Chapter 8

Early morning, Turan left Murei city and headed northeast.

According to Midan, the distance between the two cities was about a week's walk for ordinary people.

At his pace, he could narrow it down to two or three days.

About half a day after leaving the city, the natural environment clearly became increasingly abundant.

Forests grew along both sides of the road naturally formed by people passing through, and sometimes when plains appeared, yellow wheat fields could be seen in the distance.

And naturally, where there was abundance there were more animals, and where there were more animals, there were more masu.

While walking the road, Turan periodically used search magic to check for masu nearby, hunt them, and return to the road.

Most were too weak to be worth catching anymore, but there were one or two useful ones mixed in, making it somewhat worthwhile.

Perhaps because it was a road to a large city, people could be seen passing by relatively frequently here.

Farmers going to sell wheat to nearby villages, traveling merchants, armed people who might be mercenaries or masu hunters.

Some of them would flash their eyes at the lone Turan, but seeing him take several ordinary people's steps with each stride, they would look down in fear.

From the third afternoon, he could see a highway made of solid stone rather than earth.

Though unknown who maintained it, it was very well maintained with only slightly damaged parts and comfortable to walk on – when he curiously tried to break the edge slightly with magic, it didn't work well, suggesting some magical power was imbued in it.

And finally, on the fourth day.

Though it took a bit longer due to frequent detours to catch masu, Turan arrived at his target, Orem city.

"Come on, come on! Line up to enter! Hey! No cutting in line!"

Orem was a metropolis that made the previous Murei look like a village.

Its population alone was said to reach tens of thousands?

The outskirts were lined with shabby huts where the poor seemed to live, while inside was a stone wall about five meters high creating a boundary.

At the city gate, people armored in metal watched those coming and going, and judging by the many portraits laid out beside them, they seemed to be checking if there were any wanted persons among those entering and leaving.

As Turan tried to enter through the gate, one of them suddenly blocked his way.

"Hey, your clothes are too dirty. At least dust off before entering inside the wall."

He wasn't picking an unreasonable fight – Turan's clothes were notably dirtier compared to those around him.

To begin with, the clothes he was wearing were what he had worn since his shepherd days so they were quite worn, and he hadn't properly washed them during the past four days of sleeping outdoors.

Moreover, having lived in the water-scarce Hisaril hills, Turan considered laundry something to be done about once a month.

Murei city was also next to wasteland so everyone was similarly dirty due to limited water.

In contrast, the people of this city were all neat and clean, making Turan's appearance stand out more by comparison.

"Understood."

After dusting off his clothes outside the gate, he was allowed in without being stopped this time.

Fortunately, this time he didn't need to buy unnecessary items to ask about the library's location.

According to Midan, the library was the tallest building in this city.

Among buildings mostly two to three stories tall, one tower stood prominently, seeming to reach over thirty stories by itself.

'Probably built with magic?'

An imposing presence impossible to see as made by human power.

Looking at it up close, it appeared almost grotesque due to its impossibly tall height.

He thought one might be able to look down even on clouds from up there.

After losing himself in admiration for a while, Turan came to his senses and spoke to the guard at the entrance.

"I heard magicians can enter here, is that correct?"

At Turan's question, the guard's face hardened.

He had been thinking of roughly chasing away this beggar-like figure, but what was this sudden statement?

Though inwardly thinking this was just a crazy person talking nonsense, doubt arose in his mind.

Therefore, the guard decided to confirm the other's identity in a way only magicians could.

'Hm?'

Turan's eyes widened at the flow of magic power emanating from the guard's body.

Magic manipulated to cause no phenomenon by itself, purely to prove one's power…

Was this what magicians created to determine hierarchy by sensing each other's magic power without fighting?

Though he had practiced it a few times with Keorn after learning it, this was his first time receiving it from someone else.

Well, this was his first time meeting another magician.

Turan likewise drew up pure magic power and projected it toward the other.

"Huk…!"

The guard who received it made a sound like air escaping.

His magic power was about half of Keorn's by feel, less than one-twentieth compared to current Turan, so he had no way to withstand it.

Well, wouldn't it be laughable to station someone particularly skilled in such a place?

Realizing the gap, the guard bowed his head and said.

"I-I am Kesha, knight of House Baltas. Noble one, might I know which house you are from?"

"Do I need to say to enter?"

"No, I apologize!"

