EP.30 The Iron Woman. (2)
Squelch— squelch—
Walking slowly, stepping over deep pools of accumulated blood.
The mountains and cliffs piled with corpses were now just familiar scenery.
Corpses rotting and decaying without a single intact spot to be seen—the smell thickly permeating the air was undeniably virulent poison qi.
The once-normal earth had become soaked in poison, rotting and cracked.
How long would it take for this vast land to regain its original form?
Probably at least several centuries.
Even while walking, I continuously circulated the energy within my body to block out the poison qi without rest.
The once vibrant and brilliant land of Sichuan had already become a cursed land.
Because it was absolutely not a place where people could live.
At the end of carving a path by stepping through blood pools, the original master of the surging poison qi sat demurely.
The two eyes that once held green light had been cruelly gouged out, leaving only thick blood flowing down her cheeks.
[Is it over now, Poison Consort (Du Fei).]
Du Fei Tang Xiaolie, who had merely been closing her eyes with her head bowed, raised her face at my voice.
[...Is it you.]
Gone was the refreshing voice, replaced by a phlegm-filled, utterly exhausted voice.
[What a ridiculous sight. Your bloodline fled to other lands long ago... Did you think staying here alone would change anything?]
[Nothing will change, I suppose.]
[Then why?]
At my words, Tang Xiaolie laughs while covering her mouth with her sleeve.
[Then why did you come here?]
[Foolish question. Isn't it obvious? I came to cut off your last remaining breath.]
[I see.]
Squelch.
I slowly walked toward Tang Xiaolie. What was strange was that the poison qi felt thinner the further I walked.
Because Tang Xiaolie remained here, the Tang Clan's bloodline was able to take the evacuation route to safely reach Shaolin.
Thanks to that, countermeasures for the future could be established.
Then what about Tang Xiaolie?
[Foolish thing.]
What would remain for her, left alone?
If by chance the orthodox sects win the war in the future, perhaps a single line would be drawn in history.
-Thanks to the sacrifice of Poison Consort Tang Xiaolie, the future could be secured.
Only that one line would remain. Truly a futile tale.
Two days.
That was the time Tang Xiaolie alone defended Sichuan, fighting desperately against the pouring demonic cultivators.
Tang Xiaolie's eyes were plucked out, and around the land where the Tang Clan had stood, virulent poison qi accumulated.
During that time, she had caused the deaths of countless demonic cultivators.
But it was still not enough.
As long as the Heavenly Demon did not die, this war would not end.
When I arrived before her, Tang Xiaolie spoke.
[...I'm truly sorry to you.]
I frowned at that absurd statement.
[Apologizing to a demonic cultivator? You've truly lost your mind. Du Fei.]
[Yes, it seems I've finally lost my mind. I should have lost it a bit sooner... There are too many things that become visible only after losing both eyes.]
[Enough with the nonsense. Is that all you have to say?]
I slowly grabbed her neck with my hand. It was a neck thin enough to break with just a little force.
[Though this may be a wish beyond my station,
if by chance there remains time in this world, please.]
Her body trembling, I couldn't know what emotions she held while speaking.
It was probably just the lament of someone left behind, perhaps regret for the sacrifice she was now experiencing.
None of that was any of my concern.
[You......]
Tang Xiaolie continued speaking, but I couldn't know what she said as no voice came out.
I then without hesitation tightened my grip.
With the sound of something breaking, Tang Xiaolie's head drooped forward.
Releasing my hand and stepping aside, Tang Xiaolie's body fell lifelessly to the ground.
All the blood around was eroded by poison qi.
No matter how Immune to All Poisons she was, once her breath stopped and her qi left, her flesh would quickly rot and melt away.
Though she ended her grueling sacrifice, not even a single fragment of her body would remain.
Sacrifice was originally like that.
I immediately turned around and took steps to escape the land of Sichuan.
Perhaps because of the surrounding poison qi, standing here was becoming unbearably nauseating.
This land too.
Myself as well.
