Chapter: 829
“It’s poisoned.”
These were the words spoken by the Poison King as he gripped the mouth of the teapot.
Inside, there was a cup full of hot tea brought by a servant, which the Poison King was blocking with his hand.
It would be incredibly hot, but after all, the Poison King is a Hwagyeong-level warrior. At this level, it wouldn’t even be noticeable.
What mattered were his eyes.
“Do you know who did this?”
His eyes were seething and blazing. The Poison King’s irises were swirling with killing intent.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but swallow a little surprise.
‘You detected this?’
I only realized it after smelling the scent, yet it seemed the Poison King caught on before even tasting it.
The Poison King must not have reached invincibility, so the fact that he was quicker at detecting things than me meant…
‘Is it a difference in skill level?’
It was purely due to the difference in proficiency with poison. I had concluded it must be just that. After all, while I’m not affected by poison, noticing it is a completely different story.
However, even so…
‘I didn’t expect your detection ability to be this high.’
I never imagined he would be able to discover the poison inside. Even though the amount of poison in the bottle wasn’t that much.
Thump. The Poison King, having set the teapot upright, stared at me silently. Looking into those eyes, I recalled the question I had just asked.
Did he know whose handiwork this was?
“Yes, I know.”
I responded obediently. I thought for sure the King would be shocked and flustered, but that was not his reaction.
“Is that so? If that’s the case, I’ll have to capture that bastard and deal with him right now. Who is it?”
“…yes?”
Rather, I was the one who was flabbergasted. Why was he ready to believe me right away and go after them? Normally, wouldn’t you ask how I knew? Wouldn’t it be more usual to question why I wasn’t acting on this knowledge?
Caught off guard, I was left gazing at the Poison King with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
“What kind of scoundrel…?”
The Poison King clenched his fists tightly and rose from his seat.
“To turn our precious daughter into a widow…!”
“…Wait. Excuse me? Your Majesty?”
I hastily grabbed the furious Poison King.
If I had been even a moment late, he would surely have dashed off like a lightning bolt.
“Where’s this widow business coming from all of a sudden? No, where are you going?”
“Of course I’m going to catch the culprit and roast him.”
“Roast? What do you mean?! Please wait a moment… Just hear me out first!”
I managed to pull the impulsive Poison King back down into his seat. He still looked like a volcano ready to explode with anger.
I wondered if it was that offensive that I attempted poisoning him… but in the context of hearing the gossip, I didn’t think it was that straightforward.
– “To turn her into a widow!” –
It seemed quite clearly it was about the Lord of the Tang Clan.
I really didn’t want to nitpick over that. After all, I figured it would only give me a headache.
Anyway, somehow I managed to get the Poison King to sit down and sighed before speaking to him.
“No, what are you going to do if you just spring up and leave like that…?”
“Didn’t the Lord mention he already knew who the culprit was?”
“That’s true… But still. Usually, you would listen to the story first. How did you find out? Why are you jumping into action knowing this? You should really hear that out first…”
“That’s enough.”
“Pardon?”
I was temporarily speechless at the Poison King’s resolute response. This is it? What had I done to hasten this reaction?
Just when I was tilting my head at the incomprehensible reply, he continued.
“I’m sure Prince Gu has already figured things out too. So that’s why he’s so untroubled.”
“….”
“I don’t know if this is Confucius’ intention, but I know he must have meant something by it.”
He knew everything. A peculiar faith gleamed through his eyes. What in the world had given him that sense of confidence?
That was quite correct, yet it felt extremely strange to hear it from the Poison King’s mouth.
Here comes the kicker.
“…So why do you want to go?”
Then the real question was, why would a gentleman who knew everything choose to leave?
If he understood I had a plan, wouldn’t it be appropriate for him not to go? In this bizarre context, I curiously inquired.
“That is according to the teachings of Confucius. My anger is due to something else entirely.”
“….”
I see, I see.
