Chapter 160

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes widened greatly.

Jin Ja-gang hurriedly looked around his surroundings.

He could see Soso sitting in the shade of a tree. Soso was just quietly watching so as not to disturb Jin Ja-gang’s training.

It wasn’t Soso.

‘Who is it!’

However, Jin Ja-gang soon felt his heart beating rapidly again. It beat loudly then quickly became slow and sluggish. As blood circulated slowly, strength drained from his arms and legs, leaving him feeling powerless.

Nausea came over him, he broke out in sweat, and his body trembled. The poison didn’t seem to directly affect his eyes, but perhaps due to his reduced heart rate, even his vision became blurred.

The poison energy that had spread in an instant had erupted before being neutralized.

Soso approached and examined Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang grimaced but reassured Soso that he was fine.

The poison energy quickly subsided, but Jin Ja-gang had become drenched in sweat in that short time.

‘Did I sense something wrong because of the poison?’

Jin Ja-gang continued to pay attention to his surroundings, but there was no particular movement. Perhaps a hunter or woodcutter had passed by.

Jin Ja-gang calmed the poison energy and regained his composure.

In any case, having learned a new method of absorbing poison energy, Jin Ja-gang had achieved great results.

“Shall we go back for today?”

Soso nodded vigorously, then seemed to think of something and shook her head again.

Soso opened her mouth and tried to say something.

“Ah? Ah-uh-uh.”

Suddenly she grabbed Jin Ja-gang’s arm and gestured for him to go somewhere. Jin Ja-gang was bewildered but followed Soso’s lead.

The place Soso went to was a quiet valley beside the adjacent ravine. There was a small spring where medicinal water flowed out from the side of the valley.

Soso pointed to the spring.

Jin Ja-gang knelt in front of the spring. When he took a sip of water, a refreshing sensation spread through him. It was certainly medicinal water with beneficial effects for the body.

When Jin Ja-gang looked at Soso asking what he should do next, Soso drew water and wiped Jin Ja-gang’s sweaty face.

Splash, splash.

The cool and refreshing feeling of this medicinal water was different from ordinary well water.

Jin Ja-gang suddenly realized. This medicinal water was the same water Soso had used when washing his body.

‘So that’s how it was…’

She had come to this not-so-close place to draw water and wash his body with it.

Jin Ja-gang looked at Soso. Receiving Jin Ja-gang’s gaze, Soso became embarrassed and turned her head away as she stood up.

Soso climbed onto a wide rock beside the spring. Seeming to be in a good mood, she sat there swinging her feet back and forth while looking at the sky.

Jin Ja-gang also sat next to Soso.

Winter bird songs, cold wind, fragments of clouds floating right overhead.

This leisurely scenery that would come if one let their guard down even a little.

The small joy that daily life brought kept dulling the sharp blade of revenge.

Jin Ja-gang scratched his head. This awkward atmosphere was somewhat uncomfortable, but his heart was peaceful.

‘Until I leave… shall I stay like this for a while.’

Jin Ja-gang quietly closed his eyes and decided to enjoy this brief moment of leisure that might never come again.

* * *

Near Sichuan’s capital.

Centered around one enormous square mansion, large and small mansions were clustered together with narrow alleys in between.

Overall, it was a strange-looking village where hundreds of mansions seemed to form one square estate.

Since multiple mansions shared a single wall, each area appeared open while actually being closed off to outsiders – a unique formation.

Tang Family Great Compound!

This was the name for this clan village where the Tang family and surrounding vassal surnames lived together.

The fact that this village was called not a village but a great compound from the beginning was representative of their collective and exclusive nature.

The Tang Family Great Compound boasted an enormous scale, consisting of ninety courtyards and three thousand rooms, with countless houses built outside the Tang Family Great Compound as well.

To enter the Tang Family Great Compound, one had to pass through walls as high as castle walls and gates. Though the gates were wide open, it was a building that inevitably created tremendous pressure for outsiders to casually enter and exit.

Mang Ryo was looking at the main gate of the Tang Family Great Compound from the window of a shabby house outside the compound.

