CFZ

"Welcome."
An old woman greeted us as we stepped through the gates.
"You must have had a hard journey getting here."

The old woman had a very kind demeanor. From what I’d heard, she was recently appointed to oversee the Tang Clan's Medicine Hall. Wasn’t she one of the few surviving elders?
As I looked at her, I bowed my head politely.
"Have you been well?"

"Always the same. And how have you been, young master?"
"Oh, well… you know."
"I’ve heard you’ve been doing so well that it makes even me proud."

"...Haha…."
I laughed awkwardly. Situations like this always left me unsure of how to respond. Acting too pleased would seem arrogant, but being overly modest would feel insincere. This much was all I could manage.
Once the greetings were over, the old woman smiled and glanced to the side.

"Young lady."
"Hello…."
Responding to her cue, Tang So-yeol also bowed her head. Her reaction, for some reason, seemed slightly uncomfortable.

"It’s been a while. I’ve heard much about how you’ve been soaring to new heights."
"...Thank you."
The conversation didn’t drag on. The old woman seemed to sense Tang So-yeol’s unease. Had something happened between them? I hadn’t heard of anything.

I considered asking about it, but now wasn’t the time.
"Let me escort you to the preparation room. The clan leader is waiting for you."
For now, I had to focus on the reason we’d come to the Tang Clan.
 

 
****************
 
We followed the old woman as she led the way. The interior of the Tang Clan was much as I remembered it. Although the gates had been closed, it seemed that some level of maintenance was still ongoing.

However...
"It’s looking a bit worn."
The former splendor of the place seemed difficult to maintain. The slightly dimmed atmosphere and eerie stillness gave it a somewhat chilling impression.

The once-grand structures, which had showcased the might of the Tang Clan as one of the Four Great Families, no longer exuded the same presence.
In a way, it was inevitable. One could even argue that the Tang Clan had brought this upon itself.
Glancing to the side, I stole a look at Tang So-yeol.

As before, her expression wasn’t particularly cheerful. The problem was, I couldn’t tell if it was because of the current state of the Tang Clan or for some other reason.
I decided to ignore it for now and kept walking. After a short while, we arrived at our destination.
The Medicine Hall.

I nodded as I read the name engraved above the entrance. Even before opening the door, I sensed something unusual.
"This aura…"
A powerful energy emanated from within the building. It wasn’t just any aura.

"Poison?"
Yes, poison. And in considerable amounts.
It wasn’t a problem for me. With my immunity to all poisons, toxins had no effect on me. Moreover, even with such quantities, the poison wasn’t potent enough to penetrate directly. For someone of high cultivation, it was manageable.

As for Tang So-yeol, having mastered poison techniques herself, she would be equally unaffected.
"If it’s uncomfortable, I could prepare something like a cloth…."
"No need. It’s fine."

The old woman, unaware of my immunity, cautiously offered, but I declined.
"I can manage. Let’s go inside." I grabbed the door and pushed it open. The moment I did—
Whoosh!

A wave of energy surged from within. Mixed with the poisonous aura was the sharp scent of medicinal herbs.
Squinting, I peered into the room.
"You’ve arrived…?"

Inside stood a weary-looking middle-aged man. The master of the Tang Clan, the Poison King, greeted me.
"My apologies for not coming out to meet you…."
The Poison King spoke in a tired voice but suddenly paused mid-sentence. His gaze shifted to Tang So-yeol, who stood beside me.

"Ah, you… you’ve come."
"Father…."
His demeanor was somewhat awkward. As the Poison King swallowed dryly while looking at his daughter, Tang So-yeol sighed and spoke.

"It’s been a while."
"Yes, have you been—"
"I heard you visited the branch yesterday."

Tang So-yeol cut him off mid-sentence.
"Well, I had some business with Young Master Gu…."
"I told you I’d be coming to see you today, didn’t I?"

Her voice grew colder, causing the Poison King to falter.
"It was an urgent matter…."
"I’m sure it was. It must have been very urgent. But…."

Tang So-yeol furrowed her brows slightly as she continued.
"Why didn’t you come to see me when you were there?"
"…"

The Poison King looked at me after hearing her words. His eyes seemed to be asking for help, but…
"What could I possibly do?"
There was nothing I could offer. To be honest, I was curious myself. Why would he go all the way to the branch and not see his own daughter? It was strange.

"At the time, I thought it was just to avoid a scolding."
From Tang So-yeol’s reaction, it didn’t seem like that was the only reason. There was something I wasn’t aware of.
"Well…."

The Poison King stammered, trying to come up with an explanation.
"Forget it."
Tang So-yeol cut him off, turning her back on him.

