Baiting the Blood Hand Poison Emperor
The ninth day.
The day I could finally capture the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
Even if it meant ending up in prison, I had to catch him.
If I capture the Blood Hand Poison Emperor, I can delay the Demonic Cult's plans themselves.
The Ju Family's annihilation happened in the year I turned twenty.
After Mother passed away, Father—Ju Tae-sung—collapsed.
The weakened Ju Family was then torn apart in a single stroke when the Demonic Cult bared its fangs.
That was the Ju Family I remembered.
But for now, the most urgent fire had been extinguished.
Mother is safe.
Then how would the Blood Hand Poison Emperor move?
If it's him……
He was an extremely meticulous man.
Yet even he had a weakness.
A man obsessed with poison.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor was a pervert among perverts when it came to poisons.
He was so deranged that he once disguised himself as a low-ranking warrior and infiltrated the Tang Family just to create a new poison.
To lure such a madman……
In that instant, an idea flashed through my mind.
Wait. The fact that he's here means……!
Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense!
A meaningful smile crept across my lips.
The occasions when the sluggish Blood Hand Poison Emperor moved personally could be counted on one hand.
The first was when he sought the core ingredients for the Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense. The second was when he lured me into the Demonic Cult.
In my previous life, I had walked into the Demonic Cult of my own accord, just as he had intended.
“Muyoung.”
I called for Muyoung at once.
I had already finished preparing to depart.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Muyoung opened the door and stepped inside immediately.
“There's a place we need to visit together.”
“Shall I prepare a carriage?”
“No. It's close.”
Yes, it was close.
It was true that the Blood Hand Poison Emperor had targeted the Ju Family's matriarch.
But that alone wasn't enough to warrant his personal involvement.
No matter how I thought about it, the only reason the Blood Hand Poison Emperor would move personally was the Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense.
He hasn't completed the Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense yet.
The Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense would later become the Blood Hand Poison Emperor's ultimate weapon.
With it, he turned thousands of martial artists into rivers of blood, living up to his title.
Only after that incident did he truly earn the name Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
And the final ingredient needed to create the Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense existed right here, in Jiangxi.
The amusing part was that, quite fortunately, I knew exactly where that ingredient came from.
“Let's go.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
I left the family estate at once.
The Ju Family's territory was Nanchang in Jiangxi.
A short distance west from here lay Poyang Lake, Jiangxi's most famous landmark.
Poyang Lake, with its overwhelming grandeur and crystal-clear waters, was always crowded with idlers and tourists.
It was the place with the most brothels and inns in the entire martial world.
The monthly revenue from Poyang Lake alone far exceeded the annual budget of most major sects.
Consequently, it was also a place where underworld factions operated in the shadows, beyond the Ju Family's direct control.
“Poyang Lake? Young Master, are you heading to Poyang Lake?”
Muyoung asked as we turned onto a familiar path.
I shook my head.
“Poyang Lake can wait. There's somewhere else I need to go first.”
If my memory was correct, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor was currently after the Great Rejuvenation Pill, the key ingredient for the Nine Flame Soul-Controlling Incense.
What was the Great Rejuvenation Pill?
It was the greatest elixir in the martial world, created by the Zen monks of the Great Shaolin.
The method of creation was a closely guarded secret, strictly forbidden from being taken outside, and even the most renowned high monks could only produce one pill per year after decades of meditation.
Yet that famous Great Rejuvenation Pill was currently here, in Jiangxi.
The interesting question was how such a divine elixir could become an ingredient for a vicious poison.
That was something only the poison-obsessed Blood Hand Poison Emperor would know.
After all, poison and medicine are separated by a single thread.
It wasn't strange at all.
The martial world was filled with bizarre incidents even now.
“Golden Tiger Pavilion?”
We soon stopped before a large gate. Muyoung tilted his head as he read the signboard above it.
“Isn't the Golden Tiger Pavilion one of the underworld factions that runs several brothels at Poyang Lake?”
“Yeah. That's right.”
The Golden Tiger Pavilion was also under the Ju Family's management.
Everything from their actions to their profits was reported to the Ju Family.
Before Muyoung could ask further, I stepped into the Golden Tiger Pavilion.
“Who goes there…… Huh.”
The warrior who tried to block me gasped and stepped back.
The robes I wore bore the Ju Family crest.
That alone told him exactly who I was.
“What brings a member of the Ju Family to our humble establishment?”
The warrior asked warily.
“I'd like to speak with your manager or the pavilion lord.”
“You…… wish to speak with them?”
The warrior glanced at Muyoung and grew even more cautious.
To them, Muyoung was an opponent they couldn't possibly handle.
Most of their men were only at the third-rate or second-rate level, so their reaction was understandable.
“Should I break something instead?”
“N-No, sir. I'll bring them right away.”
The warrior hurried inside.
I waited leisurely.
Soon, someone came rushing out alongside the warrior.
“Oh my, who do we have here? What brings the Ju Family's young master to this place……?”
I was already a well-known figure in Jiangxi.
Any faction of the Golden Tiger Pavilion's size would naturally recognize me.
“Are you the manager?”
“Yes, I am the manager of the Golden Tiger Pavilion. My name is Jang Saeng, Young Master.”
Jang Saeng bowed his head at once.
His sly, vicious appearance made him look extremely greedy for money.
“Please come inside. It's humble, but…… haha.”
Jang Saeng bent deeply at the waist and guided me in.
Quite a number of warriors were present inside the Golden Tiger Pavilion.
Twenty? Thirty?
Yet they could openly run their operations here only because of the Ju Family's tolerance.
As long as they didn't cross a certain line, the Ju Family didn't interfere.
Constant interference would only provoke stronger resistance from the underworld factions.
The underworld factions knew this well, so they watched the Ju Family's reactions and never crossed that line.
