The Miraculous Divorce Technique

Chapter 26

"What... what is this... ugh, what are you doing?"

Geumgae Lee Cheon-eok couldn't speak properly because Cheok Sagyeol was clutching his throat.

"Shut up, you bastard. Just answer my questions."

And then he growled, emitting a menacing killing intent.

"Tell me everything you know about the Half-Immortal Wine and the phenomenon of souls being swapped. If you try any tricks, I'll break your neck right here."

From what Cheok Sagyeol had gathered, Geumgae's martial arts level was at the peak.

However, thanks to the numerous elixirs he had consumed, his internal energy level was high, but his actual skills were overestimated.

Therefore, Cheok Sagyeol was planning to break Geumgae's neck the moment he tried to raise his internal energy.

"H-how do you know about that? I didn't say the Half-Immortal Wine was a... ugh, a soul-swapping... gurgle."

GRIND.

Cheok Sagyeol tightened his grip and said.

"Don't take my words lightly. Stop with the bullshit and just answer my questions!"

SLACK.

As he loosened his grip, Geumgae coughed and gasped for breath.

"Gasp. Gasp. Don't tell me... your body was swapped too?"

At the words that came out of Geumgae's mouth, Cheok Sagyeol's eyes widened.

"You... too? You bastard, don't tell me..."

Without realizing it, Cheok Sagyeol let go of the hand holding his throat and stepped back.

"Who are you?"

"Cough. Cough."

Geumgae, who had coughed while rubbing his throat, caught his breath and said.

"As expected, your body was swapped too. My name is Baili Huang. The head of the Baili family is my father."

Baili Huang was the target that Geumgae had just ordered to be monitored around the clock.

"You bastard, was your body swapped by Geumgae's trickery?"

"That's right. I was thinking that it happened after I drank something called the Half-Immortal Wine. Because that was the only special thing that happened on the day my body was swapped. Seeing you, it seems that was the cause."

Cheok Sagyeol clenched his fists and trembled.

It was because he had also drunk a wine called the Half-Immortal Wine during his battle with Muheo.

But he doubted whether such a ridiculous thing could happen just by drinking a single glass of wine.

"Who are you? Who did you swap bodies with?"

At Geumgae, no, Baili Huang's question, Cheok Sagyeol was silent for a moment.

Although they were in the same situation, the Baili family was a martial family of the righteous faction.

Since they were in an adversarial relationship, he couldn't reveal everything.

"This one's name is Jeokun. The one who swapped bodies is the Drunken Buddha."

"The Drunken Buddha, Grand Master Muheo! As expected, the Four Eccentrics are definitely involved in this."

"This one also thought so and was looking for you."

"But I know that Grand Master Muheo is over eighty years old, but you, sir,"

"It's a human-skin mask, so don't concern yourself with useless things."

"What? Yes, I understand."

Baili Huang spoke with a consistently polite demeanor.

Perhaps because of the old beggar's appearance, that demeanor looked quite unfamiliar.

"But how old are you?"

"I am fifteen this year."

"For a young one, your behavior and speech are like an old man's."

"Haha. I've heard that a lot."

Baili Huang said with an embarrassed face.

The Baili family was ranked right below the Five Great Families. In other words, it could be said that they were in a similar position to the Jongli family in the martial world.

As a child of a prestigious martial family, etiquette was unconsciously ingrained in his body.

"Recite it."

"What?"

"I'm telling you to tell me your story. When and how your body was swapped. And your relationship with Geumgae."

"Yes, that is..."

Baili Huang slowly recalled that time two months ago.

At that time, there was a grand banquet at the Baili family.

It was because the marriage talks with the Danmok family had been successful.

The two families were forces that divided Jiangsu Province, and their relationship had not been very good for a long time.

But if those two families were to be joined by blood, another martial family on the level of the Five Great Families would be born.

To announce this on a large scale, the Baili family held a banquet, and Geumgae Lee Cheon-eok from the Beggars' Sect had visited.

It could be said to be an exception, as he usually did not attend official events.

At that time, Baili Huang had met Geumgae and said that he had lost consciousness after drinking a glass of the Half-Immortal Wine that he had poured for him.