******************
"Will you not answer?"
The reverie ended.
I hated how memories I didn't want to remember surfaced so clearly at times like this. I met Tang Xiaolie's eyes.
Due to the influence of the incomplete Immunity to All Poisons, only one eye had a green tint.
But within a few years, both eyes would be dyed green.
Poison Consort Tang Xiaolie—no, should I say Poison Phoenix now.
"If you won't answer, then people will..."
As Tang Xiaolie tried to speak, Nangong Bi'a whispered something beside her.
At Nangong Bi'a's words, Tang Xiaolie's furrowed expression relaxed.
She took one step closer to me and offered formal courtesy.
"I am Tang Xiaolie of the Tang Clan. I apologize for raising my voice excessively to a guest who visited our main house."
A swift judgment without hesitation.
"...I am Gu Jiuye."
I also answered, but once again borrowed Gu Jiuye's name.
I should stop doing this soon... Ah, should I just drop it now?
If I had been even slightly famous, this method wouldn't have worked, but why does no one question my name?
If just one year had passed, my name alone would have been established as "that Shanxi bastard."
While I was having intense internal conflict, Tang Xiaolie spoke.
"I see. Young Master Gu, this is a place where no one other than members of our sect may enter."
"...Isn't Miss Nangong next to you also an outsider?"
"The bloodline has permitted it, so it's fine."
In other words, since I haven't been permitted, she's asking me to leave.
How petty, really... It didn't matter since I was planning to leave anyway.
Besides, Tang Xiaolie's sharp gaze continuously bearing down on me was also burdensome.
Why is she glaring at me like she wants to kill me? Is it that displeasing that I came in here?
"Then I'll take my leave."
Having finished speaking, Wi Seol-a and I turned to leave.
After departing, Nangong Bi'a looked at Tang Xiaolie beside her and asked.
"Soyeol."
"Yes, sister."
"Why did you glare so fiercely?"
"...Because it bothered me that she didn't say a single word of apology when I pointed out she entered the wrong place."
"Ah..."
"Does she think she's all that just because she's pretty? Anyway, people who rely on their looks are all so disagreeable."
"Huh...?"
Pretty... what?
Nangong Bi'a reconsidered the face of the boy who had just passed by, examining it carefully.
Slender eyes with an overall sharp facial structure.
Though every feature—eyes, nose, mouth—had no awkward spots, when combined, rather than being called handsome, it was an appearance that would more often be described as fierce and intimidating.
It definitely wasn't to the point of being called ugly, but hearing "handsome" seemed a bit of a stretch.
Even Nangong Bi'a, who saw people blurrily and didn't remember them well, could clearly recall those features.
"...Sigh, I think it's better for people to be a bit plain but warm and kind."
"...Yeah."
Muttering incomprehensible things like 'Anyway, those pretty types,' Tang Xiaolie walked forward, and Nangong Bi'a slowly followed.
Even while walking, the question marks floating in Nangong Bi'a's head wouldn't disappear.
******************
It was the morning after entering the Tang Clan.
Opening the door with half-asleep eyes, I was immediately greeted by two unwanted faces.
Nangong Bi'a.
Nangong Tianjun.
The blue-haired siblings were right in front of me.
...Why do they keep coming to bother me?
Having reached the Tang Clan, couldn't we just ignore each other?
Looking at that damned sight, I opened my mouth.
"...Why have you come again?"
Since Nangong Tianjun wouldn't have come looking for me on his own, I asked while looking at Nangong Bi'a beside him.
Just looking at him, the Nangong son must have tagged along like a puppy.
Nangong Bi'a, who had been looking at me, answered my question.
"Food..."
"Food?"
What food...?
"I have to go eat."
"...Yes, please go."
If you're hungry, just eat. Why are you reporting this to me?
Nangong Tianjun, who had been quietly listening, seemed a bit frustrated and supplemented the explanation.
"The Tang Clan has invited us to a meal, and my sister thought it would be good if Young Master Gu came along as well, so we came to ask."
