Chapter 101

Mrs. Min didn’t make her move until the next morning—slightly later than Sun Woo-jin had expected.

Apparently, she wasn’t confident enough to act on her own and had waited for the physician to arrive.

This sudden demand from Mrs. Min caught Doctor Yang completely off guard. He had been secretly poisoning the head of the Na family little by little, in collusion with Mrs. Min, but now she was asking for something far more drastic.

“You want me to prepare a poison that can kill the family head immediately?” Yang stammered.

Mrs. Min, looking haggard and with sunken eyes from a sleepless night, replied urgently, “Yes, right now! We have to kill him immediately! If that woman really brings that monster here, everything we’ve done could be exposed!”

“What? Bring the monster here?!” Yang’s face paled instantly.

He knew all too well how formidable—and how unpredictable—that physician was.

Still, despite his fear, Yang hesitated. “But if we use a strong poison all at once, there will be traces left on the body—discoloration, decomposition…”

Mrs. Min snapped irritably, “Then bury him right away! If we waste time over something like that and get caught, will you take responsibility, Doctor Yang?”

“W-well…”

In the end, Yang had no choice but to comply. Both of them were desperate, bound by a shared fate.

He mixed all the poison he had with the herbal medicine he’d brought and, sweating profusely, followed Mrs. Min into the family head’s room.

The Na family head, though clearly ill, greeted them with a warm smile.

“Ah, Doctor Yang, welcome. Please, come in.”

“Greetings, sir. H-how have you been feeling?”

“I’ve been feeling better these past few days. Seems your medicine is finally working, ha ha ha!”

Yang stammered awkwardly, his unease obvious even in such a simple exchange.

Mrs. Min frowned at his clumsiness, while the family head’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“You look paler than usual today, and sweating more. Is something wrong?”

“N-no, nothing. Just not feeling well…”

Yang forced a smile, but the family head sighed.

“Well then, Doctor Yang, I suppose you should take my medicine today.”

Yang nearly jumped out of his skin. “W-what?!”

“Why so startled? I’m not feeling too bad today, so I thought you could take it instead.”

“Ah, well…”

Yang’s face drained of color, unable to respond.

Mrs. Min quickly intervened, trying to cover for him.

“Oh, no, sir! You mustn’t give your precious medicine to Doctor Yang! Everyone’s constitution is different; switching medicines carelessly could be dangerous!”

Yang nodded hastily. “Y-yes, exactly! Different constitutions—one can’t just take another’s medicine!”

The family head seemed to accept their explanation, nodding slowly.

“Very well. Then bring me the medicine.”

But the sharp glint in his eyes went unnoticed by the two anxious conspirators.

He had already been briefed by Na Seo-yu and was merely feigning ignorance to test them.

Their panicked reactions confirmed his suspicions: the medicine was indeed poison.

Hidden in the corner of the ceiling like a bat, Sun Woo-jin had also confirmed it.

He was preparing to make his move the moment Yang handed over the medicine.

Then, just as Yang’s trembling hands poured the concoction into a bowl, a loud commotion erupted outside.

“Family head! Madam! There’s been a disaster!”

“Ah!”

Clatter!

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Startled by the sudden noise, Yang spilled the medicine all over the floor.

“No! No!”

Mrs. Min’s face twisted in frustration.

They had mixed all the poison they had into that medicine, and now it was ruined.

What she didn’t realize was that the family head and Sun Woo-jin, watching from their hiding places, also grimaced at the mishap.

“Family head! Madam!”

The urgent voices outside continued.

Annoyed, Mrs. Min flung open the door.

“What’s all this noise about?!”

Two men stood there: one a warrior from the Na family, the other a stranger.

Mrs. Min was about to scold them when she caught sight of the stranger’s face—and froze.

He looked deathly pale.

Before she could ask, the Na family warrior spoke hurriedly.

“Madam, it’s terrible! The Jo and Kwak families have been wiped out!”

The Jo family was located in the southernmost part of Heungui, Guizhou Province, and the Kwak family was just a bit further north—both medium-sized sects similar to the Na family.

Moreover, the Kwak family was not far from the Na family’s territory.

Mrs. Min frowned. “What nonsense is this? Those two families were fine just recently. Why would they suddenly be wiped out?”

The stranger trembled as he explained.

“M-monsters. At dawn, two warriors from the Jo family came to the Kwak family… terrified.”

He looked dazed as he recounted how three monstrous beings had suddenly appeared at the Jo family’s estate, slaughtering everyone.

The Kwak family had initially doubted the story, telling the Jo warriors to rest and wait while they discussed.

But soon after, the monsters came to the Kwak family as well.

The stranger shuddered, voice breaking as he recalled the horror.

“Those fiends tore people apart like animals, sucking their blood. Women, children—no one was spared. They… they…”

He broke down in sobs.

Mrs. Min narrowed her eyes, skeptical.

“This makes no sense. How could just three people wipe out the Jo and Kwak families? And tearing people apart and sucking blood? That’s madness.”

At that moment, screams erupted from the main gate of the Na family.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Who’s there?! Aaaah!”

