Chapter 95: Chapter 95
Dok-ra-su had experienced many absurd things lately.
In his youth when he was close friends with Black Elder, he was caught experimenting with poison on his body, spending his whole life on the run.
Yet, he heard from his disciple that Black Elder had already died.
To think he had even organized the Black Killing Society, gathering those including the Shadowless Divine Thief to kill Black Elder.
‘It was truly a futile affair.’
At the same time, a subtle emotion arose.
At that time, he did not know the true nature of that emotion, but as time passed, he realized it was sorrow.
Dok-ra-su had feared Black Elder his entire life, while at the same time harboring a guilty conscience. Having sent off his old friend without being able to apologize, how could his heart be at ease?
In truth, with Black Elder’s realm, he could have easily tracked down Dok-ra-su and killed him, so after realizing that he had not done so, he felt that way all the more.
And Black Elder’s disciple was also absurd. Truly fitting for Black Elder’s disciple, he was a fellow with exceptionally fierce moves, yet in the end, that bastard also spared him without killing him.
He had been saved twice by the master-disciple pair of Black Elder.
That caused Dok-ra-su’s life to change slightly. Perhaps because he thought there was no longer anyone pursuing him, for some reason he wanted to return to his hometown.
Very long ago. That is, around the time the current Poison King had just ascended to the clan leader’s seat.
He was pushed out and expelled in the succession struggle. He did not feel resentful. His younger brother, Tang Myeong-hak, who was called the Poison King, was a bastard who had the right qualifications. In fact, just the fact that he was chased out alive made him feel thankful.
He had certainly lived thinking that way, yet…
“To see a scene similar to back then as soon as I return home makes me feel quite displeased.”
He knew of the existence of Tang Bi-cheon and Tang So-yeon.
Although he had been expelled before Tang So-yeon was born, he had not lived with his ears completely closed to news of the Tang Clan.
An elder brother trying to kill his younger sister. What was more, in the hideous state of burst testicles with eyes dyed in madness…
“Your father was not that hideous.”
“Shut up! With what face does a madman expelled decades ago dare return to the family!”
“Haha…”
Dok-ra-su let out a strange chuckle.
He had devoted his entire life to poison. Considering he had even coated poison onto Black Elder’s body while he slept, what more words were needed?
To his eyes, Tang Bi-cheon appeared to have fallen victim to poison arts. Not a deadly poison that melted skin or internal organs, but a poison that gnawed away at the mind.
“Well, with what face would I interfere in a succession dispute?”
Dok-ra-su obediently admitted it and released Tang Bi-cheon’s wrist.
Around the time Tang Bi-cheon sneered with an expression saying ‘of course’.
Boom!
Dok-ra-su unleashed a palm strike. Tang Bi-cheon hurriedly crossed both hands to block it, but was pushed far back.
“Hey, you dog-like bastard! No matter what, where under heaven is an elder brother who stabs a dagger into his younger sister?!”
In truth, there were quite a lot of them.
In succession struggles of forces around the level of the Five Great Clans, even worse things frequently occurred.
But Dok-ra-su simply felt displeased. Somehow sympathizing with Tang So-yeon, Dok-ra-su clicked his tongue and continued speaking.
“There were rumors that this bastard Myeong-hak fell into dementia, and it seems to be true. The house is turning into a mess, yet he doesn’t even show his nose. Myeong-hak! You Poison King bastard!”
“S-shut up!”
Tang Bi-cheon was uncharacteristically flustered. It was because he feared his father, whom he had put into a deep sleep, might open his eyes. No matter how deep into dementia he was, there was no telling what reaction he would show if he saw this state.
At that sight, Dok-ra-su burst into a cackling laugh.
“Hey! You worm-like Tang Clan bastards!!”
As Dok-ra-su’s shouts burst out repeatedly, the ones who appeared were not the Poison King, but the martial artists of the Tang Clan.
Among them were those who recognized Dok-ra-su.
