Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Fox Borrowing the Tiger's Might
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“Don't eat it. Just stay still.”
“Why?”
“It might be poisoned.”
My words brought silence to the table.
“Chef Cheong, do you happen to have a silver needle on you?”
Courtesans often dined with high officials and nobles, so they always carried silver needles tucked in their sleeves.
They would test the dishes for poison first and serve them only after confirming it was safe.
That was why every courtesan carried a silver needle.
“Yes, I do.”
“Lend it to me for a moment.”
I took the silver needle and tested the other dishes.
The color didn't change.
But when I dipped it into the soup, it slowly turned black.
“Huh?”
“No way!”
Nangong Cheolung and the two escorts, who had been skeptical, jumped to their feet in shock.
“Looks like Blood Cult remnants followed us.”
“No. It's not the Blood Cult.”
“Then who the hell poisoned us to try and kill us?”
A fleeting image flashed through my mind.
That guy?
I let out a self-mocking sneer at myself for not considering him on the way to Gangseo.
In the murim world, the Three Great Poison Sects were Sichuan Tang Clan, Guizhou Poison Valley, and lastly, Jiangxi Gal Gate.
As one of the few unorthodox sects maintaining a vein of righteousness in an unorthodox stronghold, even the Murim Alliance had granted Gal Woohun an elder position to preserve their pride.
No matter how hectic things got, failing to prepare for Gal Woohun was my mistake.
Gal Woohun was a sly, insidious man who harbored grudges over even trivial matters.
Because of that nature, despite being the great disciple poised to inherit the sect leadership in Gal Gate, he had yielded the position to his junior and been relegated to elder.
I scooped up some broth and sniffed it.
It was diluted in the soup, but my sense of smell was several times sharper than an ordinary person's, allowing me to easily distinguish the poison's scent.
Pomegranate and mint mixed together—it's Gal Gate's infamous Ten-Step Intestinal Poison.
Ten-Step Intestinal Poison was a toxin that slowly rotted the intestines after a day passed.
If Sichuan Tang Clan was known for their lethal poisons, Jiangxi Gal Gate specialized in subtle toxins.
They devised ways to poison with the tiniest amounts.
That was why powerful clans and authorities preferred Gal Gate's poisons over Tang Clan's.
It killed slowly, leaving no trace of the culprit.
Deep in thought, I pondered our situation.
We had three or four more days of travel, and using poison like this meant someone in our group was bound to get poisoned eventually.
Especially Cheongyo's group—they lacked internal energy, so poisoning would be fatal.
We could fend off attackers, but poison could come from anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Guess we'll have to split up and travel separately now.
As that thought crossed my mind, I sensed numerous blood flows approaching outside the inn.
The steady rhythm and immense presence marked them as martial artists.
Who are they? If it were an attack, they wouldn't come so orderly.
Three or four men entered the inn and shouted.
“Is Scholar Cheon Taesan here?”
Their internal-energy-infused voices boomed through the inn.
I approached the second-floor railing and replied.
“I'm Cheon Taesan. And you are?”
The middle-aged warrior wore black martial robes with a red cape fluttering behind him.
A white hero's headband encircled his forehead, with a red jade carved in the shape of an asura at its center.
It was the symbol of Hyuncheon Gate's military unit, the Hyuncheon Asura Squad.
“I am Kwon Ryongjin, squad leader of the Hyuncheon Asura Squad of Hyuncheon Gate.”
I cupped my hands in salute toward him.
“I have the honor of meeting the famed Lone Golden Blade, Great Hero Kwon Ryong.”
Kwon Ryongjin looked slightly surprised.
Anyone versed in intelligence could recognize the Asura Squad's uniform at a glance.
But deducing his nickname from his name alone, and realizing it was a compound name—not just Kwon, but Kwon Ryong—proved intimate knowledge of Hyuncheon Gate's key figures.
In truth, I knew most major unorthodox figures.
Especially Hyuncheon Gate, the overlord of the unorthodox—I even remembered the internal energy levels of their gate-guarding sentries.