The Golden Tiger Pavilion was one such shrewd faction.
“What business brings you here……?”
Jang Saeng asked cautiously, studying my expression.
“You hold auctions here, don't you?”
“Pardon? Oh dear, an auction? What are you talking about…… haha.”
He looked slightly flustered.
I smiled meaningfully and shook my head.
“I'm not here to reprimand you. I just want to participate in that auction.”
“Pardon? The auction? The Ju Family wishes to participate directly? Then…… No, wait. Oh dear, we don't operate or even consider running any illegal auctions.”
“……”
He was rambling.
“I'm serious. I want to participate. There's something I need.”
“S-Something you need…… Ahem. Are you really serious? You're not here to punish us?”
“No. I already know you've been running that auction for years.”
“Gah.”
The brat hadn't known about the Ju Family's information network.
“You need to make a living too. It's not affecting the major markets much.”
That was why the Ju Family had turned a blind eye.
Jang Saeng bowed his head gratefully.
“Oh, thank you. Truly……”
“So, when's the next auction?”
“We hold one auction per month. The revenue from it is enormous……”
“Is that so? Then could I see the list of items up for auction?”
“Pardon?”
Jang Saeng was startled.
The auction items weren't exactly confidential.
They sometimes deliberately spread rumors to attract more customers.
Still, the fact that his counterpart was from the Ju Family made him visibly uncomfortable.
“If you can't, then so be it. Next time I'll have to come with the leader of the Jeokryongdae.”
“Eek!”
Jang Saeng looked as if his breath had been stolen.
Muyoung patted his back sympathetically.
To underworld factions, nothing was more terrifying than the Jeokryongdae.
As the Ju Family's vanguard force with the largest number of warriors, they handled external security.
“Of course you can! Absolutely!”
Jang Saeng nodded frantically.
He immediately brought over the list of items scheduled for the auction.
“Hmm.”
“Is there something you're looking for? If you tell me, I could secretly set it aside for you……”
“That would defeat the purpose.”
I smiled faintly.
“You said you hold the auction once a month, right?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
“Has anything valuable arrived from the Songshan area recently?”
“Pardon? Songshan?”
Jang Saeng tilted his head, then suddenly clapped his hands and nodded.
“There is one item. However, we can't tell if it's genuine or fake……”
“Don't tell me it's the Great Rejuvenation Pill?”
“Hehehe, that's right.”
Jang Saeng's eyes sparkled.
He hadn't been able to determine its authenticity, but if a young master of the Ju Family was interested, the chances of it being genuine were extremely high.
“When is it going up for auction?”
“Hmm, no date has been set yet.”
Good.
The Great Rejuvenation Pill was still here.
In a way, these people had guts.
To think they would dare auction off something belonging to Shaolin.
Yet, ironically, Shaolin didn't even know the pill was missing.
If Shaolin had kept their wits about them……
They had been too deeply embroiled in internal power struggles.
“Put that item up for auction this time.”
“Pardon? That item?”
“Yes. Spread some rumors too. If word gets out that it came from Songshan, plenty of customers will come running.”
“Hmm.”
Jang Saeng pondered for a moment before nodding.
Shaolin was terrifying, but it didn't matter.
If they sold it successfully, they could earn enough to cover five years of the Golden Tiger Pavilion's profits in one go.
But……
His eyes gleamed.
“If you need it, Young Master, we could sell it to you directly without putting it up for auction……”
“No. Put it up for auction. I'll buy it at a higher price.”
The rumors had to spread.
Only then would the Blood Hand Poison Emperor take the bait.
He wouldn't dare cause trouble here in the Ju Family's territory, so he would definitely participate in the auction.
“If that's what you want, I'm happy to oblige. But will it be all right? It's not a small sum……”
“It doesn't matter. Set a date and notify me. If I stay too long, the Jeokryongdae will start moving, so I'll take my leave.”
“Yes, I understand. I'll send word separately.”
I nodded and left the place.
Still, I felt somewhat relieved.
It was confirmed that the Blood Hand Poison Emperor hadn't taken the Great Rejuvenation Pill yet.
“Are we returning now?”
“No. There's one more place I need to visit.”
Since we were already here, there was no reason not to see Poyang Lake.
“Nice weather.”
I walked leisurely toward Poyang Lake, as if taking a stroll.
* * *
Near Okhwa Mountain in central Jiangxi.
There was a man inside an old, abandoned temple.
Dried poisonous and medicinal herbs lay scattered throughout the temple.
Amidst them, the man was trimming poisonous herbs while chuckling to himself.
“Elder, it's Number Three.”
At that moment, a subordinate's voice came from outside the door.
Even without a response, the subordinate opened the door and entered as if accustomed to it.
He prostrated himself on the floor and spoke.
“We've lost contact with Number Two in Shaanxi. The Black Blood Unit sent to support him has also vanished without a trace.”
“……”
At those words, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor's hand froze in midair.
He slowly turned around.
Surprisingly, he looked quite young for someone holding the position of elder.
“Contact with Number Two has been lost?”
“Yes, Elder.”
In that instant, a blue mark shimmered near the neck of the prostrated Number Three.
“He has the restriction seal, so he shouldn't be able to betray us…… Hmm.”
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor's mind began to race.
Could it be…… that he's been discovered?
Number Two had been tasked with delivering the poison to the Yu Family.
Considering that his reports had never been late even by a single day, something had clearly gone very wrong.
“Mobilize the Cremation Unit to find Number Two. Do it secretly so that the Huashan Sect doesn't notice and the Yu Family doesn't catch on.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Number Three bowed respectfully and left the room.
Only then did the Blood Hand Poison Emperor resume trimming the poisonous herbs.
However, his expression had turned ice-cold.
“I hope it's not betrayal, Number Two.”