Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Chapter Ten: Curing Poison (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A foul stench slammed into his nose like a punch.
Dizziness hit him in an instant. His body lost its balance, spinning wildly.
'Poison!'
His skin was already stinging.
A sharp pain spread, like thin slices being shaved off his flesh with a razor.
Too late! He was already poisoned.
The convulsions came on fast. There was no way to confirm it now, but his legs were surely numb by this point.
Quick and intense.
'This is a deadly poison!'
There were poisons that guaranteed death once they entered the body, and this was one of them.
Who would unleash something this terrifying?
Of course, a poison master could deploy their toxins anywhere, anytime. But this was a manor where dozens of people lived together.
Could anyone really use poison like this here?
Unless they planned to turn the entire estate into a land of death and never set foot in it again... If they intended to use it afterward, no one would resort to this.
Grid searches followed by poison...
It screamed determination to catch the rat no matter what.
He had stumbled into the wrong place. People this ruthless weren't worth provoking. They'd likely hound him relentlessly until they got their prey.
Turning a whole manor into a death trap wasn't something just anyone could pull off.
No, that wasn't the priority right now. Survival was.
There was a way to avoid getting drunk.
Observe the reactions in your body after drinking. Of course, it was incredibly difficult.
Alcohol was a drug, after all.
Drugs entered the body and were absorbed into the blood and organs without conscious awareness. They acted independently of one's will.
All you could perceive was the act of pouring it into your mouth.
Once it slid down the throat, you had no idea where it went or what it did.
The second awareness came only when the effects kicked in, triggering involuntary responses.
Face flushing red, slurred speech, stumbling gait...
Only then did you realize the alcohol was ravaging your system.
Start with a tiny amount.
Sip one small cup and feel how the buzz moves through you.
Distinguish normal from abnormal states.
Day one ends there.
Day two, down the second cup.
The key was that alcohol triggered specific reactions once inside, and you couldn't stop those outright.
All a person could do was suppress drunken movements and steel the will for normal behavior. Observing the body while drinking served that purpose.
When spotting abnormal reactions unrelated to your intent, suppress them calmly. Watch until the effects subside.
Maintain the normal state this way.
He knew what normal felt like.
The Four Decisions didn't just detail ways to kill. It also taught survival.
When poisoned, the first priority was antidotes.
If possible, administer one immediately upon realizing you've been poisoned. The sooner, the better—before it triggers its effects.
Even if already afflicted, antidote it.
This was the second-best option, but there were no alternatives. Poisoning had only one counter: detoxification.
Third and final: if neither works, endure it.
Truthfully, the third made no sense.
Some deadly poisons drilled holes in your guts. Others melted livers or stomachs, brains or hearts.
There was no blocking such internal havoc through willpower.
That's why it was called the most foolish last resort.
These were basic truths not worth stating.
Yet the Four Decisions mentioned them, using alcohol as an example: observe calmly and steadily.
Four Thousand Four pulled a pill from his robes and popped it in his mouth.
An everyday remedy. Not potent enough to neutralize this poison, but better than nothing. Maybe it'd help even a little.
Next... observe the body's reactions.
When abnormality struck, grit your teeth and force a return to normal.
Never lose mental focus.
"No one enters for the next seven days and nights."
Poison Descent Elder Tang Zhong tossed a rat into the manor.
The rat startled and bolted, but collapsed after barely a foot.
It convulsed violently.
The spasms stopped soon after. It stiffened rigid, then blood trickled from its eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
"This place is forbidden for seven days and nights. Even I can't enter."
"What about after seven days?"
Yi Seom Sword Demon Chu Hak asked.
"Clean it first. Wash everything from the main gate to every corner with water. Then it'll be fine."
"Poison this strong... It's both terrifying and fascinating."
"Hahaha!"
Tang Zhong laughed heartily.
The manor had become a land of death.
Every living thing inside was dead—birds, beasts, all of it. And for the next seven days, anything entering would perish too.
'Dead!'
Endurance lasted less than an hour.
Truth be told, surviving that long was miraculous. If Tang Zhong had watched, he'd have fainted in shock.
An hour! In poisoned agony?
As he spread the toxin, Tang Zhong had doubted if seven days' duration was necessary.
