Chapter 49
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: I'll Give Back as Much as I Received
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Before I could retreat to avoid the poison mist, Songran's voice transmission reached me.
-Stay still.
I stood exactly as she instructed.
Just a few more steps, and I'd be exposed to the poison.
But at that moment, the Poison Humans halted their advance.
And then I witnessed a bizarre sight.
The flow of energy emanating from Songran's body was intertwining with that of the four Poison Humans.
-Excuse me for a moment.
Songran took hold of my hand.
At the same time, I felt the energy from my body flowing into her.
Songran seemed to be mixing my energy with hers to establish a connection with the four Poison Humans.
Her energy flow registered clearly in my qi sense.
-Tell the Poison Humans to withdraw.
"Withdraw."
As I murmured the command, the Poison Humans hesitated and began stepping backward.
"Hah."
-I've entwined their souls. By blending Scholar Cheon's energy with mine, those Poison Humans will now obey only my words and yours. Now, could you strike their acupoints in the reverse order from before?
I tapped the points as she directed.
'So this was an acupoint strike to seal their abilities.'
Songran turned toward me with her eyes closed.
-Now, do as Scholar Cheon wishes.
Songran stepped away from me.
Watching the martial art she had unleashed on the Poison Humans, I dredged up a similar memory from the corner of my mind.
'That sect actually exists?'
Occasionally, I'd come across ancient manuscripts in the Murim Alliance's secret archives that described legendary sects or martial arts like mere legends.
I'd assumed some scholar had jotted down imaginary techniques and sects for amusement, never expecting to see one right before my eyes.
I shook off the thought and focused on the matter at hand.
"Dispel the poison."
I could feel the Poison Humans reeling in their poison mist.
In an instant, the poison vanished from their bodies.
-What should we do?
With Songran's transmission, I replied in kind.
-What do you mean, what? Those who tried to kill me have to face the same consequences. Do the Poison Humans follow my orders now?
-Yes. Through soul subjugation, I linked mentally with them, and they understand commands. That made controlling them much easier.
-Can those guys regain control of the Poison Humans?
-Once ensnared by my Soul Subjugation Divine Eye, they'll ignore everyone else's words but ours. The commands imprint directly into their minds and consciousness.
I could sense her pride even through the transmission.
I addressed the Poison Humans.
"Go back and slaughter everyone who sent you. Then, at the third watch of the night, wait three hundred zhang outside the Hyuncheon Sect."
The Poison Humans possessed the intelligence of seven- or eight-year-olds and understood my words.
They turned and started walking back the way they had come.
"Everyone, open your eyes now."
At my words, Gwan Ryongjin opened his eyes and gazed at the retreating Poison Humans.
"Shall we pursue them?"
"Let them go. Trying to stop those Poison Humans would only cause more harm."
"Still..."
"I'll take responsibility. Leave it to me."
"If Scholar Cheon says so."
He accepted my words without a single protest.
'Dealing with unorthodox types like this is so much simpler.'
Gwan Ryongjin seemed curious about how I'd sent the Poison Humans away but didn't pry.
"Those were definitely Sichuan Tang Clan Poison Humans."
I nodded.
"They were Tang Clan Poison Humans, but the real issue is who was controlling them, isn't it?"
"Meaning the ones handling those Poison Humans aren't from the Tang Clan?"
"Do you think the Tang Clan has gone mad enough to attack us so openly with Poison Humans? While I was in the Murim Alliance Inspection Unit, I received a report that some Poison Humans maturing in the Tang Clan had been stolen. Those are probably the ones."
"What kind of bastards... This is a grave matter. I'll return to headquarters and report to the Supreme Leader. He'll likely question Scholar Cheon for confirmation at that time."
"I'll share my thoughts on the culprits then, along with how I sent them back."
Gwan Ryongjin dropped the subject after that.
Cheongyo, realizing Songran had dealt with the Poison Humans, stared at her intently.
"Sister, there's something I need to discuss inside the carriage. Scholar Cheon, please join us."
Only Cheongyo, Songran, and I boarded the carriage, sending Yeoseol, Eunbi, and Cheongyo's maids to another one.
Yeoseol lingered, eager to eavesdrop, but when I scowled, she pouted and trudged away.
"The Poison Humans are returning."
One of Gal Woohun's subordinates reported excitedly.
After dispatching the Poison Humans, Gal Woohun had waited five hundred zhang away.
With the scouting party still out verifying the battle's outcome, he refrained from rash decisions.
But seeing the Poison Humans return unscathed meant things had gone better than expected.
"They must have dealt a fatal blow to the enemy."
Gal Woohun never believed the Poison Humans could outright kill Scholar Cheon.
Though powerful, their sluggish movements made them easy to evade.
He'd be content as long as his goal was achieved.
Gal Woohun eyed the arrows embedded in the Poison Humans' bodies and asked,
"No problem even in this state?"
"They feel no pain, and this won't hinder movement. The wounds heal quickly too."
"Monsters, through and through."
"They're products of the Sichuan Tang Clan grinding souls into submission."
"Now that the Poison Humans have shown up, the Hyuncheon Sect and Tang Clan will clash like disturbed hornets. In Gangseo, no one handles poison but the Gangseo Gal Clan, so the Tang Clan will storm our headquarters."
