Chapter 22 – How to properly establish a family (3)

TL Note: Xiaolong changed to Soryong to match with the manhwa

The insect I picked up with the tongs had a head resembling that of an ant, black and plump. My Nunim tilted her head in curiosity upon seeing it.

Soon, an orange liquid oozed out from the insect’s black body and dripped onto the ground.

The reason I had deliberately searched for a bumblebee’s nest, especially one with fewer bees going in and out, was solely to find this insect.

These little bastards were notorious for being the ultimate terrorists of bumblebee nests.

‘Why the hell would they tormentb with such adorable creatures…?’

“What is this?”

“This is what I came to catch.”

“Is this a Jidam?”

‘Ah, so they call this Jidam here, huh?’

“But is Jidam usually found in bumblebee nests? I just learned something new.”

The insect I had captured from the bumblebee nest was known in the Central Plains as Jidam. In Korea, it is referred to as a blister beetle.

And the one I caught was a type of blister beetle called the Southern Blister Beetle. There’s a reason these creatures are often found in bumblebee nests.

Blister beetles have a rather peculiar breeding method. Unlike other insects, which either guard their eggs or create safe environments for their eggs to hatch, blister beetle parents just lay their eggs anywhere.

It could be in grass, tree bark, or literally any random place. Their only form of care is laying all their eggs in one spot.

As time passes, when the eggs hatch, the tiny blister beetle larvae climb to the highest point of the place they were born. At this stage, the larvae display a very strange behavior.

The yellow blister beetle larvae, gathered at the tips of grass or tree branches, form a circular cluster and stretch their bodies to mimic a flower.

Each tiny blister beetle larva acts as a petal, and together they create the appearance of a large flower, resembling a yellow blossom with dozens of small petals.

When bumblebees mistake this cluster of blister beetle larvae for a real flower and land on it…

That’s when all the larvae simultaneously latch onto the bumblebee.

Their goal? To hitch a ride into the bumblebee’s nest.

‘Once that happens, you can consider the bumblebee nest as good as doomed.’

The bumblebee, now covered in blister beetle larvae, returns to its nest. Once there, it shakes off the larvae, which then infiltrate the nest. Inside, these larvae initially feed on nectar and pollen, and later, they even devour the bumblebee larvae to grow into adults. That’s the life cycle of the blister beetle.

Of course, if they latch onto other insects like butterflies or bees, they often die off immediately.

The survival rate of blister beetle larvae is reported to be only about 2%, a testament to their extremely harsh survival odds.

“Of the various types of Jidam, these are the ones that infiltrate bumblebee nests, feeding on the nectar, pollen, and larvae to grow.”

“They’re really nasty creatures, aren’t they? I kind of feel sorry for the bumblebees now.”

At my explanation, Nunim frowned.

She examined the insect in my hand again and asked a question.

“But isn’t this the one that causes burns on the skin? I heard that if ingested in large quantities, it can even be fatal.”

As expected of a family so deeply invested in poisons, Nunim was well aware of the toxic nature of this insect. I nodded at her question.

“That’s correct. It can indeed cause burns.”

The orange liquid dripping from the blister beetle contains a toxic substance called cantharidin. When it comes into contact with skin, it causes swelling and blistering, much like a burn.

If it touches human skin, the treatment takes a long time, and it can even leave scars, so one has to be extremely careful.

“But that… um… it… it has that effect?”

Nunim asked if this poison could restore the Sichuan Magistrate’s pride as I claimed.

At her words, I nodded.

“Yes, it can… restore a man’s pride and dignity…”

Cantharidin is a toxic substance.

A highly potent one, at that, which is why it causes blisters to form on the skin.

However, cantharidin has another hidden effect. When it enters the human body, it is excreted through urine via the kidneys. During this process, it stimulates the urethra, causing the genitals to swell—this is its hidden effect.

Until all of the cantharidin has left the body, it keeps the “greatness” of the person on full display.

This effect is very similar to that of an aphrodisiac, and records show that it has been used as such in Europe since the time of ancient Greece.

From accounts of Emperor Caesar’s wife, Empress Livia, allegedly using it to incite debauchery among royal family members and banquet guests…

To it being a favorite at the infamous wild parties of French aristocracy in the 1600s, and even being linked to German Emperor Henry IV.

“S-stop! That’s enough!”

Startled by my explanation, Nunim waved her hands in protest.

Judging by her reaction, it didn’t seem like she was entirely resistant to the R-rated conversation, but I decided to honor her request and shut my mouth.

Though inwardly, I chuckled to myself.

Because I’d found Nunim’s weak spot.

Leaving behind the flustered Nunim, I rummaged through the bumblebee nest and captured a few unhatched pupae as well as a few larvae that had already hatched.

Since some had already emerged, it was clear that the rest would hatch soon enough, so the pupae alone would suffice.

Then, I returned and headed to Myriad Poison Hall to begin the process of making the medicine.

This was to borrow the facilities and expertise of the Tang Sect.