Understanding it as how dare someone like you ask such a thing, the knight bowed his head even deeper than before.

Turan was already starting to feel tired of conversing with him.

"No, I'm really just asking."

After a moment of silence, the knight raised his head and, seeming to finally realize Turan was serious, spoke timidly.

He said library use was only allowed for those permitted by this place's lord, that is, the head of House Baltas.

This was quite different from what he had heard from Midan.

"I heard magicians could use it."

"Well… as far as I know, commoners have never been permitted to use the library."

Perhaps the story had been distorted to mean magicians could enter because everyone who entered and left was a magician?

Turan scratched his chin for a moment before sighing.

"How does one get permission from Baltas's master to use the library?"

"Such matters of high persons are beyond the likes of me to dare know. If the noble one permits, I will contact the house to inquire."

"Please do."

After saying this, Turan leaned against the wall opposite the library's main gate.

Having revealed his identity like this, he would soon have to receive Baltas house's 'hospitality'.

Since when a noble enters another noble's territory, it was proper to treat and be treated as a guest…

'Should I have just snuck in secretly?'

Though he could have infiltrated using the Jahar bloodline's concealment ability, he hadn't dared try carelessly thinking there might be security systems to neutralize it inside.

If he did that, he would have no defense against being suspected as an assassin.

Especially since the Jahar bloodline ability was one of the most specialized for assassination.

Shortly after, a huge carriage pulled by four horses galloped down the main road and stopped in front of the library.

The middle-aged man acting as coachman saw Turan and immediately bowed deeply.

"Welcome to Orem, city of wisdom, noble one. I am Reden, butler of House Baltas. Our master wishes to receive you as a guest, might you spare some time?"

"That would be good."

"Please do not elevate me, noble one."

At Turan's honorific speech, the butler named Reden – though he didn't really understand what a butler was – spoke with a servile attitude as if about to crawl on the ground.

Inwardly sighing at this awkward response, Turan nodded.

"Fine."

"I shall guide you."

Though he had seen carriages a few times in Murei, this was his first time riding in one.

During the journey, Turan collected himself while preparing for any situation.

Though unlikely, if this house suddenly attacked, he would need to immediately conceal himself and escape.

After about ten minutes, the carriage stopped and voices were heard from outside.

[We have arrived.]

Opening the door and stepping out, a castle built of pure white stone greeted Turan.

About five or six stories tall, its overall appearance seemed to prioritize aesthetics over defense.

The butler who had dismounted from the coachman's seat said to him.

"Would you allow us to help you prepare your appearance before meeting the head of house?"

Though he didn't understand exactly what preparing appearance meant, he nodded since it was presumably necessary for the meeting.

Following the butler's guidance through the main entrance, three maids approached him.

"We will guide you to the bath, noble one."

It was a welcome offer since he had been feeling dirty himself since coming here.

The problem was that the maids followed him into the bathroom.

"We will attend to your bath."

Bath attendance – did they mean to wash him like a child?

Though he had lived with just his mother, he knew enough etiquette to observe between men and women, so Turan frowned and shook his head.

"I'll wash mys- I'll wash alone. Everyone out."

But hearing this, the maids' faces turned pale before prostrating themselves and begging "We're sorry, please forgive us."

The youngest maid even started crying loudly.

At this reaction that was bewildering enough to be absurd, Turan pointed to the oldest maid and asked.

"Is there a problem if I wash alone?"

"Yes. We are punished if we fail to properly serve noble ones. Please have mercy…"

Though he knew the class difference between magicians and commoners was large, he hadn't expected it to be this extreme.

Feeling the oncoming fatigue, Turan sighed deeply and nodded.

"Do as you will."

Shortly after, the maids undressed Turan and washed his body with warm water and soap.

He didn't need to do anything himself during this.

As if skilled at this work, they thoroughly cleaned his entire body without even asking him to move his arms or legs.

While it was extremely awkward to show his naked body to women, leave washing to others, and show running dirt – aside from that, bath attendance was certainly worth receiving.

After finishing the bath, combing out his tangled long hair, changing clothes and completing grooming, the maids' eyes went round.

The youngest maid around Turan's age who had been crying earlier even exclaimed while blushing.

"Wow…"

"What?"

When he turned his head to ask, she startled and quickly covered her mouth with a "hap."

The older maid explained instead.

