Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Not to Be Taken Lightly (2)
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What kind of nonsense was this?
‘A mere shortsword with some sword energy—how could it pierce natural ki?’
Hwang No panicked.
Dang Yu-wol gave a small smile as he watched her expression.
‘It works, just as I thought.’
Upon seeing her Soul Mourning Wall, he had recalled one of the divine arts he had witnessed before his regression.
The Demonic Cult's Black Annihilation True Void Art.
That was a martial art that harnessed natural ki as well.
‘It seemed similar in how the qi moved, so I gave it a try.’
Of course, it wasn't exactly the same.
But with his experience and knowledge from reaching the Martial God realm, he could find the gaps in the natural ki.
“Ugh?!”
The moment doubt and shock hit her simultaneously...
A secret needle flew through the tear in the Soul Mourning Wall.
“You bastard?!”
She couldn't protect her body with internal energy while maintaining the Soul Mourning Wall.
But that vulnerability lasted only an instant.
The needle barely grazed her skin—not even half an inch deep.
‘Damn it!!’
A moment of carelessness.
Her position.
The master's attention.
And the unexpected turn of events.
All of it had led to this result.
‘Was every situation orchestrated for this one move?’
That cunning bastard surely would have planned it that way.
She hurriedly circulated her internal energy.
There was definitely poison on that needle.
‘Don't underestimate a Fire Realm expert!!’
How many poisons had she faced while dealing with assassins all these years?
The fact that she was still alive meant she had endured them all.
She boosted her body's resistance while channeling her internal energy to halt the poison's spread.
But...
“Kuh...!!”
A horrific scream nearly escaped her.
Her meridians twisted, her muscles and bones writhing out of control.
It felt just like being struck by deadly poison.
‘This bastard!! Could it be?!’
Was everything up to now just to incapacitate her and target the Young Lord?
Murderous intent flared in her eyes.
She had to kill him.
“Got you.”
The shortsword pressed against her throat.
Dang Yu-wol hadn't missed her momentary lapse in vigilance due to the pain.
“...You filthy dog...!! Deadly poison...!!”
“Not deadly poison. It just causes intense pain.”
“...What?”
“It should start feeling better soon...”
Moments after his words, the pain rapidly subsided.
The hellish agony from before felt like a lie.
“Wh-what in the world...?!”
She examined her body in bewilderment.
Muscles and bones, meridians, dantian.
No damage anywhere.
Just pain. That was all.
“Ha. Hahaha.”
Laughter bubbled up.
His martial arts were one thing, but his talent for setting up the board was no joke either.
And to have a poison like this...
‘The Sacheon Tang Clan. They say the clan has been declining lately, but they've raised a monster like this.’
She chuckled and nodded.
“Fine. I lose.”
“Thanks to your leniency, Elder.”
It was exactly that.
She had only used a third of her internal energy.
She hadn't even used her right arm or left leg.
‘And on top of that, the Three Great Young Lords are taking an interest in me.’
From any angle, she had held every advantage.
If this had been a proper spar, would such conditions even be allowed?
“Even so, a loss is a loss.”
Bi-seon stepped forward with a smile.
Hwang No bowed her head with a bitter expression.
She had disappointed her master, after all.
“Since you've lost, you should receive your punishment, right?”
“I shall obey your command.”
“Spar with this young friend for a while.”
“Pardon?”
“Isn't it good for you too?”
Bi-seon grinned broadly.
There was no sign of anger at Hwang No's defeat.
“This young friend's assassination techniques seem superior even to most assassins.”
“True enough.”
It wasn't wrong.
Dang Yu-wol seemed better than your average assassin.
‘Training with him will benefit the Young Lord too.’
“I can only express my gratitude for your wisdom, Young Lord.”
Only Dang Yu-wol remained.
It wasn't a bad deal for him either.
“Thank you.”
“No need for such words. More importantly, about that poison you used on Hwang No earlier.”
“Yes.”
“Could I get some of that too?”
Poisons weren't to be used lightly.
Mishandle them, and you could poison yourself.
Hwang No, who knew this well, was horrified.
“Young Lord?!”
“Think about it. It's a poison that can even affect a Fire Realm expert.”
“Th-that's true, but...”
“Wouldn't it be useful in emergencies?”
‘True enough.’
The Blood Cult had sent assassins after the Three Great Young Lords multiple times, viewing them as threats.
Of course, before his regression, Bi-seon had survived to the end.
But it was hard to say the same for those around him.
‘And the absence of Hwang No is bothering me...’
In that case, giving him something helpful wasn't a bad idea.
The moment he permitted it, Dang Yu-wol felt his internal energy rapidly draining.
He checked the pouch in his hand and offered it forward.
“If you inhale more than a certain amount of the powder, or if it enters the body, you'll suffer excruciating pain.”
“Perfect. If I need more later, can I ask then?”
His face lit up with interest.
“Don't worry about the cost. I can cover that much.”
‘It doesn't really cost money, but no reason to refuse giving it.’
“Heh heh. With this...”
He seemed delighted in an almost bizarre way.
Dang Yu-wol wondered what he planned to use it for.
‘Interrogating prisoners, maybe?’
But he couldn't pry that far.
The poison was already handed over.
He could only assume it would be used wisely.
“That was an impressive spar, little brother. I never imagined you'd defeat a Fire Realm expert.”
“Right?”
Gu Hwan-gae and Hwan-gyu approached, having watched.
They looked at Dang Yu-wol with genuine satisfaction for his unexpectedly strong performance.
