The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 89: What on Earth is That

The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master carried the chests and headed to Byeok Taesan’s room.

For a while, neither of them said a single word.

Normally, this would have been impossible.

That silence persisted even after they had moved all seven chests into Byeok Taesan’s room.

The two eventually walked outside, still without speaking a word.

The first to break the silence was the Needle Master.

“Hey, what on earth was that earlier?”

“How should I know? You’re the one with higher martial prowess; shouldn’t you know? Let me ask you instead—what on earth was that?”

“Ugh.”

The Needle Master let out a low groan, tilting his head in confusion.

“I’m saying I don’t know either.”

“Wasn’t it some application of Qi Manipulation?”

The Needle Master shook his head.

“No.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer looked at him, prompting him to elaborate.

“There’s no way I could be overpowered by something as simple as Qi Manipulation. The same goes for you.”

“Still, if the internal energy was overwhelming enough…”

The Heavenly Divine Healer muttered as if pondering the possibility, then chuckled and shook his head, dismissing the thought.

“Come to think of it, how much internal energy would you need to push people away using Qi Manipulation?”

“It’s not just about having a lot of internal energy.”

At the Needle Master’s comment, the Heavenly Divine Healer turned to him and asked.

“How about you, then?”

“Me? What are you asking?”

“Qi Manipulation. Can you do it?”

“Of course. Want me to show you?”

The Needle Master said this confidently and walked over to a nearby tree. He plucked a single leaf and placed it on the palm of his hand.

After a moment of focus, the leaf floated gently into the air and slid forward as if gliding. It traveled a short distance and, upon losing its momentum, fluttered softly to the ground near the tree.

“Did you see that?”

The Needle Master spoke with an air of pride, but the Heavenly Divine Healer smirked.

“What even was that? What’s so impressive about making a single leaf float? Could you even use that properly in real combat?”

The Needle Master’s face twisted in irritation.

“Look at this guy who can’t even do it himself!”

The Heavenly Divine Healer quickly changed the topic with a serious expression.

“Anyway, what you just showed me—if even someone of your level can only manage that much with Qi Manipulation, doesn’t that mean it has its limits?”

“That’s right. There are probably some people who can move larger objects further distances, but to do that, they’d need to be one of the top ten martial masters.”

Qi Manipulation was a technique that involved applying external force to an object using immense internal energy. While the sheer amount of internal energy was crucial, so was the ability to control it with precision.

The Heavenly Divine Healer stared toward Byeok Taesan’s residence with a newfound wariness.

“Then what on earth is our Young Master capable of?”

“I’m telling you, it’s not Qi Manipulation.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer nodded emphatically. It certainly wasn’t. If it had been merely Qi Manipulation—an application of internal energy’s physical force—he wouldn’t have been pushed back so effortlessly.

“Then what the hell is it?”

The Needle Master groaned once again.

“Ugh.”

“Why do you keep groaning like you’re trying to push something out? It’s gross.”

“Are you trying to start something again? Do you want a taste of my fiery fists?”

“Hey, it’s just a figure of speech. No need to resort to violence. Come on, tell me why you’re groaning. Clearly, something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

“I swear, this guy…!”

The Needle Master glared at the Heavenly Divine Healer, his fists trembling in irritation. Then, after letting out a hollow laugh, he finally spoke up.

“It’s just… I’ve got this ridiculous thought, that’s all.”

“A ridiculous thought? What is it?”

The Needle Master narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the Heavenly Divine Healer.

“Swear you won’t laugh or mock me after hearing it.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer grinned so widely that it stretched across his face.

“Oh, come on. Why worry about that? I won’t laugh. Just tell me.”

“Looking at that face of yours, I don’t trust you enough to say it, you bastard.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer blinked innocently and protested.

“What’s wrong with my face? I’m practically the picture of sincerity and honesty! I promise I won’t laugh. Now hurry up and tell me, before I start getting lightheaded.”

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat, the Needle Master began to speak slowly.

“It made me think of the Sword Heart Realm.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer’s eyes widened in shock.

“The Sword Heart Realm?”

The Needle Master looked puzzled by his reaction, which wasn’t quite what he had expected.

“It couldn’t be, right? No way. The Sword Heart Realm is a level only a heaven-gifted genius, utterly obsessed with the sword, could barely reach after a lifetime of devotion. Isn’t that right?”

