Chapter 116
Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye were both warriors who had reached the Peak Stage.
Of course, with their innate talent and their clans’ renowned martial arts, it might seem natural that they attained the Peak Stage in their twenties.
But putting their backgrounds aside, in terms of pure martial strength, they were undeniably powerful anywhere in the Central Plains.
If one truly wished to eliminate them, it wouldn’t be enough to send just a few average Peak Stage experts. A Sub-Perfection-level master would be needed.
Someone like the Blood Flame Fist Demon, for example.
“But the Demonic Cult wouldn’t have expected that we have Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin on our side.”
“Mhm. You may leave it to This One. I had been quietly troubled that I could only watch when you fought the Black Sky Sword Emperor, but now it seems I have a chance to repay that debt sooner than expected.”
“A debt, you say? I made that decision back then because I believed it was the best option, and I stepped up because I wanted to.”
“That may be how you feel. But the feelings This One holds are This One’s alone. I’ve been thankful and sorry toward you, so I intend to settle those feelings now.”
“Well… if that’s how you feel, then I won’t argue. Honestly, I do feel reassured.” “Hem-hem!”
Seo Mun-Hwarin, noticing how the group relied on her, puffed out her chest proudly, clearly pleased.
But the reason I brought this up wasn’t to cheer up Seo Mun-Hwarin, who’d been slightly sulky from everyone calling her “Elder” during the journey.
“Then we’ll trust in Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin and begin tracking the Blood Flame Fist Demon.”
“Mn? You said tracking? He went to great lengths to erase his traces and silence any witnesses, committing atrocities to hide his presence… Do you have a way to pursue him?”
“It would be difficult alone, but with help from others, I believe it’s possible.”
“Huh. I don’t know what you have in mind, but do as you see fit.”
I nodded to Seo Mun-Hwarin, then turned to Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye.
“This has grown into a significant situation, but it’s too late to seek aid from the Peng or Yeon clans now. You both know why.”
“Mm. That’s true.”
“Yes, I feel the same as Brother Peng.”
A Sub-Perfection-level Demonic Cultist had infiltrated Hubei and committed these atrocities. Regardless of the circumstances, the right move would be to ask for help from their clans.
After all, both the Peng and Yeon clans were righteous families rooted in Hubei Province.
A massacre of an entire village wasn’t something that could be ignored just because of inter-clan tension.
But there was a reason they couldn’t act so freely.
“We don’t know where the spy is hiding in your clans, so we can’t risk leaking information.”
“Once this matter is over, we’ll flush out that rat and make them pay.”
That’s right. There was a spy from the Demonic Cult hidden within both the Peng and Yeon clans.
The two realized this after comparing information they had gathered separately and noticing discrepancies.
That’s also why they chose to store their findings in a separate, secret location—believing it would be too dangerous to hide anything within their own households.
Of course, that secret house was eventually discovered, and all the evidence they had gathered was turned to ash.
Still, what they had memorized wasn’t gone. And thus, the Blood Flame Fist Demon’s next targets would likely be the two of them.
As I nodded internally, Peng Woojin let out a deep sigh.
“Whew. If the spy had access to information meant for the Clan Head, they must hold a fairly high position. What on earth made them betray the Peng Clan…?”
“Let me just say this: they might not have betrayed you of their own will.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Betrayal that isn’t betrayal?”
“I’m saying there are times when someone becomes a spy against their will. Have you heard of mental restrictions or poison-induced pain?”
“I’ve heard of mental restrictions. The Peng Clan has a few techniques similar to that. But poison-induced pain… I thought that was just an exaggeration.”
“Normally, yes. But not with the Demonic Cult. Their martial arts might be inferior, but when it comes to sorcery, no one in the Central Plains has deeper expertise.”
“Sounds like something they’d do. Are you suggesting the spy was forced to act by such means?”
“I’m not certain. Just that the possibility is high. And besides, even if they were manipulated through mental restrictions or poison-induced pain, that doesn’t erase the fact that they betrayed you.”
“That’s true as well.”
Peng Woojin sighed again, his expression complicated.
After a moment, I waited for Yeon Ga-hye to finish gently patting his back before continuing.
“In any case, while we can’t rely on your clans for help, we can rely on Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin. That’s why I intend to track the Blood Flame Fist Demon from here.”
“You know tracking techniques?”
“To an extent.”
Before my regression, as the war against the Demonic Cult grew longer and more brutal, I had to learn more than just swordsmanship to survive.
To prevent future threats, you had to chase down fleeing enemies. And to survive pursuit, you had to learn how to erase your own tracks.
So yes, I had learned the basics of tracking techniques.
“Of course, that alone won’t be enough to find the Blood Flame Fist Demon. Even if the fire erased some traces, it’s rare for things to be this clean. The Cult knows how to fight—but not how to hide.”
“It’s the work of the Soul Reapers, then.”
I slowly nodded at Yeon Ga-hye’s grim voice.
“Most likely. We’ve already eliminated many of their capable fighters, but just because they lack combat power doesn’t mean they’re easy to catch. The fact that someone like the Blood Flame Fist Demon is moving so discreetly means these assassins are likely helping him cover his tracks.”
“That's reasonable. But that makes it even harder to understand—how do you plan to track down someone with traces hidden that thoroughly?”
“Not everything has to be solved with one’s own power. I’ll use Tang Sowol’s poison.”
“Excuse me??”
“Poison can be medicine too, if used correctly.”
“You sound very much like someone from the Tang Clan right now.”
