The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life - Chapter 37
Chapter 37: Like a Son
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“Needle Master?”
Byeok Taesan furrowed his brow as he looked at Soso, who had just spoken.
“Yes, he’s coming to see you, Young Master.”
“Needle Master, huh…”
“You know who he is, right? He’s incredibly famous.”
“Of course, I know that much.”
The Needle Master was one of the most renowned physicians under the heavens, someone even the Heavenly Demon knew well.
Though he had little connection with the Demonic Cult, it was possible he had some ties with figures like the Demonic Physician or the Blood Demon Physician.
Not that it mattered to him in the slightest.
“But why exactly is he coming?”
“It seems the Family Head pulled some strings.”
“Even though we have the Heavenly Divine Healer?”
“I heard from Lord Cheon that the Family Head is deeply concerned about your health.”
Soso looked at Byeok Taesan with sparkling eyes.
“Since the Needle Master is said to cure all illnesses with a single needle, wouldn’t he be able to fix your condition in one go?”
Byeok Taesan smirked faintly.
“Ridiculous. How is that even possible? What can a single needle do?”
“No! The rumors are everywhere! He’s famous for curing Severed Meridians Syndrome with a single needle!”
“That’s not it.”
“Pardon?”
“Needle Master isn’t famous for curing illnesses.”
“Then what is he famous for?”
Soso was slightly confused, hearing something different from what she knew. But her curiosity was piqued nonetheless.
“That man is infamous for killing people with a single needle. From what I know, that’s how he became famous in the first place.”
“What? That’s absurd!”
“You mean you didn’t know?”
“I’ve never heard anything like that before!”
“That man wiped out an entire sect with needles. You didn’t know that? He killed over a hundred people, not just one or two.”
Soso shook her head, still in disbelief.
Why would a physician kill people?
“Maybe they offended him somehow.”
“No physician would kill people just because they’re upset, especially not a renowned one.”
Byeok Taesan chuckled as he looked at Soso’s naive words.
“Well, that’s the best way to be.”
“Please don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I’m all grown up now!”
“Sure, sure. You’ve grown up. Judging by how your soul has started to accumulate impurities, I’d say you’re definitely maturing.”
“There you go again with that!”
Soso pouted and made a sulking face.
Byeok Taesan watched her with a strange sense of nostalgia.
Who would have thought he’d be chatting and joking around like this?
Even he hadn’t imagined such a scenario.
Yet it didn’t feel out of place.
Everything about it was entirely natural.
‘Amusing.’
He had undeniably changed. And dramatically so.
* * *
The Owner of White Flower House sat with a tense expression, her posture prim and proper as she looked at Byeok Taesan before her.
Earlier today, Byeok Taesan had come to White Flower House and rendered three courtesans unconscious before arriving here.
He had spent an hour with each, one after the other, without resting, yet he remained completely unfazed.
She hadn’t expected him to visit her personally.
Usually, he would stay in a room for half an hour after being with the courtesans before leaving.
But today, for some reason, he came straight here after finishing.
Countless thoughts raced through her mind.
The longer the silence stretched, the more tangled and chaotic her thoughts became.
“Did you complete the investigation?”
“Pardon? I’ve already sent all the findings to you…”
Byeok Taesan smirked faintly.
“No, not that. I mean the one where you’ve been digging into my affairs. Is that going well?”
The Owner of White Flower House turned pale. Her heart pounded wildly as cold sweat trickled down her body. Chills ran up her spine.
“T-that is…”
Byeok Taesan raised a hand to cut her off.
She flinched and immediately prostrated herself on the ground.
“I-I’ve committed an unforgivable sin. Please, spare me just this once!”
As she begged for her life, she couldn’t quite understand why she was doing so.
In truth, she was simply terrified of Byeok Taesan.
“Enough. Get up. I’m not going to say anything about it. I was just asking if the investigation was complete.”
But those words didn’t ease her tension. In fact, they made her even more nervous.
Powerful individuals often said such things only to take subtle and decisive action later.
Cautiously, she rose and glanced at Byeok Taesan’s face.
She needed to read his expression and eyes.
His demeanor remained utterly calm.
“P-please wait a moment.”
She hurriedly retrieved a set of documents from a secret compartment and respectfully handed them to Byeok Taesan.
He accepted them casually and skimmed through them.
“So, instead of investigating me, you’ve been looking into the Golden Wall Merchants?”
“Yes. I wanted to proceed with caution…”
Byeok Taesan’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“Smart.”
As the atmosphere eased, the Owner of White Flower House started to relax slightly.
But then, Byeok Taesan’s expression suddenly turned icy.
“So, did you find out anything about me?”
It felt as if a tiger were staring her down. She shuddered as if her entire body had shrunk under the weight of his gaze.
“N-nothing!”
Even if she had found something, she couldn’t admit it.
Though, in truth, she hadn’t discovered much anyway.
“Nothing? That’s disappointing in its own way.”
“All I’ve learned is that you’re a man with secrets I can’t uncover.”
Byeok Taesan nodded.
“That will do. Do you have any information about the Needle Master?”
“Yes.”
She regularly gathered information on notable figures in the martial world, so her knowledge of the Needle Master was substantial.
Most of it pertained to his exploits, however.
When Byeok Taesan gestured with a slight motion of his finger, the Owner of White Flower House quickly went to a secret space and brought back information about the Needle Master.
After checking it, Byeok Taesan smirked.
“This guy is quite amusing.”
“Well, there’s a reason why the word ‘Master’ is attached to his nickname. It’s because he’s so unpredictable.”
“Rather than unpredictable… isn’t he just doing whatever he pleases?”
