The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 67: It’s Quite Intriguing

Byeok Taesan, who was heading toward Yeon Harin, turned away after noticing her and the old man deep in a serious conversation.

He didn’t feel the need to interrupt and bother them.

There wasn’t anything particularly urgent that he needed to discuss with her anyway.

His gaze shifted to the muscular giant being interrogated by the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion a short distance away.

At times like this, having a serious conversation with someone was the best way to pass the time.

With lighter steps, Byeok Taesan approached the giant.

As he slowly moved toward him, he began to reflect on the strange sense of familiarity he had felt earlier when watching Yeon Harin and the giant fight.

‘Why did it feel so familiar?’

Despite being able to vividly recall any memory from his time as the Heavenly Demon as if reliving it, he couldn’t easily pinpoint the source of that familiarity.

It was undeniably familiar, yet he couldn’t determine where that feeling originated from.

At first, he wondered if the giant was someone he had known. But that didn’t seem to be the case.

Although the giant was quite skilled, his level was far too low for him to have ever interacted with the Heavenly Demon.

‘Then could it be the weapon he was wielding?’

The giant had used an enormous saber befitting his size. Byeok Taesan shook his head.

That wasn’t it either. The odds of encountering such a low-grade saber during his time as the Heavenly Demon were slim to none.

Perhaps before he became the Heavenly Demon?

‘Wait, before I became the Heavenly Demon?’

Byeok Taesan tilted his head in thought, then quickly shook it again.

That wasn’t it either. Even in his memories before becoming the Heavenly Demon, there was no recollection of such a crude and oversized saber.

And even if he had encountered one, it wouldn’t have left enough of an impression to feel familiar.

With such thoughts swirling in his mind, he soon reached the giant.

The giant sat in a half-healed state.

His damaged qi wasn’t severe enough to kill him, but neither was it enough for him to fully recover his original strength.

Not that it was impossible to completely heal him, but there was no reason to go to such lengths.

As Byeok Taesan approached, the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion quickly stepped aside, making way for him.

Truthfully, she didn’t want to remain in this position.

Being here meant exposing her identity in front of so many people.

However, she had no choice but to give up everything and obey Byeok Taesan’s silent command, conveyed with just a tilt of his chin.

Despite this, she held no resentment. Byeok Taesan’s orders always held far greater importance than concerns about her identity.

In any case, there were plenty of people who could replace her. If her identity were exposed, she could simply take on another role.

“Did you find anything out?”

At Byeok Taesan’s question, the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion respectfully replied,

“We’ve learned his name and affiliation, for now.”

The giant’s eyes widened in shock. He was sure he hadn’t revealed such information.

“His name is Ma Seokgwang. He used to be the leader of the Azure Stream Group.”

“The Azure Stream Group?”

“They were bandits operating around the Yichang region. They haven’t been active for some time now. Their leader disappeared years ago.”

“So… the former leader of a defunct bandit group has reappeared, leading reanimated corpses, is that it?”

“That’s correct.”

The giant, Ma Seokgwang, looked at the Owner of the Golden Jade Pavilion in shock and disbelief.

The questions she had asked him were so trivial. How on earth did she uncover such details?

Byeok Taesan turned his gaze to Ma Seokgwang and spoke.

“You don’t know anything, do you? Of course not. A dog that simply obeys commands wouldn’t know much.”

Ma Seokgwang glared at Byeok Taesan but couldn’t refute his words. They were true, after all.

“So, why did you explode your qi? You weren’t trying to kill yourself, were you?”

“I only planned to partially detonate it. That way, I could recover.”

“Partially detonate your qi? Is that even possible?”

“It’s possible for me. It’s a method I can use once in emergencies.”

Byeok Taesan turned his head to look for the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master. It was time for those two to investigate further.

“Still, these people really play around with human bodies too much, don’t they?”

Byeok Taesan muttered to himself, his brows furrowing in displeasure.

—

Yeon Harin was sitting across from the old man, engaged in conversation.

In truth, she hadn’t sought him out—he had approached her first.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, the damage would have been significant.”

“You’re too kind. I didn’t do much, really,” Yeon Harin replied, stealing a glance at Byeok Taesan, who was standing far away.

“He was the one who handled everything.”

