Poison Master (1)
Poison Master (1)
"I cannot pull you out of here immediately, miss."
The next day, the Poison Human sat disheartened by the man's words from beyond the wall. She already knew the reason herself.
"It's because of the poison, isn't it?"
The poison seeping from her body was beyond her control. Even when she stayed perfectly still, it flowed from her entire body like mist and filled the room. If she went outside in this state, even on a remote mountain, animals and plants would die in droves—and if it were in a city, catastrophe would be inevitable.
So was she truly unable to leave? Or was there another way? As she stared anxiously at the wall, the man spoke in a calm voice.
"That is correct. Therefore, I intend to teach you a method to control that poison, miss."
"A method to control the poison?"
The Poison Human's eyes went wide. She asked the man in return:
"Are you like the people who imprisoned me? Are you from the Tang Clan?"
"I have no connection to the Tang Clan."
The man's voice was firm. Yet despite his words, suspicion bloomed across the Poison Human's face. The Tang Clan people, with their whitened faces, were at their wits' end precisely because they too had failed to discover how to control the poison. So when a voice beyond the wall suddenly claimed he would teach her a method to control it—even with the promise of escape dangling before her—suspicion arose unbidden.
"Th-then, how exactly do you plan to teach me? The people here are struggling because they can't manage it either."
"I will use a method those filthy bastards have never even conceived of. Can you trust me? I only wish to get you outside, miss."
The Poison Human closed her mouth. If she refused the man's offer now, nothing would change. The same life would simply repeat itself.
The Tang Clan people, with their whitened faces, would hurl abuse at her as though it were her fault they could not control the poison. They would coax and wheedle her, and they would test new drugs on her. Someday, those bastards would succeed, she would become a puppet—and then no more voices would ever reach her from beyond the wall.
If that were the case, then even if he seemed a little suspicious, she had to trust the man beyond the wall. The Poison Human nodded and said:
"Wh-what kind of method will you use?"
"I plan to teach you an inner energy cultivation method and a martial art, miss."
"Martial arts? Inner energy cultivation? But I have never cultivated inner energy."
"But you have cultivated poison. From now on, miss, you must learn to wield the poisonous energy accumulated in your body as if it were inner energy."
The Poison Human tilted her head, a bewildered expression on her face. But the man spoke with such confidence that she could not simply refuse out of hand. Besides, were there any other options?
*******
"Brother Man-ho. Why do you sigh so heavily?"
Though it harbored murderous rumors and sinister schemes, the interior of the Tang Clan was always peaceful. As Tang Man-ho leaned against the corridor railing, gazing at the pond and sighing, Tang Man-woo approached and addressed him with a friendly air. Man-ho answered with a frown.
"What business is it of yours?"
"Are you thinking of that direct disciple of the Taiji Sect again? Coveting another man's woman is bound to bring trouble. What more can you do when she herself says she dislikes it?"
"Shut your mouth, you bastard. It's not that. And all of that was long ago. Ever since Miss Yang got engaged, there's been a swarm of bastards teasing me by dragging up old stories."
"But weren't you truly passionate about it back then, Brother? I heard you even wrote a treatise the length of a book, arguing that Taijiquan might aid the Poison Human research."
"I said be quiet. Why do you keep dredging up stories I want to forget? Even I consider it a shameful memory now. That was a time when I stubbornly insisted it would work, without truly grasping the secret teachings of Taijiquan or its inner energy cultivation method. My sigh just now has nothing to do with those old tales."
"Then what is it about?"
Tang Man-ho let out a deep sigh and said:
"Aren't you worried? The completion of the Poison Human is nearly within reach, yet we're stuck in the same place. At this rate, will the era of the Tang Clan ever arrive—even as we grow old waiting? Once Father steps down from the position of Family Head, will we be able to carry on and finish this monumental task?"
"Why fret over something like that? What kind of man is Father, for you to harbor such doubts? It's said that if martial artists brood over such problems, a heart demon will arise. What would Father say if he heard you talking like this?"
Tang Man-ho laughed and said:
"He'd tell me to just do my own job well."
"Exactly. That is precisely what he would say."
