Chapter 6 – Reverse Interview (1)

After taking care of the man named Tang Cheol-san for about two days, as he had said, the warriors of the Sachuan’s Tang Family came looking for us.

I thought it would take a few weeks to heal after getting injured while catching the centipede, but the warriors appeared just two days later.

At the sight of a body covered with straw mats at the entrance of the tunnel, the warriors were startled, thinking it might be Cheol-san. But then, they met Cheol-san himself inside the building, following my guidance.

“Fa, Family Head! What happened to you!?”

“Such a serious internal injury!”

The warriors were shocked at the sight of Cheol-san, his face pale and dark circles under his eyes.

When I helped Cheol-san sit up, he began explaining to his warriors what had happened a few days earlier.

“Blood-Hand Rakshasa Tak Wun-yang showed up.”

“What!? Blood-Hand Rakshasa Tak Wun-yang, you mean… The great demon who fell off the coastal cliffs after facing the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons in Qinzhou ten years ago!?”

“That’s right.”

“Good heavens! Then, the body at the entrance…?”

“It was almost a big disaster. He must have devoted himself to martial arts training in seclusion, almost reaching my father’s level.”

“That’s… unbelievable.”

Upon hearing Cheol-san’s explanation, the three warriors looked incredulous, then suddenly congratulated him with beaming faces.

“Then, Family Head! If you have defeated such a man and sent him to his doom, it means you have reached the realm of Ten Thousand Poisons. Congratulations.”

“Congratulations!”

Probably, if Cheol-san had caught such a formidable enemy, it meant that his own skills were superior.

It felt like that was the meaning behind their congratulations.

‘But it was actually a one-punch from Cheol-san…’

Cheol-san shook his head at this.

He smiled and pointed at me.

“No, it wasn’t me. The one who killed him was this Young Hero here… I owe him a life-saving debt.”

“What!?”

“This Young Hero?”

“The Young Hero defeated Blood-Hand Rakshasa Tak Wun-yang!?”

Technically, it wasn’t me but my pets that killed him, but since they are my pets, it wasn’t incorrect.

After all, the owner is responsible for the pet’s actions.

However, the warriors seemed to misunderstand something and respectfully bowed to me, performing the Central Plains-style salute. (TL: For you to not get confused central pains referred by MC is referring to Ancient China)

“We thank you for saving the life of the Family Head of Sachuan’s Tang Family.”

“Thank you!”

“Could it be, have you undergone rejuvenation?”

Then they asked if I had done something to rejuvenate myself.

‘What are they talking about? I should have paid more attention to martial arts novels and movies in my previous life to understand what they mean…’

Cheol-san, finding the actions of the Tang Family warriors amusing, struggled to contain his laughter.

As he twitched his eyebrows, a sound started coming from my bosom, sending a chill down my spine.

‘No, not now, I told you…’

-Tsurur!

That sound was a warning sign that my centipedes were angry.

Immediately, the centipedes popped out from my chest, shaking their heads like snakes, glaring towards Cheol-san.

“Good heavens! Is, is this!”

“Oh, centipedes!?”

The warriors widened their eyes in surprise at the sight of the three yellow centipedes.

After a while, as the chill on my back disappeared, the centipedes slowly retreated back into my bosom.

“What, what is that!?”

The warriors stepped back from me, startled by the appearance of the centipedes.

Cheol-san answered the warriors on my behalf.

“They are the offspring of a Blue-Spotted Centipede. When we caught the Blue-Spotted Centipede, there were eggs in the hole. The Young Hero hatched them, and these little ones took care of Tak Wun-yang.”

“That’s incredible! Are, are the poisons alright?”

“To have tamed the Blue-Spotted Centipede!”

Cheol-san’s demonstration of making the centipedes come out was based on the information we had discovered over several days about the mechanism of how these centipedes attack people.

‘It’s fascinating and admirable that they react to murderous intent.’

The day after dealing with the crazy Tak Wun-yang, the centipedes wouldn’t move from my embrace.

What the baby centipedes barely moved until they shed their skin twice while being on their mother’s body was natural, but it seemed that Cheol-san was curious about why the centipedes had stopped moving after taking a human life and why they continued to remain still now.

