Surviving as a Maid of the Sichuan Tang Clan Chapter 71

I smiled brightly and held out my hand.

“Then give the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet.”

“What did you say?”

“If you make take the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet, you’ll be able to go in without worrying. At least I won’t go around getting beaten up wherever I go.”

“...You little thing. Do you even know what the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet is, asking for it like you’re begging for candy? And where did you hear that your grandfather even has one?”

“Oh, co on. I have my ways of knowing.”

Actually, I had just guessed. He hadn’t given it to Namgung Hwi yet, so I figured he must still have it.

At my answer, Tang Jung pressed hard at his temples like he was about to lose his mind.

“UGH. I’ll die before my ti, I really will. Do you think a spirit pill is so secret art that makes you invincible? Even if a weakling takes a spirit pill, all that ans is that he’s a weakling who took a spirit pill.”

“But it’s still better than not taking it.”

“That is true.”

After grumbling to himself for quite a while, Tang Jung slowly nodded, apparently deciding it was not a bad idea.

“It is still too early for you to absorb the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet... But it cannot be helped. Wait here.”

“Huh? Grandfather? I was just saying it. You should take it. You’ll need it if you’re going into closed-door training.”

I jumped in shock. I had not expected him to actually try to give the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet.

“At my level, spiritual dicine is no great help. Stop your nonsense and take it.”

“But still...”

“No more arguing. Wait.”

A mont later, Tang Jung returned carrying a small wooden box. When he opened it, a clear, refined fragrance rose into the air.

The force I felt from it was enormous, on a level that could not even be compared to the spiritual dicines I had taken until now. My eyes rolled helplessly as I looked around.

I had only said it to reassure him. I had not actually been planning to gulp down a spirit pill for real.

...I really should never ask Grandfather to buy anything. If I asked for a snack, he’d probably buy the entire snack shop.

When I kept hesitating, Tang Jung urged on.

“What are you doing? Eat it. Quickly.”

Still shrinking back, I slowly reached for the spirit pill.

This was a fortunate encounter that should have gone to Namgung Hwi. It had originally been ant to fall into soone else’s hands, yet the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet had co to instead. It felt strange.

The mont the pellet touched the tip of my tongue, it lted before I could even bite it, dissolving into my mouth.

“Ugh. It’s bitter.”

“What, did you think it was candy? Swallow it already.”

As I gulped down the spirit pill, now lted soft like jelly, a burning-cool current flowed down my throat and into my body.

Pain like living flesh being torn apart twisted my face on its own.

“Calmly circulate your energy. Good. Just like that.”

Tang Jung placed a hand on my back and began guiding .

I slowly closed my eyes. Beyond the darkness of my vision, I saw a single streak of murky green light.

I walked after that light without direction, then clenched my teeth.

What I had seen was not a single streak of light.

It was a vast river.

At first the river seed to flow calmly in the distance, but the next mont it crashed toward like a dam bursting under torrential rain and swept away.

Every ti the poison-filled water touched my body, it felt as though my flesh were corroding away. It was pain I had never felt even while handling deadly poison with my bare hands, and my whole body trembled.

I flailed like a person being dragged away in a flood.

“Do not let it sweep you away. Swallow it!”

Tang Jung’s roar jolted back to my senses.

In a hurry, I straightened my back and recited the formulas of the Heart thod. At once, dark blue poison mixed into the edge of the river. Spreading like black ink, the poisonous energy sank to the riverbed, to the deep bottom below.

It took only an instant for that small amount of poison to stain the entire river black. At the sa ti the river changed color, my swollen dantian, stretched to the brink of bursting, began slowly swallowing the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet’s energy.

But the pellet’s power had no intention of being quietly devoured. The energy racing through the blood vessels of my whole body writhed and thrashed as though it were biting at .

I gritted my teeth and pushed in more poison. If I dyed the whole river completely in my own color, then maybe I could swallow this imnse force in a single bite.

At that mont, a streak of light that had been fleeing from the poison shot toward my head. It was heading for the crown point. Startled, Tang Jung hurriedly pushed in his own internal energy and twisted the route of the flow.

The instant the tangled current of qi clashed, the world spun before my eyes. I bit my lip and struggled to regain the flow, and Tang Jung pushed even more of his internal energy into , as if telling it was all right.

His familiar internal energy wrapped around my body and guided the circulation. Little by little, my breathing eased.

I began walking along the riverbank, following Tang Jung’s energy. Before I knew it, the river had beco a shallow stream, dark blue in color. The stream slowly dried up into a small pool, then soaked my feet and seeped into the ground.

“You only managed to swallow about thirty percent. There is still a great deal of residue left.”

Clicking his tongue, Tang Jung withdrew his hand. I slowly opened my eyes.

The spiritual energy of the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet that I had failed to properly absorb had pooled in every corner of my finer ridians like crumbs of candy left in the mouth.

I was disappointed by the unpleasant feeling for only a mont before my eyes widened on their own.

My dantian had grown to twice the size it had been before I consud the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet.

“Th-this is only thirty percent?”

“It is unfortunate, but it cannot be helped. Keep circulating your energy diligently and try to swallow even the residue left in your finer ridians. If you scrape together every last bit, it should improve sowhat.”