“Haha. Aren't you disappointed you didn't get to see the Ghost Phantom Divine Art properly?”
“A bit. But we did see the Soul Mourning Wall technique.”
He seemed content with that alone.
And Seol Ryua standing beside him felt the same.
“For a mere human, part of nature, to resonate with nature itself...”
“It's astonishing that such an absurd technique exists.”
“Yes. It feels like I've glimpsed the path forward.”
“The Fire Realm truly is...”
Two Absolute Realm experts.
Hwan-gyu and Seol Ryua seemed to have gained significant enlightenment from that single technique.
“Hmph. I couldn't even grasp a hint.”
Gu Hwan-gae grumbled, relatively the weakest among them.
But what could he do?
Weak martial arts were his sin.
“Well, I'll go rest then. You all carry on.”
“Yes. Rest well, Young Lord.”
Once Bi-seon and Hwang No entered their room, the others exchanged glances.
Come to think of it, Yang Ui-seok was an issue.
“Shouldn't Brother Yang head back?”
“Huh? Oh. Yes, right.”
He had been wearing a serious expression but cautiously asked Dang Yu-wol.
“Brother Dang. Could you give me some of that poison too?”
“Nothing in this world is free.”
“Of course. I'd never ask you to do something so ruthless for nothing.”
And he wasn't asking for it right away.
Dang Yu-wol tilted his head after hearing his circumstances.
“Then...?”
“You said your destination is Shaolin Temple, right?”
“Yes.”
“My master is heading to Shaolin Temple too.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Please deliver the poison to him along with my letter then. He'll handle the compensation.”
“Understood. Who is Brother Yang's master?”
“I know him. He's the disciple of that wastrel Yang Ui-ju.”
“Wastrel?”
“You know the Healing Immortal Sect is weak in martial arts, right?”
“Yes.”
“Among them, there's one who focuses on martial arts.”
“Is that Brother Yang's master?”
“Yeah. The Healing Immortal Sect's wastrel, Yang Ui-ju. From the Gi-ju Yang Clan.”
“The Gi-ju Yang Clan... They're famous for the Yang Family Spear Arts.”
Any spear-using high-ranking military officer was sure to learn the Yang Family Spear Arts.
“From what I know, they're a family that created extremely practical and aggressive martial arts—powerful enough for the military to adopt...”
“Exactly.”
“A military family that's sworn loyalty to the imperial court for generations, right?”
“That's right too.”
“So why would someone like that join the Healing Immortal Sect...?”
“That's why he's a wastrel. Hold on. Aren't you a Yang too? Don't tell me you...”
Yang Ui-seok panicked under the stares from Gu Hwan-gae and Dang Yu-wol.
“No. I was originally an orphan. My master took me in and gave me the Yang surname and name.”
“Ah, got it. That makes sense. Must've been tough anyway.”
“Nah. Master's a great person.”
“He is now, but back then? Total chaos.”
Gu Hwan-gae chuckled.
Memories of the uproar flooded back.
“The clan's promising Absolute Realm expert suddenly declares he wants to learn medicine and runs off to the Healing Immortal Sect.”
“I see.”
“Anyway... Since I know his face, no problem there.”
Dang Yu-wol's goal was Shaolin Temple.
The new errand didn't disrupt his schedule much.
Seol Ryua, who had been listening quietly, spoke up softly.
“Since we're already at it, I'd like to join you to Shaolin Temple... Is that okay?”
Why refuse if she was coming along?
Gu Hwan-gae laughed heartily and welcomed her.
“Too bad. I want to go too.”
“Aren't you on dispatch?”
“Exactly.”
Feeling left out alone, Yang Ui-seok let out a small sigh.
After a hearty dinner, Dang Yu-wol headed to the Haeseong Sect's forge.
In Ogang Jihyeon, the Haeseong Sect was a fairly large sect.
They even ran their own forge internally.
No reason to miss a chance to restock hidden weapons.
“I've heard the story.”
The blacksmith guarding the forge politely stepped aside.
Thanks to him, Dang Yu-wol could craft new iron hidden weapons.
‘Time to replenish the needles soon too.’
He had recovered what he could so far.
But the more you used them, the more they wore down. Fact of life.
Better stock up when possible.
“The sect leader said to use whatever's here freely.”
“Thank you.”
As Dang Yu-wol looked around, he spotted a mold.
“Isn't this a mold for making needles?”
“Yes. Even the nearby clinic requests them.”
“Perfect. Could you help me out?”
“Sure. Shall I prepare the molten iron first?”
“Please do.”
The blacksmith melted an iron ingot into molten metal with practiced skill.
He poured it into the mold, let it solidify, and drew out sturdy iron wire.
“Hmm...”
The iron quality was better than expected.
This would make decent needles.
Dang Yu-wol took it and began precise adjustments.
“Ho... Hidden weapon acupuncture needles?”
“That's right.”
‘Too bad. With better materials, I could've made ox-hair needles.’
Needles as fine and sharp as ox tail hair, rivaling famous swords.
‘I'll have to procure them somehow.’
Back then, he'd ransacked the Blood Cult's warehouses for them.
The current Tang Clan couldn't even attempt it.
“You handle iron very well. Have you worked as a blacksmith before?”
“A little, back in the day.”
Precisely, before his regression.
“And you're so young. Impressive.”
“Hahaha...”
He cleared stray thoughts.
Once Dang Yu-wol pocketed dozens of iron needles, the blacksmith cautiously suggested.
“If you need better iron, why not check out Yu Gwang-hyeon to the north of Yoneung?”