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Chapter 7: The Poison in the Teapot

“It’s poisoned!”

The Poison King exclaimed, gripping the spout of the teapot tightly.

Inside was hot tea brought by a servant, but the Poison King had covered it with his hand.

It must be incredibly hot, but he was a Transformation Realm Martial Artist. Such heat would hardly faze him.

What mattered were his eyes.

“Do you know who did this?”

His scorching gaze was filled with a violent intent.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

‘He sensed it already?’

I had only realized it after smelling the scent, but he seemed to have caught on even before pouring it.

The Poison King couldn’t have achieved immunity to all poisons yet, so how was he so perceptive…?

‘Is it a difference in experience?’

It must be purely about the proficiency of poison techniques. Yes, I figured. While I could resist poison, recognizing it was a whole different ball game.

However, no matter what, I was startled by his high level of awareness.

I genuinely didn’t expect him to detect the specific poison inside.

Thud! The Poison King stood the teapot upright, staring me down. I recalled his previous question.

“Do you know who is behind this?”

“Yes, I do.”

I admitted without hesitation. Naturally, I thought the Poison King would be shocked and flustered, but his reaction was quite the opposite.

“Oh, really? Then we must catch that bastard immediately. Who is it?”

“…Huh?”

I was the one caught off guard. Why did he believe me right away and want to spring into action? Normally, he’d ask how I knew or why I wasn’t acting even though I did.

Lost in confusion, I stared blankly at the Poison King.

“What kind of scoundrel…?”

The Poison King clenched his fist and rose.

“To try and make my precious daughter a widow…!”

“…Wait, hold on? Tang Clan Leader?”

I quickly grabbed the enraged Poison King, who had the killing intent radiating from him.

If I had been a moment late, he would be on his way for sure.

“Why in the world are you talking about making her a widow… and where do you think you’re going?”

“Of course, I’m going to capture the criminal and melt him down.”

“Melt him down? What do you mean by that? Please, just stop for a moment… Please listen to me first.”

I somehow managed to drag the impulsive Poison King back down. He still looked filled with fury.

I wondered if he was that angry because I had attempted to poison him… but hearing his words put me in a tougher spot.

– To make her a widow! –

From what he said, it clearly seemed to be about Tang Soyeol.

I didn’t particularly want to pick at that. After all, I figured it would just lead to more headaches for me.

But anyway, since I managed to sit down the Poison King, I sighed and spoke to him.

“No, can you at least try to hold back a bit? I’m preparing for something.”

This was an extremely crucial situation. I had struggled for days to bring this about. I couldn’t let the Poison King ruin it.

In response to my words, the Poison King frowned.

“You mean the thing you’re preparing for was this assassination attempt?”

“Come on. No way.”

I waved my hands with a smile.

“Even Tang Clan Leader knows, right? This kind of poison can’t kill a person.”

This wasn’t assassination-grade poison.

The Poison King must already know that, and while I couldn’t be certain, I was confident.

He would think that way because—

‘It’s the poison I provided.’

This poison was one I had given him.

It was one that acted slowly to facilitate a bet and causes paralysis.

It was expensive and hard to obtain, but when mixed with tea, it wouldn’t show, and the effects lasted quite a while.

If accumulated over several days, its potency tended to maximize.

If I had to mention the issue, it would be that it was quite difficult to acquire….

“Wait a minute.”

The Poison King, upon hearing this, seemed to suddenly realize something.

“Is it what you asked for last time?”

“…”

I just gave a sheepish grin in response.

That was correct. This poison had come from the Tang Clan.

I had secretly asked the Lesser Clan Leader for this, and it seemed the Poison King knew.

“I thought it was just curiosity to see where it would be used, but I never imagined it would be for self-consumption.”

“Please keep it a secret. The Lesser Clan Leader seems to have a surprisingly loose tongue…”

Well, I wondered if I even tried to hide it in the first place. Suppressing that question, I decided to ignore it.

“Why would you consume such a precious poison yourself?”

“Wouldn’t this be more beneficial?”

“Then what’s the point of using poison…?”

“…”

He had a point, and I fell silent. He was right… If I wasn’t going to harm someone, I usually wouldn’t use poison.

While people also claim they could use it for paralysis or other treatments… I hadn’t thought that far.

“…Anyway, I had my reasons.”

“…Hmm.”

“It’s not a big problem. As I just mentioned, consuming this won’t lead to death.”

Not just this, but the same applied to any poison—but the Poison King didn’t know I was immune to all poisons.

