Chapter 392

Qing’s eyes narrowed into a straight line.

You call someone who’s supposed to be eating well, drinking well, and resting well, and their big plan is to dive into the Blood Sect?

What’s up with that? Showing off? Or has he lost his mind?

Or maybe it means he wants to give up on life?

“Isn’t it a good thing for the Blood Sect as well? I’m not the best in snake poison, but I’m no slouch in medicine either, and a physician who knows martial arts is quite rare.”

“Things are getting more absurd. What about it?”

“Right. So, if I said I was going to dive into the Blood Sect, would you believe me right off the bat? Just because I said I would?”

“Well, I guess that makes sense.”

Now that I think about it, I’m curious.

Does the Blood Sect have some way to validate those who join?

Both Zhengpai and Sapa, even the Demon Cultists, would be horrified by the likes of the Blood Sect.

Shouldn’t the spies have been caught long ago, with the entire Martial World joining forces against them?

“Hem hem, speaking of which, I’ve severed my ties to Yoga. Along with that, I burned all the ledgers and came out, so Yoga’s Salt Workshop is now doomed. Totally finished.”

That explains why my bad karma has significantly decreased.

But there’s someone who’s bothering me more—

“Huh. What about him?”

Qing pointed with a nervous glance at Yo Min, who looked like he was about to roll his eyes out of his head.

As soon as that long, pale finger pointed at him, Yo Min visibly jumped, unable to hide his anxiety.

“Wasn’t he the third one? I swear I saw him causing a ruckus in the Gye-rim Sword Faction? You said you’ve severed ties, right?”

“I’ve decided to take him in as my disciple. Poor kid who was neglected by his parents and stepped on by his brothers. He’s got a lot of anger built up inside him. He’s got such a vengeful spirit that he would poison his own brothers.”

“Oh, Master? But the disciple—”

“Hey, what do you think? Doesn’t he feel just perfect for the Blood Sect? Seems like he was born to join them.”

As Qing’s face turned, Yo Min cringed.

Surviving after crossing blades with Qing means his evil deeds aren’t just a trivial matter.

Thinking back to his pitiful self, it didn’t seem like he was that cruel.

What does it mean to be born to join the Blood Sect, anyway?

“So, what’s your take on this?”

“Why on earth would you want to join the Blood Sect? You’re a perfectly capable physician!”

“The Sapa guys ditched me first. They were looking down on me for a while. I’m just too mediocre for them to respect.”

So now he’s throwing away the Sado Sect and calling those Sapa guys.

“Looking down on you? On you, old man?”

“Oh, don’t even get me started.”

This old man claims that he ranks among the top ten in snake poison.

Usually, when someone boasts about being among the top ten, it sounds pretty desperate.

You’ll find guys who bumped themselves up by pretending to be better than those above them.

That’s why you get those who claim to be among the top ten all sitting in some ambiguous spot, around the eighth or ninth range.

And he didn’t limit himself to just any poison, but snake poison specifically.

Boyeol knows he’s in a gray area.

At over eighty years old, he has given up on his health from the get-go.

Realizing that he’s too dull to understand all poisons, he focused solely on snake poison, but even then, famous physicians and poison masters like Shin-ui or Man-doek are way ahead of him.

His achievements in medicine are average at best, not particularly outstanding enough to write a book about.

“Come on, why do you think like that? And you are a renowned martial artist; if you’ve crossed the line, that’s already impressive enough.”

“Thanks for the compliment. I guess it means my days are numbered. If not for you, I would never have been able to visit the top of Yonggungru in Namnyeong.”

“So you plan to go to the Blood Sect for revenge?”

“More like the living should live, uh, no, yeah, it’s definitely revenge. I’ll make the world drown in blood. What do they chant in the Blood Sect? Blood Victory? Blood Heaven’s Diligence?”

“Why are you asking me? You could just dive into Zhengpai instead.”

