Elixirs were laid out on the long table.
It was as if I had come to a shop that sold elixirs. Each of them had its own scent, and those scents mingled together to give off a peculiar fragrance.
The Poison King was absorbed in mixing medicine at another table beside it.
I waited for the Poison King to finish what he was doing as I looked over the elixirs displayed on the table.
There were some elixirs I recognized, but most were ones I did not know. There were far more of them than I had expected.
At last, the Poison King finished mixing the medicine and placed it on the table.
“You’re here?”
“What were you doing?”
“I mixed the ones that work better together.”
Combining these highly poisonous elixirs to increase their effect? Truly, only the Poison King could say such a thing.
“I heard you went out into the Central Plains yourself?”
“If I didn’t, how would I have gathered all these goods in twenty-one days? I mobilized my entire network for the first time in a while.”
The word network sounded awkward coming from the mouth of the Poison King, who lived shut away in the Thousand Poisons Forest. That meant the relationships were that rare and reliable. And saying he had mobilized his network meant he had incurred a debt to someone.
“I owe you a great debt.”
The Poison King came up before me, his eyes gleaming. His gaze seemed to say, So how are you going to repay me?
“Whenever you need my help, just call for me.”
“It won’t end with just once or twice.”
“I’d be glad to see you often, Poison King.”
The Poison King went to the end of the table, picked up the first elixir, and handed it to me.
“Here. Take them in order, starting with this.”
It seemed he had even decided the order of consumption.
“What happens if I take them all at once?”
“You’re immune to all poisons, so you won’t die, but there’ll be chaos inside you. Take them as I give them to you.”
Before eating it, I asked the Poison King.
“Please tell me how much each of these cost.”
“Why? You don’t trust me?”
“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t ask.”
When it came to someone who would never have deceived me, asking like this was, rather, a matter of courtesy.
The Poison King told me the price of each elixir. When I added them all together—
“It exceeds the money I gave you.”
“The last elixir was too good to pass up, so I added a bit of my own.”
“That doesn’t seem like just a bit. It seems like you pulled out one of the foundation pillars of the Thousand Poisons Forest.”
“Do you even know how many pillars the Thousand Poisons Forest has? Just hurry up and eat.”
He, who hated going out more than death, had gone out personally, and on top of that had added a huge sum of money. How could I not like the Poison King?
“Then I’ll take them with gratitude.”
“The first one is the Black Ocean Pill. Take it and circulate your qi through one full cycle.”
The moment I put the Black Ocean Pill in my mouth, my face twisted on its own.
“Uwaaah! It’s bitter. Why is it so bitter?”
“It’s poison. Did you expect it to be sweet?”
I began dissolving the medicinal effect of the Black Ocean Pill. Now, I dissolved it using the mental cultivation method of the Ninefire Demonic Art. Since the amount of internal energy it accumulated was great, the amount of medicinal effect I absorbed would also be great.
“Next is the Purple Star One Poison. It’s compatible with the Black Ocean Pill, so there shouldn’t be any clash of internal energy.”
He was not giving them to me starting with the weakest medicinal effect. He was giving them according to the compatibility and nature of each elixir.
“Next, take the Soul-Seizing Pill.”
Just when I thought the Purple Star One Poison had made things a little better—
“No matter what, this is too much. Ugh.”
When I tried to spit out what was in my mouth, the Poison King covered my mouth and stopped me from doing so.
After forcibly swallowing it, I said to him,
“You’re taking revenge on me right now because I asked you to buy me elixirs, aren’t you?”
“If you want to fill this much internal energy with mild and fragrant elixirs, you’d have to give me several times more money.”
This, too, was a privilege only someone immune to all poisons could enjoy.
“And the bitter medicine hasn’t even come out yet.”
I sprang to my feet, gave a cupped-fist salute, and bid him farewell.
“I should learn to fight well even without internal energy. That’s what a true master is.”
When I tried to flee, the Poison King forced me back down.
