Chapter 57: Obtaining the Hundred-Year Flower - Part 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Obtaining the Hundred-Year Flower - Part 2
"Drink."
Tang Seo-yoon handed a small jade bottle to Sun-woo.
Taking the bottle, Sun-woo stared at it with a look of hesitation.
"Is this actually safe?"
"As long as you can properly mimic the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art, it’ll be safe."
"And if I can't?"
"Then you die."
Tang Seo-yoon brushed off his question as if it were nothing.
Hearing her answer, Sun-woo fell into deep thought. Inside the jade bottle was the diluted venom of the Hundred-Year Flower. Even though it had been diluted to a thousandth of its original strength, it was still a lethal poison.
If he failed to imitate the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art, he would be hopelessly poisoned.
"Are you scared?"
"Of course I am. Who wouldn't be scared when they might die?"
Tang Seo-yoon let out a small smirk at his response. Most men would have tried to act tough out of bravado, but he didn't show even a hint of it.
"So, you're not afraid of making the Tang Clan your enemy?"
"That’s fine because I haven't been caught yet."
"You're insane."
She muttered her brief assessment of him. To be more afraid of a little poison than making an enemy of the Tang Clan—the greatest family in the Central Plains—he truly had to be mad.
"I'll detoxify you if you get poisoned, so stop stalling and drink."
"You should have said that sooner!"
Sun-woo grumbled as he raised the jade bottle.
"Don't let it touch your teeth; it'll corrode them. Just swallow it straight down."
"Got it."
Gulp.
Without another word, Sun-woo swallowed the poison.
"Urgh!"
As soon as the poison went down, a searing pain began to surge through him. Sun-woo quickly closed his eyes and began to circulate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art.
Woooooom.
Sensing the dangerous threat of the poison, the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi began to move through his acupoints to incinerate the toxin.
‘No, you don't!’
But he couldn't let that happen. If the poison he had gone through so much trouble to obtain was burned away, this would all be for nothing. Sun-woo forced the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi to circulate in a completely different direction than usual.
‘The Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art won't work. It has to be the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.’
As if reading his mind, the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi began to mimic the flow and characteristics of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
"Mmm..."
He felt considerable pain during the process, but he had no choice but to endure it. Only by passing through this stage could he safely contain the poisonous qi.
The first thing to change was the flow. The violently surging Yin-Yang Harmony Qi began to flow slowly, just like the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi. A green hue began to overlay the colorless Yin-Yang Harmony Qi, eventually taking on the exact same color as the Tang Clan's signature energy.
Woooooom.
"Ah!"
Watching this, Tang Seo-yoon let out a gasp of admiration. The aura of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art was actually radiating from his body.
It was truly bizarre. Every martial art has its own unique energy and properties, yet he was ignoring those fundamental limits and mimicking another technique entirely. And not just any technique, but the supreme martial art of the Tang Clan.
‘Kh...’
Sun-woo swallowed a groan. The framework was now complete. The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi had become almost identical to the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi; now, he just had to dissolve the poisonous qi into it.
Sun-woo began to fuse the Hundred-Year Flower's poison with his energy.
‘Aaaaaargh!’
A level of pain incomparable to before flooded his senses, but he had to hold on. If he could endure this just once, he would be able to perfectly mimic the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
After some time had passed, the green light emitting from Sun-woo’s body grew even more vivid. The poisonous qi of the Hundred-Year Flower had been completely absorbed into the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi.
Flash!
Sun-woo snapped his eyes open. A green light flickered within his pupils—proof that he had perfectly mimicked the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
"Congratulations."
Tang Seo-yoon offered her congratulations with a rare smile. Sun-woo stared at her, dazed. No matter how many times he saw it, her smile was breathtaking.
"What's this? You're actually congratulating me?" Sun-woo asked, puzzled. He wasn't used to seeing her smile, as she usually wore a look of indifference.
"If you die, I won't be able to get the latter half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers," Tang Seo-yoon said firmly.
‘What a viper.’
Sun-woo cursed her inwardly.
"How does it look to you? Does it look like the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art?"
"Outwardly, it's perfect. But I'm not sure about the flow."
Having said that, she approached Sun-woo, lifted his shirt, and exposed his abdomen. His well-defined abdominal muscles were revealed.
"Wh-What are you doing!?" Sun-woo asked, flustered.
"I have to feel it myself to know if it's similar."
She continued calmly and placed her hand directly onto Sun-woo’s stomach.
Touch.
Sun-woo felt the soft touch of Tang Seo-yoon’s hand on his belly.
