The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life - Chapter 56
Chapter 56 Just
Baek Liyeop decided to arrange a separate meeting with the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master.
Given the severity of the matter, he deemed it necessary to listen to their input in detail while ensuring that the conversation wouldn’t leak outside.
Although he wanted to address the issue immediately, the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master had tasks to attend to first.
The two were checking the residents around the Black Iron Workshop, focusing on those excessively complaining of fatigue.
This task would have been carried out regardless of the request from Baek Liyeop, as it was a direct order from Byeok Taesan.
The two split up to investigate and later reconvened at the main entrance of the Black Iron Workshop.
“Do you know much about poison?” the Needle Master asked.
The Heavenly Divine Healer responded reluctantly.
“Only to a certain extent. Truthfully, my master specializes in this field.”
“Your master? You have a master?”
“Did you think a genius like me just fell from the sky?”
“Who is it? Someone I might know?”
Among the Demonic Cult, the Needle Master could only think of one person likely to be the Heavenly Divine Healer’s master—the Blood Physician.
The Blood Physician was a doctor regarded on par with the Divine Physician, excelling in both medicine and martial arts.
However, the Heavenly Divine Healer shook his head.
“You wouldn’t know him. My master is quite reclusive and rarely steps outside.”
“What kind of doctor avoids people?”
“Well, he can afford to. He’s truly extraordinary.”
“More so than the Blood Physician?”
“Uh… about the same? Honestly, it’s hard to say who’s better. They specialize in completely different fields.”
The Needle Master tilted his head in curiosity.
“Different fields? Does that mean he’s well-versed in poison? Then why are you so clueless? How can someone trained by such a master claim ignorance about poison?”
“When did I ever say I was clueless? I’m just saying my knowledge of poison is limited compared to my medical skills. And why assume my master specializes in poison? Sure, he’s knowledgeable about it, but that’s not his real expertise.”
“Then what is?”
The Heavenly Divine Healer frowned.
“Why are you so curious? Isn’t this irrelevant? Did you look around the area?”
“It’s definitely poison. If the Young Master hadn’t been so certain, I might not have pinpointed it. It’s incredibly subtle.”
“I reached the same conclusion. So, does this mean the Poison Demon is involved?”
“Who knows? I don’t have enough information about him. What about you? Do you know anything about the Poison Demon?”
“Of course not.”
The Needle Master nodded as though he’d expected that response.
“Did you assess the symptoms?”
“When checking those who complained of fatigue, I found their basic recovery ability had completely deteriorated.”
“Exactly. Without recovery, they experience fatigue, which ultimately leads to death.”
“That’s the conclusion, but there were multiple paths leading to it.”
“I noticed the same. I treated a few people in the process.”
Hearing this, the Heavenly Divine Healer’s eyes lit up.
“So did I. It wasn’t particularly difficult to treat them before reaching the final stages. The challenge is that proper treatment requires precise diagnosis, which isn’t something just anyone can do.”
“I agree.”
At this point, both their eyes widened simultaneously.
“The physicians!”
Both of them had visited every medical facility in Yichang to assess the abilities of the physicians. However, none of the physicians in the city displayed remarkable skill—not just a lack of top talent but an absolute absence.
At the time, they merely found it strange, but now they realized it was premeditated.
“The problem is that we can’t determine the full effects of the poison that drains recovery ability.”
“My guess is that it doesn’t work on its own. It likely requires another poison to achieve its full effect.”
The Needle Master nodded at the Heavenly Divine Healer’s words.
That made sense. There were indeed poisons that operated in conjunction with others.
“According to the Young Master, everyone in the Black Iron Workshop has died…”
“We need to act before this scheme escalates further. Otherwise, everyone in Yichang might end up dead.”
“Agreed. Let’s move.”
“I’ll report to the Young Master. You go to Baek Liyeop.”
“Who made you my boss?”
“If not ‘boss,’ then ‘brother.’ Choose whichever you prefer.”
“Fine. ‘Brother’ it is.”
The Heavenly Divine Healer grinned widely.
“See? You should’ve agreed sooner.”
The Needle Master clenched his fists, trembling with irritation. The Heavenly Divine Healer, seeing this, quickly darted ahead.
“Let’s hurry! Hahaha!”
Baek Liyeop sat across from the General Manager, his expression grim.
“Whoever it is, they’re utterly determined.”
“Yes. If it weren’t for the Healer and the Needle Master, we wouldn’t have noticed until it was too late.”
The thought alone was horrifying.
“Not only would we have been caught off guard, but our reputation would’ve been utterly ruined.”
“Fortunately, we now have a way to respond.”
“How is the search for competent physicians going?”
“We’re exploring every avenue. We’re also investigating where the skilled physicians of Yichang went and who might have approached them.”
“Make sure to find out.”
“Yes, don’t worry. We’ve deployed every resource, including the Assassination Corps.”
“By the way, doesn’t this feel somewhat… clumsy?”
“Clumsy? In what way?”
“Too obvious. Stealing capable physicians and using poisons with clear solutions? Oh, have we made any progress on understanding the poison?”
“The Heavenly Dinven Healer and the Needle Master are working on it. We should have answers soon.”
“Impressive. They truly live up to their reputation as some of the best in the world. I can’t help but admire them.”
The General Secretary spoke suggestively.
“Why not try recruiting them?”
