After Entering the Palace (2)
Gurye’s daily routine remained unchanged.
It was a rare break.
The New Seoul branch was running smoothly thanks to explosive sales growth, and with the war over, the Imperial Council hadn’t sent any mine investigation requests.
He just rolled around in bed with Ilbaek for a day or two, pulled out a fairy peach to eat when he got hungry, and went shopping at department stores or marts for gifts to stockpile in his infinite storage space for Poison Immortal Dang Gunak when he got bored.
He planned to eat one fairy peach a day without fail.
He could faintly feel his celestial energy slowly increasing bit by bit.
In fact, his infinite storage space was expanding, however slightly.
It was about time to start developing a new drug.
He already had one in mind.
He’d been considering it for a while.
The Mana Rejection Cure.
His thoughts naturally gravitated toward it.
After all, he himself had been a mana rejector not long ago.
But even as Kim Taeju, it was an extremely difficult challenge, so he’d only been mulling it over.
Why so hard? Because mana rejection syndrome was a congenital disease.
There was a condition in the martial world of Jianghu called “blocked meridians syndrome.”
It was notoriously hard to cure there too.
Forcing the meridians open artificially and forming the hundred pulse network could heal it, but who said that was easy?
Blocked meridians syndrome blocked qi circulation in the meridians, leading to a slow decline until death in one’s early twenties.
Up to here, it sounded similar to mana rejection syndrome, but they were fundamentally different.
Blocked meridians prevented qi accumulation and circulation, while mana rejection turned mana itself into poison.
In other words, mana rejection was even harder to treat.
Even so, he’d found a lead.
Fairy peaches? No good.
How many mana rejectors were there in the Empire alone?
At least two million, probably more.
And it wasn’t even certain fairy peaches would work on them.
So what then?
Take someone who’d successfully overcome mana rejection syndrome as a case study and examine how they did it.
Who might that be?
Right here.
Taehong Bio Chairman Kim Taeju.
Taeju had overcome mana rejection with poison.
Of course, it was possible thanks to the peerless divine art Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong, but at its core, the poison had transformed his constitution.
The answer lay in poison.
Not an antidote—a poison drug.
Use poison to improve mana rejectors’ constitutions.
For that, he needed more poisons.
New ones he hadn’t experienced before.
He went to the seaside and boiled a stew thick with fresh pufferfish roe, caught all sorts of snakes and let them sink their fangs into his forearm, headed into Jirisan’s dense jungle to poke a mutant giant hornet nest and get stung by its venom,
‘I should head abroad at least once...’
He wanted to taste poisons born in different environments.
True tropical climates hotter than subtropical Gurye, or maybe deserts.
Scorpions, venomous spiders, poison ants, all sorts of reptiles and amphibians, and venomous plants.
Going abroad wouldn’t be hard.
He had Geomseon’s sword, the Myriad Li Flying Sword.
He’d plan a trip after the victory banquet.
In the meantime, Taeju heard through the news that the victory ceremony had been postponed.
And reports that the Emperor’s illness was serious.
‘What? Did he not eat the fairy peach?’
Or maybe eating it had worsened his symptoms.
The moment he picked up his smartphone to look into it, Geum Suhu called first.
“Hello? Secretary Geum.”
- Have you heard the news? It’s about...
Geum Suhu explained the situation to Taeju.
The fairy peaches were effective, he was deeply grateful, he was taking time for full recovery, so the ceremony was postponed...
- His Majesty is in secluded meditation alone to expel the demonic energy. That’s why I’m calling instead. Chairman Kim, thank you so much. Thanks to you, we’ve pulled out two demonic stakes.
Only two?
“How many were there total?”
- Seven. Only five left now. It’s just a matter of time.
Time was dragging too long.
Could they remove all the stakes before the ceremony?
He’d boasted to everyone that the Emperor was healthy.
‘It’d make me a liar.’
Some improvement wouldn’t cut it.
He needed to return to his former self, exactly.
Plus, Taeju was curious.
Just how strong was a healthy Emperor?
It was just a matter of time anyway—might as well speed it up.
“Hmm, I have some liquor I was drinking... Drinking that might speed up the effects.”
Fairy liquor from fifty fairy peaches.
He’d decanted it from the jar into soju bottles.
Eight bottles in total.
Each roughly equivalent to six peaches’ worth of celestial energy.
