Myungdan’s expression darkened. However, he could not run. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on him. They were the eyes of the heads of fifteen sects and their young elites. Myungdan could never escape from this training ground. Swallowing dryly, he rose from his seat. Obediently walking forward was the best choice.
Step.
The gazes following him were scorching. Eyes filled with suspicion and curiosity raked across his entire body. When Myungdan stepped onto the platform, the Four-Directions Hall Administrator gestured toward a chair. It was a seat where he had no choice but to face the Alliance members directly. It was a burdensome place, but Myungdan endured the discomfort while pretending to appear calm. Yet despite his efforts to manage his expression, Myungdan’s face soon twisted.
Creak.
The training ground door opened and a woman entered. It was the eldest daughter of the Tang Clan Head, who had escaped headquarters’ interrogation. At the small sound, everyone turned their gazes back. As if naturally, all their expressions hardened. And Tang Sohwa even walked toward the platform instead of the Tang Clan’s designated seat. Myungdan found the entire situation bewildering. He could not understand why Tang Sohwa was here, nor why she was coming up onto the platform.
At that moment, the Sagye Hall Administrator’s voice pierced Myungdan’s ears.
“The antidotes for Oseoksan and dokgo that I mentioned earlier were all created by Young Lady Tang Sohwa. From this moment, we will demonstrate the dokgo antidote, so please observe closely.”
“W-wait a moment.”
Startled, Myungdan tried to stand, but the Four-Directions Hall Administrator pressed his shoulder and sat him back down.
“We are trying to help you, so do not be afraid.”
Meanwhile, Tang Sohwa, who had stepped onto the platform, picked up an item placed on the table.
“Administrator! I believe there is some misunderstanding. I did not come to remove dokgo—I came to prove my innocence...”
Tang Sohwa dipped a needle the size of her palm into a small jar. Then, while Myungdan was protesting to the Sagye Hall Administrator, she approached and inserted the needle into his hand.
“Argh!”
The black medicine coating the needle was instantly sucked into his body.
“Aaah!”
Myungdan began scratching his chest and arms. The Mount Hua Sect Leader, who had been watching the platform closely, rose from his seat. The Sagye Hall Administrator felt the sect leader’s agitation and quietly shook his head. The gesture asked him to please wait just a little longer.
Tang Sohwa watched the spot where the needle was embedded. Black veins rose across Myungdan’s arm. She stared at the black line, then pulled out the needle.
“Hrk.”
Myungdan bent forward with a twisted expression, clearly in pain. The Alliance members watching turned pale. Some exchanged looks, silently pushing each other to go up and intervene. Yet strangely, more than half of the sect leaders were observing the scene with calm expressions. The Mount Emei Sect Leader even scolded her disciples who were shaken.
“Be silent.”
Even the disciples of other sects who had been whispering beside Mount Emei fell quiet. Then someone cried out in alarm.
“W-what is that!”
Black liquid was streaming down Myungdan’s arm.
“How can human blood look like that?”
“Ugh, is that the dokgo the Administrator mentioned?”
The training ground grew noisy. The frightened voices all tangled together. However, the one performing the dokgo removal remained perfectly composed. Sohwa simply watched Myungdan’s arm without a hint of agitation.
Drip.
When all the black liquid had been drained, red blood finally began flowing out. Only then did Sohwa take a clean cloth and wipe Myungdan’s wound.
“...What is happening right now?”
Myungdan’s voice reached Sohwa’s ear. His expression was stiff with confusion.
After finishing the bleeding control, Sohwa checked his pulse and spoke.
“Go ahead and break the prohibition.”
Myungdan flinched sharply. Since the Blood Cult had inserted the Blood Demon’s blood into Myungdan’s body, they would have taught him about the prohibition. Silencing Myungdan’s mouth must have been the goal.
“All the dokgo within your body has been removed, so as a test, break the prohibition.”
Unable to tell whether Myungdan felt disgust or fear, Sohwa added another explanation.
“I mean only that you should confirm it all left your body, not that you should commit betrayal.”
Myungdan’s jaw muscles tightened. As if making up his mind, he squeezed his eyes shut.
“The Blood Cult, under the Blood Demon’s command, will exterminate all martial artists of the Central Plains...”
He muttered in a small voice, then suddenly opened his eyes wide. He pressed all over his chest. Myungdan ran his hands over his body with an expression of disbelief.
“How is it?”
At Sohwa’s question, Myungdan’s gaze shifted to her. As if confirming again, she asked:
“Has all the dokgo disappeared?”
“...How did you do this?”
“I merely used the needle to inject the antidote. It is medicine acquired from the Blood Cult’s stronghold.”
Myungdan started to say something but closed his mouth and turned his head. The Mount Hua Sect Leader was watching him. His teacher Wu So, his senior and junior martial brothers, his senior uncles—all were within his sight. Feeling their worry and confusion, Myungdan swallowed his words.
The training ground grew hot, trembling on the verge of an explosion. Everyone was shocked or furious, unable to believe what they had just seen.
The Sagye Hall Administrator sensed the agitation and spoke in a calm voice.
“As you have seen, the Blood Cult’s dokgo can be removed this easily.”
At his words, the surroundings quieted. The Alliance members were more focused on the Administrator’s voice than ever before. Anyone who dared interrupt now would likely be in grave danger.
The Sagye Hall Administrator continued in a steady tone.
“We have prepared a sufficient amount of the dokgo antidote, but its storage time is extremely short. Therefore, I highly recommend that you come to headquarters to receive treatment.”