‘Does this girl have no shame?’
Even for a woman of the Murim, who might be more open-minded, what kind of woman lifts a man's clothes so casually? Sun-woo’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Seeing this, Tang Seo-yoon felt a secret sense of satisfaction. In truth, her bold action was intended to fluster him. After all, hadn't Sun-woo been kneading her own stomach every day, claiming he needed to get used to the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art? Seeing him turn red now that the roles were reversed felt quite gratifying.
‘Still, he’s quite firm.’
She was impressed by Sun-woo’s well-trained abs. With this kind of muscle tone, he must have trained for a very long time.
With her hand on his abdomen, she slowly closed her eyes and focused on the flow of his qi. Inside Sun-woo’s body, she felt a fluid energy mixed with poisonous qi, circulating through his acupoints without pause.
It was perfect. Sun-woo had perfectly mimicked the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
"It's perfect," Tang Seo-yoon said, pulling her hand away.
"What stage does it look like?" Sun-woo asked, his face brightening.
"About the 1st stage?"
"That's it?"
Sun-woo asked, disappointed. Didn't he have nearly two Gapja of internal energy? And yet, it was only the 1st stage?
"The achievement of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art is judged by the poison you hold," Tang Seo-yoon replied indifferently.
The mastery of this art was determined solely by the poison. While internal energy was certainly important, the essence of poison arts lay in how much toxicity one could harbor.
Sun-woo’s expression soured. He had succeeded in the mimicry, but he was still far from the 5th stage.
"Give me more poison."
Sun-woo held out his hand. Now that he had successfully mimicked the art, he had no reason to fear the poison.
"I don't have any."
"What? Why not?"
He had given her the entire Hundred-Year Flower, so how could she not have any?
"Because I haven't made it yet."
"You should have made it in advance!"
"I didn't expect you to succeed on your first try."
It was true. She had prepared an antidote just in case, but she hadn't prepared extra poison. She hadn't anticipated such immediate success.
"Don't you have any faith in me?"
"Looking at you, do I look like I’d have faith?"
Sun-woo fell silent at her sharp retort. It was true that asking her to trust someone as suspicious as him was a bit much.
"Anyway, I don't have any more right now, so come back tomorrow."
"I'll wait here. Just make a few more."
Sun-woo, feeling rushed, pleaded with her.
"Get out. Now."
But his pleas were useless. She harshly issued an expulsion order, and Sun-woo had no choice but to leave.
*
Great Matriarch Un Ga-ryeo.
Ever since her night of ecstasy with Sun-woo, she had been spending her days in a state of deep depression. Having realized that those moments of pleasure were not a dream, she was consumed by the guilt of having slept with a stranger.
At first, she thought it was a hallucination caused by her suppressed desires. However, the thick semen she had expelled from her vulva proved that the events of that night were no illusion.
Then, had her husband, Tang Jin-cheol, visited her quarters? It had been nearly five years since her husband last set foot in the Great Matriarch’s residence. Their relationship had been completely severed after a massive argument regarding the punishment for Tang Se-gi’s delinquent behavior.
Would such a man suddenly visit her in the middle of the night? It made no sense. When she had tried to bring it up, he seemed to have no idea what she was talking about. Furthermore, the Hundred-Year Flower that Tang Jin-cheol had gifted her decades ago had vanished. If it had been Tang Jin-cheol, he would have had no reason to take the flower.
Then who was the man who had shared that night of ecstasy with her? Un Ga-ryeo slowly tried to recall his features. The sharp eyes, the straight bridge of the nose, even the soft curve of the lips—everything had been a perfect replica of Tang Jin-cheol.
But if it wasn't Tang Jin-cheol, then who could it be? She fell into deep contemplation.
Suddenly, her face turned pale. Come to think of it, although the man looked exactly like Tang Jin-cheol, he had seemed exceptionally young. It was as if she were looking at Tang Jin-cheol in his youth.
As far as she knew, there was only one person in the clan who looked exactly like a young Tang Jin-cheol.
Tang Se-gi.
Her youngest son, whom she loved more than anything in the world.
*
After much agonizing, Un Ga-ryeo stood up abruptly. She couldn't just sit still. She had to confirm it. She had to know if the man who came to her that night was indeed Tang Se-gi.
The image of Tang Se-gi inserting his phallus into her vulva still flickered in her memory. It was unthinkable. No matter how much of a scoundrel Tang Se-gi was, would he really violate his own mother while she was intoxicated?
