Chapter 8 – The Product of Rote Poison Education

Chapter 8 – The Product of Rote Poison Education

Torong and Yongyong grew by the day.

What did this mean? It meant they ate quite a lot. Once they consumed food, they could hold out for a long period, but instead, they ate a lot at once.

‘In all my life, I never thought I’d be preparing food for crocodiles.’

Since I could not release hungry crocodiles in the middle of Sichuan, unfortunately, the preparation of Torong and Yongyong's meals became my responsibility.

What I mainly prepared was fish, amphibians, insects, and the like…

“Argh, I missed again!”

This was not as easy to catch as I thought.

Who would have known that I would learn the hidden weapon techniques of the Sichuan Tang Clan, said to be the best under heaven, only to use them for catching bugs?

At least I did not know.

“Phew… Spiders are hard to control the strength for. This won't do, I should go back and catch fish instead.”

After failing to catch a poison spider and letting it go, I returned to the valley where Sawol was.

“Young Master. I’ve already caught this many today!”

Sawol showed me a basket filled with fish with an excited expression.

After wiping my flowing sweat with my sleeve, I spoke.

“Yeah, let's catch just two or three more and go down.”

Preparing meals for Torong and Yongyong also doubled as a training purpose.

One might wonder what martial arts had to do with catching fish and bugs, but…

This was actually quite helpful, contrary to expectations.

‘Ah, there’s one.’

First, to catch fish, I used a projectile made by shaving bamboo thinly. It looked like a thin and long toothpick.

Unlike empty air, the water had a current and high density, so throwing it in the same manner would not allow me to hit the target.

This was especially true for cases as thin and light as the bamboo projectile.

Then, what did I have to do?

‘This time, that way.’

I had to predict the movement of the fish and adjust the force and trajectory while considering the current.

It was easier said than done; it was five times more tricky compared to hitting a target hanging from a tree.

“I caught it!”

Still, what used to be difficult to succeed even once out of ten shots was now a hundred out of a hundred, so there was indeed no better training for developing accuracy.

“Do we not need to catch more poison bugs?”

“We caught a lot of them last week. I gave a few precious ones to the Poison Repository, and placed the rest in a jar.”

Poisonous Bugs.

It referred to insects that secreted toxic substances.

There were specimens that produced poison on their own, and there were also specimens that acquired toxicity by consuming poison herbs and the like. Therefore, if they consumed such poisonous bugs, Torong and Yongyong's poison energy would also accumulate that much.

Typically, there were hornets, poison moths, spiders, centipedes, and scorpions.

Naturally, because they were poisonous, the intake had to be regulated, but due to their picky appetite where they wouldn't even look at anything that wasn't fresh, they had to be captured alive. Catching a bug smaller than a palm alive was about ten times harder than catching it dead.

What was useful at this time was the Finger Flicking Art.

Basically, it was a method of shooting hidden weapons by flicking a finger. It loaded internal energy into the fingertip to shoot a projectile with strong force, and its power was strong enough to shatter even stones.

However, what was needed now was not strong force.

‘I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would learn this and use it for insect collecting.’

To only stun the insects, whose sizes, speeds, and strengths were all different, extremely delicate control of force was essential.

If it was even slightly too strong, they would burst, and if it was weaker than that, they would escape.

I had to place a grain of rice or a small pebble on my fingertip and use only enough power to stun the insect without killing it.

‘It would be easier to crush something big; this is just…’

However, having done insect collecting for nearly a year already, this level of difficulty was now a piece of cake.

‘My control of strength has become finer than last time.’

In other words, by learning the martial arts of the Tang Clan, I…

1. Developed accuracy while catching fish.

2. Practiced control of strength while catching insects.

Could anyone have imagined this?

Martial arts forged through a hunter-gatherer lifestyle!

‘But thinking about it again, this actually seems like a surprisingly decent method.’

Since my skills improved and I also obtained ingredients, was it not killing two birds with one stone?

I packed my things while pondering how to utilize this for training.

