Chapter 220
Chapter 220. The Freedom of the Platinum Pavilion
The Platinum Pavilion was the place in Wuhan least affected by the economic downturn. While common folk grew anxious as customers dwindled, the Platinum Pavilion even turned away guests who arrived holding entry tokens.
"As you know, Madam Lou, ever since our entire warehouse was stolen by those Blood Sect bastards, we've been under the Murim Alliance's supervision. And not long ago, dozens of corpses were discovered near the Yangtze River, causing an uproar, wasn't there? The headquarters is on edge right now, and during this period, it does us no good to draw attention. People like us have no choice but to keep our heads down and watch the mood. So please understand, we did not close the pavilion doors to insult you."
The Platinum Pavilion clerk groaned as he placated the customer.
Sound naturally carried upward, so the quarrel could be heard even in the office on this floor. Sitting at his desk, Min Doyu moved his brush as he listened to the commotion outside.
The Deputy Hall Lord of the Main Blood Hall, who had remained unmoved by the noisy exchange, suddenly lifted his head.
Flap—!
A hawk flew in through the office window.
With its yellow eyes gleaming, the messenger bird tore at the bamboo tube tied to its leg with its beak and tossed it toward him.
Tap.
Though the creature's behavior was absurd, the Deputy Hall Lord quietly picked up the bamboo tube that had fallen onto the desk.
He pulled out the note, read it, and sprang to his feet.
Tatadadak.
The Deputy Hall Lord hurried up the stairs.
Running as if nothing else existed in his sight, he reached the top floor in an instant.
Beyond the closed door, a faint light flickered.
It seemed someone had lit a candle.
'Damn it, how did they get in without making a sound.......'
Min Doyu was still catching his breath, unable to open the door first, when the paper-paneled door tore open.
Kwaang.
With his widened field of view, he saw the Black Sky Demon perched on the window frame and Tang So-hwa walking to the left.
"What are you doing here? No, how did you even get in here?!"
As Min Doyu shouted, the Black Sky Demon's gaze shifted to the woman. Before he could speak, Tang So-hwa answered.
"You needn't worry about the Grand Elder. He already knows the true nature of the Platinum Pavilion, but he will keep the secret."
She had a talent for speaking of major matters as though they were nothing.
"How can that make sense?"
"Why wouldn't it? If he weren't going to keep the secret, would we have come in quietly? Just a short walk away is the Hubei branch, with dozens of Tang Clan martial artists stationed inside. There'd be no need to leave the Platinum Pavilion intact."
Tang So-hwa spoke calmly without even sparing Min Doyu a glance. She was holding a large basket, from which she took out candles and arranged them by the window, focused entirely on the task.
It was a shameless air, as if strolling through her own inner chamber.
As a result, Min Doyu was left momentarily speechless.
While he remained silent, Tang So-hwa asked,
"Have you heard about what happened at the headquarters today?"
"What are you talking about?"
The corners of Tang So-hwa's lips curved.
It seemed she had finished lining up the candles; still holding the basket, she turned her body.
"I'm asking whether you know that an antidote for Gu poison now exists."
Min Doyu could not answer.
He had heard that the Blood Demon's Gu poison had been removed at the headquarters. That was why, the moment he received the news, he had been writing letters in his office to verify its truth.
Step.
Stopping in the middle of the room, Tang So-hwa took out a jar from the basket.
"This is that antidote."
Min Doyu's gaze locked onto the jar.
"I promised the Main Blood Hall Lord that I would free the Main Blood Hall, so I will remove the Gu poison now."
Min Doyu could not bring himself to move.
Yet he could not look away either.
Meeting his suspicion-filled eyes, Tang So-hwa spoke.
“The Zhuge Clan knows that I formed an alliance with the Main Blood Hall Lord. They are threatening to drag the Main Blood Hall down with them if I expose the relationship between the Zhuge Clan and the Blood Sect.”
She opened the jar. Inside was a vessel filled with black liquid.
"If you know what happened at the headquarters, then you also know that this antidote has become the standard by which Blood Sect members are identified. If the Gu poison is not removed quickly, you will be branded as the Blood Sect's core and annihilated by the Murim Alliance."
The silent Min Doyu took a step forward. It was true that her words unsettled him, but more than that, he was succumbing to desire.
With each step, that feeling grew stronger.
Even before meeting Tang So-hwa, he had been half out of his mind upon hearing rumors that an antidote capable of removing the Blood Demon's blood had appeared.
When he heard that the Hall Lord had suddenly gone to the Great Desert and conquered the Solar Palace, Min Doyu had vaguely suspected that this woman might have been the one to remove the Hall Lord's Gu poison.
