Chapter 52: Winning Hearts

“Without even noticing my presence, the bastard was mixing the medicinal ingredients one by one, creating poison.”

Sewoon began spilling out lies without so much as wetting his lips.

When he had secretly infiltrated Poison Demon’s hideout, the Poison Demon had been engrossed in producing some unknown poison.

Since the hostage had already been rescued, Sewoon claimed he had waited with bated breath for an opportunity to assassinate him.

“But the poison qi that filled the surroundings was beyond imagination.”

Sewoon thought that this new poison being created by Poison Demon could bring a terrifying nightmare upon the martial world.

So, in order to deduce the antidote by observing the process, he began memorizing all the ingredients that were being combined according to the formula.

Fortunately, he recognized all of the ingredients being mixed.

But then, after the final ingredient was added—

Suddenly, the poison went rampant, and Poison Demon himself was poisoned, writhing in agony.

“……If that was a failed formula, then how did you complete the Immortal’s Cripple?”

Tang Muyeol shot a sharp question at him.

But Sewoon smoothly gave the prepared answer.

“Poison Demon went berserk, cursing Grandfather with vile words unfit for anyone to utter. Among his raving, he shouted about where the poison was that could alter other poisons.”

“W–Wait. That’s…!”

At that moment, Tang Serin, who had been listening to her younger brother’s words, gasped in shock.

The property of transforming into completely different poisons when mixed with other poison ingredients—ever-changing in nature.

That was none other than—

Exactly what Sewoon had explained back in the abandoned mine when talking about the Black Waste Stone.

“You’re right, Sister. Shockingly, that was the very property of the Black Waste Stone I brought from the abandoned mine.”

“What! Then the things Young Master brought to the training hall that time were…!”

“Does that mean the Immortal’s Cripple has truly returned to the Tang Clan?!”

The clan members began buzzing in excitement, talking all at once.

But not everyone was rejoicing with tears of joy.

The warriors of the Dark Flower Unit, including Ha Huyeong, looked increasingly uneasy, unable to manage their expressions as Sewoon continued.

‘Ahh… just what kind of fools were we…’

That was why they had been told to switch from internal arts to poison arts.

Sewoon’s words flowed on like a clear stream.

“After returning from the abandoned mine with Sister, I tried manufacturing the poison that Poison Demon had been making.”

“!!”

“I replaced just one ingredient with the Black Waste Stone, and it fit together perfectly. Once I completed it, I realized naturally… that this was none other than Grandfather’s Immortal’s Cripple.”

At Sewoon’s words, cries to Heaven and exclamations erupted everywhere.

Some were even moved to tears.

“…Haa, what a blessing that Immortal’s Cripple was completed not by Poison Demon’s hands, but yours.”

“It feels as though Grandfather in Heaven must have aided me.”

“…Yes. He must have been watching over us always.”

Tang Muyeol muttered with a sigh, sinking into deep thought.

Meanwhile, Sewoon quietly held back further words, observing the room.

‘This should be enough.’

Confirming that no one doubted his story, Sewoon subtly turned his gaze toward the Dark Flower Unit and finished with his final remark.

“In any case, with this power that I obtained by a stroke of heaven’s fortune, I intended not just to strengthen myself, but to make all of you stronger in poison arts…”

“……”

The entire unit bowed their heads in shame.

Even after some time, not one member of the Dark Flower Unit dared raise their head.

And rightly so.

With what face could they lift their heads and meet their Young Master’s eyes?

The clan members watching them wore expressions of pity mixed with disdain as they observed the unfolding scene.

Then it happened.

Thud.

Vice Captain Ha Huyeong fell to his knees before Sewoon.

“…For the crime of rashly judging my master’s thoughts and resisting him, I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you decree, Young Master.”

With that as the beginning—

Thud.

Thud.

Every member of the Dark Flower Unit simultaneously knelt before Sewoon.

They had truly realized their mistake and repented.

It was never their intention to belittle Sewoon or go against his will.

They had only meant to offer loyal counsel, thinking their master was making the wrong choice.

But through today’s events, they understood.

That their master possessed a vessel so immense and overwhelming that they could not even fathom it.

That the shallow wit of ordinary men could never hope to comprehend the profound will of a genius.

“To say you’ll gladly accept any punishment… you do realize the meaning of those words, don’t you?”

“!!”

Sewoon’s expression and aura were merciless beyond compare.

Would the weather of the far North Sea, where the Ice Palace resided, be like this?

The voice was as cold and sharp as ice itself.

The warriors of the Dark Flower Unit trembled in fear, cold sweat streaming down their backs.

Yet even Tang Muyeol, the Clan Head, did not dare intervene.

All justification belonged to Sewoon, and if he made even the slightest misstep here—

then the relationship between Sewoon and the Dark Flower Unit might truly never be mended again.

Cheok.

At that moment, another figure moved.

“…Young Master.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

It was none other than Tang Bi, the Dark Flower Unit Leader.

He stepped away from Tang Muyeol’s side and walked forward slowly.

Thud.

He too knelt before Sewoon and bowed his head.

The clan members gasped at Tang Bi’s unexpected action.