‘Of course, I won’t be the one making it. I’ll leave it to the experts. Medicine is for pharmacists, and poisons… well, poisons are for the Sichuan Tang Family.’

“This way, Soryong. If you explain everything to the Tang Sect martial artists in charge of poison preparation, they’ll make it for you as instructed.”

The poison-making facility within Myriad Poison Hall.

It was a fascinating space filled with a variety of utensils, not made of glass but porcelain. Small furnaces were set up all around, and there were even devices resembling extraction tools that I was seeing for the first time.

At Nunim’s gesture, several martial artists, their mouths covered with cloth masks like a scarf, hurried over to us. I explained everything I knew to them.

When ingested by humans, the median lethal dose (LD50) of cantharidin is approximately 0.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Consuming as little as 10 milligrams can be fatal.

It’s known that the amount of cantharidin present in the Southern Blister Beetle is around 10%. Using this as a base, the medicine had to be carefully prepared.

One mistake, and whether he’s the Sichuan Magistrate or not, the man could die instantly.

What I thought would be a trivial matter turned out to be far more serious—after all, this person was the highest-ranking individual in Sichuan. If he were to die, it would create a massive problem.

Despite its long history as an aphrodisiac, cantharidin is infamous for causing numerous fatal accidents. Extreme caution was required.

“Do you happen to know the Sichuan Magistrate’s body weight?”

“Oh, yes. We have a record of it from when we prepared medicine for him last time. I’ll go fetch it.”

After checking the paper Nunim brought back, the Sichuan Magistrate’s weight was recorded as approximately 35 kwan.

Since one kwan equals 3.75 kilograms…

That’s about 131 kilograms.

‘Wait… What the…? Even with medicine, this…’

Doubts crept into my mind about whether the medicine would even work at that weight.

I could faintly understand why he’d a man with “lowered head”, but regardless, I explained the situation to Nunim and the martial artists working there.

No matter the reason, I had promised to produce a result, so I had to deliver something.

“To begin with, if you dry the Jidam and grind them into powder, about 10% of that will be the toxin.”

This poison becomes life-threatening when three mo (11.75 mg) of it are ingested. If a person consumes three-tenths of one mo (1.25 mg) of the poison per kwan (3.75 kg) of body weight, about half of those who ingest it will die.

“So, could you prepare the medicine with one-tenth of one mo (0.375 mg) of the poison?”

“That would be roughly the amount of ten drops of liquid (0.351 ml).”

‘Ha, I thought my head was going to explode.’

Using the traditional Central Plains cheok-kwan (measurement system), I worked out a method to produce the medicine after painstaking calculations. Since I couldn’t use the units I knew from my past life, nor did I have access to modern measuring equipment, I explained the entire process by adapting to their system and the cheok-kwan methodology.

When I finished my explanation, the martial artist in charge of poison preparation stared at me with wide eyes.

Then, he looked at me with an expression that radiated pure admiration.

“Such an incredibly detailed explanation. I didn’t expect your mathematical skills to be so exceptional. I’ll make sure this succeeds without fail.”

“Well, yes, please do your best.”

Leaving the production in their hands, I exited Myriad Poison Hall. I could feel Nunim’s gaze stealing glances at me as I walked out.

It seemed my brain had somehow looked rather sexy to her.

Honestly, most martial artists who practice extensive probably have brains filled with muscle anyway, so where else would she have seen a man like me?

Truly, Nunim was blessed to have me.

***

Late at night, at the quarters of the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons.

Inside, Tang Hwa-eun and the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons were in conversation.

“So, you’re making medicine with Jidam?”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

The topic of their discussion was the medicine that Soryong was preparing. Curious about what was being made, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons had asked Hwa-eun to explain the events of the day.

“I had only ever thought of it as something that causes swelling or death when consumed. To think it has such effects… We’ll need to examine the poisons within the Tang Sect more thoroughly.”

“Yes, I had the same thought.”

The Tang Sect had studied the poison in Jidam before, but only to determine how much was lethal. They hadn’t investigated what happened when it was consumed in smaller, non-lethal doses.

The idea of using the poison in Jidam to make medicine was intriguing, and it raised questions about whether other poisons might have similar effects.

“And he’s skilled in mathematics as well?”

“Yes. He divided the weight of one mo by ten and explained that it’s roughly equivalent to the weight of ten drops of liquid.”

“Really? He’s a man of many talents. I thought he merely had extensive knowledge about poisons, but he’s much more than that. The more I hear about him, the more he seems like a true gem.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“So, has he grown on you since your initial impression?”

At that question, Tang Hwa-eun nodded slightly, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

“Yes, Grandfather. I’m sorry I was too hasty in my judgment at first.”

“Well, you can make it right from now on. By the way, once the medicine is finished, how did he say he’d test its effects?”

At the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons’ question, Hwa-eun hesitated to answer.

She eventually spoke in a voice so soft it was almost like a mosquito buzzing.

