Chapter 239
Chapter 239
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 239
Chapter Title: Astonishing Poison Resistance
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Poison Hall Master Tang Seokgyun let out a hollow laugh at the report from the Poison Hall physician.
He snorted repeatedly toward empty air, muttering in disbelief.
"Those idiots have now raided the first warehouse?"
The physician who had delivered the report shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes. Just moments ago, they raided one of the jars in the first warehouse."
"I've seen all kinds of lunatics. To think they'd build tolerance like that!"
He had been with the Poison Hall for over twenty years. In that time, he had studied countless poisons and venoms, but there was no crude method like this to cultivate resistance.
"If they don't end up as corpses, they'll be lucky."
It wasn't just a day or two—they'd been at it for days. A corpse or two wouldn't be surprising.
"What about the guest hall?"
"Until three days ago, screams and groans continued nonstop, then it went quiet."
"They're probably dying or on the verge of death by now."
Tang Seokgyun smirked.
"No need to look. It's obvious."
"What if something serious happened? They're still from the Nangong family. It could put the main house in a difficult position for no reason."
"Didn't they bring it on themselves? Even the Nangong family can't hold us accountable. We warned them clearly. Fools—even our main house's warriors approach poison resistance with utmost caution."
Sneering, he rose to his feet.
"Hall Master, where are you going?"
"Don't I have to check on them? They're Nangong people, after all."
"Ah!"
"And lock the warehouse doors from now on. No one enters without my permission."
The physician nodded at Tang Seokgyun's words.
If they hadn't been from the Nangong family, the warehouse wouldn't have been opened in the first place.
Tang Seokgyun headed toward the guest hall with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Tsk tsk, how are those fools supposed to help the main house?"
"Exactly. We're busy making antidotes for the showdown with the Five Venoms Sect and analyzing their poisons, yet the Hall Master has extra worries because of them."
"What can we do? It's the Family Head's will, so we follow. And..."
Tang Seokgyun trailed off with a sinister grin.
"They could serve as poison bait, couldn't they?"
"Ah!"
"We can use them for research, so it's not a total loss."
The physician was impressed by Tang Seokgyun's words.
It was an angle he hadn't considered, but they could indeed become valuable test subjects.
Using the Tang family's own members as subjects was uncomfortable, but outsiders like them were perfect for analyzing the Five Venoms Sect's poisons.
He could always make more antidote pills.
"If they dared touch Poison Hall goods, they should be prepared for that much."
"Mm!"
"Don't worry. It's all for the main house, so the Family Head will understand. Useless fools like them have to be of some help, even like this."
Those around them nodded in agreement.
Tang Seokgyun and the physicians soon arrived at the guest hall.
He took a deep breath and flung the door open.
Bang!
"Hey!"
Bellowing loudly, Tang Seokgyun stormed in and scanned the room with bulging eyes.
"From now on, we're reclaiming Poison Hall's poisons..."
His voice grew louder, but his head slowly tilted to the side.
What the hell is all this?
Huh?
"Hall Master! We'll handle..."
"Reclaim them right..."
"But they're guests... Huh?"
The following physicians also stared blankly at the scene unfolding in the guest hall.
What are they doing right now?
Crunch munch! Grind crunch! Snap crackle!
Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyuk-dong, and Jang Ung were chomping away on tree roots like kudzu.
The physicians gasped in horror.
'Th-that's! M-Mukyeong Root?'
'You can't eat that raw!'
'These madmen are chewing it raw?!'
And they were crunching it so appetizingly that it made one's mouth water.
Eating Mukyeong Root raw twists your guts, makes you vomit bile, and eventually spew blood from your throat.
You won't die, but the pain is beyond imagination—even Tang poison experts wouldn't dream of eating it raw...
Tak Hyuk-dong furrowed his brow slightly.
"Hey, this one's kinda bitter?"
"It's called Mukyeong Root."
"Mukyeong Root?"
"They say it twists your insides, makes you puke, and later you shit blood."
"Shit blood? This?"
"Yeah."
"Damn, no wonder it's bitter. Gimme something sweet. That sounds tasty."
Crunch munch!
Tak Hyuk-dong grabbed a red flower nearby, rolled it up like a wrap, and shoved it in his mouth.
A tangy prickling hit with a bitter aftertaste.
'C-crazy!'
"Heave!"
'He's just eating that?'
The physicians recoiled in shock.
But it didn't end there.
Turning to the other side, some beggar kid was dumping everything in sight onto a plate and mixing it up.
'Mixing that?!'
'Hwarak Grass, Gwangui Root, Black Salt... That's suicide mix.'
'Insane.'
Scrape scrape!
Gulp munch gulp!
