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Chapter 516 – Just One More Time!

As time passed, it was around noon.

The incident that erupted late at night had caused quite a commotion.

For now, it was noisy only within the Tang Clan.

But how long would this last?

If the Poison King couldn’t seize control of the clan’s opinions, it wouldn’t be long before word spread throughout Sichuan and the entire Central Plains.

It was indeed a significant matter.

‘Rather… it could only be that way.’

How could it not be?

The fact that the Tang Clan had been conducting human experiments without anyone knowing.

Now that the truth about that incident had come to light.

If rumors couldn’t be suppressed, it was only a matter of time before they spread throughout the region.

The captured Elder Lee confessed everything while repenting for his sins.

He revealed the heinous acts they had committed over the past century to make the Tang Clan the strongest clan.

The birth plan of the Heavenly Martial Body had been frequently mentioned.

The full details of that plan were finally revealed.

‘It’s much worse than I thought.’

When I checked back in my previous life, it had already been erased, and I had only seen a small fragment that remained.

Now, I could understand the truth while looking at the basement of the Tang Clan.

I remembered the corpses of demon beasts piled high, soaked in poison.

There were so many that the space in the basement was quite extensive, yet it was filled to the brim.

That part didn’t matter much.

Experiments using demon beasts? That’s something I’d heard of before.

At least the Moyong Clan had demon beasts locked in their basement to extract silk for their business. The Martial Alliance was continuing experiments on demon beasts as well.

So, there was no reason to be riled up over something like this.

There was no need for anyone to operate in secret.

Then, what was the problem?

Well, it was—

‘Human experimentation.’

That was probably the issue.

When Elder Lee was subdued and the Heavenly Lord collapsed, the flame that had been clinging to him was extinguished.

Strangely, it went out just as the Poison King arrived.

I wondered if my father had adjusted it, but I couldn’t be sure.

Anyway.

When the Poison King had dug even deeper into the Tang Clan’s basement,

what unfolded was a scene that would make even him and my father frown.

A thick scent of blood wafted heavily through the air; I wondered where it was coming from, and it turned out to be from beyond a door that was tightly sealed.

When he forcibly opened the door and infiltrated the space, everyone covered their mouths in shock at what they saw inside.

Something was piled so high that the floor wasn’t visible.

Only after a little while did I realize that it was all human bodies.

Rotting and decayed corpses.

They were in such a dismal state that it was hard to discern their original forms.

The blood had dried and congealed.

Chunks were so fragmented that they emanated a foul odor.

“Uugh…!”

One of the martial artists behind me suddenly retched.

Even though they were from the Poison King’s Sword Team, who had likely faced life-and-death situations before, they couldn’t hold it in any longer.

The sight was that repulsive.

At that moment.

Swish.

My father suddenly placed a hand on my back.

Just as I was wondering what he was doing, I felt a thin layer wrapping around my body.

Only then did I realize.

This space was filled with thick poison.

Whoooosh-!

At the same time, a gust of wind blew.

The poison that had spread throughout the room began to be absorbed somewhere.

That somewhere was the Poison King’s hand.

The Poison King was concentrating the poison floating around into one place.

‘Fascinating.’

I wondered if this was some technique from the Tang Clan, like how the Gu Clan manipulated heat; was he also manipulating poison?

Before long, the poisonous aura dissipated, revealing the lingering feast of corpses and contraptions suggesting experiments had been conducted.

I already knew what those things meant.

I had been informed by Elder Lee long ago.

Moreover, seeing the corpses piled up like this didn’t evoke any particular emotion within me.

I had seen worse in my previous life.

This was nothing.

Of course, that was speaking from my perspective. The Poison King and others might feel differently.

Creak.

A rough sound emanated from the Poison King’s hands.

He seemed to be straining against the urge to smash everything to pieces.

The sound of him forcing his breath back down was also audible.

After a few seconds of collecting himself, the Poison King said,

“Could you… please step aside?”

He addressed my father and me while speaking.

Those words left me quite startled internally.

‘He’s going to let this slide?’

It was obvious that the Tang Clan had been up to something underground.

Whether the Poison King intervened or not, trying to dismiss witnesses could lead to problems.

