"Having heard that many things happened in Guangdong Province, I came to check on your condition as soon as the matter was settled… but you're not just fine—you're practically bursting with energy, young brother."
A few days after returning to the Tang Clan. While I was swinging my sword at the training ground, having fled there under the pretext of training, Tang Cheong, who had come to visit without my noticing, was shaking his head.
"I heard that things got tangled up with the Haomun in Guangdong Province and that you fought until you were utterly exhausted. If you're feeling a sense of inadequacy because of that, there's no need to be so hasty. You're already stronger than anyone your age could possibly be, young brother."
"I appreciate your concern, but that's not the reason. I did feel my own shortcomings, but I'm well aware that impatience can itself become poison."
"You ungrateful brat. Then go on, tell me. What exactly happened that you're swinging your sword so ferociously at the training ground?"
"That is, in fact…"
Sheathing my sword, I carefully opened my mouth to speak.
"Young hero Cheon! How does this outfit look? Does it suit me?"
After finishing my morning training and washing up, I found Tang So-wol occupying my room as if it were her own, her arms spread wide.
As with all Tang Clan attire, the overall tone was green. But the gold-thread embroidery and the flowing decorations made it look quite extravagant.
It was more court dress than martial robes. And an expensive-looking one at that.
Needless to say, she looked beautiful. When Tang So-wol—of all people—wears fine clothes, how could she not be stunning?
Though her sudden appearance had caught me off guard, I soon nodded and spoke.
"It suits you. Unlike your usual loose-fitting clothes, wearing something that fits properly is a refreshing change."
"My goodness. So you're saying that normally, you don't think I look good?"
"…How did the conversation turn into this?"
"Answer me quickly. Which do you prefer—the loose-fitting clothes or the fitted ones like I'm wearing now?"
"Either is fine."
"…"
Tang So-wol's brows furrowed in displeasure. She pouted her lips and spoke.
"So you're saying that no matter what I wear, or how much I dress up, you don't care at all, young hero."
"No, that's not it."
The alarm ringing in my head made me answer reflexively.
"What I meant was, even if you wore rags and went days without washing, you'd still look beautiful to me, Tang So-wol."
"Hmm. But setting that aside, doesn't the young hero have his own tastes?"
"That's… true."
"Then, from the perspective of the young hero's tastes, what do you think of this outfit?"
Her questioning was strangely persistent. I hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"I think this one suits you better. It's refreshing to see something different from your usual. But why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"I was wondering what to wear to the Engagement Ceremony. So you're saying you prefer something different from the martial robes I usually wear, right? Well, it is a special occasion, so it would be better to wear something out of the ordinary. Then I'll go change into another outfit with this feel."
"Wait. What do you mean you're going to change again?"
"Exactly what I said. If this were the actual Wedding Ceremony, I'd have to wear a set outfit, but this is only the Engagement Ceremony, isn't it? As long as I keep the formalities, the attire itself is relatively free to choose."
"Why not just settle on the one you have on now?"
"Oh, come on. I still have a few more prepared, so I should at least compare them. …Ah, is this bothering you?"
"…It's fine. There's still time before the meal, so."
"That's a relief! Then once I've decided on my outfit, we'll eat first, and then pick out young hero Cheon's clothes together."
"…"
"You really are bothered, aren't you…"
"Ah, no. I was just so excited that I was at a loss for words."
***
"In short, I spent the whole day looking at clothes and forcing out my opinions, or conversely, changing into one outfit after another while listening to her thoughts."
"…Younger brother. Are you bragging in front of me right now?"
"Pardon? Did you even listen to what I just said, big brother?"
"Is that not what it was? So-wol wants to show you her best side. And she even picked out clothes for you to wear yourself."
"I'd rather you focus on the part where I was tormented all day…"
"Isn't that a good thing? Surely you're not saying our So-wol is a bother now?"
Tang Cheong's aura sharpened slightly as he fixed his gaze on me. I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
"That's not what I meant. I didn't mean to say I disliked it. Would you care to hear a bit more?"
"Hmph. Go on, then."
A strangely prickly response. This time, even Tang Cheong, who doted so much on his youngest sister, would find the story hard to stomach.
"This happened the next day…"
***
"Young hero Cheon. Would you care to try this?"
"What is it?"
"It's a tea brewed from Crane Spirit Grass."
"…Are you trying to poison me?"
Crane Spirit Grass is a herb famous for being poisonous. Even a seasoned martial artist would have their organs melt away if they consumed it raw, but when processed and mixed with other poisons, it becomes the renowned Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Poison.
That vicious Extreme Poison that spreads through the body and brings death within the time it takes to walk seven steps.
And now, Tang So-wol had placed before me a poison tea brewed from Crane Spirit Grass.
"…"
I stared intently at Tang So-wol's face, wondering if there was something she felt wronged about.
But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn't recall having done anything wrong. Yesterday, I had even accompanied her in picking out clothes until the sun went down.
Tang So-wol, receiving my gaze, began to giggle with a look of pure delight.
"Ahaha. Surely you don't think I'd give you something harmful, young hero. I've diluted it to the point where it won't cause any problems for your body."
"Then I'm relieved, but… why would you want me to drink poison tea in the first place?"
"Well, because it's necessary, of course."
"Surely you're not planning to poison me, then use the antidote as leverage to make me do all sorts of things…!"
"Do you know where this is?! It's Assassin Valley! That is absolutely, definitely not the case! W-well, I do have a few things I'd like to have you try, but…"
So there were some things after all.
