829 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Childhood Friends of the Number One Under Heaven, Chapter 829 “It’s poisoned.” The words of Dok Wang, as he clutched the mouth of the teapot. Inside, the teapot was filled to the brim with hot tea that the servant had brought. Dok Wang was blocking it with his hand. It must be terribly hot, but given that Dok Wang is a martial artist of the highest rank, it probably didn’t even faze him. The important thing was his eyes. “Do you know who did this?” His eyes blazed like a furnace. Fury swirled within his gaze. Observing this, I swallowed down a mild surprise. ‘He detected it?’ I only realized the poison after catching the scent, yet Dok Wang seemed to have noticed it even before pouring the tea. Dok Wang certainly hasn’t achieved immunity to all poisons, but he detected it faster than I did.... ‘Is it a difference in proficiency?’ Purely a difference in poison mastery. That’s what I deduced. After all, I am immune to poisons, but detecting them is a different story. Nevertheless, to detect it so accurately... ‘I didn’t expect his detection skills to be this sharp.’ I never thought he would be able to identify the poison inside the teapot. Especially when the amount of poison in there must not be significant. With a flick, Dok Wang set the teapot upright and gazed at me steadily. His previous question resurfaced in my mind. Did he ask if I knew who was behind this? “Yes, I know.” I admitted it straightforwardly. I expected Dok Wang to be startled or flustered, but that wasn’t his reaction. “Is that so? Well then, it seems we should hunt down and deal with that bastard right away. Who is it?” “…What?” I was the one taken aback at this point. Why would he immediately believe me and try to apprehend them? Normally, wouldn’t someone ask how I knew, or why I hadn’t acted on the information yet? I stared at Dok Wang, somewhat dumbfounded. “Who on earth…” He rose, his fist tightly clenched, brimming with anger. “Trying to make our precious daughter a widow…!” “…Wait. Hold on a second? Dang Gaju-nim?” I hastily grabbed Dok Wang, whose voice brimmed with murderous intent. I would have missed him entirely if I had been even a little slower. “Where did this widow talk suddenly come from?... And where are you going?" "Naturally, to go apprehend the culprit and... dissolve them." “Dissolve them? What do you mean by that? Please, stop for a moment…. Listen to what I have to say first." I managed to pull Dok Wang back, making him sit down. He still seemed filled with rage. The idea that I was almost poisoned didn’t seem to bother him that much... in light of his last words, I understood why. - Trying to make a widow -! The mention surely stemmed from something related to his daughter, Dang Soyeo. But I didn’t wish to dwell on that; probing it further would only be a headache. Anyway, I managed to make Dok Wang sit, and I exhaled a sigh before speaking to him. “You shouldn’t be in such a rush to go….” “Gu Gongja already said he knows who the culprit is.” “That’s true, but still. Normally, you would hear out the situation first. How I came to know this, and why I am acting this way... Wouldn’t you consider that?” “That’s unnecessary.” “Pardon?” I was momentarily at a loss due to Dok Wang’s firm response. Unnecessary? What was unnecessary? His answer was baffling and I tilted my head, unable to fully grasp it. “After all, Gu Gongja surely has something planned, which is why you are so calm.” “…” “Whether this incident is a part of Gongja’s intentions or not, one can’t ignore that you have a plan.” There was a strange sense of faith that came through his eyes. What kind of belief is this? It was a valid point, but hearing it from Dok Wang felt oddly unsettling. Here’s the problem. “…But why do you still intend to go?” If he knew I had a plan, wouldn’t it be better not to go? It was puzzling, so I asked him. “That’s your intention, Gongja. My anger stems from something else.” “…” I was speechless. So, he needed to vent his anger regardless of whether or not I had any plans. ...This gentleman has quite the temper. With a sigh, I spoke to Dok Wang. “…Could you please restrain yourself a bit? I have something in preparation.” It’s a vital situation. I’ve been working tirelessly for days to set this up. I can’t let Dok Wang ruin it. At my words, Dok Wang frowned slightly and replied. “Is what you’re preparing for an assassination attempt?” “Oh no. Certainly not.” I waved my hand with a chuckle. “Dang Gaju-nim, you know this as well. Such a poison can’t kill anyone.” This is not an assassination poison. Dok Wang must already know this, and even if I didn’t, I was confident. The reason being. ‘I gave it to them.’ This poison was something I provided. It’s used to slow movements while causing paralysis—an expensive and hard-to-obtain poison. When mixed with tea, it leaves no trace and its effects last a long time. It even shows heightened effects when absorbed over several days. The only issue is that it’s extremely hard to come by.... “…No way.” Dok Wang seemed to catch on as he looked at me. “Was this what you asked for last time?” “…” I answered with an awkward smile. He was right. The poison was sourced from the Dang clan. I discreetly requested it from Dang Sogaju, but it seems Dok Wang knows about it too. “I never expected you would use it on yourself instead of someone else.” “I did ask to keep it a secret. Perhaps Dang Sogaju is more talkative than expected….” Or perhaps he didn’t even try to hide it? I wondered but decided to brush it off. “That precious poison wasn’t meant for someone else; it was for yourself?” “Wouldn’t it be better this way?” “Then why use poison at all...?” “…” Faced with these words, I had no response. He’s right. If the poison isn’t meant to harm someone... Poisons can be used for paralysis or sometimes treatment... but that wasn’t the point. “…Anyway, I had my reasons.” “Hmm.” “It’s nothing to worry about. As I mentioned earlier, consuming this won’t lead to death.” Not just this poison, but any poison would be the same. However, Dok Wang doesn’t know that I am immune to all poisons. It was best to keep this hidden. If word got out that I'm immune to all poisons, it could become troublesome. ‘There are so many ways to use it.’ It was most convenient for catching those attempting to poison me. Staying quiet helped in orchestrating situations to my advantage. See, just because it’s not known, incidents like this can still happen easily. ‘…I admire you, Dang Sunbae-nim.’ I bowed my head slightly in a gesture akin to prayer, thinking of her, the heroine of the Dang clan. Unlike other troublesome elders, she had left me with much wisdom. In my past life, I was cautious about eating food due to poison concerns, but now I had no such worries. “Really, don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” “…Who said I’m worried?” “You might be worried about Dang Soyeo… It’s to reassure you that nothing troublesome is going to happen.” No matter the situation, there would be no problem. I stated this firmly, aiming to instill confidence, and Dok Wang let out a gentle snort of breath, saying. “…How is my daughter doing?” He shifted the topic from our prior conversation. It was a sign he was willing to let it go. “Yes. She is doing very well.” “Doing well isn’t what’s important. It’s whether she is happy.” “She seems content... Though, I’m not entirely sure, so it might be best to ask her directly?” “…” He avoided my gaze at the suggestion of speaking to her directly. It seemed he didn’t want to be detected as being present. ‘…Yet, she’ll find out eventually, won’t she?’ Since Dok Wang wasn’t secretly here and appeared so openly, it would soon reach Dang Soyeo’s ears. He must know that... His reaction seemed to imply that he only needed to avoid immediate detection. ‘That seems to be the case.’ That's what it looked like. ‘Well, that’s set aside.’ This wasn’t critically important, so I moved on. Having handled the matter of the poison, it was time to return to the main topic. “So, what brings you here? I’m not sure if you saw it, but I planned to come visit you tomorrow.” The reason Dok Wang came looking for me at the sect's branch. Upon asking, Dok Wang hesitated slightly before speaking. “I did see it. And was aware.” “I see.” “So, I wanted to hold back if possible. But I couldn’t.” Even though I planned to visit the Dang clan tomorrow, he had come today. This indicated something quite serious. I already had a suspicion. “So… is it what I think it is?” “The manufacturing of Dokchendan has almost reached completion.” “Oh.” As expected, that was the topic. I had already heard about this through correspondence in Hanam. “Congratulations.” “Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Gu Gongja.” Dok Wang accepted my congratulations with grace. He had every reason to feel grateful. Dokchendan was a lost part of the Dang clan's ancient history. An elixir compared to Shaolin’s Dae Hwan Dan. To have reclaimed it after centuries would have been like a dream come true for Dok Wang. Unlike the current situation of the Dang clan. ‘I had predicted it was completed already, but reaching the final stages...’ It seemed they weren’t yet finished, but for him to visit today suggested... ‘There must be something he wants to tell me.’ There was something significant he needed to discuss. I waited for Dok Wang to speak first. After a momentary silence, he finally spoke. “We have prepared most of the ingredients. There were difficult items to procure, but nothing impossible to handle.” I agreed. Most of the ingredients I saw were not overly difficult to acquire. Those that seemed challenging were accessible if one had the money. The Dang clan, due to its isolation, still retained ample wealth. Hence, I didn’t expect any significant issues. ‘What is it?’ I pondered over what could be the problem until Dok Wang continued. “However.” “However?” “The final piece is the issue.” “The final piece….” In the midst of speaking, I halted for a moment. An inkling of understanding washed over me. The last ingredient for Dokchendan didn't happen to be... “Is it the red arcane stone?” The red arcane stone, one of its kind. Shockingly, this stone was an ingredient in Dokchendan. “What’s the problem with it?” “…I don’t know.” “What?” “Despite following the formula precisely... the Dokchendan cannot be completed, no matter how many times we try.” “What do you mean?” Though they had followed the recipe accurately, it didn’t yield the desired result. Frowning, I pushed further, and Dok Wang explained. “According to the procedure, we grounded the red arcane stone before it lost its color and blended it with the materials….” The situation was serious enough to crease Dok Wang’s brow. “The instant we mixed the powder, all the prepared materials rotted away.” “…!” The moment the powder touched, the elixir decayed. On hearing this, I quickly grasped the reason. If I had to pinpoint the cause, it was likely… “The demonic aura?” The demonic aura must’ve been the issue. Arcane stones naturally contain demonic energy. Trying to incorporate it into the elixir seemed to trigger a violent reaction. Suddenly, a question rose within me. If the elixir couldn't be completed due to the stone, then... ‘Wouldn’t it make sense not to use arcane stones at all?’ It was puzzling even now. Mined from the corpses of demonic creatures, arcane stones held no inherent value. At best, they were pretty rocks. Within days, their color faded, leaving a common stone behind. Unless one wielded skills like the demonic absorption of me, there was no practical reason to mess with them. I had heard that some clans or sects were studying these stones, as demonic creatures had reappeared a few years ago. ‘Even then, what could they hope to discover?’ Though their research seemed futile, there was no harm in it, I concluded. This case was similar. ‘It’s puzzling why such a stone would be an ingredient in an elixir…’ The manufacturing process had dictated to grind the arcane stone finely for use. Even though it was peculiar, I didn’t worry much since that was the guideline provided. After all, an elixir containing an arcane stone would inevitably retain demonic energy. Thus, even if successful, the elixir would be something a typical martial artist couldn't consume. This means— ‘Was there a fundamental flaw in the manufacturing process?’ Following the recipe, it was supposed to neutralize energy or contain poison, suggesting there was some means to do so. But given the elixir is said to rot, it pointed to one of two possibilities: ‘Either the elixir recipe was wrong from the start, or—’ The manufacturers misunderstood the recipe. It was one of these two, and from my perspective, the latter was likely the correct answer. ‘There’s no way Dang Sunbae-nim would provide false knowledge.’ It couldn’t be that the majestic and wonderful Dang Sunbae-nim would do such a thing. She was even less likely to have misunderstood, which made it more probable that the problem lay with the manufacturers. No, it was certain. Then, what exactly was the issue? I pondered. ‘We can’t let the manufacturing of Dokchendan delay further.’ Somehow, as swiftly as possible. Ideally, it needed to be completed before the year ended. To achieve this, a solution must be found. ‘No wonder he rushed here immediately.’ I wondered why Dok Wang came himself. Now I understood. Since I provided the manufacturing recipe, and a problem arose at the final steps, he thought I might know something. ‘Darn it,’ But how would I know? I had passed it off to the Dang clan because I couldn't make it myself. This isn’t something that should circle back to me. If demonic aura was the issue, then how was I supposed to handle it? ‘Does it mean we need to rid the arcane stone of its demonic aura entirely?’ “Dang Gaju-nim, have you tried using the stones after their color has faded...?” “We tried that already.” “…As expected?” Of course, it would have been tried. Once the arcane stone loses its demonic aura, its color fades. It becomes no different from a simple stone, providing no benefits in mixing it. Without adding the arcane stone, it wouldn’t match the recipe, meaning it wouldn’t be completed, akin to— ‘Like needing some different essence within the arcane stone…’ Stop. I halted mid-thought. Something flashed through my mind. Grinding demonic aura-laden arcane stones causes rotting. Hence, simply grinding and adding it won’t work. That implies— ‘Could it be?’ With a thoughtful expression, I turned to Dok Wang. “Dang Gaju-nim.” “What is it?” “You remember my plan of visiting the Dang clan tomorrow, right?” “I remember you saying you would come. Though I haven't yet consented—” “I think I might have an idea worth trying.” “…!” Dok Wang, who seemed prepared to dismiss me, suddenly became silent. “Tomorrow, I must see the manufacturing process firsthand. Would that be alright?” Dok Wang nodded fervently instead of speaking. He wasn’t one to stubbornly insist in the face of a potential solution to the Dokchendan issue. The question is— ‘Will it work?’ Whether the method I just thought of would succeed. That was the crux of the matter. Failure won’t pose a massive problem. I could simply look for another solution. However, should it succeed, that would pose an issue. ‘…If my hunch is correct.’ This would imply that the first person to ever manufacture Dokchendan might not have been from the Dang clan.