The Five Poisons 2
Once the talk of another proposal and the five venomous creatures came up, the connection that immediately sprang to mind was, of course, the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Art I had cultivated.
When I asked whether it had anything to do with that, Grandfather, the Myriad Poison Divine Lord, nodded as expected.
"It seems the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Art I've learned has some connection to those five poisons?"
"That's my So-ryong for you. Yes, you're right. The Five Poisons Returning to Origin Art was originally built upon the five poisons. Centipede, snake, scorpion, lizard, and toad. Those five venomous creatures form both the foundation of the art and the poisons themselves."
Grandfather's answer confirmed it exactly as I'd thought. And the coincidental fact that two of the five venomous creatures at the root of the art were already among the little ones I was raising sent a surge of anticipation through me.
One was a lower-grade specimen and the other didn't even have a name yet, but they were still my kids, weren't they? Honestly, the Ten Legendary Poisons might sound impressive as a title, but how could they possibly compare to the children I was raising myself?
It was like the difference between an idol and your girlfriend. You get the idea. A girlfriend you can actually hold is far more precious than an idol you can never touch.
Still, venomous lizards native to Asia were rare, and our Snow Ice Lizards didn't have any poison either, so the fact that lizards were counted among the five poisons left me tilting my head. Before I could ask about it, though, Grandfather continued his explanation.
"In the Tang Clan, we divide venomous creatures broadly into two categories. Ordinary beasts, and spirit beasts. Ordinary beasts are your common snakes, centipedes, lizards, and the like. Spirit beasts are those with extraordinary powers, superior intelligence, or an inner elixir. Within those, of course, there are still upper, middle, and lower grades."
Spirit beasts—so that was what all the fuss was about. If they were smart and capable, they counted as spirit beasts. By that measure, the friends I had brought back certainly qualified, so I quickly followed up.
"Ah, so the Golden-Haired Bee King, the Ice-Snow Lizards, the Azure-Spotted Centipede, and the Human-Faced Spider I captured all count as spirit beasts?"
Seol and Bing had no records even in the Tang Clan, so I had named them as a new species myself. The Ice-Snow Lizard. Naming rights belonged to the discoverer, and I had exercised mine.
Grandfather nodded and continued.
"Yes, just as you said, the venomous creatures you brought back are all spirit beasts. That is precisely why we wanted to make you another proposal. Originally, the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Art is an inner cultivation method that accepts the five poisons of those five venomous creatures. But ordinary beasts have venom too weak to achieve true mastery, so the Tang Clan improved the current version of the art to also accept toxic herbs, poisonous mushrooms, or refined poisons."
"Then…?"
"The original form of the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Art is called the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Divine Art."
Just one extra character—divine—tacked onto the name, and suddenly it sounded far more impressive. Grandfather's explanation only reinforced that feeling.
"You already have the venom of two spirit beasts ready—the centipede and the lizard. If you can obtain the venom of spirit-beast-grade snake, scorpion, and toad as well, you can complete the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Divine Art with the powerful poisons it was originally meant for: five kinds of spirit-beast venom. That is why we wanted to ask whether you would be willing to cultivate it."
In other words, this was not the version the Tang Clan had modified for its martial artists, but a chance to learn the original art itself—the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Divine Art. The problem, as always, was the lizards. Our Seol and Bing had no poison.
"But Grandfather, the Snow Ice Lizards don't have any venom, do they?"
Grandfather shook his head at my question.
"I examined them carefully. The lizards you brought have no fangs, true enough, but they carry a poison that plunges a person into extreme cold."
"They do?!"
"Yes. The cold aura they release is the poison itself."
I had no idea. Our Seol and Bing actually had venom. Grandfather had asked to examine them, and I had shown them to him, but I never imagined he would find a poison even I didn't know about. When my surprise showed on my face, Grandfather smiled.
"So now two paths have opened before you. One is to accept the venom of the Azure-Spotted Centipede and the Snow Ice Lizards, and pursue mastery of the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Divine Art. The other is to accept the venom of the Human-Faced Spider—one of the Ten Legendary Poisons—and begin filling the slots of the Ten Poisons Twin Origin Art one by one."
Listening to him, it sounded like I was being asked to choose: ride the five-poisons tech tree with spirit-beast-grade five poisons, or slowly climb the ten-poisons tech tree by gathering the Ten Legendary Poisons.
That's right! A tech-tree choice has to show up at least once. But damn—this is a choice where I can't give up either side!
