What unfolded before us was clearly a research facility.
Tools for research were neatly arranged everywhere, and the bookshelves next to them were packed with books.
On top of a desk, an open book was pinned down with a paperweight, as if someone had been recording something.
Lady Tang Su-bin was the first to approach and began reading the record.
Meanwhile, I headed for the bookshelf.
By looking at the books stored here, I could figure out what they were trying to do.
[Poison Combination Methods]
[Patterns of Poisoning]
[White Paper on Poisons and Poisonous Herbs] and so on.
There were countless types of books, but it wasn’t hard to guess what they were for.
They were for making and manufacturing poison.
“This is unbelievable!”
At that moment, Lady Tang Su-bin gasped.
“What’s wrong?”
“These… are research materials about the Plague of Qi Contagion and the Seven Treasures Mountain Air Poison that were mentioned this morning.”
“What?”
“Look. Their names are written right here.”
I looked at the spot she pointed to.
She was right.
“It seems this place was secretly used to create those two poisons. And the books on this shelf must’ve been necessary for that research.”
Lady Tang Su-bin walked over to the bookshelf and examined the books, then flinched in surprise again.
“Huh? These books… I’ve seen them back when I was young.”
“Really?”
“These are the basic textbooks anyone from the Tang Clan learns at the academy.”
The Tang Clan operates their own academy, where members are taught the fundamentals.
We toured that academy yesterday while visiting the outer quarters.
If these are indeed the basics taught at the academy, then something feels really off.
The Third Young Master must’ve made these poisons himself.
Then why would he need such elementary books?
If Lady Tang Su-bin already studied them, then the Third Young Master must have as well.
At that moment, another rumor I’d heard in my past life surfaced in my mind.
— Did something happen to the Third Young Master? How could he become the Clan Lord’s successor after some secret training?
— Now that you mention it, I heard his personality changed.
— Yeah. That sly guy became strangely sharp.
— Did something traumatize him?
The rumor that his personality changed lingered in my mind.
Then… a particular book caught my eye.
It gave me a bad feeling, but I felt compelled to look.
I picked it up.
There was no title.
Flipping it open, the first thing I saw was the Method of Crafting Human-Skin Masks.
Why would this be here?
I always believed that nothing exists without a reason.
I started piecing together the rumors from my previous life with this book in hand.
And the moment I looked at Lady Tang Su-bin… her words from yesterday echoed in my head.
— I don’t know if I should say this on a first meeting… but… for some time now, I’ve felt uneasy whenever I see my third brother.
That was her answer when I asked why she seemed uncomfortable with him.
And the Third Young Master never made certain awkward pronunciations that naturally happen when wearing a Human-Skin Mask.
“No way…”
“What’s wrong?”
Lady Tang Su-bin looked at me with a worried expression.
But I couldn’t answer.
It sounded absurd… but this was the only possible conclusion.
The person we’ve been calling Tang Yeon-chil until now… isn’t the real Tang Yeon-chil.
It’s not that his personality changed.
The person himself changed.
I recalled the Unorthodox Sect’s evil Qi I’d felt from Tang Yeon-chil.
Even more revolting than the one I sensed from Zhuge Gyeong of the Zhuge Clan.
That meant… he was someone from the Unorthodox Sect from the very beginning.
Nobody noticed how he pulled it off.
But Lady Tang Su-bin, sensitive as she is, sensed it instinctively.
I needed to revise the hypothesis I’d formed earlier.
The reason they kidnapped Tang Jo-ung instead of killing him in my previous life…
It was likely because the real Tang Yeon-chil adamantly refused to cooperate if Tang Jo-ung was killed.
And the reason they killed Lady Tang Su-bin… was probably because she realized the Third Young Master wasn’t the real one and tried to rescue him.
Once the real Tang Yeon-chil was no longer useful, they killed him… and discarded Tang Jo-ung, who had also lost his value.
Then… it means the real Third Young Master is still alive.
I glanced around at the bookshelf packed with books.
Making poison isn’t something you can do without specialized knowledge.
Which means… the fake Tang Yeon-chil must have a fair amount of knowledge about poison.
But it’s still not enough to match the real Third Young Master.
That’s why he gathered all these reference materials.
He needed these books to create poison in the Tang Clan’s traditional method.
