Chapter 52 – To the Five Poisons Valley

Chapter 52 – To the Five Poisons Valley

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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Ju-seong's skin was swollen taut like a well-made leather drum.

It was fortunate that no unsightly boils or pus were appearing, but since the poison energy had ultimately spread inside his body, that was only a matter of time.

After all, the only difference was whether the toxic powder touched his skin or was injected into his body.

The moment Ju-seong finished his energy circulation that he had maintained all night, the swelling had encroached and blocked his meridians.

'To face death from blocked meridians right after reaching peak level.'

Ju-seong felt absurd as he sighed.

"Brother, how shall we get out? My hands are like this."

"Ah, right. Let me borrow your straw ropes."

Ju-seong hooked three straw ropes at once on a protruding rock and carefully descended with Red Beggar on his back.

While descending, Ju-seong noticed Red Beggar's handprints left on the cliff above.

The blood and flesh that had burst from his hands were burned and stuck on by the heat of the previous night, remaining like black seals.

In other words, the two men had each sustained an injury to save the other from the wildfire the previous night.

When they came down, what greeted them was truly a desolate landscape.

Everything had burned to black, or a pale whitish color.

If war continued for decades, if blood was sprayed again on piled corpses, if screams and agony flowed over that once more, would it become such a desolate scene?

In a manner of speaking, last night's wildfire seemed to have brought a fragment of the ancient Warring States period and released it on the mountainside of Yunnan Province.

Countless living things lay scattered as mere handfuls of ash without even a spirit gate.

Ju-seong confirmed that Red Beggar's wounds had somewhat stabilized.

"Still, we need to wash them in flowing cold water at least once, so let's move first."

All the nearby streams and brooks had completely dried up. After moving some distance north, there was at least some flowing water left, and the two quenched their thirst there.

The moment Ju-seong scooped up ice-cold valley water with both hands and swallowed a mouthful, he nearly screamed, because it was such an amazing taste. Indeed, the best way to make water taste delicious was to survive a night in the middle of a wildfire.

From the valley that hadn't dried up, the unburned trees, the white clouds, and the chirping mountain birds, Ju-seong felt heaven's warmth.

If heaven had been merciless, last night's wildfire would have swept away everything in all directions. Why else would it have left this valley and patch of forest for them here?

"Ah. Absolutely wonderful."

Red Beggar was dunking his head in the valley water like a donkey and exclaiming in delight.

Ju-seong stood with his back straight, hands clasped behind him, and murmured quietly.

"Graceless fellow. This elder has felt from this valley that heaven is not merciless. You stupid mule…"

"Huh, what?"

"Is heaven truly not compassionate? For it has left such a valley and forest for us…"

"What nonsense is that? Last night's wildfire nearly killed us, wasn't that heaven's doing too?"

"That's true as well."

Like sand slipping through fingers, the gratitude vanished emptily. Breaking free from useless sentimentality, Ju-seong ordered Red Beggar.

"Stop washing your head and soak your hands in the flowing water for a bit. Let the dust and ash flow away… Then I'll apply my wound salve."

In Ju-seong's assessment, this water originated from the northeast and flowed southwest, so judging by the direction and surrounding environment, it was rich in wood and water energy.

Therefore, it was perfect for washing wounds suffered from burns the previous night.

The medicine and pharmacology he had learned were largely based on the philosophy of the Five Elements.

Red Beggar washed his hands in the flowing water and came back, saying.

"Mm, the burning sensation seems to have subsided a bit."

"Even so, the heat has penetrated almost to the palm centers, so the burning will flare up again soon."

Ju-seong wiped the moisture with a cloth, applied wound salve to Red Beggar's palms, and wrapped them with bandages.

"Let's deal with the rest at the Five Poisons Valley. Do you remember the location?"

"Yes. Two hundred seventy li to the northwest from where we first encountered the Flower-Snapping Laughing Killer. Right? Zimu Valley at the foot of Seolun Mountain."

"Correct."

Red Beggar's hands were injured so he couldn't run on all fours, so he carried Ju-seong on his back and performed qinggong on two legs. Even so, his speed was quite impressive.

