A voice came from beyond the door.
“Father, it’s Yul.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and a handsome middle-aged man entered, bowing his head.
“I see we have guests.”
The Grand Elder introduced us to him.
“Ah, allow me to introduce you. These are the guests I invited for a poetry exchange—Chief Administrator Yu So-ak and Young Master Eun Seo-ho.”
“I’m Zhuge Yul (諸葛律). I may be lacking, but I currently serve as the head of this household.”
At his introduction, both Chief Administrator Yu and I rose from our seats.
We clasped our fists and bowed in greeting.
“I’m Yu So-ak, Internal Chief Administrator of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
“I’m Eun Seo-ho, third son of the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
There was a reason we hadn’t been introduced to the head of the household on the first day. It was because we were the Grand Elder’s guests.
Normally, a host only introduces guests when a superior is present.
Introducing them to someone of lower rank would go against etiquette. It was a way of showing respect to the guests.
It meant the host saw the guest as equal in status to themselves.
We were guests of the Grand Elder, and there was no one above him.
“Welcome to the Zhuge Clan. I hope your stay is comfortable and without lack.”
Though he was far older and of higher standing, he maintained proper decorum with us because we were the Grand Elder’s guests.
“Thank you for your kindness, Clan Lord.”
“Thank you.”
The head of the Zhuge Clan appeared composed and courteous.
Not frivolous, with a gentle demeanor to match.
Seeing him, I could tell where Lady Zhuge Yu-ah’s true nature came from.
They say children are mirrors of their parents…
Though the Grand Elder had called him an uninvited guest, his eyes were full of pride as he looked at him.
It was hard to believe this man would, in just a few years, fall into Qi deviation during closed-door training and bring about a bloodbath against his own clan.
Normally, Qi deviation twists the meridians and kills on the spot.
But in the Zhuge Clan’s case, many of their martial arts focused on mental discipline, so when they succumbed to deviation, they either became simple-minded or lost their sanity.
If they merely became dull-witted or gently unhinged, that was still better.
The real problem was when they lost their minds in the worst way.
Becoming a rampaging killer.
That’s what happened with Zhuge Yul, standing right before me.
As the clan head, his martial arts must be extraordinary, and with the Grand Elder dead, there’d have been no one strong enough to stop him.
Wait…
Now that I think about it, something doesn’t add up.
If the Grand Elder had still been alive when the clan head lost control, would the Zhuge Clan have suffered so much damage?
No.
Even if it was his son, the Grand Elder would’ve made a decisive move for the sake of the clan.
If that were the case, they wouldn’t have suffered such devastating losses. Which means the Grand Elder must’ve died first.
That means the clan head’s Qi deviation was part of a scheme.
At that moment, realization struck me.
The man in front of me… is Zhuge Yu-ah’s father, the one whose daughter supposedly had her arm broken by me during last night’s match.
Ah…
Even if I had the Grand Elder’s support, it was best to stay humble where I needed to.
I bowed deeply in apology.
“Forgive me. About Lady Zhuge Yu-ah last night…”
“If that’s what you’re referring to, don’t worry. Yu-ah brought it upon herself, so there’s no one to blame.”
“I truly apologize.”
I bowed again and let out a quiet sigh.
Why does everything have to get so complicated…
While I was thinking that, the Grand Elder asked the clan head,
“So? What brings you here?”
“Yes, Father. A letter has arrived.”
“A letter?”
“It requires an urgent reply, so even though I knew you had guests, I had no choice but to intrude.”
He pulled the letter from his robes, and the Grand Elder took and opened it.
Where could it be from to warrant such urgency?
Then I saw the seal stamped on the envelope, and my entire body froze.
A stylized cloud emblem.
That was the symbol of the Murim Alliance. Which meant that letter came from them.
But then…
The Grand Elder’s reaction was strange.
A violent, murderous aura began to radiate from his body.
It was the kind of killing intent that seemed to slice through flesh.
He moved his lips toward the clan head, and the man gave a slight nod.
