The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 124 < Draw the Sword >

When Byeok Taesan arrived at the Golden Wall Estate, he headed straight to where the physicians of the Heavenly Medicine Pavilion were making medicine.

Fortunately, no one came out to greet him, allowing him to proceed directly without any interruptions.

Byeok Taesan’s pace gradually quickened, and soon, he arrived at a spacious clearing.

The physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Pavilion were busily tending to their tasks. Their work was purely laborious—chopping, refining, sorting, grinding herbs into powder, boiling them in cauldrons, collecting, dividing, cooling, and solidifying the concoctions.

It was the kind of work that kept one busy enough to lose track of time, especially with the sheer volume of herbs they had to process.

The clearing itself was piled high with herbs, yet it wasn’t all there was. By the time they were close to finishing, workers would bring in another massive batch, restocking it to the original level.

Initially, the sight had been overwhelming enough to make them want to faint, but by now, they had grown indifferent to it.

As soon as Byeok Taesan stepped into the clearing, he scanned the individuals one by one. Perhaps due to his recent experience with the Cho Seoran, he seemed to notice some peculiar commonalities among them.

While he was silently observing, some of the physicians noticed him and flinched in surprise.

“Y-Young Master?”

Byeok Taesan nodded slightly.

“Yes. It seems you’ve been doing well.”

His words stirred a small wave of emotion among the physicians. Byeok Taesan they knew was not someone who would normally say such things.

This change in attitude suggested something had shifted within him. It even sparked the thought that he might actually recognize and appreciate their hard work, causing emotions to well up in their hearts.

Of course, the grueling, repetitive work schedule they endured might have left them emotionally vulnerable, making it easier for them to feel moved.

But what did it matter? The result was positive.

“Has the Sect Leader also arrived?”

“She’ll be here soon.”

As soon as Byeok Taesan finished speaking, Cho Seoran came rushing into the clearing.

When she saw Byeok Taesan standing there, she froze, clearly startled. She hadn’t expected him to come here first as soon as he returned to the Golden Wall Estate.

“Y-Young Master?”

Cho Seoran’s eyes wavered as her thoughts began to race. She couldn’t help but assign some significance to the fact that he had chosen to come here before visiting any other location.

Ever since spending a night with Byeok Taesan, her mind had been consumed with doubt and turmoil. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he might have regarded her as nothing more than a fleeting indulgence.

Her concerns had even led her to mention her worries about the Heavenly Medicine Pavilion to the Heavenly Divine Healer, which eventually prompted the decision to relocate the pavilion.

Given her state of mind, her thoughts grew increasingly complicated.

But seeing him now made her realize her worries might have been unfounded.

Regaining a bit of composure, she suddenly remembered Yeon Harin. A subtle unease crept onto her face.

‘Surely… she wouldn’t drag me into a hair-pulling fight, would she?’

While Cho Seoran was lost in such thoughts, Byeok Taesan gave her a light nod and said, “You’ll explain everything in detail.”

“Pardon?”

Cho Seoran blinked at him, her eyes wide. Caught up in her musings, she hadn’t heard what he said earlier.

However, Byeok Taesan didn’t bother to repeat himself and left without further explanation.

As he departed, Cho Seoran turned her gaze toward the physicians, whose eyes sparkled with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

“Is it true?”

“Uh, w-what is?”

“Is our Heavenly Medicine Pavilion really relocating here to Wuhan?”

Realizing what they meant, Cho Seoran let out a small, bitter laugh and nodded.

“Yes, that’s what’s happening.”

She then began to explain in detail what had occurred with the Heavenly Medicine Pavilion and how things had progressed since then.

The more they listened, the more their eyes seemed to shine with excitement.

Byeok Taesan’s next destination was the training hall.

Given that he had been away for quite some time, it was worth checking on how their training had been going in his absence.

In truth, there weren’t many left in the Golden Wall Estate’s training hall who could be considered serious practitioners. Most of those who trained there had been taken to the Heavenly Medicine Pavilion.

Upon arrival, he found Yeon Harin, Shadow One, Shadow Two, and Shadow Three training with fierce determination.

All four of them were immersed in their practice, shrouded in an intense aura of poisonous energy.

Byeok Taesan tilted his head in slight confusion as he watched.

Yeon Harin’s relentless training was nothing new, but seeing Shadow One, Shadow Two, and Shadow Three this way was unexpected.

These three were not the type to train with such intensity. They had learned martial arts, but that was as far as their interest went—they had leaned more toward labor-related tasks.

They seemed like entirely different people, dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to training.

They were so engrossed in their practice that they didn’t even notice Byeok Taesan’s presence.

