Chapter 128
Coincidentally, the place that the two people had recently visited was close to Anhui.
Since there were plans to go to Anhui anyway, it worked out well for Uncle.
“I’ll take the opportunity to look around and treat the locals if possible.”
If we could also exterminate the white insects while inspecting the medicinal hall, it would boost the standing of the Dang family’s hall and help publicize the newly expanded building.
The appearance of the white insects was somewhat of a boon for the hall’s lord and the medical officials—provided, of course, that the damage caused wasn’t too severe.
Grandfather, who had been observing the insects, nodded.
“Then do as you plan.”
“Yes!”
I answered promptly on behalf of Uncle.
Grandfather’s gaze shifted toward me.
“Why are you answering? Don’t tell me you’re coming along too, Bia?”
“Since I’ve decided to accompany the medicinal hall, naturally… I will go with them.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to visit the medicinal hall first, then go to the breeding area, and you return to the capital afterward?”
“But Grandfather, that’s a huge detour. It’s better to stop by along the way.”
I pointed to the map and carefully explained why it would be a waste of time to go out of the way.
“See, if we go to the hall first, we’d have to take this long detour. Meanwhile, there’s no telling how far the white insects could spread.”
Grandfather finally relented to my reasoning and nodded.
“Alright, alright. But if it gets dangerous, withdraw immediately.”
“After all, it’s just a parasitic venomous insect. How dangerous could it be?”
“You should always be cautious of the mother, not the offspring.”
With that, Grandfather turned his attention to Uncle.
“How is the antidote coming along? Will it be finished before departure?”
“It’s in the final stages, but there are still some issues. I can’t promise it will be completed before we leave.”
“And Jin-hyun’s condition?”
“He appears perfectly healthy; you wouldn’t even realize he’s a patient unless told.”
Grandfather’s expression brightened for a moment at Uncle’s words. He had clearly been worrying all along.
‘No wonder Father looked well recently.’
Indeed, until collapsing before my eyes during the reincarnation, Father seemed perfectly fine despite being poisoned.
Still, as a daughter, I couldn’t help worrying. I cautiously asked Uncle:
“Nothing will happen to Father while we’re gone, right?”
“Nothing that hasn’t happened in three years will suddenly happen in just three months.”
Uncle’s answer made sense.
Still, with the antidote taking longer and longer to be completed, impatience was inevitable.
‘I need to chase out White Uncle sooner.’
It was impossible to leave Father’s body vulnerable at home with the maggots still around.
I stared at the box containing the white insect corpses and, once Grandfather and Uncle’s conversation ended, left the room.
“Any word yet?”
“Not yet, Miss.”
Choyo answered. She had grown considerably over the past three years and no longer looked like a child.
“I see…”
Why was there no contact?
I had instructed the palace kid to report back on time, but ever since he took over the position at Daechun Hall, he’d disappeared…
Choyo’s voice carried worry.
“Could he be planning to betray you, Miss?”
“That’s impossible. You know how much he values his own life.”
There’s a saying in the Dang family: the easiest person to deal with is someone who fears death and values their own life.
Of course, everyone treasures their life, but some people take it to the extreme, being overly cautious.
Those kinds of people will do anything to survive if poisoned. The palace kid at Daechun Hall is one of those types.
‘But there’s no way he’d betray me.’
This time, he had been poisoned with real venom, not the fake kind.
That was two years ago. Thanks to Lord Cheonhwa Mountain Villa, poisoning the palace kid went smoother than expected.
So he knows: betraying me won’t save him.
‘In that situation, he wouldn’t betray me—unless he’s completely reckless.’
I pondered for a moment, then straightened up and said:
“Alright, in any case, let me know if there’s contact.”
“Yes, Miss. But where are you headed?”
“To the Poison Dragon Hall. The Poison Dragon Corps should be training, and I want to join them.”
In truth, I only had a day off.
But because of the recent string of events—the Heavenly Poison Forest incident and the white insect outbreak—I had missed Poison Dragon Corps training.
Skipping training was fine, but it made me uneasy, so I quietly headed toward Poison Dragon Hall.
As expected, I could hear the sounds of the corps training beyond the wall.
I ran to the training ground to see who was practicing.
Swish!
One of them threw a throwing knife, which flew swiftly and hit the target dead center.
It was high-level skill—the best among the Poison Dragon Corps members, considered the top of the Dang family’s later-generation fighters.
“Muyeon!”
I waved, and Muyeon turned. Her braided hair swayed in the wind.
“Biya!”
Dang Muyeon smiled brightly and waved back. I ran up excitedly and stood beside her.
Within Poison Dragon Hall, it didn’t matter if you were a direct or collateral branch of the Dang family. From the moment you entered until you left, everyone existed equally as a member of the corps.
Thus, my peers didn’t treat me like the branch’s young lady, and I was grateful for that.
“Where’s the instructor?”
“Today we’re having individual training. But I heard there was an intruder in the Heavenly Poison Forest?”
“Rumors spread fast.”
“Of course. Inside here, news travels in a day.”
Dang Muyeon said.
“Did the Blood Dragon bite?”
“No. But it didn’t move, so I’m actually relieved. It was a very skilled opponent.”
If it were that skilled, even the Blood Dragon’s safety wasn’t guaranteed.
I didn’t want my friend’s life at risk.
“Was it young?”
“Very.”
“Could it be an advanced reincarnated master?”
“Possible, I’d say.”
I chatted with Muyeon while taking a throwing knife from my sleeve.
I threw my knife at the same target Muyeon had just hit. Even while talking, it was more efficient to practice while conversing.
Swish!
The knife flew in a smooth arc, landing precisely beside Muyeon’s knife.
If thrown in a straight line, it would have struck Muyeon’s knife directly and fallen.
But there was a reason it wasn’t a straight throw.
First, hitting a peer’s knife and knocking it down would be impolite.
Second, in real combat, a straight-line trajectory makes it easier for the enemy to predict your throw.
“You seem stronger than yesterday.”
“I’m not the same as I was yesterday, so of course I am.”
I replied proudly. The knife I had thrown was a training knife used within Poison Dragon Hall.
It had a heavy weight at the end, making it too heavy and dull for real combat.
Muyeon and I approached the target to retrieve the knives.
Masters of hidden techniques could retrieve knives without touching them, but we weren’t at that level, so we had to pull them out by hand.
Pluck.
Muyeon pulled her knife from the target and asked,
“So you’re going to Anhui? I heard it’s been a long time since the hall’s lord went outside.”
“That’s right. But this project is one the lord has worked on for a very long time, so he wants to inspect it personally.”
This rascal of the Dang family could joke around, even with such an important project underway.
But this time, he wouldn’t be able to. I would follow and make sure of it.
I gritted my teeth and pulled my knife from the target, then put it back into my sleeve.
