
"Pardon?"
The Divine Doctor stared blankly at Byeok Taesan. He must have misheard.
A hundred of each meant he had to make a total of seven hundred pills. How could he possibly make all of them?
"Young Master. That's not so simple…"
Byeok Taesan looked down at the Divine Doctor with cold eyes.
The Divine Doctor swallowed dryly.
And then he finally realized. The fact that he had not yet been completely forgiven.
"Yes, I will make them. Of course. It is your command. But, Young Master. I… I cannot make this medicine alone, so if you could assign some people to help me…"
"Use the physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Hall. You might as well put them to use somehow."
The Divine Doctor said cautiously.
"I will certainly use them. But besides those who can handle menial tasks, I need a skilled physician…"
Byeok Taesan smirked. He could see right through him, but it wasn't an impossible request.
"Take the One-Needle Eccentric and use him too."
The Divine Doctor's face lit up.
"As you command!"