Chapter 16 : The Third Young Lady
Chapter 16: The Third Young Lady
The Third Young Lady, Dan Soso, was hovering between life and death.
"Isn’t she truly going to die at this rate?"
"Did you seek cooperation from the Poison Demon Sect?"
"They rejected us, saying it is too late to ask for their cooperation now."
The expression of Heonwon Geuk, the Young Sect Leader of the Spear Demon Sect, hardened.
"Tell them that the Young Sect Leader of the Spear Demon Sect demands it. If the Third Young Lady dies... the Poison Demon Sect will pay the price."
"Yes, understood."
Heonwon Geuk’s expression remained grim as he watched his subordinate leave.
"Soso......"
If Dan Soso were to die.
The Spear Demon Sect would immediately charge toward Sichuan.
"Young Sect Leader."
Just then, the subordinate of the Spear Demon Sect who had gone outside returned.
"Are you back from speaking with them already?"
"About that... the Seventh Young Master and the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect have arrived."
"......The Seventh Young Master?"
"What shall we do?"
"Tell them to come in."
However, before Heonwon Geuk could even finish his sentence, Dan Woojin entered.
"This isn't even your room, so why block me from entering?"
"...What is the meaning of this?"
"What do you mean? Is there a problem with a brother visiting his sick sister?"
"The Third Young Lady must maintain absolute stability right now......"
"I came to save my sister, so move aside. Sa Hyeongseol."
Dan Woojin called for Sa Hyeongseol immediately.
Sa Hyeongseol quickly approached Dan Soso, who was lying on the bed as if in a deep sleep.
"Status?"
"I will check."
As Sa Hyeongseol began to take her pulse, Dan Woojin stared at the Third Young Lady, Dan Soso.
Her pale complexion made her look like someone about to die.
He suddenly recalled the relationship between Dan Woojin and Dan Soso.
While Dan Youngyoung and Dan Woojin were only a year apart and had at least some communication, Dan Soso and Dan Woojin were a pair that had no interaction whatsoever.
Compared to the Eldest Young Master Dan Cheolwoo, who cared for all his siblings, and the Second Young Master Dan Hyunwoo, who cared for no one, the Third Young Lady Dan Soso only looked after her sister Dan Youngyoung instead of her brothers.
Therefore, it was normal for Dan Woojin to have no point of contact with Dan Soso.
However,
— Youngest, life doesn't change just because you stay cooped up in your room.
— Please leave. I'm comfortable like this, Sister.
— ...Fine, if that's what you say. But Youngyoung is very angry.
What was this memory that surfaced upon seeing Dan Soso?
'I actually had a bond with the Third Young Lady?'
This was unexpected.
To Dan Woojin, the Cult Leader’s bloodline were all beings he had to kill.
Just then, Sa Hyeongseol finished taking her pulse.
"I have finished checking."
"Do you think you can save her?"
Since Dan Woojin also did not know which poison of the Tang Clan had affected Dan Soso, Sa Hyeongseol’s answer was crucial.
"It is a poison I am seeing for the first time. It seems it will take some time to create an antidote."
"How long will it take?"
Heonwon Geuk, knowing Sa Hyeongseol was the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect, interjected.
"It seems possible in a day. However, whether the Third Young Lady can endure until then is......"
Looking at her complexion, enduring for even a day seemed unlikely.
Furthermore.
'In the original timeline, the Sixth Young Lady died from poison within a day.'
As Am Yeong, who had belonged to the Black Shadow Army and handled the major affairs of the Heavenly Demon Cult, he remembered this news clearly.
The Seventh Young Master died, and then the Sixth Young Lady died during the trial.
The next in line was the Fifth Young Master.
He had thought it strange that the candidates were dying off like this, but he never imagined Dan Hyunwoo had a hand in it.
Tsk.
Clicking his tongue, Dan Woojin grabbed Dan Soso’s arm.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to endure this day with her."
"Seventh Young Master?"
Sa Hyeongseol wore a horrified expression upon seeing this.
"I will suck out my sister's poison."
The martial art he learned from the All-Encompassing Poison Hand was a poison art.
And demonic practitioners who mastered poison arts could both inflict poison and use Poison Absorption to pull poisons they had spread back into their bodies.
This meant it was possible to extract the poison that was spreading through Dan Soso’s blood.
Of course, the fact that the poison was entirely unneutralized remained unchanged.
"It is too dangerous!"
Despite Sa Hyeongseol’s shout,
"You're going to detoxify it for me anyway, aren't you?"
If he couldn't kill the Third Young Lady here,
'I might as well score some points.'
Dan Woojin wore a bright smile.
* * *
'Madman.'
He had heard from the Third Young Lady that after returning from the Demonic Cave, the Seventh Young Master had changed into a completely different person.
However, there were limits to how much a person could change overnight.
Heonwon Geuk, the Young Sect Leader of the Spear Demon Sect, knew this fact all too well.
For he was also one of those who had completely changed overnight.
However, the figure Dan Woojin was showing now was truly that of another person.
'Extracting poison he said.'
Just when had he mastered poison arts?
Furthermore, was he not ordering around the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect—with whom he clearly had no prior interaction—like a subordinate?
Seeing Dan Woojin trust Sa Hyeongseol while extracting the poison from Dan Soso made him look almost solemn.
Even Sa Hyeongseol, moved by Dan Woojin’s actions, vowed to return with an antidote as quickly as possible and rushed outside.
Tsssss—
A purple poison mist enveloped Dan Soso and Dan Woojin as he extracted the poison from her.
Heonwon Geuk looked at Dan Woojin and thought of Dan Soso.
