“Even if you dedicate yourself solely to training at the Tang Family, who knows when you’ll achieve anything? You want me to go to the Murong Family at the eastern edge? What nonsense is that?!”
The Deputy Head of Family, Tang Ok-ran, pressed the Tang Family Head with a furious expression.
He had chased all the way to the Head Family’s Hall since he didn’t know where the disciple had left the third volume of “The Rise of the Tang Family.” He couldn’t believe he was hearing such ridiculous orders.
While waiting outside the Head’s office, the Deputy Head couldn’t bear the sounds coming from inside anymore.
“The poison of the Tang Family has poisoned the head of the Murong Family. This could lead to significant issues in the Martial Arts World.”
To calm the Deputy Head, the Tang Family Head briefly explained what had happened at the Murong Family.
“Family issues should be resolved by the elders of the family. To want to send a child who has suffered a lifetime because of the Tang Family as a representative? No matter how much of a Head you are, there are things that shouldn’t be said!”
“I understand. But isn’t there any other way?”
“Let’s assume that child can make the trip. It would take about a year and a half, right? If upon returning they find another family member has been poisoned, will you still send that child then?”
“……”
The Tang Family Head couldn’t answer easily.
“As the Head, I fully understand your sense of responsibility. But I’ve come here to the Secret Garden to fulfill my duties as a father, and I won’t forget that.”
Both the Tang Family Head’s words and the Deputy Head’s words were correct.
Ordering Tang Hwa-rin to go on a long journey was undoubtedly harsh. However, from the family’s perspective, it was another matter entirely.
The Sichuan Tang Family was a family that dealt with poison and had always been cautious in their conduct. The fact that the Tang Family’s poison had leaked out and poisoned the head of the Murong Family could create a massive uproar in the Martial Arts World.
Understanding the situation, the Deputy Head calmed down and mentioned the time a few months ago when the Tang Family Head had visited the Secret Garden.
As the Head of the Family, he understood the family’s importance, but he hoped they wouldn’t see Hwa-rin purely as a poison practitioner, but rather prioritize her as a daughter-in-law. This was a subtle hint.
“Deputy Head……”
“Please withdraw your order.”
The Deputy Head, Tang Ok-ran, respectfully lowered his head to the Tang Family Head. It was an apology for the rudeness he showed moments ago but also a plea as Hwa-rin’s mentor.
Even if it was a request, Tang Baek-ho’s command was something Hwa-rin couldn’t refuse as long as he was the head of the family.
Deputy Head Tang Ok-ran had created an atmosphere where he couldn’t refuse, as he was both the maternal uncle of Tang Hwa-rin and her mentor.
“In the worst case, the Deputy Head of Murong Family might be a minion of the Demonic Cult. If that happens, the entire Murong Family could fall into the hands of the Demonic Cult due to the Tang Family’s poison.”
Tang Baek-ho awkwardly began to unveil the hidden story he hadn’t yet shared out of respect for the Deputy Head’s attitude.
“The Deputy Head could be a minion of the Demonic Cult? Then who sent the Murong Family’s people here?”
The Deputy Head looked surprised at the unexpected news and stared at the Tang Family Head.
“I heard it was Murong Sang-a, the only daughter of Head Murong Cheon, who sent them.”
“Murong Sang-a?”
The Deputy Head tilted his head at the unfamiliar name.
Since Deputy Head didn’t venture out much from the Secret Garden and mostly wandered around within the Tang Family, this was a name he hadn’t heard before.
In fact, it was her disciple who was more aware of the rumors.
“Murong Sang-a? The Female Scorpion?”
Tang Hwa-rin frowned at the name she knew of.
“Yeah. In the martial world, they call her ‘Tang Hee’ as a derogatory name. By the way, Hwa-rin, I haven’t heard your thoughts yet. What do you want to do?”
Tang Hwa-rin looked at the Tang Family Head, who was inquiring about her opinion with a hint of concern in her expression.
She fully understood the current situation.
As a martial artist of the Sichuan Tang Family, should she run to the eastern end to thwart the Demonic Cult’s schemes, or should she focus on her training for the fiancé waiting in Yichang?
While she contemplated as she listened to the elders of her family, one fact tilted the scales in her heart.
“I refuse.”
The fact that the one who invited her was Murong Sang-a.
“No way, you want me to help the woman who killed her husband? No way.”