Then Tang Bi spoke in a heavy voice.

“…The fault lies with me for failing to guide my subordinates properly. I beg you, let me bear the full punishment in their stead.”

He declared that he would take Sewoon’s wrath upon himself.

Ha Huyeong and the warriors of the Dark Flower Unit flinched in shock and tried to stop him, insisting it was absurd.

“Hmph, I understand Uncle’s intention, but still—wrongdoing is wrongdoing. The unit members must receive their rightful punishment.”

“……”

Sewoon cut off the plea sharply, leaving no room for argument.

He clearly had no intention of retreating even a single step.

Short sighs of despair escaped from several mouths at the Young Master’s uncompromising stance.

But Sewoon’s face did not waver in the slightest. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Yeo Seon.

“Now then.”

“Yes, sir!”

Creak!

Yeo Seon rushed forward and threw open the tightly shut doors of the training hall.

At that, not only the Dark Flower Unit but also the clan members turned pale.

‘C–Could it be?!’

‘Does he mean for them all to leave the clan?!’

It looked as though he was ordering all who had defied him to leave the Tang Clan.

“Y–Young Master! Please, anything but expulsion! These men have only ever been loyal to the Tang Clan…!”

Tang Bi cried out in panic, but quickly choked on his words.

Step, step.

Clang, clank.

‘…What is that?’

From beyond the doors came strange sounds—

the mingling of countless footsteps and the clinking of iron.

Cheok!

And soon, the ones who appeared were wholly unexpected.

Everyone’s eyes went wide.

“T-Ten Thousand Iron Hall Lord?!”

“Why are all the smiths of the Ten Thousand Iron Hall here…?”

Indeed, it was Tang Clan’s Ten Thousand Iron Hall Lord, Gu Yongyeon, who entered the hall, followed by his smiths.

Each smith carried a wooden case of varying size.

“You have worked hard, Lord.”

“I only obeyed as commanded.”

Gu Yongyeon bowed deeply to Sewoon as he replied.

The clan members looked on, jaws agape.

One shock followed another.

Gu Yongyeon had never shown such courtesy even to Tang Muyeol, the Clan Head.

Without their knowledge, the Young Master had already made even Gu Yongyeon, the Black-Handed Craftsman, his own man.

“Then I shall proceed as you ordered.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

When Sewoon nodded, Gu Yongyeon signaled the smiths standing behind him.

Step, step.

Clang.

The suspicious sounds from earlier grew louder.

‘…What in the world is inside those?’

The clan members blinked in confusion, not understanding.

The smiths halted in front of the kneeling warriors of the Dark Flower Unit.

For a moment, it seemed they might be carrying shackles or chains meant to punish them.

But smiths also stood before the three who had sparred with the Young Master earlier, as well as Tang Bi, the Dark Flower Unit Leader.

Clack!

Finally, the smiths opened the wooden cases all at once.

“…!”

Everyone who glimpsed the contents could not hide their shock.

As they stared, Gu Yongyeon continued.

“These are specially crafted weapons and arms, made to match each individual’s martial arts and traits.”

As he said, the wooden cases were filled with hidden weapons and arms.

Just as it had been mentioned, not only Tang Bi but also every single person’s personal weapon was inside.

As if bewitched, they pulled out their weapons and examined them—only to be struck with shock.

The quality was so unbelievably high that their old weapons now felt like worthless trash in comparison.

And indeed, they had no choice but to be extraordinary.

“All of these items—every last one—were personally crafted by Young Master Sewoon over the past ten days.”

Every weapon and armament had been born from Sewoon’s own hands.

For the past ten days, whenever he finished training guidance, Sewoon had gone straight to the smithy of the Ten Thousand Iron Hall to forge weapons.

So much so that Gu Yongyeon, who assisted him, worried because he hardly slept.

‘Ahh…’

‘What have we done…’

The eyes of the Dark Flower Unit that looked upon Sewoon now gleamed not just with emotion, but with reverence.

The clan members watching shared the same gaze toward their Young Master.

Then Sewoon raised his voice.

“Those items are not gifts. They are the last traveling money I entrust to you.”

“…!”

Even with Sewoon’s words, foretelling that a terrible ordeal awaited, the warriors of the Dark Flower Unit did not tremble with fear.

Instead, they gripped the weapons given to them by their master with such force that their hands nearly broke, tears streaming down their faces as they bowed deeply.

“Until we achieve the result I seek, you will not even be able to meet wife or family.”

“It will be as though your bones are being carved away, your blood set aflame with pain.”

“But if you endure that pain, light shall come.”

Sewoon had no intention of abandoning even a single member of the Dark Flower Unit.

He regarded each and every one of them as his true family.

Thus Sewoon shouted his final words with all his sincerity.

“Prepare yourselves to endure, even if it costs your lives.”

To forge within themselves the strength to survive at all costs.

So that when the war with the Blood Cult arrived, not a single one of them would die.

Though they could not hear the hidden meaning beneath his words—

“Loyalty!!”

“Loyalty!!”

Every warrior of the Dark Flower Unit roared until their throats split, shouting their devotion to Sewoon.

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