Chapter 35
Thud.
After confirming that Dang Yeonmyeong had completely drawn his last breath, Dang Wolhwa simply knelt and collapsed to the floor.
“Haa... haa...”
Should she feel relieved that the shackles binding her had been broken, or sad to see her own father die right before her eyes, despite everything...? In any case, it was a subtle, ineffable feeling.
She remained kneeling for a long time, staring blankly at Dang Yeonmyeong, when suddenly something occurred to her, and she rose to her feet.
“Great Hero!”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Great Hero, weren’t you just struck by Dang Yeonmyeong’s Poisonous Qi...? If a Poison Master deliberately uses extreme poison, even a Master cannot avoid being poisoned. I must quickly detoxify you...”
Having been so focused on her enemy’s death, she hadn’t realized the critical state of her Benefactor. Thinking it a disaster, Dang Wolhwa hurried to check Muyeon’s body, but...
“Ah, that’s fine.”
“...Pardon?”
“I already detoxified myself before I cut that guy’s neck.”
“How could that be...?”
Unable to believe his words, Dang Wolhwa personally examined Muyeon’s body with her own eyes.
And...
“*...It”s true?*’
...She confirmed that his body was perfectly clean, without any issues.
It seemed to be the power of the strange Martial Arts he had just displayed.
“*That was truly something ineffable...*”
Recalling Muyeon’s earlier feat of cutting through Dang Yeonmyeong’s Poisonous Qi with his Saber, Dang Wolhwa steeled herself.
And then...
Thud.
...She knelt to ask Muyeon for the favor she had resolved to seek.
When she suddenly knelt again, Muyeon frowned and looked down at her.
“What is it *now*?”
“May I, despite my shamelessness, ask a favor of you, Sir?”
“...Go on.”
As Muyeon made a gesture indicating he would listen, Dang Wolhwa took a deep breath and began to speak.
And her request was...
“Just now... would you cut me down as well with the Saber that cut down Dang Yeonmyeong?”
“...What?”
...It was more surprising than he expected.
As Muyeon’s eyes widened in surprise, Dang Wolhwa calmly continued.
“As you know, I am a Poison Master, but I have not reached the Mature stage. The reason is that the Sichuan Tang Family never provided me with the necessary antidote.”
“...So?”
“Because I am not a Mature Poison Master, poison flows through my blood and flesh... and I feel every bit of that pain. You might not think so, but even now, I feel a burning agony throughout my body. Just a moment ago, Dang Yeonmyeong even injected me with a new poison.”
“...”
...The reason I haven’t died until now is because I feared the Poisonous Qi emanating from my corpse would harm those around me. However, no Poisonous Qi is being released from Dang Yeonmyeong’s corpse, which was cut by your Saber. Isn’t it because you cut both his neck and his Poisonous Qi at the same time, Sir?
“...That’s right.”
Hearing his answer, Dang Wolhwa raised her head and bared her own neck.
“Then... please, kill me with that Saber... I beg you...”
“...”
...I’m just too tired now. I have no confidence to live on with this pain, nor do I wish to die with my body rotting away like my Mother’s. I’d rather... now...
“...”
“...I want to end it now. Please.”
This was her utmost sincerity.
The hope was that if she submitted to the Tang Family’s words and obeyed, she might one day escape this pain.
That futile hope had been the driving force that allowed her to endure until now. But Dang Yeonmyeong had no intention of curing her, and he was now dead.
Her records had been erased when Dang Yeonmyeong sold her to Haomun, so there was no longer any connection between her and the Sichuan Tang Family.
Even if she reconnected with the Sichuan Tang Family, they would only exploit her, just as Dang Yeonmyeong had, never offering salvation.
In that case...
Rather than living in this hellish pain... it would be better to simply die.
Dang Wolhwa thought so.
...Of course, I know that killing someone comes with many reservations. So, I will pay the price.”
After saying that, she removed a ring from her index finger. Then she rushed to the desk and stamped her personal seal on a piece of paper.
“With these, you can obtain everything of Haomun. After you kill me, please take this to the Sichuan Branch Leader.”
She placed it in Muyeon’s hand, then knelt again.
“So please, me...”
As she continued to plead, Muyeon pondered for a moment, as if in thought then asked.