A moment of silence fell in the Head Family’s Hall. Tang Hwa-rin didn’t care about the silence and revealed her true personality after a long time.
“Hwa-rin.”
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
Even when the guard unit cautioned her about her careless words, Tang Hwa-rin had no intention of stopping. A strange animosity was evident on her face.
“I’ve heard some rumors too.”
The guard unit was somewhat taken aback by Tang Hwa-rin’s reaction, but expressing animosity was natural for her.
“I heard someone wanted to spend their wedding night with their fiancé and trained for ten years, while that female scorpion cut off her husband’s head on their wedding night.”
While Tang Hwa-rin trained for ten years for her wedding night, Murong Sang-a was the woman who killed her husband on their wedding night.
These were two completely opposing stories. Tang Hwa-rin couldn’t help but look down on a woman who stood at the opposite pole from her.
“I heard her husband was a great traitor in Joseon.”
The guard unit spoke of what was known to the public to sway Tang Hwa-rin’s perception at least slightly.
“So what? Isn’t he her husband? Why didn’t she run away with him? Or at least protect her husband from the foreign lands? Isn’t that what a wife should do?”
The guard unit’s defense only ignited her anger further. Tang Hwa-rin scoffed incredulously.
“……”
“Yoon Ho thought he might die and came to the Tang Family for me. Even when I told him to forget about me and marry someone better, he said he would wait. But do you expect me to waste my time for a woman who killed her husband just to save her skin? Just for the chance to see Yoon Ho again?”
Tang Hwa-rin’s chest simmered with anger. A Joseon husband, a wedding night, betrayal, and trust—these were weirdly intertwined stories yet so different.
Tang Hwa-rin didn’t hide her emotions any longer. Had she not been practicing the Poison Technique, her anger could have leaked out like poison.
“There might be truths hidden beneath the surface. The Demonic Cult’s schemes might be involved.”
The guard unit defended Murong Sang-a once more.
“But she killed her husband, didn’t she? With all the delicacies while complaining about her unfairness, I would feel the same.”
Tang Hwa-rin remarked that such a woman wasn’t worth her time.
“Heh! Hwa-rin.”
“Enough. Head. Haven’t I made my feelings clear?”
It seemed the guard unit had nothing left to say, and as the Deputy Head tried to chime in, the Tang Family Head intervened to mediate the situation.
“Perhaps that Murong Sang-a child might also be a victim of the Demonic Cult like you. I understand your feelings; however, let’s not dismiss her too easily.”
“……”
Feeling forced to acknowledge the Head’s words, Tang Hwa-rin nodded in agreement.
“Hwa-rin. I know I’m making harsh requests. But as the Head, there are times when I must act. That child, Murong Sang-a, is undoubtedly also a victim of Tang Geoh. So can you think about it once more?”
Tang Baek-ho, as the Head of the Family, as a father-in-law, bore heavy burdens as he asked his daughter-in-law.
“I’ll think about it.”
————
“Don’t worry too much. Whatever I say tomorrow, I’ll step in and decline it myself.”
The Deputy Head returned to the Secret Garden, comforting his despondent disciple.
“Yes, Master. Thank you. And here’s the third volume.”
Tang Hwa-rin nodded with a forced smile and then brought the third volume of “The Rise of the Tang Family” to her master.
The Deputy Head glanced at the third volume with a face full of joy, but sensing the situation was not entirely favorable, he subtly gauged his disciple’s reaction.
“Hmm, there it is.”
Tang Hwa-rin secretly laughed at her master’s never-seen-before demeanor and returned to her room with the words to enjoy reading it.
“Murong Family. From Sichuan to Liaodong…….”
Tang Hwa-rin opened the window and gazed at the eastern sky.
It felt too far.
If it had been a closer distance, she wouldn’t have thought too much about it. Being told to go back and forth over a journey of more than a year during a time when she was already under pressure from training felt like an extremely harsh order.
Moreover, she didn’t like the person asking her either.
“Who does she think she is, killing her husband?”
Killing her husband and running off with all his wealth. She heard that the woman had become incredibly rich after that.
In a world where even a retainer who had received favors would be ridiculed for betrayal, this was a case where a wife had betrayed and killed her husband.
Even without Tang Hwa-rin, nobody would see it positively in the world.
“What’s money? Happiness isn’t about that.”
Tang Hwa-rin silently lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over herself.
The soft bed and warm bedding welcomed her. These were the finest luxury linens prepared for the Tang Family poison practitioner.
