Chapter 124: The Bluff - Part 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: The Bluff - Part 2
"Unbelievable."
Sun-woo let out a scoff of pure incredulity at her question.
"Can't you see that?"
Sun-woo pointed toward Yorang, who was currently covered by his dragon robe. To turn a person into such a state and then act as if they knew nothing—Sun-woo truly wondered if these 'Dragon and Phoenix' elites possessed even a shred of conscience.
"Just who is that woman that you would dare to make enemies of the Orthodox Faction’s Rising Stars?" Zhuge Jia asked, looking genuinely perplexed.
Even assuming everything he claimed was true, it didn't give him the right to treat the Dragon and Phoenix so recklessly. Just as he was the disciple of the Poison King, they were disciples of sects and children of clans that were every bit as formidable as the Tang Clan. Unless there was a justifiable reason, this wasn't something they could just overlook, regardless of his status as the Poison King’s disciple.
She couldn't understand it. To make enemies of them over a mere girl? For a man who already had a fiancée like Tang Seo-yoon, who could possibly be important enough to justify such a rift?
"Her name is Yorang," Sun-woo said calmly. "She is the Poison King’s wife."
The Dragon and Phoenix gasped, their eyes widening in shock. The Poison King’s wife? Out of nowhere? What kind of nonsense was this?
"You... you mean his concubine?" Zhuge Jia stammered, her confusion evident. By 'wife,' surely he meant a concubine?
"She’s no concubine. She is his primary wife."
"That’s impossible!" Zhuge Jia shouted, shaking her head.
She felt like she had said "that's impossible" a dozen times since she started talking to this man, but this time, it truly was beyond belief. As a woman known as the 'Divine Strategist,' Zhuge Jia possessed an incredibly sharp mind. Consequently, she had memorized the faces of almost every major figure in the Murim, including the matriarchs of the great clans.
The Poison King—the Tang Clan Head—had five primary wives. She could say with absolute certainty that none of those five women looked like the one lying there.
"The Tang Clan Head has five wives, and not one of them looks like that lady."
"She’s the Sixth Lady, recently wed," Sun-woo replied flatly.
In a situation like this, speaking calmly was far more convincing than shouting or getting emotional. In truth, Yorang was publicly recognized as the Poison King’s sixth wife. While only the Tang Clan, Qingcheng, and Emei knew of this so far, it was only a matter of time before the news spread throughout the entire Murim. Thus, Sun-woo could speak of Yorang’s status with total confidence. Even if they investigated, the truth would eventually come to light.
"I... I’ve never heard of such a thing," Zhuge Jia countered.
It made no sense. It had only been a month since the Tang Clan suffered catastrophic damage from the Demonic Cult’s raid. To take a new wife in the midst of that? No matter how much of a lecher the Tang Clan Head was rumored to be, this was absurd.
"The rumors will start spreading soon. If you think I’m lying, send word to the Tang Clan later and see for yourself," Sun-woo replied indifferently.
Fabricating a lie was difficult, but stating a fact was easy.
"..........."
Zhuge Jia was left speechless. His sheer confidence made it impossible to know how to respond. Now that his identity as the Poison King’s disciple was established, the claim that the woman Lee Ye-seol had turned into a bloody mess was the Tang Clan’s Sixth Lady gained significant credibility.
"More importantly, what do you plan to do about this?"
"Pardon?"
"You’ve turned the Tang Clan Head’s precious woman—a primary wife, not even a concubine—into that state. Do you intend to just keep your mouths shut?"
"We... we also suffered damages..." Zhuge Jia tried to make an excuse.
"Are you joking?" Sun-woo cut her off. "You lot just took a few hits, but the Tang Clan’s Sixth Lady is covered in blade wounds. Do you not realize the gravity of taking a blade to a woman’s body?"
Sun-woo fixed her with a stern, threatening expression. "Would you like to experience a few dozen stabs yourself?"
"Eek!"
Terrified by his look, Zhuge Jia let out a sharp shriek. She truly believed he might do it.
"I think you’re mistaken. You are the perpetrators here. Even if I vented my anger on you, there is absolutely no room for leniency."
It was the truth. While Sun-woo had used force, most of them were merely knocked out. Even Lee Ye-seol, whose face was swollen, couldn't be compared to Yorang, who had been slashed all over.
This was a major incident. A massive one.
To be honest, if it had been anyone other than the Tang Clan, they might have been able to hush it up using their influence. Lee Ye-seol alone could have handled it; after all, she was the precious daughter of Lee Jae-won, the Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance, the most powerful organization in the Murim.
But the opponent was the Poison King—a hero who had saved the Murim and the brother-in-law of the Alliance Leader himself. In terms of seniority, she had just hacked away at a woman who was essentially her aunt-in-law. Everyone would point fingers at her, and the Poison King’s wrath was a certainty.
".........."
Zhuge Jia looked like she was about to cry. She felt a surge of resentment; she wasn't the one who had slashed the woman, so why was she being held responsible? Wasn't it the unconscious Hwangbo Ak, Hwa Un-san, and Lee Ye-seol who had caused this mess? Hwa Un-san and Hwangbo Ak were the ones who started a fight over the Sixth Lady, and Lee Ye-seol was the one who escalated it.
She was in a bind. Her only sin was being a bystander, yet she was the one bearing the brunt of this terrifying gaze.
"L... Lies!"
It was Lee Ye-seol. Having been knocked unconscious by Sun-woo’s strikes, she was now barely pushing herself up, using her Dragon Tail Soft Sword as a crutch. She looked pitiful, but to Zhuge Jia, she looked like a bitch who was about to make everything worse.
"It’s all a lie! The Tang Clan has no Sixth Lady! And you aren't Tang Seo-yoon’s fiancé either!" she screamed, her voice laced with spite.
