I had learned poison arts, so I could attempt detoxification using internal energy, regardless of the poison.

Poison arts allowed me to drive poison out of my body by channeling it through my blood vessels to one side, then expelling it outward.

Even without poison arts, ordinary internal energy could achieve this, but poison arts were far more efficient.

Of course, it could vary depending on the poison.

The stronger the poison, the less effective the method could become, and in some cases, it might not be possible to completely detoxify it. In the process, one’s meridians could also suffer damage.

However, the poison carried in with the scent of flowers wasn’t a lethal one, so I immediately sat down cross-legged and began the detoxification.

The creature that had inhaled Sister Jeokwol’s Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly powder would fall asleep before long, and probably wouldn’t wake up until midday. So I decided to detoxify myself first.

But right from the start, I was shocked.

It wasn’t a lethal poison, but it was truly bizarre.

I already knew that trying to move my left leg would cause my right leg to move, and that moving my right arm might cause my left arm to react.

So I’d assumed it was a nerve-affecting poison that caused left-right reversal—but now, even my internal energy manipulation was being affected.

When I tried to circulate internal energy to expel the poison, I clearly attempted to follow the proper flow, yet my energy suddenly reversed course.

‘What the—? Even my energy is flowing backward!?’

Grandfather had always said that under no circumstances should one reverse their energy flow. Startled, I forcibly halted my circulation, and a jolt ran through my meridians.

“Gahk.”

The energy that had begun to flow near my lower abdomen scattered, striking me with the force of a heavy punch to the danjeon area.

A surge of nausea and dizziness followed.

Then, without warning, the sensation shifted into sharp pain in my legs and wrists.

When I tried to move my fingers, my toes moved instead. When I tried to open my eyes, my ears twitched.

Eventually, all my senses became jumbled together like someone had tossed them into a blender.

–Tsrut!

I had been sitting upright, but now I clutched my forehead with my left hand and collapsed backward. Hyang, startled, rushed over.

–Tsrurur! 『Dad! Dad, are you okay?』

She thought my forehead hurt and quickly licked it, asking in a worried voice.

But it was my abdomen that hurt, not my forehead.

First, I needed to make sure Hyang kept her mouth shut.

If she told Mom again, things would get complicated.

This time, Hwa-eun would really panic.

‘Hey, Hyang, Daddy’s okay. Don’t tell Mom, okay? She’ll just get worried.’

I didn’t think I could say it out loud, so I sent the thought directly. Thankfully, she received it clearly.

Hyang answered in a worried voice.

–Tsrurut. 『But still...』

‘It’s really nothing. I just need to lie down for a bit.’

–Tsr. 『Okay...』

Soon after, the other kids arrived following Hyang.

Even Sister Jeokwol twitched her antennae with concern.

–Tsrurur! 『Everyone, help!』

–Kkii!

–Kkukkuu!

–Kuuu!

I had collapsed near a hole in the ceiling.

Hyang, noticing the wet floor, gathered help and they dragged me onto the reeds nearby.

Lying atop the reeds, about half an hour passed.

After around an hour, I could tell my senses had returned properly when I managed to move my eyelids.

The poison was strange, but thankfully, it didn’t seem to linger long in the body.

Remaining still, I circulated my internal energy to assess the condition of my danjeon and body.

I noticed some minor internal damage—there was a stinging sensation near my danjeon—but it wasn’t serious.

I decided to go find out who that guy was right away.

The damage didn’t seem major, after all.

I hadn’t expected this to take so long, but then I remembered—the rain might have washed away Sister Jeokwol’s butterfly powder.

Sitting up on the reeds, I turned to Sister Jeokwol nearby and said,

“Sister Jeokwol, let’s go. Let’s find out who that bastard was. I think I’m fine now.”

–Chii.

–Tsrurur? 『Daddy, are you okay?』

“I’m fine, Hyang, don’t worry. Looks like the poison didn’t last long.”

–Tsrut! 『Liar!』

Since Hyang kept asking if I was really okay, I had no choice but to do a few jumps in place to reassure her.

Just to put her mind at ease.

“See? I’m fine.”

–Tsrut.

After a few jumps, Hyang finally relaxed.

With her reassured, I put on my raincoat and bamboo hat and stepped outside.

But maybe she wasn’t entirely reassured, as the kids clung to my body.

I had no choice but to bring them all along.

“All right, sure. Let’s all go.”

