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“Me?”

I was taken aback at the Poison King’s words.

Are the strange circumstances between Tang Soyeol and the Poison King my fault?

With a blank expression not understanding what he meant, the Poison King continued with a troubled look on his face.

“No, I misspoke… To be precise, it’s not your fault, you see.”

“What do you mean…?”

“When I last saw her, your daughter seemed particularly troubled.”

The last time would be two years ago, when Tang Soyeol mentioned something.

“So, at that time, I assumed it was naturally your fault.”

“Pardon?”

What an absurd statement. To think that her being gloomy was immediately my fault? Ridiculous!

However,

“Most of the time, when your daughter is sad, it’s because of you.”

“…”

Somehow, this seemingly credible remark was enough to leave me speechless.

I had nothing to counter it.

As I couldn’t find the words, the Poison King looked at me with a peculiar expression.

It was as if he was thinking, ‘You have nothing to say, do you?’

Since I indeed had nothing to say, I remained silent.

“So I figured it would be the same this time. However, given that she looked particularly distressed, I made two assumptions.”

“Assumptions?”

“The first was… I thought it was your doing once again.”

This made my eyebrows twitch. The implication that it wasn’t my fault was clear.

“The second is…”

A brief silence fell, as the Poison King hesitated.

Seconds passed. Thankfully, the Poison King’s mouth opened again.

“I mistakenly thought she was still young.”

“Hmm.”

That didn’t quite make sense to me. Thinking she was still young, huh…?

“I’ve heard that parents tend to see their children as kids no matter their age.”

Someone had once said that parents always perceive their children as children, regardless of their actual ages.

Our family is chaotic enough, so I won’t even bring that up!

But from what I could tell, the Poison King genuinely cherished Tang Soyeol, so it seemed reasonable.

Yet, the way the Poison King spoke felt different.

More explanation was needed.

Contemplating that, I stared at the Poison King.

“I mentioned the first misunderstanding earlier.”

“Is it the part where you thought it was my fault?”

“Exactly.”

“Yes, I get that.”

“At the time, that was the case. Honestly, I still don’t think it’s too different now.”

“…”

Such a frank response oddly didn’t bother me.

“However, the problem lay in what I said as a supposed solution. Do you know what I told her back then?”

“No, I don’t.”

He expressed his grievances.

“I could arrange for you to break off the engagement with the Nangong Clan and allow your daughter to marry the Tang Clan instead, if that’s what you wanted.”

“…!”

“I said that.”

My forehead instinctively furrowed as I struggled to suppress my displeasure.

Well, the Poison King must have already noticed my mood had soured, as he gave a sheepish laugh and said,

“It seems even you don’t find that to be a good choice.”

“…It’s not so much about the choice; it’s rather unpleasant for me.”

Putting aside whether it was said for Tang Soyeol’s sake, it was more towards my own discomfort.

The Poison King couldn’t possibly be ignorant of that.

Nonetheless, bringing it up meant he must have something more important to say.

“Of course it was something I had to say. And it seems your daughter felt the same way.”

“Are you referring to Young Lady Tang?”

Tang Soyeol must have also felt bad about it. That comment seemed crucial.

“She got angry as soon as she heard it, saying not to say such nonsense.”

“…”

“It was the first time I’d seen her that furious.”

As he spoke, the Poison King laughed.

“If that’s the way it would be, I shouldn’t have started at all… What does she think of my efforts… And in the end…”

A hint of emotion flickered in the Poison King’s smile.

“Using such a method implies the Tang Clan has no intention of changing their stance.”

“…!”

“She expressed her disappointment and left the Tang Clan.”

“…”

I silently swallowed my breath.

It seems that was around the time Tang Soyeol briefly came to the Gu Clan while training in Sichuan.

Following that, she must have joined the King of Demons somewhere else, which I had thought was simply due to her training.

‘Was there such an issue?’

I hadn’t realized this before.

“When I heard that, it felt like a spear pierced my heart. A very deep one, indeed.”

