Chapter 200: To the North Sea-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 200: To the North Sea-1
Gulp.
"What is that?"
Geum Jeok-hwa swallowed hard, her face tense as she questioned Tang Seo-yoon.
"It is a way to bind her using poison," Tang Seo-yoon replied calmly.
"What?!"
"You mean...!"
Both Geum Jeok-hwa and Madam Tang wore expressions of pure shock.
No matter that she was a hostage, poisoning Lee Ye-seol—the daughter of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader—was a grave matter. If word of this got out, the Tang Clan would face universal condemnation.
"From the Tang Clan's perspective, Lady Lee is a powder keg that could explode at any moment. No matter how closely we watch her, human vigilance always has gaps. And that single gap could be the fatal mistake that ends the Tang Clan."
Tang Seo-yoon continued, her expression remaining composed.
"The fate of our clan is at stake. We cannot afford even the slightest opening. Having been infected with the Tang Clan's secret poison, Lady Lee will suffer unimaginable agony if she does not receive the antidote every two days."
"Wait... Wait a minute!"
Lee Ye-seol, who had been listening, shouted with a face drained of color.
"I never heard anything about this!" she screamed, her face flushing red.
Being taken hostage was already humiliating and sorrowful enough. But to be poisoned out of nowhere? She hadn't heard a single word about this during the entire journey to the Tang Clan. She couldn't help but be furious.
"I apologize for not informing you in advance."
"You think an apology is enough?!"
"Even so, I had no choice. I suspected that if you knew about the poisoning, you wouldn't have come to the Tang Clan so quietly."
"How despicable!" Lee Ye-seol barked at Tang Seo-yoon. "I refuse to be poisoned!"
"This isn't a matter of permission, Lady Lee. It is a notification."
"Then reconsider. I have no intention of being poisoned."
Lee Ye-seol spoke as if making a grand declaration, her face full of rage.
"I won't eat a single thing provided by the Tang Clan!"
A hostage only holds value as long as they are alive. She was implying that if she went on a hunger strike, the Tang Clan would be the ones in trouble.
"That will be useless," Tang Seo-yoon said, looking at her.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You have already been poisoned."
"Wh-what?!"
Lee Ye-seol stared back in confusion, her face contorted with shock.
"That's... that's a lie!"
Lee Ye-seol dismissed Tang Seo-yoon's words as a bluff. It was impossible. During the three days they spent traveling to the Tang Clan, she hadn't consumed anything that could have been poisoned. They had always eaten together, sharing the exact same food. There was no way she could have been poisoned.
"Why do you think it's a lie?" Tang Seo-yoon asked.
"On the way here, I only ate food that you all tasted first! There's no way I could have been poisoned!"
"Heh."
A small chuckle escaped Tang Seo-yoon's lips.
"What's so funny?!"
"It seems Lady Lee is under a great misunderstanding."
Lee Ye-seol looked blankly at her. A misunderstanding? What on earth was she talking about?
"All the food we consumed contained poison."
"Wh-what...?"
Panic began to cloud Lee Ye-seol's expression. All the food was poisoned? That made no sense. If they had done that, wouldn't they have been poisoned themselves?
Ah.
A realization flashed through Lee Ye-seol's mind. She began to understand exactly what her misunderstanding was.
"...Immunity."
"Correct. Even if it is a secret poison, it doesn't pose much of a threat to Sun-woo or me."
"But there were clearly no ingredients for it?" Lee Ye-seol asked, her eyes filled with doubt.
"For me, extracting a specialized poison by mixing the poisonous qi within my own body is no difficult task."
".........."
Lee Ye-seol fell silent, looking utterly devastated. She realized she had been completely outmaneuvered.
"............Is it really true?"
After a long silence, Lee Ye-seol asked in a dejected voice.
"You are welcome to verify it if you wish. Though, of course, it will be accompanied by excruciating pain."
