Chapter 3
Chapter 3
3.
Dark Shadow Eye Demon (1)
Meanwhile.
Dok Un-hyeok returned to the Poison Demon Sect and stood before the Sect Leader's room.
'Hoo, I'm a bit nervous.'
This was the first time since waking up as Dok Un-hyeok that he would be facing his family(?).
Could he really play the part of Dok Un-hyeok without a hitch?
He was worried, but Un-hyeok quickly shook off the thought.
'To live as Dok Un-hyeok, I have to face this sooner or later. Hesitating is just a waste of time.'
The moment Un-hyeok grabbed the doorknob.
Halt-!
"Hehehe..."
He heard a middle-aged man's crazed laughter from inside the room.
"I borrowed a hundred Silver Coin Treasures from the Dragon Brocade Hall, and it's grown to three Gold Coin Treasures..."
Drip-!
Suddenly, it went silent, and then the middle-aged man's shout rang out.
"You son of a bitch!"
...Eek, you scared me!
"Mu-won, the club, yes. Where did I put the club? I'm going to break your brother's legs today, no matter what. That'll stop him from wandering around outside!"
"Ah, Father, please calm down!"
Ah, should I just not go in?
Absolute Poison Demon King, Dok Ryeon-hwi.
For a man who cherished his blood and kin so dearly to react so violently.
'Damn it, Dok Un-hyeok. How much crap did you stir up!'
But he couldn't run away.
Ryeon-hwi, having sensed Un-hyeok's presence, flung the door open.
"Un-hyeok, you rascal!"
Un-hyeok quickly assumed a respectful posture before the handsome middle-aged man.
"Father, have you been well?"
"How could I be well with the likes of you!"
A pretty boy like a bookworm stood next to Ryeon-hwi.
Un-hyeok's younger brother, Dok Mu-won, was blinking his eyes.
"Brother...? No, why is Brother...?"
His face seemed to say, 'Why did you come here?'
Hey, I'm regretting it too, you know?
Damn it. I should have come later.
"How dare you...!"
When he was young, Dok Un-hyeok was also praised as a prodigy, a well-behaved child unlike now.
But that changed in an instant.
"I know that your mother's death became a Heart Demon in your heart. So, this father tried to understand."
He was a kind child.
Instead of his weak mother and father, who nursed her with all their heart.
Un-hyeok took care of Mu-won, who couldn't even crawl yet.
But that nature eventually turned into poison.
Un-hyeok's mother passed away giving birth to Seo-ryeon, the third child.
Un-hyeok's wandering began then.
"She may have been a mother to you, but she was a wife to me. But didn't I tell you? The living must go on!"
Ryeon-hwi believed.
That one day, his eldest would end his wandering.
But Un-hyeok always betrayed his expectations, and Ryeon-hwi finally made a decision today.
"Get out."
"...!"
"You are no longer my son."
"Father!"
"There will be no turning back. I will consider my eldest son dead today, and bury him in my heart. Mu-won, you should do the same."
"I can't accept it! How can you sever a bond of kinship so heartlessly!"
But Ryeon-hwi had also been agonizing over this for a long time.
He was resolute, having made this decision with the feeling of cutting away his own flesh for the sake of the Poison Demon Sect.
"Mu-won, from now on, you are the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect."
"I don't want to. As long as my brother is alive, the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect is my brother."
"Mu-won, you...!"
Neither of them would back down.
But, just then.
"I'm sorry."
Un-hyeok's sudden apology turned both of their heads.
"...What?"
Ryeon-hwi's eldest son had always caused trouble, but he had never once uttered the words 'I'm sorry.'
He had only ever hidden.
But now he was apologizing for his mistakes.
It was unimaginable.
"I have nothing to say, but please give me one more chance."
"A chance?"
"I will take responsibility for the mistakes I have made."
"...How will you take responsibility?"
"Soon, it will be time for them to arrive."
"What...?"
At that moment.
"Sect, Sect Leader! A, a big problem has occurred!"
A figure with a fluttering goatee, leading his old body, rushed in.
The Poison Demon Sect's Chief Manager, Seok In-gu, caught his breath and barely managed to speak.
"Sect, Sect Leader..."
"Chief Manager Seok, what is the matter that you are in such a state?"
"That is, the Young, Young Sect Leader..."
"What about me?"
As soon as In-gu heard Un-hyeok's voice, his eyes widened like lanterns.
"Ah, no. Why is the Young Sect Leader here..."
"I'm in my house. What's the problem with that?"
"That's not it... Oh, look at my mind. This is not the time for this. Sect Leader, may I have a word?"
