The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life - Chapter 41
Chapter 41: But We’re Still Faster
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“Young Master, are you sure about this group composition?”
Cheon Kyungwan asked with a serious expression.
It was understandable.
Around the carriage stood no less than nine women.
They were all maids who insisted on accompanying Byeok Taesan, claiming they must serve him.
“Of course, I can’t take all of them. But I need to be comfortable, so I’ll take three.”
At the mention of three, the nine maids perked up, their eyes sparkling as they looked at Byeok Taesan.
Among them was Soso, who had been serving him the longest.
Soso’s expression was resolute.
As the number of women claiming to serve Byeok Taesan increased, she felt an inexplicable sense of losing her place.
This time, she was determined not to lose.
She planned to do whatever it took to regain her original position by catching the Young Master’s attention.
Fixing her determined gaze on Byeok Taesan, she put all her heart into her expression.
Byeok Taesan’s finger moved slowly and pointed to one person.
It was Dan Yeong.
Danyeong smiled softly, walking gracefully to stand behind Byeok Taesan.
Soso bit her lip.
If it was Dan Yeong, she had to admit it.
Not only was she beautiful, but she was also incredibly meticulous, making her the perfect companion to care for Byeok Taesan during their journey.
Byeok Taesan’s finger moved again.
This time, it pointed to Chae Wol, a woman who had recently joined his service.
Like Dan Yeong, her selection was undeniable due to similar reasons.
Soso gazed at Byeok Taesan with a heart pounding with desperation.
But his finger began to move farther away from her.
Soso’s eyes reflected her regret.
Finally, Byeok Taesan’s finger pointed at the carriage.
“Soso, get in the carriage.”
For a moment, Soso was dazed, unable to comprehend what had happened. When she finally understood his words, she screamed with joy.
“Kyaa! Thank you, Young Master! Thank you so much! I’ll do my best! Thank you!”
She bowed repeatedly in all directions, looking as though she had been awarded some grand prize.
Byeok Taesan chuckled at the scene and headed for the carriage.
The maids who weren’t chosen bowed politely to Byeok Taesan with regretful expressions.
Glancing briefly at them, Byeok Taesan climbed into the carriage.
Following him, Needle Master and the Heavenly Divine Healer also boarded.
The rest, naturally, had to either walk or ride on horseback.
As the group was about to depart, the Heavenly Divine Healer stuck his head out of the carriage.
“What are you doing? You should get in too.”
The ones outside included the three remaining maids, Cheon Kyungwan, and Yoo Seoyeon, who were following as guards.
They stared at the Heavenly Divine Healer with wide eyes.
“Hurry up. The carriage is quite spacious and comfortable.”
Though hesitant at first, they climbed into the carriage one by one as the Heavenly Divine Healer urged them.
Finally, only Cheon Kyungwan was left.
The Heavenly Divine Healer gestured toward the driver’s seat.
Cheon Kyungwan nodded and took his place at the reins.
Soon, the carriage set off.
The inside of the carriage was indeed spacious and comfortable—though somewhat crowded due to the number of people.
The one most comfortable, of course, was Byeok Taesan. He occupied an entire side of the carriage by himself.
The carriage had a door on one side, while the other three sides were designed for seating.
Despite the number of people crammed inside, it was still manageable—though far from entirely comfortable.
Byeok Taesan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, organizing the insights he had gained recently through Needle Master.
It wasn’t something he could complete in a day or two, so he made use of any spare moment to refine them.
With Byeok Taesan in his meditative state, a heavy silence filled the carriage.
No one dared to speak rashly.
The fear of disturbing him and possibly incurring his displeasure kept them silent.
By now, everyone had adjusted their thoughts and actions to align with Byeok Taesan.
Even so, there was one person who simply couldn’t endure the silence—none other than the Heavenly Divine Healer.
Shifting restlessly, he finally spoke up cautiously.
“Shouldn’t we at least go over the itinerary? We should decide where to stay tonight. Or are we planning to just keep traveling by carriage? To be honest, using the waterway in Yichang would be much more convenient.”
“There’s been a surge in river pirates recently, so traveling by carriage is safer,” Yoo Seoyeon replied.
The Heavenly Divine Healer tilted his head, glancing around the carriage.
