A Half-Year Pact
I had worried that the Poison King might have noticed something. As it turned out, my fears were entirely justified.
So, is this a threat?
Teach Dang Cheon-il the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky over the next six months.
Do that, and he would keep my secrets safe.
That was the unspoken subtext of our current conversation.
"You have my word," the Poison King said.
"My second son will never show you disrespect, nor will he do anything to hinder you."
"..."
"Furthermore, during this half-year of your benevolence, should you ever require the strength of the Dang Clan for your endeavors, we will do everything in our power to assist you, no matter what it may be."
My eyes widened at his words.
That was a literal promise that the Dang Clan would act as my backer for at least the next six months.
It wasn't just exclusive rights or priority access to the Iron River. It meant the entire Dang Clan would become my personal shield.
...Now that is impressive. I couldn't help but marvel.
My admiration was directed entirely at the Poison King's eloquence and his masterful manipulation of the situation.
At its core, this is blackmail. Yet, he packages it so beautifully as a business transaction.
"Comply, or I will use your secrets to bury you." That was the true essence of this conversation.
But he wrapped it up so elegantly that you barely even feel the threat.
The Poison King kept the ugly truth buried deep beneath a luxurious veneer. He made it look as though he were practically begging on his knees, desperately in need of my help.
Or rather, he was carefully calibrating every move to make me feel exactly that way.
He forced Dongnyong, with whom I had a terrible relationship, to bow his head and serve me. He provided the very backing I had so desperately sought.
And at the same time, he sprinkles in just enough of a threat to ensure I actually do the job.
He was making sure I never forgot that we both held each other's leashes. The Poison King was playing a masterclass game of chess, utilizing every single piece to its absolute limit.
The corners of my mouth twitched upward.
[Huh? Has this brat lost his mind...? Why are you suddenly grinning like that?]
As I tried to stifle my amusement, Yoo Chun-gil stared at me with a bizarre expression. But I couldn't help it.
It's been a while. It had been a very long time since I had encountered someone who played their hand this well.
A pang of regret hit me.
I should have taken this seriously from the start. I regretted holding back and playing half-heartedly under the excuse of just getting by. This old man was more than worthy of my full attention.
Still, what's done is done. For now, I had to focus on the conversation at hand.
"And what if, after six months, I fail to properly teach the second young master?"
Six months was by no means a short period, but what if Dang Cheon-il simply couldn't grasp the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky? To my question, the Poison King replied smoothly.
"If that happens, it merely means my son lacks the necessary talent. I will not lay the blame at your feet, Young Master Bang."
"That's a strange thing to say. There's always the possibility that I simply didn't teach him properly."
"Do you intend to do that?"
I fell silent at the Poison King's counter. After a brief moment of deliberation, I offered my response.
"Well, I'll do my best to teach him. However, I have a few conditions of my own."
"Conditions?"
"Yes. My time is valuable, and I have my own matters to attend to. We need to establish a set schedule and limit the number of lessons."
"...Ho."
"Wouldn't that give you more peace of mind as the clan leader as well?"
"Does this mean I can take it that you are accepting my proposal?"
"Hmm..." I tilted my head slightly. "Let's iron out the details first."
And so, a rather lengthy discussion with the Poison King began.
It happened the previous night.
"Learn it within six months, by whatever means necessary." That was what the Poison King had told Dang Cheon-il after summoning him abruptly.
He was ordered to stick to Bang Seong-yeon and learn the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky from him.
Naturally, Dang Cheon-il had rebelled against such an absurd command out of nowhere.
To bow his head and beg for martial arts instruction from a bastard like that for half a year?
It was utterly unacceptable. He was prepared to throw a tantrum at the clan leader to resist, but...
"There is no refusal."
"...Father!"
The Poison King was unyielding. As Dang Cheon-il's anger flared at the lack of choice, the older man spoke again.
"Second Young Master."
