Chapter 88. Removal of Poison gu

So-hwa folded her fingers one by one beneath her sleeve.

‘One, two…’

If the pill was made as intended, it would dissolve and release a blood scent in the stomach. Attracted by the scent, the Poison gu would rush in, triggering nausea and expelling the Poison gu.

She had seen how the Poison gu had rushed to the wound on Haerak’s arm the first time.

So-hwa estimated that it would take sixty counts for the Poison gu, which had spread to the tips of his toes, to crawl into the stomach.

She had blended the medicinal herbs to induce vomiting accordingly, so if it worked as planned, he would expel the Poison gu completely.

All ten of her fingers were folded, but Haerak’s face remained calm.

Silence deepened.

The faint sounds of early evening flowed in through the window.

It was on the thirtieth cycle of folding and unfolding her fingers.

“Ugh.”

Haerak let out a groan.

“What?”

So-hwa reacted sensitively.

Haerak placed a hand on his chest and furrowed his brows.

“Something’s strange.”

So-hwa continued counting the time with her fingers while keenly observing Haerak’s face.

“Describe how it feels strange.”

“I feel like throwing up.”

“Already?”

Startled, So-hwa narrowed her brows.

Haerak, as if trying to endure it, gagged.

“Ugh, you, turn your head away… What? Go away.”

When So-hwa approached, Haerak briefly stopped retching and reached out his hand, but she sat down right next to him.

So-hwa grabbed Haerak’s jaw, opened his mouth, and placed the pill inside. It was the antidote from the fourth slot.

“I miscalculated the time, the reaction is faster than I expected.”

Haerak’s gaze fell downward.

He was looking at So-hwa’s hand on his lips.

“There’s no time to hesitate. Swallow it quickly.”

As soon as Haerak swallowed the pill, he asked,

“…But why are you holding a knife?”

So-hwa, holding a small dagger, replied,

“The ones who died from the Poison gu had their hearts turn black. It seems that once they decide to kill the host, they rush for the heart.”

“Then why are you telling me this while holding a knife?”

“If your heart feels tight or something feels wrong, tell me.”

“…What?”

Haerak wanted an explanation, but So-hwa didn’t provide one, worried it might scare him.

This was all just a prediction she had drawn in her mind, not a verified method. That meant it was bound to be dangerous.

So-hwa was tense, but she tried not to show it.

She considered that an act of respect for the one entrusting her with his life.

While So-hwa’s gaze was fixed on Haerak’s chest, he was looking into her eyes.

The pupils reflecting the candlelight trembled continuously, unlike her motionless expression.

Haerak felt his heart calm. Watching someone doing their utmost to save him made half of his anxiety transfer to her.

In that unfamiliar sense of relief, he let out a hollow laugh. At the same moment, he clutched his heart.

“Ugh, it feels strange again.”

So-hwa pulled down the front of his robe. On his skin, black waves shimmered like a mirage.

Relying on the faint candlelight, she couldn’t make out his exact skin color. However, the black veins beneath the skin were clearly visible.

“Why is the physician looking so timid?”

Haerak took off his own clothes. Even as he grimaced, he joked, though it didn’t reach So-hwa’s ears.

So-hwa’s eyebrows rose.

It was the first time she had seen the Poison gu move so clearly before her eyes.

Black veins popped up on his upper body. The tangled black lines intertwined like spiderwebs, converging at the center of his torso.

‘Is this the path they’re taking?’

The area near the stomach and heart was the darkest, gradually fading toward the fingertips. The Poison gu that had gathered in his stomach appeared to be moving toward his heart. It seemed to have wandered along the stomach’s membrane without tearing it before finally shifting in that direction.

So-hwa realized that the Poison gu wasn’t leaving the blood vessels.

‘Do I need to rupture the stomach lining to draw blood?’

She didn’t want to damage his organs, but if the method failed, she might have to forcibly rupture the blood vessel.

So-hwa still gripped the knife but had yet to draw blood.

‘Just a bit more.’

She wanted to observe their movement further.

There was no knowing if such an opportunity would ever come again.

If Haerak were to die, this might be the last chance to study the movements of the Poison gu.

At that moment, Haerak let out a pained groan.

So-hwa finally put strength into her hand.

Thudududuk.

The cut was deeper than expected, and blood splattered down.

Then, as if it were a lie, the rippling black waves stopped moving. It was as if they were gauging their opponent before charging in.

So-hwa hesitated. If she lured them to one place, it seemed like the blood vessels in the arms or legs might become blocked.

She looked up and asked Haerak,

“I’m going to make small cuts on your fingertips and toes. I think the smell will lure the ones gathered at the heart out toward the ends.”

“Just do whatever quickly. I feel like I’m going to die.”

Haerak replied in a low voice, barely, as if in pain.

So-hwa made small cuts on both his hands and tore the fabric near his ankles, leaving fingernail-sized cuts there as well.

Then, as if on cue, the Poison gu changed direction.

The intensely black lines near his heart faded, and the faint lines spreading to his arms and legs gradually darkened.

Though the lines darkened as the mass dispersed in four directions, they were not as vivid as when concentrated in the center.

Soon, black liquid dripped from the openings on his hands and feet.

When the black veins near the heart disappeared, So-hwa thickly applied a clear medicinal paste to seal the wounds on his arms and legs.

The Poison gu wailed in frustration but soon gave up and retreated quietly.

At last, even the veins in the arms and legs began to fade.

“…These damned things obey that easily?”