There was no way the Poison King wouldn’t be aware of that. Had he truly lost his mind?

I watched the Poison King with a strange expression.

“Very well.”

My father said nothing and simply nodded to the Poison King’s request.

Though I felt a bit uneasy, if my father deemed it okay, I had no room to object.

With that, I began to follow my father as he turned to leave, but I couldn’t help but take a brief glance at the Poison King’s back.

Due to the characteristics of Tang Clan members, most were relatively smaller in stature.

Could that be why, but the Poison King’s back looked especially small.

It nagged at me.

After that, I couldn’t head straight to my residence.

Given the circumstances, I had to wait in the main building.

Afterward, things moved at quite a rapid pace.

“… The Third Elder and Fourth Elder are involved in this matter.”

Because Elder Lee, who had been captured, continuously revealed the truth about the situation.

“Everything is for the will of the Poison King….”

“So that the Tang Clan can become the strongest clan….”

They acted in order to make the Tang Clan the very best.

The current Tang Clan was not a proper clan.

How could a clan without power be the best clan?

The words Elder Lee spat out with sincerity reflected that sentiment.

After the Tang Clan began dealing in iron, a shift occurred.

Elder Lee claimed that was the moment the problem began.

The flow started to change under the influence of the Poison King’s father and former clan leader.

Elders who opposed this began to cultivate plans to stir things up, which ultimately exploded into the current situation.

That was essentially the gist.

It wasn’t particularly thrilling.

‘Since he asked to speak earnestly, it doesn’t seem to be a lie.’

Given the golden binding I placed on Elder Lee, what he said would be true.

However, it all seemed petty for something to be considered sincere.

That part was fine by me.

Even when I heard that the recent disappearances in Sichuan were the doing of the Tang Clan,

when I learned they had used it for human experimentation,

and when Elder Lee began spewing nonsense about how because the clan leader’s abilities were lacking, he tried to take matters into his own hands,

the Poison King struggled to hold in his frustration.

“Right after the medicine was completed…. through the princess….”

Swooosh-!

Upon hearing that he intended to kidnap Tang Soyeol and force the completed medicine onto her, the Poison King unsheathed his sword and personally executed Elder Lee.

The Poison King, who usually didn’t use his sword, decided to deal a fatal blow.

Blood splattered, soaking the floor, and the atmosphere around us chilled at the sight of such a violent action from the Poison King.

He seemed furious, grinding his teeth as he spoke to the martial artists of the Tang Clan.

“Bring the Third Elder and Fourth Elder.”

His face, twisted like that of an evil spirit, was intimidating.

Watching him, I couldn’t help but feel alarmed internally.

‘Oh, he can’t kill them.’

I was shocked at the death of Elder Lee.

There was much information yet to be gleaned. With the Poison King arriving, I had missed out on everything.

Now that he had killed him, my side would face difficulties as well.

‘… Damn it.’

But it wasn’t all for naught.

I learned that if he succeeded in demonization, he could somewhat restore his shattered mind.

As Elder Lee’s head rolled on the floor, and as the martial artists began to scatter at the Poison King’s command, I too decided to leave the scene.

Staying there any longer would also be troublesome.

I figured it would soon become noisy, so I decided to sneak away for a bit.

Just as I was about to ask if my father was coming along,

“Go ahead first.”

He seemed to know I would flee and spoke before I could.

“… What about you, Clan Leader?”

What will you do, Father?

When I asked, he looked at me with a somewhat discontented gaze.

What was it? Did I do something wrong?

I subtly gauged his mood, and my father spoke.

“Address me properly.”

“Eh?”

“This isn’t the Gu Clan.”

“… What do you mean?”

That was a rather odd statement.

What should I call you then? Isn’t it normal to call the clan leader ‘Clan Leader’?

Thinking for a moment, I blurted out the only word that came to mind.

“Father…?”

“…”

As soon as my father heard my title, he nodded.

So, that was the correct answer?

I didn’t understand why he found that agreeable, but I took the opportunity to get to the main point.

“Aren’t you going with me?”

“Not yet. The transaction isn’t over.”

“A transaction?”

Not understanding what he meant, I inspected him as he began to walk away.

As he did, I heard a transmission in my ear.

