Chapter 154
154
"……."
"Answer me. What kind of bastard are you?"
"Gyo-jin, you even sealed his pressure points."
"Ah. That's right."
Yang Gyo-jin, scratching his head, removed the black-clothed man's mask. Except for a large mole near his mouth, he was an ordinary-looking man.
The bodyguard of Jang Mi-ryeo, with a dumbfounded expression, belatedly drew his sword.
Yeon-ryang clicked his tongue at the reaction, which was much slower than Jang Mi-ryeo's.
"Young Miss Jang should consider changing her bodyguard. Even a neighborhood kid would be faster than him."
At the blunt assessment, the bodyguard trembled and blushed.
Yang Gyo-jin, grabbing the man's hair, looked at Jang Mi-ryeo and asked,
"Mi-ryeo, do you know him?"
"He's one of my uncle's men. I remember seeing him at the Merchant Guild."
Jang Mi-ryeo's eyes turned cold as she identified the black-clothed man.
"To spy on me, he doesn't even heed my father's gaze anymore. What did my uncle tell you to find out?"
"Gyo-jin. Just release his pressure points. He can't answer otherwise."
"Okay."
Yang Gyo-jin answered cheerfully and punched the black-clothed man in the face.
Pow!
"Cough, cough!"
"I told you to release the pressure points, why are you punching him?"
"Ah. This is the only way I know how. My mother only taught me this."
"……I see."
To release pressure points with a punch, Yang Clan Head is definitely no ordinary person.
Jang Mi-ryeo flinched at the sight of the black-clothed man bleeding profusely from both nostrils, and she covered her eyes and cowered.
"Mi-ryeo is asking. Answer."
"……."
When the black-clothed man remained silent, Yang Gyo-jin tilted his head.
"Are his pressure points not fully released? Should I hit him again?"
"Stop hitting him. Young Miss Jang is frightened."
I waved my hand and stopped Yang Gyo-jin.
Seeing her startled by a little blood and unable to lift her head, Jang Mi-ryeo seemed to have lived a life far removed from the Martial Arts World.
That sight dampened my mood. I could at least run away, but Jang Mi-ryeo would surely die without even resisting if someone sent an Assassin after her.
Biting my lip and swallowing a sigh, Yeon-ryang chuckled.
"Our sister is too kind for her own good."
"No. I won't interfere."
I shook my head.
The interests tied to a single Merchant Guild must be unimaginably complex.
From government offices to local magnates in Yueyang, to the Escort Bureau that does business with them, even battlefields, it would be intertwined like a spider web, and I didn't want to get involved and accumulate bloody grudges for no reason.
But…….
Now that he had caught my eye, I had no intention of simply letting go of this person, whether he was a spy or an Assassin.
Taking off my cape and approaching the black-clothed man, I slowly squatted down in front of him.
"If you've eaten a bit of sword rice, there's no way you wouldn't recognize the Green Robe of the Tang Clan."
Muttering, I conspicuously fluttered the Green Robe in front of the black-clothed man's eyes, and the color drained from his face.
"T, Tang Clan, why……!"
"Judging by your refusal to answer, it seems you need a new conversation partner. Shall we have a little chat?"
"Don't interfere. This is a matter for the Merchant Guild. It has nothing to do with you!"
"It doesn't. But, I hate vermin who use their young nieces or stepdaughters to satisfy their own greed."
Spitting out the words as if chewing them, I took out two small porcelain bottles from my sleeve and held them out to him.
"Here. Choose. 1. Answer willingly. 2. Take the Poison, suffer, answer, and then receive the antidote. 3. Remain silent and taste the pain of your internal organs melting away for seven days and nights before you die."
"A, are you threatening me with Poison! S, such a despicable……!"
"Of course it's a threat, would it be a request? You snuck in here, and you're talking about being despicable or not."
"An Orthodox Faction person using Poison! Do you have no sense of honor? How is your behavior any different from the Unorthodox Faction!"
"Uh-huh. Everyone who said that died from Poison. Do you want me to show you what it's like to act like a real Unorthodox Faction? This one has a strong sensation spreading through your blood vessels, so you'll want to talk quickly."
Responding casually, I took out a Flying Dagger, and the black-clothed man screamed, collapsing.
"1, 1! 1! I, I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"You should have done this from the start."
Chuckling, I stood up, and Yang Gyo-jin stared at me with his mouth agape.
"So-hye."
"Yeah?"
"You're like a Great Devil."
"Look who's talking? Who's the one who releases pressure points with a punch?"
Putting my cape back on, I sat down on a chair and beckoned to the black-clothed man.
"Stop wasting time and talk. I might want to take out the Poison again."
The black-clothed man, sweating profusely, looked back and forth between me and Yang Gyo-jin before slowly opening his mouth.
"The order I received was……."
\ \ *
As I had guessed, Jang Mi-ryeo's uncle, Jang Ho-jung, was trash.
He was planning to poison Jang Mi-ryeo in case the winner of the Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage wasn't one of his people.
I was surprised to hear that he had already started putting Poison in her meals, so I checked Jang Mi-ryeo's pulse. I could feel a faint trace of Poison, so subtle that a doctor unfamiliar with Poison would have difficulty detecting it.
If it had accumulated for another three months, she would have fallen ill without knowing the cause.