The old man nodded in agreement. That was true. Without Byeok Taesan, they would all have perished here.

The semi-reanimated corpses’ assault had been overwhelming, to say the least.

Moreover, the formidable master among the enemy was no easy opponent.

As soon as Byeok Taesan appeared, that master was defeated. The elite corps that had accompanied him were also defeated.

These superior Jiangshi had been the cause of much of their trouble.

Ordinary semi-reanimated corpses were manageable. After all, the people here were promising young talents from prestigious clans, accompanied by skilled protectors.

But the stronger corpses were a different story.

They were far more powerful and faster. On top of that, their attacks were sharp and cunning, as if they had trained in martial arts.

If the old man had been able to fight properly, the situation wouldn’t have escalated this far. However, he had been occupied with the leader of those corpses.

That individual was a master so formidable that even the old man struggled to handle him.

“Still, if it weren’t for you, your fiancé wouldn’t have come. So the credit ultimately goes to you.”

Yeon Harin didn’t refute his statement. She smiled softly. It was both her hope and belief.

The old man looked at Yeon Harin with a tinge of regret.

“You would have been a perfect match for one of the children from our clan. It’s a shame. If only we had acted a bit sooner…”

The old man’s name was Baek Li Jangcheon, a senior of the Baek Li Clan.

(Note:- Modern people use Baekli)

He was also the older brother of the current Hubei Martial Alliance Leader, Baek Liyeop.

Naturally, the person he had in mind was Baek Limuryang, the Baek Li Clan’s most prominent heir.

Yeon Harin smiled faintly as she responded,

“We’ve been engaged since we were very young. Even if we’d met earlier, nothing would have changed.”

Baek Li Jangcheon chuckled. Her response left no room for interpretation.

“You have such unwavering faith. Still… I’m not sure if your fiancé feels the same way. Don’t you agree?”

Yeon Harin replied seriously,

“That doesn’t matter.”

Baek Li Jangcheon widened his eyes in surprise at her unexpected answer.

“Following him to the end is simply my choice. And besides…”

Yeon Harin hesitated briefly before continuing,

“I’ve already received more than enough.”

Baek Li Jangcheon smiled at her resolute demeanor.

“That just makes it all the more unfortunate. Truly… I envy that man.”

Yeon Harin didn’t respond. In truth, she believed she was the one who should be envied, not Byeok Taesan. But there was no need to voice that thought.

Saying so would only lead to unnecessary conversation.

“Anyway, the reason I sought you out is to offer a recommendation letter to Yeon Manor.”

“A recommendation letter?”

Yeon Harin’s eyes widened.

“As you know, I’m the elder brother of the Hubei Martial Alliance Leader. With my recommendation, securing a position in Hubei Martial Alliance wouldn’t be difficult. And there happen to be a few vacant positions.”

Baek Li Jangcheon observed her expression as he continued.

“It won’t be an extremely high-ranking position, but I can assure you it will be significant. I’d like someone from Yeon Manor to take that position. What do you think?”

It was a rather generous offer.

Compared to other prestigious clans, Yeon Manor was lacking in many aspects.

Although they were affiliated with Hubei Martial Alliance, securing a meaningful position within the organization was nearly impossible.

Positions were limited, and the number of families connected to the Hubei Martial Alliance was immense.

Still, Yeon Harin didn’t immediately accept the offer. She deliberated carefully.

“I’m sorry, but… this isn’t something I can decide on my own. I’ll need to discuss it with the elders of my clan after returning.”

Baek Li Jangcheon chuckled.

“Why make it so complicated? I’m only offering a recommendation letter. What you do with it is entirely up to you.”

With that, he pulled an envelope from his pocket.

It was a recommendation letter he had prepared in advance for moments like this.

Yeon Harin felt it would be rude to hesitate further, so she politely accepted the letter.

“Thank you.”

Baek Li Jangcheon smiled warmly and nodded.

“I’m pleased to see a genius younger generation disciple like you after such a long time. Keep striving forward.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

With that, the conversation between Baek Li Jangcheon and Yeon Harin came to an end.

Yeon Harin quickly began looking for Byeok Taesan.

Her eyes moved much faster than usual when searching for him. In no time, she spotted him standing at a distance.

The atmosphere around Byeok Taesan was quite tense.

