Chapter 17 : Acknowledgment
Chapter 17: Acknowledgment
"Mmm."
The Third Young Lady, Dan Soso, having received the antidote, fully regained her consciousness.
"Are you alright?"
"Soso!"
"Brother Geuk?"
Heonwon Geuk was the first to look at Dan Soso with a moved expression.
"What a relief."
At Dan Woojin's voice, Dan Soso turned to look at him.
"You, truly..."
As she received the antidote, Dan Soso reflected on the memories that surfaced.
'I was poisoned.'
The moment the warriors of the Murim Alliance raised the poison mist.
She felt a stinging sensation passing through her body.
Realizing at that same moment that poison was infiltrating, Dan Soso moved her inner Qi rapidly.
Had her judgment been even slightly delayed, the poison would have spread through her entire body in an instant, killing her.
Of course, even so, she would have surely died if not for the antidote.
"How did you manage to make the antidote?"
"For that, ask the person over there."
As Dan Woojin pointed behind him, Sa Hyeongseol, the Young Sect Leader of the Poison Demon Sect, answered humbly.
"I simply did my best."
Seeing this, Dan Soso was able to perceive the fact that the Poison Demon Sect had sided with the youngest.
'But why the youngest...?'
No matter how much the youngest was showing a different path after passing through the Demonic Cave, she did not think the Poison Demon Sect would go as far as to step up like that.
As Dan Soso's gaze returned to Dan Woojin.
"You seem to have many questions, but for now, get some rest and recover first."
"...What happened to the trial?"
"The Tang Clan members retreated, shocked by the fact that their Young Lord fell from the cliff. The Young Cult Leader candidates, including the Second Young Master, pursued and dealt with the remnants of the retreating Tang Clan."
"Then..."
"Since they don't know what the criteria are, it seems they are bringing back the corpses for now."
Dan Soso let out a sigh at Heonwon Geuk's answer.
It was because she felt as if she had missed the fish she had almost caught.
"There is no need to feel regret. In any case, the first place for this trial has already been decided."
The two tilted their heads at Dan Woojin's declaration.
"Who is it?"
Dan Woojin only showed a smile and did not answer.
"Then, since it seems my sister has regained her senses, I shall be on my way."
Leaving those words behind, Dan Woojin exited Dan Soso's quarters with Sa Hyeongseol.
After hearing Dan Woojin's words, Dan Soso turned to Heonwon Geuk.
"Brother Geuk. ...Is it my imagination that the youngest seems to have changed a lot?"
"It doesn't... seem to be."
If it were the other brothers, they would not have taken risks to save their sister.
Heonwon Geuk also watched Dan Woojin's retreating figure with an amused expression.
* * *
"Thanks for your work."
"It was nothing, Seventh Young Master."
As soon as they stepped outside, Dan Woojin praised Sa Hyeongseol first.
"No, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to treat the Third Young Lady."
Dan Woojin had not yet perfectly mastered the poison arts of the All-Encompassing Poison Hand.
Truly, going to the Poison Demon Sect and bringing Sa Hyeongseol was a masterstroke.
'With this, the Second Young Master's plan has come to naught once again.'
Likely, if the Second Young Master, Dan Hyunwoo, heard the news that Dan Woojin helped Dan Soso,
It was obvious he would come to kill Dan Woojin, whom he had failed to kill first.
In a situation like the current one, it seemed better to make a preemptive move.
"If you are grateful, please tell me the next plan."
"I must go see the Cult Leader."
"Are you going to find him right now?"
"No, there is something I have to do before that."
The person who did not move until the very end while everyone else was moving.
The Eldest Young Master, Dan Cheolwoo.
He had to play as him.
Swish—
Sa Hyeongseol could not help but be repeatedly amazed as he watched Dan Woojin head toward the Eldest Young Master's quarters.
He had no idea what the intention was, but Dan Woojin had left the Third Young Lady in his debt and was now plotting something by acting as the Eldest Young Master.
Sa Hyeongseol also knew that the Second Young Master was someone who could not be reasoned with, so all that remained were the Fourth Young Master, the Fifth Young Master, and the Sixth Young Lady.
'Can he kill them?'
The fastest way to become the Young Cult Leader was to kill the other candidates.
It seemed as if the Seventh Young Master intended to kill them.
Yet, he had saved the life of the Third Young Lady.
Sa Hyeongseol simply could not predict Dan Woojin's inner thoughts.
* * *
Having secretly infiltrated the Eldest Young Master's quarters, Dan Woojin began to transform into Dan Cheolwoo through disguise techniques.
'When should I declare that I killed the Eldest Young Master?'
There are no secrets in this world.
Eventually, the fact that he had dissolved the corpse with Bone Melting Powder would have to be told by Dan Woojin's own mouth.
Until then, he had to set up a device to allow for this kind of secluded life.
'Since he did not participate in the first trial, everyone's eyes will be on the Eldest Young Master.'
Even so, the Eldest Young Master would not be excluded from future trials.
Therefore, a suitable excuse was needed.
"It was needed just at the right time."
Dan Woojin stepped out of the Eldest Young Master's residence and looked around.
While undergoing this first trial, Dan Woojin realized the need for subordinates who would carry out his orders.
Although Sa Hyeongseol was helping Dan Woojin after Jang Cheol's death, he felt shorthanded.
In his mind, the thought naturally occurred as to who would be good to recruit.
Among the few candidates that came to mind,
"Eldest Young Master, why are you only coming outside now?"
Dan Cheolwoo's subordinate, Kang Muhyeok.
"Muhyeok."
