The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 109: “It’s a Mess”

The Hubei Martial Alliance Leader urgently questioned the secretary as soon as he entered the office.

“How was it? Were they really from the Black Iron Workshop?”

The secretary answered cautiously.

“The body with the shattered head was impossible to identify, but the three relatively intact corpses were certainly warriors from the Black Iron Workshop.”

“As expected… So it’s true.”

“And the others were too shriveled to confirm accurately, but… it’s highly likely they also belonged to the Black Iron Workshop.”

The leader of the Hubei Martial Alliance frowned.

“They’re not ordinary. If it weren’t for Byeok Taesan, we might’ve been caught off guard again.”

“Caught off guard? That would’ve been… noisy, to say the least.”

The leader shook his head.

“Just thinking about those Black Iron Workshop men pouring out during all the chaos sends chills down my spine.”

The secretary smirked bitterly. That much was undeniable.

“Is Byeok Taesan resting well? Make sure he has proper accommodations. Pay extra attention to it.”

The secretary hesitated, looking a bit awkward.

“Well… Byeok Taesan and his group are currently staying at the Black Iron Workshop.”

The leader of the Hubei Martial Alliance stared at the secretary in disbelief.

“What? Don’t tell me they intend to stay there?”

“They said it’s comfortable.”

“Comfortable? At a place where there was a pile of corpses?”

“Well, we’ve already cleared everything out.”

Granted, the place did originally belong to the Black Iron Workshop. Even so, it had been left neglected for some time, so it would need some serious cleaning to be livable.

Moreover, the place was far too large.

“There are less than twenty of them, right? Isn’t the place too vast for such a small group?”

“Well, I’m sure they’ll manage.”

The leader shook his head in disbelief and shifted the conversation.

“Anyway, how’s the search going? Any progress?”

The secretary grimaced bitterly.

“It seems that the identities of our search parties have been exposed. We’ve made no progress.”

The leader scowled.

“You do know we’ve mobilized nearly everyone in the Hubei Martial Alliance, right? If we end up leaving the base unguarded, we’ll have no excuse if something happens.”

“We’ll hurry. That’s why I wanted to suggest… how about hiring the Hao Clan for assistance?”

“The Hao Clan?”

The leader’s frown deepened and showed no sign of easing.

“Aren’t they past their prime? I thought they were barely holding on.”

“That’s how they used to be, but things have changed recently.”

“Really…? Will they even take the job?”

“That’s something we’ll need to check.”

The leader waved his hand dismissively.

“Just get it done quickly. Don’t forget we’re racing against time. Oh, and let Byeok Taesan know I’d like to meet him. It’s only polite to greet him properly since he’s come all this way.”

“Yes, I’ll convey the message.”

Byeok Taesan’s group had settled at the Black Iron Workshop.

They decided to stay there until the situation in Yichang was resolved.

Byeok Taesan had impulsively proposed it, and Hwaryeong immediately contacted the Hao Clan to arrange the manor for their use.

Since the Hubei Martial Alliance had collected all the corpses, the Hao Clan only needed to clean up and repair the damaged areas.

After arriving late at night, they had quickly destroyed the half-Jiangshi and the warriors with exploding energy at the Black Iron Workshop, contacted the Hubei Martial Alliance to retrieve the bodies, and had the Hao Clan scouts clean and repair the place. By the time they were finished, the darkness had begun to recede.

Byeok Taesan chose to use one of the pavilions in the inner courtyard of the Black Iron Workshop.

In truth, they didn’t need to use the entire place. Byeok Taesan’s group, including the additional Hao Clan members who came to assist, numbered only about thirty.

For such a small group, the Black Iron Workshop was excessively large. Even using a single pavilion felt like too much space.

The group assigned themselves rooms within the pavilion and immediately fell asleep.

They had rushed from Wuhan to Yichang in a single day, followed by an intense battle, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted.

To recover properly, nothing was more important than a comfortable rest.

Byeok Taesan decided to use the top floor of the pavilion alone and had a large, plush bed moved there.

Sitting on the bed, he closed his eyes and began organizing the spiritual energy he had obtained today.

The spiritual energy he had gained today was unparalleled in quality compared to anything he had encountered before.

Although he had only absorbed one-tenth of the total energy, that fraction alone surpassed the combined energy of hundreds of half-Jiangshi.

He methodically stored the energy within his body.