Half of it was a joke, and half of it was real. With some exaggeration, it felt as though my tongue and intestines were melting away.
When the elixirs dissolved in my body and their medicinal effects spread through all my blood vessels and meridians, I took another elixir.
“I knew you’d be like that, so this time I prepared something a little sweet. Drink it.”
To think that the Myriad Blood Poison Water was one of the sweet ones!
Even after that, I continued taking elixirs.
The Demon Spirit Divine Pill, the Hundred Spirits Purification Powder, the Thousand Scorpions Essence Blood Liquid, the Profound Yin Pill, the Yin-Yang Two Poison Grass, the Heavenly Outer Paradise Fragrance…
They were elixirs whose names I had only heard, or whose names I had never even heard before. Some came in multiples, while others existed as only a single piece.
This was the first time I had ever taken such a variety of elixirs one after another. Not just me—there was probably no one in the entire jianghu who had.
“Are you sure it’s all right for me to eat all of these?”
“I don’t know either. This is the first time I’ve seen such a case.”
The Poison King looked excited. He, too, had likely never seen so many poisons being dissolved at once. In fact, he was more excited than I was.
Someday, in the book he compiled as the culmination of his knowledge, this moment today would be recorded as well. What title would it have?
The Correlation Between Immunity to All Poisons and Poisonous Elixirs?
No. It would be something like this.
How the Poison King Tormented One Immune to All Poisons.
Judging by how delighted he looked today, he was more than capable of choosing a title like that.
It took a long time to consume all the prepared elixirs.
I would take one, circulate my qi through one full cycle, then take another and circulate my qi again. I carefully dissolved the medicinal effects. Since I dissolved the medicine with the mental cultivation method of the Ninefire Demonic Art, I absorbed far more of the medicinal effect than before.
There were several times midway when it was so poisonous and bitter that I truly felt I might die. Even if it was the same poison, being poisoned by it and eating it like this were completely different matters.
“Here, this is the last one—the Myriad Poisons Divine Pill.”
This was the medicine the Poison King had bought by adding a great sum of his own money. It was the poison that boasted the most powerful effect among all the poisons I had taken so far.
I dissolved even the medicinal effect of the Myriad Poisons Divine Pill with the mental cultivation method of the Ninefire Demonic Art.
The medicinal effect surged through every blood vessel and meridian in my body, then, like water from a valley flowing into a river and ultimately into the sea, it became internal energy and gathered in my dantian.
Even after taking all the elixirs, I circulated my qi several more times and regulated the internal energy inside my body.
Only after confirming that all the medicinal effects had become pure internal energy did I slowly open my eyes. An enormous amount of internal energy had been added to my dantian.
If not for the Poison King, I would not have gained even a quarter of this internal energy with that money. He must have bought good-quality medicine cheaply, and even the order of consumption had been perfect.
Now, in terms of internal energy, I was confident against anyone in the martial world. It was not merely because the quantity had increased. The purity of my internal energy had also deepened beyond comparison with before. Of course I had grown stronger, but more than that, it would be of great help in training the Sicheon Secret Art.
How deep my gaze had become now could be seen from the Poison King’s expression. The next moment, the Poison King was even more surprised. Through Return to Simplicity, that deep gaze had already become an ordinary one.
“How strong are you planning to become?”
I answered calmly.
“I will become strong until I can protect everyone.”
As I rose from my seat, the Poison King said to me,
“We are the ones who protect you. The Demon Venerables protect the Young Cult Leader.”
I stared intently at the Poison King, then suddenly said,
“Poison King.”
For an instant, the Poison King flinched. Instead of my usual polite attitude, I revealed a weighty dignity.
“Then grow stronger!”
“!”
After saying that, I strode out.
As soon as I left, I immediately stuck my head back through the open door. The Poison King was still staring this way with a blank face.
“You’re not angry, are you?”
“Are you already acting like the Heavenly Demon?”
“If not with you, Poison King, where else could I play this joke?”
