Chapter 192: Cannot See the Tree Before One's Eyes (2)

When the Martial Alliance had first been established, Yu Jin-mun had been residing in Luoyang. Because of this, he had witnessed the confrontation between the Namgung Family and Dam Ho closer than anyone else.

He had seen with his own eyes the devastating sight of martial artists from the Namgung Family—one of the Five Great Families—being annihilated by Dam Ho. The fear he felt toward Dam Ho was beyond imagination.

In the first few days after witnessing Dam Ho's martial prowess, he had suffered nightmares. That was why he recognized him at a single glance.

"How are you here?"

"Is there a problem?"

"That's not…"

Yu Jin-mun's voice wavered.

It was not just him. The remaining Golden Guard martial artists were also visibly shaken.

'The Fist Demon?'

'How is he here?'

Among those present, there was not a single person who did not know the legend of the Fist Demon.

The greatest killer in the Murim.

A martial might so fearsome that even the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families dared not provoke him.

Among all those who had clashed with him, virtually none had survived unscathed.

The Reaper who brought death wherever he went.

That was how the Murim defined the Fist Demon.

Everyone knew that Dam Ho had been designated as a public enemy by the Martial Alliance, yet not a single person dared to raise a hand against him.

Move, and you die.

Dam Ho displayed no threatening posture, and yet every person in that place felt the chill of death upon them.

'The physician was traveling with the Fist Demon. Damn it all!'

Yu Jin-mun cursed his own tenacity in insisting on verifying the identity of Jong Ri-yeon's companion. Had he remained ignorant, he would not have to suffer this torment.

Dam Ho approached Yu Jin-mun.

Yu Jin-mun could not even conceive of retreating. He simply stared at Dam Ho.

Dam Ho's gaze, drawing near enough to touch, fell upon the sword still in Yu Jin-mun's hand.

"Are you going to fight?"

"N-No! Not at all!"

Only then did Yu Jin-mun realize he was still holding his sword, and he hastily dropped it.

He knew how shameful it was for a martial artist to discard his weapon before an enemy, yet he felt not the slightest shred of embarrassment.

'What does it matter? That man is the Fist Demon—the greatest killer in the Murim. I want to live. I want to live.'

Fighting spirit? Resolve to do battle?

Such emotions could only be mustered toward an opponent of comparable strength. Dam Ho was far too terrifying an adversary for him to bear.

Jong Ri-yeon moved to Dam Ho's side.

Only then could Yu Jin-mun recall why her name had seemed so familiar.

'Jong Ri-yeon of the Divine Physician. Why didn't I think of it sooner?'

He cursed his own dullness.

Dam Ho's gaze turned to Jong Ri-yeon.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"I told you it was pointless."

"Yes, you did."

Jong Ri-yeon managed a bitter smile.

She had wanted to resolve matters on her own, but in the end, Dam Ho had been forced to intervene as well. This was not the outcome she had desired.

Wherever Dam Ho acted, a bloodbath inevitably followed. Though in this case, even without his involvement, blood would have been spilled regardless.

Dam Ho paid Yu Jin-mun and the Golden Guard no further attention. His gaze had shifted to the corpses of the middle-aged couple lying on the ground.

Their bodies had already begun to decompose, turning soft and putrid. Given a little more time, they would dissolve into nothing but a pool of blood.

"Is it the same poison?"

"Similar."

"But there is a difference?"

"They are undoubtedly born of the same root. If there is a difference, it is that the previous poison was several times more potent."

"Can the same poison differ depending on who wields it?"

"That is possible. Even martial siblings who learned medicine under the same master produce differing results. Those who cultivate poison techniques likewise vary depending on their constitution, their heart method, and the types of dormant toxins within their bodies."

"Then it could be a martial sibling—or a junior brother or sister—of the previous user?"

"That is possible, but not certain. Everything at this point is merely speculation."

"Th-Then you are saying there is more than one poison human?"

Until now, Yu Jin-mun had held his tongue, but the two's conversation forced him to interject.

