Chapter 132

***

Greatly shocked by the mind-controlling insects and the centipede monster incident, Cheong-ra had terrible nightmares every time he slept. He dreamed of being controlled by the Blood Cult and harming the people of Moon Lake Sect, or of insects crawling everywhere. However, apart from the nightmares, Cheong-ra's body was recovering quickly after receiving Dang Ran-yeong's promise.

When he became able to walk without support, Hwan-hong came to visit Cheong-ra. She was holding a baby fox with fluffy golden fur in her arms.

"Miss Hwan! Aho!"

Cheong-ra, who had been reading a book, exclaimed happily. The baby fox had grown plump and healthy, as if Hwan-hong had taken great care of it. Recognizing Cheong-ra, the baby fox approached with a panting, smiling face and acted cute. Before he knew it, the baby venomous horned serpent had also slithered onto the bed.

"Yong-rin is here too."

As he was petting them affectionately, Hwan-hong's gaze was directed at the cover of the book Cheong-ra had been reading. "Book of Ten Thousand Insects in the Belly." It was a book found in the mansion's library, detailing various insects that live inside the human body. Although he had to take deep breaths to maintain his composure with each page he read, he was steadfastly continuing to read.

"Young Master Baek, you've learned about the Demon Soul Insects."

"...Yes. So Miss Hwan knew about them too."

A sympathetic look appeared in Hwan-hong's eyes. After a moment of silence, Hwan-hong spoke.

"Young Master Baek, you've heard of Lightning Whip Sword Yoo Cheon-so, haven't you?"

It was impossible not to know about most experts with supreme martial arts skills, as they were usually famous in the martial arts world. Especially someone rumored to have been defeated by Dang Ran-yeong in a duel and then disappeared.

"Lightning Whip Sword also took his own life because of the Demon Soul Insects. When he learned that his son had been controlled by mind-controlling insects and harmed his family, and that he had fed him mind-controlling insects and branded him with the Blood Cult's mark, he killed his child and then took his own life. Having witnessed this, I couldn't bring myself to tell you."

"So that's why Lightning Whip Sword Yoo Cheon-so's whereabouts became unknown..."

Shocked, Cheong-ra muttered blankly. He could well imagine the state of mind that led Yoo Cheon-so to choose suicide.

The Yoo family probably chose to leave him as missing rather than announce that Yoo Cheon-so had killed his son and committed suicide. It would have been difficult to explain about the mind-controlling insects, and equally troublesome to reveal the unfilial act of killing his child.

By the way, if Hwan-hong knew about the existence of Demon Soul Insects, it was highly likely that the other two knew as well. Was that why Nam Gang-ryong kept giving hints as if he would kill him, telling him to run away? Thinking that Nam Gang-ryong had tried to show mercy in his own way, Cheong-ra smiled bitterly.

"How is your body?"

"It's much better."

Although he said he was much better, he still looked gaunt, so Hwan-hong added a few words of concern. Then suddenly, she bowed her head in a formal greeting, which startled Cheong-ra.

"Thank you, Young Master Baek."

"Miss Hwan, why are you doing this? Please don't."

Even though Cheong-ra tried to stop her, Hwan-hong didn't raise her bowed head. Her next words were unexpected.

"Thanks to Young Master Baek, the Ink-scaled Centipede could truly find peace."

"By Ink-scaled Centipede... do you mean that centipede?"

Cheong-ra asked in great surprise. The black-scaled centipede must surely refer to the giant black centipede that Yeon Jeok-san had been controlling with the bell sound.

"The Ink-scaled Centipede had been a spirit beast guarding the Blossom Garden Sect for hundreds of years. It was a noble being with such calm spiritual energy that people would say it might be cultivating to become a dragon and ascend to heaven. Although it changed like that after falling into the hands of the Blood Cult..."

The giant centipede Cheong-ra remembered was a nightmare incarnate. Far from having calm spiritual energy, it was like a monster filled with evil and terrible poisonous energy.

"Young Master Baek may find it hard to understand, but it was once an important existence to me, like a friend and family. Every time the Blood Cult used the Ink-scaled Centipede to commit massacres, I felt such pain and my teeth would chatter. Now I won't have to feel that anguish anymore. It's thanks to Young Master Baek."

"...I didn't do anything deserving of such gratitude."

All Cheong-ra had done was run away like a coward out of fear, then crawl pathetically on the ground and barely manage to cut the centipede. However, Hwan-hong just smiled calmly.

"I just wanted to express my gratitude. You still don't look well, so please rest now."

Hwan-hong picked up Aho and stood up. She extended her hand to Yong-rin as well, but seeing that it was wrapped around Cheong-ra's neck and wouldn't budge, she withdrew her hand without forcing it. Just then, something occurred to Cheong-ra, and he stopped Hwan-hong.

