---

Chapter 434: Relay the Message

Poison Heavenly River, Tang Je-mun.

One of the five heroes who stopped the Blood Demon’s Blood Calamity.

A remarkable figure who reversed the Martial Alliance’s perception of the Tang Clan, previously seen as a Demonic Faction, and helped establish the alliance.

I’ve heard of this person’s name from Shin Noya a few times.

I also heard they were one of the crazies.

‘…They’re not a crazy; it’s an elder!’

I looked at Tang Je-mun in astonishment.

Her long, flowing hair reached down to her waist.

A subtly shimmering green that couldn’t compare to the beauty of Tang Soyeol or the Poison King.

‘This hair color reminds me of…’

‘The color of the lake.’

It was as if it emitted a light.

Her dreamy gaze held eyes that sparkled like jewels.

She resembled Tang Soyeol at first glance, but there was a distinctly feminine and mature air about her.

Especially her chest….

‘…’

While not as pronounced as Nangong Bi-ah, it seemed quite inconvenient for using martial arts.

Is this woman truly Tang Je-mun?

Could she possibly be Tang Je-mun’s younger sister or another relative?

If not…

‘Is it possible that Tang Je-mun was a woman?’

It wouldn’t be strange to have a female hero, but how did her name come about like that…

As I stared at the self-proclaimed Tang Je-mun with a bewildered expression, she… no, she approached me.

Shhaaaaaaa-!

The Red Water Clan showed clear hostility towards her.

What’s with this guy now?

Tang Je-mun tilted her head, looking at the hostile gaze from the Red Water Clan.

[How intriguing. You carry a Holy Being.]

“A Holy Being… you say?”

I felt like I’d heard that somewhere before.

But I couldn’t quite recall.

[Who on earth are you?]

“…”

[You’re definitely not Shin Cheol… but I can feel Shin Cheol’s energy from you.]

I forced a wry smile at Tang Je-mun’s words.

Hearing her made me feel like I was starting to understand the nature of this place.

‘So this too.’

The arrangements made for Noya.

What Bu-Yeong said, and the confirmation from Yeon Ilcheon.

Did the Poison Lake from the Tang Clan also mean it was prepared for Shin Noya?

If Tang Je-mun is here, then it must be true.

“Noya… no, I have a bit of a connection to the Shin Cheol the Taoist.”

[Are you related to the successor of Shin Cheol?]

Successor, huh.

Considering that the Hwasan Sect is right there, how could I dare call myself a successor?

“Yes.”

I already knew that.

If I hesitated here, Shin Noya would surely give me an earful later.

After all, I raised him from a baby, he wouldn’t forget to remind me of that.

“I am the successor to that person.”

So I didn’t hesitate any longer.

[…]

As soon as Tang Je-mun heard my response, her expression darkened slightly.

Why? Why does she have that kind of expression?

[So, Shin Cheol ultimately did not come back then.]

“Ah.”

Is that her disappointment about it?

Every time I met a hero from the past, they all seemed to feel some disappointment or despair over similar matters.

That Shin Noya could not return.

This was important to them.

[There’s something I want to ask the successor.]

“Do you believe that I’m a successor?”

Her unreserved declaration of me as a successor startled me instead.

Tang Je-mun looked at me, bewildered.

[Isn’t that so?]

“No… it’s true, but… um.”

Swish.

As I hesitated, Tang Je-mun stepped closer and poked her finger at my chest.

[You’re ominous.]

“…”

Her sudden words made me catch my breath.

A chilling energy ran along my neck.

I remembered being told something similar by Yeon Ilcheon in the Shinryong Temple’s Biwaegun.

– You are a calamity.

He definitely said that to me.

And now, being here, I felt an increasing sense of unease about it.

[Your presence is overwhelming, and your unstable state is burdensome to witness in many ways.]

“…”

[However.]

Tang Je-mun’s fingertip edged closer and suddenly poked me right in the chest.

I didn’t feel a physical touch, though.

[I can feel Shin Cheol here.]

“…!”

[That’s enough for me. You are indeed his successor.]

“Could it be that I… obtained this through wrongful means?”

[If that were the case, he would have been upset. Shin Cheol is that kind of person.]

Her conviction was unwavering.

I looked into her eyes.

In her luminescent green eyes, I felt an unusually deep emotion.

That emotion was so solid and rich that it helped me understand how Tang Je-mun viewed Shin Noya.

‘This elder must have never experienced love.’

After all the grumbles she threw at me, this was an unexpected turn of events.

If only she’d get up once. I’d question each little thing.

As I was deep in thought about that, Tang Je-mun called to me again.

[Successor.]

“Yes, Senior.”

[Have you ever seen Shin Cheol?]

“…”

Her tone was oddly cautious.

I could sense a mix of anxiety and anticipation in her words.

“I have seen him.”

A flicker of joy crossed Tang Je-mun’s face.

“…He’s with me even now.”

[H-Him?]

Tang Je-mun looked brighter than I’d ever seen, and that left me with a strange sense of guilt.

‘Isn’t he supposed to get up in times like this?’

I felt resentment towards Shin Noya.

The last time I met Yeon Ilcheon, he even stirred briefly.

Why is he silent this time?

Seeing Tang Je-mun be buoyed by hope, I took a deep breath and briefly recounted how I came to meet Shin Noya before.

[…]

After my explanation ended.

All that remained in Tang Je-mun’s eyes was disappointment.

When she heard that I absorbed the energy of the Holy Being and had been with Shin Noya for years, she initially seemed elated.

But now, knowing he hadn’t woken in nearly a year, it looked like Tang Je-mun faced great disappointment.

[So that’s why you weren’t surprised when you saw me… I see.]

