A person who is on the line tries harder to keep the line than someone who is just within it.
ZAP!
Mad Scientist.
BAM!
Think of the image of a mad scientist—the genius yet eccentric character often found in popular culture.
POW!
A mad scientist teeters on the edge of moral and ethical lines, creating good things for our side.
WHAM!
People believe that this scientist’s power is essential to fight against a powerful enemy, but they don’t think of him fondly.
POP!
One day, imagine that the mad scientist crosses the line too far and creates an enemy, even arming them.
WHOOSH!
The people who once praised him would shout, “We knew that bastard would do this!” and he would be branded not a mad scientist but just a madman in an instant.
SPLAT!
The image of the Sichuan Tang Family (사천당가) is somewhat similar to that.
POW!
Though the Sichuan Tang Family is within the bounds of righteousness, they have always faced suspicion and distrust.
WHAM!
Being proud of their status within righteous circles, they’re obsessed with guarding against straying from their path, often paranoid about outside opinions.
WHOOSH!
“Even in the original story, they were quite a decent group.”
SLAM!
It was a game that shouted, “This isn’t martial arts!” but still, the Sichuan Tang Family seemed like a pretty decent faction.
BANG!
The problem started with the Color Demon incident over 20 years ago.
GASP!
For Sichuan Tang Family, that incident could have easily caused them to cross the line if mishandled.
FIZZ!
Although it was officially a banned experiment within the family, a Tang family member had turned into a Color Demon after using their family’s poison.
WHOOSH!
The lord of the family, who was likely a Deputy Head of Family back then, secretly pursued the Color Demon and meticulously covered up the incident after killing it.
POW!
If we only consider the details, they handled it like a prominent faction should, deserving a round of applause.
CLAP CLAP!
Unfortunately, they identified the problem, acted swiftly, and attempted to compensate the victims neatly, even preventing bad rumors from spreading.
SHOOSH!
“The problem is that ‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ has come out.”
DING!
After over 20 years, the child of the Color Demon appears, stating, “My father is the Color Demon,” and it’s revealed that they’re a victim created through experiments by the Sichuan Tang Family. They’ve written a bombshell book.
BAM!
Through countless biological experiments, they create poisons used for date-rape. The truth that these two came entirely from the Sichuan Tang Family might be revealed after 20 years.
WHOOSH!
For the people of Sichuan Tang Family, it must be a desire to grab the necks of the barbarian shopkeepers who just stood by, feeling, “Why did we handle this well 20 years ago only to face this now?”
GRAB!
“The fact that ‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ is surprisingly similar to reality is absurd, but I can understand.”
FACEPALM!
Absurd, but there are clues. The father and mother of Tang Hwa-rin were poison users. Starting with the father, was he in a normal state knowing the original Hwa-rin’s condition?
HUM!
The same goes for Hwa-rin’s mother. If the reason for her pathological dislike was rape, it would make sense.
THUD!
In a world without abortion, imagine an unmarried maiden getting raped by a Color Demon and unexpectedly getting pregnant. The mental shock would be a problem, but imagine their marriage prospects vanished too. Would she be able to shower affection on that child?
CRASH!
On top of that, mixing elements familiar to the world of martial arts with the plot of ‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ makes it feel! Whoa! Too similar to reality.
BANG!
It’s maddening.
ARGH!
“I’m not going to let it slide easily.”
GRIN!
‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ touched the Sichuan Tang Family’s sore spot. Moreover, it’s a huge hit.
BOOM!
From the perspective of Sichuan Tang Family, it’s just a novel. “It’s not real. Oh dear. It’s popular. Please buy more. Hehe.” It’s not something that can be overlooked.
HA HA!
“The chances of it being perceived as a challenge to the authority of Sichuan Tang Family are high.”
DUN DUN DUN!
They’ll be imprisoned in the jail arranged by Sichuan Tang Family and face punishment. Even if I feel wronged and break the window to escape to the government office, I won’t manage to get away from Sichuan Tang Family for a black-haired barbarian.
SHATTER!
Instead, looking at Hwa-rin, they’d say, “This is a family matter. It’s untouchable,” and might wrap us up neatly to hand us over.
BIND!
So what should I do?
HMMM!
“We didn’t write ‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ because we wanted to die; we wrote it because we wanted to live.”
SWOOSH!
Turn misunderstandings into understanding. Create reasons for unavoidable actions.
FLIP!
—————————
NOD!
“I can’t hear about family bloodlines here. Is there a higher floor?”
WINK!
The deputy medical official looked at the guards surrounding him and asked me.
GLANCE!
“We have a 3rd floor where we reside.”
STEP STEP!
“Only the deputy medical official can come. Let’s go up.”
CLIMB!
Only Hwa-rin, the deputy medical official, and what seemed to be his closest aide went up to the 3rd floor. Why are we going up a level every time we talk? Is this an overly difficult tutorial tower or a death game?
POOF!
“Hey, Yoon Ho.”
WHISPER!
Hwa-rin called me quietly while climbing into the attic, giving me a look that asked what was up. It must be out of the blue for her.
SQUINT!
