Chapter 206

Jin Ja-gang looked at the poison blood lice crawling up his hand, then answered Tang Qing’s words.

“I won’t refuse.”

Then he licked the poison blood lice on his arm and sucked them into his mouth.

Tick, tick.

As Jin Ja-gang chewed with his teeth, the sound of poison blood lice bursting inside his mouth could be heard.

Simply crushing them with teeth wasn’t the end of it. The poison blood lice struggled and bit inside Jin Ja-gang’s mouth.

Jin Ja-gang felt his mouth tingle and become numb in an instant. His bitten tongue and palate quickly swelled, filling his mouth completely.

Even the warriors who had been standing inhumanly still without making a sound flinched. Those weren’t poison blood lice that could be chewed with the mouth like that.

Moreover, what kind of person puts poison directly into their own mouth!

The old man looked at him dumbfounded, wondering what kind of act this was.

“Well now, there are all kinds of crazy bastards.”

The nun made a surprised expression saying “Oh my!”

“That must be very painful…”

Something strange immediately appeared in Jin Ja-gang’s lower jaw. His cheeks swelled taut like someone suffering from mumps. Blood formed in his eyes and nose, and bloody pus formed at the corners of his mouth that was forced open by his swollen tongue.

His cheeks and lower jaw swelled and drooped, making his face look terrible to behold.

It was an incredibly potent poison.

If an ordinary person instead of Jin Ja-gang had been bitten by these poison blood lice, they would have died with bloody pus filling their entire body.

But Jin Ja-gang didn’t die and endured it.

Only then did the old man look Jin Ja-gang up and down.

“Hmm. So you do live up to the reputation of being called Poison Dragon? Are you demonstrating that you’re qualified to face me?”

“He seems to not know who you are.”

The nun pointed to the old man.

“This person is the King of Hell.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at the old man, Tang Qing.

King of Hell Tang Qing.

He had a round face with peculiarly small eyes like dots, but his mouth was split all the way to his ears, making him look extraordinarily bizarre. It was a face like a hungry ghost.

Of course, Jin Ja-gang didn’t show courtesy to Tang Qing. Tang Qing didn’t bother to mention this either.

Jin Ja-gang gripped a needle in his right hand. He gathered poison in his little finger, preparing to shoot it out with the needle at any time.

Then he tried to push through the curtain and enter the room where Tang Qing was.

However, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t go further and stopped.

It wasn’t a large room.

It was a small room used as a tea room. Six or seven steps would get him to Tang Qing.

But he couldn’t cross the threshold that separated the parlor from the tea room.

His whole body tingled.

The moment he crossed over, he felt like his entire body would be slashed to pieces and he would die.

What was the reason for this?

The two in front weren’t emanating any aura at all. If even one of them had released killing intent, the poison blood lice attached to the doors would have fled first.

Then…

Jin Ja-gang slowly examined the two people.

And surprisingly, he found the reason not from King of Hell Tang Qing, but from the nun’s side. The reason why he couldn’t carelessly enter the room.

The nun certainly seemed to be sitting casually looking back at him, but her posture kept catching his eye.

Her fingertips, nose tip, and the strange toe positions facing toward Jin Ja-gang.

They felt like blade edges.

It was truly mysterious. Jin Ja-gang felt that if he moved even one more step inside, those blades would immediately stab toward him.

The nun definitely didn’t feel like she was beneath Tang Qing. This nun was the first to make Jin Ja-gang stop with just her posture alone.

Seeing that Jin Ja-gang couldn’t enter and hesitated, Tang Qing said.

“That fellow seems quite startled.”

“He’s still at an age where he has much to learn.”

Tang Qing didn’t even look back at Jin Ja-gang and mocked.

“Would a country bumpkin from Yunnan understand the Three Points Alignment?”

“But he definitely felt it. He’s reading the meridian lines accurately. I think he knew he would be cut the moment he entered.”

The nun accurately pinpointed what Jin Ja-gang had felt.

It was frustrating, but unjust as it was, he was no match for them.

Those two were completely treating him like a child.

The nun looked at Jin Ja-gang and said.

“Three Points means the tips of the hands, nose, and feet forming a straight line without deviation.”