To prove his point, the Poison King gently touched his chest.

“It was true. While I vowed to shoulder the clan’s sins and restore our family, my method for the child was far too narrow-minded.”

His self-deprecating tone seemed to grow weaker. All I could sense within it was regret rather than bitterness.

He feels sorry for saying that to his daughter and for having her hear it.

Isn’t that the essence of the Poison King’s emotions?

“Thus, I can understand why the child has come to hate me. It was entirely justified.”

Had he resigned himself? That seemed to be the case from his reaction.

I thought it through while looking at the Poison King.

Now I understood the reasons behind Tang Soyeol distancing herself from him. I could see that the Poison King might have made some mistakes.

I get that Tang Soyeol’s anger stemmed from that, but.

‘Is that really it?’

Could it truly end with just Tang Soyeol’s anger? With those questions in mind, the answer struck me.

‘No.’

In my view, it wasn’t just about that.

Even if Tang Soyeol was indeed angry, I didn’t believe it solely came to that.

Thinking deeply, I addressed the Poison King.

“Clan Leader.”

At my call, the Poison King looked at me, his gaze still somewhat dim.

“I’m probably just being nosy, but I don’t think Young Lady Tang hates you completely.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean…”

I paused, adding a bit more intensity to my gaze. How should I express this? How can I phrase it without making it awkward? I briefly contemplated that before saying,

“Young Lady Tang resembles you.”

That was the most straightforward way I could express it. I genuinely believed that.

However, upon hearing my words, the Poison King only wore a confused expression.

He clearly didn’t understand.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“You don’t have to understand it. Just know that it means something… Also, it might be best if you worry a little less.”

“…”

I was well aware of what he was worried about, but it didn’t seem like much of a problem to me.

“As you mentioned, Young Lady Tang is young and not weak.”

“…”

Young Lady Tang is neither young nor weak.

In fact, she’s strong and resilient. I still vividly recall how she stood firm under any circumstances, never faltering.

As the Poison Empress was, so would Young Lady Tang surely be.

“If you’re still concerned, perhaps you should meet with her.”

“…But the child…”

“You frankly haven’t tried to meet her, have you?”

“…”

At my remark, the Poison King’s lips sealed tightly.

It was evident. He was probably too scared to bother.

“Am I right?”

The silence was an affirmation.

The Poison King didn’t offer any retorts, and that was enough of an answer.

Feeling a bit awkward, I said,

“At least try to have a conversation with her. Don’t just sit there in silence.”

I wanted to say it as calmly as possible—it didn’t quite work out.

As I offered this advice, in reality, I had never really spoken to my own father.

‘Conversations…’

To say something, don’t just stay silent.

That statement echoed back to me, sparking questions within myself.

‘Perhaps I should try.’

It was something I had to do eventually. I wished I could have done it in my previous life.

Yet, since I couldn’t, it was now or never.

I bit my tongue, feeling somewhat uneasy, before adding to the Poison King,

“Anyway… I roughly understand the situation. You have decisions to make, and I’ve unnecessarily encroached upon your space. I apologize for that.”

“…Don’t worry. It’s something that might have helped me. And I’m sorry, too.”

The Poison King expressed his apologies for referencing the engagement with the Nangong Clan and for stating that he would intervene.

“Yes.”

I accepted his apology without much reaction. Honestly, if I wanted to push it, I could easily do so, but I chose not to.

Considering my relationship with the Poison King, there was no need for that. Plus, it was more appropriate to endure for Tang Soyeol’s sake.

Just as the conversation seemed to wrap up, I added,

“Next…”

I pulled out a letter from my pocket.

“I don’t have time to linger right now. I’ve just tidied up my schedule a bit to bring it back.”

“Tidied up? I don’t think you had the time to do that.”

“No, I got lucky and managed it.”

Actually, I had pulled an all-nighter because of the flames not coming out, so I utilized the leftover time.