“Well, yeah, but still…”

“From what I’ve heard, even the Sword King only just barely brushed against that realm, and he’s been over a hundred years old for quite some time now.”

“That’s true.”

“So why are you making that dumbfounded face? What, did I say something wrong? Are you saying it’s impossible for our Young Master to have reached that level? Well, I admit I might be jumping the gun a bit, but honestly, nothing else comes to mind.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer waved his hands dismissively.

“No, no. That’s not why I’m reacting this way.”

“Then why?”

“Because… for some reason, I feel like you might actually be right. Damn, I’ve got goosebumps.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer rubbed his arms, trying to smooth down the goosebumps that had risen all over.

The Needle Master now stared at him with eyes as wide as saucers.

“Have you ever seen anyone in the Sword Heart Realm before?”

“I heard the Sword Demon Elder had entered that realm.”

“Really? To what extent? Could he push people away with a wave of his hand, like our Young Master?”

“That’s nonsense. No matter how far someone has gone in the Sword Heart Realm, there aren’t many who could use it so casually. I heard the Sword Demon Elder had to concentrate beforehand to make it effective in combat. The same likely applies to the Sword King.”

“Well… that makes sense.”

“But there’s one person who came to mind when you mentioned this.”

“Huh?”

“Could you slice the meat on a hundred plates all at once, with each cut landing perfectly?”

“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that? How could anyone slice the meat on a hundred plates simultaneously?”

“There’s someone who did just that.”

“No way…”

“Our cult has a unit called the Heaven Guard Corps.”

“The Heaven Guard Corps?”

“The ones who serve him directly are from an organization you can only enter after climbing through brutal competition.”

“That sounds impressive.”

“Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe it. There’s no one who can command them except him. They are the kind of people who would willingly embrace death if it was his order.”

“So, what about the Heaven Guard Corps?”

“Sometimes, he has meals with the entire Heaven Guard Corps. There’s a rumor that during those times, he personally carves the meat for them.”

“Huh? He does it himself? Isn’t that amazing?”

“It’s an unparalleled honor. But the unbelievable part is that he allegedly carved meat for every single member of the Heaven Guard Corps—nearly a hundred people—simultaneously. And he didn’t even use his hands to do it. On top of that, the pieces were perfectly bite-sized.”

“That’s the Heart Sword.”

“That’s what everyone believes.”

The Needle Master’s eyes shook violently.

“If he could do something like that… then maybe he really did use the Heart Sword casually to push me away.”

Carving meat and pushing someone away were two entirely different matters, but for some reason, he couldn’t help but feel like it might have been possible.

The Heavenly Divine Healer shook his head vigorously.

“No, no. That can’t be it. You’re talking about him. You can’t go and link that to the Young Master. For one thing… the age difference is just too absurd…”

The Needle Master nodded as if agreeing.

“Well… Honestly, I don’t even know what’s what anymore.”

“What does it matter? If our Young Master can use the Heart Sword, isn’t that even better? Either way… it doesn’t seem like living quietly is in the cards anymore. Isn’t it better to have a reliable lord to follow?”

“That’s true.”

Every word was logically sound. Yet, curiosity kept bubbling up despite their reasoning.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

“You go and ask him about it.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer looked at the Needle Master with wide, incredulous eyes.

“Are you insane?”

“What? Did you just call me insane? Do you want to die, you little—”

“Want to die? That’s such a thoughtless and idiotic thing to say. What do you mean, ‘want to die’? Can a person die twice? Don’t go around saying stuff like that. I might let it slide, but if anyone else hears it, they’ll curse you out silently.”

“Then let them curse me silently, you bastard. But don’t expect to spout nonsense like that and get away with it unscathed.”

Before the Needle Master could even finish speaking, the Heavenly Divine Healer bolted.

“Stop right there!”

“Would you stop if you were in my shoes?”

The Needle Master gritted his teeth as he chased after the Heavenly Divine Healer, whose lightness skill seemed to improve by leaps and bounds with each passing day.

For a while, the area near Byeok Taesan’s residence was filled with commotion.

After the Owner of White Flower left, Byeok Taesan summoned Hwaryeong.

Hwaryeong sat respectfully across from Byeok Taesan.

“What do you think?”

Hwaryeong answered without hesitation.

“She is a person of both great skill and ambition.”

In other words, she would do well.

“Have you verified the information she provided earlier?”

