Chapter 700: Heavenly Dragon Martial Arts Tournament (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 700: Heavenly Dragon Martial Arts Tournament (10)
A tingling sensation spread across the tip of my tongue.
The poison was potent, but perhaps because I had achieved Ten Thousand Poison Immunity, my senses had become far more refined in detecting such substances.
‘Hmm.’
I swallowed the liquid I held in my mouth, then took another sip. I swirled it around, as if savoring a fine vintage. Not because it tasted good, of course.
‘What kind of poison is this?’
What was its purpose? That was the first thing I wanted to confirm.
Immediately after swallowing the tea, I checked my body's condition. The poison would be neutralized and vanish in an instant, but it would linger for a heartbeat—and I had to catch it then.
Ssss.
The poison I swallowed began to spread, only to dissipate just as quickly. Feeling this, I nodded. I’d figured it out.
‘Hidden Heat Herb.’
The poison mixed into the plum tea was likely derived from the Hidden Heat Herb. Perhaps because I identified it at once, a sense of satisfaction welled up inside me.
‘My studies are paying off.’
For the past few years, I had occasionally studied poisons with the help of Tang Soyeol and the Tang Clan. Thanks to my Ten Thousand Poison Immunity, I didn't technically need to know about poisons, but that was precisely why I tried harder to memorize them.
‘Being immune to poison simply means it's easier to use it on others.’
The Heavenly Demon of my past life was not one to resort to assassination by poison. But I was not her.
‘I have to use every tool at my disposal.’
Poison, or whatever else—if I can use it, I will. To that end, I had to study, and it had clearly yielded results. Thanks to that, I was able to identify the toxin immediately.
The Hidden Heat Herb is a poisonous plant that grows only in shaded areas during the peak of summer. Its main characteristic…
‘It obstructs the flow of internal Qi.’
It wasn't a permanent poison, but ingesting it could cause significant internal disruptions for several days.
“Hmph.”
In terms of potency, it was strong enough to suppress about thirty percent of one's Qi if they had no resistance. It was nearly tasteless, and while it had a sharp, vinegar-like scent, it was completely masked by the aroma of the plum tea.
In other words.
‘It was mixed very skillfully.’
This meant they had prepared thoroughly.
Gulp.
After downing the rest of the plum tea, I casually tossed the cup aside.
Thud! Clatter, clatter!
Watching the cup fall and roll away, I tilted my head.
‘So they don't intend to kill me... What's their goal?’
If they wanted to kill me, there are far more potent poisons. Even considering that my high level would make it difficult for poison to affect me, there were still plenty of toxins that could kill a martial artist—at least, if I didn't have Ten Thousand Poison Immunity.
“That's what makes this so puzzling.”
Crack.
I stretched my neck and moved slightly. At that moment...
“S-sob... sniffle...”
The person in front of me broke into sobs. It was a woman, looking utterly terrified. I looked at her, slowly crouching down to meet her gaze.
“Hey.”
Flinch!
The woman shuddered violently at my voice.
“What was your name again?”
“...Bae... Bae... Baekyeon... sir.”
Right, Baekyeon. That was it.
“Yes, that's right. Servant Baek.”
“...Y-yes... Y-yes... Y-Young Master...”
I gave the trembling Baekyeon a slight smile.
“There was poison in this tea. The tea you brought, Servant Baek.”
As I reached out my hand, the fallen teacup flew into my grasp.
“Did you know?”
“I-I didn't know... I... I really didn't know...!”
She sounded urgent and desperate—a woman trying to deny everything to escape certain death. Watching her, I tightened my grip on the cup.
Crack!
“Eek!”
The cup split in two. At the sight, Baekyeon trembled uncontrollably. Then, I saw a wet patch spread across the bottom of her clothes. She had wet herself in terror.
“Yes, you wouldn't have known. You couldn't have known.”
Watching her tremble, I straightened up slightly. She looked rather pathetic, but the coldness in my eyes did not thaw. And for good reason.
“You might not have known there was poison in it... but you were probably hired to deliver the tea. Weren't you?”
“...!”
At my question, Baekyeon's eyes wavered.
“W-well, that is...”
“Otherwise, the situation doesn't make much sense, does it, Servant Baek?”
Showing up at dawn to suddenly offer me tea. Using Lady Mi as an excuse, and bringing the Celestial Plum Blossom's tea, no less. There were more than a few strange things about it.