When he woke up, he had become Geumgae, and while he was bewildered, he was brought to Luoyang by the beggars. That was the whole story.

"You said you were fifteen, right? Why did a young punk like you drink wine?!"

Cheok Sagyeol said, frowning.

"They said you should learn to drink from an adult, so how could I not accept it when he offered it? Elder Geumgae is a famous master of the martial world..."

"Elder? Famous master? Bullshit. Do you still say that after becoming like this?"

"..."

Baili Huang sat upright and kept his mouth shut.

'This polite bastard.'

"Anyway, did you form a private organization called the Golden Seven Squad to investigate Geumgae?"

"That's right. When I came to the Luoyang branch, I searched this office, but there were no clues. That's why I needed a private organization to dig into the background of Geumgae and the other Four Eccentrics."

"There's no way he would have left a clue. It was a premeditated act."

Cheok Sagyeol pressed the back of his neck and sighed.

'Did the old men want to rejuvenate as a group? Still, for bastards with the label of the righteous faction to steal someone else's body. Hah, really.'

Even Baili Huang before him had his youthful prime stolen and was reduced to a shabby old man.

And that was from the status of an heir to a prestigious martial family to a beggar.

"Hey, Baili brat."

Cheok Sagyeol called Baili Huang with a serious gaze.

"Yes, Mr. Jeokun."

Baili Huang still listened attentively without a single flaw in his posture.

"It was a good thing you tried to form a private organization without using the beggars. If your orders had continued, some of the beggars would have become suspicious. Conversely, your intentions could have been seen through."

"Ah... is that so? I just didn't want to cause trouble for the Beggars' Sect with my personal business..."

Cheok Sagyeol's face contorted.

"Hey, you pushover bastard. The perpetrator who made you like this is a beggar. What trouble are you causing? You're the one who's been wronged!"

"But the other beggars didn't do it..."

'Ah, this is frustrating. It feels like I've eaten a million sweet potatoes.'

Cheok Sagyeol pounded his chest and continued.

"In the martial world, a nice guy is a pushover, you understand? Think about why the old Daoist masters of the past Nine Great Sects fell and the martial families, including the Five Great Families, rose to power. Aren't you also a member of a family that was established like that?"

At Cheok Sagyeol's words, Baili Huang smiled awkwardly and said.

"Still, isn't it good to live together? I don't want to live well by harming others."

'Ah, this is frustrating. He's a foolishly upright guy.'

Cheok Sagyeol shook his head from side to side.

'Right, he's still young, so he must have experienced less of the world's hardships.'

Cheok Sagyeol judged that Baili Huang had grown up as a flower in a greenhouse called the Baili family.

It would only hurt his mouth to talk any further.

"Baili brat, anyway, this is a secret between the two of us. Don't do anything that will leave a trail from now on, you understand?"

"I understand. But I have something to ask."

"What is it?"

"Who are you, Mr. Jeokun?"

'His condescending tone is so natural it's as if it's ingrained in his body.'

'No, rather than condescending, it should be said that it's like giving an order.'

Baili Huang was strongly feeling that Cheok Sagyeol was definitely at the level of a leader of a group.

"Are you curious about who this one is?"

"Yes, although my knowledge is short, I have received teachings about the famous figures of the martial world at my home."

"And the name Jeokun is not among them?"

"That's right."

"And yet, in your thoughts, you think this one is one of those famous figures?"

Baili Huang nodded his head.

"Hehehe. Your eyes are not completely blind."

"Then..."

"This one is not yet known to the martial world. So you wouldn't know even if I told you. Just know this. That the Drunken Buddha, Muheo, is a figure of the level that he would swap bodies with."

'Right, although he's treated as an eccentric, Muheo is a famous master among the renowned masters of the martial world.'

'Although they are the same Four Eccentrics, he is on a different level, so to speak, from Geumgae and the other bastards.'

* * *

CLICK.

Cheok Sagyeol returned to the inn and opened the door.

He had promised to talk with Baili Huang again tomorrow.

It was because he couldn't spare much time as he was scheduled to have an interview with all of the Golden Seven Squad.

