Chapter 56. Usefulness

The Blood Sect bastard frowned as if troubled.

“Hmm, I didn’t bring the Five Minerals Powder, so I can’t give you an answer. I was curious about the reason myself.”

“You made it sound like you’d answer everything.”

The bastard lowered the ends of his eyebrows as if wronged.

“It’s true.”

He let out a sigh.

“Since this trick was played in my territory, I’m also struggling with how to deal with this guy.”

“So you’re saying it wasn’t the Blood Sect?”

At the unbelievable words, So-hwa let out a sneer. However, the other didn’t take offense at her laughter and waved his hand as he replied.

“No, no, I’m not denying it was the Blood Sect. I think I have a rough idea of who did it.”

“Then who?”

Perhaps because of his flower-like, radiant clothes, the young man gave off the scent of flowers with every movement. Like someone with a flower field in his head.

The bastard tilted his head and frowned.

“If you want, I can tell you—but even if I did, would you know?”

When So-hwa stayed silent, the Blood Sect bastard smiled and answered gently.

“There’s a mad old geezer in the Blood Sect, and he keeps two dogs. They likely belong to the Red House. Word came in recently that one of them was spotted in Guangdong.”

So-hwa fell silent at the unexpectedly forthcoming answer.

Of course, she had no idea who he was referring to.

The bastard smiled as if he’d known that.

“See? I told you, even if I told you, you wouldn’t know.”

So-hwa’s expression turned subtle.

She had spent the past three years trying to trace the Blood Sect, but thanks to those who kept cutting off chunks of the body instead of the tail, she had been unable to find the thread. Judging by their actions, information about sect members was certainly not something shared lightly.

As she sank into thought over the unverifiable answer, the bastard crossed his arms and said.

“Now, I’ve answered honestly, so it’s your turn.”

So-hwa stepped back a pace, overwhelmed by the intense heat pressing in on her.

The Blood Sect bastard had mentioned asking questions, but suddenly raised the stakes.

As she instinctively assessed the escape route, his presence disappeared. At the same time, warmth descended onto her arm.

“Though you don’t seem like an exceptional martial artist, you can sense my energy. Is there a scent to it?”

The Blood Sect bastard, now behind her, placed his hand on her clothes.

“You don’t seem to have a particularly special body.”

Without adding weight, he examined her body with the heat flowing from his hand.

“Your external martial arts training seems decent, but frankly, it’s terrible. You might be able to throw a few small hidden weapons, but if you held a sword, I doubt you could last two shichen. Not to mention hand-to-hand combat.”

The warmth slowly climbed up her arm and then moved languidly around her neck.

“Strange… I don’t feel any traces of internal energy training. Do you even have a dantian? As a daughter of a martial arts clan, you should’ve learned your internal cultivation method from a young age. The rumors about your lack of talent in martial arts seem to be true.”

Laughter fell onto the top of her head.

“Well, I guess it was a good choice. When something can’t be done, it’s best to give up quickly. Thanks to focusing on the Poison Pavilion’s work, you’ve secured quite a position in the clan, haven’t you?”

The Blood Sect bastard suddenly clamped his mouth shut, as if realizing he’d misspoken, then opened it again.

“I think the people of the Tang Clan call it the ‘Nine Turns Pavilion,’ not the Poison Pavilion. My apologies, I have so many things I hear about that it’s hard to keep track.”

He smirked, showing off his knowledge of information.

So-hwa let him keep speaking, then, for the first time, she spoke.

“Everyone can tell that I don’t have the Heavenly Martial Body. You’re spending a lot of time confirming that.”

Turning her head, So-hwa met his gaze. Golden-tinged pupils held her face.

Despite the smile she wore throughout, her gaze was cold.

So-hwa provoked him to learn more about him.

“It seems that if information isn’t served to you on a platter, there isn’t much you can figure out on your own, is there?”

The bastard seemed to expect her to respond by revealing her internal energy.

Having spent decades with a husband who would insult her with refined words, she was confident in her ability to twist people’s insides with words.

But suddenly, the Blood Sect bastard jerked his body back, covering his mouth with his hand.

Then, in a wounded voice, he muttered.

“To hear such words, it pains my heart.”