Yes, it was a clearly suspicious situation. That's why I let the servant into my room. In fact, it was so suspicious that I wanted to see exactly what she would try to do.
“I was wrong! Please forgive me, Young Master!”
Hearing my words, Baekyeon immediately fell to her knees and prostrated herself.
“I-I really didn't know! Th-they just said they'd give me a lot of money if I delivered the tea...!”
Just as I thought.
“How much?”
“Pardon...?”
“How much did they say they'd give you?”
The amount she named was slightly less than what the Gu Clan paid its servants every six months. To her, it must have seemed like a fortune.
“I truly... had no idea there was poison!”
She desperately grabbed my leg and cried out, so I asked her.
“But you must have suspected something, right?”
“...!”
Hearing this, Baekyeon's body went rigid.
“‘Bring him tea first thing in the morning.’ The request itself was strange, wasn't it? Hearing that, you must have imagined at least once what might be in the tea.”
“...Y-Young Master...”
“‘What if there's poison? There might be poison. Someone could die from drinking this.’ Thoughts like that.”
Thump.
I pulled my leg back, shaking off her hand.
“You thought about it. I'm sure you thought about it at least once. But you did it anyway. How is that any different from doing it knowingly?”
“P-please spare me! That... I never intended for this! I-I have a widowed mother and a young brother back home! It was because of them!”
“A widowed mother and a younger brother. I see.”
“Pardon...?”
The moment Baekyeon showed a flicker of confusion.
Pak.
“Gurgle.”
I shot a burst of Qi into Baekyeon's neck, killing her instantly. Watching her collapse, I stroked my chin.
“As expected, not a martial artist.”
Just an ordinary person with not a shred of Qi. I made an indifferent face at this fact and muttered.
“Clean this up.”
[Yes.]
At my words, someone appeared, opened the door to my residence, and removed Baekyeon's body. It was one of the Dark King's subordinates. Since I had given Nahi a mission, I had another person stationed here.
As the figure was removing the body, he suddenly spoke to me.
“Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“Given the assassination attempt, would it not be wise to strengthen your security?”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“No need.”
“But...”
Normally, even a servant of the Gu Clan would not be able to enter my residence so easily. Especially since we are in unfamiliar territory, a time when security should be at its highest.
However.
“I left it open on purpose, so this is actually for the best.”
On the contrary, I had deliberately lowered my guard, as if welcoming such an attempt.
‘It's easier to think when they come to me like this.’
It's easier to judge where they're watching me from the moment they send an assassin. And easier to grasp the timing. Besides.
‘I already control the best assassination squad in the Central Plains.’
The assassination squad that once belonged to the Dark King now followed my orders. Other assassins posed little threat.
“Then, I will prepare men to identify the mastermind behind the poison...”
“Please be as quiet as possible.”
“Understood.”
Baekyeon had said the person who hired her had their face completely covered with a black cloth, making them unrecognizable. Judging by the skill with which the tea was prepared, they likely left no traces.
‘Who could it be?’
Who on earth would do something like this? That's what I needed to figure out now. First, it was indeed the plum tea given by the Celestial Plum Blossom. But it wasn't the Celestial Plum Blossom or the Mount Hua Sect.
‘They have no reason to do this to me.’
Nor are they the type to be so blatant. Then who?
‘Could it be the Alliance?’
The Murim Alliance. That's a plausible suspect. They are a group with the power to do such a thing. However.
‘For the Murim Alliance, this was handled far too sloppily.’
If it were them, they wouldn't have bothered with such a method. This is more like…
‘It's more likely they intentionally made it look sloppy.’
The possibility that they never expected Baekyeon to succeed in the first place. I leaned more toward that idea.
‘The chances of successfully poisoning me by sending a servant with tea at dawn are practically zero.’
It's strange to even think it would work.
‘This is a probe.’
To gauge my level of alertness. If it succeeds, great. If it fails, they still learn something. More precisely, they might have hoped for Baekyeon to be caught and forced to talk.
‘That would raise my guard.’
They used a servant to approach me with poison. That alone would make me more cautious, so perhaps that was their goal.
‘Or there's another meaning I'm not aware of.’
I lacked the information to be certain. Besides.
‘The important thing right now…’
...is not to identify who did it, but to focus on the fact that someone is targeting me.
‘It's probably because of yesterday.’
If the performance I showed in the preliminaries has caused people to target me like this…
‘Good.’
This was exactly the situation I had hoped for.