He’d drunk two, given one each to brother Baek Hongpyo, CEO Baek Seoyeonn, and disciples Jang Suncheol and Baek Changhoon—two left now.
- Liquor? ...Is that precious too?
“Yes.”
- Like the peaches?
“Even more precious. Impossible to obtain.”
- Uh, um...
“Shall I give you one? I have exactly one left.”
- Actually, His Majesty was wondering how to repay your grace. It’d be too shameless to ask outright.
“Just buy it from me.”
- Oh! Right. Then what’s the price? Money? Gold? Jewels?
“I’m short on elite mana crystals lately.”
- Got it. I’ll head to Gurye right away.
He hadn’t even said how many.
He wouldn’t bring just one, right?
Let’s see.
Geum Suhu arrived in Gurye three hours after hanging up—probably by aircraft, not train.
Taeju met him at Taehong Bio headquarters.
The moment they met, Geum Suhu handed over two travel suitcases.
“Here you go.”
“...This?”
“From the imperial treasury. About a hundred for now—any more and I’d have to log it.”
“...”
A whopping hundred elite mana crystals.
Ones not even recorded.
Considering the Empire’s history of expanding territory through monster battles, the total stockpile must be beyond counting.
‘...Beyond expectations.’
Of course, still short compared to fairy liquor.
Taeju pulled a bottle of fairy liquor he’d prepped from his infinite storage and took it from his coat pocket.
“Here you are.”
“...Soju?”
“Just the bottle. Contents are different.”
“Ah!”
“Share it with His Majesty.”
“...Huh?”
Something clicked—Geum Suhu pulled out his smartphone.
“C-Could you say that again?”
“What...?”
“What you just said.”
Taeju tilted his head.
‘What did I say? Just that he should share with His Majesty... Oh!’
No way?
“Didn’t you eat any peach?”
“...”
“Not even a bite?”
“...”
Seemed so.
Probably pressured by rank.
He understood the Emperor’s feelings, and Geum Suhu’s too.
So he spoke clearly into the still-recording app.
“Your Imperial Majesty and Secretary Geum—you two must share it.”
Geum Suhu finally smiled in satisfaction.
Honestly, he looked pitiful.
The second most powerful man after the Emperor.
Hope he gets some this time.
※ ※ ※
Paju Territory.
Major General Kim Ungbang was buried in work in his office late into the night.
Small territory, but endless tasks.
Basic administration, taxes and accounting, public safety, construction, welfare...
And more.
Imperial grants were always near monster hotspots.
Paju was no exception.
The old DMZ area.
Neighboring Yeoncheon and Cheorwon Territories nearby too.
Required periodic monster purges to control numbers.
Which quietly drained the budget.
Purges cost a fortune.
Standing army of awakeners, mana compatibles, or hired mercenaries; weapons, gear, combat supplies... Monster byproducts covered some, but always short.
The annual budget struggles stemmed from Paju’s limits.
No standout industries for revenue, lacking infrastructure, small population for taxes.
So tonight too, Kim Ungbang couldn’t even think of sleep while squeezing the budget.
Suddenly!
Knock knock.
A knock at the office door.
“Still so much work left?”
Paju’s lady of the house, Honda Mitsui.
“Almost done. You should’ve gone to bed first.”
“How could I, with the head of the house still working?”
She set a steaming teacup on the desk.
“Mana Ten Coin Great Tonic Decoction. Drink this and keep going.”
“...Hmm.”
Kim Ungbang stared blankly at the tonic she’d brought.
His expression somehow disappointed.
“Hoo.”
With a deep sigh, he looked at her face.
“You’ve made up your mind, I see.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve decided to cross the line after all?”
“...W-What are you talking about?”
“You underestimate a Master too much.”
Kim Ungbang stopped work and stood.
Mitsui flinched back a step.
Her husband suddenly seemed different.
“I understand. Useless, indecisive, always begging your family for help—I must’ve seemed pathetic.”
“Darling! What’s gotten into you?”
“But this? Trying to poison your husband?”
“...Ah.”
Mitsui panicked.
Her eyes shook wildly.
How did he know?
But.
“W-What? You’re saying I tried to poison you?”
“Then why not drink this tonic yourself? Right here, now.”
“...”
Mitsui squeezed her eyes shut.
