Chapter 488: What are you splitting?

“Ah… Young Master!? If you do this all of a sudden…!”

I feel Tang Soyeol flustered by the sudden contact from within my embrace.

It’s only natural for him to react like this, having his ear grabbed out of the blue.

But I had no intention of letting go.

“…What… did you… say?”

Because I didn’t want Tang Soyeol to hear the conversation with the human in front of me.

“I asked what you were splitting hairs for. You’re really ruining my mood.”

“Young Hero.”

At my words, spoken with a smirk, the expression of the old man named Tang Bwi crumbles.

His face, which had been chuckling, contorts. One of his eyebrows shoots up.

It was truly a good expression, in a different sense.

“I heard you were a young hero of the Central Plains, but it seems you lack the manners to deal with people. I repeat, I am an elder of the Tang Clan. Do you not know how dangerous your current actions are, Young Hero?”

A high-ranking blood relative forming the core of the Tang Clan.

The harsh words I was currently spitting at such a figure could easily be taken as an attack on the Tang Clan.

Are you doing this now, knowing that?

The old man was warning me, conveying his displeasure.

As for me, hearing such an obvious statement only made me laugh.

How could I not laugh?

“Do you know what I think is the most disgusting and irritating thing?”

I feel Tang Soyeol’s ear gradually getting hotter.

“It’s those guys who age poorly, pretending to be noble and putting on airs. Those bastards rot the world.”

Humans, once they start to rot, only get worse as they age.

Once corruption begins, it even affects its surroundings.

It reached a point where I thought rotten humans might be more problematic than actual trash.

Hearing my words, Tang Bwi’s face twists maliciously.

“How dare you…! Even after I showed courtesy first, you act so arrogantly. It truly seems you fear nothing in the world, using your talent as a shield.”

I chuckled at his voice laced with anger.

“Wow, this guy’s hilarious.”

“You punk…!”

“Then, should I show courtesy to the bastard who shoved poison down my throat?”

“…!?”

“No matter how shameless you are, that’s a bit much. Do I look like such an idiot to you?”

As I said it with a wide smile, Tang Bwi flinches.

Yeah, this is the bastard.

The guy who fed me the poison of the Butterfly Flower.

It must be him.

Of course.

‘It might not be him, though.’

The doubt that it might not be him doesn’t mean the old man wasn’t involved in this.

It just means he might not be the mastermind who ordered my poisoning.

That old geezer was no different; he was in on it too.

“…What are you talking about? Poisoning me!”

Tang Bwi, after flinching for a moment, soon shouts with a reddened face.

He looked incredibly wronged, his expression claiming innocence and asking how I could suspect him.

“How could you utter such slander…!”

“If you’re going to deny it, at least try to get rid of the smell. It’s annoying.”

At my added words, Tang Bwi’s expression changes drastically.

Yes, there was a smell.

The subtle scent I caught from the food. The fragrance, presumably from the Butterfly Flower, was emanating from that old geezer.

Was it my words that caused the problem?

Tang Bwi says to me with a look of disbelief.

“You’re saying strange things. The Butterfly Flower is a scentless poison. Does it make sense for it to have a smell?”

Was that so?

But I can really smell it.

It wasn’t strong, but I could definitely feel a peculiar fragrance.

‘To sense a fragrance from a scentless poison.’

Is it because I’ve reached the level of ‘Immunity to All Poisons’? Is that why I can sense even a fragrance that shouldn’t be there?

Besides, I’m not even sure if I’ve reached Immunity to All Poisons.

‘Because I haven’t properly checked.’

However, I was certain that I had developed strong resistance to poison.

Ah, that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“A scentless poison, you say.”

“I don’t know what suspicions you have, Young Hero, but your words towards the Tang Clan…”

“But how did you know? I never said I ate the Butterfly Flower.”

“…!”

Tang Bwi, who had been speaking earnestly, shuts his mouth at my words and stiffens.

That sight was truly amusing.

“Unfortunately, you seem to have a poor head for brains. You need to be smart to do bad things, right?”

“Hah…”

A low sigh.

I felt the atmosphere change drastically with the breath Tang Bwi exhaled.

I held Tang Soyeol a little tighter in my embrace.

Woong.

I drew in energy and thickened the Qi barrier around us slightly, so Tang Soyeol wouldn’t notice.

“…I thought you were just annoying, but you’re a much more troublesome bastard.”

