Chapter 42
42
I must have dozed off on Dang Jung's lap, because when I opened my eyes, I was in the bedroom.
I reached for the bedside table to find some water, and Songji, who was nearby, quickly placed a glass of water in my hand.
"You're awake? Here's some water."
"Good morning, Songji. How did I get here yesterday? I don't remember."
"The Poison King carried you here. Young Miss, you can't fall asleep outside like that! He came himself, and I almost had a heart attack."
Songji replied. Oh, right. Dang Jung carried me...
"Pfft! W-What?"
I spat out the water I was drinking and clutched my head.
Did I fall asleep during the massage yesterday? And Dang Jung brought me here after I passed out? I'm going crazy.
Dang Jung has been gentle lately, but if I act too spoiled...
...Is it okay?
Come to think of it, he's been indulging all my whims lately. Even when I threw a tantrum, he soothed me with a smile.
Okay. Let's just live while he's spoiling me. He wouldn't kill the granddaughter he personally feeds elixirs and raises, would he?
As I resignedly wiped my mouth, Songji handed me a towel.
"Wipe yourself off and get up quickly. You have to go to your morning training."
"Uh, yeah."
You now take it for granted that I train as soon as I open my eyes.
As I clumsily got out of bed, Kyung-ah brought my training clothes. She seemed concerned about my haggard face and whispered softly.
"Y-Young Miss... I'll pack... a snack... for you... Hang in there...!"
"Thank you, Kyung-ah."
Right. How can a person live only by training? There has to be some joy in eating.
I sniffled and changed into my training clothes.
* * *
Mastering the Mind Arts was just the beginning.
Footwork and Light Footwork.
"You need to use your feet more smoothly. If your movements are too big, you'll become clumsy. Watch. Like this."
"Um, like this? Ack! My leg, my leg is twisted. Deokju, help me!"
Qi Movement Skill.
"Now, try crossing the pond like your grandpa. Wrap your Inner Energy around your toes... and step lightly on the water like this. Easy, right?"
"What? I'm not a water strider. How can I cross the pond?"
"I said it's easy. Just try it."
"I don't think I can... Ahhh!"
Splash!
Hidden Weapons.
"Once a Hidden Weapon is launched, it cannot be taken back. Don't throw it rashly, but carefully and accurately... Hey, don't fall asleep."
Thwack!
"Ouch, that hurts."
Even Poison Techniques.
"When using Poison, you must always have the wind at your back. If the Poison blows back, it will not only be useless, but it could also harm our allies."
"With the wind at my back... This way, right?"
"Cough! Cough!"
"...The other way. Deokju. Go take an Antidote pill."
"Yes, Elder, cough!"
There was so much to learn that even if I had ten bodies, they wouldn't be enough.
I massaged my trembling legs and collapsed onto the floor.
Ugh, I'm so tired!
Dang Jung, who had approached unnoticed, looked down at me and clicked his tongue.
"What are you doing lying down?"
"Grandfather. This is a yoga pose called Savasana in the Heavenly Country. It's good for feeling the flow of Inner Energy."
"Stop talking nonsense and get up."
Tch. It doesn't work.
As I wriggled around, Dang Jung snorted and lifted me up like he was pulling a radish from the field.
"You look like a puppy that's been rolling around in the mud. You need to wash up."
That's not something the person who made me this exhausted should say.
As I swallowed a hollow laugh and put my feet on the ground, Dang Geunmyeong, who had appeared from somewhere, bowed.
"Elder. You have a guest."
"Didn't I say I wouldn't receive guests for a while? Send them back."
Dang Jung waved his hand as if he didn't need to hear any more. Then, Dang Geunmyeong made a troubled expression.
"That is... The Murim Alliance Leader himself has come."
"Wi Jichok? Why is that guy here?"
"He said he has something important to discuss."
Dang Jung's eyebrows furrowed terribly. He pressed his temples with a displeased look.
"That annoying guy came. I'll be there soon, so take him to the guest quarters... No. Bring him to my residence. Make sure no one sees him."
"Understood, Elder."
Dang Geunmyeong answered respectfully and disappeared. I rolled my eyes.
Why is the Murim Alliance Leader looking for Dang Jung?
Dang Jung sighed and stroked my head.
"We'll have to stop training here today. Prepare to receive the guest."
"Am I greeting him too?"
"Yes. It wouldn't hurt to get acquainted with the Alliance Leader. Go wash up within an hour."
"What? It takes an hour just to get from the training grounds to the residence!"
"You've learned Qi Movement Skill, haven't you? What are you doing? Go quickly."
...Do you think I'm you, Grandpa?
I made a tearful face and ran out of the training grounds.
* * *
Murim Alliance Leader Wi Jichok.
The leader of the Murim Alliance, which represents the Orthodox Faction of the Martial Arts World, was a white-haired old man.
"Have you been well, Elder?"
I was surprised that the old man walking slowly with a cane was the Murim Alliance Leader, and I was even more surprised that he was much younger than Dang Jung.
No matter how you looked at it, the Murim Alliance Leader looked older.
"What brings the Alliance Leader here? It must have been difficult to come all the way from Wuhan to Sichuan."
Even when asked why he had come to bother him, Wi Jichok didn't lose his smile.
"Is there a reason to visit a great senior of the Rivers and Lakes? It's just a junior's duty."
"You've gotten older, and now you have a snake in your belly."
"Haha, please say I've come to my senses."
Wi Jichok, who answered with trembling legs, leaned on his cane. He seemed to be waiting for someone to tell him to sit down.
However, Dang Jung only looked at him with a blank expression and didn't offer him a seat.
