Chapter 28

One of the common stories encountered in myths is about treasures used by gods.

A staff that creates enough flames to dry up rivers with one swing, armor that even gods cannot harm when worn, a water bottle endlessly producing life elixir that can revive the dead…

Such magical devices of the Frea divine tribe, alternatively called 'holy relics', numbered only about dozens in the entire world.

Though not all items were tremendously powerful, some were treasures that even great family heads protected like their lives and tried to pass down through generations.

Yet a mere merman captured by pirates claimed to have such a thing?

"Impressive. If the prince has that much, how amazing must the Mer King's treasures be?"

Sensing the mocking tone in Turan's words, the merman's characteristic blue skin turned purple.

Perhaps similar to how humans' faces redden with anger or embarrassment.

The self-proclaimed prince, Armani, shouted.

"It's not a lie! I really found where your god died fighting in some cave! I was going to tell Father and retrieve it, but got caught by you people after being tricked…"

"You found where a god died fighting? Explain in more detail."

When Turan stared intensely while asking seriously, Armani seemed frightened and stammered.

"H-he had blue hair, and died with his body pierced by a Great Sea Serpent's fang. He too had pierced the enemy's head with his hand. Though everything else had decayed with time, only the round metal at his waist remained perfect without a spot of rust, so it must surely be a treasure among treasures."

"Why didn't you take the item right away?"

"I couldn't touch it. When I tried to get close, some unknown force pushed my body away…"

"Why were you certain it was a god?"

"Because among you people, only gods could fight the Great Sea Serpent to mutual death!"

The Great Sea Serpent was a species once worshipped as gods by merfolk, literally giant snakes over dozens of meters long.

Of course, they had long since disappeared into history.

Anyway, maintaining form unchanged underwater in the exact state of fighting what was worshipped as a god?

Whether it was really divine remains or not, if those words were true, something extraordinary definitely existed.

Realizing he had become excited, Turan took a deep breath to calm himself, then calmly reviewed his previous thoughts.

Whether he might have been enchanted by the merman's voice, if he would make the same judgment with a cool mind.

Organizing his thoughts that way, a question suddenly occurred to him.

"Come to think of it, you said you were caught after being tricked? Exactly how were you caught?"

Hearing this question, Armani suddenly shut his mouth and lowered his head.

Though they were different species, their facial features weren't very different, so Turan could read the faint shame in his expression.

"W-well, you land dwellers have a method of using trickery to draw out those living in water. Attaching rope to iron hooks."

"You mean fishing?"

"Yes, that. Usually such things are easy to spot, but in transformed state instinct takes over somewhat…"

So this mer-prince was caught by pirates while transformed into a fish.

Though it sounded absurd, hearing it made some sense.

The pirates probably caught him and locked him up after being shocked to see their caught fish suddenly transform into a merman.

Even ignorant fellows would have heard as sailors that mer-royalty fetched eye-popping prices.

Whether excuse or truth, that was the only reason to keep a male merman who couldn't even demonstrate fish transformation.

"Did you tell the pirates everything too?"

"I did but they all pretended not to hear. Just said don't tell ridiculous stories about dead gods' corpses."

This was the normal reaction.

While Turan could feel the Frea divine tribe's existence after meeting the librarian at Orem's library, to ordinary people gods were literally just mythical beings from scripture.

Even now they were half-doubting whether this merman's words were just random claims to survive or true, so why risk danger over safe profit?

"What about the sailors who just found you?"

"Didn't- no, couldn't tell them. They just saw me and ran out saying there's a merman."

Then only he and Captain Pires knew this information.

Looking at him listening with a blank expression, Pires noticed Turan's gaze and said with a stiff face.

"I didn't hear anything."

He seemed to think Turan might kill him to prevent spreading rumors.

Of course, he had no such intention.

Rather than trusting Pires's character, he trusted his own power.

Though there were quite a few nobles stronger than Turan on land, he was one of the absolute strongest on this sea.

Unless suddenly encountering a powerful noble from the Karmaine family or similar bloodline, that is.

