Chapter 526: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (33)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 526: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (33)
The sun was dipping below the horizon when I stepped out of my quarters and stretched. Considering I’d passed out a little past noon, I must have been unconscious for several hours.
I loosened my limbs, and a sharp, piercing pain instantly shot through my entire body. This was no simple muscle soreness—it felt as though every bone had been shattered. The agony was intense, but… This is bearable.
Compared to the torment of using the Tua Pacheonmu, this was nothing. What was a little pain like this? Recalling the tortures of my past life, suffering of this level barely even registered.
Now that I thought about it, it was a miracle my limbs were still attached when I died. Other Demonic Humans, when captured, would have their eyes gouged out and tongues ripped off. The fact that only my vocal cords were destroyed could almost be considered lucky.
Of course, looking back now, it felt less like luck and more like… Something… I believe it was someone’s deliberate doing. I wasn’t certain, but that’s what I’ve come to believe. Everything that happened to me was just too strange. To write it all off as coincidence felt… wrong.
This… It was like a fog had lifted after my last conversation with Tang Jaemoon. My changed perspective on the Heavenly Demon, things like that. I don’t know if I had been deliberately ignoring it or simply didn’t want to see it. Now, that subtle sense of wrongness was creeping back. Something blurry was suddenly coming into sharp focus.
Did Tang Jaemoon have something to do with this? I wasn’t sure, but her words lingered—the ones about erasing the Oblivion that had been placed on me.
Crack.
I stretched my arms again. Pain lanced up my spine and pierced the crown of my head, but I ignored it. I slowly assessed the effects of the backlash. The pain was one thing, but… My Qi doesn’t seem to be circulating properly. It felt like my body couldn’t contain its energy. The sensation was too distinct to be an illusion.
Hmm. Is this the backlash from using an incompatible treasure? If so, it felt like a terrible trade. It wasn’t completely debilitating, but in a real fight, I’d probably be fighting at about seventy percent of my usual strength.
The silver lining was… It doesn’t seem like recovery will take long. Even with my body strained, my recovery rate was astonishingly fast. I could tell just by observing myself now. My aching muscles were knitting back together, and my exhausted meridians were clearing at a rapid pace. It was as if the pain came with a surge of blood, circulating faster and accelerating the healing. I could literally feel my body mending itself.
Not bad. I’d experienced the same thing when the Dishonored Venerable had beaten me to a pulp. Not only had my body’s durability increased, but injuries that should have left me bedridden for days healed in a fraction of the time.
Excellent. A body that could take a beating and bounce back quickly—I couldn’t ask for a better asset for what was to come. The immediate throb of pain was annoying, but I’d gained something from it, hadn’t I?
I can use any treasure. This wasn’t a certainty yet, but I felt it was true. Along with the fact that I could convert the Thunder Fang’s Lightning Qi into Fire Qi, I also thought about the Solar Light. Was I really unable to use the Solar Light simply because I didn’t know how?
Srrk.
As I focused my will, I could feel the Solar Light respond. It might look like a simple bandage, but it was undeniably a treasure, an object capable of changing form. The problem was… There must be a reason I can use this thing. The thought had been nagging me ever since I realized I could wield the Thunder Fang.
The Solar Light, which had once been a purplish-red, had at some point turned a deep blue. The change had happened after my transformation. This was no coincidence; anyone could see that. The Solar Light had changed along with me.
And also… Sssss… The Red Water Snake that peeked out from my sleeve—no, Ttolddoli—was the same. Ttolddoli’s body, once crimson, was now covered in azure scales. And what’s more… Its form changed, too. The creature that was once a simple snake had transformed into something else entirely. Right now, it maintained its usual slender form, but it could become enormous whenever it wished, growing to about the size of a neighborhood ox.
Watching it flick its tongue innocently, I asked, “Hey, where have you been?”
-Ssss?
“Now that I think about it, where were you all this time? I haven’t seen you.” I’d been so busy running around the past few days that I had no idea what Ttolddoli had been up to. The fact that it wasn’t whining for food after our time apart suggested it had been feeding itself just fine.