If even a single poison human was difficult to contend with, the prospect of two or more was nothing short of catastrophic.

"It is only a conjecture."

Dam Ho replied with indifference, but Yu Jin-mun could no longer maintain his composure.

"Heavens above! A poison human…"

The Murim he knew was a fair world where battles were decided by swords, spears, or fists. The strength of one's martial arts and intellect determined everything.

No matter how fearsome Dam Ho might be, he could not single-handedly slay thousands or tens of thousands of people. No martial artist could. Not even the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.

But when poison was introduced, the calculus changed entirely. With proper application, a single vial of poison could kill thousands.

And if that poison human was a being composed entirely of lethal toxin, the destruction it could wreak was too terrifying to imagine.

"If it comes to this, the Tang Family of Sichuan must step forward. The only way to counter a poison human of the Demonic Cult is through them."

"The Tang Family? If it is them, then perhaps…"

Jong Ri-yeon nodded.

The Tang Family was a renowned house of poison and hidden weapons. Since both were taboo in the Murim, they refrained from venturing outside Sichuan Province and conducted their activities within its borders.

Within Sichuan, the Tang Family's prestige was beyond imagination. Even though the Qingcheng and Emei Sects existed, no name could rival the Tang Family's standing.

For some reason, the Tang Family had, for generations, been pathologically obsessed with poison. They researched countless toxins, developed antidotes, and pursued their work as though they would not rest until they had catalogued every poison in the world.

If they were to intervene, they would provide a definitive defense against poison humans. The problem was that they were located thousands of li away in Sichuan.

Yu Jin-mun called forth one of his subordinates. He was the lightest and most agile of the Golden Guard martial artists.

"Il-mong. Ride to the Martial Alliance at once and inform them that a poison human has appeared. Be sure to convey that we must secure the Tang Family's cooperation."

"Understood."

"The future of the Martial Alliance rests on your legs. You must arrive safely."

"Leave it to me."

The subordinate replied and departed the village with a solemn expression.

Though hasty, Yu Jin-mun was undeniably a competent leader. Even as he was shaken by the appearance of a poison human, he managed to calmly formulate countermeasures.

Having dispatched his man, Yu Jin-mun looked toward Dam Ho. Fear still lingered in his eyes. But he overcame it and spoke.

"I know that you, Hero Dam, have a history of enmity with the Martial Alliance. But in this moment, might it not be wise to set aside old grievances and unite against our common enemy?"

"Our common enemy?"

"The Demonic Cult. I understand that you are not exactly on friendly terms with them either. Am I mistaken?"

"Well said!"

Yu Jin-mun's expression froze for an instant at Dam Ho's words. But it was only a moment, and he quickly resumed as though nothing had happened.

"I am grateful. Hero Dam, I ask only that you do nothing at all."

"You mean for me to simply watch?"

"This is our fight."

Yu Jin-mun gritted his teeth.

Dam Ho regarded him with a cold gaze. Yu Jin-mun's eyes were bloodshot, but he did not flinch from Dam Ho's stare. Yet inwardly, he was burning with anxiety.

If Dam Ho refused, they would be forced into conflict with him even before facing the poison human. The outcome of that confrontation was painfully obvious.

'We would be annihilated.'

And yet he could not retreat. To do so now would deal a devastating blow to the authority of the Martial Alliance.

Dam Ho spoke.

"Are you sincere?"

"I am… sincere."

Yu Jin-mun's eyes wavered, and Dam Ho seized that moment.

Dam Ho stared at him unblinkingly. Yu Jin-mun could not bring himself to meet that gaze.

His fists were clenched tight with tension when, unexpectedly, words came from Dam Ho's lips.

"I will watch."

"Thank you."

Only then did sighs of relief escape from all around. The Golden Guard martial artists had been holding their breath in equal measure.

Seeing that the situation had resolved more favorably than expected, the tension in Jong Ri-yeon's face eased slightly.

"Hero Yu."

"Speak, Miss Jong."

"I will investigate how the people were poisoned."

"I appreciate it."