"You don't need to be so tense. First, I'd like to keep this one alive a bit longer, what do you think?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. If it were, the pirates couldn't have kept this merman captive."

Pires expressed his opinion still with a serious expression.

As he said, seeing how mere human pirates had captured him, this merboy clearly had no combat ability.

"Come to think of it, those guys were funny too. They could have gotten rich just selling this merman, yet they kept pirating until losing their lives."

"Greed is what drives such men. Plus they probably didn't think there would be not just a knight but a noble on a ship this size."

Turan tilted his head briefly at Pires's words before asking back.

"Was I too much?"

"Yes. The others don't seem to notice since they've barely seen knights fight properly, but I know. It's difficult to be unscathed against that many."

Why suddenly reveal that he noticed Turan's identity?

He was clearly pleading that he knew how powerful Turan was, so he had no intention of attempting foolish things like pursuing legendary treasures before him.

When Turan nodded slightly indicating he understood the implication, tension visibly left Pires's shoulders.

Having reasonably resolved potential conflict, Turan turned his attention back to the merboy.

"Do you know roughly where these divine remains are in the North Sea? If I show you a map?"

Even as he spoke, Turan thought this merman wouldn't understand what "North Sea" meant.

Surely they had never seen human maps.

But contrary to expectations, Armani tilted his head and readily revealed what he knew.

"Not far. About 500 kilometers south from here?"

"500 kilometers south?"

Turan widened his eyes in surprise at the response.

First, how did someone trapped in a ship's hold know their location, and second… how could he use human directions and distance units exactly?

When he voiced these questions, the answer was somewhat disappointing.

"I'm not sure. We just always used them. Were these made by you land dwellers?"

"Probably. Did you know this too, Captain?"

"First I've heard of it. We don't usually ask merfolk such things. Those high-born who keep merfolk might know."

As far as Turan knew, human calendars and units all originated from the old empire.

Perhaps these things were legacies from even before the empire era, when humans were slaves to other races.

Almost no history remained from that era, with nothing to be found even in Orem's library.

Maybe their use of the same language as humans was related to this too.

"Anyway, 500 kilometers south…"

"That's not far from Miguel Island. Even considering error, it should be less than 100 kilometers."

Miguel Island was one of the largest islands in the North Sea Archipelago, where the Blue Marlin would resupply and sell this pirate ship.

Meaning it was within distance to visit if they took some time.

"Let's keep him confined for now and think about it. I'll manage him directly since he might spread strange talk."

After much consideration, Turan decided to postpone his decision.

He knew too little about this merman to decide right now.

* * *

Actually, Turan didn't entirely believe the words of that merboy, Armani.

After all, their kind were one of the non-human races that enslaved and ate humans in ancient times, like dark elves.

However, what he did believe was the other's desperation.

A being with intelligence no different from humans would offer anything before their own life.

"Here's today's meal."

"Thank you, kind demon."

Two days since capturing Armani.

After learning Turan was a magician, and moreover a noble, Armani called him demon.

Come to think of it, hadn't those dark elf necromancers called Asiz and Turan that too?

When asked what it meant, a strange answer came back.

"Because your ancestors were demons who came from outside and destroyed our perfect world."

Despite saying such things, Armani naturally gulped down the meals Turan brought without much resistance.

He had worried about catching fish since he was a merman, but fortunately he ate human food well too.

"If you eat these well too, why specifically eat humans?"

"I'm not sure. I've never eaten humans… Maybe lower ranked kin eat them because they lack food? I'll ask Father when I return."

Though no promise of release had been made, Armani spoke as if believing he could naturally return to the mer kingdom.

Whenever hearing such answers, Turan felt complicated feelings.

The boy's manner and behavior were too human-like to simply dismiss him as a man-eating non-human.

Unlike those dark elves who tried to kill Turan right away.

Afterward, Turan continued various conversations with Armani.

From differences between book-learned merfolk customs and social systems versus reality, to whether the legendary mirror connecting the North and South Sea mer kingdoms really existed, to stories about ancient merfolk myths…

"Ah, speaking of which, how far are we now? From that place."

"About 65 kilometers west?"

