The Second Wife's Poison
The woman's face, framed by her ornate robes and the feather fan clutched in her hand, twisted into something venomous at the Medicine Hall physician's words.
"What did you just say?"
"I am truly sorry, my lady."
"How dare you!"
Slap!
Her hand flew across the physician's cheek. The long, sharp edges of her lavish jewelry left a deep gash across his face.
"I am sorry."
Even so, all the physician could do was bow his head lower.
"Do you not know who my son is?!"
"I am sorry."
Knowing wouldn't make the ruined eye grow back, would it? It was unfair, but the physician had only one possible response.
"I am sorry."
"To think you would dare harm Gihyo, the son of the Inryong-dan leader! Aaaargh!"
The Inryong-dan—one of the Tang Clan's five major martial forces.
Eon Jungmi, wife of its leader, Tang Woo, glared at the physician with feral eyes.
"You useless fool!"
At her words, the physician's face crumpled in despair as he lowered his head even further.
With a single sentence from her, he knew he would soon be transferred from the Medicine Hall to somewhere far less desirable.
"How dare you!"
Eon Jungmi stormed out of the Medicine Hall, her mind already spinning with thoughts of how best to avenge her son.
"That third-rate direct descendant, that worthless degenerate!"
Normally, she would have hired someone to put out one of Tang Sanlong's eyes in return. But the fact that he was a direct descendant was a major obstacle.
No matter how powerful she was as the wife of an Inryong-dan leader, she was still from a branch family. Touching a direct descendant carried considerable risk.
And he's currently in Tanggidae, too.
Interfering with someone inside Tanggidae was even more difficult.
Then how could she torment Tang Sanlong?
Eon Jungmi's cunning mind spun rapidly.
"Well… I suppose there's no choice. I didn't want to go this far, but… heh."
As if a brilliant idea had struck her, Eon Jungmi began walking with slow, deliberate steps.
"Therefore… Tang Sanlong used excessive force… (omitted)… and is hereby sentenced to one week of house arrest."
A member of the Doksu-dan, the unit responsible for guarding Tang-gata, delivered the verdict regarding the incident at the latest Irong-jeon.
Before he had regained his past-life memories, Tang Sanlong had once had his arm broken by Tang Gihyo. At that time, Gihyo had received no real punishment.
In contrast, this time he had only destroyed one of two perfectly good eyes, yet he was being punished? It felt utterly unfair.
"I had my arm broken last time."
"Young Master Gihyo lost an eye because of you."
Sanlong spoke to the weasel-faced guard in a completely indifferent tone.
"It's broken? Then just fix it."
"…Pardon?"
The guard's face clearly read: What kind of lunatic is this?
Having grown tired of dealing with him, Sanlong waved his hand dismissively.
"I got it. Now get lost."
"Hmph!"
The guard stormed off, snorting in indignation. Sanlong lay down sideways on the wooden floor of the veranda and stared up at the sky for a moment.
"Hmm… one week, huh. Looks like I got some time to reorganize."
Having suddenly regained his past-life memories, there were quite a few things that had been jumbled or forgotten.
"Probably the result of slamming my head into that marble floor."
His innate talent for martial arts wasn't particularly outstanding, but his body had been naturally sturdy. That was the only reason he was still fine. If this had happened in his previous life, he didn't even want to imagine the outcome.
"If I'd actually turned into an idiot, would they have punished Gihyo? Of course not."
Tang Gihyo might be from a branch family, but he was also the son of Tang Woo, leader of the Inryong-dan—one of the five major martial forces that supported the Tang Clan. He wasn't your average branch family member.
The family politics are more of a headache than I expected.
Direct descendants and branch descendants. They were essentially in a relationship of constant opposition. To prevent the direct line from handling all clan affairs unilaterally, multiple checks and balances had been established. One of them was filling the leadership positions of the five major martial forces with branch family members.
Of course, that system had long since become a division of power among the five strongest branch families.
The clan leader is practically shackled with chains.
On top of that, there was the Council of Elders—another layer of checks and balances. Originally, it had been created with the noble intention of allowing retired leaders to continue serving the clan.
In the past, this arrangement hadn't caused major problems. The direct and branch families had properly coordinated, checked each other, and shared opinions to grow the clan together.
But after the Righteous-Demonic War a hundred years ago, that balance began to crack.
Back then, the clan leader had acted solely on the strength of his own outstanding martial prowess, resulting in massive casualties for the Tang Clan. The direct descendants had suffered the heaviest losses. The sole surviving direct descendant at the time ascended to the position of clan leader, and from that moment, the balance began to collapse.
The various checks and balances that had existed before now bound the powerless leader instead.
Even though he's a direct descendant, becoming clan leader requires the support of the branch families…
Because cooperation from the branch families became essential to claim the seat of leadership, the authority of the direct line was naturally reduced while the power of the branch families continued to grow. That was how the current situation had come about.
The branch families' power is getting way too bloated.