"I see, understood. I'm fine, so please go eat."
Having heard the explanation made me dislike it even more. Why would I eat while facing you people?
As if not expecting me to refuse, Nangong Tianjun's brow furrowed.
The emotion of "How dare you?" radiated intensely.
Though he quickly managed his expression.
"I don't have an appetite."
"You can also build camaraderie among the orthodox sect members. Young Master Gu."
"I'm quite shy around strangers. I'd like to eat my meals comfortably."
"Shy... around strangers?"
The last words came from Nangong Bi'a.
When I glared, Nangong Bi'a immediately averted her gaze.
"Anyway, I'm not going. Since I'm not going, please go eat on your own."
The Tang Clan's Martial Assembly would be held around tomorrow afternoon.
Until then, I planned to scrape by with food and finish the training I hadn't done.
Moreover, eating together with those people, I didn't think I could maintain a healthy stomach.
Eventually, with my continued refusals, Nangong Tianjun, whose mask seemed to have cracked slightly, approached me with a furrowed brow.
"Don't be like that and let's go together."
Saying so, Nangong Tianjun grabbed my arm.
And quite strongly at that.
Perhaps because it was a position outside Nangong Bi'a's field of vision, he wasn't managing his expression at all.
In Nangong Tianjun's eyes looking down at me were intense disgust and irritation.
Crush.
The hand of the guy holding my arm gradually tightened.
It seems he plans to drag me away even by threatening me if I refuse to go.
'What should I do.'
Annoying and irritating.
Why do so many people keep trying to pick fights with me lately?
If I try to tolerate it but they keep doing this, it's not good.
The slight killing intent he held toward me was something I had already sensed.
Even if he's a madman or someone not in his right mind, I thought he might be of some slight help later.
He has the Nangong name too, so I was leaving him alone, but if he keeps doing this, I want to ram into him.
No wait, can't I just kill him?
-Whoosh!
Perhaps because I unknowingly harbored some killing intent, a faint killing intent leaked out momentarily.
Then Nangong Tianjun was startled and stepped back a pace from me.
...Ah, this is a real mistake.
I immediately calmed my mind and gathered my qi, but perhaps it was already too late—Nangong Tianjun was looking at me with wide eyes.
Due to my younger body, both emotions and the resulting qi were difficult to control.
Fortunately, the killing intent didn't seem to reach where Nangong Bi'a was standing, as she was tilting her head, not knowing what was going on.
Looking at Nangong Tianjun, I smiled awkwardly. It seemed I had to go.
"Since you're urging me so much, I suppose I have no choice but to go together."
Speaking while naturally putting my arm around Nangong Tianjun's shoulder. Since he was taller than me, it was quite uncomfortable.
The guy, perhaps feeling humiliated by having stepped back momentarily, was looking at me with searing eyes behind his earlier bewildered ones.
As he tried to brush off my arm over his shoulder, I also put strength in my arm and whispered quietly.
'Manage your expression properly again. The sister you can't live without is watching you.'
-Creak.
Perhaps mentioning Nangong Bi'a displeased him, tension entered his jaw.
Seeing that, I smiled again.
However, having taken my advice to some extent, he quickly returned to his original persona of the refined young master.
"Thank you for accepting, Young Master Gu."
"Not at all. Since you asked so sincerely, what could I do but accept."
Hahaha. Hiding our true intentions, the guy and I smiled at each other.
As long as he only harbored killing intent toward me without acting on it, I didn't particularly care.
Once we part ways, we'd never see each other again anyway.
At most, we might brush past each other once or twice at orthodox sect gatherings.
Let's keep it at just that.
The guy also has eyes watching him, so he won't recklessly try anything more.
He's from the Nangong Clan after all, he should have some sense...
Thinking so simply, I realized not long after.
This guy has no sense at all...
That afternoon, Nangong Tianjun asked me.
"Young Master, would you care to have a spar with me?"
...Ah, this Gu Jiuye bastard.