‘Of course, the chief steward will never allow anyone to enter the inner court.’
But there was no need to enter the inner court anyway. All Bu Eunseol wanted was to converse with the maids and martial artists.
If he stayed here for two days, using various excuses, he would be able to speak with quite a few maids and martial artists.
‘The greedy chief steward’s patience will only last about two days.’
To win the old man’s favor, the chief steward would endure for those two days.
But what if more time passed?
Eventually, he would grow anxious and resort to using medicine to extract the Cloudy Jade Essence.
Bu Eunseol had to gather information about the Holy One from the servants, maids, and martial artists of Geumpung Manor within those two days.
***
Three days later, on a deep night when moonlight illuminated the world, a corpse was being carried out of Geumpung Manor.
It was said to be the body of the old man who had secretly tried to sell the Cloudy Jade Essence to the manor.
‘How pitiful.’
Jeongsim, a guard of Geumpung Manor who knew the inside story, clicked his tongue as he watched the coffin being carried away.
Ma Hwan’s patience had lasted only two days.
When the old man spent two days eating and sleeping without excreting the Cloudy Jade Essence, Ma Hwan eventually used medicine to force it out quickly.
However, something had gone wrong with the medicine. The old man complained of severe abdominal pain throughout the night and eventually stopped breathing.
“Anyway, he was a guest who came to see this chief steward, so hold a quiet funeral for him.”
After warning the maids and martial artists of the outer court to keep their mouths shut, Ma Hwan handed the funeral arrangements over to the mortician and smiled with satisfaction. Now he could dig up the old man’s grave and secretly extract the Cloudy Jade Essence from the corpse. Moreover, since the old man had died without making a sound… he could obtain the treasure without spending a single coin.
The next day.
After asking the mortician where the old man had been buried, Ma Hwan immediately headed to the wild mountain and began digging up the grave.
It was a deep night with a crescent moon hanging in the sky.
When Ma Hwan arrived at the burial site, his eyes widened in shock.
“How could this be…”
To his astonishment, the inside of the grave showed clear signs of having been disturbed, and the old man’s corpse had completely vanished.
“Jeongsim! How dare you!”
The only person who would dig up the old man’s corpse to take the Cloudy Jade Essence was Jeongsim.
He rushed back to Geumpung Manor in one breath and confronted the guard Jeongsim.
“How dare you secretly steal the Cloudy Jade Essence?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wasn’t it you who dug up that old man’s grave?”
With a solemn expression, Ma Hwan extended his hand.
“Hand over the Cloudy Jade Essence right now.”
Jeongsim shook his head with a dumbfounded expression.
“What are you saying? I have been inside the manor the entire day.”
After staring blankly for a moment, Ma Hwan seemed to realize something and pressed Jeongsim again.
“Of course you wouldn’t have gone yourself! You must have ordered someone you know to secretly take it!”
“How could I harbor such treacherous intentions?”
Jeongsim looked wronged.
“Ever since that old man arrived, you have been monitoring me constantly, Chief Steward. Please have someone investigate if you doubt me.”
Seeing the genuine grievance on his face, it did not seem like he was lying.
Ma Hwan, who had been staring at Jeongsim’s face, gritted his teeth tightly.
‘He really doesn’t seem to be involved.’
He had already been monitoring Jeongsim thoroughly in case something like this happened.
‘Then could it be… the maids?’
Ma Hwan interrogated every maid from Yanghong Pavilion where the old man had stayed, as well as all the martial artists and servants who had spoken with him, as if catching rats.
However, he could not find anything suspicious from any of them.
“Who on earth…!”
Having gone without sleep for four days while tracking the whereabouts of the Cloudy Jade Essence, Ma Hwan felt so wronged and frustrated that he thought he would go mad. He had thought fortune had rolled into his lap and his fate was about to change for the better… yet it had all turned into a fleeting dream in an instant.
***
‘He must be suffering like crazy right now.’
Having escaped from Geumpung Manor, Bu Eunseol was swiftly using his movement technique.
Fortunately, during those two days, he had managed to have many conversations with the manor’s martial artists and maids.
With his god-like eloquence and the various medicinal herbs he had brought in advance to win their favor, he had been able to extract all kinds of information from the maids, servants, and martial artists in the outer court.
“So it was related to the Jade Sky Sect.”
Jade Sky Sect.
This place was a female sect similar to the Divine Maiden Palace, and it was also a prestigious family of sound arts that had produced masters of yin techniques for generations.