“...Aaaah.”
Thud!
She collapsed to the floor.
It was all out in the open.
“D-Darling, hear me out. I must’ve lost my mind for a moment. I-It was Father’s orders.”
“I know. You wouldn’t plan it alone, obviously.”
“...T-Then?”
Kim Ungbang’s face was icy.
“But before that! You thought I didn’t know you tried to kill Taeju? I let it slide then. He survived, and I wanted to keep the family intact. That was my mistake.”
Only Mitsui’s face went deathly pale.
Her husband had known.
Everything!
No escape.
Only beg forgiveness.
“P-Please forgive me. For all our years together, just once...”
“Hah, the only forgiveness I can give is one.”
“What...?”
“I won’t kill you. Pack your things and leave for Kyushu immediately. Divorce papers later.”
“...”
Divorce.
Her expression turned venomous at the word.
“You’re kicking me out to bring Taeju back? Handing him the territory?”
“Still haven’t come to your senses. Think Taeju would care about this puny territory?”
“What...?”
Puny territory.
She’d tried to kill her stepson and husband over it.
“Word is His Majesty will grant Gurye City to Taeju. He’s all but guaranteed top contributor in this war.”
“R-Ridiculous!”
“Just stay put, and it would’ve happened. But your impatience—and your father’s—ruined it.”
Mitsui glared at Kim Ungbang with venomous eyes.
“Always my fault to the end. You did nothing wrong?”
“...Far too much. Enough to make me want to down this poison right now.”
“Then do it.”
“Not enough for me alone. Let’s wither away together, slowly.”
Mitsui trembled with rage.
“You’ll see! I won’t stay quiet.”
And that day, she left Paju Territory with her two sons, Kim Taepyeong and Kim Taecheon.
※ ※ ※
In the Immortal Realm, debate raged over Geomseon’s swordsmanship demonstration.
“Geomseon’s sword? Only one: Heavenly Escape Sword Technique!”
Geomseon declared proudly.
But Dang Gunak sighed deeply.
“Are you sane? I said a technique normal people can learn! Pick something they can follow.”
“Er... right. Then Taiji Benevolent Sword?”
“Out. How many martial artists even grasp its essentials?”
“World’s Thirty-Six Swords?”
“No chance. Even Zhongnan Sect leaders barely learn it.”
“Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Forms?”
“Something easier.”
True to his Daoist roots, peerless Dao arts poured from Geomseon’s mouth.
They settled on Subduing Demons Sword Technique.
Easier than the others, and the name—subduing demons—appealed.
The immortals chose a filming spot.
Avoided backlighting, added light with spells if needed.
Script ready, penned by Dang Gunak after Geomseon’s input.
Gwigok Seonin on camera.
His brilliant mind mastered the tablet after a few fiddles.
Dubbing by Dang Gunak—Geomseon didn’t know Samhan tongue.
Finally, Geomseon stood before the tablet lens.
Dang Gunak raised his hand high.
“Ready...”
All held their breath.
“Action!”
Camera app rolling.
Fierce eyes, long beard whipping in wind, sword tip down—Geomseon stepped forward.
“Subduing Demons Sword Technique, First Form: Sword Strike Demon Warning—swing the sword to drive out evil spirits.”
As Dang Gunak spoke, Geomseon’s sword danced through the air.
Commentary began simultaneously.
“Start the form by striking the enemy hard with the sword’s flat side. Step forward with the right foot, send one cun of energy to Curved Pool and Palace Mound, close Hegu while directing to...”
First form took four takes.
Front, right, left, back.
“Cut!”
“Well done.”
“Good work.”
“As expected of Geomseon! We’ll wrap quick.”
Geomseon rushed over post-forms.
“Poison Immortal, how was it?”
“Perfectly captured.”
“Let’s see.”
Tablet replayed the footage.
Immortals crowded to watch.
But Geomseon’s face hardened.
“Hmm...”
Not satisfied.
“Again.”
“Hm? Why...?”
“Expression’s off. Too stiff. Not natural.”
“Expression’s not the point now.”
“It is to me! Again.”
“...”
Filming would drag.
Immortals chimed in.
“Does he think he’s an actor?”
“Then get makeup first.”
“Might end up shooting a feature film.”
“Tsk tsk, that’s celebrity ego for you.”
But Geomseon ignored them.