The Elders’ Council was abuzz with my shocking statement.
“Is there really a way for the Deputy Head of Family to survive?”
“Our Sichuan Tang Family and the Zhuge Family couldn’t find a cure either. What in the world are you talking about?”
“The Deputy Head of Family cannot stand up even if the Immortal Da Ra comes!”
Well, the Immortal Da Ra wouldn’t be able to revive him. After all, is there anyone out there that he could possibly bring back to life?
In the martial arts world, Da Ra is frequently mentioned as a divine healer with extraordinary medical skills, but in reality, he’s more like a reaper who can slap a grim reaper while punching his way back.
If a doctor casually puts any patient on the bed and says that even the Immortal Da Ra couldn’t save him, the grim reaper writes the patient’s name in the death note, be it scraped knees or indigestion.
Simply mentioning him is a death flag in the martial arts world.
“Who do you think you are, claiming to be a divine healer surpassing the medical skills of the Sichuan Tang Family and the Zhuge Family?”
Of course not. I’m not a shameless fraud shouting “over-soul” like a shaman, nor am I the esteemed Heo Joon who uses anti-poison techniques and mysterious magical arts.
But I do have a way.
“I heard the Deputy Head of Family was poisoned by the Tang Geoh gang and fell into a critical condition after practicing poison techniques. He has managed to keep the poison in one corner of his body but is hanging on by a thread.”
“So what are you trying to say?”
The Elders’ Council looked at me with a frown as if they thought I was talking nonsense.
“Lady Tang can treat that poison.”
I spoke confidently to them.
“What do you mean by that?”
“On the day we fought against Tang Geoh’s gang, one of the members of the Guard Unit was severely poisoned and on the brink of death. Among the poisons used against him was one similar to the one used on the Deputy Head of Family.”
Truth be told, I was bluffing.
It could either be the same poison or a completely different one. But considering what I heard from the Guard Unit members, the chance of it being a similar kind of poison was high.
“What happened to the poisoned member?”
“Before Lady Tang lost consciousness, she managed to extract all the poison from his body, even healing the injuries from the poison.”
“Is that true, Guard Commander?”
Elder Councilman asked the Guard Commander, who was off to the side.
If I could just convince Elder Councilman’s faction, it would all be over. But since Elder Councilman is a supporter of the Deputy Head of Family and the Chairman of the Elders’ Council, it wouldn’t be so easy.
I wondered how the Guard Commander would respond. While it is true that Lady Tang healed the poison, from the viewpoint of a skilled healer like the Guard Commander, he might have a different take.
“It is true. Lady Tang has treated all the members poisoned by the gang. If she becomes a full Divine Poisoner, the chances of her curing the Deputy Head of Family will greatly increase.”
After the Guard Commander finished speaking, he looked at me as if asking if that was the answer I wanted. I simply nodded with a faint smile.
“A Divine Poisoner has such abilities?”
“Can the Deputy Head of Family really survive?”
“Even if you provide her with the Water of Human-Faced Chidi, the chance of her becoming a full Divine Poisoner is almost none!”
“If the illegitimate child gives up on the succession and fully becomes a Divine Poisoner, the Deputy Head of Family could survive… Doesn’t that sound worth a try?”
“A lot of people’s lives have already been sacrificed, just as that kid said.”
“Haha! Do these people think the Water of Human-Faced Chidi is just for show?”
With the Guard Commander vouching for me, the Elders’ Council busily started to converse.
If we save Lady Tang, there is a chance to save the Deputy Head of Family. This secret tactic that I had been hiding until the last moment. I could have revealed it from the start, but the risk was too great.
If I had brought out this card first, the value of the black-haired illegitimate child tangled in the succession issue would completely disappear.
At that point, what would remain is just the low confidence in Lady Tang potentially becoming a Divine Poisoner.
Ultimately, this card was the last trump card I could play as an illegitimate child, balanced against all my stakes, the morality of being a righteous faction, and everything else.
“Let me ask you one last thing.”
The Elders’ Council seemed to have concluded their discussion and asked me.
“Go ahead.”
“Are you truly planning not to eye the succession of the Sichuan Tang Family?”
“With a solid legitimate heir in place, why would an illegitimate child like me be a threat? Once my woman recovers, I’ll leave the Sichuan Tang Family immediately, so don’t worry.”
Even at the end, they still doubt me, even trying to show respect.
I don’t need the position of Deputy Head of Family; I’d much rather write novels and become famous, without constantly fearing when I might be found out or killed.
