The Poison King's Disciple
Ahem! This is rather disappointing. I was hoping we could build some camaraderie as men.
When I continued to turn down his invitation, Tang Ho-chang openly displayed his irritation. But I couldn’t possibly fall for such an obvious scheme. It wasn’t as if I’d only read web novels for a day or two, and the trope of a doting father or grandfather character who harbored hostility toward his daughter’s or granddaughter’s boyfriend and tried to make things difficult for him was an extremely predictable cliché. Fortunately, Dokgo Rin had quickly stepped in to mediate this time, but I couldn’t keep relying on her help forever. I had no choice but to handle the situation myself and keep my distance.
As I steeled my resolve, Dokgo Rin, who had been quietly observing the tense atmosphere, finally intervened.
"Urgh, very well."
After receiving such a stern warning from his granddaughter, Tang Ho-chang seemed to realize further scheming would be difficult. He reluctantly backed down, at least for the moment.
With that, the dinner table finally regained a fragile sense of peace.
"Honored Grandfather, please try some of this."
Tang Soso, who had ended up joining the meal, piled various dishes onto a plate and offered it to him. Tang Ho-chang picked up his chopsticks and began eating. Seeing this, I decided it was time for me to eat as well and reached for my own chopsticks—only to realize every dish before me was completely unfamiliar.
Noticing my hesitation, Tang Ho-chang let out a short laugh.
"The hallmark of Sichuan cuisine is its hundred ingredients and hundred flavors. We’re famous for using a vast array of ingredients and spices. From the look on your face, I’d say you’ve never seen any of these dishes before and have no idea where to start."
"Grandfather?"
When Dokgo Rin fixed him with a sharp glare, Tang Ho-chang put on an aggrieved expression.
"What? This time I really was just trying to explain the food."
"If that’s all it was… then fine."
Though her intervention had briefly disrupted the flow, Tang Ho-chang continued pointing at each dish and explaining them one by one.
"This is fish-fragrant eggplant—fried eggplant stir-fried in a sauce made from doubanjiang and chili oil. It has just the right balance of heat and subtle sweetness to really stimulate the appetite. This one is Kung Pao chicken—fried chicken stir-fried with nuts. And this is twice-cooked pork—boiled pork stir-fried with vegetables…"
Tang Ho-chang’s explanations continued for quite some time. Every piece of information was genuinely helpful, so even though I was trying completely new dishes, I was able to enjoy them without any hesitation.
Once dinner ended and it was time for tea, Tang Ho-chang’s demeanor shifted completely from the overprotective grandfather he had been showing earlier. With calm, steady eyes, he asked Dokgo Rin,
As he spoke, his gaze flicked briefly toward me.
It seemed that, to him, I still looked like some scoundrel trying to seduce his precious granddaughter. But what we were about to discuss was far more serious than that.
"Grandfather, please don’t be too shocked."
"Go on."
"Our Dokgo Clan… has been annihilated."
Tang Ho-chang’s face hardened instantly at the devastating news.
"What did you just say, Rin? The Dokgo Clan has been wiped out?"
"Exactly as I said. A group of unidentified men dressed as bandits attacked the clan and slaughtered every single one of our family members and retainers. The only survivors are myself and Chilbok."
"That can’t be…"
Apparently overwhelmed, Tang Ho-chang staggered.
"Grandfather!"
Tang Soso rushed to support him, but he brushed her arm away.
"There’s no time for this. Soso, hurry and send people to Sangam at once."
"Y-yes, Grandfather!"
After Tang Soso dashed out of the dining hall to carry out his orders, Tang Ho-chang turned back to Dokgo Rin with a grave expression.
"Rin, do you have any guesses about who might be behind this? To dare lay a hand on the family of this Poison King, Tang Ho-chang—I will make them regret ever being born."
The killing intent he released in that moment was so intense it made every hair on my body stand on end. But it only lasted a moment.
"Wait… but Dokgo Jin is a master of the Transcendent realm just like me. How could something like this happen?"
It was a perfectly natural question. Dokgo Rin answered calmly.