The Owner of White Flower House didn’t respond.
That interpretation wasn’t entirely wrong, but in the martial world, strength carried significant weight.
The Needle Master’s erratic behavior was wrapped in the guise of being unpredictable, all due to the immense power he possessed.
“I happen to be particularly skilled at handling people like this.”
The Owner of White Flower House felt a sudden chill, as if a storm would soon sweep through, making her shudder once more.
“Instead of standing there, take this.”
Byeok Taesan pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve and flicked it lightly.
The paper fluttered and landed precisely in front of the Owner of White Flower House.
It was unclear whether it was by chance or if Byeok Taesan had somehow controlled its trajectory.
Not that it mattered.
However, if someone of a much higher level than the Owner of White Flower House had been present—someone like the Murim Alliance Leader—they would have discerned the subtle mastery contained in Byeok Taesan’s move.
Conveying such natural elegance through an action was truly remarkable.
The Owner of White Flower House focused intently on the content of the paper that had landed before her.
She couldn’t take her eyes off it.
Because it was none other than the Shadowstep Art Manual.
“You can tell this isn’t all of it, right?”
The Owner of White Flower House carefully picked it up and tucked it away. She felt as though she had gained the entire world.
Of course, she still had to analyze and verify its authenticity. However, her instincts, honed from years of handling information in the Hao Clan, gave her confidence that this was genuine.
“Thank you.”
“If you’re grateful, make good use of it. It wouldn’t be bad for you to use it to become the Hao Clan Leader.”
At Byeok Taesan’s casual remark, the Owner of White Flower House’s heart raced uncontrollably.
“Me… becoming the Hao Gate Leader…!”
Byeok Taesan grinned at her reaction, stood up, and quietly exited the room.
The Owner of White Flower House remained oblivious to his departure, lost in her thoughts—or more accurately, her desires.
•••
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Divine Healer sat across from the Agency Leader of the Eastern Tiger Escort Agency.
The purpose of his visit today was to discuss future matters.
In fact, secret organizations and forces established under the Demonic Cult were prohibited from direct interaction with each other.
Frequent connections of this kind could easily lead to breaches of secrecy in their operations for the Demonic Cult.
Using them only when absolutely necessary was the best way to maintain confidentiality.
However, this situation was highly unusual.
At least, that’s what the Heavenly Divine Healer believed.
“This meeting of ours violates the rules. We weren’t even supposed to know we belong to the same organization.”
The Agency Leader of Eastern Tiger Escort Agency spoke coldly, a stark contrast to his demeanor toward Byeok Taesan earlier.
“It’s not entirely a violation. Isn’t this a highly unique situation?”
The Heavenly Divine Healer’s slick tone caused the Agency Leader to frown.
“The Heaven-Sealing Array will naturally deactivate in time. A new Supreme Leader will emerge.”
“That’s precisely the problem. They’re saying it might take quite a while this time.”
“A long time? Who said that?”
“Who else? Our Young Master. He’s estimating at least ten years.”
“Ten years…!”
“That’s the minimum. It might take a few more years beyond that.”
The Agency Leader stared at the Heavenly Divine Healer.
“How does he know that? From what I found out, he’s the second son of the Golden Wall Merchants… I couldn’t find any connection between him and the Demonic Cult.”
“To be honest, I don’t know either. But considering how much he knows, I can make one guess about his identity.”
The Agency Leader’s eyes gleamed.
“What is it?”
Since the Heavenly Divine Healer had been around Byeok Taesan for a long time, the Agency Leader assumed he might know his true identity.
Moreover, wasn’t the Heavenly Divine Healer someone who worked in intelligence?
“You’re aware that the activation of the Heaven-Sealing Array signifies the death of the Supreme Leader, correct?”
“Of course. I also assume there were losses within the upper ranks of the Cult during that process. The fact that it will take time means the damage must have been significant.”
“That’s what I think too. Which is why our Young Master is so important.”
The Agency Leader gazed at the Heavenly Divine Healer with anticipation.
Enjoying that look, the Heavenly Divine Healer slowly opened his mouth.
“It seems… he’s the hidden son of the late Supreme Leader.”
The Agency Leader’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart.
“T-That… That’s true?”
The Heavenly Divine Healer placed a finger to his lips.
“Shh! Quiet. Someone might hear.”
The Agency Leader closed his mouth but couldn’t hide his excitement, his trembling eyes fixed on the Heavenly Divine Healer.
“Recently, flies have been swarming around our Young Master. That’s why I need some help.”
“What do you need?”
“Two things.”
“Just name them.”
“First, if force is needed, we’ll require the mobilization of your warriors.”
“That goes without saying! For our Young Master, I’ll spare no effort!”
The Agency Leader had unconsciously started referring to Byeok Taesan as “our Young Master.”
“The second is to locate other secret organizations.”
“That is indeed… an important task.”
The future was unpredictable.
Establishing a strong support base for Byeok Taesan was essential to ensure they could rise when the opportunity presented itself.
“You do understand, right? There’s a chance we won’t receive any compensation for this later.”
“Of course.”
This was a gamble.
A calculated risk.
But it was a safe bet.
Even if it failed, there would be no loss—as long as they were careful.
“Please prepare things slowly and carefully.”
“Leave it to me. Now that the matter with the Zhongli Clan is nearly settled, I’ll have plenty of time to prepare.”
The Heavenly Divine Healer bowed respectfully.
“Then I’ll count on you.”
The Agency Leader returned the gesture.
“I’ll be relying on you as well.”
In the eyes of both men, the faint flicker of ambition shimmered.