In other words, even if I had some kind of intention, it didn’t matter to him; he had to blow off some steam.
…This man does seem to have a rather fierce temperament.
I let out a sigh and spoke to the Poison King.
“…Could you please keep it a little restrained? I have something I need to prepare.”
This is an incredibly important time right now. How hard had I worked for days to create this situation? I couldn’t allow the Poison King to come in and mess things up.
At my words, the Poison King furrowed his brow and responded.
“Are you saying that the thing you are preparing is this assassination attempt?”
“No way.”
I laughed it off and waved my hands.
“Your Majesty knows this too. This sort of poison cannot kill anyone.”
This is not an assassination poison.
The Poison King likely already knew, but I was adamant that he would understand even without being explicitly told.
If anything, one could wager.
‘Because I provided it.’
This poison was indeed one that I had handed over.
Its effect was to slow down the use of energy while providing a paralytic effect.
It was on the expensive side and hard to procure, but it wouldn’t reveal itself when mixed with tea, and its duration was quite long.
It even had a tendency to maximize effects when absorbed over several days.
If I had to raise an issue about it, it was that it was quite challenging to fetch…
“No way.”
When the Poison King heard this, it seemed he realized something and spoke.
“Is this what you requested last time?”
“…”
I simply answered with an awkward grin.
That was correct! This poison was acquired from the Tang clan.
I had discreetly requested it from the clan’s junior leader, which the Poison King seemed to have caught wind of.
“…I simply wondered what you might use it for, never did I imagine you’d seek it out to consume directly.”
“I asked you to keep it confidential. It looks like the clan’s junior leader has a somewhat loose tongue…”
But, did I even truly mean to keep it hidden? I began to wonder but shrugged it off.
“You don’t mean to feed that precious poison to another person; you’re opting to consume it yourself?”
“Wouldn’t that be a better way to go?”
“Then why even bother with the poison in the first place?”
“….”
He had a point, and I was left speechless. Indeed… Most people don’t harness poison unless they intend harm to another.
While it’s said that it can be used as a paralyzing agent or for healing options… I hadn’t thought that far.
“…Anyway, it had some use.”
“Hmm.”
“It won’t be a problem. As I mentioned earlier, eating a bit of this won’t kill anyone.”
Not only that, but no matter what poison I consume, the Poison King remains ignorant of my invincibility.
It seemed wise to keep this under wraps. If news of my invulnerability were to leak out, it could become quite problematic.
‘There are so many potential uses for it.’
This was the easiest way to catch the culprits attempting poisoning. Additionally, keeping quiet was more prudent to manipulate the situation.
See? Things like this can happen easily if it’s not discovered.
‘…Once more today, my respect for you remains, Senior Tang.’
I willingly dipped my head in semi-prayer, recalling her, regarded as the hero of the Tang family. Unlike those other insufferable fine-bred folks, she had given me so much.
In my former life, I had to be incredibly cautious about what I ate due to poison, but now? I felt lucky that concern had disappeared.
“Really, it will be okay, so don’t worry.”
“…Who exactly am I worried about?”
“It’s not about me, but rather you should be worried for the Tang clan’s daughter… It signifies that everything will turn out just fine.”
Whatever the case, everything should be alright. I insisted firmly, trying to ease the Poison King, who then gave a light snort.
“…How is your daughter faring?”
He brought up a completely different topic from where we had just been. It indicated he was willing to overlook the previous discussion.
“Yes. She’s working very diligently.”
“It’s not about how hard she works. The important thing is how well she is doing.”
“I think she seems satisfied… But I’m not entirely sure about the details, so maybe it’d be best to ask her directly…?”
“….”
He averted his eyes when told to ask her directly. From the looks of it, it seemed he didn’t want it to be known that he had come.
‘…But he’s going to get found out anyway?’
Since the Poison King didn’t sneak in and didn’t shy away from making his arrival obvious, news would soon travel to Tang Xiaoyeol’s ears.
