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Chapter: The Shocking Turn of Events

“Gu Gongja-!”

The Poison King exclaimed, his eyes wide as lanterns. It was suddenly because Gu Yangcheong had collapsed.

It wasn’t just an ordinary fall.

“Cough…!”

Thud-thud-thud-!

Face down, Gu Yangcheong sputtered out blood. To the casual observer, it looked dark enough to resemble ink.

“Oh no…!”

It was clear something was seriously wrong.

With a frown, the Poison King inspected Gu Yangcheong.

“Gu Gongja. Are you alright—!”

He was about to speak but stopped short. The state of Gu Yangcheong’s body came into view.

Upon confirming it, the Poison King bit his lip.

‘This is bad.’

Just a moment ago, things were shaky but he was still fine. Now, the situation seemed dire.

The energy wasn’t just rattling; it was rampaging, wildly moving as if it would break apart the Blood Qi. It was uncontrollable and reckless.

The energy was set to ruin everything.

“Ugh…ah…!!”

Gu Yangcheong was groaning in pain, bloodied face showing his suffering.

With so much chaos, I couldn’t even imagine the physical torment he was enduring.

Could it be that thousands of thorns were dancing in his Blood Qi?

But even with that, the Poison King felt powerless watching Gu Yangcheong.

That rampaging energy couldn’t be easily touched. If he messed with it, he could end up in a fatal state.

If he couldn’t control that energy, he might get swept away as well.

But should he leave it untended until it calmed down? That was impossible too.

‘At this rate, it could explode in no time.’

If he touches it wrongly, it’s an irreversible mess. If left alone, the body could explode from the energy.

There seemed to be no hopeful outcome.

‘Damn it.’

There wasn’t any time. He couldn’t even afford to think; there was only one choice anyway.

He had to intervene. Somehow, he needed to contain that energy. The problem was…

‘Do I have the confidence to manipulate that energy?’

The Poison King was genuinely uncertain.

Touching it could plunge him into disaster too.

That was Gu Hae’s certainty.

So should he just let it be? It might be better to go out and fetch a physician instead.

Rationality spoke to the Poison King, but—

“Don’t move!”

Such thoughts faded as his hand was already reaching for Gu Yangcheong.

He had to save him. For his daughter’s sake. Or rather, for the future of the Central Plains.

This young man had to survive.

No matter how much he disliked Gu Yangcheong, he couldn’t bear to see such brilliant talent vanish before his eyes.

The decision made by Tang Cheon-gi, the human and clan leader rather than the Poison King, was thus.

He would first grasp the energy and pacify it. With that intent, the moment he approached Gu Yangcheong—

Swish-!

“…!?”

Tang Cheon-gi had to halt his footsteps for an instant. Gu Yangcheong, who had been silently groaning, raised a hand towards him.

“Gu Gongja…? What’s wrong…?”

“…Don’t come…!! Cough!”

He spewed more blood mid-sentence. It was dangerous, yet why was he trying to stop him?

Could it be?

‘Is he thinking of dying like this?’

Was he perhaps trying to die without dragging anyone else into it?

That grim thought quickened Tang Cheon-gi’s movements.

“Stop thinking nonsense and stay still! I am the Poison King! There’s no way I would be beaten by such trivial matters!”

Despite feeling anxious inside, Tang Cheon-gi dismissed it. He had to muster up confidence.

“Just trust me and stay put. I will surely save you.”

Ignoring Gu Yangcheong’s plea, Tang Cheon-gi attempted to move again.

“Ah…! Just stay still…! Cough!”

Gu Yangcheong yelled back, his contradictions causing him to cough up more blood.

“What the…?”

Tang Cheon-gi was bewildered, wondering why Gu Yangcheong resisted so much.

Then something even more shocking happened.

Whoosh-!

“Urgh!?”

Gu Yangcheong suddenly thrust all five of his fingers into his chest.

Bloody streams poured from the wound and soaked his martial robe, dripping onto the floor.

The shocking act left the Poison King gaping. In that moment—

Suuuuuuuu-!

“Ugh…!!!”

The energy began to move, starting from the hand that pierced through his chest.

“This doesn’t make any sense…”

Watching this, the Poison King was left breathless in disbelief.

What was that action? Shockingly, it seemed to affect the energy.

