Chapter 355
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 355
Chapter Title: It Wasn't There
Tang Ja-cheong furrowed his brow after rummaging through his memories for a long while.
No matter how hard he tried to recall, there was no way such a poison art could exist.
He wasn't even certain that Poison Crystals existed in the first place, let alone a poison art that utilized them...
Tang Ja-cheong shook his head slowly.
Ha Mu-baek watched him silently.
[Let's get out for now.]
At Tang Ja-cheong's transmission, the two climbed back up.
Tang Ji-yeon was waiting for them anxiously from a distance.
Ha Mu-baek moved the rock again to seal the entrance.
Even just circulating his internal energy to purge the poison clinging to his body was no easy task.
Ha Mu-baek accomplished it without much difficulty.
But Tang Ja-cheong had to exhaust nearly all his internal energy just to barely shake off the poison.
He immediately needed to enter meditation to recover his energy.
"How did it go?"
"There was a Poison Crystal... but there wasn't."
Tang Ji-yeon's expression turned grave as she instantly grasped the meaning behind Tang Ja-cheong's words.
"How could a Poison Crystal..."
"Is this even possible?"
Ha Mu-baek was equally serious. He unwittingly infused his voice with internal energy.
The energy of Infinite Freedom pierced into Tang Ja-cheong's ears.
Originally, Ha Mu-baek's purpose had been to escort Tang Ja-cheong and Tang Ji-yeon.
But after encountering that poison gas deep in the cave, he realized this was no ordinary matter.
And now, the Poison Crystal was gone.
What if it had entered the Central Plains?
"I've been combing through everything I know from the start... but nothing. At least within my knowledge, it's impossible... Wait."
Suddenly, Tang Ja-cheong stopped speaking and delved back into his memories.
A long-buried recollection from deep within.
From his childhood, when he was not yet ten years old, around that time.
Someone he had met at a gathering of Sichuan sects.
Ha Mu-baek's question had inexplicably dredged up that fragment from his youth.
He had no idea why.
The reason didn't matter.
Tang Ja-cheong focused on the memory that had surfaced so abruptly.
"Hoho. So you're the Tang Clan boy named Ja-cheong. They say you have tremendous talent."
"You're too kind. But who might you be, elder?"
"Ah, how rude of me. I am Yarl Han."
Yarl was not a Central Plains surname.
It was from beyond the borderlands, a name from the northern horsemen tribes. How could such a person be at a Sichuan sects' gathering?
As he tilted his head in confusion,
he suddenly recalled what his father had told him about a certain figure and hurriedly clasped his hands in salute, bowing his head.
"Tang Clan's Ja-cheong pays respects to the Poison Saint, Valley Lord of Heavenly Poison Valley."
"Hohoho. No, no. I was wrong to approach you so suddenly."
Tang Ja-cheong gazed at the laughing Yarl Han with shining eyes.
The elderly man was recognized as the unrivaled master of poisons in the world.
His moniker, the Poison Saint, was born of profound respect.
Yarl Han smiled gently once more at the boy's sparkling eyes.
"What's wrong? Do you have something to say to me?"
Tang Ja-cheong nodded hesitantly.
The world's foremost poison expert.
A question even his clan's elders couldn't answer.
Could this man before him provide the answer?
"Don't be shy. Speak up."
Yarl Han spoke with a kindly face.
"Um... D-Do Poison Crystals really exist?"
The elderly man maintained his gentle expression at the young boy's question.
Poison Crystals.
The dream of every child who practiced poison arts.
But as they grew into adults, they realized it was nothing more than a fantasy and returned to reality.
The young Tang Ja-cheong still harbored that dream of Poison Crystals.
Yarl Han gazed at him steadily.
The firstborn son of the Tang Clan head.
A boy who would one day lead the Tang Clan.
His talent was already renowned not just in Sichuan, but across the world.
And now, this boy was asking him about his dream.
Did Poison Crystals truly exist?
After a brief silence, Yarl Han's lips moved.
"The strongest poison art of our valley is called the Famous Poison Art."
It was a story he already knew.
The Famous Poison Art of Heavenly Poison Valley.
Its fame was legendary throughout the land.
The Soul-Exiting Bone-Dissolving Famous Poison Art.
A peerless poison art that could rival the Tang Clan's Ten Thousand Streams Returning to Origins Poison Art.
