Chapter 339
Chapter 339. What Will I Do With This Body?
Tang Unmang, known as Sam Bo Jeol Myeong (Three Steps to Death), moved naturally among the people traversing the mountain path.
His plan was simple: approach to within ten jang (approximately 30 meters) and discreetly use his technique, Nakwol Dokjeong (Waning Moon Poisonous Passion), to eliminate the target and leave undetected.
Meanwhile, Jang Wian stood firmly in the middle of the path, carefully examining the passersby. He couldn’t afford to let an attacker go unnoticed, as even Leader So Jiwoong, an untrained commoner, would be unable to withstand a poisonous attack, unlike Yeon Jeokha (연적하), who possessed outstanding internal cultivation.
Yeon Jeokha, at his side, also observed the passersby with a piercing gaze, as if inspecting them one by one. The atmosphere was so tense that it gave the impression that both were conducting a military inspection of the people passing by.
The words Jang Wian had shouted a short time before had made the passersby nervous, and they avoided the gaze of the two warriors.
When Tang Unmang finally approached to less than ten jang, he made a discreet movement with his fingers, activating his poisonous technique, and continued walking with apparent tranquility.
“¡Ack!”
A short moan escaped Yeon Jeokha’s lips.
Suddenly, an intense pain pierced his heart, as if something were squeezing it from within. It felt as if he were drowning underwater, while an overwhelming malaise spread throughout his body.
With gritted teeth and wide-open eyes, Yeon Jeokha struggled to stay on his feet. His eyes, now bloodshot, began to weep blood, and his hair, as if reacting to the overflowing energy, stood on end and pointed towards the sky.
In a matter of seconds, his skin and clothes darkened as if he had been covered in ash.
The passersby, bewildered by his grotesque appearance, quickened their pace, avoiding looking at him for too long.
“Yeon Sohyeop, are you alright?”
Jang Wian, worried, took a step towards Yeon Jeokha. The latter’s appearance was clearly that of someone on the verge of death from poisoning.
“Ungh… Jang Sohyeop, don’t come closer.”
Yeon Jeokha, with difficulty, raised his hand to stop him. He didn’t want to risk Jang Wian also being poisoned.
Recognizing that he couldn’t be of help, Jang Wian stopped.
With each passing second, Yeon Jeokha silently recited passages from the True Classic of the Nine Heavens as One, while trying to maintain the circulation of his Nine Heavens Energy (구천기). Although the pain he felt in his dantian was excruciating, he had no other choice.
Suddenly, he extended his hand forward and shouted:
“Stop right there!”
A man with a bamboo hat stopped about three meters away.
Jang Wian looked at the stranger with distrust, alert to any possible threat.
The man, Tang Unmang, slightly lifted the brim of his hat and, feigning ignorance, asked in a trembling voice:
“Are you talking to me?”
His eyes blinked like those of an innocent old peasant, but Yeon Jeokha didn’t let himself be deceived. With blood dripping from his eyes, he stared intently and said:
“Just answer: do you have the antidote? If you say no, I’ll kill you.”
The unexpected words made Tang Unmang flinch.
“What… what are you saying? Antidote? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“I won’t repeat it. If you keep denying it, I’ll assume you don’t have it and kill you.”
Tang Unmang’s face reflected confusion and frustration.
“How did you realize it was me?”
For a moment, he hesitated, but soon understood his mistake.
“How did you know?” he asked, finally ceasing to pretend.
“Do you think I’m stupid? Everyone here is looking at us, but you didn’t even look at us. That gave you away.”
“Damn it…”
Finally, Tang Unmang understood his failure. In his attempt not to appear suspicious, he ended up acting too indifferently, something that didn’t go unnoticed.
“Do you have the antidote or not?”
As Yeon Jeokha watched him, his eyes, though filled with blood, showed a trace of vitality.
“This is surprising. You should already be dead… How are you still standing?”
Even warriors of the level of the Ten Masters of Murim (천하십대고수) would have had difficulty resisting this poison, much less a young man like Yeon Jeokha.
Finally, Tang Unmang sighed and replied:
“Yes, I have the antidote. But do you have the strength left to take it from me?”
With those words, he waved his hand, launching a rain of poisonous feathers (우모침) towards Yeon Jeokha.
Yeon Jeokha, although instinctively wanting to dodge them, remained motionless.
¡Thwack!
The sound of the feathers embedding themselves in his body resonated, but this only confirmed that his senses were still functioning.
Despite the pain, Yeon Jeokha continued circulating his Nine Heavens Energy.
In a cold voice, he said:
“Old man, your tricks barely tickle me. Do you understand what that means?”
“What?” Tang Unmang was incredulous.
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha drew his sword with astonishing speed.
¡Swoosh!
Before Tang Unmang could react, the sharp blade was right under his jaw.
“How about that? I’m still useful, right?”
Having said that, Yeon Jeokha withdrew his sword, leaving Tang Unmang dumbfounded.
“H-how is that possible?”
The poison of Nakwol Dokjeong, capable of killing even the best Murim warriors, had failed to bring him down.
With a firm voice, Yeon Jeokha ordered:
“The only reason you’re still alive is because you have the antidote. Give it to me now.”
With a gulp, Tang Unmang reached into his robe, while Jang Wian pointed his sword at the old man’s neck, ready to act if he attempted anything suspicious.
At that moment, Yeon Jeokha couldn’t help but vomit a thick clot of blood onto the ground, which bubbled ominously.
Seeing this, even Jang Wian was surprised. Although the poison was terrifying, the fact that Yeon Jeokha was still standing was even more astonishing.
Finally, Tang Unmang, with a trembling hand, asked:
“If I give you the antidote, can you promise you won’t kill me?”
