Chapter 51: Poison Seductress Tang Seo-yoon-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 51: Poison Seductress Tang Seo-yoon-2
"Let’s have a serious talk."
Sun-woo spoke to Tang Seo-yoon with a relaxed smile.
"You tie me up out of nowhere and expect a serious conversation? Do you think that makes any sense? Untie me this instant."
"I can't do that. It’ll be a headache if you manage to undo the acupoint striking."
"Coward."
"I prefer the term 'cautious.'"
"Who the hell are you?"
Tang Seo-yoon threw the question at him, her voice laced with suspicion.
Who on earth was he to kidnap and confine a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan right in the heart of their own estate?
"My name is Jang Sun-woo."
After answering her, Sun-woo began to circulate the Zhu-Rong Art.
Crack, crunch.
His bones began to twist and shift, and Sun-woo’s appearance slowly started to change. After several sickening contortions, Sun-woo’s outward form had transformed into that of Tang Se-gi.
"For now, I’m borrowing Tang Se-gi’s appearance."
Tang Seo-yoon was visibly shaken by the sight, but she quickly regained her composure and asked, "…Did you kill Tang Se-gi?"
"That’s right. I killed him. He was a piece of trash, after all."
"You’re insane. You’re absolutely out of your mind. Do you really think you can survive after doing something like that? You’ve murdered a direct bloodline of the Tang Clan."
Tang Seo-yoon pressed him, her voice trembling with shock. She genuinely wondered if the man before her was sane. While it was true that Tang Se-gi was an incomparable scoundrel, he was still a direct descendant. By his own admission, this man had turned the entire Tang Clan—the family known as the greatest in the Central Plains—into his enemy with a single reckless decision.
"I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't prepared for the consequences," Sun-woo replied nonchalantly.
He didn't regret killing Tang Se-gi. In fact, if given another chance, he would make the man’s death even more agonizing.
"Madman."
Tang Seo-yoon defined him with that single word. The man before her wasn't just ordinary crazy; he was a special kind of lunatic.
"What’s your intention in revealing your identity to me?"
"Why do you think?"
"I hate long-winded talk. Just get to the point."
She assumed Sun-woo had a specific purpose. If he had intended to kill her, he would have done so while she was unconscious.
"Aren't you even a little bit afraid?"
"What’s the worst that could happen? I die?"
Sun-woo was impressed by her grit. She was a true "iron woman" if there ever was one. Or perhaps she was just too dim-witted to grasp the gravity of her situation.
"Look, Tang Seo-yoon. You’re currently being threatened by a mysterious assailant. You have no idea what might happen to you."
"And what exactly is going to happen? Are you going to ravish me? Fine by me. At least I won't die a virgin ghost."
"Crazy bitch."
Sun-woo let out a hollow laugh. Her reaction was on an entirely different level from any woman he had ever known. Are all the women in the Murim like this? he wondered, sighing inwardly. It seemed his attempt to intimidate her had failed completely.
Despite her delicate appearance, Tang Seo-yoon showed no sign of fear. It was the kind of venomous tenacity one would expect from a woman obsessed with martial arts.
"The point is simple. I intend to obtain the Poison Essence. Help me."
"You really are a madman."
She reaffirmed her assessment of him. He wasn't just crazy; he was completely unhinged. Not only had he killed a direct descendant and infiltrated the clan using his face, but now he was asking another direct descendant to help him steal the Poison Essence.
She hadn't particularly cared for the scoundrel Tang Se-gi, but she was still a member of the Tang bloodline. The man before her, who had murdered her kin, was her sworn enemy. To ask such an enemy for help was beyond absurd—it was delusional.
"Do you honestly think I’ll help you?"
"I’ll make you an offer you can't refuse."
"Why? Are you going to offer me the inner core of a Human-Faced Spider too?"
Tang Seo-yoon snorted. Why were there so many "offers she couldn't refuse" lately?
"I’ll teach you the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers."
"……"
Sun-woo’s absurd statement left Tang Seo-yoon speechless.
The Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers.
