The Poison Dragon, Dang Cheon-il
The Poison Dragon, Dang Cheon-il.
Age: twenty-three.
A genius bestowed upon the Central Plains by the heavens themselves, and one of the Seven Great Talents.
They said he was highly skilled in throwing techniques and poison arts, possessing exquisite control over both.
Like the Sword Saint, who had reached the realm of the Heavens Beyond Heaven, Dang Cheon-il was a hero of the Great War between Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, having distinguished himself since childhood.
He was a young man hailed as the reincarnation of the Poison Sovereign.
"Given time, he will surely become a master on par with the Poison Sovereign."
That was what many said upon seeing the Poison Dragon.
It was a testament to his extraordinary talent.
Hmm.
I frowned as I studied his face.
He looks incredibly fierce.
I had memorized the description of his appearance beforehand.
I heard he had a rather fierce impression, but seeing him in person made it crystal clear.
How can someone's eyes be...
Could a human's eyes really be that sharp?
Cheon Ui-jin was also known for his cold looks, but this was on a completely different level.
He looked sharp in the most literal sense.
It felt as if he could kill a man with a single glare.
[Look at that brat.]
Yoo Chun-gil, who was looking at Dang Cheon-il alongside me, spoke in amazement.
[He looks exactly like that bastard Poison Sovereign did in his youth.]
That face?
I couldn't help but be slightly surprised by Yoo Chun-gil's words.
[A spitting image, I tell you.]
His voice was filled with genuine curiosity, as if he found it incredibly fascinating.
Are they really that similar?
I stared at Dang Cheon-il's face and recalled the ghost I assumed to be the Poison Sovereign.
...Indeed.
They did look alike.
If Dang Cheon-il aged just like this, he would look exactly like that ill-tempered ghost.
A striking resemblance, huh?
Was that why they called him the reincarnation of the Poison Sovereign? If so, it made sense.
Of course.
Even putting that aside.
Being named one of the Seven Great Talents meant his talent was already beyond question.
But still.
...Why did a guy like that come to see me?
What reason could Dang Cheon-il possibly have to seek me out?
And furthermore.
"I told you to move."
"...Tell me why first."
What was this situation where Dang Ye-ran was blocking Dang Cheon-il's path?
It was utterly baffling.
"Why?"
Dang Cheon-il's brow furrowed at Dang Ye-ran's words. Wow, he looked even scarier when he narrowed his eyes.
"Do I really need to explain myself to you every single time?"
"Young Master Bang is a guest of the Dang Clan, and of Father. You can't just act like this, Brother."
"Haha."
Dang Cheon-il laughed. Dang Ye-ran flinched at the sound.
"Of all people, for you to speak of the Dang Clan... how amusing."
"..."
"You neglect your duties to indulge in trivial nonsense, yet you dare lecture me about the Dang Clan?"
"That is...!"
"Get out of my way."
Dang Cheon-il grabbed Dang Ye-ran by the shoulder and shoved her aside.
She stumbled back, unable to withstand his strength.
With that, I finally entered Dang Cheon-il's line of sight.
Our eyes met.
"Hmm?"
Dang Cheon-il's brow furrowed the moment he saw me.
His gaze swept over me, scanning from head to toe.
Then, a subtle shift passed over his expression.
After a brief silence, words flowed from his mouth.
"...Are you the successor of the Sword Saint?"
His voice was thick with disbelief. It carried a tone that practically said, There's no way.
So, I gave him the answer he wanted.
"No."
"..."
His face contorted even further. Look at this guy.
Dumbfounded, I let out a dry chuckle and spoke.
"If you weren't going to believe me even if I said no, why did you bother asking?"
"...Are you saying you are indeed Bang Seong-yeon?"
"If I say no, will you believe me?"
"..."
"See? You've already decided on the answer anyway."
I clicked my tongue and shrugged.
"I am Bang Seong-yeon."
"You?"
As he spoke, that same gaze from earlier swept over me once more.
