Chapter 38 – Venomous Creatures Garden (1)

The Tang Family was in utter chaos due to the appearance of the Blood Cult.

Not only had many of the Tang Family’s warriors been killed or injured, but martial sects from the righteous path had also come rushing to the Tang Family under the pretense of offering their aid.

According to nunim, the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, both located in Sichuan, had sent people as soon as they received the carrier pigeons. Moreover, individuals from the Wudang Sect in Hubei and the Zhuge Family were also reportedly on their way.

Apparently, those bastards from the Blood Cult capture people to extract their essence blood and are known as a pseudo-religion that became public enemies of the murim after committing mass slaughter thirty years ago.

They are called a evil cult. Nunim said they’re worse scum than those referred to as unorthodox path or unorthodox sects.

For the Tang Family, which administers “cocktail therapy” on people without hesitation, to call them trash, they must be nuclear waste-level garbage.

‘No, if they’re considered trash even by the Sichuan Tang Family, which kills people without hesitation, just how garbage are they?’

Additionally, she mentioned that the Murim Alliance, a sort of federation of martial artists based in Wuhan, Hubei, was also sending people to investigate.

Apparently, this was a huge deal.

That’s why people were flocking here. For now, a strategic meeting of sorts was held in the Black Tortoise Pavilion, the main hall of the Tang Family, with the early arrivals from the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect.

“How did the perimeter search go?”

At Grandfather’s question, Baek Heo-ja, the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect, who had arrived with dozens of his disciples, began explaining the results of the search conducted over the past three days.

Although the Tang Family had already conducted one search, since many of our people were injured, we couldn’t do a thorough search. So, as soon as the two sects arrived, Grandfather had requested their assistance in conducting another one.

“Elder. It seems likely that they crossed the Tang Family River. Recently, we found traces of moss scraped off the rocks. However, we couldn’t determine where they came from. Most of the traces had been washed away by the rain.”

At this, Monk Huo zheng from the Emei Sect, who had also searched the mountains where we had fought, shared their findings.

“Amitabha. We also searched over the course of three days, but the rain washed away all traces, so we couldn’t confirm where they came from. It’s unfortunate. I wonder if another bloodstorm will sweep through the murim.”

Grandfather, wearing an expression of displeasure, then raised his voice.

“So, it’s impossible to track those bastards now, is it?!”

-Thwack!

Grandfather slammed the dining table in anger, causing the teacups on it to shake precariously.

As soon as the trembling stopped, he let out a sigh and turned to Monk Huo zheng, making a request.

“Haa… Monk Huo zheng, would you be willing to conduct the chundojae for the Tang Family members? If you were to do it, I’d feel at ease.”

“Amitabha. Of course, Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, Elder. If you ask, I will perform the rites with all my sincerity.”

“Then, I will entrust this task to you… Thank you.”

The chundojae likely refers to a Buddhist-style funeral.

The deceased from this incident had been temporarily buried in the resting place for the Tang Family warriors, and it seemed the funeral rites would soon be held there.

The total number of casualties was eight.

Those bastards didn’t outright kill them; instead, they seemed to inflict suffering first. After partially draining their blood, they discarded the warriors nearby. In the end, eight people died from excessive blood loss.

Given the scale of the bloody battle, the number of deaths was surprisingly small, but it was still a painful loss for the Tang Family.

Among the deceased were warriors who had been part of the same search party as me, combing through mountain trails together. For various reasons, the loss left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Although I didn’t understand it well yet, the death of someone who had lived under the same roof and ran alongside me through mountain trails felt strangely unsettling.

‘Is this what being family means?’

Just as the meeting was about to end with the funeral arrangements finalized, I was watching nunim for cues on when we could leave. That’s when it happened.

One of the buddhist nuns standing behind Monk Huo zheng met my eyes.

“Ah!”

The monk, who had made eye contact with me, appeared startled.

‘Was her name Monk Lianshui?’

I gave a slight bow to her who seemed surprised to see me.