An old craftsman was crouched at Mang Ryo’s feet, tinkering away.

He was fitting Mang Ryo with a new prosthetic leg.

The old craftsman hammered with a wooden mallet to precisely adjust the prosthetic leg, then wiped his sweat and stood up.

“Be careful not to operate it incorrectly. If you’re unlucky, it’ll explode and blow off what’s left of your leg too.”

“Well, it’s a prosthetic leg made by the Tang Clan’s finest hidden weapon master, so it should be quite useful.”

Calling the Tang family a Tang Clan was something said to please the Tang family people. For the Tang family, who wanted to rise beyond being a martial family to become a sect, these were words they most wanted to hear.

However, Mang Ryo’s words weren’t meant to please the old craftsman. They were said for the Tang family’s young master standing behind him to hear.

A clean-looking young master who appeared to be just past twenty stood behind the old craftsman with his hands clasped behind his back.

Mang Ryo sat and tapped his new prosthetic leg, testing it by stepping on the ground.

“In any case, thank you for your hard work. Next time, I’d like to receive assembly comfortably sitting in the inner compound rather than the outer compound. I’d also like to see the inner compound of the Tang Clan, famous for its beauty.”

The young master snorted.

“Hmph. Did you coat your mouth with honey? My ears are itching unbearably. Do you think you could dare set foot in the inner compound?”

“Hey, it’s hurtful if you keep treating me like an outsider. How many years have we been working together?”

The bamboo hat wearer who had met Mang Ryo at Poison Valley was precisely this young master.

The young master wore green clothing and had his hair pulled back without leaving a single strand, tied with a blue cord. Looking closely, he had delicate features and a slender build. He was too pretty for a man.

His eyes were slightly upturned, making his gaze appear sharp, his skin was fair, and his nose was small and straight.

Though dressed as a man, she was a girl.

The Tang family valued family secrets more than other sects, and due to the nature of handling poison, skilled hands were precious. Therefore, even girls received the same treatment as boys until marriage, and even when marrying, they necessarily took in husbands as live-in sons-in-law.

Tang Ha-ran.

Despite being only twenty-one years old, she held the important responsibility of managing the Tang family’s external business and possessed outstanding martial arts to match.

Tang Ha-ran said.

“The fellow has been discovered.”

Mang Ryo’s face, which had been all smiles until then, hardened.

“Who are you talking about?”

“The fellow you so cherish and protect. We found him near one of the dark path’s safe houses in Dayi.”

Mang Ryo’s expression became strange.

“He entered Dayi? But you just left him alone?”

“Dayi has many dark path safe houses. Of course, we have all their locations secured. Not just us, but Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect too.”

Mang Ryo quickly understood. Dayi was a place where three tigers watched like shadows under a lamp – as long as one didn’t cause trouble, it could be safer than anywhere else.

“Thanks to that, it’s become very troublesome.”

Tang Ha-ran turned around with displeasure and laughed helplessly.

“I told you to handle it cleanly without leaving future troubles, but what on earth has been happening until now? Breaking through the Nine Palace Eight Trigram Formation commanded by a Zhuge family vassal and defeating Silent Dragon? Haha, and Advisor Mang even brought the half-dead Silent Dragon here. It’s a complete mess, really displeasing.”

“Everything is going according to plan.”

“According to plan? The world’s attention has focused on that fellow. Do you know what people are calling him now?”

Mang Ryo didn’t answer and just smiled while looking at Tang Ha-ran.

“Since he defeated Silent Dragon, they can no longer call him by that mocking name Snake Scorpion Poison King. So they’re calling him Poison Dragon?”

Her displeasure was evident. From the Tang family’s perspective, it would even feel like the title Poison Dragon had been stolen.

“Ah, Poison Dragon.”

Mang Ryo already knew this. He just wanted to hear it through someone else’s mouth, to hear Tang Ha-ran say it.

A thrill ran through him.

Poison Dragon!

Having the character for dragon attached to one’s nickname in the martial world was truly an honorable thing. It was a character that could only be attached to nicknames of rising stars or sacred figures floating in the martial world.

