Chapter 483: Monster (1)

By the time I left the Lord’s room, it was already past noon.

Considering it wasn’t noon when I first arrived, we had a very long conversation.

Hmm.

I looked up at the sky and glanced at the Poison King’s room behind me.

How unfortunate.

Despite having such a long conversation, I was still disappointed because I ultimately didn’t gain much.

To sum it up, the Poison King was going to pass the lake incident as an accident.

Then, we talked about how we were going to announce the news about the Heavenly Poison Orbs, and I made up a story of why I came to Sichuan and told him.

This included how I managed to get the Heavenly Poison Orbs, and regarding this matter…

I had to sell out Lady Mi… but that should be fine, right?

I was reminded of Lady Mi telling me that I could use her anytime if I needed help.

Because of that, I told the Poison King that I had coincidentally gotten possession of the Heavenly Poison Orbs in the White Flowers merchant association.

I also said that I learned about the Celestial Martial Body Plan through this process, and that it was still ongoing.

It didn’t seem like he believed me, though.

Of course, he didn’t believe everything I said, but it was true that the Heavenly Poison Orbs were in front of him.

Moreover.

The Celestial Martial Body Plan, I’m sure my mentioning this to him was a problem.

It was definitely problematic that a secret plan of the Tang Clan was known by an outsider like me.

There was one thing that bothered me.

-I heard everything you said. But Young Master Gu.

-Yes.

-…How come you are trying to be involved with this matter? Is it the will of the White Flowers merchant association?

Me getting possession of the Heavenly Poison Orbs was one thing, but I also tried to cut off the rotten roots of the Tang Clan, which was likely the most confusing part for the Poison King.

It was also the hardest question for me to answer.

I could’ve simply taken the Heavenly Poison Orbs for myself and not told him about it. Furthermore, I didn’t have to bother getting rid of the dirty side of the Tang Clan just because I found it.

Even so, there was one reason why I was getting myself involved.

It seemed like the Poison King was more curious about that than the Heavenly Poison Orbs I managed to get.

This should always have been the case.

He’s at least better than others.

He looked for a reason rather than being blinded by the treasure in front of him.

Considering how rotten the Orthodox Faction as a whole became, the Poison King still kept up to my standard.

The person most suited for a Lord.

He was more fitting as a Lord than a martial artist.

However.

He doesn’t have a very wide vision.

I observed more closely.

Was he closing his eyes on purpose?

That was strangely the feeling I got.

-I only have one reason.

I gave the Poison King one answer when he asked me for a reason.

I prepared a bunch of answers, and I could’ve made up more stories, but I especially didn’t want to lie about this matter.

-I think this has to do with Young Lady Tang.

-…!

The Poison King’s expression changed immediately when I mentioned his daughter.

-I’ll say it again, but I wasn’t asking for your permission, my Lord. However-

I didn’t care about his approval.

I was telling him that I was going to do what I wanted since it was a matter about Tang Soyeol.

-I just hope that you are not involved at all regarding this matter.

-…

The Poison King’s expression worsened. It seemed like he was thinking if this was really happening or not.

His expression did not get any better as he also had the Heavenly Poison Orbs in front of him, which was a whole different problem he had to deal with.

I wonder how he’ll react if I told him I even knew the recipe to the Heavenly Poison Orbs.

Though, of course, I planned to keep it to myself for now.

I didn’t have the ingredients anyway, and I wasn’t going to waste this card already.

Was he looking for the truth? Or was he too shocked by what I said?

The Poison King seemed to be conflicted with many emotions.

-…I… need some time to think for myself.

He asked me to leave after saying those words.

Think huh.

He may have said that he needed time to think, but it was obvious he was going to look for the truth himself.

Judging by that.

Is the Poison King really not involved?

Ultimately, this meeting with him was to see if he was involved in that matter.

I still wasn’t certain by this point.

But I think it’s safe to assume that he wasn’t. At least for now.

That was the conclusion I got from this.

I felt somewhat glad.

If the Poison King was involved in that matter.

I would’ve had to kill him as well.

I definitely would’ve had to come up with a plan to kill him, but it honestly wouldn’t have been that hard.

Because of that, I was glad. I didn’t have to kill the Poison King.

My job now is…

If the Elders of the Tang Clan were really responsible, I had to search for those bastards that were doing nasty things behind the scenes, and learn how they were doing it.

I continued to think to myself as I nodded.

[Are you certain that they are the ones responsible?]

I then started to hear a familiar voice. It was Elder Shin.

It seems like you can now appear whenever you want to.

[Indeed, it also means that things have calmed down inside your body as well.]

That’s good to hear.

Elder Shin used all his strength to prevent my vessel from shattering.

Because of that, he wasn’t able to pop up like this to talk to me as he was occupied inside my body, but now he was able to.

Was I certain he asked?

My answer to his question was very simple.

It was a request that Lady Tang Jaemoon made to me. Should I have a different reason?