She told herself over and over that she must have been mistaken, that it was impossible, but it was no use. A crushing sense of immorality and guilt enveloped her entire body, and tears of sorrow leaked out.
She couldn't bear it any longer. She had to go to Tang Se-gi and hear a definitive denial from his own lips. Only then could she escape this sense of sin for having violated the laws of heaven.
Surely, Tang Se-gi would say it wasn't him. No, he had to.
Having finished her thoughts, the Great Matriarch hurriedly adjusted her clothes and headed toward Tang Se-gi’s residence.
*
Having been kicked out by Tang Seo-yoon, Sun-woo was walking back with heavy steps. He wanted to absorb more poison, but what could he do if she didn't have any? In the end, he had given up and was heading back.
Still, he wasn't in a bad mood, as he had achieved his primary goal of mimicking the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art. To be honest, Sun-woo hadn't been sure if he could pull it off. Mimicking the flow was one thing, but imitating an entirely different field like poison arts had been a heavy burden.
But in the end, he had succeeded and managed to absorb the poisonous qi. There was no reason not to be happy. Of course, it was only the 1st stage, but the Hundred-Year Flower's poison would eventually solve that.
Lost in thought, Sun-woo arrived at his quarters and went inside.
Creak.
As he opened the door to his room, Sun-woo froze in surprise. The Great Matriarch was sitting gracefully inside, waiting for him. And upon seeing him, her eyes began to well up with tears.
‘What the...? Why is this lady here?’
Sun-woo was bewildered by her reaction. Why would the Great Matriarch suddenly show up here?
"Mother, what is the matter?"
Sun-woo spoke to her, but she only continued to weep silently without saying a word. Her eyes held a complex mix of anger and sorrow.
‘Wait, could it be...?’
Seeing her tears, a sense of dread washed over Sun-woo. While it was true the Great Matriarch was prone to tears, there was no reason for her to be sobbing in Tang Se-gi’s room out of the blue.
As Sun-woo stood there, anxious and on edge, the Great Matriarch finally spoke.
"How... how could you do such a thing?"
Drip. Drip.
Her tears, which had been flowing incessantly, began to fall onto the floor. Hearing her voice, goosebumps erupted across Sun-woo’s back. He could feel that something was terribly wrong.
"Mother, I don't know what you're talking about."
Sun-woo tried to play dumb for now. He was certain he had wiped away all traces of that night. Hadn't he carefully cleaned the floor and her vulva, which were covered in sexual fluids and semen, with a clean cloth? There was no way he could have been found out.
"Do not play innocent! I clearly saw your face that night!" she screamed, her voice filled with grief and resentment. "And these clothes... these clothes with the gold embroidery on the collar, aren't these the ones you wore that night?!"
She pulled out a black martial arts uniform from Sun-woo’s wardrobe. Just as she said, there was gold embroidery on the collar of the uniform.
‘Shit, I should have thrown that away!’
Sun-woo lamented inwardly. He was cornered with no way out.
‘What do I say? What do I do? Shit, shit, shit!’
The situation was so dire that he could do nothing but curse internally. He couldn't think of a single way to fix this. This was a moral catastrophe. What kind of son assaults his own mother? She would surely doubt if he was truly Tang Se-gi.
In the worst-case scenario, she might report this to the Tang Clan Head. If that happened, his identity would be exposed, and he would be melted into poisonous sludge.
Sun-woo thought and thought again. He had to overcome this situation somehow. The opening of the Godok Hall was just around the corner. The chance to obtain the Poison Essence was right in front of him; he couldn't afford to fail here.
‘Shit, shit, shit!’
As Sun-woo was cursing to himself, something happened.
Swish!
Suddenly, the Great Matriarch pulled out the hairpin she was wearing. As the pin was removed, her hair tumbled down and flowed over her shoulders.
‘Wh-What?!’
Clang!
She then struck the tip of the hairpin against the table, breaking it. As the front part broke off, a sharp, jagged edge was revealed.
"This mother has committed an unpardonable sin. No matter how drunk I was, how could I... with my own son..."
The Great Matriarch, tears streaming down her face like pearls, pressed the sharp edge of the hairpin against her throat.
Trickle.
The edge was so sharp that even a light touch caused blood to start flowing.
"This is all my fault. It is because I am a woman of poor virtue."
The hairpin began to dig deeper into her neck.
"This sin of violating the laws of heaven... I feel I can only wash it away with my life. I am sorry, Se-gi. I simply cannot endure this."
‘Shit, no!’
Sun-woo screamed internally. He couldn't just stand by and let her die.