Chapter 197 – Those Who Wield Poison

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Gongsun Su’s eyelid twitched slightly at the silhouette that had suddenly appeared.

The voice that spread low and wide was no ordinary thing.

Without considerable depth of internal energy, speaking in such a murmuring tone yet having it clearly reach everyone’s ears was difficult.

“…Who is this distinguished person to wreak havoc in the domain of the Great Crimson Spider Sect? Is this Poison Fog also something you scattered?”

When Gongsun Su raised his voice to ask, the silhouette turned its head toward him.

Then came a thundering shout.

“Hey, you dog-spawn bastard!”

“Wh-what?!”

Cracks immediately appeared in Gongsun Su’s composed face.

“You dog-bastard, turtle-like son of a bitch! Did it please you to harm your mother and covet the throne?”

“What nonsense is this? Spouting foul words without even showing your face.”

The silhouette in the fog gave a derisive snort.

“All under heaven knows your parricide. How dare you lie?”

While they continued their meaningless war of words, a dignified female voice came from the other side of the wall.

“Who are you to invade the Crimson Spider Sect’s domain? Even if Gongsun Su and I are at odds, we’ll join forces to drive out an outside invader.”

This was the rumored Silver Thread Lady.

Ju-seong, hands clasped behind his back on the wall, smirked.

‘Ah, right… she’s there too.’

Ju-seong turned his head toward where her voice had come from and shouted.

“Silver Thread Lady. How lacking in virtue are you, how incompetent at managing people, that you can’t even drive out a single parricide bastard and drag things out?”

“…”

There was no response from the Silver Thread Lady’s side.

Indeed, it was practically established that Gongsun Su had killed the Blood Flower Crone. It was an open secret within the Crimson Spider Sect, spoken of in whispers.

In the north, a man who had murdered his predecessor could never be recognized as legitimate heir.

But the Crimson Spider Sect itself was deeply evil path in nature. Many of its members were gathered from those without roots.

The Blood Flower Crone’s name might have been an object of terror throughout Guizhou, but calling it an object of loyalty was a stretch.

By nature, she was a “mother,” not a “leader.”

After all, hadn’t she begun her training and laid waste to Guizhou’s martial world out of vengeance for her lost children?

The Blood Flower Crone’s children followed her unto death for rescuing them from the mire, but the lower-ranked members were a different story.

Of course, this was jianghu. Even if one was somewhat lacking as a monarch, one could still seize control of an entire province through overwhelming martial power and awe.

But awe rarely outlasted death.

Thus Gongsun Su, despite being the prime suspect in his foster mother’s murder, had been able to swiftly take control using his existing influence.

Meanwhile, Ju-seong was murmuring to himself.

‘So Gongsun Su, that bastard, really did it.’

Observing the members’ atmosphere and the Silver Thread Lady’s reaction, it did seem Gongsun Su was the culprit.

‘But how did he do it?’

The Blood Flower Crone’s body might have been on its last legs, but was her dantian the same?

Come to think of it, she was a woman who had obtained a seat among the Ten Greats Under Heaven through internal energy arts alone.

Then again, he’d heard Gongsun Su had recently broken through to super-peak level as well.

‘If he poisoned her into a weakened state and launched a surprise attack, maybe he could have… Or since the Blood Flower Crone was so maternal, maybe he used one of the youngest foster daughters or sons as a hostage…’

Many methods came to mind instantly. Ju-seong wondered if being an evil path scoundrel was his true calling.

“Hmm… But that’s strange.”

Come to think of it, hadn’t both Gongsun Su and Silver Thread Lady suddenly broken through to super-peak recently?

‘Of course, just because I could do it doesn’t mean others can’t.’

Ju-seong wasn’t arrogant enough to believe what he achieved couldn’t be achieved by others.

Since he was a genius, surely there were all sorts of other geniuses in the world.

‘But the timing is too convenient.’

Something flashed in Ju-seong’s mind.

‘…Vital Blood Pill.’

That would explain it.

Of course, the Vital Blood Pill wasn’t some absurd heavenly elixir that instantly raised one’s realm.

But ultimately, reaching super-peak level required the harmony of Essence, Energy, and Spirit.

The Blood Flower Crone’s martial arts were focused on Energy (internal energy) and Spirit (the mind).

