The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 4: Challenge!
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As night fell, Byeok Taesan, as usual, headed for the brothel.

Trailing close behind him was Cheon Kyungwan, whose expression had noticeably softened compared to earlier in the day.

Of course, Byeok Taesan wasn’t aware of whether Cheon Kyungwan’s expression had changed or not. He simply assumed it to be true because Soso had mentioned it.

For some reason, Cheon Kyungwan seemed more resolute than before.

This gave the impression that he now looked more like a proper escort warrior.

“Are you heading to the Fragrant Flower House again today?”

In response to Cheon Kyungwan’s question, Byeok Taesan nodded.

“That’s right. I think it’s about time to give it a try… don’t you think?”

The word “try” made a flicker of curiosity pass through Cheon Kyungwan’s eyes.

Soon, the two arrived at the Fragrant Flower House.

Byeok Taesan stepped inside with a casual air.

The courtesans who noticed him cried out in excitement.

“Young Master is here!”

At their shout, the courtesans came pouring out like a flood from the inner rooms.

Even some who seemed to be entertaining customers at the time were among them.

The courtesans lined up along both sides of the corridor, casting ardent, hopeful glances at Byeok Taesan.

All of them seemed to be silently pleading with their eyes: Please choose me today.

This scene was the result of ten days of Byeok Taesan’s influence.

Byeok Taesan casually looked over the gathered courtesans, thinking that the timing was convenient.

However, the person he was looking for wasn’t there.

“She’s not here?”

The courtesan closest to him, Hwaryeong, overheard his words.

“Are you… perhaps looking for someone in particular?”

Hwaryeong added a desperate, longing look to her gaze, silently pleading for him to choose her again.

Byeok Taesan nodded indifferently.

Hwaryeong smiled faintly and replied, “Most of the girls in the Fragrant Flower House are here. If someone isn’t here, it must mean she doesn’t even deserve to catch the Young Master’s eye…”

Byeok Taesan chuckled lightly.

“And who decides who deserves to catch my eye?”

“Ah…”

Hwaryeong involuntarily let out a gasp, overwhelmed by the sheer force of his presence.

Until now, she had been drawn to Byeok Taesan purely because of his incredible allure at night, but in that moment, her perception wavered slightly.

Byeok Taesan was undeniably a strikingly handsome man, someone hard to look away from.

His features were refined, with a beauty so exquisite it almost diminished his masculinity—though he couldn’t be described as feminine either.

He possessed an extraordinary, delicate beauty.

However, just now, his masculinity had shone through distinctly in Hwaryeong’s eyes.

“Bring the others, all of them,” Byeok Taesan ordered.

Hwaryeong, caught off guard, nodded frantically before gesturing to the other courtesans.

They, too, seemed to have felt something similar and scattered to find the courtesans who hadn’t come yet.

Eventually, three more courtesans appeared.

A faint smile played on Byeok Taesan’s lips.

“Found her.”

It was a courtesan he had noticed on his first visit.

The reason he hadn’t sought her out immediately was to build up his strength first.

Byeok Taesan approached the courtesan standing furthest to the left among the three.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Danyeong.”

A satisfied smile spread across Byeok Taesan’s face as he looked at Danyeong.

The other courtesans, who were watching, couldn’t hide their puzzlement.

Anyone could see that Danyeong wasn’t particularly beautiful.

No, it wasn’t a matter of beauty or lack thereof.

Something about her gloomy expression seemed to repel people, making them reluctant to approach her.

The troubling part was that even her current expression seemed to be the result of her trying hard to appear cheerful.

‘Our Young Master sure has a unique taste.’

That was the unanimous thought running through the minds of the courtesans.

“You’ll do for tonight.”

Even handling just one person might prove challenging.

To Byeok Taesan, Danyeong seemed like the embodiment of darkness itself.

He couldn’t imagine what she had endured in her life, but her soul was marred by a thick, oppressive shadow.

And her body seemed to follow suit, exuding a dark aura and an overall bleak appearance.

If he had tried to handle her on the first day, even with his high attainment in the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art, it would have been dangerous.