Byeok Taesan stood still without interfering, observing the training while suppressing his presence.

Seeing someone train so earnestly as if their life depended on it always puts him in a good mood.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to give them something.

Even though such feelings had been rare in the past, Byeok Taesan did not feel flustered or deny them.

He simply accepted them naturally.

Recently, he had realized that this was part of the process of his soul gradually settling into his body.

If he continued to accept it naturally, the subtle sense of disconnection between his body and soul would eventually disappear entirely.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Byeok Taesan turned his gaze back to the four people in training.

The four had been practicing Spirit Wing Divine Art all morning. Now, they were focusing on their individual martial arts.

Shadow One, Shadow Two, and Shadow Three were tangled in what could only be described as a brawl.

The Silver Iron Technique was a martial art that made the body as solid as ink-forged iron.

Using their hardened bodies, they practiced combat techniques in real-time scenarios.

The secret manual of Silver Iron Technique not only contained the internal energy cultivation method to absorb the energy of ink iron but also combat techniques to utilize it.

The techniques of Silver Iron Technique were extremely brutal and aggressive.

It was a martial art that relied on pure physical strength and reckless charging, so its savage and violent nature was naturally evident during practice.

Perhaps because they came from a background in the unorthodox path, all three suited Silver Iron Technique perfectly.

Their training methods were so vicious that, had anyone other than Byeok Taesan been watching, they would have been shocked and tried to stop them.

However, Byeok Taesan simply nodded once in approval.

This level of training was commonplace among the warriors of the Demonic Cult. There was nothing extraordinary about it.

Byeok Taesan's attention then shifted to Yeon Harin.

Yeon Harin was practicing her family's exclusive martial art, wielding her sword as if she were in a real battle against an imaginary opponent.

It was utterly fierce.

As he watched quietly, Byeok Taesan's eyes suddenly sharpened.

Just now, in one of Yeon Harin's techniques, something other than her family's martial art had appeared.

At first, he thought it was a coincidence. However, it continued to appear intermittently.

The martial art that had mingled with Yeon Harin's techniques was one Byeok Taesan knew very well, so he was certain of it.

There was no mistake.

'So, the soul really has merged? Then... could it mean that the girl has... died?'

Byeok Taesan's expression stiffened slightly.

He observed Yeon Harin’s sword once more.

The instances of mingling grew more frequent. It was unmistakable—this was the Soul-Severing Demon Sword.

This was a martial art he had intended to teach Yeon Harin later.

'For now... this must be stopped.'

If left as it was, there was a high chance that Yeon Harin’s family martial art and Soul-Severing Demon Sword would fuse improperly, leading her down the wrong path.

It would be far better to halt her training now and guide her to learn the Soul-Severing Demon Sword properly from the beginning.

It was not an easy technique, but her achievements would likely be remarkable given her tenacity.

Of course, it would be a bit painful.

Byeok Taesan approached Yeon Harin, gradually increasing his presence.

When he was about halfway to her, the four people in the training hall flinched and turned to look at him in surprise.

Yeon Harin's eyes widened like lanterns.

"Young Master!"

She quickly sheathed her sword and ran toward him.

She wanted to hug him immediately, but her body was drenched in sweat from training. She stopped awkwardly just in front of him.

Byeok Taesan chuckled at her hesitation.

The girl from before would never have hesitated in this situation. She would have simply thrown herself into his arms.

Of course, he had never successfully dodged her before.

In that sense, Yeon Harin was slightly different from that girl.

Yeon Harin carefully examined Byeok Taesan’s face with a peculiar gaze.

"Young Master, when did you arrive? Did you just get here?"

Byeok Taesan nodded, and Yeon Harin’s expression turned radiant with joy.

"Then, did you come to see me first?"

It wasn’t true, but Byeok Taesan saw no need to correct her. Even someone like him knew better than to ruin the moment.

"I'll go wash up quickly. Should I meet you in your room?"

Byeok Taesan shook his head at her suggestion.

"No need. You’ll end up drenched in sweat again anyway."

Yeon Harin’s face turned as red as heated iron as she tried to interpret his words.

"N-no! But still, it might make you uncomfortable..."

Her heart pounded wildly, feeling as though his attitude toward her was somehow different today.

With a tense expression, she swallowed dryly and subtly turned her head to glare at Shadow One, Shadow Two, and Shadow Three, who were staring blankly in their direction.

Startled, the three quickly bowed at a right angle toward them.

"We’re glad to see you return safely, Young Master!"

"Please enjoy your time together!"

"We have pressing matters, so we’ll take our leave now!"

The three scurried out of the training hall as if fleeing.

Byeok Taesan watched them with slightly narrowed eyes before turning back to Yeon Harin.