‘…Both of them are well past thirty. If those two are outstanding talents, and the foundation for super-peak had already been laid?’

Among Essence, Energy, and Spirit… Essence meant the physical body.

With the Blood Flower Crone’s martial arts, physical development was slow. So if that imbalance had been preventing the two from reaching super-peak?

Something that could solve that problem by tremendously boosting the body’s vitality would be…

‘Hmm.’

Perhaps this was speculation gone too far. But Ju-seong knew just how insidious the Ten Thousand Ears Gang and the Cradle of the Demonic Path behind them were.

Using Four Ounces to Move a Thousand Jin. Using four ounces of force to move a thousand catties.

The internal personnel of the Ten Thousand Ears Gang and Cradle of the Demonic Path numbered at most barely a thousand.

Yet with that small number, they lurked beneath jianghu’s surface, doing all manner of dirty work.

‘Let’s probe this while keeping it in mind.’

Ju-seong stood straight on the wall and issued a provocation aimed at neither side in particular.

“Breaking through your realm through wicked arts only builds a castle on sand… honestly, these martial artists nowadays, tsk tsk…”

Flinching presences from beyond the fog.

‘On both sides.’

A strange smile curled at the corner of Ju-seong’s lips.

‘Laying down the fog was a good move.’

Since they thought their forms weren’t visible, their emotions showed quite well.

If it had been broad daylight with everyone clearly visible, they would have perfectly hidden such reactions.

‘So both Silver Thread Lady and Gongsun Su reacted?’

Had they both obtained their super-peak realm through ‘wicked methods’?

“Hmmmmm…”

When Ju-seong let out a long hum, Gongsun Su exploded first, his nerves apparently frayed.

“Enough of this clown! Sister, let’s remove this fellow first and then settle things between ourselves!”

Gongsun Su slyly tried to involve the Silver Thread Lady, but she showed no response.

Ju-seong eavesdropped on the Silver Thread Lady whispering with her close confidants.

“…Sister, he’s no ordinary person. It’s said that a great man finds his place wherever he goes. Look… he stands at the center of all, looking down from above.”

“What are you saying? Are you spouting fortune-teller nonsense now?”

“Sister, I’m not just talking. Every one of his actions looks uncouth at first glance, but look… all these Crimson Spider Sect people have instantly been seized by his presence.”

Ju-seong eavesdropped on their conversation and secretly nodded with satisfaction.

‘The Silver Thread Lady has a truly shrewd advisor.’

Their conversation continued.

“…So you’re saying just stay put? That man openly released poison fog in the Crimson Spider Sect’s domain.”

“For now… at least until Gongsun Su makes a move first.”

Sure enough, Gongsun Su moved first.

Ju-seong smirked.

‘He had no choice.’

This poison fog was the variable.

Ordinary martial artists couldn’t last long in the poison fog.

The longer this dragged on, the more the rank-and-file would weaken to near-commoner level.

This wasn’t a welcome development for Gongsun Su, who held a clear numerical advantage.

Gongsun Su ground his teeth and shouted.

“Drag down that madman standing on the wall immediately! I can’t listen to this lunatic’s ranting any longer!”

At his command, the southern members rushed forward, pointing their weapons at Ju-seong.

Matching them, the northern members receded like ebbing tide.

Probably worried about stray attacks hitting them while the southern members hunted Ju-seong.

‘The Silver Thread Lady’s advisor is shrewd.’

Ju-seong made his judgment internally just as the northern martial artists closed in, and promptly released a burst of energy.

-BBEO-EO-EONG!

A thunderous sound burst out and echoed repeatedly against the Maling River gorge’s massive walls.

Then, for an instant, the poison fog was pushed back in a spherical shape.

Only then could the Crimson Spider members see.

As the poison fog cleared, they saw the man standing on the wall, looking down at them.

Few recognized him.

Among the Crimson Spider members, only about fifty had participated in the Guizhou expedition led by Ju-seong.

The rest had been staffed from various medium and small sects across Guizhou Province.

Even if the Mad Dragon’s name had spread wide across jianghu…

Who would have scrutinized his physical description enough to recognize his face at a glance, and how far would jianghu news have spread to a backwater like Guizhou Province anyway?

Yet even not knowing who he was, they could thoroughly feel it.

“…That man.”