“Just trust me and stay still.”
ASSURE!
I caught Hwa-rin’s wrist and sent her a look saying, “You trust me, right? Leave everything to me.” Hwa-rin then squeezed my hand once and nodded.
NOD NOD!
As expected, starting from selling medicinal herbs, we’ve matched quite a few rhythms. This much is enough.
SMILE!
“That’s impossible! While I do think poorly of Tang Geoh, he’s a direct descendant of the previous head. He’s one of the current head’s brothers. If he lied to evade danger, he’d face a much worse consequence.”
GASP!
The deputy medical official sat in the attic chair, showing his displeasure and frowning.
GRIMACE!
I can’t blame him for not believing. No one would want to believe that a direct descendant of Tang Family is conducting biological experiments.
BANG!
“Don’t want to believe me? Then I’ll make you believe.”
TRICK!
As I ascended from the 2nd floor to the attic, my thoughts were already turning.
MIND TURNING!
Now I just needed to speak. I prepared to throw out a bait while smiling lightly.
GRIN!
“I heard a rumor floating around. About 20 years ago, someone from the Tang Family’s direct line wanted to experiment with poisonous humans and openly talked about it, causing controversy.”
WHOMP!
Let’s start from the hidden facts.
SHUSH!
“How do you know that?”
WIDE EYES!
The deputy medical official looked at me in shock.
GASP!
How do I know? Because the original story explains why Hwa-rin ended up that way. But I can’t mention the original.
TWIST!
There’s another way.
“Before I worked here at the Tea Bookstore, I was a wandering storyteller. A storyteller is someone skilled in telling tales unheard of but also in listening to tales unheard of. Ah! Of course, some of those tales should never be spoken out loud.”
LISTEN CLOSELY!
I indicated with a silly face, covering my lips with one hand—the tales I’ve heard but never spoken.
WHISPER!
The deputy medical official squinted, looking at me suspiciously.
HMMM?
Ambiguous rumors could be easily denied. I stared directly at him, then shifted my gaze to Hwa-rin, hinting that I had evidence—would he deny it?
STARE!
“……. 20 years ago, Tang Geoh spoke publicly and received severe punishment. Since then, he’s changed his thoughts and taken a negative view of poisonous humans.”
GLARE!
The deputy medical official slightly closed his eyes at the glaring evidence and acknowledged the rumor.
AGREED!
Good start.
CHEER!
“Tang Geoh must have resolved with the penalty and decided to conduct experiments secretly. Hwa-rin received visits from Tang Geoh over ten years ago. Did he not intentionally look for children related to his dark side?”
CURIOUS!
Tang Geoh tidied up the incident from 20 years ago. However, it was unknown that he had been searching for illegitimate children.
BANG!
Let’s throw this assumption as a question to build rapport.
“Right. He willingly stepped forward to find the Color Demon’s illegitimate children.”
SPOT ON!
In an instant, the deputy medical official’s expression changed to one of doubt, contemplating, “Could Tang Geoh be that bastard?”
BAM!
This is an opportunity.
GRAB IT!
I must hold onto his suspicion and turn him to our side.
SHUFFLE!
“It’s been over 10 years! During that time, Tang Geoh claimed he was teaching Hwa-rin the family’s martial arts while secretly poisoning her to turn her into a poisonous human. Do you know how often he was unreasonably absent?”
POW!
“He was often out…”
HMMMM!
“Do you know how much pain and disdain Hwa-rin has suffered for the past 10 years while being deceived by Tang Geoh? Look here! Hwa-rin’s arm! Her face! It’s unmistakably the marks of a poisonous human experiment!”
SHOWCASE!
Having presented the second fact to introduce doubt, I now needed the third—to earn sympathy.
CLAIM!
I pulled Hwa-rin’s arm and offered it to the deputy medical official. Although some marks had faded, signs were still clearly visible.
SHOW OFF!
The deputy medical official, being from Sichuan Tang Family, would have deep knowledge of poison techniques and medicine. He can’t deny the evidence of Hwa-rin being a poisonous human.
HMMMM!
“Cough…….”
COUGH!
The deputy medical official looked at Hwa-rin’s skin before averting his gaze.
AVERT!
He might be turning his gaze to avoid acknowledging it, but that alone indicates enough affirmation.
REALIZATION!
“Deputy official! You can’t really not believe, can you? Or do you just want to disbelieve? If Hwa-rin hadn’t realized that the drug given by Tang Geoh was a poison and ran away, things would have turned much worse for her.”
TENSION!
Corner him with facts and sympathy.
“Clearly, the marks on this girl are the traces of a poisonous human. But if Tang Geoh truly committed such acts, why didn’t he come to Yichang instead of Sichuan? If he had, he would have faced severe punishment.”
FROWN!
You can’t deny Tang Geoh’s actions.
HMMM!
And you can’t deny Hwa-rin’s condition either.
NOPE!
They’ll have no choice but to doubt us. The deputy medical official finally voiced my anticipated last objection.