Baek Liyeop shook his head.
“That’s unlikely for now. They’re completely loyal to Byeok Taesan.”
“Then why not recruit Byeok Taesan himself?”
His expression darkened at the suggestion.
“Sure, that’s an idea, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.”
“I’ve looked into the second Young Master of the Golden Wall Merchants. If we approach him, I don’t think he’ll refuse.”
“Recruitment isn’t the issue; he refuses to even meet.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s an infuriating man.”
The General secretary couldn’t make sense of his reaction.
“Should I give it a try?”
Baek Liyeop shot him a dubious look.
“Do as you wish.”
Despite his dismissive tone, the General Secretary bowed slightly.
“I’ll make an attempt.”
He waved him off with disinterest.
“That’s your business. Now, back to the earlier discussion.”
“Now that you mention it, there’s a certain plausibility. Perhaps there’s more to their plan.”
“A plan?”
“Imagine if we failed to resolve this and someone else swooped in to save the day. Their timing would be impeccable.”
“It does seem plausible.”
His expression hardened.
“What will they do now that their plan is falling apart?”
The atmosphere turned heavy.
“They’ll either vanish, escalate their schemes, or resort to reckless behavior.”
“If they disappear, that’s fine. But if they escalate recklessly…”
The General Secretary lowered his head solemnly.
“I’ll take precautions in advance.”
The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master were closely studying the poison used to annihilate the Black Iron Workshop.
Although they had considerable knowledge about poisons, replicating someone else’s concoction was no easy feat.
However, this time was different. They already knew the answer before beginning their research.
“Are you done yet?”
The Heavenly Divine Healer frowned at Byeok Taesan’s question.
“No, Young Master. How do you expect us to make progress if you ask every half an hour? We need time to analyze or complete anything!”
Byeok Taesan quietly stared at him, making the healer awkwardly shift his gaze.
“Well, what I mean is that we’re almost finished. Please give us a little more time.”
“You know the ingredients and the recipe, so what’s taking so long?”
The healer clenched his teeth.
“It’s… because the poison is different.”
“What?” Byeok Taesan raised an eyebrow. “Speak clearly. Are you grinding your teeth? Be careful, or they’ll crumble.”
“Oh, Young Master, how could you say such terrifying things? What I meant was, the poison you told us about is different from the one these people used.”
“Different?”
“Yes. How should I put it… they used a less refined poison.”
The Needle Master lifted his head and glared at the Heavenly Divine healer.
“Even if you’re talking, don’t stop working. Don’t you realize you’re the reason this is taking longer?”
“Don’t blame me; if you have something to say, tell the Young Master directly.”
“I don’t have anything to say.”
The work the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master were doing was simple: adjusting the ingredients and ratios to identify the exact poison used.
They were nearing the end of the task.
How much time had passed? By the time Byeok Taesan had urged them thirteen more times and the Needle Master had glared at the Heavenly Divine healer five more times, the work was finally completed.
“It’s done.”
“What about the antidote?”
“We can make it anytime.”
“Good. Make plenty of it. We’ll need it soon.”
“Understood. Leave it to me. That won’t take long since we can produce it in bulk.”
Identifying the poison and creating an antidote was difficult, but once the recipe was secured, scaling up production wasn’t an issue. Though excessive quantities might cause some problems, they could easily produce enough for immediate use in the Yichnag area.
“Young Master,” the Heavenly Divine healer cautiously began.
“What?”
“How do you know about this poison? Didn’t you say it was used by the Poison Demon?”
“Yes, it’s one of his creations and one he uses often. As you can see, it leaves no trace.”
“But how do you know about it? It’s not as if the Poison Demon told you himself.”
Byeok Taesan didn’t bother answering.
“Wait, could it be that my guess is correct?” The healer looked at him with a shocked expression.
“Stop saying nonsense and figure out why they used such an incomplete poison.”
“That much is obvious.”
“Obvious?”
“They simply couldn’t make it any better.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means the one who used this poison isn’t the Poison Demon.”
“Not the Poison Demon?”
“Exactly. Whoever used it clearly doesn’t know the proper recipe.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“The mixture is clumsy. Honestly, if they had made it correctly, the entire city of Yichang would have been suffering by now.”
“What if they limited its potency on purpose?”
“Even if they intended to restrict its effects, they wouldn’t have done it this way. There are far cheaper methods to achieve the same results.”
“Is that so? Then could it be one of his disciples?”
“Does the Poison Demon even have disciples?”
“There aren’t many people who take in as many disciples as he does. Though calling them disciples is generous; they’re more like slaves.”
“S-Slaves?”
“He takes young men and women indiscriminately, makes them serve him, and teaches them a trick or two. In exchange, they attend to his needs and run errands.”
The Heavenly Divine healer’s jaw dropped.
“How many of them are there?”
“How would I know? They die every day, and new ones take their place.”
After stroking his chin in thought, Byeok Taesan continued, “Last I checked, there were about twelve. Still, it’s strange. He never lets any of his disciples go.”
The Needle Master, who had been silent until now, cautiously asked, “Young Master, why are you so interested in this matter?”
“No reason.”
“Pardon?”
“Do I need a reason? I just am.”
The Needle Master shut his mouth. Upon reflection, it was an answer that suited Byeok Taesan perfectly.
Come to think of it, it was a reason that was utterly characteristic of Byeok Taesan.