Through conversations over the past few days, he had learned how Armani knew locations – merfolk could instinctively sense direction and position above water.

So they could always find places they had remembered once.

In the midst of being absorbed in such conversation, knocking sounds came from wooden planks above.

"I'll be back."

"Have a safe trip!"

Just seeing him wave goodbye, no one would think he was keeping that merman confined in this ship's hold.

Coming up from the ship's bottom, First Mate Osban who had transferred to manage the pirate ship greeted him.

"Sir Knight, we've arrived at Miguel Island!"

"Already? Should head up soon then."

"Yes!"

After securely binding the entrance to the hold where Armani was confined with iron chains, Turan went up to the deck.

Beyond the dark night sea, he could see a large island and several sailing ships docked at its pier.

* * *

After two ships docked at the pier, Turan made a few light jumps toward the Blue Marlin.

Captain Pires, whom he hadn't met for two days while staying on different ships, gave a light greeting before getting to business.

"Well, have you reached a conclusion?"

"Yes."

What he asked was simple.

Whether to trust the merman's words and search for the unknown treasure, or just sell him to some powerful figures here.

Instead of answering, Turan asked a question back.

"How long will we stay at this island?"

"Without special circumstances, probably one to two days."

Letting sailors rest after nine days of sailing was also important.

Though unlikely now with Turan present, it was very common for captains to die in shipboard rebellions from overworking crews, with the survivors turning to piracy.

"Perfect. Could you get me a small boat? Just enough for two people."

"Surely not?"

"Fortunately it doesn't seem far from here, so I'll try going tonight.”

Chapter 28: Everyone Must Stand Alone Someday (3)

Dam Ho lay upon the bed. But sleep did not come easily. Come to think of it, he had not properly slept in quite some time.

Though the night-luminescent pearl emitted a faint glow, it was insufficient to illuminate the entire underground cavern. As a result, the distinction between night and day had blurred, the boundary becoming hazy.

Now he could sleep or not as he pleased. Even without sleep, his fatigue receded of its own accord.

In the past, he had been required to sit in the lotus position and circulate his energy. But now, even while resting, his internal energy circulated spontaneously.

He could not remember when this had begun.

In the darkness, the Heavy Heaven Heart Method had found a new path. Studying the Demonic Cult's heart techniques had influenced it as well. The Heavy Heaven Heart Method had since transformed to the point where its original form was unrecognizable.

Whether this was progress or regression, he could not say. But at the very least, a new heart method had been born—one that had not existed before.

Dam Ho gave this new method a name: Dark Soul Heart Energy.

It was born in darkness, and so he named it accordingly.

The internal energy cultivated through the Dark Soul Heart Energy possessed a heavy, dark quality. And even without Dam Ho actively circulating it, it moved of its own accord, accumulating in volume.

Whether sleeping, moving, or even eating, internal energy gathered of its own. Even at this very moment, the Dark Soul Heart Energy was circulating and accumulating energy independently.

Dam Ho lay with his hands folded behind his head, staring vacantly at the ceiling.

The sun had set, and the room was dark. The ceiling was black. But to Dam Ho's eyes, it appeared as bright as midday.

Though both were darkness, the darkness of the underground cavern and the darkness of the outside world were different. The darkness above felt light; the darkness below was endlessly heavy and oppressive. Just like the Dark Soul Heart Energy.

"Master…"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice escaped Dam Ho's lips.

It carried with it the emotion of longing. It was the first time since leaving the underground that he had shown any human sentiment.

Whenever he thought of his Master, a part of his chest ached. He wanted to rush to Mount Hua this very moment. He wanted to see Sage Hyeon-so. But the time had not yet come.

His Master had told him to come to Mount Hua only when he was certain that no storm could shake him.

First, he had to verify whether he possessed the strength to withstand the tempest of the world. Whether he could stand on his own, solely by his own power.

Lost in such thoughts, dawn had broken. Dam Ho had not slept a wink and emerged into the dining hall.

The innkeeper tilted his head.

A guest had emerged from the inner room, but he did not recall receiving anyone matching this description.

"Who are you?"

