Chapter 149
Chapter 149
Binding
'Something's gone terribly wrong.'
Ghost Shadow—no, the Blood Brain—sensed a clear anomaly in his plan.
"Ugh, it hurts so much."
"My face... my face!!"
"Aaaah!!"
Before him, countless civilians writhed in agony.
Their condition made it immediately obvious that a horrific plague had swept through them. Every civilian had their skin grotesquely transformed, resembling leprosy victims.
Yes, up to this point, everything had gone exactly as he had planned.
Poisoning the civilians with the Jade of Abundance and then pinning the blame on the Tang Family of Sichuan.
But.
'......This inexplicable unease won't fade.'
The enhancement of the Cursed Poison, carried out alongside the Jade of Abundance through the Heaven-Piercing Gang, had clearly taken effect.
So why were his decades of experience as the Blood Cult's strategist, along with his instincts, screaming warnings at him?
......Should he postpone the grand scheme?
Truthfully, considering the time and resources already invested, it was absurd to even consider.
Yet, paradoxically, it solidified his resolve.
'Fine. Let's think of it as retreating to prevent greater losses.'
From Baek Ya-cha to Pa Eum-bi-ma and Qilian Demon...
Recently, the Blood Cult had suffered painful failures one after another.
Of course, victories and successes were being reported from other fronts.
But the fact that failures, which had once been nonexistent, had now occurred three times was undeniable proof that something abnormal was happening.
Ghost Shadow slowly shifted his steps.
Over there stood Juk Seong-ja, the Lone Flying Sword, along with the Qingcheng Sect's elders and Ma Geol-ryun.
But their reactions were starkly different from Ghost Shadow's conflicted expression.
"Ugh, this is horrifying."
"I'm shocked. I had no idea Cursed Poison could be this vile."
"Blegh—just looking at them makes me want to vomit. Master, now that we've confirmed it, let's hurry back."
"Sect Leader, with a situation this severe, no one would dare criticize our actions."
They were utterly carefree, reveling in satisfaction while civilians suffered in agony.
'Tch, these fools.'
Breaking their oblivious cheer with a grim tone, Ghost Shadow spoke to Juk Seong-ja.
"Sect Leader, there's something urgent I must discuss."
"What is it? Speak."
Juk Seong-ja eyed him with suspicion, still harboring doubts about Ghost Shadow's true identity.
"Something feels... off."
"Off? What do you mean?"
The laughter and chatter ceased as all eyes turned to Ghost Shadow.
"There are countless people suffering, but not a single fatality. By now, there should have been at least twenty deaths."
"Is that true?"
"Y-yes. No one has died yet."
"Why wasn't this reported?"
"M-my apologies. Given how visibly their conditions have deteriorated, I assumed the toxin's lethality would take more time to manifest..."
"Hmm."
Juk Seong-ja stroked his beard pensively.
The other elders, too, fell into thought.
'If no one has died yet...'
'It's a weak pretext to attack the Tang Family...'
Amidst the silence, Ghost Shadow cautiously suggested:
"The Cursed Poison has clearly taken effect, but it's deviated from our original plan. Perhaps we should postpone the grand operation for now?"
"No!"
"!!"
A booming voice abruptly rejected the idea.
It was Ma Geol-ryun.
His eyes burned with resentment as he glared at Ghost Shadow.
Lately, Juk Seong-ja had been consulting Ghost Shadow exclusively, and Ma Geol-ryun hadn't bothered hiding his displeasure.
"It's too late to turn back now! If we waste time on trivialities, those cunning Tang bastards will prepare countermeasures!"
"......Hmm."
There was logic in his words. As Juk Seong-ja's face darkened with contemplation,
Ma Geol-ryun saw this as his chance to prove himself to his master.
"Master. Right now, the victims show no signs of life-threatening symptoms, but that's entirely within our control."
"......Within our control?"
"When we go to hold the Tang Family accountable, we can simply administer a new poison and wipe them all out in one stroke."
"......!"
"The authorities already concluded their investigation yesterday and declared this place the origin of the plague. They won't return for another inspection. Even if we use a new poison, it'll be buried!"
Ghost Shadow's gaze turned icy as he stared at Ma Geol-ryun.
Of course, Ghost Shadow himself would have considered a similar plan if absolutely necessary.
But proceeding so recklessly would undoubtedly invite unforeseen complications.
Yet Juk Seong-ja thought differently.
"Good. Since we've come this far, we must see it through."
"......."
"I leave the matter of the poison to you. Prepare something suitable."
"You can count on me, Master!"
Ma Geol-ryun flashed a triumphant grin.
Juk Seong-ja had decided to proceed with the grand scheme.
Ghost Shadow offered no further objections.
He remained silent, lost in thought about how to handle the aftermath.
At that moment, Juk Seong-ja spoke in a sanctimonious tone:
"How can we, as members of the Orthodox Faction, stand idly by while innocent civilians suffer such horrific consequences?"
Now that they had their justification, it was time to exact vengeance.