Originally, Ten-Thousand-Li Roving Hound could be performed on two legs as well.

They were able to reach the front of Zimu Valley just before sunset. The name meant Purple Mist Valley, and indeed, as sunset fell, the fog filling the valley absorbed that color and rippled with a purple hue.

In front of the valley was carved a large cliff, and within it too, mist was densely swaying.

Ju-seong's sensitive hearing caught the hissing sounds of snakes from below.

Dense fog, a narrow valley entrance, and on top of that, a pit full of snakes.

This was on the level of an impregnable fortress… truly worthy of being called one of Yunnan's hidden powers.

Red Beggar stepped forward and raised his voice.

He wasn't unaware of how to speak with internal energy, but he always preferred to use his raw voice.

"We are those called the Yellow and White Twin Tigers in Yunnan! We rescued Lady Yeo Hong-yeon, daughter of the Five Poisons Valley Master, and through this connection were invited to your valley by the martial artist Yeo Hong-pa! We have an injured person, so please let us in quickly!"

From within the fog, a distant voice answered.

"…We will ask Young Master Yeo to confirm the facts, so please wait a moment."

After about a quarter-hour, the previous voice was heard again.

"Your identities have been confirmed, so entry is permitted. A bridge will descend, so step back and wait."

Soon, from within the fog, the clanking of chains and the creaking of pulleys and boards could be heard.

-Creeeeak… Thud!

Parting the fog, a large wooden bridge descended and lay across the cliff.

"We will temporarily remove the curse objects to deactivate the formation, so please wait on the bridge."

Getting in once meant quite a lot of waiting.

That fog was apparently not merely fog, but a kind of formation to prevent outsiders from invading.

The Five Poisons Valley martial artists would navigate the safe path to come and go, but since they couldn't reveal the safe path to outsiders, they seemed to temporarily deactivate the formation.

At the entrance of the Five Poisons Valley, a familiar face was waiting.

"Young Brothers! You came as I asked… Hm?"

Yeo Hong-pa's face stiffened as he spread both arms to greet them, because the appearance of Ju-seong walking ahead was extremely bizarre. "No, Young Hero… Are you really Young Hero Ju-seong? My goodness… How did this happen? You seem to have been struck by poison."

Ju-seong barely formed a fist salute with his swollen hands and extended it.

"Yes, I was struck by poison. The largest of the southern jungle moths injected its poison sac into my body."

"…What?"

Yeo Hong-pa was momentarily at a loss for words. That moth was so terrifying that even the Five Poisons Valley dared not attempt to exterminate it.

And yet these two had gone alone and pushed it to the point where it had to crush its own poison sac and use it as an attack.

Of course, according to the records maintained by the Five Poisons Valley, the Sleeping Demon Moth, or Heavenly Silkworm Moth, was fearsome for its swarming habits and poison, but its individual combat ability wasn't that remarkable.

About a dozen decent masters could easily catch it.

But what was even more remarkable was that Ju-seong hadn't died even after the creature had crushed its poison sac and forced it into his body as a last resort.

'Even training in Five Poisons Valley's poison arts wouldn't grant such resistance to poison…'

Probably the martial art this young man had trained contained some special resistance to or affinity with poison.

Meanwhile, Yeo Hong-pa recalled something upon smelling a familiar medicinal scent in his nostrils and asked a question.

"By the way, that wound salve Red Beggar applied to his hands, that item has a somewhat familiar scent. I believe you used the same item when treating the martial artist Helian Qiu last time. Am I correct?"

Ju-seong nodded readily.

"It's my master's secret wound salve, so I find it strange you'd say the scent is familiar. Of course, in the vast martial world, there couldn't be no similar medicines."

"Hmm… Rather than simply similar, the scent is exactly the same as our valley's wound salve…"

It was the wound salve that had been applied without fail whenever he was cut or scraped during training since childhood.

The Five Poisons Valley was an exclusive faction, but as they didn't turn away martial artists who came and went with critical injuries, the efficacy of the Five Poisons Valley's special wound salve was known little by little within Yunnan Province.

So finding that item right in Ju-seong's hands naturally made Yeo Hong-pa curious.