They were using soundless transmission because we were present.
“Father, you’re disturbing our guests.”
At the clan head’s words, the Grand Elder blinked and looked at us.
“Oh! My apologies. I didn’t mean to let that slip…”
“It’s… it’s fine.”
Unlike me, Chief Administrator Yu had turned rather pale.
Was murderous intent really that hard to endure?
I felt fine.
“In any case, I suppose we’ll end here for today. Let’s speak again this evening. This place is even more scenic at night.”
“Of course.”
Just then, the Grand Elder looked at me with a curious expression.
“Young Master… You mentioned wanting to observe how the tea is brewed, did you not?”
“Yes, I did.”
At my answer, the Grand Elder took something from his sleeve and handed it to me. A token made of white jade.
“Show this, and you’ll be allowed anywhere. Go take a look.”
“Thank you.”
.
.
.
While Chief Administrator Yu rested in the room, I left the lodging with Palgap.
To go observe the tea brewing process.
The Grand Elder’s reaction upon hearing the letter was from the Murim Alliance had been unexpected.
Clearly a negative reaction.
And the clan head had nodded in agreement.
That explained why the Zhuge Clan had fallen so easily, and why the Murim Alliance hadn’t treated it as a serious matter.
They’d been discarded—used and cast aside.
As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my ally.
If the Zhuge Clan disappeared, it would be no different from losing one of my allies.
That meant I needed to protect them.
“This looks like the tea brewing area.”
Palgap’s words pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up. At that moment, I locked eyes with a man.
And instantly, a wave of revulsion washed over me.
It was a strange kind of disgust I’d never felt before.
The man looked at me and asked,
“Judging by your attire, you’re not from around here. Who might you be?”
“…”
He was asking my identity, but I was too overwhelmed by the strange nausea to respond.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“…”
Seeing me like that, Palgap quickly stepped forward and bowed his head.
“My apologies for the delayed response. This is Young Master Eun Seo-ho, third son of the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. I serve him as an attendant. We were invited here by the Grand Elder.”
“Ah, I heard Uncle had invited some guests to exchange poetry. So you’re the literary guests?”
“Yes.”
“I see. But this is a restricted area. Outsiders aren’t allowed to wander in.”
“We understand that too. That’s why we only came after receiving the Grand Elder’s permission…”
Palgap continued,
“But it seems our young master is suddenly not feeling well. So we’ll just return—”
I raised my hand to stop Palgap.
“I’m fine.”
My nausea had just barely settled.
I could come back another time, but I couldn’t let that happen.
Whoever planned to poison the Grand Elder was meticulous enough to wait years to pull it off.
Right now, while no one expected an outsider to enter the tea brewing area, was my only chance. If I let it go, the rat would vanish without a trace.
I clasped my fists and bowed to the man.
“Forgive me for the late introduction. I wasn’t feeling well. As my attendant said, I’m Eun Seo-ho, third son of the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group and a guest invited by the Grand Elder.”
At my introduction, the man returned the bow.
“I see. I’m Zhuge Gyeong (諸葛炅), son of Pavilion Lord Zhuge Myeong (諸葛皿) of the Black Tortoise Pavilion, and younger brother to the clan head. You said you were invited by the Grand Elder—could I see proof?”
In response, I pulled out the jade token the Grand Elder had given me.
Zhuge Gyeong checked it and nodded.
“This is indeed the Grand Elder’s token. You may proceed.”
He returned the token and casually wandered off somewhere.
At that moment, the disgusting feeling I’d been struggling with vanished.
What?
Did I really feel nauseated?
Now it just seemed like I’d been faking it.
Palgap looked at me and asked,
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah.”
“Your complexion suddenly looks completely fine.”
“Mm… It’s nothing. Let’s go in.”
I brushed it off with a vague answer and glanced back at Zhuge Gyeong’s retreating figure.
Could he be the reason for that wave of disgust?
But feeling sick just from seeing someone? That’s absurd.
Shaking off the thought, I stepped into the building labeled “Institute of Tranquility” (製安院).
