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Chapter 432: The Lake of Regret (2)

The Poison King frowned as if my request displeased him.

It was only natural for the clan leader to feel it was disrespectful to bring such a request so early in the morning.

However, I judged that he wasn’t the type to refuse just because he was in a bad mood.

And as expected, I was right.

“You must be cautious of the poison from now on.”

With his warning, I raised the stakes.

I had no resistance to poison in this life, so I needed to be a bit careful.

I was currently being guided to Poison Lake.

A precious treasure of the Tang Clan that was formed during the time when Poison Heavenly River’s Tang Je-mun was the clan leader.

Poison Lake.

A mysterious lake that constantly produces toxic substances.

While it may not be utterly deadly, the infinite poison it generates holds significant value, which the Tang Clan often added to their poisons.

I heard that in the past, they made substantial profits selling their poisons.

However, since the agreement with the Martial Alliance, it had turned into a thing of the past as all distribution required permission from the alliance.

And…

“The White Horse Stone lies asleep here.”

This was where the White Horse Stone that the Heavenly Demon gave me in my previous life lay hidden.

It was located beneath Poison Lake.

“I never imagined I’d come here on my own.”

I had thought about sneaking in someday, but never expected to attempt it before I even turned legal age.

While it was good that my growth was faster than I’d expected…

“It’s going to get me killed.”

I had no idea it would become a hindrance.

I hadn’t anticipated that such rapid growth and increase in energy would damage my vessel.

Moreover, most of this energy wasn’t something I consumed out of desire, which made it more frustrating.

“My life is always like this.”

Things never flowed as I expected, and this was just another instance.

As I moved forward, I asked the woman guiding me a question.

“Is the clan leader not coming with us?”

“The Master said he has urgent matters to attend to…”

“Oh, I see.”

The speaker was a woman. I recognized her from before.

She was the lady from when I had gone to dine with the Poison King in Hanam.

She was one of the hidden assassins who had been scattered around the inn, and she seemed to be the most skilled among them.

Though I hadn’t heard her name from the Poison King, I knew it was Nahi.

“Is it really okay for you to guide only me?”

“…If you find it unsuitable, I can call someone else.”

“That’s not it. I was just wondering if it’s alright to have only one person watching over such a precious treasure.”

Although Poison Lake was currently referred to as a peculiar treasure, it was still one of the clan’s representative treasures, so I thought it strange to have just one person assigned to guide and monitor me.

To call it faith felt rather flimsy.

“Besides, the Poison King isn’t present.”

If it were a request out of gratitude, the clan leader would normally want to accompany me for appearances’ sake.

The Poison King had not shown up, citing urgent matters.

“Hmm.”

At the very least, the Lesser Clan Leader or Tang Soyeol should be here.

The absence of anyone from the bloodline made me suspect…

“Is something going on?”

It seemed like there was some issue related to the criminals we had transported, but another thought lingered in the back of my mind.

“Has the Tang Clan’s plan really come to an end?”

Tang Deok’s project to bring forth the Heavenly Martial Body.

Thoughts of the future Poison Empress intertwined, leading me to ponder it frequently.

“The actions of the Heavenly Demon also linger.”

During that time when I deliberately stepped into Sichuan to destroy the Tang Clan.

Ultimately, the Heavenly Demon had burned down the ground of Sichuan and tried to investigate underground here.

At that moment, I had thought Jiegal Hyeok was just strategizing for some reason.

“…Did the Heavenly Demon know something?”

Suddenly, a feeling crept up that there might be more I didn’t know.

“This way.”

Nahi’s voice pulled me back to reality.

After following her for several minutes, I finally stood before a small lake.

As I gazed at it, my eyes widened slightly.

“…This is it.”

The lake shimmered with a soft green hue.

It wasn’t very large.

Its gentle, serene ripples made it appear just like a beautiful lake.

I had expected it to be bubbling and filled with a foul stench, but contrary to my expectations, it looked utterly lovely.

“Is this how it originally appeared?”

When I had arrived with the Heavenly Demon, it was no longer in a condition worthy of being called a lake.

The water had completely drained, leaving only a deep pit behind.

Moreover, at that time, everything around had been melting or rotting due to the poison released by the Poison Empress.

It was quite astonishing to witness such a beautiful scene.

As I took a step closer to the lake, Nahi warned me.

“…Do not approach any closer than a certain distance.”

“Is that water all toxic?”

“Yes.”

“It looks too clear for that, though.”

It was clear.

You could see the bottom even from afar.

Is all of that poison?

“It doesn’t even smell.”

I relaxed my guard at that thought and lightly turned my energy again.

