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Episode 12
“…Ah, no!”
Baekseon grabbed Cheonrang’s arm in a panic.
At the same time, a faint poison began to spread on the wind. It wasn’t as if someone had sprayed it—it felt like someone saturated with deadly poison was slowly approaching.
“Hide, Cheonrang.”
“…….”
“Cheonrang!”
“If I hide… can you protect your own body?”
Cheonrang pressed his hand down firmly against Baekseon’s lower abdomen. The chilling aura tried to rise, but it hid itself in Cheonrang’s energy as if it had never been there.
“That is……”
As Baekseon hesitated, footsteps echoed nearby. Looking up, he saw a man with long, jet-black hair approaching.
‘That person…’
Baekseon didn’t know much about the Dang family, but he clearly recognized him. During the Jeon War, he had watched over the rear with a stern face. It was Dang Jinmyeong (唐進銘), head of the Sacheon Dang family and Baekseon’s father.
“Dang Baekseon.”
Jinmyeong approached and looked down at him with his hands behind his back.
“Did you accomplish what I asked?”
Did what he asked? Could it be related to Dang Baekseon being in the cave with Cheonrang? Baekseon didn’t know and hesitated, moving his lips to reply.
Clang!
A loud sound sent Baekseon’s face turning sideways. A force that seemed to push his entire body made him stagger; if Cheonrang hadn’t held him, he would have fallen.
“Useless child.”
As Jinmyeong finished speaking, Cheonrang tensed his sword hand. Baekseon quickly grabbed his arm, preventing him from rushing forward.
“Five years of martial arts hasn’t improved you at all.”
Jinmyeong’s gaze swept over him.
“A man who covets the position of a minor head, yet cannot even complete a simple task and returns empty-handed?”
He glared at the jade pendant at Baekseon’s waist and struck again, but Baekseon raised his arm and caught the incoming hand.
“If what you mean is so serious that you must slap a child who has returned after five years of absence…”
“What?”
“If that’s the case, I apologize. I returned to announce that I am alive before fulfilling the task, since you never corrected the message that ‘Dang Baekseon was missing.’”
Baekseon’s calm words slowly flushed Jinmyeong’s face red—whether from anger or from Baekseon’s rare defiance, it was unclear.
“Who told you to make judgments?”
“……What?”
“Living outside a bit has made you think you can start thinking for yourself, huh?”
Jinmyeong jabbed Baekseon’s shoulder with his fingers. Each poke sent a tingling sensation across Baekseon’s body, like contact with deadly poison.
“If you couldn’t find the corpse of the Blood Wolf Sword Demon or kill his disciple, why return? You might as well have died in the field.”
“Wh-what did you just say……”
“Because it would be embarrassing to face people.”
At Jinmyeong’s signal, a servant dashed forward and snatched the jade pendant from Baekseon’s waist.
“You are forbidden from entering Danggat’s inner territory for the time being.”
Jinmyeong turned and walked away. Baekseon’s ears rang, emotions surging. The reason Dang Baekseon hadn’t returned to Sacheon for five years…
“It was to kill Cheonrang…?”
Clenching his fists, Baekseon’s murderous intent flared. Regardless of his current condition, he wanted to kill Jinmyeong for ordering Cheonrang’s death.
A warm, almost scorching voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Just say it, Dang Baekseon.”
The murderous gleam in Baekseon’s eyes returned.
“I’ll go and kill him for you.”
Cheonrang looked at him directly, ignoring Jinmyeong completely.
“Cheonrang, I….”
Anger faded, replaced by guilt toward Cheonrang. He tried to speak, but Cheonrang shook his head and silenced him.
“It’s not your fault.”
“…….”
“So, fix that swollen face first. Your ugly face just got uglier.”
Cheonrang gently tapped Baekseon’s puffy cheeks. The stinging pain made him frown.
“M-Master….”
From a distance, a servant addressed Baekseon politely, bowing on the ground.
“Welcome home, Great Master.”
“Many eyes are watching. Let us guide you inside.”
Baekseon glanced around. Sure enough, people were whispering about his reunion with Jinmyeong.
“He was missing, but it seems he has returned.”
“What a disaster… I hoped he was gone, but he came back…”
Baekseon sighed.
Danggat, the settlement of the Dang family, was where he resided. He stayed in an outer part called the “Excess Poison Place” due to the poisonous air released whenever the trees swayed.
“For someone treated harshly by Dang Jinmyeong, the accommodations aren’t bad…”
Baekseon scanned the room. About fifteen servants and guards were present, and the room was neatly arranged. It seemed Jinmyeong wasn’t stingy with money.
Books and poisonous herbs filled the corners. Even someone with the knowledge of Manyugang would have seen some herbs for the first time.
“No wonder he is called the Poison Master.”
The legendary Poison Master—a man who not only knew a thousand poisons but could control them. Even the martial artists who met young Dang Baekseon acknowledged his skill, yet his own family did not.
“What could have happened for him to be treated this way?”
As Baekseon moved, pain shot through his joints and shoulders—where Jinmyeong had jabbed him earlier. Cheonrang noticed immediately.
“Dang Baekseon.”
Baekseon’s fingers trembled. Cheonrang approached and grabbed his jacket.
“Take it off.”
“……Yes?”
Cheonrang yanked the fabric down in one swift motion.