In-gu whispered something in Ryeon-hwi's ear, and Ryeon-hwi's eyes widened.
"Is that true?! Our Un-hyeok turned that Black Bear from the Dragon Brocade Hall into a cripple?!"
Ryeon-hwi had heard his family talking about it.
He knew that Black Bear was a thug causing trouble in the streets these days.
"I can't believe it. No matter how third-rate he is, there's no way our Un-hyeok, who's been indulging in women and alcohol, could beat him. How did he do it?"
"So, the Dragon Brocade Hall..."
Just then, Un-hyeok interrupted Seok In-gu.
"Sent someone, right?"
"Huh! How did Young Master know that...!"
"I knew they would come."
That's why he had thrown out the bait.
Now that they had taken the bait, all he had to do was reel them in.
"Then lead the way. I'll be right there."
"Wait! Where are you going!"
As Ryeon-hwi stopped Un-hyeok, In-gu cautiously said.
"Sect Leader, I'm sorry, but... the Dragon Brocade Hall is requesting to see only the Young Sect Leader regarding this matter."
"What does that mean? They only want to see Un-hyeok?"
"They even threatened us. If we bring anyone other than the Young Sect Leader, they will hold the Poison Demon Sect ten times more responsible for today's events, using any means necessary."
Ryeon-hwi frowned at the unexpected situation.
The current Dragon Brocade Hall was not an easy opponent.
Due to a series of events, the Dragon Brocade Hall's power had grown, and other demon sects had set their sights on them.
However, they all failed.
The Dragon Brocade Hall had seized the demon sects' weaknesses and threatened to reveal them if they tried to take over.
Information that would be fatal if it fell into the enemy's hands.
In the end, the demon sects had no choice but to give up their desire for the Dragon Brocade Hall.
'What are they plotting, wanting to see only Un-hyeok?'
He couldn't ignore the Dragon Brocade Hall's warning.
But he couldn't send only Un-hyeok either.
'What should I do...'
As Ryeon-hwi's worries deepened, Mu-won suddenly suggested.
"Father, instead of this, why don't we trust Brother this time?"
"Impossible."
Ryeon-hwi said in a cold voice.
"We don't know what the Dragon Brocade Hall wants, and if your brother rashly accepts any unreasonable demands, it will cause even bigger problems."
"But..."
"No. It seems I should go myself. If I go and reason with them, they might turn back..."
But, just then.
"...?"
Mu-won was blocking Ryeon-hwi's path.
"Mu-won, you...?"
"Brother, were you serious about what you said earlier?"
As Mu-won looked at Un-hyeok, he nodded.
"Of course. I will fix the mistakes I have made."
"I understand. Then go quickly. I'll take care of Father."
Honestly, Un-hyeok was surprised by Mu-won's actions.
He was thinking about alternatives in case Dok Ryeon-hwi didn't allow the meeting with the Dragon Brocade Hall.
He never expected Dok Mu-won to step in!
'The day has come when that stubborn guy's personality is helpful.'
Iron-Blooded Poison Lord, Dok Mu-won.
In his past life, he was a heartless, tearless, principled man.
Of course, the young Dok Mu-won was not yet like that, but that unyielding nature would not go anywhere.
'He grew up receiving love from his brother in his childhood. Even if Dok Un-hyeok could abandon him, Dok Mu-won would never abandon his brother first, even if he died.'
It was strange to receive such treatment from a mortal enemy.
But thanks to that, he was able to escape from Ryeon-hwi.
"What are you doing? Chief Manager Seok, lead the way. I'll be right there."
"Yes? Ah, yes..."
In-gu glanced at Ryeon-hwi, bowed, and left.
"Wa, wait a minute! Who said you could go there on your own... Mu-won, what are you doing!"
As Ryeon-hwi tried to grab the two, Mu-won grabbed his pant leg and clung to him.
"Father, please, I beg you. Can't you trust Brother just one more time?"
"Let go of me! This is something Un-hyeok can't handle. And what if your brother is lying!"
"He's not lying!"
Ryeon-hwi's voice naturally rose.
"How do you know that!"
"The brother I've seen so far has always been listless... He couldn't even look me in the eye."
"......"
"But this time it's different! Although it was brief... the image of my brother that I saw in my childhood overlapped with the one just now."
Ryeon-hwi, recalling Un-hyeok's past self, bit his lip.
Mu-won pleaded once more.
"Whether we like him or not, Brother is our family. Even if everyone in the world can't trust him, shouldn't family be different?"
"......"
It was truly difficult.
In fact, what was holding Ryeon-hwi back was not Mu-won.
Regret.
Even though he said he had given up on his son, it was because of his desire to believe in him one more time.
