Chapter 138:

Chapter 138:

If You’re Scared, Just Die

Regardless of being treated like a lunatic by Tang Hyeok-soo, the atmosphere inside was utterly cold.

Why wouldn’t it be?

The Tang family was a group that stuck together tightly, to the extent of creating a village named Tangga-tara, where only people with the surname ‘Tang’ lived.

And Tang Hyeok-soo, as evident by the surname ‘Tang,’ was part of the Tang family’s bloodline.

Of course, unlike Tang Pae-jin, the head of the family, he was from a collateral branch. Still, that didn’t erase the fact that he was a blood relative.

“Fine. As you said, under the circumstances, it’s suspicious. But let me ask. Is there any conclusive evidence that Hyeok-soo is truly an agent of the enemy?”

The fact that Tang Pae-jin even tried to resolve this through conversation showed that he respected the other as a benefactor.

“The situation you mentioned could just be seen as falling for the enemy’s trap. But the fact that you dared to accuse my nephew Hyeok-soo in front of me suggests that you have undeniable evidence, doesn’t it?”

It felt as though he wouldn’t let this go if there wasn’t evidence.

The logic that simply falling into the enemy’s trap and dragging the lady into it made Hyeok-soo guilty of treason didn’t seem like it would work here.

Contrary to their reputation for being ruthless, the Tang family was surprisingly swayed by emotions.

Still, it didn’t feel entirely bad.

‘Yes. That’s how family should be.’

An unwavering bond, showing absolute trust no matter the situation. Where else in the world, other than family, could such a relationship exist?

Of course, that didn’t mean Tang Hyeok-soo wasn’t a spy.

Tang Hyeok-soo.

He was a character who appeared in the second part of Legend of the Evil Emperor, but to put it simply, he was a loose thread—a MacGuffin, so to speak.

Dao Yuetian repeatedly attacked the hideouts of the shadowy forces, and during one of those raids, he coincidentally encountered Tang Hyeok-soo there.

Tang Hyeok-soo was a messenger, delivering “something” that the shadowy forces had demanded from the Tang family. Dao Yuetian captured and interrogated him, eventually uncovering the truth of the Shintubidong incident and information about the Taeeulmun.

Also, the fact that the Tang family had already fallen into the hands of the shadowy forces.

Naturally, when Choi Kang-hyuk, the reader of the novel, saw this, he thought, “So, after bringing down the Cheonryu Sangdan and the Jegal family, next up is the Tang family!” and looked forward to it. But the story moved on to Sichuan, without tackling this plotline due to other events.

Later, as the protagonist of the third part, Mu-jin, Choi Kang-hyuk finally encountered this unresolved plotline—Tang Hyeok-soo.

So, there was no doubt that Tang Hyeok-soo was a spy working for the shadowy forces. The only problem was...

‘Hmm. I didn’t expect them to blindly take his side like that.’

Even if he was their nephew, Mu-jin had thought they might harbor a bit of suspicion under the circumstances.

But now that he had already voiced his suspicion of Tang Hyeok-soo, there was no backing down. Retreating now would only raise more suspicion.

So how could he persuade them? Ever since dealing with the Cheonryu Sangdan, he realized that in this damn world of martial arts novels, the very concept of “evidence” was laughable.

No recording, no video. You had to catch them in the act, but even then, if they were exchanging information through coded messages, they could easily deny it.

In the end, it all boiled down to, “Whose words will be believed?”

Even though circumstantial evidence was being presented, Tang Pae-jin still chose to trust his blood relative, Tang Hyeok-soo.

But because of that, on the contrary—

‘Yes! They can’t find proof either!!’

Mu-jin decided to turn the situation around.

“This is the proof.”

As he spoke, Mu-jin pulled out a letter he had obtained from the Taeeulmun master’s room.

“What is this?”

“This is the letter that Tang Hyeok-soo delivered to Taeeulmun.”

“...Is that really true?”

“Yes, it is.”

Of course, it was a lie. But Mu-jin didn’t care. After all, the other side also had no real evidence.

It had been a heart-stopping moment.

But that letter wasn’t written by him. Looking at the fake evidence, he couldn’t help but sneer internally.

“I have never seen this letter before, Head of the Family.”

