“What kind of memorandum?”

The Poison King guessed my intention.

“You want me to teach you one poison technique a day in exchange for you signing the memorandum? Something like that?”

“No.”

“Then it’s a memorandum saying that even if you steal my poisons or poison techniques here, you won’t hold me responsible?”

“Poison King, I’m afraid of your poisons and poison techniques. I want to stay as far away as possible.”

“Then what kind of memorandum is it?”

The memorandum I intended to write was something the Poison King could never have expected.

“It’s a memorandum that if I lose this bet, I will leave your world.”

The Poison King flinched, his expression changing subtly.

“What kind of world is my world?”

“A world where you research alone, mix poisons alone, think alone, laugh alone, and dig the earth alone. That world.”

He leaned his unbelievably young face close to me, almost touching my nose.

But at that moment, I could feel that although his body approached, the person called the Poison King stepped back from me. Standing at the boundary between his world and the outside world, he retreated and hid.

“You just need to take me and get the sect leader’s permission, and that’s it, right?”

“Exactly. That’s why I came.”

“So whether I’m in that world or not, it has nothing to do with you?”

“It does.”

“How so?”

“Because I’m going to become the Cheonma. The next Cheonma hopes the Poison King of our sect will not be a lonely Poison King but one who travels the world.”

“!”

“Now, will you sign the memorandum?”

The Poison King was silent for a moment. He must have wondered about my true intentions — why I set such a condition.

But he would never know. He would never know that I was trying to prevent the terrible future that would come.

“Why hesitate? After all, it will be after I become a dog. Doesn’t it matter?”

Since I had even added the condition of losing the bet.

Though confident he wouldn’t lose, he still hesitated. Leaving this place seemed a heavy burden for him.

I stopped pushing him and took the brush.

“Anyway, fine. I will write it. There’s so much to learn from the Poison King, so I should write the memorandum.”

I wrote a memorandum that if I got poisoned by any poison here in Cheondok Forest, it would not be the Poison King’s responsibility but my own, since I came voluntarily. I also signed it.

The Poison King was genuinely surprised when I wrote it. When he first mentioned the memorandum, he didn’t expect me to actually write it.

“Are you an idiot? Now, even if I poison you to death painfully, I won’t be responsible.”

“That won’t happen.”

“What kind of confidence is that?”

“Only smart people can master poison techniques. The Poison King is the smartest among the Ma Jons; he wouldn’t do such reckless things.”

Looking around, I said:

“After coming here, I realize the person who masters poison techniques is the smartest. You have to memorize so many poisonous herbs and substances, and to make poisons, you have to do hundreds, thousands of combinations and mixtures. And you must make antidotes too. Isn’t that enough? You must master detoxification techniques properly too. Would someone so smart do something stupid? No way. You might laugh alone digging the earth, but you wouldn’t do something that foolish.”

The Poison King’s eyes grew wide. His reaction was as cute as his looks. His large eyes blinked several times, then said in surprise:

“You talk a lot and well.”

At that moment, the Poison King genuinely admired me.

Poison King, I haven’t even started yet.

“You won’t be bored with me around. Now, I’ll get back to work.”

After handing him the memorandum, I continued my task, opening the sack of poisonous herbs. Watching me sort the herbs, the Poison King suddenly said:

“What should I write? You sign, I don’t. Then I’d be the petty one.”

In the end, he decided to write a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) memorandum too.

“Oh, it’s nothing special. Just that I leave Cheondok Forest once every ten days. That’s enough.”

“Is that enough?”

“Yes.”

“Can I stand at the entrance of Cheondok Forest and come in?”

“No problem. Just make sure you leave.”

“What’s the meaning of that?”

“The scenery you see here and the scenery at the gate will be different.”

The Poison King looked at me silently. What’s this about? If you’re a madman, I’m one too. Let’s see who’s crazier, Poison King.

He signed the memorandum and stamped it.