It was crucial to keep that concealed. If word got out that I had that immunity, it would lead to complications.

‘Just how many uses do I have for this?’

Capturing would-be poisoners would be the easiest with this, and for the sake of inducing the situation, remaining quiet seemed more convenient.

Look at that! Just as it was kept under wraps, such events could easily occur.

‘…I respect you again today. Senior Tang.’

I couldn’t help but bow my head slightly, similar to a prayer, remembering the one called the Hero of the Tang Clan. Unlike those other useless fellows, she left a noteworthy legacy.

In my previous life, I had been quite careful in eating due to poison, so it felt pretty good not to have to worry now.

“Truly, you needn’t worry.”

“…Why would I be concerned about anyone?”

“Whether not you’re worried about me or about Young Lady Tang… I mean there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

There would be no problems, regardless of the situation. To reassure him, I stated firmly, and the Poison King let out a slight snort.

“…Is my daughter doing well?”

He suddenly shifted the topic to something drastically different. It was a sign of him letting it go.

“Yes, she’s doing very diligently.”

“Diligence is not what matters. What matters is whether she’s doing well.”

“She seems to be satisfied… but I don’t know the details, so maybe you should ask her directly?”

“…”

When I suggested he should ask her directly, he looked away. It seemed like he didn’t want to be caught.

‘…But, he’s going to get caught sooner or later, right?’

The Poison King wasn’t here undercover, and with such an overt appearance, word would soon reach Tang Soyeol’s ears.

He wouldn’t be unaware of that, and yet, judging by his reaction…

‘He probably just wants to avoid getting caught right now?’

That did seem to be it.

‘That aside for now.’

This wasn’t a crucial point, so I decided to move past it. Having gone over the poisons, I needed to get back to the main issue.

“So, why did you come to see me? I don’t know if you received my letter, but I was thinking of visiting tomorrow.”

I inquired about the reason the Poison King came all the way to the branch of the Tang Clan.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I did see it. I was already aware.”

“I see.”

“So, I intended to endure it as much as possible, but I couldn’t help but come.”

Although I was planning to visit the Tang Clan tomorrow, he made the effort to come today instead. This was obviously significant.

And I had already anticipated what that significance was.

“Does this mean… as I expected?”

“The production of the Poison Heavenly Pill is nearly at its end.”

“…Oh.”

So, indeed, it was that topic.

I had already heard this news through a letter in Hanam.

“Congratulations.”

“…Thank you. It’s entirely thanks to you, Gu Prince.”

In response to my congratulations, the Poison King expressed his gratitude sincerely.

Naturally, he would, considering.

The Poison Heavenly Pill was a lost history of the Tang Clan from long ago.

Among the spirit pills, it was one of the most revered, lost for hundreds of years to be regained now—it must feel like floating in the sky for the Poison King.

Quite different from the current situation of the Tang Clan, of course.

‘Since I had predicted it would already be completed, the fact it’s nearing completion…’

That didn’t mean it had been finished yet. But the fact he came to see me meant.

‘He has something important he wants to tell me.’

It signified a matter of great importance.

What could that crucial piece of information be? I waited for the Poison King to speak, as that moment passed.

“…Most of the materials have been prepared. There were some difficult-to-obtain items, but for the most part, the challenges were more about processing them than impossibility.”

I agreed.

From what I could see, most of the materials weren’t that difficult to get.

Some were a bit tricky, sure, but if you had the money, you could obtain them. While the Tang Clan had taken the sealing gate due to public perception, they still had plenty of funds.

So I hadn’t expected any big issues—but…

‘What is it?’

Just as I was about to voice my question.

“But.”

“But?”

“The last part is the problem.”

“The last part is…?”

He trailed off momentarily. I thought I might have an idea what it was. The last ingredient of the Poison Heavenly Pill, the one I told him about—was it possibly…

“Is it the Demon Stone?”

The Demon Stone. Specifically, the Red Demon Stone.

Surprisingly, the Poison Heavenly Pill required the Red Demon Stone.

“What problem has arisen?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Excuse me?”

“I followed the method exactly, but no matter how many times I repeated it, I couldn’t complete the Poison Heavenly Pill.”

“…What does that even mean?”

You followed it to the letter and still couldn’t achieve it? That made no sense. Frowning, I asked for clarification, and the Poison King replied.

“I ground the Red Demon Stone into powder and incorporated it before it lost its color…”

It seemed the Poison King’s expression darkened as he shared this seemingly serious matter.