Now that she had appeared before him in person, offering a plausible reason and proposing the detoxification, his reason finally snapped.
Because it was something he had desired so desperately.
The black liquid filling the white jar felt sacred. The ripples shimmering within seemed to sketch the shape of freedom as they swayed.
Trying to hold onto his reason, Min Doyu asked a meaningless question.
"Can I trust you?"
Tang So-hwa let out a dry laugh.
"If you don't trust me, do you have any other option? No matter how badly you imagine things turning out, this is still a better choice than having your tail cut off by the Zhuge Clan and being wiped out by the Murim Alliance. Being poisoned by me is preferable to being tortured by the Murim Alliance."
"......."
"You know full well I'm not doing this because I'm some great saint trying to save the Main Blood Hall. If you doubt me, then just imagine the outcome of my actions."
Her cold voice mocked him.
"I made the antidote to weaken the Blood Sect’s strength, so why would I poison its rebels and do that old geezer any favors?"
Min Doyu's eyes narrowed.
It was because he had encountered yet another madwoman who referred to the Blood Demon as 'that old geezer.'
To think there were two such unparalleled monsters in the Central Plains. As he sighed inwardly at the Central Plains' misfortune, an awkward voice came from the window.
"...... Old geezer? Are you talking about me?"
"No. Someone else."
She brushed off the uneasy Black Sky Demon and took out a needle.
"I understand your doubts, but there isn't much time. Choose quickly."
Instead of answering, Min Doyu extended his arm. In truth, he no longer wished to delay. No fear was greater than the dread of missing this chance.
So-hwa drove the needle soaked in the antidote into the back of the Deputy Hall Lord's hand.
Soon, Min Doyu felt an intense pain in his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, enduring it with all his might.
If he could remove the parasite that had ruled him for decades, this level of pain was nothing.
Fortunately, the pain did not last long.
As a sense of calm spread through his chest, Min Doyu slowly opened his eyes.
"Looks like you're not the Deputy Hall Lord for nothing."
Tang So-hwa praised him in an emotionless tone and pulled out the needle.
"...... Is that it?"
Min Doyu asked while staring at the black liquid and droplets of blood wetting the back of his hand.
An unfriendly reply came back at once.
"Wouldn't you know better than anyone?"
After hesitating, Min Doyu violated the restriction placed upon him. It was a peculiar restriction applied only to those bound to the Great Desert's vessel. Before long, Min Doyu's eyes flew wide open.
"T-this—what is this?!"
Startled, Min Doyu snatched the jar from So-hwa.
"Is it really possible to eliminate Gu poison this easily? How can this be possible? J-just what principle is this based on—"
As Min Doyu made a fuss, Tang So-hwa cut him off.
"Bring the other members of the Main Blood Hall as well. We have to detoxify everyone before today ends."
As if all suspicion had vanished into thin air, Min Doyu shouted with a voice full of trust.
"Yes! All of our Main Blood Hall members are in the pavilion right now, so I can bring them immediately."
When Min Doyu returned the jar, So-hwa accepted it and asked,
"The members who live outside the pavilion. Are they affiliated with the Profound Emptiness Pavilion?"
"Yes. Well, technically, the Profound Emptiness Pavilion came under the Main Blood Hall a few years ago, but they've always lived on their own without much sense of belonging. They don't think of themselves as Main Blood Hall members, and we don't consider them part of the Main Blood Hall either."
"Not long ago, I ran into members of the Blue Blood Hall at an inn in Wuhan."
At that, Min Doyu let out a hollow laugh.
"Yes, I know. You caused such a commotion that there's no way we wouldn't hear about it."
“I heard that all the Blood Sect members in the vicinity were summoned to the inn. Were they all affiliated with the Blue Blood Hall as well?"
"Probably not. Since the Blue Blood Hall's headquarters is still in the Outer Regions, if they gathered members in the Central Plains, most of them would have been Profound Emptiness Pavilion scum."
That point intrigued So-hwa.
The reason why the Profound Emptiness Pavilion follows the Blue Blood Hall rather than the Main Blood Hall, which had established itself in the Central Plains.
She wondered if the Main Blood Hall had lost its grip.
It was entirely possible, given that Min Haerak, the Main Blood Hall Lord, had betrayed the Blood Demon and seized the Solar Palace in the Great Desert.
Sure enough, Min Doyu said something close to her suspicion.
"You've heard that our Hall Lord went to the Great Desert, haven't you?"
So-hwa gave a small nod.