“First, regarding the Poison Heavenly Pill, I feel like there’s more to investigate. You should talk separately with the upper house about this for research purposes.”

“The upper house?”

“The Baekhwa Sect.”

“…I see.”

So it’s the Baekhwa Sect, after all. Hearing the name of the upper house, the Poison King nodded as if he understood.

It couldn’t be helped. The only connections I had were that upper house… and quite timely.

“The branch leader of the Sichuan branch is someone I know very well, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

The branch leader, Da-maek, is a manageable character, making it easy to utilize here.

One worry remains.

‘It might be better for Lady Mi if we use different channels.’

Since the Tang Clan currently has a visible presence in the Central Plains. Just striking a deal with the Baekhwa Sect could harm Lady Mi.

Considering that, I felt quite apologetic.

‘…There’s no other method.’

I didn’t have many cards up my sleeve regarding this issue.

If I had to think of alternative ways.

‘The top sect.’

There’s the top sect in the Central Plains that has its eyes on me.

Using that might have worked but—

‘Too high risk.’

If I happened to mess with an unknown area, it would surely come back to bite me.

In the end, that means striking a deal with the Baekhwa Sect is the best option.

“…Will that be alright?”

The Poison King asked.

He must be aware that this could be a burden to some extent.

Yet, upon further consideration, it still seemed like the best choice.

It was unclear how long the Tang Clan could continue sourcing materials without external help.

Take, for example, the Shaolin or Hwasan, both of which had contracts with various upper houses for obtaining materials.

“I’m fine with it.”

I was already resolved to do it. Therefore, I had to endure whatever comes my way.

“…Then I won’t refuse your offer.”

“This is a venture for my benefit as well.”

The Tang Clan will reclaim its lost achievements, and I will use that to obtain what I desire.

It’s a fair trade. After passing the letter to the Poison King, I added,

“Frankly, I’d like to confirm a bit more directly, but… I need to take my leave soon.”

“Are you returning immediately?”

“Yes. It seems like something is about to happen. Ah, but before I head back, I’ll drop by once more.”

“Understood.”

“Well then.”

After a brief nod, I turned around and immediately grasped the door handle.

Thunk.

Just after Gu Yangcheong left the room, the Poison King looked at the door, lost in thought.

– You haven’t genuinely tried to meet her, have you?

That hit deep.

It was something triggered by the fear of his child’s resentment, and thus left unattempted.

‘…This.’

He had been pointedly criticized over something he had tried to avoid, leaving him unable to retort.

Why hadn’t he thought it through more deeply?

Why had he avoided it?

‘Has the sealing gate impacted me in some way?’

He had vowed to bear the sins of his ancestors. Perhaps it had been different once he experienced it firsthand.

His blurred vision, clouded by pressure, seemed to have blinded him to such simple truths.

“Haah…”

The Poison King sighed as he rubbed his weary face.

“I was foolish.”

His voice brimmed with self-reproach.

And within it lay a faint determination. He rose to his feet.

It seemed there was a place he urgently needed to visit before it became too late.

‘…I’ll need to express my gratitude later.’

Deciding to convey my thanks to Gu Yangcheong the next time he saw him, the Poison King was about to move when suddenly,

“…”

His body stiffened upon recalling something.

As he thought of Gu Yangcheong, he belatedly realized a fact he had forgotten.

“Ha.”

The Poison King exhaled a soft sigh.

The reason being—

“…I got played.”

He hadn’t gotten to the questions he wanted to ask. Instead, he had rambled on about himself, and Gu Yangcheong had vanished into thin air.

The absurdity of the situation didn’t escape the Poison King’s understanding.

Everything was Gu Yangcheong’s intent. He’d mentioned the soul, only to slip away without addressing the main issue.

“Haha.”

As he grasped that, the Poison King chuckled.

“Indeed… I cannot give my daughter to someone like that.”

Above all else, he could not entrust his precious daughter to such a cunning individual.

Though the Poison King resolved it in his heart, it wasn’t truly what he meant.

 

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