Was it not the very essence of hidden weapon techniques, named for the way it made a rain of projectiles fall like blossoms filling the sky? It was one of the Tang Clan’s ultimate martial arts, often said to be the counterpart to the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art in the realm of hidden weapons.
Centuries ago, before the emergence of the legendary Poison Emperor Tang Tae-gang, it was generally accepted that poison arts alone could not defeat a high-level master. The prevailing opinion was that any master who reached the Peak Realm could simply use their internal energy to burn away any toxins in their body, making poison arts pitifully weak.
The Tang Clan, masters of poison, shared this concern and had to find a way to supplement their underwhelming poison arts. The fact that their poison was ineffective against top-tier masters when used alone was a constant source of anxiety. They needed a more efficient way to administer poison, and after centuries of research, they found the answer: hidden weapons.
Hidden weapons were the perfect tools to utilize poison arts more effectively than any other instrument. Generally, there were several ways to poison someone: direct ingestion, creating a poisonous mist to be inhaled, or emitting poisonous Qi to be absorbed through the skin. However, all these methods shared a common flaw: they took too much time to take effect. This was why it was difficult to poison a Peak master; they could simply burn the poison away before it spread through their body.
But everything changed when poison was delivered via hidden weapons. The moment a poisoned projectile struck, the toxin entered the bloodstream and spread with terrifying speed. Even a master of the highest caliber could lose their life if they let their guard down for even a second.
Having found this new solution, the Tang Clan delved deeper into their research, eventually evolving their hidden weapon techniques into a distinct discipline known as hidden weapon arts. This became the foundation that allowed the Tang Clan to rise from the bottom of the Six Great Clans to become a powerhouse competing for the top spot.
And the pinnacle of those storied hidden weapon arts was the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers. It was an omnidirectional technique that instantly filled the sky with a deluge of hidden weapons, a feat so incredible it was considered the zenith of the craft.
Because the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers was powerful enough to dominate an entire area in a single move, it was equally difficult to master. The countless projectiles that filled one's vision required different distributions of internal energy based on their shape and size. It was a high-level martial art that was impossible to even attempt without the secret manual.
It was a technique everyone coveted, but the number of people allowed to learn it was extremely limited. It was a secret art reserved exclusively for the Clan Head—the most direct of the direct bloodline. In the past, it had been open to any direct descendant, but now, access was strictly restricted.
During the reign of the previous Clan Head’s predecessor, an Elder had staged a rebellion while the Clan Head was away. His goal was to seize the position for himself. Leading his followers, he tore through the Tang Clan, causing numerous casualties. Furthermore, because the rebel Elder had mastered the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers to its limit, most people with lower martial prowess were slaughtered before they could even put up a fight.
The rebellion was eventually suppressed by the Clan Head upon his return, but the cost in lives had been staggering. This incident forced the Tang Clan to realize the sheer danger of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers. If the practitioner was stronger than their opponent, the victim would die without even a chance to resist. How could such a thing not be dangerous?
Though it was restricted to the direct bloodline, its power to threaten the position of the Clan Head remained etched in everyone's minds. Fearing another such catastrophe, the Clan Meeting decided to restrict the technique to the Clan Head alone, preventing any future uprisings.
When Tang Seo-yoon grew old enough to learn this truth, she lamented it deeply. Why did the restriction have to be placed just before she could learn it? She had already decided to forgo marriage and dedicate her life to martial arts, yet the timing was so cruel. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way for her to obtain the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers.
She had requested permission to learn it multiple times, but the Elders and the Council, wary of her innate talent, never granted it. Eventually, she had no choice but to give up. To a martial arts fanatic like Tang Seo-yoon, the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers was the one technique she craved most precisely because she couldn't have it.
So, when the man before her mentioned it, her eyes couldn't help but widen.
"W-What did you say!?"
She was so shocked she even stuttered. She had been listening intently to hear what kind of offer he would make, but the proposal was beyond her wildest dreams.
"How about it? Interested now?"