“There are plenty, aren’t there? The Little Demon, the Blade Demon, the Drunken Demon!”
I lowered my voice again with solemn severity.
“The one this sovereign wished to play this joke on was the Poison King.”
At the end of that banter, I added my sincerity.
“Poison King, I will never forget the grace you have shown me today.”
* * *
Even long after Geom Mugeuk had left, the Poison King remained lost in thought.
“Did you call for me?”
When Sangseon arrived after being summoned, the Poison King said something he had not expected.
“Report to the Heavenly Demon Hall that we will double the Thousand Poisons Forest’s poison production.”
Sangseon was startled. And that was not all.
“Raise the training intensity of the Poison Men as well. Teach the children, and train yourself too.”
“If we do that, the martial world will grow tense.”
In particular, the Martial Alliance might go on emergency alert. Everyone was keeping a sharp eye on the poisons entering the Thousand Poisons Forest. The fact that they had gathered highly poisonous elixirs this time might already have been reported to the Martial Alliance or the Evil Dao Alliance. That was how sensitive matters involving poison were.
The Poison King rose from his seat. Around his body, a black aura began to rise like a shimmering haze. It was the Heaven-Slaying Poison Qi he emitted when revealing his presence.
Wrapped in black mist, the Poison King said in a low voice,
“Tell them to be tense.”
* * *
On the day of the appointment ceremony for the Pavilion Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion, the Yellow Springs Pavilion investigators and enforcement martial artists came to Seo Daeryong’s residence to escort him.
On the day Geom Mugeuk had taken office in the past, Seo Daeryong had gone with the enforcement martial artists. Now, the situation had changed. The investigator who came today was Gok Myeong, the most senior special investigator.
“Pavilion Master, let us go.”
Seo Daeryong thought that since a far junior colleague had become Pavilion Master, Gok Myeong could not be feeling very pleased.
“Investigator Gok, I look forward to working with you.”
“I will serve you with loyal devotion.”
“After entering the Yellow Springs Pavilion, I learned a great deal from you, senior. What I learned from you, I will now put to use.”
Seeing Gok Myeong smile pleasantly, Seo Daeryong suddenly had this thought.
‘I wasn’t this kind of person.’
He had been someone who could barely meet another person’s eyes. Someone who first had negative thoughts. Even now, he would have thought, That man may be smiling, but he must be cursing me inside, right? That sort of thought would have come first.
And yet now he was trying to convey his sincerity to others. He was trying to understand the hearts of others.
Thus, escorted by Gok Myeong and the enforcement martial artists, Seo Daeryong arrived at the Yellow Springs Pavilion, where the investigators and enforcement martial artists stood in a line.
“We greet the Pavilion Master!”
Seo Daeryong’s rise to the position of Pavilion Master was an unprecedented appointment. Among them were some who were inwardly displeased, but on one point, they shared the same view. Since Seo Daeryong had worked so hard, everyone acknowledged his ability at least.
And at that moment, someone had come to lend him strength.
“Pavilion Master, congratulations.”
Hearing the voice from behind, Seo Daeryong turned and saw the Demon Army Lord Jang Ho walking toward him. Since he had not expected him to come here, Seo Daeryong was startled.
“My lord! You came in person.”
“Of course I had to come.”
When Ian had not been there, the two of them had drunk together at the Pungryu Tavern.
Now they stood facing each other as the Demon Army Lord and the Pavilion Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion.
“Do you know this? I always wanted to become a martial artist like you, Lord Jang. That thought still hasn’t changed.”
Jang Ho grinned with his unique, manly smile. Whenever Seo Daeryong saw Jang Ho, he always thought of him as someone like a mountain standing firmly in place. He, too, would surely become such a martial artist.
When the Demon Army Lord came personally to congratulate him, the investigators and enforcement martial artists wore expressions of surprise.
Just then, another person appeared there.
Ian had come to congratulate him. With the appearance of the beautiful woman, it felt as though the surroundings brightened. Moreover, as her martial skill had reached a new realm and she had truly entered the ranks of masters, the enforcement martial artists there were astonished by her beauty, then astonished once more by her bearing.
