Chapter 385

Tang Gwi-ok, who had entered Tang Ha-ran’s room, asked.

“I hear you’ve been going outside frequently lately?”

“Yes. I felt stuffy.”

Tang Gwi-ok smiled warmly as if she understood the meaning.

“The household has been quite noisy, hasn’t it?”

Tang Ha-ran examined Tang Gwi-ok’s expression but couldn’t tell anything at all. She finally let out a low sigh and nodded.

After Tang Gwi-ok dismissed all the servants, she raised her hand.

Whoosh.

Tang Gwi-ok’s hair and sleeves stood up stiffly for a moment then slowly settled. This was a phenomenon unique to the Tang family’s internal energy cultivation method that actually sank inward rather than outwardly displaying power unless one deliberately wanted to show their strength.

Gentle energy filled the room. An energy barrier was deployed to cut off sounds inside the room from the outside.

Tang Ha-ran noticed subtle signs from Tang Gwi-ok’s actions. Coming in saying she had something to discuss and even deploying an energy barrier to cut off from the outside was sufficiently suspicious.

“By any chance… did the Medical Immortal say something? He told me I was fine.”

Tang Gwi-ok said.

“The child has a very high possibility of being born with a poison-immune constitution.”

Poison-immune constitution!

Tang Ha-ran’s eyes opened wide. Her hand went to her swollen belly.

“This child…”

Just as there are constitutions suitable for martial arts, poison-immune constitution is suitable for poison techniques. From birth, they already possess immunity to all poisons and produce poison blood from their bone marrow.

They would possess from birth a realm that others couldn’t achieve even after cultivating poison techniques their entire lives.

However…

That wasn’t entirely something to celebrate.

A pregnant woman carrying a fetus that would become poison-immune would inevitably face tremendous burden on her body.

“Won’t you extend your hand?”

Tang Gwi-ok extended her hand and grasped Tang Ha-ran’s finger. She held the index finger and rubbed the nail root area with her fingertip.

The nail peeled away thinly, revealing bluish energy.

“As expected, you’re poisoned.”

Tang Ha-ran was shocked. Even though her mind had been elsewhere, she hadn’t known she was poisoned!

“When a pregnant woman is anxious, it affects the fetus too. The child has become sensitive and is spewing poison blood.”

Tang Ha-ran’s expression hardened.

“This summer marks when our family’s fate will greatly change. You’re afraid of what might happen then, aren’t you? That’s why you’re anxious?”

Tang Gwi-ok again took Tang Ha-ran’s hand and stroked it.

“Though older brother told me not to tell you, I cannot do that. A pregnant woman must be healthy to give birth to a healthy child.”

Health wasn’t the problem; it was questionable whether Tang Ha-ran could even survive until then.

“I must somehow keep it alive. It’s his child.”

“I knew you wouldn’t want anything to happen to the child either. I’ll ease your anxiety. If you have anything you want to say to me, go ahead.”

Tang Ha-ran took a deep breath at Tang Gwi-ok’s words.

“Great-aunt. Then let me ask just one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“When I sent a message to him before, why didn’t you stop me?”

Tang Ha-ran had informed Jin Ja-gang that Tang Qing was planning something big using the summer floods.

Tang Gwi-ok smiled slightly.

“Did you send that message asking your son-in-law to stop grandfather’s plan?”

“No.”

She had sent it with the heart telling him to run away, to be careful and avoid danger if possible.

“That’s why I left it alone. So your feelings could be conveyed even a little.”

Tang Gwi-ok paused briefly.

“But unfortunately, letting it go became my mistake. Your son-in-law is rather returning to Sichuan with the rebels of the Poison Sect’s Six Cliques.”

“No!”

Tang Ha-ran unconsciously tried to get up from her seat but sat back down in pain as her belly pulled. As Tang Gwi-ok said, the child seemed to be reacting sensitively.

But she couldn’t stay still.

Tang Gwi-ok calling them rebels meant she had already noticed the rebellion.

Given Tang Qing’s personality, preparations would naturally be thorough.

If Jin Ja-gang came, he would be defeated.

“Please… prevent him from coming here.”

“That’s no longer something I can do.”

“I’ll write and send a letter!”

Tang Gwi-ok shook her head.

“Shaolin Temple’s Stone Vajras are coming toward our family. All the family’s organizations are on high alert, so not even a mouse can come and go without permission. If you do anything even slightly suspicious at such a time, older brother won’t forgive it.”

“Even Shaolin Temple’s Stone Vajras…”

What exactly was Tang Qing planning, and what was happening in the martial world? Tang Ha-ran, who only had access to limited information, was frustrated to death.

“For the time being, no, from now on it will always be complicated and chaotic. But there’s nothing you can do about affairs outside the family. You understand why I’m telling you this, don’t you?”

Tang Ha-ran bit her lip and nodded.

“Older brother is a very dangerous person. He stakes the family’s survival and precariously conducts affairs on a single-log bridge. If he succeeds, we’ll prosper, but if he fails, the family will collapse in an instant.”

Tang Gwi-ok took Tang Ha-ran’s hand and continued.

“But as long as there are people, the family can always recover. That’s why I’m doing my utmost to protect the family bloodline. Do you understand?”

“Yes, great-aunt.”

“From now on, you must cut off concern for outside affairs and focus only on the child. I too will do my utmost, and no matter what sacrifice I must endure, I will protect your child.”

Then a servant reported from outside.

“Family head, the former head asks if there are any problems.”

Tang Gwi-ok smiled bitterly.

“As expected of older brother. He’s very suspicious.”