At the bewildering reaction, So-hwa’s eyes narrowed. However, the bastard continued without a care.

“I just wanted to leave a good impression and show off what I know… It seems you prefer those who speak little. Ah, but that’s a bit difficult… I’ve lived my life since childhood, scratching the old geezer’s nerves for fun, so I never learned how to keep my mouth shut.”

The Blood Sect bastard smiled while supporting his cheek with his hand.

“Or perhaps you’re not interested in a beauty who overcame childhood scars with strength? I could tell you a story that would stir the sympathies of an orthodox young lady.”

Though he seemed insane, every word he uttered was bizarre.

So-hwa had many questions to ask, and knowing that such an opportunity was rare, she found herself momentarily speechless.

The Blood Sect bastard, holding back his laughter, closed her open jaw for her.

“I heard rumors that you’re like a hundred-year-old elder, but you don’t seem like an adult at all.”

Thwack.

When So-hwa slapped his hand away, the Blood Sect bastard tilted his mouth slightly.

“Now then.”

He asked the question he had been curious about once again.

“Did you figure out my internal energy with your sense of smell?”

“You seem like a madman at a glance, but I don’t understand why you’re talking such nonsense about being able to sense internal energy through smell.”

So-hwa replied.

Instead of backing away, the bastard smirked.

“I once saw someone distinguish the internal energy of others by smell.”

As he scrutinized her stiff expression, the Blood Sect bastard added.

“So I wondered if you were like that person.”

So-hwa, not wasting a moment as he shut his mouth, countered.

“Who was that person?”

“Well, I can’t tell you that.”

The Blood Sect bastard sighed.

“It’s not for my sake, it’s for yours. If you know too much, it’ll put you in danger.”

He shrugged.

“If you knew, you’d probably want to meet that person, right? You’re the child of a wealthy martial arts clan, and you already have loyal subordinates, so it wouldn’t be hard to make it happen.”

He shook his head as he spoke.

“I cannot commit such a wicked act against a young lady who is still so young. I’m not a beast, so I can’t put a rabbit-like woman into the mouth of a tiger.”

Though So-hwa wasn’t naive enough to be deceived by the Blood Sect bastard, she became curious.

Why was this madman from the Blood Sect showing her a friendly attitude?

Whether it was genuine or not, she wondered why he was trying to leave such an impression.

Silently observing the man, So-hwa finally spoke.

“Were you also the one who came to my quarters at night?”

The bastard nodded. So-hwa’s voice became even colder.

“Why?”

“I wanted to confirm if you were someone useful.”

Golden light flickered in the Blood Sect bastard’s eyes, and a warm breeze began to swirl around him.

He kept testing her.

Without the intent to kill, he emitted a murderous aura, and with his gaze, he tried to stir her eyes, attempting to uncover her true feelings.

In a way, it was the same for her.

So-hwa also tried to gauge him.

The Blood Sect member before her was different from the ones she’d encountered among the Blood Sect remnants.

The Blood Sect members she’d seen at Emei Mountain had red bodies. It was said that when one practices Blood Art, their body becomes red. But this Blood Sect member, who pretended to be the second son of the merchant leader, did not show any signs of red aura even after gathering his internal energy.

Yunjin and Namgung Hyun were the same. They were also members of the Blood Sect but used martial arts from the Tang Clan and the Namgung clan.

‘… What exactly is the structure of the Blood Sect?’

Were the members inside the sect the ones with red bodies, and those outside the sect had normal physiques? Did that mean those outside the sect didn’t practice Blood Art?

Many questions came to her mind.

Could those who use martial arts other than Blood Art still be considered members of the Blood Sect?

So-hwa tried to speculate about the martial arts the bastard possessed.

True energy containing the aura of extreme yang.

He was using the martial arts of the vanished Great Desert Solar Palace. Yet, he introduced himself as a member of the Blood Sect. Moreover, strangely enough, this man…

“By ‘useful,’ do you mean being able to sense internal energy through smell?”

This Blood Sect bastard had realized that she could sense someone’s internal energy.

Though he didn’t know that she could feel it through other senses, not just her sense of smell.

“That’s right.”

“Do you want me to use that ability for you?”

