The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 22: Shall We Talk, Just the Two of Us?

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The day had come to visit the Yeon Manor.

In the meantime, various discussions had taken place between the Yeon Manor and the Golden Wall Merchants.

The Golden Wall Merchants had tried to arrange for the Yeon Manor’s people to come to them.

However, it was ultimately decided that the meeting would take place at the Yeon Manor.

The Yeon Manor likely had no other choice, as the Zhongli Clan had insisted so adamantly.

If the meeting were held at the Golden Wall Merchants, the Zhongli Clan would have no excuse to interfere.

The Yeon Manor was about a half shichen’s walk away.

Byeok Taesan walked at the center, with Yoo Seoyeon and Cheon Kyungwan positioned behind him to his left and right.

Ahead of him, Lightning Blade Gyeong Chuhwang and Giant Path Blade Gal Jinhyeop were stationed to the left and right, respectively.

Right beside Byeok Taesan, the Heavenly Divine Healer walked side by side with him.

This formation of four was intended to protect both Byeok Taesan and the Heavenly Divine Healer.

Only this group of people had moved out from the Golden Wall Merchants.

In truth, the General Manager had wanted to add more escorts to the group.

After all, wasn’t the Sword Dragon Corps trained precisely for situations like these?

But Byeok Taesan had firmly rejected the idea.

The General Manager had tried to convince him multiple times but, in the end, couldn’t overcome Byeok Taesan’s stubbornness.

Even Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop had commented after seeing the Sword Dragon Corps, saying that their inclusion might be more of a hindrance than a help.

At that point, even the General Manager had no choice but to back down.

Judging by how regretful the General Manager seemed, it was clear that Byeok Taesoo must have secretly ordered him to increase the escorts somehow.

Not long after leaving the Golden Wall Merchants, the Heavenly Divine Healer spoke up casually.

“Young Master, wouldn’t it be better to have more people, even if their skills are lacking?”

If it came to it, they could at least serve as shields.

That implication was subtly embedded in the Heavenly Divine Healer’s words.

“Unnecessary sacrifices.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t expected such a statement from Byeok Taesan.

At that moment, Gyeong Chuhwang, walking ahead, glanced back and said,

“Divine Healer, there’s no need to worry too much. No matter how brazen the Zhongli Clan is, they won’t draw their swords carelessly.”

“Do you think so?”

When the Heavenly Divine Healer tilted his head doubtfully, Gyeong Chuhwang responded confidently.

“Of course. Honestly, do you know why Gal Hyup over there and I accepted the Golden Wall Merchants’ offer?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Most people would say it was for the money. But that’s not it. We came because of you, Divine Healer.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer’s eyes widened again.

“For me?”

Of course, he was merely pretending to be surprised. He understood better than anyone why Gyeong Chuhwang was saying this.

After all, he’d been a physician for over ten years.

“We thought that if we got on your good side, perhaps you’d help us in the future.”

In other words, the Zhongli Clan wouldn’t draw their swords recklessly because of the Heavenly Divine Healer’s presence.

The Heavenly Divine Healer smiled faintly.

“Well, for upstanding people like you two, I’d gladly help anytime. Of course, it would need our Young Master’s approval first.”

At those words, Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop’s eyes widened in surprise.

The two men instinctively stopped walking, turning to glance back and forth between Byeok Taesan and the Heavenly Divine Healer.

“We still have a long way to go…”

At the Heavenly Divine Healer’s comment, the two snapped out of it and resumed walking.

“Ah, my apologies. I was just so surprised… By the way, were you serious about what you just said?”

“Of course. I’ve decided to follow the Young Master until the day I die.”

“Huh. How…Truly astonishing.”

The two exchanged glances, stealing curious looks at Byeok Taesan.

They couldn’t begin to guess what about this young and seemingly feeble Young Master had managed to win over someone as extraordinary as the Heavenly Divine Healer.

“Still, no matter how poorly reputed the Zhongli Clan may be, they do care about appearances. I can’t figure out why they’d risk doing something so reckless,” Gyeong Chuhwang said, subtly drawing closer to the Heavenly Divine Healer as their conversation continued.

It was clear he was trying to build rapport with him.

“Well, it seems the Clan Leader’s youngest son has fallen quite hard for one of the Yeon Manor’s daughters. Apparently, he’s been so stubborn that even repeated scoldings from his father haven’t deterred him.”

“My, my. That must be quite a headache for the Zhongli Clan.”

“Do you think they’re troubled? I bet they see this as a golden opportunity. Honestly, wouldn’t the Zhongli Clan drool at the thought of the Golden Wall Merchants?”

