The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 114:

"This is the place."

The location where Byeok Taesan and the Hao Clan Scout arrived was a fairly large house.

Similar-sized homes were clustered nearby, indicating it was a neighborhood where affluent people resided.

Tall walls stretched around the house, with a large, firmly shut gate in the middle.

Standing in front of the gate, Byeok Taesan tilted his head in curiosity.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I am certain. His name is Seung Doheung, a quite skilled formation master. However, he's not someone whose name is widely known. He arrived in Yichang three months ago and has been living in this house since then."

Byeok Taesan nodded once at the information provided by the Hao Clan Scout, then approached the gate and lightly pushed it with his hand.

The gate opened smoothly.

The Hao Clan Scout's eyes widened in disbelief.

That gate had definitely been locked. Yet now, it appeared otherwise.

‘Strange. Seung Doheung is meticulous about locking his gate.’

The Hao Clan Scout hurriedly followed Byeok Taesan inside the property.

"There are quite a few people living here, so perhaps we should announce our presence first..."

His words trailed off.

The chilling sensation that enveloped them as soon as they entered the house made him fall silent.

His experience of sneaking into numerous homes whispered to him: it would be difficult to find anyone here.

"This house is empty," Byeok Taesan stated.

The Hao Clan Scout nodded.

"Y-Yes, it does seem that way."

Byeok Taesan strode across the yard and entered the building.

The interior of the house was empty. It wasn’t as if someone had stolen the furniture; there were no signs of anything being disturbed.

It seemed likely that they had intentionally left the belongings untouched. Moving or breaking items might have drawn attention from the neighbors.

Byeok Taesan took a cursory look around the interior before beckoning to the Hao Clan Scout with his finger.

The scout quickly approached him.

"Are you good at tracking?"

"I can do it, but there are others who are far better than me. Shall I call for them?"

When Byeok Taesan nodded, the scout ran outside and soon returned, bringing three Hao Clan Scouts with him.

"We heard you've found something."

"Investigate the traces in this house. Find out where the people who were here have gone."

"Understood."

The Hao Clan Scouts quickly dispersed and began examining the area for clues.

Byeok Taesan didn’t intend to leave everything to them, though. He calmly walked through the house, observing the surroundings and sensing the flow of qi.

"So, he’s a formation master and even set up a formation in his own house."

At Byeok Taesan’s muttered comment, the Hao Clan Scout standing nearby was startled.

"There's a formation set up in this house?"

"Yes."

Though he didn’t know exactly what kind of formation it was, it was clear that it wasn’t a small one.

"Hmm."

Byeok Taesan carefully examined the flow of qi. Through it, he began to grasp the structure.

"I can faintly smell blood as well."

The scent of blood indicated that blood had been spilled here.

"How long do you think this house has been empty?"

"At least a month."

The faint smell of blood lingering after a month suggested that a significant amount had been spilled.

Clearly, something had happened here.

Byeok Taesan stood silently for a moment.

The Hao Clan Scouts needed to uncover a clue for tracking. If this place were disturbed further, it would become harder to find traces.

How long had he waited? One of the scouts rushed over in a fluster.

"We’ve found traces!"

"Have you?"

Byeok Taesan grinned and lifted his foot.

Everyone stared at him with puzzled expressions as he stomped down forcefully.

Boom!

A massive vibration rippled outward from Byeok Taesan’s foot.

The Hao Clan Scouts, standing beside him, felt an invisible force pushing them back.

Eventually, they stumbled backward.

Crack! Rattle!

Sounds of twisting and breaking echoed throughout the house.

Standing still, Byeok Taesan glanced toward one side and began walking.

"Formation masters—no matter the era—are always up to their usual sneaky tricks."

The Hao Clan Scouts, still trying to grasp what had happened, followed Byeok Taesan.

The direction he was heading in was the backyard garden behind the building.

When they arrived at the garden, their eyes widened at the changed scenery.

In a corner of the courtyard, a pit had formed.

It looked as though something below had been removed, causing the earth to cave in.