"Just to be safe, when drinking from the village well, always test the water with a silver needle for poison first."

"Naturally."

Yu Jin-mun answered firmly and withdrew. The Golden Guard martial artists, weighed down with worry, each voiced their concerns.

"Can we truly trust him?"

"If word reaches the Alliance that we cooperated with the Fist Demon, the Captain will surely hold us accountable."

"That is why we are providing only minimal cooperation. If they hold us accountable after that, so be it. We have no time to waste. Everyone, strengthen the guard."

"Understood."

Yu Jin-mun divided his twenty martial artists into pairs and stationed them around the perimeter for thorough surveillance.

They inspected the well, their source of drinking water. Fortunately, no poison was detected.

Jong Ri-yeon approached Dam Ho.

"Will you truly do as you told them—simply watch?"

"I gave my word."

"Very well. Then I will tend to the villagers while investigating the poison."

Jong Ri-yeon hurried toward the area where the villagers were quarantined.

Left alone, Dam Ho stood beneath a large tree, watching Yu Jin-mun and the Golden Guard carry out their movements, and then closed his eyes.

The crisis came the following dawn.

"Aaagh!"

A piercing scream suddenly tore through the morning sky. The patrolling martial artists rushed toward the sound.

"How can this be!"

"Jin-pyung…"

Two Golden Guard martial artists were rolling on the ground, poisoned. They fought desperately, circulating their internal energy to resist the toxin. But the foam at their mouths indicated a grave condition.

"How?"

Yu Jin-mun's pupils shook.

They had been moving in pairs, maintaining strict vigilance. They had confirmed multiple times that all was clear, and yet his men had been poisoned. It was inconceivable.

Jong Ri-yeon, upon hearing the news, came running.

"Hold on a little longer. You must hold on. I will find a way to cure you."

She drew silver needles from her pouch and inserted them into the vital points of the poisoned martial artists.

These were points that stimulated dormant yang energy.

'For those who have not cultivated martial arts, there is no way to respond. But these are martial artists who have trained their internal energy. If I can bolster their strength enough to resist the poison, I will surely find a means to treat them.'

Dam Ho had used a similar method to drive out the poison.

Their level of internal energy was incomparably weaker than Dam Ho's, but combined with her acupuncture, they might endure long enough. In the meantime, she intended to diagnose them and develop an antidote.

"Ughhh!"

"Argh! It hurts!"

The poisoned martial artists thrashed wildly.

Jong Ri-yeon had them moved indoors.

"You must absolutely not touch them directly. If you do, you will be poisoned as well."

"Understood."

At last, the poisoned martial artists were quarantined. Jong Ri-yeon, her mouth and nose covered by cloth, tended to them.

"Please save them."

"I will do my best. In return, Captain, please ensure no one else is poisoned."

"You have my word."

But despite Yu Jin-mun's assurance, four more were poisoned. Meanwhile, the two who had been affected first lost their lives.

Jong Ri-yeon had no time to mourn their deaths. She was forced to devote all her energy to caring for the newly poisoned.

Jong Ri-yeon was desperate.

"This is not a single poison. At least two, perhaps three different toxins have been combined."

She ransacked the home of a village herbalist and gathered every medicinal ingredient she could find.

Drawing upon every scrap of knowledge she possessed, Jong Ri-yeon prepared a detoxification pill. But even after administering it, the condition of the poisoned martial artists did not improve.

Jong Ri-yeon studied their states and murmured to herself.

"I must remove the Blue Moon Grass. The fever is spiking too high. Then should I substitute the Sensory Grass?"

Thick beads of sweat formed on her brow.

Jong Ri-yeon labored with every fiber of her being to determine the correct formula for the antidote.

In the meantime, two more died, and two more were poisoned.

Jong Ri-yeon's mind was fraying at the seams, and fear spread among the Golden Guard martial artists like wildfire.

Despite their stringent precautions, comrades had been poisoned, and comrades had died. The fear that they might be next paralyzed their reason.

"We are all going to die."