“…Yes.”

I had encountered him so many times that I could roughly guess how he’d respond.

‘The most shocking thing was finding out Tang Je-mun was a woman.’

I never would have guessed she would be such a delicate and feminine figure.

Tang Je-mun still appeared disappointed, her eyes half-lidded.

Maybe I should just leave her be for now.

But since I didn’t have time, I had to at least ask what I needed to ask.

“King Cheol-Gwon called me a calamity when he saw me.”

At my words, Tang Je-mun’s eyes brightened.

[Was it Yeon Ilcheon who said that?]

‘Huh?’

I could be mistaken, but I thought I saw a hint of hostility in Tang Je-mun’s look when Yeon Ilcheon was mentioned.

“Yes, he called me a calamity.”

And I almost died.

Just thinking back on that time sent shivers down my spine. If it wasn’t for Shin Noya’s intervention, I could have really died.

“Do you, by any chance, share that thought, Senior?”

Asking that took considerable thought.

It would be troublesome if she became hostile like Yeon Ilcheon had.

But in asking, I chose to trust her feelings for Shin Noya.

If I’m a successor, maybe she wouldn’t go all out to kill me.

At this, Tang Je-mun said to me:

[What did Shin Cheol say in response to that?]

What did Shin Cheol say?

The words that Shin Noya had told me back then…

Certainly.

“…He told me to believe in myself, not in the words of others.”

That’s what he had said.

If a martial artist falters in trusting themselves, what could they possibly do?

Hearing that from me, Tang Je-mun wore a faint smile.

[That sounds like Shin Cheol.]

She seemed pleased with my answer.

[That’s right… so, he would’ve likely given that answer.]

“What do you think, Senior?”

[Well, who can say.]

Though that was Shin Noya’s response, what about Tang Je-mun’s?

As she pondered my question, Tang Je-mun fixed me with a somewhat chilly gaze.

Then she said:

[If it were me, I would have probably answered just like Yeon Ilcheon.]

“…!”

Her tone was biting enough to make me flinch.

It must be ‘thoughts.’ How can both Yeon Ilcheon and Tang Je-mun have such an aura?

Just as I started worrying about what might happen, Tang Je-mun continued, brushing away the chill.

[But….]

She quickly erased her previous demeanor and continued.

[If Shin Cheol said that, then it must be correct.]

While feeling relieved at her words, myriad emotions swirled within me.

Every sentence she spoke felt like it had Shin Noya intertwined within it.

How much emotion must be held for that to be so clear?

“You seem to have quite a bit of faith in Noya.”

[…]

No answer came in response to my statement.

Tang Je-mun merely watched my chest silently.

Her gaze seemed to be searching for Shin Noya.

“Senior…?”

Upon hearing my call, Tang Je-mun turned and headed off somewhere.

The darkness where she had appeared dissipated, revealing a small altar ahead of us.

‘That’s….’

I caught sight of a fist-sized stone sitting on the altar.

A pure white stone radiating a soft glow.

My eyes widened at the sight.

‘White Horse Stone.’

The White Horse Stone, said to possess the energy of a high-grade Demon Beast.

That object I had so desperately wanted was right there.

[As you might know, I am the lingering thoughts of Tang Je-mun.]

While I was mesmerized by the stone, Tang Je-mun slowly continued.

[It’s one of the preparations made for Shin Cheol… and the remnants of longing and regret left for him. That’s me.]

“Remnants of… longing?”

Hearing those words, an inexplicable question crossed my mind.

Setting aside the remnants and regrets part.

I understood that this was the Biwaegun Tang Je-mun had prepared.

‘But why prepare the White Horse Stone?’

For ordinary people, stones don’t hold much value.

Even if it had immense energy, it couldn’t be absorbed like the Spirit Pill or Inner Altar. It seemed odd to prepare the White Horse Stone for Shin Noya.

I intended to ask Tang Je-mun about that, but instead, she called me first.

[Successor.]

“Yes.”

[To obtain the Poison Heavenly Pill, you must pass a test.]

“Excuse me?”

[This too was prepared for Shin Cheol. However… if you are indeed the successor…]

“Wait a moment.”

[What is it?]

I was sure I had misheard something just then.

“…Did you say the Poison Heavenly Pill?”

She unequivocally said “Poison Heavenly Pill.”

Tang Je-mun tilted her head at my inquiry.

[Yes. Didn’t you know?]

She pointed her fingertip towards somewhere. I turned my gaze.

When my sight moved slightly, I finally saw it.

Next to the White Horse Stone was a vessel with round Inner Altar pills stacked on top.

…How did I miss that earlier?

‘Is it really all of it?’

The Poison Heavenly Pill, you say?

Gulp….

I unconsciously swallowed dryly.

What is the Poison Heavenly Pill?

It’s said to be a sacred pill whose recipe has been lost, making it impossible to recreate. The divine pill that supposedly surpasses Shaolin’s famed Daehwan Pill in the Central Plains….

‘And it looks like there are more than just a few stacked up there…’

I probably counted at least ten or so.

Noting my reaction, Tang Je-mun asked:

[Maybe, the successor doesn’t need the Inner Altar?]

“No, I absolutely need it. I came here precisely for that.”

[Oh, I see.]

Tang Je-mun nodded, apparently already expecting that response.

Sure, I came all this way to obtain it.

I must get it no matter what.

The White Horse Stone? What’s that compared to the medicine?

“I’ll take the test right away.”

I came here ready to stake my life on obtaining the Poison Heavenly Pill.

No matter what the test was, I wasn’t afraid at all.

Shhaaa….

Clueless, the Red Water Clan whimpered as they looked at me, but after casting them a glare, I tucked them away.

 

---