The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Still Work Left to Do

────────────────────────────────────

Won Mungwang erupted in fury.

“How dare you insult the Zhongli Clan!”

Byeok Taesan replied coldly.

“I wasn’t talking about the Zhongli Clan. I was talking about you. Though, the clan is full of idiots too.”

Won Mungwang let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head in astonishment.

“Ha! What are you even relying on to act so arrogant? Don’t tell me you expect the Golden Wall Merchants or the Yeon Manor to come rushing to your aid?”

Byeok Taesan smirked faintly.

“Why would they?”

Won Mungwang’s expression hardened, though he quickly worked to regain his composure.

“No one is coming to help you. The guards you left outside will meet a miserable end. The Golden Wall Merchants will suffer from chaos at the hands of thugs, and the Yeon Manor won’t even hear of what’s happening here.”

“You do love to drone on.”

“And you, you’ll be beaten until you’re bleeding from every pore. I was going to go easy on you, but that’s no longer an option.”

At that, Byeok Taesan’s eyes gleamed.

“Oh, speaking of blood and filth, where’s that other guy—the one who soiled himself? Did you leave him behind, afraid he might mess himself up again?”

Byeok Taesan, of course, knew Zhongli Woong was outside, engaged in battle with Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon.

He also understood exactly why Zhongli Woong hadn’t stepped inside. An instinctive fear and revulsion must have held him back.

“I’ll crush that mouth of yours first,” Won Mungwang snarled, striding towards Byeok Taesan with clenched teeth.

Byeok Taesan watched him calmly, unmoved.

The air seemed to ripple with Won Mungwang’s ferocious aura. Just one step from him carried enough force to press down on anyone in his path.

He was undoubtedly a step above Zhongli Seongnak.

“Come to think of it, there’s something I need to discuss with you,” Byeok Taesan said casually.

When extracting information from Zhongli Woong, the name he had heard the most was Won Mungwang’s.

Won Mungwang was at the center of the Zhongli Clan’s schemes.

“Remember, you can’t kill him,” one of the three experts behind Won Mungwang murmured quietly.

“I know,” Won Mungwang spat, his voice dripping with irritation as he took another step towards Byeok Taesan.

Watching him, Byeok Taesan tilted his head, his expression amused.

“Your resolve feels too soft.”

Even in a life-or-death struggle, such words felt ridiculous to Byeok Taesan. He understood the reasoning but found it annoying all the same.

Won Mungwang took another step forward, his hand shooting out with astonishing speed towards Byeok Taesan’s throat. Yet, he grasped at empty air.

He hadn’t missed—his strike had been on point. Yet Byeok Taesan hadn’t moved an inch.

There was no time to be shocked. Won Mungwang swung his arm to strike again, aiming to knock Byeok Taesan down.

Whoosh!

Once again, his attack struck only air. This time, Byeok Taesan had stepped forward, effortlessly avoiding the blow.

As he passed Won Mungwang, Byeok Taesan casually flicked his hand, striking the man’s side.

“Guh!”

Won Mungwang gasped, his breath catching in his chest as his entire body stiffened, unable to move.

Without sparing him a glance, Byeok Taesan moved past him, heading straight for the three experts standing behind him.

The experts hesitated, surprised that Byeok Taesan had bypassed Won Mungwang so easily. They reacted a moment too late.

Byeok Taesan struck first, swinging his arm to his left.

Smack!

His palm landed squarely on the cheek of the man on the left, knocking him unconscious without so much as a scream.

Next, he turned his attention to the one in the center. Using the momentum of his swing, he spun his body and struck with his fist.

Thunk!

The man’s jaw twisted unnaturally, and his eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the ground.

As he struck the second man, Byeok Taesan lifted his foot, continuing his rotation to drive his heel into the temple of the last one.

Crack!

Thud!

The third man flew back with a loud crash, his fall the most dramatic of all.