“How long is the storage period?”
“At most, about one month.”
“One month? Then even if we receive the medicine, we must use it immediately upon returning to our sect. We could use it for perhaps a week or two.”
“If anyone in Kunlun requires the antidote, send them here to headquarters.”
The Administrator gave the simple answer, then added:
“Oh, and Young Lady Tang Sohwa here will be the one responsible for the treatment.”
“But is it not inappropriate for Young Lady Tang Sohwa to be moving around freely right now?”
Someone spoke in a soft voice.
An elder of the Zhuge family rose.
“We mean no disrespect to the Tang Clan Head, but at present, the most suspicious person is Young Lady Tang Sohwa.”
It was Zhuge Hyang. For some reason, he had wrapped cloth around his face, covering everything below his eyes.
“If we must choose the one who appears most closely tied to the Blood Cult, anyone would point to Young Lady Tang Sohwa. On the days when incidents related to the Blood Cult occurred, was she not always present?”
Zhuge Hyang extended his hand and pointed at Tang Sohwa.
“Look even now. How could she know the Blood Cult’s poison and conveniently produce an antidote at this exact moment?”
“What are you trying to say?”
Tang Min revealed his displeasure.
But Zhuge Hyang, unable to suppress his complaint, answered:
“How can we trust an antidote created by Young Lady Tang? For all we know, she may be acting under the Blood Cult’s orders to insert dokgo into the bodies of all Alliance members.”
“Are you saying that the Sagye Hall Administrator and the Four-Directions Hall Administrator are trying to turn the Alliance members into hosts for the Blood Cult?”
For the first time, the Tang Clan Head spoke. His low voice was filled with killing intent.
“No. Rather than doubting those two, I am saying it is possible even they have been deceived.”
Though half his face was covered, it looked like Zhuge Hyang was smiling. His narrow eyes curved.
Swish.
Suddenly, a sound sliced through the air of the training ground. Zhuge Hyang touched his cheek, which had suddenly turned cold. Alarmed, he tried to grab the falling cloth to cover his face again. It was useless. The cut cloth could not be put back, and another small stone flew from the front.
Tap.
This time Zhuge Hyang did not get hit. He stretched out his hand and snatched the small stone. Moments ago he had failed to react only because he had never imagined someone would make such a reckless attack inside headquarters.
The Heukcheon Amgui felt no remorse. He simply picked up another pebble from the training ground floor. Zhuge Hyang was just about to become furious at this lawless disregard for headquarters’ rules—
“Elder Zhuge Hyang, what happened to your face?”
An elder of the Namgung family, seated beside him, asked in surprise.
Startled, Zhuge Hyang fell silent. Because he had reached out to block the stone, the cloth covering his face had been pulled down to his chin. He had wrapped his face to hide the wound left there. If he had left it alone, it would have healed quickly, but attempting to treat it hastily had only inflamed it, leaving a red mark still on his cheek.
The Heukcheon Amgui clicked his tongue and interrupted.
“I thought our Young Clan Head gave you a proper warning that day, yet even after receiving such a pretty beard-mark, it seems you still haven't learned.”
Tang Min’s words caused an uproar.
“Young Clan Head?”
“Did he just say the Tang Clan’s Young Clan Head left that beard mark on the elder’s face?”
Hearing the murmuring, Zhuge Hyang’s face flushed. For someone who prized honor above all else, it was a severe humiliation. Unable to endure, Zhuge Hyang gathered his inner energy, ready to strike at any moment.
But Tang Min was not someone who cared for others’ temperaments or feelings. Still seated, he mocked him even further.
“It seems you still haven’t broken the habit of carelessly doubting other sects with that small tongue of yours. I suppose we should leave a scar on that tongue as well.”
Zhuge Hyang, losing his reason, radiated murderous intent. A fight was about to erupt, but people were too shocked by something else to pay full attention; they were busy whispering among themselves.
“So the Tang Clan’s Young Clan Head really did leave a scar on the elder’s face...”
As if arranged in advance, the martial artists of the fifteen sects all turned their eyes toward the Tang Clan’s young successor. Yet the young man’s face was perfectly clean. Far from having any sign of injury, his handsome features even shone brightly. Shock filled everyone’s eyes. And it was not only the young martial artists. Even the sect leaders and elders could not hide their surprise.
'...The elder of the Zhuge family was defeated by such a young successor?'
Realizing the reaction around him, Zhuge Hyang suppressed his fury and was about to defend himself—
“Is that the method Young Lady Tang brought back from the Northern Sea?”
The Mount Emei Sect Leader cut off Zhuge Hyang’s chance to explain. And her question was completely unexpected. Not only Zhuge Hyang but even the Heukcheon Amgui stopped preparing to attack and focused on her words. The Mount Emei Sect Leader was not one to speak nonsense.
Most of the Alliance members were confused by her question. 'What does that mean? The method Young Lady Tang found? Does the Mount Emei Sect Leader know something?'
But a few sect leaders simply looked at the Sagye Hall Administrator with calm faces. Their expressions showed they understood the question and sought the same answer.
Sensing the atmosphere, the Sagye Hall Administrator spoke.
“Yes. That is correct.”
It was a very concise answer. With such words, no one could understand what had been omitted. Yet the Mount Emei Sect Leader nodded. Surprisingly, she seemed to understand perfectly.
Her gaze moved to Tang Sohwa. Holding Sohwa in her eyes, she asked Zhuge Inhwi:
“If I understand the hardship Young Lady Tang endured, then what must I do?”
