Chapter 488 - What Nonsense.
"Aah... Young Master!? If you suddenly do this...!"
I could feel Dang Soyeol flustered by the sudden contact in my embrace.
Having her ear grabbed out of nowhere, this kind of reaction was only natural.
Even so, I had no intention of letting go.
"...What... did you just... say?"
Because I had no intention of letting Dang Soyeol hear the conversation with the human in front of me.
"I said, what the hell are you on about? Disgusting."
"Young Hero."
At the words I spoke with a twisted smirk, the expression of the old man called Dang Bwi crumbled.
His face, which had been clicking his tongue in amusement, contorted. One of his eyebrows shot up.
It was truly an entertaining expression, in a completely different sense.
"I had heard you were a young hero of the Central Plains, yet it seems you lack the manners to treat others with propriety. Let me repeat—I am an elder of the Dang Clan. Do you not know how dangerous your current actions are?"
The high-ranking bloodline forming the backbone of the Dang Clan.
The profanity I was spewing at such a figure right now could soon be taken as an attack on the Dang Clan itself.
*Are you doing this despite knowing that?*
The old man was issuing that warning with palpable displeasure.
To me, hearing such blatantly obvious words only made me laugh.
How could I not laugh?
"Do you know what I think is the most filthy and annoying thing in the world?"
I could feel Dang Soyeol's ears gradually growing hotter.
"Bastards who've poorly wasted their years, pretending they've aged well, feigning nobility and putting on airs. Those kinds of bastards are what rot the world."
When a person begins to rot, the rot only deepens with age.
Once corruption sets in, it spreads to those around them.
Honestly, I was starting to think that a rotted human is more troublesome than mere trash.
At my words, Dang Bwi's face twisted viciously.
"How dare you... Even though courtesy was shown first, you act with such arrogance and impudence. So you've used your talent as a shield and truly know no fear in this world."
I flashed a grin at the rage-laced voice.
"Wow, this crazy bastard is funny."
"You...!!"
"Then, to the bastard who shoved poison in my mouth. You want me to show him courtesy too?"
"...!?"
"No matter how shameless, that's a bit much, don't you think? Do I really look like such a retard to you?"
When I said that with a bright smile, Dang Bwi flinched.
Yes, this bastard.
The one who fed me the Biyu flower's poison.
It was most certainly him.
Of course.
*'Though it might not be him.'*
The suspicion that it might not be him didn't mean that the old man wasn't involved in the matter.
It simply meant he might not be the mastermind who ordered the poisoning.
That old man was still undoubtedly part of the same lot.
"...What nonsense are you spouting right now? Poisoned, you say!"
Dang Bwi, who had flinched for a moment, soon reddened his face and shouted.
He looked incredibly wronged. It was an expression asserting his innocence, asking how I could suspect such a thing.
"How dare you utter such reckless...!"
"If you're going to do that, at least wash off the smell first. Annoying."
At the words I added, Dang Bwi's expression changed drastically.
Yes, there was a smell eminating.
The subtle fragrance I had smelled in the food—a scent that I judged to likely be the Biyu flower's—was wafting from that old man.
I wonder if those words were the problem.
Dang Bwi spoke to me with an incredulous expression.
"You speak strange words. The Biyu flower is a scentless poison. Does it make sense that there is a smell?"
Was it?
But it really does smell to me.
It wasn't an overwhelming stench, but I could definitely feel a strange fragrance.
*'Sensing a fragrance from a scentless poison.'*
Is it because I've attained invulnerability to poisons? So even scents that shouldn't be felt are smelled?
From the start, I'm not even certain that I've attained invulnerability to poisons.
*'Because I haven't properly checked.'*
However, it was certain that I had developed a strong resistance to poison.
Ah, this wasn't what was important right now.
"'A scentless poison.'"
"I do not know what suspicions the Young Hero harbors, but your words toward the Dang Clan—"
"But how did you know? I didn't say I ingested the Biyu flower."
"...!"
Dang Bwi, who had been speaking earnestly, clamped his mouth shut and stiffened at my words.
That sight was quite amusing.
"Unfortunately, you seem to be on the duller side. One must be smart to do evil. Isn't that right?"
"Ha...."
A low sigh.
The atmosphere changed drastically at the breath Dang Bwi exhaled.
I held Dang Soyeol a little closer in my embrace.