Even in my past life, when I played RPGs, the most important thing had always been the skill tree. Depending on which tree you chose, you either became a garbage character or a god-tier one. So of course I had to take this seriously.
Just as my engagement to my future sister-in-law had been the choice of a lifetime, the skill tree would be a decision that determined my entire life in this martial world. It was like being forced to choose between the little centipedes and my future sister-in-law. That kind of impossible question.
When he saw the conflicted look on my face, Grandfather added more explanation.
"Originally, knowing you already had the Azure-Spotted Centipede and that you would be bringing lizards, we intended to recommend you pursue mastery of the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Divine Art. It is a magnificent divine art in its own right, and the Ten Legendary Poisons are not something one simply stumbles across without heaven-sent luck. Of course, even if you choose the five poisons, you will not be limited to only five. You can still fill all ten poison slots, so there is no need to worry on that account. However…"
From what followed, if I chose the venom of the centipedes and the lizards, I would not be able to accept any other poisons until I had completed the five by filling in the snake, toad, and scorpion. After that, I could add whatever I liked. But the five-poisons tech tree came with a drawback.
I would have to abandon two of the Ten Legendary Poisons.
Snake, toad, and scorpion each had counterparts among the Ten Legendary Poisons, so those could still be chosen even on the five-poisons path. But if I took the venom of the lower-grade Azure-Spotted Centipede and of Bing and Seol, the Snow Ice Lizards, then two of the Ten Legendary Poisons would have to be discarded. My capacity couldn't handle more than ten; once those ten slots were full, I couldn't learn anything else.
"Is it impossible to complete the five poisons using only the Ten Legendary Poisons?"
I asked with one last shred of hope, though I knew he would only have mentioned it if it were impossible. Grandfather shook his head as expected.
"We have everything else, but there is no lizard among the Ten Legendary Poisons."
In the end, even if I tried to complete the five poisons with the Ten Legendary Poisons alone, I would still have to drop one. Forced to choose between the two tech trees, I began to wrestle with the decision in earnest.
Five poisons or ten? That is the question.
On the way back after speaking with the two elders, as I headed toward the four-courtyard residence, my future sister-in-law's voice reached me.
"So-ryong, you don't have to feel bound to the ten poisons because of your promise to me. From what I heard, the records are incomplete, but even from the documents that remain, the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Divine Art looks like a fully formidable divine art. So even if the Ten Legendary Poisons end up as only eight or nine, that's fine. I want you to make the decision you truly want."
She was saying she was all right with whatever I chose, so I should decide for myself. Now that she had stamped me as hers with a firm bang-bang of the engagement seal, she seemed to have grown remarkably generous.
"You've already done more than enough, and the path of the ten poisons could be far too difficult…"
One of the good things about being engaged was that I no longer had to call her "young lady"—I could use her name directly. I spoke it with quiet weight.
"Hwa-eun. Thank you for thinking of me."
"Ah… it's nothing…"
She was saying it out of concern for me, but it was still a choice I couldn't make lightly. Choosing the five poisons meant that, in the end, one of the Ten Legendary Poisons of the Central Plains would be missing from the set. And yet if I declared I would climb the ten-poisons tech tree, I would somehow feel guilty toward the little centipedes and our Seol and Bing.
Besides, "ten poisons" sounded cool, while "nine poisons" just made me think of "subscribe and like." On the other hand, "five poisons" had a certain weight of its own, so the dilemma was real.
This is a hard problem. Haa…
Father-in-law had said that whichever tech tree I chose, the preparatory process for the grand method would be the same; only the core poison material added at the end would differ. So the preparations had already begun. While the grand method was being readied, my fretting continued—until about two days later.
"So-ryong, the little centipedes look like they're about to molt again!"
I was alone in my room wrestling with the decision when Hwa-eun burst in. I followed her out, and sure enough, the little centipedes were undergoing their second molt atop the pavilion.
From the second molt onward, they would take on the exact same coloration as their mother. Just like the first time, their heads were emerging from the old shells first.
"So now they'll finally look like true Azure-Spotted Centipedes, right, So-ryong?"
"That's right. Blue spots will start appearing on their bodies."
The little centipedes were like Dalmatians—black base with blue spots. Judging by the image of their mother I had seen in the dream, that was probably what they would become. Both Hwa-eun and I were growing eager to see just how adorable they would look… until a thought struck me and the pure delight faded.
Wait a second. This isn't something I can just be happy about, is it?
