The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life - Chapter 58
Chapter 58: It Will Never Slip Away
The Owner of White Flower House turned pale upon receiving the hurried report from a warrior.
It was an obvious mistake.
What was the reason she had come all the way here? It was all because of Byeok Taesan.
She had come here to support him directly because he was heading in this direction.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
Strengthening the Hao Clan branch in Yichang was also part of the plan.
After all, the Hubei Martial Alliance was located here. Strengthening a branch near a powerful organization was only natural.
Though she had only acquired a small part of the Shadow Step Technique, she intended to gradually strengthen the branch using it.
This place was the first step.
In truth, the Hao Clan branches stationed near the Martial Alliance or the Black Lotus Sect were more pressing to address, but because Byeok Taesan was coming this way, she prioritized the Hubei Martial Alliance instead.
She had not expected Byeok Taesan to arrive so directly, so she hadn’t issued instructions to the Hao Clan members regarding his presence.
Her original plan had been to clean up the area and then contact Byeok Taesan separately.
The scenario she envisioned was for Byeok Taesan to arrive here after she had sent her message.
But before she could even send the message, Byeok Taesan had come and gone. Now, she had no choice but to visit him personally.
“What should I do…”
Byeok Taesan was staying at the Hubei Martial Alliance Pavillion.
And Hubei Martial Alliance Pavillion was not a place where a courtesan could casually come and go.
If she wanted to meet Byeok Taesan there, she would need to do a lot of groundwork.
Meeting him right now was going to be difficult.
Her anxiety grew.
The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion, the Hao Clan branch leader in Yichang, quietly observed the Owner of White Flower House.
The Owner of White Flower House turned to her and asked,
“How many connections do we have related to Hubei Martial Alliance?”
“Quite a few. Should I fetch the list?”
“Please do. This is very important.”
The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion gave a slight nod before stepping out.
The Owner of White Flower House clenched her fists with a determined expression. She was resolved to mobilize all her connections and meet Byeok Taesan by the end of the day.
—
“Hey, didn’t you summon your subordinates?”
The Needle Master asked the Heavenly Divine Healer, his face etched with exhaustion.
The Heavenly Divine Healer shook his head weakly, wearing the same tired expression.
“I didn’t call them. Even if I did, by the time they arrived, everything would already be over.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Both of their faces scrunched in frustration.
“I don’t understand why I have to do something I’ve never done in my life. I’ve never treated more than one patient a day, you know.”
“Really? Then even if you treated someone every day, that’s barely three hundred people a year. Is that all the experience you’ve got?”
The Needle Master didn’t even have the energy to retort, shaking his head instead.
“Before I became skilled, I treated a hundred people a day. I worked really hard to become a physician.”
The Heavenly Divine Healer smirked and chuckled mockingly.
“What’s a hundred people? I’ve treated two hundred people in a day before.”
“Two hundred? I’ve treated three hundred!”
“Stop making baseless claims. How could you possibly treat three hundred people in a single day?”
“And two hundred people is reasonable, is it?”
“I’m telling the truth. Well, to be exact, it was three short of two hundred, but still, close enough.”
“What? You treated a hundred and ninety-seven people in one day?”
“Just thinking about that day still makes my hands tremble like this. It was exhausting.”
His words were so convincing that the Needle Master started to waver.
“Why would you do something like that? It’s not good for the patients either. Poorly done treatments can be worse than doing nothing at all.”
“I didn’t want to do it either. But my master ordered it. And my master, though not as bad as the Young Master, is terrifying. When he orders something, there’s no choice but to obey.”
“Who is your master? I feel like I might know them…”
“Oh, we’re here already? Let’s report to the Young Master and get some rest.”
“You’re deflecting again!”
“Ah!”
The Heavenly Divine Healer jumped in surprise as they entered Hubei Martial Alliance resting Pavilion.
“What now? If you don’t want to talk, just don’t. Stop trying to distract me with these tricks.”
“No, it’s not that. We forgot something really important. What do we do now?”
“What? Forgot something…!”
The Needle Master’s face turned pale. They had forgotten to bring the assisting physicians for today’s work.
“Should we go back and grab a few people?”
“Do you think that’s possible? It’s already late.”
In the end, the two walked slowly into the residence, looking like cows being led to slaughter.
They prayed that Byeok Taesan had grown tired of waiting and gone to bed.
Before they knew it, they reached the lodging.
The Heavenly Divine Healer muttered as they entered,
“Damn it, it’s bright in here.”
The interior was well-lit, and no one seemed to be asleep yet.
Even Byeok Taesan’s room was lit.
They couldn’t sneak past this.
The two tiptoed cautiously. Since it was late at night, perhaps they could slip in quietly and rest.
Just as they reached the center of the lodging, Byeok Taesan’s door flung open.
“Gah!”
They both froze in shock, staring wide-eyed at Byeok Taesan.
Standing beside him was another person.
“Huh? The Owner of White Flower House?”
The Heavenly Divine Healer muttered in confusion. It was definitely the Owner of White Flower House he had seen in Wuhan.
She was the branch leader of the Hao Clan in Wuhan.
Why was someone who was supposed to be in Wuhan here? Moreover, this was the Hubei Martial Alliance.
No matter her position in the Hao Clan, the identity she outwardly used was that of a courtesan.
Hubei Martial Alliance was not a place where courtesans could come and go freely.
“I greet you, esteemed Heavenly Divine Healer.”