Tang Man-ho tossed the stone he was holding into the pond. The fish swimming leisurely beneath the surface were startled by the stone that suddenly plummeted over their heads and scattered in every direction. Tang Man-ho said:
"But I feel uneasy. For some reason, I have a bad feeling."
Ripples were spreading. The carp were already gathering back in one spot, as if to say, "When did we ever flee?" Tang Man-ho stared blankly at the sight, then turned away.
******
A few days later, Tang Man-ho visited the underground again. When he entered the room, swathed in his mask and protective clothing, the Poison Human remained silent. Her eyes were firmly shut and her body was limp; he wondered if she had fallen asleep. Tang Man-ho approached her and said:
"Get up."
At his command, the Poison Human barely opened her eyes and looked at Tang Man-ho with a disinterested face. Tang Man-ho found that expression deeply unpleasant. She had always worn a look blending fear, hatred, and resignation when she saw him, but today all those emotions had been cleanly wiped away. Tang Man-ho met her eyes and spoke.
"Seems something good happened, didn't it? Eh?"
Yet Tang Man-ho's question failed to shake the Poison Human. She merely let out a sigh and hung her head again. Tang Man-ho clicked his tongue, finding her attitude insolent. But she was the precious Poison Human, so he could not beat her.
"Right, you must have had a pleasant dream. Instead of that, how about you spend your time thinking about how to refine and handle the poison yourself."
Tang Man-ho said this as he held out the medicinal brew he had brought. The Poison Human briefly shook her head in reluctance, but when he used a stern tone and thrust the bowl firmly toward her, she finally bowed her head and accepted it, as though she had no choice.
"Yes, that's the posture. You must remain this meek."
Laughter lingered in Tang Man-ho's voice. He felt a strange sense of superiority watching the Poison Human bow her head at his feet. This was how it should be. No matter how fearsome the Poison Human was, she was fated to submit to the Tang Clan. And before long, all the people of the martial world would kneel before this very Poison Human—which meant he himself was destined to reign over everyone.
Only after seeing the Poison Human's docile figure could Tang Man-ho set his anxiety aside. Yes, that was right. Someday, the Poison Human problem would be resolved as well. There was nothing to be anxious about.
Truly, there wasn't.
*******
For the Poison Human underground, the concept of time did not exist. Her only means of distinguishing its passage were the Tang Clan members who visited at regular intervals and the occasional voice from beyond the wall.
Ppiii
Whenever she heard a sound like someone blowing a pipe, it signaled that the man beyond the wall had come. If someone else was in her room at that moment, the Poison Human would say:
"Please send me home."
Then the man beyond the wall would make the wind-like sound again after roughly one sichen had passed. If no one was there, the Poison Human would say:
"It's all right now. No one's here."
Then the man beyond the wall would begin to speak in a serene voice.
"Did you wait long?"
He always began the conversation with an affectionate tone, gently inquiring after her well-being. He never asked questions like, "Have you been well?" or, "How have you been?"—for those were meaningless questions to someone imprisoned underground.
Instead, the man spoke of martial arts training and other stories.
"Chengdu is a truly bustling city. All manner of people gather there, so it's filled with a lively clamor. People stretch out rows of canopies to open their shops, and every one is a different color. If you look down from a high place, it makes a wonderfully colorful picture."
They were stories of the outside world. The man always described places the Poison Human had never been to, things she had never seen. She would listen to his tales as if intoxicated, and when the story neared its end, she would ask:
"...I want to go there too."
"We'll go together. Let's escape, and then we'll definitely go together."
And the Poison Human would answer with a bright smile, as if she had already escaped to the outside.
"Yes."
******
Tang Man-ho was once again gazing at the pond from the corridor. A servant was scooping the carp out of the water. Tang Man-ho asked:
"What's the matter?"
"Oh dear, sir. It seems someone dipped a hand stained with chemicals into the pond. The carp have all died, you see?"
At these words, Tang Man-ho wore a sheepish expression and glanced at his own hand. Then he stared at the pond once more, unconsciously hid his hand behind his back, and spoke in a stern voice.
"...Right. You're working hard. Well, I suppose such accidents can happen."
Tang Man-ho tried not to look at the pond as he continued on his way.
Of course, not looking did not change the fact that the fish in the pond were dead.