That beggar is really trying to die...
"Kuh! Too bland. Should I add salt?"
That's poison, you fool.
Sprinkle sprinkle.
Gulp munch!
So Geol-gae sprinkled black salt and devoured the toxic herbs again.
Beside him, Paeng Jung-hyuk, Paeng Hwa-yeon, and So Hye-yeon were genteelly tearing into some meat...
"Th-that..."
"Black Poison Duck!"
"They're roasting and eating it. These lunatics..."
The Black Poison Duck was raised on poison, its organs, beak, and bones loaded with deadly venom.
Yet they were ripping into it.
Even stripping the bones clean...
Tang Seokgyun was utterly dumbfounded by the scene.
'...They really built resistance? No, is it real resistance?'
He recoiled at the absurd sight before him.
He even forgot why he had come there for a moment.
The spectacle was that shocking and astonishing.
Crunch munch!
Spotting Nangong Hyuk tottering over while chewing poison grass like it was gum, Tang Seokgyun could only let out a wry chuckle.
Nangong Hyuk tilted his head.
"Who're you?"
"...Poison Hall Master Tang Seokgyun."
"Oh! It's the Poison Hall Master! The meds worked great. So fresh and top-notch—who manages them? Turns out it's you, our Hall Master!"
"Hah, hahaha."
"Thanks to you, we're eating well. Haha! Next time, lethal poisons should be fine."
"What you're eating now is lethal..."
"This?"
"..."
"Ah, got it. But it's kinda bland?"
Hah, hahaha...
What in the world are these people?
Is this even possible?
Really?
How?
His mind was twisting to the point of exploding.
'I should just focus on the Five Venoms Sect bastards.'
* * *
Fifty members of the Tang Clan's Soul-Chasing Squad moved along the Jinsha River, the border between the Central Plains and Sichuan Province.
They were the Tang Clan's elite warriors, ghostly trackers.
Their tenacity in pursuing targets and viciousness were renowned even in Sichuan—that's why they were nicknamed the Soul-Chasing Rakshasa Squad.
Once marked, no prey escaped the Soul-Chasing Squad.
Squad Leader Tang Geum-ho scanned the terrain.
Below flowed the Jinsha River; above stretched endless high plateaus like mountain ranges.
"Five Venoms Sect?"
A scout returned and reported.
"Spotted Five Venoms Sect warriors downstream on the Jinsha River. By their attire, Blood Poison Squad, about a dozen."
"Just Blood Poison Squad?"
"Yes!"
"Which way were they heading?"
"Upstream against the current, but something seemed off."
"Off?"
"They were searching the surroundings."
"Searching?"
Tang Geum-ho's brow furrowed.
He knew they were prowling nearby, but actually searching?
'They're insane, but doing that right in front of enemy lines!'
Acting like it was their own territory was infuriating.
"Capturing and interrogating them will reveal why."
"Contact the main house?"
"Report we've spotted Blood Poison Squad and are pursuing."
"Yes!"
One subordinate vanished to send word.
Tang Geum-ho stood.
"Ambush in the downstream valley. Subdue if possible; kill if not."
"Yes!"
The Soul-Chasing Squad replied softly.
Tang Geum-ho puffed out his chest confidently.
'Five Venoms Sect scum, I'll show you hell.'
He fiddled with his sleeve.
The Soul-Chasing Squad moved downstream along the Jinsha River.
At a suitable valley for hiding, they melted into the shadows without a word. Having memorized the terrain, they vanished like ghosts.
Tang Geum-ho slowed his breathing with Turtle Breath Technique and glared at the approaching figures in the valley.
Soon, the Five Venoms Sect's Blood Poison Squad appeared in red uniforms with black belts.
'These bastards!'
Tang Geum-ho's eyes blazed.
He gripped a handful of ox-hair needles hidden in his sleeve.
Thin as cow hairs, they rolled in his palm before scattering into the valley in an instant.
Infused with inner energy, the ox-hair needles rode the wind.
Swoooosh!
Hundreds flew through the air, blanketing the Blood Poison Squad.
"Ox-hair needles!"
"Sichuan Tang Clan!"
"Shake them off!"
The Blood Poison Squad panicked from the ambush but were poison experts themselves.
They shook off the needles, administered antidotes, and tried forming a defensive formation.
At that moment, the hidden Soul-Chasing Squad struck all at once.
Boom boom boom!
Poison smoke exploded in the air, shrouding the valley below in green mist instantly.
Tang Geum-ho hurled hidden weapons nonstop.
Self-hair darts flew; Soul-Chasing Flying Insoles fluttered like wings and descended.
Poison needles, daggers, and boomerang darts poured from all sides, piercing the smoke.