[…]

I teased Elder Shin by calling her Lady, but he didn’t show any reaction.

Instead, I felt a gloomy atmosphere afterwards.

Did something happen?

Perhaps something happened between the two while I was passed out?

I had a suspicion, but I didn’t bother asking him. It was obvious that he didn’t want me to ask.

Plus, I’ll be glad if I’m wrong… but no matter how much I look at it, it doesn’t seem that way.

Tang Jaemoon asked me to cut off the rotten roots of the Tang Clan.

I immediately knew what the rotten roots she was referring to.

She also told me that Tang Soyeol might have been involved with that matter as well.

After hearing all of those things, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Poison Queen in my past life.

Just what did she experience in the Tang Clan of the future?

If that really happened,

I can’t let it happen again.

I wasn’t sure what exactly happened to her, but I had to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again by cutting off the rotten roots of the Tang Clan.

After I heard Tang Jaemoon, I told her that I might need to kill her descendants, and if she was really okay with it.

She already knew that herself, as she responded with a nod.

This wasn’t if I should do it or not.

Considering Tang Jaemoon brought up Tang Soyeol, I was now required to do it.

In order to do that, I first had to learn about the current situation.

Thankfully, I had an ally who was going to be very useful in this matter.

“So- “

I spoke while glancing behind me.

Then, someone flinched after hearing my words.

It was Nahee.

It seemed like she was scared of me as she started to shake. I spoke while gazing at her.

“I have a lot to hear from you.”

She still couldn’t keep eye contact, and all she was able to do was nod to my words.

After all, that was the only permission I gave her.

My next destination after the Lord’s room was where my friends were.

I wanted to make this my first destination, but I couldn’t as I had a lot of things to deal with.

As I continued to make my way, walking faster than usual, I started to hear a sound from far away.

Swish-! Swish!

It was the sound of a sword being swung.

I didn’t bother sharpening my senses.

Even if I didn’t, I heard and saw it all.

Hmm.

Because my senses were much sharper than before, it actually made me feel uncomfortable, as I still wasn’t used to it.

[Hah, what a first-world problem this is.]

…I’m being honest.

I knew some would feel envious, but I wasn’t going to let myself get arrogant because of it.

Instead, I will get used to it as fast as I can.

By the time I arrived, I was able to see who was responsible for the sound I kept hearing.

It was Wi Seol-Ah and Namgung Bi-ah.

…

I saw them spar from time to time, but perhaps it was because of what I just went through?

Seeing them clashing swords with sweat drenching them made me feel a bunch of emotions.

How unfortunate.

That was the biggest emotion I felt.

Whether it was the Celestial Sword or the Demonic Sword, I wanted to have a longer talk with them if it wasn’t for the sudden departure I had to make.

Was this a regret of mine?

It likely was.

Thinking about Namgung Bi-ah especially hurt my stomach.

I… couldn’t tell her at the end.

There was one thing I failed to tell her because I had to leave suddenly.

That really bothered me and hurt my stomach.

Moreover.

My gaze went over to Wi Seol-Ah.

The color became lighter than before.

Her brown hair became brighter, and it was now getting closer to a golden color.

At this rate… her hair would be completely golden in two to three years.

I slowly observed Wi Seol-Ah’s condition.

She was drenched with sweat, and her hair stuck to her skin because of it.

Despite being exhausted and breathing heavily, her eyes were sharply focused on Namgung Bi-ah’s blade.

Her arms shook because of her exhaustion, but that went away when she swung her sword.

She endlessly swung her blade in that state.

Her sword seemed to be filled with a sense of yearning.

What was it for? I didn’t have an answer to that.

Moreover, I felt something strange as I continued to stare at Wi Seol-Ah.

I’m going to go crazy.

Every time I looked at her, I was not only reminded of the Celestial Sword, but another lady who had black hair.

The Heavenly Demon.

I subconsciously thought about her in my mind.

What a joke.

It was because of what Tang Jaemoon said to me back then.

Because of her damned words, the Heavenly Demon was stuck in the corner of my mind now.

But seriously? I’m really thinking about the Heavenly Demon?

Have I really gone insane?

I thought about a person I needed to kill because I looked at Wi Seol-Ah.

I must have seriously gone insane.

“…Sigh.”

Pause-!

After letting out an exhausted sigh, the two girls’ movements stopped.

“Oh! Young Master!”

After the two noticed me, they ran over immediately.

I then spoke to them with an awkward smile.

“It’s been a while.”

“Huh? We saw each other yesterday.”

“Oh.”

Really?

Now that I think about it, yes, we did.

I saw them the day before I headed to the lake.

Of course, it didn’t feel that way to me, as it’s been more than a number of days.

As I itched the back of my head awkwardly,

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

The two girls came closer while opening their eyes widely.

What were those reactions? Did I smell weird or something?

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

I asked what the problem was, but they continued to observe me without giving a response.

Then, Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-Ah looked at each other.

“…Something is…”

“Mhm…”

What?