“Doesn’t seem like we need to worry about pirates, though?”
With just Needle Master alone, they could easily decimate an entire pirate crew.
In fact, they wouldn’t even need Needle Master—Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon were more than capable of handling an entire group of pirates on their own.
Moreover, the three maids who had joined the journey were not to be underestimated.
Although they had only recently begun training in martial arts, their exceptional techniques made them more than capable of dealing with a few pirates.
‘And then…’
The Heavenly Divine Healer’s gaze briefly swept over Byeok Taesan before shifting away.
He still remembered how astonished he had been watching Byeok Taesan fight Needle Master.
While he had known Byeok Taesan was strong, he hadn’t expected that level of prowess.
Of course, it seemed Byeok Taesan had experienced some minor aftereffects from the fight, but that hardly diminished his strength.
With such a formidable lineup, there was no reason to fear river pirates. If anything, the pirates should be the ones afraid.
‘What’s with that guy, though?’
The Heavenly Divine Healer glanced at Needle Master, who sat nervously, casting cautious glances at Byeok Taesan.
He looked like a timid child afraid of being scolded by an older sibling.
With that thought, the Heavenly Divine Healer began observing everyone in the carriage.
The three maids stared at Byeok Taesan with unwavering focus, rarely even blinking.
‘Seriously, they’re the same even outside.’
The maids were known for their absolute devotion to Byeok Taesan.
Even now, they were attentively monitoring him to ensure his comfort.
Among them, Soso was slightly more composed—but today, even she seemed unusually fixated.
Yoo Seoyeon sat silently, her expression unreadable. However, the Heavenly Divine Healer noticed a certain obsessive glint in her eyes.
Lately, Yoo Seoyeon has been the most terrifying one in the group.
‘Come to think of it, has she used that poison yet?’
When she had asked him for poison, he had hesitated briefly before giving her a suitable amount.
It wasn’t an overly dangerous poison, but her expression at the time had been intimidating enough to discourage further questions.
Now, he couldn’t help but wonder how she planned to use it.
Whatever she was waiting for, it was bound to be quite the spectacle.
“Oh, by the way, I heard someone from Yeon Manor is also heading to Hubei Martial Alliance. Is that true?”
Needle Master looked at Yoo Seoyeon and asked.
Yoo Seoyeon nodded.
“Our Young Lady has decided to go.”
“Young Lady? Are you referring to Yeon Harin?”
“Yes.”
Needle Master tilted his head slightly.
“Aren’t you originally her escort guard? Shouldn’t you be going with her?”
“It’s fine. Besides… my duty lies here.”
As Yoo Seoyeon spoke, she glanced at Byeok Taesan. Then, she turned her gaze to examine the beautiful attendants around him one by one.
Her task was to protect Byeok Taesan. However, that duty no longer held much meaning.
Now, her new mission was to monitor the women approaching Byeok Taesan.
Of course, it wasn’t something Yeon Harin had specifically requested of her.
It was simply a self-assigned task.
Yeon Harin only worried about Byeok Taesan.
“The Yeon Manor likely arranged for skilled escorts separately,” Yoo Seoyeon added.
Needle Master seemed puzzled.
“Sure, the Yeon Manor might have sent guards. But even if you put all of them together, they wouldn’t match your skills.”
“That’s not true. The Yeon Manor is a more capable martial household than you’d think.”
Additionally, Yeon Harin’s skills were no small matter.
Needle Master silently observed Yoo Seoyeon.
‘It seems she still hasn’t fully grasped her own abilities.’
Lately, Yoo Seoyeon has been improving at an astonishing pace, thanks to Cheon Kyungwan.
But since the only person she could compare herself to was Cheon Kyungwan, it was natural that she couldn’t properly gauge her abilities.
“Do you know about the people accompanying Young Lady Yeon Harin?”
Yoo Seoyeon turned a frosty gaze toward Needle Master.
“When you say ‘accompanying,’ what do you mean…?”
“Are you aware that Yeon Manor has recently had a flood of visitors?”
“No, I didn’t know.”
“Seems no one told you. The Seomun Clan, the Gu Yang Clan, and the Chu Family have sent people. I hear they’re all third sons, though I can’t say for certain.”
“Prestigious families indeed.”
“They’re families with some notable influence,” Heavenly Divine Healer replied.