I figured she was probably startled because she only remembered how I looked before eating the Royal Jelly of the Golden-Furred King Bee.

“Have you two met before?”

Noticing Monk Lianshui’s reaction, Monk Huo zheng immediately asked her why she looked so surprised.

Realizing her mistake, Monk Lianshui quickly explained with an apologetic expression.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I briefly encountered him on the way back from a previous alms collection, but he looks so different now compared to back then…”

“Ah… Is that so? Now that I think about it, this is my first time seeing this young hero. Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, would you introduce him to us? Since he’s here, I assume he’s a direct descendant of the Tang Family, but I’ve never heard of such a young hero before.”

At Monk Huo zheng’s request for an introduction, Grandfather smiled and called my name.

“Soryong.”

It was clearly his way of telling me to step forward and introduce myself.

Quick to read the mood, I took a step forward from nunim’s side, clasped my hands in a martial salute, and greeted the assembly.

In my past life, I was often told that I was quick-witted and polite.

“It’s an honor to meet you all. My name is Wei Soryong.”

Despite my courteous greeting, the attendees tilted their heads in confusion.

Puzzled by their reaction, I soon realized the cause when murmurs filled the room.

“Wei?”

“Wei?”

It seemed they were all wondering why someone with the surname Wei was present at the Tang Family meeting, a meeting strictly attended by Tang Family members.

Grandfather, still smiling, provided a succinct explanation.

“He is my grandson-in-law.”

“Grandson-in-law…?”

“Grandson-in-law? Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, is that true?”

At Grandfather’s words, nunim’s cheeks turned as red as if she had applied rouge, and the crowd alternated their gazes between me and nunim. Realizing the situation, their surprised expressions gave way to astonished remarks.

“Wait, does that mean he’s Young Miss Hwa-eun’s…?”

“Hahaha, one of the Three Beauties of the Central Plains was given to such a young hero?”

The eyes of everyone in the main hall shifted to me and nunim, and curious questions began to pour in.

“Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, could you tell us more about this young hero? To think you entrusted your beloved granddaughter to someone so young. This is hard to believe. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t give her to just anyone…?”

“I must admit, I’m very curious too. I’ve heard that those who marry into the Tang Family are often exceptionally talented. Just how special is this young hero that he could win Young Miss Hwa-eun’s heart…?”

Their questions essentially boiled down to one thing: Who is this young man, and how extraordinary must he be to deserve someone like her?

After all, unless one saved a nation in their past life, it would ordinarily be impossible to marry someone like nunim.

Well, in my past life, I couldn’t even save my own life, let alone a nation.

As the questions subsided, Grandfather stood up, patted me on the shoulder, and answered with a smile.

“This child killed two of the Blood Cult bastards who infiltrated us this time.”

At this, the guests from the Qingcheng and Emei Sects showed slightly astonished expressions and nodded in acknowledgment.

“To think he killed two of the subordinates who follow the Blood Cult elders around!? The young hero must have impressive martial arts skills. Those who guard the elders are no easy opponents…”

“Amitabha. A young hero who hasn’t even reached twenty years of age killed two of the Blood Cult’s hounds? He is truly a blessing to the murim.”

‘And here I thought only the Tang Family was strange, but it seems this entire world is insane.’

Perhaps because they were martial artists, they weren’t shocked that a fifteen-year-old boy had killed two people. Instead, they looked at me with expressions of pride and admiration, as if I had done something truly commendable.

However, the expressions of the attendees changed completely when Grandfather’s next words left them wide-eyed in disbelief.

“No, Soryong didn’t kill just any ordinary Blood Cult warriors. He killed one of their elders.”

A brief silence fell over the room.

At first, the guests tilted their heads, as if they thought they had misheard him, and stared at Grandfather in confusion.

But when Grandfather nodded again to confirm his words, they shouted in shock, their eyes widening.

“El-Elder!? Are you saying this young hero truly killed a Blood Cult elder!?”

“Amitabha. Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, it doesn’t seem like you’re joking, but how could this young hero…?”