Mmn.
I drew my energy and thickened the qi barrier around us so that Dang Soyeol wouldn't notice.
"...I thought it would be annoying, annoying, but you are a far more troublesome fellow than expected."
"So you're done acting now? Why don't you keep going?"
If he had, I would've wanted to kill him even more. A bit of a shame.
Dang Bwi looked at me with changed eyes. Rusty, turbid pupils.
Many things that couldn't be seen while he laughed were contained there.
"Originally, I had only planned to briefly see your face, yet you've created an unnecessary affair."
"You didn't have to. I was planning to go see you lot's faces anyway."
Although I didn't know I'd see them this quickly.
Perhaps this is fortunate?
"What is your purpose? What purpose drives you to act so boldly?"
"If it's purpose...."
I had to think for a moment at Dang Bwi's question.
I tried thinking about it, but nothing really came to mind.
So I just decided to be honest.
"I just received a request."
"A request?"
"An incredible person asked me to overturn you guys because you're acting like dogs."
"Ha."
Dang Bwi laughed incredulously at my nonchalant words.
"How dare some lowly wretch say such things?"
"...Uh, you really shouldn't say that."
Especially you calling her a lowly wretch.
By rank, Dang Je-mun is a person you could call the Dang Clan itself without issue.
To be honest, she's on a level where if she came back alive and told the Poison King to roll over, the Poison King would have to roll like a dog.
Calling her a lowly wretch? You'll catch hell for those words after you die.
But Dang Bwi, who couldn't know this, continued speaking with a rotten smile.
"This is the Dang Clan. Before long, it will become the greatest clan in the Central Plains."
"Oh."
Fine self-esteem. Even in his previous life, Dang Bwi was dreaming a dream he couldn't achieve.
After the Nangong Clan was annihilated, as Sichuan was occupied, the place they barely fled to was none other than the Dang Clan.
From my perspective, knowing that, his dream felt quite grandiose.
"Yet a little rat who knows nothing crawls in thinking of muddying the waters. I even went out of my way to kindly warn you; are you truly not afraid of the Dang Clan?"
As expected.
The poison sent to me was indeed a warning, just as I had surmised.
The meaning being, don't act recklessly. Exactly that.
However, saying it was kindly done is contradictory.
"You were already full of intent to kill anyway, so why put on more pretense? Disgusting."
"Still playing tricks...."
These bastards have no intention of ending this with a mere warning.
If they intended to end it with something like that, they wouldn't have started this in the first place.
As if agreeing with my words, Dang Bwi's expression changed slightly.
"Are you saying you're acting recklessly despite knowing that?"
"I think you've been misunderstanding something from the start...."
There was one particularly grating thing among the words Dang Bwi had spat out.
Acting recklessly despite knowing? No.
That is.
"You are not the Dang Clan."
The very fact that a mere old man like you calls himself the Dang Clan itself felt like utter shit.
"You're just one of the rotted roots. Don't know your place and dare spew dogshit."
What he didn't know was that it was actually Dang Bwi who didn't know anything.
At best, an elder barely supporting a single pillar. And even then, a useless piece of scrap wood conducting shady business through the back door.
I couldn't understand why he acted so arrogantly.
For someone like that to call himself the Dang Clan—it's an insult to the Poison Consort who threw away her eyes and life to protect it.
That was something that shouldn't be done.
"So, just wait quietly until I come find you. If you're going to flee, flee quickly. Then, depending on your courage, I might not catch you."
"You brat... do you even know where this is, truly...!"
Huuuuuk—!
Unable to endure any longer, a ferocious fighting spirit burst from Dang Bwi's body.
An aura befitting an elder of the Four Great Clans, appearing to have reached the Transformation Realm.
Feeling that, I tilted my head.
The Poison King's residence wasn't very far; emitting such fighting spirit in such a place itself held meaning.
Dang Bwi did not fear the Poison King very much.
That he had ways to hide or handle the situation even if he tried to kill me right here and now.
I understood up to here.
I wanted to ask the essential question while looking into Dang Bwi's eyes.
"Will you?"
The question being whether he would really fight me here.
He was a martial artist of the Transformation Realm and used poison arts; in some ways, a tricky opponent.
But I didn't find it very frightening.
If he wished, I could oblige.
Just in time.
I had been wanting to fight someone, after all.
