Monster (4)
"I never thought I'd live to see an Embroidered Uniform Guard commander sprawled out dead."
Sect Leader Hao looked startled at the sight of Je Gang's corpse lying outside Chengdu. A royal official dying a lonely death in some backwater corner of Chengdu was a rare spectacle indeed. Like the heads of heroes displayed in the marketplace during the Three Kingdoms era—a grim sort of sightseeing. I smiled and said,
"Take care of the body as you see fit."
"Shall I just bury it?"
I shook my head at Sect Leader Hao's question. If I'd intended to just bury it in the mountains, I wouldn't have called for him. Je Gang had visited Sichuan personally without reporting to Zhuge Yeong-yu or the Princess. If his trail went cold here, it was only natural that I, having been in Sichuan at the time, would fall under suspicion.
So someone would have to disguise themselves as Je Gang, buy time, and make sure all trace of him vanished elsewhere.
"No. If possible, make sure no one learns he died in Sichuan."
"Location?"
"Anywhere will do. Though somewhere far from Sichuan would be best. As long as it's not Sichuan, I don't care where or how he vanishes. Just make absolutely certain there's no connection to me."
"Understood."
Sect Leader Hao nodded immediately. He didn't even seem to deliberate, but I didn't bother asking how he planned to do it. He'd handled things well so far—he'd manage somehow.
Once the body was dealt with, it was time to return from Sichuan to Shaanxi. I hadn't fully mastered the advanced principles of Taijiquan, but I had grasped its underlying logic, and I had someone with me who needed to get far away from Sichuan immediately—so I was in a hurry. When I said I was leaving Sichuan again, Hong Ye looked regretful as she spoke.
"Couldn't you stay just a little longer? It's such a shame."
"Why not come with me, then?"
"Oh! Really?"
"Junior sister."
Hong Ye's face lit up, but when So-bin quietly said beside her, "Junior sister," she glanced around and cleared her throat. The Taiji Sect disciples who'd come to see me off chuckled at Hong Ye's flustered demeanor. The atmosphere was different from before. When I'd first met Hong Ye, the disciples had been laughing at her, but this laughter held warmth.
Little by little, the Taiji Sect was clearly changing. And at the center of it stood Hong Ye, still struggling to adapt to the sect's atmosphere. Hong Ye, her face bright red, scratched her head and said,
"Ah, ahem... Well, we—we are husband and wife, but... the sect is so busy right now, after the elders fell from power... I'm afraid it would be difficult at this moment... I am the direct disciple, after all, and..."
"I understand. It seems I teased your wife with a needlessly mischievous joke. Let's talk again when I come next. Can you wait until then?"
"...I might not be able to wait and come find you instead."
"That would be good too."
Hong Ye bowed her head, her face growing even shyer. I laughed heartily, and the disciples who'd come to see me off caught the mood and laughed as well.
The laughter of the Taiji Sect spread through the marketplace of Chengdu. That laughter told many things. The Taiji Sect still stood strong, even with its elders fallen. Unlike the Tang Clan, which had sealed its gates, its future was bright.
The laughter slowly faded like an echo.
One large-framed disciple composed himself and stepped forward. The moment he came to the front, all the disciples sobered and stood at attention. He offered me a fist-wrapping salute and said,
"Great hero. We are truly grateful that you enlightened such worthless folk as us."
I returned his greeting and said,
"Why gild me so, when I myself have limits."
"Had it not been for you, great hero, we would have lived like blind beasts, doing no better than animals, even while learning Taijiquan. It is as if you awakened us all before it was too late. As disciples of the Taiji Sect, we are deeply ashamed, and deeply grateful."
As he bowed his head deeply, every disciple except Hong Ye bowed their heads to me in unison. Hong Ye looked around with a bewildered face, then tried to bend her waist too, but So-bin, who was bowing beside her, caught her hand and stopped her.
"The Grandmaster said that wherever the great hero's path leads, the Taiji Sect shall walk with him. Should you ever need help, do not hesitate or feel burdened—simply send word to the Taiji Sect."
"I shall most certainly do so."
It was truly time to go. As I turned, the large disciple from the Taiji Sect asked from behind.
"Will you return directly?"
"No. I thought I might take my time and do some sightseeing. A great matter has passed; I should catch my breath a little."
The Poison Human woke from sleep, stirring awkwardly and fidgeting with her arms. The moment she closed her eyes, the memories of the day she escaped came flooding back, fresh and vivid. Those memories were like a sewer, so thick with nightmare material that they left behind a vivid, lingering disgust.