His gaze turned to Byeok Taesan this time.
He knew Yeon Harin was Byeok Taesan’s betrothed.
“They seem to be working hard to court her…”
Yoo Seoyeon’s eyebrows twitched.
“I heard they’ll be traveling by boat. With families of that caliber joining forces, any bandits would flee at the sight of their flags.”
Yoo Seoyeon instinctively turned her head to look at Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan was still sitting with his eyes closed.
“Looking at me like that won’t change anything. We’ll stick to our original plan.”
At Byeok Taesan’s words, Yoo Seoyeon lowered her head with a sullen expression.
She was so distracted that she didn’t even question how he knew she was watching him while his eyes were closed.
Their travel plan was to take a carriage to the vicinity of Xingzhou and then switch to a boat to travel to Yichang.
“Still, we’ll be faster,” Byeok Taesan added.
At his follow-up remark, Yoo Seoyeon quickly lifted her head and looked at him.
However, Byeok Taesan didn’t say anything further.
Nor did he open his eyes.
The carriage continued its steady, swift journey.
* * *
“Just where is my son lacking that he got rejected?”
Chae Miryeong glared at Byeok Cheonil, unable to hide her anger.
But what could Byeok Cheonil do?
It wasn’t like he had any good solutions.
Not when it was the Needle Master’s decision.
The Needle Master acted solely based on his whims.
Crossing him could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Frankly, asking the Needle Master to take Byeok Jehyeok to this year’s Hubei Martial Alliance event was already an arduous task.
While it didn’t require risking one’s life, one had to be prepared for potential injuries.
Fortunately, the Needle Master had declined calmly.
“It seems he’s taken an interest in the Second Young Master’s illness. He said he plans to stay until it’s cured, so there’s nothing I could do.”
“Think carefully.”
Chae Miryeong tried to compose herself and spoke evenly.
“What do you think will happen if Byeok Taesan’s illness is cured?”
Byeok Cheonil could only offer a bitter smile.
He had no response.
What happened next would depend entirely on Byeok Taesan’s intentions.
If Byeok Taesan showed no particular interest, Byeok Jehyeok would inherit the Golden Wall Merchants.
If not, a fierce power struggle would ensue.
People in key positions within the Golden Wall Merchants were already buzzing with speculation about Byeok Taesan.
“I’ve asked you several times in the past to handle this properly. Yet not only is he still alive, but his condition is improving?”
“It’s beyond my control now,” Byeok Cheonil said, slightly lowering his head.
And it was true. Matters involving Byeok Taesan had slipped out of his grasp.
But Chae Miryeong shook her head firmly.
“No, it’s still within your hands. Did you really think you could wash your hands of this so easily? Do you think I’ll just stand by and let that happen?”
Chae Miryeong smiled faintly.
Byeok Cheonil’s expression stiffened.
“I have a project in progress. I need you to finalize it.”
“A project…?”
“I wished for him to die of illness, but since he’s getting healthier, there’s only one option left—remove him from my sight.”
Byeok Cheonil’s expression darkened.
Seeing this, Chae Miryeong spoke calmly.
“Don’t make that face. I’m not planning anything too extreme. You’re aware of the new escort agency business we’re starting, correct?”
“Yes.”
Various measures were being taken to tighten the noose around the Golden Heavenly Alliance.
One of them was the establishment of a new escort agency.
It was a direct challenge to Blue Dragon Escort agency, one of the Golden Heavenly Alliance’s major sources of income.
Considerable preparation and investment had gone into it.
Many were eager to get involved, convinced of its success.
“Put Byeok Taesan in charge of it.”
“Excuse me? Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
Byeok Cheonil stared at Chae Miryeong blankly.
Honestly, he had expected her to assign the position to Byeok Jehyeok.
Given the dire state of Blue Dragon Escort agency, a new competitor nearby would be a death blow.
It was a high-effort, high-reward opportunity, and yet she wanted Byeok Taesan to take it. He couldn’t understand.
“It won’t succeed.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ll figure out why on your own.”
Byeok Cheonil’s face hardened.
“You should show at least that much capability if you’re to become the next Leader of Record Pavilion, don’t you think?”
Chae Miryeong’s bright smile seemed unsettling to Byeok Cheonil.