The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master were meticulously diagnosing Ma Seokgwang’s body.

Since they were trying to uncover what they hadn’t noticed during his initial treatment, both were extremely careful in their examination.

Finally, the diagnosis was complete.

The two began quietly exchanging their findings and discussing them in low voices.

They alternated between discussing, checking Ma Seokgwang’s pulse again, nodding, and resuming their discussions.

This continued for nearly an hour..

Unlike usual, Byeok Taesan said nothing and waited patiently.

As a result, the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

The person most affected by this was Ma Seokgwang, who, overwhelmed by the tension, kept glancing around nervously, unable to say a word.

When the discussion concluded, the Heavenly Divine Healer spoke to Byeok Taesan.

“Young Master, this man is already a Jiangshi.”

“What?”

Ma Seokgwang shouted in shock. A Jiangshi? Him? That made no sense—he was perfectly fine!

“It seems it’s too late to reverse the process. If he hadn’t foolishly detonated his qi, there might have been a chance, but…”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Me, Jiangshi? Me?!”

“Quiet.”

Byeok Taesan’s calm but firm voice silenced Ma Seokgwang. Like magic, he shut his mouth and hunched over, trembling as he nervously gauged Byeok Taesan’s reaction.

“Continue.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer, who had paused in surprise at Ma Seokgwang’s outburst, resumed his explanation.

“The procedure that allows someone to detonate their qi for use is actually a preparation to turn them into a semi-reanimated corpse. It creates pathways in the qi pathways beforehand to allow for the entry of corpse poison.”

“Why bother blocking off those pathways?”

“It seems to be related to martial arts cultivation. Those who possess internal energy have strong resistance to foreign energy entering their bodies, making it difficult to turn them into semi-reanimated corpse.”

“So, when they detonate their qi, the internal energy is completely drained, and the vacant space is filled with poison. Is that correct?”

“That’s our theory. But we’d need to observe the process directly to confirm it further.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer glanced at Ma Seokgwang as he spoke.

Since Ma Seokgwang couldn’t be saved, they were considering using him to study the transformation process into a semi-reanimated corpse.

“One thing is certain: this procedure is incredibly complex.”

“Complex?”

“Making someone survive after detonating their qi is no simple feat. It must have required significant resources and effort.”

“That makes sense.”

“And it likely takes a long time. The poison needs time to settle into the prepared qi pathways.”

Byeok Taesan stroked his chin thoughtfully and muttered,

“So that’s why they all fled?”

Earlier, when Byeok Taesan had appeared, defeated the semi-reanimated corpse on the ship, and absorbed their energy, some of the individuals on land had fled.

Byeok Taesan had noticed but didn’t feel the need to pursue them at the time. He figured he could always track them down later.

Currently, the Hao Clan was already tracing their trail.

“This is getting quite intriguing.”

What would a semi-reanimated corpse skilled in martial arts be like?

Of course, he wasn’t curious about how strong they would be. He was more interested in the energy they would release.

It would certainly be influenced by internal energy, but how that interaction would manifest was still uncertain.

“By the way, why didn’t you detect this during his initial treatment? Is the person who performed this procedure more skilled than you?”

The Heavenly Divine Healer bristled at the remark.

“No, Young Master. That’s unfair. The fact that we discovered it at all shows how skilled we are. This isn’t something that’s usually detectable. Why else would we have spent half a shichen discussing it?”

The Needle Master added,

“While the person who performed the procedure is skilled, they’re not on the same level as us. One thing is clear—the procedure involved poison.”

“Poison? Any traces of the Poison Demon?”

“If it were the Poison Demon, there wouldn’t have been such obvious traces.”

The Needle Master paused briefly before continuing,

“The poison used is different from the one in the Black Iron Workshop incident. It’s of a completely different type, and the method of administering it is also different. This is the work of another individual.”

“Does it match any of the poisons I taught you?”

“It’s similar to one of them.”

Byeok Taesan had previously passed on all the poison-making methods he had acquired from the Poison Demon to the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master. It seemed this case resembled one of those methods.

That meant another disciple of the Poison Demon was involved.

“So, it’s not just some random disciple interfering; this seems more deliberate.”

His interest deepened further.

Just then, one of the Hao Clan operatives who had been sent to track the fleeing individuals returned.