After answering, Tang Jung looked at steadily.

He still seed unable to make up his mind, and his face was clouded with distress.

“Sohae. I do not know whether this is the right choice.”

“It is.”

I clasped Tang Jung’s hand tightly and whispered.

“Grandfather. Last ti, you said you had about ten years left, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“If you cross the wall, how much longer do you think you could live?”

“Thirty years would be nothing.”

“Then I want to tell you to enter closed-door training for my sake too. Because I do not want to live in the Sichuan Tang Clan without you.”

At my stubborn insistence, Tang Jung let out a sigh. He bit his lip, looking at with worried eyes, then finally declared surrender.

“...I will try not to exceed three years. Can you endure that well enough?”

“Of course. I’ll listen to Mr. Tang Geunmyeong.”

“Yes. Very well. That aside... let us wash up first.”

Tang Jung quietly let go of my hand. Only then did I notice the state I was in, covered in impurities.

Ugh. I stink.

I laughed awkwardly and slowly edged away from Tang Jung.

*****

Tang Jung postponed entering the closed-door training chamber for several days. He wrote dozens of letters and sent them off sowhere, and he went around visiting the Poison King Hall, the dical Hall, the Elder Council, and even the Covert Investigation Hall while speaking with various people.

Even if I did not know the details, it seed obvious he was leaving arrangents behind for my sake.

Right. With him giving this many warnings before going in, who would dare lay a hand on ? If soone touched for no reason, once his closed-door training ended, a storm would co down on their head.

Pretending to be calm, I steadied my heart and saw Tang Jung off.

“My child. Can you truly endure this well?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

“If it will not do, even now—”

“Oh, there you go again. You can just co out quickly. Go on already, Grandfather.”

Tang Jung looked at with troubled eyes, as though his feet would not move, then slowly nodded.

After pulling into one last tight embrace, he vanished in an instant.

Once I had actually sent Grandfather away, my chest felt empty. Left alone, I squatted by the pond and let out heavy sigh after heavy sigh, and Tang Geunmyeong said,

“It will take more than three years.”

“I know.”

“If you knew, why did you persuade him?”

“Because I was worried he might endure it too long and end up with heart demons.”

“The old master is not so weak a man.”

“What do you an, not so weak? If you keep piling up worry and regret because you cannot do what you want, that’s a heart demon.”

At my gloomy reply, Tang Geunmyeong simply looked at in silence. His expression said he did not understand. I found that gaze uncomfortable, so I stood up.

“I have to go et Young Master Gu. I should get going now, sir.”

“...”

He turned his head, as if to °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° say do as I pleased.

My second eting with Gu Gyeongcheon was the worst.

Maybe my rejection last ti had gotten to him, because while we ate dinner and drank tea, he kept carefully watching my reactions the entire ti.

After killing ti as appropriately as I could and returning, I grumbled to Songji.

“This man won’t do. I should go et the escort agency son instead.”

“Then do that. The son of an escort agency is better than the son of a rchant guild. Did you see the portrait sketch?”

“Not yet. Since he’s soone Grandfather chose, he probably looks gentle enough.”

Apparently he had picked out nothing but n who looked like washed-up scraps.

The mont I ntioned Tang Jung, my mood sank for no reason.

Grandfather had only entered closed-door training one day ago, yet it felt like I had not seen him for a year.

I wish enlightennt would just pop into place and he’d co out next week. Not that that would ever happen.

Rolling around while hugging my pillow, I finally slipped under the blanket.

Even with Grandfather gone, what needed to be done still had to be done. I had to save my strength for tomorrow’s dawn training.

The mont I closed my eyes, just about to sleep, I heard Tang Seho’s voice.

“Hey! Hey! Are you in there?”

Knocking on the door of the annex, he could not even wait for soone to open it and leaped over the wall instead.

“Are you sleeping? Hurry up and get up! If you don’t open the door right now, I’m counting to three and coming in. One, two—!”

“What? What is it?”

Frowning, I threw on an outer robe. When I opened the door, Tang Seho was there, breathing hard.

“Hey, run. Right now.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

He must have run here in a frantic rush, because his whole body was soaked in sweat. As if there were no ti to explain, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“You can hear the whole story later. Just run!”

“What?”

“Elder Dang-gak is going to—!”

“Step aside, Young Master.”

At that mont, soone yanked Tang Seho back.

It was Grand Elder Dang-gak.

“G-Grand Elder...”

Tang Seho’s face went pale. Trembling all over, he slowly backed away.

The atmosphere was bad. Staring at , Grand Elder Dang-gak spoke coldly.

“Gu Gyeongcheon is dead.”

“What?”

Why would soone who had been perfectly fine just a little while ago be dead? We had eaten dinner together and drunk tea together without any problem.

At my blank look, he frowned.

“Why did you kill him?”

“What are you—”

“Enough! Are you planning to deny it? Words are useless with you. Let us see whether you can keep pretending ignorance after being locked in the prison cells.”

Grand Elder Dang-gak roared and reached for . A sharp pain shot through the back of my neck, and my mind blurred.

A curse burst out of at the sheer injustice of it.

What kind of bullshit is this? Why the hell would I kill him?