A Man Who Doesn't Know How to Give Up (1)
The Lord of the Tang Family watched the situation unfold from a distance, his heart in his throat.
Han Cheong-un had promised to save his daughter, but he had never actually explained how.
Nor had the Lord asked.
He had simply clung to the fragile hope that his daughter could be saved, regardless of the method.
But if he failed...
Then I must do what needs to be done.
He steeled his resolve, preparing for the worst-case scenario. But then...
"My Lord!"
"The poison is receding!"
At his subordinates' report, the Lord of the Tang Family clenched his fists.
It worked.
He had succeeded.
The fading of the poison meant Tang Seo-yeon was reabsorbing it. In other words, his daughter was alive.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Lord threw himself forward.
He moved so fast that his subordinates couldn't keep up. When he arrived at the scene, what he saw was...
"Young Master! Young Master Han!"
His daughter, weeping as she clung to the ghastly figure of Han Cheong-un.
The Lord stared in shock at his sobbing daughter.
"Seo-yeon, you..."
The faint, ever-present aura of poison that usually drifted from her body was gone.
Even when she wore multiple layers of Poison-Avoiding Beads, the toxic fumes had always seeped out.
Aside from her hair turning snow-white, she looked no different from an ordinary young woman.
With trembling hands, the Lord reached out to touch his daughter's cheek. And...
"Ah..."
For the first time in her life, he could caress her bare skin.
As the Lord stood overwhelmed with emotion, cradling her soft, warm cheek, Tang Seo-yeon cried out.
"Father, because of me, the Young Master... Young Master Han is..."
Looking at his daughter, who couldn't even finish her sentence, the Lord turned a bitter gaze toward Han Cheong-un.
You really did it.
Just as the young man had promised, he had saved his daughter. But at the cost of his own life.
"He's still alive, Father. Please save him. I beg of you..."
"Seo-yeon... he is already..."
Tang Seo-yeon prostrated herself on the ground.
Bowing until her forehead hit the dirt, she pleaded desperately.
"Please, Father. Save the Young Master. Without him, I..."
Tears pooled in her eyes and dripped onto the ground. Then, she spoke the truth she had only just realized herself.
"...I cannot live."
"..."
The Lord let out a deep sigh.
He might still be breathing, but looking at him now, he was as good as dead.
In this state, ending his life quickly to spare him the pain would be the only true mercy. But...
I have no choice. I must at least try...
Seeing the look on his daughter's face, he couldn't bring himself to say those words. The Lord gently reached out and took Han Cheong-un's pulse. And...
"Huh?"
His pulse was beating. No, it wasn't just beating; it was beating quite strongly.
Considering his horrific appearance, it was a miracle he was even breathing, yet his pulse was perfectly stable.
This makes absolutely no sense...
"F-Father?"
Sensing the gravity in her father's expression, Tang Seo-yeon asked urgently. The Lord replied,
"First... we must move him to the Tang estate. We will continue his treatment there."
"Yes. Wait, really?"
"I think we can save him."
"Ah..."
Only after hearing those words from her father did a bright smile finally return to Tang Seo-yeon's face.
It was the first time the Lord had ever seen his daughter smile like that.
Though it felt a bit bittersweet knowing that smile was meant for another man.
It was three days later when Han Cheong-un finally regained consciousness.
"Ugh..."
"Husband!"
When Han Cheong-un opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a woman looking down at him with deep concern.
A woman of flawless, peerless beauty with hair as white as snow was gazing down at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
Though she looked unfamiliar, her voice was instantly recognizable.
"Lady Tang?"
"Ah... you're awake."
"Yes. Thanks to... ugh..."
Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, Han Cheong-un groaned as a sharp pain flared through his body when he tried to move. Tang Seo-yeon quickly spoke up.
"You mustn't move. If you need anything, please tell your wife."
"Uh... what?"
His body was definitely not in normal condition.
Looking at himself wrapped like a mummy, his very first thought was...
I can't believe I survived.
Honestly, he had expected to die.
He couldn't comprehend how he was still in one piece. And there was one more thing he couldn't understand...
"Husband, you must first soothe your stomach with some thin rice gruel."
Right. That was it.
Han Cheong-un looked at Tang Seo-yeon.
"Lady Tang?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"Why has the way you address me changed?"
"Ah, well, that is..."
Holding the bowl of gruel, Tang Seo-yeon blushed deeply.
"Is 'Husband' a bit too much after all?"