With his Severed Meridians Syndrome fully healed, there was no longer a need to invest spiritual energy into his qi pathways.

Now, all he had to do was accumulate and store the energy within his body.

Byeok Taesan spread the energy evenly throughout his body as he stored it.

All past Heavenly Demons had mastered the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art, extracting energy from souls and accumulating it within their bodies.

However, the method of accumulating and using this energy varied greatly among them.

Typically, it was compressed and stored in the lower or middle dantian for use.

Energy was rarely allowed to reach the upper dantian, and as a rule, energy was never directed above the neck.

The effects of spiritual energy on the brain were still unknown.

The spiritual energy created by burning a soul in its entirety undoubtedly had adverse effects. Preventing those effects was the priority.

During Byeok Taesan’s time as the Heavenly Demon, he used to divide his spiritual energy between his middle dantian and lower dantian, storing it in both.

When he eventually surpassed his limits, he expanded his energy storage to the qi pathways around the dantian.

The best practice was to confine the spiritual energy within the dantian as much as possible.

At least, that was the case during his days as the Heavenly Demon, before he attained enlightenment regarding the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art. No, that was what he believed at the time.

Now, things were different.

The spiritual energy he had obtained recently was incredibly pure and clean.

Clean spiritual energy positively influenced the body, which allowed him to accumulate it in ways he could never have imagined in the past.

After spreading and organizing his spiritual energy evenly, Byeok Taesan slowly opened his eyes.

Though he didn’t train extensively, the effects of spiritual energy were steadily improving his body.

He wasn’t just becoming healthier.

His muscles and bones were becoming tougher, more durable, and more flexible.

His blood was purified, and his heart grew stronger.

Even his mental acuity seemed sharper. His memory felt enhanced, and his thoughts flowed more quickly.

Moreover, any training he undertook now yielded significantly greater results.

“If I gather more spiritual energy, it might even be possible to share similar benefits with those around me…”

If he released his spiritual energy in his surroundings, those training in martial arts within that sphere would see their efficiency skyrocket.

And doing so wouldn’t deplete his spiritual energy, either.

Of course, he was still far from achieving that. His spiritual energy would need to increase by hundreds of times before he could even attempt it.

After carefully assessing the spiritual energy he had gathered, Byeok Taesan lay down on his bed.

He fell asleep almost instantly and didn’t wake until the sun was already high in the sky the next day.

When Byeok Taesan sat up after waking, Soso, who had been waiting quietly outside the door, spoke up.

“I’ll prepare water for your bath, Young Master.”

Soso and Dan Yeong entered, carrying a large basin filled with warm water, and placed it beside the bed.

As usual, Byeok Taesan washed himself with their assistance.

Once the bathwater was cleared away, other attendants brought in food. He ate breakfast, again receiving the same attentive care.

After the meal, Byeok Taesan stepped outside. As soon as he did, the attendants swarmed in to clean the room.

Thanks to having taken over the Black Iron Workshop, he was able to maintain his usual lifestyle.

Of course, this was possible because he had brought all ten of his attendants along.

Byeok Taesan was pleased that he had taken the trouble to train them in martial arts and brought them along. He decided that he would continue to take them wherever he went.

Descending to the lower floor, he found Hwaryeong waiting for him. She quickly approached and stood by his side.

“Young Master, we received a message from the Hubei Martial Alliance this morning.”

When Byeok Taesan nodded for her to continue, Hwaryeong proceeded with the report.

“The leader of the Hubei Martial Alliance wishes to meet you and has requested that you visit them.”

Byeok Taesan chuckled faintly.

“Still as presumptuous as ever, demanding me to come and go at their whim. If they want to see me, they can come here.”

If they came to him, he was willing to grant them an audience—provided he was still present when they arrived.

“What about half-Jiangshi?”

“Even as we speak, the Hao Clan has been investigating since the incident, but progress has been minimal.”

Byeok Taesan frowned.

“Nothing has changed since before.”

The Shadow Report Division should have enhanced their competence, but if they couldn’t even track the whereabouts of a half-Jiangshi, what good were they?

Hwaryeong, sensing the tension, hurriedly spoke up. Although she was no longer affiliated with the Hao Clan, she still hoped Byeok Taesan would view them favorably.

“The group known as Nameless Sect seems to have meticulously planned this operation. They infiltrated after thoroughly analyzing the Pavilion’s information network and preparing countermeasures.”

