The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 100: I Won’t Regret It

Gyeol Gyeong headed to the Golden Wall Merchants with a cheerful heart.

Today was the day he had promised to meet with Heavenly Divine Healer, and it was also the day he was to meet with Chae Wol. He planned to accept her as his disciple.

Gyeol Gyeong had never entertained the thought that Chae Wol would reject his offer.

No matter how much Byeok Taesan had done for her, and no matter how much Chae Wol valued loyalty, it was irrelevant.

Logically speaking, if Chae Wol truly wanted to repay Byeok Taesan’s kindness, becoming a disciple of someone like Gyeol Gyeong, a skilled person of the Black Lotus, would be far more advantageous.

It might take some time, but she would become much stronger and gain power.

Moreover, depending on how Chae Wol acted, she could even seize greater power and influence.

Whether thinking of the present or the future, accepting Gyeol Gyeong’s offer would benefit everyone.

So, Gyeol Gyeong had no worries about Chae Wol.

The only person Gyeol Gyeong was concerned about was Byeok Taesan.

If Byeok Taesan were to secretly advise Chae Wol, preventing her from leaving the Golden Wall Merchants, it would cause trouble.

Although he couldn’t be sure since he hadn’t fully understood Chae Wol’s personality, from the atmosphere, if Byeok Taesan tried to interfere, things could become extremely complicated.

“I should have blocked that possibility beforehand…”

Gyeol Gyeong frowned. He had failed to handle something important.

In fact, he should have dealt with this issue when he met Byeok Taesan last time. However, the atmosphere that day had made it impossible.

Even now, Gyeol Gyeong was still puzzled as to why they had acted that way.

Currently, he was investigating around the Golden Wall Merchants and Byeok Taesan’s vicinity, suspecting there might still be hidden experts. But nothing substantial had come up.

The only thing he had learned was that Byeok Taesan had some connections with the Wanderer Market and a few figures from the Unorthodox Faction faction of Wuhan.

But none of that was particularly surprising.

For someone like Byeok Taesan, a wealthy merchant leader, it was normal to have connections with mercenaries or groups like the Unorthodox Factions, using money to manipulate them for various purposes.

Lost in thought, Gyeol Gyeong soon arrived at the Golden Wall Merchants and met with the General Manager who had been waiting for him.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Ga Mujin.”

The General Manager greeted him politely and led Gyeol Gyeong inside.

“I heard you won’t be meeting our Young Master today,”

Gyeol Gyeong nodded in response.

“That’s correct. Today, I’ll only meet with Chae Wol, and then leave immediately. Some urgent matters came up…”

“I see. Truly as expected from an expert of the Black Lotus. This way, please.”

Gyeol Gyeong followed the General Manager with a slightly displeased expression.

In truth, he had wanted to meet Byeok Taesan today. Frankly speaking, meeting him to settle things would have made it much easier to take Chae Wol as his disciple.

But since Byeok Taesan had claimed to be busy, the meeting had fallen through.

It was frustrating, but oddly enough, Gyeol Gyeong wasn’t upset. He just felt slightly inconvenienced and moved on.

This was also a bit strange, but when he heard that he wouldn’t be meeting Byeok Taesan, Gyeol Gyeong had, surprisingly, felt a bit relieved.

“Am I starting to feel uncomfortable around Byeok Taesan? Why?”

That thought crossed his mind, but he couldn’t continue it as they had already reached the reception room.

“You may enter. Lord Heavenly Divine Healer is waiting for you,”

Gyeol Gyeong quickly expressed his thanks and entered the room.

He was struck by a sudden sense of brightness as he entered.

“She really is beautiful.”

There were several people in the reception room, but Gyeol Gyeong’s gaze was fixed solely on Chae Wol.

“She looks even more beautiful than the last time I saw her.”

That was the impression he got. Chae Wol appeared even more stunning now than when he had first seen her.

“Please sit here.”

At Heavenly Divine Healer’s words, Gyeol Gyeong snapped back to reality and hurriedly took the offered seat.

He sat across from Chae Wol, Heavenly Divine Healer, and Needle Master.

Chae Wol sat in the center, with Heavenly Divine Healer and Needle Master flanking her.

Only after seating himself did Gyeol Gyeong turn his gaze toward the back of the room.