“The Zhengpai guys won’t stop personal vendettas, but what if the masters from Sapa decide to line up with their reasons against me?”

“Hm. Well, I get that. But why did you call me?”

“It’s because I really need your help. Could you introduce me to the Blood Sect?”

“Huh. Me?”

Qing blinked.

“Isn’t it a bad deal for you too? After all, I’m a master who’s achieved some level of skill.”

“Why are you dragging up others’ situations again and again?”

Now that I think about it, it seems to be this old man’s habit, always saying how it’s all the same for everyone at every meeting.

“Come on, isn’t life just a series of close calls? The Blood Sect is all about factions squabbling for power, right? So it’s good for you to have clearly defined allies. What could be more useful than having bitter poison in a faction fight?”

“No way, old man. Are you really suggesting using poison in faction fights? And why do you keep asking me about the Blood Sect?”

“Well, should I not ask a Blood Sect member about Blood Sect matters?”

“Huh?”

Qing froze for a moment, then pointed his slim finger at his neck and asked.

“The Blood Sect?”

“Of course.”

“I’m not Blood Sect, though.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t you the Supreme Demoness?”

“Hey, just because I practiced Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat doesn’t mean I’m the Supreme Demoness!”

“If you’ve learned medicine, you’re a physician, and if you’ve learned swordsmanship, you’re a swordsman. But if you’ve learned Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat and you aren’t considered the Supreme Demoness, what are you talking about?”

“It’s a bit different. Let’s just call it divine beings instead?”

This time Boyeol was left dumbfounded.

“Divine beings?”

“Divine beings.”

“Not Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat?”

“Maybe they are somewhat similar? It’s easy to get confused, right?”

Boyeol exploded in anger.

“How does that even make sense?”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

Qing stood tall.

Boyeol was left speechless.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

“Hey, faith is what’s important.”

“This isn’t about trust, wait a second.”

Boyeol narrowed his eyes.

“Weren’t you pretending to be the Supreme Demoness and taking the poison in front of me?”

“Ah.”

A triangle of remorse spun in Qing’s chest.

Sure, being around the martial world had worn that triangle into a near-circle, but it still hadn’t left a scratch on his conscience.

“Hehe. My bad.”

“What!?”

“That legendary snake poison is just too tempting. With one bottle, I could take out a Great Demon Lord. Imagine how beautiful the world would be without three Great Demon Lords! You would be doing a good deed too. In the end, it would all count as merit, so, according to what you said, it wouldn’t be bad for you either, right?”

“What? Are you saying you had no intention of keeping your promise from the start?”

“My apologies.”

“What if I expose your identity?”

“That the Most Beautiful Sword is actually the Supreme Demoness? Who would believe that? Especially from the mouth of a Sapa leader? Do you seriously believe that?”

“Still, the name of the Master is not that light. If I say I actually saw it with my own eyes—”

Boyeol’s words abruptly stopped.

As blackness spread from Qing’s fingertips into his sleeves in an instant.

And then, on his pitch-black hands, purple demon energy crackled.

“Now, since you’ve seen it with your own eyes, would you like to say I’ve also learned from the Master of Dark Demon Arts and Master of Thunder Arts?”

“Uh, huh?”

Then Boyeol suddenly remembered.

“Why didn’t you mention that you’ve learned the Wheel of Law, ah, right. You have, huh? That guy is quite something…”

“Now, do you think people will believe it when you say it?”

“Hmph. What can’t be believed?”

“Hey. What if I were to say Moon Jeong-yeok is really an undercover agent from Zhengpai?”

“What? That guy from Moon Jeong-yeok!? No wonder, he’s been so on point! So, that’s how he intended to remove me! He’s indeed a damned undercover agent from Zhengpai!”

What kind of a leader is this so naïve?

Well, I guess that explains why he’s been fooled thrice already…

Qing sighed deeply.

Ugh. Ugh.

But with one mouth, there were two sighs coming out.