Don’t tell me it's been hunting in that giant form, has it? While not enormous compared to a true monster, its appearance was certainly conspicuous. Beyond its brilliant scales, the fur on its body and its unique aura set it apart. It looked nothing like a typical monster. If Ttolddoli had been roaming around in its true form, it could easily cause problems.
“If that's what you've been doing, be careful. If you cause any trouble, I'll gobble you right up.”
-Sss… ssss….
It trembled at my words, confirming my suspicions. It really had been out hunting.
I need to look into this little guy, too. The egg left by the original Red Water Snake. A creature born from feeding on my Qi. I’d initially thought it was the snake's offspring, but now that it was clearly something else, I needed to find out what was really going on.
Thinking about it all, I let out a short, dry laugh. I'm going to be busy. There was so much to do. My to-do list just kept growing.
After checking my body’s condition, I steadied my breathing and activated the Qi Body Transformation Technique.
C-crack—!
My joints twisted and shifted as I slowly returned to my original form. The sensation of my line of sight lowering was always unsettling.
“Hoo…”
I looked around with a weary gaze and sensed a presence approaching from beyond the bushes. Soon enough, someone appeared.
“There you are.”
The person who emerged, frowning at the sight of me, was none other than Moyong Hi-ah.
“Is it over?” I asked.
“…Is it over?” Perhaps my question displeased her. Her eyes turned downright murderous. What was this…?
“Why are you looking at me like that…?”
“Do you really not know?”
“Yeah.”
“Hah…” Moyong Hi-ah let out a deep sigh. “How could you just leave us there like that…?! I thought I was going to suffocate to death…!”
“Well… My father said he'd be leaving soon, so I figured it was fine. He gave me permission to go.” When I said I needed to step out to check my condition, my father had allowed it. I was just following his word.
Besides… It was a little awkward being with Namgung Bi-ah. Facing her was difficult right now.
[Awkward, my ass. You were just embarrassed, weren't you?]
... This time, I couldn't ignore Elder Shin's sharp retort. Dammit.
Of course, Moyong Hi-ah, unaware of my internal dialogue, simply seemed furious. “Even if he said it was okay, how could you just leave… hoo.”
“Are you that angry? Why? Did my father say something to you?”
“No. He didn't say anything at all.” That was the problem, she muttered under her breath. “He just sat there quietly without saying much… then got up first, saying he had business to attend to.”
“Is that so?” Did him leaving immediately mean his business was unfinished? Had he come to see me in the middle of it? Then again, the Poison King's request probably wasn't a simple matter.
As I was pondering this, Moyong Hi-ah asked me in a voice thick with exhaustion, “…Fine. I'll concede a hundred times over. Let's say we can let this slide. But, Young Master.”
“Hm?”
“…Did something else happen?”
“…Huh?”
“This incident, it's related to you, isn't it?”
“...”
I’d felt it before, but how did she always know? Her certainty was a little frightening. For now, I decided to feign ignorance like last time. “…What are you talking about? What does this have to do with me?”
“Really? Nothing?”
“Of course.”
“Then why do your eyes say you're lying?”
“...”
At her words, I averted my gaze without thinking. It was as good as an admission. Damn it.
Just as I expected, Moyong Hi-ah snorted at my reaction. Her expression was already one of absolute certainty.
“…Tsk.” I clicked my tongue. If I tried to just move on, would she let me?
“I'm not just going to let it go.”
“…I haven't said anything yet.” A firm answer came back before I could even ask the question. Escape was impossible. The thought came to me automatically. What should I do?
The information will get out soon enough anyway. Given the Poison King's actions and Moyong Hi-ah's information network, it wouldn't take her long to figure things out. Considering that… there was no point in deliberately hiding it. She must know this too, which is why she was pressing me.
First, I organized my thoughts. There were a few things I couldn't reveal. After quickly sorting them out, I gave Moyong Hi-ah an abbreviated version of events.
“…Human experimentation?” Her reaction was immediate. She didn't seem overly concerned with the past plans or the First Elder's schemes, but she reacted strongly to the part about human experimentation being used to create elixirs.