Byeok Taesan turned leisurely to glance at Won Mungwang, who was struggling to regain movement. His face was flushed crimson, veins bulging from his neck as he fought to draw breath.

“Guhhh!”

At last, Won Mungwang managed to inhale a thin thread of air, easing the pressure suffocating him.

His scattered focus slowly returned, and his gaze darted between Byeok Taesan and the courtesan trembling by the door.

The anger in his eyes was so intense it seemed like flames might shoot out.

The courtesan quivered under the weight of his glare, but Byeok Taesan simply stepped forward, tapping Won Mungwang’s solar plexus.

“Gahh!”

Won Mungwang collapsed into a fit of violent coughing.

“Hah… hah… cough! Cough!”

Byeok Taesan returned to his seat, gesturing for the courtesan to drag the unconscious men over.

“Sit.”

At his command, Won Mungwang dropped to his knees, still struggling to control his battered body.

His meridians felt severed, his inner energy flowing erratically. All that from a single flick to his side—he couldn’t comprehend how.

No trace of energy had entered his body, just a casual tap.

Fear flickered in Won Mungwang’s eyes, though his resolve remained unbroken.

Byeok Taesan, observing his defiant gaze, smirked. He had no intention of coaxing answers out of the man gently.

“Open the door,” he ordered.

The courtesan jumped at his words and hurried to comply.

Outside, the battle raged on.

Byeok Taesan’s gaze found Zhongli Woong, who was still holding his own.

It seemed Zhongli Woong was the strongest among those remaining, prolonging the fight.

Byeok Taesan simply stood there, staring at him.

As if sensing something, Zhongli Woong turned his head, meeting Byeok Taesan’s eyes.

The two locked eyes.

A foul stench wafted through the air.

Zhongli Woong’s movements became awkward and stiff.

Cheon Kyungwan seized the opening with lightning speed.

Slashing through the White Flower House warriors nearby, he thrust his foot toward Zhongli Woong.

Bang!

Cheon Kyungwan’s kick exploded against Zhongli Woong’s shoulder, sending him spinning through the air.

As Zhongli Woong crashed to the ground, foul waste splattered everywhere.

In a battlefield drenched in blood, a bit of filth wouldn’t normally cause a stir—it was simply disgusting.

Zhongli Woong lay sprawled on the ground, trembling violently.

With his collapse, the flow of the battle broke apart completely.

Now, the remaining enemies could be swiftly dealt with.

Byeok Taesan saw this and gestured for the courtesan to leave.

She brightened and quickly exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

“You won’t answer my questions anyway, will you?”

Byeok Taesan asked as he looked at Won Mungwang.

Won Mungwang pressed his lips tightly together, refusing to speak.

Although pain lingered in his body, he could endure it.

Byeok Taesan nodded, unsurprised. He had anticipated this.

“Let’s extract a bit, then.”

At the remark, Won Mungwang gave Byeok Taesan a puzzled look.

Extract?

What was he planning to extract?

Grinding his teeth, Won Mungwang glared at him.

“To think that the dying second son of the Golden Wall Merchants would turn out to be such a formidable master. You really had us fooled.”

Byeok Taesan chuckled.

“No one fooled anyone. You all just believed whatever you wanted to believe.”

Won Mungwang let out a bitter laugh.

Was that supposed to make sense?

Even he had been completely deceived.

“And those two guards outside—they’re clearly not who people thought they were. Are you claiming you didn’t deceive anyone about them either?”

“I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense. Let’s begin.”

Byeok Taesan’s words made Won Mungwang’s expression stiff.

“Surely, you’re not planning some barbaric torture like ripping off my limbs? If you do that here, the backlash will be worse than if we had fought openly.”

Byeok Taesan smirked.

“You sound like you’ve done a lot of limb-ripping yourself.”

Won Mungwang clamped his mouth shut. Byeok Taesan sneered.

“Keeping quiet when it’s inconvenient, is that one of you people traits?”

