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Chapter 17
The valley of Mount Lactea.
From its crystal-clear waters, untainted by a single speck of impurity, two heads broke the surface like mountain peaks.
Splash!
“Huuu…!”
It was Jayvolg and me.
Lately, since we were training together anyway, I had dragged him into underwater training as well. He was more than satisfied with the results.
Jayvolg rolled his shoulders in wide circles as he approached.
“This is amazing, young master!”
His muscles, solid and sharply outlined, shifted and rippled with each step. The foundations of his body had been well and truly laid.
“I’m glad you like it. Now then… shall we eat?”
“Yes, young master. I’m curious what Marianne has cooked this time. Haha!”
He patted his stomach.
Of course, he knew Marianne had a knack for cooking.
When we came out of the water, Marianne and Nerlin already had a campfire blazing and were grilling fish.
The orderly system had formed naturally: I caught the fish, and Marianne cooked them. An unspoken agreement, really.
“Dinner’s ready!”
After changing clothes, Jayvolg and I sat on cut stumps.
Marianne brought over the finished fish, offering it to us.
A perfectly grilled red fish, drizzled with sauce—enough to make my mouth water.
“I sprinkled in a little rosemary to get rid of the smell. Oh, and I added some herbs I found nearby. I’m not sure how it tastes though…”
Listening to her explanation, I bit into the fish.
As expected, it was delicious.
Cooked just right, fragrant, and light. Whatever those herbs were, they added a fine touch.
Come to think of it, Marianne had always been good at using herbs.
Later, if I had time, I should teach her medicine.
The Tang Clan, famed for their poisons, was equally skilled in medicine.
More than that… perhaps my body was finally adjusting to training.
Before, I often missed or struck too weakly, and fish would slip away alive. But now, I could finish them in one stroke.
That meant it was time to raise the intensity.
The body is cunning. It adapts quickly and settles into comfort if you let it.
I was chewing over that thought while chewing on grilled fish when—
“Young master… are you truly going to enter the Valley of Trials?”
Marianne asked cautiously from where she sat on the log.
Before I could answer, Nerlin spoke with her mouth stuffed full of fish skewers like a hippopotamus.
“His name’s already on the monument. Why wouldn’t he go?! Of course, our young master is entering! What’s he lacking, huh?! Can’t use a sword? Sickly? Weak? Pfft!”
…Please. Finish chewing before you talk.
And are you worrying about me, or mocking me?
Because all those flaws you just rattled off… they all apply to me.
Pick one, Nerlin. Just one.
I swallowed my irritation, turned back to Marianne, and asked,
“Why? Are you worried?”
“…Yes. Forgive me, young master.”
She bowed her head as though she had committed a sin.
And perhaps she had reason to.
“Don’t worry. I’ll pass.”
Pffft—!
Nerlin spewed half-chewed fish across the fire.
What, did I say I’d win? I only said I’d pass.
Nerlin, just what exactly did you think of me?
I nearly got hit in the face with grilled fish, but I slipped behind Jayvolg using a quick step from Amyeongbo (Shadow Spirit Footwork).
The result—Jayvolg took the entire spray head-on.
“S-sorry!”
“N-no, it’s fine, really… ha… hahaha…”
He forced a laugh while wiping fish off his face.
Meanwhile, I continued.
“If I’m entering, then passing is the least I should do. Every blood heir of House Pador has participated. And the direct line—every one of them won. Even if I can’t match that, I should at least pass.”
It was true.
House Pador had always entered the Valley, proving the strength of its bloodline.
Not with titles, not with wealth—pure individual strength.
A fair test, open to all, where the Pador heirs showed their worth.
It was not only a display of prestige, but also a pledge of trust to the people of the domain.
Of course, both my eldest and second brothers had entered and emerged victorious.
It was a rite of passage for the continent to witness the vitality of House Pador, to see a new generation rise.
How could I possibly sit it out?
Even if only for appearances’ sake, I had to pass.
In truth, I had entered once before. The results… were not good.
Marianne clasped her hands tightly, voice full of earnestness.
“We’ll be cheering for you, young master! Not just passing—you’ll win! And I hope you’ll gain the Trial’s Gift.”
Nerlin muttered sourly, her chin propped on one hand, fish skewer dangling from her mouth.
“That’d be amazing, wouldn’t it? I heard the winner of the Valley gets a fruit that’s great for the body. One knight told me—after eating it, you can break rocks with your bare hands! If the young master eats it, maybe his health will finally recover.”
“…The Trial’s Gift. Right, there was that.”
The treasure of the Valley—awarded only to the victor.
A fruit infused with the Valley’s essence. In short, a spiritual pill.
But what should I do?
To claim it, I’d have to win. And in my situation, I couldn’t reveal my true strength.
Regrettably, I’d have to give it up.
Unless, of course, circumstances shifted in my favor.
Either way, my body was nearly ready. It was time to rise to the surface and prevent the fall of my house.
After all, the Valley of Trials was the very ground where that downfall was seeded. I had no choice but to go.
But first—let’s see to the buckets.
Buckets filled with fish entrails.
Any boy who licked his lips at the sight of that was not ordinary.
I certainly wanted to eat them myself… but no.
“Good. This will do.”
The fish we caught for training were roasted by Marianne—but I’d kept the innards separate.
Especially those from the darker, almost black-scaled fish.
“Young master… what are you planning to do with those?”
Marianne wrinkled her nose at the bucket.
“These? They have their uses. They’re good for the body.”
“…These?”
“Of course. There’s no better tonic.”
Her wide eyes blinked in disbelief. Nerlin’s ears perked up, and she dashed over in a hurry.
