Chapter 487: What Are You Looking At (2)

The awkward silence that came after my performance was painful enough to feel like daggers in my heart, but the outcome was ultimately what I had been expecting.

It was true that I consumed poison.

“I believe it is poison from the Biyu flower.”

That’s what the medic said after examining my body.

I started to hear a gasping sound from my surroundings.

Biyu flower, huh.

Elder Shin was the first person to react.

[They used a nasty one, huh?]

Indeed.

I couldn’t help but scoff.

The Biyu flower was a rare, poisonous herb that grew in the northern regions at high altitudes.

However, it wasn’t used by the assassins when they were trying to kill their targets.

The poison stopped the Qi flow of a person in an instant, and it didn’t take long to stop a person’s heart, along with a burning pain inside their body.

It was a very effective poisonous herb, but as mentioned, it wasn’t used in assassinations.

There was only one reason for that…

It’s disgustingly expensive.

The problem was how rare they were, making them extremely expensive.

Moreover, the poison wasn’t strong enough to kill a highly skilled martial artist, so they were used even less.

However, it could potentially lead to a painful aftermath, such as breaking a person’s Dantian.

Or it could damage one’s heart, making them incapable of using martial arts ever again.

What a joke.

After that thought, I couldn’t help but smile.

They were in a hurry more than I thought, huh.

I was expecting something like this to happen.

Rather, I had hoped that it would happen and I intended it, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.

Was I too noticeable?

Was it because I knew too much information?

Or perhaps it was because I didn’t bother shutting Nahee’s mouth.

It was a blood relative of another noble clan eating here as a guest, so I did not think that they would mix poison into one of my foods.

It’s a warning, they are trying to say.

This was the Tang Clan’s land. They were telling me to stay out of their way.

They even used a really expensive herb in the process. They had to go through the process of serving all the guests here while mixing poison into only my food.

Yet, they chose such a messy process all because of a warning.

In this land, they were able to get rid of me no matter what my background was, so I’d better keep my mouth shut.

I believe that’s what they were trying to hint at.

The thought of that made me scoff.

These insects don’t even know their place.

Rotten bastards are acting all noble while doing the most disgusting things possible.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was a joke that they were considered one of the Orthodox Faction.

Haha, for fucks sake. How is it that I like them less and less as time goes on?

It was the same in my past life, but learning about them only grew my hatred towards them.

I even wanted to destroy them all.

What would the past heroes think if they saw this?

I would totally understand if they vomited blood out of disgust and died again.

[…Brat, are you perhaps talking about me?]

Oh, of course not.

What a sharp old bobcat he is.

He was always sharp when I talked about him.

Anyway,

That’s what happened, and I knew that it wasn’t going to end with just a warning.

Would they really end it off with a warning when they had more than enough resources to do such a thing easily?

Of course not.

There was no way that they were going to stop there.

“…W…W…What… Do I do…?”

As I continued to act like I was unconscious with my eyes closed, I started to hear a crying sound.

It was Tang Soyeol’s voice.

It was obvious for her to react like that since I fainted after eating poisonous food.

“What do we do about Young Master… Daaaad…”

I felt Tang Soyeol’s presence as her tears dripped to the floor.

There weren’t that many people left. It was Tang Soyeol, Poison King, and a medic I believe.

“First, go back since we need to observe the situation.”

“B…But.”

“Now!”

Tang Soyeol flinched after hearing the Poison King’s shout.

Without knowing how to react or what to do, Tang Soyeol walked out hesitantly.

“…You should leave too for a moment, medic.”

“Understood… my Lord.”

Silence came after the two left the scene.

“Hah…”

I heard the Poison King sigh exhaustedly.

After hearing that, I got up immediately.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to die of boredom.”

“…Hugh!?”

When I quickly got up, the Poison King showed a shocked reaction, which was rare to see from him.

“…E-Expert Gu?”

“What are you so surprised about? You scared me, too.”

“How…?”

I gave him a strange look after seeing his reaction.

I obviously believed that the Poison King knew that I was acting. But it seemed like he didn’t.

“…You are okay?”

“Yes, enough for us to have a talk.”

It should have been easy for a martial artist at the Poison King’s level to notice that I was acting.

This meant one thing.

The change in my body.

Was it because I was currently using the Qi Body Transformation Technique? Or was it because the system in my body went through a complete change?

I didn’t know which one it was, but it was pretty good for me.

It was very advantageous that a Fusion Realm martial artist couldn’t sense my Qi.

Crack.

As I stretched my body and looked around, the Poison King started to speak.

“…First, I would like to apologize. I’m sorry that you had to go through such an experience in our clan.”

