Chapter 92: To the South

It was the kind of remark that was bound to be misunderstood.

I pulled my collar together and stepped back two paces from Tang Yeo-hye.

“Where does a young lady think she’s putting her hands on a man’s body…?”

“Hey! That’s not what I meant!”

She immediately denied it, her cheeks flushing red.

If it wasn’t that, then what else could she have meant?

“I need your resistance to poison! Your Thousand Poison Immunity (천독불침), the same resistance that lets you stay fine even after eating hundreds of poisonous mushrooms!”

Luckily, it wasn’t the situation I had worried about.

I canceled the alarm I had sounded in my head against the woman before me.

“Then you should’ve just said that. Why bother harassing people?”

“…Haah, seriously.”

She covered her face, looking drained.

And besides, I wasn’t really Hundred Poison Immunity (백독불침) or Thousand Poison Immunity (천독불침). I was simply enduring poisons with some strange bodily regeneration ability I couldn’t explain.

My body would melt and then regenerate over and over. That process was excruciating.

“So, why do you need poison resistance?”

I gestured with my chin for her to explain.

“You remember that my father, Tang Yangcheon, the Clan Head, collapsed while training in poison arts to reach Myriad Poison Immunity (만독불침), right?”

“Yes, somewhat.”

If I remembered right, he had forced some great technique beyond his limit.

It was a terrible method where one consumed horrifying pills infused with dozens of poisons to inject toxins into the body.

“My father took the Myriad Desolation Soul Pill (만황대혼단). It’s a secret art passed down in the Tang Clan, the path to becoming a Poison Master.”

Even if someone offered me countless riches, I’d refuse with shudders to put such venomous insects and poisons into my mouth willingly.

These Tang Clan bastards were truly vicious.

“Even if it looks dangerous, a poison arts master who has reached a certain level, like my father, can still manage it. The dozens of poisons counterbalance one another and form a strange equilibrium inside.”

“Ohh…”

Using poison to control poison. That was it.

So that was why he could harbor such deadly toxins within him and still appear fine—the principle was to fix that peculiar stalemate in place within the body until one reached Myriad Poison Immunity.

It was a bizarre training method only Tang Clan people could even attempt, something no ordinary human would dare.

“But if it’s manageable, why did he collapse?”

At my question, Tang Yeo-hye silently glanced toward the Clan Head’s Room, where Tang Ak was now.

“The Myriad Desolation Soul Pill contains fifteen rare poisons. Not one of them can be missing.”

It was the ultimate ratio that generations of Tang Clan ancestors had risked their lives to achieve. None of them could be absent.

Yet the fact that she was saying this meant, obviously—

“But when we investigated after Father collapsed, one crucial poison had been left out… Something that could never happen, given the elders had checked dozens of times.”

“Then his collapse was because…”

“Yes. Someone deliberately stole one of the vital poisons beforehand, breaking the balance.”

She bit her lip hard as she spoke.

So it hadn’t just been an accident during cultivation—it reeked of foul play.

And in these kinds of cases, the culprit was usually the one who stood to benefit most. That was the instinct of a long-time troubleshooter.

“Hm.”

Like her, I glanced toward the Clan Head’s Room.

“But my father is still fighting fiercely against the remaining fourteen poisons. If we can restore that balance, there may still be hope.”

That meant Tang Yangcheon might rise again from his sickbed after achieving Poisoned Body Constitution.

And if that happened, many who had thrown their lot in with Young Clan Master Tang Ak would be left embarrassed.

The thought of that was… rather amusing.

“But why haven’t you done it already? Why not recover that missing poison to restore the balance?”

No matter how brilliant the plan, it meant nothing if it wasn’t carried out.

“The problem is that the missing poison was… a Human-Faced Spider (인면지주).”

Human-Faced Spider. I thought I’d read about it in wuxia novels when I was bored.

“Wait, the cursed beast that gained spiritual essence after being steeped in demonic energy for ages…?”

Ilhong, who had been quietly listening beside us, opened her mouth in surprise.

“Yes. A grotesque poison beast with a human face. That’s the missing ingredient.”

The two of them seemed fairly knowledgeable about it. Well, people here were always obsessed with spiritual beasts, divine beasts, and cursed beasts infused with the world’s energy.

“But doesn’t it emit a venom that melts flesh and bone just by approaching it?”

“Exactly. That’s why, even though Father knew where it was, he never dared attempt it.”

A poison that killed anyone who came close.

At the very least, one had to have Thousand Poison Immunity to even attempt recovery. And ironically, the only person in the Tang Clan who had reached that level was Tang Yangcheon himself, the one who had collapsed.

“But Dan Mujin, maybe you could do it.”

Tang Yeo-hye looked up at me with sparkling eyes as she said this.

Her emerald eyes, brimming with hope, made me feel a crushing weight press down on me.

“I’ll just head back to the office.”

“You! Where do you think you’re going…!”

She latched onto me with her arms like a lock, clutching my waist tightly.

“On what grounds do you think I can endure that?”

“You’re the martial artist who fought against the Blood Cult’s deadly poisons without any Poison Resistance Pills or Antidote Pellets, just with your own body! You can do it!”

Even she admitted that not even those with Hundred Poison Immunity could withstand it raw like that.

Sure, I hadn’t died thanks to the Heaven-Slaying Star’s regenerative power.

But it wasn’t like it didn’t hurt. My body had melted and regenerated repeatedly, and it had been agony beyond words.

The searing pain had made me scream half-mad as I fought.

And now she wanted me to endure something even worse, risking death to do it in his stead?

“Sumimasen, muridesu.”

“What the hell are you saying…!”