“Divine Healer, do you believe the Zhongli Clan intends to use this as an opportunity to go after the Golden Wall Merchants?”

“Well… It’s just a guess.”

But it wasn’t just a guess.

It was a conclusion drawn from extensive investigation.

Under Byeok Taesan’s orders, they had thoroughly investigated the situation surrounding the Golden Wall Merchants. In doing so, they uncovered several suspicious moves by the Zhongli Clan.

It was true that the incident had initially started because Zhongli Wung, the clan’s youngest, had fallen for Yeon Harin.

But from that point on, the Zhongli Clan’s cunning schemes had come into play.

It was, in fact, the Zhongli Clan that had orchestrated today’s events.

And Byeok Taesan, fully aware of this, was heading to the Yeon Manor anyway.

Gal Jinhyeop, seemingly intrigued by the conversation between Gyeong Chuhwang and the Heavenly Divine Healer, subtly joined in.

“No matter how reckless the Zhongli Clan may be, they won’t draw their swords with the Divine Healer present.”

“They probably don’t even know that the Divine Healer has pledged allegiance to the Young Master. They’re going to be quite confused. It’ll be something to see.”

The two continued their back-and-forth conversation, mostly speculating about the Zhongli Clan’s potential actions, though their discussion wasn’t particularly insightful.

Before they knew it, the group had arrived at the Yeon Manor.

Byeok Taesan sat alone with the Yeon Manor’s master in a private room.

The master of the Yeon Manor observed Byeok Taesan closely.

Outside the room stood Cheon Kyungwan, Yoo Seoyeon, Gyeong Chuhwang, and Gal Jinhyeop, on high alert.

It was no surprise they were tense, as Zhongli Clan warriors were positioned nearby.

The atmosphere was so heavy with tension that it wouldn’t have been strange if a fight broke out at any moment.

The four of them couldn’t afford to let their guard down even for a second.

Knowing this all too well, the Yeon Manor’s master was carefully gauging Byeok Taesan’s demeanor under the weight of this pressure.

‘Unbelievable. Is this boy really the same one from back then?’

The master of the Yeon Manor had, of course, met Byeok Taesan before.

More than that, they had known each other quite well in the past.

As Byeok Taesan’s illness had become more apparent, their interactions had decreased, and their relationship had grown distant over time. But originally, they had been quite close.

Byeok Taesan in the Yeon Manor’s master’s memory, however, was nothing like the person before him now.

The current Byeok Taesan exuded composure.

Far from being intimidated, he seemed completely at ease, even in front of the Yeon Manor’s master.

No—if anything, the reverse was true.

The Yeon Manor’s master felt somewhat daunted in Byeok Taesan’s presence.

‘How can this be possible?’

Still, since he had been the one to call this meeting, it was his responsibility to initiate the conversation.

“Do you remember what you said to me when you came to see me all those years ago?”

Byeok Taesan’s eyes widened slightly. How could he possibly know what that was?

For now, when uncertain, it was best to stay silent.

“But… it just wasn’t possible. That stubborn Harin—who does she take after to be so unyielding? I couldn’t stop her no matter what,” the Head of the Yeon Manor said, pausing after his words.

He then glanced briefly at Byeok Taesan before continuing.

“That’s why I’ve felt terribly guilty all this time. But… seeing you now, I think I might not have needed to feel so guilty after all.”

From the head’s words, Byeok Taesan roughly inferred the content of their past conversation.

‘Ha, this idiot must’ve thought he didn’t have much time left to live and tried to make Yeon Harin give up on him.’

He likely believed that if he acted coldly toward her, and the Head of the Yeon Manor added to the pressure, she would naturally let go.

What neither of them expected was Yeon Harin’s determination to endure it all so resolutely.

“The Heavenly Divine Healer seems to be quite remarkable. It looks like your condition has improved significantly. Is that right?”

“Well… it’s still far from perfect, but I will make a full recovery eventually.”

At Byeok Taesan’s calm response, the Head of the Yeon Manor made a peculiar expression.

“I must not have seen you for a long time. You seem like a completely different person.”

Once again, Byeok Taesan remained silent.

“Well, people can change drastically over even the smallest of triggers. I’ve experienced that myself.”

The Head of the Yeon Manor gazed at Byeok Taesan with a complicated look in his eyes.

“Anyway, this time, the situation has become a bit more difficult.”

The head shook in dismay.

“It seems like the Zhongli Clan has made up their mind.”

He explained the situation calmly.