– I made a deal with the Poison King. If I help with the current situation, he promised to grant priority in dealings with the Tang Clan.

My eyes widened at my father’s words.

Wait, when did you say that…?

Was the deal about—

‘Capturing the elders, perhaps?’

Thinking that, I quickly glanced at the Poison King.

Could it be he anticipated this and called my father?

‘So that’s why he made such a ruckus when handling the situation.’

Usually, if you don’t deal with things quietly, the guilty parties catch on and flee, so it’s better to act stealthily.

I had thought it strange for the Poison King to handle it so noisily in a place filled with people.

‘This guy….’

The Poison King was much more cunning than I had imagined.

The reason for the loud commotion was undoubtedly to elevate the clan leader’s authority.

By handling the elders and showing the clan leader’s influence, he could prevent the fragmenting of the Tang Clan.

‘Ah….’

I couldn’t help but chuckle at feeling more tied down than I had anticipated.

The Poison King was much more capable than I had thought.

However, what worried me was—

‘Priority in dealings.’

As the clan with the strongest market share concerning iron, having priority in dealings with them held significant value.

To my knowledge, the Martial Alliance had held that position.

‘Can the Gu Clan take this?’

Especially since there was already tension due to partnerships with the Moyong Clan.

Could anything be taken from the Martial Alliance like this? If so, the power of the Gu Clan would grow excessively.

Such a large clan growing to that extent is what the Martial Alliance would most wish to prevent.

‘… Well, I guess my father will handle it.’

As I pondered, I quickly brushed the thought aside.

My father would handle it.

Besides, if things went sideways, Lady Mi would usually step in to resolve matters.

Watching my father leisurely depart to capture the elders, I resumed my own steps.

My destination was already decided.

“Ah, Prince…?”

In a residence not far behind the main building.

There stood a woman, familiar yet strange, stroking a wolf.

Of course, it was none other than Tang Soyeol.

This was Tang Soyeol’s residence.

Tang Soyeol smiled brightly as she noticed my sudden visit.

Her smile, though cheerful, had a hint of shadow that caught my attention.

That was an aspect I had been mildly concerned about.

“What brings you here?”

“I was just curious about what you were doing.”

It was around the time the Poison King was busy sorting things out.

However, seeing Tang Soyeol’s reaction made it feel like the Poison King had kept secrets from her.

‘The qi perception around her is significantly heightened today.’

In the vicinity of Tang Soyeol’s residence, the number of martial artists on guard was double than usual, and most were at a higher level than usual.

It seemed she had taken precautions for any unforeseen circumstances and kept it from Tang Soyeol.

Clearly indicating that, a martial artist from the Tang Clan who had just appeared reacted.

– Gu Gong….

– I’m already aware. Don’t worry.

-…

Perhaps they intended to warn her not to mention Elder Lee, hence my preemptive statement.

“Ah, Prince, this is my pet wolf. Isn’t he adorable?”

Tang Soyeol introduced the wolf she was petting, clearly pleased to see me.

It was a gigantic wolf with black fur… um, how should I put this?

“… He looks oddly rude.”

There was something off-putting about its appearance.

Grrrr…!

As if it understood my words, the wolf glared at me. This little brat?

I was about to scold it when Tang Soyeol waved her hand to stop me.

“That’s what makes him cute!”

“… Ah, I see.”

Alright, if you think it’s cute, that works.

I wouldn’t dare speak ill of a pet.

Besides, I was in no position to criticize, given I was also keeping a bizarre snake.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t named that little guy yet.’

I recalled my adversary, the one-time opponent that was now sleeping in my residence.

He seemed helpful and quite intelligent, yet for some reason, I hadn’t named him.

What should I call him?

The contemplation didn’t take long.

‘I’ll name him Tolly.’

Since he helped out well, he might as well be called Tolly.

– Shaaaaaa!

From somewhere, a faint echo resembling Tolly’s scream reached my ears.

Just my imagination, I shrugged it off.

I nodded slightly and turned back to Tang Soyeol.

“The reason I came is—I have something to ask.”

“To me?”

“Yeah.”

I looked into her lightly mint-green eyes.

“Do you ever think about wanting to be stronger?”

“… Huh?”

Even I thought that question came out of nowhere.

 

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