Chapter 30: The Iron Maiden (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: The Iron Maiden (2)
-Whoosh…
A sickening squelch accompanied each step as my boots sank into the deep puddles of blood dotting the landscape.
The sight of corpses piled atop one another was nothing new to me.
Not a single patch of unblemished skin remained on the rotting bodies, and the air hung thick with the unmistakable stench of poison.
This land had once teemed with life. Now, a foul rot had seeped deep into the fissured earth.
I wondered how long it would take for a place of this magnitude to recover. Centuries, perhaps? Even that might not be enough.
I circulated Qi around my body, forming a protective barrier against the toxic air as I pressed onward.
Sichuan, once vibrant and bright, had become a cursed land. No human would ever be able to live here again.
After walking for some time, I finally found the architect of this desolation. She lay on the ground, eerily calm.
Her eye sockets, which had once held bright green eyes, were now hollow pits. Fresh blood welled within them, tracing bright-red rivulets down her cheeks.
[It’s over, Poison Queen.]
At the sound of my voice, Tang Soyeol—the Poison Queen—lifted her head, her empty gaze turning upward.
[…It’s you.]
The spirited tone she was known for was gone, replaced by one weary and utterly defeated.
[It’s amusing to find you here, when your own clan fled long ago. Did you believe anything would change if you tried to protect this place alone?]
[Nothing will change.]
[Then why?]
Tang Soyeol covered her mouth with her sleeve and let out a soft, bitter laugh.
[Then why did you come?]
[A foolish question. The answer is obvious: I came to take your last breath.]
[I see.]
-Whoosh
I walked slowly toward her. Strangely, the oppressive poisonous Qi grew fainter the closer I got.
Tang Soyeol had stayed behind so the rest of the Tang Clan could safely retreat to the Shaolin Sect, where they would plot their next move.
But what of Tang Soyeol herself?
[How foolish.]
What remained for the woman who chose to stand alone?
If the Orthodox Factions won this war, history might remember her with a single, hollow line:
—Thanks to the sacrifice of Tang Soyeol, a peaceful future for the world was secured.
Something like that.
How pointless.
For two days—forty-eight hours—Tang Soyeol had fought the demons in Sichuan alone.
Her eyes were gouged out, the Tang ancestral lands were saturated with poisonous Qi, and countless demons had fallen by her hand.
But in the end? It meant nothing.
The war would not end so long as the Heavenly Demon lived.
When I stood directly before her, Tang Soyeol spoke again.
[…I am sorry.]
I frowned at her absurd words.
[Apologizing to a demonic being? You’ve lost your mind, Poison Queen.]
[Yes, perhaps I have… I wish I’d lost it sooner. It’s only after losing my eyes that I can finally see what I couldn’t before.]
[Enough of your nonsense. Are these your last words?]
I slowly took hold of her neck. It felt so fragile, as though the slightest pressure would snap it.
[I have no right to ask… but if there is any time left in this world…]
Her body trembled as she spoke with an emotion I could not comprehend—perhaps bitterness, or regret for becoming a sacrifice.
Not that it concerned me.
[I hope you…]
Tang Soyeol tried to say more, but her voice failed, and the words died in her throat.
Without hesitation, I tightened my grip.
-Crack
A sharp, final sound echoed as Tang Soyeol’s head lolled forward.
When I released her, her body crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
The blood puddles around us were already tainted with poisonous Qi.
Though she had been immune to all poisons in life, her lifeless body, devoid of Qi, would quickly rot and dissolve.
She could not even preserve a single limb of her own body, despite her great sacrifice.
But that was the nature of sacrifice.
I turned and began my walk out of Sichuan.
Perhaps it was the poison Qi, but I felt nauseous just standing in that place.
This land… and I as well.
* * *
“Are you not going to respond?”
My reminiscence faded. I hated how these memories surfaced at times like this. My eyes met Tang Soyeol’s.
Only one of her eyes glowed green; her Ten Thousand Poison Immunity was not yet perfected. But in a few years, both would radiate that eerie light.
The Poison Queen, Tang Soyeol—no, by now she was likely known as the ‘Poison Phoenix.’
“If you won’t respond, I’ll call for someone—”
Tang Soyeol was speaking, but Namgung Bi-ah whispered something to her. Hearing it, Tang Soyeol released her frown.
She stepped closer and offered a respectful bow.
“I am Tang Soyeol of the Tang Clan. I apologize for my rudeness to our guest.”
A swift decision, made without hesitation.
“…I am Gu Jeolyub.”
I responded in kind, using the name Gu Jeolyub, of course.
I really need to stop this… Should I just reveal myself now?
This ruse wouldn’t have worked at all if my name were even slightly known. Why did no one care about it?
Then again, in my past life, within a year, my name would be infamous throughout Shanxi as a piece of trash.
While I was lost in thought, Tang Soyeol spoke again.
“I see. Young Master Gu, this area is prohibited to outsiders.”
“…But isn’t the Lady of Namgung beside you also an outsider?”
“She has been granted permission by our family.”
In other words, I was to leave, as I had no such permission.
How unfair. Then again, I had been about to leave anyway, so it hardly mattered.
Besides, Tang Soyeol’s sharp glare was difficult to endure.
Why was she staring at me with such hostility? Did she really despise me just for being here?
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
I ended the conversation there and moved away with Wi Seol-Ah.
After we had gone, Namgung Bi-ah looked at Tang Soyeol and asked, “Soyeol.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you stare at him so fiercely?”