They used various musical instruments to perform different sound techniques. Not only were their methods profound, but because they were accompanied by unique waves, it was said that no matter how deep and powerful one’s internal energy was, it could not be defended against.
In the past, the wife and grandson of Geumpung Manor Lord, Deung Yo, had simultaneously fallen ill with a strange disease.
Deung Yo had a deep friendship with the Jade Sky Sect Leader, and with her help, he formed a connection with a Holy One possessing mysterious powers.
Only then was he able to receive the Holy One’s treatment and cure the illness.
“The child was completely cured…”
The problem was that the grand madam had eventually passed away, and only the child had survived.
‘Does that mean the Holy One’s ability only works on young people?’
Previously in Sang’an Village, only the young had been completely cured, while the elderly had all died.
And here at Geumpung Manor as well, the grand madam had died while only the young grandson survived.
This could not possibly be a coincidence.
“What is certain is that Jade Sky Sect knows information about the Holy One.”
At that time, Jade Sky Sect already knew about the existence of the Holy One, who was not yet known to the world, and had introduced him to Geumpung Manor Lord. If so, Jade Sky Sect must have a close connection with the Holy One, or at the very least, know the location where he was staying.
“But how to approach them…”
Bu Eunseol let out a sigh.
Jade Sky Sect was a female sect that rarely engaged in external activities and absolutely did not allow outsiders to approach.
Moreover, as a sect composed of masters of sound arts, it was known that mysterious sound-based formations and mechanisms were secretly installed throughout the sect.
The biggest problem, however, was not stealing or taking something from Jade Sky Sect, but extracting the information inside the women’s heads.
He could not simply break in and torture them or use soul-stealing techniques.
He had no sharp plan.
‘In that case, instead of infiltrating… I need to make them come to me and hand over the information themselves.’
Since he now knew that the Jade Sky Sect was connected to the Holy One who was treating the plague, there was no need to enter the sect to investigate.
He only needed to find out the one piece of information they possessed—the location of the Holy One.
‘Good.’
A sharp light flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
He was about to execute an extremely bold plan that he had never attempted before.
Shuuu.
Upon entering Zhejiang, he wandered around the Jiaxing Prefecture area where the Jade Sky Sect was located, identifying the movements of its main disciples.
In truth, such a task would have been very easy if he had borrowed the power of an intelligence organization. However, under the orders of the Demon Emperor, he had no choice but to handle everything alone.
That was why he had to personally run around and gather information from start to finish.
Since the Jade Sky Sect was a female sect that never revealed itself to the world, obtaining information on its disciples or tracking their movements was by no means easy.
He was an assassination and intelligence operative evaluated as the best in the history of the Nine Deaths Squad. Although he could not use an intelligence organization, he could use virtually unlimited financial power. Therefore, no matter the method, he was able to collect information quickly and extensively.
Six days passed like that…
He managed to obtain every single detail about the identities and movements of the Jade Sky Sect’s disciples, who were said to never show themselves to the world.
What would have taken an ordinary intelligence organization several months, he had accomplished in just a few days.
‘As expected, secretly infiltrating is impossible.’
The investigation revealed that the Jade Sky Sect possessed far greater military strength than what was known in the martial world, and they had applied formations very similar to the Three Families’ Absolute Boundaries inside the sect.
Therefore, even if Bu Eunseol’s martial arts became far more advanced than they were now, infiltrating the place and extracting information from the women’s heads would still be impossible.
‘A tiger loses its power once it leaves the mountain.’
Recalling the disciples’ movements and the Jade Sky Sect’s operational methods, his mind spun faster than light.
‘No matter how much a sect avoids martial world activities, they cannot achieve complete self-sufficiency.’
No matter how mysterious the sect was, they still needed to eat and purchase various supplies. In other words, they could not completely turn their backs on the secular world and had no choice but to secretly visit cities or markets.
‘Hmm.’
Once again, as he quickly scanned through the information on Jade Sky Sect’s disciples, his gaze stopped at the portrait of one woman.
It was a middle-aged woman with a rather long face, prominent cheekbones, and protruding teeth.
As he carefully read the various pieces of information written below, his eyes flashed.
‘There’s no other way.’
Bu Eunseol looked up at the empty air and took a deep breath.
He was about to execute a plan to obtain information about the Holy One from the disciples’ heads without infiltrating the Jade Sky Sect.
***
Shaaaa.
Rain began to fall on the street lined with taverns.
As the downpour started, people scattered in an instant.
Soon, the only sound echoing loudly along the street was the calls of a street vendor selling hot broth.
Plop, plop.