The Murim Alliance spies' reports on Hyuncheon Gate spanned over a dozen volumes, all memorized verbatim.
Essentially, every Hyuncheon Gate warrior was mapped in my head.
“What brings you seeking me?”
I asked, though I had a good guess.
“Our headquarters dispatched us to escort Scholar Cheon from here onward.”
It was a show of force, flaunting Hyuncheon Gate's might and presence to the masses.
I welcomed it inwardly.
“Come on up. Squad Leader Kwon Ryong.”
Kwon Ryongjin ascended to the second floor with two subordinates.
Seeing the table laden with food, he said,
“It seems we've interrupted your meal.”
“No, you haven't. We can't eat anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“The food's poisoned.”
“Poisoned? Who dares poison a guest invited by the unorthodox overlord...?”
Kwon Ryongjin's face twisted in genuine fury as he ordered his men,
“Round up the kitchen staff immediately and ensure no one here leaves.”
His two subordinates moved like lightning.
Soon, I sensed the Hyuncheon Asura Squad warriors outside surrounding the inn.
I told him,
“Squad Leader Kwon Ryong, the poisoners have likely already fled. Especially after you arrived—they've surely vanished completely.”
“Even so, there might be someone behind it. We must investigate.”
As expected, interrogating the captured kitchen staff yielded no culprit.
Reading their blood flows, none seemed to be the poisoner.
A true poisoner among them would have erratic blood flow.
No suspicious guests in the inn either, so Kwon Ryongjin infused his voice with internal energy and declared,
“If anyone poisons the overlord's guest and causes harm, our sect will pursue you to the ends of hell and eradicate you utterly.”
That single statement would deter even Gal Woohun from using poison recklessly.
He knew that if it was proven to be Gal Gate's poison, not even he could withstand the overlord's wrath.
Now I can travel with peace of mind.
I said to Kwon Ryongjin,
“Thanks to Great Hero Kwon Ryong, we'll be free from poison worries. Thank you for your attention.”
He stared at me blankly, as if unaccustomed to thanks for doing the obvious.
It seemed like a first for him.
“It's nothing.”
Seeing his awkwardness, I felt he was a refreshingly straightforward man.
“The soup aside, the other dishes are safe. Let's eat.”
Hesitant despite my words, everyone held back until I tore into a duck leg first.
Yeoseol followed with some stir-fried vegetables.
Feeling outdone by her boldness, the three escorts simultaneously grabbed their food.
The sight was a bit comical, drawing covered giggles from the women.
Though poisoned fare had appeared, the meal ended on a smiling note.
As it wrapped up, Yeoseol asked me,
“Oppa, know what this is called?”
“What?”
“Fox borrowing the tiger's might.”
Fox borrowing the tiger's might was an idiom for flaunting power by relying on another's authority.
“Wow, Lady Yeoseol, you're sharp.”
Nangong Cheolung praised her, and she shrugged proudly.
“I have a good teacher.”
The three smiled at that, as if in full agreement.
After the Blood Cult attack, I focused more on Yeoseol's changes than anyone else's.
Her casual practice turned diligent, and she acted on her own before my nagging.
Did that fight awaken her protective instincts?
Whatever the reason, her newfound zeal was welcome.
She trained mainly in North Sea Ice Palace martial arts and Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique.
I'd told her to prioritize the latter anywhere outside the Ice Palace, so she focused there.
She's fully grasped all twelve forms now. Just needs polish?
Her understanding of Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique might even surpass Nangong Mubaek's now.
Yeoseol was born with comprehension on par with mine.
What is this genius that rivals Heavenly Martial Sacred Body? Because of her Ice Sacred Body?
Questions arose, but I understood why various groups coveted the Ice Sacred Body.
Two days later, Scholar Cheon's group lodged at an inn one day from Hyuncheon Gate.
The Hyuncheon Asura Squad encircled the inn like a fortress.
