Chapter 27. Moonlit Night (1)
Thud. Roll.
The Ghostwood Witch's head was severed, rolling across the ground with an expression of shock frozen on her face.
I gazed at it for a moment before exhaling the breath I had been holding.
"Huu…"
As the tension left my body, the strain in my muscles eased, and the pain I had been suppressing all at once flooded my senses.
The stinging agony from the cuts carved into my body. The sharp heat emanating from the deep wound on my chest.
It hurt, but it was bearable. The real problem was the demonic energy seeping into my qi pathways through the injured areas.
To make things worse, I had forcibly drawn sword energy during the last strike, leaving my qi flow in disarray. Now the demonic energy was rampaging through my meridians, making me feel as if my insides were twisting.
If not for the Hundred Poisons Pure Blood Pill strengthening my qi pathways, I'd have passed out by now.
I licked my lips, wishing I had a few more of those pills, and slid my sword back into its scabbard.
Srrrng.
My vision swayed. The moment I realized it was all over, my body relaxed, and the exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave. I staggered, my body tilting to the side.
"Brother Cheon!"
Tang Sowol rushed over and caught me, wrapping her arms around my shoulder to support me.
Her warmth was reassuring. The softness pressing against my upper body. The familiar scent of the oils she applied daily. And the concern in her gaze.
My heightened senses, frayed from the life-or-death battle, began to settle. I leaned into Tang Sowol, comforted by her presence.
"This is terrible! Are you alright? No, forget that—how could you let yourself get into this state? You should have asked Father for help!"
"I'm fine. I fought because I was confident I could handle it, and your father trusted me enough to leave it to me."
"How can you say that… Never mind, just take off your clothes quickly."
"What? Here? Don't you think we should at least go to an inn or somewhere private?"
"What are you thinking? Your shirt is enough. I need to stop the bleeding first, don't I? No more talking—just stay still!"
Her tone left no room for argument as she began tugging at my robe. Likely due to the repeated near-misses from the Ghostwood Witch's attacks, my clothes were already tattered. They tore easily under her pull.
Chwaaak!
Tang Sowol flinched slightly, as if startled by the situation, but her expression quickly shifted when she saw the blood flowing from the numerous small cuts covering my body. Her eyes trembled violently.
"Again… this…"
"What about it? Just like before, it's nothing serious this time either."
"Covered in blood like that, your words aren't convincing at all."
With a sigh, Tang Sowol pulled out some golden ointment from her pouch and began carefully applying it to my wounds.
We were currently stationed around the inn to ensure no stragglers from the Demonic Cult could escape.
In the midst of this large encirclement, it was just me and Tang Sowol here, meaning…
The sight of me, shirtless, being carefully tended to by Tang Sowol, was in full view of the entire Dark Soul Unit and Tang Jincheon, her father.
"Ugh…"
This was uncomfortable. I wasn't usually one to care about people staring, but the current situation was making me incredibly self-conscious.
Especially Tang Jincheon, who was glaring at me with an expressionless face, and Tang Yujin, who stood beside him, laughing as he patted his father's shoulder.
I really hoped they wouldn't take this any further.
I subtly turned my gaze away from them, and my eyes naturally landed on the area where Tang Sowol had been fighting.
Around ten members of the Demonic Cult lay sprawled on the ground, blood pooling beneath them. Among them was an elderly man who appeared to be a master at the Flowering Stage.
Unlike the others, he was still barely clinging to life, his pale face ashen as he took shallow breaths. A few members of the Dark Soul Unit were in the process of destroying his dantian and binding him.
As Tang Sowol busily applied ointment to my shoulder, I asked her, "Did you leave him alive on purpose? Well done. I didn't have the luxury of sparing anyone, so we can interrogate him later."
"Is that really important right now? The other wounds are manageable with this ointment, but this one… it's too severe."
Tang Sowol shot me a sharp look before gently pressing her fingers to the wound on my chest.
Her slender fingers brushed against my skin, the touch light but deliberate. The sensation, however, turned into a sudden jolt of pain when her fingers made contact with the wound itself.
"I need a bandage—or, no, there's no time for that. Just hold on for a moment."
Nodding slightly, Tang Sowol tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear with the same hand she'd been treating my wound with.
Then, without hesitation, she leaned closer and extended her tongue.
"Wha—wait a second."
Startled, I tried to pull back, but Tang Sowol stepped on my foot, pinning me in place.
She smiled, her crescent-shaped eyes twinkling mischievously, and began to lick the outer edge of the wound.
Haltch, haltch.
The warm, wet sensation of her tongue traced along my skin.
"What are you…"
I was too dumbfounded to speak, but it didn't take long for me to notice something unusual.
The wound on my chest, which had been the largest and bled the most due to the deliberately provoked attack, began to stop bleeding. Not only that, but the pain that had been tormenting me was subsiding.