"Argh!"
"Uwaaaak!"
"Urk!"
Groans erupted as Blood Poison Squad members fell one by one.
The Blood Poison Squad moved to counterattack.
"East cliff!"
"It's them!"
"Counter!"
"Find cover!"
They fired back poison needles and flying swords at the onslaught while retreating.
Ting ting ting ting ting! Bang!
Weapons clashed like popping beans.
Tang Geum-ho glared fiercely and shouted.
"Don't let them escape! Pursue!"
"Yes!"
The fifty Soul-Chasing Squad members raced through the valley after them.
Hidden weapons and poison smoke rained down relentlessly.
Thud! Boom boom thud!
Fleeing foes screamed and collapsed from hits.
Comrades rushed to staunch bleeding and detoxify. These were lethal Southern poisons that killed on a graze.
Tang Geum-ho shook out his hand.
In a flash, a dozen weapons poured like rain after the Blood Poison Squad.
Boom boom boom boom boom thud!
"Arrrgh!"
"Gahk!"
Screams rang out as they sprawled; the Soul-Chasing Squad closed in like hounds and unleashed techniques.
Tang Geum-ho's Red Lotus Divine Palm crushed a Blood Poison warrior's heart in one strike.
Crunch crunch crunch!
"Kaaaak!"
"Gaaahk!"
"Ughhh!"
Agonized screams burst from all sides as the Blood Poison Squad fell one after another.
Moments later, all had collapsed, unable to hold out.
Tang Geum-ho masked his slight exhilaration from battle and ordered.
"Bind them and return to base."
"Yes!"
"Mm!"
It had been easier than expected. Caught before fleeing downstream, some wounded but none dead.
The battle had ended anticlimactically.
'Something feels off.'
The Five Venoms Sect submitting so easily, things going too smoothly—it bred unease.
Still, the Soul-Chasing Squad returned to the first rally point.
They were about to report and contact the main house when...
Rustle rustle rustle...
Tang Geum-ho furrowed his brow at the eerie sound.
'What?'
He turned toward the noise.
Ants swarmed across the field, then suddenly flapped wings and engulfed the rally point.
"Lone poison!"
"Kaaaaak!"
"Gaaah!"
Tang Geum-ho's eyes widened.
'Lone poison?'
They had searched bodies thoroughly.
"Inside! They hid it inside them!"
Red ants—thousands of Black Flying Red Ants—swarmed the clustered Soul-Chasing Squad.
A bite brought excruciating pain and vomiting blood from the five viscera—a brutal venom creature.
Tang Geum-ho ground his teeth and yelled.
"Antidote quick, flee to Jinsha River...!"
As he issued orders and retreated, his eyes caught a hundred Blood Poison Squad in red uniforms ascending from downstream.
'Oh, no!'
Sensing disaster, Tang Geum-ho's mouth gaped.
Behind him, a crimson curtain of Black Flying Red Ants surged.
* * *
Dozens of messenger hawks flew into the eerily quiet Sichuan Tang Clan.
Family Head Tang Uicheon read the incoming messages, unable to hide his dismay.
"The Soul-Chasing Squad annihilated?"
"Not just them—all forces encountering Five Venoms Sect have suffered defeats and fled!"
"Impossible!"
Strong as the Five Venoms Sect's forces were, Tang poison experts shouldn't fall so easily.
"They set traps and used venom creatures!"
"Venom creatures? To mere..."
"Too many unknown types—couldn't detox properly and fell."
Tang Uicheon's jaw clenched.
Tang warriors honed skills to become poison experts; Five Venoms Sect supplemented weak martial arts with venom creatures.
'They came with certainty.'
Confident their Southern venoms would work on the Tang Clan, they crossed the border.
"Identified the venom creatures?"
"Yes! Returnees brought samples of lone poison and others."
"Hand them to Poison Hall; main house deploys reserves."
"Yes!"
Tang Uicheon issued rapid orders.
"Move forces to battle zones."
"The Nangong family's warriors..."
"Those..."
Tang Uicheon hesitated.
Still just later-generation disciples from Nangong—no battle experience against poison experts. Throwing them in might just create crises.
As anxiety mounted...
Bang!
The quiet meeting room door burst open.
Eyes turned to the sudden intruder.
Tang Uicheon's eyes widened.
"You, you..."
Nangong Hyuk, entering amid stares, smiled faintly.
"We're ready."
"No..."
"We help each other to survive."
His words left Tang Uicheon and the Tang clansmen speechless.
Regardless, Nangong Yong, the Thunder Dragon Squad, and others lined behind him were fully geared for departure.
'Time to grab their tail!'
A sly smile curved Nangong Hyuk's lips.