Around three in the morning, when all slept, a black shadow moved cat-like along the inn's great beams.
The shadow crept silently across the beams toward the opposite room.
At that moment, the sleeping Cheon Taesan opened his eyes.
Lately, as an experiment, he'd kept his spiritual energy circulating even in sleep to sense blood flow movements.
Thus, he detected the massive blood flow on the beam.
An intruder.
Alerted by his senses, Cheon Taesan realized the blood flow was heading to Yeoseol's room.
She shared with Eunbi.
Sometimes she bunked with Cheon Taesan, but occasionally trained late and roomed with Eunbi instead.
He left the choice entirely to her.
Cheon Taesan grabbed his Vault of Heaven Sword and headed to her room.
Anyone employing such stealth was surely a top-grade assassin.
As he reached to open the door before trouble brewed, the black shadow burst through, shattering it.
His face was masked, but his eyes betrayed panic.
“You rotten bastard.”
A curse unfit for Yeoseol's lips escaped him.
Sword energy began emanating from the assassin's blade, tinting it blue.
One who could manifest sword energy was beyond first-rate.
Dangerous.
As Cheon Taesan moved to intervene and dispel the sword energy, he glanced at Yeoseol's eyes.
Cold, brimming with killing intent.
And the Vault Dragon surging forth.
“Hm?”
But the Vault Dragon turned pure white in an instant, blocking the assassin's sword energy and pressing forward.
It looked like the Vault Dragon devouring the sword energy.
No—it wasn't a Vault Dragon, but sword energy shining like an ice dragon.
Looking closely, it was an ice dragon formed from sword threads.
Sword threads were thin, filament-like sword energy, unwound like thread from a spool to manifest the Vault Dragon.
But white? Vault Dragon should be azure-tinged.
The name derived from "vault" meaning a bluish hue.
“Kuhk!”
Struck by the ice dragon, the assassin shuddered violently.
Frost clung to his clothes like fresh snowfall blanketing his body.
As Yeoseol raised her sword, Cheon Taesan said,
“Don't kill him. We need to find out who sent him.”
Sensing approaching blood flows, he told Eunbi,
“Eunbi, take Yeoseol to my room. Yeoseol, stay put there until oppa comes. Got it?”
Yeoseol nodded calmly.
Suddenly awakened, Eunbi stared dazedly at Yeoseol, then nodded at Cheon Taesan's shout and led her to his room.
“What happened?”
The three escorts arrived first at Cheon Taesan's location.
Kwon Ryongjin followed with his men.
Cheongyo and Songran tried to exit but were ushered back by Nangong Cheolung.
“An assassin targeted me, but we handled it.”
Kwon Ryongjin scowled and ordered his subordinate,
“I warned them. Find out this scum's affiliation.”
“He's already dead.”
Cheon Taesan noted the lack of blood flow from the assassin.
“Damn them...”
Kwon Ryongjin spat bitterly.
“My failure. To let such vermin reach Scholar Cheon's quarters.”
Cheon Taesan shook his head.
“No. They were probably here before we arrived. No signs of entry from outside.”
He didn't want Kwon Ryongjin blamed unnecessarily.
The man had done his utmost.
“Great Hero Kwon Ryong bears no responsibility. How could you detect them if they were waiting ahead?”
“But how did they know Scholar Cheon would stay here?”
“Just one assassin means they placed one at every inn. They didn't know where we'd lodge. If they did, there'd be more waiting.”
Kwon Ryongjin bowed to Cheon Taesan, gratitude evident for the consideration.
Brief chaos ensued at the inn.
Kwon Ryongjin had sent subordinates inside for protection.
Examining the dead assassin and sword marks on the hallway wall, he asked,
“If I may be so bold, the wound is from Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique, yet infused with icy energy. Does the Nangong Family have such an art?”
Cheon Taesan was slightly impressed by his keen eye.
Yeoseol had blended Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique with Icy White Asura Sword.
Not one to underestimate.
Cheon Taesan quietly replied.