Chapter 214 - We Are Hellhounds

For a moment, I could say nothing.

It was a silence of surprise and joy. His words meant he conceded the wager.

"Careful! You'll step on the ants!"

I flinched and nearly stepped on one.

I couldn't tell why he was letting me win. Was it the relationship we had built? The Unorthodox Alliance's True Poison Recluse, whom he disapproved of? The boy who had lost his family? Or those venomous ants marching past in single file?

Whatever the reason, it didn't matter.

"Poison King!"

I threw my arms around him, hugging him with all my strength.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

Before I knew it, the Poison King had taken a poison pouch from his waist and was shaking it beside my face.

"Want to die? Get off me!"

"Yes, sir!"

I scrambled back.

The Poison King rose to his feet.

"Let's go. I'll bark, and then we'll go see the Cult Leader."

He meant to act on it immediately, too.

"Poison King, I'll bark in your place."

"You?"

"You agreed so readily. I ought to repay you. Until now, all I've done is learn from you, haven't I?"

"You'll really bark for me?"

"Yes."

My heartfelt answer made the Poison King smile.

"Isn't that smile a little too bright?"

"I've gone from dog to human. Of course I'm happy."

"Let's go."

We had to move before he changed his mind.

We went straight to the main training ground.

"Wait here, well out of the way. I'll go bark loud and clear, then come back."

The Poison King stopped me as I headed toward the training ground.

"You stay here. I'll bark. I don't break my promises."

"Will you be all right?"

"Will you? You might become the Heavenly Demon."

"Didn't you say you'd never support me, even if it killed you?"

"I won't."

Our gazes met. His face still looked so young, but his eyes held depth. He didn't support me, yet he was mature enough to worry about what this might mean if I became the Heavenly Demon. This was who the Poison King truly was.

"I'll bark. Stay here."

The very man who hated even stepping outside the Thousand-Poison Gate walked toward the training ground.

Watching him, I added a new principle to my life.

Never presume to judge anyone's world.

Look people in the eye. When something needs saying, say it without delay. Never pass presumptuous judgment on anyone. I was adding principles to my life one by one.

The moment the Poison King appeared, every wandering gaze nearby fixed on him. Even without displaying any unusual qi presence, he naturally drew attention. The presence of a Demon Supreme was making itself felt.

The demonic martial artists were astonished. The seldom-seen Poison King had appeared in the middle of the main training ground.

People stopped in their tracks, and others poked their heads out of the buildings' windows. A crowd gradually gathered around him. Some were seeing the Poison King for the first time.

They initially approached with reactions like, "That's the Poison King? He's that young?" Some then belatedly covered their noses and mouths and retreated far away.

The Poison King waited for as many people as possible to gather. He could have barked quickly while there were few witnesses and claimed to have kept his promise, but he didn't. He, too, was a man among men. Just a man who hated going outside.

People kept flocking over as word spread.

Among them was Demon Army commander Jang Ho. It had been a while since I last saw him, but he looked as dependable as ever. I greeted him with a glance, and he bowed respectfully from afar.

Seo Daeryong, the Yellow Springs Pavilion investigators, and even the enforcement martial artists came rushing out when they heard the news. Looking startled, Seo Daeryong sent me a sound transmission.

—"Pavilion Master, what's going on?"

—"We're on our way to uncover who's behind it."

—"What? What do you mean?"

—"Remember what you said at the pleasure house where it happened? That you wanted to find out why this happened?"

—"I did."

—"We're on our way to find out."

—"At the training ground?"

—"Yes. This is where we start."

Seo Daeryong gave me a bewildered look, but I offered no further explanation.

By then, the area around the main training ground was packed. Every eye was on the Poison King. The Poison King who spoke to snakes with that youthful face, who lost himself in thought while watching venomous insects, who painted cute pictures on his poison pouches—he stood proudly, without batting an eye under the gazes of so many demonic martial artists.

Everyone knew. If the Poison King decided to kill everyone present, if those twelve poison pouches at his waist opened, every last person here would be slaughtered.

When he judged that enough people had gathered, he raised a hand. The murmuring instantly subsided.

With not even a breath audible from that enormous crowd, the Poison King barked loudly like a dog.