Her body wasn’t in a normal state, after all.

But now, he felt ready to take on the challenge.

Over the past ten days, he had connected several key minor meridians.

It was time to address one of the major ones.

This was a significant undertaking in many ways.

‘This girl alone surpasses the combined difficulty of the past ten.’

With that thought, Byeok Taesan strode upstairs confidently.

Upon entering the room, he dispersed the subtle energy of the Heaven-Sealing Array that enveloped it.

At that moment, he sensed something unusual.

‘Heh, look at this.’

Even though he had lost the martial arts he wielded as the Heavenly Demon and his senses had dulled significantly, he was still the Heavenly Demon.

Deceiving his senses and sneaking up on him was no easy feat.

Whoever was hiding here had to be at least within the top 100 martial artists ranked by the Martial Alliance.

Byeok Taesan detected a presence concealed in the ceiling, their breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Their stealth skills were impressive, but their martial arts fell short in comparison.

Of course, given his still-recovering senses, there might be a slight margin of error.

The problem was that, no matter how mediocre their skills might seem, they were likely stronger than the current Byeok Taesan.

If the intruder decided to strike decisively, it could all be over.

Taking Danyeong elsewhere crossed his mind, but he dismissed the idea, unsure if it would work.

Still, he had no intention of letting this person witness what was about to happen here.

Byeok Taesan sat down.

Danyeong obediently seated herself next to him and began pouring drinks.

“No need for that. My body isn’t in great condition, and drinking might make me lose consciousness. You can drink as much as you’d like, though.”

“I’m fine as well.”

Even her voice carried an unmistakable darkness, as though steeped in shadow.

There were undoubtedly those who would find someone like Danyeong irresistibly alluring—and such people likely wouldn’t be ordinary.

‘If she has endured so much, it’s no wonder she’s sunk further into darkness.’

Byeok Taesan spoke to Danyeong.

“Go fetch my escort warrior.”

“Yes, understood.”

Danyeong quietly rose and left the room. Shortly afterward, she returned with Cheon Kyungwan.

“You called for me?”

Byeok Taesan nodded and extended his hand.

“I need to borrow your sword.”

“…Pardon?”

Cheon Kyungwan stared at Byeok Taesan.

Although his expression didn’t change, it was clear that a wave of displeasure had arisen within him.

“You… want my sword?”

Byeok Taesan nodded nonchalantly, still holding out his hand.

“What’s the matter? Are you still bound by your attachment to weapons?”

Cheon Kyungwan’s face hardened slightly.

This was the third time Byeok Taesan had seen him react with an actual change in expression.

“So, are you going to lend it to me or not?”

As if mesmerized, Cheon Kyungwan handed over his sword.

Byeok Taesan unsheathed it, took a few steps forward, and looked up at the ceiling.

“Let’s see if this works.”

He spun the sword in his hand to build momentum, then hurled it toward the ceiling.

Thunk

The sword lodged itself deeply into the ceiling.

In that instant, Cheon Kyungwan’s eyes gleamed, and his body vanished like a shadow fading into darkness.

Crash!

Before long, Cheon Kyungwan emerged through the broken ceiling, clutching the throat of a man dressed in black.

Seeing this, Byeok Taesan nodded in approval.

He was indeed skilled.

Watching him in action confirmed that his abilities were slightly better than expected.

‘If I succeed with today’s challenge, even such minor discrepancies will be resolved.’

What Byeok Taesan aimed for today was one of the seven major meridians most crucial in the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art.

Successfully connecting it would eliminate the immediate risk of death.

His physical condition and senses would also improve significantly.

“Quite a surprise, wasn’t it? It seems we can’t stay here any longer.”

Danyeong, who had been staring at Cheon Kyungwan in shock, let out a sharp exhale only after hearing Byeok Taesan’s words.

She had been so startled that she forgot she was holding her breath.

“Haa… Haa… I… I…”

Danyeong looked at Byeok Taesan with fear-filled eyes.

Byeok Taesan chuckled softly and patted her lightly on the shoulder.

