Chapter 238
Chapter 238
Even though everyone had been eliminated in the preliminaries, the atmosphere among the family members wasn't bad.
Dang Gyeong-won was also composed.
"How many chances do you get to come outside Sichuan in your life? It's a shame I wasn't prepared enough, but I'm satisfied since it was a good experience."
He accepted defeat calmly, neither getting angry like Dang Hwa-yeop nor hiding somewhere.
Instead, he was busy reviewing the martial arts competition with the collateral family members, looking for areas to improve.
"Gyeong-won shouldn't have charged out there. He should have retreated and looked for an opening."
"If he had used the Gunja Mountain poison before that, it would have been right to charge. The poisoned opponent would have been shaken. Anyway, it's unfair. Why are we the only ones who can't use poison?"
Being among the children who were grumbling and calculating the possible moves when using Haedok, I felt a strange sense of belonging.
So this is what it means to have the same roots in martial arts.
It was also my first time discussing Yongdok Arts with people from the Sect, so I became quite happy.
"Dang So-hye. You should also think about various moves. Your opponent is a Wudang Taoist."
"It would be better for Dojang Songhwa to overwhelm him at the beginning and finish it. That person has good endurance, so there aren't many ups and downs even if you drag it out."
"You know each other?"
"A little."
"You're a really mysterious fellow. Last time, you were with Young Patriarch Jegal, and there's no one you don't know."
Dang Seo-heon scratched his head and looked at me.
"Instead, I don't know anyone in the family."
I shrugged and joked, and Dang Cheon-yeong, who chuckled, took something out and handed it to me.
"What's this?"
"Oil for grooming Hidden Weapons. You buy it from outside, right? Throw that away. The stuff made in the Iron Workshop is much better."
"……Oh, thank you."
"Tell me if you need a whetstone too. You need to use a good whetstone to sharpen the blade well."
"Okay."
Dang Cheon-yeong's voice, who took the initiative to take care of things, was full of goodwill.
Dang Gyeong-won, who was watching me accept the oil bottle with a pleased expression, asked.
"Dang So-hye. About your Inner Energy technique. Is it the Poison King's technique?"
"Yes."
"Then, do you also extract poison to use Haedok? How do you replenish the poison? You have Immunity to all poisons, so it's difficult to ingest poison, right? Is it easier to dissolve because you're not poisoned?"
"Extract poison? Can you do that?"
I asked back in surprise, and Dang Ye-won narrowed her eyes and scanned me.
"The Poison King's disciple doesn't know how to separate poison from Inner Energy? You're really strange. You seem smart, but you don't know anything."
"She was a Maid. We have to understand."
"Are you guys feeding me age?"
Dang Ye-won, who teased me while laughing, soon spread out her hand and tapped her palm.
"Think about when you use Poison Palm. You push your Inner Energy into the opponent to poison them, right?"
"Yes."
"It's the same. Like this…… you're pushing the poison out of your body. You'll quickly get the hang of it if you practice."
Faint poison Qi rose from Dang Ye-won's fingertips as she explained.
It was such a small amount of Qi that it seemed much better to carry around poison powder separately.
Unless all the poison you have is gone, it doesn't seem very useful.
Dang Cheon-yeong chuckled as he watched my reaction.
"She has a look on her face that says, 'Why would she bother doing that?'"
"It's because the demonstration is poor. Is that poison? It would be stronger if you picked poison ivy and shook it."
"What? Dang Seo-heon. Do you want to die?"
"That's enough, you two."
Dang Gyeong-won, who separated the bickering pair, recommended to me.
"Try it yourself. It might be different if you do it."
"Yeah. Try it once. The amount of Inner Energy is important, so you'll be different from us. The Elders even gather it into lumps and extract it, but we can't do it to that level, so we can't show you."
"Okay. I'll try it."
I nodded awkwardly and gathered Inner Energy to my fingertips.
Extracting only poison from here, I didn't get a sense of it at all…….
Huh.
It works?
\ \ \
"Cough, cough!"
"Dang So-hye, stop it……!"
"Guys, look at this. It can be a poison pill, and it can be powder too."
Dang Ye-won, who stepped back in hesitation as I excitedly held out a lump of poison Qi, shouted.
"What are you, a Spirit Creature? Why are you making poison pills, cough!"
"The way she's acting is exactly like Dang Juhee? She's a madwoman."
"That's harsh. Who said that just now? Was it Dang Seo-heon?"
"Hey, hey! Don't come near me! Aaaagh!"
Wow, this is fun?
Dang Gyeong-won's words that it would be different if I tried it were true.
I could manipulate poison Qi so freely that I wondered why I hadn't thought of trying it until now.
I could imitate the toxicity of the poison I usually carry around, or I could concentrate the poison Qi in one place.
As I continuously manipulated the poison Qi, Dang Gyeong-won, who was standing far away and blocking his nose, said in a nasal voice.
"That's enough. It's too much for your body."
"Okay."
He muttered as he watched me obediently withdraw the poison Qi.
"Is this really your first time trying it? It's amazing. I think a Poison Human that I've only heard about might be like you."
I blinked at the story I had heard from Dang-un sometime ago.
Poison Human.
A mysterious being who emits absolute poison that melts enemies with a single breath or gesture.
Its power was so strong that everyone coveted it, but there was a fundamental problem.