The smell.
The smell of the dark, gloomy underground chamber.
The smell of bitter, crushed-plant extract.
The foul smell rising from wet stone and moss.
The dangerous, acrid scent of poison.
The metallic stench from the chains.
And the sensations, the sounds.
The feel of the chains binding her.
The sticky, revolting sight of bowls and medicinal ingredients scattered carelessly on the floor.
The Poison Humans coming to open the door for experiments,
And the sickening screech of rusted iron scraping against the stone floor.
And the loneliness.
The cheerful chatter of people who seemed to have forgotten she existed reached her through the corridor, even into her room—
But the men who entered her room were completely devoid of emotion, treating her like a lifeless piece of wood.
And the moment they left, the laughter and the talk of travel plans resumed.
Family picnics and the dinner menu for tonight.
The sound of someone grumbling that eating together was a hassle,
And a servant calling it an important time.
The inability to join that conversation, the sense of loss for the harmony woven into it.
They were loathsome memories.
But even in the midst of it all, alone, the Poison Human was not afraid in the slightest. On the contrary, she could stare at the wall and smile with a face full of certainty. Because she knew this deep torment would end.
Because she knew who was coming through that wall.
The Poison Human's memory always ended the same way.
Just as the sound of the door opening is heard, she stamps her feet and stares at the wall. Tang Man-woo, knowing nothing, violently yanks the door open as if annoyed. The door scrapes halfway open with a loud screech, and as if that sound were a signal flare, an axe blade comes smashing savagely through the wall.
So fierce and swift is the strike that the wind and sound only follow after the spray of dirt. Tang Man-woo, having just stepped into the room, startles at the tremendous noise and belatedly realizes there is no poison in the room. He lets out a sound close to a shriek.
"Th-the Poison Human, this bitch...!"
Before he could attempt anything more, the chains binding her arms, unable to withstand the concentrated poison, corroded and fell away. A thick stream of venom shot toward Tang Man-woo as he panicked and tried to open the door to flee. With his back turned, Tang Man-woo failed to dodge it and was struck squarely in the head.
"Kuaaaaaaagh! Aaaaaaaagh!"
The protective mask covering his face—and then his entire head—melted away as Tang Man-woo screamed.
And then, as if to bury that scream, the sound of earth collapsing was heard. Backlit by a soft glow, a sharp-featured man beamed broadly and offered a greeting to the Poison Human.
"I've come to rescue you."
The Poison Human woke from sleep, crying.
******
"You're awake?"
The Poison Human lifted her head with a dazed face. Her shoulders shook with the clatter of the carriage, and Docheol, who had lent her his shoulder, was smiling. Meeting his smiling eyes, the Poison Human's face flushed crimson as she pressed herself against the opposite door.
"You seem to have woken up."
"...Yes."
The Poison Human stared fixedly at the door panel and spoke in a mosquito-like voice. Docheol said to the Poison Human,
"Unfortunately, getting out of Sichuan was the priority, so I couldn't fit a tour of the marketplace into the plan. Please forgive me—it's to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances."
"I-it's okay."
The Poison Human said that, then rubbed her thighs with her hands and stole furtive glances. It had been easy to talk through the wall, but now that she was face-to-face, it wasn't easy at all. That smooth, leisurely smile and sharp face kept making her flush.
She had vaguely wished for a dashing person to appear and rescue her, and a truly dashing person had appeared after all.
Docheol studied the shy, turned back of the Poison Human. Having not eaten properly for a long time, she had no flesh on her, and her arms and legs were thin. So, for now, his plan was to travel here and there with her, feeding her delicious food and healing her mind and body until she achieved the figure he desired.
"Whoaaa...."
The Poison Human, pretending to be shy while looking out the window, suddenly realized that she had emerged into the outside world. The landscape she had vaguely dreamed of all her life was unfolding outside. Freed from the still-life painting that depicted her static hometown, a lush canopy of greenery and a blue sky, shifting subtly with the carriage's movement, shone down with vivid colors.
"Whoaaaa...! Aaaaa...!"
Hanging from the window frame, the Poison Human bounced up and down, shrieking with a strange cry that was impossible to tell apart as weeping or joy.
Docheol watched her from behind and roughly gauged the size of her hips.
'At this size, it's going to hurt.'
"Mister! Look over there! Look! The tree is so huge!"
"Ah, indeed. In that village, that tree is called a most precious divine timber. Shall we go take a look?"
"Can we?"
"Of course."