“He said the elders of the branch family are too arrogant, so he will ‘reestablishing’ the family rules the right away…”

“What?”

Soon after hearing the detailed explanation, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons’ laughter echoed through his quarters late at night.

“Kuahaha! What an entertaining fellow he is!”

***

Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons had passion for training without a single day’s rest.

However, with modern sensibilities, endless training without holidays was impossible to endure.

That’s why I barely managed to get one day off every ten days.

It was when I was practicing inner energy cultivation by circulating Lesser Circulation after breakfast, having nothing else to do.

“Young Master Soryong, a message has come from Black Tortoise Hall. The medicine is ready.”

The maid responsible for my inner quarters informed me that I had been summoned to the Family Head’s Hall.

“I understand.”

I stopped the Lesser Circulation and immediately rushed to the Family Head’s Hall.

I was curious myself to see how the medicine had turned out.

“Young Master Soryong, here it is.”

After entering the Myriad Poison Hall and greeting the family elders, a warrior bowed to me.

What the warrior in charge of poison manufacturing handed me was a small medicine box, which was filled with tiny pills that looked like Jeongro-hwan (traditional Korean herbal pills).

“To make it easier to ingest, we mixed licorice powder and honey to give it a sweet flavor.”

The warrior’s report that they unnecessarily added flavor.

I nodded for now.

“You’ve done well. I trust you followed my instructions exactly?”

“Of course, Young Master. I strictly adhered to the proportions you specified.”

It was at the moment I received the medicine box that Grandfather’s question rang out.

“So, the medicine is made. But how do you plan to verify its effectiveness?”

Indeed, since the medicine was now prepared, testing its efficacy was essential.

Smiling, I replied.

“I intend to let those who doubt its efficacy confirm it for themselves.”

“Hmm, quite so. We have no doubts about your medicine, so let the skeptics confirm it for themselves.”

At my response, Grandfather, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, smiled and summoned the elders of the branch family.

And a short while later…

“Family Head, the elders of the branch family have arrived.”

The report of the guard standing watch reached us.

“Let them in.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

Soon, the doors opened, and the elders of the branch family stepped inside.

As soon as the six elders greeted Grandfather and the Family Head, they immediately asked the reason for their summons.

“Why have we all been called here?”

-Thud.

I pushed the medicine box to the center of the table and answered on Grandfather’s behalf.

“The medicine has been completed, so we summoned you.”

“Hm? Not the Family Head, but you? And is this the medicine meant for the Sichuan Magistrate?”

“That’s correct.”

“Didn’t some of you doubt this child’s abilities? So, we called you to verify it.”

My response, backed by Grandfather’s support.

The branch family elders nodded, muttering amongst themselves.

“Verification, you say?”

“Indeed. As the Former Family Head said, verification is essential.”

“Of course. How could we possibly send a poison-based medicine to the Sichuan Magistrate without first confirming its effects?”

“Precisely. This could be a catastrophic mistake if not handled properly. Well then, go ahead and show us.”

Prompted by my explanation, the elders urged me to demonstrate the effects of the medicine.

-Thud. Thud. Thud.

In response to their demands, I placed two pills in front of each branch elder.

When the pills were placed before them, the elders blinked in confusion.

“What is this?”

“It’s prepared so you can verify it for yourselves.”

‘If you want verification, do it yourself.’

As expected, the elders questioned why they should be the ones to test it.

“You’re telling us to verify this ourselves?”

“Haha, and how can we trust what’s inside this?!”

According to Hwa-eun Nunim, these elders were capable of withstanding over a hundred poisons.

Since most poisons could be endured by them, they would easily take the bait with this provocation. I glanced at Grandfather, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, with a slightly flustered expression.

“Didn’t you once tell me that those trained in the Tang Sect’s martial arts fear no poison? But looking at them now, could it be… surely not… are they afraid? No, no, that couldn’t be. After all, they are the great elders of the family.”

It was one of the most hated phrases for any man, young or old.

‘Afraid?’

Especially when addressed to members of the legendary Central Plains assassination family.

As expected, the elders’ eyes bulged furiously at my words.

“What!? Afraid!?”

“Haha, this is because he’s still relatively new to the family. It seems he doesn’t yet understand the Tang Family’s traditions…”

“So, because we initially opposed you joining the family, you must think this is your chance to disgrace us. But you’ve made a mistake, my boy. A grave mistake.”

“You said this was made from Jidam. I heard as much from Myriad Poison Hall.”

“Jidam? Ha! And you call that a poison? Such a low-grade, petty toxin—afraid of that?”

“You must’ve thought we’d be terrified just because you said it contained poison. Mark my words, if this medicine turns out to be ineffective, you’ll be facing our wrath. We’ll set the family’s laws straight today!”

Fuming, the branch elders snatched the pills I had given them and swallowed two each.

Shortly after, as they said, the Sichuan Tang Family’s branch elders’ laws were indeed ‘straightened up.’

In the most majestic way possible.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – bjgoofy]