Chapter 122: Poisoning (2)
Translator: bjgoofy
Following the Divine Thief's awkward remarks, Seol noona's voice chimed in, brimming with displeasure.
"Three won't work. If they were men, I'd sling two of them over my shoulders and run, but two of them are women, and Yeong-ryeon can't carry two people while she runs."
"I don't want to be carried by that woman either! I'd rather just walk."
"I-I'm sorry. But didn't I already apologize?"
"Does being sorry fix everything!?"
At Seol noona's angry voice, Yeong-ryeon, the Divine Thief's disciple, apologized to her once more, but Seol noona's fury showed no signs of abating.
It was about the incident where Yeong-ryeon had sealed her acupoints and stripped off her clothes. The resentment still lingered.
Between Seol noona's usual attire and wearing nothing at all, there was practically no difference in terms of surface area covered, but psychologically, it was another matter entirely.
"But no one else saw, did they?"
"What!? You saw me!"
"I-I'm sorry."
And so, the meeting to decide who would travel to the Murim Alliance before departure had turned into an incredibly awkward affair.
The party heading to the Murim Alliance consisted of me, Seol noona, and Hwa-eun.
Seol noona had to go in person since she carried both the Tang family's letter of recommendation and her adoptive father's formal request for Murim Alliance membership. I was needed to explain the poison we were delivering to the Murim Alliance, and Hwa-eun was to attend as the family representative.
The reason Hwa-eun joined the party as the family representative, rather than Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons or my father-in-law, was rather amusing.
The reason being: "It would look undignified."
The Divine Thief could reach Wuhan in three days because he possessed extraordinarily fast Qinggong.
So the only way to use this high-speed bullet taxi was to ride on the back of either the Divine Thief himself or his disciple, a woman named Yeong-ryeon.
But there was no way my father-in-law or Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons could ride on the back of the Divine Thief's female disciple, nor could they ride on the Divine Thief's back either.
That was how Hwa-eun ended up representing the family.
As for me, since the Divine Thief said he could get us there and back in three days, and Snow and Ice might be laying eggs soon, I couldn't exactly refuse to go.
It was more than enough time for a round trip, after all.
But there was a problem. Setting aside Seol noona's unrelenting anger, there were only two taxis available.
The murim bullet taxi was a single-seater, and the critical drawback was that only two were currently in operation.
That was why the Divine Thief had worn such a troubled expression.
If they were men, he could have just slung them over his shoulders and gone, but since Hwa-eun and Seol noona were women, the Divine Thief couldn't carry them that way, and the woman named Yeong-ryeon lacked the skill to carry more than one person. That was the crux of it.
'Then should we leave Hwa-eun behind?'
"Then we'll have to leave Hwa-eun behind, but I'm a bit worried since Soryong doesn't know murim etiquette. This is about our in-laws' Beast Palace joining the Murim Alliance, so proper decorum really is essential."
"Indeed, Father."
As Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons said, both Noona and I were country bumpkins when it came to Central Plains murim customs, so we needed someone experienced like Hwa-eun. It was an awkward situation.
-Tssrit?
Just then, Cho, who had been flying overhead, descended and, seeing us all gathered like this, seemingly in the middle of an argument, asked what was going on.
"It's nothing, Cho. We're not fighting. Just talking. You don't need to worry, Cho. Go play for a bit."
When I stroked Cho's head and told her not to worry, she floated back up above my head.
I was watching Cho spin in a circle above me when it happened.
A brilliant idea suddenly struck me.
'Ah! That's it! That's how we can do it!'
A way to bring Hwa-eun along and keep Seol noona from having to ride on Yeong-ryeon's back.
I quickly asked the Divine Thief.
"Elder Divine Thief, do you happen to know how to fly a kite?"
"A kite?"
"Yes, a rather long and large one...."
'The kind that would definitely make you the life of the party if you flew it at the Hangang riverside parks.'
***
"......So, everyone's satisfied now, right? We even did a test run?"
"Fine. I get it, Ryong. Tch."
"Right then, let's be off."
