As night deepened, Tang Seon Yeong returned to her quarters; her eyes were filled with lingering sadness and regret.
Though she had rarely shared a bond of affection with her father, he was still her father. The thought that he might not be who she believed him to be threw her into a deep shock.
However, with no decisive evidence to rely on, it was impossible to draw any clear conclusions at this point.
It’s not the time to lean too heavily in any direction.
Baek Woo Jin needed a broader perspective. If he narrowed his view too soon, he risked missing critical clues that could appear anywhere, at any time.
So he decided to keep all possibilities open, to look at everything carefully, without overlooking even the smallest detail.
“Ugh, I really hate thinking too hard.”
Deep contemplation was not something he enjoyed. Opening his mind to every possibility and thinking through countless scenarios often led to sleepless nights spent endlessly worrying. Just like tonight.
“Young hero, I brought your breakfast. May I come in?”
The soft, coquettish voice drifting through the paper door pulled him out of his thoughts.
When he opened his eyes, he noticed that the sun had already risen. He shook his head in mild disbelief.
“Come in.”
Clatter.
The paper door opened and the maid who had tried to seduce Baek Woo Jin a few days ago entered. She was having a hard time carrying a tray of dishes that filled the table.
After placing the tray in front of him, she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she sat down demurely across from him and looked at him with an uncomfortable gaze.
“……”
“…What is it?”
When Baek Woo Jin asked with an awkward expression, she responded with a soft smile.
“Would it be all right if I helped you with your meal? There are quite a few dishes today that require some extra care.”
“There’s no need for that… No, never mind. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to be served every once in a while.”
He was about to politely decline but abruptly changed his mind. As if she had been waiting for this, she picked up her chopsticks, skillfully removed the bones from the fish, and placed the thick tender fillet on top of his rice.
“Please, enjoy your meal.”
Baek Woo Jin watched her quietly for a moment before putting a spoonful into his mouth.
This is strange.
The girl he had seen a few days ago had come across as fresh and innocent. Though she had seemed determined, her clumsy attempts to approach a man were clumsy, which was actually charming.
But today was different.
While chewing his food, Baek Woo Jin unconsciously leaned over to her and sniffed the air without realizing it.
“Ah! Do I smell strange or something?”
Startled, the maid asked him with a flustered expression. He quickly shook his head.
“No, it’s nothing.”
He hastily offered an excuse, but she pouted and leaned in closer as she lightly fluttered her clothes.
“Are you sure? Doesn’t anything smell off?”
The faint scent wafting with the movement of her clothes reached his nose. It was a sweet and delicate smell that seemed to relax every muscle in his face.
This scent… it’s definitely the fragrance that comes from Miss Tang.
The reason he had sniffed the air so intently was precisely because of this. The fragrance wafting from her was similar to the scent he had detected from Tang Seon Yeong.
It’s not exactly the same, but…
Upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences. Although the difference was small, the scent coming from the maid in front of him felt a bit more mature and elegant.
At the same time, his internal energy began to deplete little by little. The implication of this was clear.
Another test subject, but different from Miss Tang?
The mere act of catching her scent caused his internal energy to drain. This meant, much like Tang Seon Yeong, faint traces of poison were emanating from her body’s natural scent.
If that were the case, didn’t this mean the maid standing before him was also one of the failed test subjects, just like Tang Seon Yeong?
“Young hero…?”
Her soft voice called out as she slowly closed the distance between them.
Baek Woo Jin, who had briefly worn a dazed expression, gave his head a light shake. The gesture was exaggerated and done on purpose to show her.
“…You’ve done enough. That’s all for now, so you may leave.”
“U-Understood.”
The maid rose hastily from her seat.
Baek Woo Jin noticed something.
As she started to leave hastily, her expression betrayed her confusion. But a faint smile remained on her lips.
“That’s strange.”
Tang Seon Yeong had definitely said she was the first and only test subject.
The reason was simple. The success rate of injecting poison into the body was higher for children than adults, and highest when the subject was a newborn baby.