After about an hour, the pouring rain gradually subsided and turned into a fine misty drizzle.
Before long, the day grew dark, and a gentle autumn breeze brushed by.
Under the moonlight pouring down like silver, a man standing beside a pillar of a tavern to avoid the rain looked up at the distant sky. He was an absolute beauty with an aloof elegance that no one dared approach, yet his eyes were filled with a sense of emptiness and loneliness.
Once the rain stopped, as if a certain melody had come to mind, he extended his long fingers and traced shapes in the air before gently plucking the strings of the huqin he was holding.
Kiiing.
The melody of the huqin played by the man began to color the quiet night street.
The tune flowing from his fingertips was sorrowful, as if heaven and earth were calling to each other, and it carried a sadness that pierced the hearts of those who heard it.
Kiiing. Kiiing.
As if even the heavens were moved by the huqin’s sound, a misty drizzle fell once more, further enhancing the mood.
Saaa.
Just as the plaintive and lyrical tone from the strings continued to spread endlessly through the sound of rain,
Creak.
Suddenly, the second-floor window of the tavern opened.
From there, women dressed in blue clothes took turns poking their heads out.
They were disciples of the Jade Sky Sect.
As disciples of a sound arts sect, they did not drink alcohol and maintained strict cultivation.
Nevertheless, when they came to the city, there was one thing they uniquely enjoyed—tea.
They might skip meals, but they frequently enjoyed tea, and whenever they came to the city, they always sought out taverns that served delicious tea.
Kiiing. Kiiing.
Soaked by the rain, the women stared at the man playing the huqin with sorrowful eyes and wore dazed expressions.
To them, who spent all their time in the cold meditation room reading scriptures or cultivating internal energy, the atmosphere of this peerlessly handsome man, filled with heartbreaking desolation, conveyed a suffocating ache just by looking at him.
“Cough.”
At that moment, the face of the man playing the huqin gradually turned pale, and a red tint spread at the corner of his lips.
He suddenly stopped playing, took out a handkerchief, and pressed it to his mouth.
Drip.
Dark blood spread across the handkerchief, blooming into red blood flowers.
“Cough, cough.”
With another light cough, more dark blood flowers formed on the handkerchief.
The man, staring blankly at the handkerchief, bit his lip with a sorrowful expression.
Clench.
As he clenched his fist, under the moonlight, his pale face contrasted sharply with the red blood, making even that moment tragically beautiful.
Tap, tap.
Meanwhile, the misty drizzle that had been falling finally subsided.
Once the rain stopped, the man staggered with a groan and began walking somewhere with difficulty.
He took only a few steps before—
Thud.
He collapsed onto the street, face down.
***
Buzzing voices.
The man, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes as clear chattering sounds continuously reached his ears.
He saw a ceiling dyed with the color of wood.
Feeling strange, he looked down at his body and realized he was lying neatly on a wide bed, covered with a thick blanket.
“Umm…”
With a groan, the man slowly sat up and looked around. In the distance, five women were staring straight at him.
They were Mak Hwa-wol, the Head of the Victory Hall in charge of Jade Sky Sect’s daily affairs, and her disciples.
“Where is this…”
As the man looked around and held his forehead, Mak Hwa-wol spoke in a low voice.
“This is our sect’s temporary residence.”
Jade Sky Sect was located deep in the mountains, far from the city. Therefore, when they came outside, they had many errands to run and supplies to purchase. However, staying in a busy inn with only women was inconvenient, and the women of Jade Sky Sect made it a principle to avoid contact with outsiders as much as possible. For this reason, Jade Sky Sect had purchased a private house near the city and stationed a manager there. Whenever the disciples came down to the city, they stayed at this temporary residence while handling their errands.
“Our disciples saw you collapse outside and rescued you.”
In truth, it was Mak Hwa-wol herself who had seen the man collapse and rescued him. But when she met his deep and gentle gaze, she could not bear the embarrassment and used her disciples as an excuse.
“Thank you.”
The man shook his head and picked up the huqin that had been placed beside him.
However, as he stood up, blood immediately flowed from the corner of his mouth.
“Young master.”
“I have shown you an unsightly scene.”
After wiping the blood from his mouth, the man hugged the huqin and bowed respectfully.
“I will definitely repay this grace… in the next life.”
“The next life…?”
Mak Hwa-wol’s eyes widened.
What kind of serious illness had this young man contracted that he would speak of repaying a favor in the next life?
“Well then.”
As the man staggered and tried to leave, Mak Hwa-wol said,
“Young master, please wait a moment.”