There was no way the Poison King was unaware of that… But judging by his reaction…
‘It seems he just wants to avoid being caught for the moment?’
That might just be the case, I figured.
‘This is somewhat trivial.’
This wasn’t a critical point, so let’s move on. We’ve talked enough about the poison, so now we need to return to the primary subject.
“So, why did you come to see me? I don’t know if you’ve read my note, but I was planning on visiting tomorrow if it were possible.”
The reason the Poison King came to find me at the Meng branch.
When I inquired about this, the Poison King hesitated for a brief moment before responding.
“I’ve seen it. I was aware of it.”
“I see.”
“I tried to hold off until the last moment, but I couldn’t contain my impatience.”
Even though I was planning to visit the Tang clan tomorrow, he had chosen to arrive today. This was clearly a highly serious matter.
I had already anticipated this.
“Does that mean… indeed?”
“The production of Dokcheondan is reaching its conclusion.”
“…Oh.”
It was the very topic I suspected.
This was something I had already heard through letters sent from Hanam.
“Congratulations.”
“…Thank you. It’s all thanks to the great Confucius.”
The Poison King graciously expressed gratitude in response to my congratulations.
He could do no less, after all.
Dokcheondan was a long-lost piece of history from the Tang clan.
A legendary elixir, the finest among those that could rival Shaolin’s Daehwandan. After being lost for hundreds of years, regaining it must have made him feel as if he were floating in the heavens.
Unlike the circumstances the Tang clan faced at present.
‘I predicted it would be completed already, but now it’s nearing…’
It didn’t seem it was fully completed yet. However, even with this visit, it suggested…
‘He must have something to convey to me.’
It indicated that he had something important to say.
So then, what was that important message?
I waited for the Poison King to voice it first. Then a brief moment passed.
“…Most of the materials have been prepared. There were some items that were tricky to obtain, but the majority of them were challenging rather than impossible to procure.”
I echoed my agreement.
In fact, most of the ingredients, when I looked at them, were not that difficult to gather.
Even things that seemed slightly tough could be gotten if one possessed sufficient funds. The Tang clan had, after all, plenty of money despite only presenting a formal image to society.
Because of that, I thought there wouldn’t be any major issues.
‘What’s going on?’
What could possibly be the issue? Just as I began to ponder this.
“However.”
“However?”
“The last part is the problem.”
“If it’s the last part…”
I stammered momentarily. I felt a reasonable inclination of what it might be. The recipe I provided for Dokcheondan. Could it be regarding the final ingredient?
“Is the magic stone the issue?”
Magic stone. Especially the red one.
Surprisingly, the recipe for Dokcheondan called for a red magic stone.
“What kind of problem are we looking at?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“Despite following the recipe meticulously, I still cannot successfully create Dokcheondan.”
“…What do you mean?”
You followed it precisely, but it didn’t work? What could that possibly mean? I frowned as I queried, and the Poison King replied.
“I had ground the red magic stone before it had lost its color according to the recipe and added it to the ingredients…”
His expression was wrinkled, indicating that they were dealing with a rather grave situation.
“The entire mix began to rot instantly upon incorporation.”
“…!”
As soon as the powder touches the spirit, it decays. At this realization, I quickly thought of the likely cause.
If I were to pinpoint a reason, then perhaps…
‘Is it the magic energy that poses a problem?’
Magic energy. That must be the crux of the issue.
The magic stone holds magic energy within it. It appeared that the initial grinding and mixing with the elixir caused a backlash. Only then did the thought arise: if the magic stone indeed hampers the completion of the elixir…
‘If that cannot be resolved, shouldn’t we just avoid using the magic stone altogether?’
Even in hindsight, it seemed strange.
The magic stones purportedly ejected by dead monsters are, in fact, virtually worthless items.
At most, they were pretty rocks. Even after a few days, they would lose their color, becoming indistinguishable from a common stone.
There was fundamentally no need for ordinary folk to deal with such materials—unless you happened to be someone like me with powers of demonic absorption.