She added this with a sad smile. She explained that this was why she could live as someone who was valued above all else in the Tang clan.
As the only test subject whose body had been infused with a mild poison since she was a newborn, they could observe the problems and changes that would manifest as she grew, gathering valuable data in the process.
“Then who exactly is that woman?”
When they had spoken in the past, she had mentioned that she had been working here for quite a long time, but it was clearly not from an age so young she couldn’t remember anything.
“Surely not…”
A chilling thought briefly flashed through his mind.
What if that craftsman, who was so hard to track down, had not given up his research on creating Poison Humans?
And what if the girl who had just brought him breakfast was the result of that continued research, someone who had undergone the experiment as an adult?
That theory would align with much of what he had observed so far.
“Nothing’s been resolved, yet the questions just keep piling up…”
His chest, already weighed down with frustration, grew even heavier. He felt as though his carefully suppressed temper might erupt if he stayed still any longer.
To calm himself, he brought the gourd of liquor to his lips. The fiery sensation swept through his body, and his internal energy began to accumulate at a noticeably faster rate.
It was liquor brewed using the demonic stones extracted from the demonic beasts he had dealt with before arriving here.
“I’m starting to see the end now.”
When he noticed how much lighter the liquor’s color had become, he smacked his lips in contemplation.
Beyond the sliding paper door, a man’s shadow appeared.
“Um, young hero.”
It was a familiar voice. It unmistakably belonged to the guard who had boldly tried “the new form of greeting” when they first met.
“A letter has arrived under your name.”
Baek Woo Jin who had been listening quietly shot to his feet and strode over to the paper door. He opened it and extended his hand.
“Here, here it is.”
The guard’s appearance was so pale compared to their first meeting that Baek Woo Jin felt a mischievous urge well up, but he held it back and motioned for the man to leave.
He immediately opened the letter and read its contents.
“Oh.”
It was the news he had been waiting for.
It was word that Jeong Jong Gu, the key to uncovering the truth shrouded in the dark clouds over the Tang clan, had been found.
And not far from here, at that.
***
In every bustling city, there is at least one place that never loses its light, even in the darkest night.
As is often the case, such a place where business thrives late into the night is unique in nature.
“So, you’re telling me he’s gambling here?”
“Yes.”
The Hao Sect disciple assigned to guide him by Black Fang answered politely.
This place, which operated as a guesthouse during the day and a gambling den from late at night until dawn, was where Jeong Jong Gu was said to be.
Baek Woo Jin couldn’t make sense of it.
“A man banished from the Tang clan is living comfortably here in Chengdu?”
“It’s not exactly in Chengdu, but… it’s true that he’s living very close by.”
The Hao Sect disciple handed over a drawing he had been carrying.
“This is Jeong Jong Gu’s current appearance.”
The image portrayed a man who looked significantly different from the one Tang Seon Yeong had sketched.
“If you don’t look closely, you might think it’s someone else entirely.”
The distinctive features, such as the tiny mole at the corner of his eye or the wart under his earlobe, were the only clues to his identity. Without noticing them, it would be hard to believe that this was Jeong Jong Gu.
Judging by how much he’s altered his face, he clearly doesn’t want to be recognized by someone….
But who exactly was he trying to avoid?
The most likely suspect was the Tang clan. Considering how regularly he visited the gambling den, he didn’t seem like someone who had fled after causing the clan massive financial losses. In fact, he appeared to have plenty of money.
“Right under their noses, huh? That’s bold.”
Baek Woo Jin almost wanted to commend him for such a daring and clever move, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was ultimately a foolish choice.
Subtle movements could be detected around the guesthouse, which had become a gambling den.
There were no fewer than twelve presences.
Surveillance? Or an assassination?
Whichever it was, one thing was certain: Jeong Jong Gu had drawn considerable attention.
“You can leave now. Pass my thanks to the branch leader.”
“Thank you.”
