Discovery of Fire (6)
Whoooosh!
The sun had set, and darkness had fallen over the world. The blackened sky was as pitch-dark as the shadow looming over Dang Gwan's heart.
"...Is that it?"
"Hm?"
Dang Gwan twisted his lips into a sneer.
"You dragged me out here just to drive a wedge between me and Alliance Leader Moyong?"
Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.
"I've felt this way for a while now, but you have a bad habit of overestimating yourself."
"What?"
"Poison and hidden weapons are scary, sure. But we're all in the Martial Alliance. As long as we're within its framework, the scariest thing isn't poison or hidden weapons—it's this." Yeon Hojeong tapped his temple.
"You get it? To kill me with your poison and hidden weapons, you'd have to risk your life. Even if you succeeded, the Tang family would lose its patriarch. But those who use their heads? They're different."
"..."
"They manipulate the world with a single brain. And Moyong Gun, well, he's scheming to expand his influence—not just his faction—with eyes far too sharp to dismiss as mere tricks."
"That childish nonsense..."
"Wrong."
Yeon Hojeong spoke gravely.
"As you said, it's child's play. But kids' games end when the sun sets. Adults' games? They only end when one side dies."
"...!"
"That's why I watch Moyong Gun. Why I fear him. Why I'm opposing him—and running myself ragged just to smack him in the back of the head someday."
"So."
Dang Gwan asked sharply.
"What's your point? Don't ally with that bastard and head back to Sichuan?"
"Then you'd die."
"What?!"
"Cut ties with Moyong Gun and return to Sichuan? The Tang family would face utter annihilation."
The bombshell dropped out of nowhere. Dang Gwan's face flushed red.
"Ridiculous."
"That's exactly what I'm saying. It's no joke. You think someone who's already knee-deep in the mud can walk away unscathed? How naive can you be?"
"...!!"
"Our little game won't end until Moyong Gun dies or falls. Not before."
Dang Gwan, glaring at Yeon Hojeong as if he wanted to kill him, spat out each word deliberately.
"You're all talk. Get to the point."
"Stay out of faction squabbles and join forces with Abbot Gong Gong."
"...What?"
He hadn't expected that. Dang Gwan was inwardly startled.
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
"I'd love to say join our side, but truth is, neither of us trusts the other. And if you go back to Sichuan, Moyong Gun will brand the Tang family enemies of the martial world and burn it to the ground."
"How can you be sure?"
"A blade that slips from my hand could always turn back on me."
"..."
"Look. You've allied with Moyong Gun, but you still know nothing about him."
Dang Gwan's cheek twitched. Yeon Hojeong continued.
"Go to Abbot Gong Gong. Help him. As you know, his Buddhist insight and sense of justice are revered across the jianghu."
"..."
"It's not too late. Drop this nonsense and stand with him."
"...Ridiculous."
"I find it ridiculous too. Never thought you'd be this dense."
"You think Moyong Gun will pin this on me as the culprit?"
"Probably?"
"Why? Give me a solid explanation, or you won't leave here alive."
Yeon Hojeong pulled a handkerchief from his bosom as if he'd been waiting. Dang Gwan frowned.
"What's that?"
"Take it."
Yeon Hojeong tossed the handkerchief. Hummm. Riding a surge of powerful inner energy, it flew straight into Dang Gwan's hand.
"What game is this?"
"Examine the handkerchief closely."
Dang Gwan scowled and looked down at it.
"What's so special about...?"
He flinched.
This smell?
Yeon Hojeong said, "It's faint, but quite concentrated, isn't it? Couldn't ignore it, so I consulted Dang Sang-a. Guess what she said?"
"...Qingyin Poison."
"You know your stuff. That's exactly what Dang Sang-a said too."
Unbelief clouded Dang Gwan's face.
"Impossible. Qingyin Poison is one of our family's ultimate poisons. Where the hell did you get it?"
"From the source of the rumors."
"What?"
"Extracted from an inn in the Martial Alliance's outer castle, where Moyong Gun started laying groundwork. It's old, but the toxicity lingers."
"...!!"
"Dang Sang-a explained: Qingyin Poison doesn't harm people directly. But it reacts to the inner energy of those who practice the Tang family's Three Yang Arts, potentially killing them at any moment."
Dang Gwan's eyes trembled faintly.
"Get it? The one who spread it could claim a subordinate did it to cut loose ends if investigated."
"..."
"But did Moyong Gun train in the Three Yang Arts?"
"..."
"No. The only ones who did are you and Dang Sang-a."
Yeon Hojeong's eyes gleamed.