Tang Gwi-ok soon lifted the energy barrier and said outside.

“Tell him we were just sharing trivial women’s talk.”

Then Tang Gwi-ok made eye contact with Tang Ha-ran and nodded.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang suggested to Yeong-gwi that they change their route.

“Use the main road? Are you in your right mind?”

Until now they had used mountain paths or narrow trails. They thought this was because Yeong-gwi’s lightness techniques were excellent so terrain wasn’t much of a problem, and it would be easier to avoid pursuers.

“If we encounter pursuers, I won’t be able to help in the current situation.”

Mountain paths were slippery with random slopes. While he might manage during brief moments of using movement techniques, if a long fight broke out, Jin Ja-gang would have difficulty displaying his abilities.

But Yeong-gwi couldn’t easily agree with Jin Ja-gang’s thinking. Jin Ja-gang’s suggestion took being discovered by Mount Hua Sect or Zhongnan Sect’s surveillance network as a given.

“If we’re not discovered, there would be no need to fight, but that will be difficult. The place where we met Master was already on a mountain path.”

“I know that… without needing it explained.”

Yeong-gwi immediately changed course to the main road.

Splash!

Water from a puddle splashed greatly from the emotional leap.

Yeong-gwi picked up more speed than before.

“Let’s rest for a moment.”

Even without Jin Ja-gang saying so, Yeong-gwi already needed to rest. They had been running for over seven days already. Without rest, with rain continuing to fall and constantly being on edge, Yeong-gwi was also physically exhausted.

Jin Ja-gang looked around for a place to start a fire. Just then, there was an abandoned house slightly off the main road. The roof remained intact to shelter from rain, making it just right for drying wet bodies.

However, Jin Ja-gang stopped before entering the abandoned house and examined the floor.

There were traces of several people having passed through. Inside the abandoned house, there were also signs of a fire having been lit.

Looking at the state of the ashes, it wasn’t very long ago.

“At most two or three days. Seven or more people passed through here.”

“This place won’t do. We need to find somewhere else.”

Yeong-gwi’s lips were trembling. Jin Ja-gang thought it would be difficult for Yeong-gwi to move anyway.

“Since they’ve already passed through, it might actually be safer. Warm yourself by the fire. I’ll look around for about an hour and come back.”

“I’m fine. If they’ve already passed, why are you going out?”

“Just to check, just in case.”

“Alright.”

Jin Ja-gang left the abandoned house.

Yeong-gwi sighed.

When it was time to rest, Jin Ja-gang always lit a fire and stepped away with the excuse of briefly going outside.

The fact that Jin Ja-gang was such a considerate and kind person tormented Yeong-gwi even more.

Yeong-gwi soon took off her clothes to wring out the moisture and even removed her human skin mask before performing breathing exercises.

Soon heat rose from her body and misty steam rose like water vapor.

Whoosh.

Jin Ja-gang adjusted his rain cape and surveyed the area around the abandoned house.

There was too much rain for any traces to remain. Even in Yeong-gwi’s case, stepping on wet ground only barely left traces from her toes. Light traces that would be erased after just half a day of rain.

If masters of that level had passed two days ago, it would be natural not to find traces.

But Jin Ja-gang discovered something in the direction from the abandoned house back to the main road.

Oval-shaped puddles led regularly to the main road.

Jin Ja-gang cleared away the water from the puddles. Deep footprints were stamped into the bottom.

“This is…”

Traces of lightness techniques openly displayed by martial artists from a sect who didn’t need to hide their footprints!

Yun-jeong had told him about such footprints before.

“Shaolin Temple’s lightness technique is called Great Strength Divine Nail. When that lightness technique is used, footprints are stamped like driving nails.”

Jin Ja-gang checked all the puddles.

Nine people.

He had seen eighteen people in Wuhan before, so why were there traces of nine Shaolin monks passing through here?

‘There were two routes to Sichuan: Shaanxi and Chongqing. Then they might have split up along the way.’

Yeong-gwi had run hard to quickly pass through Shaanxi, while the Shaolin martial monks seemed to have traveled at a moderate pace. Thanks to this, they had apparently been able to catch up to within two days’ distance of the Shaolin martial monks.

Jin Ja-gang looked in the direction the martial monks had gone and thought.

‘Zhongnan Mountain is right ahead, but Shaolin Temple is breaking through without avoiding Zhongnan Sect.’

If they followed this route, Jin Ja-gang and Yeong-gwi might be able to travel more easily too.

Jin Ja-gang judged they should rest sufficiently and depart in preparation for any situation.

Right now, there was no telling when a fight might suddenly break out.

When Jin Ja-gang returned to the abandoned house after filling the hour, Yeong-gwi was sitting in front of the campfire wrapped in a straw mat, asleep.

Jin Ja-gang quietly went and sat across from Yeong-gwi.

Outside, rain fell ceaselessly hitting the roof and flowing down, but inside was warm.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the sleeping Yeong-gwi. For the first time in a while, Yeong-gwi showed her real face, though only half revealed while covering her nose and mouth with a face cloth.

Yeong-gwi opened her eyes.

Yeong-gwi’s and Jin Ja-gang’s eyes met.

The campfire reflected in Yeong-gwi’s pupils, blazing like flames of passion. Yeong-gwi’s lips trembled.

“I am…”

But suddenly Yeong-gwi gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut.

Jin Ja-gang said quietly.

“Shaolin monks passed ahead. Let’s fully recover our strength and depart.”

Yeong-gwi kept her eyes closed with a hardened expression and her mouth shut.

Silent stillness enveloped the warm abandoned house for quite a while.