"Anyway, it's really not that! If anything, it's good for your body, young hero!"
"Is poison supposed to be good for the body? I know that depending on how it's used, it can become medicine, but Crane Spirit Grass can't be used that way—it's a notoriously poisonous herb, isn't it?"
"You know your stuff, young hero. Most people who haven't trained in the poison art wouldn't know that."
"It's only natural that I'd learn a thing or two, given who my engagement partner is."
I had also heard various things from Tang So-wol before the regression, and since I was allowed to peruse books containing the most basic knowledge, I often visited the libraries of the Ten Thousand Poisons Hall and the Medical Pavilion.
It wouldn't directly help my martial art, but knowledge of poisons and medicine would surely prove useful someday.
Even if not, as I'd just said, I felt the need to at least keep up appearances as a member of the Tang Clan.
Hearing my words, Tang So-wol nodded with a pleased expression.
"Mmm. Well done. A very admirable attitude. Shall I pat your head?"
"…That's enough. And stop treating me like a child."
When I shot her a glare, Tang So-wol raised her hands as if surrendering, saying it was just a joke.
That smug smile hanging on her lips was especially irritating today.
So I grumbled for no reason and asked again.
"So? How exactly can diluted poison be good for the body?"
"Crane Spirit Grass is highly toxic, but it's also a poison that builds resistance easily."
So she would feed me Crane Spirit Grass tea diluted to a level I could handle, and once I built up resistance, she'd feed me a stronger brew to build even greater resistance, repeating the process.
"In the end, young hero Cheon will have complete immunity to the poison of Crane Spirit Grass."
"It sounds impressive, but I can't quite grasp just how impressive it really is."
"Poisons called Extreme Poisons are usually not made from a single poison, but from several poisons meticulously blended together. And Crane Spirit Grass is the most common ingredient used in creating such combination poisons."
"So you're saying I'd be able to resist Extreme Poisons to some degree."
"It's more than that. The core component of the poisons that should interlock and erode the body would suddenly be neutralized. The other poisons couldn't possibly function as intended, and in the end, it could have the effect of reducing the toxicity by more than half. As a bonus, since Crane Spirit Grass resistance works like resistance to plant poisons in general, it's quite versatile."
"Huh…"
That's certainly incredible.
Just by gaining complete immunity to Crane Spirit Grass poison, I could reduce the power of Extreme Poisons combined with plant poisons in general to less than half.
But precisely because of that, one question inevitably arises.
"If it's that good, why hasn't anyone thought of building immunity with Crane Spirit Grass poison?"
"That's simple. First of all, no one really knows how to extract the poison or how much to dilute it. If you try it recklessly, you'll leave this world in one shot—how many people would stake their lives on a gamble like that?"
"So we just went for it?"
"If the poison were easy to extract, there would be several times more martial arts factions dealing in poison arts. But that's not the biggest problem."
Tang So-wol continued with a meaningful expression.
"It's the money."
"Money?"
"Yes. Crane Spirit Grass isn't a common poison herb, and it's impossible to cultivate artificially. A single root costs an enormous sum. And if you have to keep buying them steadily until your immunity is built up, the burden would be tremendous."
"So you fed me something like that?"
"Heh heh. Touched, are you? But don't let it weigh on your mind."
Tang So-wol raised her index finger as if to show off. And before long, a thick black droplet oozed from the tip of her finger.
"It does consume a fair amount of internal energy, but I can draw it out and use it like this."
"Ah."
The Poison Spirit Constitution is a constitution that allows one to reproduce any poison once absorbed, as long as one has internal energy.
In other words, having eaten the Crane Spirit Grass once, she could produce its poison without any further expense.
Only then did I feel a bit more at ease as I looked down at the poisoned tea.
"Fine. If you insist, I'll drink it."
"Down it all at once. In one long gulp."
I drank the tea under Tang So-wol's pleased gaze. And then—
"Kuhak!"
"Young hero Cheon?!"
A sudden surge in body temperature and a stomach pain like my intestines were twisting.
Classic symptoms of poisoning. As I poured all the internal energy in my Dantian into suppressing the poison energy that had just entered, Tang So-wol floundered about, looking more panicked than I was.
"W-Why? I'm sure the dilution was perfect…"
Even as she babbled on, she steadied me as I staggered, supporting me from the side. Leaning my head against that round shoulder, I gasped out a question.
"Did you happen to account for the poison strength amplified by the purple poison-nurturing herb…?"
"Ah."
At the sight of Tang So-wol gaping blankly, I could only squeeze my eyes shut.
***
"Fortunately, it ended with just a bit of fever and a stomachache, but in the end, I had to spend half of that day in the outhouse."
"Mm-hm. So what you're saying is, even though there was a slight mistake, So-wol went out of her way to bring you something good for your body."
"Could you please not make it sound like she brought me some kind of tonic, brother-nim…"
"It does seem like a tonic."
"…"
That's probably only true for someone from the Tang Clan like Tang Cheong.
There's plenty I could say, but as I force myself to hold back, Tang Cheong suddenly lets out a deep sigh.
"Haah. I came to tell you that the Haomun side, as a gesture of apology, has decided to give one Gongjin Pill to young brother, but… I suppose I'll just be leaving after hearing nothing but bragging."
"Shouldn't you have led with that…!"
Though it's barely scraping by, a Gongjin Pill is a spiritual medicine that falls into the upper tier.