Everyone was shocked. No one had imagined that the Poison King would gather a crowd just to bark at them. Some fled in fright, believing he'd gone mad and was about to release poison.

Just then, another shout rang out.

"A tiger father can have a dog for a son!"

Of course, I was the one who shouted. I walked toward the Poison King, barking loudly myself.

The Poison King looked at me as if to ask what I was doing.

How could I let him bark alone?

"Let's bark together."

"No! You—"

"It's all right."

I gave him a confident smile. It was a smile born of self-respect, of knowing that something so trivial could never undermine my dignity once I became the Heavenly Demon.

And this wasn't a matter of self-respect. It was friendship with the Poison King, an expression of gratitude. I wouldn't leave him to bark alone.

For the second bark, I went first.

The Poison King looked at me as though he couldn't understand me at all. Yet there was a smile on his lips that he couldn't hide.

I would grow closer to him. Then, when I finally revealed, "I'm immune to all poisons!" I wanted to see joy on his face, not any other emotion. That was my goal. It was by no means an easy one. The Poison King and immunity to all poisons were diametrically opposed.

We barked together.

Since we were barking anyway, we made it magnificent, drawing the sound out like a wolf's howl—long, very long. Not all dogs were the same. We weren't neighborhood mutts, but splendid hounds loyal to the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon! Hellhounds that tore into evil.

The onlookers murmured. Everyone wondered what was happening, but no one dared laugh at us.

Then someone in the crowd began barking along.

It was Seo Daeryong. When he barked, the Yellow Springs Pavilion investigators followed, then the enforcement martial artists. The Poison Fangs began barking, and so did Jang Ho. Everyone was startled to hear the Demon Army commander bark, and his loyal soldiers joined in.

The other demonic martial artists followed suit. In an instant, the main training ground had gone to the dogs.

Amid that pandemonium, we barked our five barks in friendly unison.

Sharing this moment was far more exhilarating than watching the Poison King lose the wager.

* * *

After making that glorious mess, I went to Heavenly Demon Hall with the Poison King.

Before opening the doors and entering, he took out several pills and swallowed them.

"What medicine are you taking?"

His answer was wholly unexpected.

"Something to calm my nerves."

I asked him in disbelief,

"You didn't take any when you barked in front of all those people."

"This is ten times more nerve-racking than standing in the training ground. I'm not going to meet the Cult Leader. I'm going to defy him."

Father had been certain that the Poison King would never let me win him over. Yet he had fallen for it completely. Calling this a challenge to a fight rather than mere defiance wouldn't be far off.

"Besides, the Cult Leader dislikes me."

"Father is a martial artist to his very bones, so he does treat unconventional disciplines a little coldly. But he dislikes poison arts, not you. People often misunderstand him over things like this."

"Spare me the consolation."

"It's not consolation. Think about it. If he truly disliked you, would he have made this wager? Would you have let me make such an important wager involving someone you genuinely hated?"

That must have sounded reasonable, because the Poison King offered no rebuttal.

"Besides, what does it matter if Father dislikes you a little? You can live with a little hatred."

"And get dragged away without anyone knowing."

"Don't worry. Even if he boils all the other Demon Supremes in a cauldron, he won't boil you."

"Because the poison would make me inedible?"

"No. Because without you, the Orthodox Martial Alliance would invade immediately."

"You don't have to flatter me to get on my good side anymore. I'll keep my promise regardless."

"No. I'll keep flattering you. What you did today will move me forever."

"You're saying that because you know I won't survive today, aren't you?"

We entered Heavenly Demon Hall.

Side by side, we walked along the Path of Blood toward Father.

He apparently had already heard that we'd barked at the main training ground. The atmosphere was solemn and icy.

After paying his respects, the Poison King looked at Father and spoke politely.

"Cult Leader. Please grant the Second Young Master's request."

Father glared fiercely at him.

"You were the one man I trusted."

The Poison King looked uncomfortable.

"I apologize."

"What on earth won you over?"

Father looked genuinely curious.

The Poison King seemed to consider his answer for a moment.

"I appreciated the Second Young Master's mourning."

