---

I stepped outside in search of the Poison King.

The reason, of course, was the Poison Heavenly Pill.

As soon as I faced the Poison King, I asked,

“What’s going on….”

But I stopped mid-sentence, closing my mouth.

The Poison King was looking at me. Seeing his expression, I spoke up.

“…Are you okay?”

Honestly, he seemed so off that I couldn’t help but worry.

His expression was indeed quite worrisome.

To exaggerate, he looked like he might collapse at any second. In response to my concerned words, the Poison King said,

“…Is Gu Gongja truly okay?”

“Eh? Me?”

Taken aback by his concern, I replied in surprise.

“I asked because your face looks very red.”

“…”

Immediately, I touched my cheek. I could feel the heat radiating from it. It was much hotter than usual.

‘What the hell?’

Why am I like this? I swallowed back the rising panic.

It seemed that the effects of the previous encounter were still lingering.

‘Seriously insane.’

Was it my reaction to Nangong Bi-ah’s actions? Or was it Tang Soyeol’s words and expressions?

Whichever it was, it was not a good sign.

‘How is it that after all my years, I’m so shaken up over something like this?’

Counting my previous life, the number was definitely not small, yet here I was, flustered over something so trivial.

It was incredibly embarrassing. Is this all I am?

‘Hah….’

I took a deep breath to calm myself and focused my energy. I forced my body to settle down.

Slowly, the heat began to subside. Feeling that, I said,

“…It’s a bit warm. The weather is particularly strange today.”

“It’ll be winter soon, you know?”

“It can still be warm in winter.”

“Everyone else is wearing fur clothes, though.”

“…I tend to run a bit hot.”

“Hmm…”

With a curious look, the Poison King scrutinized me. Does this guy know something?

‘No, he probably doesn’t know.’

If he did, he wouldn’t be looking at me like this.

‘If he knew, he’d be trying to inject poison directly into me rather than just staring silently.’

Knowing his personality, if he understood Tang Soyeol’s intentions, he would genuinely be trying to kill me.

So his suspicious gaze must be casual.

I added an explanation to clarify.

“I’m serious. And the worry should be for your clan leader, not me… but really, are you okay?”

“As for me… Hm, would you believe me if I said I’m fine?”

“No.”

“That means I’m not really fine.”

“Yes. It seems so.”

“…”

His glaring gaze was piercingly sharp. I might have taken it too far.

“Cough… I truly am concerned. Should I call for a physician?”

“I’m fine. So, what brings you here?”

“I came to ask how the preparations are going.”

“Can I use my appearance as a response?”

“Yes, that alone would be sufficient… but I wonder if you can meet the timing.”

“I’ll give it a shot.”

“That answer feels a bit vague.”

“Well, would it be better to say ‘I’ll try even if it kills me’?”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Just kidding.”

To be honest, I meant it, but the Poison King’s intimidating eyes made me divert the subject.

True to my word, the Poison King glared at me like he was displeased, but then he sighed and added,

“…I can meet the timing, but it’ll be a bit tough.”

I understood.

The manufacturing method was extremely incompatible with the Poison King.

While the procurement of materials had become smoother thanks to the Martial Alliance, the crucial point remained the final ingredient.

‘The Poison King’s energy.’

To complete the Poison Heavenly Pill, the energy infused with poison from the Poison King was essential.

And not a small amount; a considerable amount was needed.

‘After one creation, he would be exhausted from the effort.’

I had heard that no matter how hard one worked, making the Poison Heavenly Pill yielded only three capsules every seven days at best.

That was already pushing the limits. The average outcome would likely be two capsules.

‘Even with that, it’s a significant number…’

If you consider the Daehwan Pill, for instance, it took several people months, if not years, just to produce one.

Comparing that to the Poison Heavenly Pill, which could yield one to two each week with similar or even better efficacy?

That was an outrageous figure, which is why the choice for commercialization could even be considered.

“I’ve mentioned it to the Upper House. Has there been any contact?”

“Probably, the Lesser Clan Leader has spoken separately.”

“Hmm.”

The fact that the Lesser Clan Leader brought up such a significant matter rather than the Poison King…?

It must mean.

‘They’re slowly preparing for a transition.’

You could consider it preparing for a transfer of clan leadership.

The intention seemed to lead towards familiarizing someone else with the tasks.