“Guess you’re not acting anymore? Why stop now.”

I would have wanted to kill you even more then. It was a bit disappointing.

Tang Bwi looks at me with changed eyes. His pupils are rusty and clouded.

Much that wasn’t visible when he was smiling was contained within them.

“Originally, I only intended to stop by for a brief look, but I’ve created unnecessary trouble.”

“You didn’t have to. I was planning on visiting your side’s faces anyway.”

Though I didn’t expect to see them this soon.

Is it fortunate, perhaps?

“What is your objective? What objective drives you to act like this?”

“As for my objective…”

I had to think for a moment at Tang Bwi’s question.

I tried thinking, but nothing really came to mind.

So I decided to just be honest.

“Just because I received a request.”

“A request?”

“A certain great individual asked me to overturn things because you guys were pulling your dog-like stunts.”

“Hah.”

At my calm words, Tang Bwi laughed incredulously.

“How dare you, what kind of trash said such a thing?”

“…Uh, you shouldn’t say it like that.”

Especially you, you shouldn’t call someone trash.

If you consider the Tang family lineage, she’s someone who could be called the Tang Clan itself.

Honestly, even if she returned alive and told the Poison King to grovel, the Poison King would have to act like a dog.

Calling her trash? He’s saying words that will earn him a severe scolding after death.

However, Tang Bwi, who couldn’t possibly know this, just continues speaking with a rotten smile.

“This is the Tang Clan. Soon, it will become the number one prestigious family in the Central Plains.”

“Oh.”

He has high self-esteem. Tang Bwi was dreaming a dream he couldn’t achieve even in his past life.

After the Namgung Clan was annihilated and Sichuan was occupied, the place they barely escaped to was the Tang Clan.

Knowing that, I felt his dream was quite grand.

“Yet, a clueless little rat crawls in thinking to muddy the waters. I even kindly gave you a warning, yet do you truly not fear the Tang Clan?”

As expected.

The poison sent to me was indeed a warning, just as I expected.

The meaning was clear: don’t act recklessly.

However, there’s a contradiction in calling it ‘kind’.

“You already intended to kill me anyway, so why keep up the pretense? How disgusting.”

“…”

“Still playing games, huh…”

These guys have no intention of stopping at just a warning.

If they had intended to stop at that, they wouldn’t have started this in the first place.

Tang Bwi’s expression changes slightly, as if acknowledging my words are correct.

“Are you saying you’re running wild like this, knowing all that?”

“You seem to be mistaken about something since earlier…”

There was one phrase Tang Bwi uttered that particularly bothered me.

‘Running wild while knowing?’ No.

It was precisely this:

“You are not the Tang Clan.”

It was infuriating that that old geezer dared to call himself the Tang Clan itself.

“You’re just one of the rotten roots. How dare you spout such bullshit without knowing your place.”

Actually, Tang Bwi was the one who didn’t know.

At best, he’s an elder barely supporting one pillar. And a rotten log (廢木) messing around through backdoor dealings at that.

It’s baffling why he acts so arrogantly.

To call someone like that the Tang Clan is an insult to the Poison Princess (毒妃) who gave up her eyes and life to protect it.

It shouldn’t be like that.

“So, just wait patiently until I come find you. If you plan to run, run quickly. Then, out of consideration for your courage, I won’t chase you.”

“You punk…. Do you even know where you are, truly…!”

Whooosh-!

Unable to hold back any longer, a murderous aura erupts from Tang Bwi’s body.

An aura befitting an elder of the Four Great Clans, seemingly having reached the ‘Hwa Gyeong’ (Flower Realm) of martial arts.

Feeling that, I nodded.

With the Poison King’s residence not far away, emitting such an aura in a place like this had a purpose.

It meant Tang Bwi wasn’t particularly afraid of the Poison King.

It meant he had a way to hide the situation or deal with it, even if he tried to kill me right here.

I understood that much.

I wanted to ask the essential question, looking into Tang Bwi’s eyes.

“Are you going to?”

The question of whether he would truly fight me here.

He was a martial artist of the Hwa Gyeong level and a user of poison techniques; arguably a tricky opponent.

I didn’t feel particularly scared of that.

If he wished, I could oblige.

Just then.

Because I had been wanting to fight someone.

Looking at Tang Bwi with that kind of gaze.

Halt.

Suddenly, I see the old man’s movements falter.