Once my idea had settled everything, the Divine Thief urged an immediate departure.
It would only take a few days for a quick round trip, so there was no need to pack; let's just go, he said.
"Just a moment, please, Elder Divine Thief. Let me say goodbye to the children. I need to explain why I'm leaving. Otherwise, they'll all try to follow me."
But I had creatures in my care, so I couldn't just take off like that.
If Hwa-eun and I both disappeared at the same time, there would be chaos.
"Hm? Children? Oh, those children? Right, of course."
And so, I decided to say my farewells to the ones staying behind.
I had already decided to bring only Hyang and Cho as my venomous companions.
Snow was in the middle of forming eggs inside her body, so I decided to leave her behind, and if Snow was staying, then Ice had to stay as well, naturally.
On top of that, while snakes could go a month or two without eating, that was something you only did when there was truly no other choice.
Yeondu needed to eat baby silk carp every two or three days, so traveling with her would have been difficult.
Snow seemed to know about her own condition; when I told her to stay behind, she obediently nodded this time. Yeondu hadn't formed a deep bond with me yet, so she showed little reaction.
But the problem, as always, was Yohwa.
"Yohwa, just ten days, okay?"
-Hisss....
Having taken Hwa-eun's form, Yohwa crossed her arms with an expression that was clearly sulking.
Perhaps because she had consumed Spear Dragon's yang energy last time, her aversion to other yang energy had diminished, and after some coaxing, she did agree to stay behind.
Still, there was nothing she could do about feeling left out.
True to form, even after saying she understood, Yohwa couldn't bring herself to let go of my sleeve, just like last time.
I was thinking we'd never leave today at this rate, when Yeong-ryeon, apparently moved by the pitiful sight, stepped forward and made a request.
"Young Hero Soryong, may I have a little of that thread from earlier?"
"Thread?"
"Yes, that thick thread."
She was referring to the thread I had drawn from Yohwa just moments ago. The Divine Thief's disciple, Yeong-ryeon, was asking for it.
What Yeong-ryeon requested was two short lengths of thread.
"Sure, I suppose...."
I wasn't sure if she wanted it as a keepsake or for some other reason, but I nodded in agreement and drew a bit of thread from Yohwa before handing it to Yeong-ryeon.
"Now then, both of you, hold out your wrists."
"Our wrists?"
-Hisss?
When the woman suddenly told us to hold out our wrists, Yohwa and I hesitantly extended our hands.
Yeong-ryeon tied the thread I had given her around my wrist and Yohwa's wrist.
Looking at Yohwa, Yeong-ryeon spoke.
"Yohwa, was it? There. Now that I've tied Young Hero Soryong with Yohwa's own thread, even when you're apart, you're still together. What do you think? Can you let him go now?"
At her words, Hwa-eun smiled and spoke.
"Like a Red Thread?"
"Red Thread?"
"Yes. It's said that when the Old Man Under the Moon ties a red thread around two people's ankles, they are destined to meet. That they become bound by fate. Since you tied it around their wrists, I was wondering if you meant it as a promise that he will surely return. Something like that."
'Ah, the red thread of fate?'
I nodded along, having heard the tale of the red thread of fate at least once before.
Then, wearing an expression that said, "Will Yohwa let me go now?", I looked at her, and a shriek rang out.
-Hisss!
Yohwa snapped the threads on the spot, furious.
Both hers and mine.
"I-I'm sorry, I thought you'd like it...."
Yeong-ryeon hurriedly apologized to Yohwa, but then, having torn the thread away in anger, Yohwa began doing something bewildering.
She suddenly started spinning out new thread.
In a vivid, unmistakable red.
"Red?"
She had never once produced red-colored thread before, yet out it came, as though dyed, a brilliant crimson.
While I stood there, stunned by the revelation that she could produce red thread, the thick red strands wound themselves around my ankle and the ankle of Yohwa in Hwa-eun's form.
No, they didn't just wind. They transformed into rings and fastened themselves there.
With no visible knot.