"What isn't widely known is that the Valley Lord cultivates two Famous Poison Arts. One is the Soul-Exiting Bone-Dissolving Famous Poison Art that you know of."
"Master!"
At that moment, a voice called out to Yarl Han from afar.
It was two young men.
Myo Gu-eung and Wang Sa-geon.
The first and third disciples.
They were hurrying toward Yarl Han.
"What is it?"
"The sect leaders' meeting is about to begin."
As the Valley Lord of Heavenly Poison Valley, Yarl Han had to attend the gathering.
"Right. Then I must go."
Yarl Han nodded.
Disappointment flickered across Tang Ja-cheong's face.
"You two, say hello as well. This is the Tang Clan's young master, Ja-cheong. These are my unworthy disciples, Myo Gu-eung and Wang Sa-geon."
The three exchanged clasped-hand salutes.
Though still young, Tang Ja-cheong's status was extraordinary.
As the firstborn son of the young Tang Clan head, he was the clan's heir apparent.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Tang Clan's Ja-cheong."
"First Disciple of Heavenly Poison Valley, Myo Gu-eung."
"Third Disciple, Wang Sa-geon."
Thus, the two treated him with proper respect.
Tang Ja-cheong's gaze returned to Yarl Han's mouth.
The conversation had been interrupted by his disciples' arrival.
He needed to hear the rest of the story.
Perhaps reading his eyes, Yarl Han continued.
"And there is another Famous Poison Art... which past Valley Lords called an utterly fantastical poison art."
Tang Ja-cheong's eyes sparkled as he hung on every word.
"It's a poison art for wielding Poison Crystals."
Tang Ja-cheong's body trembled.
In contrast, Myo Gu-eung and Wang Sa-geon paled at Yarl Han's words.
Their master was casually revealing their sect's deepest secrets to the young master of another clan.
"Let this serve as the answer to your question. However, this is the utmost secret of our valley, so you must never speak of it to anyone. Not even your father. I tell you this because I trust the Tang Clan's young master."
Tang Ja-cheong clasped his hands and bowed deeply.
"I swear it."
"Good. Then off you go."
Yarl Han led the way, departing the spot.
Myo Gu-eung hurriedly followed.
But Wang Sa-geon hesitated.
The Tang Clan's young master now knew Heavenly Poison Valley's secret.
In truth, it was as fantastical as their master had said.
That made it even more problematic from Wang Sa-geon's perspective.
That their valley harbored such a far-fetched secret, and now the Tang heir knew it.
The fact filled him with shame.
Finally, before taking his leave,
"Young master. Master's words were merely a joke. Forget them."
He could only leave those parting words.
Indeed.
That day, Yarl Han had done more than simply extract a promise from him.
A vow of silence to everyone.
A promise sworn on his honor.
Yet he couldn't recall the poison art that wielded Poison Crystals.
There must have been some power in that vow unknown to Tang Ja-cheong.
Even so, he vaguely remembered receiving confirmation of Poison Crystals' existence.
Etched into his instincts.
That day.
After that answer, he had spent his life researching Poison Crystals.
It must have been because of those words.
Yet forgetting the poison art was likely due to some arrangement Yarl Han had made that day.
He didn't know what power in Ha Mu-baek's voice had broken that arrangement, allowing the memory to resurface.
But he had found a clue.
"We should head to Heavenly Poison Valley."
Tang Ja-cheong's conclusion came after a long pause.
"Understood."
Ha Mu-baek replied.
He could have asked why, but his face simply showed trust.
"B-But what about this place?"
The Poison Crystal was gone.
But the poison remained.
Tang Ja-cheong glanced at the rock sealing the cave entrance.
"Leave it be for now."
Ha Mu-baek answered.
The gazes of the Tang grandfather and granddaughter turned to him.
"Poison can be useful depending on how it's handled. Now that we've found it, the Tang Clan might find a way to use it. Who knows—maybe a new Poison Crystal will form there."
"..."
Tang Ja-cheong said nothing.
"And above all, we have no way to deal with the poison there anyway, do we?"
He had no reply to that follow-up.
"We'll leave it as is for now."
With that, the three headed back toward Chengdu.
Their destination was Xingmen, near the border with Guizhou—
Heavenly Poison Valley on Mount Guangxing.
"This must be Lake Dongting! Magnificent!"
Myo Gu-eung exclaimed from atop Eyang Pavilion.
