After the semifinals, three days were given for the participants to rest and prepare for the final match.
This time was provided to make sure everyone was fully prepared for the grand finale.
In the other semifinal clash between Myung Jin and Han Baek, Myung Jin emerged victorious. Although Han Baek showcased the Tai Chi Enlightened Sword, which was a secret technique of the Wudang Sect, he couldn’t withstand Myung Jin’s fierce attacks and ultimately suffered a decisive blow which brought the match to an end.
“Oh, why don’t they just fight quickly?”
Since his victory over Namgong Soo, Baek Woo Jin had begun to notice his reputation rising rapidly.
Unfamiliar faces suddenly appeared and left him gifts, or they would suggest meeting their very beautiful daughters over a meal sometime.
He hadn’t even mentioned anything, yet they went so far as to offer him a personal training room to prepare for the finals comfortably.
Compared to the time when he was called nothing more than a flashy but useless blossom, he had certainly succeeded in turning the tide.
“Hello?”
After a light workout, he stepped outside only to find someone else waiting to see him.
The sweet scent tickling his nose told him exactly who it was, even without looking.
It was Tang Seon Yeong.
“Do you remember what you said when we last parted?”
A sultry voice tickled his ears. Baek Woo Jin recalled the moment when he had wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Did I suggest we have a drink?”
“That’s right.”
A faint smile played on her lips.
“I was thinking we could have a drink tonight…, what do you think?”
The scent of the aphrodisiac on Tang Seon Yeong’s body had diminished significantly compared to last time.
At this level, drinking wouldn’t be much of an issue.
Baek Woo Jin couldn’t find a reason to refuse.
After all.
“Let’s do that, then.”
This meeting felt almost inevitable.
***
The Blue Moon Inn was known as the most luxurious establishment inside the Jungmu Academy.
This place was designed with the academy’s elite students in mind, where the cost of drinks alone easily reached several dozen silver taels a day.
Among its offerings, the private rooms on the upper floor were particularly exclusive; they cost nearly 100 silver taels to rent, which made a place only the truly wealthy scions could frequent. But Tang Seon Yeong handed over the money without hesitation as if it were nothing.
As expected of a rich girl!
The Tang clan of Sichuan was known to have numerous means of making money. Since poison and medicine were inseparable, they earned a considerable fortune through their herbal and pharmaceutical businesses. Furthermore, since they were also skilled in weapon making, they were also renowned for their blacksmithing which was another significant source of their wealth.
A beautiful Noona who’s rich and generously offers you drinks.
“Gulp…”
His mouth watered.
Before long, countless dishes were lined up on the table. It was hard to find an empty space.
“Here, take this.”
The liquor she ordered was Geomnamchun, which was a famous wine from the Sichuan region.
Baek Woo Jin was grinning from ear to ear as he held out his glass.
With a gentle pouring sound, the clear liquid sparkled as it filled the glass.
“Go ahead, drink up.”
The subtle fragrance from her body mingled naturally with the aroma of the wine.
When he downed the drink, the unique flavor of Geomnamchun along with its sweetness, spread across his palate.
“Ah…!”
It was an exceptional taste. Unlike the endlessly flowing alcohol of the gourd, this had a distinct flavor that brightened his mood.
“Fufu.”
She let out a small laugh as if she was pleased with Baek Woo Jin’s reaction.
“Try this too.”
The sight of his eyes getting bigger and his body shaking every time he ate something stimulated her maternal instinct.
She heard that he was treated as an outcast by his family; perhaps it was true.
Baek Woo Jin, who had stuffed his face with food until his cheeks were swollen, turned his gaze to Tang Seon Yeong.
“Am I eating too much?”
“Fufu, it’s fine.”
Tang Seon Yeong usually despised people who ate greedily, but she didn’t seem to mind with Baek Woo Jin.
Is it because he’s handsome?
She had seen her fair share of men worthy of being called handsome, but Baek Woo Jin was on an entirely different level. It even seemed possible that one could live just by looking at his face if it meant being with him.
After filling their stomachs to some extent, they entered a more relaxed time of passing drinks back and forth.
Baek Woo Jin, who had neatly emptied three bottles of Geomnamchun, had a face that had turned quite red.
So he needed to slowly bring out the real purpose of this drinking session before he got more drunk.
“Hey, Miss Tang.”
Tang Seon Yeong’s eyebrows twitched at Baek Woo Jin’s call.
“You’re being rude.”
Surprisingly, she had an old-fashioned side to her.
Baek Woo Jin curled his lips into a crooked smile and asked her,
“What poison am I supposed to take today?”
The pleasant atmosphere that had been so good until now instantly froze over.
This was how the encounter with Tang Seon Yeong went in the novel. In a situation where Baek Woo Jin was about to face Namgong Soo in the final match, she, under someone’s orders, arranged a drinking session to poison Baek Woo Jin.
Although he had gained strength, Baek Woo Jin who still trusted people too easily ate the poisoned food she offered, became poisoned, and right before stepping onto the final stage, suddenly disappeared, only to reappear after taking the antidote given by Tang Seon Yeong and eventually claim victory over Namgong Soo.
