Petty Schemes and Steamy Soaks
One hallmark of the small-minded pricks who peddle San Gong Poison is their sheer pettiness.
Bad shit happens to everyone equally, after all. Beggars might have a shitty haul one day, and nobles might feel disgusted by all the street urchins on their stroll. Even a king gets pissed when his ministers nag him endlessly. That's just how the world works.
This is where the great men separate from the petty shits.
A great man brushes off the bad vibes with a laugh. He knows getting hung up on it only screws himself over.
A petty shit, on the other hand? Can't do it. He'll chew on something he could've just let slide. Should've said this instead. Why'd I sound like such a dumbass?
In that sense, Bok Dong-su was a textbook petty shit.
"Fuck that Namgoong Juhee bitch... Should I just snap her neck?"
Bok Dong-su's lips trembled.
It was because she'd humiliated him right in front of everyone at the inn earlier.
"Goddamn...! I panicked too hard. Shit, for real."
Two hours had passed since then—plenty of time to forget. But true to form, Bok Dong-su kicked at his blanket like a petulant child. In modern Korea, they'd call it a blanket kick.
Truth be told, blanket kicks are pretty damn noisy. The fabric flaps around, and those fierce kicks make a solid thwack on impact.
Sure enough—knock knock.
Someone rapped on the door from outside. It was Seong Min-gyu, the head steward of the Sin Yang Sect and Bok Dong-su's tutor. One look at Bok Dong-su's sorry ass, and you'd guess Seong Min-gyu's character wasn't much better.
"Young master, is something wrong?"
No answer. Seong Min-gyu knocked again.
"Young master?"
A rustling came from inside. Sounded like dragging something heavy—probably the chamber pot. No one in the Sin Yang Sect's servants was clueless about Bok Dong-su's creepy habits, so it was pointless. But hey, at least he knew shame. Seong Min-gyu waited quietly.
"Come in."
Not long after, Bok Dong-su's voice echoed from the room. He'd probably just shoved the chamber pot aside. Seong Min-gyu opened the door, and sure enough—chamber pot gone, but all the other sleazy junk was still scattered around. Why drag it out, then? Seong Min-gyu feigned concern anyway. Some thoughts you voice, some you don't.
"Young master. What happened?"
"Steward, you know I think the world of you, right?"
"Of course. Our bond's been tight since the Sin Yang Escort days."
"Yeah. Hell, you got me laid for the first time."
"Didn't I tell you? Out-of-towners are the easiest marks. Hearts all aflutter, full of excitement. Heh heh, they'd happily march into hell."
Listening to this, it was clear who'd taught Bok Dong-su his sleazy tricks: this very steward. Not surprising. The guy's background was human trafficking and loan sharking—pure unorthodox scum. No wonder Bok Dong-su turned out such a scumbag.
"Steward. Yeah, that thing. You know."
The scumbag's eyes lit up, like he'd heard exactly what he wanted. Seong Min-gyu licked his lips. Young master's out playing his games and fucked up. Ran into a feisty one, huh?
"Tell me."
"First off—know a Namgoong Juhee?"
"Namgoong Juhee...? Never heard of her. From the Namgoong Clan?"
"Right? Good enough."
"Go on. What'd that fallen noble's daughter do?"
Bok Dong-su nodded like he was the victim. If Namgoong Juhee had seen, she'd have kicked him in the balls and asked what was so wronged about it.
But she wasn't there, so Bok Dong-su spilled the day's events to his steward—with heavy embellishment. Venting always involves hyping your wins and downplaying your losses. Women do it most with their friends, and arguing facts then is the dumbest move. They just want empathy. Best to nod along and say yeah, yeah.
"What a rotten bitch. Daring to reject you, young master."
In that sense, the steward was wise. He jumped right into Bok Dong-su's skin, trash-talking Namgoong Juhee alongside him. Bok Dong-su's face brightened. It suited him better than a woman's body ever would.
"Right? Just thinking of that bitch pisses me off so bad I can't sleep. Sigh. Can't even hunt her down and gut her."
"Why not?"
"Huh?"
