The Carelessness of the Haves
“Insolent wretch!”
Cheongheo-ja leaped back, swinging his sword in a wide arc.
It wasn’t quite a sword barrier, but the blade flashed with light in that instant, blocking the hidden weapons.
Clang-clang-clang!
“You really want to die—gasp!”
“Shut your mouth!”
Ching! Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!!
Before anyone could intervene, Dang Hwa-rin shot forward.
A Qingcheng elder versus the daughter of the Dang family head.
On paper, it should’ve been an even match favoring Cheongheo-ja, but the surprise attack had him scrambling just to parry her sword.
“You shameless bitch!”
“Who’re you calling shameless, you filthy Taoist?!”
“What did you say?!”
They spat insults like blood enemies, swords clashing wildly.
I couldn’t find an opening to jump in, nor could the Qingcheng disciples.
Still, if this dragged on, Dang Hwa-rin would be in danger.
I hadn’t recovered the blood jade yet, and I sure as hell wasn’t losing her now, so I stepped forward.
“Hm?”
Something felt off.
My body wasn’t quite right—not like usual.
I checked my status briefly. And soon enough, I figured out why.
It was the qi-scattering poison.
That strange energy that had drifted down on the wind moments ago.
Dang Hwa-rin had secretly released it.
I didn’t rely on inner power for fights anyway, so no real damage there.
But for your average martial artist who did? Qi-scattering poison was devastating.
Look at Cheongheo-ja flailing around like a fish out of water.
“You bitch! How dare you use poison on me!”
“Hmph! Poison experts gotta use poison! Should I fling shit at you instead?!”
“What kind of upbringing is this?!”
At first, Cheongheo-ja’s poisoning wasn’t deep. So Dang Hwa-rin had closed in with her ambush and dosed him properly.
“If you’re an elder, act like one—stop harassing innocent people and talk to me!”
“You think this crap poison can take me down?!”
Kaang! Kang! Chae-aeng!
But a major sect elder was still an elder.
Even with his inner power scattering, he quickly stabilized and turned defense into offense.
Dang Hwa-rin, pushing wildly, started paling as she was forced back.
Then, at some point—
Kaaang!
With a crisp ring, Dang Hwa-rin flew backward.
Kwa-dang-tang-tang!
“Ugh!”
She tumbled across the ground.
Normally, he’d snatch her throat right then, but Cheongheo-ja seemed winded too, catching his breath while holding position.
“Hoo… hoo… What are you waiting for? Grab that bitch!”
“Yes, sir!”
Dang Hwa-rin staggered to her feet.
I moved to block her path.
“Jang Warrior…”
“I told you to stay put. Why’d you jump in?”
“How could I just watch?”
The revived Taoists rejoined, and the Qingcheng swordsmen closed in again.
But unlike before, their shoulders were tense, eyes locked on me with wariness.
Then—
“Kuhk!”
One young Taoist clutched his chest and collapsed.
“Junior brother!”
“What’s wrong, junior brother?!”
The others rushed to support him.
“P-Poison…”
Red rashes bloomed on the fallen Taoist’s face.
Blue spots rose on his neck.
Just from looks, it was some nasty poison.
“You vicious slut! Hand over the antidote!”
“Hmph! No antidote. Want him alive? Run to a pharmacy!”
“You mad bitch!”
“You dog bastards! You tried to kidnap me! Should I just take it lying down?!”
The Qingcheng swordsmen and Dang Hwa-rin’s tempers boiled over, spewing curses with flying spittle.
In the end, I stepped forward again.
The Qingcheng group flinched, retreating while supporting the poisoned man.
“Jang U-gil! See that? That’s your woman’s true colors!”
“Elder. First things first—shouldn’t we save that man?”
“Right! We grab that bitch and get the antidote!”
“The Dang lady said there’s none right now. Head back to Seongdo and hit a pharmacy.”
“What?!”
Cheongheo-ja’s beard quivered with rage.
“You bastard! A Wudang disciple colluding with a Dang whore, betraying your sect?!”
“Colluding? I’m just after the truth. Dang lady—what poison did you use?”
I turned to Dang Hwa-rin.
Her venomous glare softened instantly as she replied sweetly.
“Cheonhwa Powder. Antidote within half a shichen, and he’ll recover without aftereffects.”
I looked back at Cheongheo-ja.
“That’s what she says.”
“You… fucking bastards…!”
Cheongheo-ja glared at me, Dang Hwa-rin, and the fallen disciple in turn.
Right on cue, blood trickled from the poisoned man’s mouth.
Cheongheo-ja’s pupils shook.
“Jang U-gil. I’ll report today’s events to Wudang in full!”
“If you’re that confident.”
“You bastard! To the end!!”
As Cheongheo-ja reached for his sword again—
“Master! Junior brother’s unconscious!”
“No time! Master!”
The Qingcheng swordsmen grabbed his ankles.
Cheongheo-ja trembled with fury, eyes blazing as he glared at us.
“You two. This isn’t over. I won’t forget today!”
“……”
We’d already decided to leave anyway.
Dang Hwa-rin and I met his gaze calmly, without retort.
“Let’s go!”
Cheongheo-ja spun away with a snarl.
The Qingcheng group and Song family followed in haste.
The Song bastard kept glancing back nervously.
Once they were gone, the cliff regained its silence.
The Milky Way mocked the world’s ugliness from above, while the crickets began chirping again.