Eon Ga-hye gave an admiring nod, and I continued.
“Anyway, there’s a reason I’m telling you this. Even with Tang Sowol’s help, it’ll still be difficult to perfectly see through the work of professional assassins. So I want to narrow down the possibilities first.”
“Narrow them down, how?”
“Peng Woojin. Yeon Ga-hye. Tell me every single place you’ve used for your secret meetings—leave nothing out. If they already knew about your hideout, then their investigation on you is complete. That means the Blood Flame Fist Demon’s next destination will likely be one of the places you two frequented together.”
The two of them exchanged glances, blushing deeply.
After a long moment, Peng Woojin broke the silence with an awkward cough.
“Kuheum! If that’s the reason, then of course I’ll tell you… but what you’re about to hear must remain strictly confidential. Understood?”
“Obviously. Don’t worry.”
I nodded without hesitation, and Peng Woojin leaned in to whisper.
And that’s when I understood why the two of them had reacted like that.
These two… had really been doing everything, huh.
After accidentally learning a bit more about Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye’s private life than I wanted to...
I made my way to Tang Sowol, who was digging into the ground with the others.
“What are you doing?”
“I didn’t feel right just leaving. The village isn’t that big, and we’ve already overturned half the ruins. I figured we should at least bury the bodies.”
“I’ll help.”
We dug up the rest of the half-finished graves and gave the dead a proper, if simple, burial.
Only after that did I speak.
“I need poison.”
“What kind of poison?”
“One made from equal parts of Yeolhongcho, Jahwankwa, Samyeophwasa, and the venom of the Baekgak Ogong.”
“If you need it to interrogate Demonic Cultists, there are far more efficient poisons…”
“It’s for me to take.”
“…I don’t know why Young Master Cheon wants to leave this world, but please know that I intend to follow you soon after.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but no. If I die, Tang Sowol, you’re to live on. Besides, I’m not taking it to die. I value my life too, you know.”
“Not sure about that. Judging by your usual actions, you act like you could drop dead any day.”
“I always had full confidence that I’d survive. This time’s no different.”
“Hmph.”
Tang Sowol tilted her chin skeptically, signaling me to explain further.
I chuckled and clarified.
“You know as well as I do—those poisons I listed are all extremely potent yang-based poisons.”
“They’re not just yang-based. Each one is lethal enough to melt internal organs.”
“But too much of anything is bad. When mixed, the toxicity drops significantly.”
“I know that much. But the poison doesn’t disappear completely. Even when neutralized, the remaining effect may not kill—but due to the nature of yang poison, it’ll be extremely painful.”
“But in return, the user’s senses are heightened to their limit.”
“So you’re saying in a long-winded way that it’ll hurt like hell.”
“That’s where Seol Lihyang comes in.”
“…?”
Tang Sowol blinked in confusion, and I gave her a small smile.
“With Seol Lihyang’s yin energy, I’ll neutralize the pain.
What remains is only heightened sensitivity.”
“It’s a clever approach, but there’s no guarantee it’ll work.”
“I’m not saying I’ll take it immediately. We’ll test it first—maybe on a mountain beast or something. If the results are acceptable, then you can administer the poison to me.”
“In that case, I don’t mind… but I still wonder if it’ll work.”
Despite her doubt, Tang Sowol began producing droplets of different poisons from her fingertips.
It would probably be fine.
In my previous life, after I was beaten senseless by the Blood Flame Fist Demon, Tang Sowol had developed this very poison mix for me—telling me to strike first next time and avoid being caught off guard.
Back then, Seol Lihyang wasn’t around, so Tang Sowol had done the yin neutralization herself.
But with Seol Lihyang here, that wouldn’t be necessary.
If Tang Sowol had unmatched talent in poisons, then Seol Lihyang had similar innate skill in handling yin energy.
Not to mention, this Tang Sowol—unlike the one in my past life—was still somewhat unpolished.
That’s why I chose this method.
As Tang Sowol mixed the poisons with a doubtful expression, we called over Seol Lihyang and tested it on a bird flying nearby.
As expected… the bird flew off completely unaffected.
Only after confirming that did Tang Sowol approach, poison dripping from her fingertips.
“Where on earth did you learn something like this, Young Master Cheon?”
“It’s a secret. But I can tell you this—I heard it from the person who developed the formula to improve the Poison Spirit Constitution.”
“…Don’t tell me. Another woman?”
“She was a woman, yes. But you don’t have to worry—she’s no longer of this world.”
“…Ah.”
That was long ago now.
The day after I defeated Shadow Ghost, I’d told Tang Sowol—who had snuck into my room—about it.
Recalling that memory, she nodded with a somewhat awkward expression.
“Well then, I’ll administer the poison now, so please open your mouth. Hyang, put your hand on his back and be ready to neutralize the poison immediately.”
“Yes!”
Seol Lihyang trotted over and placed her hand on my back.
Meeting her wide-eyed gaze, Tang Sowol slowly inserted her fingers into my mouth.
Four fingers filled my mouth, and before I could even process the sensation, the thick poison slid down my throat.
My body flushed with heat in an instant. Just as I was about to cry out from the unbearable pain surging through me—
Cool energy flowed from Seol Lihyang’s hand into my back.
The pain that had risen like a storm quickly subsided.
Before long, my five senses expanded. And faintly—very faintly—things I couldn’t normally perceive began to come into view.
“…Found it.”
Now, we would be the ones doing the hunting.