Chapter 80 – The Third Ability

Chapter 80 – The Third Ability

San-ho, who had been sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.

He had just awakened from the world of his mind.

From reincarnation to the approaching future, and even Heaven's Mandate.

It was a scene so surreal that it felt like a dream.

However, the one thing he did not doubt was that the memories of living as Tang San-ho of the Sichuan Tang Clan had returned completely.

Why did he not give the answer all at once and instead make him find it one by one? He also knew the answer to the question he had harbored throughout the past process. He had tested and prepared himself.

“·········.”

The memories of his two lives blended together appropriately.

Thus, what he possessed now became even more precious.

Because only those who had yearned for it would know its value.

Tang San-ho's memories were complete, yet at the same time, lacking.

What that meant was that while he knew as much as he did back then, the current San-ho also did not know the answers to questions that remained unresolved. In short, the center of the hostile forces or the source of the secret manuals were such examples.

‘Well, still… should I be satisfied with this for now?’

Although the unresolved questions still lacked answers, life was a long game, and if he held out like this, he would eventually get closer to the solutions.

At any rate, only one fact was important right now.

Preparing for the coming future in his own way.

Wiping away the moisture that had wet the corners of his eyes, San-ho stood up from his seat.

Although he knew that the path he would walk in the future would be a thorny path more rugged than any path he had traversed so far, strangely, his heart no longer wavered.

For the life that had been floating and wandering had finally found a land to take root.

***

– Find the person born in the Golden Hall (Geumdang) thirty-seven years ago.

San-ho headed to the Chief Steward's Office to find the traitor of the Tang Clan that Mua had hinted at.

There lay the list of everyone residing in the Tang Clan Village. Having searched through several thick registers, San-ho compiled the names of those born thirty-seven years ago. The number was fifty-eight.

Although their birthplaces were not written separately since most were the Tang Clan Village, the names of the midwives or physicians who assisted in the births were left behind.

The Golden Hall was a village located in the northern part of Sichuan Province, not far from the Tang Clan Village. However, it was not so close that a heavily pregnant woman could easily travel back and forth.

From the compiled list, he excluded the names with physicians and midwives belonging to the Medical Hall and the Delivery Center. Fifty-five names were crossed off.

After removing everyone who did not qualify through the process of elimination, three people remained.

Tang Ji-han, Tang Wi-ho, Tang Yun-mu.

Tapping the list, San-ho muttered softly.

“Three…”

His eyes, reflecting the names of the traitors, flickered.

***

Inside the quiet Inner Castle, a faint shadow moved in the Poison Depository.

Most of the warriors of the Sichuan Tang Clan were distracted by clearing out Cloud Joy Hall, the Painting and Calligraphy Pavilion, and Cheonggeum Pavilion, which had been swept by the fire. Furthermore, it was suspicious because almost no one visited the Poison Depository at such a late hour.

The door of the empty Poison Depository opened cautiously, and a figure wearing a green robe looked around before stepping inside.

Squeak, the sound of the hinges being pushed creaked faintly.

After confirming that no one was there, the figure rummaged through a storage chest located deep inside. Clatter, click. The small friction sounds of pulling and pushing several drawers resonated in the room.

“Where is it…”

Impatience was evident in his voice, as if he could not find what he was looking for.

Whenever he heard voices passing by occasionally, the figure pricked up his ears and held his breath. As he opened about thirty drawers like that, his hands grew increasingly hurried. He did not have much time left.

Letting out a short sigh, the figure muttered to himself.

“Damn it, why can't I see it?”

“What are you looking for?”

“They clearly said the scent-erasing water was here…”

“Scent-erasing water? Why are you looking for that?”

“That's because…!!!”

At the annoying question, the figure who was rummaging through the drawers scowled fiercely and raised his head. He was already in a desperate hurry, so who kept…

“·········.”

Ah.

Wasn't this place empty?

The moment he realized that fact, the figure's body stiffened like stone.

In an instant, his heart felt like it plummeted downward.

He had definitely confirmed that no one was around. There was absolutely no presence felt, whether outside or inside the Poison Depository.

If so, who on earth…

Then, a calm and composed voice followed from behind.

“I asked why you are looking for the scent-erasing water?”

“·········.”

The figure struggled to regain his composure.

‘The more it is like this, the calmer I must be.’

Releasing his hand from the drawer handle, the figure slowly turned around.

He, too, was a warrior of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Even if he did not belong to the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall, he had not come to a place he was forbidden to enter.

Devising a suitable excuse, the figure spoke calmly.

“Ah, Young Master. I accidentally got Thousand-Mile Tracking Incense on my personal belongings… I was just about to erase the scent beforehand in case I get confused later.”