“E-Elder Brother!”
It was First Elder Tang Myeong-un.
Dok-ra-su’s eyes narrowed.
“How am I your elder brother? Decades have passed since I was kicked out, so aren’t we strangers?”
“Ahem! Just where and what were you doing that you only return now?”
“You weren’t curious anyway.”
“…”
Tang Myeong-un closed his mouth. His words were right. Although he had heard of Dok-ra-su’s notoriety many times, he had not bothered to look for him.
He was originally a man obsessed with poison, but after being expelled, his actions that reached their ears were truly deserving of the title madman.
Dok-ra-su chuckled softly. His lips were smiling, but his green pupils were rebuking the martial artists of the Tang Clan.
“Look at you all, keeping your ears closed when that bastard Tang Bi-cheon tried to kill So-yeon, and only flocking over en masse now. What a well-run household!”
“…”
Insulted to their faces, the eyes of the Tang Clan martial artists turned savage. To them, Dok-ra-su was not an elder of the household, but merely an expelled loser.
Such was the original disposition of the Tang Clan.
However, Dok-ra-su found that glare rather enjoyable. It was because he could tangibly feel that he had truly returned to his hometown.
“Look at the eyes of these bastards. You’ve gone collectively mad. Fine, today I shall fix your manners on Myeong-hak’s behalf. Since I am the elder brother of the Poison King, call me the Poison Emperor!”
“…Kill him!”
Tang Bi-cheon shouted.
However, the martial artists hesitated.
They were also martial artists of the Tang Clan. They had already noticed that an invisible poison had spread through this corridor.
At that sight, Dok-ra-su burst into hearty laughter.
“Yes! It is Formless Poison! I have created that legendary Formless Poison! Hahahahahaha!”
Of course, he had not created Formless Poison. He had devoted his entire life, but achieved only two of the three: colorless, odorless, and sensationless. However, it was an undeniable fact that achieving even one of those made it a supreme poison art.
It was then.
“Young Clan Leader, do you happen to need my help?”
Instantly, Dok-ra-su’s face hardened. The voice echoed from beyond the Tang Clan martial artists densely packed in the corridor.
It was thoroughly unpleasant, as if scraping metal with long fingernails, yet the internal energy contained within it was the real deal.
Tang Bi-cheon’s face brightened.
“Master! Please kill that bastard Dok-ra-su right now!”
“Haha, as one who has taken refuge in the Buddhist order, it brings no good fortune to continually see blood. Yet I cannot turn a blind eye to the Young Clan Leader’s request…”
Though he spoke as if troubled, his steps squeezing through the Tang Clan martial artists did not look troubled in the slightest.
Rather, he even appeared joyful as if enjoying this situation.
The moment Dok-ra-su saw him, he could tell at a single glance.
“It was this bald monk’s doing. Flipping our children’s eyes like that.”
That bastard had released poison into the Tang Clan. And an extremely vicious poison at that.
Dok-ra-su pulled the unconscious Tang So-yeon into his embrace. Even without knowing much, she would certainly die if left like this.
While doing so, he glared at Master Won-dang and raised his poisonous qi.
What happened previously was only because his opponents had been Black Elder and his disciple; Dok-ra-su himself was not someone who begged for mercy wherever he went.
“Dok-ra-su, Dok-ra-su, is it…”
Master Won-dang repeated that moniker briefly.
It was truly a familiar moniker, but it would not readily come to mind.
“Would it not be too late if I kill him first and think later?”
Master Won-dang smirked.
Witnessing that smile, Dok-ra-su’s expression hardened.
‘Damn it…’
That smile, that energy, and even that ambiance.
It was certainly different from Black Elder, yet it constantly brought him to mind.
Dok-ra-su realized.
‘A disciple of the Dark Emperor!’
Dok-ra-su was an expert.
Though he had many flaws, he had just as many virtues.
The greatest among them was that there was no delay between his thoughts and actions.