"Ah, Miss Hwan. What happened with the Phoenix-Qilin-Iris-Orchid Contest?"

He had asked Dang Ran-yeong, but only received an indifferent answer that he had taken care of it well, without any intention of explaining further, which was frustrating. Fortunately, Hwan-hong answered honestly without hiding anything.

"Thanks to Young Master Baek handling the brainwashing formation well, it fortunately went well. The Golden Flower Merchant Group said they wouldn't hold the finals due to the extensive damage, which caused a lot of complaints."

Martial artists must have been the most angry, since the Vermilion Face Fruit was offered as a prize. Not knowing it was a fake Vermilion Face Fruit planted by the Blood Cult.

"Moreover, making Demon Soul Insects is so difficult that it requires dozens of livestock, and all of those died, so there should be fewer people falling victim to Demon Soul Insects for a while. The Phoenix-Qilin-Iris-Orchid Contest was a big move by the Blood Cult, but thanks to Young Master Baek, we were able to thwart their scheme. We were even able to take down two of the Blood Cult's executives."

Hwan-hong's gaze and tone as she said this were surprisingly gentle and kind. Compared to when she first met Cheong-ra and almost ignored him, barely speaking to him, it was a change as dramatic as the sky and earth turning upside down.

"I'm glad to hear that, but I'm worried about the participants in the contest. They're all good potential sacrifices, so the Blood Cult will be eyeing them greedily."

"That... won't be a concern for a while."

—-------------------------

Hwan-hong answered with a subtle expression. When Cheong-ra heard the reason, he was dumbfounded. After Hwan-hong left and Dang Ran-yeong came with the medicinal decoction, Cheong-ra asked blankly,

"Young Master Dang, is that true?"

"What?"

The Tang Clan people showed excellent skill with medicine as well as poisons, which they made directly. As they needed to be knowledgeable about the human body, many were also well-versed in medical arts, and Dang Ran-yeong was no exception. Thanks to the effectiveness of the decoction he drank three times a day, Cheong-ra's body was recovering rapidly. He couldn't even imagine how expensive it must be.

Dang Ran-yeong pressed the decoction bowl firmly against Cheong-ra's lips. It was pressure to drink the decoction on time no matter what he was doing. After emptying the bitter decoction cleanly, Cheong-ra asked again in a slightly trembling voice,

"Did you really cause smallpox on all the beauties' faces?"

Smallpox. This referred to a terrifying infectious disease that caused hideous rashes all over the body. Countless people died from it, and even those who survived were left with horrible scars that turned their lives into hell. At Cheong-ra's question, Dang Ran-yeong frowned.

"No matter what, how could I kill everyone just to catch the Blood Cult bastards?"

Indeed, even Dang Ran-yeong wouldn't commit such an atrocious act... Smallpox, Hwan-hong must have just exaggerated a bit, Cheong-ra thought. Then Dang Ran-yeong answered nonchalantly,

"I just tampered with the tea leaves at the banquet hall and poisoned those present with a biological toxin that causes severe rashes all over their bodies, including their faces."

It's not smallpox, but you did do something to their faces!

A poison that causes severe rashes on the face - shocked, Cheong-ra unconsciously touched his own haggard face. As he looked at Dang Ran-yeong with a gaze that seemed to ask how he could do such a cruel thing, Dang Ran-yeong said indifferently,

"Getting something on their faces is better than becoming sacrifices for the Blood Cult. After all, one can't use damaged sacrifices for rituals, so this way, the Blood Cult won't be able to do anything while they're sick. And it will heal cleanly in about a year."

It was a relief that it would heal cleanly, but imagining it happening to himself was terrifying just to think about. Then Dang Ran-yeong gave him a stern look. Cheong-ra's face turned pale. He shook his head desperately from side to side.

"No. Not me. I can't do that. Don't even think about it!"

"Even I would feel bad about ruining this pretty face."

Dang Ran-yeong grasped Cheong-ra's chin, which had become even more sharply defined from his recent illness, and smiled as he brought his lips close. Seeing that smile, Cheong-ra's ears grew hot, and he turned his head to the side, slipping out of Dang Ran-yeong's grasp. Soon, Dang Ran-yeong let go of his hand and said,

"Anyway, there's no use poisoning Beauty like that. Your value isn't just in your face, so even if it's a little damaged, the Blood Cult won't give up on you."

"What... do you mean by that?"

Seeing that no answer came, it seemed he wouldn't tell him. Already knowing well that it was useless to ask, Cheong-ra gave up on getting an answer early and worried. He thought it might be because of his martial arts skills. Even at the Phoenix-Qilin-Iris-Orchid Contest, they had allowed martial artists with less attractive appearances to participate.

"But is it okay to do such a thing? Even if it's Young Master Dang, wouldn't you become a public enemy of the martial arts world for doing something like that?"