Since Jin Ja-gang still couldn’t speak, he only nodded.

Jin Ja-gang quietly stared at the nun. Tang Qing introduced her.

“This fellow is no ordinary country bumpkin. To not recognize Master Eun of Mount Emei.”

The sect leader of Mount Emei!

It had only been a few years since Master Eun became sect leader, so Jin Ja-gang, who had been trapped in mine shafts, couldn’t have known. However, he wasn’t unaware of Mount Emei, one of the ten great sects of the martial world and a Buddhist sect that stood shoulder to shoulder with Shaolin Temple.

But how could he sense worldly cunning rather than mercy and wisdom from the Mount Emei sect leader?

Jin Ja-gang was even confused.

Master Eun clapped her hands and said to Tang Qing.

“Ah! Come to think of it, what about Taoist Bok-cheon? I understand he promised to preside over Miss Tang’s wedding.”

Jin Ja-gang’s ears perked up.

What was this about?

Tang Qing spoke as if it was nothing important.

“What does it matter who presides over such a wedding? Those Taoists who tediously recite whenever you ask them to do anything are just annoying. We don’t mind, but what does Mount Emei think?”

“I already met with Venerable Woo-am some time ago.”

“Oh, really? May I ask what business you met about?”

Master Eun smiled with narrowed eyes and answered.

“Some time ago, our precious disciple Jeong-yo suffered intolerable humiliation from Taoist Bok-cheon of the Qingcheng sect. Seeing Jeong-yo suffer in anguish for several nights broke my heart. So I visited Venerable Woo-am to request Taoist Bok-cheon’s apology.”

“Those stubborn and dull Taoists wouldn’t have accepted that.”

“It did seem difficult to receive an apology. I just said one thing and left.”

“Hmph. A nun’s single word wouldn’t have been an ordinary single word.”

Master Eun smiled with her eyes.

“Not at all. I merely offered advice that since the world has changed, the Qingcheng sect should also change their attitude.”

At first glance, their conversation seemed like casual talk about recent events between passersby.

But when you reconsider the words, they’re mysteriously chilling.

Telling the leader of the renowned Qingcheng sect outright that the world has changed so they should change their attitude? That wasn’t mere advice but close to a threat!

Mount Emei threatening the Qingcheng sect?

But even more surprising words came next.

“Of course they wouldn’t listen to that either. They’ll have to be ruined before they regret not listening to this nun’s advice.”

“When will you ruin them?”

“Soon? That fellow Mang Ryo seems to have some scheme, so it’ll work out somehow.”

“When that time comes, we’ll lend a hand too. Of course, we’re going to receive an apology.”

Again Mang Ryo’s name came up here unexpectedly.

Jin Ja-gang felt his spine grow cold.

Those two were plotting to attack the Qingcheng sect! According to Mang Ryo’s plan!

But why were they discussing such things in front of Jin Ja-gang?

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t understand the situation at all and felt dizzy.

He couldn’t easily choose what to do.

He couldn’t attack the two, couldn’t just let their words pass, but it was also difficult to believe their words and return to the Qingcheng sect to warn them.

This was actually due to ignorance.

Because Jin Ja-gang was ignorant of martial world politics, he couldn’t accurately interpret their words and intentions.

Tang Qing clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, kids these days have no spirit. In our time, after hearing this much, they would have boldly come and sat down asking for a cup of tea too, demanding to be included.”

“That’s a matter of caliber, isn’t it? Poison Dragon’s caliber only goes that far.”

Jin Ja-gang realized they were testing him.

And that their plan to attack the Qingcheng sect wasn’t a lie either.

But Jin Ja-gang knew the reason the Poison Sect attacked the Medicine Sect. Then the reason these people wanted to attack the Qingcheng sect was simple. Because the Qingcheng sect would certainly interfere.

Jin Ja-gang deliberately bit his swollen tongue and the inside of his mouth. Blood seeped out and the swelling subsided.

“Ptui.”

Jin Ja-gang spat out a mouthful of blood and moved his lower jaw left and right, massaging it with his hand.

Then he asked Tang Qing.

