Chapter 462

Jin Ja-gang felt the need to reorganize his thoughts.

“Until now, I thought the Five Fatal Pill had been diverted and used. But the amount already used just in Sichuan is considerable. The Five Fatal Pill was used at hundreds of sects large and small. If it was used throughout the entire martial world, it would exceed even the diverted amount.”

“Then…”

“It’s just speculation, but if the Five Fatal Pill was diverted in between, and the rest was manufactured by someone else’s hands, it would explain the amount used so far.”

The Tang Family elder couldn’t continue speaking.

If Jin Ja-gang’s speculation was correct, it would become an even more complex and terrible matter. The Five Fatal Pill was a poison King of Hell manufactured with all his might. Even without Extinction Essence, its toxicity was far higher than most poisons.

Didn’t that mean such an extreme poison was released to the market without any restrictions!

“That can’t be. King of Hell couldn’t have managed it so carelessly. While those in charge of each process can know parts of the formula, only King of Hell alone knows the entire manufacturing method.”

Even if the manufacturing method was extracted from King of Hell, questions still remained.

Wasn’t the usage too ordinary for going through such trouble to divert and spread the manufacturing method of the extreme poison Five Fatal Pill?

To think it was used to kill a mere gambling den owner…

What benefit would there be in making small sects like Mount Yao Sect and Grand Sword Sect, bluntly speaking, sects with no significant influence in the martial world, fight each other?

It was the part Jin Ja-gang had been pondering all along.

Despite decades of work on influential sects like Emei Sect, the rebellion wasn’t successful, and they even used the Five Fatal Pill to sow discord between third-rate sects.

What meaning could that possibly have?

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t add up.

A situation utterly incomprehensible.

—Perhaps…

Son-bi wrote.

—What if King of Hell didn’t leak the manufacturing method?

“You mean King of Hell is the culprit?”

Then suddenly White Ape raised her head, howled, and ran away to the second-floor railing.

Simultaneously, someone’s voice came from behind.

“Hah. Don’t be ridiculous. Who would bother doing such a thing?”

It was a voice from one of the inn’s tables where no one else had been besides Jin Ja-gang’s group.

The Tang Family elder and Son-bi got goosebumps.

‘When did they!’

As the two were about to turn their heads, a warning flew with chilling killing intent.

“Don’t turn around.”

The Tang Family elder and Son-bi froze and didn’t move.

Swish swish swish. A series of movements were felt from outside the inn. Through the window, scholars holding spears were visible. They surrounded the inn and guarded the outside.

But despite the warning, Jin Ja-gang turned his head to look behind.

Wearing a pitch-black robe, hair that had been disheveled like a lion’s mane was now tightly bound. His round face with small, sharp eyes and mouth torn to the ears remained the same.

As expected, the one behind was King of Hell Tang Qing.

He didn’t particularly look like he’d suffered. Rather, his skin was glossy and his face had filled out.

Tang Qing looked at Jin Ja-gang and smiled with his torn mouth.

“You never do what you’re told, do you?”

Jin Ja-gang retorted.

“I see you were comfortable leaving the Tang Family? You look much better.”

“Of course. I even sleep a full shichen and eat two proper meals. I don’t have to look at a thousand bamboo slips a day or receive five hundred reports, so how comfortable would that be?”

“After leaving all the work you started for others to handle.”

“Aren’t I going around day and night like this trying to clean up?”

“Your words don’t seem to match.”

Tang Qing giggled.

“So. Have you been well?”

Jin Ja-gang slightly lifted his splinted shoulder to show.

“As you can see.”

“The new Zoroastrian Cult Leader’s nickname was Demon Emperor. If that’s all the damage from killing the Demon Emperor, you didn’t lose out. Congratulations.”

“It’s not very comforting, but thank you.”

“I wasn’t talking about killing the Demon Emperor, but about the child.”

“I also answered about the child.”

Hihihihi!

Tang Qing’s laughter echoed through the inn.

Jin Ja-gang frowned.

“You’ll wake the child.”

“I laughed to wake her. Impudent son-in-law. An elder appears and you keep talking back.”

Jin Ja-gang immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry. Please speak.”

Tang Qing giggled again as if amused by Jin Ja-gang’s apology.

He seemed pleased by the fact that even the renowned Poison Dragon couldn’t handle a crying baby.

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Since this is getting long, I’ll ask first. What happened with the Five Fatal Pill?”

“I don’t know.”

“You left the Tang Family and go around day and night, but your only answer is you don’t know?”

Tang Qing’s lips twisted.

“Do you know what I was trying to do? I tried to devour the martial world. I had to fight monsters like Shaolin Temple, Mount Hua Sect, Wudang Sect, and the Martial Arts Alliance. If I failed, the Tang Family would disappear from the world, so I thoroughly maintained security throughout the preparation. So much so that many even in the main family don’t know what I did. Does it look like I would go around leaking the Five Fatal Pill’s manufacturing method anywhere?”

“It doesn’t look that way. That’s why it’s stranger.”

“The Five Fatal Pills currently used in the martial world are mixed between what I made and what I didn’t. The fake Five Fatal Pill’s toxicity is almost identical to the original, but the formula is slightly different.”

“So the manufacturing method did leak.”

“I placed different people at each stage. I mixed mutes, deaf people, and blind people so the manufacturing method could absolutely not leak. I killed those who worked on the most important processes. There’s no way for the manufacturing method to leak.”