Only one guest had been received yesterday, and the innkeeper remembered bringing him scissors and a knife.

"Could it be…"

"It is I."

"So it was you! I had no idea you were so handsome."

"Where can I eat?"

"Ah, yes! I have prepared a meal. Please wait a moment."

When Dam Ho sat at a table, the innkeeper hurried to the kitchen. He returned shortly, carrying a tray of food.

"Lamb skewers, wheat flatbread, and lamb stew. It should be quite filling."

The innkeeper set the food on the table and was about to withdraw when Dam Ho stopped him.

"How far is it from here to the Central Plains?"

"You intend to travel alone?"

"That is right."

"It will not be easy."

"Is there some reason I cannot?"

"They say bandits are rampant these days."

"Bandits?"

"Yes! They travel in large gangs, robbing small merchant caravans and lone travelers. The damage has been severe. I advise you not to travel alone. Find companions. Traveling in a group is far safer."

"Understood."

"Think carefully. It is a ten-day journey, and traveling alone will not be without hardship."

"Ten days…"

Dam Ho tapped the table with his finger.

"But if you are determined to travel alone, go to the market. They sell supplies for overnight travel. Let me see, what do you need? A windproof cloak to shelter from sandstorms, dry rations… ah, and you will need a horse."

Dam Ho listened to the innkeeper's rambling and finished his meal.

Turfan was a city of a unique atmosphere. The culture and customs of the Central Plains and the Western Regions had merged to create something entirely their own, and the air was thick with an exotic quality.

Han, Uyghur, and Hui peoples lived together in Turfan, and the city was always bustling with people. Those who gathered around the oasis held frequent markets.

The innkeeper told him that if one searched carefully among the considerable variety of goods, one could find quite useful items. He also provided detailed information about current prices.

Dam Ho committed the innkeeper's words to memory and stepped outside.

Countless people thronged the streets. The clamor of haggling voices filled the air.

A deep furrow appeared between Dam Ho's brows.

In his youth, he had lived in a secluded mountain village. As he grew older, he had been raised in the Mount Hua Sect, a Daoist order. And before coming to this place, he had lived in an underground space devoid of all human contact. The noisy spectacle before him was profoundly alien.

Dam Ho stood frozen in the middle of the street, unable to move.

There was nothing to bind him now, no wall to bar his way. And yet, Dam Ho could not easily take a step.

For the first time in his life, he had been cast alone into the world.

He had no parents, no master.

Now, he must stand on his own strength alone.

He must take a step.

Dam Ho began to move toward the world.

His first destination was the market the innkeeper had described.

A place where countless people laid out their wares and haggled, each raising their voice to obtain what they desired.

"Come, fine silk from the Central Plains!"

"Spices from the Western Regions!"

The merchants' voices pierced his eardrums.

Dam Ho walked among them.

He suppressed the killing intent and softened the force in his eyes. Even so, his gaze remained more intense than that of ordinary people, but the oppressive aura that had weighed upon his surroundings had largely dissipated. Those who passed by him did not feel the dissonance.

Goods he had never seen before filled the stalls. There was fine silk, as the merchants described, and jars of unknown purpose as well.

Some sold exquisitely carved figurines from the Western Regions, and others offered various ornaments.

Dam Ho took in every sight.

After walking for some time, Dam Ho's gaze fell upon a merchant selling garments made of animal hide.

What caught his eye among the displayed clothing was a black robe. It was cut generously, like a wind cloak, with a high collar that rose to the neck.

Dam Ho approached the stall. The merchant brightened.

"Welcome, sir."

"You sell these as well?"

"Indeed, sir. Which one catches your fancy?"

Dam Ho silently picked up the black robe.

"You have excellent taste. It is made from the hide of a great bear. It is not stitched together from smaller pieces but crafted from a single hide, making it exceedingly durable. I doubt any ordinary blade could cut through it."

The merchant's language was embellished, as was typical, but the absence of seams did suggest remarkable strength.

"What is the price?"

"Well…"

A flicker of indecision crossed the merchant's eyes.

