Do I Look Like I Know? (2)

Baek Cheon, who had been about to lend support, stopped and stared blankly behind him.

He saw Tang Pae’s back clad in a green long robe.

The poison powder and venom he had spread, and the secret weapons he had released, completely covered the rear.

‘Was it this much?’

Entrusting the rear to Tang Pae was because poison and hidden weapons are well-suited to broadly support those in danger and are optimal for stopping pursuers on the tail.

In other words, what Baek Cheon wanted was to stop them.

Not a one-sided slaughter like that.

‘Young lord.’

A flicker of complicated emotion crossed Baek Cheon’s eyes.

He, of course, respected Tang Pae.

But he had not thought Tang Pae would be helpful to that extent.

Frankly, considering the caliber of those who came from the Heavenly Friends Alliance, he had thought Tang Pae would barely count as a combat asset.

But now Tang Pae was proving with his own hands that Baek Cheon’s thoughts had been entirely mistaken.

‘Could I break through it?’

This banquet of poison?

‘I probably couldn’t.’

It’s possible to break through. If he pushed himself, he might get through.

But he wasn’t confident he wouldn’t be poisoned.

This was not Baek Cheon, who didn’t understand what it meant to be poisoned by such extreme toxins on the battlefield.

Then there are two options.

Either stall until Tang Pae’s stock of poison runs out, or wait until Tang Pae leaves this narrow gorge and the poison’s potency diminishes.

‘But that’s not a victory.’

By then, Tang Pae would have already taken everything he intended to gain.

Even if it would be easy to win the ensuing duel, what meaning would that have?

That’s winning the fight but losing the war.

Baek Cheon looked sharply at the poison vial in Tang Pae’s hand.

The poison that had created all of this.

“What on earth is that poison…”

“You’re overdoing it, old man.”

At the voice, Baek Cheon glanced to the side.

Chung Myung, who had kept a neutral expression since entering Southern Lands, now had a peculiar smile on his face.

“Thinking of uprooting the whole pillar? Still, he’s got guts.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Watch that poison closely.”

At Chung Myung’s words, Baek Cheon looked back at Tang Pae.

Chung Myung said.

“People say the Tang Family can’t show their true strength in duels. You don’t know what accidents a thrown hidden weapon might cause, or when a poisoned person will worsen. Right?”

That’s something everyone knows.

“But that’s only half true.”

“Hm?”

Chung Myung snorted and said.

“The opponent also has to overcome the burden of facing poisons and hidden weapons. Saying they can’t show their true skill in duels is just the Tang Family’s constant whining.”

Baek Cheon silently nodded.

Indeed, from that perspective, Chung Myung’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

Facing familiar weapons like swords or blades is entirely different from facing those who specialize in poison and hidden weapons.

The opponent must also contend with the burden of unfamiliar martial techniques in a duel.

“What the Tang Family is truly disadvantaged by isn’t that—it’s exactly that.”

“That?”

“That poison can’t be used in duels.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s no antidote.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes trembled for a moment.

“Half of the Tang Family are obsessed with poison, the other half with hidden weapons. And among the hidden weapons, the ones whose power is so brutal they’re not fit for use on people are sealed off—‘golden sealed weapons’ or whatever—so even Tang Family members can’t use them.”

“That’s common knowledge.”

“Think about how ridiculous that is. If you’re not going to use them, just dispose of them—why seal them?”

“Uh…”

Baek Cheon fell silent as if struck dumb for a moment.

“They don’t dispose of them because they plan to use them someday. If a true crisis comes, they’ll drag in every bastard of the murim world and beat everything to hell with it.”

“…”

“And it’s not just hidden weapons. The Tang Family’s most vicious poisons—those without antidotes that are untreatable—are sealed deep within the Tang Family. Poisons that would provoke other sects just by being used are locked away in the deepest places.”

“That…”

Whoooooosh!

At that moment, a cloud of poison rose again from Tang Pae’s fingertips.

The poison-clad Poison Palm instantly pushed away the blood-clad men who had tried to force a path.

Chung Myung watched the scene silently.

When they meet foes they don’t need to worry about antidotes for, the Tang Family’s true power reveals itself.

The Tang Family is different from ordinary sects.

In common sects, very few study martial theory, and most devote themselves to mastering techniques and raising their level.

But in the Tang Family, a considerable number dedicate their lives solely to studying poisons and hidden weapons.

The reason is simple.

Creating excellent martial arts techniques doesn’t necessarily raise a sect’s overall power.

A sect’s strength is not made by the techniques themselves but by the skill of its disciples.

This is the paradox of martial theory.

Profound advanced techniques can elevate a practitioner to great heights, but they’re so abstruse they demand exceptional talent, harsh training, and endless time.

Is Shaolin lacking in martial arts theory?

Do the Wudangs lack techniques to lead disciples to be the best under heaven?

The reality for disciples of prestigious sects is that they struggle to master even the existing techniques.

So what’s the point of researching even higher techniques for people who can’t master the current ones?

Even if they research them, they can’t produce them, and even if produced, they can’t be learned.

‘But poison is different.’

Even if such poison becomes meaningless in fights between absolute masters, absolute masters are extremely rare in the world.