Haerak said in disbelief, his voice sounding hollow.

His breathing was even, suggesting the pain had greatly diminished.

So-hwa, relieved, spoke in a calm voice.

“I was worried they might get angry and try to kill the host, but seeing them diligently move, lured by the blood, it seems they have no intelligence.”

“Insects don’t have intelligence. Of course not,” Haerak let out a dry laugh.

He reached to scratch his arm, then paused.

Not missing that reaction, So-hwa furrowed one brow and asked,

“Does it itch?”

“A bit.”

So-hwa placed her hand where Haerak was about to touch. Just by placing her hand there, she felt a distinct vibration beneath the skin. The insects were running amok.

Though she didn’t know how to calm them, she at least knew how to disperse the clustered ones.

She brushed her fingers over the remaining spots on Haerak’s body, gliding them toward the clearer areas of skin.

“Are you okay?”

“…I think so.”

Though the response was lukewarm, his voice lacked strength, suggesting he wasn’t in pain.

After luring away the clustered Poison gu, So-hwa circled behind Haerak, just in case. A few spots remained on his back.

So-hwa cautiously placed her hand on his back, dispersing the clustered Poison gu outward.

Haerak remained silent and still. It seemed the pain was indeed subsiding.

However, when she pressed near his shoulder knife, Haerak flinched sharply. His back muscles tensed so deeply they drew a visible line.

“Sorry.”

“…It’s nothing.”

His response came half a beat late.

So-hwa set aside her haste and slowly worked to clear away Haerak’s Poison gu.

She was careful not to press into the flesh, merely gliding lightly over the skin.

A silence so deep it swallowed even the sound of breathing ensued.

Then, out of nowhere, Haerak asked,

“…Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What?”

At the cryptic question, So-hwa lifted her hand and asked.

There were still a few clusters of Poison gu remaining, but Haerak picked up his robe and draped it over himself.

“This much will disperse on its own, so you can stop.”

As he fastened the robe, Haerak furrowed his brow. There was no reply from behind.

Haerak, feeling uneasy, turned his head slightly. He then saw Tang So-hwa narrowing her eyes.

“…Then you should’ve said so earlier…”

She spoke in a cold voice.

Haerak’s gaze dropped to Tang So-hwa’s sleeve. The light-colored sleeve was soaked with blood. Looking closely, there were numerous small cuts on her fingers.

It seemed she had continued to injure her hand to lure the Poison gu. Half of the cuts had almost healed, but the rest were still bleeding.

Haerak parted his lips and clicked his tongue.

“Why bother with such pointless things.”

So-hwa averted her gaze and picked up the ointment container.

Seeming not too bothered, she spoke while applying the remaining ointment to her hand.

“The next batch of pills will be made when I return to Sichuan. It’ll probably take a month, so visit Sichuan around then.”

“Will it be any different next time?”

Haerak’s voice was filled with distrust.

Understanding his reaction, So-hwa answered calmly.

“I confirmed the path the Poison gu takes and also learned the reaction speed of your body. The next one should be more effective.”

“Why does that sound like you’re saying it might fail again?”

“Good ear. It might fail again.”

So-hwa spoke while wiping her hands with the water prepared by the bedside.

“But I have no intention of giving up until it’s complete.”

So-hwa’s gaze slid toward Haerak.

She was asking with her eyes.

Are you going to give up?

She asked, knowing how important this was to him.

In other words, it wasn’t a question.

‘She’s telling me to get a grip.’

Frustrated at being a host for the Poison gu, Haerak silently straightened his clothes.

Suddenly, So-hwa stood up and stepped down from the bed.

Haerak furrowed one brow, as if in disbelief.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to head back.”

“Already?”

“Oh, by the way, there’s something I need to buy.”

“Right. Coming all the way to Wuhan, it wouldn’t make sense to just go back empty-handed.”

“No, I don’t need to go outside. I just want to buy a hairpin here.”

At those words, Haerak let out a snort.

“Jewelry is on the first and second floors. Just pick whichever one you like. Actually, let’s go down together.”

When Haerak also stepped down from the bed, So-hwa shook her head.

“There’s no need to browse. I’m planning to buy the most expensive hairpin here, so just give me that.”

“Oh, you must have some money.”

Haerak crossed his arms, smirking.

Like a thug extorting money on the street, Haerak asked crookedly,

“How much did you bring?”

So-hwa took out her purse and showed him. It held three taels of silver and one tael of gold.

“You just walked around carrying that? All alone without a guard?”

When So-hwa nodded, Haerak sighed.

“In a different way, you’re really… impressive.”

“Should I just go down and ask for it?”

Ignoring Haerak’s remark, So-hwa asked. Haerak chuckled and shook his head.

“With that money, you won’t be able to buy the most expensive hairpin in Platinum Pavilion. It costs well over two taels of gold.”

“…That expensive?”

“We’ve gathered the rarest items from all over the Central Plains. Of course it’s expensive.”

So-hwa’s expression turned troubled.

She hadn’t considered that she might not have enough money.

‘So this is what they meant by not knowing how the world works…’

She had intended to buy a fine hairpin for Tang Min as a big gesture, but it seemed it wouldn’t happen. So-hwa thought of asking Haerak to recommend something within the price of a tael of silver.

But when she looked up, the man was smiling sweetly.

A very unpleasant smile.

“Hey.”

He whispered, his red lips curling.

“I’ll give you the most expensive hairpin in Platinum Pavilion, so won’t you come with me somewhere?”

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