"She seems to have been momentarily stunned by your beauty, noble one. Please forgive her."

Saying this, she brought over a large mirror to show him, and seeing it he could understand their reaction.

The first thing that caught his eye was his gray hair that he usually just tied in a ponytail because cutting was bothersome.

The maids had combed it well then applied some unknown oil and let it down, making it shine like well-polished steel and perfectly matching his ash-colored eyes.

With his skin that had been tanned from poor washing now clean, his strong features stood out, and the white clothes embroidered with gold thread made his tall, sleek build look even more elegant.

If before washing he had looked like a fairly handsome beggar, now he truly looked like a noble youth who had lived his whole life being served.

Shortly after, having completed all grooming, Turan was guided by the butler toward the banquet hall where the head of house was waiting.

Since everyone they met on the way bowed deeply as if they knew him, Turan asked the butler walking ahead.

"Do they all know my status?"

"It's because of the clothes you're wearing. In this castle, clothes with gold mixed in are colors permitted only to noble ones."

Just as he heard those words, a young lady wearing a blue-gray dress embroidered with gold thread appeared from a corridor.

Seeing Turan, she tilted her head and asked.

"Is this the guest who came looking like a beggar? What's this, after washing and dressing him he looks like a prince!"

"Ah, young lady. Calling him beggar-like…"

"What does it matter? I'm Izella. Izella Baltas. And you are?"

Judging by the butler's titles and attitude, she was probably a noble of House Baltas.

The arrogance evident in every action and word made him think so this is what a real noble was like.

Not wanting to be instinctively pushed back, Turan declared proudly without bowing his head.

"I am Turan."

"Just Turan? What about your house?"

"I cannot reveal it due to circumstances. There are hostile houses."

This was an excuse Turan had prepared in advance after discussing with Keorn.

Pretending to be a noble hiding his identity due to hostile houses while on pilgrimage to grow magic power.

Since House Jahar, which could be called his home house, didn't even know of Turan's existence, it was awkward to claim it, but simply hiding everything would raise suspicion of being a criminal on the run.

As soon as those words ended, just like the library guard earlier, magic power surged from Izella's body.

As if to determine whether he was a fraud or not.

When Turan likewise released his power in response, their magic powers collided and sparks flew.

"Eek!"

While the maids screamed and backed away, Turan analyzed the recent collision and felt newly shocked.

Because Izella's magic power was almost equal to his level.

Actually it wasn't so surprising.

Separate from Turan's excellent potential, he was still a beginner who had only started gathering magic power less than a month ago.

But since all the magicians he had met so far were much weaker than him, encountering an opponent of similar level like this felt particularly shocking.

It was like the feeling of suddenly meeting a giant of the same height after living with dwarves all your life.

But looking carefully, Izella opposite him also seemed shocked feeling his power.

"Wow…"

After startling with an exclamation, Izella suddenly blurted out something shocking.

"Hey guest, want to get married?”

Chapter 8: The Disciple Looks to the Master, the Master Comforts the Disciple (Part 2)

Dam Ho lay sprawled on the ground, motionless for some time. Everyone assumed he would not rise. Some even looked at Su-gyeong with expressions suggesting he had gone too far.

Su-gyeong's own expression was not relaxed either. He had been unable to defeat Dam Ho with pure Five Element Unusual Fist alone and had been forced to resort to Plum Blossom Step to exploit his weakness.

Su-gyeong let out a soft sigh.

"That should be enough. No more—"

In that instant, Dam Ho, who had lain without so much as a twitch, forced himself upright. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth. Yet the fighting spirit in his eyes as he looked at Su-gyeong remained unbroken.

Su-gyeong spoke.

"Junior Brother, it would be better to stop now—"

"Continue."

At that moment, Sage Hyeon-geom's voice rang through the hall.

Su-gyeong turned to Sage Hyeon-geom.

"But—"

"Cheong-gyeong's fighting spirit has not yet been broken. The opponent has not surrendered—do you intend to end it on your own? I have no desire to pass my martial arts to someone so lax."

Su-gyeong clenched his teeth.

Sage Hyeon-geom's intent was clear.

To break Dam Ho's will. To extinguish his obsession with martial arts. He believed this was for Dam Ho's own good.

'Do not blame me, Junior Brother.'

Su-gyeong picked up a nearby wooden sword and charged at Dam Ho.