The black robe was indeed made from bear hide. It was incredibly durable, but unfortunately, this location was not far from the desert.

No one wished to wear the stifling clothing made from bear hide. That was why it had been offered at a bargain. But seeing Dam Ho's evident approval, greed stirred.

"Ten silver taels…"

Dam Ho met his gaze. In that instant, the merchant froze as though turned to ice.

'What—what kind of eyes…'

Deep, black eyes that seemed to peer into an endless abyss, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Shiver!

An involuntary chill raced up the merchant's spine.

He was terrified.

The merchant hastily changed his price.

"F-five taels will suffice. That is more than enough."

"Will that do?"

"Yes! Of course."

Dam Ho had no interest in haggling. He produced silver taels from his bosom and handed them over.

Dam Ho donned the black fur robe.

It fit as though tailored specifically for his frame. The merchant, momentarily frozen, could not help but exclaim in admiration.

"It suits you wonderfully, sir."

Dam Ho nodded silently.

Even without the merchant's praise, the bear-hide robe suited him perfectly. Though not visible from the outside, the interior was lined with numerous pockets, making it highly practical.

Dam Ho stowed the trade drafts and silver taels in the inner pockets.

Dam Ho also purchased a leather bag from the merchant. Its generous capacity suggested it could hold a considerable amount of supplies.

He wandered through the market, purchasing dry rations and filling his bag. The bag grew noticeably heavy.

He already knew approximate prices from the innkeeper's briefing. Most merchants quoted prices higher than what he knew to be the market rate. But Dam Ho did not bother to haggle.

He felt no need to, and he was not short of funds.

The last place Dam Ho visited was the livestock market at the far edge of the market.

There was no animal that could not be found here.

Chickens, dogs—small creatures of course—but also horses, cattle, and camels. Every animal under heaven seemed to be present.

Upon entering the livestock market, the smell of animal dung assailed his nostrils. Even Dam Ho wrinkled his nose briefly at the pungent odor. But he quickly acclimated and moved deeper.

The horses were located at the far end of the market. There were many breeds.

Some were enormous; others had coats so red they seemed to burn. The merchants each proclaimed their horses to be finest steeds, clamoring for Dam Ho's attention.

But Dam Ho ignored them and walked on in silence. The horses' cries pierced his ears in a chaotic din.

Then, abruptly, Dam Ho stopped.

Before him stood a horse as black as the robe he wore. Unlike the others, it neither reared nor neighed. It simply stood, perfectly still.

Its size was not particularly imposing, yet oddly, none of the other horses would approach it.

Dam Ho stared at the black horse. The horse snorted and approached him.

Flutter!

As the black horse drew near, the other horses scattered in alarm.

The horse fixed Dam Ho with a stare.

Its gaze was decidedly cold. It was impossible to regard it as the eyes of a horse.

A faint smile touched Dam Ho's lips.

He liked the horse's challenging stare.

In that instant, a cold light flickered in Dam Ho's eyes. The black horse flinched and turned its head away.

It was then that a strange voice was heard.

"Hah! It seems the horse has taken a liking to you. I've never seen it do that before."

It was a portly Hui man wearing a small cap on his head. He approached Dam Ho, sweating profusely.

"Good day. I am Deung-won, the owner of this animal. Has it caught your fancy?"

Dam Ho regarded the Hui merchant. The merchant grinned.

"Then you must have! I will sell it to you cheaply."

"…"

"The truth is, that beast is quite a headache. I managed to catch it on the plains, but it refuses to be tamed and will not let anyone ride it. A real problem."

"How much?"

"Oh! A generous man. Very well! Out of kindness, I will accept only five hundred silver taels. That is practically a gift."

Before the Hui merchant had even finished speaking, Dam Ho tossed five trade drafts from his pouch.

"That do it?"

"Hah! You won't even haggle?"

A look of regret crossed the merchant's face.

He had not expected the man to pay so readily and wished he had asked for more.

As he said, the black horse was a headache. Since it refused to be ridden, it was impossible to sell.

Quite a few had wanted to claim ownership of the horse, but none had ever ridden it. Its temperament was that foul.