A place that produces peace…
Seeing the name, I got a better sense of what tea meant in the Zhuge Clan.
“Greetings. I’m Zhuge Hyang (諸葛香), head of the Institute of Tranquility.”
The man who greeted me was very neatly dressed. When he saw the jade token, he offered to guide me personally, since I was the Grand Elder’s guest.
“This is where we sort through the delivered tea once again. You know how even teas of the same kind can differ in grade, right?”
“Of course.”
“We store each grade separately. That area over there is for tea storage.”
I nodded.
He continued explaining and finally led me to the brewing area.
“This is where we brew whatever tea is needed before serving it.”
“But aren’t there some who enjoy the brewing process themselves?”
“Just as you said, brewing tea is a form of cultivation. But the main family truly loves tea. They usually go through five teapots a day at minimum.”
“At that rate, the time spent brewing tea must be quite significant.”
“Exactly. So when they wish to brew it themselves, they let us know. Otherwise, we prepare it here.”
Seems like people are the same everywhere.
Even in our merchant group, tea isn’t brewed individually—it’s delivered from the department that handles it.
I casually asked the question I’d been meaning to.
“Actually, the reason I got curious about this place was because the tea the Grand Elder served was incredibly good.”
“I see.”
“So I was wondering—who’s responsible for brewing the Grand Elder’s tea?”
In response, Zhuge Hyang pointed to a small corner space.
“Over there… Hm, the person in charge seems to be away at the moment.”
That area had brewing tools and several sealed containers of different teas.
Just then, someone came looking for him.
“Excuse me. I need you to check something.”
“All right.”
He turned to me with a slight bow.
“Forgive me, I’ll be just a moment. Please feel free to look around.”
“Of course. Please don’t worry about me.”
This was my chance.
I walked over to the Grand Elder’s brewing station. It wasn’t a sealed-off room—just a designated open space.
Doing anything suspicious in plain sight here?
Impossible.
Especially not when you’d have to mix poison into tea for over a year without getting caught even once.
And the poison could only be used with Song of Birds and Flowers (花鳥淸音), Moonlight in the Cup (盃中明月), Green Beauty (綠美人), and jujube.
If it were added to any other tea, the balance would break, and symptoms would show.
This poison was complicated and picky.
Which meant the safest and easiest way to use it was just one:
Use something that was already there.
For example, the tea containers themselves.
As I reached toward the container labeled Song of Birds and Flowers, Palgap subtly stepped in to block the view with his body.
How thoughtful.
I quickly opened the tea container. Nothing suspicious at a glance.
And I couldn’t exactly dump it out right here.
But I was sure the poison was in there.
I took a small amount of the tea leaves and tucked it into my sleeve.
If the container was poisoned, the leaves inside would be too.
Then I quietly put the lid back.
“Palgap, let’s go back.”
“You’ve finished looking around?”
“Yeah.”
“Understood.”
Back at the lodging, I asked Palgap to bring me some vinegar.
I brewed the stolen tea leaves and added a bit of vinegar to the cup.
The sour smell made me wrinkle my nose, but I grabbed a needle and pricked my finger.
Damn it…
Why do I have to suffer like this?
I really hate pain.
I squeezed out a drop of blood and let it fall into the cup of tea and vinegar.
Pop.
I exhaled deeply.
My guess had been right.
The tea turned purple. Which meant it was poisoned.
This detection method had become widely known after the Empress’s poisoning.
But at this point in time, no one knew about it.
Probably only the culprit understood this poison.
If I brought it up recklessly now, I’d be the one under suspicion.
Especially since the culprit was likely someone inside the Zhuge Clan. They could pin the blame on me.
That couldn’t be allowed to happen.
Aside from the culprit, was there anyone else who knew about this poison?
Suddenly, a name popped into my mind.
Ah!
There is someone!
The perfect person for this situation.
And conveniently, they were nearby, on the western side of Hubei Province.
But before that, I needed to secure more evidence.
–TL Notes–
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