Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: It's a Miracle Elixir
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The One-Needle Eccentric was fiddling with some medicinal herbs when he whipped his head around to glare at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"Agh, that bastard is going to be the death of me..."
"Don't blame others. Was I the only one? You were right there with me, so why are you changing your tune now?"
"You think I could've just stood by? Look at this mess you've gotten us into!"
The One-Needle Eccentric spread his arms wide, gesturing at the heaps of medicinal ingredients covering the floor.
The garden was piled high with so many ingredients that 'enormous' didn't even begin to describe it.
This was all because of the promises they'd spouted while fleeing from Limitless Steps.
They had to make the Divine Pills of the Ages, as well as ointments for external injuries and remedies for internal ones.
And they couldn't just whip up some half-assed concoctions.
Byeok Taesan knew exactly what the two were capable of, as did the Underworld Sect and Yuk Taegu.
The One-Needle Eccentric, much like the Divine Doctor, was an expert when it came to ointments and internal remedies.
The Divine Doctor was particularly skilled with ointments, while the One-Needle Eccentric excelled at internal remedies.
If they combined their secret techniques, they could create even more extraordinary medicines.
That was precisely the level Byeok Taesan expected.
The problem was the immense time and effort required to produce medicine of that caliber.
Even if they could grind the two physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Hall into dust to make the Divine Pills, they were stuck making the ointments and internal remedies all by themselves.
"At this rate, we'll be making medicine for the rest of our lives without a wink of sleep! Don't you feel the least bit sorry?"
The Divine Doctor's eyes went wide as he stared at the One-Needle Eccentric.
"Why are you saying what I should be saying? Honestly, was I the only one talking back then? You were just as excited, spouting all sorts of things, so why are you trying to pin it all on me?"
"You should have controlled yourself! That's always your problem. You don't know the meaning of moderation!"
The Divine Doctor waved his hand dismissively, an incredulous look on his face.
"Stop talking nonsense and get to chopping. If we don't process all these ingredients by the end of the day, we really won't be sleeping from tomorrow on."
Knowing this was true, the One-Needle Eccentric stopped arguing, grabbed a cutter, sat down, and began chopping the ingredients with a *snip, snip*.
"Agh. What sins did I commit in my past life to deserve this suffering..."
"Still, meeting me must have absolved you of many of those past-life sins."
The One-Needle Eccentric snorted.
"At least you know what kind of person you are."
"Of course. Just being near someone of my stature and virtue is enough to melt away the sins of a past life. You're truly blessed. What would you have done if you hadn't met me?"
The One-Needle Eccentric stared at the Divine Doctor in disbelief, his face turning beet red. He clenched his fists, trembling.
"You... you...!"
The Divine Doctor quickly cut him off.
"More importantly, are we really going to keep doing this?"
"What? What kind of bullshit is that?"
"Agh, I told you to watch your language, but you just don't listen. Are you going to take responsibility if my dignity drops because of you?"
As the One-Needle Eccentric glared with bloodshot eyes, the Divine Doctor continued.
"We at least need a few physicians to manage the ingredients. As human beings, shouldn't we get some sleep?"
"Well... I suppose we do. Do you have a plan?"
The Divine Doctor grinned.
"I'm the Divine Doctor of the Ages. I always have a plan."
The One-Needle Eccentric leaned in, intrigued.
"Let's send someone to the Heavenly Medicine Hall."
"The Heavenly Medicine Hall?"
"They're quite skilled with medicine, aren't they? Let's just pull a few of their physicians over."
"That would be great if it works... but is it possible?"
"We just need to use those two over there."
His gaze fell upon the two physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Hall, who were diligently stirring a cauldron with large spatulas.
***
The men Go Jungwang had sent to seize Wuhan numbered seventy in total.
Fifty of them were warriors, and twenty were scholars who knew nothing of martial arts.