I gazed at the Poison King after hearing his sudden apology.

He seemed honest, judging from his eyes.

I guess that makes sense.

The Tang Clan didn’t have the best image outside.

They specialized in using poison and weapons for assassinations, so the outsiders were naturally bound to avoid them.

This problem was lessened when the Tang Clan started to produce and sell weaponry, but there were still some people who believed that they were dangerous.

Because of that, the Tang Clan was very careful when dealing with guests and the food they served to them.

They had to make sure and check multiple times that there were no problems with what they were serving, and even the Poison King was extra cautious to make sure that there would be no trouble.

But something like this happened. I’m sure he’s very conflicted right now.

I only observed the Poison King’s reaction for now.

Ever since the very beginning, I hadn’t erased my suspicion about him.

Hiding that thought for now, I spoke to the Poison King.

“It’s fine. I’m actually glad that things went as I expected.”

“What?”

The Poison King’s pupils shook after my response.

“As you expected? What do you mean by that, Expert Gu? Do you mean…”

His expression held many thoughts.

“You did this on purpose?”

The Poison King seemed very shocked after he seemingly understood my intent.

After seeing that, I responded.

“I didn’t think that they would do it so soon… but I did expect it.”

I admitted that I intended this.

The Poison King spoke with a frown after hearing my answer.

“How are you going to deal with this?”

What does he mean how?

I clicked my tongue quietly after hearing his question.

“Isn’t it actually good that this happened?”

“What…?”

“Now you have become certain.”

“…!”

The Poison King’s eyes widened more than before.

I told him that he was certain now.

I was referring to the nasty things that were going on behind the scenes of the Tang Clan, and what I mentioned before to the Poison King.

Surely, the Poison King became certain after having seen what had just happened.

Something was going on with the clan, without him knowing.

“…So you purposely consumed the poison knowing all that?”

He looked at me as if I were crazy.

Was it really that insane for me to purposely eat poison?

[Who wouldn’t be shocked after learning that someone purposely consumed poison?]

I mean, that’s true.

I was just a bit disappointed.

I thought the Poison King would notice that right away and talk about what we should do after.

I guess it was just that shocking for him.

“I ate the poison because I knew that it wasn’t going to kill me.”

“That’s not the problem here…!”

The Poison King reacted rather loudly after hearing my calm response.

Hmm.

Perhaps he was worried about the Tang Clan’s reputation worsening because of this incident?

That wasn’t something I was able to do anything about.

After all, I wasn’t considerate enough to worry about such a thing.

If this was what the Poison King was worried about, then I was completely able to understand it.

“What if there’s a negative aftereffect?”

“…”

“You may be young, but you can’t be so reckless.”

Huh.

I became a bit shocked by how normal his response was.

I did not expect him to worry about me. This was rather unexpected.

[Are you sure it’s not just you having no trust in the world?]

This was a bit refreshing.

Because of that, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Expert Gu?”

“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t trying to mock you or anything. I just found your reaction a bit unexpected.”

I got down from the bed after that response.

Wriggle.

I felt an unfamiliar energy inside my body as I tried to move. I was able to know what it was immediately after.

It’s Poison Qi.

Because of how distinctive it felt relative to my other Qi, it felt especially noticeable.

Hmm.

I scowled a little after feeling the sensation.

I felt this ever since returning to the original world, but I became certain after having consumed this poison.

I spoke to the Poison King while moving my fingertips.

“It’s refreshing that someone is worrying about me.”

“Don’t move yet, the antidote hasn’t fully- “

“Is this enough to justify it?”

“…!”

“At least I feel that it is.”

The Poison King shut his mouth when I spoke with a smile.

Justification. The Poison King seemed like he realized something after hearing this response.

Everything needed a reason for a cause.

It made it easier for a person to act when there was a reason, and it’s what the Poison King needed more than anything.

Although I honestly think that it would’ve been understandable for him to take action without a reason.

But I gave him the benefit of the doubt since he probably had a different perspective as a Lord.

Not only that,

But it’s nice to have a reason for me to go on a rampage too.

I wanted to have an excuse for me to go wild without feeling guilty.

[For you to only use your brain for things like this, it’s rather sad to see.]

You always insult and compliment at the same time. Could you just choose one for once?

[What do you mean? It was all insults.]

…

I thought he was complimenting me for using my brain, but I guess not.

Scoff.

I awkwardly scoffed and walked a little past the Poison King.

“Like I said to you before, I’m not waiting for your approval.”

I was telling him that I was going to take action even if he didn’t.

“I shall be taking the leave first.”