Yeon Harin shyly averted her gaze.

“Draw your sword.”

“Pardon?”

Yeon Harin looked at Byeok Taesan with a puzzled expression, wondering what he meant.

“From the looks of it, your mind, body, and energy have aligned. There’s no need to train in the Spirit Wing Divine Art for the time being. Focus on your sword.”

“Ah… Yes, of course.”

Yeon Harin’s eyes wavered slightly.

Byeok Taesan, unconcerned, continued speaking.

“What I’m going to teach you is called the Soul-Breaking Demon Sword.”

“Soul-Breaking… Demon Sword?”

At the mention of a demon sword, Yeon Harin’s eyes widened. The name was far from ordinary.

“What does the name matter? What’s important is how well this martial art suits you.”

At Byeok Taesan’s calm words, Yeon Harin nodded unconsciously. He wasn’t wrong.

“It’s incredibly powerful, but the training will be extremely grueling. Brace yourself. If you don’t want to, say so now. There are other martial arts that are easier to learn.”

“But those would be weaker, wouldn’t they?”

Byeok Taesan smirked. There was no need to say more.

The Soul-Breaking Demon Sword was an extraordinary martial art. Its name meant “breaking the soul,” but it didn’t refer to the opponent’s soul—it meant one’s own.

It was a martial art that gained power by shattering the practitioner’s own soul.

It was somewhat connected to the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art.

In fact, it might even be related to the reason why Seon Haryeong’s soul had become intertwined with Yeon Harin’s.

“Well, let’s begin.”

Byeok Taesan smiled faintly.

For some reason, that smile struck Yeon Harin as terrifying.

What followed in their training filled the training hall with screams for quite some time.

Even the determined Yeon Harin couldn’t endure the training of the Soul-Breaking Demon Sword without faltering.

Byeok Taesan wasn’t surprised. It had been the same with Seon Haryeong in the past.

He repeated the same words he’d said back then.

“Quiet down. If you keep screaming, all the energy you’ve gathered will escape through your mouth.”

Yeon Harin almost cursed but managed to hold it in.

After two hours later, she finally succeeded in suppressing her screams and wielding her sword.

A tremendous force surged through her body and exploded outward through the blade.

Stunned, she stood there, alternating her gaze between her sword and Byeok Taesan.

“You’ve taken your first step. Well done.”

He hadn’t expected her to manage this in just one shichen. Even Seon Haryeong hadn’t achieved that.

Perhaps it was possible because Seon Haryeong’s soul had partially merged with Yeon Harin’s.

“What are you doing? Once you start, you have to keep going. You’re not satisfied with just this, are you?”

Yeon Harin gritted her teeth. Her eyes gleamed with determination, radiating venomous resolve.

Of course not. Stopping now would make all the pain she had endured feel meaningless.

Without a word, she tightened her lips and began swinging her sword again.

Byeok Taesan, watching her, nodded slightly before turning and leaving the training hall.

As Byeok Taesan stepped out of the training hall, the manager came running toward him in a fluster.

“Young Master! Why didn’t you send a word in advance?”

The manager's face was full of discontent.

“Nothing out of the ordinary happened, I assume?”

“What could possibly happen? Oh, by the way, Young Master, have you heard the rumor that the Heavenly Medicine Pavilion is relocating here to Wuhan?”

Since Byeok Taesan had been with Cho Seoran, the Medicine King, the Manager assumed he might have some insight.

“Things have been a bit chaotic in Wuhan because of it. The Heavenly Medicine Pavilion is known as the best in the world when it comes to medicine. Everyone is eager to establish some connection with them.”

The Manager looked at Byeok Taesan with sparkling eyes. But when Byeok Taesan remained silent, the Manager’s lips pouted slightly in disappointment.

Quickly regaining composure, the Manager spoke again.

“Young Master, the Leader wishes to meet you.”

“Is that so? Should I go now?”

The Manager shook his head.

“You just arrived today. Take today and tomorrow to rest and recover from your journey. Visit him the evening after tomorrow.”

“Alright, then.”

“And, Young Master, the Young Leader will also be present at that meeting.”

The Young Leader referred to Byeok Taesoo’s son, Byeok Jehyeok.

Byeok Taesan turned to look at the Manager.

“You know I have no intention of involving myself with the Golden Wall Merchants, don’t you?”

The Manager chuckled awkwardly.

“I know that. I’m sure the Leader is aware of it as well.”

In that case, the meeting likely wasn’t about succession matters.

“Fine. I’ll go the day after tomorrow.”

With that, Byeok Taesan casually walked toward his residence.

The Manager bowed deeply as he watched Byeok Taesan leave.