It was surely the most comfortable sleeping arrangement in Tang Hwa-rin’s life, yet it didn’t bring her happiness.
“Yoon Ho…….”
Tang Hwa-rin thought of the days with her fiancé.
The scratchy blankets, the bed that needed to be touched upon waking, the dusty attic, the late-night views of Yoon Ho writing.
It was uncomfortable for someone who had grown up in a wealthy household, yet these days were happier than any other in her life.
“I miss Yoon Ho…….”
She wanted to see his sleeping face. Just poking his cheeks would make him frown and go back to sleep, and she missed watching him doze off like that.
She longed to see Yoon Ho’s sleepy face that only she could see.
“While you killed your husband, you want your father to be saved?”
Did she realize how precious her parents were but not value her husband?
She was truly angry. You could be happy even without money, when a loved one is by your side, yet that woman probably didn’t even understand that happiness.
Tang Hwa-rin couldn’t sleep due to the unpleasant emotions.
“Is there really a reason for this?”
Though she did not know this woman, she couldn’t think too harshly about her. Her thoughts had now extended to the root of every evil.
“Tang Geoh and the Demonic Cult…….”
Had Tang Geoh and the Demonic Cult truly destroyed her life, like herself?
What misunderstanding could have led to this? She had killed her husband. Was there even a misunderstanding? Although she saw some common points, Murong Sang-a, who was totally opposite, somehow continued to trouble her thoughts.
“What would Yoon Ho do?”
There was no need for deep contemplation.
“How annoying. Yoon Ho.”
Tang Hwa-rin’s affectionate voice slipped out.
Imagining what he might say made her want to give him a light smack. Of course, she would then hold his hand and jump into the fire with him.
After long deliberation, Tang Hwa-rin eventually solidified her resolve.
—–
“I’ll help.”
The next day, Tang Hwa-rin visited the Head Family’s Hall with her master and announced her decision.
“What do you mean by that?!”
“Good thinking. I will arrange the elite of the Tang Family for potential unforeseen events.”
Without giving the Deputy Head a chance to react, the Tang Family Head quickly began to prepare for it.
“I didn’t say I was going to Murong Family though.”
Tang Hwa-rin shook her head as if both of them had misunderstood.
“You said you were going to help, yet you don’t intend to go?”
It wasn’t all just playful banter. The Tang Family Head sought additional clarification from his daughter-in-law.
“I’ll make an antidote for you.”
That was Tang Hwa-rin’s conclusion after a night of deep contemplation.
“An antidote?”
“I have the poison that poisoned the Deputy Head in my body. I know how to neutralize this poison.”
The poison that had once poisoned the Deputy Head disappeared instantaneously from Tang Hwa-rin’s grasp.
“Haha. I know you’re at the realm of being invulnerable to poison, but this still surprises me.”
To have the very poison thought to be neutralized within her body. The Tang Family Head and the guard unit couldn’t help but be amazed by her talent.
“With my abilities and the research materials left by Tang Geoh, along with the help of the guard unit and my master, I can quickly make an antidote.”
She could control the poison within someone else’s body and instantly assess the antidote to the absorbed poison.
Only a master of poison in the Martial Arts World could accomplish this feat.
“Indeed. Rather than move whenever Tang Geoh’s poison causes harm, it’s better to create an antidote.”
Tang Baek-ho nodded at the unexpected solution.
“I’ll help if Deputy Head allows it. However, too much time has passed since Murong Cheon was poisoned. It’s uncertain whether the antidote will even work.”
The guard unit agreed to Tang Hwa-rin’s suggestion, but showed his concerns as well.
“If it turns out to be useless then we can reconsider going to the Murong Family. No matter how far they are, it would still be quick to relay the news, right?”
The simple transmission of information could be expedited by using carrier pigeons or couriers.
“Sounds good. If that’s possible, then that’s better.”
“Head, then I’ll begin preparations….”
Seeing everyone at the table agreeing with her opinion, Tang Hwa-rin smiled.
This was her solution for the woman who might very well be a victim of the Demonic Cult. Yet she didn’t intend to end her comments here.
“But I won’t help that female scorpion for free.”
“Hmm?”
Tang Hwa-rin looked at the bewildered elders and raised one corner of her mouth.
“Once you’ve taken some of my time meant to meet Yoon Ho, I’ll need compensation.”
Tang Hwa-rin’s daring smile bore a resemblance to her fiancé.