"Would Dang Sang-a have spread it? I don't think so."
Dang Gwan didn't think so either. No matter her skill, Dang Sang-a couldn't steal Qingyin Poison from inside the Tang family. Not even he could. The family's secret ultimate poisons were guarded by intricate mechanisms and formations—impossible without being one of the Thirteen Seats of the Heavenly Citadel. Besides, she'd only handled it as a child.
So how did this poison—made exclusively by the Tang family—leak out?
"Moyong Gun's doing."
"...Absurd."
"I don't know how he got it. But who else?"
"Enough nonsense! Do you even know what Qingyin Poison is?! It's from a forbidden area no elder can enter without the patriarch's permission...!"
"Exactly why it's a perfect trap. A poison from an impenetrable forbidden zone? Who else but a Tang?"
"...!!"
Dang Gwan froze. Yeon Hojeong's gaze darkened.
"I hate Moyong Gun. But I trust his abilities completely. He's a madman who'll stop at nothing to get what he wants."
"..."
"Don't get complacent and end up his stepping stone. Wipe the sleep from your eyes and see the world clearly."
Yeon Hojeong turned away. Dang Gwan, staring blankly at the handkerchief, suddenly shouted hysterically.
"You bastard! Don't you dare walk away!"
Yeon Hojeong glanced back.
"I've said my piece."
"Shut up! Move one more step without my permission, and I'll melt you into a puddle of blood!"
Yeon Hojeong chuckled.
"If you can, go ahead."
With that, he turned and walked off again. He was really leaving. No hesitation despite Dang Gwan's frenzied threats.
Dang Gwan's pupils turned deep green.
"Insolent whelp!"
Piiiing!
An invisible finger wind shot out at terrifying speed. A fearsome technique. Faster than even Muk Bi's arrows—like a beam of light.
Flames flickered in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
Booom!
Fwoosh!
A single crimson palm strike shattered the finger wind into fragments. The dispersing wind ignited in scarlet flames, incinerating the extreme poison within.
Dang Gwan's eyes wavered.
He blocked it?!
He hadn't loaded it fully with poison in his excitement, but it could've pierced steel. And Yeon Hojeong had blocked it barehanded—with one hand, no less.
"I didn't tell you everything."
"...?!"
"Dang Sang-a asked me first."
"...What?"
"No matter the rift, father and daughter are father and daughter. She didn't want to see you fall miserably. So she begged me to convince you."
"...!!"
Dang Gwan's eyes shook like an earthquake. He recalled his daughter's voice.
'My life was forfeit before we even set out. Take it back if you want. I'll wait.'
Her back, turning away with a smile—pure coldness. Dang Gwan felt utter emptiness. He'd come out of worry for his child, yet their rift had only deepened. Dolls, reclaiming her martial arts—nothing but vile words.
Indescribable emotions and confusion overwhelmed him. As he looked up at the sky, strength drained, Yeon Hojeong spoke.
"If you're thinking of confronting Moyong Gun, don't do it alone."
"..."
"Do it in front of everyone. Then he can't spout nonsense."
"...What scheme is this?"
Dang Gwan's voice sounded unusually feeble.
Yeon Hojeong shrugged.
"I owe Dang Sang-a a bit from this mission. This is for her sake, not yours—no need to thank me."
"..."
"I'm off."
Leaving the woods, Yeon Hojeong headed for Pa Gun Pavilion. Then, Dang Sang-a emerged from an alley.
"Done?"
"Yeah."
Yeon Hojeong's face was complicated.
"I did it since you said it was fine, but... is it really?"
"Of course."
"..."
"If breaking the alliance with Alliance Leader Moyong ultimately benefits Father, we must endure the immediate chaos and pain."
Indeed. Dang Sang-a had spread the Qingyin Poison. And provoking Dang Gwan's rage had been a premeditated act.
Yeon Hojeong sighed.
"Sorry."
"If you say that, Army Leader, then I'm the one who should apologize."
"It must've taken time, but surely you found another way. No need to push this hard."
"Army Leader."
"...Speak."
"Do you know what I learned from this mission?"
"..."
"The importance of time."
Dang Sang-a smiled bitterly.
"Father's trying to cast me out anyway. Using parental love? He won't care."
"..."
"If this gets him to pull his feet from this filthy game, that's enough."
Yeon Hojeong, watching her quietly, asked abruptly.
"Got time?"
"Pardon?"
"You free now?"
"Ah, yes."
"To Pa Gun Pavilion. Muk Bi hasn't eaten yet—let's grab a