Chapter 57
I Can’t Hold Back Any Longer (3)
Mun In-ryeong was no different from Commandant Wu Ryang.
No, he pressed down on Wang Jeong-ha even harder than Wu Ryang ever had.
“Now I hear you even caught the Gui-do branch master?! And in a half-dead state, too?! Fine. That’s good. He’s still alive, at least. As your superior, I command you, Inspector: just release him with a warning.”
But the man seemed to have no logic at all.
“Why don’t you answer?! When a direct superior gives an order, you should respond at once and carry it out! Release him immediately. That goes for Ak Jin and all his underlings too—!”
Inspector Wang Jeong-ha was appalled.
What happened to that wise man…?
Up until two years ago, Mun In-ryeong had truly been a respectable official.
But then, one day, he suddenly changed.
As if he had thrown off the mask he had worn all his life, he became a man who took bribes and indulged in pleasures overnight.
“I don’t care what charges he faces, release him for now. Do you understand? That’s an order—!”
His voice trembled.
Why was that?
Mun In-ryeong’s expression twisted as he gave the order.
No matter how one looked at it, it didn’t seem like an order he truly wanted to give.
But—
I can’t just accept this—!
Wang Jeong-ha steeled his heart.
Whether this is what he really wants or not, this is far too much!
Hadn’t he already endured two years of following unjust commands? Wasn’t that enough?
I must protect my benefactor—!
Kang Yong-woon’s words still echoed clearly in his ears.
—The condition is simple. Just keep living upright, without consorting with ruffians. How about it?
How could he ignore a benefactor who had readily given him a hundred-year-old He Shou Wu root?
“Why don’t you answer?! Release him at once! Hurry—!”
Mun In-ryeong once again repeated the order Wang Jeong-ha had grown sick of hearing these past two years.
But—
“I cannot do that, my lord.”
Wang Jeong-ha cut him off firmly.
“Setting aside his crimes, how can I release men who dared to draw their swords on government officers? I cannot.”
“W-what?! You refuse?!”
Mun In-ryeong’s eyes twitched violently.
His face was filled with shock—no, was it fear?
That was how it looked to Wang Jeong-ha.
Why? What are you so afraid of, my lord?!
With a face twisted in both fear and sorrow, Mun In-ryeong finally uttered astonishing words.
“If you don’t want to die, you’d best obey me. For your sake, Inspector Wang, and for your wife’s as well. Do you understand?!”
Heat surged through Wang Jeong-ha’s chest.
What is this? Could it be he means to execute me on the spot for insubordination?!
He snapped back immediately.
“Go ahead, try it, my lord. I too will do everything I can to expose their crimes—!”
“Hu—!”
Yet despite Wang Jeong-ha’s protest, Mun In-ryeong’s demeanor didn’t change.
He only let out a long breath and turned away, leaving behind puzzling words.
“All you need to know is that I’m trying to save you. Do you understand?”
“My lord—! What do you mean by that…?”
“I’ll return in one shijin (two hours). By then, release the Gui-do branch master and all his men.”
That was the end of it.
Mun In-ryeong trudged off toward the inner hall, shoulders slumped.
“Ha…”
Unable to find an answer, Wang Jeong-ha could only stare at his retreating figure in frustration.
***
Kang Yong-woon’s eyes trembled slightly.
Wait—that…?
He had seen something.
In the corner of Mun In-ryeong’s heart as he turned away—
Poison Spirit?
Yes. It was the same as the thing dwelling in Tang Gata’s Qishu’s heart.
Damn it. Now I see.
So this was why someone of Mun In-ryeong’s rank in An-gang-hyeon had allied himself with mere Gui-do thugs.
His life was being held hostage.
The sorrow and fear etched on Mun In-ryeong’s face—this was the reason.
So the magistrate himself was forced into this against his will—!
That was the difference from Qishu.
Qishu, as a collateral branch, had willingly allied himself out of deep resentment toward his direct bloodline.
But Mun In-ryeong… he had been compelled. Forced by the Poison Spirit within him to protect Gui-do’s interests.
The sins he’s committed can’t be erased, but surely this deserves some measure of consideration.
“Elders, I have something to ask.”
He quickly summoned his qi and raised the Great Celestial Divine Art. A glow flared in his heart. Before the elders could even speak, he hurriedly asked:
“Can I extract a Poison Spirit as well?”
After a moment of silence, answers came.
—[Foolish boy.]
—[Living with the Venom Child inside you, and you still ask that?]
—[Don’t ask Venom Child. You’ll hurt his pride.]
In other words: Yes.
“Thank you, elders. I need to save someone. Please watch over me—I’ve never dealt with a Poison Spirit before.”
After speaking to them, he turned toward Inspector Wang Jeong-ha, who was now approaching him.
“Ah! Benefactor!”
Wang Jeong-ha welcomed him warmly.
“I thought I’d never see you again, but here we meet once more, haha! You’re not hurt, are you…?”
“Inspector.”
Kang Yong-woon cut him off with a grave look, glancing around before speaking quietly.
“There’s something urgent I must tell you.”
“Eh? W-what…?”
He leaned close to Wang Jeong-ha’s ear and revealed a shocking truth.
“I see traces of a Poison Spirit inside the magistrate’s body…”
To put it simply:
Magistrate Mun In-ryeong had been afflicted by the Poison Spirit used by the renegade sect.
The Poison Spirit nested in the body, ready to release venom at any time. Unless one took the antidote regularly, death was certain.
In other words, his life was in their hands.
Mun In-ryeong was being forced to obey the renegades who controlled his life.
“T-that—!”
Wang Jeong-ha’s eyes widened.
But then he nodded firmly.
“I thought it strange when such a wise man suddenly changed two years ago. So this was the reason.”