I spouted random nonsense as I tried to pry off the slender arms around my waist.

But even if she wasn’t as strong as me, she was still a Peak Martial Artist. Peeling off her arms that clung like glue was surprisingly troublesome.

“Let go! I said let go!”

Even as I twisted and shook myself wildly, Tang Yeo-hye clung stubbornly.

For a while, it was like riding a bucking bronco.

Lifted up and dropped back down repeatedly by the Heaven-Slaying Star’s absurd strength, she still wouldn’t let go.

Eventually, I had to stop struggling and let out a long sigh, exhausted by her tenacious grappling technique.

“Mujin, please… help me.”

But when our eyes met again, she pleaded with a desperate face.

She, who was usually so fiery, was lowering herself like this to save her father. And that moved me, despite myself.

In my dantian, the energy of the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method stirred as if rebuking me—telling me that if I refused, I wasn’t even human.

“Young Master, for the sake of what we’ve shared, please…”

“…Boss, maybe we should give it a try?”

Even my companions seemed to have been swayed by her.

Of course, Neung Sam was naturally on Tang Yeo-hye’s side.

“Phew.”

When I lowered my gaze, I saw her small hands trembling as they clutched tightly at me.

I regretted ever jokingly calling her “wife” or “husband.” The guilt felt absurdly heavy.

“…I’ll try, but if it feels like the poison’s destruction exceeds the Heaven-Slaying Star’s recovery ability, I’ll run right away.”

If the poison’s destructive power seemed stronger than my regeneration, I wouldn’t hesitate to flee. I told her I would help under that condition.

“Mm, thank you… No matter what happens, I’ll repay this favor.”

Her usual rough tone had vanished, replaced by a plain, sincere gratitude.

Her voice even carried a tinge of resolve, which made me scratch my temple awkwardly.

Well, once Tang Ak was ousted, the next natural successor of the Tang Clan would be her.

So I decided to think of this as the same kind of low-point investment as I had made with Ilhong.

“So where exactly is this Human-Faced Spider?”

It felt like something that would be hidden away deep in some remote wilderness.

“Over there.”

Tang Yeo-hye pointed far to the south.

“Blood Asura Soul (혈세수라혼)! Descent of the Heavenly Blood God (혈혈천신강림)!”

A hidden place of exiles, concealed deep within steep ravines.

In the vast great hall, countless Blood Cultists, draped in crimson cloth, lay prostrate, bowing toward someone beyond a curtain.

“……”

But beyond that curtain, the Blood Cult Leader gave no response to their cries.

Instead, stepping forth were the Left Blood Law and Right Blood Law of the Blood Cult.

“To think those who ruined the great work dare to speak of Descent of the Heavenly Blood God.”

“Pathetic!”

The leaders of the cult scolded those who had failed the mission but survived, their eyes as sharp as blades.

“We were on the brink of exacting Blood Debt against the Thunder Sword.”

“And yet you ruined everything over a mere Grand Thunderburst Bomb?”

It hadn’t exploded in Thunder Sword Murong Cheon’s camp, nor even in enemy territory—but right in the midst of the Blood Cult’s formation.

Because of that, the grand plan they had prepared for decades had failed at the very first step.

The crucial first button had been fastened wrong, and naturally, the following steps were now shrouded in uncertainty.

“It was because some madman suddenly barged in…”

“It was the one called Dog-Beating Dragon…”

“Silence! Incompetent fools!”

Koo-roo-roong!

The Left Blood Law stomped his foot in fury, his wrath booming like thunder.

“Do you know how hard it was to obtain that Grand Thunderburst Bomb?!”

His voice shook the vast hall.

The Blood Cult had even extended hands to forces they normally would never ally with, all to exact revenge on the Celestial Sword and Thunder Sword.

Some unknown faction that dealt in black powder and firearms.

They had different enemies, yet by some miracle of shared interests, they had struck an equal-footed deal.

But with the failure of the first grand plan, the scales of that delicate arrangement had tipped violently.

“The late Cult Leader and our predecessors must be weeping tears of blood.”

“Useless vermin.”

The cultists began slamming their foreheads against the stone floor, groaning, their brows splitting and blood flowing.

Yet the Blood Cult Leader behind the curtain remained silent.

“Blood Asura Soul! Please let us atone for this sin!”

The leader of the failed mission cried out, his face streaming with blood.

In the Blood Cult, even death required the Cult Leader’s permission.

The Cult Leader waved his hand gently, refusing.

At this, the cultists slammed their heads harder.

“Then how may we atone?!”

In response to his plea, the Left Blood Law pointed southward.

“Go to Nanman.”

It was a gesture toward the outer murim, the wild and savage lands beyond the Central Plains.

“And what must we do there, Left Blood Law?”

“We need more Yin-Yang Parasites. Make contact with Poison Valley.”

To gain something from others, one must also give something in return.

One of the Blood Cult’s secrets for having hidden their identity for decades while amassing power in shadows was now being shared with their partners.

“Yes! We shall depart without delay!”

“Descent of the Heavenly Blood God! Death to the enemies of the Blood Cult!”

The cultists’ cries, heavy with determination, rang through the hall.

And with that, the frenzied group left the ravine, heading south.

There is a famous opening line from a novel:

“As we passed through the border tunnel, it was snow country.”

And now, as I crossed the high mountains, passing through Guangdong, what awaited me was a sweltering jungle.

“…What the hell is this, noona.”

My skin was sticky, and thick trees crowded around like I was in Southeast Asia.

I turned to glare at the woman beside me.

“You never told me the south meant Nanman.”

“Ahem, did I not…?”

Tang Yeo-hye coughed awkwardly, avoiding my gaze.

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