Hearing Tang Seo-yoon's words, Lee Ye-seol's expression darkened further.
"So, you must make sure to eat everything given to you. I will be placing the antidote in your meals."
"Yes..."
Lee Ye-seol replied in a weak, drained voice. Her tone was thick with resignation. Seeing this, Tang Seo-yoon smiled with satisfaction.
"Now, let us discuss her treatment."
Tang Seo-yoon addressed the room.
"I intend to assign her a pavilion. And for the time being, I would like Madam Tang to act as her guard."
"Me?"
Madam Tang's ears perked up at the suggestion.
"Yes, you, Madam Tang."
"How could I..." Madam Tang trailed off.
"Currently, there is no one else suitable to watch over her. We need someone who is female and capable of suppressing her in an emergency."
It was true. Even if her internal energy was sealed, Lee Ye-seol was still a martial artist. It was too much to ask ordinary servants to guard her. Furthermore, they couldn't assign a man to guard a woman like Lee Ye-seol. Since her every move had to be monitored, a male guard would cause her immense shame.
"If I step away to guard her, what about the internal affairs?" Madam Tang asked worriedly.
The clan's administration was already short-staffed. If she were to leave her post, things would become even more difficult.
"I plan to recruit more people. At this rate, we'll all die of overwork before the Tang Clan even sees its revival."
Tang Seo-yoon shook her head as she continued.
"Actually, there are a few people I've been eyeing for several months. I intended to observe them a bit longer, but given the circumstances, I plan to reach a compromise."
"Will that really be alright?"
"It will be fine. And according to the Third Madam, it seems we've discovered quite a talented individual as well."
Tang Seo-yoon gestured toward Yorang with her chin. She knew Yorang was a quick learner, but she never imagined the girl would master accounting perfectly in just a few days. With that kind of comprehension, she would likely master other tasks within days as well.
"I understand. Then I will take on the role of Lady Lee's guard for now."
"Thank you, Madam Tang."
Tang Seo-yoon expressed her gratitude. She was thankful that Madam Tang had readily accepted such a burdensome task.
"Which pavilion should she be assigned to?" Madam Tang asked.
"Hmm, let's see. Where would be best?"
Tang Seo-yoon fell into deep thought. There were many vacant pavilions, but she wasn't sure which one would be appropriate.
"How about Iwha Pavilion?" Madam Tang suggested.
"Iwha Pavilion?"
Tang Seo-yoon's eyes widened. Wasn't Iwha Pavilion the residence where Tang Jin-cheol's second wife used to live?
"Yes. It is close to my quarters, and it would be a comfortable place for Lady Lee to stay."
"...Hmm, I think I should discuss that matter with the Clan Head first."
Tang Seo-yoon considered it before reaching a conclusion. Even if they were separated now, Iwha Pavilion was strictly the Second Wife's former residence. If she assigned it without Tang Jin-cheol's permission, he would surely find it strange.
"Then for tonight, I will have her stay at my quarters."
"Yes, please do so."
Tang Seo-yoon nodded. By tomorrow, her residence would likely be moved to Iwha Pavilion—with the permission of the Poison King, Tang Jin-cheol.
"Lady Lee's treatment has been decided, and the night is late, so let's conclude this part of the meeting."
Tang Seo-yoon looked around the office and gave a slight nod to Madam Tang. it was a silent signal to take Lee Ye-seol away.
Madam Tang reached out toward Lee Ye-seol.
"We shall take our leave first."
Grip.
Her hand caught by Madam Tang, Lee Ye-seol began to be led away powerlessly.
"I'll go... I'll go... just let go of my hand."
Startled by the sudden contact, Lee Ye-seol stammered.
"My apologies. Did I grip too hard?"
Madam Tang apologized as she released her hand. It seemed she had been a bit too eager and held on too tightly.
Slide.
"Please follow me."
With those words, Madam Tang led the way out of the office. Lee Ye-seol followed behind her like a duckling following its mother. Soon, they disappeared from sight.