That’s why he asked me, lying down with a curious expression.

“Being so quiet and docile, how did these creatures attack Tak Wun-yang? Do you know?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

“Is there anything you can think of?”

Knowing they were venomous and that there could be an accidental bite, I recalled the incident.

After all, if they mistakenly bit me, I would die too.

‘I was taking a bath… and then got grabbed by the neck… At that time, these creatures didn’t react… So…’

“Hmm… I was trying to detach these creatures and washed myself with cold water, but it doesn’t seem to be that… Ah! Now that I think about it, when that guy Tak Wun-yang gripped my neck and exerted force, I felt a chill down my spine and broke into a cold sweat… Could it be because of the sweat?”

It’s common for insects and animals to react to human sweat.

I wondered if it was the smell of sweat, but Cheol-san seemed to have a different idea.

“Eh? You felt a chill down your spine? Could it be then?”

Cheol-san looked as if he had an idea.

Immediately, I felt the same chill down my spine as when Tak Wun-yang had grabbed my neck.

-Tsurururur!

Strangely, the centipedes made a warning sound and leaped out from within my clothes, glaring towards Cheol-san.

Cheol-san exclaimed in surprise as they jumped out.

“They react to murderous intent!”

“Murderous intent?”

Cheol-san seemed excited as if he had discovered something significant about the centipedes.

Later, I learned that while the term “murderous intent” usually refers to the aura of wanting to harm or kill someone, as seen in a person’s expression or behavior, it’s different for martial artists. For them, murderous intent is an intangible energy that can actually intimidate or kill a person, similar to the sense of murderous intent from a previous life.

And it seemed that the centipedes reacted to this kind of murderous intent, according to Cheol-san.

Was that chill I felt earlier actually murderous intent?

‘Isn’t that dangerous? I feel kind of disgusted, like I’ve been shot with a blank gun.’

Curiosity aside, I was a bit upset to learn that Cheol-san had directed murderous intent at me, even if it was very faint.

After a few experiments, we were able to figure out the precise attack mechanism of the centipedes.

According to Cheol-san, murderous intent can be spread around a martial artist or directed towards a specific target. The centipedes reacted not to the general murderous intent but specifically to the one directed at me.

Like automatic turrets.

They make me nervous about getting bitten, but at the same time, they protect me.

For now, the secret of this mechanism was to be kept between Cheol-san and me.

It felt a bit odd to have secret with an uncle.

I was thinking about the attack mechanism of the centipedes when I overheard a conversation.

“… and so, I plan to welcome him into our family.”

“Good heavens! By family, do you mean our, Yueji?”

“That’s right. The Young Hero has not yet made up his mind, though.”

““““Wow!””””

The conversation between the Tang Family warriors and Cheol-san had shifted to Cheol-san wanting to scout me. I had asked for a few days to think about Cheol-san’s proposal.

I had to sort things out here, and the idea of joining them felt like a lifelong commitment, so I had to be cautious.

But I couldn’t help but ask about Yueji, a term I hadn’t heard before and seemed relevant to me joining the Tang Family.

“What is Yueji?”

Everyone turned to look at me.

Cheol-san and the warriors looked at me with puzzled faces. Then, the oldest-looking among the warriors, with a mischievous smile, answered.

“You haven’t heard of Yueji, Young Hero?”

“Yes? Yes. Is it also one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures?”

At my continued questions, the people of the Tang Family changed their expressions to smiles.

The warrior continued his explanation.

“No, Yueji is a type of flower. It has thorns but is a beautiful and red flower. Haven’t you seen it before?”

“Ah! I understand now.”

Yueji probably means rose in the Central Plains language.

If it’s red and has thorns, then it must be a rose.

“Yes, you know it. People call the peony the king of flowers and also refer to it as the national beauty and heavenly fragrance, but that’s just because they don’t know better. The best flower is Yueji, isn’t it? Peonies may bloom for a season and soon wither, but Yueji blooms all year round, delighting people. Naturally, it’s the best among flowers. And how red it is!”

A rose enthusiast, the warrior went on with his lengthy speech.