“That bastard! Aaah!”

The Kwak family warrior snapped his head up, panic-stricken.

“They’re here! They followed me!”

He bolted toward the Na family’s wall, scrambling over it like a madman.

“We have to run! Run now!”

Mrs. Min was thrown into chaos.

“What is happening…?”

The screams continued, desperate and chilling.

She barked at the Na family warrior.

“What are you waiting for? Go check and report back immediately!”

“Yes, madam!”

Suddenly, the words of the Kwak family warrior echoed in her mind.

“Three people wiped out two families? Tearing people apart and sucking blood?”

She swallowed hard.

If that was true, she couldn’t afford to stay here.

If those monsters had destroyed the Jo and Kwak families, the Na family would be next.

Only one thought raced through her mind.

“Run. We have to run—now.”

Her son, lying in his room, flashed through her mind.

“My son… my son Seo-hwang…”

Without hesitation, Mrs. Min dashed toward her son’s room.

She no longer cared what would happen to the family head or Doctor Yang.

Meanwhile, Sun Woo-jin and Na Seo-yu, who had been hiding in the room and on the roof, respectively, emerged from their concealment.

Sun Woo-jin’s sudden appearance startled Doctor Yang, who let out a terrified scream.

“Ahhh!”

But there was no time to pay him any mind.

Na Seo-yu urgently asked Sun Woo-jin, “Master Sun, could it be…?”

Sun Woo-jin nodded grimly.

“It seems so. Of all times…”

Biting her lip in frustration, she recalled what had happened.

On the very first day Sun Woo-jin arrived at Nagajang, he had confirmed that Cheol-gwi hadn’t come yet. Without wasting time, he went straight to the nearby Hao Gate to see if he could get the Hwagolsan.

At that time, the Hao Gate officials said they didn’t have it on hand immediately, but if the money was right, they could procure it. So Sun Woo-jin paid the price and placed the order.

They told him it would be ready by today and to come pick it up in the afternoon…

But just before he could go collect it, those monsters showed up first.

It was an unbearably tragic situation.

Still, Sun Woo-jin decided to let go of any lingering hope for the Hwagolsan. Worrying about something that wasn’t there now wouldn’t help.

He quickly assessed the situation and turned to Na Seo-yu.

“I’ll take Father and get him to safety elsewhere. I’ll hold them off.”

Na Seo-yu gasped in surprise.

“What?! B-but those things—”

She knew all too well that those creatures were beyond the reach of ordinary swords.

She understood that if Sun Woo-jin went alone, it would be a death sentence.

But Sun Woo-jin smiled confidently.

“Don’t worry, Na Seo-yu. Judging by the screams, they haven’t all arrived yet. Looks like only one came ahead of the others.”

The screams weren’t overlapping; they came one at a time.

From that, Sun Woo-jin was certain only one monster was here for now.

“One alone isn’t a match for me. I might not kill it, but it won’t kill me either. If things get too dangerous, I can always run. Surely you don’t doubt my speed? So don’t worry about me—just get the clan head to safety.”

Na Seo-yu studied his confident expression for a moment, then nodded.

She knew deep down that was the best course of action.

“Alright. Please, Sun Woo-jin. And… be careful.”

With a smile and a nod, Sun Woo-jin launched himself toward the main gate. Na Seo-yu returned to the room.

She approached the clan head cautiously.

“Father, it seems the Blood Sect’s demons have attacked. We need to get you out of here.”

But the clan head chuckled softly, shaking his head.

“How could I, the clan head, abandon this place and run? Seo-yu, you should leave quickly.”

Na Seo-yu sighed.

She had expected her father to say exactly that.

But she couldn’t obey.

Lowering her head, she apologized.

“Father, please forgive me.”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

Snap!

“Ah!”

Without hesitation, Na Seo-yu stepped forward and pressed a blood transfusion point, lulling him to sleep.

She then turned to Doctor Yang, who looked helpless.

“I’m going to move Father outside now. What do you think?”

Doctor Yang shook his head.

“No, that’s impossible. The clan head must remain absolutely still. Moving him carelessly could worsen his condition…”

Interrupting him, Na Seo-yu asked sharply,

“Is it because of the poison you gave him?”

“W-what?!” Doctor Yang was stunned, heart pounding. How could she possibly know that?

But when he looked into her eyes, he was even more shocked.

Her gaze burned with a cold, murderous light.

Na Seo-yu’s voice dripped with deadly intent.

“If anything happens to Father, you’ll regret not taking your own life. I’ll make sure you live to see hell.”

The suffocating intensity and her terrifying stare made Doctor Yang tremble uncontrollably.

He was no match for the aura of a top-tier martial artist like her.

Barely able to breathe, pale and on the verge of fainting, Doctor Yang watched as Na Seo-yu withdrew her killing intent and spoke again.

“Now, I’m moving Father outside. What should I do?”

Reflexively, Doctor Yang shouted,

“A stretcher! We need to make a stretcher! Then we can move him carefully!”

Na Seo-yu gave a cold command.

“Then make it.”

“Y-yes! Miss! Understood!”