Yu Jin-mun fought desperately to maintain control. But as time passed, the anxiety only deepened.

The incident occurred the following night.

Woon-jeong, who had woken up, saw Jin Ja-gang getting up at dawn again to go train.

Woon-jeong rubbed his eyes and said in a voice still heavy with sleep.

“Yawn. Poison Dragon benefactor is truly amazing.”

Bian Bu, who was beside him, chimed in.

“It’s not amazing, it’s relentless. But well, I can understand it in a way.”

“What? You can understand it?”

Bian Bu got up and fumbled around putting on his clothes. He grumbled that as he got older, his dawn sleep had disappeared.

“For that fellow, becoming stronger is survival, isn’t it? It’s not like he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth in some good family. Since he has no backing, he has no choice but to stand up on his own. He has to train when he can.”

“Hmm. Looking at Poison Dragon benefactor, I…”

Woon-jeong yawned.

“I think I should sleep a bit more. Without Master… yawn, I’ll be lazy while I can.”

Woon-jeong sat nodding off drowsily and then toppled over to the side.

Bian Bu chuckled in disbelief. Woon-jeong was probably at an age when he needed lots of sleep. When he was under Taoist Bok-cheon, he would have gotten up every day after being scolded.

Bian Bu looked at Jin Ja-gang’s retreating figure heading to the stream to wash his face and muttered.

“Well, people as relentless as that aren’t very common either.”

As he spoke, Bian Bu suddenly recalled someone who had been even more relentless and shook his head repeatedly.

The person who had brought Dan Ryeong-gyeong, who had been living normally as a daughter of a good family, to this state. The image of someone who had pursued his own advancement by casting one person and hundreds of innocent people into the abyss came to mind.

“Sigh.”

Bian Bu left the room and sat on the threshold, taking out a small pouch from his waist. He pulled out dried tobacco leaves from the pouch, stuffed them into his bamboo pipe, and lit it.

He was thinking of taking a puff of tobacco after a long time, but…

Soso, who always woke up when Jin Ja-gang left, saw this and came over to snatch away Bian Bu’s pipe.

Soso frowned and pointed at Bian Bu’s leg. Bian Bu protested that it wasn’t so.

“My leg is getting better, you little thing! Do you know how much I treasured and cherished that!”

Bian Bu spoke as if wronged, but Soso coldly turned the pipe upside down and shook it out.

Bian Bu tried to save at least the remaining tobacco leaves by gathering the scattered leaves on the ground, but burned his hand.

“Ouch! This thing! Such a precious thing! Ah, hot, ah hot. Damn it! There’s another relentless person here too.”

* * *

When Jin Ja-gang came out to a quiet place for his internal energy cultivation, Dan Ryeong-gyeong was already out and had settled in place.

For Dan Ryeong-gyeong, who needed to heal her body, absorbing the vigorous energy of dawn was very important. Just as Jin Ja-gang was training to become stronger, Dan Ryeong-gyeong was also devoting herself to internal energy cultivation to recover her body.

However, when she had been absorbed in cultivation for about one watch period, Dan Ryeong-gyeong suddenly coughed.

“Cough.”

Blood was mixed with the dry cough.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong held white cotton cloth to her mouth and kept coughing, then finally retched and vomited blood and organ fragments.

Jin Ja-gang stopped his cultivation and stood up. Dan Ryeong-gyeong covered her mouth with the cloth and tried to raise her other hand to tell him not to come, then realized that arm was missing and smiled helplessly while shaking her head.

“I’m getting better. Nothing to worry about.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong was unavoidably tearing out damaged parts because the poison energy settled in her body was too severe. Wounds were accumulating inside her body, but it was better than letting the poison energy penetrate deeper than now.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong let out rough, wheezing breaths.

“What tremendous poison. It clings to the qi and blood and continuously tries to penetrate the five organs as if it were alive. I’ve never heard or seen such poison until now.”

“Can’t the poison energy be removed?”