Byeok Taesan silently observed Hwaryeong, his gaze asking why that mattered.

“As a result, the Hao Clan couldn’t avoid being caught off guard at first. However, they are now devising countermeasures, and there should be news soon.”

Byeok Taesan nodded.

For now, this was likely the limit of what they could do.

“What about the Hubei Martial Alliance?”

“Their intelligence network is virtually paralyzed. This morning, they submitted a formal request to the Hao Clan.”

Byeok Taesan smirked.

It was a mess.

And it reminded him once again of how exceptional the Moon Spirit Corps were.

If he could deploy the Moon Spirit Corps, they wouldn’t just locate the half-Jiangshi but uncover everything behind it.

Though capturing the entire Nameless Sect would be another matter entirely.

Hwaryeong cautiously added more information.

“The Hao Clan has identified one potential location. However, they seem uncertain about it.”

“Let’s go.”

As Byeok Taesan quickened his pace, Hwaryeong hurried to follow.

Byeok Taesan and Hwaryeong arrived at a tightly packed residential area.

Though technically a residential district, it was more akin to a slum.

The houses were small and crammed together, forming walls with narrow alleys in between, which served as makeshift pathways.

The maze of alleyways twisted and turned like a spider’s web, forming a chaotic and complicated layout.

Entering the area, one could tell it wouldn’t be easy to navigate back out if lost.

Of course, climbing up to get a better view and running across rooftops would solve the problem, but still.

“It’s over there. Even the Hao Clan mentioned that properly investigating deeper inside was challenging, so they couldn’t gather precise information.”

That was understandable.

“It does look complicated.”

Even in his time as the Heavenly Demon, Byeok Taesan had never visited a place like this.

What reason would the Heavenly Demon have to go to a slum?

Even if there was business in the slum, it was natural for his subordinates to handle it on his behalf.

The sheer scale of the slum must have made it difficult for the Hao Clan to locate the half-Jiangshi here.

That’s probably why the Nameless Sect had hidden the half-Jiangshi here specifically.

And it was unlikely this was the only place where the half-Jiangshi were concealed.

Others might struggle to find the half-Jiangshi in a place like this, but Byeok Taesan was different.

He had the ability to sense the unique presence of the half-Jiangshi, hovering on the boundary between life and death.

Moreover, his sensory abilities were so exceptional that he could cover an incredibly wide radius with them.

However, it was clear that he would need to scour the entire slum.

In other words, he’d have to navigate the maze-like alleys systematically, without retracing his steps, with the help of someone familiar with the area.

As he thought this, Byeok Taesan glanced at Hwaryeong.

Interestingly, Hwaryeong responded eagerly, as though she had anticipated his thoughts without him needing to explain.

“There should be someone in the Hao Clan who knows this area well. I’ll summon them right away.”

With that, Hwaryeong turned and made a strange gesture.

Soon, someone from a distance approached quickly.

After exchanging a few words with Hwaryeong, the person bowed and ran off, returning shortly with someone in tow.

Hwaryeong respectfully reported to Byeok Taesan.

“I’ve brought someone who knows the area well.”

Byeok Taesan looked at Hwaryeong silently for a moment before turning and stepping toward the slum, throwing a brief comment over his shoulder.

“Well… you’re somewhat useful.”

Hwaryeong’s lips curled into a slight smile. She gave a quick glance to the Hao Clan scout standing beside her.

The scout hurried forward to take the lead.

“I’ll guide you.”

Byeok Taesan followed him.

The alleyways were so narrow that only one person could pass through at a time.

The Hao Clan scout expertly navigated the labyrinthine alleys, weaving through them without ever retracing their path while methodically covering the slum.

Byeok Taesan, on the other hand, paid no attention to anything else, focusing solely on whether a half-Jiangshi entered his range of perception.

Before long, he sensed one.

“Wait here.”

With those words, Byeok Taesan disappeared in an instant.

The Hao Clan scout and Hwaryeong were caught off guard.

Before they could even grasp the situation, Byeok Taesan reappeared.

“Let’s go.”

The Hao Clan scout, still bewildered, resumed leading the way, while Hwaryeong glanced at Byeok Taesan with wide eyes.

As they continued their search, Byeok Taesan disappeared and reappeared six more times, each time briefly but efficiently handling something.

By the time they finished scouring the entire slum and began to leave, Byeok Taesan had a deeply satisfied smile on his face.