“Where did he come from…”

A carelessly thrown-on green robe.

Tousled hair and sharply angled brows. A nose ridge drawn as if by a master calligrapher’s heavy brushstroke.

And, despite looking down at everyone, a face without a trace of arrogance… just a slight, casual smirk.

“Well then, enjoying the view? I am rather handsome.”

Ju-seong grinned, then wrapped vermilion Sword Energy around both hands.

He pointed directly at Gongsun Su with his Sword-Edge-clad index finger and said.

“You parricide bastard over there. Just wait right there.”

The fog that had briefly cleared began to settle again. Ju-seong’s revealed form was swallowed once more by the fog as if a curtain were being drawn.

“…I’m coming to beat you up.”

With those words, Ju-seong’s form snapped and vanished into the fog.

“Wh-what?!”

“What do you mean what, fool! Find him now!”

“Damn, where did he…”

Until now, Ju-seong had been standing openly on the wall, clearly visible to the members.

But think about it… that was only possible because Ju-seong wanted to reveal himself.

With visibility increasingly blurring, if he hid among the crowd, how were they supposed to find him?

Their visible range was barely two zhang now.

With Ju-seong having vanished like sinking into the earth, tracking his whereabouts wasn’t easy.

“Where? Where is… KAHUK!”

A single hand shot out lightning-fast from the fog and struck his throat, knocking him unconscious.

As the commotion drew attention to one side, Ju-seong’s arms moved fiercely.

-SSWA-A-AK!

Hidden weapons launched from within the thick fog.

‘You can’t block these.’

Ju-seong grinned.

‘So what if Gongsun Su is super-peak? So what?’

This was the first worthy opponent since breaking through, but Ju-seong had no intention of fighting a fair martial artist versus martial artist duel.

He’d had his fill of that at the Ascending Dragon Assembly.

‘We’re not just martial artists… we’re jianghu people.’

And jianghu was a heartless place.

Ju-seong’s heartless hidden weapons flew through the fog.

Gongsun Su recoiled in terror as the fog rippled slightly and a silver circle suddenly surged from the edge of his vision.

“…Damn!”

He quickly drew the soft sword he’d been wearing like a belt and swung it.

It was a strangely long soft sword… a full one and a half zhang in length.

-KA-ANG!

Dark crimson sword energy flashed, and the Myriad-Year Cold Iron ball Ju-seong had launched was deflected.

But Ju-seong’s hand wasn’t finished.

-SHWIT.

With an extremely faint whistling, two butterflies flew in from different directions.

Their trajectories were wondrous… if someone clumsily swung a weapon to block, they’d instead be stung by the butterfly needles riding the vortex.

But Gongsun Su was no novice either.

When he elegantly flicked his wrist, the flexible body of the soft sword rippled once.

A graceful dark crimson arc was drawn in the air, and the living silver blade deflected both butterflies.

Gongsun Su furrowed his brow when the butterflies he thought he’d cut flew away perfectly intact to somewhere else.

‘Of course… they’re made of Myriad-Year Cold Iron.’

Ju-seong grinned. The two butterflies Gongsun Su had deflected were now flying among his subordinates, injecting poison.

Recently, Ju-seong had received a small piece of advice from Bai Li when he visited the Bai tribe village.

[About those weapons I gave you.]

[Mm, you mean the Soul-Chasing Phantom Butterflies?]

[Why not apply poison to the wings too?]

Following her suggestion, Ju-seong had applied Purple Gold Centipede poison to the Soul-Chasing Phantom Butterflies’ wings.

“Euuugh, my body is stiffening…”

“Ow, what the?”

The two butterflies were flitting among the enemies, leaving very light scratches on their skin.

Ju-seong grinned at the sight and released the remaining butterflies into their midst as well.

“Those who wield poison…”

Ju-seong faced Gongsun Su, who was staring straight at him from a distance, and said.

“…always strike where you least expect.”

-SEUT…

An extremely faint whistling sound that only the most sensitive could catch.

Gongsun Su noticed too late… it was already too late.

“…!”

A long needle that had made a large arc to circle back.

A single hidden weapon that Ju-seong had been diligently honing since his very first days in jianghu, and as a physician and poison master, the most familiar object in his hands.

-TOK.

Without fail, answering its master’s expectations, it settled quietly on the enemy’s back.