His Plum Blossom Step, as dazzling as scattered petals, dazzled Dam Ho's eyes. Dam Ho retreated a single step, seeking to create distance while he read his opponent's intent.

Whoosh!

Su-gyeong's foot grazed past the tip of Dam Ho's nose.

Sweeping Leaf Kick—a technique that sliced through the air like fallen leaves being swept from the ground. The kick that had seemed to pass by suddenly bent at an impossible angle and drove straight toward the crown of Dam Ho's head.

Wham!

Dam Ho crossed both arms to block Su-gyeong's Sweeping Leaf Kick.

A tremendous shockwave spread through both forearms and into his entire body. The excruciating pain made Dam Ho's face twist involuntarily.

Su-gyeong attacked by seamlessly combining the Sweeping Leaf Kick with the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword. Against the razor-sharp sword strikes and dizzying kicks, Dam Ho could barely respond and was driven back relentlessly.

"Th-this—?"

The watching First Generation Disciples' faces filled with sympathy. Though many of them had not been particularly fond of Dam Ho, seeing him so completely overwhelmed stirred their compassion.

Un-gyeong spoke to Mu-gyeong.

"This is reality. No matter how strong one's will, fundamental differences cannot be overcome. The path of the martial artist is not suited for Cheong-gyeong."

"But—"

"You are the one who will lead the Mount Hua Sect of the future."

With those words, Un-gyeong fell silent. But his meaning was clearly conveyed to Mu-gyeong.

"Tch!"

Mu-gyeong clicked his tongue in frustration.

In the meantime, Su-gyeong was pressing Dam Ho even harder. The combined assault of sword and kick left Dam Ho with nowhere to retreat, forcing him to crouch low.

"It is over."

Su-gyeong's sword shot toward Dam Ho.

It was the Full Plum Blossom Bloom—a technique so dazzling it created the illusion that all the plum blossoms of Mount Hua were blooming at once.

Surrounded by the storm of blossoms, Dam Ho could see no way out.

Su-gyeong was certain of his victory.

'Now!'

In that moment, Dam Ho's eyes blazed.

Su-gyeong, perhaps carried away by excitement, enlarged his movement. This created an opening.

Crack!

Dam Ho drove his right foot into the ground.

A single step forward, and a single punch.

Wham!

Dam Ho's fist pierced through the Full Plum Blossom Bloom and struck Su-gyeong squarely in the chest. Fortunately, Su-gyeong's internal energy protected him, and he suffered no serious injury.

For the first time, a look of shock appeared on Su-gyeong's face. Had Dam Ho's fist carried normal internal force, that single blow would have shattered his ribcage entirely. It had been a precision strike at a critical opening—and a devastating counterattack.

Su-gyeong felt his chest go cold.

He had dismissed Dam Ho as a cripple, but the boy had an unexpected card to play. And that card was powerful enough to send a chill down his spine.

'If that fist had carried internal energy, I would be dead.'

Unconsciously, Su-gyeong glanced toward Sage Hyeon-geom. He could see Sage Hyeon-geom's displeased expression. But the elder showed no intention of ending the match.

'Then—?'

There was still a chance.

Su-gyeong swept his foot at Dam Ho's waist.

Wham!

Dam Ho's face contorted. The blow was so powerful it nearly folded him in two.

Dark blood trickled from the corner of Dam Ho's mouth. It was proof that he had suffered deep internal injuries, not merely surface wounds.

To Dam Ho's staggering ears, Sage Hyeon-geom's voice echoed:

"You possess truly remarkable talent. That last blow was proof of it. But without a body and internal energy to support it, such talent is useless. That is reality. So face reality and give up."

"I… cannot."

Dam Ho shook his head.

His lips were so badly bitten that blood was seeping through.

His entire body ached. It felt as though he had been pounded continuously with an iron hammer. His left knee especially throbbed. He longed desperately to simply lie down. It would be so much easier.

But Dam Ho stood firm.

Admitting reality, as Sage Hyeon-geom suggested, was not difficult. But doing so would mean denying his very identity.

The singular resolve to become a strong martial artist—all of his efforts until now—would be reduced to nothing.

Dam Ho's unyielding gaze, unchanged and stubborn, made Sage Hyeon-geom's own eyes burn colder.

"What are you doing, Su-gyeong? The match is not yet over. How long do you intend to stand there like a statue?"