Grandfather, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, answered the startled questions of the crowd with a pleased smile, while a slight sense of confusion welled up inside me.

In this world, it seemed that being skilled at killing automatically earned you recognition.

In that sense, I was off to a very “recognized” start.

***

“Soryong, I have a favor to ask. Would you be able to do it?”

That evening, Grandfather quietly called me to his quarters.

Seating me in front of him, he suddenly mentioned that he had something to request of me.

“What is it that you’d like me to do? If it’s something I can manage, I’ll do my best.”

At my response, Grandfather nodded before beginning to explain the situation.

“It’s nothing too complex. Soon, people from the Murim Alliance will arrive.”

“Yes, I heard about that.”

I had already learned about the Murim Alliance from nunim, who had explained that it was a federation of martial artists. They were sending people to investigate this matter, so I nodded in understanding.

“Good. It’s likely that one of the Murim Alliance’s military officers will be among them. I plan to show him the poison you discovered and let them know that you’ve identified a poison effective against the Blood Cult.

While it’s something you uncovered and undoubtedly important, it wouldn’t be right to keep it to ourselves, given the greater good, wouldn’t you agree?”

He was advocating for sharing the information for the sake of the greater good.

Certainly, when such brutish foes started wreaking havoc, the loss of lives would be inevitable.

Given the Tang Family’s own casualties, sharing this information was clearly the right choice, it would save more lives.

So, I quickly nodded in agreement with Grandfather’s words.

“I understand. Of course, you must do so for the greater good.”

“Good. But there’s one more thing I want to ask you to do.”

I thought the favor was about sharing the information, but it seemed like the real request was only just beginning.

When I asked what it was, Grandfather turned toward the open window facing the Myriad Poison Hall and spoke.

“Well, what is it?”

“It seems we’ll need a lot of Tiger Keelback venom moving forward. From what I hear, it’s more efficient to raise them rather than simply killing them for venom. Is that correct?

Even if we reveal to the Murim Alliance that Tiger Keelback venom is effective against the Blood Cult, handling the venom itself will still be our Tang Family’s responsibility.”

From the sound of it, he was asking me to breed Tiger Keelbacks and harvest their venom.

This was something I’d been waiting for anyway, so I quickly responded in a cheerful voice.

“Of course! If you entrust it to me, I’ll make it happen!”

“Good. I hear the construction at the Myriad Poison Hall is finally complete, so starting tomorrow, go and take charge there. Think of it as doing something for the Murim and work hard.”

“Really? I understand, Grandfather!”

Finally, the construction at the Myriad Poison Hall was complete.

Tonight, I felt like I’d be able to sleep well. Or perhaps I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all from sheer excitement.

***

The day after receiving the request to mass-produce Tiger Keelback venom for the Murim.

Early in the morning, nunim came to guide me to my new workplace.

Where? None other than the Myriad Poison Hall.

Just as Grandfather had said, the interior renovations of the Myriad Poison Hall were complete. In addition, I had been assigned a separate pavilion that received excellent sunlight, so I needed to begin setting up the breeding environment in earnest starting today.

“So, Soryong, have you decided on a name for the pavilion?”

As we walked together, nunim posed a question.

She was asking what I planned to name the pavilion that had been assigned to me. Grandfather had left the naming to me, saying it was my pavilion after all.

‘Could she possibly want to name it herself?’

Or maybe she wanted to name the pavilion herself?

I couldn’t risk nunim unleashing her terrible naming skills, so I quickly answered. This was one thing I couldn’t compromise on.

“Of course. I’ve already thought of a name.”

“What is it? Since it’s a pavilion that will house the Tang Family’s venomous creatures, it must sound incredibly majestic and imposing, right?”

With sparkling, expectant eyes, nunim looked at me, her face brimming with anticipation.

Nodding confidently, I replied.

“Of course. How about Venomous Creatures Garden?”

“Venomous Creatures Garden?”

Hearing the dignified name, nunim blinked her eyes in surprise.

‘There’s no better name than this, is there?’

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – bjgoofy]