"How dare a young brat interrupt while the elders are speaking?!"
"Indeed! And do you even know what that letter from the Governor of Sichuan entails before you speak?"
"See? Chieftain! This is what happens when you bring in soone with no proper background—interrupting elders like this. That’s why we suggested finding soone from a more respectable family…"
The elders’ indignant shouts echoed through the hall, and my temples throbbed with annoyance.
“These geezers really want to test , don’t they?”
In my past life, I never lost an online argunt with trolls crashing my streams. These so-called elders didn’t know what they were up against.
Taking another step forward, I clasped my hands in front of respectfully and spoke with a polite smile, though my words were anything but forgiving.
“Step one of winning a verbal battle: keep your face calm, voice polite, and argunts sharp enough to cut through their nonsense.”
"I hear you claim not to recognize as the son-in-law of the Tang Clan. Fine, I am rely a guest.
"But as a guest, I helped save the life of your precious daughter, the golden jewel of the Tang Clan. Furthermore, I captured Tak Wonyang, the Blood-Handed Rakshasa, saving the chieftain’s life.
"Tell , then—does the Tang Clan make it a habit to insult its guests and benefactors so openly?"
The room fell silent, and all eyes turned toward . Grandfather, the chieftain, and my sister stared in stunned disbelief, as though they couldn’t believe how boldly I had spoken.
“Not part of the family, huh? Then you should treat with even more respect.”
The elders were montarily struck dumb by my words, but one eventually managed to sputter, "The Blood-Handed Rakshasa, Tak Wonyang?"
"Tak Wonyang? That’s impossible. He died years ago!"
"Is this so kind of absurd story concocted by the chieftain to make this child more acceptable as a son-in-law?"
Thud.
Before their accusations could escalate, the chieftain threw a book onto the desk.
"Enough! So-ryong speaks the truth. This is the manual for the Blood-Water Venom Claw. You can confirm it for yourselves."
"Th-The Blood-Water Venom Claw!?"
"You an to say… you recovered that cursed relic?"
The elders, who had been dismissing my claim, rushed to the desk at the ntion of the infamous artifact. They examined the book’s cover and recoiled in shock.
"The title on the cover… Blood Sect and Blood-Water Venom Claw… and the blood-written text! This is undeniably authentic!"
"So, it really did co from the Blood Sect…"
“Wait, this book is that cursed? And there are people crazier than the Tang Clan in this world?”
Just as I was reeling from this revelation, one of the elders cautiously asked, "Then… did this boy truly defeat Tak Wonyang?"
"Impossible! He’s not even twenty!"
Suddenly, with a soft hiss, the O-gong centipedes I carried erged from my collar, slithering up my arms.
The room went still. The chieftain's piercing gaze turned to , his expression full of unspoken questions.
“Why does he always glare before asking anything?!”
"This… this is…"
"Yellow O-gong?!"
"These are the younglings of the Blue-Spotted Centipede! The very sa centipedes that So-ryong has been raising, are they not?"
"I suppose we must call him 'young master' now instead of 'boy,' seeing as the chieftain recognizes him."
Patting the centipedes on their heads, I said lightly, "Now, now, O-gong, no biting people. Otherwise, they’ll end up black and dead like that Blood-Handed Rakshasa uncle."
At this, one of the elders, who had been inching away in fear, stamred, "W-We never said we didn’t acknowledge you!"
"Yes, everything must follow proper procedures. That’s all we were trying to say!"
"Exactly. Nothing more than that!"
Their sudden change in tone was painfully obvious. Watching them grovel, my sister’s expression grew icy.
“She must think these cowards would sell their own pride to save face in front of a few centipedes.”
Finally, Grandfather spoke up to move the discussion forward. "Fine, let’s set aside the matter of the son-in-law for now. But why can’t we entrust Mandok Hall to him?"
After exchanging nervous glances, one elder hesitantly replied, "It’s just… shouldn’t he fully beco a mber of our clan first, with the proper marriage rites?
"And even if we overlook that, he’s not yet twenty. How can we entrust sothing so important to soone so young? The chieftain claims he’s knowledgeable, but he hasn’t demonstrated anything to convince the clan."
"Yes, Elder. We can’t simply hand over Mandok Hall!"
Grandfather nodded, as if considering their reasoning, before smiling.
"So, your argunt is that we can’t entrust Mandok Hall to So-ryong because he hasn’t proven himself capable enough to convince the clan?"
"Yes, that’s correct, Elder."
"Well then, it’s settled."
The elders blinked in confusion as Grandfather abruptly declared the matter resolved.
Turning to , he winked and asked, "So-ryong, would you be able to demonstrate your capabilities to convince the clan elders?"