At Sage Hyeon-geom's glacial command, Su-gyeong flinched.

'Damn it!'

Su-gyeong gritted his teeth and attacked Dam Ho again. A single Sweeping Leaf Kick had already stripped Dam Ho of his ability to defend himself.

To continue fighting such an opponent? It was no different from ordering him to inflict merciless violence on someone who could not protect himself.

Wham-wham-wham!

Su-gyeong's Sweeping Leaf Kick struck Dam Ho's body again and again. Each time, Dam Ho's body shuddered like a leather sack.

The sound of bones cracking, and his body covered in dark bruises—yet Dam Ho stood firm to the very end.

It was so extreme that Su-gyeong finally shouted:

"Please, just give up, Cheong-gyeong!"

It was not easy for the one doing the beating, either.

What Su-gyeong had wanted was a proper match, not this kind of merciless brutality. But Sage Hyeon-geom's cold gaze would not allow him to stop.

"Cheong-gyeong."

"Mmm!"

The sight was so cruel that many of the First Generation Disciples turned away. Among them was Un-gyeong, who had opposed Dam Ho's pursuit of martial arts.

"Just fall down."

If Un-gyeong was saying such a thing, it spoke volumes about how wretched Dam Ho's condition truly was.

The capillaries in both of Dam Ho's eyes had burst, and the world was washed in red. As his vision blurred, the pain began to fade—his nerves had been numbed by the agony.

"Kuh!"

Dam Ho vomited blood. The dark blood staining his chest showed that the internal injuries he had sustained were far from trivial.

Dam Ho knew he could endure no more. His will remained unbroken, but his body had reached its absolute limit.

Dam Ho looked at Sage Hyeon-geom one final time. In that instant, Sage Hyeon-geom flinch.

It was because of Dam Ho's eyes.

In those eyes were desperation, a savage killing intent, and an unbreakable venom—a combination that unsettled Sage Hyeon-geom to his core.

This desperate, savage sight was utterly incompatible with the serene, pure-hearted Taoist sect that was Mount Hua. Sage Hyeon-geom bit his lip hard.

From deep within his chest, an instinctive revulsion rose up. His heart was rejecting Dam Ho as a being.

He knew he should stop this now.

If Dam Ho crossed this line, he would lose not only the path of the martial artist but even the ability to live a normal life.

'But—'

The revulsion rising from his heart sealed his lips. In that time, Dam Ho allowed Su-gyeong to land several more Sweeping Leaf Kicks.

Dam Ho finally managed to move his lips.

"I will… never… give up…"

Wham!

In that instant, Su-gyeong's final blow struck his temple.

The thread holding Dam Ho's consciousness snapped. He crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsing to the ground.

"Cheong-gyeong!"

Only then did Mu-gyeong and Han So-yu rush to Dam Ho's side.

Su-gyeong closed his eyes and tilted his head back. On his forehead, a liquid—whether sweat or tears, it was impossible to tell—trickled down.

Then Sage Hyeon-geom's voice echoed through the hall:

"What are you doing? The losers are to leave True Martial Palace immediately."

At that icy command, the defeated disciples carried the battered Dam Ho outside.

Sage Hyeon-geom did not even look back as he spoke:

"Continue the sparring."

"Martial Uncle!"

Several First Generation Disciples ran to Sage Hyeon-so's quarters. Upon one of their backs, the broken form of Dam Ho was draped.

Sage Hyeon-so leapt from his platform in shock.

"Ho-ya! What has happened to you?"

"He was in a sparring match, and—"

"A sparring match? Does this look like the result of a sparring match? This is the work of a life-and-death battle! What in heaven's name… No. Quickly, lay him down."

The First Generation Disciples hastily laid Dam Ho on the platform.

Dam Ho's condition was grave. No—it was the worst.

His life force was flickering weakly, and blood flowed ceaselessly from his nose and mouth. It was miraculous that he was still alive at all.

"Ho… ya! Can you hear my voice?"

Sage Hyeon-so's voice trembled uncontrollably. Before the well-being of his only disciple, his composure shattered utterly.

Dam Ho did not answer. He could not. He was on the threshold of death.

"Who did this to you?"

"Martial Uncle, please compose yourself."

"Compose myself? Yes, I must compose myself."

