Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 75 - Poison Dagger

Chapter 75 – Poison Dagger

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Junior Martial Brother…?”

The middle-aged martial artist stared hard at Ju-seong, as if trying to verify the truth of his words.

Originally, his job was to deal with and turn away martial artists whose presence he detected.

Yet he couldn’t properly gauge the young man’s presence… perhaps he had trained in an art to hide his cultivation. He certainly wasn’t higher level than himself, but he didn’t appear weak either.

“…You’re Physician Seo-baek’s junior? That’s hard to believe… And this is the first I’ve heard that the Physician has a martial artist as a fellow disciple.”

Ju-seong smiled wryly and retorted.

“Please just go tell the Physician that his junior martial brother Ju-seong has arrived.”

“Good grief…”

The middle-aged man grumbled as he closed the door, then returned shortly with Seo-baek.

“Junior Ju-seong! It’s been so long. Is Master well? Is he healthy?”

“He’s excessively healthy, so I’m the one suffering.”

“Then he must certainly be in good health.”

The middle-aged man wore a sheepish expression beside them.

“My word… So you really were the Physician’s martial brother. Hard to believe. My apologies for the misunderstanding.”

Ju-seong received his apology and asked.

“But who is this man? He wasn’t here last time I visited.”

Seo-baek said as if just remembering.

“Ah! Come to think of it, you two haven’t been properly introduced. Let me present him. This is Great Hero Seo Woo-jin, known in the martial world as the Ten Change Blade Guest.”

The Ten Change Blade Guest was a blade warrior who contained ten variations in a single saber; at first hearing, it didn’t sound like a particularly formidable moniker.

When martial artists talked a big game, storytellers would rattle on about swords with a thousand variations or swordsmanship with ten thousand transformations.

But Ju-seong, who wasn’t ignorant of martial world news, had heard of this man.

Seo Woo-jin was a vagrant from the bottom who had endlessly honed his blade technique through twenty years in the martial world, eventually securing a place among the world’s top hundred masters.

In truth, this ‘top hundred masters’ title was quite hollow, since no one actually memorized all one hundred names.

‘Anyway, he’s an acknowledged expert in the martial world, in other words.’

Ju-seong glanced at the saber at Seo Woo-jin’s waist.

A master of blade technique who won battles simply and directly with only ten moves.

In fact, few variations and forceful momentum were the essence of the saber as a weapon. Blade techniques that were swung randomly while spewing all sorts of variations and illusions were nine times out of ten fake.

Of course, among them were occasionally some exceptional blade techniques, so one couldn’t lump them all together.

After a simple exchange of names, the guests all sat together in Seo-baek’s office to share tea.

A peak-level expert in Ju-seong, the Ten Change Blade Guest Seo Woo-jin, and Seo-baek, Sichuan’s Greatest Physician, were all gathered in the office, and the presence they each commanded was quite formidable.

Dong-sam, caught in the middle, felt like dying.

‘Damn it, why doesn’t it seem like there’s a single worthless guy here?’

Of course, there was one. Dong-sam himself. Ju-seong glanced at the withered Dong-sam, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Senior Brother, I’m planning to attack the Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s Sichuan Province headquarters, and… ”

“Pfft!”

Seo Woo-jin was the first to spew his tea.

Ju-seong quickly tilted his head back to dodge, and only Dong-sam ended up covered in yellowish tea.

“Oh, my apologies. I was just startled…”

Dong-sam wiped his face and replied.

“It’s fine. But why do you speak casually to Young Hero Ju-seong but to me you…”

“…You looked like a peer. Unless you’re not?”

“…”

Dong-sam stared vacantly at the ceiling, and Ju-seong continued with the main topic regardless.

“So here’s how this happened…”

Ju-seong slowly explained the circumstances. From how some conspiracy was likely targeting his master, to how circumstantially the Ten Thousand Ears Gang was definitely behind it.

When he got to the part about needing to attack the Sichuan headquarters immediately to crush the conspiracy and also interrogate them about why they were looking for the Divine Physician, Seo-baek spoke up.

“The thing is, Junior, the dispute over the Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine has long since fizzled out. A bigger problem arose.”

Seo-baek met people of fairly high rank, so he knew well that the reason the two sects were fighting was the Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine. But that matter was no longer the issue.

“What? The Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine is so precious… what bigger matter could have arisen?”

Seo-baek nodded.

“Qingcheng Sect’s prodigy child. The one who was designated to consume the Heavenly Bone Fruit Wine was reportedly killed. Traces of Emei martial arts were found on the body.”

“What kind of madness is this? That would mean full-scale war is imminent?”

Ju-seong shifted in his seat and slapped the table. That a person… a child… had been killed meant this was no ordinary matter.

But he quickly composed himself and sat back down.