Without hesitation, Yeon Jeokha replied:
“Yes. So give me the antidote immediately. I feel like I’m going to explode.”
Indeed, Yeon Jeokha’s abdomen was dangerously swollen, as if about to burst.
Tang Unmang (당운망) looked alternately at Yeon Jeokha’s face and belly, and finally, with resignation, took a small white porcelain bottle from his robe.
Like a hawk catching a chick, Yeon Jeokha snatched the bottle in a lightning-fast movement.
“Is it enough to drink all of this?”
“Yes, you won’t die with that.”
“What nonsense are you saying? You said it was an antidote.”
“The Nakwol Dokjeong (낙월독정, Waning Moon Poisonous Passion) technique doesn’t have a complete antidote. This is the best I can offer.”
“Damn it!”
Yeon Jeokha, muttering curses under his breath, could no longer contain himself and emptied the contents of the bottle into his mouth.
Although it wasn’t a complete antidote, he soon felt relief. His belly, which seemed about to explode, began to deflate, and his skin, blackened like coal, began to regain some of its natural color.
After approximately one-twentieth of a day (일다경, about 20 minutes), Jang Wian (장위안), who had been watching with a worried face, asked:
“Yeon Sohyeop, how do you feel?”
“The internal pain has subsided, but my chest still feels irritated, and my dantian hurts when I circulate my energy.”
With a satisfied expression, Tang Unmang said:
“It’s because the poison hasn’t been completely eliminated. But don’t worry, you won’t die.”
“Damn old man! Is that what you call reassurance?”
Yeon Jeokha glared at Tang Unmang. Living in his current state, with the poison still in his body, while facing pending matters with the Yoomyung Cult, was an extremely dangerous situation.
Tang Unmang, defeated, avoided his gaze.
When everything seemed to calm down a bit, Jang Wian lowered the sword he had been pointing at Tang Unmang’s neck and asked:
“Who are you, old man? I have quite a bit of experience in Murim (무림), but I’ve never heard of something called Nakwol Dokjeong.”
Since the old man had used poison without warning, Jang Wian didn’t bother to be polite.
Tang Unmang, his face full of frustration, finally sighed:
“Haa… My name is Tang Unmang (당운망). Nakwol Dokjeong is a technique I recently perfected.”
“Is the Tang Family involved in this matter?”
Jang Wian’s tone changed immediately. Despite being an enemy, he couldn’t afford to use informal language with a member of the powerful Tang Family.
“No, it’s not like that. I left the Tang Family twenty years ago.”
Tang Unmang confessed that he had left the Tang Family and had settled in Ryuwang Village (류왕채촌).
“So, this was your work alone?”
“Correct. If I still had ties to the Tang Family, not even Geum Bulwise would have dared to hire me. The Heochang merchants aren’t so foolish as to involve the Tang Family.”
“And the Tang Family let someone with your poison skills go so easily?”
Knowing the nature of the prominent Murim families, Jang Wian couldn’t believe it.
With a bitter smile, Tang Unmang explained:
“If a member of a secondary branch surpasses those of the main line, they will be rejected, or in the worst case, killed. I was more talented than the young master of the Tang Family, so I suffered many hardships since I was young. It’s not that they let me go; I escaped.”
“…”
Jang Wian looked at Tang Unmang with renewed eyes. He knew his poison skills were remarkable, but he never imagined that he could surpass even the leader of the Tang Family.
While listening to the story, Yeon Jeokha, visibly impatient, burst out:
“Damn it! I don’t care if you’re from the Tang Family or not. What will you do with this body?!”
At that moment, both Jang Wian and Tang Unmang looked at Yeon Jeokha.
His skin was still dark, his hair, once jet black, was now gray and brittle. His face was so covered in sores that it was difficult to look at him directly. Some of the wounds were oozing pus.
Although Yeon Jeokha’s face had once been considered attractive, it was now so disfigured that even his parents wouldn’t recognize him.
“That’s because the poison hasn’t completely left. Once it’s eliminated, you’ll return to normal…”
“Damn you! When will all the poison leave? You don’t even have a complete antidote!”
“T-that’s true, but… it’s not a deadly poison, so, over time, your face…”
Pressed, Tang Unmang mentioned the state of Yeon Jeokha’s face, something the latter hadn’t yet noticed.
“My face?”
Hearing that, Yeon Jeokha brought his hands to his face, and upon feeling the sores and pus, he cried out in despair:
“What is this?! What are all these things?! And why is pus coming out?!”
“It’s because the poison has caused internal heat to accumulate on your face. Once the poison completely disappears, everything will return to normal. Don’t worry too much.”
“And how long will that take?”
“…I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?! Damn old man, I’m going to kill you!”
Enraged, Yeon Jeokha grabbed Tang Unmang by the neck and shook him violently.
“Ack! I know someone who could help you eliminate the poison!”
Only then did Yeon Jeokha release him.
“Who is it?”
“His name is Baek Ilun (백일운), a man once known as the ‘Medicine Buddha (약사여래)’. He might be able to eliminate the remnants of the poison in your body.”
“Might? Does that mean he could also fail?”
“The poison of Nakwol Dokjeong is unlike any other. Even I, its creator, don’t fully understand it. But I’ll give you the components of the 108 poisons it contains. Take them to him and ask for his help.”
“Where is he?”
“I only know that he went to the Wudang Sect to learn the secrets of medicinal pills. I don’t know if he’s still there.”
“You don’t even know if he’s at the Wudang Sect?”
“C-correct.”
“God, I really want to kill you!”
Yeon Jeokha glared at Tang Unmang.
Although he already had plans to head to the Wudang Sect, he never imagined he would have to go in such a deplorable state.
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