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Chapter 15
“Jinhyeon, for now, I strip you of the position of Head of the Poison Dragon Pavilion. Stay confined to your quarters and reflect on your actions.”
Grandfather spoke. Father bowed his head in acknowledgment.
“I accept.”
“Dangnip, we cannot leave the Pavilion Head seat vacant, so you will temporarily assume the position. If you find yourself short-handed, you may bring Dangho to assist you.”
Dangho was Dangnip’s twin brother.
“Yes.”
Dangnip answered respectfully.
Grandfather turned to Dangnip and asked,
“When do you think the examination can be held?”
“The Pavilion Head always keeps things prepared, so it would not be difficult to hold it immediately.”
“You must also consider Dangbi’s condition. Weigh it carefully and report back when you think the examination should take place.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
I stole a quick glance at Father.
“If it’s only a temporary suspension of his position as Pavilion Head, then the punishment is lighter than I feared.”
What Father had done was a grave crime—deceiving not only the Family Head, our grandfather, but the entire clan.
They could have stripped him of the title permanently and thrown him into prison. A temporary removal and confinement to quarters was actually a very lenient sentence.
But—
“Father doesn’t have many allies within the clan.”
Once, he had been the powerful Sub-Family Head, the most promising heir of the Sichuan Dang Clan, a rising talent among the younger generation, and the most outstanding poison master. But all that prestige had long faded the moment he fathered me, an illegitimate child.
The only reason Father still maintained some influence was because his martial skill, worthy of the title Warlord of Ten Thousand Poisons (commonly called the Poison Lord), remained unmatched, and because his post as instructor to the younger generation was a vital duty no one else could easily replace.
Now, with this, one of those pillars had been stripped away. Father’s standing in the clan would shrink even further.
Still, compared to what could have been, perhaps this was fortunate.
At that moment, Grandfather looked at Father and spoke.
“Jinhyeon.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I do not ignore the merits and efforts you have made as Head of the Poison Dragon Pavilion. If you conduct yourself properly, I will reinstate you in due time. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Father. I will take this deeply to heart, act cautiously, and reflect thoroughly.”
Some of those present, seemingly satisfied with Father’s response, nodded with firm expressions.
Thankfully, the mood of the Elders’ Council was not as harsh as I had feared.
Only my uncle—no, Dang Paejin—stood off to the side with a face like he’d swallowed dung.
Grandfather then turned to the elders, preparing to conclude the meeting.
“Then, today’s council shall—”
“You mustn’t end it yet, Father.”
Before Grandfather could finish, Father suddenly spoke. I widened my eyes in shock at his boldness.
“Father!”
This was the Elders’ Council! How could he cut off the Family Head’s words?
And right after pledging to remain humble and reflective!
But Father pressed on, undaunted.
“You’ve given punishment, but you must also give reward. The balance of merits and demerits has not yet been settled—you cannot close this meeting.”
“And what deed of yours deserves a reward?”
“I am not speaking of myself.”
It was then that Father placed his hand on my shoulder and gently pulled me forward.
“……?”
“The venom of the Myriad-Blood Serpent has not been obtained by anyone for the past fifty years.”
Father’s voice carried not the slightest tremor. It was steady as a mountain.
“In the Dang Clan, those who procure rare poisons are given rewards. To my knowledge, no one in the last fifty years has obtained a poison more precious than Dangbi has.”
“So you would have me grant Dangbi a reward?”
“If you intend to make use of the Myriad-Blood Serpent’s venom, yes.”
Father’s tone sounded respectful at first, yet a hint of defiance lingered beneath it. It left me uncertain how to take it.
Grandfather opened his mouth, clearly at a loss, then closed it again.
But I could guess what he wanted to say.
“Wasn’t it meant to be used in your medicine, you fool!”
That’s what he wanted to blurt out. In Father’s embrace, I smiled awkwardly.
But Father’s argument wasn’t wrong. The serpent’s venom was priceless, a treasure for research. Would Grandfather really use it all just for Father’s medicine?
Surely, he had already reserved it for other purposes as well. That must be why he hesitated.
“So, rewards are given for securing rare poisons… No wonder my cousins in my past life threw themselves into collecting exotic herbs and toxins.”
As Grandfather faltered, Dang Paejin cut in, snarling at Father.
“This council was convened to judge your sins! Yet instead of remorse, you demand a reward for your daughter? Outrageous!”
“I have accepted my punishment humbly. I am merely stating that rewards and punishments must both be administered properly.”
“You insolent wretch—!”
“When punishment and merit stand side by side, would it not be unjust and unfair if a daughter lost her due reward simply because her father committed a crime?”
Dang Paejin looked ready to retort, but Grandfather gestured for him to hold his tongue.
With fingers laced beneath his chin, Grandfather fixed his gaze on me.
“Jinhyeon’s words are not wrong.”
“……!”
“Dangbi. If there is something you desire as a reward, speak freely.”
Every elder in the room turned their eyes to me, expectant.
They seemed curious what this child would dare ask for.
S-so suddenly?
Caught off guard, I clutched Father’s sleeve and looked from Grandfather to the elders.
This was my first time seeing so many elders up close, my first time being summoned to a council. And now they wanted me to state a wish?
“Hiccup!”
A hiccup escaped, no doubt from nerves. I hurriedly covered my mouth with both hands.
“……”
“Hiccup! Hrk—!”
“……”
No matter how I tried, the hiccups kept coming. Father bent down and gently rubbed my back.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded, trying to swallow my breath. Though flustered, I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
I couldn’t let it slip away. I forced the hiccups down.
“I-I’m fine!”
“Truly?”
“Yes—hiccup—truly.”
Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head and met Grandfather’s eyes.
Then I glanced at Dang Paejin.
He glared back, his eyes sharp as blades, waiting to see what I would ask.
“My father…”
“Anything related to Jinhyeon is out of the question. Rewards cannot be given in that manner. Speak of something you yourself wish to have.”
Ah, I knew that wouldn’t work.
I hesitated briefly, then quickly spoke.
“Then please, as you promised before—teach me poison arts.”
Everyone turned toward me, startled. Most shocked of all was, of course, Dang Paejin.
His eyes widened, then his lips twisted into a mocking grin. To him, it must have sounded like a ridiculous, impossible request.
Seeing that look only strengthened my resolve to learn poison arts from Grandfather.
“At first, I refused, wanting to avoid Uncle’s attention until Father recovered from his illness. But that’s already too late. Uncle has noticed me, and to him and his supporters, I am nothing but an obstacle.”
In that case, if I must take risks, I should at least gain something worthwhile.
“You refused before, did you not?”
“There were circumstances then.”
“And now?”
“They’re gone.”
But truthfully, my real reason was different.
In my past life, I had rarely left my quarters. Others disliked me wandering about, and Father always told me that the Dang Clan’s air was thick with poisonous dust—too dangerous for me.
But if Grandfather personally taught me poison arts, I could move more freely within the clan.
“Then I could find out why Uncle-in-law was expelled, and dig deeper into Uncle’s schemes.”
One of the elders muttered disapprovingly,
“It hasn’t even been proven that you possess Poison Immunity…”
“This isn’t about immunity. It’s about the promise Grandfather made to me.”
I shot back without hesitation. The elder coughed, displeased.
But I didn’t care. He disliked me anyway, and supported Dang Paejin. Nothing I said would satisfy him.
Ignoring the murmurs, I waited for Grandfather’s reply.
After a pause, he answered.
“Very well.”