“…I dislike that he didn’t apologize after being told outsiders aren’t permitted.”
“Ah…”
“Does he think being handsome excuses everything? I’ve always hated men who think that way.”
“Huh…?”
Handsome? What?
The boy’s face surfaced in Namgung Bi-ah’s mind. His eyes were sharp—no, his entire face could be described as sharp.
Sharp eyes, a sharp nose, a sharp mouth… Combined, they formed a formidable rather than handsome visage.
It wasn’t ugly, but ‘handsome’ seemed a stretch…
Strange that she could recall his features so clearly, given her own tendency to forget almost everything.
“…Sigh, I prefer someone kind and gentle, even if they aren’t much to look at.”
“…I see.”
Tang Soyeol muttered something about ‘handsome guys’ as she strode ahead. Namgung Bi-ah followed slowly behind, a question mark still hovering invisibly above her head.
* * *
A night had passed since our arrival at the Tang Clan, and morning had come.
Still drowsy, I opened the door to my room and was greeted by two faces I had no wish to see.
Namgung Bi-ah and Namgung Cheonjun.
The two siblings, clad in blue, stood before me.
…Why do they keep seeking me out? Can’t we just pretend we don’t know each other now that we’re at the Tang Clan?
I spoke, my voice flat. “…What brings you here again?”
Since Namgung Cheonjun would never visit willingly, I directed the question at Namgung Bi-ah. The Namgung son was likely just trailing after her like a loyal hound.
Namgung Bi-ah met my gaze. “Food…”
“…Food?”
What about food?
“We have to go eat.”
“…Yes, you may.”
If you’re hungry, just go eat. Why report it to me?
Namgung Cheonjun, visibly frustrated, clarified. “The Tang Clan has invited us to a meal. My sister thought it would be nice if Young Master Gu joined us, so we came to extend the invitation.”
“I see. Thank you for the offer. I’ll pass. Enjoy your meal.”
The explanation made me dislike the idea even more. There was no way I was eating with these two.
Namgung Cheonjun’s frown deepened, as if he hadn’t expected a refusal. I could read the outrage on his face—How dare you?—though he quickly schooled his expression.
“I don’t have much of an appetite at the moment.”
“This is an opportunity to build relationships with members of the Orthodox Factions, Young Master Gu.”
“I’m shy around people. I prefer to eat in a comfortable setting.”
“You are… shy?”
The last comment came from Namgung Bi-ah. I shot her a sharp look, and she quickly averted her eyes.
“Anyway, I won’t be going. Enjoy your meal.”
The Tang Clan’s Military Exhibition was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I planned to eat simply and focus on training until then.
A meal with these two would likely ruin my digestion.
After my refusal, however, Namgung Cheonjun stepped closer, his true feelings plain on his face.
“Please, come with us.”
He grabbed my arm as he spoke—and with considerable force.
Since we were out of Namgung Bi-ah’s direct line of sight, he made no effort to hide his expression. The look he gave me was full of pure hatred and annoyance.
-Grip
He tightened his grip. He intended to drag me along by force if I refused again.
What now? What a hassle. Why does everyone keep bothering me? I just want to leave quietly, but trouble keeps finding me.
I could feel his killing intent, poorly concealed though it was.
I had hoped he might be of some use in the future, despite being a lunatic in my eyes—a psychopath, really. And because he bore the name of Namgung, I had constantly restrained myself. But he kept testing my limits, making me want to throw caution to the wind.
Or… should I just kill him?
-Swoosh!
After the events of my past life, I had cultivated my own killing intent, though I always kept it tightly leashed.
Unfortunately for Namgung Cheonjun, a sliver of it now escaped involuntarily.
“Ah!”
He recoiled immediately, his face a mask of shock.
…Damn it. A genuine mistake.
I quickly reined in my aura and smoothed over the hostile atmosphere, but Namgung Cheonjun was already staring at me with wide eyes.
This young body made it difficult to fully control my emotions and the energy I projected.
Thankfully, the killing intent hadn’t reached Namgung Bi-ah, who merely tilted her head in confusion.
I offered Namgung Cheonjun an awkward smile. It seemed I had no choice now.
“Since you insist so earnestly, how can I refuse? Let’s go.”
I slung an arm around Namgung Cheonjun’s shoulder. It was uncomfortable; he was taller than me.
He looked mortified at having flinched, and his shock was rapidly transforming into anger. He seemed ready to shove me off, so I tightened my grip and whispered in his ear.
Get ahold of yourself. Your precious sister is watching.
-Crack.
His anger redoubled at the mention of Namgung Bi-ah, his teeth grinding audibly. I suppressed a laugh at his reaction.
Surprisingly, he took my advice. A few seconds later, the mask of a gentle smile was back in place.
“Thank you for agreeing to join us, Young Master Gu.”
“It’s nothing. I couldn’t refuse such a dedicated invitation.”
Hahaha.
We laughed together, each concealing our true thoughts.
I didn’t care about his hatred. Once we parted ways, we likely wouldn’t meet again. And if we did, it would only be at some Orthodox Faction gathering.
So, let’s just get through this. He won’t try anything with so many eyes watching.
Still, he is the son of the Namgung Clan. He must have some sense, right…?
Then it hit me.
This guy doesn’t think at all…
And so, that very afternoon, Namgung Cheonjun approached me again.
“Young Master Gu, would you like to spar with me?”
…This Gu Jeolyub-like piece of shit.