It was all impossible. She didn't know what trick he was using, but that green aura had to be nothing more than a cheap imitation of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?" Sun-woo growled low.
"Of course! I don't know what sorcery you're using, but what you're wielding right now isn't the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art! It’s probably not even poison arts! It’s just a fake that mimics the color!"
Lee Ye-seol began to shout even louder. It had to be a lie. She was certain of it. Why would the Poison King’s disciple visit Gyunhyeon, near Mount Wudang, with the Sixth Lady? There was no logic to it. It was just a load of nonsense made up to save his skin.
No, it had to be a lie. If his words were true, her position within the Cheonmu Alliance would plummet to the bottom.
The Cheonmu Alliance might look peaceful on the surface, but internally, it was a battlefield of power struggles. Their goal was the transfer of power after the death of Alliance Leader Lee Jae-won. Lee Jae-won had many wives and just as many children. Naturally, the succession was a sensitive issue, and every wife wanted her own child—and by extension, her own family—to inherit his absolute power.
This was no different for her mother, the Heavenly Sword Empress Joo So-yang. She wanted her daughter, Lee Ye-seol, to have everything, and she worked tirelessly to achieve that. Lee Ye-seol knew of her mother’s efforts and worked just as hard to be the perfect successor. From martial arts to character, scholarship, and even her relationships with men, she was meticulously careful not to leave a single blemish.
If even the slightest flaw appeared, the other mothers would swarm like a pack of hyenas to tear her apart.
The Poison King’s Sixth Lady? That was perfect bait for the Alliance Leader’s third wife, Tang Jin-seol. As the Poison King’s sister, she would never let this slide. And it wasn't just her; the fourth wife, Paeng Ga-ryeon, who was always looking for a chance to strike, would surely pounce like a mad dog.
It couldn't be. They had to be fakes.
"Do you want to test it?"
"Test it?"
"Whether it’s poison or not."
"Gladly!" she replied boldly.
Her confidence stemmed from her conviction that his imitation of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art was a fraud. Even if he could mimic the color, he couldn't possibly replicate the profound poisonous qi of that art. Poison arts were something ordinary martial artists couldn't even begin to imitate; without systematic training from childhood, one couldn't even absorb poisonous qi without dying.
Thus, she was certain. This man could not replicate the poisonous qi of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
Sun-woo smirked at her. He hadn't felt fully satisfied just by slapping her around. While he had stopped at bursting her cheeks to manage the aftermath, a volcanic rage was still surging within him. The memories of Jang Sam being ignored by her and the sight of Yorang being trampled without resistance were swirling in his chest.
To have her walk right into an opportunity to suffer—how could he not be pleased?
Woooooooong.
Sun-woo activated the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art, gathering the poisonous qi within his body into his palm. Soon, his hand began to glow with a deep green hue. It was a Poison Palm.
"You’re going to regret this."
"Don't make me laugh."
Lee Ye-seol scoffed at his words. What kind of pathetic bluff was this?
After giving his final warning, Sun-woo walked slowly toward her.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of his footsteps echoed in her ears.
Gulp.
She swallowed hard despite herself. It had to be a lie. It had to be an imitation. She kept telling herself that, but his sheer confidence was making her anxious. What if he really was the Poison King’s disciple? What if that green energy in his hand really was poisonous qi? A flurry of thoughts began to dominate her mind.
Step.
Finally, the man claiming to be the Poison King’s disciple stood right in front of her. He slowly placed his green-stained hand on her shoulder.
In that instant—
"Urgh!"
She let out an involuntary groan. An indescribable pain began to radiate from her shoulder. The poisonous qi had invaded her body through his hand.
'It... it wasn't a lie?'
Grimacing in pain, she quickly circulated her internal energy to expel the poison. But no matter how hard she pushed, the poison that had entered through his hand wouldn't budge. The poison he had injected was too fast and too powerful for her internal energy to repel.
"AAAAAAAGH!"
She screamed as a searing pain tore through her. As time passed, the agony only intensified. It hurt. It hurt so much. Even when she was slapped until she lost consciousness, she hadn't screamed like this. But the pain from the poison far exceeded her stubborn endurance.
"Ple... please...!"
With tears welling in her eyes, she pleaded with Sun-woo. The poison burrowing into her was agonizing. It was a pain that felt like it didn't belong in this world.
"Yorang must have hurt this much, too," Sun-woo said calmly in response to her plea.
The pain of having one's living flesh hacked by a blade wouldn't have been any different for Yorang. Sun-woo hoped that through this pain, she would feel even a fraction of what Yorang had felt.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Her screams grew louder. The poison Sun-woo had injected was called Panthesia Burning Poison, a torture poison Tang Seo-yoon had taught him. With countless poisons latent within him, Sun-woo had combined them to create a version of the Burning Poison optimized for maximum agony. Among all poisons, it was one of the most painful.
Lee Ye-seol was likely losing her mind from the sensation of her entire body being on fire. But he didn't care. She was the one who asked for the test, wasn't she?
It was then.
Drip, drip.
Sizzle.
A pungent smell of urine wafted from her lower body, and a faint steam began to rise.
'Dammit.'
Seeing this, Sun-woo quickly re-absorbed the poison from her body to neutralize it. He hadn't expected her to actually wet herself. It seemed the effects of the Panthesia Burning Poison were a bit too much.
Thud.
She collapsed right where she had soiled herself.
"Sob..."
Tears began to stream down her face. She must have been mortified. It was in front of everyone. She, who was praised as the greatest talent among the renowned Dragon and Phoenix, had lost to the pain and had an accident in front of others.
"Sniff... hmph... sob..."
She wept silently. Sun-woo simply stood there, watching her cry her eyes out.