Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Three Forked Paths
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Ugh, what a foul stench.”
U Haek-bong arrived a step behind.
He pinched his nose as he stepped over the fallen signboard,
just like the few warriors still lingering in the martial hall.
“Pardon me, but could I ask about your horse?”
His voice nasal, he singled out one of the Jueun Merchant Group's warriors.
“Yes, what is it?”
“What exactly happened here?”
The warrior shot him a displeased glance, annoyed at this latecomer prying.
“We're searching the premises. Nothing else, but poison substances keep turning up without end.”
Having heard the rundown, U Haek-bong's face lit up with interest.
‘A Black Killer Gang branch?’
He had little interest in fighting but was unmatched when it came to handling information.
As one of the Beggar Clan's Five Great Elders, his personal martial prowess wasn't lacking either,
but it was purely a matter of temperament.
He disliked combat. His refusal to take the mount stemmed from the same reasoning—he cited his internal energy as an excuse.
Yet the man who had casually discarded his position as vice-leader had once surpassed his senior brothers to stand closer than anyone to becoming the next gang leader.
‘The Black Killer Gang, foremost among assassin gates in viciousness. They won't talk easily.’
That spoke to his keen insight.
How had this Seo Mun-ha fellow uncovered this place?
Curiosity mingling with doubt, he surveyed the grounds amid the ongoing cleanup.
“By the way, where did those people go?”
“Didn't you know? They left half a shichen ago.”
“Huh? I didn't see them on the way here.”
“Must've taken different roads.”
“Did they leave any message?”
“No.”
……Damn it all.
U Haek-bong, who had dawdled, now wore a bewildered look himself.
“Hey, be careful over there. Poison gas lingers.”
A warrior barking orders suddenly brightened as something occurred to him.
“Ah, since you're here anyway, great hero, could you lend a hand?”
“No, I...”
U Haek-bong scratched his head vigorously.
Urgh.
This was a wasted trip beyond all wasted trips, and with nothing better to do, he idly pitched in.
“Wait, don't touch that carelessly!”
There were plenty of tricky poisons to handle, and as an earnest beggar, U Haek-bong personally oversaw the bizarre spectacle.
Half a shichen earlier.
The Cheonggwang Martial Hall Master lay in a wretched state, limbs twisted unnaturally.
Even interrogation seemed pointless with his eyes rolled back.
Seo Mun-ha's perspective differed from the Murim Alliance's, which was squarely their domain of expertise.
That is, if one viewed the target not merely as an assassin but as a warrior and sect.
Ha Eun-ye, who had taken him into custody, had stepped away briefly, and the others, after a quick briefing, left only a handful behind as they departed the hall.
A modest inn doubling as a villager's home in the next town over.
Their horses, run ragged without respite, needed rest above all, but priority went to recovering from the fierce battle Seo Mun-ha had endured.
Gathering around him thereafter, the group held a brief meeting that skimmed only the surface.
“Are you alright, brother?”
Ser Mun Young-ryeong checked on Seo Mun-ha as usual.
The cramped space felt even tighter due to the remarkable figures assembled.
“I'm fine.”
Having doffed his mask against habit, Seo Mun-ha's face was far from unscathed.
Not just poisoning symptoms, but minor cuts like rents in his clothes were inevitable.
“It's been a year and a half since I last saw you, Third Brother.”
Ser Mun Jun-sang, caught off-guard, stiffly cupped his fists.
“Long time.”
The greeting between estranged siblings was utterly dry.
Ser Mun Jun-sang, having excluded Father Ser Mun Jeong-cheon and Jo Young-mi, seemed bursting with words yet ultimately held his tongue.
Brimming with tangled thoughts and utter turmoil.
The Seo Mun Clan's first and second young masters were renowned as capable talents across many fields, while the third focused on martial arts.
His talent therein surpassed his brothers'.
Pride often seeped through, yet the shock of the third young master—whom he'd dismissed as a wastrel, ignoring him like air—struck differently from others'.
