Chapter 45. The Fog Clears (2)
Jegal Yu-a responded to my words.
"You mean the culprit will target the tea caddy I took with me."
"Exactly. But that bastard might put you in danger at the same time. That's why I'd like to assign some of my guards to protect you."
"Oh, there's no need for that. The moment someone tries to steal the poisoned tea caddy, it'll instantly grant me official authority—and I'll have an excellent ally to protect my safety, to boot."
I chuckled softly.
Well, if it's the family head, he fits every description she just gave.
The Supreme Patriarch approached the kneeling man and removed his gag.
"I know your name. Wang Gyeong, right?"
"……."
"You need to answer. Good boys do as they're told."
The sheer pressure emanating from the Supreme Patriarch as he spoke was enough to kill a man on the spot.
Wang Gyeong, trapped in utter terror as if on the verge of death, barely managed to reply.
"Y-yes, that's right."
"Then, may I ask what you were doing here?"
"Th-that is……."
"Switching out the poisoned tea caddy, right?"
"Ugh!"
He glanced at the tea caddy in the bundle beside him and spoke.
"Heo Cheong."
"Yes, you called for me?"
"I'd like you to inspect that tea caddy."
At his command, Heo Cheong moved immediately. He poured out the tea leaves inside and examined them before reporting.
"Among the tea caddies on the table, poison was detected in these three."
Wang Gyeong squeezed his eyes shut at the words.
"You're no one who could pull this off alone. Someone must have put you up to it! Who?"
Under the relentless interrogation, Wang Gyeong confessed.
"It was all my doing. Lord Hyeon-ri…… Ack!"
The moment the words slipped out, Wang Gyeong realized his mistake and clamped his mouth shut—but everyone had already heard him.
I couldn't help but smile bitterly to myself.
Calling out to the Supreme Patriarch as "Lord Hyeon-ri" without thinking meant it had become a habit.
And that implied someone had ordered him to address the Supreme Patriarch that way.
That someone was very likely the mastermind behind this plot.
They didn't recognize the Supreme Patriarch's authority.
The implications were huge.
Come to think of it, in my previous life, both the Supreme Patriarch and the family head had been eliminated.
And among the family head's children, only Jegal Yu-a had survived—everyone else was gone.
They'd wiped out the direct line.
Which meant……
The culprit was from the collateral branch.
What everyone in the Jegal family coveted most was the Jegal family itself. To seize it, the direct line had to be removed.
So, which collateral branch member was behind this?
At that moment, the Supreme Patriarch sighed and turned to the family head.
"Yu-a."
"Yes, Father."
"You need to lead the family warriors somewhere right now. I'll leave the cleanup here to you."
"Understood."
That evening, I learned the full story through Palgap.
His friendly nature had already won over the servants and maids in the household.
"So, you're saying the Supreme Patriarch's younger brother was behind it all?"
"Yes, that's what they're saying. Lord Jegal Dong-u, the Supreme Patriarch's brother, prepared the poison, built his own faction, and was getting ready to take over the family."
"I see."
And so, the threat to the Jegal family was resolved.
But why did it still feel so off?
Just then, one of the Supreme Patriarch's attendants came to see me.
"I've come with a message from the Supreme Patriarch."
"Ah, yes."
"As you know, some family matters have arisen, so we can no longer host our guests. He asks that we escort you back home. Please understand."
"I do. No need to worry."
On the surface, it sounded like a polite dismissal of guests, but it was really for our sake. A storm of bloodshed was about to sweep through the household.
In that case, I'd grant his wish.
"Understood. We'll prepare to leave shortly."
"Please make haste."
A short while later, we departed from the Jegal estate.
They didn't usually send guests away in the evening, so urging us to leave so urgently meant the situation was dire.
Surprisingly, our escorts were the Supreme Patriarch's attendant and his personal guards.
He was truly concerned for our safety.
After about an hour's ride, we arrived at an inn.
It was a fairly well-known one, and the attendant had reserved a private room for us.
There was no need for that……
But refusing his kindness would be disrespectful, so I gratefully accepted.
Everyone unpacked in their rooms and came down to the first-floor dining hall.
We sat, ordered food, and waited for it to arrive. Across from us, a group was having dinner.
Their uniforms looked familiar.
"Those clothes……."
Manager Yu spotted them and said,
"Those are escorts from the Changin Escort Agency."
For some reason, seeing them made me glad.
Then, I spotted an unexpected face.
Huh?
Why is Master here?
A moment later, I got a chance to talk with him.
"Master, did the Zhejiang escort mission go well?"
He replied to my question.
"The Zhejiang run was completed without issue. We're currently on another commission."
But there didn't seem to be any cargo in the inn that looked like escort goods.
And since Master was talking with me away from his group, the cargo probably wasn't a person either.
Which meant…… he must be carrying it on him somehow.
But a sudden doubt crept in.
A chief escort's authority wasn't low, but accepting commissions was the agency head's prerogative.
A chief escort couldn't take on missions personally.
So there was only one answer.
Master held a position equivalent to the agency head within the escort agency, or the head had delegated that authority to him.
Whatever it was, I trusted Master to handle it well.
As we chatted about this and that after our long time apart, a sudden queasiness stirred in my gut.