His expression showed complete relief, as if his doubts had finally been resolved.
Then he fixed his gaze on Kang Yong-woon.
“If you can see that… does it mean you also know how to cure it, benefactor?!”
“Yes. I can’t guarantee it, but for the people of An-gang-hyeon and for you, Inspector, I intend to try. Will you help me?”
For the people of An-gang-hyeon, and for himself.
Determination lit Wang Jeong-ha’s face.
“Say the word, benefactor. How should I help you?”
***
Mun In-ryeong sat alone in his office at the county hall.
“Damn it—!”
He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, suppressing the fury that boiled up.
“How long must I live like this? How much longer?!”
If he followed his heart, he’d have bitten through his tongue already.
But he couldn’t.
That wouldn’t solve anything.
Creak.
He opened the drawer of his desk.
Inside was a small porcelain vial.
“I want to smash it to pieces…”
It held the antidote. He wanted to throw it away, but he didn’t have the courage. It wasn’t just his own life on the line.
“Damn it! The commoners suffer more each day, and yet I can’t even deal with those Gui-do dogs who are only the henchmen of the true villain?!”
He clenched his fist so hard his nails drew blood.
At that moment—
“Magistrate. It is Inspector Wang Jeong-ha.”
Startled, Mun In-ryeong quickly shoved the vial back into the drawer.
Forgive me, Inspector Wang.
Ashamed, he steeled his face and called him in.
“Enter.”
The door opened—and Wang Jeong-ha entered with Kang Yong-woon at his side.
Fury flashed in Mun In-ryeong’s eyes.
“How dare you! Even if you refuse my command, how dare you bring an outsider here without permission?!”
“It’s for your sake, my lord. If you know me, please hear us out.”
“For… my sake?!”
His eyes widened.
Kang Yong-woon stepped forward and spoke the words Mun In-ryeong had longed to hear even in his dreams.
“The Poison Spirit! I can safely extract that vile creature lodged in your heart, my lord.”
“W-what?!”
Mun In-ryeong gasped, hastily glancing around.
In a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz, he asked again.
“Is… is that true? You can really remove the Poison Spirit within me safely?”
Even as he asked, he could hardly believe it.
The Poison Spirit that tormented him with hellish agony if he missed even a single day of antidote—sometimes even making him cough up blood. How could this young man possibly remove it safely?
“Rest assured, my lord. I have already done this many times before.”
“You’ve already done this… many times? Who did you treat? Can I know?”
He wanted reassurance.
Because he would be risking his life.
“I have saved members of a noble house so renowned that everyone would know the name. Twice already. But out of respect for their honor, I cannot speak their names aloud. Please understand, my lord.”
“Hmph…”
Mun In-ryeong stared long into Kang Yong-woon’s eyes.
So clear. So pure.
The righteous aura flowing from Kang Yong-woon’s heart resonated with his own.
Fine. I’ll believe him.
He was as good as dead already, wasn’t he?
If my sins of failing to stop their evil reach the heavens, then I have no future anyway.
He had reached his limit.
For two years, Gui-do’s atrocities had grown unbearable to watch.
And yet he had been forced to acquit them, over and over?
It was already too much.
“Very well. I, Mun In-ryeong, magistrate of An-gang-hyeon, even if it costs me my life, entrust you to remove that accursed Poison Spirit.”
“Yes, my lord. Leave it to me.”
Kang Yong-woon’s eyes shone with clear light.
***
Dusk.
Thanks to their full exertion in flight techniques, Eun-ryeong, Baek-ryeong, and the Hwae-ryeong group reached Sun-yang-hyeon, near An-gang-hyeon, before nightfall.
“We’ll wait here until it’s fully dark. Then we’ll slip into Geum-eung Hall when fewer eyes are about.”
“Yes, Lady Eun-ryeong.”
“Understood, Lady Eun-ryeong.”
But before their voices even faded—
“Urgh—!”
One of the Hwae-ryeong suddenly clutched his chest, eyes bulging.
“Gyaaaah—!”
He screamed in agony.
“What—what’s happening?!”
“C-could it be?!”
Eun-ryeong and Baek-ryeong’s eyes met, a single dreadful possibility flashing through their minds.
“Poison Spirit?”
Eun-ryeong quickly asked, almost unwilling to believe it.
“Who is the master of the Poison Spirit implanted in Hwae-ryeong Three?”
“It is Magistrate Mun In-ryeong of An-gang-hyeon, Lady Eun-ryeong.”
“Graaaah—!”
As if to confirm the words, Hwae-ryeong Three writhed on the ground, vomiting clots of black, dead blood.
“Something has happened to Magistrate Mun In-ryeong! No—the Poison Spirit in his body has…”
“Ghk—!”
With a final cry, Hwae-ryeong Three’s body went rigid. He collapsed, lifeless.
“What’s going on?!”
“The sub-poison implanted in Magistrate Mun In-ryeong’s heart has died.”
“The master Poison Bug convulsed. Because the sub-poison in his heart died, Lady Eun-ryeong.”
“The master bug’s fit melted Hwae-ryeong Three’s heart—!”
Reports flew in from the Poison Spirit specialists as Eun-ryeong raged.
“Damn it! How is this possible?! How could anyone deal with the Poison Spirit?!”
“The how doesn’t matter, my lady. What matters is that Mun In-ryeong has slipped from our control. We must act quickly…”
“Damn you! Do you think I don’t want to take measures, idiot?! But the masters of the Poison Spirits planted in Mun In-ryeong’s two sons are currently dispatched to Sichuan!”
“Ah—!”
“Damn…”
Baek-ryeong and the Hwae-ryeong all exchanged grim looks.
Even if they sent word immediately, there was no way it could reach Sichuan in time.