“Now that I think about it, the two sects fighting and bickering is their business to sort out. What matters is the Ten Thousand Ears Gang. Whatever the case, the fact that they put out a bounty on my master is true.”

“Mm, you’re right. How dare they target Master…”

Seo-baek stroked his long goatee and nodded in agreement.

“So, Senior Brother, would it be alright if I use the medicine room?”

“You want to make poison, don’t you?”

“Yes, I bought all the materials myself.”

At his words, Seo-baek’s expression momentarily hardened.

“…You’re saying you bought all the materials yourself? We have more than enough herbs and poisonous plants at the clinic.”

“Well, it felt wrong to take materials when I’m coming to ask a favor.”

Seo-baek furrowed his brow in genuine displeasure.

“Goodness… Junior, what do you take my reputation for? Even if we haven’t built much of a bond, we’re still fellow disciples who studied together. You can’t even ask such a small favor? You’re making me look stingy.”

“Uh, hmm…”

Ju-seong stroked his chin.

“Showing you would be faster.”

Ju-seong brought in the herb bundle that Dong-sam had left outside. Seo-baek had assumed it was just luggage or daily necessities.

“Junior, surely that isn’t all…”

-THUD!

“There’s quite a lot… Wouldn’t this be too much to impose even between fellow disciples?”

“…”

Only then did Seo-baek understand his junior’s point.

“…Junior, you’re not planning to poison everyone in Chengdu, are you?”

* * *

One week later.

All the poisons had been completed.

Busy with making poisons and plans, Ju-seong had only briefly shown his face to the older sisters working as medical women.

A proper reunion would have to wait until everything was finished.

Ju-seong stopped by a fabric shop and changed out of his martial uniform. He dressed to look like a good-for-nothing Sichuan youth as much as possible.

His hobby was fighting; his specialty, guzzling alcohol. Violent and ornery in temperament… He immersed himself in the imaginary persona he had created.

“…This is too easy?”

Ju-seong thought he must have a knack for acting.

With a roguish attitude, he waved to flag down an approaching cart and naturally hopped on.

Ju-seong had been standing on the right side of the cart, and since the driver’s seat was also on the right, he had to go around the back to get on.

While going around, his hands quickly did something, but the driver didn’t notice at all.

“Oh my, this much? Hurry up and get on.”

The young driver, slightly surprised by the amount Ju-seong handed over, shifted over a bit.

Since the cart was fully loaded, the only place to ride was the seat beside the driver.

Ju-seong sniffed ostentatiously and asked.

“Whew, the smell of meat is no joke. Where are you headed?”

“Haha, can’t you tell by looking? I’m delivering to Vajra Pavilion.”

“Wow, Vajra Pavilion… Damn, I wonder when I’ll ever get to drink at a place like that.”

“Haha, tighten your belt and save up for just a year. You’ll be able to have one wild night.”

Ju-seong shook his head with a grave expression.

“There’s this terrible bastard who takes my wages the moment I get them.”

“Heavens… Who is that?”

Ju-seong slouched while miming tilting back a wine cup.

“The drink.”

“Hahaha! What an amusing man.”

The driver became engrossed in banter with Ju-seong, oblivious to what was happening.

In reality, poison was slowly seeping into the cargo on the cart he was pulling.

The Heavenly Silkworm threads Ju-seong had wound around the cart when getting on.

Currently, five strands of Heavenly Silkworm Silk had burrowed into the meat piled high on the cart.

Heavenly Silkworm Silk was an artifact with excellent energy conduction. That’s why it was used as various exotic weapons.

And toxic energy was also a type of energy.

Ju-seong slowly began infusing toxic energy through the Heavenly Silkworm Silk that had burrowed into the meat.

It was colorless, odorless, and scentless… a poison that had reached the realm of Three-Nothing Poison. This poison was made primarily from realgar, which was both a mineral poison and a medicinal ingredient. Originally, Ju-seong’s level only allowed for Two-Nothing Poison, but thanks to Seo-baek’s assistance, he had managed to create Three-Nothing Poison.

Add tastelessness to this, and it would become the pinnacle Four-Nothing Poison, but…

Even Seo-baek, who was skilled in medicine rather than poison, couldn’t manage that.

Still, this was sufficient.

There was a slight metallic taste, but…

‘Having meat taste like metal isn’t unusual.’

They’d just think today’s delivery meat had a rich, gamey flavor.

‘That should be enough now.’

Feeling that all the Three-Nothing Poison he had temporarily stored in his dantian had been depleted, Ju-seong thanked the driver and hopped off the cart.

“Whoa, jumping off like that…”

Ju-seong landed completely unfazed and looked at the driver.

“You’re quite nimble… Take care.”

Ju-seong quickly turned and hurried off. Much work remained to be done.

