The Thin Line Between Poison and Medicine - 4
Even Nang-jung Wang and I were left speechless by the three-headed snake's rebellion. Of course, such a tiny, insignificant act of defiance from the spirit beast posed no real threat. But the fact that this spirit beast had chosen my embrace over Nang-jung Wang's hand carried profound weight. Forcing a spirit beast that had already changed its heart would only lead to it wasting away in misery.
Why are you doing this?
Yet the snake's rightful owner was still Nang-jung Wang. Up until we arrived in the capital, it had obediently followed him. I couldn't fathom why it had suddenly turned. For it to ignore its original master like this meant it had grown that attached to me—but Samshik and I hadn't shared any special moments to build such a bond. The thing had just hidden in my chest pocket and slept the whole time. How could we have connected like that?
It just slept?
I looked down at the three-headed snake, now using all its heads to cling to my clothes. Samshik was a total hikikomori. It shied away not just from strangers, but even from people it had seen a couple of times. A shade-loving child of darkness that preferred quiet, dim places. Aside from the time Mun-gyeong lured it out with alcohol, it hadn't left my chest once. That's how docile, gentle, and timid the little guy was. All it wanted was for people to leave it alone.
Nang-jung Wang wouldn't have let it be.
But its owner, Nang-jung Wang, was the polar opposite of that wish. As a poison arts master, he saw a poison-bearing spirit beast as a versatile treasure. No doubt it had suffered plenty of "experiments" and "training" under him. For a snake that loved sleeping quietly in the dark, that must have been a nightmare.
But not anymore. Instead of a master who poked and prodded it at every turn, it had met me—someone who never touched it. Instead of being fed only poison-influencing food, it got normal meals from me. And just like healthy food tastes bland to a sick body, poison-laced feed probably tasted awful to Samshik too.
No wonder it doesn't want to go back.
A chuckle escaped me. I hadn't meant to, but Samshik had decided staying with me beat returning to Nang-jung Wang. Why go back to someone who bothered it and fed it crap when there was a guy who left it alone and gave it proper food? Honestly, even I wouldn't have gone back.
"Hah, well now."
Nang-jung Wang snapped out of it at my laugh, letting out a sigh laced with awkwardness. "Can't exactly pry this little one off by force."
I nodded without thinking. Samshik was only as long as two fingers—small enough that even a child could yank it free. But at the cost of injuring its fragile, delicate body. Trapped in that dilemma, Nang-jung Wang could neither pull nor release it. "For now, let the Left Vice Inspector General keep looking after it. No need to head back immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
It was a provisional decision to let me hold onto it until business was done—a sliver of hope that time might change the snake's mind.
- Shiiik...
- Sieeek...
- Shiuuuk...
As I readjusted my collar, relieved hisses came through the fabric. Samshik's heart didn't seem likely to change anytime soon.
It's still young, after all.
I glanced at Nang-jung Wang's bittersweet expression and gently stroked one of Samshik's heads. If it had been fully mature, it would have been firmly imprinted on its master. But it met someone who treated it kindly during its growth phase. Without a solid bond yet, switching owners was easy.
If it had stayed with Nang-jung Wang the whole time, this wouldn't have happened.
Thanks to those two shaking up Sichuan, Samshik had slipped from his grasp. The Tang duo's little spark had flown higher than anyone expected.
Even as his "child-like" pet was snatched away before his eyes, Nang-jung Wang—a king and Hwagyeong master—didn't dwell on trifles.
"Hm."
He quickly schooled his wistful face and reviewed the prefect's compiled intel on the Tang duo. A posture truly befitting a king.
"What turbulent lives they've led."
That was Nang-jung Wang's succinct verdict after scanning the report. Turbulent lives—even from a man who had devoted his life to the Mongol wars.
What could make him say that?
Curiosity piqued. I'd only told the Tang duo to spill everything; after capturing them alive, I hadn't followed up. Nang-jung Wang's arrival would handle it all anyway. Why bother digging into their backstory?
"Ah, has the Left Vice Inspector General not reviewed it yet?"