“The poison energy is firmly attached to the qi and blood, so if I forcibly tear it off, the qi and blood will be permanently blocked. I’m removing it by gradually dissolving the poison energy bit by bit, but inevitably the five organs are being damaged, so it looks like it will take several months to recover completely.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong caught her breath for a moment and laughed “haha.”

“My internal energy has reached the level of pure refinement, so I’ve never feared poison, but this time I’m paying a severe price for that arrogance.”

Jin Ja-gang said calmly.

“Even if a trivial mosquito bites you, you become so itchy you could go crazy – isn’t that human nature?”

“Mosquito?”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong smiled as if it was something she hadn’t thought of.

“That’s right. Even when bitten by a mosquito, being itchy is human.”

No matter how much of a martial arts master one is, if bitten by a mosquito, it itches. They hear the mosquito’s wing beats and avoid it, or catch and kill the mosquito in advance for prevention. During important cultivation when they can’t receive even the slightest interference, they sometimes spread energy thinly over their skin to prevent being bitten at all.

Even if not that, they can deliberately block the sensation of mosquito bites or concentrate internal energy to neutralize the poison.

Of course, using internal energy for such things might seem ridiculous, but even a high monk who has cultivated for sixty years will have his mind scattered if bitten by a mosquito. It’s just that the high monk cultivates patience to avoid killing and accepts itchiness as part of nature.

So what about poison made to kill people?

“That was a good topic for contemplation. It gives me something to think about.”

“No.”

Though he had compared it to mosquitoes, in fact that was one of the methods Jin Ja-gang used poison. Even if poison wasn’t the main thing, poison as an auxiliary also had great effect.

Retch.

Meanwhile, Dan Ryeong-gyeong vomited another half-mouthful of blood.

Then suddenly Jin Ja-gang saw a strange light in Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s face. As the morning sun rose and sunlight hit, he felt as if the area around Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes had slightly changed color.

It was a phenomenon that appeared when the regulation of internal energy became disturbed while coughing up blood.

“What’s wrong?”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Jin Ja-gang approached Dan Ryeong-gyeong and examined the area around her eyes.

She looked tired and weakened, and her eyes seemed somewhat cloudy, but there seemed to be nothing else unusual.

“By any chance… are you suppressing the outbreak of poison energy with internal energy?”

“I am doing so.”

Naturally, Dan Ryeong-gyeong was using internal energy to prevent the poison energy from spreading for all twelve hours of the day.

Jin Ja-gang made a difficult request.

“Could you release the internal energy suppressing the poison energy for just a moment? Just very briefly will do.”

Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t ask Dan Ryeong-gyeong to release the poison energy for no reason and die.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong didn’t think long and nodded.

“I understand.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong took a deep breath and very briefly released the poison energy she had been suppressing. The poison energy violently rampaged and spread. Dan Ryeong-gyeong immediately drew up her internal energy to block the poison’s spread.

Jin Ja-gang saw that the area under Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s eyes took on a dim bluish tint at that moment.

He had already seen this same condition before.

‘Baek Li-gwon!’

Silent Dragon Baek Li-gwon, whom he had met at Lan Family Village, had been like that!

‘Why didn’t I notice this until now?’

Baek Li-gwon didn’t even know he had been poisoned. Therefore, he wasn’t suppressing the poison, so the poisoning symptoms were showing. In contrast, Dan Ryeong-gyeong had been suppressing the poison energy with internal energy from the beginning.

During the fight with Dancing Buddha, she had been covered in blood, so there was no opportunity to check this subtle energy around her eyes…

Seeing Jin Ja-gang’s expression become serious, Dan Ryeong-gyeong asked.

“What’s the matter?”

“I can’t be certain yet, but…”

Jin Ja-gang continued carefully.

“I think it might be the same type of poison that Baek Li-gwon was poisoned with at Lan Family Village before.”

Jin Ja-gang took the cotton cloth Dan Ryeong-gyeong had coughed blood into, dabbed a little, and tasted it. He rolled it around in his mouth for a while to identify what poison it was and imprint it in his memory.