'A Poison Human is different from Immunity to all poisons. It's not a body obtained by reaching the extreme level, but a body artificially created by injecting poison. It's that much easier to break down.'
'Brother. Are you saying that the body rots from the poison?'
'That's right. If poison flows through the blood vessels instead of blood, everyone's bones and flesh will melt. No matter how much you take care, it won't last long.'
'……That's scary.'
Not only that. A Poison Human couldn't live like a human even though they were human.
They couldn't touch others, they couldn't eat properly, and they couldn't sleep soundly.
In exchange for gaining power, they had to live in pain, with poison filling their brains for the rest of their lives. It was a terrible life just to imagine.
I frowned and asked.
"Poison Human. No one in the family has succeeded, right?"
"No. There's a record that an Elder experimented on his own body about a hundred years ago, but I know that no one has followed suit since he died after half a month."
Dang Seo-heon also waved his hand as if telling me not to say such terrible things.
"Ugh, hey. You shouldn't succeed in that even if you can. You stop being human. We use poison out of necessity, not to abandon human morality."
"How long have we been trying to be recognized as an Orthodox Faction? Our ancestors would be pounding the ground and lamenting."
"Yeah. You don't have to go far. The reason why Poison King has been cleaning up after the Murim Alliance for over a hundred years is all because we have to show that we are also members of the Orthodox Faction. Even the Patriarch would be scolded if he brought up the story of the Poison Human in front of the Elder."
I was surprised that these guys had pride in being an Orthodox Faction, and I was surprised once again that Grandfather had been working as an active member for over a hundred years.
Grandfather……. You really loved the Tang Clan.
"Anyway, Dang So-hye, you should go now. It's almost time for Third Young Master to return."
"Okay. I'll go. Thank you for telling me something good."
"What. I'm looking forward to the match."
"Be sure to use the oil I gave you. It's a good thing."
"Okay. Thank you."
After saying goodbye, I picked up Ju-ryeong, who was sprawled out, intoxicated by the poison, and left the guest quarters.
The conversations I had with the guys kept floating around in my head as I returned to the accommodation.
It's fun to manipulate poison Qi……. But the Inner Energy consumption is a bit high.
How can I apply it in actual combat?
As I walked while pondering, I felt a momentary dizziness due to a ringing in my ear.
The world turned dark as if someone had swallowed the light, and cold sweat dripped from my forehead.
'Oh, my. If I had known that there was such a wonderful material among the Maids…….'
My body lost strength at the chilling voice.
But it was only for a moment, and when I opened my eyes again, it was bright daylight.
I hugged Ju-ryeong tightly and struggled to catch my breath.
……What was that just now?
I hunched over and hurriedly looked around, but I was alone on the road.
"Kiee……?"
"No. Sleep more, Ju-ryeong."
I patted Ju-ryeong, who was scratching my sleeve as if asking what was wrong, and tried to ignore the uneasiness and started walking again.
\ \ \
After returning to the accommodation, I changed my clothes and burrowed into the blanket.
I didn't feel like I had done anything special, but I was so exhausted that it was hard to sit on a chair.
I smacked my lips and stroked Ju-ryeong's cheek as she snored softly.
I had extracted so much poison Qi that Ju-ryeong had passed out, so maybe Dang Gyeong-won was right that it was too much for my body.
But I couldn't fall asleep, so I lay still and observed my body.
There was no problem with the flow of Qi, but my chest felt stuffy as if someone had placed a stone on it.
The strange sensation I had felt earlier kept lingering in my mind.
As I blankly rolled my eyes along the wood grain of the ceiling, I heard Grandfather's voice.
"Gyeong-won was right. I heard you'd be exhausted and sprawled out."
"Grandfather, you're here?"
"No need to get up. Lie down."
Grandfather, who laid me back down as I tried to get up from the bed, clicked his tongue.
"What's with that complexion? Oh, you fool. It's because you're extracting and using poison Qi recklessly. Do you know what it is and how you're handling it?"
But he didn't seem upset. Rather, his eyes were filled with satisfaction.
"I was going to tell you after the competition, but you figured it out on your own. Smart thing."
Grandfather, who stroked my head as if I was admirable, soon infused True energy into me.
My whole body became languid as the poison Qi wrapped around my Energy Channels.
"Take a nap."
Grandfather, who whispered kindly, covered my eyes with his palm. I closed my eyes obediently.
I fell into a light sleep, and when I woke up at the sound of someone's presence, Uncle Geun-myeong was there.
He read my changed breathing and said from beyond the paper door.
"Come out and eat porridge. The Elder said to circulate Energy when you eat and regain some strength."
"Yes. Where's Grandfather?"
"He went to meet Taoist Tae-neung. He'll be back late."
I put on my outer garment in a hurry and came out, sitting in front of the table and looking out the window.
I felt like I had only closed my eyes for a moment, but it was already dark outside.
Uncle Geun-myeong, who scooped out a generous portion of porridge and placed it in front of me, also filled his bowl with porridge and opened his mouth.
"Oh, right, your friend. He got a nickname."
"Gyo Jin? The last martial arts competition must have been noticeable. What are they calling him?"
"I heard he's called Jade Sword."
"Cough."
I almost spat out the porridge I was eating at Uncle Geun-myeong's answer.
……What sword? Jade Sword?
