I smiled brightly and held out my hand.

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

“What did you say?”

“If you make me 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, come 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 time, I really will. Do you think a spirit pill is some secret art that makes you invincible? Even if a weakling takes a spirit pill, all that means 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 me the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet.

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

“But still...”

“No more arguing. Wait.”

A moment 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 medicines 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 me anything. If I asked for a snack, he’d probably buy the entire snack shop.

When I kept hesitating, Tang Jung urged me 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 meant to fall into someone else’s hands, yet the Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet had come to me instead. It felt strange.

The moment the pellet touched the tip of my tongue, it melted 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 melted 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 me.

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 seemed to flow calmly in the distance, but the next moment it crashed toward me like a dam bursting under torrential rain and swept me away.

Every time 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 me back to my senses.

In a hurry, I straightened my back and recited the formulas of the Heart Method. 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 same time 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 me.

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 immense force in a single bite.

At that moment, 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 me, as if telling me 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 become 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 meridians like crumbs of candy left in the mouth.

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

My dantian had grown to twice the size it had been before I consumed 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 meridians. If you scrape together every last bit, it should improve somewhat.”

After answering, Tang Jung looked at me steadily.

He still seemed 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 time, 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 me 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 somewhere, and he went around visiting the Poison King Hall, the Medical Hall, the Elder Council, and even the Covert Investigation Hall while speaking with various people.

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

Right. With him giving this many warnings before going in, who would dare lay a hand on me? If someone touched me for no reason, once his closed-door training ended, a storm would come 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 come out quickly. Go on already, Grandfather.”

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

After pulling me 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 mean, 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 me in silence. His expression said he did not understand. I found that gaze uncomfortable, so I stood up.

“I have to go meet 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 meeting with Gu Gyeongcheon was the worst.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The moment I mentioned 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 enlightenment would just pop into place and he’d come 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 moment 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 someone 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 time 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 moment, someone 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 me, Grand Elder Dang-gak spoke coldly.

“Gu Gyeongcheon is dead.”

“What?”

Why would someone 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 me. A sharp pain shot through the back of my neck, and my mind blurred.

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

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