I looked at Dang Bwi with such eyes.
He flinched.
Suddenly, I saw the old man's movements falter.
What was he thinking?
An unexpected emotion flickered through Dang Bwi's gaze as he looked at me.
Fear? A sense of terror?
Roughly, those were the kinds of emotions I felt.
Why?
*'I hadn't even released any killing intent.'*
I was merely looking at him thinking of fighting; why did that old man harbor such emotions?
I couldn't know.
Watching that quietly, it was I who moved first.
I let go of Dang Soyeol's ear I had been holding and pushed her slightly away from my embrace.
And put on a smile.
"Thank you for your kind words, First Elder."
"...?"
Dang Bwi's expression wavered at my suddenly changed tone.
It was an expression asking, "Why is this bastard acting like this?"
"That you think so highly of me—I am truly grateful."
"...What are you..."
"Inviting me to a meal as well. I hardly know what to do with myself. Haha. I will certainly attend."
Dang Bwi's expression went from rotten to bizarre.
It took only a few seconds for his face, unable to understand what was happening, to change to a gaze as if asking what kind of bastard this was.
"Then, please go in comfortably."
Despite my greeting, Dang Bwi's steps remained where they were.
Confirming that, I sent him a gaze.
Are you going to do more?
*'If you're going to do it, then do it.'*
Speaking with such eyes, Dang Bwi slightly ground his teeth and turned his body.
Should I see it as him tucking his tail first? It didn't seem like it, though.
"Excuse me.... It seems I must go as I have matters to attend to. Lady, please have a pleasant time as well."
Dang Bwi paid his respects to Dang Soyeol and soon concealed himself with slow steps.
I too looked at his back and held back my regret.
*'Not yet.'*
Now is not the time.
I had a plan in mind. For now, I had to be satisfied with having prodded him.
Moreover, I thought it wasn't a bad harvest.
*'I've confirmed he's the one to kill. That's enough.'*
For now, this would be sufficient.
Thinking so, I opened my eyes wide.
"Ah."
It was because I had completely forgotten about Dang Soyeol, who had been in my embrace until now.
I hurriedly lowered my head to look at Dang Soyeol.
"Sorry, you must have been surprised... Hmm?"
The moment I checked Dang Soyeol's face, this time it was I who had to freeze.
"...You."
And for good reason—Dang Soyeol's ears and indeed her entire face were bright red.
"Are you okay? Why are you like this?"
Did I unknowingly emit some heat?
The heat felt from Dang Soyeol's face was considerable.
It wouldn't be strange if steam were rising from the top of her head right now.
"What the... why is this...."
With a worried heart, I tried to touch her forehead.
"...I... I... I-I'm going!"
Dang Soyeol shook off my hand and ran off at full speed.
The problem was that the direction was not where the path was.
I wondered if I should tell her.
But Dang Soyeol had already vanished with quick steps.
"Hmm...."
I had to scratch the back of my head as I watched.
Does she have some urgent business?
*'Well... she'll manage.'*
I decided not to worry too much about it.
******************
A day passed.
We should have all gone to the county together yesterday as originally planned, but because I collapsed from poisoning from the morning, the schedule got pushed back.
Thanks to that, the schedule had become quite tight.
I had to go immediately to the Baekhwa Merchant Guild's Sichuan branch in the county.
After that, I intended to meet Paejon.
As I had to prepare for the training that would follow.
It was time to set a new direction on what to do as my body's condition changed.
Just as I was about to move for the busy schedule.
"...What?"
I had to collide with something I hadn't been thinking of at all.
What blocked my path as I tried to leave was none other than Nahie, a shadow agent of the Dang Clan.
She was not my servant, but had come as a member of the Dang Clan to deliver words by the Poison King's command.
However.
It was precisely that information that was the problem.
"Say it again. What happened?"
At my urgent question, Nahie, who had been kneeling on one knee, cautiously spoke.
"The Lord has sent a letter to Guga containing news that the Young Master nearly died from poisoning in the Dang Clan."
"..."
"It is expected that the messenger will arrive within five days at the latest."
It meant that word of me ingesting poison in the Dang Clan would reach my father in Shanxi.
Listening to that, cold sweat slightly trickled down my back.
This is...
*'...I think I've gotten myself into a bit of trouble.'*
It seemed a somewhat unexpected problem would arise.