“How long do we have to wait for this?!”
In a secluded lodging within the Sichuan Tang Family, the invited group from the Murong Family had been hiding away for months to avoid attracting attention.
“Didn’t the Poison King say he would make the antidote with the Tang Family’s people? Just wait a bit longer.”
The Poison King’s fame from the Great War was well-known even in the Murong Family. Murong Seob tried to calm his impatient subordinates.
“It’s already summer! Summer! If we leave now, we might not return until the New Year! How long are we supposed to keep waiting?”
“The poison is so deadly that even the royal physician said there’s nothing he could do. The Tang Family is the only one who can create an antidote, so we must have patience.”
“Even after we left our family, that damn m—!”
As the words that shouldn’t come out of a Murong Family martial artist began to bubble, Murong Seob frowned and cut him off.
“Be careful with your words. You never know who’s listening.”
The fact that the Murong Family had connections with the Demonic Cult could not be revealed.
“I’m sorry! That damn Deputy Head of Family!”
“He’s not even worthy of being called that. He should have been in his rightful place.”
“The ‘Lady of the Mantises’… Every time the world calls our lord that, my murderous intent flares.”
At the mention of the Lady of the Mantises, all the martial artists of the Murong Family showed a faint glimmer of murderous intent.
“The figure of our lord is a burden that he will carry for life, isn’t it?”
“What a misunderstanding! We should take the initiative…”
“Sometimes ordinary folk don’t care about the truth. They love to hear tales of a woman who kills her husband on their wedding night and becomes rich overnight. Even if they know the twisted details, they’ll act like they don’t.”
“How infuriating! So infuriating!”
The martial artist of the Murong Family beat his chest in despair.
“That is why our Spear Peak Band must become the pillars to protect our lord.”
“Someone is approaching.”
As Murong Seob barely managed to settle the Murong Family martial artists, they sensed someone outside.
“Are you really alright?”
“I’ll go. You stay here.”
“If you ask the Head of the Family, he’ll take care of it himself.”
“Such matters must be handled personally. Just go back and I’ll take care of it myself.”
“No. We’ll go in together.”
While the specific details of their conversation were unclear, the voices of a young woman and an elderly woman’s could be heard inside the building.
“Tell the people to leave this place where the Murong Family is residing.”
Thinking it might be a lost passerby, Murong Seob was about to send them away when, contrary to his expectations, the people had found their way correctly.
“Poison King has come to visit.”
“The Poison King?!”
——
“Is this where the Murong Family people are staying?”
Murong Seob was also a martial artist with a name in the northern regions, representing the Murong Family, but he couldn’t compare to the legendary fame of the Poison King.
With the sudden appearance of the Poison King, Murong Seob rushed to greet the distinguished guest.
“Honorable Poison King! It’s an honor to meet you! My name is Murong Seob. I never expected you to come in person. And the person next to you…?”
Murong Seob welcomed the Poison King as if he were a martial artist making his debut in the world, asking about his companion.
“She is my disciple.”
“She is Lady Tang.”
“Your disciple is truly a magnificent beauty…”
Murong Seob couldn’t help but express pure admiration upon seeing Tang Hwa-rin. The woman before him was among the few beauties he had encountered during his life in the Martial Arts World.
Purple hair, green eyes. Skin as fair as a child’s. Even her loose clothes couldn’t hide her shape. Her fierce gaze gave an impression of a tough temperament. Yet, that too could be considered a distinctive beauty.
Murong Seob thought that had he not been used to the appearance of his own lord, who could be called the most beautiful in the Martial Arts World, he might have shamelessly stared and forgotten his age.
“Cough, cough.”
“Whoa.”
“Wow…”
From behind Murong Seob, the martial artists of the Murong Family let out gasp sounds as they saw Tang Hwa-rin smile.
“I’d like to speak in a quiet place.”
Noticing the Poison King’s discomfort, Murong Seob immediately led them to a private room.
“Please, have a seat. May I ask what brings you here?”
“The matter we were waiting for is settled.”
As soon as the Poison King sat down, he delivered the news everyone in the Murong Family had been eagerly anticipating.
“No way?!”
“The antidote for Lord Murong Cheon has been completed. If taken regularly, it should restore him without any issues.”
“Is that really true! How can I repay this gratitude?”
“Express your thanks to my disciple.”
When Murong Seob, who looked ready to kneel at any moment, glanced at the Poison King, the Poison King pointed to Tang Hwa-rin sitting next to him.
“Is she your disciple?”
“My disciple played a significant role in the creation of the antidote. Basically, I and the guard unit only assisted a bit.”
No way that’s possible. Murong Seob gazed at the Poison King in disbelief, but there was no hint of a lie on the Poison King’s face.
No way. You mean, she really created the antidote that no physician could come up with herself?
“Your disciple must possess remarkable talents.”
Murong Seob thought to himself in pure admiration as he looked at Tang Hwa-rin.
Cough, cough. “I might have had a small part to play.”
Tang Hwa-rin answered bravely. To the casual observer, her attitude might seem arrogant, but since the Poison King acknowledged her, it was only reasonable to accept her confidence.
“Lady Tang Hwa-rin. On behalf of my lord, Murong Sang-ah, and the Murong Family, I thank you.”
“If you want thanks, it shouldn’t be just words.”
As Murong Seob almost knelt down to say his thanks, she immediately stopped him.
“Huh?”
“Not just words?” Murong Seob stared at Tang Hwa-rin in confusion, and she presented her palm toward him.
“Show your sincerity.”
Tang Hwa-rin’s demand was clearly hinting at something else.
“What do you mean by that?”