Standing behind the three at the table were Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon.

Gyeol Gyeong’s expression grew strange.

“So it’s them?”

He immediately assessed Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon’s skills. Clearly, they were far weaker than him.

But they were far from pushovers.

Gyeol Gyeong thought back to the information he had gathered about the people around Byeok Taesan.

“Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon? So these are formidable individuals?”

Gyeol Gyeong decided that once he returned, he would need to restart his investigation into Byeok Taesan and the Golden Wall Merchants.

Also, Needle Master, who was sitting across from him, wasn’t someone to underestimate.

In fact, Gyeol Gyeong had been gathering information about Needle Master for a long time through the Black Lotus network.

Knowing about skilled physicians was crucial for a martial organization.

However, the Needle Master he had learned about through the Black Lotus was quite different from the person sitting in front of him now.

“It’s risky.”

He was confident that he would win if it came to a fight, but the process would be anything but easy.

Suddenly, he felt a bit burdened by the situation.

If anything went wrong and a fight broke out, things could get complicated.

“Now, the seat is ready. Please feel free to speak your mind,” Heavenly Divine Healer said with a gentle smile.

Gyeol Gyeong tried to stay calm and looked at Chae Wol.

When their eyes met, he sensed that things weren’t going to go as planned.

“I can’t pressure her into agreeing with force.”

He hadn’t completely ruled out using force, but after seeing the people present, he quickly abandoned the thought.

If he tried something here, he wouldn’t even break even.

“Did you come here knowing what I was going to say?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You came here to refuse my offer, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Is it because of Young Master Byeok?”

“Partly, yes.”

“Then I’ll have to work on the other half.”

The question of what that “other half” was hung in the air.

Instead of answering verbally, Chae Wol slowly scanned the room, her gaze drifting to Needle Master, Heavenly Divine Healer, Yoo Seoyeon, and even the people who weren’t here, but who might be around somewhere in the Golden Wall Merchants.

Gyeol Gyeong couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Not even a needle would fit in here.”

He glared at Chae Wol with a stern expression.

“The future of you and your people is on the line. If you make a decision based solely on sentiment, you will regret it later.”

Chae Wol answered calmly.

“It’s not just a sentimental decision.”

Gyeol Gyeong’s eyebrows twitched.

“And I won’t regret it,”

Gyeol Gyeong silently stared at Chae Wol. It wasn’t a glare, but his gaze carried pressure, and anyone else would have likely been unable to hold eye contact with him.

However, Chae Wol didn’t look away. She stared straight back, not even blinking.

Gyeol Gyeong shook his head and stood up.

He knew there was no point in talking any further.

“I do hope you’ll be able to keep your word,”

With those words, Gyeol Gyeong glanced at Heavenly Divine Healer and Needle Master.

“I’ll be taking my leave now.”

He nodded lightly and turned, heading for the reception room.

Heavenly Divine Healer signaled Cheon Kyungwan with a subtle glance.

Cheon Kyungwan hurriedly followed behind and guided Gyeol Gyeong until he exited the Golden Wall Merchants.

Heavenly Divine Healer remained seated, staring at Chae Wol.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“Fine? With hands trembling like that?”

Needle Master spoke with a hint of scorn. He then suddenly offered a pill wrapped in paper.

“If you take this, it will calm your mind and body. The trembling will subside.”

“Ah… thank you.”

“It’s not good enough to be grateful for. Just take it quickly.”

Chae Wol smiled gently at Needle Master’s words. She unwrapped the paper, placed the pill in her mouth, and slowly chewed it.

“Do you always have to speak so curtly?” Heavenly Divine Healer asked, glancing at Needle Master.

“What do you mean, you brat?”

Heavenly Divine Healer looked at Chae Wol and continued, “Understand this. He’s been living his whole life cursing at people, so he’s not used to speaking kindly. I wonder when he’ll change that… tch tch.”

He shook his head in exasperation and added, “Sometimes I wonder if I’m serving my older brother or teaching a child.”

Chae Wol covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

Needle Master shouted at her, “What are you laughing at? Don’t smile at his words! He thinks he’s always right!”

“Hey! Why bring that up now? And weren’t you the one who told me to keep my mouth shut? Damn it, do you want to fight right now?”