It wasn't just the pain from the wound she licked that was diminishing. Even the lingering internal pain caused by the demonic energy wreaking havoc within me began to fade.
It felt as though the sharp blade cutting through my body had been dulled.
After a while, Tang Sowol pulled back with a satisfied expression.
"What… what did you just do? The bleeding stopped, and even the pain is mostly gone."
"Hmm? Curious, are you?"
Crossing her arms and puffing out her chest, Tang Sowol smirked smugly and continued in a slightly elevated voice.
"They say poison, when used well, can become medicine. I used a blood-coagulating poison to stop the bleeding and mixed in a mild paralytic toxin to dull the pain."
"Haah."
At her words, I examined the wound more closely. Sure enough, a scab-like crust was sealing the wound, stopping the blood flow. When I moved my arms and legs, I noticed that the overall pain had diminished, though my sense of touch had become slightly numb.
"Impressive. Using poison like this isn't something just anyone can do."
"Well, it's a bit tricky, I admit. But for someone like me, it's not impossible."
Of course. With Poison Dance Empress (Tang Sowol)'s unique Poison Spirit Body, she could create and combine poisons within her body, making this far easier for her.
"But there is one issue."
"Side effects?"
"Not exactly a side effect… More like…"
Tang Sowol trailed off, scrunching her nose. Her tongue, still slightly redder than usual, flicked out before she pulled it back in with a grimace.
"It's so bitter. Is blood supposed to taste this bad?"
A dangerous statement on many levels—and it came with a real threat.
Thunk.
Tang Jincheon placed a hand on both our shoulders, gripping mine with noticeably more strength.
"You both did well. Each of you defeated an opponent stronger than yourselves."
"That's thanks to the Purple Flower Poison Enhancing Grass that Brother Cheon gave me."
"Father-in-law. I'm injured… Could you ease up on my shoulder a little?"
I cautiously spoke, but Tang Jincheon ignored me, raising his voice.
"And! That last strike—though faint, it was undoubtedly sword energy! To glimpse the Flowering Stage before even reaching the age of twenty is truly a blessing for the martial world—and for the Tang Clan!"
"Thank you. But… could you please let go of my shoulder…"
"Do not grow arrogant. A moment of enlightenment can slip away as quickly as it comes. Remember this feeling, hone it, and make it your own."
Tang Jincheon smiled as he spoke, but the pressure he exuded was suffocating.
It seemed my comment about being a patient finally registered, as his grip loosened—though not completely. Before he could pull back entirely, Tang Sowol stepped in.
"Father, please stop bothering him and let me take care of him."
"Bothering? I was merely trying to praise him."
"Yes, yes, of course."
Tang Sowol shrugged, pulling me protectively into her arms.
I sank into her embrace, my exhausted body too grateful to care about the humiliation. For now, it felt like being sheltered by a mother bird guarding her egg.
She escorted me past Tang Jincheon's scowling face and toward the inn we'd surrounded.
"Is there an inn nearby that can accommodate everyone here?" she asked one of the guards.
"Uh, yes! There's one right here. Since the guests have all cleared out, there should be plenty of space!"
"Oh my, how fortunate. Father, shall we handle the repairs for the damaged walls?"
"…Do as you like."
Tang Jincheon nodded weakly, clearly drained.
Relieved, I allowed myself to be led inside the inn by Tang Sowol.
It wasn't extravagant, but the interior was clean and well-maintained, likely thanks to the diligent innkeeper. Tang Sowol carefully laid me on a bed, covering me with a blanket before standing up.
"I'll stand guard outside. Please rest and recover."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I'm perfectly fine. Thanks to my poison, even a Flowering Stage martial artist couldn't put up much of a fight."
"I see. Thank you for helping."
"It's what I want to do."
Tang Sowol smiled and pulled up a chair, sitting nearby to keep watch as I closed my eyes.
"I'll leave it to you, then."
"Yes, please rest."
Her warm smile lingered in my mind as I began circulating my internal energy, expelling the remaining demonic energy and restoring my qi pathways.
As my focus waned, exhaustion took over. I didn't resist the pull of sleep.
***
When I opened my eyes, the room was dimly lit. Dawn must've been approaching. Tang Sowol was gone, likely tending to her duties.
I was about to close my eyes again to resume my meditation when—
Creak.
The sound of the door opening. Someone was entering the room.
Instinctively, I reached for the sword at my bedside and began to rise.
"Who's there—"
A soft hand clamped over my mouth.
I almost drew my sword but froze when the familiar scent on her hand made me pause.
The faint moonlight streaming through the window illuminated her face.
"Shhh."
It was Tang Sowol, a playful smile on her lips as she pressed a finger to them.
Good heavens.