‘I can figure out who did it later.’
I cracked my stiff neck from side to side and walked out of the room. The faint smell of urine meant I'd have to have the room cleaned.
“Ah, and one more thing.”
I added as I crossed the veranda.
“The dead servant said she had a younger brother and a mother.”
As soon as I said it, the figure who had disappeared earlier reappeared behind me.
“I will take care of them.”
“You crazy bastard, what do you mean 'take care of them'?”
I grimaced in disgust. What a terrifying thing to say.
“First, confirm if they actually exist.”
I asked him to find out whether Baekyeon had said it just to save her own skin. Then, if it turns out to be true.
“I'll give you a pouch later. Find her family and give it to them.”
I planned to send the money through him. The amount was exactly what Baekyeon was supposed to receive for the job. The price she had named for her own life.
“...Understood.”
After his reply, the figure vanished without another word.
Pat, pat.
I dusted myself off and walked on. A cloudless sky. As the sunlight gradually spread, a warm atmosphere settled in. But contrary to that, I felt utterly unsettled.
Because I killed someone first thing in the morning? No, that wasn't it.
‘She tried to pull some shit on me, so who cares?’
It was just that I'd had a disturbing dream. But I couldn't remember what it was about. And that's why I was in such a foul mood. I clicked my tongue loudly and strode forward.
‘The kind of person who would pull a stunt like this on me.’
I thought about it for a moment earlier. No matter how I look at it, the culprit is one of two parties.
‘One is the Dao King. It's highly likely it was that old man.’
The other is.
‘The Emei Sect.’
One of the Ten Sect Alliance, based in Sichuan. A peculiar sect composed entirely of nuns. I suddenly recalled a ‘rumor’ I'd heard in my past life.
‘I should look into it.’
Something strange was definitely afoot.
* * *
While Gu Yangcheon was racking his brain...
...the Murim Alliance was busy preparing for the second day of the preliminaries.
“White-Grades, this way!”
The scene wasn't much different from the first day. The only difference was that the crowd seemed even larger. Not quite double, but there were certainly more people than on day one.
The reason was simple.
“They're here...”
Everyone's gaze was fixed on one spot. A group was walking in through the entrance.
“It's Shaolin.”
The sect based in Henan. The one that had been gaining massive momentum recently. The members of Shaolin had arrived at the preliminary grounds. And naturally, among the numerous Shaolin martial artists, one person drew all the attention.
“It's the Heavenly Dragon...”
“So that young man is the Heavenly Dragon.”
The young man at the very front of the Shaolin participants. He was a handsome man with sharp features, looking to be just past twenty. What was unusual about him were his Yellow Eyes.
The yellow pupils said to be a mark of the Heavenly Killing Star.
Seeing the Heavenly Dragon with similar eyes, the crowd began to whisper.
“...If he has Yellow Eyes, isn't he the Heavenly Killing Star? That's what I heard.”
As a man in the crowd muttered this, the person next to him snapped.
“Are you crazy? The Heavenly Dragon of Shaolin, a Heavenly Killing Star?! Do you want to get a beating from them?”
“No... I just said it because I thought I heard something like that.”
“Just keep your mouth shut. It'll be big trouble if they overhear you.”
The youngest to reach the Fusion Realm, as verified by the Alliance. An unprecedented genius who would go down in history—being the Heavenly Killing Star? It was absurd.
“Of all the luck, we're on the same day as them... I hope we're in a different group.”
“They just look like a bunch of brats. What's there to be so scared of? Tsk.”
Thirty percent were intimidated. Thirty percent looked on with scorn. And thirty percent watched with intense interest.
“...”
The Heavenly Dragon, feeling their gazes, was quietly observing his surroundings when...
“Are you nervous?”
Someone spoke to him. It was Museong, his Senior Brother.
“...I am not.”
“Don't deny it. It's natural to be nervous. You've never even experienced the Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament, so it's understandable.”
“...”
The Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament hadn't been held since the incident, so this was effectively the Heavenly Dragon's first public appearance.
“But you can do this. Because we are Shaolin.”
His words were heavy, filled with presence. His tone was firm with pride and faith in Shaolin. Hearing this, the Heavenly Dragon gave a heavy nod.
An uncomfortable feeling rose within him. He forcefully suppressed it and said.
“...Yes. I can do this.”
No, I have to do this, no matter what.
The Heavenly Dragon swallowed those last words.