Chapter 45
Spreading Charm (2)
Kang Yongwoon also sensed it.
Through the Heavenly Grand Divine Art he had pushed into Tang Sehuang’s body, he confirmed that the movement of the Venom Spirit had stilled.
‘Well done, Jeong-ah. Thank you—!’
Did his gratitude reach the Venom Spirit?
Wooong—!
The Venom Spirit resonated once more with his soul.
At that moment—
Swoooosh—!
The Venom Spirit that had spread throughout Tang Sehuang’s body began to be sucked into a single point.
An astonishing speed.
In the mere blink of an eye, the poison that had flooded his entire body condensed into a single spot.
‘Now, I need to expel it outside…’
No, that would be dangerous. If he expelled it recklessly, the Venom Lord himself might get caught up in the poisonous energy.
‘Should I just absorb it myself?’
Since it split off from the same Venom Spirit, it should be fine, right?
Wooong—!
But the Venom Spirit inside Kang Yongwoon thrashed violently.
It was expressing refusal.
‘What, come on… It was part of you anyway, why refuse it now?’
He tried coaxing it, but it was no use.
Woooong—woooong—!
Whether because it despised the fragment as too weak, or because it had developed its own stronger will, the Venom Spirit kept refusing.
‘Geez…’
Then what now?
While Kang Yongwoon pondered, his spiritual sight caught a faint light.
‘Huh?!’
It was the condensed Venom Spirit inside Tang Sehuang.
‘It’s changing?’
Like a seed sprouting.
Cracks formed in the condensed point, and from within, a faint black light spread out like wings.
‘A sprout from the seed?!’
He instinctively realized it.
It was preparing to settle as a spiritual force, just like the Venom Spirit that had taken root in his own dantian.
‘Could it be…?’
Was this thanks to the Heavenly Grand Divine Art?
‘The innate energy I infused into Lord Tang Sehuang’s body must have influenced it!’
It could only be that. No other explanation fit.
‘Good. Then stay there.’
A blessing in disguise.
Just as his own Venom Spirit neutralized any poison invading his body, if the same could take root in Tang Sehuang, wouldn’t that be wonderful?
‘Take care of Lord Tang Sehuang. Listen well, alright? Do you understand me?’
Flash.
The seed glowed faintly, as if in reply.
“Done. Now…”
“You—?!”
As Kang Yongwoon withdrew his hand and rose, having finished the Heavenly Grand Divine Art, the Venom Lord stared at him wide-eyed.
“H-how…?”
He couldn’t finish his words.
Through the life-meridian link, he had felt everything that happened inside Tang Sehuang as though witnessing it with his own eyes.
“It wasn’t even a poison art… and yet, how…?”
“Well, that’s…”
Kang Yongwoon fumbled, then quickly changed the subject.
“…First, we must treat the clan leader’s internal injuries, Venom Lord.”
“Ah?!”
Tang Gunwoo’s eyes widened, then he turned back to Tang Sehuang in shock.
“The poison attacking the clan leader has stabilized, but before that, the injuries inflicted by it—”
“Yes. For now, we must…”
“Kuh… I-I am fine.”
Tang Sehuang, struggling, sat up despite their concerns.
“Clan leader—!”
The Venom Lord brightened, eyes moist, gently rubbing his son’s back.
“Are you alright?”
“Father—!”
With teary eyes, Tang Sehuang clasped his fists respectfully.
“I apologize for causing you such worry.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine—! As long as the clan leader is safe, that is all I need…”
The Venom Lord embraced him, patting his back again and again.
‘Like an eighty-year-old mother fussing over her sixty-year-old son to chew his food properly—!’
Though Tang Sehuang was clan leader now, to Tang Gunwoo, he was still his beloved son.
“Father—!”
“Brother—!”
Hearing his voice, Tang Sohwi, the young clan heir, Tang Semyung, his younger brother, and Tang Soso rushed in, eyes red with worry.
“Hahaha! I knew you’d overcome this, brother.”
“I too believed Father would endure. Sniff.”
Tang Semyung burst out laughing in relief. Tang Sohwi barely held back tears, and even the cold Tang Soso wiped her eyes.
“Ha ha. Sorry to make you all worry.”
Tang Sehuang smiled at them, then turned his gaze to Kang Yongwoon.
“Thank you, Yongwoon. You saved my life.”
The gratitude came from his very heart.
“Yes, all thanks to this lad! Hahaha—!”
Even the Venom Lord laughed heartily.
“No, I was only lucky, sir.”
“Lucky, you say…”
The Venom Lord trailed off, his voice tinged with self-mockery.
“I strove for over fifteen years to surpass the clan leader, and even counting the years before that, it has been thirty. And yet, I never had such fortune as you…”
“Well…”
Before Yongwoon could respond, Tang Gunwoo declared firmly:
“It is not luck.”
“Sir…”
“You said the Venom Spirit was Heaven’s will, did you not?”
Kang Yongwoon fell silent.
The Venom Lord studied him, then nodded gravely.
“Indeed. From the clarity of your pure inner qi that you infused into the clan leader, I felt it myself.”
“Haha. I too felt the same, Father,” Tang Sehuang added warmly.
Yongwoon flushed red.
‘Ah, come on…’
Why were they all praising him like this?
Desperate to stop the attention, he diverted again.
“Rather than staying here, shouldn’t we tend to the clan leader’s internal wounds?”