"The grand operation begins in two days. We'll crush them before they can even struggle."
Juk Seong-ja's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Meanwhile.
The Grand Training Grounds of the Tang Family of Sichuan.
'......How did things turn out like this?'
Se-woon scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he watched the two figures standing on the dueling platform.
His expression was one of utter bewilderment.
"Haha, wouldn't it be better to forfeit now? The warriors of the Beast Palace don't know the meaning of holding back."
"The warriors of the Beast Palace sure talk a lot."
"Oh? How did you know? You're absolutely right!"
Surprisingly, Ta Sa-don and Se-woon's elder sister, Tang Se-rin—the Poison Phoenix—were locked in a battle of wills before their duel.
"Hahaha! Stupid Ta Sa-don!"
"Lady Divine Doctor! Give it your all!"
The Grand Training Grounds were packed—every member of the Tang Family, warriors of the Beast Palace, the Divine Maiden Sect Leader, and even Seo Su-rin were present.
To understand how things had come to this, we must rewind to a drunken gathering the night before.
[Haha. Come, brothers of the Beast Palace, let's all have a drink!]
[Ooh! This is delicious! Is this the famed wine of the Central Plains?!]
Last night, a celebratory banquet for the alliance between the Tang Family and the Beast Palace had stretched from day to night without end.
Amidst the joyous atmosphere, with warriors from both sides drinking arm in arm,
[Hic. Heh, by the way... doesn't the Tang Family Head's guard detail consist of the Tang Elite Unit? How can there be two guard units under one sky?]
Seo Su-rin, who had joined the banquet late and quickly gotten drunk, sparked the conflict with her drunken rambling.
[The Tang Elite Unit has performed flawlessly thus far. Isn't it best to leave things as they are?]
[Eh, absolutely not! Look at their scrawny bodies! They wouldn't even be able to intercept a stray arrow for the Palace Lord!]
Though the banquet had delayed the discussion, the Beast Palace warriors had come here to serve as the Palace Lord's personal guard.
But Se-woon's security was already managed by the Tang Elite Unit.
Thus, unless one side conceded, the issue would remain unresolved—and the bigger problem was that neither side had any intention of backing down.
As the banquet's atmosphere grew increasingly tense,
Ta Sa-don was the first to speak up.
[Hmm. In such cases, the Beast Palace has only one solution.]
[And what's that?]
[The stronger side's word is law!]
[......?!]
He had boldly proposed settling the matter through the Law of the Strong.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been accepted.
[Fine! Let's do it!]
[The Beast Palace is as bold as the Tang Family!]
But the thoroughly intoxicated members of the Tang Elite Unit readily agreed.
'Good grief...'
Se-woon massaged his temples.
With both sides so adamant, there was no stopping them.
The best he could do was convince them to settle it through a duel between leaders rather than an all-out brawl.
But the fact that Tang Se-rin—not a member of the Tang Elite Unit—had been chosen as the duelist was entirely Ta Sa-don's fault.
[Haha, this joke has gone too far. Even if she's the Palace Lord's kin, how could a woman possibly defeat a warrior of the Beast Palace?]
[......?]
Ta Sa-don's careless remark at the banquet had finally pushed Tang Se-rin over the edge.
'......I had no choice but to allow it.'
Her icy glare, colder than the frozen tundras of the North Sea, sent shivers down even Se-woon's spine.
"Since you're the Palace Lord's kin, I won't hold back, so you'd better be carefu—"
"That mouth."
"Huh?"
"If you keep yapping, I'll cut out that tongue of yours."
"......!!"
As the two fighters' battle intent peaked, Se-woon slowly stepped onto the dueling platform.
He would serve as the referee.
'Sigh. At least this will help both sides improve their martial skills.'
With the impending war against the Qingcheng Sect, this was a good opportunity for everyone to sharpen their abilities.
Not just the duelists, but the spectators as well would benefit.
Because their martial arts were polar opposites.
The Beast Palace's techniques focused on physical conditioning, making them particularly weak against poison-based attacks.
Conversely, the Tang Family's greatest weakness was the near-impenetrable defense of those who had honed their External Martial Arts to the extreme—making conventional hidden weapons useless against them.
Experiencing two entirely different combat styles would undoubtedly aid their martial growth.
As Se-woon slowly raised his voice, the crowd fell silent.
"There is only one rule: Lethal strikes are forbidden. All other techniques are permitted."
Both duelists nodded simultaneously.
As long as no killing blows were exchanged, any injuries could be healed by Se-woon's medical skills or the Divine Maiden Sect Leader.
Crack!
Swish!
Ta Sa-don clenched his fists tightly.
Tang Se-rin raised her snow-white folding fan—the Hundredfold Fan, one of the Ten Great Demon Arms Se-woon had gifted her long ago.
Seeing both fighters ready, Se-woon swiftly stepped back and raised his voice.
"Begin!"
The moment the command was given—
Whoosh!
Slash!
Two streaks of light tore through the air as the two combatants clashed violently.