With a pitying expression, she asked him, “What kind of illness have you contracted that makes you so despairing?”
“It is nothing.”
When the man tried to leave, Mak Hwa-wol spoke calmly,
“Please tell me. It will not cause you any harm.” She slightly averted her gaze and said in a low voice, “I am not an ordinary woman. If you wish, I can also treat your illness.”
The women of Jade Sky Sect practiced sound arts, and through deep cultivation of internal energy, they had considerable knowledge of the human body. Moreover, since Jade Sky Sect was the place that produced the famous spiritual medicine Drunken Marrow Blood Essence, their expertise in medicine and pharmacology was extraordinary.
“It is useless.” The man shook his head. “Even the saintly Divine Physician said I would not live past this year.”
“Divine Physician?”
Mak Hwa-wol’s eyes widened in surprise.
Wasn’t the saintly Divine Physician the most miraculous among the divine physicians of the current generation? To think that even he was helpless against this serious illness?
“What kind of illness is it exactly?”
“The divine physician said it was a disease he had never seen before in his life. The functions of the liver and spleen have completely collapsed, and stagnant blood has accumulated… Eventually, within less than a year, a stone-like inflammation will form in the abdomen, and I will die.”
Mak Hwa-wol bit her lip.
The fact that he described the pathology so accurately suggested he really had met the Divine Physician.
If even that divine physician had given up, then this beautiful man’s name was already as good as written in the King of Hell’s death register.
“I will definitely meet you in the next life and repay this grace, young lady.”
When the man called her “young lady” with deep, affectionate eyes, an uncontrollable flutter erupted in Mak Hwa-wol’s heart.
She had an appearance with no charm to speak of.
Since childhood, she had dreamed of meeting a handsome man who roamed the martial world, marrying him, and living happily.
But reality had been cruel.
Even if she met a decent man by chance, she would avoid his gaze, and she had never seen a man who showed interest after looking at her appearance.
Yet this peerlessly handsome man—far more handsome than any she had imagined in her dreams by tens of thousands of times—was looking at her with deep affection and even gently calling her “young lady.” It was to the point where she could not keep her senses.
‘Is it still not too late?’
She had once hoped to leave Jade Sky Sect someday and build a happy family.
But now that she was past thirty, she had gradually given up on that dream.
Yet when this beautiful man called her “young lady”… she felt as if she had become an eighteen-year-old girl again.
“Young master.”
Mak Hwa-wol spoke in a low, determined voice.
“Please talk with me for a moment.”
Then she said to the disciples who were watching her,
“You all, go outside for a while.”
“Hall Master.”
When the disciples murmured with worried expressions, Mak Hwa-wol said firmly,
“Go.”
After the disciples reluctantly bowed and left, Mak Hwa-wol spoke in a low voice, “Young master, if I tell you a way to treat your illness, what will you do for me?”
As Mak Hwa-wol asked shyly while hiding her protruding teeth, the man shook his head.
“Treatment is impossible.”
“That’s why I’m asking. What if I tell you the treatment method?”
After staring blankly for a moment, the man bit his lip and said, “If I can continue living, I will do anything for you, young lady.”
“Anything?”
“Yes. If you want me to serve you for the rest of my life, I will. If you want me to become your servant, I will.”
Mak Hwa-wol’s small eyes widened.
She had not expected the man to answer so readily.
“Good.”
Mak Hwa-wol nodded as if she had made up her mind.
“You will keep that promise, right?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t answer so easily. If you break the promise…” Mak Hwa-wol spoke coldly in an extremely sinister voice, “I will definitely kill you with my own hands.”
The man calmly shook his head.
“Anyway, I am a body that will die miserably from illness.”
Then he stared straight into Mak Hwa-wol’s eyes.
“Rather, if I die by your hand, that wouldn’t be so bad.”
At that sweet answer, Mak Hwa-wol barely suppressed her dizzying, ecstatic expression.
‘All the lonely years I have lived until now… were preparation for meeting this beautiful man.’
Suppressing her bursting heart, she said calmly,
“I am Mak Hwa-wol, the Head of the Victory Hall of Jade Sky Sect. And you, young master?”
At that moment, his eyes burned intensely like the hot sun.
The journey to find the Holy One was now over.
The fact that a woman from a mysterious sect hidden from the martial world had revealed her position and name meant she was ready to reveal all her secrets.
There was no longer any need to investigate or wander.
But soon, the man—Bu Eunseol—hid his gaze and emotions and spoke with an endlessly sorrowful expression.
“My name is Ye Qinglin, from Yanping Prefecture.”
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