“Indeed.”

“What do you want to use it for?”

“I’ll let you know in due time.”

The Blood Sect bastard in front of her was contradictory.

He mocked her as an orthodox young lady, yet he asked her to be his ally.

He was out of his mind.

But to reveal his identity and make such a request, he was serious.

It seemed that he needed the ability to sense a person’s internal energy.

Why?

What could he possibly need this ability for?

So-hwa felt frustrated.

She knew nothing about the Blood Sect, so even though information was pouring out in front of her, she couldn’t understand it.

The only thing that was certain was that…

She observed the heat tingling her skin and moved her fingers.

Three years ago, the martial artists she encountered at Emei Mountain used cold energy.

It was faint, so she didn’t think it was Ice Art, but it might have been. Perhaps their bodies were weakened, preventing them from fully displaying their abilities.

If they were Blood Sect members who had learned the North Sea Ice Palace’s martial arts…

And if this bastard was a disciple who had learned the Great Desert Solar Palace’s martial arts…

So-hwa quietly assessed their commonalities.

The heat radiating from him made her skin itch. The sensation, like swarming insects, was chaotic and familiar.

It was similar to the energy she had felt from the martial artists at Emei Mountain.

Could it be that the absorbed martial artists are under the control of the Blood Sect?

Breaking her silence, So-hwa spoke.

“Honestly, I don’t know how to prove that I’m useful.”

Saying that, she took out the hand she had been hiding in her sleeve. A small wooden box was in her white hand.

She handed it to Haerak.

“If, after a while, you feel a stiffness and unpleasant sensation in your dantian, take one of these blue pills.”

“What’s this?”

Haerak squinted his eyes, clearly confused.

“It’s an antidote pill. If you need the blue pill again, come find me. Then we can talk again.”

“Wait a minute.”

Haerak frowned, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Are you telling me you just poisoned me?”

So-hwa calmly nodded in response.

“Didn’t you ask me to prove my usefulness?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. The usefulness I was talking about isn’t like this.”

“I don’t know what you need. However, I know what I can give you. I don’t like making premature assertions, but this is probably something you’ll need.”

“You.”

Haerak chuckled bitterly.

“What if I don’t need you after one gak (15 minutes)? Why resort to a move like this?”

His smile was cold, contrasting with his words.

“If your poison doesn’t affect me, what are you trying to achieve with such nonsense?”

So-hwa, who had been standing still, suddenly moved closer to him. She pressed her nose to Haerak’s neck.

Haerak recoiled in surprise, stepping back. So-hwa calmly withdrew and said,

“There’s no need to wait one gak. You’re already poisoned by the Energy-Scattering Poison.”

The warmth in the air changed, becoming as warm as the spring sun.

Soon, the heat turned into a scent that had been absent before.

A deep, fresh, peony-like fragrance.

Between the warmth of the air and the peony scent, silence hung in the air.

So-hwa watched as Haerak twitched his fingers. He seemed flustered. He must have never been poisoned by Energy-Scattering Poison before. He quickly attempted to suppress his internal energy to contain the dissipating aura.

This wasn’t his fault. The Energy-Scattering Poison was crafted by the Tang Clan’s Master of Ten Thousand Poisons, who had been researching the Body Impervious to All Poisons using the clan’s rarest materials. He wasn’t weak—just unfortunate.

Or perhaps, in this case, he was very lucky.

He had met a Tang Clan member skilled in antidotes in this life.

Slowly, So-hwa grabbed Haerak’s arm. As she rolled up his sleeve, she placed her fingers gently on his forearm. Her fingers moved up slowly, keeping a steady distance as she made her way along his arm. Haerak’s eyes were fixed on her, though it appeared as though she was tracing his bloodlines.

But she skipped over several points.

What So-hwa was proving wasn’t Haerak’s bloodlines.

Haerak’s expression darkened.

The area known only to him began to reveal itself as So-hwa’s fingertips traced along it.

At the moment when doubt flickered in Haerak’s golden eyes, So-hwa’s gaze rose. Her eyes, clear and emotionless, locked onto his. Then, her voice, colder than ever, made a suggestion.

“If you want, I can remove the poison gu inside you.”

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