Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God - Chapter 6
Chapter 6 – Wanna Bet?
The very next day, Namgung San-yeong subtly began making her moves.
“This was sent by Mother?” I asked.
“Y-yes, that’s right.” Hyeong-sam couldn’t even meet my gaze properly as he trembled while extending a tray toward me.
The tray held a bowl containing a black, ominous decoction. The dark surface was reflective enough to mirror my scowling face.
「Junior Lord!」
‘I know, I know.’
Good grief, were these people brainless?
How did they expect me to drink that suspicious-as-hell concoction when their intentions were so blatantly obvious?
It was difficult to even feign agreement.
The decoction was almost certainly a poison designed to induce madness. As for why? They wanted to cause a major incident during the clan head’s approaching visit.
「We must punish them at once! How dare they offer such poison to the junior lord?! Just give the word, and I’ll mix it into their food and burn it all alongside their younglings!」
Ah, so now they choose to be loyal.
I gave the elder spider an incredulous look, and he flinched and turned his head away in guilt. If he continued to act so shamelessly, I was planning to turn him into a ghost pill on the spot.
But having died once already, his sense of self-preservation was remarkably sharp.
‘What was this elder’s name again?’
I’d only been calling him a “spider” for the past few months, so I couldn’t for the life of me remember his real name. Not that it mattered. From then on, he’d simply be ‘Ex-Elderling’ or ‘Ghost No. 1.’
If it bothered him, he could say his name himself. Not that I’d bother to remember even then, heh.
“The Grand Matron believes that you have sufficiently reflected on your mistakes, Second Young Master, so she sent this decoction to replenish your energy. She also emphasized that you should focus on recuperating until the Dark Sovereign arrives.”
Ah, so the underlying message was, ‘Don’t embarrass the clan by being a sickly mess when the Dark Sovereign visits.’
“Starting today, you’ll be served specially prepared nutritious meals every day. The Grand Matron insists that you don’t skip a single one.”
She might as well have said she’d ensure I consumed poison three times daily.
“Fine. You can go now.” Suppressing the smirk threatening to escape my lips, I waved him off.
“Ah, but, um—”
“What? You still have more to say?”
“I’ve been ordered to ensure you drink all of it before I leave…”
‘Oh, they’re really trying.’
Without hesitation, I grabbed the bowl and downed the decoction in one go.
‘Ugh. Tastes terrible.’
“Happy now?”
“Y-yes! Yes, indeed! Then I shall take my leave!”
Only after Hyeong-sam left did I allow myself to laugh. The bitter taste of the decoction lingered on my tongue.
Let’s see. The ingredients were ‘white mountain herb’, mixed with ‘soul-burning resin’, a touch of ‘madness poison’, and… oh, look at that. They even added the rare ‘five essence powder’?
It wasn’t just an ordinary poison. It was lethal poison.
If consumed in small amounts, it wouldn’t seem harmful. On the contrary, it could act like an elixir, restoring energy and even bolstering the ki in one’s dantian.
They must’ve heard that I was training diligently in preparation for the Dark Sovereign’s visit and wanted to appear helpful.
However, long-term use would accumulate toxins, eventually damaging the Mind Gate.
And then…
“This thing even has a brainwashing component.”
「Pardon? What do you mean by that?」
“It contains toxic cinnabar.”
「Wh-what?! Toxic cinnabar?!」
“It means they’re trying to cast a spell on me. Hah!”
Toxic cinnabar was often used by sorcerers in their talismans, as it was an ideal medium for channeling mystic power.
Once treated appropriately, it could easily be used to bind someone under a spell.
They likely intended to turn me into a puppet, overwhelmed by madness.
The problem? Their target was me.
‘Heh. To think they’d try to challenge me with Dark Arts. How pathetic—Actually, this might be rather amusing?’
“Search for the sorcerer working with Namgung San-yeong.”
「We’ve been keeping tabs on her, but there were no signs of one… Perhaps she has a way to communicate even in secrecy from the Nine Dragons Branch Family. Leave it to me, and I’ll sniff it out!」
With that, the captain spider thumped his chest with his forelegs and scurried off with his brood.
I sat down and began cultivating the Poison Dragon Essence Art once more.
What Namgung San-yeong failed to realize was this: no poison could affect me immediately, and nothing she used would compare to a ghost pill.
Kyaaaahhh!
The ghostly wails from the ghost ki fused into my ki and served as a soothing lullaby as I neutralized the poison in the decoction.
Whirrr…
The second strike from Namgung San-yeong soon arrived.
“A martial arts instructor?”
“Yes, I have been assigned to guide your martial training for the next four days. I look forward to working with you, Second Young Master.”
His polite words didn’t match his disinterested demeanor, which screamed, “Let’s just kill time and be done with this.”
Such indifferent gazes were nothing new, so I didn’t care much.
“Isn’t the Righteous Wind Hall quite busy these days? Are you sure you have time for this?”
The man introducing himself as my instructor was an unexpected choice—the Fierce Gale Warrior, Tang Gon.