"Think about it. She's Namgoong Clan. Sure, they're rebuilding in Wuhu, but they ain't on the level of the Eight Great Clans or Nine Great Sects."
"So?"
"Forgot? We're under Wudang's protection."
Seong Min-gyu cackled.
"The Namgoong Clan won't go to war with Wudang over one girl."
"Mm... Yeah, I thought of that."
"Then what's the problem?"
Bok Dong-su pictured Namgoong Juhee. Those sharp, intellectual eyes. Fox-like lips that could mesmerize. Nothing scary there—but the sword at her waist? That was trouble. If she was stronger than expected, shit could get messy.
"That bitch had a sword. Attitude like she knew she could back it up."
"Mm... Fair point."
"Yeah. If she's even first-rate, it'd be a hassle. Guess we bury this one..."
"But even experts aren't immune to poison, right?"
Bok Dong-su smacked his fist into his palm like enlightenment struck.
"Poison! We got poison!"
"Exactly. Heh heh heh... Strong poison might be tricky, but I've got San Gong Poison. Wipes out up to first-rate easy."
"San Gong Poison! Perfect. Heh heh. Instant-kill toxin would've been a waste."
"Come on, young master. After poisoning, we gotta have some fun too, yeah?"
"Right, right. Don't worry. She's a looker. After I'm done, you'll get your turn."
San Gong Poison.
A toxin that scatters your internal energy—like its name says. Lasts about an hour, give or take. Even the fancy stuff caps at two. It's for subduing, not killing—perfect for shady deeds.
Like this one.
A first-rate without qi? Just a regular woman. Couldn't fight off a third-rate like Bok Dong-su.
"Then we'd best prepare right away."
"Hell yeah."
"Oh, any companions with her?"
"One, but another girl. Like two female martial artists would travel together."
"Lucky us, heh heh. Might as well snag the spare too."
Their filthy laughs echoed. Flawless plan. Cloud-and-rain fun soon. Female martial artists—fiery ones were the best to break. The steward and Bok Dong-su knew that thrill better than anyone. How could they not laugh?
The one flaw? Both redheads were Peak realm masters.
A tiny detail.
. . .
"Fuuuahhh... So refreshing."
A sound more fitting for a middle-aged man echoed from the bathhouse—but beautiful all the same. Because it was Namgoong Juhee's. If she'd reincarnated in the modern world, she'd have crushed it as a virtual streamer. Though she'd probably just gamed all day anyway.
Anyway.
Namgoong Juhee's hair was unusually clean for once. She'd dragged the rest of her booze into the bath to finish it off. A masterful feat even Yi Hayeon hadn't clocked.
"Hoo..."
Namgoong Juhee sipped her liquor, lost in rare monologue. Rough day. She'd dodged Namgoong Sihoon all morning, face-planted on the ground. Worse was the horse ride. Twenty years in the murim world, body finally female-adjusted—but not to that. Sweat-soaked fabric rubbing skin? Itchy as hell. Especially the sticky sweat between her breasts—head went hot just thinking.
Then the inn stress-eater showed up. Should she have killed him?
"Mm... But hunting crime's too harsh, maybe. Blood on hands? Eh, just cooking stains."
Namgoong Juhee suddenly invoked presumption of innocence. Modern soul—makes sense. But the bandits and water pirates she'd killed would've begged to differ. Bok Dong-su's crimes were as bad or worse. Too bad they were dead, and she couldn't hear ghosts.
"Fuu... Refreshing."
So she kept chugging. Sharing a room with Hayeon later—needed to be wasted to sleep. That's when it happened.
"Ex... Excuse me, great hero."
A voice from outside the bath. The servant who'd shown her in. Forgot something? Namgoong Juhee draped a towel and cracked the door.
"What's up?"
"W-well... Thought you might want snacks with your drinks, so I prepared some."
Namgoong Juhee's eyes lit up. Candy! Honey buns! Why did girl body crave sweets so bad?
"Oh, thanks! I'll dig in."
"Y-yes... Enjoy."
She snatched the tray and retreated inside. Missing the lecherous grins of the two men behind the servant.