Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The True Nature of the Body
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The full-length mirror hanging on the wall right in front of me.
I gazed at myself lying there in its reflection.
The image of the Dark Venerable, who had shaken the world as an absolute master, faded away,
replaced by a frail boy with a cloth pressed to his nose to staunch the flowing blood, his face glum.
The disconnect left me momentarily dumbfounded, just as the doctor who had been examining me finished his check-up.
"You've overexerted yourself too much."
"Overexerted...?"
"Yes, young master. But don't worry. A bit of rest, and you'll be up in no time."
Was this my current state? Like a soft persimmon, ready to burst at the slightest squeeze?
How pathetic...
It felt all too real now. It really did.
Thanks for bringing me back to the Eneris Continent and hammering home exactly what condition I'm in.
Thanks a lot, body of mine.
The doctor bowed to me.
"Then I'll take my leave. And you lot—report any symptoms immediately if anything comes up."
"Yes, doctor!"
Having given instructions to Marian and Nellin, who had been waiting, the doctor left the room.
Once he was gone, I rubbed my face dry.
"Haa..."
Was there ever such an embarrassing kind of embarrassment?
A laugh escaped me, but this must be my reality now.
Marian and Nellin sat on either side, gravely analyzing why I'd collapsed.
"Must've been too much of a walk."
"The sun too hot...? Yeah, that has to be it. It was scorching."
But the weather had been mild, and the hill was right there in front of us?
No, this body was just that weak.
Maybe my expression had stiffened from sheer disbelief at how pathetic it was? Marian offered words of encouragement to cheer me up.
"Don't worry, young master. They say this doctor's the best in the area."
Hmm... Would I even see that doctor again?
This room used to have doctors coming and going all the time.
Each time, they'd diagnose me, and I'd get my hopes up.
But soon the seasons would change, and so would the doctor.
Diagnoses varied, treatments varied.
But the result was always the same.
Treatment failed.
Disappointment after disappointment, year after year.
My family never gave up on me, calling in renowned physicians from far and wide, but they all shook their heads.
Unknown illness, incurable.
Or rather... a congenital constitution...
That's what they always said.
It was always like that.
A body like God had forgotten one crucial piece while putting it together.
Falling would break bones, lifting a sword made me wobble.
Now the memories were flooding back.
After rubbing my face once more, I lifted my head.
"Marian."
"Yes, young master."
"About me collapsing... does anyone know?"
"Um... the Blue Eagle Knights, Nellin and I, and the servants in this mansion where you stay?"
"Quite a few, huh. Then ask them not to tell Mother."
"Ah...! Yes, understood."
I didn't want to face Mother looking like this for no reason.
If I had to see her, it'd be properly—not this frail, making her worry.
When we meet, it'll be with a smile.
For that, I needed to build up this body some.
It felt stiff and my energy was low.
To think I'd end up back in my room like this...
In a way, it was just like the old me.
I turned my head quietly, and my eyes fell on the bookshelves packed full of tomes.
Those books...
It's been a while.
Anyone seeing the shelves full might think I loved books, but they'd be wrong.
I didn't particularly like them.
I read them only because they let me see the world.
And to gain some knowledge, so at least I could pretend to be human.
So they weren't fond memories.
"Hmmm..."
Sitting up in this sickbed felt all too familiar.
As if the bed itself was telling me:
You're not Dang Cheol-woo of the Sichuan Tang Clan. You're Deyan.
"We'll take our leave! Rest well!"
"Huh, why...?"
"Nellin, come on!"
Marian must've sensed I wanted to be alone; she grabbed Nellin's wrist and hurried out.
Classic Marian.
Alone in the room.
So familiar.
It was exactly like before. I'd chew on solitude, slowly stranding myself.
Reasons like laziness or excuses lined up, but the root was one thing.
This frail body.
It had chained me down.
This room was like a prison...
Back to that first life. If I just lay here quietly?
I'd end up the same as before.
I absolutely refused. So what to fix first?
To change everything, start with the flesh.
No more fainting from this rotten body.
What could I even do with this weakness?
Decision made—like pulling a rotten tooth all at once—I sat cross-legged to inspect my body.
Before forging the vessel, I needed a precise diagnosis.
Know the illness, know the problem, right?
Ssssssh...
"...?"
I scanned my body once and tilted my head.
Oh ho...?
I hadn't noticed back then.
This body was incredibly interesting.
"What a mess this body is. A total mess."
This was like a leaky poison jar, wasn't it?
My head was foggy with impurities, and below, poison qi had set up a full household.
A disgusting wriggling, like dozens or hundreds of venomous bugs.
Now I knew why my past self's desperate efforts had failed.
In this state, what could anyone do?
Why was it like this...?
I was poisoned. My whole body full, like I'd fallen into a vat of it.
I couldn't pinpoint the exact cause.
I'd thought it was just frailty, but this couldn't happen naturally.