Tightening his grip on the hand holding Tang So-yeon, he kicked off the floor and leaped away at the same time.
Swish!
Dok-ra-su vanished at truly tremendous speed.
Master Won-dang pursued behind him at comparable speed.
“…”
The Tang Clan martial artists left alone in the corridor looked at each other. Meanwhile, Tang Bi-cheon’s furious roar erupted.
“Pursue that bastard right now! And one of you bring a physician immediately!”
“Ah! Young Clan Leader! Th-that place…!”
“Shut up!”
Only Tang Bi-cheon’s furious roars erupted continuously.
* * *
Even after escaping the Tang Clan, Dok-ra-su ran to the point where the soles of his feet grew hot.
The reason he was able to survive all his life despite committing all sorts of atrocities. Dok-ra-su had exceptionally good senses and intuition.
He did not know whether that bald monk was truly a disciple of the Dark Emperor. It was merely a possibility. However, if there was even the slightest possibility, those entangled with the Dark Emperor were the very ones one had to avoid.
‘Myeong-hak, you bastard. Because you turned into a half-wit, isn’t such a mongrel holding the Tang Clan and shaking it!’
Dok-ra-su had the exact same thought that the First Elder had.
If the Poison King were intact, Master Won-dang would never have run rampant like that within the Tang Clan.
No matter how terrifying the Dark Emperor’s disciples were, there were also experts who reached the Realm Beyond the Heavens in the Righteous Path.
Representative figures of that were none other than the Namgung Clan’s Sword King, the Martial Alliance’s White Egret Sword Saint, and the Sichuan Tang Clan’s Poison King.
In any case, Dok-ra-su pondered while running. Judging from the momentum of the bald monk pursuing from behind, he would not give up easily.
‘Where should I flee?’
His younger brother, the Poison King, was afflicted with dementia.
Nor could he go to the Namgung Clan or the Martial Alliance.
Should he throw himself into the Heavenly Demon Cult? Still, with the infamy he had accumulated, wouldn’t they grant him at least the moniker of Poison Demon?
He pondered briefly, but it was too great a gamble.
‘In the end, is it the Black Overlord Castle?’
He knew that the connection between the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle and Black Elder was quite deep.
If he went and pleaded that he was Black Elder’s friend, wouldn’t they chase away that bald monk for him?
At the end of that long contemplation, a person suddenly came to mind. He did not know why. It just crossed his mind.
Black Elder’s disciple, Cheon Woo-jin.
“Nah, I have my pride too.”
There was no way he could have his life saved twice by his friend’s disciple. Thinking so, he shook his head to shake off the stray thoughts. But Cheon Woo-jin’s face did not easily vanish from before his eyes.
For a moment he thought it was strange, but soon realized. That face was not an illusion he had created.
“Dok-ra-su?”
To think that characteristically dry voice would sound so welcoming.
Dok-ra-su’s face blossomed with joy.
Dok-ra-su kicked off the ground, spun his body three times in midair, and came to a stop. Because he had been executing lightness arts so quickly, he had to do so to stop abruptly.
Of course, spinning just once would have been enough, but it was true that he deliberately spun two more times.
Soon, Dok-ra-su landed gallantly and shouted thunderously at the bald monk and the Tang Clan martial artists pursuing fiercely behind him.
“You bastards! Just where has the righteousness of the Righteous Path vanished?! Do you truly not fear the heavens?!”
“…?”
The halted Master Won-dang and the Tang Clan martial artists wore bewildered expressions. Because these were words that could never come from Dok-ra-su’s mouth.
Regardless, Dok-ra-su puffed his chest out proudly and continued.
“How could someone claiming to be the Young Clan Leader of one of the Five Great Clans try to stab his own younger sister to death with a dagger?! And you bastards were merely watching that spectacle with folded arms?!”
Shouting thus, he glanced at Cheon Woo-jin.
