Chapter 53: Poisonous Beauty Tang Seo-yoon-4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: Poisonous Beauty Tang Seo-yoon-4
Sun-woo closed his eyes.
He began to grasp the characteristics of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art through his hand, which rested upon Tang Seo-yoon’s fair skin.
The Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art possessed a power so profound and mysterious that it truly deserved the title of a "Divine Art."
Though it was a fusion of two diametrically opposed forces—poisonous qi and internal energy—the art did not move with the expected turbulence. Instead, it circulated through her acupoints with a surprisingly gentle and serene aura.
This was only possible because the poisonous qi and internal energy had achieved a state of perfect harmony.
After the energy had circulated through her acupoints for some time, Sun-woo began to draw the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi into himself through the palm of his hand.
Merely feeling it was not enough.
He intended to circulate it through his own body.
Drawing a completely foreign energy into one's own body was an incredibly dangerous endeavor, but the transcendent martial art known as the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art made it possible.
Soon, the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi began to flow into Sun-woo through his hand.
The first sensation he felt as the energy entered him was a searing, burning pain.
No matter how well-balanced the poisonous qi and internal energy were within the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art, it remained a lethally dangerous force to anyone practicing a different martial art.
"Urgh..."
The burning pain began to spread from his fingertips.
However, Sun-woo had no choice but to endure it with grim determination, trusting in the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art.
To cut the connection now would be even more dangerous.
Woooooom.
Soon, enough Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi had entered his body to fill his dantian.
And then, Sun-woo felt it.
He felt the immense poisonous qi and the pure internal energy, condensed to an unimaginable density.
Sun-woo marveled at the sheer might of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
He could truly feel the underlying power of the Tang Clan. The thought that every direct-line descendant mastered such a formidable martial art was staggering.
Sun-woo began to circulate the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi as it was.
Every time the energy passed through Sun-woo’s acupoints, it tried to leave behind traces of poison to induce a state of poisoning, but the energy of the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art immediately coated the acupoints and devoured the poisonous qi.
The energies that had finished circulating through Sun-woo’s body flowed back through his fingertips and into Tang Seo-yoon’s dantian to continue their cycle.
Woooooom.
The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi and the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi became one, beginning to purify the acupoints of both individuals even further.
Woooooooooom.
A profound sense of well-being washed over him.
As the circulation with Tang Seo-yoon repeated, an unimaginable wave of pleasure surged through him again and again.
"Ah..."
Tang Seo-yoon was experiencing the same ecstasy.
Every time the energy transmitted from Sun-woo passed through her body, her acupoints became cleaner. Every time her internal energy and poisonous qi became purer, she felt it.
When he had first drawn the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi through his fingertips, she had been momentarily alarmed, wondering if he had mastered the Great Art of Energy Absorption.
But he was simply using his own body to circulate and refine her energy.
The energy that had passed through Sun-woo’s body returned to hers in a much purer form.
"Ah... ah..."
As the purified internal energy accumulated, she was overwhelmed by a pleasure she could hardly withstand.
What martial artist wouldn't be overjoyed to have their acupoints throughout their entire body circulated by energy that felt no different from Nature Qi?
She found herself wishing this moment would last forever.
How much time had passed?
Though they had completed the cycle many times, she was still unsatisfied and tried to operate the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art once more.
Just then.
She felt his hand pull away from her stomach.
"Ah..."
A sigh of regret escaped her lips.
She hadn't wanted it to end like this.
"Why!?"
She glared at Sun-woo with narrowed, pouting eyes.
She had been right in the middle of enjoying that blissful circulation of qi. Why stop so suddenly?
Meeting her gaze, Sun-woo let out a small smirk.
It was amusing to see her change her tune so completely, considering the fuss she had made when he first asked to touch her stomach.
"That's enough for today. I'm exhausted."
As if to prove his words weren't a lie, beads of sweat were forming on Sun-woo’s forehead.
Seeing this, Tang Seo-yoon’s expression turned to one of disappointment.
"You made such a scene earlier, so why the long face now?"
"Because it felt good."
She spoke with blunt honesty, exactly as she felt.
She had felt a natural aversion to a strange man's hand touching her body, but Sun-woo’s hand was different.
As the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi circulated and scoured her acupoints in an even purer state, there was no way it could feel bad.
