Chapter 145. The Namgung Brothers

As So-hwa entered the Medical Hall, Tang Hae-han stood up as if he had been waiting.

"You!"

He tried to sound stern, but Tang So-hwa walked right past him.

"... Wow, you're just ignoring me openly like this?"

Tang Hae-han followed after So-hwa, who was rummaging through the herb drawers. The room was small, so there wasn't much space to move anyway.

It would have looked more dignified to speak from where he was, but instead, Tang Hae-han hurried up to So-hwa, thrust his face forward, and snapped.

"I was going to ask if you were all right, but that thought is completely gone now!"

"I'm fine."

"I said I wasn't going to ask!"

Tang So-hwa gave no response and pulled out two baskets.

"But the others aren't fine."

Tang Hae-han, forgetting his anger, asked seriously.

"Besides Hak, are there others injured? Who?"

"Everyone."

Tang So-hwa divided the herbs between the two baskets.

One was filled to the brim, while the other had less than half that amount.

"They must be suffering from Xulao(虚勞, an illness caused by damage to vital energy and blood, leaving one fatigued), but they're not showing it. These people act like it would be a disaster to show weakness, so it's nothing new."

"Xulao?"

Still going through the herb chests, Tang So-hwa replied.

"They must've gone through a swamp or something—covered in slime... Hand me that Chongung (Ligusticum) over there."

Tang Hae-han obediently pulled open the herb drawer and clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, I saw it too. Only the Grand Elder was somewhat clean; the rest were caked in mud. The stench of that black mud with green mold clinging to it—ugh. I thought some grass-fed beast had taken a dump right over them."

Tang So-hwa nodded.

"It wasn't mold but toxic green algae, that's why it stank. For them to smear themselves with that much poison and still act fine... none of them are normal."

"Green algae? How dangerous is it?"

"Remember the records about the elephant soldiers of Nanman being wiped out after drinking water from a rotten pond?"

"Ah, I think I do."

"If it's the same poison as the algae from that pond, then even a small amount would kill a person instantly. Even the massive elephant corps was annihilated."

"Instant death?"

Tang Hae-han furrowed his brow.

"I don't know if it's the same toxicity as that pond in Nanman, but if they don't get the poison out quickly, even with strong bodies, their livers will be damaged. Enough time has already passed that once they reach the limit, they'll feel chronic fatigue."

Tang Hae-han's gaze slid toward the decoction cauldron. Now that he noticed, all the herbs were ones good for Xulao.

Shaking his head, he let out a different kind of sigh, half in reluctant admiration.

"The atmosphere between the Clan Head and the Grand Elder was murderous, and yet you came back thinking of this? Truly amazing... Your nerve must be the greatest in the Central Plains—no, on the whole continent."

Tang So-hwa did not answer. Though her movements were calm, her heart seemed urgent.

Tang Hae-han sighed, lit the fire under the decoction cauldron, and even before So-hwa asked, pulled out a cloth pouch to help with preparations.

"But why are you dividing the herbs?"

"Because if the Clan Head knows I prepared the medicine, he won't take it. He's very angry."

Tang So-hwa put the separately measured herbs into the pouch that Tang Hae-han handed over.

"When he returns, he'll bathe first, so prepare a medicinal bath for him. Say it as if you thought of it yourself—tell him it's good for fatigue. He'll like that."

"So you're not completely clueless. At least you know the Clan Head is angry?"

Instead of replying, So-hwa moved and took out two jars of ointment from a drawer.

"What's this? Did someone get wounded?"

"No, I'm sending it to the Namgung Clan."

"Namgung Clan?"

Tang Hae-han's voice dropped sharply. Snatching the ointment, he looked exasperated.

"Do you know what rumors are flying around outside right now? They're saying you're toying with the Namgung brothers."

"Really?"

So-hwa already knew such nonsense was spreading, but she frowned as if hearing it for the first time.

Encouraged, Tang Hae-han raised his voice further.

"They're talking as if you've become some kind of seductress of the world. I thought I had heard everything there was to hear in my life. Don’t add fuel to the rumors and just stay put.”

Tang Hae-han clearly disliked the rumors as well.

'Perfect. I was wondering how to send him out of the headquarters.'

Tang So-hwa nodded as if agreeing with him.

"Then, brother, you go instead."

"Me?"

"The ointment is just an excuse. Tell young warrior Namgung Hyun that I have something to say and ask him to come here."

"What do you want to say?"

"Never mind. I'll just go myself."

As Tang So-hwa pulled out another jar of ointment, Tang Hae-han snatched that one too.

"Fine! I'll go!"

He asked in a dissatisfied tone.

"I just have to tell young warrior Namgung Hyun to come here, right?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll go to the Namgung Clan. You stay put here in the meantime."

With a suspicious look at So-hwa, Tang Hae-han left the room.

So-hwa, on the other hand, looked at him with trust, then returned to sorting the baskets.

Seeing those fierce eyes of his, she was sure he would act exactly as she had intended.

She knew Tang Hae-han well.

He was the one in the Tang Clan most similar to her.

He cared for nothing outside the affairs of Nine Turns Pavilion, and toward those he grew attached to, his obsession was frightening. The fact that his obsession was with members of the Tang Clan was the same.

Having heard others mock a direct descendant of the Tang Clan as some kind of seductress, there was no way he could endure it.

No doubt, once he reached the Namgung Clan, he would pointlessly engage in a battle of wills and try to stamp out those rumors.

But though Tang Hae-han would act hostile toward Namgung Jin, he would at least show the minimum of courtesy to Namgung Hyun.

Tang Hae-han was one who always prepared for every possibility.

If a plan broke down, he acted as if the world were collapsing, and out of fear that it might fail, he always had several alternatives ready.

