An Unexpected Beating
"I'll beat you to a pulp."
"..."
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned ice-cold at the words Dongnyong spat out as he suddenly stood up.
What is this guy suddenly talking about?
I looked at Dongnyong with bewildered eyes and asked,
"...Are you talking to me?"
Surely not. There was no way. It was obvious he was, but surely not.
I asked, desperately hoping that was the case, but—
"Who else is there besides you, bastard?"
Dongnyong pointed his finger at me, confirming my worst suspicion.
Wow.
Is he actually insane?
What should I do with this lunatic? I was utterly speechless.
I looked away from Dongnyong and glanced around. Naturally, everyone's eyes were drawn to us.
That was to be expected, but the one I was actually keeping an eye on was none other than the Poison King.
Unless he was completely out of his mind, there was no way he would pull this kind of stunt right in front of the family head.
So, I looked at the Poison King, but—
The Poison King merely stared at Dongnyong with an expressionless face, saying nothing.
Huh.
Why is he just sitting there? His own son is making a scene at a banquet he hosted.
Is the Poison King the type not to care about this sort of thing? No, that didn't seem to be it.
What is he thinking?
What on earth is he trying to achieve by staying silent?
The moment I looked at the Poison King with suspicion,
"Are you scared?"
Dongnyong sneered, curling his lips. Huh? Dumbfounded, I raised my arm to show him.
"Scared, my foot. Can't you see my arm right now?"
I couldn't even move my arm properly because of my injury, and he was suddenly telling me to step outside? What was wrong with this bastard?
When I showed him my arm, Dongnyong frowned.
He had to know. He knew I couldn't do anything in this state.
"Are you seriously asking to spar with me when I'm like this?"
"If you want, I'll break one of my own arms before we fight. Will that satisfy you?"
"What are you even talking about? Satisfy me? Are you out of your mind, you lunatic?"
Did he seriously just offer that as a solution?
"What?"
Dongnyong's face contorted, perhaps because my words were too harsh.
"...Stop this. Do you not know what kind of place this is—"
The Young Patriarch of the Dang family, who was sitting next to Dongnyong, quickly tried to stop him.
But then,
"Young Master Yi."
Creak, creak, creak—!
A heavy voice reverberated through the room. The Poison King, who had been silently watching the situation unfold, finally spoke.
Whoosh—!
A heavy, fierce energy erupted, causing the items on the tables to tremble violently. The strange thing was,
I don't feel a thing.
Despite the energy flooding the room, certain individuals remained completely unaffected.
Me, Cheon Ui-jin, and Do-hyeong.
And Moyong Yeong-sun next to us.
Excluding those of us who were clearly guests of the Dang family, everyone else was trembling violently.
"I assume you are prepared to take responsibility for your actions?"
"...Ugh..."
Dongnyong, in particular, seemed to be bearing the full brunt of the Poison King's pressure. He clenched his fists, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Every single vein on his body bulged, and blood trickled from his bitten lip.
"Grrr..."
He shivered in intense pain, yet he couldn't even let out a single scream.
Wow.
I couldn't help but admire it.
...How is he doing that?
I watched the scene closely, trying to analyze his technique.
The Poison King's control over his energy was astonishingly precise.
With so many people in the banquet hall, he not only excluded a select few from his pressure but also distributed his battle spirit selectively.
And on top of that, he could focus it entirely on a single target.
So this is what a true master is capable of.
You had to be able to manipulate energy like this to be considered a master.
Or was it possible only because he was already a master?
The chicken or the egg.
Such trivial thoughts crossed my mind without me realizing it.
Perhaps it was because I had witnessed so many absurd things already, but this level of pressure didn't scare me anymore.
To be fair, it helped that it wasn't directed at me.
"Young Master Yi. Have you forgotten who hosted this banquet?"
"..."
The host of the banquet was the head of the Dang family, the Poison King.
"I know you are not foolish enough to be unaware of that...?"
The Poison King directed an even fiercer wave of pressure toward Dongnyong.
Watching this, a question arose in my mind.
Just how strong is a martial artist of that caliber?
I felt a sense of awe toward the Poison King that I had never felt when facing Palduyeok.
The Five Kings of the Realm.
Excluding the Heavens Beyond Heaven who had vanished from the Central Plains,
they were the absolute figures possessing the greatest influence and strength.
Experiencing even a glimpse of the power of the Poison King, one of those five, made it feel entirely different.
So that is a true absolute master...
Now I understood why Palduyeok had tried to imprison the Poison King. How could anyone fight a monster like that?
If it were me, I would have dealt with him first, too.
And in the end, hadn't he broken out of the Secret Vault?
Hmm.
I compared the events of that time with the current situation.
Dongnyong was still groaning in pain.
The Poison King continued to release his pressure with an expressionless face.
I watched them quietly and thought.
What is this?
This stifling feeling.
On the surface, it looked like the Poison King was firmly suppressing Dongnyong to punish him for his insolence, but—
...Something...
It felt off. It only looked that way on the outside, but it felt like there was another underlying issue.
What was it?
What could it be?
My mind raced. I felt like I wouldn't be able to do anything unless I resolved this lingering doubt.
As I pondered for a long while,
Ah.
An idea struck me, and I looked up into the empty air.
I looked at Yoo Chun-gil, who was floating in the air and observing the situation.
Our eyes met. He was already looking at me.