Deng Ziye managed them all, appointing a person in charge of both the warriors and the scholars to relay his orders.
But they were leaders in name only; in reality, they were mere messengers, incapable of taking initiative.
So now, with their commander Deng Ziye and the acting commander Seo Dogun gone, they were thrown into a state of utter confusion.
Their last order—to divert the attention of the Martial Alliance, the Black Alliance, the Namgung Family, and the Jegal Family—was complete.
Once that mission was over, their next task was to hide from pursuit and await further instructions.
So, they had each hidden themselves away.
Then they heard the news that Deng Ziye and Seo Dogun had been defeated by Byeok Taesan.
They hadn't gathered this information themselves; they'd heard the rumors deliberately spread by Byeok Taesan's side—or rather, by the ever-loyal Yuk Taegu and the Underworld Sect.
They couldn't help but be flustered.
They were now in a situation where they couldn't receive their next orders.
That was why a scholar and a warrior were meeting in this small tavern, sharing a drink.
"What should we do now?"
The scholar replied calmly to the warrior's question.
"Well. I believe the proper course of action is to return."
"And abandon Lord Deng and Lord Seo?"
"They are likely both already dead."
The warrior shook his head.
"Not yet."
The scholar's eyes widened as he looked at the warrior.
"I did some digging because of the rumors. I heard they were captured."
"Both of them?"
The warrior nodded.
This changed things. The scholar's expression grew serious.
"The jiangshi are the problem, then."
The warrior shook his head firmly at the scholar's murmur.
"Lord Seo won't break under their interrogation. He isn't that kind of man."
"That may be true, but..."
The scholar trailed off, looking uneasy. Honestly, Seo Dogun was not a man who would yield to any torture or fear of death.
However, torture and fear were not the only ways to extract information from a person.
And that was something the warrior was also worried about, albeit slightly.
"Is there any way to take the authority Lord Seo has to control the jiangshi?"
The scholar frowned slightly at the warrior's question.
"Someone would have to return and receive new authority."
"That would take too long, which is why I'm asking. Is there no other way?"
The warrior seemed to believe the scholar knew something.
And indeed, the scholar did have an answer.
It wasn't a surefire solution, but it was a possibility.
"The Blood Augmenting Pills could be the answer."
"Blood Augmenting Pills?"
"I heard one of the ingredients in the pills has a similar effect. Burning them where the jiangshi are might allow us to move them."
"Just moving them isn't enough. We need command authority to take them with us."
Those jiangshi couldn't lead normal lives, but when it came to simple movement, they were almost indistinguishable from ordinary people.
And they could be ordered to scatter and move in different directions.
They possessed enough intelligence to find their way to a destination if given a route.
"If we can erase the original authority, I know how to establish a new one."
The warrior nodded.
"Excellent. Let's do that. How many Blood Augmenting Pills are left?"
"Fortunately or not, Lord Seo only took about thirty percent of the pills."
"It's a relief we have that much. If we use what we need and bring the rest back, we won't be severely reprimanded."
The scholar nodded.
"I agree. Preserving the jiangshi and bringing back the remaining pills amidst this chaos should earn us a reward, not a reprimand."
The warrior snorted.
That would never happen.
"Then let's hurry. There's no point in wasting time."
The scholar added.
"Ah, and it would be best to have the remaining men return first. They can report on the situation here."
"Let's do that."
***
Yuk Taegu led Byeok Taesan out of Wuhan.
After leaving Wuhan and following the main road toward Hogam County, they came to a small forest. This was where the half-jiangshi were hidden.
"It's incredible how you managed to extract that information."
Hwaok, who had come along, looked at Yuk Taegu with admiration.
Yuk Taegu grinned and said.
"I have my methods."
In truth, it was less a method and more a demonic art.
It was called the Soul-Scattering Demonic Art, a technique that dispersed a person's mind like mist to break down their mental barriers.