The array installed in this house had been designed to conceal that very pit.

When Byeok Taesan shattered the array, the pit that had been hidden beneath it was revealed.

Byeok Taesan strode toward the pit with deliberate steps. The Hao Clan scouts, their curiosity piqued, followed behind him, sticking close to his back.

Inside the pit lay a single box made of dark iron.

At a gesture from Byeok Taesan, one of the Hao Clan scouts quickly descended into the pit and retrieved the box.

After carefully dusting off the soil from the box, the scout respectfully presented it to Byeok Taesan.

Byeok Taesan took the box.

The box had no visible seams, as if the dark iron had been melted and solidified into the shape of a single, seamless container.

Yet, it was unmistakably a box—it was hollow inside.

The Hao Clan scouts stared at the box in Byeok Taesan's hands with curious eyes.

A box like this could probably be forced open with brute strength. They weren’t confident in their own strength, but they were sure Byeok Taesan could open it with a mere flick of his fingers.

But Byeok Taesan didn’t do that.

He simply examined the box, turning it over and studying it intently.

"This is interesting," he muttered.

The scouts flinched at his cold tone. It carried an undercurrent of subdued hostility, almost chilling.

Click.

The scouts’ eyes widened in shock.

The box had opened.

No one knew how Byeok Taesan had done it, but the lid had come off cleanly, despite the box having no visible seams.

Inside the box were a bluish medicine bottle and a needle made of dark iron.

The medicine bottle’s mouth was tightly sealed. Byeok Taesan used the needle to pierce the seal.

He then brought the bottle closer and sniffed the scent wafting from it.

After confirming the scent, Byeok Taesan casually rubbed the punctured area with his fingers.

The hole he had made with the needle disappeared without a trace.

"Let’s go."

Byeok Taesan turned abruptly and began walking away with long strides.

The Hao Clan scouts, momentarily startled, quickly scrambled to follow.

••••••

Go Jun-kwang couldn’t hide the anguish on his face.

"Ha! How utterly futile."

He was dumbfounded. How could this plan possibly have failed?

Go Jun-kwang’s objective for this operation had been clear: kill or capture Byeok Taesan.

To achieve this, he had mobilized every available force.

To eliminate any uncertainties, he had even brought Ma Jeong-wan into the fold, though it had been no easy task.

In truth, Ma Jeong-wan should not have been involved. He had other missions to carry out.

Yet, Go Jun-kwang had been confident. He had believed that with Ma Jeong-wan’s help, success was guaranteed.

Ma Jingwan was stronger than Geok Yangdu. And with the addition of the Bloodletting Demon Sword, handling Byeok Taesan should have been a simple matter.

On top of that, he had deployed all the warriors enhanced with the improved Blood Augmenting Pills to the Black Iron Workshop.

Even if the Hubei Martial Alliance's leader had been present, he would have been killed under such circumstances.

And yet, they had failed.

The entire force had been annihilated, and news of it had come too late.

Go Jun-kwang shook his head in disbelief.

"Who on earth could have been there to cause such a disaster?"

He used to underestimate Byeok Taesan due to his young age.

But recently, he had set aside those prejudices. When he reassessed Byeok Taesan without bias, he had concluded that Ma Jeong-wan was undoubtedly superior.

It seemed reasonable to assume that someone had aided Byeok Taesan.

Still, Go Jun-kwang couldn’t shake the suspicion that he had simply misjudged Byeok Taesan’s strength.

"Ah, but what’s the point of thinking about it now?"

It was over for him.

The outcome of this failure would soon reach his master’s ears.

The last chance he had been given was now gone.

When he returned, he would surely die.

The only question was whether he would die painfully or cleanly.

"If I want a clean death, I’ll have to manage what remains carefully."

Muttering to himself, Go Jun-kwang rose from his seat and walked to the window.

He was at the top floor of a five-story pavilion.

Outside the window stretched a spacious garden filled with half-Jiangshi.

If he could at least safeguard the half-Jiangshi, perhaps he could secure a clean death.