It was a place he had longed to visit in his youth.
But his training had kept him from leaving Sichuan.
He had dreamed of wandering the Central Plains.
Never had he imagined fulfilling it like this.
Training upon training upon training.
And its end—
Betrayal by his fellow disciples and sect.
Blinded, he had barely fled to the southern barbarians, convinced he would never again see the bright lands of the Central Plains.
Yet here he was, taking in Lake Dongting's splendor with his own two eyes.
People boating on the lake, enjoying food at Eyang Pavilion, casting lines along the shore, strolling leisurely by the water.
They all looked so peaceful and happy.
"Yes. This is the Central Plains."
The Central Plains of Myo Gu-eung's dreams unfolded before him.
"...Yes. This is the Central Plains."
As he muttered once more, a strange fury and killing intent slowly welled up in his chest.
Even as he clung to life through despair and hardship, the people of this land had lived so peacefully and happily.
"Whoa."
But he quickly regained his composure.
A bit more killing intent, and poison gas would have leaked out.
Eyang Pavilion would have become a tower of death.
He barely held it back.
"No, not yet. The Central Plains can wait. Heavenly Poison Valley comes first."
A cruel smile played on his lips as he raised his cup.
"I wonder if they've gathered by now? Or fled? Or remain oblivious? Time to go see."
He had baited the trap of Heavenly Poison Valley with the southern barbarians' turmoil.
Much time had passed.
Now it was time to check the catch.
He had even fulfilled his youthful dream of touring the Central Plains while waiting.
Now for the task at hand.
Myo Gu-eung drained his last cup and rose.
Descending the stairs slowly, he headed toward Sichuan.
"Gasp!"
Ha Seol-ran startled in the midst of training.
The Seven Squad cadets' eyes turned to her at her sudden reaction.
It was squad training time, not group drills.
Present were Seven Squad, Twenty Squad, and Han Seol-bing.
"What's wrong?"
Han Seol-bing approached first.
"I-It... I suddenly felt an enormous malice and vicious aura for a moment, then it vanished..."
Ha Seol-ran's gaze turned toward Lake Dongting.
She hadn't extended her senses that far.
Yet it had snagged on her perception.
That terrifying, vicious malice.
And the ominous power surpassing it.
'It has nothing to do with big brother, right?'
Ha Seol-ran's eyes shook with anxiety.
She didn't know why,
but she sensed that power might harm or trouble her brother.
Perhaps that's why.
Her face had drained of color.
Her already porcelain-pale skin had turned ghostly white.
"You should rest for a bit."
Han Seol-bing led her to the shade of a tree at the edge of the training ground.
The cadets, aware of her abilities to some extent,
watched with faint unease on their faces.
"Nothing's changed here."
Decades had passed.
They say even rivers and mountains change in a decade.
If anything had changed, it was only the faces of those guarding the place.
Everything else remained the same.
Just as it was when he spent his youth here.
Thus, he moved with familiarity and ease.
No one would recognize Myo Gu-eung anyway.
He headed to the largest inn in Xingmen.
No new inns had appeared, nor had any vanished.
How could this be?
It was a small town on the edge of Sichuan, but such stagnation?
"The name's different."
Myo Gu-eung's eyes went to the inn's signboard.
It had surely been Xingmen Inn before.
Now it was Dragon-Phoenix Inn. The owner must have changed.
Welcomed by the staff, he went to the finest room on the top floor.
The room was identical.
Unchanged from when he had stayed here as sub-valley lord.
He opened the window and gazed at the towering mountain.
Mount Guangxing.
The mountain where Heavenly Poison Valley lay, no different from his hometown.
"I'm back. Heavenly Poison Valley."
Myo Gu-eung murmured calmly at the mountain.
"Soon, I'll erase you with my own hands."
His murmur held no emotion.
He had waited long enough.
He had toured the Central Plains beyond Sichuan sufficiently.
Now it was time to reap.
Whether his target was in the trap or not, it mattered little.
Heavenly Poison Valley was the beginning.
Next, the Central Plains.
"Dragon Training Pavilion, was it?"
Wuchang near Lake Dongting.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance's warrior training institution there.
The sight of them sweating and training diligently stirred something in Myo Gu-eung's chest.
"The Central Plains can start from there."
A killing smile crept onto Myo Gu-eung's lips.