The real reason for Hwaok's admiration was that the Underworld Sect had failed to extract information from Seo Dogun and Deng Ziye, even after using drugs to cloud their minds.
When it came to interrogation techniques, Yuk Taegu was clearly superior to the Underworld Sect.
"Anyway, the half-jiangshi are somewhere in the middle of this forest."
With that, Yuk Taegu strode deeper into the woods. Having already obtained solid information, his steps were confident.
Just as they were about to reach their destination, Byeok Taesan stopped and raised his hand to the side.
Yuk Taegu and Hwaok, who were walking with him, halted.
Byeok Taesan slowly stepped forward again. But this time, all traces of his presence had vanished.
Yuk Taegu and Hwaok stared at Byeok Taesan in astonishment.
They hadn't known such a thing was even possible.
Byeok Taesan's presence had completely disappeared.
Even though they were looking right at him, if they didn't concentrate, it felt as if he wasn't there at all.
Unable to follow, the two of them just stood there, blankly watching Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan, on the other hand, strode into a clearing in the middle of the forest.
There was a massive pit there, and inside, about a hundred half-jiangshi stood packed tightly together.
Two people were circling the half-jiangshi, placing something on the ground.
Byeok Taesan immediately recognized what they were setting down.
It was the drug that unleashed latent potential.
"That's... the Blood Augmenting Pill, was it?"
He had learned that the drug was called the Blood Augmenting Pill from interrogating Seo Dogun.
Of course, its name wasn't particularly important.
It seemed to be just the two of them. However, Byeok Taesan was curious about what they were doing, so he waited for a moment.
The two men were completely unaware that Byeok Taesan was watching them from right above the pit.
They sprinkled the Blood Augmenting Pills in a circle around the half-jiangshi, then began lighting them one by one.
As the pills burned, a thick, acrid smoke billowed up.
The half-jiangshi began to stir.
Byeok Taesan's eyes gleamed.
"I'll have to capture those two as well."
The two men exchanged a few words, and then the one who knew martial arts stepped forward and unleashed his internal energy.
Byeok Taesan watched the scene intently.
The half-jiangshi all turned to look at the man, and a thick smile spread across his lips.
"It worked. I've gained authority over these jiangshi!"
The warrior exclaimed with a joyful expression.
So Byeok Taesan let his presence be known again and spoke.
"Well done. You've given me a good show, so I'll give you one in return."
The two men started in shock and looked at Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan leaped down into the pit.
The warrior shouted to the half-jiangshi.
"Kill him!"
Byeok Taesan smirked and weaved through the half-jiangshi.
The half-jiangshi collapsed helplessly.
It took only a few blinks of an eye for all one hundred half-jiangshi to fall.
The scholar and the warrior stared blankly, their gazes shifting between Byeok Taesan and the fallen half-jiangshi.
Byeok Taesan grinned at the two of them.
"Quite a show, isn't it?"
***
Jin Sahong was the man the Martial Alliance had sent to Wuhan.
He was also the commander of the True Sword Brigade, the unit most frequently deployed by the Martial Alliance when it needed to exert its power externally.
When he first received his orders and came here, he hadn't thought it would be very difficult.
He believed that while they hadn't acted before due to various complicated issues, once they did, they could establish themselves faster than any other organization.
But now that he was here, experiencing it firsthand, the situation was far from easy.
For one, the Black Alliance's interference was formidable.
The involvement of the Namgung and Jegal Families had complicated matters even further.
He went over the recent series of events one by one.
"Byeok Taesan..."
The name Byeok Taesan was entangled in most of the recent incidents.
So, he was currently investigating him.
He had a general outline, but there were still some suspicious aspects.
"In times like these, it's best to meet him in person."
To judge a person, you had to look them in the eye and have a conversation.
That was Jin Sahong's philosophy.
He decided to meet Byeok Taesan.
And around the same time, the Black Alliance, the Namgung Family, and the Jegal Family made similar decisions and began to move.