The “you people” Byeok Taesan referred to were the Orthodox sects, but Won Mungwang interpreted it as the Zhongli Clan.

Byeok Taesan reached out, placing his hand on top of Won Mungwang’s head.

“Don’t worry. I don’t do crude things like ripping off limbs.”

Won Mungwang’s eyes filled with terror.

“Don’t tell me… you’re going to rip my soul out instead?”

Without further ado, Byeok Taesan partially extracted Won Mungwang’s soul.

Just halfway.

Then, he began to burn it gently.

“Gyaaaaaaaah!”

A blood-curdling scream erupted from the depths of Won Mungwang’s being as his soul was set alight.

Cheon Kyungwan felt like his body would collapse, but he forced himself to move.

The fight was over, but there was still work to do.

Of the opponents they had faced today, not many had died.

Two were confirmed dead, but the rest were still alive.

Among them, some had been injured so severely they would never wield martial arts again.

Cheon Kyungwan carefully bound them all, sealing their pressure points and tying their hands and feet with sturdy ropes.

Not far away, Yoo Seoyeon was doing the same.

Cheon Kyungwan found it impossible to focus, frequently stealing glances at Yoo Seoyeon.

The fiery aura that had surged during the battle had vanished, along with its accompanying side effects—or so he thought.

But the moment he looked at Yoo Seoyeon, drenched in sweat, a blazing lust ignited within him.

This time, it was far stronger than before.

As Cheon Kyungwan struggled to maintain his composure, a chilling scream tore through the building.

“Gyaaaaaaaah!”

The sound was so terrifying it instantly extinguished his desire.

It was the fourth such scream, each time disrupting his escalating urges.

Without it, Cheon Kyungwan feared he might have lost control and done something unthinkable to Yoo Seoyeon.

Today, Cheon Kyungwan was learning the limits of his patience.

As the scream faded, the unwanted desire began to creep back.

Yoo Seoyeon approached him.

“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”

Her voice, soft and close, only fanned the flames within him.

Cheon Kyungwan’s eyes reddened slightly as he slowly turned to face her.

Raising his hands, he firmly gripped her shoulders.

Yoo Seoyeon’s eyes widened in surprise as they met his intense gaze.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Cheon Kyungwan leaned closer, just as the door swung open.

“What are you doing?”

Byeok Taesan’s voice rang out, startling Cheon Kyungwan into letting go and stepping back.

Yoo Seoyeon was equally shocked but kept her eyes on Cheon Kyungwan.

Byeok Taesan frowned as he observed the scene.

“Deal with the ones inside. There’s still work to do.”

Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon, still flustered, entered the room and began tying up the fallen enemies.

“What’s with them?”

Byeok Taesan muttered to himself.

Cheon Kyungwan muttered something under his breath before turning to look at the courtesan.

The Heavenly Divine Healer approached Byeok Taesan quietly.

“You’re too harsh, Young Master.”

“What?”

“Your lack of awareness is… remarkable.”

Byeok Taesan gave him a puzzled look.

“Why would I need to be aware? I’ve never done anything like that before.”

Perhaps others might watch him for clues, but he had no reason to notice anything himself.

The Heavenly Divine Healer sighed and shook his head.

“It’s time to wrap things up.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

It was time to finish the day’s plans.

Byeok Taesan led the Heavenly Divine Healer to where the Owner of White Flower House was located—on the top floor of the pavilion.

As Byeok Taesan ascended the stairs, he extended his senses.

Having been ambushed after a battle far too many times, he remained vigilant.

Sure enough, two figures lay in wait near the top of the stairs.

Byeok Taesan casually extended his hands to both sides.

Crack!

The necks of the two assailants snapped in his grip, and they collapsed without a sound.

Without sparing them a glance, Byeok Taesan walked down the hallway and flung open the final door.

The Owner of White Flower House sat gracefully, awaiting him.

Byeok Taesan regarded her calmly and spoke.

“Pay for the sins of today with your body.”