Sage Hyeon-so rummaged through his robes with shaking hands and found a small wooden box. Inside lay dark medicinal pills. He quickly dissolved one in water and trickled it into Dam Ho's mouth, bit by bit.

"Ho-ya! You must live. Ho-ya! Where do you think you are going, leaving this master behind?"

After ensuring Dam Ho had swallowed the entire pill, Sage Hyeon-so began frantically massaging his entire body.

"Ho-ya, Dam Ho! You wretched boy…"

Sage Hyeon-so's anguished cry echoed into the night sky.

Writhing in agony, falling asleep and waking up repeatedly for many days.

One day when he opened his eyes again, sure enough, there was Mang-ryo’s smiling face.

“Did you sleep well? It’s been several days. Come now, now that you’re awake, we have work to do.”

Jin Ja-gang could only tremble helplessly.

His entire body felt as if it were sinking endlessly into the earth.

He had fallen into an inescapable hell.

A dark and deep hell where he couldn’t see anything ahead.

* * *

Mang-ryo tested all kinds of poisons on Jin Ja-gang.

“Still alive, are you?”

Though he always said this when Jin Ja-gang woke up, Mang-ryo’s expression suggested he would have been quite disappointed if Jin Ja-gang had actually died.

“Hungry? Here, let’s eat.”

Mang-ryo fed Jin Ja-gang a dark, murky porridge. Not knowing what was in it, Jin Ja-gang kept his mouth shut and resisted. But Mang-ryo smiled gently, dislocated Jin Ja-gang’s jaw, and force-fed him.

As soon as the porridge entered his stomach, stomach pains began.

“Urrrgh!”

Mang-ryo continued feeding him the porridge and left him alone, then laughed heartily when he saw Jin Ja-gang drooling.

“Is my homemade mushroom porridge that delicious? Would you like some more?”

Jin Ja-gang shook his head, but that only pleased Mang-ryo more.

“Let’s see. Among the mushrooms, I used death cap, destroying angel, fly agaric… and what else did I put in? Heh heh, as I get older, my memory weakens. Oh, that’s right. I also added fool’s funnel and honey fungus.”

With a satisfied expression, Mang-ryo fed Jin Ja-gang all of the remaining poisonous mushroom porridge, then put his jaw back in place.

Jin Ja-gang was already hallucinating and completely out of his mind. The world was twisted and filled with strange, colorful patterns.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Jin Ja-gang wandered in hallucinations and pain for half a day, but eventually survived after passing bloody excretions.

When Jin Ja-gang woke up, Mang-ryo poured a bucket of water over him.

“How can a grown boy not control his bowels and bladder?”

After roughly splashing him with water a few times, what Mang-ryo presented next was another bowl of porridge.

Mang-ryo smiled contentedly.

“Since you didn’t die, I mixed in a few more varieties.”

“Ugh…”

Seeing Jin Ja-gang’s terror-stricken eyes, Mang-ryo laughed maniacally.

“Don’t worry. It’s a joke! A joke! Since you ate everything and excreted it all, I made more porridge because I thought you might be hungry.”

It was a lie.

Jin Ja-gang ate the more potent poisonous mushroom porridge, vomited several times, and then passed out.

* * *

“Now, what shall we try today?”

The painful days continued.

There wasn’t even a moment for Jin Ja-gang to rest.

“I should try the yellow lizard poison. It causes a lot of pain but has little killing power, which has always been a concern.”

Mang-ryo brought a lizard. The Extreme Poison Sect primarily used poisons from insects and animals that lived on the ground.

The lizard, which had been flicking its tongue, bit Jin Ja-gang’s arm.

Soon, his arm swelled and became stiff, losing sensation. Blood flowed steadily and wouldn’t stop.

Cold sweat broke out and dizziness set in. He felt as if his body was being pressed firmly into the ground.

Soon, an immense pain surged from his arm, feeling as if the entire arm was about to burst.

“Nngh!”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes rolled back and he passed out.

Time passed, and he had no idea how long he had been unconscious. When Jin Ja-gang came to his senses, Mang-ryo, as if he had been waiting, examined Jin Ja-gang’s condition by pulling back his eyelids.

“How strange. The poison should have spread throughout the body, but it remained confined to the bitten area and then disappeared. I understand that the poison can’t move because your energy channels are blocked… but why does the poison disappear?”

Mang-ryo asked Jin Ja-gang.

“Do you know why?”

