Chapter 72
Creaaak.
Early dawn, slightly earlier than yesterday.
Shin Geum, having finished her preparations, quietly opened the shop’s door.
Hmm…
The chirping of insects was eerily silent today.
That could only mean one thing.
“Don’t act recklessly.”
Shin Geum spoke into the empty air.
“Poison doesn’t discriminate. Just make sure they don’t escape from the perimeter.”
There was no reply, but she took that as confirmation and started walking slowly.
Her footprints left soft impressions on the dew-covered ground.
She walked for some time.
The surroundings grew increasingly silent.
Shin Geum nearly closed her eyes, erasing her vision and sharpening all her other senses.
“……”
The shadows of Hyeonwol Hall had withdrawn, making way for something impure to slither in.
The same presence as yesterday, only this time, there were more of them.
But to Shin Geum, they were all equally insignificant.
She continued walking without hesitation, though her direction had changed.
Just before reaching the morning market, she veered off course toward a sparse forest.
The east was slowly brightening with the dawn light.
Against the chilly morning breeze, Shin Geum reached into her sleeves.
Tap. Tap.
Tiny, bean-sized objects dropped to the ground with each step she took.
She moved as if she were lost, weaving through the forest for a while before stopping at the center of a clearing.
“Come out.”
There was no need to delay.
Releasing her inner restraints, Shin Geum infused her voice with internal energy.
At her call, a man emerged from behind a tree some distance ahead.
“You’ve been concealing your martial skills?”
“You followed me here without realizing?”
The man showed no surprise.
Which meant he had known all along.
“You must come with us.”
“And if I refuse?”
“We will not extend our kindness any further.”
“Then go ahead and try.”
At Shin Geum’s relaxed attitude, the man gave one final warning.
“If you’re hoping for someone to come to your aid, I suggest you abandon that thought.”
He was referring to the Hyeonwol Hall operatives guarding her.
How ridiculous.
Who was he to worry about whom?
“Twelve.”
Shin Geum counted as she scanned the forest around her.
A crack formed in the man’s expression.
In the merciless world of the martial realm, carelessness was fatal.
He would learn that lesson today—
Unfortunately, by then, he wouldn’t be alive to reflect on it.
“Heh.”
With a faint scoff, Shin Geum suddenly swung her hand.
Whoosh—
A small orb, the size of a child’s fist, flew toward the man’s feet and exploded.
Puff!
A thick cloud of smoke spread around him in an instant.
“Poison?”
‘Perhaps she truly was a master of poison arts.’
The words he had dismissed earlier now resurfaced in his mind.
He immediately held his breath and bit down on an antidote pearl.
Dodging to the side, he kept his eyes on Shin Geum.
‘That hand!’
Her hand was smooth, without a single wrinkle.
In the faint morning light, something glimmered on her fingers—
Transparent gloves.
She was definitely wearing Poison-Resistant Gloves.
‘So she is a master of poison arts!’
The greatest flaw of poison techniques was the inability to distinguish between friend and foe.
Even the wielder of Toxic Qi Manipulation was not immune.
Unless one possessed absolute poison immunity, it was impossible to handle poison barehanded.
Thus, Poison-Resistant Gloves were an essential tool for any practitioner of Toxic Qi Manipulation.
Bang!
Baaang!
“……?”
While using his palm wind to scatter the poisonous smoke,
the man suddenly realized something was off.
There was no distinct, acrid scent.
Even from the small amount of smoke he had inhaled before taking the antidote pearl,
he felt no toxicity.
‘I’ve been tricked!’
At that moment, he saw Shin Geum dashing away in the direction she had come from.
‘To think I fell for such a cheap trick!’
Shame burned his face red.
Kicking off the ground, he leaped forward to block her path.
“You won’t escape!”
Whooosh!
Without hesitation, he launched a palm strike.
“Hmph!”
Shin Geum retaliated with a palm strike of her own.
Boom!
The two forces clashed, sending a deafening explosion through the forest.
“Argh!”
A scream echoed through the trees.
“You… you old hag!”
Somehow, his hands—
were covered in blood.
Embedded deep into his palm were countless Ox Hair Needles.
Shin Geum had hidden them inside her palm wind and launched them without his notice.
