Chapter 133: <A Stroll in the Night After a Long Time>
"Young Master, where are we going?"
Yeon Harin gently wrapped her arm around Byeok Taesan's and asked.
Walking like this, she finally felt like they were truly a couple.
Yeon Harin tilted her head slightly to gaze up at Byeok Taesan.
He was calmly looking straight ahead.
One might expect him to glance sideways at least once and meet her gaze, but there was no such gesture.
How long had she been staring at him?
Just as Yeon Harin was about to give up and look ahead again, Byeok Taesan suddenly turned his head slightly to look at her.
Their eyes met.
Startled, Yeon Harin quickly turned her gaze forward.
She then scolded herself inwardly.
She had wanted their eyes to meet, but when it happened, she fled as if avoiding it. What a foolish thing to do.
"If you keep your gaze to the side, it's harder to react to unexpected situations."
"Ah… yes, I suppose that's true."
Yeon Harin muttered inwardly. Did he really have to say that in this situation?
"You've been working hard. You've become much stronger than before."
At Byeok Taesan's words, Yeon Harin's face lit up with a delighted smile. Recently, she had been pushing herself to the brink, and hearing such recognition made her feel as if she could soar.
Yeon Harin hugged Byeok Taesan's arm more tightly.
Now that she thought about it, this was the first time they had walked alone together like this.
Her mood brightened even more.
"So, where are we going now?"
Yeon Harin asked in a much more cheerful tone.
Byeok Taesan stopped walking and fell into a brief moment of thought.
"Young Master?"
Yeon Harin called out to him with a puzzled expression, but Byeok Taesan didn’t respond, remaining silent.
It didn’t take long. After finishing his thoughts, Byeok Taesan looked at Yeon Harin.
"I was planning to just wander around nearby, but... since you seem to have been working hard, we could go somewhere else."
"Huh?"
Yeon Harin's face flushed red, as if imagining something. She nodded eagerly.
"Let’s go."
Byeok Taesan began to walk energetically, and Yeon Harin quickly caught up to walk closely beside him.
"Young Master, where… is this place?"
Yeon Harin tightened her grip on Byeok Taesan's arm.
The street felt eerily desolate.
There were taverns, courtesan houses, and inns, suggesting that people should frequent the area, but the streets were completely empty, likely because it was nighttime.
However, the courtesan houses, taverns, and inns seemed to be open, as faint lights glimmered from within.
Each building lining the street emanated a dim glow.
Byeok Taesan walked slowly along the street.
He extended his senses to scan the surroundings, not forgetting to assess the situation.
This was a district where members of the Black Axe Gang used to operate.
It was a place neglected by the more prominent unorthodox groups in Wuhan, so with the gang gone, there were no significant unorthodox factions left here.
Given the effort the enemy had gone through to lure both the Murim Alliance and Black Lotus here and capture them, it was clear they had been meticulous in their planning.
In Byeok Taesan’s opinion, those people were still in Wuhan.
If they had fled after causing such a commotion, there was no way they could have completely evaded the watchful eyes of the Hao Clan.
The Hao Clan had recently been growing remarkably powerful.
Their surveillance definitely extended to this area.
But most of the Hao Clan’s operatives here had already been eliminated.
The perpetrators must have known about the Hao Clan’s presence and had been secretly moving to avoid detection before erasing their traces during their operation.
They were truly thorough individuals.
"Let’s start with a drink."
Byeok Taesan said as he stepped into a tavern.
The tavern was nearly empty.
As soon as he entered, Byeok Taesan frowned.
He could understand the place being old and shabby, but being dirty was another matter.
Who would want to drink in a place like this?
"No wonder there are no customers here."
Yeon Harin commented, her nose wrinkling in distaste.
She honestly didn’t want to drink here. If she weren’t with Byeok Taesan, she would have left immediately.
Just then, the tavern’s errand boy scurried over to them.
"Welcome, please take a seat wherever you like."
Byeok Taesan silently stared at the errand boy.
"Why... why are you staring at me like that?"
The boy looked at Byeok Taesan nervously.
"Call the owner."
"Huh?"
"And bring the chef too. Call everyone working here."
"Wh-what? Sir… If you do this…"
Crash!
Before the server could finish speaking, a nearby table shattered into pieces as if on its own.
Startled, the server turned toward the broken table in shock.
"I-I'll bring them right away!"