Yet Dam Ho had agreed to the price without even testing the horse. From the merchant's perspective, this was cause for regret. But he quickly changed his mind.

'If that demon of a horse refuses again, he might demand his money back.'

He spoke to cement the deal.

"I will include the saddle as well. Please, take it away. The horse is yours now."

The Hui merchant hung a saddle over the black horse's back and withdrew.

Dam Ho lightly slapped the horse's neck. The horse whinnied with pleasure.

Dam Ho swung himself onto the horse's back in a single motion. The Hui merchant stepped back, expecting Dam Ho to be thrown. But contrary to his expectations, the black horse was perfectly docile, as though it had found its true master.

"How can this be!"

The Hui merchant's mouth fell open.

Dam Ho patted the black horse's neck and spoke.

"Your name is Dark Demon."

Neighhh!

The black horse cried out, as though it understood.

Thus did the black horse become Dark Demon.

Longlao looked at the vines and thought.

‘It’s well known that this Jin Ja-gang survived in the sulfur zone of the Mixed Spring Ground.’

There must have been something in that Mixed Spring Ground. Something that allowed Jin Ja-gang to acquire this terrifying deadly poison.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Mang-ryo to be so obsessed with him.

‘Foolish Mang-ryo, you missed a treasure. I’ll claim this one for myself.’

Longlao smiled at Sa Heung-sam, Relentless Dagger, and the warriors who were watching him.

“It seems he’s spread poison in large quantities here. Don’t worry. No matter who he is, he can’t have an unlimited supply of such poison.”

Sa Heung-sam nodded.

“Let’s continue.”

Meanwhile, the cold corpse of the bearded warrior was moved to the side of the road.

How much further did they go?

“There’s a fork in the road ahead!” 

A warrior who had been sent ahead shouted.

“Which way?”

“Well… both ways, sir.”

Sa Heung-sam had no choice but to see for himself.

When he arrived, he saw that both were small paths that a horse could travel on. And horse tracks were visible on both sides.

Clearly, someone had deliberately traveled back and forth to confuse the pursuit team.

“Which of the two is it?”

Having fallen into several traps already, the pursuit team was cautious. One of the two paths was certainly a trap.

“Ah! Look over there!”

One of the warriors shouted.

A dead rabbit could be seen on the left path.

Relief flashed in the eyes of the pursuit team warriors. If it hadn’t been for the rabbit, they might have been the next corpses there.

“If the left is a trap, then he must have gone to the right!”

Sa Heung-sam was cautious. He sent three warriors to the right path first.

The three warriors put on pigskin gloves and moved forward.

Then one of them stopped.

“There are traces of soil covering the ground.”

Whether someone had tried to hide it or not, different colored soil and dry leaves were covering the ground.

“Don’t touch it, go around it.”

At Sa Heung-sam’s words, Longlao interjected.

“What nonsense. We need to check it. We need to confirm whether he’s simply camouflaged it or spread poison, so we can determine how much poison he’s consumed.”

“But the risk…”

Jin Ja-gang’s poison was exceptionally potent. With the current level of internal energy of these warriors, being poisoned would certainly mean death.

“Just be careful.”

Longlao spoke as if it were someone else’s problem.

Sa Heung-sam reluctantly gave the order with an uncomfortable expression.

“Check it.”

The warriors’ expressions darkened. But there was no point in arguing, and arguing would only lead to worse consequences, so they had no choice.

The warrior who had first discovered the trap on the ground bent down tensely and carefully brushed aside the scattered leaves and soil with his pigskin-gloved hand.

“Huh?”

The moment he felt something catch in his hand, the warrior quickly jerked his body backward. He fell down on his backside.

Ping!

A branch snapped and flew past above the sitting warrior’s head.

Thud.

The branch that had flown over his head fell limply to the ground.

“Urgh.”

The warrior was terrified. Looking back, it was just an ordinary branch. But judging by the thorns on the branch stem, it was clear that poison had been applied there as well.

Longlao came over to check.

“He applied poison.”