What could he be thinking?

An unexpected emotion flashes through Tang Bwi’s gaze as he looks at me.

Fear? Terror?

I could vaguely sense those kinds of emotions.

Why?

‘I wasn’t even emitting any killing intent.’

I was just looking at him, considering fighting, so why would that old man harbor such emotions?

I couldn’t understand.

While watching him calmly, I was the one who moved first.

I released my grip on Tang Soyeol’s ear and pushed him slightly away from my embrace.

Then, I put a smile on my face.

“Thank you for your kind words. Elder Il.”

“…?”

Tang Bwi’s expression wavers at my suddenly changed tone. It was a look that said, ‘What the hell is this guy doing?’

“To think you see me so favorably. I am truly grateful.”

“…What are you…”

“You’re even inviting me to a meal next time. I don’t know where to put myself. Haha. I will definitely attend.”

“…”

Tang Bwi’s expression turned beyond rotten, becoming bizarre.

It took only a few seconds for his face, unable to comprehend the situation, to change into a look that questioned what kind of bastard I was.

“Well then, please go in comfortably.”

“…”

Despite my greeting, Tang Bwi’s steps remained unchanged.

Confirming that, I sent him a look.

Are you going to do more?

‘If you’re going to do it, then do it.’

As I conveyed with that look, Tang Bwi slightly ground his teeth with a kkadeuk sound and turned his body.

Should I consider it him backing down first? I don’t think so.

“Excuse me…. I believe I must leave due to an urgent matter. May you have a pleasant time as well, Princess.”

Tang Bwi, after showing courtesy to Tang Soyeol, soon disappeared with slow steps.

I too suppressed my disappointment while watching his back.

‘Not yet.’

Now is not the time.

Because I have a plan in mind. For now, I had to be satisfied with just poking and prodding.

Moreover, I thought it was a decent harvest.

‘I confirmed he’s someone I need to kill. That’s enough for now.’

This should be sufficient for now.

Thinking so, I widened my eyes.

“Ah.”

It’s because I hadn’t thought about Tang Soyeol, who was in my embrace until now.

Hurriedly, I lowered my head and looked at Tang Soyeol.

“Sorry, you must have been surprised… Huh?”

As soon as I saw Tang Soyeol’s face, it was my turn to freeze.

“…You.”

It was understandable, because not only Tang Soyeol’s ears but his entire face was flushed bright red.

“Are you okay? Why are you like this?”

Did I emit some heat without realizing it?

The heat emanating from Tang Soyeol’s face was considerable.

It wouldn’t be strange if steam started pouring from the top of his head.

“What the… Why is this…”

Concerned, I considered touching his forehead.

“…I… I… I’m going to go!”

Tang Soyeol shook off my touch and bolted away.

The problem was that the direction he ran wasn’t towards the path.

I wondered if I should tell him this, but.

Tang Soyeol had already disappeared with swift steps.

“Hmm…”

Watching him, I had to scratch the back of my head.

Could he have something urgent to do?

‘Well… he’ll manage.’

I decided not to worry too much about it.

---

A day passed.

Originally, we were supposed to go to the county yesterday, but my schedule got pushed back because I collapsed after being poisoned this morning.

Thanks to that, the schedule became quite tight.

I had to immediately visit the Sichuan branch of the Baekhwa Merchant Guild in the county.

After that, I intended to meet the Pae Jon.

Because I needed to prepare for the upcoming training.

It was time to re-evaluate my direction based on the changes in my physical condition.

Just as I was about to set out for my busy schedule.

“…What?”

I had to confront something I hadn’t considered at all.

Blocking my way as I was about to leave was none other than Nahee, an assassin from the Tang Clan.

She wasn’t my subordinate, but someone from the Tang Clan, who had come to deliver a message under the Poison King’s orders.

However.

The information itself was the problem.

“Say that again. What happened?”

To my urgent question, Nahee, who was kneeling halfway, carefully speaks.

“Containing the news that you, Young Master, were nearly poisoned to death at the Tang Clan, the Clan Head sent a letter to the state.”

“…”

“It is expected that the messenger will arrive within five days at the latest.”

This meant the news of me being poisoned at the Tang Clan would reach my father in Shanxi.

Hearing that, a cold sweat trickled down my back.

It seems.

‘…Things might have gotten a little serious.’

It seemed like an unexpected problem had arisen.