Sun-woo smirked. Her reaction was even more intense than he had expected.
"How do you even know about the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers?"
"I have my ways."
"Do you really think that’s a believable answer!?"
"How I know isn't the important part."
Sun-woo looked her straight in the eye.
"What matters is that I can give it to you."
"Nonsense!"
She immediately dismissed his words as lies. She didn't know when he had transformed into Tang Se-gi, but the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers was a secret among secrets, hidden so deeply that even a direct descendant like Tang Se-gi couldn't dream of accessing it. How could he possibly give it to her?
"Don't tell me you’re going to spout some nonsense about helping me become the Clan Head so I can learn it in secret."
If he thought it was that simple, he had come to the wrong person. Though she had suffered much persecution and discrimination as a woman in the male-dominated Tang Clan, she was still of Tang blood. She had absolutely no intention of letting a mysterious murderer manipulate her precious family.
"Of course not. Besides, I have no interest in the position of Clan Head. All I want is the Poison Essence."
"Then how do you plan to teach me?"
"I’ll give you the manual."
"!?!?!"
That was impossible. The manual for the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers was kept safely inside a safe in the Clan Head’s office. There was no way he could get it out.
"The manual is in the Clan Head’s office. Do you really think you can steal it?"
Even if the legendary thief Flying Fox were to return from the dead, it would be an impossible task.
"Who said anything about stealing? I’ll write it out for you myself."
"Liar!"
No matter how she thought about it, it had to be a lie. How could a man of unknown identity know a secret martial art that only the Tang Clan Head was permitted to learn?
Tang Seo-yoon shook her head vigorously. She couldn't let herself be deceived. This man was nothing more than a rebel who had infiltrated the clan to subvert it. She couldn't let herself be played.
Thud.
Just then, a book landed on the bed where she sat.
"What is this?"
"The mnemonic chants and forms for the first half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers."
Tang Seo-yoon’s eyes went wide. She couldn't believe he actually had it.
"Well? Has your trust in me gone up a bit?"
No, she couldn't be sure yet. Seeing how readily Sun-woo handed over the booklet, she suspected it might be a fake that only looked plausible on the surface.
Click.
It was then that Sun-woo approached and unlocked the shackles binding her arms.
"Open it."
Sun-woo encouraged her to check the booklet. Her freed hand reached toward the manual. Slowly, very slowly.
Her hand began to tremble slightly, and the closer it got to the manual, the more violent the shaking became. This was the manual for the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers she had dreamed of. She didn't know if it was real or fake, but if it was real, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grasp the thing she had craved her entire life.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the manual...
"But remember, the moment you open that, you’re in the same boat as me. Think carefully before you do."
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, Tang Seo-yoon suddenly snapped back to her senses. She couldn't just open the manual like this. If it was a fake, there would be no problem, but if it was real, she would become a criminal who had violated the Clan Law. Especially in the case of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers, which was restricted due to its association with rebellion, simply looking at it could lead to a severe charge of treason.
Her pupils shook uncontrollably as she stared at the manual. A massive conflict between reason and desire erupted within her.
The die was cast.
Sun-woo watched her struggle, quietly waiting to see what choice she would make. Everything depended on her decision. He had to make her his ally, no matter what.
Please, please!
Finally, her trembling hand touched the manual.
Yes! Fuck yes!!
Flip, flip, flip.
She began to flip through the manual and read. After some time had passed...
Thud.
She closed the manual and looked at Sun-woo.
"How can I help you?"
It worked!
Sun-woo cheered inwardly. She must have confirmed that the manual was genuine.
"Welcome to the same boat."
Sun-woo grinned and offered his hand for a handshake.
Slap!
But she roughly swatted his hand away.
"Don't act like we’re friends. My help only lasts until you get the Poison Essence."
"That’s more than enough."
Despite her sharp response, the smile wouldn't leave Sun-woo’s face. With this, he had successfully completed the first step toward obtaining the Poison Essence.
He had formed an alliance, however temporary, with the Poison Seductress, Tang Seo-yoon.