Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Gu Poison Mystery
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tang Ho-gwan finally took an interest in the people from the Henan Escort Bureau. Come to think of it, it made no sense for the Henan Escort Bureau to get involved in such a dangerous fight in the first place.
"Something must have happened, right?"
Hyeong Pyo gave a wry smile in response to Tang Ho-gwan's question.
"The Henan Escort Bureau is currently under attack from most of the sects in Henan."
"What?"
Everyone was stunned by Hyeong Pyo's answer. What reason could there possibly be for the Henan Escort Bureau to face something like that?
Hyeong Pyo explained the full story to the shocked group. Even after hearing it all, Tang Ho-gwan, Tang Mun-yeong, and Umun Hye couldn't shake the looks of disbelief from their faces.
"This just doesn't add up."
Tang Mun-yeong tilted her head and spoke up.
"Who would do such a thing, and why? What do they gain from bringing down the Henan Escort Bureau?"
Tang Mun-yeong's question was perfectly reasonable. It was something Hyeong Pyo and Jo Seol-yeon had been pondering without finding an answer.
"Maybe the Henan Escort Bureau is just a scapegoat."
"That could be... but if it's true, it's truly tragic."
Jo Seol-yeon murmured weakly. Because of this incident, the Henan Escort Bureau had collapsed once again. She wore a sorrowful expression, but inwardly, she steeled her resolve.
She needed to grow stronger. Strong enough that no one would dare challenge her.
Pitying Jo Seol-yeon's appearance, Tang Ho-gwan gently patted her shoulder.
"It's alright. Everyone made it out alive, didn't they? As long as you're breathing, you can always rise again."
Jo Seol-yeon bowed her head slightly at Tang Ho-gwan's words.
"Thank you."
Watching her, Tang Ho-gwan smiled faintly and continued.
"But this gu poison... it's quite the conundrum. If I could get my hands on even a little, I might find a way..."
The Tang Family was renowned for its traditional poisons and hidden weapons. And Tang Ho-gwan was an elder of that very Tang Family.
Though gu poison was rare and difficult to handle, the Tang Family might just devise a countermeasure.
A spark of hope flickered in Jo Seol-yeon's eyes. If they could fully resolve the gu poison and catch the culprit to clear their name, the Henan Escort Bureau could rebound in an instant.
"Why don't we go check on one of the sects that's been poisoned?"
Tang Ho-gwan nodded at Tang Mun-yeong's suggestion.
"That's our only option for now. The one who spread the poison isn't likely to be hanging around here..."
As he spoke, Tang Ho-gwan's expression darkened slightly. Gu poisons came in many varieties, each with wildly different effects. It was impossible to predict what symptoms they might cause or when they would manifest.
If the gu poison flared up while they were searching for the Heavenly Qi Master's secret chamber, they'd be defenseless.
"Is this the gu poison?"
Tang Ho-gwan turned toward the voice. Dan Hyeong-u stood there, palm extended. Tang Ho-gwan approached cautiously and peered at it.
His eyes widened.
"Wh-where did you get this?"
Dan Hyeong-u didn't answer, merely extending his arm further.
"It's on your clothes!"
Tang Ho-gwan exclaimed. Several more shriveled gu clung to Dan Hyeong-u's sleeve. Dan Hyeong-u glanced at the Sword Demon.
Meeting his gaze, the Sword Demon checked his own sleeve with a startled look. He spotted the gu and his eyes bulged.
"When did this...!"
Everyone's faces paled. Even the Sword Demon hadn't noticed he'd been targeted. They all might have been exposed.
Tang Ho-gwan circulated his inner energy gravely, scanning his body. No signs of poisoning appeared.
He knew the telltale markers of gu taking root, but this time, nothing showed up.
In the end, he shook his head.
"No trace of it. Normally, I'd say we're not poisoned... but..."
He couldn't declare it so lightly. Not after seeing the shriveled gu corpses with his own eyes.
Tang Ho-gwan examined the dead gu on his palm. They were definitely deceased, as were those on the Sword Demon's sleeve.
"This might not be as serious as it seems."
Reaching that conclusion, he pulled a small vial from his bosom and collected the remains. He'd need to study them carefully later.
"Do you need a live one?"
As Tang Ho-gwan looked up, Dan Hyeong-u's words startled him again.
"You have a live one?"
If live specimens existed, reinfection would be a real concern. Dan Hyeong-u nodded lightly to the flustered Tang Ho-gwan and stepped aside.
Then vanished.
Dan Hyeong-u's disappearance shocked the Sword Demon most of all. Though he cultivated demonic arts, the Sword Demon was still a top expert.
'His qi... it's gone!'
The reason for the Sword Demon's shock mirrored the Sword King's from before. No mere speed could cause this. It wasn't qi fading—it had simply ceased to exist.
"Could he... be an immortal?"
The Sword Demon muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. No one with such dense, pure demonic qi could ascend to the immortal realm.
Poison Shadow moved stealthily for his final experiment. If the gu poison he was developing succeeded, he could claim to surpass even the Heavenly Qi Master.
Unlike the Blood Demon's other shadows, Poison Shadow operated alone. Among them, only he and Death Shadow did so.
No one knew where Death Shadow was or what he was doing. Few even knew he existed, making him profoundly mysterious.
Thus, within the Blood Cult, a lone shadow meant Poison Shadow.
Puppet Gu.
That was the name of the gu poison Poison Shadow was perfecting. True to its name, it turned the poisoned into puppets—but not quite. Puppet Gu transformed living humans into jiangshi.