The Zhongli Clan did not recognize the engagement between Yeon Harin and Byeok Taesan.

No matter how much Yeon Harin insisted, it was pointless.

In the end, a marriage was an alliance between families, and the clan head’s decision was absolute. Yeon Harin had no choice but to obey.

“They’re likely trying to drag you into this to cause trouble. Perhaps they intend to humiliate you in front of Harin…”

Their apparent goal was to provoke negative emotions and gradually escalate the situation.

After listening to the explanation, Byeok Taesan nodded lightly.

“Well, understood.”

That was all he said.

As expected, the Zhongli Clan was true to its reputation.

But that couldn’t be all there was to it.

Would the Zhongli Clan, known for their cunning, truly resort to such clumsy tactics of merely stirring up emotions to escalate matters?

‘It doesn’t seem like they’re only targeting the Golden Wall Merchants.’

A faint smile tugged at Byeok Taesan’s lips.

* * *

Outside the Head of the Yeon Manor’s chamber, the standoff between the Zhongli Clan warriors and the warriors on Byeok Taesan’s side, led by Cheon Kyungwan, was still ongoing.

When the door suddenly opened and Byeok Taesan appeared, the tension in the air instantly thickened.

The Zhongli Clan warriors subtly unleashed an aura of pressure aimed at Byeok Taesan.

While they didn’t directly use their internal energy, enduring the sheer force of a powerful warrior’s presence wasn’t something an average person could do easily.

And for someone like Byeok Taesan, whose body was still not in optimal condition, it should have been even more difficult.

Of course, that was only what the Zhongli Clan warriors thought.

Naturally, Byeok Taesan was unaffected.

If they couldn’t achieve anything by using genuine internal energy to project their aura, what use would this petty intimidation without internal energy have?

Furthermore, Byeok Taesan had a specific reason for describing the Zhongli Clan as “an easy meal.”

Back when the united clans had set a trap and ambushed the Heavenly Demon, the Zhongli Clan had been the only one to flee.

But did the Heavenly Demon let the Zhongli Clan off?

As Byeok Taesan himself once said, the Heavenly Demon had never spared anyone who coveted what was his.

And the Zhongli Clan had been no exception.

The Heavenly Demon had hunted down and destroyed every single Zhongli warrior who had participated in the ambush.

How?

By invading the Zhongli Clan itself.

Leading only the Heaven Guard Corps, survivors of the ambush.

The Zhongli Clan had received information about the Heavenly Demon’s movements but couldn’t have imagined he would bring just the Heaven Guard Corps to attack their clan.

They had assumed that even the Heavenly Demon would need at least five full divisions of the Demonic Cult’s elite forces to take on the Zhongli Clan.

Because of this misjudgment, they failed to properly track the small-scale movements of the Heavenly Demon and the Heaven Guard Corps.

And so, the Zhongli Clan had been crushed by the unexpected assault of the Heavenly Demon.

The only reason the Zhongli Clan hadn’t been annihilated was that they focused solely on survival, fleeing with everything they had.

In the process, the Heavenly Demon found the Zhongli Clan’s hidden treasury.

The treasury held the core martial arts manuals of the Zhongli Clan, along with various priceless treasures.

Using the manuals they seized, they thoroughly dissected the Zhongli Clan’s martial arts.

Of course, the Heavenly Demon didn’t do this himself—he left it to some of his elder-level subordinates.

He merely reviewed the results.

In any case, how ridiculous must the Zhongli Clan warriors exuding their so-called pressure now seem to Byeok Taesan?

While pondering how to handle these fools, Byeok Taesan noticed one man stepping forward from the Zhongli Clan’s ranks.

“Are you Byeok Taesan?”

The man, Zhongli Woong, glared at Byeok Taesan with fiery eyes as he approached.

Byeok Taesan looked at him as if observing an idiot.

Zhongli Woong frowned at Byeok Taesan’s lack of immediate response.

“Didn’t you hear me? Or are you ignoring my words?”

At those words, the Zhongli Clan warriors began to move subtly, surrounding Byeok Taesan’s group in a wide arc.

Their sharp, deliberate movements seemed as if they were ready to draw their swords at any moment.

The blatant hostility made Byeok Taesan’s companions tense up, their expressions hardening.

The only one who remained calm was Byeok Taesan.

However, Zhongli Woong misinterpreted Byeok Taesan’s composure as him being frozen in fear.

A smirk appeared on Zhongli Woong’s face.

“How about it? Shall we have a little talk, just the two of us? Somewhere private, where no one can interrupt?”