It felt similar to the revulsion I'd sensed before Jeon Won.
Noticing my pallor, Master asked,
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"I think I'm just tired. My stomach suddenly feels nauseous……."
Master's eyes widened in shock.
"Wh-what's wrong, Master? Why are you so surprised?"
"How could I not be? You've entered the Sagang Period less than a year after starting to learn martial arts from me!"
"The Sagang Period?"
"Yes. That nausea is proof you've entered the Sagang Period."
Master explained calmly.
"The core manual you're learning from me, the Taiyin Binghae Divine Art, gathers extremely pure and pristine inner energy."
I already knew this, but I pretended to listen intently.
"It has the power to ward off heart demons and keep your judgment clear."
That's why it had served me well in my previous life.
There were times in crucial negotiations when opponents used drugs or incense to cloud judgment and squeeze out more profit—dirty tricks like that.
But I'd never felt this revulsion before.
"Once you reach a certain level, it starts rejecting anything impure from the outside."
"And that rejection is the nausea I felt?"
"Exactly."
"So feeling this means I've reached a specific realm?"
"It means you've solidly entered the first-rate realm."
But in my previous life, I was first-rate too, and I'd never experienced this.
Seeming to read my doubt, Master smiled and added,
"To be precise, it means you're on the verge of peak."
"What? P-peak?"
I was stunned.
Peak realm?
I hadn't even considered it. My inner energy was only at first-rate level right now, wasn't it?
"Do I have to live with this nausea from now on?"
"No."
Master chuckled.
"It disappears once you enter the peak realm. You might still sense the impurity, but it won't bother you."
"I see."
That's when I realized I'd overlooked a crucial question.
"Then, what exactly is causing this revulsion?"
"The answer is simpler than you think. Why do you suppose it's called the Sagang Period?"
"Don't tell me……."
I continued,
"Revulsion toward evil energy?"
"Precisely. The Sagang Period is revulsion toward evil energy—the energy of the Black Dao or Demonic Dao."
"That's how you could warn me about the Black Dao killing intent before my eldest brother's vice-leader inauguration."
"Yes."
Master nodded and went on.
"But please don't mention this to anyone else."
"Anyone else?"
"No one but me. The reason is……."
I chuckled.
"I think I get it without you saying. For my own safety and longevity, this has to stay secret."
Demonic cultists who openly proclaimed their affiliation with the Heavenly Demon Divine Church were one thing, but most Black Dao figures hid their true nature.
And those who concealed their identities rarely had good intentions.
What would they fear most from such people?
Having their true nature discovered.
So, eliminating anyone who might interfere with their plans was standard for them.
"Wise as always."
"Anyway, this nausea means there's a Black Dao or Demonic Dao figure in the inn right now?"
"Yes. To be exact, a Black Dao figure."
"What would a Demonic Dao one feel like?"
"You'll know when you experience it."
With that, Master stood.
"I've been away too long. I'll head back now."
"Ah, I've kept you too long."
I returned to the dining hall.
"All done talking?"
"Yes."
"You must be tired. Time to rest."
"Shall we?"
Just then, a guest who'd arrived recently finished eating, sighed, and left the inn.
The nausea tormenting me gradually faded.
Ah, finally, I can breathe.
In that instant, I realized something I'd missed.
The revulsion at Jeon Won had hit when I faced Jegal Gyeong.
And it vanished when he left.
Which meant he was the source.
Master had said clearly……
"Evil energy, that is, the energy of the Black Dao or Demonic Dao."
So why had I felt it from Jegal Gyeong?
He was a member of the Jegal family—a righteous White Dao clan.
Ah…… damn it!
I suddenly understood why Jegal Dong-u's involvement had felt off.
If he'd seized the Jegal family after the family head's death, I would've known his name in my previous life.
But I hadn't heard of him at all.
There was only one implication.
Someone else had destroyed the Jegal family.
I urgently told the Supreme Patriarch's attendant,
"We need to return to the Jegal estate immediately."
"Pardon? Why?"
"The Jegal family is in danger."
The Jegal estate was in chaos.
"Capture them!"
"Ugh!"
"Damn it!"
Warriors acting on orders from the Supreme Patriarch and family head were rooting out Jegal Dong-u's sympathizers.
Amid the turmoil, one man strolled casually toward somewhere.
"Ah, it's over. Done for."
He clicked his tongue in mock regret.
"Too bad, but I have to end it here. Can't drag it out any longer—if they find out I supplied the poison, it'll be trouble."
If that led back to the one who'd given him orders, it'd be a real mess.
Soon, he entered his room.
He ripped off a sheet of paper stuck to one wall.
What it revealed was a formation array drawn in dark crimson.
This array before him would activate formations linked throughout the Jegal estate.
Its name: Hun-a An-mak Formation.
True to its name, it blinded the eyes, blurring friend from foe.
Originally, he planned to activate it after the Supreme Patriarch and family head were dead.
But with Jegal Dong-u exposed, his position would surely be replaced.
This wouldn't do.
He needed to rack up merits to earn recognition from above.
The Supreme Patriarch and family head were still alive, but he trusted the formation's power.
Heh heh heh. In that chaos, can they break this array even if it means cutting down their own retainers?