“I know this isn’t your fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s the Owner of the Fragrant Flower House. I’ll deal with her later. Tonight, I’d like to focus on spending time with you.”

After saying that, Byeok Taesan turned to Cheon Kyungwan.

“Can I trust you to handle the rest?”

“Leave it to me.”

Cheon Kyungwan’s gaze wavered slightly.

Today was full of mysteries.

No, it wasn’t just today.

Byeok Taesan’s behavior recently has been utterly baffling.

It was as if he had become an entirely different person.

‘No, that’s not it. Perhaps… he’s simply returning to his true self.’

Byeok Taesan hadn’t always been frail and cynical.

Long ago, he had been different.

If not for his illness, perhaps he would have grown into someone like this.

As these thoughts crossed Cheon Kyungwan’s mind, he tightened his grip.

“Ugh…!”

The man in black struggled violently, his body trembling as Cheon Kyungwan’s hand constricted around his throat.

* * *

Byeok Taesan left the Fragrant Flower House with Danyeong in tow.

Staying there after such an incident would have been foolish.

As they exited, several people tried to block their path, but none of them could stop Byeok Taesan’s advance.

All it took was a single glance from him, and they broke into cold sweats, unable to move further.

However, once they left the Fragrant Flower House, Byeok Taesan realized he didn’t have a specific destination in mind.

Returning home felt awkward.

Though he typically paid little attention to others’ opinions, there were still limits to such disregard.

Tonight, the sounds were likely to be much louder than usual, and he didn’t want that happening at the Golden Wall Merchants’ residence.

If it did, it might cause unnecessary complications in his communication with Soso for a while.

‘No need to deal with such inconvenience.’

Even as he thought this, Byeok Taesan walked briskly toward an unknown destination.

Danyeong, clutching his sleeve tightly, hurried to keep up with his stride.

‘Wait, this is Wuhan, isn’t it?’

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in Byeok Taesan’s mind, and he halted.

It was a fragment of his memories from his days as the Heavenly Demon.

Normally, he wouldn’t even recall such an event, but as if necessity brought clarity, a vivid scene played out in his mind as if it had been cut and pasted there.

It was a report from one of his subordinates.

The report had detailed plans to establish hidden bases across the world, with the first one being prepared in Wuhan.

Since it was the first report, it had been fairly detailed, but as usual, the Heavenly Demon had only half-listened.

Now, however, that memory returned with vivid clarity, as if relieved.

Byeok Taesan resumed walking.

He only had the information he remembered, but that was enough.

Before long, he arrived at a small manor far from the Fragrant Flower House.

The manor had high walls and tightly closed gates.

However, Byeok Taesan wasn’t concerned.

This wasn’t the type of place you entered through the front door.

“Are… are you planning to go in there?”

Danyeong’s sudden question made Byeok Taesan pause and turn to her.

“And if I am?”

“T-This place has… a frightening reputation.”

“A frightening reputation?”

“There are rumors that anyone who sneaks in never comes back.”

That must have been a rumor spread by the Demonic Cult.

The hidden base report had mentioned something similar.

“You don’t need to worry. This place belongs to me.”

“Pardon?”

Danyeong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“This manor is mine. What? Don’t believe me?”

Byeok Taesan spoke with such confidence that Danyeong couldn’t bring herself to doubt him.

Considering the resources of the Golden Wall Merchants, it wasn’t hard to imagine them secretly managing properties like this.

“I’ll prove it to you now. Don’t let go of my sleeve.”

With a mixture of fear and apprehension, Danyeong nodded.

Byeok Taesan led her around the wall, suddenly changing direction and heading straight toward it.

Danyeong, thinking he was about to collide with the wall, nearly screamed. But she didn’t.

The scenery before her shifted drastically.

Before she realized it, they were inside the manor.

As she stood dumbfounded, staring at the grand hall in the center of the manor, Byeok Taesan’s voice reached her ears.

“Let’s go. There’s not much time left in the night, so we have to work harder. Tonight, I’ll completely blow your mind—be ready.”

Danyeong blushed and lowered her head, following Byeok Taesan closely.