The hand that tore through Gu Yangcheong’s chest directly connected to the chaotic energy, and he started to control it.

Once it started rampaging like that, it was always impossible to control. Not only was it out of reach, trying to would lead to…

‘Unbearable pain would ensue.’

Especially in situations like Gu Yangcheong’s right now.

Just imagining how painful that must be was beyond comprehension…

‘He’s managing to control it himself?’

In such a state, Gu Yangcheong was controlling the energy.

The visible veins popping on his body hinted at just how difficult it must be.

Beyond the suffering, the sheer mental fortitude to control all that wild energy was –

What on earth even was that control…?

Seeing him manage to regulate the influx of power was unbelievable.

“Huuh…hh…”

Cold sweat mixed with blood soaked his body.

In agony, Gu Yangcheong’s face contorted, yet he didn’t budge at all in his control.

Watching the gradually stabilizing chaos, Tang Cheon-gi felt as if he were witnessing something ghostly, unable to utter a word.

After a little over half a meal’s time passed.

“Ha…huuh…”

Once the energy had calmed down somewhat, Gu Yangcheong exhaled, his body trembling to show his exhaustion.

Only then did Tang Cheon-gi manage a breath.

‘Is he truly able to pull this off?’

This was quite a turn of events. What kind of principle was at play here? Thankfully, it appeared the rampage had stopped.

Tang Cheon-gi spoke to the trembling Gu Yangcheong.

“…What on earth happened? Why did this suddenly unfold…?”

He cautiously approached and asked, only to hear—

“…Ah…my arm.”

Gu Yangcheong whispered in a faint voice.

“What?”

Unable to hear clearly, Tang Cheon-gi perked up his ears.

Doing so, he could clearly hear the small voice.

“…F* this….”

“…Huh?”

“Damn, that was strong. Such a damn bastard.”

Gu Yangcheong suddenly spouted a vulgarity as if utterly confused.

Then he collapsed, losing consciousness atop the bloodstains he had created.

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Tang Cheon-gi was left in shock.

“Gu Gongja…! Stay with me!”

He immediately lifted Gu Yangcheong and dashed out of the building.

Thanks to that, the Noble Aging Room that Tang Je-mun had built was left in disarray, soaked in blood, but Tang Cheon-gi wasn’t concerned one bit.

*

In a forest near Sichuan.

Somewhat distanced from the Martial Alliance’s branch.

The sun was setting, and darkness was creeping in. It wouldn’t be long before the moon rose.

In that dimming twilight, two women were walking through the woods.

It was clear at a glance that neither was an ordinary figure.

Both possessed ridiculously beautiful faces, and neither wore anything common.

One had golden hair that shimmered softly, illuminating the darkening forest surrounding her.

The other possessed azure-white hair.

As they tread carefully, the golden-haired woman, Wi Seol-Ah, called out to her companion.

“Sister.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you know the way here?”

At Wi Seol-Ah’s question, Nangong Bi-ah shook her head.

“No.”

“…”

Wi Seol-Ah nodded at her confident response.

She was reassured that she wasn’t mistaken.

“It seems…we might be lost.”

“Yeah.”

“This doesn’t match the location described in the information, does it?”

“…No…?”

“…I’ll take another look.”

Realizing she perhaps asked something unnecessary, Wi Seol-Ah pulled out a letter.

A document organized and handed to them by Gu Yangcheong.

It was supposed to serve as the basis for their investigations.

“…”

Glancing over the document, Wi Seol-Ah frowned.

Nangong Bi-ah asked, noticing her reaction.

“…What’s wrong?”

“…Well…”

Wi Seol-Ah nibbled on her lips and then spoke to Nangong Bi-ah.

“…I can’t really understand it.”

“…”

She aimed to look assertive, yet couldn’t comprehend it either.

Embarrassed, Wi Seol-Ah scratched her cheek. Seeing this, Nangong Bi-ah gently patted Wi Seol-Ah’s hair.

“It’s okay….”

“…That’s right. We’ll somehow figure it out. Let’s keep our spirits up.”

“…Yeah…”

The fact that the two of them had paired up was the underlying issue. They should have assigned at least one person who could handle tasks competently.

But disregarding that, they had thrown the two together, leaving no space for success.

That was a source of dissatisfaction for them, but Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah didn’t fuss over it.