“Expert Gu! I told you before, the antidote hasn’t been prepared yet…”

“You don’t need to give me one. I don’t think I’ll need one.”

“What do you mean…?”

“It’s less painful than I thought. I’ll ask you for one if I really need one.”

I left the building after giving him that response.

I felt the Poison King staring at me soullessly without knowing how to respond, but I was really fine.

How interesting.

Woong.

I thought to myself after noticing the Poison Qi that gathered into a clump inside my body.

Like I said before, a change occurred in my body.

I sent my Qi towards the Poison Qi I felt.

Then.

Fwoosh…!

The Poison Qi inside my body started to disappear, and steam came out from my mouth.

I smiled in disbelief after seeing that happen.

I wondered why all of that water from the lake entered my body.

I gulped down all the water from the lake, but my Qi hasn’t increased one bit, which was rather annoying.

I didn’t think that Tang Jaemoon would make me destroy a clan’s treasure, giving me that as a gift.

But now, I was able to understand the true meaning of her gift.

It seemed like…

So this works, huh?

I achieved the state that the Tang Clan had dreamt about for centuries.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.

When I walked for a bit after leaving the building, I started to see Tang Soyeol standing at a far distance.

I walked closer, and Tang Soyeol ran over towards me after noticing me.

“Y-Young Master!?”

“Hey.”

“How…?? They told me that you might be unconscious for a few days… are you feeling okay…?”

“Oh, yes, I feel fine. The poison was weaker than expected.”

When I responded in a playful tone and with a smile, Tang Soyeol suddenly hugged me while crying.

I couldn’t help but become shocked because of how sudden it felt.

“Wait, why are you crying? I told you I’m fine, didn’t I?”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

Damn.

I felt my chest becoming wet because of her tears.

It seemed like she felt especially guilty because this happened in the Tang Clan.

“I thought you were really acting at first because of how you fainted… I’m sorry. I really am…”

“…”

Her apology only made it more painful for me.

[See? I told you that you shouldn’t go around acting.]

…Damn it.

I gave it my all in that performance.

But it didn’t work. At this point, I was certain that it was a problem with the world, not me.

Of course, it’s not me. It’s the world that can’t see how great I am.

[That’s… never mind.]

Elder Shin reacted as if he had given up on me, which only annoyed me more.

I continued to calm down Tang Soyeol while brushing her hair.

“It’s fine. They just said I needed to rest for a few days.”

“But…”

“So stop crying, it’s more work for me to wash my clothes, you know.”

Servants may have washed my clothes, but I wasn’t fond of the idea of my clothes becoming wet from tears.

“Okay…”

Tang Soyeol showed a sad look on her face after hearing my words.

It seemed like it insulted her a bit.

Right as I thought about giving her an apology for what I said,

“Hehe… what a nice sight to see.”

Someone walked over this way and started to speak.

I gazed over.

It was an old man. He wore a dark green outfit and had neatly trimmed white hair.

At the same time, I felt a similar bloody scent from him, the same one I felt from the Poison King.

He had been here ever since I saw Tang Soyeol from a distance.

“Oh.”

Tang Soyeol suddenly backed away from me after seeing the old man.

She seemed embarrassed, judging from her red ears.

“Oh… Um, ah, yes. He is the Elder of the Clan. Elder, he is…”

“Oh, I know who he is, Young Lady. How could I not know the young hero who’s been famous recently?”

Young Lady?

I tilted my head confusedly after hearing the words that came out of the old man’s mouth.

Young Lady, huh? He even spoke formally to her.

Tang Soyeol may have been the direct blood relative of the Lord, but it was still too much for an Elder to speak formally towards her.

The old man smiled brightly and started to speak to me.

“Lesser King of Hell. I believe that’s what you are called? Hehe… I’m honored to meet the person who will lead the future of the Central Plains.”

“Hmm.”

“I am the First Elder of the Tang Clan. Tang Bui.”

The old man smiled as he introduced himself.

Tang Bui.

It’s a name I haven’t heard before.

It was possible that I might remember his name, but I didn’t bother digging into my memories.

Tang Bui had a kind smile on his face.

While staring at his face, I gave him a kind smile back.

Swish-!

“Ah!?”

Then, I suddenly pulled Tang Soyeol towards me.

Tang Soyeol reacted with shock due to my sudden act,

Woong-

But I sneakily put a sound barrier around her ears to make sure she doesn’t hear anything.

Then, I stared at Tang Bui’s face and spoke in the rudest way as I possibly could.

“What are you looking at?”

“…!?”

“Do you want to die or something?”

Tang Bui’s smile was shattered in an instant because of my explosive words.