Unable to watch any longer, I tugged at Dang Jung's sleeve.
"Grandfather? Should I bring out some tea since we have a guest?"
"...Do that. Alliance Leader, sit down too."
Dang Jung answered gruffly and nodded. Wi Jichok, who had been laughing, sat down in the chair.
"Is that the disciple you recently took in?"
"How does the Alliance Leader know that?"
"Didn't you deliberately spread the rumor? Everyone in Sichuan knows about it, so I just assumed."
Wi Jichok replied smoothly and stroked his white beard.
...That old man is talking strangely? He's subtly scratching my nerves.
Dang Jung seemed to be thinking something similar, as he frowned.
"I didn't know the Alliance Leader was so interested in the news from Sichuan."
"I, Wi Mo, always hope that the Elder is well..."
"Cut it out. Is there anyone who doesn't know that you hate me? Seeing you come all the way here must mean you have a favor to ask. Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."
Dang Jung cut him off, even dropping the honorifics.
As I was boiling water for tea, I glanced at the two of them. Dang Jung's expression was not good.
"Tea! Please have some tea while you talk."
I brought out the tea before the atmosphere could become more hostile, and the wrinkles on Dang Jung's forehead smoothed out a little. Dang Jung sighed deeply, as if he was holding back for my sake.
Then, Wi Jichok, who had been acting like a sickly old man, changed his expression.
He straightened his back as if he had never been trembling, and clasped his hands with his wrinkled hands.
"Of course, it's about the Murim Alliance. There's a place where I'd like the Poison King to come with me."
"I refuse."
Wi Jichok, as if he expected that answer, stared at Dang Jung and took out an old wooden plaque from his chest. Then, he placed it on the table.
Jade Ring.
Dang Jung's pupils shook violently as he confirmed the letters engraved on the wooden plaque.
"You...!"
Dang Jung pointed and gnashed his teeth. He looked as if he would tear the old man to pieces right away.
The surging Inner Energy made me feel nauseous, but Wi Jichok calmly sipped his tea.
"Where did you get the Jade Ring plaque?"
"The Divine Doctor gave it to me."
"That old hag, Im Seolyak...!"
Dang Jung swallowed his roar and closed his eyes, biting his lip. He was breathing heavily, as if trying to calm his anger.
After taking a deep breath and gathering his Qi, he murmured in a low voice.
"...This is just this once."
"Of course."
"Tell the Im Clan that they will also pay the price."
"She said you would say that."
"Ha, I've known that old hag for too long."
Dang Jung smiled bitterly and pressed his temple. His eyes sank dully.
The serious atmosphere made my mouth dry. I looked back and forth between Dang Jung and Wi Jichok and swallowed hard. Dang Jung, noticing my gaze, gestured.
"So-hye. Go out for a while. Grandpa has something important to discuss with the guest."
His voice was so cold that it sent shivers down my spine.
I cautiously slipped out of the room.
* * *
Wi Jichok looked at Dang Jung with a strange expression.
He had knocked on the Tang Clan's door, prepared to lose an arm. But, contrary to his expectations, the Poison King was acting mild.
He didn't even launch Hidden Weapons, let alone use Poison. Was this person really the eccentric Poison King?
It seemed that he was conscious of the disciple who was with him.
Wi Jichok swallowed a hollow laugh and turned his gaze to the spot where the child had disappeared.
"She seems to be a cherished disciple."
"That's none of your business."
Wi Jichok was certain at the sharp response.
She's no ordinary disciple.
The Poison King, who had been holed up in the Tang Clan and refusing to see anyone, had recently started sending out messages. It seemed to be for the sake of that child.
The older the old monster who takes in a disciple, the more foolish he becomes. I'm seeing all sorts of things.
He stroked his beard and tried to remember the child's appearance.
So-hye, was it?
If he could bring her into the Murim Alliance at the right time, she would become a card to move the Poison King.
"If the Im Clan gave you the Jade Ring plaque, it must be a big deal. So, what's the matter?"
Wi Jichok, snapping out of his thoughts at Dang Jung's words, lowered his head.
"We need the help of the Elder, the master of Poison. Please help us create an antidote."
"Explain properly."
"Recently, the number of Murim Alliance members who have gone missing during missions has been increasing. At first, we thought it was a simple desertion, but after the Biseondang investigated, it wasn't. All of the missing people had lost their memories and become useless."
"You're saying they were kidnapped?"
"Something like that. Judging from the circumstances, it seemed like they were being used as test subjects and then abandoned."
"It's definitely something that would make you move personally. But what kind of antidote do you need?"
"The rescued Murim Alliance members are showing the same symptoms as when they are addicted to opium. The Divine Doctor has prescribed several antidotes, but none of them have worked."
"Did you bring it?"
Wi Jichok nodded and placed a small vial in front of Dang Jung.
"This is it. It was taken from the blood of an addicted Murim Alliance member. The Murim Alliance calls it 'Demon Life'."
Dang Jung slowly opened the vial. A terrible stench spread as he poured the contents into a teacup.
The strong smell made Wi Jichok gag, but Dang Jung didn't care and tasted the contents.
"It's certain that ephedra and aconite are in it. They only used ingredients that have a stimulating effect. Were they trying to make them not feel pain? What did the Im Clan say?"
"They asked you to find out the combination of mineral poisons. And... they told me to tell you that there were traces of Blood Yin Gu being used."
Wi Jichok, after finishing his words, met Dang Jung's gaze with calm eyes.
"...Ha? I wondered why the Im Clan was interfering in the Murim Alliance's affairs, but there was a reason."
A murderous aura appeared in Dang Jung's eyes.
"The Demonic Cult, those tiresome things, have moved."