"Who did he take after... being so stubborn."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"...Because of you, I can't bring myself to leave."
Ryeon-hwi blamed Mu-won for no reason and only stared at the place where Un-hyeok had gone.
Meanwhile.
Un-hyeok and In-gu.
The two headed to the guest hall.
"Chief Manager Seok, do we have any Meridian-Dispersing Poison left in the sect?"
Meridian-Dispersing Poison was a poison that scattered the opponent's inner energy, making it impossible to use martial arts.
In-gu suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
"Yes? Why do you ask...?"
"Do we have it, or not?"
"Th, that is... Currently, the Poison Demon Sect does not store poison separately."
"What?"
No, isn't this the Poison Demon Sect?
How could they not have even one common Meridian-Dispersing Poison?
But Un-hyeok soon found out the reason.
"Because the Young Sect Leader has squandered the family fortune... we don't have the resources to buy poisonous herbs or toxins."
Damn it, Dok Un-hyeok again!
No, it's because of me.
Un-hyeok pondered.
'What should I do?'
Meridian-Dispersing Poison was necessary for Un-hyeok's plan.
'Tsk, I have no choice. I'll have to temporarily create a poison that has a similar effect to Meridian-Dispersing Poison.'
Ten Thousand Poisons.
As Un-hyeok's alias suggested, he was the best in the world when it came to poison.
Naturally, he knew many combinations of poisons that others didn't know.
"Listen carefully. Put water caltrop, knotgrass, plantain, dried pine needles, and evening primrose in one place and grind them. Then a poison with a similar effect to Meridian-Dispersing Poison will be created."
"...Yes?"
Seok In-gu couldn't understand.
What Un-hyeok said were herbs that were commonly available even in the civilian world.
But how could mixing them together have a similar effect to Meridian-Dispersing Poison?
'I've never heard of such a combination before.'
No, wait a minute.
Why does he need Meridian-Dispersing Poison when he's meeting with the Dragon Brocade Hall!
'Is he planning to cause an accident...?'
However, Seok In-gu couldn't stop Un-hyeok.
Before he knew it, the two had arrived at the guest hall, and Un-hyeok was already grabbing the doorknob.
"Don't forget. You must bring that in the tea."
"......"
"If you disobey my orders, I will leave this place immediately."
A threat that wasn't a threat.
If Un-hyeok left the place, that would be an accident in itself.
'There's no guarantee that the Young Sect Leader's combination will succeed, so let's just say I'll follow his orders for now. And then I'll report to the Sect Leader.'
That was the best conclusion Seok In-gu could come up with, so he nodded.
"Yes, I understand."
"Okay, I'm counting on you."
Creak-!
As Un-hyeok opened the door and entered, two people were waiting for him.
One with heavy makeup, making it difficult to distinguish their gender.
'The Dragon Brocade Hall's Chief Manager, Hong Ryu-yeon.'
Also, a freckled girl who seemed to be an attendant was standing next to her.
Un-hyeok recognized her identity at a glance.
'She's wearing a Human Skin Mask. Lee So-ye.'
He could recognize it at once because it was one of the Human Skin Masks he had seen before.
Swish-!
Hong Ryu-yeon unfolded a fan from her bosom and covered her face.
Only her eyes, curved like a crescent moon, were visible.
"Even though I came suddenly, I didn't expect you to come out like this. Nice to meet you. I'm Hong Ryu-yeon, the Chief Manager of the Dragon Brocade Hall."
Un-hyeok assumed a respectful posture.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Dok Un-hyeok."
"To be honest, I made an unreasonable request, but I really didn't expect you to come here alone."
"I knew you would come."
Hong Ryu-yeon's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...You knew I would come?"
"I don't want to waste time, so let's get straight to the point."
Passing by Hong Ryu-yeon, Un-hyeok's steps stopped in front of the attendant.
"How long are you going to keep acting?"
The attendant looked flustered.
"What do you mean...?"
"Dragon Brocade Hall Master, no. Should I call you this? The former Young Sect Leader of the Magnificent Gate, Lee So-ye."
Hong Ryu-yeon's voice grew louder, as if she was also flustered.
"What is this rudeness? Calling a mere attendant the Hall Master of our hall!"
But Un-hyeok didn't even glance at her.
His gaze was only directed at the attendant.
"Let's make a deal. Dragon Brocade Hall Master, become my eyes and ears. Then, I will give you what you desire most."
"What is that...?"
"Woo Mun-so's head."
The attendant's eyes twitched for a moment.
Un-hyeok didn't miss it and raised the corners of his lips.
"That is the price I will pay in this deal."