“Of course, yes!”
The Venom Lord’s voice boomed.
“Where is the Venom Yard Master? Why isn’t he here? Quickly, bring blood-nourishing decoction and the Three-Yang Vitality Tonic—!”
“Third Uncle is currently scouring the Venom Yard for traces of Chilsuk, Father.”
Szzzt—
At the mention of Chilsuk, fire flashed in Tang Gunwoo’s eyes.
‘This isn’t good.’
Yongwoon still remembered Chilsuk’s bitter cry:
—Wahaha! For over a century, the direct line has been cast aside as branch families rotted away in the Venom Yard. This was all for my ancestors—!
And his last gasping words:
—Khuh… D-don’t forget, clan leader. Branch is direct, and direct is branch…
‘Will I be able to stop what’s coming?’
Quickly, Yongwoon spoke up again:
“Sir, perhaps it would be best to first heal the clan leader’s injuries before dealing with the rest?”
“Ah! You’re right.”
At once, the Venom Lord’s killing aura faded.
“Prepare the decoctions immediately!” he ordered.
“Yes, Father.”
Tang Semyung rushed out like the wind.
Meanwhile, Tang Soso’s eyes sparkled brightly.
‘So cool…!’
Realizing what she just thought, her face flushed red.
“I’ll take my leave then.”
“Oh! I’ll go too…”
“Please take the medicine and recover quickly, Father.”
Tang Sobaek and Tang Sohwi followed Yongwoon out.
“Father, take care…”
Whoosh—
Tang Soso, face aflame, was the first to flee outside.
“Tch, that girl again.”
“Just leave her. She’s always like that. Probably for life,” Tang Sohwi sighed.
“Phew. I should leave too…”
“Father, stay a moment.”
Tang Sehuang stopped the Venom Lord.
“I must speak to you about the Venom Spirit.”
“…Very well.”
With a heavy look, Tang Gunwoo sat back down.
***
On his way to his own quarters, Yongwoon was dragged instead by Tang Sobaek to stay nearby.
“Stay right here, understood?”
“Here?”
“Yes. This residence has several rooms. Don’t even think about leaving.”
It seemed Sobaek feared Yongwoon might suddenly disappear.
‘Phew. Sharp kid.’
Yongwoon accepted.
‘He wants me to ease his worries before leaving.’
The Tang Clan’s secrets. The branch family.
Chilsuk’s dying cries still weighed like thorns in his heart.
‘What really happened back then?’
Direct is branch, branch is direct. The words hinted at much, but the depth of their despair was hard to grasp.
“I’ve told the attendants. Ask for food, tea, whatever you need.”
With that, Tang Sobaek left, busy as ever.
Tang Sehuang had survived the poison, but now they had to unravel the matter of Chilsuk.
“Then, I should report this properly.”
Yongwoon lit up his soul mark, reporting to the elders of the Celestial Vault how he had handled the Venom Spirit.
—Hohoho. Well done. You’ve worked hard.
—It will be the same for other poisons. But truthfully, you may never need to worry—your Venom Spirit will always resist any intrusion itself.
—No special training needed. Just acknowledge it, speak to it often. That is enough.
He also asked questions and received answers.
‘This feels reassuring.’
To be free of the threat of poison? The more he thought about it, the more heartened he felt.
“What are you doing, not even eating?!”
About two hours later, Tang Sobaek reappeared.
“How’s it going? Any progress?”
“Hmm. Third Uncle checked the Venom Yard thoroughly, but no other culprits were found. Fortunately, the stores of poisons, even the Eight Extreme Venoms, are untouched. Nothing was smuggled out.”
“Really?”
A relief indeed.
“That’s good news.”
“Yes, but…”
Though he spoke briskly, a shadow lingered on Sobaek’s face.
‘Family strife… of course it weighs on him.’
After all, even branch families are kin. Sobaek, ever sociable, had been close to many in the Venom Yard—including Chilsuk. Now, distance had formed.
“Don’t worry too much, Sobaek. No traces were found in anyone else.”
“Oh! That?”
Sobaek suddenly grinned.
“There’s something amazing. We confirmed it.”
“Confirmed?”
“Yes. You said you noticed traces of betrayal near Chilsuk’s heart, right?”
“I did.”
“Uncle focused his investigation there. And he found Godok inside Chilsuk’s heart.”
“Godok?”
Yongwoon blinked, hearing the unfamiliar name.
“Yes. It’s basically a tiny insect, split into ‘male’ and ‘female.’ What he had was a female one.”
“Ah, I see.”
Excited, Sobaek explained further:
“The problem was not knowing. Once you do, it can be handled—at least in our Tang Clan. So we tested everyone for traces of Godok. All clear. Not a single one infected.”
“In other words, no clue who the external enemy is.”
Exactly. The link was severed. Chilsuk was the first and last trace.
“But with elder brother pursuing all leads, perhaps we’ll still catch their trail.”
“Let’s hope so. They deserve to pay dearly.”
Though he knew it would be difficult, Yongwoon still encouraged him.
“Rest here. I’ve more work to do.”
“Alright.”
After Sobaek left, some time passed.
Then a cold, faintly trembling voice came.
“Sir hero. May I see you for a moment?”
“Who is it?”
“I am Tang Soso, sir.”
The Icy Flower, Tang Soso.
Yongwoon’s eyes widened.