That was it. He was tattling.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, Nephew. As a Martial Alliance member, you can hardly endure it, right? I understand your feelings. I will help, so let us sweep those bastards away together.”
“…?”
This time, Cheon Woo-jin tilted his head. Just since when had he been Dok-ra-su’s nephew?
At that sight, Dok-ra-su’s words continued.
“A master and a father are the same. I am your master’s close friend. Therefore, you are my nephew, and I am no different from your uncle, are I not?”
Cheon Woo-jin wore a bewildered expression. He thought that a madman certainly put great effort even into spouting nonsense.
Of course, he could not leave Tang So-yeon to die. In any case, she was a Martial Alliance member, and he himself was also currently affiliated with the Martial Alliance.
“Lay Young Lady Tang down here.”
“Yes, truly a wonderful idea. As expected of my nephew.”
“…”
Dok-ra-su laid Tang So-yeon down in the distance. It was within the range he considered Cheon Woo-jin could protect.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin projected his energy to check Tang So-yeon’s condition nonchalantly.
‘There is no major problem.’
Her energy seemed somewhat unstable, but it appeared to be merely because her mind had been startled.
Cheon Woo-jin quietly pulled out the Crane Feather Fan from his robes. Seeing that, Dok-ra-su shook his head vigorously.
“…”
Cheon Woo-jin put away the Crane Feather Fan and drew the Crescent Moon Staff.
Only then did Dok-ra-su’s expression become thoroughly at ease.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin took his gaze off Dok-ra-su and looked at the martial artists gathered ahead.
Even at a single glance, a foreign presence was mixed among the Tang Clan martial artists. It was the man who had handed the pill to Tang Bi-cheon at the tournament.
Cheon Woo-jin and Master Won-dang gazed steadily at each other.
‘Demon Physician.’
If Cheon Woo-jin’s guess was correct, that bastard was likely the registered disciple of the Dark Emperor, the Demon Physician.
He did not know for what reason that fellow was staying in the Tang Clan. However, Black Elder’s order was to smash the skull of any disciple of the Dark Emperor without asking questions.
When Cheon Woo-jin slightly raised his Crescent Moon Staff and took a step forward.
A group of people arrived from the front and back respectively.
“Cheon Woo-jin! Are you crazy? I clearly said individual action…”
Zhuge Rin surveyed the situation and quietly closed her mouth. Heavenly Tiger Squad Leader also sensed the unusual atmosphere and raised his energy.
The ones landing behind Cheon Woo-jin were none other than the Martial Alliance members.
And appearing in front were the Tang Clan elders, including Tang Bi-cheon.
Cheon Woo-jin spoke toward Zhuge Rin.
“I apologize. I suddenly sensed Dok-ra-su’s energy.”
“What? Dok-ra-su?”
Zhuge Rin and Heavenly Tiger Squad Leader were surprised simultaneously and looked at Dok-ra-su. He was a villain already notorious across the realm.
Did Dok-ra-su find that gaze burdensome?
To shift people’s focus, he shouted.
“You bastard Tang Bi-cheon! Even after having your balls burst from being beaten by your younger sister, you ran all the way here! As expected, the Young Clan Leader of the Tang Clan is different.”
At the same time.
The Martial Alliance members including Zhuge Rin and Heavenly Tiger Squad Leader.
The Tang Clan martial artists including Master Won-dang and the elders.
The gazes of them all turned toward Tang Bi-cheon.
Was it anger or shame? In any case, Tang Bi-cheon, whose face had turned red like heated iron, shouted thunderously.
“He is a bastard who dared insult the dignity of the Tang Clan! Kill him right now!”
He deliberately specified only Dok-ra-su.
Because by Tang Bi-cheon’s common sense, the Martial Alliance members did not yet have a pretext to attack the Tang Clan.
Regrettably, Tang Bi-cheon did not know. That in this world, there occasionally existed those who stood outside common sense.
Flash.
A streak of pitch-black flash cleaved long across the battlefield.