But… could he really produce poison in the Tang Clan’s method just by referencing books?
No.
Someone had to be advising him.
And that advisor… was undoubtedly the real Tang Yeon-chil.
As a direct descendant of the Clan Lord, he would’ve received top-tier education.
Which means… he’s probably imprisoned somewhere in this place.
But where?
“Benefactor?”
“…”
“Benefactor!”
Lady Tang Su-bin’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Ah… My apologies, Lady Su-bin.”
I shook my head.
“Sorry. I was deep in thought.”
Then I sent a voice transmission to Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu.
—Do you think there might be a secret passage in here?
—Why do you ask?
Escort Guard Seo Wu replied.
I responded with another voice transmission.
—If we find it… everything will become clear. Look for any traces that could indicate a space big enough to hide a person.
Hearing that, the two immediately started searching for traces.
Soon, Escort Guard Seo Wu called me.
“Over here.”
Escort Guard Seo Wu used to be an Escort Chief.
That’s why he never missed even the smallest clue.
It was one of the pillars with a Night-Luminescent Pearl fixed to it.
The moment I looked at it… I knew why he pointed it out.
There was no dust on that spot.
I immediately called Lady Tang Su-bin.
“Lady Su-bin. Doesn’t this seem strange?”
“Huh?”
“This spot… there’s no dust here.”
“Oh? You’re right.”
I pulled the pillar down.
Grind…
At that moment, the wall beneath the pillar with the Night-Luminescent Pearl smoothly slid aside.
A staircase appeared… leading deep underground.
I swallowed nervously and asked Lady Tang Su-bin.
“You’re coming down, right?”
“Of course.”
“Escort Guard Jin Yu, I’ll leave this place to you.”
“Understood. Please be careful.”
I pulled the Night-Luminescent Pearl from the pillar. It came off easily, as if it was designed to be portable.
It felt like we were meant to take it along.
We slowly started descending the stairs.
Just in case, we hid our presence as much as possible and silenced our footsteps as we carefully moved forward.
Had we walked half a turn…?
A faint light started to appear in the distance.
The closer we got, the stronger the nauseating feeling became.
It meant… there was an Unorthodox Sect martial artist up ahead.
I whispered quietly to Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“There’s a guard ahead. Looks like he’s alone.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Without hesitation, Escort Guard Seo Wu dashed forward and subdued him.
“Move… and you die.”
“Ugh… w-who…”
Lady Tang Su-bin and I approached him.
“What’s this place for?”
“W-why would I… tell you…”
Before he could finish, Lady Tang Su-bin pulled out a sharp dagger—when did she even draw it?—and stabbed him in the shoulder.
“Guaaaagh!”
“Answer me.”
“I-it’s… a prison.”
“A prison for who?”
“F-For… Tang Yeon-chil…”
Lady Tang Su-bin’s eyes widened… then immediately sharpened with murderous intent.
“Whose order?”
“T-That’s…”
The man hesitated.
Lady Tang Su-bin twisted the dagger without a second thought.
Crunch.
“Guaaaagh!”
Trembling in agony, he finally confessed.
“B-Bae Dugap… ordered it.”
Bae Dugap.
A name I’d never heard before.
But right now, getting inside took priority.
“Knock him out.”
“Yes.”
Thud!
Escort Guard Seo Wu struck the man on the back of the neck, knocking him out cold.
He was a crucial witness. We couldn’t afford to kill him.
Just then, we heard the sound of people rushing toward us.
And a familiar voice.
“Young Master! Where are you?!”
It was Palgap.
I whistled.
A few short bursts—the signal anyone from the Eunhae Merchant Group would recognize.
It meant “I’m nearby.”
Soon after, Palgap and a group of martial artists approached.
Judging by the emblem on their left chest, they were from the Crimson Camellia Division.
“Lady!”
They flinched when they saw the bloodstains on Lady Tang Su-bin’s hand, but she replied casually.
“Had to do some interrogation.”
“…”
“More importantly, we need to go inside immediately. This guy said Third Young Master is in there.”
“What? Third Young Master?”
While they exchanged words, I rummaged through the unconscious man’s robes and found a key.
I unlocked the iron door.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
Lady Tang Su-bin and I hurried inside, followed closely by the martial artists.
I couldn’t help but stiffen my expression.