“Phew… If you hadn’t been here, Jang Warrior, I’d have been in real trouble.”
Her tension finally easing, Dang Hwa-rin let out a sigh of relief.
I smiled at her.
“Wasn’t that a bit much poison? What if it causes trouble later?”
“Hohoho! It’s just something he’ll recover from after a good day’s rest. People see what they want—like they think I’m some evil bitch, so they overreact.”
“Is that so? Qingcheng got a real taste of you today.”
“Nah, it was you they tasted. Hohoho!”
Maybe from weathering the crisis together.
Dang Hwa-rin was showing way more warmth toward me.
“Today was the worst.”
“Still, I enjoyed it with you, Dang lady.”
“Oh! Me too, but…”
I grinned, locking eyes with her.
Her eyes widened as she turned toward the cliff.
“But we lost the Thousand-Faced Fox.”
“Huh? What’re you talking about? We didn’t lose her.”
“With Qingcheng butting in, she’s long gone by now.”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry. I’ve got the Thousand-Faced Fox for sure.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Her eyes grew even wider staring at me.
Her dark pupils sparkled like lakes under moonlight.
I smiled softly at them.
“She’s right in front of me.”
“…Me?”
“Well, maybe not. But one thing’s clear: you’ve got what I’m after. The item stolen from the Thousand-Faced Fox.”
“……”
Dang Hwa-rin’s face stiffened.
But only for a moment.
The corner of her mouth curved up slyly.
“How’d you know?”
“Luck.”
“You luckily figured out I’m the Thousand-Faced Fox?”
“More like this.”
I held up the ring on my left hand.
It glowed red alone in the darkness.
“It’s made of blood jade. Same as the gem you stole. Blood jade glows like this when it’s near more of itself.”
“…Didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. Pretty neat, huh?”
We stared silently at the red glow for a bit.
Like a firefly in the dark, it unsettled the heart the longer you looked—like blood light.
Dang Hwa-rin pulled her gaze from it to me.
“So, what now?”
I met her eyes.
No anger at being fooled. No shock at her identity being exposed.
She was still confident, bold, her gaze even holding a hint of amusement.
“Whether you’re the Thousand-Faced Fox or not doesn’t matter to me. My mission’s just recovering the blood jade.”
“I am the Thousand-Faced Fox. You’re the first to figure it out. Impressive skills. Even Murim Alliance bigshots gave up chasing me.”
“Like I said, luck.”
“Hohoho! Luck’s a skill too. Anyway, you want the blood jade back. Right?”
No way she’d hand it over easy.
Still, I nodded firmly.
“Yes.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then I’ll use other means.”
Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
I was poisoned with qi-scattering toxin right now.
She didn’t see this as a crisis at all.
“Like what? I know you’re a top-notch swordsman who could take down those Qingcheng guys. Even I couldn’t do that. But without inner power, can you take me?”
“Dang lady.”
“Yes?”
“You like bets?”
“Bets…?”
She tilted her head at the sudden topic.
I grinned.
“Life’s a gamble anyway. Like you said, I can’t use inner power now. By the book, I couldn’t recover the blood jade from you.”
“So?”
“Let’s bet. I win, I get the blood jade. You win… name your prize. Either way, I keep your secret as the Thousand-Faced Fox.”
Dang Hwa-rin smirked too.
“Sounds fun. What kind of bet?”
“Simple. No poison, no weapons. First to pin the other to the ground wins.”
“Hohoho! Wrestling? Don’t underestimate a Dang poison expert!”
“Underestimate? I respect the Dang family. I’m just confident in wrestling. Works without inner power.”
She pondered briefly, then nodded.
“Fine. But I can’t think of a prize right now. If you grant me one favor later, I’m in.”
“If you win?”
“Yeah, if I win.”
I frowned slightly, shaking my head.
“Can’t do anything unjust.”
“Hoho! Finally acting like a stuffy Wudang guy. Don’t worry—I won’t ask anything like that. If you don’t like it, refuse, and I’ll pick something else.”
“Hm. If that’s it, sure.”
“Great.”
Bet made.
People who think they’re hot shit fall for slightly favorable terms every time.
Dang Hwa-rin was no different.
Dang family’s precious daughter, talented enough for the Thousand-Faced Fox moniker.
She figured my poisoning meant she couldn’t lose. Hell, you could see her already plotting her prize.
“So, how do we start?”
“Come closer.”
“Okay.”
I was used to no-inner-power fights anyway.
Even if I had it, barely half a year’s worth.
Qi-scattering poison barely dented my combat power.
The only risk was her lightness skill letting her run. But I’d baited her into staying put.
“Close enough?”
“Perfect.”
We smiled at each other, arms’ reach apart.
Neither doubted victory.
I picked up a stone from the ground and showed it to her.
“When it hits the dirt, we go. Anything goes. Pin to the ground wins.”
“Got it. Toss it.”
“Good luck.”
Whoosh.
I tossed it lightly.
Her pupils tracked the stone rising into the sky.
And when it thunked to the ground—
Dang Hwa-rin kicked off, thrusting her palm.
“Hah!”
Not full power—a measured strike.
She was going easy on me, but I wasn’t.
I twisted aside, deflecting it, then struck her arm’s pressure point.
Tadak!
“Aak!”
Frozen mid-thrust like a statue, Dang Hwa-rin just blinked her wide eyes.