‘A man once called a scoundrel...’
Ser Mun Jun-sang was among those skeptical of recent rumors.
People see only as much as they know, and as much as they wish to see.
Seo Mun-ha, who had single-handedly upended an entire Black Killer Gang branch.
Judgment, drive, achievements no one else could match—a flawless handling without flaw.
“Something on my face?”
“No.”
Anxious and impatient, Ser Mun Jun-sang clenched his fist under the table.
Setting him aside, bloodstains did mar Seo Mun-ha's face.
A faint cut traced a line beneath the mask splattered with others' blood.
“Young Master Seo Mun, blood.”
A delicate woman offered a handkerchief.
Baek Ri-seol, who had been quietly toying with her teacup.
Dulled senses had let even he overlook the wound, painless and too small for scarring.
“Thank you.”
Yet he accepted the courtesy, dabbing the nape cut with the palm-sized cloth.
Swipe—
Blood beads along the long line.
Unclotted even after so long, it stained as Dang So-so, returning from outside, hurried to the four.
“You're back, sister.”
Ser Mun Young-ryeong welcomed her first.
Around when the left-behind tea had cooled.
Having spread word through their networks, others had begun next steps from their positions, and differing thoughts had crossed among those with Seo Mun-ha.
“Then we'll take our leave first.”
Ser Mun Jun-sang opened politely, minding etiquette.
“Take care, brother. See you at the assembly hall.”
At least outwardly.
“Let's go, Ryeong-ah.”
“Sister Seol, take care of brother. Watch him so he doesn't do anything reckless again!”
The siblings returned to the Jueun Merchant Group. Representing the Seo Mun Clan at the assembly, their stance differed somewhat from Seo Mun-ha's.
Ditching escorts was bold enough.
“You've grown close.”
Baek Ri-seol was no different.
Shaking his head alongside her, Seo Mun-ha watched the affectionate siblings with faint amusement.
“Will you head straight home from here, Young Master Seo Mun?”
Reverting to her usual tone, she probed his intentions.
“I'm footloose myself.”
He disliked crowding unusually. Gu Chil's or Ser Mun Jun-sang's company felt cramped enough.
“So I figured I'd cage them preemptively, as I said. But are you sure you're alright, Miss Baek Ri?”
Dismissive toward concern, yet Baek Ri-seol was resolute.
“Letting you go alone the day before is my responsibility.”
The weight of that responsibility.
Despite the worry, Seo Mun-ha felt awkward.
“Besides, my clan lacks even the Seo Mun Clan's influence anyway.”
Mount Dongyi couldn't be ruled out, but shoulders light, Baek Ri-seol asserted her position and volunteered to accompany.
For Seo Mun-ha, such overt concern remained uncomfortable and unfamiliar.
Especially including his past life.
He who'd uttered “I'm fine” countless times was relieved A-so and his two subordinates weren't near.
‘Come to think of it.’
Those gathered at the Black Killer Gang had split three ways.
The Murim Alliance's Ha Eun-ye and the Seo Mun Clan's siblings. And those remaining at the inn.
‘Heard someone got overlooked.’
No one would know a lone Beggar Clan member sweated blood, thoroughly ignored.
“Something bothering you?”
“No. Nothing.”
Shaking off unease, Seo Mun-ha turned to the last remaining after Baek Ri-seol.
A woman draining cold tea.
Dang So-so set down her cup slowly and spoke first.
“We know each other, right?”
Skipping preamble, while he played it cool.
“Seo Mun-ha. No chance to greet you properly before.”
His “before” meant the Jueun Merchant Group, and her scoff hinted at Sichuan events.
Excuses about masks aside, she strode brazenly before him.
“First off, hand it over.”
And extended her hand.
“Pardon?”
“That.”
Dang So-so, unnamed still, pointed to the dark-stained handkerchief.
He extended his arm readily, and she snatched the cloth.
