The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 86: I Had Forgotten About You

“Nice to meet you. My name is Jo Taejoo.”

Jo Taejoo bowed deeply to Byeok Taesan, doing his best to appear respectful.

Byeok Taesan looked at the General Manager with an emotionless gaze.

The General Manager hurriedly explained.

“He is the owner of the Fortune Merchants. They have maintained a good relationship with our Golden Wall Merchants. He expressed a desire to meet with you, so I brought him here.”

Byeok Taesan shifted his gaze back to Jo Taejoo.

“Fine, you can leave now.”

The General Manager bowed respectfully and retreated.

Since Byeok Taesan’s return from Yichang, the General Manager’s attitude had become noticeably more polite.

Once the General Manager was gone, Byeok Taesan spoke to Jo Taejoo.

“You carry the distinctive scent of the Hao Clan.”

Jo Taejoo’s eyes widened.

“Y-Yes, that’s correct. I am from the Hao Clan.”

Byeok Taesan nodded slightly, as if he’d already guessed.

“Are you here because you finished what I ordered?”

Cold sweat ran down Jo Taejoo’s forehead. Even he didn’t know what task Byeok Taesan had supposedly assigned him.

After all, he had come straight here without even stopping by White Flower House, the Hao Clan’s branch in Wuhan.

“T-That matter is still ongoing. I came here today for a different reason.”

Byeok Taesan chuckled softly.

“Do you even know what I ordered?”

Jo Taejoo momentarily froze in panic and looked at Byeok Taesan with nervous eyes.

“Forget it. Just tell me why you came.”

Jo Taejoo swallowed dryly.

At this point, he thought it might have been better to be honest from the start.

‘I’ve already ruined Byeok Taesan’s mood. I really need to be careful now.’

When he first came here, he hadn’t thought much of it. After all, Byeok Taesan was dealing with the Hao Clan, not directly with the Owner of White Flower.

But now that things had taken this turn, he realized he had to tread carefully.

“I came to pay my respects to you, Young Master. I also wanted to humbly request that you continue maintaining a good relationship with our Hao Clan.”

Byeok Taesan didn’t respond. He didn’t even nod. He just stared at Jo Taejoo in silence.

Feeling the need to shift the situation, Jo Taejoo decided to play another card.

“Actually, the current Hao Clan Leader is my father.”

For the first time, Byeok Taesan’s expression changed slightly.

“The Hao Clan Leader’s son?”

Jo Taejoo secretly breathed a sigh of relief and answered.

“Yes. That’s why I’ve been working to gain various experiences. To lead the Hao Clan in the future, I must prepare myself. I hope to visit you often, Young Master, and would greatly appreciate your guidance.”

Byeok Taesan chuckled softly.

“Why would I?”

“Pardon?”

“Why would I bother to teach you?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant—”

“Not what you meant? Then you were just spouting empty words to me?”

“N-No, that’s not it either…”

Jo Taejoo looked at Byeok Taesan with a flustered expression.

It was clear that Byeok Taesan was deliberately finding fault with him. While Jo Taejoo admitted to himself that he had made mistakes, he couldn’t help but feel that Byeok Taesan was going too far.

“So your real goal is to cozy up to me, sideline the Owner of White Flower, and get the Shadowstep Art directly from me, is that it?”

Jo Taejoo’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t even said that out loud yet—how had Byeok Taesan figured it out?

Byeok Taesan stared at him with indifferent eyes.

“Looking at you makes me lose faith in the Hao Clan. Just leave.”

“Excuse me?”

Jo Taejoo flinched in surprise. What was the reason for this sudden dismissal?

“Y-Young Master. Please, I implore you to reconsider.”

Byeok Taesan chuckled softly.

“You people… You’re completely mistaken about something.”

Jo Taejoo, unable to say a word, swallowed nervously as he listened.

“Now isn’t the time to be playing petty power games.”

With that, Byeok Taesan waved his hand dismissively.

The gesture was so firm that Jo Taejoo couldn’t say anything further and quietly retreated.

As Jo Taejoo left the hall, Byeok Taesan muttered indifferently.

“Perhaps the Owner of White Flower will be different?”

“So quiet.”

Byeok Taesan muttered to himself as he stepped out of the hall.

It was the third day since he had arrived in Wuhan.

While the first few days had been somewhat noisy, the past couple of days had been exceptionally quiet.

The absence of the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master alone had reduced the usual level of noise by more than half.

On top of that, since Byeok Taesan hadn’t been leaving the residence much, Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon had been fully focused on their training in the Small Training Hall.