"Ah, and there’s that one too."

Go Jun-kwang frowned, recalling a certain individual.

Someone audacious enough to try betraying him recently—a decision on their fate was long overdue.

He had almost made up his mind. That person would be sent to his master to be drained of their talent until they were old and worn.

•••|

"Well, they were quite skilled, after all."

The Hao Clan scouts called out nervously to Byeok Taesan.

"Um… Young Master."

Without stopping his stride, Byeok Taesan turned his head slightly to look at the Hao Clan Scout who had spoken.

"If you keep going this way, you'll leave Yichang."

"I know."

The Hao Clan Scout flinched and quickly asked, "Could I know where your destination is? I'd like to inform the others in advance."

This way, they could prepare accommodations or gather any necessary information beforehand.

"I don't know yet. Where does this road lead?"

The Hao Clan Scout, slightly flustered by Byeok Taesan's response, answered quickly, "If you keep going this way, you'll reach Dangyang. Is that your destination?"

"That’s likely."

Still, it would only be clear once they reached the end.

At the moment, Byeok Taesan was tracking the Scent of Pursuit.

Earlier, in Seung Doheung’s house, they had discovered a Black Iron Box—a container crafted by the Heavenly Demon Cult using a special technique. It wasn’t just any ordinary box. If not opened in a specific manner, the contents would melt away entirely.

Inside the box was a vial containing a substance used for tracking the Scent of Pursuit. It was also a specialized product of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The Scent of Pursuit was crafted uniquely for each individual. Variations in the base recipe ensured that the scent differed depending on the person using it.

To track the Scent of Pursuit, one needed a special substance created alongside it during its preparation.

This led Byeok Taesan to conclude that Seung Doheung, the formation master, was affiliated with the Heavenly Demon Cult. Anticipating potential danger, he had prepared and used the Scent of Pursuit.

The scent was incredibly faint. If not for Byeok Taesan, tracking it would have been nearly impossible.

And if more time passed or Seung Doheung traveled farther, finding him might become impossible.

"Hurry."

Byeok Taesan increased his pace.

The Hao Clan Scouts, startled, hurried to keep up with him.

However, the gap between them and Byeok Taesan widened.

Soon, Byeok Taesan became nothing more than a black dot on the horizon before disappearing entirely.

"What do we do now?"

One of the Hao Clan Scouts looked at his companions, flustered.

"What else? Head for Dangyang. You send a message to the ones stationed there. You, return to Yichang and report. I'll head for Dangyang."

The Hao Clan Scouts swiftly sprang into action.

If they hurried, they could mobilize the scouts already stationed in Dangyang at the right moment.

The Scent of Pursuit grew stronger and stronger.

After entering Dangyang, Byeok Taesan followed the scent further, gradually slowing his steps.

The principle behind the Scent of Pursuit was simple: a person carrying the scent left traces of it wherever they passed, creating a trail to follow.

Thus, reaching Dangyang had been straightforward. Whether the person was captured, confined in a carriage, or otherwise restrained, as long as there was a hole for them to breathe, the scent would seep out and settle in the surroundings.

However, within Dangyang, the trail diverged.

Whoever had taken Seung Doheung hadn’t traveled directly to their destination but had moved around in a complicated manner.

Whether this was to handle various errands or to avoid pursuit was unclear. Regardless, the crisscrossing scent trails in the city would make tracking slightly more time-consuming.

Of course, it was only a matter of time before he found the target.

As Byeok Taesan continued following the scent, the Hao Clan Scouts stationed in Dangyang quietly approached him.

"Greetings, Young Master."

Byeok Taesan nodded but remained focused on his task.

Before long, he located the place where Seung Doheung was being held.

It was a rather large estate, and the Scent of Pursuit led directly to its main gate.

Standing still, Byeok Taesan gazed at the estate, a faint smile curling his lips.

"Indeed, doing good deeds is rewarded by the heavens."

From within the estate, an overwhelming sense of medicinal treasures emanated.