“Congratulations, Pavilion Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion.”
“Martial Artist Lee, thank you.”
“I knew a day like this would come.”
At Ian’s words, Seo Daeryong said as if whispering,
“I didn’t!”
Jang Ho and Ian laughed together.
At that moment, yet another person arrived there. Seeing the one who had appeared, the investigators and enforcement martial artists all bowed in unison and paid their respects.
“We greet the Young Cult Leader!”
Seo Daeryong, Jang Ho, and Ian also greeted him respectfully.
Geom Mugeuk walked over, paid his respects politely, and said,
“Congratulations, Pavilion Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion.”
“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
Seo Daeryong looked at Geom Mugeuk with trembling eyes.
To Seo Daeryong, who was too choked up to know what to say, Geom Mugeuk gave a single nod with eyes full of trust. That was enough.
Gok Myeong came over and said to Seo Daeryong,
“Everyone is gathered, so please say a few words.”
With a trembling heart, Seo Daeryong stood before everyone. He had thought he might have to say something and had even practiced at home in advance, but he was still terribly nervous.
“The former Pavilion Master was someone who had surpassed the limits of humanity, but now, at last, a human has come to take charge of Hwangcheongak.”
At those words, everyone burst into laughter.
“On the day the former Pavilion Master took office, he said this in this very place: I do not know whether we will become happier or more miserable. But one thing is certain. Our hearts will beat faster than before. The Pavilion Master kept those words. My heart is beating faster than it did before. I believe all your hearts are the same.”
Everyone wore expressions of agreement. Geom Mugeuk’s Hwangcheongak had been an organization entirely different from what it was before. All of them had received the gratitude of countless people who had been spared injustice.
“I cannot make your hearts beat faster than the Young Cult Leader did. Instead, I am confident I can do this much. I will strive to ensure that the hearts the Young Cult Leader set aflame do not cool.”
Applause and cheers erupted.
After giving his greeting, he was about to go inside when the last person who had come to congratulate him arrived.
At his appearance, not only Seo Daeryong but also Geom Mugeuk, Ian, and Jang Ho were startled.
Astonishingly, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had revealed himself. With the Myeolcheon Great Saber slung across his back, he walked over with proud composure. At the sight of him approaching while exuding an overwhelming aura, all the martial artists of Hwangcheongak grew tense.
“Master!”
Instead of offering words of congratulations, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon drew the great saber he had brought along with the Myeolcheon Great Saber on his back. It was a great saber, but it was slightly smaller than the Myeolcheon Great Saber.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon handed it to Seo Daeryong.
“Use this from now on.”
At a glance, it was no ordinary saber.
“It is the blade I used when I was young.”
Seo Daeryong was shocked. A gift from his taciturn master? And if it was the blade he had used in his youth, then its value was beyond words. Overwhelmed, Seo Daeryong felt as though tears might fall.
After giving him the saber, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon turned and walked away without another word.
Seo Daeryong bowed deeply to his master’s retreating back and conveyed his gratitude.
“Thank you, Master.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon left just like that, without looking back.
The inspectors and execution martial artists watched the scene with astonished eyes. Geom Mugeuk was so close to Seo Daeryong and always kept company with him, so it was understandable that he might come, but they had never imagined the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would come here.
No one looked down on Seo Daeryong. Even if they wanted to, they could not. The Young Cult Leader had come, a Demon Venerable had come, a Demon Army Lord had come, and the greatest beauty under heaven had come to congratulate him—who would dare look down on him?
Seo Daeryong respectfully greeted Geom Mugeuk, Jang Ho, and Ian, then turned around.
After turning, he strapped the great saber to his back just as the Blood Heaven Blade Demon did.
Then, leading the inspectors and execution martial artists, he entered Hwangcheongak.
From the sight of his back as he walked proudly with the great saber strapped on, Geom Mugeuk saw the back of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.