The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life - Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Become the Tenth

Byeok Taesan and his group moved separately after entering the Golden Jade Pavilion.

The plan for today was for Byeok Taesan to finish his work here first, after which everyone would move together to the dock to board the ship.

That was the reason he had brought everyone along. If not for that, Byeok Taesan would have come here alone.

The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion and the Owner of the White Flower House guided Byeok Taesan to the room he had used before—the one with the luxurious throne.

As Byeok Taesan naturally sat on the throne, the two owners quietly took their seats in the chairs prepared in front of him.

Without waiting for Byeok Taesan to ask, the Owner of the White Flower House began her report.

“I have handled everything related to Baek Li Jangcheon. I also investigated through various channels to see if there were any witnesses to that day’s events, but no one saw anything.”

Byeok Taesan looked indifferent, as if it didn’t concern him.

However, the Owner of the White Flower House couldn’t take such a response lightly.

“The skill of the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master truly reached divine levels. I never imagined there would be no trace left behind.”

She added a few more pieces of information regarding Baek Li Jangcheon before wrapping up her report.

For example, rumors about Baek Li Jangcheon had spread widely till Hongho, where the Baek Li family lived.

Seeing that Byeok Taesan still appeared disinterested, the Owner of the White Flower House quickly moved on to the next topic.

“We thoroughly investigated the base where the semi-reanimated corpses were staying. After completing the investigation, we informed Hubei Martial Alliance of the location.”

Byeok Taesan casually nodded, indicating he didn’t care how they handled it.

Her report continued.

“We also identified the skilled individuals leading the semi-reanimated corpses. They are called the Four Monsters of the Great East.”

“The Four Monsters of the Great East?”

Byeok Taesan tilted his head slightly. The name sounded familiar, as though he had heard it before.

“They are quite formidable warriors. However, their active period was some time ago. The last confirmed sighting of them was thirty years ago.”

“Thirty years ago? They didn’t look that old, though.”

“There are ways to alter appearances, aren’t there?”

“There didn’t seem to be any artificial traces of such alterations…”

Byeok Taesan rubbed his chin, sinking into thought.

The first thing that came to mind when considering natural means of looking younger was the technique known as Reversal of Aging.

However, it didn’t seem likely in this case because their martial skills were too weak.

They might have used a technique like longevity arts, but their appearance didn’t quite match such methods either.

“We kept their corpses for further examination.”

“Is that so? Then bring me one of them. If the Heavenly Divine Healer examines it, we might discover something.”

Feeling a strange sense of unease, Byeok Taesan decided to look into the corpse more thoroughly.

The Owner of the White Flower House continued her report.

“We’re interrogating the captive, but he seems to know absolutely nothing.”

“He knows nothing?”

“Yes. He doesn’t even know why he looks so young.”

“Strange fellow.”

A captive who knew nothing yet had led semi-reanimated corpses to attack the Hubei Martial Alliance —this was bizarre.

“What was his objective?”

“His goal was to capture the Hubei Martial Alliance successors.”

“And then?”

“That’s all.”

Byeok Taesan looked dumbfounded.

“He doesn’t know who ordered him, but he tried to kidnap Hubei Martial Alliance’s successors?”

The Owner of the White Flower House wore a troubled expression.

“I was perplexed as well. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this…”

“Could he be lying?”

“No, it’s impossible. In fact, we used a rather special drug.”

“A drug?”

“One that clouds the mind and compels them to spill the truth.”

“There’s a drug like that?”

Byeok Taesan looked at the Owner of the White Flower House with a curious expression.

“It was created using the Shadowstep Art you gave us.”

Byeok Taesan’s eyes lit up slightly.

“Does Shadowstep Art include such information?”

To Byeok Taesan, the Shadowstep Art had seemed like a peculiar martial art; it seemed like some kind of movement and tracking technique. He hadn’t expected it to contain methods for creating such drugs.

“Of course, the Shadowstep Art alone isn’t enough. It acts as a kind of key. The drug was created through extensive research over many years. The Shadowstep Art was essential for implementing the core aspects of the recipe.”

Byeok Taesan’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“Fascinating.”

“In any case, we learned very little from him. The drug only revealed that he is one of the Four Monsters of the Great East and that, when he regained consciousness, he found himself with the semi-reanimated corpses.”