In fact, she had reached the point where she wanted him to keep his hand there.
"I can't circulate your internal energy anymore, but I can still rub your belly. Want me to do that?"
"Get lost."
She snapped back at Sun-woo’s pointless joke and immediately pulled her top down to cover her stomach.
Since the business was finished anyway, there was no reason to keep herself exposed.
'Tsk.'
Sun-woo felt a pang of regret as he watched her.
Earlier, he had been so focused on the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art that he hadn't been able to properly appreciate the texture of her fine skin.
Now that she had covered her stomach, he felt as if something he owned had been taken away.
"Don't look so disappointed. I'll have to do this several more times until I've perfectly grasped the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art anyway."
"Well, that's fine then."
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, she let out a small chuckle.
'She's damn pretty.'
Until now, Tang Seo-yoon had done nothing but keep a straight face or scowl.
Seeing her smile felt as if the entire room had brightened.
Looking at her now, he realized that the title of "Poisonous Beauty"—comparing her to the legendary Xi Shi—was no exaggeration.
She was so beautiful that people praised her looks with a title rather than her Super-Peak martial arts.
Sun-woo, lost in admiration, suddenly shook his head vigorously.
Now was not the time to be lost in such thoughts.
He had fastened the first button; now it was time for the second.
"Tang Seo-yoon, do you have any poisonous creatures or materials left?"
"What?"
Tang Seo-yoon looked at him as if he were speaking nonsense.
By circulating the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi flowing through Tang Seo-yoon’s body into his own, Sun-woo had been able to grasp the flow and characteristics of the energy to some extent.
He felt he could mimic the flow itself reasonably well.
However, a problem had arisen.
Even if he could follow the flow, he couldn't replicate the unique poisonous qi inherent to the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art using only his internal energy.
The Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art was, by nature, a complex energy where poisonous qi and internal energy were fused into one.
It was impossible to mimic that with internal energy alone.
"So, you're saying you need poisonous materials to dissolve into your internal energy?"
Tang Seo-yoon asked back listlessly.
"Exactly. I can follow the flow, but I can't create the poisonous qi out of thin air."
It was a logical conclusion.
One could create something from something else, but creating something from nothing was near impossible.
"Even if Tang Se-gi is a delinquent, the clan should still provide enough poisonous materials for his training, shouldn't they?"
The Tang Clan was a family that specialized in poison arts.
In particular, the process of mastering the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art, which the direct-line descendants practiced, required a significant amount of poisonous materials.
Therefore, the clan provided various poisonous substances to the direct-line descendants every month for the purpose of training.
This was true even for the delinquent but direct-line Tang Se-gi.
"There aren't any..."
"What!?"
"I said I used them all up, and there's nothing left..."
Sun-woo let out a deep sigh.
It wasn't that he didn't know about the monthly supply of poison.
Before infiltrating the Tang Clan, Sun-woo had interrogated Tang Se-gi about his monthly entertainment expenses while torturing him.
He had been curious about how a direct-line descendant could afford to play so extravagantly at the Geumhwa Pavilion, the largest establishment in Chengdu.
And he had found out.
He found out that Tang Se-gi was a truly irredeemable piece of trash.
Tang Se-gi had confessed that he sold the poisonous materials he received every month for training to his siblings to fund his debauchery.
Since the progress of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art increased exponentially the more poison one absorbed, every direct-line descendant of the Tang Clan coveted them.
At the time, Sun-woo had dismissed it as trivial, but now that he actually had to mimic the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art, it was a massive headache.
The industrious Tang Se-gi had already sold off this month's supply.
Sun-woo felt his blood pressure rising.
It felt as if that piece of trash was still tripping him up even after death.
"You used all of that?"
Tang Seo-yoon asked back in shock.
She knew very well the amount of poison provided to direct-line descendants each month.
Especially for Tang Se-gi’s generation—the candidates for the position of Young Clan Head—wasn't the amount of poison significantly higher than for other generations?
She couldn't understand how he could have used it all.
"There's no way Tang Se-gi used it for training..."
"He sold it all."
"That crazy bastard."
A curse escaped her beautiful lips.
What kind of lunatic in the Tang Clan would sell the poison meant for training to pay for his nights out?