Now alone, Baek Woo Jin looked up at the building where light was slowly leaking out.
If things had gone according to plan, Baek Woo Jin intended to march straight into the gambling den, grab the man by the scruff of his neck, and drag him out. However, he changed his mind.
He decided to wait and observe the twelve individuals keeping watch around the area, hoping to figure out their purpose.
Sitting in a dark alley, Baek Woo Jin took slow sips of alcohol. Just then, a man who looked exactly like Jeong Jong Gu he had seen in the earlier sketch was thrown out of the building.
“Damn it, you rotten bastards!”
Spit!
Judging by the man’s foul mouth, it seemed he had been thoroughly ripped off.
For a while, Jeong Jong Gu stood in front of the building, shouting at the top of his lungs. Eventually, he kicked the innocent ground in frustration and started walking away.
“Damn it… Next time I will…”
He muttered under his breath as he moved, and the twelve individuals who had been surrounding the building began to stir.
They kept a cautious distance and followed him without making any obvious moves. This meant that they had no intention of killing.
So, they’re observing him.
Still, wasn’t twelve people an excessive number for mere surveillance? Assigning that many to watch over a single person seemed like a waste of manpower. But then again, perhaps the man was important enough to warrant such attention, and that thought filled Baek Woo Jin with growing anticipation.
Well, it’s about time to get moving.
The purpose of the twelve surrounding Jeong Jong Gu was likely surveillance and protection.
In the fantasy world, heroes were synonymous with versatility. The gods blessed them with unparalleled talents, so they could master anything, and they learned tenfold from understanding a single concept.
Despite this talent, Baek Woo Jin had never learned magic. This was due to the two sword demons he had as masters. Both of whom were infamous for the ridiculous claim that swordsmanship, when mastered to its peak, was no different from magic.
As a result, he hadn’t learned a single spell, but he had mastered countless other skills to an exhausting degree. What he was about to use now was one of those very techniques.
The energy stored in his dantian began to flow out through the bubbling well point. The energy flowed along the ground, and drew in the dense darkness around him, which began to envelop Baek Woo Jin like a shroud.
Curtain of Night.
What was called qi or mana in different worlds was essentially the building block of nature.
It existed in fire, water, wind, earth, and equally in darkness.
While the energy stored in a human body couldn’t turn someone into nature itself, it could attract and harmonize with the surrounding energy with a little refinement.
The Curtain of Night was a technique born from this principle. By using one’s own energy to attract and wrap themselves in darkness, it created a camouflage so unparalleled that even though it had been invented by a swordmaster, it was coveted by every assassin in the fantasy world. Now, that very technique was being used here.
His vision dimmed as if he was looking through tinted glasses, but beyond the darkness, he could still make out Jeong Jong Gu’s retreating figure. This was the only drawback of the Curtain of Night that cast shadows all around him.
Baek Woo Jin began walking directly toward him, step by silent step. Yet, not a single soul noticed his approach.
Before long, he reached Jeong Jong Gu’s side without a sound. Leaning in close, he whispered into his ear.
“Jong Gu-ah, your mother wants you to come in for dinner.”
“What the hell?! Who dares bring up my dead mother—?!”
When Jeong Jong Gu turned around with an angry voice, Baek Woo Jin slightly pulled back the curtain draped before him.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know that.”
His tone was casual, accompanied by a faint smirk, as if he was offering an insincere apology. After that, he reached out and grabbed Jeong Jong Gu by the neck and pulled him into the Curtain of Night. Then he quickly closed the gap in the curtain.
At that exact moment, the figures clad in night-black cloaks, who had been keeping a close watch on Jeong Jong Gu, descended.
Their eyes, which were the only part of their faces that could be seen, were wide with shock.
“Wh-What on earth just happened?”
“I don’t know…! Something appeared out of nowhere…!”
Chaos erupted.
By the time they realized what had happened, Baek Woo Jin had already hoisted the unconscious Jeong Jong Gu over his shoulder and casually slipped through their ranks.
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