Once infected, victims gradually lost their reason. Eventually, they became mindless husks, perfect for conversion into jiangshi.
Those eroded by Puppet Gu saw their skin redden progressively, turning fully blood-red. The resulting jiangshi were called Blood Jiangshi.
Blood Jiangshi were far stronger than ordinary ones. Swords and blades couldn't scratch their skin, their innards hard as steel, rendering most internal energy techniques useless.
Their movements were extraordinary too—Blood Jiangshi from average people outpaced first-rate experts.
Their greatest trait? They retained most of their living instincts, instinctively wielding martial arts honed through blood and sweat.
Once created, they were invincible jiangshi.
"Ugh, if only I could make them..."
Poison Shadow was confident in this batch of Puppet Gu, believing he'd patched all prior flaws. But the results were lackluster.
"Why doesn't it work on experts beyond a certain level?"
That was the biggest issue. It failed utterly against those with strong inner energy.
Even among Henan's minor sects, some resisted it. Using it on the Martial Alliance or Five Great Families? Impossible.
And there was a bigger problem.
It was powerless against demonic arts. Strangely, contact with demonic qi caused Puppet Gu to wither instantly. Poison Shadow hadn't noticed at first.
"And I still haven't confirmed it."
Hence, this final test. He was sneaking toward a gathering of lesser demonic cultists for the experiment.
Success here would let him refine the data for a flawless Puppet Gu—and ultimately, mass-produce Blood Jiangshi.
"Then no one in the cult would dare ignore me."
Among the Blood Cult's shadows, Poison Shadow was the weakest. His poison specialty left him vulnerable to the Blood Demon, lacking raw power and subordinates, inviting scorn.
But with Blood Jiangshi? Everything would change. A perfected Puppet Gu would make him a terror in the cult.
Burning with ambition, Poison Shadow arrived at the demonic cultists' spot. They were amateurs.
Not all demonic cultists at Heavenly Peak came from Heavenly Demon Castle. Many weaker ones hailed from Qinghai Fortress, drawn by rumors of the Heavenly Demon.
"What do these clowns think they're doing here?"
Sneering, Poison Shadow approached. His stealth and presence-concealment were masterful—even the Sword Demon and Blood Thief hadn't detected him, let alone these fools.
He slipped among them and subtly withdrew a gu from his bosom.
Normally, he'd disperse it from afar, but for reliable results, he got close.
The gu left his hand, drawn into the cultists' noses and mouths. Inhaled, it lodged in their dantians instantly.
Poison Shadow nodded. The moment it entered the dantian, it shriveled. Possessing the mother gu, he perceived it as clearly as his own palm.
As expected, Puppet Gu failed against demonic cultists.
'Hmm, too many issues to fix.'
Swallowing a groan, Poison Shadow prepared to leave. Then, he overheard the cultists chattering.
Focused on the gu earlier, he'd tuned them out. Now relaxed, their words filtered in.
"But is it true? That the Heavenly Qi Master's secret chamber holds the key to breaking the Golden Demon Art?"
"Who knows, but it seems legit. Wasn't it the Heavenly Qi Master who created the Golden Demon Art?"
Their words stunned Poison Shadow. He halted, ears straining.
"Feels like we got suckered by rumors coming here. A secret chamber? Sounds fake."
"Still, if we crack the Golden Demon Art, we could settle all those grudges against the Martial Alliance in one go."
"True, but..."
The cultists prattled on, devolving into vulgar banter with little substance.
Poison Shadow slipped away quietly.
'The Heavenly Qi Master created the Golden Demon Art? Worth verifying.'
The Bird-Rat Party could confirm if the rumor was real—and who spread it, plus the chamber's contents.
Suddenly, the Heavenly Qi Master's secret chamber intrigued him deeply.
"No way it has gu poison secrets too, right?"
He chuckled at his own mutter. Unlikely. The Heavenly Qi Master wouldn't leave such vital knowledge unless mad. The chamber itself seemed dubious.
Poison Shadow let it go and turned to leave Heavenly Peak.
And in that instant.
"Gahk!"
A colossal pressure clamped his throat, vision blurring. It felt like slamming into an iron wall. Dazed but briefly, clarity returned, revealing the dire situation.
"Wh-what?"
Poison Shadow stood amid countless staring eyes, all wide with shock mirroring his own. Scanning the crowd, his eyes bulged.
"S-Sword Demon...!"
The Sword Demon eyed him with keen interest. Poison Shadow twisted to flee but couldn't budge a finger. Then it hit him—someone still gripped his throat.
His gaze shifted to his captor.
Locking eyes with Dan Hyeong-u, Poison Shadow shuddered. Nothing readable—just bottomless depths.
Deep in those pupils lurked an indescribable terror, swallowing him whole in an instant.
This was a first for Poison Shadow. Not even before the Blood Demon had he felt this.
(Though the Blood Demon had no reason to terrify him that way.) It was utterly alien fear.
Poison Shadow clamped his mouth shut and forced his eyes closed. Even that was arduous. Keeping them open felt like it'd force words out.
He absolutely couldn't allow that.
Checking his inner energy, it was intact. No blood points sealed. Just throttled—yet immobile.
The contradiction rattled him, though he hid it.
"Wh-who is this?"
Tang Ho-gwan's flustered question spilled out. Dan Hyeong-u's chilling gaze turned to him.
The moment their eyes met, something struck Tang Ho-gwan's mind like a hammer.
"N-no way...!"