Everything went different from the storyline, so I thought it would end as if it never happened.
Many things had changed since he entered this body. He had even fought and defeated Namgong Soo in the semifinals instead of the finals.
So, he thought the incident with her wouldn’t happen, but when he saw her appear in front of his private training room, he realized that someone had commissioned her to poison him.
“Haah… How did you know?”
There was another reason Baek Woo Jin had figured out that she had come with ill intent.
“Your smile is different from last time.”
It was written in the novel that whenever she faked a smile, she had a habit of licking her dry lips.
Baek Woo Jin remembered this, and when he met her in front of the training room, she was repeatedly running her tongue over her lips.
“How interesting. Very few people know that my smile is different.”
Only a handful of her closest confidants could tell when she was faking a smile. And that was something they had naturally picked up on after spending more than ten years with her.
She relaxed her hands and leaned back comfortably against the chair.
“Rest assured. I haven’t used any poison yet.”
If she wanted to, she could have easily slipped poison into his food while he was too focused on eating. But she hadn’t.
Every time she thought about it, the moment when Baek Woo Jin had pulled her close by the waist flashed through her mind.
“Maybe I like you more than I thought.”
From Tang Seon Yeong’s perspective, he was a rather peciular man. It was the first time she had ever encountered someone who, after catching the faint scent of her pheromones and filling his eyes with lust for her, managed to exhibit such superhuman self-control.
She genuinely wanted to maintain a good relationship with him. She had no intention of making him wary by using poison.
“So relax and finish the rest of your food… hmm?”
Just as Tang Seon Yeong was about to tell him to eat everything without worry, she noticed Baek Woo Jin’s displeased gaze and tilted her head. She then asked him again.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why didn’t you poison me!”
The reason Baek Woo Jin had agreed to join Tang Seon Yeong for drinks was partly because he wanted to talk with her a bit more, but that was only a secondary motive. What Baek Woo Jin truly wanted was her poison.
“Give me the poison!”
Of course, he had no intention of consuming the poison mixed into the food. His plan was to somehow charm her into giving him the poison directly, so he could mix it into his own “magical gourd” and drink it.
“No… what is this…”
Tang Seon Yeong was simply bewildered. It was the first time someone had actually gotten annoyed at her for not poisoning them.
As he childishly demanded “Poison! Poison!” at the top of his lungs, a vein bulged on Tang Seon Yeong’s forehead.
“So… you really want to drink poison that badly…”
Baek Woo Jin was completely oblivious to the anger underlying her voice, so he eagerly nodded and shouted.
“Yes! Something really intense!”
“Fufu, alright.”
She happened to have something quite potent.
With a chilling smile, she pulled out a pill the size of a bean from her bosom.
“It’s called Fiery Pungent Poison. Just as you wanted, it’ll really heat up your body.”
“Oh… um.”
The Fiery Pungent Poison was, quite literally, a poison imbued with intense heat. After ingesting it, one would feel an overwhelming surge of heat within their body and experience a burning sensation all over. One would even suffer from pain and fever for several days.
Baek Woo Jin swallowed nervously as he accepted the poisonous pill and quickly tucked it into his gourd.
“What are you…?”
Tang Seon Yeong began to say something in surprise, but Baek Woo Jin raised his hand to stop her.
“Just watch for now.”
He carefully poured his internal energy into the gourd, and gently swirled it around as he used his drinking wine cultivation technique. Due to the small size of the pill, it dissolved faster than he expected.
He opened the lid and took a sniff of the contents.
“Oh wow…”
A spicy smell rose up along with a wave of intense heat.
“I hope this doesn’t cause any serious issues…”
He felt a twinge of concern but quickly brushed it aside. His flask had purified even the most toxic demonic energy from that demonic stone. No matter how strong this poison was, it couldn’t be worse than the demonic energy of demons.
“Alright!”
“W-Wait!”
Tang Seon Yeong was shocked and rushed over as she watched Baek Woo Jin gulp down the contents of the gourd that was full of poison. However, by then, the gourd was already emptied.
“What on earth are you doing?!”
She had reluctantly given him the poison because he kept asking for it, but she never actually intended for him to drink it. Though it wasn’t a deadly poison, it was still potent enough to cause several days of agonizing pain, so she had only meant to scare him. She never imagined he would actually drink it himself.
“Ugh…!”
The taste of the liquor infused with the Fiery Poison was similar to that of the liquor that was mixed with the demonic stone.
He began to feel intense heat spreading throughout his body, almost as if a fire had ignited inside him.
Before long, his drinking wine cultivation technique began to channel his internal energy. The intense heat that had been coursing wildly through his body came under the control of the cultivation technique and started moving along a set path, gradually gathering in his dantian.
“Oh…”
The process was extremely hot and intense, but when he could feel his internal energy growing rapidly, it became something he could endure.
Most of the energy accumulated steadily in his dantian, while the remaining residue began to move erratically through his body. It felt like it was searching for an exit, so he directed it towards his esophagus to expel it.
The energy surged up his esophagus.
At that moment, a strong burp escaped his mouth.
“Grrrk.”
Whoosh!
“…Huh?”
But instead of a smell, a small flame popped out of his mouth.
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