The ten-year-old child who had been nothing had finally come to be called Poison Dragon.

Of course, his reputation preceded his actual ability, but the bigger Jin Ja-gang’s existence became, the happier Mang Ryo was.

Mang Ryo checked the report letter Tang Ha-ran handed him.

The letter contained the location of the safe house, the number of residents, and even Jin Ja-gang’s recent condition.

“Remarkably fast healing… gets along well with one girl and climbs the mountain together daily…”

The smile wouldn’t leave Mang Ryo’s lips.

“Heaven is helping.”

Wasn’t this exactly the situation Mang Ryo had most wanted!

“Don’t worry too much, young master. I’ve prepared all the follow-up measures.”

“Whatever you do, it would be good to start quickly. It looks like Wishful Fairy will be leaving for Shandong again soon. Grandfather hasn’t said anything yet, but I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“It’s all ready. I just need a few letters and a cart with escorts. Of course, this time I’m thinking of putting in some effort myself.”

Mang Ryo explained his plan.

“I’ll use Baek Li-gwon as bait to draw out Shandong Wishful Fairy.”

“Who will catch Shandong Wishful Fairy? Let me tell you, the Martial Arts Alliance’s upper combat organizations cannot set foot in Sichuan. That would touch the pride of us Sichuan people.”

“Shandong Wishful Fairy will be caught not in Sichuan but in Guizhou. The Zhuge family and I will do it.”

“What about Poison Dragon?”

“Poison Dragon is still useful. I need to raise him a bit more.”

Every time Mang Ryo spoke the words Poison Dragon, his heart tingled. He felt that good.

Tang Ha-ran frowned slightly and said.

“Even if we leave Poison Dragon alone, Qingcheng and Emei won’t let him live. Rather, it’s perfect for arousing suspicion only toward us.”

“Well, don’t worry too much about that and let’s prepare to catch the big fish together.”

But Mang Ryo suddenly asked as if something had occurred to him.

“Ah, by any chance, don’t you want to see that fellow’s face once?”

* * *

This matter required good timing between all parties. If even one thing went wrong, they couldn’t catch the big fish.

Mang Ryo finished his preliminary preparations and immediately went to Guizhou.

Guizhou’s red-light district.

It was still early evening, when red lanterns were beginning to be lit one by one in the red-light district.

He stood in front of one of the pleasure houses there.

It was in front of Luocheng Tower.

Mang Ryo looked up at Luocheng Tower for a moment, then went around to the back through the back alley. He knocked on a door blocked by wooden planks.

Knock knock.

A person’s eye flashed through a hole in the middle of the door, then the door soon opened.

The back door was connected to the pleasure house’s kitchen, and someone dressed as a pleasure house errand boy recognized Mang Ryo and bowed his head.

“Have you arrived? Shall I gather the children?”

“No need. I’m just stopping by briefly today. Don’t make a fuss and let them work.”

Few people knew that Mang Ryo was the owner of this Luocheng Tower. Only a few working at Luocheng Tower knew this fact.

“That friend, is he here?”

“Do you mean the fellow with the goat beard? If it’s him, he’s on the fourth floor.”

“Let’s go see.”

Mang Ryo went upstairs guided by the person dressed as an errand boy.

Thump, thump.

When Mang Ryo first came from the frontier Yunnan to the center of the martial world, he was essentially a martial world newcomer.

Therefore, Mang Ryo had prepared three things early on to establish himself in the central martial world.

Martial arts sufficient not to be looked down upon by others.

Connections with high-ranking figures who could provide backing.

Finally, information sufficient not to be swept away by the rapidly changing currents of the martial world, and furthermore, to utilize the political situation.

Among these, Mang Ryo was obsessed with information. Therefore, he established connections everywhere he could reach, regardless of orthodox or unorthodox paths. This Luocheng Tower was also one of the bases he had prepared for this purpose.

The fourth floor of Luocheng Tower was a place for entertaining distinguished guests.

When Mang Ryo arrived at the fourth floor, the person dressed as an errand boy gestured to a courtesan who had been waiting in front.

The courtesan guided Mang Ryo to the front of one room.