The Owner of White Flower bowed respectfully. She then turned slightly to the Needle Master and bowed even more deeply.
“Greetings to the esteemed Master of Needles. Please visit White Flower sometime; I will personally ensure you are treated with the utmost hospitality.”
“Ahem. If I have the time, I’ll consider it.”
Though he had initially felt slighted when she greeted the Heavenly Divine Healer first, her subsequent respect and soft demeanor improved his mood.
“Brother, that woman is a fox with nine tails. Keep grinning like that, and she’ll have you in her clutches.”
“Grinning? Who’s grinning, huh?”
“I’m not that kind of woman. I’m just a hardworking courtesan, so there’s no need to be so wary of me.”
“Isn’t that what she says? Honestly, how can someone so timid hope to accomplish anything? Tsk tsk.”
“Do as you please. When you’re eventually left bawling, stripped of your clothes, and chased out, you’ll think, ‘Ah… I should have treated my younger brother as an older brother and listened to him back then…’”
Just as the Needle Master was about to snap in irritation, Byeok Taesan intervened.
“But why is it that those who should be here are nowhere to be seen?”
At Byeok Taesan’s words, the atmosphere froze instantly.
The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master simultaneously fell silent, their eyes wavering with unease.
The Owner of White Flower noticed their reaction, her eyes widening in surprise.
‘Why are they behaving like this?’
The emotions etched on their faces and visible in their eyes were unmistakably fear.
They were gauging Byeok Taesan’s reaction—both the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master, no less.
The Owner of White Flower looked at Byeok Taesan anew, curiosity deepening.
‘What exactly is his identity?’
Her desire to investigate him grew stronger, but she knew she had to suppress it.
‘If you can’t handle the consequences, don’t even start.’
“Aren’t you leaving?”
The Owner of White Flower snapped back to reality at the sudden question.
“Ah, yes, I should be going now. As much as I’d like to impose on you for a night, I’ve suddenly got too much work to do, so I can’t help it.”
She glanced at Byeok Taesan with sultry eyes.
Despite being older than most courtesans, she was still under thirty. Her mature allure only added to her charm.
She used every bit of that charm, looking at Byeok Taesan in a way that seemed to invite him.
Of course, it had no effect whatsoever.
“Handle your tasks properly. I don’t want to be disappointed again.”
The Owner of White Flower flinched at his words.
It felt as if he was warning her that another disappointment would mean the end.
Bowing deeply, she said, “I will keep that in mind.”
Without looking back, she departed, clutching a sheet of paper as if it were a treasure.
Today, she obtained the second piece of the Shadow Step.
With this, the Hao Clan would grow a little stronger.
The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master watched her leave in a daze.
Meanwhile, Byeok Taesan fixed his gaze on the two men.
Sensing his scrutiny, they began to sweat nervously and turned slowly to face him.
“Uh… why are you looking at us like that?”
The Heavenly Divine Healer asked, feeling that Byeok Taesan’s eyes seemed even sharper than usual.
“This is… quite intriguing.”
“Pardon?”
Byeok Taesan alternated his gaze between the two.
Every time his eyes fell on them, they felt as if a searing energy pierced through their bodies.
“You were quite busy today, weren’t you?”
At his question, the two exchanged confused glances and nodded.
“Y-Yes. We were, a little…”
Byeok Taesan nodded deeply.
“You’ll be busy tomorrow as well, won’t you?”
“I suppose so?”
“I like it. Tomorrow, there’s no need to bring any other physicians.”
“What?”
Their eyes widened in shock. No need to bring other physicians? What did that mean?
“Follow me.”
With defeated expressions, the two trailed after Byeok Taesan into a room.
The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master left the Pavilion early the next morning.
Once again, they had a lot to do today.
The two had received new instructions from Byeok Taesan that morning.
The Heavenly Divine Healer spoke to a warrior from the alliance who had accompanied them.
“We need to see even more patients today than yesterday. So do your best. Didn’t we say we wouldn’t need to move ourselves today?”
“Yes, that’s correct. We’ve arranged for cooperation from a manor with many patients.”
The warrior answered respectfully, his expression full of admiration.
He looked at the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master with newfound respect.
Rumors about the two were plentiful, but few were positive—especially regarding the Needle Master.
Yet, firsthand experience proved that one should not judge by hearsay.
These two were exceptional physicians, the likes of which were rare in the world.
What kind of physician would tend to so many patients for free? And even go so far as to ensure they saw as many as possible?
The warrior quickly took the lead to guide them.
As they followed, the Heavenly Divine Healer turned to the Needle Master.
“How are you feeling?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your body. I feel incredible. It’s like all the accumulated fatigue has vanished.”
“I feel the same.”
Furthermore, the pain they had experienced wasn’t as bad as before. It wasn’t completely gone, but compared to the agony they endured when Byeok Taesan first treated them, it was entirely bearable.
In fact, they felt more comfort and vitality than pain, as though they were brimming with energy.
It was obvious—without needing to ask—that this was thanks to Byeok Taesan.
They didn’t know exactly what he had done to them, but it didn’t make them uneasy.
“Let’s give it our all today.”
“You don’t need to tell me. Just worry about yourself.”
The Needle Master was more determined than ever.
He felt as though Byeok Taesan’s treatment had been a reward for his efforts, making him even more eager to prove himself.
With newfound vigor, the two pressed forward.
The only question now was how the ones behind all this would react.
The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master exchanged meaningful glances.
Today, they would not separate but stay together at all costs.