Someone had done this deliberately...
Which bastard could it be?
No... I had suspects. But why me?
I pondered briefly, but the conclusion was simple.
Fix this body first.
My past self couldn't diagnose it properly, but now, with two lives—especially as the Dark Venerable—I could.
If I couldn't remodel one lousy body, I'd have to ditch the Dark Venerable title.
So where to start?
What else? Forge the dantian first.
No matter how mighty the arts, if my body was a paper cup, it couldn't hold them.
Here, they called it a mana heart, right?
A mana heart was like a dantian, but oriented differently.
For me, no need to make one.
Why bother?
Our paths diverged.
So what root to plant in this flesh?
Obviously, a core technique mighty enough to support the world.
Which one? The Dark Heaven Divine Art, handed down only to clan heads?
Or the Great Twelve Meridians Art, famed for quick progress?
No, neither.
The problem was this body—riddled with poison, trash.
But doesn't everything have a purpose?
This body did. I knew the use for flesh no one else wanted.
The Sichuan Tang Clan's technique I'd clung to till death would transform this worthless body into a priceless treasure.
This one.
Ten Thousand Poisons Heavenly King Divine Art.
A martial art that absorbs poison qi to strengthen body and inner force.
This would be the foundation for everything in this life.
Sounds like the clan's best, right?
Eh... not at all.
It was treated like a hot potato.
Legend said even Poison Freak—a genius in clan history—created it through research...
If I'd seen it as a novice, not the Dark Venerable, I'd have tossed it.
- To become the king of ten thousand poisons, eat them all yourself.
Created by Poison Freak, one of the Sichuan Tang Clan's great warriors, its essence is consuming poison—converting it to inner force.
Who in their right mind builds power by eating poison?
Even carefully dosed, one slip and you're dead. A finicky art.
So tricky, only geniuses or peak masters could grasp it.
And prepping the body took three years minimum.
Starting way behind.
And even then, efficiency sucked.
Would you pick it as a beginner, head pounding just hearing it?
Of course not.
Plenty of better arts. Why bother?
Thus, for centuries, it gathered dust as a half-baked relic.
But the funny part?
It was the clan's dream: the path to the Body of Ten Thousand Poisons.
Why didn't anyone know?
Because it wasn't complete—just messy scribbles of ideas.
Poison Freak's notes were too jumbled; no successor had the insight or time to sort them.
Lucky I, in retirement with time aplenty, found it.
Otherwise, they'd have missed the answer right under their noses.
Though... I didn't leave it for the clan, deeming it too risky.
Now it's mine to practice. Who cares?
Past life's experience and realm,
this life's body in harmony—talk about turning misfortune to fortune!
But... can't rush everything at once.
Still time to rest.
Moderation turns greed to medicine; excess to poison.
"Haste makes waste" is timeless truth.
Exceptions exist... but not for this technique.
Like building a house: level the ground first.
Solid foundation needed.
For that, more poison than now—but sunlight streamed through the window, urging me to rise.
"Hm...?"
Dawn had passed already.
But I wasn't sleepy. Pondering martial arts was always fun.
Poisons could be sourced many ways anyway.
Think on it later?
Besides...
Grrrowl...
Stomach growling.
Come to think of it, I was looking forward to this. No matter how they tried recreating it in the jianghu, spices and ingredients differed—never quite right.
I'd longed for home's taste my whole life.
Now I could have it?
I hurried out of bed.
Creeeak.
Opening the door, servants bustled with meal prep.
Marian, wiping the table, spotted me and grinned.
"Young master, right on time for breakfast?"
"Breakfast, huh. Looking forward to it. What's on the menu?"
Nellin beamed confidently.
"We got top-quality meat for your health."
The taste of home after so long.
Memories to savor.
Jianghu and Eneris ingredients were worlds apart.
Not better or worse—just different cultures, deeper divides.
In the Sichuan Tang Clan, we'd even begged imperial chefs to recreate childhood flavors.
No dice.
Some spices just didn't exist.
Besides, childhood tastes were more emotion than quality.
So my appetite stirred.
Fork and knife flanked the plate.
Using fork and knife instead of chopsticks—long time no see.
But...
"Hm...?"
Marian and Nellin tilted their heads. Realizing my blunder, I chuckled.
My left hand was twirling the knife like a flying dagger.
Habits die hard.
"No matter. Food's coming soon anyway."
"Of course!"
Marian pointed to the door. Cooks arrived with a silver tray.
They lifted the lid and...
"Hm...?"
I couldn't help frowning.
What was this?
"What is this...?"
At my curt tone, Marian gripped the tray tightly.
"Pardon? What's wrong? We brought it special because it's good..."
"Is that so? Hm..."
A steak on the silver tray.
My hypersensitive nose caught a foreign something amid the meaty aroma.
To think I'd sense the Tang Clan's scent here...
Not thrilled about reliving past lives like this.
The steak before me.
It contained poison.