Actually, calling it the same was a bit of an understatement.
It felt distinctly condescending.
[Hoho. Look at this little bastard.]
It seemed I wasn't the only one who noticed, as Yoo Chun-gil laughed and spat out a curse.
[I thought he only inherited the face, but he got those same dog-like eyes too. Makes me want to gouge them right out.]
...
His harsh words carried vivid emotion.
[Back in the day, that old bastard looked at people the same way, so I beat his eyes black and blue. Ah, the memories.]
Hearing that he had beaten up the Poison Sovereign in the past almost made me cough out loud. I barely managed to hold it in as Dang Cheon-il spoke, staring at me.
"I heard you defeated the Young Azure Sword..."
"Ah, yes. Something like that."
When I gave a half-hearted affirmation, Dang Cheon-il narrowed his eyes.
"How did you manage that? You don't look capable of it."
"Hahaha?"
A laugh burst out of me the moment I heard that.
It was a blatant insult.
He was basically saying, There's no way a weakling like you could have beaten the Young Azure Sword.
"Brother! What are you saying...!"
Dang Ye-ran tried to stop him in shock, but Dang Cheon-il paid her no mind and continued.
"I came here expecting something since you were called the successor of the Sword Saint, but it seems there's no point in even looking."
With those words, Dang Cheon-il abruptly turned around.
"He is someone Grandfather didn't even need to concern himself with."
He spoke as if he had no lingering regrets and walked away. The entourage that had followed him filed out as well.
Left in the sudden silence, I scratched my cheek.
It felt like a sudden gale had just swept through.
"Hmm."
What was that all about?
As I stood there awkwardly scratching my cheek, Dang Ye-ran, who hadn't left, approached me and bowed her head.
"...I am so sorry..."
"I apologize on behalf of my family for their rudeness..."
Seeing her bow repeatedly in apology, I gave an awkward smile.
"No, it's fine... I don't really mind."
It was amusing how he suddenly picked a fight and vanished, but he wasn't entirely wrong, so I was fine with it.
Yes.
I was fine.
The problem was...
[Hahahahaha. Look at that damn brat. Hahahahahahaha!]
Yoo Chun-gil, standing behind me, did not seem fine at all.
[...He said he's the grandson of that idiot Poison Sovereign, right? How dare he...]
Grrrr.
Was I imagining the sound of a dog growling somewhere?
[He's dead meat.]
I shook my head at Yoo Chun-gil's reaction.
I had a very bad feeling about this.
A very, very bad feeling.
Leaving my quarters, I headed to where Dang Gyeong-ak was.
It was the same building and corridor as last time, but the scent of flowers was gone.
This meant they had intentionally lit the incense last time.
Did they say mixing that scent with poison arts caused paralysis? What a terrifying place.
...Thanks to that, I can't let my guard down.
I braced myself, staying alert in case anything happened.
Honestly, if it were just because of things like that, I would have been fine.
...But because of Lady Pi, I'm practically walking on eggshells.
Thanks to Pi Yeon-jin and my godforsaken father, I was terrified out of my mind to face the Poison King.
It would be stranger if he looked at me favorably.
No matter how you looked at it, the relationship was bizarre.
Under these circumstances, did the Poison King know about Pi Yeon-jin and my father?
...Considering Dang Ye-ran knew, there was a high probability the Poison King knew as well.
I hoped to god he didn't—
"You are the son of Bang Cheon-ho?"
...Well, damn it.
The moment I stepped into the room, the Poison King's opening words made my face stiffen.
"...Yes, I am."
"I see."
As he spoke, Dang Gyeong-ak studied my face.
His gaze was entirely different from the one his son, Dang Cheon-il, had given me earlier.
After observing me for a brief moment, Dang Gyeong-ak spoke as if he had reached a conclusion.
"You resemble him."
There was no need to ask who I resembled.
"Do you know my father...?"
"I do."
I swallowed hard at Dang Gyeong-ak's response.
Why on earth?
I swallowed the words that were about to burst from my throat.