Longlao put down the box he was carrying on his back. Inside were all sorts of miscellaneous items, from which he took out a thinly rolled piece of leather, carefully wrapped the branch, and put it back into the box.

Sa Heung-sam and Relentless Dagger came over to look at the trap.

Someone had lightly dug into the ground, bent a flexible branch into a circular shape, slightly embedded it in the ground, and placed a thorny branch on top of the loop. Then they had covered it with soil and grass.

“A crude trap…”

It was designed so that if stepped on or disturbed, the branch would spring upward.

It couldn’t be called an impressive trap. It was clearly visible, and if stepped on firmly, it might not spring up but simply be crushed. Even if it did spring up, it might not hit anyone.

It was truly an amateurish trap, one that would make anyone who fell for it look like a fool.

However, the potency of the poison was the issue. The poison’s power outweighed all those shortcomings and more. If even a slight brush with it meant death, then even the most rudimentary trap would be a different matter.

That’s why Sa Heung-sam was irritated.

These weren’t even sophisticated psychological traps; they were literally like a child’s pranks. Yet, three men had already died from these seemingly trivial traps.

Since everything was his responsibility, he couldn’t be in a good mood. The Extreme Poison Sect didn’t value human life much, but losing too many personnel would be problematic.

Moreover, the fact that they were wasting time on such crude traps was even more displeasing.

In the meantime, warriors who had returned from checking the path ahead shouted:

“There are three more similar traps up to ten zhang ahead!”

Longlao was delighted.

“Excellent! We can collect them all.”

Sa Heung-sam thought differently.

“There’s no need to meticulously check every obvious trap. If he’s laid so many traps, he surely hasn’t been able to flee far, so we should instead speed up our pursuit. We can check and collect the traps after we’ve caught him; it won’t be too late then.”

Longlao made a displeased expression.

“First, analyzing the traps will greatly help in understanding his characteristics.”

“If you insist, then Elder Long can stay behind and follow later.”

Longlao didn’t refuse.

“I’ll check the traps on the left path as well and then catch up.”

“Very well.”

Sa Heung-sam assigned five warriors to Longlao and led the remaining twelve warriors along with Relentless Dagger to continue forward.

“Tsk, tsk, people are so impatient. Even if the poisoned ones flee without riding horses, how far could they possibly go?”

Longlao clicked his tongue as he watched Sa Heung-sam’s back, then smiled at the remaining warriors.

“Well then, let’s get on with our work, shall we?”

The warriors’ faces turned ashen.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

“Huff… huff.”

Jin Ja-gang, who had been hastily climbing the mountain, briefly turned to look back and caught his breath.

It was a mountain covered with dense forests.

He had hidden Yong-myeong, ridden back on the horse, and liberally used poison to set as many traps as possible, but he still didn’t feel at ease.

He was anxious because he didn’t know how much time he could buy.

After catching his breath, Jin Ja-gang continued searching the mountain for monkshood.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before he spotted it.

“Ah!”

It was a short, green plant that looked similar to mugwort. Though the flowering season had passed and there were no blooms, he was familiar with the plant’s shape from his time in Hundred Flower Valley.

Jin Ja-gang quickly dug at the base.

A clumped root emerged. It was the highly poisonous part also known as aconite. To be sure, he chewed a bit of the leaf.

It was spicy and bitter.

It was definitely monkshood.

For an ordinary person, this would have been a dangerous action, but for Jin Ja-gang, it wasn’t particularly harmful.

‘I need to get back quickly.’

Jin Ja-gang muttered with a tingling mouth as he dug up several monkshood roots and tucked them into his clothes. Then he headed back down the way he had come.

Because his leg was impaired, the traces of Jin Ja-gang pushing through the underbrush remained clearly visible. This made it easy for others to pursue, but it also meant Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t lose his way back.

Jin Ja-gang came down to the place where he had hidden Yong-myeong and cleared away the grass.

Yong-myeong’s face appeared.

“I’ve brought the monkshood.”

Yong-myeong’s body was so stiff now that he could no longer speak. He could barely move, with only his eyelids quivering slightly. He couldn’t even move his fingers, and his breathing was so faint it was almost inaudible.