Although a bit surprised, I, who am obsessed with poisons, couldn’t really judge others.

Deciding to respect his taste, I replied with a smile.

“I also like Yueji the most.”

Suddenly, the people of the Tang Family got louder.

“Really!?”

“You like Yueji the most!?”

“Yes? Yes… Well… I learned that the thorns on Yueji are there to make it noble and unapproachable, so no one dares to pluck it carelessly.”

“Ah! You do know something!”

The warrior, apparently sincere about roses, reached out to shake my hand but flinched at the thought of the centipedes.

He then looked at Cheol-san, the Family Head, and said.

“Then, it’s really good news. I heard you haven’t made up your mind yet, but if you do decide, the Family Head will surely gift you the most beautifully bloomed Yueji in our Tang Family.”

“For me?”

“Ah, maybe it’s a gesture of welcome?”

I knew that the people of the Central Plains liked red and considered it auspicious.

It seemed like they were using a red flower as a symbol of welcome.

But even if I became part of the Sachuan’s Tang Family, there was no need to pluck an innocent flower.

“Elder. Even if I decide to join the Tang Family, you don’t have to pluck Yueji for me. Flowers are living things too… It’s not right to do so carelessly, is it?”

But something strange happened.

At my response, the members of the Tang Family were chuckling.

Then, among them, Cheol-san, with a serious expression, wiped the smile off his face and said.

“No, Young Hero. That’s a dangerous thing to say. I’m only gifting Yueji. It’s you who has to pluck it. And though you say it’s okay now, you might want to pluck it as soon as you go to Sichuan. Ah, but be careful of the thorns.”

“Excuse me?”

I was left puzzled by their cryptic conversation.

‘Is there a hidden meaning to roses that I’m not aware of?’

***

The conversation with the people of the Tang Family took an unexpected turn.

“Are you saying you’re searching Haenam Island?”

“That’s right. I need to move as soon as I recover. We can’t afford to be late.”

“Why? Is there something left to find?”

I thought Cheol-san would head straight to Sichuan as soon as he recovered, but he was talking about searching Haenam Island immediately.

When I asked why, Cheol-san answered with a serious expression.

“It’s about Blood-Hand Rakshasa Tak Wun-yang. He elevated his martial arts level while in seclusion here. I intend to find his hideout.”

“His hideout?”

As I looked puzzled about why we needed to find the hideout of a man already dead, Cheol-san explained.

“The martial arts he practiced were called Blood Water Poisonous Claws, a terrifying evil cultivation technique. To elevate his level, human blood and bone marrow were essential.”

“Human blood, blood, and bone marrow?”

“That’s right. A technique that requires soaking hands in blood and bone marrow to absorb them…”

‘What kind of crazy martial arts is that?’

“So, what then?”

If someone who practiced a martial art that required soaking their hands in human blood and bone marrow had elevated their martial skills, it likely meant they had committed mass murder. As I looked at Cheol-san with disbelief, he nodded his head.

“That’s right. If he left behind a secret manual or had disciples, we must deal with them to prevent future troubles. We need to ensure that such a cruel technique doesn’t resurface in the martial world again. And if there are any people who have been captured, we should help them, shouldn’t we?”

If there was indeed a martial art that could turn someone into a serial killer just by learning it without understanding, then, as Cheol-san said, it made sense to seek it out and eradicate it.

I nodded in agreement, thinking Cheol-san was more righteous than I had initially thought. He then asked for my help.

“So, can you help us? You’re probably more familiar with this area.”

Indeed, I was familiar with the Haenam jungle, just as Cheol-san had said. I nodded immediately at his request.

“I understand. I will help you as soon as you have recovered.”

I readily agreed to Cheol-san’s proposal because I thought of it as an internship to decide on a lifelong job. It’s common practice to check out the company atmosphere and learn about the boss during an internship.

Moreover, they say that a person’s true character is revealed during hard times, right?

So, I planned to thoroughly evaluate the Sachuan’s Tang Family during this journey.

‘Just wait. I’ll assess everything thoroughly.’

After all, it’s common for capable individuals to conduct a reverse interview.

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – Roshi]