“When he regained consciousness, he found himself with them? Does that mean his memory was erased?”

“It seems so. It’s as if an entire period of his memories was excised.”

“Do you mean the time when he joined the semi-reanimated corpses?”

“Not just that. It appears about twenty years of his memories are missing.”

Byeok Taesan fell into thought for a moment before speaking.

“Well, that’s enough. Leave his disposal to someone else and continue the investigation. Something about this reeks of danger.”

“Understood.”

The Owner of the White Flower House responded politely.

Byeok Taesan’s gaze then shifted to the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion.

The latter tried her best to remain composed as she lowered her head slightly.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion calmly spoke.

“The Owner of the White Flower House has already reported everything.”

“You know who I am, don’t you?”

“I do not.”

Her response was immediate and showed no hesitation, making it seem like she truly didn’t know.

“If you don’t know me, why are you trembling?”

The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion flinched at his words and gripped her legs tightly. She hadn’t even realized her legs were shaking.

“The Pavilion Chief of Yichang is known for piercing through the essence of things.”

Unable to hold back, the Owner of the White Flower House intervened.

Byeok Taesan turned his gaze to her.

“Piercing through the essence?”

“An ability akin to… insight. It’s said she instinctively grasps the essence of people through details like their gaze, expression, and personal information.”

Byeok Taesan chuckled and looked back at the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion.

“Insight? That’s not quite what I had in mind. Isn’t that right?”

“Ah, it’s just that my intuition is a bit sharp.”

She quickly responded.

“So, what did your intuition tell you about me?”

“Well, that is…”

The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion hesitated significantly.

Seeing her reaction, Byeok Taesan’s eyes glinted sharply.

“You really did see something, didn’t you?”

Her face turned pale.

“No, I didn’t! Truly, I didn’t see anything!”

Byeok Taesan smirked. Then, he turned to the Owner of the White Flower House and asked.

“Find a new Pavilion Chief for Yichang.”

“What?”

The Owner of the White Flower House was visibly startled, but Byeok Taesan paid her no mind. Instead, he looked back at the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion.

“From now on, you’ll accompany me.”

Her face turned ashen.

“M-me? Me?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

The question was directed at the Owner of the White Flower House, though the response was meant for the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion.

The Owner of the White Flower House, looking bewildered, answered hesitantly.

“It’s surprising, but I don’t see any particular issue. Still, may I ask why you’re taking her along?”

Byeok Taesan looked at her with a peculiar expression.

“Do you really want to know?”

She flinched and quickly shook her head.

“No, on second thought, it’s better if I don’t know.”

Byeok Taesan turned his attention back to the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion.

“I wasn’t planning on taking anyone else, but life rarely goes as planned.”

He paused briefly, and both women swallowed hard.

“You will become the tenth.”

“Hey, the tenth?”

Byeok Taesan nodded.

“Yes. You are the tenth servant.”

The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion stared blankly at Byeok Taesan. She had fallen from being the Hao Clan’s Branch Leader of Yichang to becoming a servant of the Golden Wall Merchants.

Byeok Taesan smirked as he looked at the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion.

“Why? Don’t like it?”

The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion quickly bowed her head.

“Th-that could never be the case. I am truly honored to be with the Young Master.”

Byeok Taesan nodded.

“I thought so.”

After saying that, Byeok Taesan stood up from his seat.

“Then let’s go.”

The Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion lowered her head deeply and followed Byeok Taesan.

The Owner of the White Flower House watched her with sympathetic eyes.

—

Byeok Taesan’s group headed toward the pier. It was finally time to return home for real.

During the journey, the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion introduced herself to the other three servants and built a rapport with them through conversation.

Her name was Hwaryeong, which she had been using, just as Dan Yeong and Chae Wol had done.

Thanks to this, Hwaryeong soon realized that Byeok Taesan’s servants were far from ordinary.

When she learned the name of the martial art they were practicing, she was so shocked she nearly fainted.

The Spirit Wing Divine Art.

From that moment, Hwaryeong’s internal struggle began.

‘Could I possibly practice both the Spirit Wing Divine Art and the Shadowstep Art together?’

The Shadowstep Art was a footwork technique, but it was far from ordinary. It contained profound insights into various martial arts.

The same applied to the mental cultivation method.