It was still deep in the night and pitch dark, but as I stepped out carrying Sister Jeokwol on my shoulder, her glowing red body lit the way.

Outside the main hall of the ruined conduit.

When we reached the opposite end of the corner where the hole had been, red powder trailed from the hole and continued in one direction.

Just as I thought, the butterfly powder had washed and scattered in the rain—but traces of that guy still remained.

“That way, huh.”

–Swoooosh...

Chasing the scattered powder through the rain, we arrived at the back garden of the ruined conduit.

Beyond the broken wall, the trail continued all the way into the flower garden.

“This way.”

–Tsrurur.

As we entered the flower garden, a strong scent of lilies filled the air.

It was the same smell I remembered from digging up lily roots before—flooding the area now.

Only now did I realize what the poison’s scent reminded me of.

The poison that bastard released resembled the scent of lilies.

We pushed through the garden and reached its center—only to find the trail cut off.

Sister Jeokwol’s butterfly powder was widely scattered across the ground, drifting with the rain.

“What is this?”

The trail had clearly led to the center, but there were no signs of a cave or other escape route nearby.

I looked around but couldn’t see him.

‘Could he be able to hide his body like Sister Jeokwol?’

I raised my ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) senses to their peak with Myoaham Stealth, but I still couldn’t detect him.

The kids searched the area with their eyes too, but he was nowhere to be seen.

–Rumble!

–KWA-BOOM!

Just as I was about to start a more thorough search—

A bolt of lightning struck a nearby stone pagoda.

Fragments exploded in every direction.

One chunk rolled all the way to my feet.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I wanted to continue searching, but if lightning was striking, we needed to retreat.

“Damn it...”

So we returned to the main hall of the ruined conduit.

I lit the fire again, dried my body, and sat in deep thought.

“Where did he hide?”

There had been nowhere to escape to in the center of the flower garden.

And considering he was under the effects of Sister Jeokwol’s butterfly powder, it was all the more bizarre.

Just as I was trying to piece together where that thing had disappeared to, an idea suddenly came to mind.

“Ah! Sister Jeokwol—do you think you could try calling your butterfly powder back to your body and see where it's leaking from?

If it’s leaking from that guy’s body, we might be able to trace it. If he’s hiding himself like you do, wouldn’t that leave behind a clue?”

If some of Sister Jeokwol’s scales were inside that guy’s body, they should react when she tried to recall them. That’s what I was thinking when I said it—but Sister immediately shook her head.

–Chii.

“It’s not possible?”

–Chiiii.

‘Why not? Is it because of the rain?’

For whatever reason, she was saying it wasn’t possible.

Since she hadn’t tried retrieving the butterfly powder that had gotten wet, I figured maybe it was because of the rain—or perhaps it was inside someone’s body and couldn’t be retrieved that way.

Maybe her influence couldn’t reach inside a body.

‘But... you were able to detoxify me when the powder was inside my body, weren’t you?’

Still, I couldn’t figure out exactly why she was refusing. But if she said no, what could I do?

There must’ve been a reason. Just as I resolved to come up with another method—

My stomach growled in protest from staying up all night.

–Grrggh.

It was still dark out, but it was early morning now and I was getting hungry.

“Ugh, I’m starving.”

I figured I’d get something in my stomach first before thinking any further.

You can’t think straight when you’re hungry.

First, I dug up the lily roots I’d set aside and buried them in the ashes.

That’s how I’d been eating the past couple days—and surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.

The scent was subtle, and the flavor was excellent, like roasted chestnuts.

–Ujik.

As I broke the root off from the lily stem, that familiar fragrance wafted up.

I tossed three fist-sized lily roots into the ashes.

“But this really is a waste. If Hwa-eun were here, I’d give her some.”

What I regretted wasting wasn’t the roots, but the flowers.

Sure, I was roasting the roots to eat, but the fully bloomed flowers had to be discarded, and that felt like such a shame.

They were in full bloom and so beautiful—but when I dug up the roots, the flowers would wilt or have to be burned like this.

The ones I’d dug up earlier in the evening still had moisture in them, so the flowers were still fresh and lively.

Roasting the roots made sense, but the flowers were useless—and I was just about to toss the precious lilies into the fire when—

Something flashed in my mind as I looked at them in the firelight.

I hadn’t seen that thing clearly—but I recalled the information I had about it.

Pink lilies.

A floral scent.

Sharp cutting power.

And wings.

‘No way... could it be?’

I had my doubts. What kind of insect would that even be?