“…Hmm.”

I could feel something entering my body.

Very faint, but it was undoubtedly poison.

Realizing this, I quickly expanded my energy barrier and circulated it to eliminate the poison before looking back at the lake.

If simply breathing from this distance could draw in poison,

When I actually submerged my body, the time I could endure would be…

“Given my current state, at most…?”

About half of the half a breath.

“That’s tight.”

Shorter than I expected.

“Does that mean I need to find the entrance to the Biwa there?”

At the time, I had simply followed the Heavenly Demon into the lake, so I only knew a vague location.

If that lake is this clear yet I haven’t discovered Biwa until now, it must have been obscured with formations.

“Hmm…”

As I mulled over what to do,

“Prince.”

Nahi approached and bowed her head slightly.

“The time set by the Master has come to an end. You need to return now.”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

Hah.

Look at this guy.

Did he really only plan to show me around?

It hadn’t even been half a breath since I arrived, and now I was being told to go back.

“Is this because I came here early in the morning?”

He clearly seemed to have a narrow mind.

After all, asking for a glimpse of this lake out of the blue could make anyone suspicious.

I hadn’t expected him to let me see it for long.

And…

“I wouldn’t mind if limitations were placed.”

After all, I had been anticipating that.

I slowly turned to Nahi and spoke.

“You know…”

“…What is it?”

“I’d like to make a deal.”

Nahi looked at me with a puzzled expression at my sudden declaration.

I took a moment to observe the woman.

She was an ordinary-looking lady with shallow green hair and black eyes.

“…What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much.”

I smiled at her and continued speaking.

“I just need to dive into that lake for a moment. Could you pretend you didn’t see it?”

“…?! What are you talking about?!”

Nahi gasped at my words, shock written all over her face, but I cut her off mid-sentence.

“In exchange…”

There was a question I’d once asked Tang Deok.

Though he was cleverer than I anticipated, it would have been difficult for him to orchestrate plans while fully grasping the Poison King’s movements.

Surprisingly, he seemed to know exactly when and how the Poison King would act.

Such a curious matter.

How could that be?

I didn’t need to ponder it for long.

In other words, it was quite obvious.

He must have implanted a spy.

Unless the Poison King’s inner circle had no eyes or ears, it made sense.

So, I asked Tang Deok.

Who his eyes and ears were.

In response, he had shared information about the spies with me.

“I won’t tell the Poison King that you’re a bat, alright? How about that?”

“…!”

That someone was the very Nahi before me.

Nahi flinched at my words, and suddenly, she tried to raise her killing intent.

She swung her hand.

Swoosh-!

“Ugh!!”

Nahi’s head jerked to the side from the slap, and her energy dissipated in an instant.

I grasped her neck and pulled her close to meet my gaze.

“I’ll ask again.”

I didn’t express any killing intent.

“Will you make a deal or not?”

“…How… how could you….”

“How did I know?”

“How would I know?!”

“Because Tang Deok told me everything. He was so kind.”

This was the truth because I had indeed heard it from Tang Deok.

As I revealed the truth, Nahi suddenly burst into a furious shout.

“That can’t be! My brother…! He wouldn’t say such a thing…!”

Swoosh-!

As she made a scene, I slapped her again. Nahi crumpled to the floor.

I stomped on her chest and spoke.

“Ugh…!”

“If you can’t believe it, what will you do?”

“Ughhh….”

“Shut your mouth; you might end up wringing your neck without realizing it.”

Blood dripped from her lips, swelling up her red cheeks.

It might have been a pitiful sight, but I wasn’t concerned about that.

“It’s fine even if you refuse. After I kill you, I’ll tell the Poison King that you were the spy and threw me into the lake, and that will be the end of it.”

I had expected Nahi to come as my guide all along.

While I didn’t foresee her being the only one assigned to me, if Tang Deok had indeed been captured, I had anticipated that an unaware Nahi would follow me.

Thanks to that, the situation became considerably easier.

“It would be quickest to turn her into a demon.”

Still, there was insufficient energy for that.

Given that I needed to head towards the lake immediately, turning Nahi, who seemed to embody perfection, into a demon would pose subsequent problems.

With my energy dwindling, it would be difficult to endure in the lake.

So, this was the method I chose.

Once I had the luxury of energy, I would corrupt her into a demon.

But as of now, it wasn’t a feasible situation, so this was merely a bit of considerate favoritism.

I pressed down harder with my foot.

“Ughhh….!”

With a smile, I asked Nahi once more.

“So, what will it be? Will you do it or not?”

I hoped for a quick response.

It was evident that there was only one choice she could make, anyway.

 

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