“Yes. It appears Wuhan will soon fall into chaos.”

“That’s to be expected. But something about this feels oddly unsettling.”

Hwaryeong spoke calmly.

“I wasn’t stationed at the Wuhan branch, so I reviewed the existing information step by step. However, we still know almost nothing about the power backing the Golden Heavenly Alliance.”

“Ah, so that’s what’s bothering me.”

Acknowledging her words, Byeok Taesan slapped his knee in agreement. Hwaryeong bowed her head respectfully.

“I’ve been so busy with various matters that I forgot… Now that I think about it, the ones in Yichang might be the same people backing the Golden Heavenly Alliance.”

“I find that suspicious as well.”

Especially the existence of the Black Moon Blade.

The Black Moon Blade was a man who was supposed to be dead, yet rumors said he was alive and walking around.

Hwaryeong had encountered something similar in the past.

The Four Monsters were like that. So were the Mad Blood Trio.

“If we dig deeper into these people, they’re unlikely to be a small organization, are they?”

“I suspect they are immensely large. Even creating just one Jiangshi requires extensive preparation. The fact that they could prepare all of this in complete secrecy over such a long period demonstrates that their resources, influence, and power are anything but ordinary.”

“That’s probably true.”

Byeok Taesan sank into thought for a moment before turning back to Hwaryeong.

“Would it be better to involve a few other organizations, even if it’s a bit messy?”

Hwaryeong looked at Byeok Taesan with a mix of nervousness and awe.

It was the first time she had ever seen him ask someone else for their opinion. And the first person he had asked was her. How could she not feel moved?

Hwaryeong calmed her emotions and regained her composure before thinking carefully.

“If the subordinate forces can be controlled reliably, the more the better. However, if you’re asking me this, does that mean there’s another issue?”

“There’s a slight possibility of complications later.”

“Complications, as in…?”

“It’ll be a nuisance.”

“Excuse me?”

Hwaryeong stared blankly at Byeok Taesan. A nuisance? How was she supposed to interpret that?

Regaining her senses quickly, she responded.

“If you have someone in mind to handle those nuisances in your place, then it should be fine.”

“Someone to deal with the hassle, huh…”

That would indeed solve the problem. But who could he possibly entrust with such a role?

“The Heavenly Divine Healer is out of the question…”

He was too low in rank, a mere member of Heaven Guard Corps and a physician at that. Similarly, the leader of the White Tiger Escort Agency wasn’t an option. There wasn’t much difference between him and the Heavenly Divine Healer.

“It’s paradoxical, isn’t it? To prevent future trouble, you have to take on trouble now.”

A particular individual came to mind for Byeok Taesan. But he wasn’t sure if it was worth involving them. It might end up being more trouble than it was worth.

As Byeok Taesan furrowed his brows in thought, Hwaryeong continued her report.

“We’ve continued to investigate the Golden Heavenly Alliance, but since that incident, it’s as if their backers have cut ties with them completely.”

“So they abandoned them once the Golden Heavenly Alliance was on the verge of collapse.”

“Yes. But won’t they come looking again if they find it necessary later?”

Byeok Taesan’s eyes gleamed as he stroked his chin.

“True. They’ll undoubtedly come back when the need arises. After all, the fish caught in the net can’t escape.”

The question was, when would they find it necessary?

“Those people…”

“Yes, please go on.”

“What exactly were they planning to achieve with the Golden Heavenly Alliance? The Zhongli Clan was involved as well, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Not only the Zhongli Clan but also a part of the Hao Clan was entangled in this. It was a very complicated situation.”

“Indeed. It doesn’t make sense to go through all that trouble just to take over the Golden Wall Merchants.”

“My guess is… perhaps they were trying to control Wuhan from the shadows.”

“Control it from the shadows?”

“On the surface, it would appear as though no single power has taken control of Wuhan, with all forces maintaining a delicate balance. But in reality, one person would secretly be pulling all the strings.”

“I see.”

That was the most plausible explanation.

Although their plans had ultimately failed, thanks to Byeok Taesan.

“I’ll strengthen surveillance on the Golden Heavenly Alliance and plant more spies.”

Byeok Taesan nodded.

“Do that.”

For some reason, he had a feeling that something significant would start with the Golden Heavenly Alliance.

‘It would be nice if they brought along plenty of half-Jiangshi.’

With that thought, Byeok Taesan smacked his lips slightly.