Their training consisted of setting up a swinging rope bridge in midair by tying thick wooden planks together, then practicing the Spirit Wing Divine Art on it. It wasn’t the kind of activity that generated much noise.

“It’s about time to check on them.”

With that thought in mind, Byeok Taesan headed toward the training hall.

The Spirit Wing Divine Art wasn’t a technique that needed to be practiced for one’s entire life. Once one’s mind, energy, and body reached a certain level, further practice became unnecessary.

Beyond that point, practicing the Spirit Wing Divine Art would merely serve as a way to torment the body.

Thus, it was necessary to determine an appropriate stopping point.

As Byeok Taesan entered the training hall, he saw Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon walking side by side on the swinging rope bridge.

Both of them were drenched in sweat, as if they had just taken a bath.

Their faces were contorted in pain as they struggled to endure, and strange groans constantly escaped their lips.

Seeing them, Byeok Taesan was slightly surprised.

“Well, well. You’ve already gotten this far? That rope bridge really is effective.”

In many ways, his trip to the Hao Clan had been extremely fruitful.

He had obtained valuable spiritual energy—specifically high-quality energy from the semi-reanimated corpses—and had identified the existence of potential hidden threats.

Moreover, he had discovered this new training method for the Spirit Wing Divine Art. It had truly been a productive journey.

From the looks of it, about ten more days of training would suffice.

But he had no intention of telling them that.

Not knowing when the end would come would push them harder.

And the harder they worked, the more desperate their determination would become.

“You’re finally becoming useful.”

Muttering this to himself, Byeok Taesan left the training hall.

After leaving, he headed toward the location of the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master.

He didn’t get too close to avoid the noise, but even from a distance, he could see that nothing had changed.

The Needle Master was still grumbling and cursing incessantly, while the Heavenly Divine Healer skillfully teased him in return, keeping the cycle going.

Two physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Hall were diligently stirring a massive cauldron with paddles as tall as they were.

The liquid inside the cauldron was so thick and sticky that stirring it didn’t seem like an easy task.

The two couldn’t hide their expressions of strain, but they also didn’t dare utter a word of complaint as they moved according to the Heavenly Divine Healer’s instructions.

When crafting the Heavenly Medicine Pill, the Heavenly Divine Healer delegated the most grueling, unpleasant, and patience-testing tasks entirely to these two physicians.

There were seven cauldrons in total, and the two physicians continuously moved between them, stirring each one.

Judging by their dark-circled eyes and hollow expressions, it seemed they hadn’t been sleeping properly.

Byeok Taesan observed them quietly for a moment before walking away.

Now, the only ones left in the pavilion were the attendants, Shadow 1, Shadow 2, and Shadow 3.

Byeok Taesan turned toward the pavilion again.

In the front courtyard, Shadow 1, Shadow 2, and Shadow 3 were busily carrying something.

At a glance, it looked like wooden planks and other construction materials.

It seemed they were building shelves somewhere.

When they noticed Byeok Taesan, they froze in surprise and quickly lowered their heads.

“Young Master, you’ve come out.”

These were the same Shadow brats who had once clashed with him not long after he had awakened in Byeok Taesan’s body.

They still carried themselves with a slight swagger, likely a remnant of their time in the Unorthodox path, but they had adjusted well to their new lives. Now, they were indispensable to Byeok Taesan’s pavilion, handling all sorts of odd jobs.

Byeok Taesan stroked his chin as he looked at them.

“Their spirits have thinned out significantly.”

Living peacefully in this pavilion, surrounded by beautiful attendants, had gradually cleansed the blackened stain of chaotic energy that had clouded their souls during their time in the underworld.

At least, they had never killed anyone, which made them a bit better than the other Heukdo people.

“They’re less tainted than the others.”

A faint smirk crossed Byeok Taesan’s face.

“Someday, I’ll have to scrub them clean.”

Using the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art, he could extract and purify their spirits, which would likely yield significant positive results.

Regardless of how things had started, these were now people under his care.

They wouldn’t be leaving the pavilion anytime soon, but he couldn’t help but feel irritated at the thought of them getting beaten up if they ever went outside.

“That would be troublesome.”

With that thought, Byeok Taesan waved his hand dismissively, signaling them to continue their work.

The three men bowed and headed back toward the pavilion.

Then, Hwaryeong appeared from the pavilion.

“This way, please,”

The three men quickly approached Hwaryeong, as if she had requested their assistance.

Hwaryeong spotted Byeok Taesan and widened her eyes in surprise. She then bowed deeply.

“Young Master, you’ve come out.”

Byeok Taesan nodded in acknowledgment and silently observed Hwaryeong.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve been neglecting you.”

