Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: For the Family (2)
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The next day.
After finishing his business and completing the patrols of the merchant group as ordered by Go Cheok, he headed back to his thatched house where his daughter was waiting.
Upon seeing the sight at the front gate, he was stunned.
"Chu Seong!!"
Chu Seong, a peak expert, was slumped on the ground.
He appeared to have lost consciousness.
Then what about his daughter?
What about his most precious daughter?
Rushing inside, he felt his vision turn upside down.
"You bastard!!!"
It was Dang Yu-wol.
He was standing in his courtyard.
And in front of him was his precious daughter, eyes closed and limp.
How could his eyes not flip?
"I'll kill you!!"
The murderous intent of a super peak expert rose up.
Any mediocre person would have fainted from that alone.
But Dang Yu-wol was far beyond such people.
"Be quiet. You'll wake your daughter."
"How dare you...!! What have you done to my daughter!!"
"I checked her pulse and gave her simple treatment. It's not a full cure, so don't misunderstand."
"...What?"
It felt like ice water had been poured over his head.
What had this guy just said?
"Your daughter. She's been poisoned by Heavenly Demise Poison."
"......!!"
"It looks like she's been sustaining herself with Fire Birth Pills that boost yang energy, but that's not a wise choice."
"...Keep talking."
"Heavenly Demise makes even the heavens forget. Once poisoned, it makes you forget everything."
That's right.
The physicians from the Healing Immortal Sect had said the same.
"Memories, how to move your body, and eventually even how to breathe."
Dang Yu-wol's words were no different from a death sentence for his daughter.
"The problem is that Heavenly Demise Poison can't be detoxified once contracted."
"Kuh...!!"
"Even pumping her full of yang energy with Fire Birth Pills is just barely keeping her alive."
His words stabbed into his chest like sharp daggers.
He knew.
He knew it all.
Yet he wanted to save his daughter.
"Surely you don't want to turn your daughter into a living doll?"
But he was cold.
He had ruled that Ji Seon had no future.
"...I know. I've known all along."
Everyone had said his daughter would eventually become a mindless corpse, forgetting everything.
"But what father could accept his child dying...?"
She was the only trace left by his deceased wife.
The only light in his life.
How could he give that up?
"If I cure your daughter, what can you offer me?"
For a moment, he doubted his ears.
What had this young punk, not even in his thirties, just said?
"...Can you really cure her?"
"Yes. But don't question the method."
"......"
Treatment method?
He didn't care about that.
As long as his daughter could live healthily, what couldn't he do?
"Ji Gong, super peak expert. Long career as a sword-for-hire, numerous battlefields, countless achievements."
"......"
"And your true identity is a descendant of the now-defunct Jeonjin Sect."
Dang Yu-wol's calm words pierced his chest.
"Rebuilding the Jeonjin Sect must be your goal."
Ji Gong could guess what he was about to say.
Yet he couldn't respond.
"But if you come to me, that might become impossible. Is that alright?"
"......"
"Once you've made up your mind, come with your daughter."
With that, Dang Yu-wol strode out.
Shortly after he left, the sleeping Ji Seon woke up.
"Father... you're back?"
"Yes! Yes! I'm here! How's your body? Are you okay?!"
"Huh? My body? Uh... what's this?"
Ji Seon, puzzled, slowly rose to her feet.
After being poisoned by Heavenly Demise Poison, she had even forgotten how to walk.
Yet now she was walking as if nothing had happened.
"How...?"
Dang Yu-wol's earlier words echoed endlessly in his mind.
* * *
-Will he come?
'He will. Definitely.'
Dang Yu-wol, reviewing documents in his office, set the papers down.
'As long as he's human, what father wouldn't do anything for his child?'
-There are those who crush their own kids like rats.
Of course, Ye-ui was right.
But Dang Yu-wol chuckled and shook his head.
'I don't consider those bastards human.'
Smiling, Dang Yu-wol organized the documents and left.
Even late into the night, his work didn't stop.
He paused only when the door opened.
"Young Clan Head. A guest has arrived."
"Bring him in."
At Dang Yu-wol's command, the Tang Clan servant hurried off.
When he returned, a middle-aged man followed, carrying a young girl in his arms.
It was Ji Gong.
"Come in."
"...What did you do to my daughter?"
His tone had changed.
Clear deference.
That alone revealed Ji Gong's intentions.
"Nothing much. And I told you not to question the treatment."
"But..."
"Called a descendant of Jeonjin Sect, do you know anything about medicine or poisons?"
"No... I don't."
"Did your daughter's condition worsen after my treatment?"
"That... no."
"Then it's fine."
Dang Yu-wol stood up.
And approached Ji Gong.
"If your daughter can live healthily, isn't that enough for you?"
"......"
"Even if it means giving up rebuilding your sect."
"...Yes."
His daughter was more important than rebuilding Jeonjin.
Ji Gong knelt before Dang Yu-wol.
"If that's what you want, I'll lick your shoes. Command me to serve the Tang Clan for life, and I will."
His voice was desperate.
Enough to move anyone.
