Chapter 53
There was a saying that symbolized the Dang Family:
Kindness returned twofold, vengeance tenfold.
The moment I moved against Dang Ho-yeop, the atmosphere inside the tavern sharpened like a blade. At the same time, cold killing intent began pouring in from outside, pressing in through the walls.
"Baek Mugeuk. Hands up."
Dang Hye's voice was trembling.
So she could make a voice like that, too?
"Under no circumstances can anyone harm a member of the Dang Family at the Dang Family estate. Because..."
"This place is the Dang Family."
Every window and door in the tavern flew open at once. Outside, the people of the Dang Family estate stood surrounding the place in a tight ring.
I looked at Dang Hye and smiled.
"Looks like running is out of the question?"
"Just... surrender quietly."
I handed Bright Destroying Sword to Dang Hye.
"Keep this sword."
"..."
Dang Hye stared at the sword without moving for a long time. She knew. If she was dragged away like this, she would definitely die.
Without a word, Dang Hye accepted the sword. Then her hand tapped my Gwanwon acupoint. The instant my knees hit the floor weakly, the Dang Family men stepped in, covered my eyes, and bound my hands behind my back.
"Could you at least be a little gentle?"
I got no answer. All I heard was a short, clipped order.
"Get up."
I began moving where they led me.
"At least tell me where we're going."
As expected, there was no reply. And about one meal’s worth of time later, the black cloth covering my eyes was pulled away.
"Who are you, to lay hands on a member of the Dang Family?"
A deep, weighty voice came from ahead. When I lifted my head, I saw a man in a green robe edged with gold.
There was only one man in all the Central Plains who wore that kind of attire.
Dang Bo, head of the Dang Family.
His gaze was languid. And colder than winter steel. Seeing his face, I could understand perfectly why Dang Hye wore no expression.
"I’ll ask once more. Who are you?"
Toxic energy began seeping out from Dang Bo's body. Then Dang Hye, standing beside me, opened her mouth.
"Clan Head. This man was sent by the Alliance to escort me..."
Dang Bo raised a hand lightly.
"Agh... agh..."
Dang Hye grabbed at her throat and writhed in pain, as if someone were tightening their hands around it.
"I wasn't asking you."
"S-sorry..."
"Take your anger out on the right person."
"Take my anger out?"
At my words, Dang Bo lowered his hand. Dang Hye gulped in ragged breaths.
How was that supposed to be a father and daughter?
"I am Baek Mugeuk of the Baek Family. By request of the Martial Alliance Leader, I carried out the duty of escorting Dang Hye."
"Then all you had to do was escort her. Why did you touch a member of the Dang Family?"
"Because I was escorting her."
"Nonsense."
Dang Bo's eyes shifted to the door. Then Dang Ho-yeop was carried in on a stretcher.
"Does turning the escort target's older brother into that also count as escorting, in your eyes?"
More toxic energy poured out from Dang Bo's body, thicker than before. But I wasn't about to submit to this kind of thing.
"That's exactly right. This is the martial world. If someone lays a hand on the escort target's brother, or father, we respond accordingly."
"..."
Dang Bo just glared at me without saying a word. In fact, the one who spoke next was Dang Ho-yeop, lying on the stretcher.
"Clan Head... you must punish that brat..."
Even while speaking, Dang Ho-yeop groaned in pain. Yet his mouth never stopped moving.
"That brat Dang Hye says she denies being a Dang Family member and goes around waving a sword. How can a woman who denies being one of us be allowed to stand among the heirs?"
Dang Ho-yeop lifted himself slightly, then pointed at Dang Hye.
"She's low-born to begin with... strip her of her martial arts and throw her out of the Dang Family."
Dang Ho-yeop's voice was strangely earnest.
"Dang Hye, is that true?"
"..."
At Dang Bo's question, Dang Hye couldn't bring herself to answer. She just kept her head lowered.
She'd seemed so sharp all this time, but she was still just a child. She couldn't even answer one question from her father.
"You don't deny it, so it seems true."
Dang Bo rose from the *taesa* seat. The instant he did, everyone in the room except me dropped to their knees.
"Dang Hye has abandoned her pride as a member of the Dang Family. I, as clan head, cannot ignore someone who betrays the family. Therefore, I will abolish all of Dang Hye's martial arts..."
"Excuse me?"
My voice cut off Dang Bo's words. Naturally, everyone's eyes widened and turned to me.
"I have something to say, too."
"You interrupt me? Just because the Martial Alliance Leader sent you, you think you'll survive?"
"I don't know about that. But I do have something I absolutely need to say to Clan Head Dang right now."
"If another word comes out of that mouth, you'll die here and now."
Dang Bo's toxic energy began gathering around me. It was as if he meant to kill me the instant I so much as moved my lips. Of course, that kind of poison wasn't enough to seal my mouth.
"Baek Mugeuk of the Baek Family formally requests a duel of drinks with Dang Bo, head of the Dang Family."
"A duel of drinks?"