Ju-seong too couldn't understand the situation, but based on his speculation, he slowly spoke.

"My master was originally from a small medicine family in Yunnan Province, and the wound salve was a secret passed down through his sect. Perhaps my master's former sect and the Five Poisons Valley exchanged techniques."

Even as he spoke, he was being careful, as it could easily be heard as 'Didn't you steal my master's sect's secrets?'

Yeo Hong-pa was also cautious for his own reasons. It could look like he was pressing his sister's saviors with suspicion of stealing the Five Poisons Valley's secrets.

To settle this matter for now, he said.

"Mm… Grandfather probably knows about that. He's someone you needed to meet anyway, so let's go see him now. Treating you, Young Brother, also requires the Valley Master to examine and diagnose you first."

"Good. Let's go meet him quickly."

Ju-seong followed Yeo Hong-pa while taking in the surrounding scenery.

The inside of the gourd-shaped valley was quite spacious.

The setting sun was exhaling its last yellow death throes while dyeing the halls and fields inside the valley.

An outsider might think it was the tranquil scenery of a farm, but in reality, it was the Five Poisons Valley, famous as the most ruthless and exclusive in Yunnan.

'Probably what they cultivate in those fields, if not grain, is used for poison.'

Ju-seong thought as he inhaled the pungent scent entering through his swollen nostrils.

A small river flowed through the center of the valley, and the central portion where cliff shadows didn't fall was filled with fields and paddies.

At the edges where shadows were cast during the day, halls were built that looked fit for people to live in, and peculiarly, holes were also drilled into the cliff walls.

"Do you also dig caves in the rock walls to live in?"

When Ju-seong asked, Yeo Hong-pa nodded.

"The higher on the wall one lives, the more skilled they are. It's good for quiet training, and good for attacking downward as if defending a castle…"

Ju-seong fell silent at Yeo Hong-pa's words and looked around.

Many holes were drilled along the inner walls of the round valley.

Probably any enemies who invaded the valley interior would have to endure all kinds of attacks and hidden weapons pouring from the walls.

The entrance was like that, and the interior was also thoroughly prepared for invasion.

'I wonder if this place will ever fall.'

With such thorough defenses, it seemed unlikely they would ever fall to external invasion, but…

Being this exclusive, they could wither away in isolation without even realizing it.

Red Beggar looked around and spoke.

"Wow, Brother. Living in a place like this, I'd have no worries. Look at the scenery. No one who attacked could do any damage…"

"Haha, thank you for the kind assessment, Young Hero Red Beggar."

Ju-seong noticed that Red Beggar was winning Yeo Hong-pa's favor in his own way.

'A fox pretending to be a bear…'

Originally, Red Beggar was someone who loved mingling with people and wandering here and there, so there was no way he'd like a coop like this.

This kind of place was more suited to Ju-seong's personality.

'No matter how hot a fire is, if it's placed alone and isolated, at least it can't jump to other things and cause chaos…'

He knew that he could become a calamitous fire that could reduce many things to ashes if something went wrong.

It was not merely about his martial arts, but about himself as a person.

So Ju-seong replied with a low sigh.

"Indeed. Here, I wouldn't have the headache of having to beat anyone to death."

Yeo Hong-pa asked with a slight laugh.

"Are there many people you need to beat to death? I sense some worldly troubles."

"How could there not be? I was born with a wide meddling streak and a foul temper."

Red Beggar interjected. "Brother always says this. In the world…" Ju-seong continued with a bitter smile, "There are too many sons of bitches."

Yeo Hong-pa was thinking about Ju-seong's words as they walked, then seeing they had arrived at their destination, he spoke.

"…We've arrived. This is the Valley Master's residence."

"Didn't you say earlier that the higher on the cliff one resides, the higher their status?"

The Valley Master's residence was at the deepest part of the valley, a triangular cave as if a bowl had been scooped out by hand.

The entrance was so narrow it was hard to tell if it was a cave or a crack in the rock. An outsider might just glance at it and pass by without noticing.

Ju-seong thought this was rather fitting for the Five Poisons Valley and followed Yeo Hong-pa, squeezing his body into the narrow gap.