— Geuk, for me... as much as I care for Youngyoung, I feel so sorry for the youngest. If the Spear Demon Sect has a chance to help him, could you help him for me?
The Third Young Lady Dan Soso seemed to trust the Seventh Young Master Dan Woojin.
"You said that trust doesn't flow in just one direction."
Heonwon Geuk, who only believed what he saw with his own eyes, finally realized what Dan Soso’s words meant.
"I should stay outside for now."
This was because the poison mist began to fill the room.
* * *
It was painful.
Just what kind of poison did they use?
Toxicity more vicious than when he fell into the poison bath was entering his body.
Dan Woojin, who had gripped Dan Soso’s hand and injected Qi to induce the poison, began to absorb it.
Dan Woojin realized he had miscalculated when he thought he had quite a high tolerance for poison.
'She's still alive after being poisoned by something like this?'
He was newly impressed by Dan Soso’s mental strength.
"Sister, you must endure."
Heonwon Geuk had already gone outside.
If Dan Woojin acted now, he could easily dispose of the Third Young Lady and become stronger through the Soul Killing Art.
However, the memory that surfaced earlier made Dan Woojin hesitate.
'What if I can recruit the candidates instead of killing them?'
They might become incredible assets for striking the Murim Alliance.
If he waited just one day, Sa Hyeongseol would bring the antidote.
Dan Soso was the daughter of the Cult Leader who had established very strong ties with the Spear Demon Sect among the Seven Great Demon Sects.
The Spear Demon Sect never imagined Dan Soso could become the Young Cult Leader.
Instead, they intended to marry Heonwon Geuk, the Young Sect Leader, to Dan Soso to establish a blood relation with the Cult Leader.
Setting aside political relations, it was also because Heonwon Geuk had feelings for Dan Soso.
In other words.
'If I recruit Dan Soso, I can win over the Spear Demon Sect.'
While resisting the toxicity entering his body, Dan Woojin constantly checked Dan Soso’s status.
The reason he came to save Dan Soso instead of going straight to the Cult Leader upon arriving at the Palace was due to the fallout that would occur if he lost her.
Glancing toward Heonwon Geuk as he left, Dan Woojin thought of what would happen after Dan Soso’s death.
Ultimately, in the past, when the Second Young Master became the Young Cult Leader, all the other siblings were dead.
Since Dan Youngyoung was the one who died instead of Dan Soso, Dan Soso had moved to avenge her.
Heonwon Geuk moved alongside her.
In the fight against the Tang Clan, the Heavenly Demon Cult lost significant strength, and Dan Soso met her end at the hands of the Orthodox Faction bastards who moved to kill her.
After that, Heonwon Geuk moved the entire power of the Spear Demon Sect.
'Would the martial artists ever know that the Great War between Orthodox and Demons started because of a man's revenge for the woman he loved?'
Of course, Dan Hyunwoo was likely the one who incited him.
'I can't let it happen.'
The Great War triggered by Heonwon Geuk's reckless movement was a fight where victory was not guaranteed.
Dan Woojin wanted a perfect victory.
He would use the full strength of the Heavenly Demon Cult to slowly choke the Murim Alliance to death.
So that he could personally kill the Alliance Leader and the Strategist with his own hands.
— I wondered why you were so twisted, and it turns out you were sharpening the blade of revenge.
The voice of the Demonic Sword reached his mind.
'Stay out of it.'
— I finally get to see the sun again, and I'd hate to see the Master of Demons die. I never imagined there would be a madman who voluntarily accepts poison.
'Think it’s possible to neutralize it?'
— Ah, that's probably impossible.
The Demonic Sword was less helpful than expected.
Just then.
"Mmm."
Dan Soso began to toss and turn.
It seemed to be because Dan Woojin had taken over the toxicity.
"...Brother Geuk?"
Dan Woojin flinched at the title used by the waking Dan Soso.
He didn't know Dan Soso treated Heonwon Geuk as an older brother.
Come to think of it, if Dan Soso and Heonwon Geuk married, Heonwon Geuk would become his brother-in-law.
It seemed she had mistaken Dan Woojin for Heonwon Geuk.
But soon.
"...Wait, you are?"
Dan Soso recognized Dan Woojin.
"Youngest, what are you doing here?"
"...I am absorbing your poison, Big Sister."
"What? What about the antidote?"
"......The Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect is bringing an antidote."
At Dan Woojin’s answer, Dan Soso’s eyes flared.
"That means there is no antidote! Stop this right now!"
As she tried to pull her hand away,
Pause.
Dan Woojin gripped Dan Soso’s hand tightly and did not let go.
"Sa Hyeongseol, the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect, will definitely bring the antidote. And if I don't endure this with you, it won't be easy for you to hold on, Sister."
Dan Soso bit her lip at Dan Woojin’s words.
She seemed to finally recognize her own physical condition.
"What about Youngyoung?"
"I heard the Second Sister is fine."
"That's a relief."
A question suddenly arose.
Why was Dan Soso worried about Dan Youngyoung’s status?
"Who poisoned you?"
It was an important issue.
Circumstantially, there was a high probability it was the Tang Clan.
'But it bothers me.'
The Second Young Master, who had appeared on the battlefield with Dan Youngyoung.
Dan Woojin was bothered by him.
"Youngest, why are you asking that?"
"Pardon?"
"We were in a fierce battle with the Tang Clan, and normally one would assume I was poisoned by them. Why are you asking that?"
Dan Soso was as sharp as ever.
"That is......"
Just as he was about to answer,
Bang!
"Seventh Young Master!"
A welcome guy burst in.
"I will fix you right away!"
Sa Hyeongseol, the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect, had brought the antidote.