The unexpected answer surprised both Father and me.

"Many people died in this incident. I appreciated the way the Second Young Master mourned people he did not know."

I hadn't known he was thinking this. Though he had acted otherwise, he had listened to everything and reflected deeply on it.

"I believe you can learn what sort of person someone is by seeing how they mourn another."

The Poison King, who had been trembling outside the doors, spoke confidently and eloquently before Father.

Father turned his gaze to me.

"Happy?"

"I feel like I could fly. For the first time, I've accomplished something with the Demon Supremes supporting me together. I'll never forget this day as long as I live."

I expressed my joy honestly.

In truth, this was all thanks to Father. His pointed rebuke.

["And how open is your world?"]

That one question had made me realize that the Poison King's world wasn't closed. And it truly wasn't. If he really lived in a closed world, he wouldn't have barked at the training ground or been standing here now. I had simply viewed him through my own closed perspective.

'It's thanks to you, Father.'

But I didn't say that here. This was the moment to give Father a chance to be angry.

I believed that at least half of his heart had wanted me to win. I chose to believe that.

As always, Father kept his promise.

"Very well. I grant your request."

I prostrated myself before him.

"Thank you, Father."

I knew it hadn't been an easy decision for him. And that I therefore had to handle this properly.

"If you've made this request, I assume you're confident you can leave no evidence that we were responsible?"

"Yes. I'll do everything I can."

"Effort alone isn't enough. You must kill them without giving the slightest indication that we did it."

Eliminate Yelü Han, the Unorthodox Alliance's second-in-command, and his four henchmen without anyone knowing we were responsible.

This, too, was a nearly impossible mission, but I answered with conviction.

"Yes! I will."

To obtain this permission, the Demon Supremes had all stepped forward, the Wicked Laughing Demon had risked his life, and the Poison King had barked at the training ground.

Then I had to do it. Perfectly.

Father had already returned to his usual self. Once he made a decision, he never looked back. He wasn't one to hold a grudge.

"Who will you take with you?"

"I'll go with the Wicked Laughing Demon."

"The two of you may not be enough. With three, I could rest easy."

Just as a look of disbelief crossed the Poison King's face, Father turned his gaze to him.

"You will accompany them and help."

"No, Cult Leader!"

The Poison King jumped in horror.

"No?"

At Father's quiet question, the Poison King hastily replied,

"Not at all. Yes, I will."

Father's expression said, You fell for it that easily? Then have a taste of this. I stand corrected. Father did hold grudges.

He rose from his seat.

"Poison King, hear me."

As Father revealed the Heavenly Demon's qi presence, the Poison King bent at the waist in a respectful bow.

"Yes, Cult Leader."

"From this moment onward, I authorize the use of the Twelve Deadly Poisons."

"I obey your august command."

The Twelve Deadly Poisons, the Poison King's principal poisons, could only be used with Father's permission. That alone spoke to how fearsome his poisons were.

After respectfully bidding Father farewell, the Poison King and I left Heavenly Demon Hall.

"You said you were nervous, but you spoke even better than I did."

"That was all the medicine."

The Poison King heaved an enormous sigh. He hated even leaving the Thousand-Poison Forest, yet now he had to venture into the Central Plains.

"It's dangerous outside the Thousand-Poison Forest!"

"Actually, you're the most dangerous thing out there."

The Poison King glared at me, his eyes saying it was all my fault.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen either."

"I'm not going. I refuse."

"All right. The Laughing Demon and I will go. Stay well hidden in the Thousand-Poison Forest."

"Then I really would be dragged away."

The Poison King vented his irritation where it didn't belong.

"If I go out, I'll kill everyone. I'll stop at every village and wipe them all out. You think I can't?"

He really must have hated the idea of leaving.

"Given who we're up against, Father must have been worried about me. He's even sending out the Cult's greatest secret weapon."

"That isn't enough to console me. Not enough!"

The Poison King walked toward the Thousand-Poison Forest with his shoulders slumped.

I called after him.

"We'll leave as soon as possible, so get ready. Thank you so much for today!"

The Poison King barked as he walked away. He was one very angry dog.

Smiling as I watched him go, I turned toward Villains' Valley.