However, since the revival of the red monsters was a recent event, I had heard that a few influential families and sects were researching this magic stone.
‘But what could they possibly discover?’
I didn’t have the authority to criticize their attempts at research. I simply shrugged it off.
This was also the case.
‘Why is there a magic stone involved in the elixir recipe…?’
The instructions outlined that one should lightly grind the magic stone and use it? Though that struck me as a bit odd, I hadn’t given it too much thought since that was how the recipe was presented to me.
Regardless, the elixir containing the magic stone would eventually be suffused with magic energy.
Even in the event of success, it implied that the final elixir could not be ingested by ordinary warriors.
What this suggested was:
‘Could the manufacturing recipe have had issues from the onset?’
While presuming that it would neutralize energies or embed poison in the spirit tablets, I had reasoned at least there had to exist a means of successful creation. But the fact that the elixir spoiled indicated one of two possibilities.
‘Either the elixir’s manufacturing recipe is entirely flawed or….’
This one was misinformed regarding the recipe. There were two scenarios to consider, and I deemed it more likely to be the latter.
‘The esteemed senior wouldn’t have passed on erroneous knowledge.’
Absolutely not! There was no way that the magnificent and illustrious senior of the Tang clan would have done so.
There was no possibility that they could have been misinformed, thus I firmly believed the fault lay with those attempting to create it. No, I was certain.
Then what could the underlying issue possibly be?
I rolled my mind over it.
‘The production of Dokcheondan cannot afford further delays.’
I needed to discover an answer as soon as possible. If we broke it down, ideally it should be completed before the year came to a close.
To achieve this, I needed to devise a solution.
‘Now it makes sense why I came in haste.’
I had pondered why the Poison King paid me a personal visit; now the pieces clicked together.
I was the one who had brought the recipe, and since a last-minute problem had arisen, I might just know something.
‘What a nuisance,’
But why in the world would I know anything?
Pretending to return it to the Tang clan because I couldn’t create it, it seemed I shouldn’t be returned this issue then.
If the magic energy was indeed the concern, then what could we possibly do about it?
‘If ground into powder, it decays…?’
Would that then necessitate stripping all the magic energy from the magic stone?
“Your Majesty, what if we tried using the magic stone after all of its color has faded completely?”
“I already tried that.”
“…I should’ve guessed as much.”
Indeed, the notion of not attempting it was far-fetched.
Once magic energy is drained, the magic stone will lose its color. It becomes indistinguishable from an ordinary rock, hence adding it would yield no effect.
But to not use the magic stone would deviate from the recipe, thus leaving the product incomplete—much like…
‘Does it imply that some other type of energy must reside within the magic stone?’
I froze.
I was immobilized from where I stood as an idea brushed against my mind.
Grinding a magic stone that contains magic energy would cause spoilage. Hence, straight grinding it into the mixture wasn’t workable.
This meant…
‘Perhaps?’
With a gaze filled with uncertainty mixed with hope, I spoke to the Poison King.
“Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“Tomorrow. You remember I’m visiting the Tang Clan, correct?”
“I recall you said you would come—however, I haven’t granted permission yet…”
“I believe I may have conjured a potential solution.”
“…!”
A flicker of skepticism dimly formed on the Poison King’s face.
“I think it’s essential I go to the Tang clan tomorrow to observe the manufacturing process directly. Does that sound acceptable?”
The Poison King nodded vigorously in agreement instead of replying verbally. He wasn’t one to be stubborn in front of something as pressing as Dokcheondan.
The real concern is…
‘Will it actually work?’
The core concern centered around whether the method I had just conceived would indeed yield positive results.
A failure wouldn’t be a significant issue.
For I could swiftly search for alternative solutions. However, if it were to succeed, now that could pose a serious problem.
‘…If my inference holds true.’
It would divulge that the individual who initially crafted the Dokcheondan was not affiliated with the Tang clan.
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