Turning his head, he saw Yo Min, who had let out a big breath and then jumped back behind his Master.

“Uh, Master. I think they’re saying Moon Dae-hyeop, I mean Moon Jeong-yeok, being an undercover agent from Zhengpai is a question of belief…”

“What? Oh, right. Then what would I say? I thought it sounded unbelievable.”

Still, didn’t he seem too shocked?

But after being deceived to the point of having his life threatened, Qing kept his mouth shut and kept watching closely.

“I trusted you. How could you…”

“It was between Zhengpai and Sapa. And look, it’s the guy threatening to reveal my identity while threatening me still.”

“Did you see that cheeky little thing!”

Boyeol sprang up, his fist outstretched.

From beneath the long sleeves, the white snake head let out a cute warning with a hissing sound.

Qing wasn’t backing down and crashed a chair, placing his hand on the handle of his sword.

“Hmph. Today it’s going to be life or death! I had a bit of affection and was willing to let it go, but just what is this Blood Sect? Trying to come out like the Great Demon Lord of the world, huh?”

With that, the two stared each other down for a while.

The hissing white snake continually warning not to touch its owner, and Yo Min slyly maneuvering into position behind his Master.

The moment one draws their sword, the trajectory would hit first, even meaning they would be hit first if it came to that.

With a sigh, Qing let out a deep breath.

“Anyway, you’re saying you have nowhere else to go, huh? You wouldn’t dare go back to Zhengpai.”

“Ugh, well, that’s true.”

“How about I introduce you to a merchant association? It’s not small, and honestly, it seems pretty big now. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to quietly observe the pulse of the world.”

Qing thought of the Seolga guys and Choi Riyong.

Each time he looked at them, the bad karma seemed to decrease, like they were earning money and using it for good causes. Wouldn’t it be better to have a physician around too?

“Hmm, but didn’t I mention that I have a grudge to settle? The Sapa guys will definitely come after me.”

“There are a lot of masters there. For real, a whole bunch.”

Not only Choi Riyong but also some workers, porters, even the ladies scrub-dubbing in the kitchen are all masters.

Presumably, they are all exiles from the Demon Cult, escapees? Is it too big a title to call them escapees? Ex-cult members? Whatever.

Of course, all those people have never actually practiced the Demon Cult and are very, very devout believers.

However, once Qing runs away, they all turn into fanatics from that very moment.

And being part of the Seolga Merchant Association, he could receive his poison now and then.

Love for poison. Love it too much. It’s the best.

It’s good for me and good for others too. Perfectly universal.

“Ugh. But are you sure that’s okay?”

“As long as you’re okay with it, it should work. They’re all people with their own stories, so they will understand.”

“Then, I’ll take it as an unsought favor.”

Not very dramatic, but it’s a deal settled.

Qing stood up, and Boyeol settled back down in the chair that Yo Min held up for him.

“Go to Zaiwei County on the west side of Hubei and look for the Seolga Merchant Association. You can say I sent you.”

“Can we get a signal or something? Like a token or what?”

In response, Qing pulled out a hairpin.

After all, he could get it back later at the Seolga Merchant Association.

And then, with eyes shining, Qing said.

“By the way, about that snake, do you think it might bite? Can I touch it? It wouldn’t mind biting either; it’s just so pretty.”

“Oh. Then let me tell you, snakes are among the gentlest beasts out there. It’s just that those who don’t know think they’re fierce, but they’re actually just sensitive. There’s nothing smarter than this little beast…”

At that, Boyeol’s face lit up.

People usually brighten up when explaining something they love.

This is why Boyeol sells snake poison.

In conclusion, to summarize Qing’s introduction, it went pretty much like this.

Stuffing them among the genuine Demon Cult’s lairs and just looking to suck the precious poisons dry.

Little did he know, Boyeol got swept up with the snake boasting.

A naturally naive person is bound to keep getting fooled endlessly.

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