* * *

A man with skin so pale that his blood vessels showed was quietly organizing documents.

His hand movements weren’t fast, but his left and right hands each moved without hindrance as if thinking separately.

Even his left and right eyes were moving independently as if trying to process multiple tasks simultaneously… the sight was rather bizarre.

“Pavilion Master, may I enter?”

“Come in.”

The pale man called the Pavilion Master immediately stopped his hands, and his erratically rolling eyes also returned to normal position like an ordinary person’s.

If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would have felt a chill, as if watching a demon mimicking a human.

The one who entered was an elderly man dressed as a scholar.

“Chief Steward, what’s the matter?”

“Well, there seems to have been a problem with the pork delivered this time. Everyone in Vajra Pavilion, staff and guests alike, has come down with stomach aches… It’s a complete emergency.”

For a pavilion of Vajra’s caliber to have a food problem was no small matter. Such establishments lived and died by their reputation.

Yet not a flicker of change crossed the Pavilion Master’s face.

“Were there any court officials, military officers, or prominent sect elders among the guests?”

“Fortunately, there weren’t.”

“Fortunate you say, but people’s health was affected, so this isn’t something to gloss over. Compensate the guests who ate meat dishes with one hundred and fifty taels of silver each, and give them each a bottle of expensive wine. If they want to leave, see them off without complaint. If they wish to stay, give them better seats.”

The Pavilion Master’s handling was simple, clear, and without hesitation. He didn’t needlessly try to evade responsibility or cover up problems.

Tricks and shortcuts were like daggers… to be saved for important moments.

“Demand compensation from the Sangjo Trading Company that delivered the meat. The company owner’s nature is not generous and he’s slow to respond, so he may try to bluff. If he does, send the ‘house guests’ to intimidate him.”

“Understood.”

“Give two days’ leave to employees who ate meat side dishes, and pay their wages as usual. Don’t serve pork dishes for a while.”

The Pavilion Master paused momentarily, then tapped the table with his frighteningly white fingers.

“Lastly, don’t bother me with such matters. That’s what you’re paid for, Chief Steward.”

“Yes, my apologies, Pavilion Master.”

The Chief Steward bowed his head and withdrew. As he withdrew, he thought to himself.

‘If I don’t bother the Pavilion Master with such matters, who should I bother?’

See, just now, the Pavilion Master’s few words had quickly produced a solution to the chaotic situation.

True, it was a straightforward approach without any clever tricks, but immediately directing a straightforward approach in an urgent situation was also a capability.

Of course, as the Chief Steward responsible for the pavilion’s affairs, he suspected the man called Pavilion Master wasn’t simply the owner of a pleasure house.

An absurd… indeed, preposterous… amount of documents came and went from the Pavilion Master’s office morning and evening. Those carrying them looked like ordinary laborers, but their gazes were so sharp and keen that one couldn’t muster the courage to speak to them.

In short, they were martial artists.

Today too, the Chief Steward was impressed by his secretive superior’s capabilities as he began giving instructions to the staff.

But even the Pavilion Master whom he inwardly praised had overlooked something.

The Pavilion Master had only proposed measures to normalize the pavilion’s operations. But he had missed the fact that the pavilion’s defensive capability had temporarily weakened.

Because those who ate meat side dishes within the pavilion were mostly the martial guards.

And one small dagger was already slipping through that gap.

* * *

The outer courtyard wall of Vajra Pavilion.

One of the guards on duty suddenly clutched his stomach and groaned.

“Urgh, damn it. Those Sangjo Trading Company bastards, what kind of meat do they deliver like this?”

He left his post and ran into a back alley. Vajra Pavilion was located in the center of the riverside entertainment district.

As entertainment districts tend to be, the places where bright lights didn’t reach served as latrines for numerous drunk patrons.

Just as he was about to do his business, a dark figure suddenly swooped in and struck his paralysis point. The guard, whose entire body stiffened instantly, squeezed out a sound from his creaking vocal cords.

“Who…?”

A youthful face popped out from the darkness of the back alley, flashing a grin.

And then came a bizarre answer.

“A dagger… More lethal than a dagger, a poison dagger.”

Ju-seong patted the guard’s cheek and said.

“You won’t be able to move for four shichen. Just stay still and it’ll all be over. You’re the lucky one.”

Ju-seong’s form disappeared into the darkness, turning his back.

‘Poison dagger, my ass. Just please let me finish my business…’

The guard screamed internally. His insides and all his muscles had stiffened completely, so even the business he’d been about to do had stopped.

He felt an endless urge to go, but was unable to tell if it was coming out or going back in. Why do people live? Could it be just to push this dirty, smelly thing out of the body? Amid suffering that would continue for at least four shichen, the guard was confronting existential anguish.