‘Even that being said, it feels premature to say…’

When considering only the Poison King’s age, even if he once was in his prime, he should begin preparations now to facilitate the transition in the future.

Moving on from that thought.

“If it’s tough, is there any other way?”

“Other way?”

“Like manufacturing the Poison Heavenly Pill together with the Lesser Clan Leader.”

If it’s difficult, why not make the Poison Heavenly Pill together with the Lesser Clan Leader?

Or, they still had some Elders left. They could find a way to ensure a comfortable yield.

But.

“Haha.”

The Poison King chuckled as if he found the suggestion hilarious.

“Gu Gongja.”

“Yes?”

“It seems you’re under some grand misapprehension.”

“Yes?”

“That could happen. After all, it’s something that people like you typically wouldn’t know.”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

People like me? What’s that supposed to mean?

“Do you think my energy seems low?”

“…”

I paused at those words. The Poison King’s energy?

I squinted as I thought.

‘Low?’

No, it wasn’t low.

It just wasn’t particularly abundant either.

Maybe reading my thoughts, the Poison King grinned and said,

“At least within the same realm, I have quite a considerable amount. To be frank, if we distinguish it further, I’m on the upper tier among those known as Transformation Realm experts.”

“…Is that so?”

I was surprised, but it wasn’t too shocking.

Using Poison Technique would consume vast amounts of energy. This was a natural characteristic of martial arts focused on Poison Techniques.

Then, the reason the Poison King brought that up…

“Even I find it difficult to work without assistance; it means others wouldn’t be able to make a significant difference. It’s just that you are not like the others.”

“…!”

“I’m aware that you possess an incredibly high amount of energy, hence your struggle to understand the situation.”

“…That.”

“I understand. It’s typical for geniuses to fail to grasp the concerns of mediocrity.”

“…”

“You’re likely in that category as well.”

Receiving such an abrupt compliment made my head spin a bit. I had nothing to say.

Admittedly. Except for the initial stages of either life, I had never been lacking in energy.

Even during the manufacturing of the Poison Heavenly Pill, this was consistent.

It was strange how the Poison King’s energy seemed to drain excessively without apparent reason, but even setting that aside, the disparity was immense.

While I could continuously create several without stopping, the Poison King could only manage one. That was a significant difference.

Given this context, I couldn’t argue against the notion of talent.

In any case.

What the Poison King truly wanted to convey was ultimately one thing.

“Assuming you’re not willing to assist, this is the best we can do.”

“…Yes. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

Having asked for the impossible, I quickly offered my apology, and the Poison King accepted with a smile.

To him, it seemed I had made a foolish remark without understanding the gravity of the situation.

Should I be relieved about that…?

‘In the end, this means the current quantity is best we can achieve.’

I simply wished for it to be faster; this wasn’t so bad.

Even though the Poison King’s future depended on it, that was of little concern for me.

‘I’m not the one in jeopardy.’

So I nodded.

“…Then I will start preparing at this pace.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, well then….”

Though worried, I wore an expression that seemed to accept it.

‘Please take care, at least.’

“But, if possible, hurry up even if it hurts.”

“…?”

“Oh, I’m sorry… that was my true feelings.”

I inadvertently let my sincerity slip.

I awkwardly chuckled as the Poison King stared at me in disbelief.

“…Hehe.”

I sensed a cold smile accompanying his laughter.

I immediately excused myself.

Upon returning to my residence, I found someone inside.

There was only one person allowed to enter without my permission.

“…You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

It was Cheol Jiseon, sitting at my table, weary eyes glued to a letter.

“Are you alright?”

“…No.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re fine, then.”

“…”

I casually ignored him and took a seat across.

Cheol Jiseon crinkled his expression for a moment but quickly restored it to neutral.

After all, he likely knew there was no point in glaring at me.

“What happened with the request?”

We dove straight into work-related conversations.

“…The Upper House has concluded their discussions. As soon as the Tang Clan is ready, we can proceed immediately.”

“I just came from discussing that with the Poison King. I believe we can go ahead.”

“In that case, I’ll pass it along immediately.”

A concise conversation. We skipped any unnecessary details.

Both of us understood our time constraints, so small talk was unnecessary.

“I’ve sent a letter to the Main Sect as well.”

“Any responses?”

“Probably, it will arrive in a few days.”

“That should be dealt with by the Branch Leader.”

No time could be wasted; I needed to get to Hanam right away.