It wasn't so much the shock of the story itself, but rather… “…But the Poison King is acting like this?” She couldn't comprehend his actions in the wake of such an event.
With the human experimentation scandal breaking, he had slaughtered the First Elder and was now moving against the Third and Fourth Elders. Doing so would make it difficult to absorb their respective factions… He had to know that such drastic measures would cause extreme backlash. Yet, the Poison King had chosen a head-on confrontation. From her perspective, it must have been the most incomprehensible part.
I wouldn't be any different. The fact that he was unaware of the incident was a problem in itself, so he could be acting this way to prove his innocence, but… it didn't seem to be only that.
But even so... it's too drastic. Was it just drastic? His actions were far too conspicuous. Far from quietly covering things up, he was acting in a way that screamed for everyone to know. Did he say he contacted the Alliance, too? I heard he had even sent a dispatch to the Murim Alliance containing details of the incident.
What is he trying to do? What was his intention? I still found it difficult to grasp.
If this went wrong, the story would spread throughout the Central Plains. And if that happened… A single misstep, and they could be demoted from the Four Noble Clans. There was a real risk that one of the pillars of the so-called Four Noble Clans could be replaced. I didn't know about the past, but now, many prestigious families were vying for a place among the elite. The Poison King, who knew this better than anyone, had to be aware of how dangerous his current course was.
…Could it be? A thought crossed my mind. The part about sending a message to the Alliance sparked the idea. Is he deliberately trying to inform the Alliance? Since the Murim Alliance was clearly involved, they would want to cover it up. Was he trying to publicize it in advance to force the Alliance's hand?
I considered it for a moment, but… That's too risky a move. I immediately shook my head. If that were the case, he would have sent the message secretly. He wouldn't have used such an overt method.
I don't know. At this point, I had no idea what the Poison King was planning. Should I just assume he’d handle it and move on? But then there was Tang Soyeol to consider.
As I was pondering these questions… “Ah…!” Moyong Hi-ah suddenly reacted. It was the reaction of someone who had just realized something. “…Don't tell me… so that's why?”
“What's wrong?” Was she that surprised? Her pupils were trembling. Had she figured something out?
“What…”
“Young Master, I'll be going first.”
“Huh? Hey, wait…!” As if she had truly uncovered a critical piece, Moyong Hi-ah abruptly turned and ran off before I could even grab her.
“...” She was so fast she had already disappeared into the distance. Watching her go, I muttered, “…Looks like she's gotten a lot better, huh?” Was it because the cold Qi afflicting her had diminished significantly? Her physical condition seemed to have improved as well.
To be honest, I could have caught her if I’d wanted. No matter how exhausted I was, I wasn't so weak that I couldn't catch Moyong Hi-ah. I was curious about what she’d figured out, and considered grabbing her to ask, but I held back.
Because there was one more person who had business with me. I tore my gaze away from where she had vanished and, looking behind me, spoke. “You've been scarce lately. I take it you're all right now?”
At my words, the bushes rustled slightly. Then, a young man in black martial robes slowly walked out. He approached me and said, “…It's been a while.”
It was the Dishonored Venerable, who hadn’t shown his face for some time. Where had that old man been? Showing up after all the work was done…
“I heard there was an incident… It seems to have been a pretty big one. And on top of that.” The Dishonored Venerable glanced around and said to me, “It seems your father is here as well.”
“How did you know?” Had they run into each other?
I looked at him, wondering if that was the case. “There is only one man who radiates this much heat. How could I not know it is your father?”
“…Hmm…” The answer made perfect sense, so I nodded. Right, that tracked.
Thinking that, I looked at the Dishonored Venerable. “And… that—”
“But you know, sir. Before that, there's something I'm curious about,” I said, cutting him off. It was a question I desperately wanted to ask my master, who hadn't shown his face for nearly three days.
The Dishonored Venerable looked at me with a questioning expression. Looking him straight in the eye, I said, “Why the informal speech? My dear younger brother?”
“...”
I didn't care that he'd just shown up after a long time… I had to do what I had to do. The seven days and nights hadn't passed yet, so I was still the older brother.