The Young Lord Namgung Jin could never become the Tang Clan's son-in-law—but Namgung Hyun was another matter.

Namgung Hyun might one day become a member of the Tang Clan, so Tang Hae-han would take care not to damage his honor.

If, by ill chance, Namgung Hyun became the Tang Clan's son-in-law, the clan's reputation could be tarnished, and they would never risk that.

‘That’s what happened in my previous life.’

In her past life, though Tang Hae-han cursed Namgung Hyun in private, saying he disliked him, before others, he always tried to uphold Namgung Hyun's dignity.

'Namgung Jin doesn't know Hae-han. If he sees that, he'll think it strange.'

Because of her letter, Namgung Jin had gone to the Platinum Pavilion. And there, it seemed, he encountered Namgung Hyun.

While his head was already a tangle of thoughts, if the Tang Clan were to give him a cold shoulder and yet show favor to Namgung Hyun, Namgung Jin would begin to suspect Tang So-hwa.

'With his temperament, he would never suppress his curiosity—he'll find a way to come looking for me.'

Moreover, the Young Lord had been to the headquarters before, so slipping into the Tang Clan residence would not be difficult. All the guest pavilions looked alike.

So-hwa pushed aside the cloth pouch prepared for the medicinal bath and tidied the table. Since it was already kept clean, there wasn't much to straighten.

When her work was done, she sat before the decoction cauldron to catch her breath.

Piiiii.

Watching the thin smoke curl upward, her thoughts began to drift.

"... How do they all endure it so well?"

When Tang Min carried her, she had felt the toxins. Even with just brief contact, she had felt an itch, yet Tang Min had not scratched his skin.

The others were the same. Even Zhuge In-hwi, who had been thoroughly soaked in the green algae, seemed fine.

And despite being accompanied by such formidable martial experts, the Alliance Leader had not dared to face the Blood Demon head-on.

'... Just how strong must that monster be, for him to choose such a humiliating course?'

Her hatred of the Alliance Leader aside, he was a prophet.

He had faced the Blood Demon before her and fought countless battles. His reaction could not be dismissed lightly.

So-hwa rubbed her tired face.

That same Alliance Leader had taken Tang Hak hostage.

He feared that the Clan Head might take her and return to Sichuan.

She could guess what kind of bargain had been struck between the Alliance Leader and the Blood Demon.

'Just as Father foresaw, I may soon be thrown into the dungeons.'

This time, the Blood Demon might take her away completely.

The Alliance Leader and the Blood Demon were moving in unison now.

But there was nothing to be greatly afraid of.

‘If the Blood Demon has gained a prophet, then I need only to obtain a new power of my own’

It was the plan she had formed back when she was trapped in the Blood Demon's pavilion. Now, with a line of contact to the outside, it was even easier to put into action.

The timing had only come a little sooner.

'I must reach the North Sea before the Alliance Leader makes his move.'

At that thought, her hands went cold. She clasped her blood-drained fingers together, regaining her sense of reality.

The bloodline of the North Sea Ice Palace was said to have purged the Blood Demon's blood and fled. That meant he knew how to erase the Blood Demon's poison.

Whether he would be favorable toward her, she did not know—but it seemed there would be a chance to speak with him.

He who had mastered the Ice Arts of the North Sea Ice Palace did not seek fame — he saved his clan and fled.

Wouldn't that mean he intended to one day rebuild the North Sea Ice Palace?

If he learned she had the records, he would seek to meet her.

That single chance would be enough.

So-hwa slowly loosened her hands and straightened her posture.

Amusingly, thanks to the Blood Demon, she had found one simple yet difficult way to get to the North Sea.

Namgung Hyun.

So-hwa had been trying to find out why Namgung Hyun had come to the Tang Clan and what information he had learned at the Summer Pavilion.

Paradoxically, because of the Blood Demon, she had achieved that without much effort.

Now that she knew Namgung Hyun was a sorcerer favored by the god, other ambitions arose.

She wanted to use Namgung Hyun's sorcery power instead of the Blood Demon's.

Unfortunately, she could not force him to obey with strength as she could the Blood Demon.

To use him, she would have to extract cooperation.

She could not be certain whether Namgung Hyun's heart was deep enough to admit his identity and open a passage for her.

'Still, it's worth testing.'

She also needed to procure supplies to use in the North Sea in case the plan succeeded.

Originally, she had thought to ask Haerak, but given the situation, she needed someone else to obtain the items.

'I’m sorry, Namgung Jin, but...'

The Young Lord was not a participant in the Martial Arts Tournament, so he wouldn't be suspected if he didn't return to the Clan Head and the Namgung Clan. He could quietly assist her and move on her behalf.

Han-won had been to Jin Yin Mountain, so it would be too risky to take him out. If things went wrong, the Tang Clan would be suspected, and the Blood Sect might target Han-won.

No matter how she considered it, Namgung Jin was the perfect fit.

Even if suspicion arose, it would be shared with the Namgung Clan, which eased her mind. And it was difficult for the Blood Sect to attack the Namgung Clan's Young Lord in the middle of Hubei, and the Young Lord's own martial arts were not low.

So-hwa devised a way to get the Namgung brothers out of headquarters.

'... He will dislike this greatly, but it's the only way to force him out.'

Wouldn’t the cost of a life be enough to compensate for his tarnished honor?

In her previous life, Namgung Jin had been ambushed at Dabeishan Mountains this year, so he would not die if she took him to the North Sea.

In any case, she alone could not lure the North Sea bloodline.

‘Since even the Blood Demon could not find him, I must lure him, not track him.’

She wiped the Namgung brothers from her mind, then considered ways to lure the bloodline that might be in the North Sea while waiting for the decoction to finish.