The metallic scent grew stronger and stronger.
It was… definitely the smell of blood.
Lady Tang Su-bin must’ve noticed it too—her face was completely tense.
Soon, we reached a dead end.
There was only one door.
Lady Tang Su-bin stood frozen, hesitating to open it.
“Lady…”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll open it.”
Without waiting, I opened the door.
Creeeak.
With a grating metallic sound, the door swung open… and the sight before us made Lady Tang Su-bin cover her mouth with both hands.
Someone was hanging from the wall, completely wrapped in chains.
There wasn’t a single uninjured spot left on him… he was a pitiful mess.
But Lady Tang Su-bin seemed to recognize him immediately.
“B-Brother…?”
“W-Who…?”
A raspy voice responded.
“Yeon-chil… Brother!”
“That voice… Su-bin…?”
There was no trace of Unorthodox Qi coming from him.
This was the real Tang Yeon-chil.
Even the martial artists who followed us were so shocked by the scene that they couldn’t speak.
It showed… even the mighty Crimson Camellia Division could freeze in a situation this outrageous.
I forced myself to stay calm.
This wasn’t the time to be stunned.
“Squad Leader.”
“…Yes?”
“Call for a physician immediately.”
“Ah! Yes!”
“And report this to the Clan Lord right now. Have him order the arrest of the fake Tang Yeon-chil.”
“Yes! Understood!”
The Squad Leader immediately gave instructions to his subordinates.
A group of them rushed off without delay.
“Let’s get the real Tang Yeon-chil down.”
“Understood.”
We hurried toward Tang Yeon-chil.
“Brother Yeon-chil… h-hic…”
Lady Tang Su-bin, on the verge of tears, approached.
With a pained voice, he said.
“The Blood Venom Fiend (血毒鬼)… The Blood Venom Fiend is targeting this clan…”
“Is that… Bae Dugap?”
“Y-Yes… but… who are…?”
In response, Lady Tang Su-bin explained who I was.
The Blood Venom Fiend?
His real name… is Bae Dugap?
Among Unorthodox Sect martial artists who specialize in poison, there are a few infamous names.
The Blood Venom Fiend was one of them.
His specialty was attacking with a sword laced in poison.
That meant… he trained in both poison arts and swordsmanship.
And he was acting as Deputy Commander of the Tiger’s Stride Unit… which meant he had learned the Tang Clan’s martial arts.
“Didn’t they say the Blood Venom Fiend was dead?”
“He… was alive.”
Ah…
Now it made sense.
This plot had begun ever since they declared the Blood Venom Fiend dead.
The Murim Alliance officially announced his death, erasing him from the world.
Then they secretly had him learn the Tang Clan’s martial arts… waiting for the right moment to replace the real Tang Yeon-chil.
The reason they created the Plague of Qi Contagion and the Seven Treasures Mountain Air Poison here… was because this place had the strictest management over poison.
They had no choice but to use this place.
“Report this to the Clan Lord as well.”
“Understood.”
The Squad Leader immediately dispatched two men to deliver the message.
At that moment, one of the martial artists who had been fiddling with the chains spoke.
“Uh… these chains are too tightly secured. Without a key, we won’t be able to remove them.”
Hearing that, Escort Guard Seo Wu stepped forward.
“I’ll cut them.”
I nodded.
“Please.”
A faint glow rose along Escort Guard Seo Wu’s sword.
He struck the chains.
Slice.
The chains were cut cleanly, like tofu.
The Squad Leader of the Crimson Camellia Division gasped.
“S-Sword Qi?!”
Sword Qi—the mark of a Peak martial artist.
Back when Escort Guard Seo Wu accompanied me to find Deputy Merchant Lord Jin-ho, he was a First-rate martial artist.
But not long ago… he had broken through to Peak.
“My time bedridden wasn’t wasted. All I could do was think… and as I thought and thought… this realization came to me.”
He then once again swore to dedicate his life to serving me.
Saying it was a blessing he wouldn’t have received had I not bestowed the Fruit of Renewal upon him.
Hearing that oath… honestly made me feel embarrassed.
But thanks to him, Tang Yeon-chil’s limbs were freed.
The martial artists of the Crimson Camellia Division carefully supported him and gently laid him down on the floor.
–TL Notes–
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