Poisonous Creature Garden 1
The Tang Family was in complete chaos thanks to those Blood Cult bastards showing up.
Several Tang warriors had been killed or wounded, and on top of that, fellow righteous murim sects had flocked to the Tang estate under the pretext of offering help.
According to my sister, the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect—both based right here in Sichuan—had dispatched people the moment their carrier pigeons arrived. The relatively nearby Wudang Sect and Zhuge Family from Hubei were also on their way.
As it turned out, the Blood Cult were a heretical cult that abducted people to harvest their vital blood. Thirty years ago they had carried out a mass slaughter and become public enemies of the entire murim. People called them an Evil Cult, and my sister said they were even worse trash than the black path or demonic factions.
Coming from the Tang Family—who casually practiced cocktail therapy on living people—calling someone trash put them at nuclear-waste level of garbage. If the Sichuan Tang Family, who freely catch and kill people, call them trash, just how trashy can they possibly be?
On top of that, the Murim Alliance in Wuhan, Hubei—a sort of federation of murim folk—was also sending people to investigate. Apparently this was a very big deal.
That was why so many visitors were pouring in. A strategy meeting of sorts had been convened in Xuanwu Hall, the clan head’s residence, to receive the Qingcheng and Emei people who had arrived first.
“How goes the search of the surrounding area?”
At Grandfather’s question, the sect leader of Qingcheng—Baekheoja, who had rushed over with several dozen disciples—explained the results of the past three days of searching.
The Tang Family had already conducted one sweep, but with so many wounded we hadn’t been able to search thoroughly. The moment the two sects arrived, Grandfather had asked them to search again.
“Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons, it seems the scum crossed the Tang Family River. We found places where moss had recently been scraped off the rocks. But we could not determine where they came from. A rain shower washed most of the traces away.”
Master Hwa-jeong of Emei, who had been listening, then reported on the search of the mountain where we had fought.
“Amitabha. We too searched for three days, yet the rain erased every track. We could not confirm from which direction they came. A regrettable matter. I only hope another storm of blood will not sweep through the murim.”
Grandfather’s face twisted with dissatisfaction and he barked,
“So tracking those bastards is hopeless, then!”
—Thud!
He slammed the table in fury; the teacups on it rattled dangerously. The moment they settled he turned to Master Hwa-jeong with a heavy sigh.
“Haah… Master Hwa-jeong, would you perform the memorial rites for my Tang Family dead? If you would oversee them, my heart would rest easier.”
“Amitabha. Of course, Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons. If you entrust it to me, I shall give it my full devotion.”
“Then I will impose upon you… Thank you.”
The memorial rites were, I assumed, the Buddhist funeral ceremonies. The eight who had died in this incident had been temporarily buried in the Tang warriors’ graveyard; the rites would be held there soon.
Eight dead in total. Rather than killing cleanly, the enemy had seemed intent on inflicting pain—draining just enough blood and then tossing the warriors aside. In the end eight had bled out. Considering the scale of that bloodbath the number was small, yet for the Tang Family it was a bone-deep loss. Among them had been a warrior who had been assigned to the same search party as me and run the mountain trails at my side. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I still didn’t fully understand it, but knowing that someone who had lived inside the same fence and raced the same mountain paths was now dead felt strangely hollow. Is this what family means?
With the funeral request the short meeting seemed about to end. I was watching for a chance to slip away from my sister’s side when my eyes met those of a nun standing behind Master Hwa-jeong.
“Ah!”
The moment she saw my face she jolted in surprise. Nun Yeonsu, was it? I gave her a small nod. She had only ever seen me before I ate the Golden-Haired Bee King’s royal jelly; no wonder she was startled.
“Have you two met before?”
Master Hwa-jeong immediately asked why her disciple had reacted that way. Realizing her slip, Nun Yeonsu hurriedly explained with an apologetic look.
“Ah, forgive me. On the way back from collecting alms last time we briefly crossed paths, and his appearance is so different now…”
“Ah… is that so? Now that you mention it, this young hero is new to me. Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons, would you introduce him? If he is present here he must be of the direct Tang bloodline, yet I have never heard of such a young hero among you.”
At Master Hwa-jeong’s request Grandfather smiled and called my name.
“So-ryong.”
Clearly an order to step forward and greet them. I quickly left my sister’s side, took one step into the open, and offered a fist-and-palm salute to the gathering. In my past life people had always said I was quick-witted and smooth, after all.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Wi So-ryong.”
Yet even after my polite greeting, people tilted their heads. Then the same question spilled from every mouth.
“Wi?”
“Wi?”
This was the Sichuan Tang Family—why was there a Wi? Having a Wi at a meeting reserved for the direct bloodline clearly puzzled them.
Grandfather explained with a smile, simple and clear.
“My grandson-in-law.”
“Grandson-in-law…?”
“Grandson-in-law, Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons?”
At his words my sister’s cheeks turned the color of rouge. The guests looked back and forth between us, finally grasping the situation, and stared in shock.
“Then… Lady Hwa-eun’s—?”
“Heavens, one of the Three Flowers of the Murim given to such a young hero?”
Every gaze in the clan head’s hall locked onto me and Sister Hwa-eun, and curious questions poured out.
“Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons, would you introduce this young hero properly? To bestow your treasured granddaughter upon one so young… it is hard to believe. You always said you would give her to no one…”
“I am most curious as well. I have heard that Tang Family sons-in-law often possess special talents… just how special must he be to have won Lady Hwa-eun…?”
They wanted to know what kind of fellow I was—how outstanding I had to be to claim a beauty like my sister. In my past life you would have needed to save the country just to stand a chance of meeting someone like her. I hadn’t even managed to save my own life.
When the questions finally died down, Grandfather rose, clapped my shoulder, and answered with a smile.
“This boy caught two of the Blood Cult infiltrators this time.”
The Qingcheng and Emei guests nodded, looking mildly impressed.
“Two of the underlings an elder of the Blood Cult drags around!? The young hero’s martial arts must be formidable. Those who guard an elder are never easy…”
“Amitabha. A youth not yet twenty, taking down two vicious Blood Cult dogs… truly a blessing for the murim.”
I thought only the Tang Family was weird, but this whole world is weird… These murim people heard that a fifteen-year-old boy had killed two men and, instead of being shocked, nodded as if it were a praiseworthy achievement.
But Grandfather’s next words made their eyes fly wide with disbelief.
“No. What So-ryong caught were not mere Blood Cult warriors. They were elders of the Blood Cult.”
A brief silence. At first they seemed to think they had misheard; they stared at Grandfather and cocked their heads. When he simply nodded again, they cried out in disbelief.
“E-elders!? This young hero truly captured elders of the Blood Cult!?”
“Amitabha. The Lord of Ten Thousand Poisons does not seem one to jest, yet how could the young hero…?”
While the startled guests fired questions, Mandok Singun Grandfather wore a thoroughly pleased smile. A little chaos of my own settled into my chest. In this world, it seemed the ones who killed well were the ones who received recognition. By that standard I was off to a very well-recognized start.
“So-ryong, I have a request for you. Do you think you can manage it?”
That evening Grandfather quietly summoned me to his quarters. He seated me in front of him and suddenly said he had a favor to ask.
“What sort of request, Grandfather? If it is something I can do, I will give it my full devotion.”
He nodded and began to explain the circumstances.
“It is this. People from the Murim Alliance will arrive soon.”
“Yes, I have heard as much.”
I already knew about the Murim Alliance, the federation of murim people; Sister had explained it. They were sending investigators for this incident, so I simply nodded.
“Yes. Among them will certainly be a strategist of the Alliance. I intend to show him the poison you discovered—to let them know you have found a poison that is the Blood Cult’s weakness. It is your discovery and an important one, but for the greater good we cannot keep it to ourselves alone, can we?”
He wanted to make the information public for the greater good. If those brutishly strong bastards started running wild, a few deaths would be nothing. Considering the losses the Tang Family had already suffered, sharing the information was the right decision. Fewer people would die that way. So I nodded at once.
“I understand. For a good cause, of course you should.”
“Good. Which is why there is something I would like you to do.”
I had thought the request was simply the information release, but the real favor was only beginning. When I asked what it was, Grandfather gazed out the open window toward the Hall of Myriad Poisons.
“And that is?”
“We will need a great deal of the Striped Blood Mite’s venom from now on. From what you told me, rather than catching them, extracting the venom, and killing them, raising them yields far more venom. Is that possible? Even if we tell the world their venom works well against those scum, handling the poison itself is still the Tang Family’s duty.”
In short, he wanted me to breed the Bloodstreak Woodlice and harvest their venom. That was something I had been waiting for myself, so I answered in a bright voice at once.
“Of course! Leave it to me and I will make it happen without fail.”
“Good. I hear the renovations of the Hall of Myriad Poisons are finished as well. Starting tomorrow, go to the Hall. Think of it as serving the murim and work hard.”
“Really? Understood, Grandfather!”
At last the renovations of the Hall of Myriad Poisons I had been waiting for were complete. Tonight I would sleep well… no, I would be too excited to sleep at all.
The day after receiving the request to mass-produce Striped Blood Mite venom for the sake of the murim, Sister came early in the morning and led me to my new workplace. Where? My workplace—the Hall of Myriad Poisons, of course.
Just as Grandfather had said, the interior repairs were finished. I had also been given a separate pavilion that received excellent sunlight, so today I would begin properly setting up the breeding environment.
“By the way, So-ryong, have you decided on a name for the pavilion?”
Sister asked as we walked together. She wanted to know what I would call the pavilion assigned to me. Grandfather had said it was mine and told me to name it myself. Don’t tell me she has her own ideas about the name? Or maybe she simply wanted to name it herself. Afraid she might unleash another disaster of naming sense, I answered quickly. This was one thing I absolutely refused to yield.
“Of course. I already have a name in mind.”
“What is it? A pavilion dedicated solely to handling the Tang Family’s poisonous creatures—it must be something majestic and impressive, right?”
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. I nodded and answered.
“Naturally. How about the Poisonous Creature Garden?”
“Poisonous Creature Garden?”
At the time-honored name, Sister’s eyes blinked rapidly. There’s no better name than this, you know.