I had the sinking feeling the little centipedes would not finish hardening their bodies before the day of the grand method. Even ordinary centipedes needed a full day for their shells to dry and harden; based on the last molt, these ones would clearly take longer. And the preparations for the grand method might finish within a day or two.
The lizards' venom was special and required its own extraction process, so I had been debating whether to use the little centipedes or Yo-hwa's venom as the first poison. But if the centipedes couldn't harden and wake up, I wouldn't be able to use their venom at all. Touching or handling them while their bodies were still soft after a molt could leave them permanently deformed or cause other problems.
The real issue was that once the window for the grand method passed, all the prepared medicines would have to be discarded. I couldn't simply keep waiting for the little centipedes' bodies to harden.
In the end, two days later, the grand method prepared for me was carried out in the Grand Method Hall of the Tang Clan's Hall of Myriad Poisons—without waiting for the little centipedes. The moment I reported their condition to Grandfather and Father-in-law, preparations for my grand method had kicked into high gear, and now they were finally complete.
It was something else, wasn't it?
The preparations had begun with the brewing of medicines in the Medicine Hall inside the Hall of Myriad Poisons. Hundreds of medicine pots lined up in rows, each filled with dozens or even hundreds of herbs, boiled down, the liquid pressed out, cooled, and poured into the massive jar standing at the center of the Grand Method Hall. That was the first stage.
Then several poisons and even the blood of venomous creatures were added to the liquid gathered in that enormous jar—the second stage. Once the mixture had been left to stabilize for a full day, Father-in-law and Grandfather, the Myriad Poison Divine Lord, summoned me to the Clan Head's Hall.
"So-ryong, everything is ready now. Shall we go?"
"Yes, Father-in-law."
I had already steeled myself the moment the little centipedes began their molt. It might be extremely painful, but I had been told Yo-hwa's venom was a paralytic and wouldn't hurt too badly, which was some comfort at least.
I followed the two of them to the Grand Method Hall. In the middle of a cavern floored with flat stone sat the great jar. The distinctive scent of herbal medicine rose thickly from within. As soon as we arrived, Father-in-law and Grandfather spoke.
"From this moment we will begin the grand method. So-ryong, remove your clothes and sit inside the jar."
"Understood, Grandfather."
The process was this: I would sit in the prepared medicine with only my neck above the surface. A single drop of the venomous creature's poison would be dripped in to trigger a reaction, after which the prepared medicines would be added so that my body absorbed the creature's venom. That was the entirety of the grand method.
I ran through the steps I had already memorized once more in my head, then undressed in a changing area set a good distance away. After that I hurried to the jar and immersed myself from the tips of my toes upward.
Sinking into the medicine felt a bit like a herbal sauna. Nothing particularly special. At that moment Hwa-eun entered the Grand Method Hall with Yo-hwa and the children. We had decided to bring Yo-hwa because of the venom needed for the grand method.
"So-ryong. The children are awake."
"Oh, are they?"
Behind Hwa-eun came Yo-hwa, with Seol and Bing perched on her shoulders. And at Hwa-eun's feet, three little ones scuttled rapidly toward me. I had expected them to look exactly like their mother now that they had fully taken on a centipede's form, but strangely, they still had a yellow base color with prominent blue spots. I was wondering whether their bodies simply hadn't finished drying yet when they spotted me from a distance and came racing over.
They had grown broad enough that wrapping them around an arm would no longer mean just the forearm—they would cover the entire length. And since they no longer needed to draw energy from Hwa-eun, they seemed free to roam as they pleased, their movements sharp and quick.
"Cho, Hyang, Bin—you've all gotten so pretty."
I decided to leave the mystery of their color for later. Looking down from the jar, I praised them, and the three of them immediately scrambled up onto the rim. They draped their heads over the edge and peered at me with curiosity, fascinated by the sight of me sitting in the medicine.
"It's dangerous. Go stay with your mother."
I told them to back away in case they fell in. That was the moment Cho's antenna brushed the surface of the liquid. Startled, Cho flailed wildly, thrashing its antennae in panic.
Chrrrrrr! Chrrr!
"Hwa-eun, Cho dipped its antenna into the medicine. You need to rinse it with water right away!"
"Cho did?! Cho, come here!"
Just as Hwa-eun scooped Cho up—
Plop.
A single drop of venom fell from the startled Cho's mouth. The instant that drop of Cho's poison landed in the jar, the liquid began to bubble and seethe.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle!
So what the hell was I agonizing over for days?
Apparently our little daughter wanted her dad to learn the five poisons.