A person who would not hesitate to face death if it were the Eldest Young Master's word.
Flinch—
Kang Muhyeok's expression hardened.
"Eldest Young Master?"
"It is an order. From now on, become a loyal servant to the Seventh Young Master."
"Eldest Young Master, what do you mean so suddenly..."
"I shall enter a state of secluded meditation until the Cult Leader seeks me. So, will you follow my order for now?"
Kang Muhyeok, who seemed to ponder for a moment, nodded his head.
"I, Kang Muhyeok, follow the order of the Eldest Young Master."
"Before you meet the Seventh Young Master, go and cause a bit of a riot at the Fifth Young Master's quarters."
"Huh? Understood."
Kang Muhyeok, clenching his fists, vanished in an instant.
* * *
'By now, Kang Muhyeok should be causing a disturbance at the Fifth Young Master's quarters.'
After spreading the rumor that the Eldest Young Master would enter secluded meditation, Dan Woojin headed toward the Sixth Young Lady Dan Youngyoung's quarters while reviewing his future plans.
There was a high probability he would smoothly pass the first trial issued by the Cult Leader.
With the human skin mask of the Tang Clan's Young Lord, the Cult Leader would acknowledge Dan Woojin's capability.
The problem was that he could not know what other tricks the Second Young Master Dan Hyunwoo intended to play.
Originally, the order of the Young Cult Leader candidates who were supposed to die was Dan Woojin - Dan Youngyoung - Dan Yuun.
However, currently, Dan Woojin is alive, and Dan Soso who became the target after the target to kill was changed from Dan Youngyoung, has also survived.
If the situation did not flow as he had planned, what would Dan Hyunwoo do?
Dan Woojin, or rather Am Yeong, was imagining that situation.
At this point, targeting the female siblings Dan Soso and Dan Youngyoung was a high-risk situation.
Therefore, what Dan Woojin had to do here was merely prepare for a situation just in case.
While watching over Dan Youngyoung, he only needed to summon the Fifth Young Master Dan Yuun, who might become the next target.
Thinking so, Dan Woojin returned from the Eldest Young Master's quarters and visited Dan Youngyoung's quarters with Sa Hyeongseol.
"It seems we see each other often lately? Why did you come here?"
"I stopped by because there was something I was curious about."
"Something you're curious about?"
"Just why did you appear at that spot with the Second Young Master at that time? Have you and my second brother formed an alliance?"
"An alliance? Are you talking about when we were trying to wipe out the Tang Clan forces?"
Wipe out?
This was news he was hearing for the first time.
"What does that mean?"
"Ah, I guess you wouldn't know because you weren't there, youngest? My second brother said so. Since the enemies are gathered in one place now, let's go together to wipe them out and report to the Cult Leader that we eliminated them all together."
"...And you believed that?"
Dan Youngyoung flinched at Dan Woojin's cold reaction.
"...I believed it."
"That habit of trusting people too easily, shouldn't you fix it now?"
"Dan Woojin, who are you to tell..."
Dan Youngyoung called Dan Woojin by his name instead of 'youngest.'
The image of Dan Youngyoung naturally surfaced in Dan Woojin's memory.
'Dan Woojin, snap out of it and come out. I said let's practice martial arts together!'
'No! I'm... never going to learn martial arts!'
It was a memory from childhood.
From a much younger age than expected, Dan Woojin had been living a life disconnected from the outside.
'Dan Youngyoung likely might not have known.'
The fact that the Eldest Young Master interfered with Dan Woojin learning martial arts to the point of using violence.
'With this level of natural talent, if he had learned martial arts even slightly properly, he could have become as strong as the Eldest or Second Young Master at the very least.'
It was a pity.
Perhaps the current Am Yeong was fulfilling that regret.
"You..."
Of course, childhood memories were not what was important right now.
Seeing Dan Youngyoung clenching her fists, it seemed she was enraged to the top of her head by Dan Woojin's words.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just then, someone knocked on the door at the perfect time.
Thinking Kang Muhyeok had lured out the Fifth Young Master faster than expected, Dan Woojin opened the door.
"It has been a long time."
He found himself facing the face of Sima Yi, the Strategist of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"A person of such low status has visited such a precious place."
"You mean the opposite."
At Dan Woojin's remark, Dan Youngyoung's eyes flared.
"Haha, my apologies. It seems I interrupted a brother and sister sharing their affection."
"Not at all!"
Dan Youngyoung shouted quickly.
"Ah, then perhaps I may take the Seventh Young Master with me?"
"Ah?"
Dan Youngyoung's expression froze in an instant.
She was flustered by the fact that the person the Strategist visited her quarters to take was Dan Woojin, not herself.
"Why? Is it not possible?"
"No! You may take him!"
"What reason do you suddenly need me for..."
Dan Woojin was equally flustered.
He did not think he had done anything to get involved with the Strategist.
"The Cult Leader has summoned you."
At those words, Dan Woojin's expression also hardened.
'Why did he call for me?'
He did not think he had caused any trouble.
Dan Woojin followed Sima Yi obediently.
Walking behind Sima Yi, Dan Woojin's expression gradually began to change in a peculiar way.
The reason for that was.
"Just... where are we going?"
This direction was not the Cult Leader's Palace.
"Before you meet the Cult Leader, I have some personal curiosity myself."
Looking at Sima Yi, who was wearing a bright smile, Dan Woojin thought.
'I'm fucked, seriously.'
Because Sima Yi, the second-in-command of the Demonic Cult and its Strategist, was a person even more difficult to deal with than the Cult Leader.