They were even trying to break the long-standing unwritten rule that no one should interfere with those inside Tanggidae.
Maybe it was already broken before? Wait, how do I even know all this?
For someone who had lived as a good-for-nothing, he was surprisingly well-informed about the clan's internal affairs.
Then, Sanlong suddenly realized something.
I had to know the family's situation well enough to throw tantrums without crossing the final line!
He remembered how he had behaved just badly enough to be annoying but not so badly that the family would actually kick him out.
His dynamic vision was excellent, which meant his ability to read the room was excellent too.
"Whatever. I'm not going to act like a degenerate anymore, and I have zero interest in becoming the clan leader anyway."
Deciding not to waste any more thought on family matters, Sanlong checked his current condition.
"Status window."
In his previous life, saying that would have brought up a numerical display of his stats. But now, only the clear blue sky stared back at him.
"This is completely messed up… I must be going crazy!"
Aeng-hwa, who had come to clean as usual, overheard his muttering and grumbled with visible goosebumps.
"Aeng-hwa. I can hear everything."
"Huh? What did you say?"
Watching her pretend not to hear him, Sanlong simply gave up. If even Aeng-hwa wasn't around, who would clean his room?
Just the other day, pulling weeds had nearly killed his back. He was grateful she handled the cleaning for him.
"Never mind."
"Your ears are disgustingly sharp, you know."
Ignoring Aeng-hwa's grumbling, Sanlong headed to the now slightly tidier training ground to review what he had learned.
"Aeng-hwa."
"Yes?"
"Go to the kitchen and bring some snacks and something to drink. No alcohol."
"Understood."
After watching Aeng-hwa shuffle away, Sanlong began examining the martial arts he had learned.
"Tangga-gwon."
This was the foundational martial art upon which all advanced techniques of the Tang Clan were built.
At first glance, it looked like ordinary punches and kicks. But because it was the clan's basic art, every movement was optimized for throwing concealed weapons or daggers.
It was also why students had to train in Tangga-gwon until they graduated from Tanggidae.
It's just a punch, yet they deliberately use the waist here.
He picked up a small pebble and executed the Tangga-gwon. The stone flew much faster than if he had simply thrown it.
Tangga-gwon could be called the root of all Tang Clan martial arts. From this foundation, flesh and bones were added one by one until it evolved into advanced techniques.
Just as swordsmanship and blade arts treated the weapon as an extension of the arm, the Tang Clan viewed hidden weapon and throwing dagger techniques the same way.
"Tang-bipyo."
The most basic hidden weapon and throwing dagger technique.
It added the refined throwing mechanics and internal energy circulation methods from Tangga-gwon.
"Is it something like this?"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As internal energy flowed out of his body, the stones embedded themselves cleanly into the wall. Sanlong's face brightened.
So this is what it feels like to be a long-range dealer?
There was a certain thrill in accurately hitting a target from a distance.
My talent may be average, but damn, I really worked hard back then.
The diligence from his previous life hadn't disappeared. To compensate for his ordinary talent, the current Sanlong appeared to have trained relentlessly.
Although his current body still had a protruding belly and skinny limbs like an ET, his palms were covered in thick calluses, and he could execute forms without the slightest hesitation.
Even after all this time, his body still remembered.
But no matter how hard he tried, he must have realized he could never catch up to those with real talent, and eventually despaired.
He had tried to keep up with his siblings through effort alone, but the gap only grew wider with time. Having witnessed that reality with his own eyes, Tang Sanlong had fallen into despair and eventually broken.
And then puberty hit, and he went completely off the rails.
Depressed and indulging in debauchery while abandoning training, he became easy prey for the branch families who were always eyeing the direct line.
That was how he had fallen into Tang Gihyo's clutches and suffered constant bullying for five years.
But starting today, everything changes.
He had already learned in his previous life just how difficult it was to overcome innate limitations.
So should I give up? No. Compared to before, this life is much better.
In fact, this life offered visible hope compared to his previous one. If he steadily accumulated internal energy and trained diligently, he was confident he could become stronger than he had been before.
Plus, I'm a gold spoon. A legit gold spoon.
As long as he didn't do anything stupid, he had the perfect environment to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
Starting today, I begin again.
The more he trained, the more a smile crept across his lips.
"Heh heh heh heh."
"Young Master!"
While he was laughing in delight, Aeng-hwa's urgent voice suddenly rang out.
What was going on? It was extremely rare for Aeng-hwa, who usually only muttered complaints under her breath, to raise her voice like this.
"Did we run out of snacks?"
That would be a seriously grave problem.
Completely ignoring Sanlong's concern, Aeng-hwa shouted.
"No… it's not that! It's the Second Madam… the Second Madam!!"
"The Second Madam?"
At that moment, something surged up from the depths of Sanlong's memory.
"Mother!"
His face turned deathly pale. Forgetting all about his house arrest, Sanlong bolted out of the house.
"If you leave during house arrest…!"