Blanketing the Central Plains in deadly poison would kill everything instantly. A full day at most, or just one or two hours minimum. Any assassin inside would be done by then.
Instant death upon poisoning!
This wasn't ordinary poison. It was the pinnacle of the Sacheon Tang Clan's deadly poison legacy.
Yet Four Thousand Four endured an hour in its midst.
You couldn't stop a drug from acting once inside... Or could you? Not entirely, but partially. Some could even be expelled.
The Four Decisions explained this principle.
But Four Thousand Four hadn't grasped it fully. He took the surface-level words literally: just observe.
Still, it had some effect.
During observation, his qi stirred.
The movement was too subtle for him to notice. Unconsciously, qi surged toward the poison, gently enveloping the toxin inside him.
He remained oblivious.
All his focus was on his body's state. Guessing internal happenings was impossible.
His qi slowed the poison's spread.
An hour was the limit his qi could hold. At his current level, no more.
Four Thousand Four didn't know this. He only knew he couldn't endure longer. Staying meant certain death.
Sss!
He hauled himself up.
The manor stood empty. He'd heard everyone withdraw. All occupants had fled outside.
He crawled out from under the corridor.
His poisoned body trembled uncontrollably. Limbs were limp. Nausea surged, head spun, organs felt shredded.
Escape the manor to survive.
But practically, escape was impossible.
Euldo Sect and Sinwol Sect disciples still surrounded it airtight.
So, seek life within.
The whole estate a death zone... Where to go, how to live?
He crawled on, inching along.
Water. He'd seen the pond inside the main hall. From his corridor spot to the main hall was barely ten paces. Just cross the inner gate.
He didn't expect the pond to be clean.
If they'd wrecked the manor this badly, the pond was poisoned too. Death filled it.
"Urgh!"
With every ounce of strength, he crossed the inner gate.
The pond came into view at once. Carp and crucians floated belly-up.
Poisoned water, as expected.
Find a poison-free spot. Even if treating the poisoning later, no more exposure. He'd had enough already.
He crawled desperately, crossing the courtyard where he'd killed three warriors, into the main hall where merchants and travelers had stayed.
It was poison central here too.
Still, he came because... it offered spaces to survive.
"He's alive!"
Tang Zhong muttered first.
"Is that really... What is that guy? How is he surviving?"
Zhuge Soso's eyes widened.
The assassin had vanished. Evaporated clean. No trace of escape from the manor.
So... still inside.
Zhuge Soso had predicted he'd move once the manor emptied. If hiding, it'd be between main and outer halls, in the inner hall.
She and Tang Zhong climbed a massive old tree overlooking the inner hall to watch.
Her hunch was right. The assassin crawled from under the inner hall corridor, inching along.
Hiding there? Merchants had grid-searched, even checked under corridors. How'd he survive?
And in Poison Descent Elder Tang Zhong's deadly toxin, no less.
Couldn't walk, just crawling—so poisoned, yet...
"It's been about an hour since I spread the poison there... I'd love to ask how he's alive."
"No way to survive? Some method?"
"None. Even I couldn't manage there. Instant death. Impressive fellow."
Tang Zhong shook his head.
Sss! Plop!
Without hesitation, he plunged into the outhouse pit.
No strength left to endure. No crawling power remaining. Fortunately, he'd reached it while he could. No time for second thoughts.
The foul stench and merchants' excrement engulfed him.
First, he checked the depth.
The inner hall had an outhouse too, but for many users, over a fathom deep. Dangerous if unconscious.
That's why the saying "die drowned in shit"—exactly his risk.
So he'd dragged himself to the main hall.
This was merchants' private outhouse. Few users, maybe only hall guests.
No need for deep digging.
Even the poisoner skipped outhouses. Why poison shit?
Luckily, it was shallow. As expected from the smell—frequently cleaned. Lying back, his back touched bottom.
For now, passing out seemed fine.
But he wouldn't. To the end, as long as his body allowed, he'd monitor until the last moment.
'One!'
Body and mind in optimal state.
Now, watch the body. See how the poison ravaged it.
Outhouse ghosts dwell here.
They release "karma," so offerings from outside go to them first.
May the outhouse ghost release his karma.
May it cure his poisoning.
Four Thousand Four lost consciousness. The poison was too vicious to endure with willpower alone.