“Please let me know how much monkshood I should use.”

When Jin Ja-gang took out two roots, Yong-myeong signaled with his eyelids.

Jin Ja-gang looked around carefully. Being not far from the road, he was tense, not knowing when the pursuit team might arrive.

After confirming that no one was around, Jin Ja-gang put the monkshood in his mouth and chewed it.

Crunch, crunch.

His mouth felt numb and tingling from the potent poison.

His lips swelled up immediately.

Though Yong-myeong was immobilized by the pufferfish poison, his mind was perfectly clear, so he was dumbfounded seeing Jin Ja-gang’s actions.

Chewing the deadly poisonous monkshood with his mouth?

He could die just from swallowing the saliva!

Of course, Jin Ja-gang didn’t die. He was just grimacing from the extremely spicy and bitter taste.

Jin Ja-gang chewed both roots and dripped the juice into Yong-myeong’s mouth.

He had now done all he could.

He could only hope that the monkshood poison would properly react with the pufferfish poison to reduce its potency.

At that moment, he sensed presences from a distance.

“Keogh!”

The sound of someone’s dying breath.

“There’s a trap here!”

A shout followed.

Jin Ja-gang grew anxious. Since they were following the traces and traps he had left, they would reach this area soon.

Jin Ja-gang quickly whispered in Yong-myeong’s ear.

“I’ll buy more time. Stay still.”

After covering Yong-myeong with grass and fallen leaves, Jin Ja-gang quietly moved in the opposite direction from where the sounds were coming.

* * *

Longlao had taken the left path of the fork to collect the remaining poison.

The warriors were now much more cautious than before, carefully avoiding the poison, but just moments ago, one of them had been poisoned by brushing against some plants while entering a side path.

Jin Ja-gang had spread a considerable amount of poison.

Narrow passages were almost certainly covered with poison. Even knowing this, they still fell victim because the mountainous terrain and dense vegetation made it impossible to avoid all contact, no matter how careful they were.

But Longlao urged the warriors on.

“You’re doing well. You’re doing well.”

He didn’t care whether the warriors lived or died.

He was only interested in the poison. He had already collected several poison-coated branches and stems.

Though the quantities were minute, they were potent enough to easily kill a person, which pleased him greatly. It was almost like concentrated essence of poison.

At this point, Longlao was dying to get his hands on Jin Ja-gang.

‘I need to capture him and find out where in the Mixed Spring Ground he obtained this poison. If I get that poison, I’ll gain tremendous power!’

At the very least, he needed to capture him before he used up all his poison to get whatever remained.

‘What a waste. Such a waste.’

The poison randomly scattered all around seemed like an incredible waste to Longlao.

Just then, he heard the faint sound of something moving.

Rustle.

Longlao raised his hand to stop the warriors’ movements. He channeled his internal energy to his ears to enhance his hearing.

‘The sound of stepping on dry leaves!’

Rustle, rustle.

It wasn’t the footsteps of a wild animal. There was an additional sound, as if something was being dragged.

‘Didn’t they say he had a bad leg?’

Longlao’s excitement made his skin tingle.

‘It’s him! He wasn’t on the right path but the left!’

The more he thought about it, the more cunning this boy seemed.

Knowing that traces would inevitably be left because of his leg, he had spread poison on all the traces.

From the pursuit team’s perspective, every trace they had discovered so far had been a real trap, not a fake one, which was disconcerting.

This was probably the first time someone had worried about too many traces being left while pursuing someone.

No matter how clever Jin Ja-gang was, he was still only a ten-year-old child. He couldn’t create sophisticated psychological traps that delved into human psychology. Unable to compete in quality, he had no choice but to use quantity to buy time.

Longlao used hand signals to indicate the direction of the moving sound to the warriors. They slowly moved in that direction.

Longlao was also about to go toward the sound but stopped.

‘Wait a moment?’

Longlao had just called Jin Ja-gang cunning.

But making noise while escaping? Knowing they were here?

Somehow, that didn’t add up!

‘Come to think of it, where is the Vice Sect Leader of the Medicine King Sect?’