...My father and the Poison King know each other?
How was that even possible?
The situation with Pi Yeon-jin was already absurd enough, but he even knew her husband, the Poison King?
That man really got around.
He used to boast about seducing women all over the Central Plains in his youth, and it seemed he wasn't lying.
I really wished it had just been a bluff.
"How... did you two...?"
"Do you wish to hear it?"
"No. Not particularly..."
I declined immediately.
It didn't seem like anything good would come from hearing it.
Just then.
"Do not worry."
"Pardon?"
The Poison King suddenly brought up an unexpected topic.
"No matter who your father is, I will not let personal feelings interfere with this matter."
Oh...
That was incredibly reassuring.
Was this the kind of mindset only the head of one of the Five Great Clans could possess?
Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief...
"Because the one I want to kill is not you, Young Master Bang."
"..."
My relief shattered instantly.
Then who did he want to kill? I wanted to ask, but I couldn't bring myself to say it.
I knew I would only lose if I dug deeper.
What did he actually do?
What on earth did my father do in the past?
Seeing how he was still alive, I didn't know if he was just good at running away or simply lucky.
But whatever the case, it was absolutely certain that he was of no help to my life whatsoever.
"...Thank you."
That was the only response I could offer.
At my words, the Poison King nodded slightly and changed the subject.
"I heard you had a confrontation with my second child this morning."
"Ah."
He was talking about what happened with the Poison Dragon.
"Yes. It wasn't really a confrontation, just a brief greeting. He didn't seem to like me very much."
"Is that so?"
I answered plainly and honestly.
The Poison King's reaction was equally nonchalant.
That was unexpected.
What kind of reaction is this?
We had come to request a commission from the Dang Clan, but we were still guests.
Moreover, the Poison King seemed to need the Full Moon and the successor of the Sword Saint.
Yet, he brushed off the incident between his son and me so easily.
Why?
It was quite different from the reaction I had anticipated.
As I stared at him in confusion, the Poison King continued.
"First, if that incident offended you, I apologize as the head of the Dang Clan."
"No, it's fine. It wasn't that serious..."
"And."
The Poison King suddenly locked his eyes onto mine, his gaze heavy with pressure.
"Should the friction deepen and something happen between you and my second son, I tell you now that I will not blame you, as long as you do not take his life."
"..."
I shut my mouth and frowned.
His words were incredibly strange.
"That sounds rather dangerous."
He wouldn't blame me even if something happened.
It meant that as long as I didn't kill his son inside the Dang Clan estate, he would overlook whatever I did.
On the surface, it sounded like he was telling me to beat him up as much as I wanted if I got angry.
But looking at it another way...
He's giving me the justification to settle whatever happens between us on our own.
That was a more accurate interpretation.
Ha.
Hearing this much, I began to grasp what kind of personality this man had.
He's sharp as a blade.
His sharp nature was obvious just by looking at him.
But at the same time, he's a bit hot-headed.
There was a faint, fiery intensity beneath the surface.
He was a peculiar character.
Of course, even so...
It's too early to say I've completely figured him out.
Knowing all too well what kind of place the Dang Clan was, I didn't let my guard down.
Does this man think I can defeat his son?
Recalling how he doubted me being the Sword Saint's successor just yesterday, that probably wasn't the case.
Then what was it?
Dang Cheon-il was different from the Young Azure Sword of the Namgung Clan.
He was one of the Seven Great Talents, a group consisting of the absolute geniuses among the current generation of the Central Plains.
Just as Yoo Chun-gil had called Wol Mu-hui an extraordinary figure, the Poison Dragon was a member of the Seven Great Talents, just like her.
At that moment, the Poison King stood up.
"Since time has passed, why don't we move and discuss the rest?"
"Move?"
Where were we going?
As I looked at him with questioning eyes, the Poison King spoke to me.
"To the Cheolgang, where the Full Moon will be repaired. I shall guide you there."
"...!"
Interest flared in my eyes.