Then, wearing a look of utter satisfaction, Yohwa pushed my back and gestured as if to say, "Off you go now."
-Hissss.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Hmm?"
Those were the voices of Hwa-eun, Seol noona, and Yeong-ryeon, all staring at Yohwa and the thread around my ankle with dumbfounded expressions.
I looked back at the three of them, waving my hands awkwardly as I spoke.
After all, we were clearly different species.
"S-surely not. I'm sure that's not what it means."
'Right, Yohwa? Right? We're, um.... different species! A love that can never be!'
I loved and adored my venomous creatures, but my mind went completely blank.
What if she actually meant it?
That was the thought that struck me.
***
Giant centipede kite-flying.
A massive centipede, coiled around a person, hovering in the sky.
When we arrived at the entrance of the Murim Alliance, towing that centipede like a kite, the welcoming crowd was something else.
"A-a Centipede!?"
"A Centipede flying through the sky!?"
"That's no Centipede, it's a blue dragon, isn't it!?"
Just as I expected, the Divine Thief was now confirmed the life of the party.
The reason we ended up looking like this was that Seol noona refused to be carried by Yeong-ryeon, and there were too many people to transport.
So I had told Cho to coil around Seol noona, and then had the Divine Thief and his disciple Yeong-ryeon tow Cho along by Yohwa's thread as they ran.
Cho could hover in the air using Qi Riding Sky Surge, and while airborne, she was practically weightless.
The reason the welcoming crowd was far larger than expected was, apparently, because something bizarre had been spotted approaching from a distance and an alert had been raised....
The commotion died down the moment Elder Divine Thief proved his identity, and everyone quickly stepped back.
"Is the Alliance Leader in!? This is urgent, so send word to the Alliance Leader's Hall at once! I am the Divine Thief!"
When he unwound the thread from his wrist and cracked it once through the air, the warriors nearly jumped out of their skin.
As the Divine Thief's signature treasure, the Heavenly Silkworm Thread, caught the light and scattered shimmering brilliance in every direction, the warriors dropped to their knees and cried out.
"Th-the Divine Thief!"
"We are honored to be in the presence of the Sovereign of Thieves, the Divine Thief!"
***
-Bang!
Having received the urgent message of our arrival, the Alliance Leader had prepared a meeting. Now, with a face twisted between fury and shock, he slammed his fist against the table.
It was because he had just received the report that nearly everyone sent on the intelligence mission had been killed in the line of duty.
"What!? They're all, all dead!?"
"H-how could this happen!"
Strategist Zhuge Hu, whom I recognized, also wore an expression of dismay.
"Yes. Nearly all twelve teams, including Vice Pavilion Chief Bang Sun of the Flying Dragon Pavilion, are believed to have met such a fate. As we retreated toward the Central Plains, we searched the surrounding area, and Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons scoured as far as the inner border, but no survivors were found.
The only survivors are Spear Dragon, Sword Phoenix, and Blade Dragon, who happened to be traveling with us.
Even those three sustained severe injuries and will need at least three months of recovery at the Beast Palace...."
"Grrh.... I should have mobilized more seasoned fighters.... This was my failure."
It seemed the operation had been planned by Strategist Zhuge Hu, and he bowed his head with a stricken expression.
At that, the Alliance Leader shook his head, his face resolute.
"Is now really the time to assign blame? Strategist, say no more of that."
"Here, please take this...."
I held out the papers we had brought to the two grief-stricken men.
Because the sacrifice had not been in vain.
"What is this?"
"Vice Pavilion Chief Bang Sun entrusted this to us as he charged into certain death to carve a path for our escape. He said it contained records of several locations suspected to be the Blood Cult's strongholds...."
I handed over the paper, pierced with a hole from a spear strike that had hit Sword Phoenix, its surface caked with dried blood.
The Alliance Leader took the paper with trembling hands.
"Thank you. The Murim Alliance is once again deeply indebted to you."
After that, I introduced Noona to the Alliance Leader and relayed the news that the Blood Cult had formed an alliance with the Five Poisons Sect.