Of course, he also had to sort out his complicated thoughts.

Cheok Sagyeol, who had entered the room, said, conscious of one side of the room.

"Is it Sa-wol?"

SWOOSH.

The figure that shot up from the floor like a ghost was indeed Sa-wol in black martial arts attire.

"My lord, did the public recruitment go well?"

"Yes. There was an unexpected achievement. How about you?"

"I have also found out the removal method you ordered."

At Sa-wol's answer, Cheok Sagyeol smiled with satisfaction.

As expected, they were children worth spending money on.

"Here you are."

Sa-wol took out a jade bottle and handed it to Cheok Sagyeol.

"Well done. But how did you obtain this?"

"I gave the Hermit of the Empty Gourd, Lee Si-jin, what he wanted most."

"What he wanted? What was that?"

"He said that the reason he returned to his hometown was to compile a comprehensive work on pharmacology. So I promised to give him the pharmacology book stored in our cult's Demonic Medicine Hall. When I said that nine hundred years of history were melted into it, he was also tempted."

"Will the Demonic Physician stay still? He won't stay still if he finds out that his research materials are being given away, will he?"

"I will handle it as if it were your order, my lord. No matter how much of a Demonic Physician he is, how dare he say anything?"

Sa-wol said confidently that she would use Cheok Sagyeol as an excuse.

Although he had told her to use him whenever necessary in the past, she was truly an active subordinate.

Cheok Sagyeol asked about the matter he had instructed.

"Have you received any communication from Il-wol about Muheo's recent situation?"

"I have, but he recently entered seclusion, so it is difficult to know his detailed recent situation."

"Secluded training? That bastard? Hmm..."

Cheok Sagyeol stroked his chin.

There are three cases when a martial artist enters secluded training.

The first is when he has an enlightenment and concentrates on his martial arts to enter the next stage, which can be said to be the most desirable case.

The second is for the purpose of becoming stronger or out of necessity, to create a forced training environment. This is less efficient than the first, but most martial artists enter secluded training for this reason.

The third is to hide one's own movements, which is often called fake secluded training. It is to put up a veil of secluded training when going on a secret mission or having something to handle secretly.

"According to Il-wol's message, it is presumed to be the third case."

"What's the basis for that?"

"After returning to our base, all he did was drink wine in the Lord's Hall. So, recently, Elder Guyang made up his mind and handled the overdue work, including the nearby royal procession, and it is reported that he may have deliberately entered secluded training because of this."

"Elder Guyang was disturbing his drinking, so he hid in the training room to avoid him?"

"Since he entered seclusion right after that incident, it is only a presumption, but it is considered highly possible."

Cheok Sagyeol gritted his teeth.

'It wasn't for some grand reason that he swapped bodies with this one, but he swapped bodies to drink as much as he wanted? What kind of crazy stone monk bastard is this...'

Anyway, he was a person who had not a single likable corner whenever he was mentioned.

Cheok Sagyeol waved his hand and said.

"Tell Il-wol to continue monitoring and to report every single trivial thing without omission."

"Yes, I will convey your command as you wish, Supreme One."

Sa-wol prostrated herself and bowed her head.

"But how do I use this? Do I just apply it to my hands?"

Cheok Sagyeol said, shaking the jade bottle.

The liquid inside was thick, so there was not even a sloshing sound.

"Yes, if you sprinkle it on your hands and rub them, the Thousand Li Tracking Incense will disappear after a moment."

At Sa-wol's answer, Cheok Sagyeol unhesitatingly poured the contents of the jade bottle onto his hands.

But at that moment, at the smell that wafted up, Cheok Sagyeol was horrified.

"Sa-wol... do you know what the raw material of this is?"

"According to the Hermit of the Empty Gourd, it is the sap of the chestnut flower."

"What, what? What did you just say? The chestnut flower is the chestnut tree's..."

"Yes, it is the sap of the chestnut tree flower."

"Gasp..."

For some reason, from the thick consistency to the smell, his spine tingled as if he had touched someone else's that.

'Ugh! You fucking son of a bitch!'

(End of Chapter)