The Poison King unleashed a razor-sharp aura, instantly crushing Dang Cheon-il under its weight.
"The only reason I tolerate your petulance is because you are my son. Furthermore..."
Creak! Dang Cheon-il swallowed a groan as the pressure threatened to crush his very bones.
"You know well enough that I have spared you from blame only because you renounced the position of Young Patriarch, promising not to threaten your elder brother's standing."
Click. The Poison King's hand moved even as he maintained his oppressive aura. A drawer slid open, and a single letter slid out.
The letter floated into the air of its own accord, lifted by the Poison King's mastery of telekinesis.
It drifted slowly across the room, unfolding right before Dang Cheon-il's eyes.
Still pinned in place by the crushing pressure, Dang Cheon-il could only scan the document with his eyes.
...!
As he read the contents, Dang Cheon-il's body shuddered violently.
"Kh...! Why...!"
"I no longer have any reason to indulge your stubbornness."
"...Fa...ther...!"
"I have granted your wishes up until now. As agreed, I allowed you to maintain your position and reputation among the Seven Great Talents, and I left that child to live as she pleased. However..."
Rustle. The unfolded letter folded itself back up and flew back into the Poison King's hand.
"Now that your pathetic performance has ruined even that, there is no longer any need to do so."
"...That is...!"
"Do you intend to make excuses for your defeat, Second Young Master?"
"..."
Dang Cheon-il shut his mouth. Was there any excuse he could possibly make for his defeat? He searched his mind, but no words came. He had been utterly and completely defeated by that bastard, Bang Seong-yeon.
"..."
The Poison King quietly observed his son before briefly averting his gaze.
"However, seeing as that child has produced proper results, I shall overlook the matter regarding the Iron River."
...!
Dang Cheon-il's expression shifted in surprise at those words.
"But that is all. It changes nothing else. Especially not the contents of this letter."
"...Father... please..."
"So, carry out my order properly." The Poison King looked back at Dang Cheon-il.
"Otherwise, I will proceed exactly as written in this letter. Second Young Master, you know as well as I do what that means."
The oppressive aura slowly receded, restoring freedom to Dang Cheon-il's body. Yet, he did not move an inch.
"Understand that this is the final mercy I will show to accommodate your selfishness."
"..."
"If you have complaints or wish to refuse, speak now. The Young Patriarch is busy, but since this is clan business, I could always assign it to him..."
"I will do it..." Dang Cheon-il said, clenching his fists tightly.
"...Six months. I will succeed, no matter what it takes."
I will succeed by any means necessary. Seeing the burning determination in Dang Cheon-il's eyes, the Poison King nodded after a brief silence.
"You may leave."
"Yes, Father."
Dang Cheon-il turned on his heel. Though his eyes were bloodshot with suppressed rage, he forced himself to endure it.
Six months. He now had a deadline to achieve his goal, no matter the cost.
Crunch! A stone crumbled beneath the tip of his boot.
Standing outside the Poison King's quarters, Dang Cheon-il let his face contort in a mask of pure fury.
"...That absolute bastard."
*Crunch! Stomp!* He cursed under his breath, repeatedly stomping on the ground.
This was the only way he could vent his shattered pride.
"Damn it...!"
The sly, smirking face he had seen this morning still flashed before his eyes.
The moment he had approached and bowed his head, Bang Seong-yeon had smirked as if he knew everything. Dang Cheon-il loathed that expression with every fiber of his being.
It was as if he had read the entire board. Looking at those arrogant eyes made Dang Cheon-il want to trample him into the dirt.
...Son of a bitch. *Stomp!* He kicked the ground again, though with less force this time.
"Fuuu..."
He let out a long, heavy sigh. Memories of his duel with Bang Seong-yeon suddenly rushed back.
At first, he had picked a fight simply because the guy was the successor of the Sword Saint. Later, his reasons had shifted. Eventually, it had escalated to an official duel. And yet...
...Damn it.