"Well, it is a bit..."
Honestly, it was overwhelming.
Sensing his discomfort, Tang Seo-yeon nodded understandingly.
"I understand. I was being inconsiderate."
"I'm glad you understand—"
"Then, Gaga. Open wide."
"..."
Han Cheong-un thought to himself:
What on earth happened while I was asleep?
Once he regained consciousness, Han Cheong-un's recovery progressed at an astonishing speed.
For someone whose skin had been eighty percent peeled and blistered, whose internal organs had been saturated with deadly poison, and who had lost both sight and hearing, his recovery was unnaturally fast.
"How is this even healing?"
Even the physician treating him muttered in disbelief, baffled by Han Cheong-un's miraculous recuperative powers.
After about ten days, even the most severe skin wounds had healed cleanly, rendering the bandages unnecessary.
Watching Han Cheong-un stand up and move around without any trouble, the physician's jaw dropped.
"Am I a quack? This makes absolutely no sense..."
Ignoring the doctor's crisis of confidence, Han Cheong-un stepped outside for the first time in days, twisting and stretching his body to check his condition.
Not bad. In fact, it's much better.
He was in peak condition.
His bones and muscles felt sturdier, his internal energy had increased, and his sight and hearing were sharper than ever before. He didn't know the exact cause, but he had a strong suspicion.
This must be it.
Han Cheong-un looked down at the black pattern etched onto his chest.
He had checked it when his bandages were being changed; it had indeed grown larger.
This black pattern, which served as proof of his regression.
Having survived yet another brush with death, the mark had expanded.
On closer inspection, its shape seemed to have shifted slightly as well.
What on earth did that crazy old hag do to me?
Han Cheong-un pondered.
To be fair, the mark had never actually harmed him.
If anything, it had given him a second chance at life and pulled him back from the brink of death.
Still, not knowing the true nature of this power made him uneasy. He couldn't just shrug it off and assume everything was fine.
I'll have to travel to the North at some point.
As he lost himself in thought, the voice of the Lord of the Tang Family echoed from behind him.
"How is your body?"
Han Cheong-un turned around, offered a light smile, and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Thanks to your concern, I've recovered quite a bit."
The Lord stared intently at him.
"Is something the matter?"
"Your recovery rate is absurd. It defies all logic."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Is the martial art you practice specialized in self-healing?"
"Who knows?"
The Lord wanted to press further at Han Cheong-un's vague response, but...
No, let it go.
This young man was the savior of his daughter.
Though he was shrouded in mystery and contradictions, it would be rude to interrogate the savior of his child.
"Since you seem fully recovered, how do you feel?"
"Perfect."
"Good. In that case..."
The Lord tucked one hand behind his back and extended the other forward.
"Would you care to test just how much you've recovered?"
At those words, the corners of Han Cheong-un's mouth curled upward.
"It would be an honor."
A short while later.
Spear in hand, Han Cheong-un faced off against the Lord of the Tang Family.
He had been eager to test his newly altered body anyway.
And there was no better opponent for that than the Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family. In his past life, the Lord had met an early, tragic end, so Han Cheong-un had never known the true extent of his strength.
But facing him now, the Lord's martial prowess was...
Even greater than I expected.
At this level, the Lord of the Tang Family might very well be the second strongest among the heads of the Five Great Noble Clans.
"Staring won't give you answers."
"..."
"Come at me."
Given the nature of hidden weapons, yielding the first move was highly disadvantageous, but the Lord did so with casual ease. And...
"Then, excuse me...!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Han Cheong-un lunged forward, instantly closing the distance.
As a spearman, Han Cheong-un usually preferred to counterattack when his opponent closed in.
However, his current opponent was a master of hidden weapons, holding a distinct advantage in ranged combat.
Unlike his usual style, he had to be the one to press the offensive.
As he charged...
"...!"
Han Cheong-un abruptly halted his advance and swung his spear.
Clang!
A single flying dagger was deflected into the air.
The Lord, standing in the exact same posture as before, spoke with mild admiration.
"Excellent instincts."
"I almost died just now, you know."
"As if a mere throw like that could kill you."
"..."
What is with this treatment?
It seemed that in the Lord's mind, Han Cheong-un had been categorized as some sort of unkillable monster.
I die if I get stabbed, too, you know.
Still, his pride wouldn't allow him to ask the man to go easy on him. If anything...
This is just right.
"Here I come."
"Bring it."