“Wait—are they tasty too, young master?”
“…Nerlin. Don’t just shove anything into your mouth.”
“Wh-what are you implying?!”
Embarrassed, she sat back down—fish skewer already in hand.
That gluttonous streak of hers…
Truly astonishing. How does she eat so much and never gain weight?
It must be a gift of her constitution.
I’d better watch her carefully, or she might sneak the fish guts.
Because those innards weren’t food.
They were poison ingredients.
Preparations I needed before entering the Valley.
I intended to craft Tang Clan poisons here.
If my knowledge was correct, they would be indispensable in the Valley.
Luckily, some of the local fish carried properties similar to what I required.
Poison, after all, is closer than most care to think about.
Snakes, scorpions, bees—all produce it.
And these fish, too. Not a venom that kills instantly, but one that upsets the body.
Yet, depending on how it’s refined, even such a mild toxin could become deadlier than a viper’s fang.
“Well then, shall we head back?”
“Yes, young master!”
We descended from Mount Lactea and returned to the manor.
There, Bator and a group of servants were unloading herbs from a wagon.
“Young master, you’ve returned.”
“You’ve worked hard. All of those are herbs, correct?”
“Yes, young master.”
The fragrance drifted in the air. Boiled into decoctions or applied as poultices, they would surely become fine medicines.
Bator glanced at the bundles with a puzzled tilt of his head.
“Young master… what do you intend to do with all these herbs?”
Ever heard the saying?
Medicine can become poison, and poison can become medicine.
It all depends on how it’s used.
And in my case, naturally, they would become poison.
“I heard they’re good for the body. I plan to try them.”
“Ah… then that makes sense.”
Bator nodded easily.
For the sickly young master of House Pador, stockpiling medicinal herbs wasn’t unusual. In such times, being labeled “the invalid” was convenient.
I instructed the steward and the servants:
“Bring all of these herbs into my chamber.”
“Yes, young master.”
Together, they carried the herbs inside.
The moment the buckets of fish entrails entered alongside the herbs, a strange scent filled the room.
One side fragrant.
The other side foul, fishy.
Strangely… enticing.
Now then—time to mix these things that were never meant to mix.
To combine them, a special catalyst was required.
That lay atop the table: a silver tray.
The soup I had deliberately left unfinished at dinner.
Naturally, it already contained a high-grade poison. Nothing could serve as a better base.
I poured the fish entrails into the tub, then added the herbs and the soup.
A bath brimming with every ingredient.
Depending on how I refined it from here, countless varieties of poison could be born.
So then… time to craft it.
Yet, a problem arose.
“Hm…”
Creating poison was a delicate art, fraught with danger.
Especially extreme poison—not the petty stuff, but true venom.
That required tens of days, sitting unmoving, watching only the brew.
The place mattered as much as the process.
And here, in House Pador… no such place existed.
No chambers were designed for accidents. No specialized tools or environments. A flaw, if ever there was one.
If only I had the Poison Grounds of the Tang Clan—it would’ve been done in no time.
What to do, then?
“…Ah. How foolish of me.”
If I lacked a Poison Ground… then I would create one.
And I already had the perfect site. I had simply overlooked it.
The thought settled. Then it must be acted on.
I took the lamp I had prepared in advance and dropped its flame into the tub.
The ingredients blended together, melting under the fire, and the smoke began to rise.
And if I simply left that smoke as it was?
Nine times out of ten, everyone staying in this manor would be poisoned, left groaning in agony.
That couldn’t be allowed.
I had to become the poison ground myself.
Ssshhhhhh…
A thick violet smoke billowed upward.
I stretched out both hands and drew the violet smoke into me. At once, it surged endlessly into my body.
For an ordinary person, even a whiff of this much poison would mean instant death. Instant.
But this body, tempered by the Myriad Poisons Heavenly Monarch Art, welcomed it—smiling as if in delight.
Good…
So this was possible as well.
An unexpected path I hadn’t foreseen. At least before today.
The Myriad Poisons Heavenly Monarch Art truly was a martial art that could evolve in countless directions.
After inhaling the violet smoke for a long while, the once-full tub was now completely empty.
What remained was the task of refining every last bit of these precious ingredients into the poison I desired—without wasting a single grain.
Closing my eyes, I focused my spirit.
With the Myriad Poisons Heavenly Monarch Art, I stroked, gathered, and compressed the toxin.
“Hoo…”
Breathing out slowly, I opened my eyes.
I brought my index finger to the glass vial I had prepared on the table.
Drip!
From the tip of my finger, a drop of violet liquid fell, like a bead of dew.
Compared to the sheer amount of material that had gone in, it looked pitifully insignificant… Yet anyone in the martial world who understood the true value of this poison would recoil from even approaching it.
Because that’s what kind of poison it was.
“Perfect.”
I sealed the vial filled with that shimmering violet liquid.
“So perfect…”
That quivering violet sheen—was it not as dazzling as a jewel?
No. The most beautiful thing in this world isn’t gemstones. It is poison.
That is the truth!
Have you ever seen a poison that wasn’t beautiful?
It is always radiant, always alluring.
Ah… delightful.
Moments like these always put me in a good mood.
It reminded me of those days in the Tang Clan of Sichuan. Whenever someone succeeded in crafting a new poison, we would celebrate it like a grand feast…
Of course, those days come back to me.
How could they not? I spent so much of my life there.
No regrets—but nostalgia is inevitable.
“Mmm…”
Before sleep claimed me, I picked up a needle and thread.
I would stitch myself a martial robe of the Tang Clan… and then, I would sleep.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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