"The Profound Emptiness Pavilion is full of people whose sense for danger outstrips their sense of loyalty. Given the situation, you can think of it as them keeping their distance from the Main Blood Hall."
"Then, can we assume that the Profound Emptiness Pavilion members who still follow the Main Blood Hall have low loyalty toward the Sect Leader?"
"That's right. A fist close at hand is scarier than a distant one. In the end, it means the Main Blood Hall is more frightening to them than the Blood Demon."
Apparently satisfied with Min Doyu's answer, So-hwa asked in a voice stripped of its edge,
"If you summon the members in Hubei, how long will it take for them to arrive?"
"Well... if we gather everyone, it'll take a full day. We'd have to send messenger birds or people, but as you know, the atmosphere is tense these days, so sending people out is risky."
When Min Doyu answered conservatively, Tang So-hwa said,
"I heard that lighting the top floor of the Platinum Pavilion is the signal for assembly."
Min Doyu's eyes dimmed.
'...... He even told you that much.'
It was the moment he felt self-reproach over his superior's careless words.
Suddenly, the Black Sky Demon overturned the flower vase that had been sitting on the window frame.
Since it had been empty to begin with, nothing but dust spilled from the large vase.
After shaking it in midair a few times, Tang Min held it out to So-hwa.
"Put it in here."
So-hwa quietly stepped closer to Tang Min.
Slosh.
She poured the black liquid from the jar into the vase.
There were several jars inside the basket. So-hwa emptied all the antidote into the vase and then dropped dozens of long needles into it as well.
Sensing danger instinctively, Min Doyu hurried toward them.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"Those who come to the Platinum Pavilion in response to the Main Blood Hall's summons will be people who value the Main Blood Hall over the Blood Sect—and ultimately, their own safety over the Blood Sect itself."
"......."
"So if we free them from the Blood Sect, isn't there a good chance they'll flee and live their own lives?"
A trace of laughter crept into Tang So-hwa's voice.
"If they leave Hubei and spread throughout the Central Plains, rumors of the antidote will spread quickly as well."
Tang So-hwa looked at the Black Sky Demon. As if that were some sort of signal, Tang Min ignited his Samadhi True Flame.
Whoosh.
The surroundings flared brightly. Every candle densely arranged along the window frame burst into flame at once.
A flustered Min Doyu worked his mouth soundlessly.
"N-no, I haven't even agreed yet, and you're lighting it without permission?!"
"If the Main Blood Hall is being ostracized by the Blood Sect, weakening the Blood Sect's strength will benefit you as well."
"......."
"If the Sect Leader changes his mind and orders the annihilation of the Main Blood Hall, won't those who still carry Gu poison have no choice but to kill you?"
The cold voice added,
"And once they see others gaining freedom, even those who prided themselves on their loyalty will begin to waver."
At that moment, the vase on the floor began to tremble.
Paht.
One of the long needles soaked in the antidote flew out through the window.
Thud.
A member who had been clinging to a pillar toppled inside. A needle was lodged in the back of his neck. Clutching his chest, the man curled in on himself.
"It's not a poison needle. It's medicine that will free you from the Gu poison binding you, so wait just a little."
After calmly explaining to the man, So-hwa turned back to Min Doyu.
"Some will respond to the summons and enter on the first floor. Go down and bring them up."
She frowned, then added in an uneasy tone,
"I don't know how many members there are, so that's all the antidote I brought. It may not be enough, so bring the Main Blood Hall members first, before the medicine runs out."
Startled, Min Doyu quickly turned around.
"P-please wait! I'll be right back!"
He seemed anxious that his subordinates might be left without freedom.
"And there's one more thing I need to say."
"What is it?"
Min Doyu asked back, his face urgent.
"Once you break free from the Sect Leader's will, select a few elite members of the Main Blood Hall and send them to the Great Desert."
"......."
"I can't be sure how the Sect Leader will react, but it seems he knows that your Hall Lord helped me. He may take out his anger there."
With a hardened expression, Min Doyu nodded and quickly disappeared.
In the meantime, the Black Sky Demon used the principle of object manipulation to move the long needles, injecting an antidote into the bodies of newly arriving members.
Just as promised, the Black Sky Demon remained quiet.
Considering his temperament, it was an impressive display of patience. He must have had many questions, yet he asked none, and even knowing the true nature of the Platinum Pavilion, he did not let his killing intent leak.
That alone was more than enough.
So-hwa looked down at the streets of Wuhan beyond the brightly lit interior.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she seemed to feel a chill presence drawing closer to the pavilion.
She steeled her resolve to bring this chaos to a swift end.