“Pardon?”

Hwaryeong looked at him with a puzzled expression. What had he been neglecting?

Byeok Taesan gave her a sly grin.

“Come to my room tonight.”

Hwaryeong stared at him blankly, unable to process his words for a moment.

Byeok Taesan turned and left the pavilion without waiting for her response.

As his figure disappeared, Shadow 1, Shadow 2, and Shadow 3 watched him with envy-filled eyes.

Hwaryeong pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart pounded so violently that she wondered if it might burst out at any moment.

A thought crossed her mind, causing her cheeks to flush faintly.

Shaking her head vigorously to dispel her thoughts, Hwaryeong turned to the three men and said, “This way. You can finish by this afternoon, right?”

“Of course,” Shadow 1 replied confidently.

They had grown so used to such tasks that they could now handle them with their eyes closed.

Shrugging off what had just happened, they returned to their daily routines.

•|||||

Seo Daegun stepped off the boat and surveyed Wuhan’s bustling docks.

The place was brimming with energy.

It was no wonder that Go Jun-kwang had his eyes on it.

Wuhan was the center of logistics. It was a vital hub where immense wealth and countless people converged.

However, despite its importance, no major sect or martial family had yet established a proper foothold there.

It wasn’t a deliberate agreement, but circumstances had led to this situation.

Over time, the status quo had solidified. While large sects and martial families were interested in Wuhan, they refrained from openly expanding into the city.

The Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus Group were no exceptions.

But that was only on the surface. Behind the scenes, everyone had a foothold in Wuhan. Though they didn’t operate openly, they collected information, spread rumors, and occasionally spilled blood in the shadows.

Amidst this, rumors began to circulate that the Hubei Martial Alliance was setting up a branch in Wuhan.

This rumor gained further traction when Seomun Deok, the patrol leader of the Hubei Martial Alliance, arrived in Wuhan.

The official reason for his visit was to facilitate trade.

The Hubei Martial Alliance claimed that establishing a base in Wuhan would make it more convenient for them to conduct business with the Golden Wall Merchants.

To maintain appearances, they planned to limit the number of stationed martial artists and instead fill their manor with merchants and scholars.

Of course, this was just a facade.

In reality, numerous martial artists from the Hubei Martial Alliance, disguised as merchants and scholars, would be stationed there.

“Damn those Hubei Martial Alliance bastards. They’ve made things complicated again.”

Initially, Go Jun-kwang had thought that taking over Wuhan would be a breeze with Seo Daegun on his side.

But the Hubei Martial Alliance’s involvement complicated matters.

If it were just the Hubei Martial Alliance, there might still have been ways to deal with them.

However, with the Hubei Martial Alliance making the first move, it was only a matter of time before other sects and martial families followed suit.

They, too, would fabricate justifications to establish themselves in Wuhan.

And the Hubei Martial Alliance had already provided the simplest method.

“Hah, if only the Golden Heavenly Alliance were still intact, they’d be perfect for this.”

But the Golden Heavenly Alliance was now in a state where it wouldn’t be surprising if it collapsed at any moment.

As Seo Daegun moved away from the docks, several muscular men began following him.

They were his subordinates.

When he entered Wuhan’s bustling streets, a man approached him.

“It’s been a while, sir.”

Seo Daegun glanced at the man and nodded.

“It has been a while.”

Unconsciously, his eyes swept over the man with a greedy gaze.

This was a talent he had effectively lost to Go Jun-kwang.

If this man had been under his command, the recent incident at the water reservoir might not have ended so disastrously.

“How have you been?” Seo Daegun asked.

The man gave a bitter smile.

“I’ve been surviving, if barely, to atone for my failures.”

“Go Jun-kwang must’ve been giving you a hard time.”

“No, it’s not that. I just… can’t bear it myself.”

Seo Daegun shook his head.

He had briefly entertained the idea of recruiting the man, but it was clearly futile. Pursuing it further would be a waste of time.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries and get to business.”

The man slightly bowed his head.

“Give the order.”

“Find the Hao Clan.”

The man looked up at Seo Daegun.

“You mean the Hao Clan?”

“Can you find them?”

“It’s not difficult, but… I assume you’re not after the small fry.”

A sinister smile formed on Seo Daegun’s lips.

“Blood must be repaid with blood. The higher up the targets, the better. And the more, the merrier.”

The man lowered his head slightly.

“I’ll look into it. But please understand that it may take some time.”

“Of course. It’s the Hao Clan, after all. Take your time, but make sure you do it right.”

Seo Daegun grinned faintly.

“In the meantime, I’ll be figuring out how to shake up Wuhan.”