Almost as soon as Aeng-hwa's warning left her lips, members of the Doksu-dan guarding the outside blocked his path.
"Halt."
The Doksu-dan was responsible for maintaining overall public order within Tang-gata. In simple terms, they were like the police. While their individual skills weren't exceptional, they were still opponents the current Sanlong would struggle to break through.
"Move."
"If you proceed, you will receive a heavier punishment. You could even be exiled to Guya-rim instead of simple house arrest."
Guya-rim.
A place filled with poisonous insects, animals, and plants. One could say that all the poisons used by the Tang Clan originated from there.
There were only two reasons to enter that place: joining an expedition to gather ingredients, or being exiled there as punishment for a serious crime.
For the current good-for-nothing Sanlong, exile to Guya-rim was far more likely to be a real threat than a mere bluff.
"Young Master?"
Tang Pae from the Doksu-dan gave him a sly smile that seemed to ask, Are you really going to go anyway? Sanlong took a deep breath.
"That's for me to worry about, so get out of my way."
"You're really going to do this?"
Tang Pae wore an expression that said he was waiting for the exact words he wanted to hear. Sanlong bit his lip with a frustrated look.
"Yes. So hurry up and move."
Apparently satisfied with the answer he wanted, Tang Pae obediently stepped aside.
"Mother!"
The Second Madam Aeng-hwa had mentioned was Yoo Yang-hee, the second wife of the current clan leader Tang Munseong and Sanlong's biological mother.
Yoo Yang-hee's family was not a martial clan but a scholarly one. In the past, they had produced many outstanding officials. However, after suffering numerous false accusations, the family had been on the verge of collapse. To survive, she had been married into the Tang Clan.
Since she was neither from a martial family nor from this region, she suffered from frequent illnesses. The Tang Clan physicians had even said it was a miracle that she had managed to give birth to Sanlong.
Perhaps because of that, the bond between mother and son was quite strong.
"Mother! Mother!"
Even while living as a degenerate, the reason Sanlong had never crossed the absolute worst line was because of Yoo Yang-hee.
Creak!
With a deathly pale face, Sanlong flung open the door and found Yoo Yang-hee sitting on the bed.
A graceful woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She looked so thin that even through her clothes, one could tell she wasn't eating properly.
"Mother!"
"Cough! Cough!"
"Here… drink some water!"
Sanlong examined Yoo Yang-hee carefully.
Perhaps sensing her son's gaze, she greeted him with a kind, gentle smile.
"Don't be too startled. I'm fine."
As if he couldn't hear her words, Sanlong turned to her maid with a furious expression.
"How did Mother collapse?!"
"That is…"
"Speak clearly!"
"It's… it's just that…"
"Speak properly…!"
Just as his old degenerate nature was about to flare up, he felt a soft touch.
It was Yoo Yang-hee's hand.
His overheated mind cooled instantly. Sanlong took a deep breath.
Yelling at the maid would only upset his mother.
Calm down… Hoo…
To others, Yoo Yang-hee's hand might feel cold, but to Sanlong, it was warmer than any other hand in the world.
"Where is the physician?"
"He already left. He said it was just a mild cold."
"A mild cold?"
Seeing Sanlong's face that clearly said What kind of bullshit is that?, the maid Su-hyeon answered nervously but honestly.
"That's… what I heard…"
The maid Su-hyeon seemed to be hiding something. Sanlong had noticed her and Yoo Yang-hee exchanging glances multiple times.
"Tell me the truth."
"Well…"
"Sanlong…"
Yoo Yang-hee flinched slightly, probably expecting her son to throw another tantrum like he used to.
Looking at his mother, Sanlong took another deep breath.
Don't get excited. You're not the old Sanlong anymore.
He wasn't the reckless, puberty-driven degenerate anymore. He was Sanlong MK2—the one who had regained his past-life memories and been reborn anew.
"Mother, I promise I won't get angry or scold Su-hyeon. So please, just tell me."
Having heard he suffered a serious head injury during yesterday's Irong-jeon, Yoo Yang-hee found this suddenly mature version of her son slightly unfamiliar.
For a moment, as she stared into his eyes, she felt a strange emotion.
Ah!
It wasn't difficult to identify what that feeling was.
Those are the eyes I saw when he was a child…
Not the eyes clouded by inferiority, but the bright, pure eyes of the boy who had simply loved training and worked hard at it.
Have I been seeing him through clouded eyes all this time? Or did Sanlong truly grow up overnight?
Yoo Yang-hee felt a momentary doubt, but it quickly vanished. Seeing her son acting so mature filled her with such warmth that both the pain and the small questions were forgotten.
"It's really nothing serious."
"Mother…"
Was he not going to hear the story after all? At that moment, Su-hyeon cried out.
"She met with Eon Jungmi!"
"Su-hyeon!"
"Eon Jungmi?"
Sanlong dug through his still-fuzzy memories, trying to recall who Eon Jungmi was.
"…No way."
Sanlong's face hardened like stone.