I spoke to the Elders’ Council with an expression devoid of personal greed.
Did my words and expressions eventually convey my sincerity? The moment when the Elders’ Council was about to reach a conclusion felt like an eternity.
“Very well. The Elders’ Council agrees to allow the usage of the Water of Human-Faced Chidi from the Tang Family’s secret stash on Lady Tang.”
In the end, I succeeded.
——————–
I rushed straight to where Lady Tang was sleeping, without looking back, alongside the Guard Commander.
“How is Lady Tang’s condition?”
She had been fine before we faced the Elders’ Council. But a patient’s condition can change in an instant. I asked the Guard Commander anxiously as I watched him examine Lady Tang.
“We need to monitor her further, but it’s not too late. The members truly cared for her.”
Thank goodness!
“Phew. Your subordinates never left her side.”
I gave a small sigh of relief and finally sat down on a chair nearby, allowing my tension to ease.
It felt like I had just weathered a violent storm with nothing but my own body. I was happy I survived, but I was mentally exhausted.
If I hadn’t had that joy of success and waiting to see Lady Tang’s condition, I might have just collapsed onto any bed.
“…Did you intend this from the very beginning?”
The Guard Commander studied Lady Tang for a moment and then casually glanced at me as he asked.
“Didn’t I tell you from the day we met? I just need to protect Lady Tang.”
I responded with a smirk. I used the Rise of the Tang Family to save Lady Tang. I had mentioned that even when the Guard Commander visited the Tea Bookstore.
“Indeed…”
The Guard Commander trailed off, looking somewhat bittersweet.
“Haha. Are you disappointed that I didn’t claim to be the Deputy Head of Family?”
I joked as I gave a weak smile due to fatigue.
“…”
The Guard Commander looked at me, his expression oddly irritated, as if caught off guard.
Huh? No way?
“Really?”
“I would have considered supporting you if you wanted.”
Had he been that determined? I felt a weird relief wash over me. It’s bewildering that someone who disliked the barbarians would push aside their prejudice and come to such a conclusion. What do I say?
As I pondered over how to reply, I heard someone mumbling outside.
“I’ve grasped a rotten lifeline. I must have taken the wrong path…”
The voice belonged to the panicked Tang Member. Sorry, my bad; I cut the lifeline. It was only a two-person rope, so it probably wouldn’t hold for three people.
I shrugged and turned to the Guard Commander.
“Don’t worry about it. I never had that kind of intention in the first place. Just don’t waste the Tang Member. You might think of it as betrayal, but if it weren’t for the Tang Member, we wouldn’t have this opportunity today.”
While the chances of the Tang Member becoming the future Outer Tang Head have disappeared, I still must at least prevent them from becoming a beggar as a matter of moral responsibility.
“I’m thinking about putting them through some hardships, but it will be like that.”
The Guard Commander nodded, looking at the Tang Member beyond the wall with a pitying expression.
“Are we going to administer the Water of Human-Faced Chidi right away?”
I looked toward the luxurious box that the Guard Commander had set aside, the one containing the Water of Human-Faced Chidi.
With that, Lady Tang should be able to recover.
“She’s lost a lot of her vital energy due to her long unconsciousness. It isn’t time to take it yet.”
“Then what should we do?”
“With my medical expertise, I can make the Yin energy from the Water of Human-Faced Chidi and the Yang energy from the Heavenly Five-Element-Wonder clash to annihilate each other, but for that, the battlefield needs to be sound first.”
“You mean we need to replenish Lady Tang’s vital energy? Is there any method to do that?”
The members of the Guard Unit had cared for her sincerely until now. Even so, some vital energy had been consumed, and I wondered if there was a way to restore it.
“Wait. It’s on the way, soon.”
“Guard Commander! I’ve arrived!”
At the same time as the Guard Commander spoke, someone called for him from outside.
“Ah, they’ve come. I’ll wait here, so you go and greet them.”
What’s coming? I nodded and stepped out to the little garden in front of the reception room.
—————-
As I stepped into the garden, I spotted luxurious boxes loaded onto a cart.
“What is this?”
These boxes seemed rather familiar.
When I exhibited a faint look of surprise, the Guard Unit member, broad-smiled, opened a box and started explaining.
“This is that precious ginseng from Joseon. It was difficult to procure in Sichuan Province for over a year, but we just managed to get it recently.”
Of course, it would be familiar. The identity of the box was the Joseon ginseng that the reckless Kang Yoon-ho frequently saw.
“Is ginseng effective for Lady Tang?”