I felt both curiosity and a strange discomfort at the unfamiliar type of Poison.
Where did he get this Poison? It's the kind of Poison that only the Hundred Poison Sect, which was said to have been wiped out a hundred years ago, would use.
I began to suspect that the Merchant Guild Leader might not actually be sick.
"Ju-ryeong. Come here."
"Kyoo."
"Hold him for a moment, Young Miss. This child absorbs Poison."
"T, thank you. Young Miss."
I handed Ju-ryeong to Jang Mi-ryeo and rubbed my forehead with a troubled expression.
"If they're tampering with the food, they must have bribed all the Maids. Are you going to be alright?"
"I have to be. I'll have to eat outside for the time being."
Jang Mi-ryeo answered, trying to act as if nothing was wrong, but her face was pale. Her fingertips trembled as she held Ju-ryeong.
Her lifelong home had been transformed into enemy territory, with threats to her life on all sides, so she must be feeling terrible inside.
Perhaps because I could understand how she felt, I felt a weight on my chest.
I clenched my fist and steeled my resolve.
I decided not to interfere. Don't get more involved. She's someone I just met today.
……But, if I turn a blind eye like this, Jang Mi-ryeo will die.
As I tapped my knee with my fingertips, torn between conflicting thoughts, the black-clothed man, who had been watching me, asked,
"I've told you everything I know. Are you going to let me go now?"
"I'll let you go, but not without something first."
"W, what are you talking about! I told you everything you asked!"
"That's the problem. You could go back to your master and tell him everything that happened here, right? I need a safety measure."
Shrugging, I held out a Poison Pill near the black-clothed man's mouth.
"Here. Say 'ah.' What will happen if you don't take the antidote within ten days is up to your imagination. By the way, you won't be able to find the antidote at any pharmacy. Because I made the Poison."
"……."
"It doesn't matter if you don't take it, but that guy will take care of the aftermath."
I gestured towards Yang Gyo-jin, and the black-clothed man, his face contorted in anger, reluctantly swallowed the Poison Pill.
"I trust you'll pretend you weren't discovered. Report any new information to Young Miss Jang. Yang Gyo-jin, you keep the antidote."
"When do I give it to her?"
"Give it to her when Young Miss Jang tells you to."
As I handed the porcelain bottle containing the antidote to Yang Gyo-jin, anger flashed in the black-clothed man's eyes before disappearing.
"……I understand, so release my pressure points."
"Alright. Be on your way."
Before Yang Gyo-jin could punch him again, I released his pressure points, and the black-clothed man grumbled and crawled up to the ceiling.
He hurried away from the detached building, seemingly trying his best to escape.
As the black-clothed man's presence faded, Yang Gyo-jin approached and whispered,
"So-hye. Did you really give him Poison? Will he die if he doesn't take the antidote?"
"No. It's just laxative. He'll suffer for about two weeks and then get better. Though he'll be shitting blood."
"Wow. Con artist."
"I'm helping you, and you're still complaining. Anyway, we need information. We don't know what that uncle is planning."
Answering, I turned my head and saw Jang Mi-ryeo with a pitifully pale face. She was clutching her chest as if her startled heart wouldn't calm down easily. Her pale lips trembled.
She looked pathetic, but getting more involved wouldn't be good for me or Yeon-ryang.
I've done enough. I've fulfilled my moral duty.
"Ju-ryeong. Come here."
When I held out my hand, Ju-ryeong scurried over and climbed onto my shoulder. I stood up and asked Yang Gyo-jin,
"Gyo-jin. Are you really not going to forfeit?"
"Yeah. I'm going to win."
"……Ugh, I don't know. I definitely tried to stop you. Now I'm going my own way, so do whatever you want. Pay me back later. Let's go, Brother."
Sighing, I prepared to leave, and Jang Mi-ryeo stood up and bowed politely.
"Thank you for your help, Dang Sojeo. I will not forget this kindness and will keep it in my heart."
"You don't have to worry about it. I hope you stay safe."
Nodding, I turned my back and left the reception hall.
But as I tried to leave the Merchant Guild, I couldn't bring myself to take the step.
When I stopped abruptly in front of the main gate, Yeon-ryang crossed his arms and chuckled.
"Of course. There's no way our sister could just pass by after hearing such a pitiful story."
"It's not that."
"Yes, it is. You're such a kind Young Miss. You've already helped her so much, what are you pretending for?"
After moving my lips for a long time, I ran a hand over my face.
"Brother. I don't want to get involved……. I really don't, but if I leave like this, I think I'll be thinking about it every night."
Muttering, I looked at the half-frozen ground.
I still remember it vividly. The sleet that brushed against my cheeks, the pounding of my heart, the time I spent huddled up and sleepless.
The moment I ran away and ran away, hoping that no one would find me.
My stomach churned at the thought that Jang Mi-ryeo was feeling the same suffocating fear.
Yeon-ryang stroked my hair as if he understood everything.
"Turning a blind eye to injustice for fear of grudges is what petty people do. Do whatever you want, So-hye."
"Is it okay?"
"Of course. Your brother will be with you."
His kind touch gave me a little courage.
Okay. Just one more time, let's help her just one more time.
Nodding, I took a deep breath and turned towards the reception hall.