Even in his dazed state, Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth. Even if he knew, he didn’t want to answer.

Mang-ryo tapped Jin Ja-gang’s cheek lightly.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. What could I expect from you? I’ll figure it out myself.”

Those words were even more chilling.

Mang-ryo brought a yellow lizard in his deerskin-gloved hand. And in his other hand, he held something like a net bag.

“If the poison wears off just half a day after poisoning, there’s no effect from all the effort I put into poisoning you. So this time, I’ve selected something that takes a bit longer to show symptoms.”

Mang-ryo first had the yellow lizard bite Jin Ja-gang. Then he took a snake out of the net bag. It was a viper, brownish with round spots, and uniquely, it had a white ring-shaped mark on its head.

“Let me introduce you. This is the ring-marked viper. You probably haven’t seen it directly before, but actually, you’re already acquainted. This is the snake whose venom was used in the Poison Palm that struck your grandfather, Son Wi-hak.”

Jin Ja-gang trembled even as he writhed in pain from the yellow lizard poison. It was the venom of this ring-marked viper that had caused Son Wi-hak to die in agony as his flesh rotted.

“The peculiarity of the ring-marked viper’s venom is that it only manifests about a day after the bite. So most people realize they’ve been poisoned when it’s too late. Son Wi-hak probably experienced the same. Poor fellow… tsk, tsk.”

Jin Ja-gang clenched his teeth. He wanted to rip out Mang-ryo’s tongue right then and there.

But Mang-ryo continued speaking.

“Just when you think the yellow lizard poison has subsided, the dormant ring-marked viper’s venom will activate again. I’m truly curious to see if your body can overcome the viper’s venom by that time and neutralize the dormant poison.”

The ring-marked viper bit Jin Ja-gang’s other arm.

As Mang-ryo had said, there was almost no immediate sensation from the viper’s venom. However, after barely two-fifths of an hour, the poisoning symptoms suddenly began.

Since the yellow lizard poison hadn’t subsided yet, when both poisons began acting simultaneously, Jin Ja-gang was in such agony that he wished for death.

“Ugh, aaaagh!”

It felt as if both arms had been severed.

As Jin Ja-gang was losing consciousness from the unbearable pain, Mang-ryo muttered:

“Hmm, what’s this? The ring-marked viper’s venom, which should take a day to manifest, has triggered in just two-fifths of an hour?”

Mang-ryo brought a handful of herbs and struck Jin Ja-gang’s cheeks and nose with them. It was musk herb.

Jin Ja-gang, who had been on the verge of losing consciousness, suddenly regained his senses from the spicy, pungent aroma.

“Aaaaaagh!”

As soon as Jin Ja-gang screamed, Mang-ryo pinched his nose. Then he poured hot broth into Jin Ja-gang’s mouth.

“Ack! Ack, pfft!”

Mang-ryo poured the broth, unconcerned whether Jin Ja-gang’s throat and mouth were scalded.

“This is a special intelligence decoction made with the finest ingredients spared no expense.”

Jin Ja-gang was dumbfounded by the unexpected statement.

Intelligence decoction?

It’s a medicinal broth made by mixing herbs like poria, polygala, acorus, and others. It’s mainly used to treat memory loss and enhance memory.

But why would he feed it to him?

Jin Ja-gang soon felt his mind clearing. Perhaps because of this, the pain in both arms felt even more intense.

It felt as if thousands of needles were sprouting inside his arms, growing outward.

“Ugh, aah!”

However, thanks to the intelligence decoction, he could perceive all the abnormal reactions in his arms even amid this tremendous pain.

The skin swelling, the flesh softening, the blood vessels bursting, the muscle fibers twisting, inflammation in the bones causing the bone marrow to throb.

Each sensation was vividly perceptible.

As his mind cleared and he entered a state of slight alertness, even if he wanted to faint, he couldn’t. Jin Ja-gang understood why Mang-ryo had given him the intelligence decoction.

“If you just collapse after consuming such expensive poisons, wouldn’t that be a waste for me?”

Mang-ryo laughed heartily as he observed Jin Ja-gang’s condition and recorded it in a ledger.

Jin Ja-gang forcibly suppressed the despair that washed over him.

A situation pushed to the extreme, with no way out.

Just like at the trial in the Martial Arts Alliance’s Yunnan Branch, there was nothing Jin Ja-gang could do now.