“You lost, E-Gongja. I will never be persuaded, so this memorandum is just a scrap of paper. How do you expect to break my will?”

In truth, I had no special plan to persuade him. As Blood Heaven Butcher said, I would just treat him as I had until now.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Do you really look like someone who would bark in the martial gathering?”

“Once in a lifetime, maybe.”

“How did the other Ma Jons fall for you with you being so sloppy? I don’t understand.”

His eyes were full of confidence and sharpness. This was a different person than the Poison King covered in dirt digging earth just now.

“Be careful. From now on, if you die, I won’t be responsible.”

The next day, I worked diligently as if nothing had happened.

The Poison King thought everything I did was intentional. Whenever I spoke, he habitually said:

“I know it’s all a trick to get on my good side. It’s useless!”

But I didn’t care what he thought.

If there was a plan in the planless, it was this:

Don’t focus on the person, focus on the work.

I sincerely learned the work. I wasn’t learning poison to use it somewhere. Working here was a new experience for me. There’s always a lesson in first experiences.

“When else will I carry sacks full of poisonous herbs, sort them out, and live like this? It’s valuable experience for me.”

I was living differently than before, something I had never experienced even before regression.

Thinking differently and using my body differently.

I hoped this would positively influence my life and martial arts. Sometimes, no matter how much I concentrate, I can’t think of the right idea. But suddenly, while bathing or walking, it comes to me.

Likewise, I hoped this strange new experience in Cheondok Forest would bring fresh inspiration to my life and martial arts. While sorting poisonous herbs, I wished the Wind God’s Proof would reach the level of Twelve Stars Great Saint. While mixing poisons, I hoped to realize a new aspect of life.

With those thoughts, none of the work here felt anxious, but rather enjoyable.

Then I thought the chance to move the Poison King’s heart would surely come. That opportunity would come when I truly fell into poison arts.

“Be careful! This time, only pour exactly half!”

When else in my life would I have the chance to mix the fifteen ingredients of Danhonsan (斷魂酸)?

“It’s done! Done!”

I followed his instructions precisely. How could something done by my level of martial arts not be exact? I could probably work better than anyone here at Cheondok Forest.

“Do you usually do all this work alone?”

“Yes.”

“That must be hard.”

I knew the reason they didn’t easily allow poison masters here.

There were so many deadly poisons in his residence, and if disciples were carelessly admitted and an accident occurred, it would be a big problem.

In fact, Cheondok Forest was heavily monitored and inspected by Tongcheongak. Whenever poisons were used, reports were mandatory, and inventories were checked regularly.

After finishing the Danhonsan mixture, I honestly shared my thoughts with a pleased expression.

“It’s fun! What poison mixture will you make next?”

Of course, he didn’t trust me.

“You’d be better off as a street performer than as a Cheonma.”

“How about joining a troupe when I go out to the Central Plains next time? With your looks, Poison King, you could aim for the lead role.”

The Poison King grimaced. His expression said exactly this: I hate even leaving here, and now you want me to star in a play?

“You just imagined everyone on stage being poisoned and dead.”

“Do you think you survived, E-Gongja?”

I shouted after him as he turned sharply.

“The show is cancelled!”

He ignored me and left.

The Poison King showed little interest in others’ affairs.

If this was his attention to me coming with such an important matter, I could imagine how he saw others. To him, people probably existed under the poisonous herbs.

Of course, sometimes he asked impulsive questions — like now. While grinding poisonous herbs, he suddenly asked:

“Tell me honestly, E-Gongja. Did you come here to steal poison techniques and poison your brother to death?”

I answered while pouring water into a large container.

“Knowing I came to see the Poison King, who do you think will be suspected if my brother dies of poisoning? I should be the one worried that my brother might be poisoned to death.”

Thump! Instead of a rebuttal, the sound of the Poison King grinding herbs grew louder.

“I’m not interested in poisoning to death. If I can learn even one thing from the Poison King, I want to learn something else.”