That was why members of the Hao Clan practiced mental techniques that harmonized with the Shadowstep Art.

Hwaryeong had also learned such a mental technique separately.

The problem was that, while it was highly compatible with the Shadowstep Art, the power of the technique itself was considerably weak.

If the Spirit Wing Divine Art and the Shadowstep Art proved to be compatible, she wanted to abandon her current mental technique immediately and switch to the Spirit Wing Divine Art.

However, the issue was that to confirm their compatibility, she would need to practice the Spirit Wing Divine Art first.

As she mulled over these thoughts repeatedly, Byeok Taesan’s group arrived at the pier.

The Hao Clan had already prepared a boat in advance, so all they had to do was board it.

The preparations by the Hao Clan were meticulous.

The boat was manned by sailors who had boarded in advance, and all necessary supplies for the journey to Wuhan were fully stocked.

When they arrived at the pier, they saw a familiar face.

He was the General Secretary of the Hubei Martial Alliance.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

The General Secretary bowed politely to Byeok Taesan as he spoke.

At that, the Heavenly Divine Healer stepped forward.

Handling matters involving others was usually left to the Heavenly Divine Healer.

When Byeok Taesan got involved, things rarely went smoothly, so it was best to resolve issues at a subordinate level whenever possible.

“What brings you here? I thought there wouldn’t be any more dealings with the Hubei Martial Alliance… You’re not here to drag us back to your headquarters, are you?”

“Oh no, not at all. We just have a small favor to ask of Young Master Byeok.”

“Go ahead and tell us.”

“Surely, even the Heavenly Divine Healer has noticed that the recent events centering around the Hubei Martial Alliance are unusual, correct?”

“Indeed, it’s clear these aren’t ordinary occurrences.”

“That’s why we’d like to request your assistance regarding this matter. Young Master Byeok doesn’t need to stay. We’d simply appreciate it if you could accompany some of our personnel.”

“Personnel of the Hubei Martial Alliance, you say?”

The Heavenly Divine Healer shifted his gaze to the individuals standing behind the General Secretary.

Two middle-aged men stood there.

“These are physicians we’ve gone to great lengths to recruit.”

At the mention of physicians, both the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master took an interest, carefully examining the two men. After observing them, they nodded.

‘They seem promising.’

Of course, it would require some conversation and seeing their skills in action to determine for sure, but their aura was decent.

“To be honest, they aren’t exactly personnel of the Hubei Martial Alliance… They were sent by the Murim Alliance.”

“The Murim Alliance?”

At the mention of the Murim Alliance, everyone in Byeok Taesan’s group turned their attention to the physicians, including Byeok Taesan himself.

The General Secretary, looking slightly smug, continued speaking.

“Currently, the Patrol Captain of the Hubei Martial Alliance is stationed in Wuhan. These two physicians are set to join him there.”

“So, you want us to assist the Patrol Captain with his tasks?”

The General Secretary quickly waved his hands.

“Oh no, you misunderstand. That’s not it. We simply ask for your continued research into the semi-reanimated corpses.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer glanced at the two physicians from the Murim Alliance.

“You want us to share our research findings with those two?”

“Please, we humbly request it.”

The General Secretary bowed even more respectfully and humbly.

The Heavenly Divine Healer turned to Byeok Taesan. He couldn’t make this decision on his own.

Byeok Taesan nodded.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Once Byeok Taesan gave his approval, everything proceeded smoothly.

As a gesture of gratitude, the General Secretary of the Hubei Martial Alliance agreed to cover all the travel expenses for their journey to Wuhan.

Even though the Hao Clan had already arranged the boat, the Hubei Martial Alliance paid for it and handed over the funds.

Additionally, the General Secretary mentioned that the Hubei Martial Alliance was currently conducting several large transactions with the Golden Wall Merchants.

He even hinted that if Byeok Taesan wished, he could be appointed as the overseer of these transactions at any time.

Of course, Byeok Taesan had absolutely no interest in such matters.

With everything settled, they all boarded the boat.

And the boat set sail toward Wuhan.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Byeok Taesan let the wind hit his face as he sank into thought.

“The Murim Alliance, huh…”

It was a name that stirred memories.

Aside from the Demonic Cult, the Murim Alliance was probably the organization Byeok Taesan had been most deeply involved with during his life.