“The moment I ground it, all the prepared materials began to rot.”

“…!”

The mixture decayed upon contact with the powder. Upon hearing this, the cause immediately struck me.

If I had to label a possible reason, it was likely—

‘Was it the Demon Energy?’

Demon Energy must have been the culprit.

The Demon Stone contains it. It seemed that by grinding it into powder and adding it to the spirit pill, it had triggered some backlash.

Suddenly, I looked around curiously. If it meant that the presence of the Demon Stone interfered with completing the spirit pill…

‘Then we shouldn’t be using the Demon Stone at all.’

It was surprising even to think about it now.

The Demon Stones cast off when a Demon Beast dies are essentially worthless items.

At best, they’re just pretty stones. Moreover, they lose color after a few days, turning into ordinary pebbles.

Unless you’re like me who possesses the Demonic Absorption Technique, there’s no reason to ever handle such things in the first place.

However, it’s been only a few years since the Red Demon Beasts returned, so I’ve heard some clans or sects looking into them.

‘But I can’t see what they could possibly learn.’

Even if they did study them, who cares?

It wouldn’t matter what they discovered.

‘Why is there even a Demon Stone in the spirit pill…?’

The method indicated to grind it lightly, so I had no cause for concern. Yet, it had to be noted, the inclusion of the Demon Stone meant the spirit pill would ultimately retain some Demon Energy.

This meant it could only be consumed by a typical Martial Artist with considerable merits.

Which implies—

‘There was an initial flaw in the spirit pill’s recipe?’

The recipe stated that it would neutralize the energy or infuse its poison, so I believed there had to be some kind of workaround. But if this resulted in decaying the spirit pill, then it had to be one of two things.

‘Either the recipe for the spirit pill is inherently flawed, or…’

It could be that I misunderstood the recipe. It had to be one of those two options.

From my perspective, it was the latter.

‘Senior Tang wouldn’t pass along flawed knowledge.’

The great and beautiful Senior Tang could never have done that.

There was no way she could have been mistaken, so it was highly likely the issue stemmed from the production side. In fact, it was certain.

So, what was the problem?

I ruminated over it.

‘There can be no further delays in the production of the Poison Heavenly Pill.’

I needed to ensure it could be completed as soon as possible; to clarify, it needed to be finished before the year ended.

I had to find a way to do it.

‘No wonder he rushed over.’

Now I understood why the Poison King had come personally. The recipe had been handed down by me, and given the problems, it made sense that I might hold an answer.

‘What a pain,’

But how would I know?

That I had pretended to be unable to produce it and instructed him to return it—this couldn’t come back to me.

If the Demon Energy was the issue, what in the world was I supposed to do about it?

‘If it’s ground into powder, it rots…?’

Would I need to extract the Demon Energy from the stone in the first place?

“Tang Clan Leader, what if we tried using the stone after the color has completely faded…?”

“I already tried that.”

“Of course, that makes sense.”

Yeah, he wouldn’t have overlooked that.

Once the Demon Energy departs from the Demon Stone, it becomes just another rock. Adding it would yield no effect whatsoever.

But if we didn’t use the stone, we couldn’t follow the recipe, meaning it wouldn’t be completed, which felt like…

‘As if there was another form of energy supposed to inhabit the Demon Stone or something…’

I paused.

I halted mid-thought. Something had grazed my mind.

The presence of Demon Energy in the stone is what caused it to rot upon grinding. Hence, it couldn’t simply be added.

That meant…

‘Could it be possible?’

My eyes were filled with contemplation as I spoke to the Poison King.

“Tang Clan Leader.”

“What is it?”

“Tomorrow. You remember I’m visiting your clan, yes?”

“I recall you saying you would come. I haven’t given my permission yet…”

“I think I might have an idea of a way to resolve this issue.”

“…!”

The Poison King, who was about to pick at my words, closed his mouth.

“I think I need to see the manufacturing process in the Tang Clan tomorrow. Would that be alright?”

The Poison King nodded vigorously instead of answering. He wouldn’t be the kind to stubbornly insist on detaining me while the Poison Heavenly Pill was about to be created.

The problem was…

‘Will it work?’

Whether the idea I had in mind would pan out was the crux of the matter.

A failure would not be that troublesome.

I could always come up with another idea. However, if it succeeded, that would be a whole other situation.

‘…If my predictions are correct.’

It would mean the individual who first created the Poison Heavenly Pill had not been part of the Tang Clan.

 

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