How come they were only able to understand each other?

It had been a while since I last met them, so I felt rather sad about how they were currently treating me.

“Hey… What are you guys doing- “

“Oh! You guys were here!”

As I was about to speak to the girls in a sad tone, someone suddenly interrupted us with a loud, cheerful voice.

There was only one person with this voice, so I looked in the direction from which it came with a big frown.

When we made eye contact, the bastard spoke in shock, covering his mouth.

“Woah… that look of disdain… isn’t that a bit too fierce…?”

“Do you want to die…?”

“Of course not. Who in the world wants to die?”

The annoying bastard was obviously Woo Hyuk.

“Hmm?”

Woo Hyuk suddenly stopped smiling and started to observe like Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-Ah did.

Seriously, what was the matter?

Was I really giving off a weird smell?

“Something changed, huh?”

I flinched after hearing Woo Hyuk’s words.

Wait, did he notice?

No way…

Even when I looked at it, my current body with the Qi Body Transformation Technique was practically unnoticeable.

But Woo Hyuk noticed it?

When I looked back at Woo Hyuk nervously, he shook his head slightly and spoke.

“Did you grow a bit taller? Haha, that can’t be possible, right?”

“…”

It’s also been a while since I last ran into this bastard, but that made me want to beat him up even more.

…Should I…?

“Uh oh…”

Right as I was preparing myself, the bastard suddenly moved and took cover behind Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah.

That bastard?

“Hey, come out.”

“If I do, you’ll beat me up.”

“If you don’t, it’ll only be worse for you.”

“So not being beaten up isn’t an option, huh?”

I planned to fold him into the shape of a star.

After noticing my intent, Woo Hyuk hurriedly spoke to the two girls.

“Please save me… your future husband is trying to kill me right now.”

Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah’s ears flinched for a moment because of Woo Hyuk’s words.

I really had no choice.

“You are seriously going to die today- “

I lifted up my right arm and walked over to Woo Hyuk.

Swish-

Then, Namgung Bi-ah suddenly reached her hand out towards me and spoke.

“…Stop.”

“…?”

“Violence is bad.”

I couldn’t help but make a dumbfounded expression after hearing her sudden words.

Was she really taking his side right now?

It wasn’t just Namgung Bi-ah either.

“I… agree. Violence is bad, Young Master.”

“You too…?”

I visited them after a long journey, but instead, I was met with a shocking betrayal.

What was this situation? I couldn’t understand, but my resentment naturally went to Woo Hyuk.

“…Uh oh.”

It seemed like he noticed that as well, and he made an awkward expression.

“I might really die today, huh? Haha!”

He slowly started to sneak away to the side after feeling my killing intent.

Should I catch him right now? Should I really fold him into a crescent moon?

Yes, I’ll do that. A crane shape would also be nice.

“Wait… wait!”

“You can give excuses after I fold you.”

“What do you mean, fold me! Do you think I’m some kind of paper or something!?”

“You are similar.”

“Not one bit!”

Right as I was about to fold him after grabbing his collar, the bastard hurriedly spoke.

“I got a letter from my master!”

Pause-

I stopped after hearing his words.

This bastard’s master…

He was referring to the Monster of Wudang, who had possession of the Thunder Fang.

“From your master?”

“Yes, he told me to visit him today.”

“So?”

“What do you mean so… you told me you wanted to come with me. I came here for that, and here you are trying to kill me.”

Oh.

I remembered after hearing Woo Hyuk’s words.

He was right. I told him that I would go with him to see the Monster of Wudang.

I let him go after being reminded.

Then, Elder Shin started speaking to me.

[The Monster of Wudang. Is he the bastard who has the Thunder Fang?]

Yes.

He was the current owner of the Thunder Fang, and one of the famous monsters of the Central Plains.

I wondered how he had possession of the Thunder Fang and why the Namgung Clan didn’t try to get it back from him.

Glance-

I glanced at Namgung Bi-ah.

Hmm.

Whatever the answer was, I had to go see him.

After all, I planned to give the Thunder Fang to Namgung Bi-ah.

I also had a business with the Thunder Fang myself, anyway.

With that in mind, I prepared myself.

“Should we go now?”

“…”

Woo Hyuk showed a speechless look on his face after I quickly changed my mood, but he didn’t bother commenting on it.

He knew that it wouldn’t end nicely for him if he did.

While tapping away at his clothes, Woo Hyuk spoke to me.

“It’ll take a couple of hours for us to run there.”

“That’s not too long. Let’s go.”

“…Oh, before that.”

I prepared myself to leap, but Woo Hyuk grabbed my shoulder with a rather worried look.

“I’m going to seriously beg you.”

“Hmm?”

Beg me?

That word was rare to come out of Woo Hyuk’s mouth.

I looked at him, wondering what he was going to say.

I had to frown as soon as I heard the rest.

“…Please don’t try to fight or bite him, okay?”

“…”

I bit Woo Hyuk on the spot after hearing him.