"I’ll go ahead. Young Master Gu, come find me when you’re done."
"Huh? Oh, alright."
She gave me a curt notification and disappeared. Her speed was impressive—had her footwork technique improved?

She vanished in an instant.
"…"
Scratching the back of my head, I found myself at a loss for how to react. I turned back to the Poison King.

"…"
"…"
Our eyes met, but there was nothing I could do. The awkward silence only deepened.

"...Come in for now," the Poison King said in a slightly melancholic voice. Without a word, I stepped inside.
"Ahem. I’ll just take the liberty of showing you around for now."
His expression was too sorrowful for me to say anything. He looked deeply hurt, to the point where I couldn’t even offer any words of comfort.

"He hasn’t been home in years," I thought.
I had assumed it was solely for training, but now I wondered if there was another reason behind it. I was dying to know, but I held back.
"If she hasn’t told me, there must be a reason."

Tang So-yeol had said nothing to me about this. That alone was reason enough not to ask. Besides, even the Poison King’s expression practically begged me.
"Don’t ask," his eyes seemed to ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) say.
It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it. So, I ignored the topic and focused on our surroundings as we entered the Medicine Hall.

"Hmm."
It was a mess.
That was the first thought that came to mind.

The inside of the hall was utterly chaotic. Materials were scattered everywhere without any semblance of organization. Picking up one of the items, I examined it closely.
"This is…"
My eyes widened slightly. It looked like an ordinary plant, but the shape was unmistakable.

"…So Gongcho (Small Common Grass)."
It resembled a weed, but it was actually a rare and expensive medicinal herb. It wasn’t something that should be lying around on the floor like this.
And it wasn’t just this.

Other valuable ingredients caught my eye. I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
"It wasn’t like this the last time I visited."
On my previous visit to the Tang Clan, things weren’t this disorganized. Now, the state of the place told its own story. Perhaps the disbelief showed on my face because the Poison King coughed awkwardly as he glanced at me.

"Ahem. Lately, I’ve been too busy to tend to things properly."
"How busy does one have to be to treat medicinal herbs like this?" I asked, incredulous. Especially in the Tang Clan, no less.
"It’s the final stage, so I couldn’t spare the time to manage everything."

"I see."
I decided not to press the issue further. It wasn’t my place to critique their organization. What mattered now was the outcome.
"So," the Poison King began, fixing his gaze on me.

"Do you really have a solution?"
His eyes were filled with intensity. Just moments ago, he had been cowering before his daughter, yet now his gaze had transformed.
But perhaps it was natural.

This was about restoring the legacy that the Tang Clan had lost. It was a chance, perhaps, to rebuild the clan’s former glory. For the Poison King, it was an immensely important matter.
And for me, it was no less significant.
"First, show me the situation," I said.

I needed to assess what was going on. The Poison King wasted no time leading me deeper into the hall.
We entered the manufacturing room, a space where the energy was noticeably more intense.
"This must be it."

It was impossible not to notice. The room was filled with an overwhelming amount of herbs and poisonous plants.
There were bubbling cauldrons with unknown contents. Ingredients floated within, while strange clusters of matter piled up to the left.
The stench was unbearable. It was so bad that I instinctively considered blocking my sense of smell. As I followed the source of the odor, I quickly found the culprit.

Pointing at it, I asked, "Is that it?"
The Poison King nodded silently. That was the answer.
Approaching the pile, I noticed an assortment of strange clumps. They were the source of the stench, as well as—

"The Poison King’s headache."
These were failed attempts at creating the Dokcheon Pill. That much was clear.
I reached out and grabbed one of the clumps. The stench intensified immediately. It was brittle, and I could feel the strong toxicity of the poisonous plants mixed into it.

"Hmm…."
The situation was worse than I’d imagined. How could it have deteriorated this much?
"So, this is supposed to be the Dokcheon Pill mixture?"

"Not exactly. It failed before it could even be completed."
"Can you show me what happens?" I asked.
The Poison King immediately fetched something. This time, the lump he brought over looked intact. While the toxicity was still present, at least it didn’t reek.

Notably, it radiated a faint energy, indicating that it was indeed a material for an elixir.
And then—
Buzz.

The energy embedded in my heart stirred. The demonic energy reacted to the object in front of me.
It was a mana stone. A bright red one, to be precise.
A mana stone from a Crimson-Rank beast. Gripping the stone, the Poison King picked up a tool.

"Hup!"
Grind—!
He began grinding the mana stone with force, reducing it to a fine powder. The powder fell onto the mixture and was kneaded into it.

At that moment—
Ssszzzz!
"Huh?"

The mixture’s color rapidly began to deteriorate. Soon, the stench returned, growing stronger and fouler by the second.
It was rotting before my eyes.