Inexplicable, she continued her oddity.
“Miss Dang?”
Ignoring Seo Mun-ha's confusion.
She buried her sharp nose in the red-stained cloth, inhaling deeply repeatedly, eyes closed in thought, then licked the not-yet-dry blood with her tongue tip.
“Mm.”
The two exchanged wordless stares.
Had Ser Mun Jun-sang stayed, the shocks would've left him speechless.
“What are you doing?”
“Quiet. Thinking.”
Smacking her lips, Dang So-so licked her vividly red ones and recited calmly.
“Blood hemp seed, aconitum, sulfur, malachite, mercury, arsenic, cinnabar, datura, monkshood...”
Sixteen poisons mixed into an extreme toxin coursed through Seo Mun-ha's body.
Varied effects and subtle interactions might seem inefficient at a glance, but the blend tailored against warriors made antidotes elusive.
“......Not much different. Won't fully neutralize right away, but better than nothing.”
Concluding swiftly, she handed over a pill.
“Left over from before.”
“......”
“Take it. Don't make me feel awkward. It'll suppress the poison without meditation. Handle the rest.”
“Thank you, Miss Dang.”
Seo Mun-ha swallowed without question.
Her sullen demeanor from Sichuan lifted into a bright smile.
The shift between Thousand Poisons Fairy and Sichuan Beauty drew admiration.
That's poison.
To those unaware of the backstory.
What do you mean?
Exchanging transmissions, Seo Mun-ha recalled a crotchety elder.
No joke. Never heard of extreme poison countering poison?
Manage it well, then.
Don't misunderstand. No reason for me to help you. Malice, maybe.
Can't imagine why.
No use feigning. Don't dodge.
Refreshed as if indigestion fled, Dang So-so wore an easy expression and rose naturally.
“Feeling drained, kinda tired. Heading up first.”
Not forgetting a warning.
Talk later. Behave. No running this time.
Though brash, mindful of Baek Ri-seol.
To fully detox...
Threatening smugly like she'd shackled him, she ascended triumphantly.
Bluster mostly.
Her grandfather's favorite, he was no simple fool.
‘The Black Killer Gang's poison arts are no joke.’
A level suppressible by internal energy alone, her unchanged composure hid shared astonishment.
Awesome prowess and results beyond any latecomer.
‘Still, this way.’
Setting aside effects, he'd need her time inevitably.
Her persistence shone, unforgiving the insult, displaying the Tang Clan's infamous repute unfiltered.
“Hey.”
“By any chance.”
The remaining pair spoke over each other.
“Something with Sister Dang?”
“Something with Miss Dang?”
“......?”
“......?”
“Seemed like she was watching you.”
“Felt like she was watching you instead, Miss Baek Ri.”
Words glancing off repeatedly, Baek Ri-seol burst into a light laugh.
“Ah, nothing much for me. Just owed her a bit from before.”
“I see.”
“Surprising, though. Didn't expect Miss Dang on the same path.”
Solo, unlike common escorts or servants.
Both scions of famed clans, yet lesser than the Six Great Clans, she traveled light unperturbed.
Baek Ri-seol aside, the odd trio gave Seo Mun-ha a slight headache.
“Mine's not a big deal either.”
Already.
“Still, you owe her now.”
She indicated the pill.
“We'll see.”
Seo Mun-ha slyly wiped his sleeve, pocketing the pill that had danced on his palm.
‘Bound to come in handy someday.’
What the women thought swallowed.
Dang So-so overlooked: he'd needed no pill from the start.
Good or ill intent aside.
‘At least it won't be boring.’
Pre-detoxed and purged externally, the world's deceptions differed little between murim and officialdom.
“Rest while we can.”
“Yeah. You're hurt, and I've held you too long. Sorry.”
His two-faced nature persisted.
“Pleasure talking with you, Miss.”
“......For real?”
In this peaceful world, changing life's ways seemed distant still.