“There’s no better universal elixir than ginseng. While it can’t control poison directly, it will play a significant role in lifting Lady Tang’s vital energy.”
Indeed, in the world of martial arts and dating sims, ginseng is the universal elixir! So glad to see it again after so long.
Surprised by the unexpectedly appearing Joseon item, I roamed around the box and examined it closely.
Huh? What’s this?
“This box bears the seal of the Murong Family.”
The lock on the box had the seal I had seen at the Murong Family.
“Ah, you recognize it? It bears the Murong Family’s seal, but it’s still Joseon ginseng. There were disruptions in the distribution of Joseon ginseng for over a year, and that’s why the supply has been completely cut off in the Central Plains. Recently, the Murong Family has taken control of part of the distribution of Joseon ginseng, hence this supply to the righteous faction.”
“So, the seal is a guarantee of quality?”
Made in Korea. Like an import and quality assurance by the Murong Family.
“Yes, exactly. With so many fakes in circulation, these days, only ginseng boxes bearing the seal are recognized as quality Joseon ginseng. Surely, no audacious fraud can imitate the Murong Family’s seal. I wonder how they even thought of it; then again, it makes sense, if they considered devouring their husband.”
“Um…”
Caught off guard by the mention of a woman I hadn’t anticipated hearing, I momentarily fell silent.
Did they think I wouldn’t know? The Guard Unit member continued to explain enthusiastically.
“Have you not heard the rumors? It’s about the Murong Family’s Mantis Woman.”
“I have.”
I had seen it, touched it, and even tasted it.
“Such a wicked woman could exist. She heard that her husband was implicated in treason; without a moment’s hesitation, she split his head in half that very night.”
No, she didn’t. She cried and said she couldn’t possibly do it.
“That’s different from what I’ve heard in Joseon. That sounds like an exaggerated rumor.”
“Is that so? Well, the journey from Sichuan Province to Yodong Province is almost ten thousand miles by foot, so many stories tend to get distorted or exaggerated. It certainly did sound strange. There are also tales about how a man was so enchanted by the Mantis Woman’s beauty that he didn’t even realize his own neck was being split in half. Can that be true? The phrase ‘the most beautiful of the martial arts world, a heavenly beauty’ might be a stretch, but being around five hundred miles away must lead to such absurd exaggerations.”
“That is not an exaggeration.”
“Really?”
“Haha. No, never mind.”
I awkwardly chuckled and shifted the topic. If a blond-haired lady were to step forth into the world, there would surely be arguments, but for now, it should be established that she’s the most beautiful in the martial arts world.
“Anyway, that Mantis Woman has taken control of the Joseon ginseng distribution, and now the previously unstable supply of Joseon ginseng is getting steady. Only recently could we source Joseon ginseng through the Murong Family.”
“Does the Murong Family have a branch in Sichuan Province?”
I asked, trying to conceal my tension. Please say they don’t. The Murong Family would be a problem.
“No. As far as I know, they relay messages through several post stations or merchant groups. In any case, with this, Lady Tang will regain consciousness. I’ll take the ginseng to the Guard Commander first!”
“Yes, please take care of it.”
I watched as the Guard Unit member carried the ginseng and moved towards the room, choosing not to follow and taking a moment to gaze at the ginseng boxes.
‘She’s managing well.’
I thought of a woman far away in Yodong Province. I wonder if she’s been busy catching demonic cult members and forgotten about me by now.
She seems to be doing quite well. In the original story, she only embezzled a little from Kang Yoon-ho’s fortune, but it seems she might have rooted out some of the ginseng distribution rights.
It’s been nearly two years since then. Did the Kang family successfully grasp a portion of the ginseng distribution rights through the documents I handed over that night?
‘What a strange connection.’
My choice that day and her efforts until now might just reach Lady Tang. With Joseon ginseng, the chances of Lady Tang’s recovery increase significantly.
Indeed, my choice that night was right. I smiled to myself and returned to Lady Tang.
—————-
After a few days of using the Joseon ginseng, Lady Tang’s pale face began showing signs of color.
Indeed, the universal elixir of Joseon! Top-tier Joseon ginseng!
“She’ll wake up in no time.”
The Guard Commander said this with a relieved expression.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“…”
The Guard Commander kept fixedly staring at me as I checked Lady Tang’s complexion. What was up with him?
“What’s up? Do you have something to say?”
As I looked at the Guard Commander, I saw an unusual hint of worry clouding his face.
Why does he look so anxious?
“There’s something you need to know.”
The Guard Commander brought forth news I didn’t want to hear.
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