“What is that?”

He still focused on grinding herbs without looking at me. He could slip back into his own world anytime, but my answer clearly pulled him closer.

“I want to learn antidote techniques. The flower of poison techniques isn’t poison, but detoxification, right?”

The grinding suddenly stopped. His gaze was fixed on me. It was the most surprised expression I had seen since meeting him. Because I had voiced exactly what he was thinking.

“In the few days I’ve been here, I’ve felt that making antidotes perfect enough to detoxify poisons is harder than making the poisons themselves. So I thought: the one who can create an antidote that completely detoxifies his own poison; the one who can instantly neutralize poison when it is thrown — that person must be the true master of poison techniques.”

Not just mastering poison but perfecting detoxification to reach the pinnacle of poison arts.

“Where did you hear that?”

From the next Poison King who learned from you.

“Just my thought. It’s a strange analogy, but martial arts are like that too. Capturing alive is harder than killing.”

I threw him a challenge, the best bet for me who is immune to all poisons.

“Choose one poison and teach me its antidote. I will detoxify it, and you poison it. How about a match?”

A man who has mastered poison arts his whole life — isn’t this a fight he could win? Isn’t this a matter of pride?

I didn’t provoke him rashly. Premature provocation would only backfire.

Poison King, say yes. Say let’s fight.

If he said that, this bet would be mine.

But the Poison King was no pushover.

“No.”

I asked after his firm refusal.

“Why not?”

“Do you think I don’t know your tricks? You want me to say this: if you can detoxify my poison, I will lose the bet. That’s what you want to hear, right?”

He didn’t deny it. Honestly, if this weren’t my business, I’d applaud him.

“Then you just have to win the bet.”

“How can I be sure I’ll win? My antidote is also my antidote.”

The Poison King resumed grinding herbs.

“Go practice barking, E-Gongja.”

That evening, I visited my father.

The more I got to know the Poison King, the more frustrated I felt. At times like this, I needed someone to steel my resolve. For that, no one was more suitable than my father.

Since I came just before he went to sleep, I saw my father’s pajamas again.

“That’s a different floral pattern than last time. This must be the best protective armor in the martial world. When the enemies see it, they’ll think, ‘No way would the Cheonma wear these pajamas,’ and just pass by. That’s the safest clothing!”

My father looked at me with eyes that said, “How long will you keep talking nonsense?” but it seemed he had expected my visit.

“You knew, didn’t you? That the Poison King won’t be on my side.”

“Have you given up already?”

“No way. But I’ve never seen anyone so thoroughly trapped in their own world.”

A faint sneer appeared on my father’s lips. Yes, the reason I came today was to see that smile.

Seeing that smile gave me strength. It even made me feel good.

Yes, enjoy it while you can. I will definitely bring the Poison King over.

I asked the question I’d wanted to ask for a long time.

“Father, you hate the Poison King, don’t you?”

My father neither confirmed nor denied. Since he truly loved martial arts, it was natural to dislike poison techniques or soul manipulation arts.

“He hates him, so why keep him alive? Kill him.”

“He’s the greatest threat to our enemies.”

“What if he rebels or goes mad and poisons our people?”

“To make the Poison King a weapon of our sect, we have to accept that risk.”

“What if my brother or I die in the process?”

“That risk must be accepted as well.”

“That’s something only a parent with ten hidden children would say.”

“Why do you think I don’t have any?”

“I hope not. One son is already enough trouble.”

A faint smile appeared on my father’s lips. If Sima Ming or Blood Heaven Butcher had said that, he might have laughed heartily.

“As before, whenever I stand before an impassable wall, I think of you. Now that I’ve seen your face, I’m satisfied. I’ll leave. But if I keep going like this, I might show unfilial behavior at the Great Martial Gathering soon.”

After joking like that and turning to leave, my father suddenly asked:

“Do you think the Poison King is trapped in his own world?”