But then I remembered—“no way” had betrayed me too many times before.

“No way a centipede that big exists”—and yet my kids were real.

“No way a scorpion that massive exists”—and then there was Cheongwol.

‘No way’ had always betrayed me. So maybe this time too...

I sprinted outside.

–Tsrurur!

–Kkukkuu!

–Chiiiii!

I heard the kids and Sister Jeokwol shouting from behind, and the rain was still pouring down—but I had to confirm it.

To see if my hunch was right.

I ran into the flower garden.

–RUMBLE BOOM!

As lightning ripped through the sky, its flash illuminated the thing I’d been looking for.

I hadn’t noticed it at all before when I wasn’t actively thinking about it—but now that I knew what to look for, I saw it clearly.

“There you are, you little—!”

What I had grabbed in my hand were two lilies—but they weren’t lilies at all.

It was the thing that had been clinging to a lily stalk, asleep.

An Orchid Mantis.

But not just any orchid mantis.

One that was venomous.

‘GAHHHHHHHH!!’

A gasp of awe escaped me on its own.

***

Among the leaders of the Five Venoms Sect, seated around a table inscribed with the images of the five venomous creatures,

The Sect Lord of the Five Venoms asked in a calm, sunken voice,

“So, what’s the next plan?”

“Th-that is...”

At his words, the leaders merely glanced at one another nervously.

No one answered. They just kept exchanging looks.

Annoyed by their silence, the Sect Lord flicked the bells on his wrist sharply.

–Jingle.

Immediately, all the leaders clutched their abdomens and rolled on the floor in agony.

“Gahhhaaargh!”

“L-Lord, please—”

“Please... grant us mercy...”

Each of their danjeons began to convulse and ripple.

It was the Dual Yin-Yang Parasites attached to their cores—creatures that enhanced their martial prowess—which were now seizing violently.

–Jingle.

With another flick of his wrist, the parasites calmed, and the Sect Lord looked over them with disdain.

“Even after losing Cheongyu and having the Four Kings taken from us, I generously instructed you to prepare the next plan. And yet a full month has passed, and not a single one of you has brought forward anything new.

Was I too generous?”

It wasn’t that the Sect Lord had become lenient. It was simply that all the ones who should have taken responsibility for that failed mission had already died.

But none of the remaining leaders dared to say that aloud.

Just then—

A voice rang out from outside.

“Sect Lord, this is Binghyeol Nanhwa of the Bloodshade Unit. I have come to report.”

“Let her in.”

The woman who stepped inside wore red robes.

She was the commander of the Bloodshade Unit, recently brought under their control.

She had once served the Blood Cult, where she led an elite intelligence division tasked with gathering information across the Central Plains.

It seemed the Sect Lord had given her some orders of his own.

While the others had heard that several members of the Blood Cult had quickly defected to the Five Venoms Sect, most of the leaders still found it unexpected.

They couldn’t yet trust her loyalty.

As the room grew tense, the Sect Lord turned to her and asked,

“So, did you confirm what I ordered?”

The commander of the Bloodshade Unit bowed deeply.

“Yes, my lord. The target has been confirmed to be heading north from Yizhou toward Hebei.”

“Hebei? What’s in Hebei?”

“We believe he may be stopping briefly at the Peng Clan.”

“The Peng Clan, I see. He’s blood-sworn brothers with Do-ryong, isn’t he?”

“Yes, just as previously reported.”

“You said he hasn’t shown signs of reaching the Five Poisons state yet, correct?”

“That’s right, my lord. We’ve found no traces indicating he has achieved that level.”

–Tap tap.

The Sect Lord tapped the armrest of his chair, then addressed the Five Venoms leaders.

“Though the Child of the Five Poisons may still be young, he’s already gathered all five poisons. It’s impossible to say when he might reach the realm of Five Poisons.

But soon, he will try.

Once he does, capturing him will be far more difficult than it is now.

While he’s still outside and unawakened, this is our chance. Before he steps into that realm, who among you will go and stop him?”

“I will go!”

“No, allow me the honor!”

“I’ll take care of him without fail!”

Voices clamored throughout the Sect Lord’s chamber as each leader vied for the opportunity—but then the Bloodshade commander, still kneeling, spoke up.

“My lord, I will take the few remaining members of my unit and make the attempt. Quietly. Discreetly. I will show you the way of the Bloodshade.”

To that, the Sect Lord smiled and replied,

“Granted.”