“To run away?”

The Thousand-Mile Tracking Incense, one of the secret techniques of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Meaning a scent that follows for a thousand miles, it was mainly used for tracking. Scent-erasing water was the only drug that could erase the scent of such Thousand-Mile Tracking Incense. At the probing words that seemed to know his inner thoughts, the figure asked back.

“Running away… what do you mean? Where would I run away to?”

“Well, I don't know the destination either. But I think I know the reason.”

“Yes? The reason, I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Is that so?”

Meeting his eyes directly, San-ho slowly tilted his head.

“Then is it also something you don't know that you snuck into the Ten Thousand Poisons Abyss, stole the Sinjinhwamyeol, and tried to pollute Sichuan's drinking water by releasing it into the Mount Yeongju water stream?”

“What is that…”

“Furthermore, are you saying you also did not set fire to the Tang Clan, nor colluded with the hostile forces?”

The figure shouted with an aggrieved expression.

“Young Master! Please choose your words carefully, I really know nothing about this.”

“Is that so? You say that's the case…”

Narrowing his eyes slightly, San-ho took a big step forward and grabbed the sleeve of his green robe.

“What are you doing…!”

“Wait.”

Brushing off the hand that was trying to stop him, San-ho rolled up the long green robe.

Then, a wrist mottled with purple caught his eye. Even at a glance, it looked like a state of being poisoned by extreme poison. The hand wearing the deer-skin glove had avoided the poison, but extreme poison like Sinjinhwamyeol was bound to affect even the untouched parts.

“······!!!”

“See. I was right.”

“Th-this, is this not something common that any warrior of the Tang Clan experiences? It is just that I have not been able to completely expel the poison, but if you suspect me because of this, it is no different from doubting the foundation of the Great Sichuan Tang Clan!”

“It is not like we are in the middle of a war using extreme poisons right now. And the Martial Hidden Hall is separately provided with detoxification pills, yet you still have poisoning symptoms remaining?”

The figure's voice, which had picked up any words in embarrassment, trembled slightly.

“That is because my resistance to poison is a bit less than others…”

“Honestly…”

Letting out an annoyed sigh, San-ho crossed his arms and said.

“Martial Hidden Hall warrior Tang Yun-mu. You were born in the Golden Hall thirty-seven years ago.”

“······!!!”

Tang Yun-mu's pupils dilated in an instant.

At that sight, San-ho burst into a smirk.

“People of the martial world are really terrible at lying. Tsk, tsk, still, if you want to play the spy, you should know how to pay attention to even a single pupil.”

“Wh-what do you mean by that all of a sudden?”

“Aren't you curious how much I know?”

“·········.”

“Do not think of deceiving me further. I came quietly because there are things I want to ask, so if you answer my questions well, I will not kill you here. I will fairly stand you trial in the Law Enforcement Hall.”

It was no use.

The Young Master had already come with full certainty of the answer.

“·········.”

If it were a situation of merely being suspected, he might have been able to avoid it, but for some reason, the Young Master seemed to know that he was the traitor. Moreover, how did he know where he was born? Confusion and doubt surged within him.

‘Damn it, I did not want to get blood on my hands directly.’

Swallowing his dry saliva, Tang Yun-mu asked cautiously.

“By coming quietly, do you mean you came without bringing others along?”

“Yes.”

“It is true that you came alone, Young Master, right?”

“How many times do I have to say it?”

Biting his lips repeatedly, Tang Yun-mu stopped as if he had made up his mind.

Then, he suddenly threw a Soul-Chasing Dagger at San-ho.

It was something that happened in a mere split second.

Swish!

The distance between Tang Yun-mu and San-ho was a mere two paces. In other words, it was a distance close enough to pierce the Young Master's throat the instant the Soul-Chasing Dagger left his hand.

“…Oh. You have spirit.”

However, instead of tearing open San-ho's throat, the Soul-Chasing Dagger was caught between his fingers. Avoiding a flying dagger was, of course, a difficult task, but catching it with one's hand… was a completely different story.

“·········.”

Gritting his teeth, Tang Yun-mu pulled out three more flying daggers from his sleeve. Since he had already been exposed, the only thing he could do was quickly deal with the Young Master and leave Chengdu of Sichuan.

“Can you do it?”

The dry saliva swallowed itself at the chilling voice.

Cold sweat broke out along his spine, and a dizzying tension overtook his body as if all the blood had drained out in an instant.

He already knew that the Young Master's martial prowess, which had been heard of recently, was unusual. Although he had never personally competed in a duel, he had a premonition that it would be difficult to guarantee victory even though he had lived twice as long. If so.