“Let's go, it's time for the babies to eat.”

***

“Oh my, eat up. Yes, yes. Torong, you were hungry.”

The courtyard attached to the detached house. A place where green foliage flourished through all four seasons and fragrant flower trees were situated. In the pond of such a courtyard, Torong and Yongyong lived.

It was a sight that would shock others out of their wits, but to me, it was daily life.

The two baby crocodiles hatched from the Earth Dragon eggs had grown quite large. Although their vertically slit eyes were those of beasts, in reality, they were a pair of cute crocodile sisters.

As I threw the fish I caught one by one, Torong and Yongyong eagerly snapped them up and ate them.

Perhaps because it was delicious, they even made purring sounds and rubbed their heads against me.

“Yongyong, you should eat a lot too. There won't be food for a while after this.”

While the feeding time was in full swing, Tang Hae-soo opened the door of the detached house and walked in.

“When did you return?”

“Ah, Brother. I went up the mountain in the morning and have just returned.”

Although I was a sickly young master when I first woke up in this place, within a year, I had developed quite the bearing of a martial artist. And all of this was, surprisingly, thanks to Tang Hae-soo.

Tang Hae-soo, who supervised all my training in external and internal arts, grew me in a surprisingly systematic and meticulous manner. Since it was also Tang Hae-soo who devised the training that doubled as meal preparation.

“Follow me.”

Tang Hae-soo quietly watched until Torong and Yongyong finished their meal, then nodded his head and stepped outside.

“Where are you going?”

After leaving the detached house, we passed through several walls.

Without any particular reply, Tang Hae-soo opened the door of the library located inside.

‘Why the library all of a sudden?’

The moment I stepped inside, unable to hide my bewilderment, I had no choice but to be surprised.

This was because the Family Head, Tang Hwa-seon, and the elders of each hall were present in front of the library, which stored various books on the martial arts and poisons of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

“I greet the Family Head and the Elders.”

When I offered my polite greetings, the elders gestured lightly with their hands instead of returning the greeting.

‘What is this situation?’

I rolled my eyes, trying to make sense of the situation.

If there was one thing I realized during my year in the Sichuan Tang Clan, it was that direct descendants who were not martial artists had no use, so no one paid attention to them. In other words, with the exception of Tang Hae-soo, who usually watched over my training, I had no interaction with most of the Tang Clan's blood relatives.

Since even the Leader of the Red Shadow Squad, Tang Jin-oh, had mentioned that he saw me at the Yangtze River for the first time after seeing me when I was very young.

The fact that they were gathered like this must mean that something important had happened to me.

At that moment, the Family Head, Tang Hwa-seon, spoke.

“It has been a year since you began learning martial arts. Thus, I have called you to check your achievements in the meantime, so do not be too nervous.”

“Yes.”

An unexpected surprise test had been prepared.

As I stood with a tense expression, Tang Hwa-seon slowly began to explain.

“Achievements in martial arts not only develop the body but also clear the comprehension and broaden the insight. In other words, it means that an eye for seeing is developed beyond just learning with the body. To be recognized as a martial artist of the Tang Clan, you must pass this test.”

At those words, I understood why the test was being conducted in the library rather than the training ground.

‘Is it similar to taking a written exam first?’

“In this library, there are hundreds of secret manuals selected by each hall. Finding the single secret manual that is transmitted as the most important among them is the test you will take.”

So, the test I was to take was…

‘They want me to find the single correct answer among hundreds of choices, right?’

I had a feeling that it would not be easy. Since these were not randomly picked, but hundreds of secret manuals selected by each hall, each would have its own value. Yet they wanted me to choose and learn the most important one among them.

“Is there a time limit?”

I asked because the time would likely be important. However, an unexpected answer came back.

“There is none. However, the moment you open that door and come out, the test ends.”

“……”

‘This is going to be harder than I expected…’

I smacked my lips and nodded my head.

Having no time limit seemed relaxed at first glance.

However, the reality was not like that.