The moment the words were spoken, Han Cheong-un dashed forward again. In response, the Lord unleashed a rain of hidden weapons.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Lord threw a seamless mixture of flying daggers and flying needles.
Normally, handling two different types of hidden weapons simultaneously was incredibly difficult, but he managed it effortlessly with both hands.
Throwing daggers with his right hand and scattering needles with his left, he gave his opponent no room to breathe.
Under such a tempestuous onslaught, an ordinary martial artist would have been turned into a pincushion in seconds. But...
His opponent was Han Cheong-un.
Deploying his Domain at critical junctures, he steadily closed the distance to the Lord.
The moment he got within spear range...
"Hah!"
*Whoosh!*
He launched a counterstrike.
The sharp thrust of the spear grazed the Lord's sleeve, leaving a clean scratch on his wrist.
Oh? Look at this kid.
A young man who hadn't even reached adulthood had drawn blood from the Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Rather than anger, a sudden surge of competitive spirit welled up within the Lord.
"Good. Let's see you handle this as well."
Shouting with gusto, the Lord leaped backward to widen the gap. At the same time, he swept his arm, releasing seven daggers into the air.
*Hummmmm.*
The seven daggers hovered in midair like morning dew, spinning rapidly in place.
That's no joke.
Sensing an ominous concentration of energy, Han Cheong-un stopped in his tracks and took a defensive stance.
He intended to face it head-on.
Seeing this, the Lord's lips curled into a grin.
"Splendid."
Secret Art: Seven Stars Guidance
Though not as devastating as the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky, it was a secret art of the Tang Family's dagger techniques designed for a lethal strike in a one-on-one duel.
Just as the technique was about to be unleashed from the Lord's hands...
"Kyaaaah! Young Master!"
Someone threw themselves between them.
With a piercing scream, Tang Seo-yeon cut in.
And she immediately rushed over to Han Cheong-un, checking him all over.
"Oh my goodness... Are you alright, Young Master?"
"I'm fine. The Lord held back a lot..."
"He should have held back more! Oh dear, look at your torn clothes. Are you hurt? You're hurt, aren't you?"
"I'm not hurt."
"You are! Look at this scratch right here."
Tang Seo-yeon looked on the verge of tears, completely frantic.
Watching his daughter, the Lord let out a long sigh.
You can see your man's torn clothes, but you can't see the blood dripping from your own father's hand?
Tang Seo-yeon meticulously inspected Han Cheong-un's body to make sure he wasn't injured.
Han Cheong-un, for his part, was thoroughly flustered.
"Lady Tang, we are still in the middle of a duel."
"Who in their right mind duels a patient?!"
"But I'm fully recovered..."
"Don't lie to me!"
Tang Seo-yeon turned her head and glared sharply at her father.
Behind her, Han Cheong-un scratched his head awkwardly and spoke.
"Um... shall we continue?"
"Forget it. The mood is ruined."
He didn't just sound like the mood was ruined; he sounded downright sulky.
It was uncharacteristic of the Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family, a man renowned for his ruthless poison arts, but it showed a human side that was rather pleasant to see.
I wonder if I can ask him for that favor now.
Han Cheong-un addressed the Lord with a polite and serious expression.
"My Lord. May I ask a favor of you?"
"A favor?"
"Yes. It is a request I hope you will grant."
His eyes burned with solemn determination.
The moment the Lord saw that look, he guessed what it was.
Ah... so it has come to this.
Well, he understood.
Was this not a young man who loved his daughter enough to risk his very life for her?
Thanks to this youth's sacrifice, his daughter's life had been saved, freeing her from the curse of the Myriad Poisons Body so she could live a normal life.
Furthermore, his daughter's heart...
"Ah..."
Was completely stolen. Hook, line, and sinker.
Just look at her shy, expectant face.
They say raising a daughter is just doing a favor for another man...
He understood, but he couldn't help but feel a bit bitter.
He had never been able to care for her properly before, and he had hoped to spend time making up for it now...
But that is just a parent's selfishness.
Resigning himself to fate, the Lord let out a sigh and spoke.
"Speak."
"You must promise to grant it."
He's really pushing for a guarantee, isn't he?
"Very well. I will grant it. So speak."
At the Lord's slightly irritated prompting, Han Cheong-un dropped to one knee and clasped his hands respectfully.
"My Lord. Please give me..."
Just spit it out already.
"Your son!"
"You what, punk?!"