“Hwa-rin managed to escape, but Tang Geoh is looking for us. Who would believe that the illegitimate child from Tang Family and a black-haired barbarian would visit Sichuan Tang Family? No, it would only put Hwa-rin in Tang Geoh’s hands.”
SIGH!
Direct descendants and illegitimate children. In a martial arts family that values blood relations, he surely knows whose words to trust better than anyone else.
BAM!
“So… that’s why you wrote the book?”
SPOT ON!
Perfect. The deputy medical official began to understand our actions.
REAL!
“Yes. The incident from 20 years ago was an affair directly involving the head of the Tang Family. If it’s a matter related to Tang Family’s dark secrets, it’s certain that someone trusted by the head, not Tang Geoh, would come. At first, I was skeptical, but upon hearing Hwa-rin’s name, I became certain since I didn’t recognize her.”
BOOM!
I spoke effortlessly as if revealing a hidden plan and framed it as though I were exposing the truth.
“Tang Geoh really has been….”
GASP!
Rage laced the deputy medical official’s voice, and we were almost there.
“Really. That bastard Tang Geoh deceived me, and for 10 years I’ve suffered.”
PAIN!
Hwa-rin provided timely support. Thank you, Hwa-rin. I’ll finish this with your help.
POWER ON!
“We were in a situation where staying quiet meant death. We didn’t publish ‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ because we wanted to die; we did it to survive.”
WHIRL!
Turn misunderstandings into understanding.
POW!
Indicate that there’s a possibility of an even more serious new secret arising than exposing the 20-year-old incident.
DARK CLOUD!
A plan to redirect attention with incidents and secrets. Now we just need to wait for results.
PAUSE!
A momentary silence passed.
HUSH!
It felt like the tension before revealing a culprit in a detective manga. I sealed my lips, staring at the deputy medical official.
Gaze!
A warm glow came in through the window, casting light on the dust settled in the attic.
LIGHT!
The deputy medical official continued to look at Hwa-rin in silence for a while.
“….. Child. What martial arts have you learned from the family?”
QUIET ASK!
The deputy medical official finally broke the silence, looking at Hwa-rin. She answered, stating the martial arts she had learned.
CONFIRM!
“You’ve learned the family’s martial arts. Hehe, I see. To create a poisonous human, using the stable family’s poison technique was indeed a good choice. That bastard Tang Geoh was doing those cruel experiments with the illegitimate children all along.”
UNBELIEVABLE!
The deputy medical official looked at Hwa-rin with disbelief, laughing in utter derision.
FAINT LAUGH!
With the remaining evidence, he recognized Tang Geoh as the culprit. But I can’t let my guard down. I need to show a weaker side as the underdog who fights for their life.
REMIND!
“Hwa-rin. Finally, we can live.”
HUG!
I embraced Hwa-rin as if an utterly lost child had found an adult to hug, like a long-lost friend.
FEELING!
“Yoon Ho…”
CALM!
Hwa-rin trembled a bit and then hugged me back.
TIGHT HUG!
Hwa-rin’s acting skills have improved, catching on to my intentions. But why is she hugging so tightly? I can barely breathe. It feels good, like a juicy melon, so I won’t say much.
EXCLAIM!
“This is the end of our hardships. Sniff.”
GRABBING!
Thoughts of unfairness made me squeeze out tears as best as I could. It wasn’t hard to shed tears with so many grievances. Life, truly.
TEARFUL!
“Don’t cry. You idiot. Seriously. Why are you crying instead of me?”
WHINE!
“Tsk… How did the great Sichuan Tang Family end up in such a situation?”
SIGH!
The deputy medical official looked at us pitifully.
LOOK!
———-
“Child, show me your hand.”
NOD!
After holding Hwa-rin for what felt like too long, the deputy medical official opened his mouth.
STARTLE!
At his request, Hwa-rin extended her hand for a pulse check.
THUMP!
“What is this? No way? Sit down. Operate your internal energy. I’ll perform the Vital Energy Insertion Technique.”
HUM!
The deputy medical official checked the pulse, was taken aback, made Hwa-rin sit, and began to channel his energy into her.
ZAP!
What is happening?
CONFUSED!
“It’s true. This can’t be….”
GASP!
“What’s wrong? Has Hwa-rin’s condition worsened? I thought she was getting better since she hadn’t consumed poison recently.”
DISBELIEF!
“No, she’s not healing. This… this is really as you said, Tang Geoh absolutely can’t give up on this child and would chase her.”
REVELATION!
The deputy medical official stared at Hwa-rin as if she were a priceless treasure for a long time, stunned.
AWESTRUCK!
“What does that mean?”
PURPOSE!
What’s the issue? Please tell me. Isn’t Hwa-rin getting better? Is it the ability of the Reverse Heaven’s Decree? Was this all just a placebo effect?
CONFUSION!
The deputy medical official run his fingers through his beard as if to gather his thoughts while looking at us. Finally, he spoke.
GATHERING!
The words the deputy medical official expressed were unexpected.
“The forbidden secret wish of the Tang Family. Complete poisonous human. This child’s body is being molded into the perfect vessel for a complete poisonous human.”
UNBELIEVABLE!