The server rushed inside in a panic, and the sound of commotion soon erupted from within.
Yeon Harin glanced at Byeok Taesan with a look of unease.
"Young Master, may I ask… what’s going on?"
"It’s nothing serious. That server isn’t just an ordinary worker. I’m just checking to see if the others are the same."
"What? What do you mean by that…?"
Yeon Harin couldn’t understand, but the expression and sharp gaze on Byeok Taesan’s face made it clear he wasn’t joking. He was utterly serious.
Not long after, the server returned with the owner, the head chef, and even the odd-jobs worker in tow.
Byeok Taesan chuckled lightly at the sight.
"Let’s go."
Turning abruptly, Byeok Taesan strode out of the establishment. Everyone in the inn watched him in stunned silence as he left.
Yeon Harin, wearing an apologetic expression, bowed her head slightly toward the onlookers and quickly followed him.
"Wow… she’s stunning," the innkeeper muttered, breaking the tension with an ill-timed remark.
The head chef chimed in, "Did you see how apologetic she looked when she left? I almost got involved in something messy."
"But why do you think he called us all out here?"
At the server’s question, everyone shrugged. None of them had the faintest clue.
"Should we check where they’re heading?"
The odd-jobs worker quickly ran outside and spotted Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin entering a nearby brothel.
"This is… strange," .
"What? What’s strange?"
The rest of the staff poured outside.
A short while later, the two exited the brothel and walked toward a nearby inn.
From the brothel, courtesans and workers began spilling out, looking equally perplexed.
Byeok Taesan entered every building along the street, checking who was inside. By the time he finished, the street was swarming with people.
Dozens of people surrounded Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin, glaring at them.
"Excuse me, Young Master. What is the meaning of this? Business is already suffering, and now you’re causing more trouble. This is unacceptable!"
A large man with an imposing figure stepped forward, addressing Byeok Taesan while sneaking glances at Yeon Harin.
Byeok Taesan asked him, "You know who I am, don’t you?"
"I wouldn’t know how to recognize a Young Master I’ve never seen before,"
However, his eyes betrayed him. The faint trembling in his gaze didn’t escape Byeok Taesan or Yeon Harin’s notice.
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"When you lie, practice keeping your eyes steady."
Yeon Harin glanced nervously around.
The gathered crowd appeared to be ordinary residents, but she didn’t let her guard down. Byeok Taesan wouldn’t have come here unless something was amiss.
"Where are the people from the Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus Sect?"
Yeon Harin’s eyes widened in shock. She had been so absorbed in her training that she hadn’t known anything was amiss. The revelation startled her.
"Are you saying they imprisoned people from the Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus Sect?"
"Young Master, I think there’s been some misunderstanding," said an older man, stepping forward.
"We’re just simple folk. How could we possibly imprison those powerful individuals from the Murim Alliance or the Black Lotus Sect?"
"Simple?"
Byeok Taesan chuckled again.
The souls of the people here were stained with a thick, dark aura. Even the young server’s soul was more corrupt than that of the man he had subdued at the Fragrant Flower House.
And yet, they dared to claim they were ordinary. What nonsense.
"But… Did the two of you come here alone?"
Byeok Taesan glanced around at the man’s question. The crowd’s gazes grew sharper and more predatory.
"These guys are amateurs,"
A few faces tensed at his words.
"I understand what you’re worried about, but there’s no need. We really did come here alone."
In the distance, people could be seen scurrying about. They seemed to be checking whether anyone had followed Byeok Taesan and Yeon Harin.
After confirming that the two were indeed alone, they signaled to the others.
The older man’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"So, it’s true. You really did come alone."
"Didn’t I already say so?"
"Did you just call us amateurs?"
Byeok Taesan stood still, intrigued by what the man would say next.
"We’ve already conducted a thorough investigation. We know that the Young Master is from the Golden Wall Merchants, and that this lady here is your fiancée. Oh, and that she’s the daughter of the Yeon Manor Master."
Byeok Taesan glanced at Yeon Harin, and she stared back at him with wide eyes.
She mouthed silently, "They really seem to know nothing."
A thought crossed her mind: perhaps they weren’t from the Nameless Sect.
If they were, they’d already encountered Byeok Taesan several times and shouldn’t be this ignorant about him.
"Did you bring the half-Jiangshi?"
At Byeok Taesan’s question, the old man tilted his head in confusion.