"The Ming imperial family is involved behind this incident."
"What?!"
Tang Ho-chang’s eyes widened in shock. Honestly, his reaction was understandable. It meant the implicit agreement of non-interference between the imperial court and the martial world—an understanding that had been maintained for hundreds of years—had finally been broken.
Seeing how serious the situation was becoming, I realized the explanation would take quite a while. I made up an excuse about needing some fresh air and escaped the suffocating room.
Dokgo Rin told Tang Ho-chang everything she knew.
"According to my second brother, what they were after was a secret manual called the Nine Heavens Mysterious Sword. They must have pretended to be bandits in order to steal it. From the information my second brother uncovered before his death, it seems they’ve been operating in secret for several years already, and they’ll stop at nothing to obtain the manuals they desire."
After listening to her explanation, Tang Ho-chang muttered in disbelief.
"What possible benefit could they gain from committing such madness? If it’s secret manuals they want, the imperial library must be filled with them."
To this perfectly reasonable question, Dokgo Rin gave a bitter smile.
"I don’t know the exact reason either. But since someone from the imperial family is behind it, I can only speculate that it might have something to do with a longevity technique or similar."
Having fulfilled her purpose in coming here by delivering this explanation, Dokgo Rin looked at Tang Ho-chang with nervous eyes. Her future plans would depend entirely on how he reacted.
Honestly, even if she rampaged about seeking revenge right this moment, there was a limit to what one person could accomplish alone. The path she had chosen was to seek shelter with the Sichuan Tang Clan. Her maternal grandfather, the Poison King Tang Ho-chang, cherished her deeply, and the Tang Clan possessed far greater power than the Dokgo Clan ever had. Those fake bandits would surely think twice before touching her while she was under their protection.
If she stayed in Chengdu for a while and then enrolled at the Heavenly Martial Academy as planned, she could secure her safety for the time being. During that period, Dokgo Rin intended to break through to the Transcendent realm—the same level she had reached before her regression. Since it was likely that their enemies also had Transcendent masters, she needed to reach at least that level to have any chance of fighting them.
After thinking in silence for a long time, Tang Ho-chang finally spoke.
"To be honest, I don’t know what words of comfort I can offer you, child. But no matter what I say, it won’t erase your grief. So let me promise you this one thing. Before you are Dokgo Rin, you are my granddaughter, Tang Ho-chang’s blood. No matter if it is the imperial family of this nation, as long as I still draw breath, they will never be able to touch you. This much, I swear."
"Grandfather…"
"You must be exhausted from the long journey. Go rest now. Your grandfather will take care of everything else."
When Tang Ho-chang smiled at her with such gentle affection, Dokgo Rin barely managed to hold back the tears threatening to burst forth. She nodded silently.
The heavy atmosphere had become too suffocating, so I stepped out for some air. When I returned, the mood between Tang Ho-chang and Dokgo Rin was unmistakably grave. It seemed they had discussed something extremely important while I was gone.
I was cautiously trying to read the room and check on Dokgo Rin when Tang Ho-chang suddenly spoke to me.
"You there."
"Yes?"
I answered reflexively. Tang Ho-chang’s expression had softened considerably compared to earlier.
"I heard from Rin. When the Dokgo Clan was in danger, you stayed by her side until the very end instead of running away."
"Th-that’s correct."
"You seem to possess a bolder character than your appearance suggests. I apologize for treating you so harshly when we first met."
So saying, Tang Ho-chang extended his right hand. This time I didn’t sense any killing intent, so after a brief hesitation, I took his hand.
After we shook hands, Tang Ho-chang suddenly gripped my forearm and said,
"However, don’t you think your current self is far too weak to protect my granddaughter?"
"…What do you mean by that?"
"If you’re willing, I, Tang Ho-chang, would like to teach you a few things."
His eyes sparkled as he spoke. At that moment, I realized something had gone terribly wrong, but with my right arm already caught, there was no escape.
"You. How would you like to become my disciple?"
Tang Ho-chang’s expression made it clear that refusal would not be tolerated as he pressed me with overwhelming intensity.