To her, someone who preferred consuming poison over eating three meals a day, it was incomprehensible.
"And there's no money left?"
"Not a single cent. In fact, he owes hundreds of nyang in unpaid tabs at the Geumhwa Pavilion."
Sun-woo sighed deeply.
Hoping there might be some money left, he had visited the Jaegyeong Pavilion, only to be informed that a collection notice had arrived from the Geumhwa Pavilion demanding payment of his debts.
For Sun-woo, who desperately needed to secure poisonous materials, this was beyond frustrating.
"So, do you have any poison left?"
"I'm sorry, but I've used all of mine too."
Of course, unlike Tang Se-gi, she was obsessed with martial arts and had used it all for her training.
"Wait, it's only the middle of the month, and you've used it all already!?"
Sun-woo asked back with an incredulous expression.
How could she have consumed that much poison when the month was only half over?
"I chew on poison instead of food."
"You crazy woman."
At her blunt answer, Sun-woo fell into thought.
To be honest, he hadn't entirely ruled out this possibility.
He had considered that a martial arts fanatic like her might have run out of poison.
"Is there any other way?"
"It'll be hard to get poison within the Tang Clan right now."
Her words were true.
Ever since the announcement that the Godok Hall would be opened, the candidates for Young Clan Head had begun hoarding every scrap of poison in the Tang Clan.
To obtain more poison than the monthly allowance, one had to pay a certain amount, which was no problem for those with powerful maternal families backing them.
Furthermore, the elders and seniors of various factions had released all the poisons they personally held to give to the candidates they supported.
In such a situation, obtaining poison was a distant dream.
"Can't you just give me some of your poisonous qi?"
Sun-woo already knew about her deal with Tang San. If he couldn't get poisonous materials, couldn't he just take her poisonous qi?
He had already managed to endure it once while circulating the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi.
"Mimicking the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art isn't enough to handle my poisonous qi."
"I experienced it earlier during the circulation, and it seemed fine?"
"Circulating it and fully accepting the poisonous qi are two different things. Earlier, it was the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi, where the poison was fused with internal energy, so the toxicity was lessened. Normally, it's twice as potent as that."
Sun-woo’s face fell at her words.
The poisonous qi that had traveled through his hand earlier had been incredibly painful.
It was so toxic that he could barely suppress it with his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi.
If it was even more potent than that, he wasn't confident he could handle it.
"No, I have to get it somehow. Think carefully."
Sun-woo grew desperate.
The defining characteristic of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art was the fusion of poison and internal energy. If no poison could be felt from him, he would be exposed immediately.
"There's no way, so what do you want me to do?"
"Don't you want the second half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers?"
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, she furrowed her beautiful brows.
"You petty bastard."
She had already memorized the first half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers that Sun-woo had given her.
Now that she had half, her craving for the remaining half had only grown stronger.
This man seemed to know her psychology all too well.
"It's a fair trade. If I don't get the Poison Essence, there's no Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers. So, rack your brain."
She rested her chin on her hand and fell into silent contemplation.
To get the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers, she had to find a way, no matter what.
Closing her eyes, she searched every corner of her mind for a solution.
After some time...
Flash.
She opened her eyes.
"There is a way."
"What is it?"
Sun-woo asked eagerly, brightened by her words.
"But the risk will be high. Are you okay with that?"
"I have nowhere to retreat anyway. If I can't perfectly mimic the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art, I'm dead either way."
He said the words, but Sun-woo’s eyes trembled slightly.
He was clearly frightened by whatever she was about to suggest.
Seeing his reaction, Tang Seo-yoon smirked.
Despite his brave words, his trembling form was actually quite cute.
Straightening her expression, she continued.
"It's impossible for you to obtain a large quantity of poison in your current situation."
"I know that. That's why I'm having such a headache, isn't it?"
"Don't interrupt me."
"Okay."
"If you can't mobilize a large amount of poison, you just need to find a top-grade lethal poison."
"Where can I find that?"
"The Great Matriarch's quarters."
"What!?"
Sun-woo asked back in shock.
"The only way for you to get a lethal poison is in the Great Matriarch's quarters."
Hearing her words, Sun-woo’s pupils shook uncontrollably.
As expected, nothing in this world came easy.