Gal Woohun suddenly burst into manic laughter.
"Hahaha! The Sect Leader's going to sweat bullets. Dare to strip me of my Chief Elder position? Who put him on that throne? Does he think he'd be Sect Leader without me? As a Murim Alliance Elder, how hard I worked to funnel benefits to the sect, and he dares disparage that effort? Unforgivable—even if he's my junior brother."
His subordinate flinched, trembling at the near-obsessive thirst for revenge.
Cheon Taesan exposing Gal Elder's corruption and ousting him from the Alliance elder seat was grudge-worthy enough.
But trying to topple the sect leader over losing Chief Elder? That wasn't sane.
Gal Elder might lack character, but the subordinate was bound to him.
Ever since stealing the Tang Clan's Poison Humans three years ago on Gal Elder's orders, their fates were intertwined.
"The Hyuncheon Asura Unit might trail the Poison Humans. Clean this place up and move out—fast."
Gal Woohun barked.
"The scouts monitoring the Asura Unit haven't returned?"
The subordinate replied promptly.
"No. It'll take time to confirm their route."
The subordinate shouted to the bustling men around.
"Before anything else, get the Poison Humans into the coffins first!"
Gal Elder's men, tidying the area, gathered to load the Poison Humans into coffins.
"Gurk!"
"Argh!"
The men approaching the Poison Humans suddenly staggered.
"Poison!"
Seeing his dead subordinates, Gal Woohun whipped his head around.
Sure enough, poison mist was billowing from all four Poison Humans.
Then the four scattered in the cardinal directions and marched onward.
"D-don't come closer!"
Those already exposed to the poison couldn't flee and vomited blood as they died.
"What the hell? Why are the Poison Humans spewing poison?"
Gal Woohun bellowed, and a subordinate approached.
"This is odd."
The subordinate held the flute for controlling the Poison Humans.
"The Lost Soul Flute isn't working."
Blowing the Lost Soul Flute would make the Poison Humans follow its melody.
Tunes and pitches dictated various actions.
Yet it had zero effect.
"What happened?"
The subordinate muttered, inspecting the flute this way and that.
"No other way to control them besides the flute?"
The subordinate shook his head in dismay.
"Normally, simple commands work with words. If not, the flute does it. But words fail, and so does the flute."
"Why?!"
Gal Woohun shouted.
But the subordinate had no answers.
"Aaaagh!"
Gal Woohun's men, too close to the Poison Humans, succumbed to the poison without escape.
As more bled from their seven orifices and perished, Gal Woohun ground his teeth.
"This has to be that demon's handiwork."
"Pardon?"
"Cheon Taesan!"
"No way. How would he even know about Poison Humans, let alone control them?"
"I've been fooled by that sly, bookish face of his too many times. He plays the clueless scholar, then stabs you in the back at the critical moment."
To the subordinate, Gal Woohun seemed to be losing his reason to rage.
"He knows everything, does everything. He must've known about the Poison Humans and had a counter ready. No one else could make our obedient Poison Humans turn like this!"
Just then, the subordinates surveilling Scholar Cheon's group from afar returned.
They hesitated at the scene of carnage.
Gal Woohun beckoned them.
Two hurried over.
"What of Scholar Cheon and the Hyuncheon Asura Unit?"
Glancing sidelong at the Poison Humans slowly approaching, the two reported hastily.
"The Poison Humans approached them, spewing poison."
"And?"
"They hurled spears, loosed arrows, crashed carriages into them—but nothing worked, so they panicked. Then the scholar stepped forward, said something, and the Poison Humans turned back."
"Couldn't hear what he said?"
"We were two hundred zhang out."
"No idea what he did?"
"Sorry. Our eyesight couldn't catch the details. They faced the scholar, then turned."
"Just as I thought—that bastard tampered with them."
Gal Woohun spat in fury.
The Poison Humans had poisoned over twenty subordinates and now closed in on him.
"Abandon the Poison Humans. We're leaving."
The subordinate trembled, indignant. Three years of dogged effort to turn them into loyal limbs—hard to let go.
"Chief Elder, there must be a way. I'll figure out how to control them, no matter what."
"The flute doesn't work? How? Uncontrolled Poison Humans are a calamity. They're beyond us now."
Gal Woohun spoke with a pitiful expression.
"Worst case, they might chase the Poison Humans here. That demon's just the type."
Having suffered at Cheon Taesan's hands repeatedly, Gal Woohun's mind filled with pessimism.
"I'll repay this humiliation personally. Regrettable, but let's go."
"All that effort to steal them... the years spent taming..."
The subordinate muttered, unable to shake his regret.
"We still have plenty of venomous materials. With those, you and I can craft new Poison Humans—and quickly. Don't lose heart."
For the first time, the subordinate felt Gal Woohun's acknowledgment and comfort.
Yet his heart felt utterly hollow.
Gal Woohun was swift to cut losses.
The subordinate gave the Poison Humans one last sorrowful glance before following.
Gal Woohun unleashed his lightness skill, clenching his fist so hard in impotent rage that his nails dug into his palm.
Blood from his hand scattered in droplets the entire way.