If it were a one-hour test, someone should be able to find the answer within an hour.

So if the time was short, it was often a more intuitive answer, and if the time was long, it was often a more complex answer.

‘Having no time limit means not even the minimum information is allowed. Furthermore, since I choose the point of termination, I will constantly doubt myself even if I find the answer.’

After thinking deeply, I asked just in case.

“What happens if I fail the test?”

“It would mean wasting a year of the Tang Clan's Young Clan Leader's time, so both of you will not escape punishment.”

*Gulp.*

…You told me not to be nervous.

At Tang Hwa-seon's cold response, I felt my neck stiffen without realizing it.

“After spending a few years in closed-door training, would you not pass the next test?”

‘You should have warned me in advance…! How can you talk about locking someone up for a few years so peacefully?’

Ugh. If I were to be isolated in this world where I was already left alone, I might truly go crazy.

“Begin the test.”

As soon as the Family Head, Tang Hwa-seon, finished speaking, the library door closed.

Inside the library, there was a scent mixed with the musty smell of books and the oil smell of lamps. Every time I took a step, the sound of the old wooden floor creaking echoed.

“Now… let's think.”

To organize the rules of the test once again.

1. There is no time limit, but for whatever reason, the moment you open the door and walk out, the test is terminated.

2. You must learn one of the hundreds of secret manuals in the library before coming out.

Just these two.

Other than that, there were no clues or conditions.

In other words, it was an atrocious difficulty with a 1/300 chance.

I calmly calmed my breathing and looked around the library.

‘Let's find clues first.’

The Sichuan Tang Clan was a family and a military group, composed of a total of three halls under the Family Head.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Hall that governed things related to poisons and medicines, the Craftsmanship Hall composed of skilled artisans,

And the last was the Martial Hidden Hall, the backbone of the Tang Clan and the core of its military power.

‘As expected, it is organized like this.’

Wooden bookshelves stretched out long, and books classified by each hall were arranged in rows on them.

It was a scale of about 300 books, even by estimation.

“Let's see, this side has a purple ribbon attached. Then it was brought from the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall. That one is the Martial Hidden Hall, and the last is the Craftsmanship Hall.”

The books of the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall detailed poison utilization techniques, poison internal energy arts, poisonous creature taming techniques, detoxification, and the like.

The books of the Martial Hidden Hall contained hidden weapon arts such as the Dark Soul Secret Art and the Soul-Chasing Flying Butterfly, the family's specialized hidden weapons, sword techniques, and body movement techniques.

The books of the Craftsmanship Hall had written in them formations using mechanical devices, various metallurgy techniques, and types of manufactured hidden weapons.

Just looking at it briefly, it was at this level.

There were martial arts famous enough to make one's heart race just by looking at the names on the covers, and there were also manufacturing methods for poisonous substances referred to as extreme poisons.

‘Wow, oh my god. Whirling Explosive Fire Projectile? Gasp. That is the Lightning-Chasing Movement Technique. To see the martial arts I only saw in novels with my own eyes, this is crazy!’

A library filled with secret manuals of martial arts counted as ultimate techniques.

I looked all over the neatly arranged secret manuals and muttered.

“……I can't choose.”

They all look important, so how can I choose only one?

The Sichuan Tang Clan was called the progenitor of poison and hidden weapons. In addition, they were well-versed in medicine and metallurgy. Therefore, how could I possibly know which secret manual was treated as the most important among these many manuals?

‘Ugh… nothing can be done.’

In the end, I gave up on finding the correct answer.

“This is going to take a long time…”

However, it did not mean I was giving up on the test.

“Shall we start from here?”

Muttering softly, I pulled out the book at the very front.

If I could not filter out 299 books out of 300, I could just memorize all 300 books.

‘Truly the product of crammed memorization education.’

If you do not know, memorize it first.

The strange mindset created by South Korea's burning passion for education. And I, who was steeped in that mindset more than anyone, began to steadily conquer the library of the Sichuan Tang Clan.