"Half-Jiangshi? Ah, it seems you people refer to them as half-Jiangshi. Indeed... it’s a much more fitting name than just calling them Jiangshi."
Knowing about the half-Jiangshi confirmed they were indeed from the Nameless Sect. But their lack of knowledge about Byeok Taesan didn’t quite add up.
"So, what have you prepared? Surely, what’s here isn’t all you’ve got? Judging by the lack of martial artists, I assume there’s more?"
The old man chuckled.
"Why would we need martial arts? Numbers always triumph in the end."
At the absurd remark, Yeon Harin gave a baffled expression.
"Are you joking? Are you saying you intend to take us on with those people?"
"Does it seem laughable? But soon, you won’t be able to laugh anymore."
Byeok Taesan looked down at the ground as he listened.
A black mist was spreading across the floor. It was hard to notice due to the night’s darkness.
"Do you know why martial artists are so fearsome? It’s because of their inner energy. Without inner energy, a martial artist is no different from a husk."
At the old man’s words, Yeon Harin’s expression hardened. She quickly checked her inner energy through her Qi pathways.
As expected, her dantian had become like a solid rock, completely immobile.
Her expression stiffened further.
Byeok Taesan looked at Yeon Harin and spoke.
"Can you handle this on your own?"
At a time like this? Yeon Harin looked momentarily dumbfounded but quickly nodded with determined eyes.
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Yeon Harin drew her sword.
"I’m Yeon Harin. With or without inner energy, Yeon Harin is still Yeon Harin. I won’t fall to these clumsy fools."
Byeok Taesan nodded.
"Good attitude. Then, shall we begin?"
As soon as Byeok Taesan finished speaking, the group gathered on the street, charged forward.
They all had ghastly expressions, wielding long blades as they rushed toward the pair.
Their coordination showed that this wasn’t their first time in such a situation.
Rather than charging recklessly, they formed a formation and executed a coordinated assault.
Byeok Taesan stepped aside with a few steps, observing.
Some of the attackers targeted Byeok Taesan, while the majority charged at Yeon Harin.
Many were mesmerized by Yeon Harin’s beauty and focused their attacks on her.
"Hey! Don’t kill the woman! Minimize injuries! Got it?"
Yeon Harin heard the ridiculous remark and swung her sword smoothly.
Swish! Slash!
Although her strikes lacked inner energy, Yeon Harin’s swordsmanship was formidable.
She sliced through openings with precision.
Blood splattered in all directions.
Yet, no screams were heard. They were truly hardened individuals.
Despite losing limbs or bleeding profusely from their chests, sides, and stomachs, none of them uttered even a groan.
While such sights might unnerve others, Yeon Harin remained unfazed, swinging her sword with calm focus.
She knew she needed to conserve her strength. Taking down such a large number of enemies meant stamina would be key.
Clang! Swish! Clink! Slash!
She deflected incoming blades while counterattacking at precise angles.
The battle continued in this manner.
Eventually, the attackers seemed to hesitate, growing wary of Yeon Harin.
At that moment, the old man’s voice rang out.
"This won’t do. Take the pills!"
As if obeying an unshakable order, the attackers pulled out pills from their pockets and swallowed them.
In an instant, their energy shifted.
They had taken Blood Augmenting Pills.
Even without martial arts training, the pills would trigger a surge of latent power, drastically enhancing their physical capabilities.
Yeon Harin’s expression tightened.
In their earlier state, she had no doubts about victory, but now she wasn’t so sure.
Then, Byeok Taesan’s leisurely voice came from the side.
"If it gets too difficult, you can always give up. I’ll help you."
Yeon Harin clenched her teeth. Wasn’t that the kind of remark designed to ensure she never gave up?
"Come at me!" she shouted, charging toward the enemies instead.
She deftly deflected the blades coming at her from all directions, exploiting every opening with relentless precision.
She didn’t stop moving. The key was to keep an unpredictable rhythm so the enemy couldn’t read her movements.
Yeon Harin executed this flawlessly.
Watching from the side, Byeok Taesan nodded in approval.
"Not bad."
A faint smile graced his lips momentarily before vanishing.
The attackers coming at Byeok Taesan were suddenly flung backward, as if repelled by an unseen force.
Standing calmly, Byeok Taesan continued to observe Yeon Harin’s battle without lifting a finger.