“Before overturning the martial world, you’ll deal with the obstacles first?”

At those words, Tang Qing’s eyes became slightly different from before.

“Oh ho. He’s not complete trash. His mind is sharp.”

Jin Ja-gang also asked Master Eun.

“But what reason does Mount Emei, which isn’t the Poison Sect, have to attack the Qingcheng sect? Is it really because you want to receive an apology?”

“Rather than that exactly…”

Master Eun’s face, which had been smiling continuously until then, suddenly hardened.

“Because they’re useless. A-mi-ta-bha.”

Her mouth wore a smile and her narrow eyes were smiling, but her gaze contained terrible disgust.

Jin Ja-gang’s expression also hardened accordingly.

Master Eun spoke in a cold voice unlike before.

“Can one change the world by being aloof alone? If the world has become a muddy mess and dirty, it’s a practitioner’s duty to jump into the mud themselves to save sentient beings. Whether Buddhist or Taoist sect, even if one becomes a white crane alone, even if one becomes Buddha or an immortal, if sentient beings are suffering, that’s never the way of seeking the Tao.”

Before Jin Ja-gang could respond, Master Eun cut him off.

“The same goes for the benefactor. Even if you consider yourself righteous, what can you do alone?”

Jin Ja-gang closed his mouth.

It wasn’t because he had nothing to say. It was because he heard rustling sounds in the quiet.

Tang Qing said.

“Well, someone seems to have come. Now, there’s no need for busy people to delay time further. Shall we slowly get to the main point?”

When Tang Qing raised his hand, the last remaining blocked wall finally opened.

Tang Ha-ran was sitting there.

She was dressed in wedding attire.

Wearing a splendid phoenix crown and red robes embroidered with gold thread.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t know what this meant and looked back and forth between Tang Qing and Tang Ha-ran.

Tang Qing said.

“Honestly, I don’t like you. You didn’t come here to marry Ha-ran either. Someone who came to marry wouldn’t have those eyes.”

There was no point in denying it anyway. Jin Ja-gang nodded in agreement.

“But you’ve been strongly recommended as son-in-law material, and I’m impressed by your guts, so I’m thinking of considering you in the best possible way. So I’ll give you the opportunity to choose one of three options.”

Tang Qing pointed to the entrance.

“One is to leave this room as you are and return to the Qingcheng sect. No one will stop you. You go to the Qingcheng sect, inform them that the Qingcheng sect will soon be ruined, and die honorably together with them there.”

Tang Qing looked at Jin Ja-gang and read his eyes.

“You don’t like that? Because you don’t have that kind of loyalty with the Qingcheng sect. Then the second.”

Tang Qing pointed to Tang Ha-ran.

“The second is naturally taking Ha-ran with you. Receive the Tang surname and live swearing loyalty to the family as a Tang. If you say you’ll forget the past and start a new life, the family will handle all the aftermath and responsibilities.”

Jin Ja-gang listened quietly, but unknowingly harbored anger at the talk of being loyal to the Tang family.

Tang Qing spoke as if he expected this.

“It would be difficult, wouldn’t it? Being loyal to your enemy’s family? I fully understand your feelings. Everyone has their own circumstances. So I give you a gift as a third option.”

Tang Qing threw a small dagger about a span long in front of Jin Ja-gang.

The dagger fell exactly in front of Jin Ja-gang without a sound.

“Castrate yourself here.”

Jin Ja-gang stared intently at Tang Qing.

Tang Qing raised the corners of his already ear-split mouth and smiled.

“If you castrate yourself here, I’ll give you our family’s eight great extreme poisons, no, the three absolute lethal poisons that surpass the eight great extreme poisons, along with hidden weapons, and truly the highest martial arts transmitted only to our family’s direct lineage. And I’ll send you back nicely. Then you can use that as a foundation to someday come kill me.”

Tang Qing’s smile deepened.

“How about this proposal? Don’t you like the third one best? It would be the most appealing proposal for you! Just by castrating your manhood here, you can take poisons, hidden weapons, and martial arts that everyone dreams of and come for my neck anytime! You absolutely can’t refuse this proposal! Ehihihihi! Ehihi-hiit!”