Slide.
Thud.
Once they were gone, Tang Seo-yoon closed the office door again.
"Now, let us begin the real meeting," she said, looking at those who remained.
*
"The real meeting?"
Sun-woo looked at Tang Seo-yoon. Wasn't today only supposed to be about Lee Ye-seol's treatment?
"It seems something quite troublesome happened to the Tang Clan while we were away."
Her expression was grim.
"Troublesome?" Sun-woo asked, confused. What could have happened so suddenly?
"I only heard the gist of it, so I don't know the details. The Third Madam will explain."
Tang Seo-yoon looked at Geum Jeok-hwa.
"A letter arrived while the two of you were away," Geum Jeok-hwa began slowly. "And the contents of that letter were unbelievable."
Her voice trembled slightly as she continued.
"The letter stated that the martial artists of the Sichuan Alliance, who had left to transport goods to the North Sea, have all gone missing."
"What?!"
Sun-woo shouted in surprise. The words coming from Geum Jeok-hwa were entirely unexpected.
"Qingcheng and Emei are in an uproar. The missing Sichuan Alliance martial artists included not only secular disciples but main sect disciples as well."
"Has all contact been cut off?" Sun-woo asked with a hardened expression.
"Yes. All communication ceased completely after the report that they had arrived at a small village."
"And the culprit?"
"Nothing has been confirmed yet, but both Qingcheng and Emei are pointing fingers at the North Sea Ice Palace."
"What are the chances of that?"
"To be honest, it's fifty-fifty. While the North Sea is the domain of the Ice Palace, they aren't the only martial artists there."
It was true. Although the North Sea Ice Palace was the most powerful force in the region, not all martial artists there belonged to it. Since ancient times, the North Sea had been a frequent hiding place for murderers and demons who had committed horrific crimes in the Central Plains.
"How have they decided to respond?"
"It seems both Qingcheng and Emei intend to dispatch Elders from their main sects. They plan to bring along support personnel as well."
Sun-woo's expression turned stony as he listened.
"What has the Tang Clan decided to do?"
"We haven't been able to decide yet, which is why I asked the two of you to stay."
"Hmm."
Sun-woo looked troubled.
"What do you think?" he asked, turning to Tang Seo-yoon.
"This is an incident where martial artists of the Sichuan Alliance have gone missing. We must provide support that is at least equal to the strength sent by Qingcheng and Emei. If we don't, the alliance will be shaken."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke with a calm but firm tone.
"Are there any Elder-level martial artists left in the Tang Clan?" Sun-woo asked doubtfully.
"There are none. All the direct bloodline members except for me are dead."
She shook her head. It was the truth. The main strength of the Tang Clan had been massacred by the Poison Demon a few months ago. The only Elder-level martial artists left were essentially Sun-woo or Tang Seo-yoon.
This meant that one of them would have to go as support.
Sun-woo's brow furrowed deeply. He had only just managed to settle everything and return to the Tang Clan. And now he had to head out again? It was absurd. He didn't want to do it.
And the North Sea, of all places? It could take months just to return.
"Can't we just settle it with supplies or funding for the trip to the North Sea?" Sun-woo asked, hoping for a way out.
"No. From a sect's perspective, the best support is a powerful martial artist. If we try to brush it off with money or goods, they'll see right through such a shallow move."
Tang Seo-yoon's response was resolute.
"They must know there are no Elder-level martial artists left in the Tang Clan, right?" Sun-woo grumbled.
An Elder-level martial artist meant someone who had reached at least the upper stage of the Peak Realm. It was impossible for the Tang Clan, which had lost almost all its main power, to produce such martial artists.
"That's exactly why we must go. If we can't provide martial assistance in an emergency, the very reason for maintaining the alliance disappears."
Tang Seo-yoon's expression remained firm.
'Fuck,' Sun-woo cursed inwardly.