The letter sent to the Main Sect was merely for show.

“What about the other things I asked you to investigate?”

“I’m receiving information, but…”

Cheol Jiseon wore a troubled expression, trailing off.

“Upon checking, there wasn’t any concrete information to confirm…”

The information I asked to look into was about Yeon Ilcheon.

Despite gathering every detail possible, aside from the known history, there wasn’t much to find.

That made sense; he was a figure from centuries ago.

Most would think that way about an ordinary person.

“Tsk.”

For me, I needed to confirm anything consistently.

“Just hand over everything that came in.”

“There’s quite a lot; is it okay if I don’t summarize?”

“Do you have that kind of time?”

“…No…”

“Then just give it to me.”

If there was no time, I’d sacrifice sleep instead.

Typically, I might request a summary, but Cheol Jiseon might actually overwork himself.

If I had to prevent that, I’d have to reduce my own time a little.

At least I wasn’t in a position where overworking myself would kill me.

“Then, aside from this, what’s next…”

“…Ah, before that.”

“Hmm?”

Interrupting me, Cheol Jiseon handed over a letter.

“A letter from the strategist.”

The strategist he referred to was someone I knew well—Jiegal Hyeok.

It was his letter. I nodded and accepted it.

“What’s this about all of a sudden…?”

As I unfolded the letter, my eyes narrowed at the content.

Cheol Jiseon, having noticed my reaction, looked uneasy.

“…Are you okay?”

He hadn’t read the letter himself.

Any letter coming from Jiegal Hyeok was automatically for me to read first.

Curiosity sparked in him as he inquired. I nodded in response.

“I’m fine. Let’s call it a day for our conversation here. I feel like we need to wrap up what we have to do swiftly.”

“What does it say—”

Before he could finish, I passed the letter to him. As he read it, his expression stiffened.

It contained the following message:

– The Divine Dragon is moving to capture Gwiakchang.

– While they don’t seem to have a precise grasp of the personnel, Gwiakchang’s location appears to have been detected.

“What’s this…?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Before Cheol Jiseon could say anything, I cut him off.

“It probably isn’t a major issue.”

As I spoke, I stood up.

“Instead, we need to move quickly now.”

I brushed my tousled hair back.

“Tell the Sword Team and Branch Leader to prepare. They should be ready to head out by tomorrow at the latest.”

I had initially planned to leave in three days or so, but I shortened the timeline.

The other side had begun to move.

And coincidentally, this all happened just as I arrived in Sichuan.

Could this really be a coincidence?

‘Well, maybe not.’

With the establishment of the Star Dragon to counter the Demonic Faction, how ironic it was that they started moving while I was away.

Should we interpret this as mere coincidence?

My eyes glinted.

‘It’s more likely that it’s intentional.’

There’s a clear intention behind it.

Even if it proved otherwise, the alliance had begun to stir, which was undeniable.

Therefore.

‘I have to do something as well.’

What exactly, was already determined.

I turned to Cheol Jiseon.

“When I send the letter to the Beggar Clan later, convey the information to the Main Sect as well. The timing should be as….”

So that they wouldn’t be able to concentrate fully.

“Should be slightly quicker than the rumor spreading, just a bit faster than the information arriving in Hanam.”

I needed to cause a big stir.

The next day.

It was heard around Sichuan that the Tang Clan had succeeded in restoring their family’s Spirit Pill, the Poison Heavenly Pill.

However, the Tang Clan revealed no stance on this matter.

The long-standing desire of the Tang Clan to revive the Poison Heavenly Pill.

If this were indeed true, it was expected that considerable reactions would ripple throughout the Central Plains.

The problem was…. the shocking rumors didn’t end there.

Alongside this news, whispers circulated that the Tang Clan planned to sell the Poison Heavenly Pill commercially.

A sacred pill that even those from Shaolin, Wudang, and Hwasan dared not obtain.

The mere idea that one could purchase it with money? It seemed utterly absurd.

Yet astonishingly, a letter detailing that this information might indeed be factual was swiftly making its way to Hanam.

At the same time.

Screeeech-!!

In a counter move, another messenger bird dove toward the Sichuan branch.

Soaring rapidly, the messenger bird carried a letter strapped to its leg, emblazoned with a distinctive flower pattern.

That was….

Certainly the emblem of the Baekhwa Sect.

 

---