CHAPTER 6

Do You Want to Bet?

From the next day, Namgung Sanyeong slowly began extending his influence.

"Did Mother send this?"

"Y-yes, that's right."

Hyeongsam, trembling, couldn't even meet my eyes properly as he held out the tray.

A bowl containing herbal medicine.

The liquid inside was so dark that my own sullen reflection was visible in its surface.

"Young Lord!"

"I know, I know."

Good grief, do these people even have brains?

How do they expect me to drink this medicine without suspicion when they're making their intentions so blatantly obvious?

It's almost impressive how they think this would work.

This herbal medicine was, without a doubt, poisoned—designed to induce madness.

They wanted me to cause an incident during the Clan Leader's visit.

"We must punish these scoundrels immediately! How dare they offer such poison to the Young Lord! Just give the order, and we'll mix the same poison into their food!"

Oh?

How loyal of you.

I gave the Elder Spider a skeptical look. Sensing my disbelief, he awkwardly turned his head to the side.

If he had kept acting shamelessly, I would have turned him into a wraith on the spot.

Guess dying once made him a little more perceptive.

Now, what was that elder's name again?

For months, I've only been calling him "Spider." I can't even remember his real identity anymore.

Well, it doesn't matter. From now on, I'll just call him "Former Elder" or "Wraith One."

If he gets frustrated, he can tell me himself. Not that I'd bother remembering. Heh heh heh.

"M-my lady sent this to help restore your vitality, believing that you must have sufficiently reflected on your mistakes. She urged you to focus on your health until the Lord of Darkness arrives."

In other words, she wanted me to stay weak and bedridden so I wouldn't embarrass the Lord of Darkness when he came.

"She also instructed that special nutritional meals will be provided for you every meal, so please make sure not to skip them."

Ah, how considerate. They're offering me poison three times a day now.

I barely managed to suppress a smirk and waved him away.

"Alright. You can go now."

"U-uh, actually—"

"What? Got something else to say?"

"I-I was ordered to make sure you drink it all before leaving—"

How persistent.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the bowl and drank every drop.

Ugh. Disgusting.

"Happy now?"

"W-what? Y-yes! Of course! I-I'll take my leave then!"

Only after Hyeongsam left did I finally burst into laughter.

The bitter taste of the medicine still lingered in my mouth.

Now, let's see… The ingredients… Baeksancho mixed with Honhwajeong, plus a little bit of Madness Poison. Oh? They even added Ojeonghwan? That precious stuff?

This wasn't just a drug—it was practically a demon's elixir.

At first, drinking one or two doses wouldn't show any immediate effects.

On the surface, it even seemed beneficial—restoring energy and even temporarily enhancing internal strength.

They must have heard that I've been diligently training in martial arts before the Lord of Darkness's arrival and wanted to pretend to support me.

After all, I'd have to demonstrate my skills in front of him.

But the real danger came from prolonged use—the toxins would build up and gradually damage the brain.

And…

"This thing even has a brainwashing effect."

"What? What do you mean—"

"It contains Vermilion Sand Poison."

"Gasp! Vermilion Sand Poison?!"

"Yep. They're trying to put a spell on me. Pffft!"

Vermilion Sand was a material commonly used in talismans by sorcerers.

It was the perfect medium for imbuing magical energy.

If properly refined, it made casting certain spells much easier.

It seemed their plan was to turn me into a mindless puppet, driven mad by the poison.

Too bad for them… their target is me.

Oh, this is going to be fun.

"Find out if Namgung Sanyeong has a sorcerer working for him."

"We haven't detected any signs of one so far… which means he must be keeping them hidden or meeting them in secret. Understood! Leave it to this humble servant!"

The Elder Spider pounded his chest confidently before scuttling off with his minions.

I crossed my legs and resumed cultivating my Dark Dragon Mind Technique.

What Namgung Sanyeong failed to realize was…

Sure, Vermilion Sand Poison was dangerous. But no matter how potent their poison was, it was nothing compared to the Wraith Poison already flowing in my veins.

No toxin in the world could compare to that.

KIAAAAAAA!

The eerie wails of ghosts, now fully integrated into my internal energy, resonated through my mind like a lullaby as I started dissolving the poison.

—

Namgung Sanyeong's second scheme came soon after.

"A martial arts instructor?"

"Yes. I will be overseeing your training for the next four days. Pleased to meet you."

His words were polite, but his face screamed, I'm just here to pass time.

I was used to those kinds of looks. It didn't bother me much.

"Isn't the Justice Pavilion busy these days? Are you sure you have time for this?"

What surprised me was who they sent.

The Fierce Wind Knight, Tang Gon.

A former elite warrior of the Mad Wind Corps, personally trained by Tang Hosan.

Currently, one of the strongest warriors in the Nine Dragons Branch.

The interesting part? He wasn't part of Namgung Sanyeong's faction.

In fact, he didn't care about factional disputes at all.

Or anything in general.

He was notoriously lazy, always skipping training, much to the Justice Pavilion Master's frustration.

Rumor had it that if he hadn't saved Tang Hosan's life in the past, he would've been kicked out of the branch long ago.

So why was he here?

"What are you talking about? Of course I came because I'm busy."

Huh?

"I'll demonstrate the technique once—just once. Train by yourself."

Blatantly lazy.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

Now I saw Namgung Sanyeong's real intent.

By sending Tang Gon, she achieved three things:

She could observe my martial arts level and potential connections. She could have me monitored to prevent unexpected actions during the Lord of Darkness's visit. Most importantly, she could claim credit for my martial training, making herself seem supportive.

It was a safety net—if suspicions arose later, she could insist she had no ill intentions.

Hah. Not bad.

Still, she underestimated one thing.

I saw through everything.

Maybe I should have a little fun with this.

If I play my cards right, I might even get a chance to leave the manor.

"Now, let me demonstrate Dark Shadow Step."

Oh?

"Wanna bet?"