He gestured toward the letter I was holding, clearly asking if I could resolve the issue it raised.
With a respectful bow, I answered, "Of course. If you entrust it to , I will handle it in a way that proves I belong in the Tang Clan."
Since my hobbies were on the line, I couldn’t afford to fail. I was determined to resolve this the Tang Clan way.
Grandfather raised an eyebrow. "The Tang Clan way? And what exactly do you an by that?"
Grinning, I replied, "Naturally, by using poison."
"Poison?"
"Poison!?"
The room fell silent as everyone stared at in disbelief.
Then, chaos erupted among the elders.
"Are you insane? Poisoning the Governor of Sichuan?!"
"Elder, you cannot allow this!"
"This is madness! We’re sending dicine, not murder!"
“Why are they so shocked? Isn’t poison the Tang Clan’s specialty?”
The outcry grew louder, filling the hall with frantic voices.
***
"So-ryong, are you really going to handle this task?"
The chaos in the chieftain’s hall had finally settled, and we were on our way back to the Sahap Garden. The elders had stayed behind to continue their discussions, leaving just my sister and walking together.
At her sudden question, I turned to see her face filled with concern.
She must have been worried about my decision to prepare the dicine for the Governor of Sichuan. It was likely that she doubted my ability or was nervous about the implications.
"Don’t worry, my lady. I can handle it without any issues," I said confidently, trying to reassure her.
But her concern wasn’t easily dismissed. With a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks, she hesitated before asking another question, this ti in a voice almost too soft to hear.
"So-ryong, you do know exactly what kind of dicine this is, don’t you? I just… thought, maybe, since you’re still young, you might not fully understand… I was worried…"
“Ah, a blushing sister—how wonderful.”
I couldn’t help but admire her shy expression as I smiled inwardly.
Of course, her embarrassnt was understandable. The dicine requested by the Governor of Sichuan wasn’t just any ordinary redy.
While his title suggested a figure akin to a city mayor, his request wasn’t nearly as dignified. The dicine he needed was, well… sothing that helped a man stand tall.
Yes, it was essentially a treatnt for erectile dysfunction.
The Governor of Sichuan had reportedly developed this condition for reasons unknown, and, being well-acquainted with the Tang Clan’s expertise in poisons and dicine, he’d commissioned them to create a cure.
However, the dicine crafted by the clan’s apothecary had proven ineffective. Disappointed and furious, the governor had sent a scathing letter of complaint, despite having paid a hefty sum.
The elders had initially gathered to discuss how to handle the situation, but their eting had devolved into a battle of words over my place in the clan. That was when I volunteered to take on the task of resolving the issue.
My sister’s blush deepened as she struggled to discuss such a delicate matter.
"Of course, my lady. It’s a redy essential for n who… well, let’s say it’s for n who need help standing up tall."
"Th-That’s enough! I-I understand now!"
She covered her ears, her face completely red, and quickly nodded to acknowledge that I understood the nature of the task. Pressing a hand to her chest, she took a deep breath to steady herself.
"You… You really do know a lot for soone your age."
"Ah, well… It’s a little embarrassing to admit."
“Why do I keep finding myself in situations that make seem so shaless?”
Though I worried that my image might be deteriorating in her eyes, I reminded myself that we’d already made a pact. One rare Dokmul was all it would take to secure our future together.
“Honestly, I thought I’d need all ten, but just one? She’s practically an angel!”
The topic of the governor’s dicine left us both too embarrassed to continue speaking, and we walked in silence through the garden, eventually reaching the inner courtyard of the Sahap Garden.
When we stopped in front of her quarters, my sister finally broke the silence.
"I heard you say you’d use poison for the dicine. If you need anything from Mandok Hall, let know. I can accompany you."
She seed to be offering her help in case I needed access to the hall’s vast collection of poisons, especially since I didn’t yet have full permission to enter it.
But I shook my head.
"No, my lady. I won’t need anything from Mandok Hall."
She tilted her head, puzzled.
"But you said you’d use poison. Mandok Hall doesn’t have every poison in the world, but it holds many rare ones. Why wouldn’t you need it?"
Smiling, I replied, "Because I’ll be catching what I need tomorrow. Would you like to co with ?"
"Catching sothing? What are you talking about?"
"Have you ever seen a woongbong hive nearby?"
"Woongbong? You an those big, fat bees?"
"Yes, my lady. The very sa."
In the Central Plains, they called them woongbong (熊蜂). In English, they’re known as bumblebees. In Korea, they’re called hobakbeol.
Yes, tomorrow we’d be raiding a bumblebee hive.
“A first date at a bumblebee hive—truly the perfect outing for soone like Fabre.”
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