"So please... save my daughter."
-Desperate, isn't he.
If Ji Gong were heartless, this wouldn't have worked.
That's why even Ye-ui approved of him.
"The Healing Immortal Sect must have said to preserve her vitality with Fire Birth Pills to prolong her life."
"Yes."
"As I said, that's not the right way. It would be acceptable if mere survival was the goal."
"Then why did the Healing Immortal Sect prescribe Fire Birth Pills?"
"Because they lack the skill."
Dang Yu-wol pulled a small box from under the desk.
"What's... that?"
"The only thing that can cure your daughter."
Inside the box was a small vial, tightly sealed.
-Zzzt!
Breaking the seal, Dang Yu-wol turned the vial upside down.
Ji Gong's expression hardened upon seeing what came out.
And understandably so, for the vial contained an unidentified worm.
"...A Lone Poison Worm?"
"You recognize it."
He knew that a Lone Poison Worm in the body turned its host into a slave obeying the owner's commands.
"I understand. Do as you wish."
Thus, his voice carried resignation.
-This guy's misunderstanding something.
'Yeah... seems like it.'
Dang Yu-wol shook his head.
"This isn't for you. It's for your daughter's body."
"What?! This vile...!! Control me instead!!"
"Huh?! That's not what I meant."
To the outraged Ji Gong, Dang Yu-wol calmly explained.
"As I said earlier, this is the only way to save your daughter."
Silence followed.
After a long pause, Ji Gong spoke with difficulty.
"...I have plenty of experience in the martial world."
"So?"
"Doesn't the Lone Poison Worm reside in the heart, constantly excreting poison and causing endless pain?"
"Correct."
"Then how can that save my daughter?"
"The difference between poison and medicine is only in the dosage."
He couldn't understand.
As Ji Gong looked puzzled, Dang Yu-wol continued.
"Heavenly Demise Poison makes one forget all external pain. Used right, it can even serve as the ultimate anesthetic."
"......"
"Pain is just another word for stimulation. Heavenly Demise Poison makes one forget stimulation."
So, use the Lone Poison Worm, which constantly excretes poison, to provide continuous stimulation to the body.
Thus neutralizing the effects of the two poisons by blending them.
"You're talking about using poison against poison?"
"Exactly."
"But won't it be too much for Seon?"
"Of course. Poison against poison isn't easy. Even a healthy adult couldn't endure it long."
"Can my daughter endure it?"
"With concurrent use of other poisons and medicines, yes."
Dang Yu-wol spoke lightly, reassuring the fearful man.
"It's a perfectly safe method, so no need to worry."
-We've succeeded several times before.
Though from his previous life.
Still, no issue.
"B-but the Healing Immortal Sect didn't know any such method..."
-Stating the obvious.
'It's a technique developed by Blood Ghost Demon Physician, who defected from Healing Immortal Sect to the Blood Cult.'
Without special circumstances, it wouldn't be developed for another fifteen years.
Of course the Healing Immortal Sect didn't know.
"How long does the adjustment take?"
"Not long."
Ji Gong hesitated.
'Should I trust Dang Yu-wol? Maybe he's holding my daughter hostage. Then... then...'
All sorts of dark thoughts swirled in his mind.
Then.
"Ah... ugh... aaah...!!"
The groans he heard every night from his daughter snapped him back.
'Ah... Seon...'
She smiled brightly whenever they met.
But he knew she was just enduring.
'Why am I hesitating? Shall I let my precious treasure suffer like this?'
He had to grasp even a sliver of hope.
"...I'll trust you."
"Then let's begin."
Dang Yu-wol took out prepared herbs and made a medicine.
He fed it to the Lone Poison Worm, then infused it with internal energy.
-Its color turned orange. Good to go.
Dang Yu-wol agreed.
In this state, it would only emit enough stimulation to counter the Heavenly Demise Poison's toxicity.
-Kkiiik!!
The Lone Poison Worm in Dang Yu-wol's hand began to writhe.
"Ready to start?"
"...Will it hurt my daughter?"
"No."
"Then please do it."
As Ji Gong nodded, Dang Yu-wol placed the Lone Poison Worm at Ji Seon's lips.
The wriggling worm burrowed into her mouth.
About fifteen minutes later.
"...Umm...? Father?"
Perhaps stimulated by the poison the Lone Poison Worm released, Ji Seon regained consciousness and blankly looked around.
"I... *cough*! *Cough*!"
Suddenly, she coughed violently.
Blood mixed with dark red phlegm came out, shocking Ji Gong, but Dang Yu-wol calmly caught it.
"...Huh? It doesn't hurt."
"R-really?!"
"Yes, Father. My body feels so light."
"Looks like the Lone Poison Worm has settled well. Little one. Try moving your arms."
Ji Seon, flustered, followed Dang Yu-wol's instructions.
Arms, legs, even her head.
Her immobile body moved perfectly, as if by magic.
"Good. We'll check every fifteen days."
What the Healing Immortal Sect couldn't solve.
What even the super peak expert Ji Gong had desperately sought.
Dang Yu-wol solved it all too easily.