At that moment,
He grinned.
Yoo Chun-gil smiled at me.
"..."
Was that smile confirmation that my guess was correct? The moment I saw it, I almost clicked my tongue.
It seemed like a signal that my prediction was right, but if that was indeed the case...
How sly.
He was incredibly sly.
Not Yoo Chun-gil, but the Poison King.
...Seriously.
This is why people who are good at politics and schemes are so annoying.
If you let your guard down even a little, you'll get played by their tricks.
But what was even more absurd was—
...To think he would even use his own son.
The Poison King was using Dongnyong.
Did Dongnyong know? Was this a mutually agreed-upon act?
Questions flooded my mind, but—
For now.
Making a move comes first.
Deciding so, I stood up.
"Lord Dang."
"..."
At my call, the head of the Dang family turned his gaze toward me.
His pressure was still flooding the room.
"Forgive my presumption, but do you happen to remember the conversation we had in the past?"
The conversation. Hearing that, the Poison King's brow furrowed slightly.
It seemed my words had reminded him of what I was referring to.
‘Even if friction deepens and something happens between my second son and Young Master Bang, I tell you in advance that I will not blame you, as long as you do not take his life.’
Those were the words the Poison King had said to me once. He had told me that right after my first clash with Dongnyong, which meant he wouldn't interfere no matter what happened between the two of us.
"..."
As soon as I brought this up, the pressure filling the room dissipated in an instant.
Soon, the Poison King's fierce eyes locked onto me.
"...Young Master Bang."
"Yes."
"What is your reason for bringing that up now?"
"Though the situation is regrettable, I thought what is happening now is quite relevant to what you said back then."
"...Meaning?"
Scritch.
I slowly moved my body. Fortunately, it moved well enough.
"Well... what Young Master Yi just said does make some sense."
What did he say again? Since my arm was broken, he would break one of his own arms to fight me?
"It sounds like a decent condition, so I was thinking of giving it a try. What do you think?"
"..."
Since you said what you said, and Dongnyong said what he said, I will step forward as desired.
When I spat those words out,
This is a first.
It really was.
Seeing him look so flustered.
A flicker of panic crossed the Poison King's face.
He probably hadn't expected me to respond this way. Seeing that, I was certain.
I was right.
The scheme I suspected was indeed real.
Now, I had to think about my next move.
What should I do?
Should I press him on this? Or should I use another method?
Rather than immediately calling out the Poison King's scheme, it was better to use it to my advantage.
And by advantage, I mean...
I glanced up.
I looked at Yoo Chun-gil.
This eye contact wasn't to confirm, but to ask a question.
A question of whether it was possible.
Seeing that, Yoo Chun-gil grinned from ear to ear.
It seemed to mean yes.
Sigh.
Is this really okay? I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, but...
Still.
From what I had seen so far, when it came to screwing people over, that old man and I were perfectly in sync.
If nothing else, couldn't I trust him on this?
With that thought, I opened my mouth.
"I'm saying I'll do as you wish. Oh, though it won't be me getting beaten to a pulp."
"You...!"
Dongnyong was about to flare up at my words, but he stopped and glanced at the Poison King.
He hadn't cared about reading the room earlier, but now he seemed to be paying attention.
In the midst of this, the Poison King stared at me silently.
"...Young Master Bang."
He was about to say something to me. What would he say? There was no need to think about it. There was only one thing the Poison King could say anyway.
Since he already made that promise with his own mouth...
He couldn't back out. Even if the situation was like this, he had no choice.
As I waited for his response with that thought in mind,
"Then—"
The Poison King began to speak.
But the moment the words left his mouth,
Crash!
"Gah?!"
Dongnyong screamed as he was sent flying.
"...Huh?"
...Sent flying?
I was bewildered. Why did he fly away?
My head turned. Dongnyong had suddenly been blown out through the open window behind him.
It wasn't a figure of speech; he had literally been launched.
"Uh...?"
Why did that guy suddenly end up like that?
Looking out the window, I saw Dongnyong rolling on the ground before trying to stand up.
However, seeing him clutching his solar plexus and groaning, he had clearly taken a massive hit.
"Ugh..."
Drooling heavily, Dongnyong glared at someone.
It wasn't me.
"You bitch... What do you think you're doing?!"
Dongnyong roared in anger.
And the person who received his roar took a light, graceful step forward.
My eyes widened as I recognized the figure.
"...Lady Dang?"
It was none other than Dang Ye-ran.
Did Dang Ye-ran just send Dongnyong flying?
...I didn't even see her move.
I hadn't caught her movement at all.
What was going on? I watched Dang Ye-ran in stunned silence.
"...Brother."
I was shocked once again by her voice.
Her usual bright and energetic tone was completely gone.
Instead, a low, chilling voice—much like the Poison King's—flowed from her lips.
"I think you need a beating."
"...What?"
Dongnyong scowled at Dang Ye-ran's words, but—
that didn't last long.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew.
Dang Ye-ran, who had been standing in front of him, vanished. Before anyone knew it—
Crack!
she slammed her knee directly into Dongnyong's face in the distance.
"Argh!"
Dongnyong's head snapped backward into the air.
The moment his head went up, blood sprayed from his nostrils.
A spectacular fountain of nosebleed.
I stared blankly at the sight.
Literally.
Dang Ye-ran began to beat Dongnyong like a dog.
And she was doing it brutally.