I then delivered a full report covering how, as a result, the Tiger Keelback venom might have been rendered useless, as well as the discovery of a new poison.
"This time, it's a poison that blocks acupoints?"
"Yes, Strategist. Alliance Leader."
"Goodness...."
"What a tremendous blessing for the murim world."
The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's admission into the Murim Alliance was received with great enthusiasm.
Since the Beast Palace was the force situated closest to the border of the Great Viet Kingdom, where the Blood Cult was certainly based, it would serve as an ideal stronghold for monitoring the Blood Cult's movements.
Alliance Admission, therefore, was a free pass.
An agreement was swiftly reached to dispatch an envoy by way of Sichuan, and as we walked out of the Alliance Leader's Hall, someone's voice reached us.
"Poison Flower, it has been a long time."
I turned to find two women and three men standing there.
Hwa-eun gave a Cupped Fist Salute toward the man who had addressed her.
"It has been a while, Wisdom Dragon."
'Wisdom Dragon?'
They seemed to be members of the same group as Senior Brother Blade Dragon, the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.
Hwa-eun introduced the man to me and Seol noona.
"Soryong, this is Wisdom Dragon, one of the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes. Wisdom Dragon, this is Soryong, my betrothed and son of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. And this is Young Miss Seolpyo, daughter of the Beast Palace Lord."
"A pleasure to meet you, Young Hero, and Young Miss Seol. I am Wisdom Dragon, Zhuge Qiao. Strategist Zhuge Hu is my uncle. These are Fist Dragon and Sword Dragon, and the ladies behind them are Sound Phoenix and Bow Phoenix."
The man turned out to be Strategist Zhuge Hu's nephew and, sure enough, a member of the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.
Those offering us Cupped Fist Salutes consisted of three men: the pale-complexioned Zhuge Qiao, a man called Fist Dragon with thick, prominent eyebrows, and a man called Sword Dragon who appeared to be a person of few words.
Then there were two women: one called Bow Phoenix, who wore a somewhat vacant expression, and one called Sound Phoenix, whose lips were a strikingly vivid red.
"So, what brings you to us?"
When asked why they had stopped us, Zhuge Qiao pressed his temple as though suffering from a headache and replied.
"Well.... The truth is, we were curious about news of Blade Dragon, Spear Dragon, and Sword Phoenix. Just a moment ago, my uncle said it seemed Poison Flower had brought word from their direction, and he rushed off, so...."
"Ah...."
It seemed they had been worried about their fellow Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.
Since the fact that everyone from the intelligence operation had been killed could not yet be revealed, I simply answered that the three were doing well.
It would be up to the Strategist or the Alliance Leader to make that announcement, after all.
"I can't go into detail. But they are well, so there is no need to worry."
"I figured as much.... Understood. Then, if you'll excuse us."
Whether because he was the Strategist's nephew or simply because he was sharp, Wisdom Dragon nodded in acceptance.
They didn't seem to be particularly close with Hwa-eun either; once they had confirmed what they wanted to know, they exchanged courtesies and disappeared to one side.
'Is Hwa-eun not very close with them?'
Then, that evening.
We were sharing stolen goods, eating and drinking Wuhan's finest cuisine and liquor that the Divine Thief had pilfered, when it happened.
"Come, come, try this. This is a ten-year-aged Shaoxing wine."
"Did you steal this as well?"
"Of course. You think this Divine Thief would pay for it?"
Strategist Zhuge Hu came rushing over in a panic with a request.
"Divine Thief, I'm sorry to disturb your rest. Poison Flower, could you help me!?"
It was not me but Hwa-eun he was appealing to.
Hwa-eun tilted her head and asked.
"You need my help, Elder?"
The Strategist nodded urgently.
"My nephew Qiao has collapsed, and the Murim Alliance physician says it appears to be poisoning."
"What!? Qiao, as in Wisdom Dragon!? Poisoned?"
The nephew of the Murim Alliance's Strategist had been nearly assassinated by poison within the Murim Alliance itself.
Outside, the clamor was growing louder.
*****
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