Nang-jung Wang met my blank stare at the scroll in his hand. "Turbulent, but not uncommon. Brothers who lost their father to bandits doted on their mother—only for her to succumb to a grave illness too. In researching herbs and poisons to save her, their filial devotion twisted into an obsession with toxins after she passed."
"Not uncommon, indeed."
"Too much tragedy for one lifetime, though."
Nang-jung Wang set the scroll down and stroked his beard. "So they turned to poison for their mother's sake?"
"A tragic filial piety."
Pa-geom Jin-in and Bok-ho Geom-ni, who had rushed over at news of Nang-jung Wang's arrival, let out groans upon learning the villains' origins. Even in the 21st century, tales of criminals driven by filial duty stirred sympathy. In this Confucian era? All the more so. No matter the crime, if filial piety was involved, the death sentence felt lighter.
Of course, the Tang duo had no parents left to honor, and upending Sichuan was their own rampage—but still, driven mad by despair after failing to save their mother. For the religious duo, it softened their anger.
"Hmmm."
Well, only for Pa-geom Jin-in and Bok-ho Geom-ni. The king, symbol of madness itself—and a macho poison user to boot—cared little for motives like filial piety. He'd called their lives turbulent, but that was mere assessment. Dark past? Twisted devotion turning them insane? Reference material, not grounds for mercy.
"Impressive depth of poison knowledge."
The only question was profit: how much gain from sparing and utilizing them?
"We've secured the poisons collected by the criminals over the years, along with their research derived from them."
The prefect, knowing Nang-jung Wang's temperament, swiftly handed over another scroll. The sect leaders had softened a bit from the backstory. If Nang-jung Wang saw substantial gains too, a milder judgment might follow. If not—no mercy.
"Ho ho."
Luckily for them, it seemed satisfactory.
"Remarkable. Just over five years of activity, and these results?"
Nang-jung Wang's lips curved up as he pored over the scroll, not missing a single character. Like some poison-user telepathy had kicked in.
Does messing with poison rot your brain first?
A reasonable suspicion dawned. Didn't poison arts gradually erode mind and spirit? Nang-jung Wang and these two made it awfully plausible.
It had been about seven days since we were locked up.
"Mun-won."
"Yes, brother."
"I'm worried about our kids. I hope they're doing alright."
Wasting away seven days had me fretting over the children we'd saved. They reacted fiercely to even one missed meal. What if our precious little ones had starved?
"Didn't we tell them everything—where we lived, where the kids were? They've probably secured and cared for them by now."
"True. Yeah, that makes sense."
Mun-won's words eased my anxiety a touch. Right—we hadn't hidden the locations. We'd spilled it all to the officials, so the kids were likely safe and fed properly.
"If they're fine, I have no regrets."
"Speak for yourself. How's it fair that you alone get to see the three-headed snake before we go?"
Mun-won tsked at my relieved mutter, clearly miffed. I felt a pang of guilt. I was the one who'd end up seeing that legendary poison snake up close before parting.
"Still, as a dying wish, don't you think they'd let us at least glimpse it? The Left Vice Inspector General didn't seem unreasonable after chatting with him."
"You think it's still with him? It's Nang-jung Wang's pet, remember."
True enough; I shut my mouth. Used as bait to catch us, it was surely back in its master's hands by now.
"...Want me to describe what it looks like?"
"Pass. Hearing about it would just drive me madder."
With that, we both burst into laughter. No clue why. Madness? Relief? Who knew.
"Figures poison users would have such sinister laughs."
Someone's voice drifted from afar as we kept chuckling. The voice and footsteps halted right before our cell.
"Mun-gyeong and Mun-won. That you?"
The calm tone brooked no defiance; we looked up instinctively. Massive frame, solid build, eyes gazing down at us with interest... and
Two?
Two pupils in those eyes.
No way.
I swallowed hard at the sight. A giant with double pupils? Only one man fit that bill.
"We meet Nang-jung Wang, Your Highness!"
"N-Nang-jung Wang, Your Highness."
I slammed my forehead to the floor first; Mun-won quickly followed suit.
No doubt. Before us stood one of Daesong's Twelve Great Masters—the only poison specialist among them. A figure revered by all who wielded toxins.
"Not bad instincts."
Nang-jung Wang Nam-ok chuckled in satisfaction.