He had lost. Every single one of his moves had been read, and he had been utterly defeated.
It stung. It stung far worse than when he had lost to that bear of a bastard from the Paeng Clan.
Why? The guy had clearly looked weaker than him. But the moment the duel began, he had transformed into an entirely different beast.
He had seemed full of openings, as if any attack would easily land, yet not a single strike had hit its mark.
Those eyes. That arrogant gaze that seemed to know everything. Those eerie blue eyes. It felt as though those eyes were reading his every movement.
Not only did Bang Seong-yeon move before he did, but he also dodged and blocked as if he already knew exactly where the attacks would land.
And then there was that... What on earth was that sword qi? The radiant sword qi that had wrapped around his blade. Just looking at it had made Dang Cheon-il feel utterly helpless.
Was he truly the successor of the Sword Saint? When he had first heard that Bang Seong-yeon defeated the Little Green Sword, he hadn't thought much of it. But now...
...He killed Ma Hyeok-chang?
A master far beyond the Peak realm, whom the Poison King himself was said to have slain in the past. It was bizarre enough that a dead man had reappeared.
But that guy killed him? And all by himself?
Dang Cheon-il hadn't believed such an absurd rumor at first.
"...Sigh."
But having faced him in person, he had to admit it was entirely possible, no matter how much it wounded his pride. Once you saw that sword qi, there was no room for doubt.
The real problem was...
"I have to learn the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky from that guy?"
Setting everything else aside, he had to beg that insufferable bastard, Bang Seong-yeon, to teach him.
How is that even possible? The Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky was the ultimate secret technique of the Dang Clan. It was strange enough that Bang Seong-yeon knew it, but now he had to learn it from him within six months?
It was absolutely preposterous. He couldn't wrap his head around how things had turned out this way.
"...Fuck."
But it wasn't as if he had a choice. He had to do it. He had to succeed by any means necessary. Only then could he protect the things he wanted to keep.
"Phew..."
Just as Dang Cheon-il was taking a deep breath to compose himself and suppress his emotions...
*Creeeak!*
The door to the clan leader's quarters opened, and the man he had been waiting for stepped out.
A handsome young man in blue martial robes, sporting eerie blue eyes. It was Bang Seong-yeon.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm."
The bastard was humming a tune, clearly pleased about something, as he strolled forward. Then, his eyes locked onto the waiting Dang Cheon-il.
"Oh! Our dear Cheon-il. Were you waiting for your big brother?"
"..."
*Grind.*
He had barely stepped outside, and he was already spewing absolute garbage. *Big brother? Big brother?! Is this bastard serious...?*
I'm pretty sure I'm at least five years older than him. He had heard the guy hadn't even reached his twentieth year yet. And he was calling himself "big brother"?
Dang Cheon-il's eyes flared with sudden hostility at the absurd remark, but...
"Did you get something in your eye? You're looking a bit sharp there."
"...No... No, it's nothing."
"Good. It better be nothing. Hahaha."
*Pat, pat.*
Bang Seong-yeon repeatedly slapped Dang Cheon-il on the shoulder.
"I mean, you wouldn't dare glare at your big brother, right?"
"...Y-Yes..."
"Loosen up your jaw, will you?"
"...Yes, that's right."
"Good boy."
*Grind!*
Dang Cheon-il seriously considered throwing in the towel right then and there. *Should I just quit and fight him again?* If he channeled all this rage into a fight, surely he could win.
Just as he made up his mind and prepared to swing his clenched fist...
"Alright, now go pack your bags."
"...What?"
Dang Cheon-il froze instantly. Pack his bags?
"Yeah, pack your bags. What are you standing around for?"
"...For what...?"
"What do you mean 'for what,' you dummy?" Bang Seong-yeon grinned brightly. "I have to head home now, which means you're coming with me."
"..."
"Pack up. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
"..."
Dang Cheon-il, age twenty-three. His sudden departure for Henan was officially decided.