“Is that so? I’m quite sure I saw it at Taeeulmun.”

“This is slander! I’ve been guarding Lady Tang So-mi the whole time. I had no time to visit Taeeulmun!”

“Then you must have gone during the late hours when Lady Tang So-mi was asleep.”

“Ask anyone! I never left Lady So-mi’s side!”

Tang Hyeok-soo shouted confidently. It wasn’t a lie.

From the beginning, even when he received the order to obtain the Zhang Bodo or to take Tang So-mi to Shintubidong, he hadn’t left the Tang estate.

Someone else had come and delivered both the Zhang Bodo and the instructions.

Regardless, Mu-jin continued to insist, and Tang Hyeok-soo continued to deny everything.

“So, you’re saying that Tang Hyeok-soo, you didn’t receive any orders to lead Lady Tang So-mi to Shintubidong?”

“That’s right! If you continue to slander me like this, I won’t stand for it, even though I saved Lady So-mi!”

Naturally, the argument reached a deadlock, and as the Head of the Family and Elder Patriarch began to show their clear preference for trusting a blood relative over an outsider, their expressions darkened.

“Then, Tang Hyeok-soo, are you willing to stake your life on the claim that you’re not a spy?”

“Yes! And what about you? Will you stake your life on the claim that you didn’t slander me?”

Mu-jin, who finally heard the words he wanted, brought out the trump card he had been saving.

“Very well! I, too, am someone who would find it more unjust to be doubted as a liar than to die! So, let’s put our lives on the line and see whose words are true!”

Mu-jin shouted confidently and turned to Tang Pae-jin.

“I’ve heard that the Tang Clan has a special pill called the Simnyeong Pill, Clan Head. Allow me and Tang Hyeok-soo to use it!”

At the mention of the Simnyeong Pill from Mu-jin’s mouth, Tang Hyeok-soo’s previously confident face momentarily showed a hint of shock.

‘How... how does that guy know about the name of that pill!’

The reason Mu-jin knew about the Simnyeong Pill was simple.

In the second part of the novel, Tang Hyeok-soo had intended to deliver the pill to a shadowy force as a messenger. The Simnyeong Pill, one of the many drugs developed by the Sichuan Tang Clan, a renowned house for poisons and hidden weapons, was a special concoction that, when ingested, suppressed the mind, preventing the user from lying—a sort of truth serum. In modern terms, it could be seen as a type of confession drug.

In the end, however, Tang Hyeok-soo ended up in the wrong hands, and after consuming the pill, he was forced to divulge information about Shintubidong and Taeeulmun.

Despite knowing full well about this substance, Tang Pae-jin had so far kept quiet about the Simnyeong Pill for a reason.

“Do you even know the side effects of that pill?”

“Yes. The mind is suppressed for only about five minutes. After that, when the effects wear off, the person dies, spitting blood from the seven orifices. That’s what I know.”

In truth, the Simnyeong Pill was a deadly poison disguised as a confession drug.

It was the result of a bizarre creation during the Tang Clan’s attempts to develop a poison that would cause death without pain, like someone who dies in a drunken stupor. They ended up mixing narcotic substances with poison, creating a monstrous concoction.

The poison and narcotic elements combined, stripping the victim of their reasoning, enhancing its use as a confession drug. But since it was a poison that inevitably led to death upon ingestion, Mu-jin aimed to gamble everything on this high-stakes risk.

Anyone could claim their innocence, but how many would truly be willing to stake their lives on it?

“That’s why I’m asking for the Simnyeong Pill. As a true man, I cannot bear to be falsely accused more than I fear death.”

Of course, Mu-jin valued his life more, but why would that matter? Someone with guilt couldn’t possibly wager their life.

Naturally, Tang Hyeok-soo’s expression had hardened without him realizing it.

“Surely, Tang Hyeok-soo feels the same, doesn’t he?”

Mu-jin, with a smirk, proposed this life-or-death gamble to Tang Hyeok-soo, who was now breaking out in a cold sweat.

‘If you’re scared, you can just die.’

Unlike the frozen Tang Hyeok-soo...

‘Even if you’re not scared, you’ll still die after taking it.’

Mu-jin, with an air of complete confidence, made his bold statement.