“Aaaaaagh!”

It took at least a day for both poisons to subside.

During that day, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t sleep and had to endure all the pain in a conscious state, etching it into his bones.

This was because whenever he was about to fall asleep, Mang-ryo would wake him with the musk herb and feed him more intelligence decoction to keep him alert.

* * *

Mang-ryo continued his experiments on Jin Ja-gang, feeding him intelligence decoction every day to keep his mind clear.

Starting with simple poisons, he created and tested various combinations, recording the results.

Jin Ja-gang rarely felt life-threatening danger from ordinary poisons, but when exposed to more potent ones, he would suffer greatly before surviving. Even though the poison didn’t spread throughout his body, it didn’t mean there were no symptoms of poisoning.

In fact, the poisoning symptoms that would have spread throughout the body were concentrated at the bitten area, making the pain even more intense.

Such days continued without rest.

Today, Mang-ryo put on deerskin gloves and showed Jin Ja-gang a small, black spider about the size of a fingertip.

The spider’s abdomen was round and lustrous like a black pearl, distinctive with a triangular red mark.

“This is a black widow spider. While the poison itself is very potent, its quantity is small, so its lethality is quite low. To achieve proper lethality, it requires very long-term special breeding. Then it becomes like this.”

Mang-ryo showed another spider. It was similar to the black widow but darker, with red dots embedded on both sides. Moreover, its abdomen was about three times larger.

“I was the first in our sect to succeed in breeding this twin-spotted paradise widow spider. It’s a lucrative product, with the Sichuan Tang family purchasing five from our Extreme Poison Sect every year. It contains more than ten times the venom of an ordinary black widow.”

“Ugh…”

“Be still. This isn’t your first time with spider venom, why the fuss? This twin-spotted paradise widow, like other spider venoms, causes swelling, dizziness, sweating, and vomiting. Then the joints feel like they’re dislocating, breathing becomes difficult, the heart barely works, and death follows. Normal people die at that point, but I’m not sure about you. Don’t disappoint me and make sure you survive this time, too.”

Jin Ja-gang was terrified. Just hearing the explanation made him tremble and break out in cold sweat even before being poisoned.

Mang-ryo laughed seeing Jin Ja-gang trembling.

“Kuk kuk kuk.”

He was deliberately giving unnecessary explanations with each poison just to enjoy Jin Ja-gang’s frightened reactions.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t want to hear Mang-ryo’s words. He didn’t want to see. But even forgetting what he had heard and seen was difficult. Due to the intelligence decoction, most of what Mang-ryo said remained in his mind.

The names of poisons, their effects… even the pain he had physically experienced, all of it.

That made it even more horrifying. When Mang-ryo showed a venomous creature, Jin Ja-gang could already predict what pain would follow from its poison.

Soon, Mang-ryo placed the twin-spotted paradise widow spider on Jin Ja-gang’s crown. The spider bit Jin Ja-gang’s right eyelid. Since it was the first time he had been bitten directly on the face, Jin Ja-gang was terrified.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Jin Ja-gang’s body was unique; instead of the poison spreading throughout his body, it worked intensively at the bitten area.

Soon his vision became blurry, and unbearable pain started from his eye and shook his head. It felt as if an awl had pierced through his eye.

“My eye! My eye! My eee-eye!”

Unlike Jin Ja-gang, who was screaming, Mang-ryo laughed heartily.

“My, what a powerful voice he has.”

Mang-ryo leisurely enjoyed watching Jin Ja-gang’s suffering while sipping tea.

“Originally, poisons from the black widow family have the effect of making a man’s member very vigorous. But with your unique body where poison doesn’t spread, such effects don’t work well.”

When bitten by a black widow type, a man’s lower region swells and doesn’t subside. That’s why “paradise” is included in the name of the twin-spotted paradise widow, bred from the black widow. Since it’s ten times more potent than the black widow, that side effect is also ten times stronger.

However, it seemed even that was of no use to Jin Ja-gang, whose energy channels were blocked, preventing the poison from spreading.

Still, the poisoning at the bite site progressed much faster than in ordinary people. Jin Ja-gang’s swollen bitten eyelid had already begun to necrotize.

The pain, like his eye rotting away, was incomparable to previous pains.

Unable to bear it any longer, Jin Ja-gang begged Mang-ryo for the first time.

“P-please… save me.”

“What?”