Tang Hwa-rin looked at Murong Seob, who had a dumbfounded expression on his face. The Poison King would praise and commend her fairly enough, so she didn’t see the need to go visit herself.
Having been looked down upon from a young age, Tang Hwa-rin was tired of people saying they would take care of things but never truly doing so. She had to handle things by herself.
And there was no reason to hesitate.
‘I made the antidote for you. And that woman there, she’s incredibly wealthy. Even if I demand a little, it won’t be noticeable, so who cares?’
She had worked hard for months to create this antidote. The amount of wealth she imagined being possessed by them was unfathomable; it wouldn’t cause them to cry even if she took some.
“Why not ask Lady Murong Sang-ah for a wedding gift from Yoon-ho?”
She had no intention of going to Yoon-ho empty-handed after her training was complete.
Knowing full well that upon marrying Yoon-ho, her father-in-law would not be supporting her, she felt the need to earn diligently herself. The thought grew more appealing.
Of course, she recalled the advice from her master about not being too obvious in asking for money.
‘I’ll try to play it like Yoon-ho does. This is about using what I’ve learned.’
Her fiancé was not only eloquent with words but also skilled in business. And she was the fiancée who had witnessed countless extraordinary methods by his side.
Tang Hwa-rin remembered the tactics her fiancé had used, where he would separate the victim and make them look like an innocent party to get money out of them.
“I mean, that poison that afflicted the head of your family was a special type not meant to be easily countered. So, we had to conduct many experiments for the antidote.”
Tang Hwa-rin thought of Kang Yoon-ho as she began. If it had been Kang Yoon-ho, he would have explained just how deadly the poison was at the start, but for Tang Hwa-rin, she felt she had started quite well.
“I had guessed as much. But when you mentioned experiments, what do you mean?”
Tang Hwa-rin was not only the Poison King’s disciple but also a benefactor to the Murong Family. Murong Seob asked politely.
“Under normal circumstances, many animal tests and human trials are required when creating an antidote.”
“Human trials?!”
Murong Seob’s eyes widened in shock.
“For the past several months, we’ve had to conduct countless human experiments. It was to save Lord Murong Cheon.”
“Th-That can’t be true! What about the subjects of those experiments? Was it—?!”
Could the terrible rumors of the Sichuan Tang Family be true? Murong Seob couldn’t help but gasp in horror.
“The Sichuan Tang Family is an honorable faction. We conducted safe experiments with volunteers using the nearly completed antidote. Naturally, there were no fatalities.”
“Th-Thank goodness.”
Tang Hwa-rin watched as Murong Seob let out a sigh of relief, feeling a smirk spread inside her; this was the reaction she had hoped for.
‘This is the grand plan of Ho Pil and Yoon-ho!’
How would Yoon-ho extract money from them?
After much pondering, Tang Hwa-rin remembered how her fiancé had previously separated Ho Pil and Kang Yoon-ho, painting Ho Pil as the innocent victim in his schemes.
‘Even if the human trials were only conducted on myself, in the end, I did it.’
Like Kang Yoon-ho and Ho Pil, explaining separately about her and the test subjects was Tang Hwa-rin’s strategy.
“There is one problem.”
“A problem?”
“The poison was so potent that those afflicted are now showing aftereffects.”
Tang Hwa-rin’s expression turned somber as she recalled the last few months. She had to find Yoon-ho. She couldn’t waste precious time like this. It was deeply painful.
“Couldn’t you just keep giving the antidote to the test subjects? Is there an issue with the antidote?”
No. The ginseng effect was great, and she felt her energy surging. Tang Hwa-rin barely swallowed the words that nearly escaped her lips and maintained a pained expression.
“That’s why sincerity is needed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if it was done safely, countless experiments were conducted over these past few months. Can you imagine how many subjects there were?”
It was only one.
“I can’t count them, I guess…”
Swallow. Murong Seob gulped, realizing that although the trials were safe, countless people must have been mobilized for Lord Murong Cheon.
As he thought of the multitude of test subjects whose count could not be tallied with a single finger, a deeply remorseful expression crossed Murong Seob’s face.
In truth, it could be counted on one hand.
However, Tang Hwa-rin had no intention of correcting Murong Seob’s misunderstanding.
Neither affirming nor denying creates no lies; it’s his own fault for misinterpreting.
Despite being a ridiculous claim, her fiancé’s tactic was proving to be extremely helpful now.
“The test subjects are orphaned children, or people so impoverished they would willingly offer their bodies for experimentation. Meanwhile, the cost for the antidote is only something someone of Lord Murong Cheon’s status could afford. It’s an excessive amount to treat any remaining aftereffects once the treatment is complete.”
Tang Hwa-rin claimed her parents were dead, so she was an orphan, and since she had given all her properties to Kang Yoon-ho, she was allegedly impoverished.
“The Tang Family has done what is right, but my disciple wishes to treat the remaining aftereffects as well.”
Finally, Murong Seob understood that she wanted to show her sincerity.
“If we leave it be, the adults will only be concerned about their face. Test subjects might receive a little compensation like a token of appreciation, and that would be the end.”
Murong Seob felt a warm smile appear on his face as he listened to Tang Hwa-rin’s worried tone and glanced at the Poison King.
“…Poison King. You indeed have a fine disciple.”
Hrm, hrm…
Murong Seob thought the Poison King’s shy smile looked like that of a teacher who was proud of his students.
“How much would you require?”
Seeing Murong Seob readily nod his head, Tang Hwa-rin silently rejoiced.
What should she say? I made most of the antidote after all. Even if she seemed a bit rude, it was time to be bold.
With a confident smile, Tang Hwa-rin decided to go big.
“Give me a blank check.”
The bigger the wedding gift for her beloved fiancé, the better.