Soon his body began to ache and his lungs tingled with phlegm rising. However, Jin Ja-gang didn’t think this level could be called extreme poison.

But strangely, this poison was working fatally on Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong, who had been thinking for a moment, said.

“What I was hit with is probably Tang family poison. But thinking about it that way, there are strange points.”

“What points are those?”

“I was poisoned by that fellow Mang Ryo before. But if Silent Dragon was poisoned with the same poison…”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong frowned.

“Isn’t it strange? That fellow Mang Ryo tried to kill Silent Dragon by poisoning him, but then took him to the Tang family for treatment?”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s arm had been taken by Baek Li-gwon. Mang Ryo had also been there. The two had joined forces to attack Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

Wasn’t this quite a bizarre situation!

“This poison probably flowed out from the Tang family. That fellow Mang Ryo has connections everywhere, so it wouldn’t be strange if he received and used Tang family poison. But the fact that he and Silent Dragon acted in ways that don’t match front and back is definitely strange.”

“That’s really true.”

For Jin Ja-gang, he couldn’t guess Mang Ryo’s intentions at all.

“Whatever that fellow is thinking, it’s certain that bad things are happening. But unfortunately, right now there’s absolutely no way to contact my friends…”

Since they were inside Qingcheng Sect’s territory, there was no way to utilize Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s connections and information. Right now they were in a safe state but also almost completely cut off from the outside.

Jin Ja-gang felt complicated thinking about Mang Ryo.

Mang Ryo was cunning, cruel, and unfathomable.

But it seemed that what had changed during the eight years Jin Ja-gang was trapped in the mine shafts wasn’t just his appearance.

What had happened to him during those eight years?

What had happened that made him stick his feet into various renowned sects in the martial world and do incomprehensible things?

* * *

Tang Ha-ran arrived at Mount Qingcheng expressing tremendous anger that anyone could see at a glance.

At the entrance to the mountain gate, a Qingcheng Sect disciple with a kind-looking face blocked her path and called out a greeting.

“Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Would Young Lady Tang Ha-ran please stop for a moment?”

Even though it was the first time seeing her face, the Qingcheng Sect disciple mentioned Tang Ha-ran’s name. Moreover, Tang Ha-ran had her hair tied up and was dressed like a man. Of course, she was wearing the characteristic jade-green silk clothes representing the Tang family, so they could know she was a Tang, but knowing the name Tang Ha-ran meant they had been paying attention for quite some time.

Tang Ha-ran stopped walking.

The Qingcheng Sect disciple cupped his fists and said.

“Mount Qingcheng is a place where many cultivators practice. Please suppress your anger and calm your mind. Entry to the mountain is currently impossible.”

Tang Ha-ran, already in an uncomfortable state of mind, couldn’t easily calm down. She spoke while gritting her teeth.

“I’m saying I want to go…”

The kind-looking Qingcheng Sect disciple shook his head repeatedly.

“It is not possible.”

“Is driving away guests without even asking the reason the Tao that Qingcheng Sect pursues?”

“Regardless of reason, those with killing intent cannot set foot on Mount Qingcheng. That is the same principle as the Tang family not carelessly letting outsiders into the inner courtyard of the Tang Family Great Compound.”

Tang Ha-ran closed her eyes and tried to forcibly calm her anger by breathing.

Then she spoke in the most composed tone possible.

“Is this acceptable now?”

“It is not possible.”

At that moment, sparks flew in Tang Ha-ran’s eyes.

The Qingcheng Sect disciple answered nonchalantly.

“Even now, killing intent is still visible in your eyes.”

Tang Ha-ran ground her teeth.

‘These stubborn Taoists…!’

Tang Ha-ran gave up trying to calm her anger further and just spoke with an edge.

“It seems it won’t work. Since I’m not as cultivated as you, Taoist, and can’t do any more, then please go directly and call them yourself.”

“Who… do you mean?”

“Poison Dragon.”

Tang Ha-ran said.

“Tell Poison Dragon that if he wants to cure Shandong Enchanting Flower, he should come down immediately.”