“Yet the Five Fatal Pill made so secretly still had finished products diverted midway.”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Tang Qing said with fierce killing intent.

“I have no idea how it happened! When a suspicious part arises, he erases it as soon as it appears, making tracking impossible. I’ve suspected several places so far, but every time all related clues disappeared. He’s terribly meticulous.”

“What such a meticulous person did was merely failed rebellions and sowing discord between third-rate sects.”

“It’s like using the world’s famous swords and treasured blades to split beans. Anyone would see him as a madman.”

Tang Qing closed his mouth briefly. After scratching the tabletop with his finger, he suddenly changed the subject and asked Jin Ja-gang.

“Did you name the baby?”

“…”

Jin Ja-gang stared, then barely parted his reluctant lips to speak.

“Poison… Heaven.”

“Poison Heaven, meaning heaven of poison?”

“It’s not quite that meaning… My wife said she named her Poison Heaven because she was born in the midst of poison and heaven.”

“Poison Heaven because she was born in poison? Tsk tsk, how sincere. What kind of name is that for a girl? Ha-ran never had talent for naming from before.”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyebrows twitched.

Did Tang Qing also know Ha-ran’s naming skills!

“If you knew that, you should have given her a name before leaving.”

“Am I crazy?”

Tang Qing stood up giggling as if teasing Jin Ja-gang.

“Poison Heaven, what’s that? And the naming method is wrong too. Instead of the character Heaven (Cheon), you should have used Sun (Ri).”

“You’re saying to name her Dok-ri?”

[TL Note- Her original name is Dok-cheon which translates to Poison Heaven.]

“No talent, whether mother or father, you’re all the same! Since you’re someone who lives without tomorrow, if you must name her, Ming-ri (明日) would have been good.”

[TL Note- Ming-ri means tomorrow.]

“I don’t like that either.”

“That’s why I didn’t name her. I was afraid of being cursed.”

When Jin Ja-gang frowned, Tang Qing pointed with his finger to the top of the table.

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes changed as he followed Tang Qing’s fingertip.

He understood why he suddenly played with words using the child’s name.

Suddenly Tang Qing pressed down hard on the table with his palm.

Crunch, crackle.

Tang Qing’s palm dug into the table. Though the Tang Family elder and Son-bi didn’t see, they could tell what Tang Qing did just from the sound.

Tang Qing’s handprint remained deeply on the table.

“Why would I do such a thing? Most people seeing only this handprint would think like this. To show off martial arts, or to threaten with martial arts. Surely not because I hated the table or was bored, it couldn’t be for those reasons, right?”

Jin Ja-gang agreed.

“That’s right.”

“But I did this to explain to you the folly of finding cause from effect. Until I explain the reason, no one else could possibly know the reason.”

“However, without seeing even the result, one can’t even speculate.”

“Suppose I met you, we exchanged words, and you even learned the fact that I left a handprint on the table. Then it becomes possible to speculate that I might have done this to give some enlightenment.”

Tang Qing smiled, stretching his mouth wide.

“However, the actual reason I left the handprint… only you and I… the two of us… besides ourselves… no one… will ever know.”

Jin Ja-gang answered expressionlessly.

“That’s a valid point. No one… except the two of us… will know.”

Hihihihi!

Tang Qing laughed and stood up.

Tang Qing left his seat and headed for the inn’s door.

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Qing. Tang Qing briefly turned his head to meet Jin Ja-gang’s eyes and smiled.

“I’ll be staying here tomorrow too.”

Then he immediately left the inn. In an instant, the scholars who had surrounded the inn also disappeared.

Jin Ja-gang muttered silently.

‘Observe Heaven.’

It was the characters Tang Qing had scratched on the table with his finger and pressed down to erase with his palm.

Tang Qing had kindly even provided the interpretation.

Change Heaven (天) to Tomorrow (明日)!

Observe Tomorrow.

It meant to watch tomorrow.

Tomorrow was the day of the agreement between Mount Yao Sect and Grand Sword Sect.

Tang Qing’s specific mention of tomorrow must be related to that.

Moreover, since he said he’d stay here tomorrow too, he would come see Jin Ja-gang again tomorrow.

As expected of Tang Qing.

Though he said he knew nothing at all, it seemed he’d at least sketched some outline.

Jin Ja-gang recalled “Observe Heaven” once more. Since Tang Qing specifically came to leave it as a hint, he would need to watch clearly what would happen.

***

The next morning.

The sect leaders of Mount Yao Sect and Grand Sword Sect came to the inn where Jin Ja-gang was staying with about ten working-level personnel including elders.

The Tang Family elder and Jin Ja-gang sat in attendance. Unavoidably having to bring the child again, today’s atmosphere was also uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Poison Heaven fell asleep quickly after Jin Ja-gang fed her poison, and White Ape didn’t come near at all when feeding poison, so it wasn’t as noisy as yesterday.

In any case, just Jin Ja-gang being present at the gathering guaranteed the implementation of compensation, so his role was sufficient.

If they didn’t keep their promise, they would be forced to fulfill it by the Tang Family, especially by Jin Ja-gang.

When the sect leaders of Mount Yao Sect and Grand Sword Sect finished agreeing on the broad framework for today’s negotiations, the working-level personnel came forward.