“You… damn…!”
The man gritted his teeth as he clutched his torn hand.
Pop!
Regardless, Shin Geum evaded him and dashed away again.
“Stop her!”
The man quickly stemmed the bleeding and commanded his subordinates.
At his order, the Blood Wolves hiding nearby all rushed out and surrounded Shin Geum.
As expected, there were twelve in total.
“You dare ruin my hand like this?”
Though the bleeding had stopped, his hand was now tattered and unsightly.
“I was ordered to bring you alive, but no one said anything about keeping all your limbs intact. I’ll personally cut off one of your arms!”
The man was certain Shin Geum would cower at his words.
She had resorted to using fake poison and hidden weapons to escape, only to be caught. He intended to claim his revenge in the most brutal way.
“Do you really think you can?”
Shin Geum scoffed and firmly stomped her foot.
Boom!
It felt like the signal flare of an impending war.
Whoooom—
A faint tremor spread outward from where she stood.
Pop!
Not far from Shin Geum, a small explosion sounded in the undergrowth.
A yellow mist began to rise.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
That was just the beginning.
The sound of what seemed like roasting beans echoed repeatedly, and in an instant, the entire area was engulfed in thick smoke.
“You’re using the same trick again?!”
Fool me once, but not twice!
Recalling his earlier mistake, the man ignored the smoke and charged at Shin Geum.
“Kuhack!”
However, before he could even take a full step, his body staggered.
His hair stood on end.
‘This one’s real!’
The moment he realized it, the poisonous fog had already infiltrated deep into his lungs.
“Urgh!”
Coughing up blackened blood, the man quickly leaped into the trees to escape the poisonous mist.
But he wasn’t the only one affected.
The Blood Wolves surrounding Shin Geum were also not immune.
Some immediately collapsed into a meditative position, circulating their internal energy to expel the poison.
Others, like the man, scrambled to higher ground.
The weaker ones, unable to withstand the poison, coughed up blood and collapsed.
‘The antidote pearls aren’t working!’
Knowing they were dealing with a master of poison arts, each Blood Wolf had been provided with antidote pearls in advance.
Even if they weren’t the finest quality, they were supposed to neutralize most poisons.
Yet, they proved utterly useless.
‘Just what kind of poison is this…?!’
For the first time, the man’s eyes were filled with fear as he looked downward.
Would he be able to return alive?
Then, it happened.
Boom!
Another stomp echoed through the battlefield.
As if responding to the impact, the dissipating poison mist surged once again, swallowing the man and the remaining Blood Wolves.
‘To set up such a flawless poison formation in such a short time…!’
Watching from outside the poison mist, Cheon-young couldn’t help but be impressed.
The poison itself was deadly, but what astounded him was the process of setting up the formation.
She had planted poison pouches strategically, creating traps to herd her enemies into the perfect position.
The execution had been as fluid as flowing water.
Above all, the sheer scale of the poison formation, covering a radius of over ten jang, was nothing short of remarkable.
He had never studied poison arts, but it was clear this was no ordinary technique.
‘As expected… This is the legendary Thousand-Hand Fragrant Poison!’
The Patriarch had been correct in his speculation about Shin Geum’s identity.
Even after decades, her skills had not diminished in the slightest.
Once, her prowess had shaken the entire martial world—
And now, witnessing it firsthand, Cheon-young felt a chill run down his spine.
She was the last person he would ever want as an enemy.
“Is everyone alright?”
“The youngest got poisoned and has retreated quickly!”
The responses snapped him back to focus.
“His condition?”
“Fortunately, it’s not critical. We administered the antidote the elder gave us in advance.”
Last night, Shin Geum had given them antidotes, warning them to stay at least ten jang away.
But their youngest member had been too curious, leading to his injury.
He had always been impulsive, and it seemed today was the day he would learn his lesson.
“The poison is no joke. Do not approach. As instructed, capture only those who escape the formation.”
“Yes, sir!”
This battle—
The Tak Family might be heading into war.
This time, their lord would not back down.
‘Seonhwa…’
This involved someone who was practically his own blood sibling.
And that sibling’s daughter.
As Cheon-young stared at the unfolding poison formation, his gaze turned colder than ever.
—
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