They understood why Gu Yangcheong had paired them.

“…Really…”

Wi Seol-Ah whispered softly, and Nangong Bi-ah slightly nodded.

He was rather possessive.

He probably didn’t like them mingling with other men.

Though a cowardly move, they decided to overlook it.

After a while, Wi Seol-Ah, perceptively flipping through the investigation document, suddenly looked to the sky and said.

“It’ll be nighttime soon. Shall we head back?”

“…Yeah.”

They had been instructed to return by sundown.

With the moon already faintly rising, it was time to return.

But…

“…Which way should we go?”

“…”

It was an awkward situation where both had lost their way.

Sure, they were close to a mountain, and if the two put their minds to it—at least Wi Seol-Ah could fairly easily find their way back.

Moreover, Wi Seol-Ah already knew the fastest route.

“Sister.”

“Yeah.”

“Which way do you think would lead us back?”

Wi Seol-Ah asked Nangong Bi-ah.

Nangong Bi-ah pondered for a moment and pointed to a direction.

“…That way.”

“Got it. Let’s go!”

Wi Seol-Ah grabbed her sister’s wrist and started walking in the opposite direction of where Nangong Bi-ah had pointed.

Nangong Bi-ah wore a subtly displeased expression at Wi Seol-Ah’s choice, but this was their best bet.

There simply was no clearer option for them.

“Sister, we found our way like this last time too.”

Last time, during a similar predicament, they had found their way in this exact manner.

Their method was reliable.

So this time, too, Wi Seol-Ah believed in its success and took her steps forward.

As night fell in the forest, visibility faded quickly, but they weren’t at the level of fearing the darkness.

In addition, Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes were adept at discovering light even in the shadows, making it relatively easy for her to navigate.

Just as they walked a little further—

“…”

“…”

They abruptly stopped in their tracks, narrowing their eyes.

And as if secretly signaled, they locked gazes.

—Sister.

Wi Seol-Ah’s mental message.

—Do you sense something?

—Yes.

Exchanging silent cues, Wi Seol-Ah nodded.

Both she and Nangong Bi-ah felt it. There was something ahead.

At that instant, Nangong Bi-ah kicked the ground and leapt.

The moment she ascended, her presence vanished from the world.

It was exceptional stealth.

Floating in midair, Nangong Bi-ah cast her eyes over the forest.

—Suuu….

“…”

Nangong Bi-ah wrinkled her nose in distaste. It was definite.

There was something ahead.

Immediately, she descended back to the ground and turned to face the waiting Wi Seol-Ah.

Wi Seol-Ah had already drawn her sword, ready for battle.

—Shall we engage?

Nangong Bi-ah shook her head.

—…No, if we discover something, we should return immediately.

—But, it looks like some kind of formation… and it might disappear if we don’t check it out now.

—No.

Nangong Bi-ah was adamant. Her words held more weight than anything else.

After all, months ago she had gotten into huge trouble for taking the Martial Alliance’s entry examination.

She had recently vowed to follow orders to avoid any more large-scale incidents in the future.

“…”

Seeing Nangong Bi-ah’s stance, Wi Seol-Ah pouted but ultimately accepted by sheathing her sword.

Since they had confirmed something was amiss, their immediate course of action was to retreat.

But just then, before the two could move—

[…we’re not checking it out…?]

A voice carried from a distance, causing both to settle their breaths and heighten their senses.

[Lord Mu, Il Cheonggeom’s actions seem a bit strange. There’s also the sudden difficulty in establishing contact.]

[Does Branch Leader have no particular remarks?]

[No. I reported no unusual signs… but…]

[It appears you don’t trust the report.]

[That’s right….]

[Ha, it matters not. In any case, be it him or them, they are all to be eliminated.]

[However…]

[It seems the Star King might also be involved. But don’t worry about that. My thoughts are….]

Then, abruptly, the flowing conversation was cut off.

With the presence dissipating, it seemed there really was something ahead.

Hearing this, Wi Seol-Ah turned to glance at Nangong Bi-ah.

“Sister… should we go check this out…?”

She was about to say they should go, but—

Nangong Bi-ah was nowhere to be seen, where she ought to be.

Wi Seol-Ah looked ahead in disbelief.

“…”

Nangong Bi-ah had already dashed forward with her sword drawn.

 

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