novelzi Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Chapter 27: The Ninefold Pavilion
The resurgence of the Blood Cult had sent ripples of shock and fear through the martial world. The Tang Clan was no exception. However, their concern wasn't solely focused on the Blood Cult. Their attention was elsewhere.
“Truly a Divine Physician? A disciple of the Yeonjudan?”
“Yes, I tell you!” The young physicians, their eyes wide with disbelief, exclaimed, “The Yeonjudan still exists? After all these years?”
“Not the Divine Physician herself, but her disciple. They say she inherited all her skills.”
One of the physicians scoffed, his face falling. “So, a charlatan, then.”
“Well, Young Master Tang Hak brought her back, and he’s... easily fooled.”
“Oh, Young Master Tang Hak brought her back?”
The excited chatter died down, replaced by a wave of skepticism. A physician, who had been quietly organizing herbs, spoke up. “Young Master Tang Hak wasn't alone. I heard Elder Tang Min and...” He glanced around cautiously, then lowered his voice. “Miss Tang Sohwa also went with him.”
Silence.
“...Miss Sohwa?” All eyes turned towards the window, their gazes fixed on a nine-story pavilion standing at the boundary between the inner and outer courtyards. Though most of the medical pavilion buildings were located in the outer courtyard, that particular pavilion stood within the inner courtyard.
Known as the Ninefold Pavilion, it was secretly referred to as the Poison Pavilion. Only sixteen members of the Tang Clan, out of the hundreds residing within the estate, were granted access. It housed not only the clan's secret poison manuals and ingredients but also experimental toxins currently under development. The Ninefold Pavilion was as large as all the other medical pavilion buildings combined, and an identical pavilion was currently under construction beside it. Rumor had it that Miss Tang Sohwa needed more space to store her newly developed poisons.
The physicians exchanged glances, their eyes filled with pity. This supposed Divine Physician had better be the real deal. If she was a fraud, she wouldn't die peacefully.
As they contemplated the unfortunate fate of the unknown physician, another physician entered, clicking his tongue. “No, it’s true, I tell you. The forging room is in an uproar, crafting tools based on the Divine Physician’s designs. I snuck a peek. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen. True works of art, not ordinary medical instruments.”@@@@
Though the usual response would be skepticism, questioning how one could determine the authenticity of a Divine Physician simply by looking at tools, the physicians were too excited to be rational.
They abandoned their tasks and crowded around the newcomer. “What? What do they look like?”
“The blades are thinner than paper, and the scissors have a strange design. I don’t even know how they work.”
“Ooh... I’m curious.” They licked their lips, their curiosity piqued.
The physician gestured towards the door. “I saw them unpacking earlier. Want to go take a look? They seem approachable. I’m sure they’ll show us if we ask.”
By observing these reactions, she could identify the type of poison and its composition. This ability had allowed her to easily create antidotes, earning her the title Mandokhaesa in her past life.
‘...A useless title.’ She placed the manuals back on the shelf, lost in thought. She had intended to recreate the poisons she had developed in her past life, filling the empty shelves of the Ninefold Pavilion. But the Poison-Impervious Body antidote wasn't among them. Though testing it on someone with a Poison-Impervious Body would be ideal, the fact that it had even affected her, someone resistant to the Tang Clan's Eight Great Poisons, meant it was potent enough to be stored on the ninth floor.
However, there was a traitor within the Tang Clan, someone with access to the poisons and antidotes. Was it wise to reveal the existence of such a powerful poison before identifying the traitor?
It wasn't about fearing the enemy acquiring the antidote. A poison capable of overcoming the Poison-Impervious Body... If the Tang Clan’s possession of such a weapon became known, they could become enemies of the entire martial world. To turn those powerful masters against them would be a path to self-destruction.
She decided to keep its formula a secret for now and descended to the lower floors. She intended to examine the records stored within the Ninefold Pavilion, to confirm whether her memories were accurate, whether anything had changed. The altered timeline might have affected the contents as well.
‘I need to do this while my memories are still fresh.’
She had entered the Ninefold Pavilion before dawn, and yet, after examining only two floors, the sky outside was already tinged with the colors of sunset. The records on those two floors contained no new poisons she was unfamiliar with.
Deciding to continue her investigation the following day, she descended the stairs. As she passed the research labs on the third floor, her gaze fell upon the entry log hanging beside the door. She stopped, her eyes fixed on a single name.
Tang Hae-han. Her cousin, the youngest member admitted to the Ninefold Pavilion before her.
She examined the log. Her name and his were intertwined, alternating entries. He spent as much time in the Ninefold Pavilion as she did.
A faint smile touched her lips as she saw the smudged ink, a testament to their youthful rivalry. She had been so determined to have more entries in the log than him, visiting the pavilion even when she had no real reason to, simply to read the records and add her name.
She placed the log back on its hook and entered the lab, searching for him.
The windows were always kept open to ventilate the fumes, filling the room with a warm breeze and soft sunlight. The air was thick with the earthy scent of dried herbs.
Despite her adult mind, being in this familiar space brought back a flood of childhood memories.
Tang Sohwa walked deeper into the lab, her footsteps echoing softly against the stone floor, brushing past the hanging pouches of dried herbs.
She saw a figure at the end of the hallway, seated at a desk, his back to her.
Though he must have sensed her presence, Tang Hae-han continued writing, the rhythmic scratching of his brush against the paper a soothing sound. Sohwa watched him in silence.
His slender fingers, pale and delicate, guided the ink-laden brush across the paper, the characters neat and precise, reflecting his personality: meticulous and unassuming.
As if finally noticing the silence, he spoke, without looking up. “I heard you were summoned to the Cleansing Sky Pavilion.”
When she didn’t respond, he finally looked up, his brow furrowing. “...What happened to your face?”