Dang Bo's expression twisted. But everyone except Dang Bo looked confused.
It couldn't be helped. The duel of drinks was a tradition long forgotten by ordinary Dang Family members.
A duel of drinks. It was a custom created by the first Dang Family head in order to reach immunity to a thousand poisons. Though from my perspective, it looked more like a drinking contest to establish hierarchy.
In any case, the rules were simple. A duel of drinks was exactly what it sounded like: two people drank and exchanged riddles. If one could no longer drink, they lost. If one could not answer the riddles, they lost.
The reward was astonishing: anything the Dang Family head could grant, he would grant. In other words, a wish.
Someone might ask, "You can get a wish from the Dang Family head just by drinking?"
Yes. If you won through drink alone, you could get a wish from the head of the Dang Family. The problem was that the liquor in question was distilled poison wine made by the Dang Family.
"How do you know about the duel of drinks?"
"That's your first question?"
"..."
Dang Bo said nothing in response. He couldn't refuse the duel of drinks. After all, why else would such a tradition have been created?
It was made because someone had to win. So why did no one except Dang Bo know of it? The answer was simple.
No one in the Dang Family could beat their clan head in drinking poison.
"What an amusing bastard. Fine. I'll accept your duel of drinks. If you lose, you die here."
"That much is only fair if I'm to share a drink with Clan Head Dang."
Dang Bo glared at me for a long while, then ordered that a jar of poison wine be brought out.
A jar of poison wine and two cups were placed between Dang Bo and me.
"Since this is a drinking contest, I'll speak plainly."
"You're dying anyway. Speak plainly."
Dang Bo and I poured the wine into our cups. Then Dang Bo drank his poison wine first.
"How do you know about the riddles?"
"The moment I was asked to provide escort, I requested information on the Dang Family from the Martial Alliance."
That was true. Of course, I had confirmed it in the Martial Alliance of my previous life, not this one.
"So the Martial Alliance had information about the duel of drinks as well."
This time, I downed my own poison wine.
"Khh... This liquor is viciously strong. My turn now, right? What should I ask? Right! Is it only you who can make Invisible Poison?"
"It is."
Dang Bo's answer was immediate. His cup hit the floor, and the questions continued.
"Do you believe you can beat me?"
"Yeah. If I were going to lose, why would I bother? Stupid question. Then I'll ask: why did you try to wipe out Mount Hwa and Mount Zhongnan?"
A soft sigh drifted through the room at my question. Dang Bo's expression cooled to the bone. The Dang Family could hardly have been unaware that the two sect leaders had been poisoned at the Mount Hwa-Zhongnan banquet.
"I never did such a thing. Are you certain the two sect leaders fell to Invisible Poison?"
"Yeah. It was definitely Invisible Poison. If you're the only one who can make it, how do you explain what happened at the Mount Hwa-Zhongnan gathering?"
"I can explain it. And I can't explain it at the same time."
Dang Bo's face remained utterly still. But that answer was not one that belonged in a duel of riddles. No matter how you looked at it, it was nothing but evasion.
"That doesn't sound very convincing to me."
"I'm the only one who can make Invisible Poison, but now even I can't make it anymore. I can't obtain the ingredients needed to compose it."
"I see. Then that explains it."
Still, for Dang Bo to prove his innocence, the method of making Invisible Poison would have to be exposed. That was why, as clan head, he could never fully prove that he himself had not been behind it.
"How did you neutralize Invisible Poison?"
"I ate it. It tasted goddamn awful."
"That's a lie."
"Ask that friend over there."
I gave Dang Hye a sidelong glance, and Dang Bo's eyes followed. Dang Hye gave a slight nod.
"You won't reach immunity to a thousand poisons. You know that?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
At my words, killing intent flashed in Dang Bo's eyes. He threw back another cup of poison wine.
"Why do you say I won't reach immunity to a thousand poisons?"
"Because you're going to die soon. Poisoned to death, too. No, maybe you're already poisoned."
"So it was just nonsense. I am Dang Bo, head of the Dang Family. Who dares! Who dares say they'll kill me with poison!"
Dang Bo smashed the cup in his hand. At the same time, the jar of wine began to melt under the pressure of his toxic energy.
"This duel of drinks is your defeat, Dang Bo."
"I can no longer listen to this nonsense."
"Look at your hand, Dang Bo."
Everyone present turned their eyes to Dang Bo's hand. It was trembling. Trembling like an aspen leaf in a gale.
"The Dang Family head uses poison, hidden weapons, and daggers, and his hand is shaking? Are you really all right?"
My mouth curled upward. Toxic energy flooded every inch of the space around us. Everyone there groaned in pain, faces twisted.
I released my own qi. My force gradually pushed Dang Bo's toxic energy back, and the groans around us began to fade.
"Don't strain yourself. You'll wreck yourself if you keep this up."
"You... win, Baek Mugeuk."
The declaration of defeat slipped from Dang Bo's mouth. He still stared at me as if he wanted to kill me, but the words were out.