He was once a core member of the Wild Wind Squad under Tang Ho-san and was among the top ten experts within the Nine Dragons Branch.
What made him stand out was that he wasn’t aligned with Namgung San-yeong’s faction.
He had little interest in power struggles. More accurately, he had little interest in worldly affairs in general.
He was notorious for slacking off and infuriating the Righteous Wind Hall’s Chief so frequently that, if not for having saved Tang Ho-san’s life when they were young, he would’ve been expelled from the branch family long ago.
Why would Namgung San-yeong send someone like him to ‘watch’ over me?
“What nonsense are you spouting? It’s precisely because I’m busy that I came here.”
‘Huh?’
“I will demonstrate the movements only once. From there, you’re on your own.”
‘Wow, what a shameless attitude.’
I chuckled involuntarily. Her true intentions were clear. By assigning Tang Gon to me, Namgung San-yeong hoped to achieve three things:
First, she could assess my martial arts proficiency or find hints about any secret benefactor guiding me.
Second, Tang Gon would keep an eye on me to prevent any unexpected incidents during the Dark Sovereign’s visit.
The third thing was most crucial for her… By attaching a legitimate expert not aligned with her faction, she would earn plausible deniability, even appearing to support my martial training.
Coupled with the ‘elixirs’ sent earlier, it would provide a clean alibi if her plans unraveled.
Despite her foolish appearance when handing me the poison outright, she had her meticulous moments.
Too bad her schemes were utterly transparent to me.
‘Hmm. Should I play a little trick? If executed well, I might secure an opportunity to leave the manor.’
“I will now demonstrate a technique called Shadow Step. I believe you may have heard of it.”
Wasn’t this a surprise?
I asked, “Isn’t Tang Yu-chang’s signature technique—?”
“Yes, it’s Shadow Ki. It’s a martial art that is comparable to Shadow Step, allowing for swift and stealthy energy flow. It’s highly effective for assassination techniques or poison arts. Shadow Step operates similarly. The Grand Matron insisted I teach this to you, so here we are. It wasn’t my decision.”
So she wanted to set me up to embarrass myself in front of the Dark Sovereign by making me a point of comparison against her son?
“Let us begin.”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hands clasped behind his back, Tang Gon moved leisurely, his steps relaxed yet precise.
The courtyard of the White Pavilion was vast, but his figure appeared and disappeared as if merging with shadows.
Movement that swift should have been causing winds to blow, but he was silent, akin to a shadow gliding through darkness.
It wasn’t a technique that the old Tang Woon-hwi, equipped only with the basic Tang Clan Ki Cultivation Technique, could ever replicate.
“This concludes my demonstration.”
Tang Gon left dozens of afterimages scattered across the courtyard before calmly returning to stand before me.
His gait was as nonchalant as a casual stroll.
“I’ve left footprints across the ground for you to study. Practice diligently, and if you have questions, seek the Righteous Wind Hall Chief for further—”
“I’ve mastered it.”
“—assistance… What?” His sluggish expression cracked slightly.
“I said I’ve mastered it.”
“…You mean you’ve fully mastered Shadow Step?”
“Yes.”
“After just watching it once?”
“Yes. It wasn’t that difficult.”
He took a moment to respond, his face contorting from withholding anger. “…Even during my youth, when I was hailed as a prodigy, it took me five days just to grasp its form. The other Wild Wind Squad members took at least ten. On average, it takes three months to comprehend the intricacies of its movements.”
‘Calling yourself a prodigy, huh? Thick-skinned, aren’t we?’
“And yet, you claim—”
“Wanna bet?”
“…Bet?”
“If I’ve mastered Shadow Step, you owe me thirty silver coins.”
“…”
“Isn’t the Righteous Wind Hall’s monthly wage ten silver coins? Gotta wager at least three month’s pay to make things exciting, right?”
Tang Gon stared at me as if I were insane, then he cleared his throat. “Hrmph. Martial arts are sacred, especially one as revered as Shadow Step, an integral part of the Tang Clan’s heritage. To gamble on such—”
“Are you a chicken?”
“……”
“You’re scared. Admit it.”
“……”
“A member of the Righteous Wind Hall, someone who played a pivotal role in the Bloody Blue Pavilion Incident, is scared of a mere bet. What a letdown. Whatever. I guess I’ll just train alone.”
The veins on his forehead bulged as my taunts hit home. His lethargy evaporated, replaced by a quiet, seething energy.
“…You better keep your word, Young Master.”
‘Gotcha.’
Smirking like a gambler about to fleece a sucker, I gestured dismissively. “Be ready to pay up.”
“…You’re remarkably good at provoking people. Fine. Prove—”
But before he could even finish his sentence…
Whoosh!
I disappeared.
His eyes widened as a faint breeze brushed past him.
When he turned around in shock, his hands reflexively reached for his waist… but the small pouch tied there was missing.
“Looking for this?” Dangling from my fingers was his pouch of silver coins. I tossed it lightly into the air and caught it with a smirk.
Tang Gon’s eyes trembled as if about to pop out of his skull.