To most martial artists, the Tang Family’s poison is like the Grim Reaper.

Thus, simply creating poisons that can intoxicate faster and more easily can increase the Tang Family’s power.

“How strong you personally are isn’t that important. At least for the Tang Family.”

“…”

“More important is what is held in that hand.”

Baek Cheon slightly hardened his expression.

Chung Myung studied his face, grinned, and asked.

“You thought you could handle someone like Tang Pae anytime, right?”

“W-what are you talking about…”

“Dong-Ryong, that’s why you’re still Dong-Ryong. The world is wide and not that simple.”

Baek Cheon opened his mouth to object but ultimately fell silent.

If he objected in vain he’d only look foolish.

Because Chung Myung’s point wasn’t entirely wrong.

Chung Myung muttered as he looked toward Tang Pae.

“But… he’s overreaching right now, isn’t he?”

He’s spraying poison excessively.

But it can’t be helped.

If the one at the rear had been Tang Bo, with his Twelve Flying Blades he would’ve slaughtered everyone approaching.

But Tang Pae can’t stop enemies with Twelve Flying Blades alone.

So he keeps consuming a finite supply of poison.

“For long…”

“He won’t hold out long, right?”

Chung Myung and Baek Cheon’s words burst out almost simultaneously.

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon anew with a slightly surprised expression.

Baek Cheon had already averted his gaze from Chung Myung and drifted into deep thought.

That sight was somehow familiar yet strange.

Right now Baek Cheon was conversing with Chung Myung.

Before, he’d have tried to find solutions in Chung Myung’s words; now he was trying to come up with answers himself.

“You can’t even call him a chick anymore.”

Crisis hardens people, and war completes warriors.

Perhaps the one growing the most in this brutal pursuit is Baek Cheon.

“Chung Myung! You should—”

“Wrong.”

Baek Cheon flinched and cut off his words.

Wrong?

Tang Pae would reach his limit before long.

But given the nature of the poison Tang Pae is using, supporting him is impossible.

Even if they went to help, they couldn’t fight within that poison cloud, could they?

Then they’d have to increase the speed of breaking through the gorge, and the only one who could do that would be Chung Myung, right?

“Remember one thing, sasuk.”

Chung Myung let out a smile that briefly looked cruel.

“Do you know when the most people die in a war?”

“What are you—all of a sudden…”

“When they think they’ve won.”

“…”

“People let their guard down then. So remember this: those we face are also human. They’re desperately trying to kill us by any means.”

Chung Myung’s eyes turned upward.

Towering sheer cliffs rose facing each other like walls.

Through the gap, the only thing visible was a narrow, long slice of sky.

“They’re coming.”

At Chung Myung’s words, Baek Cheon’s body froze.

‘Explosives? Or oil?’

In an instant, memories of the Black Dragon Pirates massacre flashed through his mind.

‘No! That’s impossible!’

Baek Cheon shook his head.

Blowing up a cliff with explosives isn’t as easy as it sounds.

And pouring a large amount of oil from a high mountain requires vast manpower just for preparation.

Jang Ilso could do that because he fought by luring the Nine Great Sects into a pre-set trap.

Isn’t that what made Jang Ilso remarkable?

But this time such a plan wasn’t possible.

Ho Ga-Myung was the one pursuing them, and the prediction that the Heavenly Friends Alliance and Southern Island sect would head here hadn’t been made long ago either.

Under these circumstances, mobilizing alliance personnel—not even his own trusted subordinates—to prepare in advance would be impossible even if Zhuge Liang himself appeared.

‘Then?’

So what exactly is coming?

The moment of pondering wasn’t long. At that moment Baek Cheon saw.

The long narrow strip of sky was suddenly covered by something thick and black, and darkness descended into the gorge.

The thing covering the gorge gradually became clearer.

Baek Cheon widened his eyes in an instant.

That wasn’t a cloud.

“From above! Damn it! They’re coming from above!”

He shouted urgently.

What covered the sky were people.

Countless warriors of the Four Sects Alliance were leaping down from above.

There were enough of them to completely cover the heads of those trying to pass through here.

‘No!’

Urgency and anxiety showed in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

The reason they could break through this gorge was that enemies were only in front and behind.

That’s why they could protect the Southern Island disciples positioned in the center.

But what if those attacking from above mix with the Southern Island Sect’s disciples in the center?

‘It’s over!’

If a brawl broke out in such a narrow place, it would become uncontrollable by anyone.

And there’s no need to imagine what the result would be.

But what should they do?

Forward? Back? They couldn’t retreat in either direction!

“I’m going up and back.”

“What?”

Whoooooosh!

And in that moment, Chung Myung beside Baek Cheon leaped up like lightning.

“Chung Myung!”

Having already drawn a Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword in one hand, he ran across the steep cliff as if it were flat ground.

The red sword qi streaming from the blade left a long afterimage, drawing a red line across the white cliff’s center.

Slash!

And another person sprinted up beside Chung Myung.

“Sago!”

Tang Soso’s voice rang out loudly.

Yu Yiseol, expressionless as usual, leapt up and followed beside Chung Myung.

Chung Myung and Yu Yiseol.

The two of them rose like apparitions toward the countless warriors of the Four Sects Alliance falling down.