“Stop swearing. Chae Wol, you need to understand. I told you earlier, right? I’ve lived my whole life just cursing. Changing something like that isn’t easy. So, what can we do? We just have to understand it.”

Needle Master clenched his fist tightly. Seeing his shaking fist made it clear that he was filled with anger.

“Oh, wait. I haven’t chopped the herbs yet. Guess I’ll take my leave now,” Heavenly Divine Healer said, rushing out.

Needle Master followed closely behind him.

Chae Wol, now no longer trembling, smiled warmly as she watched the two of them leave.

Yoo Seoyeon gently patted her shoulder, and a smile similar to Chae Wol’s appeared on her face.

Meanwhile…

Namgung Jun and Zhuge Gwan were sitting at a large round table, sharing a drink.

The relationship between the Namgung Clan and the Zhuge Clan wasn’t particularly good or bad.

The regions where the two clans operated were far apart, so their territories didn’t overlap, and there hadn’t been any major incidents recently that required the two families to work together.

Because of that, their relationship had remained at a neutral level.

However, recently, things have become a bit closer.

The catalyst was a recent meeting with Byeok Taesan.

Talking about the events of that day had led to more frequent meetings and conversations, gradually bringing them closer.

Tonight, as soon as the sun had set, they met here to drink together.

As the largest tavern in Wuhan, there were plenty of private spaces for them to drink undisturbed.

“We’ve seen each other quite a bit, so how about we open up a little tonight?” Zhuge Gwan suggested.

Namgung Jun smiled slightly and nodded.

The past time had been spent observing each other’s tendencies and dispositions.

Now that they had a general sense of one another, it was time to make a decision.

“I’ll be honest first. The reason I came to Wuhan was because of the scoundrels who were eating away at our clan from the inside,” Zhuge Gwan said.

“I’m the same. There are despicable people trying to shake up our Namgung Clan,” Namgung Jun replied.

“Do you have any idea who they are?”

“They’re very good at cutting off their trails.”

A brief silence settled between them.

“Maybe the Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus are here because of that,” Namgung Jun said, breaking the silence.

Zhuge Gwan nodded.

“That’s likely. Whoever is messing with us has probably also stirred up the Murim Alliance or the Black Lotus. But I’m certain Gyeol Gyeong and Jin Sahong know nothing about it.”

“Don’t know about it?” Namgung Jun asked.

“Yes. The Martial Alliance and the Black Lotus likely threw Gyeol Gyeong and Jin Sahong out as bait and are moving behind the scenes.”

Namgung Jun chuckled and shook his head.

“Maybe the other five great clans don’t even realize they’re being played.”

The conversation between the two was becoming more serious.

“Doesn’t the incident with the Hubeii Martial Alliance seem like something those bastards would do?”

“They haven’t made such blatant moves, so I can’t be certain… but the possibility is high.”

“The problem is… all traces of Wuhan have completely disappeared,” Zhuge Gwan added.

Namgung Jun furrowed his brows.

“Could Byeok Taesan really have cleaned up those who entered Wuhan so quickly?”

“Byeok Taesan is definitely connected to the Wanderer Market and the Unorthodox… but I have no idea how he used them,” Zhuge Gwan replied.

“He’s a remarkable one. There’s definitely a hidden expert there… I just wonder where he’s hiding.”

“Anyway, what are we going to do now? Do you think we should stay in Wuhan?” Zhuge Gwan asked.

Since the people causing trouble had cut off all their traces and disappeared, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any major events in Wuhan for a while.

That meant it would be the right time to withdraw. But something about it still didn’t sit right with Zhuge Gwan.

He knew exactly why.

“Byeok Taesan…” he muttered.

He couldn’t shake the thought of Byeok Taesan.

Zhuge Gwan looked at Namgung Jun and said, “We need to get closer to Heavenly Divine Healer and Needle Master.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Well, we can’t just befriend Byeok Taesan. There’s too much of an age gap.”

“I see. So you’re suggesting we target the people around him.”

“Exactly. From what I can tell, they’re both fond of drinking and women, despite being excellent physicians. So it should be easy to approach them.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

The two of them laughed, raised their cups, and emptied them in one go.

They were completely unaware that Heavenly Divine Healer and Needle Master were currently busy preparing herbs and wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.