“You want to die that badly?”
“...Yes.”
“All right, I’ll do it then.”
Muyeon drew his Saber again.
And then he assumed the Initial Stance he had shown earlier.
As soon as she saw it, Dang Wolhwa closed her eyes.
“*Ah...*”
Finally, this pain would end.
From the time she was a fetus, her Mother had ingested poisons. It was no exaggeration to say that Dang Wolhwa was born with poison.
While blood flowed in others’ bodies, poison also flowed in hers.
When others drank water and ate meals, she consumed them poisoned.
Poison was with her every moment. Pain was also with her.
But now, it would end. Everything would end with her death.
“*When I die...*”
Imagining what would happen after her death, she recalled the words she had spoken to Dang Yeonmyeong earlier.
“May you wander the Netherworld as a lonely spirit, bitter for all eternity, you son of a bitch.”
In truth, her Afterlife would likely not be much different from Dang Yeonmyeong’s.
Even if it wasn’t by her own will, she too had committed misdeeds no less severe than Dang Yeonmyeong’s.
To rise to the position of Haomun Leader, she had killed many people. Even in the Jianghu, where killing was common, she wasn’t entirely free of guilt and responsibility.
If she died, the grasping hands of those she had killed would drag her to the bottom of hell.
“Alright, I’m doing it now.”
Shing.
As she was thinking that, she felt the Saber slowly move right in front of her. She also felt Muyeon’s Qi flow change.
“*Ah.*”
Only when faced with death do people’s true intentions emerge. It was the same for Martial Artists who had trained their entire lives.
Her body trembled slightly, her Qi became unstable, and she wanted to run away right now.
Yes.
In truth, she wanted to live.
But she didn’t want to live with poison again, as she had until then.
Just normally, like everyone else. A life where she could breathe easily, where she wouldn’t hurt when she was still, and where she could occasionally eat delicious food.
She wanted to live such a life, and with that strong yearning...
Swish.
She was cut.
...
...
“Ah...”
Even though Muyeon had swung his Saber, she felt none of the pain she had expected in her neck. Thinking this strange, Dang Wolhwa reached up with her hand, and indeed, her neck was still attached.
Opening her eyes and looking forward, she saw Muyeon sheathing his Saber.
She was alive. For now, she was alive.
A strange thrill of being alive washed over her, but also a tinge of regret for not having died when given the chance. Dang Wolhwa asked with a slightly resentful voice.
“Why... why didn’t you kill me?”
“Now that I think about it, if I kill you, Munseok will suddenly get super busy, and if you die, who’s going to make me alcohol?”
“For such a trivial reason... huh?”
The moment she inhaled to speak again...
“...”
She felt something strange.
Her lungs, too, had been filled with Poisonous Qi, causing her agonizing pain with every breath. But now...
She felt nothing.
Muyeon’s indifferent tone continued in front of the astonished woman.
“I only cut away the Poisonous Qi that was clinging tightly to your core. There might still be some poison scattered here and there, but... since the root has been pulled out, it will completely disappear within a few days.”
“...Ah.”
Breathing didn’t hurt. She couldn’t feel the Poisonous Qi writhing within her body.
Her body felt light. Her body felt refreshed.
“...Aaaah.”
For the first time in her life, she realized that the air was sweet. For the first time in her life, she realized that her body was warm.
Everything was new. It was as if she had been reborn into a new world.
After 25 years, she was reborn with a new body and mind.
All of this was thanks to one person. Muyeon had allowed her to be reborn.
The term benefactor wasn’t enough to describe this, but the person in question merely...
“Try to live, if you can.”
...said it indifferently, as if nothing significant had happened.
Drip.
Tears streamed from her eyes. As the Haomun Leader and a Poison Master, she knew that shedding tears was not a good thing, but she couldn’t overcome the wave of emotions that had engulfed her this time.
“...Thank you.”
Swish.
It might have been nothing to him, but it was everything to her.
“Huu... thank you.”
She knew that merely saying “thank you” wasn’t enough to repay this kindness, but...
“...Thank you.”
She repeatedly bowed her head, continuously murmuring her thanks.
Her face was already drenched in tears. And naturally... there was no poison in those tears.