Glancing to the side, Tang Yun-mu grabbed a bottle sitting on top of the drawers and splashed it toward San-ho.

Splash!

A water-like liquid helplessly drenched San-ho's face.

It was the Poison Body Blood-Summoning Soul Water. A poisonous liquid said to seep in immediately upon contact, causing blood to burst from the seven orifices and inflicting pain that devoured even the soul. Even if he could not kill him immediately, it was enough if he could buy time while he writhed in pain.

Drip. Drip.

A red liquid dripped like blood droplets down San-ho's hair. Without scowling in pain or having any restriction in his movements, San-ho simply opened his eyes quietly and met his gaze.

“······!!!”

That appearance was as eerie as a ghost drenched in blood. Instead of screams or groans, a quiet silence filled the surroundings. Thus, by the time he realized that something went wrong…

“Argh, aaah!”

It was already too late.

Tang Yun-mu screamed as he looked at the flying dagger driven into his foot. The flying dagger that dug into the top of his foot was deeply embedded all the way to the floor of the Poison Depository. The blood seeping into the floor was as dark as a shadow.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to pull out a hidden weapon coated with extreme poison from his sleeve.

“Why are you still here? Either you were confident you wouldn't get caught, or your master ordered you to. But how long could a sloppy guy like you have avoided investigation? See, you've already been caught by me.”

A voice devoid of other emotions, like an everyday question, snatched his hand.

“·········.”

“Think carefully about what this means. Whoever the master you serve is, doesn't it mean they have absolutely no interest in your life or death?”

“Ugh… if I spared a mere life, I would not have done such a thing.”

“I know you plotted an evil scheme with a man named Tae-oh. Where can I find him?”

“I do not know.”

“Ah…”

Annoyance smeared across San-ho's face.

“What do you mean you don't know? Do you want to confess painfully and die, or confess normally and go stand trial?”

“·········.”

Tang Yun-mu realized that he would not make it out alive. Even if he confessed what he knew as the Young Master wanted, the crime of betraying the family was a capital offense that would lead to execution. There was something he could tell without even exchanging more blows. The Young Master was immune to poison and was clearly faster than him.

He did not extend the hand he had placed inside his sleeve.

Instead of throwing the hidden weapon coated with extreme poison, he squeezed it tightly.

As the sharp tip tore his palm and fingers under the surging force, the poison spread in an instant. With bloodshot eyes, Tang Yun-mu poured out words like a curse.

“There shall be heaven's judgment in the Central Plains! We will break the gate of the wicked Sichuan Tang Clan, set it on fire, and make it the first sacrifice, and you will despair while shouting his name in the flames!”

“This bastard…!!”

San-ho reached out like lightning and grabbed Tang Yun-mu's throat.

He could not hold back his boiling inside.

A warning-like scream rang continuously in his head.

A scene full of red flames and even redder blood surfaced like an illusion.

“Cough…!!”

A painful groan leaked from Tang Yun-mu's mouth as his breath was choked. An unconcealable fear filled his face, which was gradually turning dark red.

It was a ridiculous thing. He had claimed he did not fear death, but in the end, once he witnessed the gates of hell, he felt the same common fear.

“Uuugh…!”

Tang Yun-mu flailed his legs. However, instead of kicking the air, the foot pinned to the floor only spilled a gush of blood and tore his flesh deeper. A fishy smell of blood spread slowly.

Suddenly, a raw, unrefined emotion reared its head. A mixed feeling wavered, just like when he saw the burning pavilions. The urge to kill him instantly and the rationality that he must obtain even a sliver of information were tangled together.

‘I will not let anything be taken. I will absolutely never lose anything or anyone.’

Rather than feeling that emptiness and loneliness again… would it not be better if I snatched theirs first?

A vivid spark erupted in San-ho's eyes.

“Aaaargh…!!”

It was then.

A soft voice was heard in his ear.

– Mind is the foundation of all laws, mind is the chief, mind is the master.

– The mind becomes the foundation and the master, dominating all things.

It was the final phrase of the third secret manual, whose function he had not known.

In that moment.

“…?”

San-ho felt a highly bizarre sensation flow throughout his body. The bizarre sensation, starting from the fingertips, reached the arms, shoulders, chest, waist, legs, and toes, and soon circulated through all of his blood vessels.

It was a powerful energy of life.

It was not an energy that he had possessed.

But why did this bizarre sensation not feel unfamiliar?

This was just like when he absorbed the Borrowing Flowers to Offer to Buddha…

“·········!!!”

Opening his eyes wide, San-ho raised his gaze, which had been lingering on his hand, upward. The image of the withered Tang Yun-mu, who had lost his life force, was clearly reflected in his mirror-like pupils.