“I’ve explained about various poisons, do you have any questions?”

“Hmm. So you don’t normally use lethal poisons unless absolutely necessary? Since you showed me that Golden Poison, I thought you used it regularly.”

“Haha, that’s used for mortal enemies or those who must absolutely be killed. How could we use such terrible things regularly?”

“I see. That makes sense. For now, I haven’t had any particular questions.”

The Tang clan had standards for their poisons.

The strongest poison that could be used on martial artists of the same Orthodox faction was paralysis poison.

However, even against martial artists of the same Orthodox faction, if a Tang clan member was harmed, the level of poison they could use increased, and if a Tang clan martial artist was killed, they could use lethal poison on up to a hundred people.

One Punishment, Hundred Warnings[1]? No, Hundred Punishments, Hundred Warnings[2]?

If One Punishment, Hundred Warnings meant severely punishing one to warn a hundred, the Tang clan severely punished a hundred to give a stern warning to those who survived.

A brutal standard.

‘This family is troublesome in so many ways…’

Just as I was mulling over what I’d learned, a question came.

“Hmm… If you have no questions, shall I ask you something? Since you said you know a lot about venomous creatures.”

“What? Yes. I understand.”

‘Is the next lesson about venomous creatures? This is something I’m confident about.’

“The Tang clan rarely uses poisons from venomous creatures, so do you perhaps know why we don’t primarily use poisons from venomous creatures?”

The Tang clan’s education consisted of martial arts training in the morning to move the body, and theoretical education about martial arts or poisons in the afternoon.

So in the morning, I was initiated into the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Technique[3], which was the clan’s basic cultivation method that could accept five poisons, and in the afternoon we moved on to theoretical education.

But during the theoretical education, as Grandfather was teaching about the clan’s poison arts, he asked why venomous insects and creatures’ poisons weren’t included in the clan’s mainstream poisons.

‘I think I know roughly, but how would an assassin clan think about this? That’s what I need to consider in my answer.’

Venomous creatures refers collectively to creatures with poison like venomous snakes and insects.

While I certainly knew the characteristics of such venomous creatures’ venom, simply answering like reading from a dictionary wouldn’t be the right answer.

They say humans are creatures of adaptation?

Since running away would lead to Golden Killing, not just normal killing, I decided to try adapting to this Sichuan Tang Clan.

The young lady was beautiful too…

And I’d already made that rash declaration…

Because the young lady had risen to the top of my wishlist, above all the venomous insects and snakes I’d wanted in my previous life.

‘I am an assassin. I am an assassin who uses poison. I am a psychopath.’

I started giving myself this self-hypnosis that made me feel like I might lose my mind.

The reason I went this far was because I needed to consider how this Central Plains assassin clan would think about the characteristics of venomous creatures’ venom to give my answer.

Because in my previous life as a venomous creature and venomous insect YouTuber, where else would I use my knowledge?

So while I simply had professional knowledge about venomous creatures, the people of this Sichuan Tang Clan were people who thought about how to use this to kill people.

If in my previous life I used my knowledge of poison to help people know how to survive when bitten by venomous snakes or insects, now I had to do the opposite.

For example, if I received an apple, rather than knowledge about what variety it was, how it tasted, and when it could be harvested, I needed to answer about cooking that could be done with the apple.

Like apple pie, apple jam, or apple tart.

Of course, apple pie, apple jam, and apple tart would be methods of poisoning.

So I put on a thoughtful expression while hypnotizing myself.

Because I felt I could only answer if I thought like these people.

After a moment, when I felt I’d achieved sufficient self-hypnosis, I carefully answered.

“Hmm… There might be several reasons, but isn’t it because they’re difficult to use?”

“Difficult? Would you explain in detail?”

Ten Thousand Poisons Divine Sovereign grandfather showed interest in my words.

I explained in detail what I was thinking.

“First, taking snake venom as an example… Whether made into powder or kept as liquid, I think it’s because there’s only one way it can be used.”

Snake venom is known as the most complex natural toxin.

First, because it’s composed of numerous compounds including about 100 proteins and enzymes including non-toxic proteins, non-enzymatic polypeptide toxins, nucleic acids, amines, free amino acids, and so on.

Moreover, it has high stability and doesn’t easily decompose.

Research has even shown that 80-year-old venom stored at room temperature in Australia maintained its toxicity after 80 years.

However, snake venom has one major disadvantage – since it’s a substance made to be injected through fangs, most of the venom doesn’t show toxicity unless directly administered subcutaneously, that is, injected under the skin.

‘In my previous life, this wasn’t a disadvantage but an advantage…’

So in my previous life this was actually an advantage, but the person I was answering was the leader of an assassin clan.

Grandfather, who had the title Ten Thousand Poisons Divine Sovereign for handling ten thousand poisons.

So I seized on this as a disadvantage in my explanation.

“So to poison an enemy, um… You must apply it to something like a knife or needle, and must definitely stab someone with it.”

In the past, when bitten by a snake, people would usually cut the wound with a knife and suck out the blood with their mouth, and this was possible because of this property of snake venom.

Since proteins form the main components of snake venom, it usually doesn’t cause poisoning when taken orally, that is, eaten.

Snake venom was put in a wine cup and someone died?

This can be considered almost complete nonsense.

Because unless there are wounds in the mouth, esophagus, or stomach, death is absolutely impossible.

Even cases of poisoning from sucking out venom mostly occur when there are wounds in the mouth.

“Ah! And if applied to a knife or needle, the amount of poison would be small, making it difficult to kill the target. Snake venom doesn’t dry well either, so it would probably be difficult to store knives or needles coated with it.”

In my previous life, they used a peculiar term to express the intensity of acute toxicity converted to a standard value – the median lethal dose.

When noting this, it’s called LD50, which literally means the amount that kills half.

The amount that kills one out of two who eat it is the median lethal dose or LD50.

It can be considered the amount that kills half of the experimental animals like rats or rabbits.

It’s expressed as the dose of poison per 1kg of body weight, but naturally the amount would be less when applied to a knife compared to a direct snake bite, and it’s not so easy to dry snake venom in its natural state.

So there would also be problems storing poison-coated knives.

When I finished explaining everything I’d thought about, grandfather Ten Thousand Poisons Divine Sovereign nodded with a smile.

“Oh. Yes, you said you were an expert in venomous creatures. Indeed you know snake venom well. That’s right. Snake venom can only show its effects when stabbed into the target’s body. So naturally it can’t be used widely and isn’t often used. Unless one reaches a certain level in assassination techniques or dagger arts, it can never be effective.”

-Gulp.

‘I-I was right after all.’

Being praised for being right didn’t feel very good.

Somehow it felt like being told I was talented personnel who could become a psychopathic assassin clan member too, so naturally it didn’t feel good.

Talent for methods of murder and mass slaughter, could that even be called talent…

So I could only manage an awkward smile, and when my lips trembled, grandfather Ten Thousand Poisons Divine Sovereign tilted his head.

“I praised you, but why does your face look like that?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Haha. Though I’m happy to be praised, how could a man easily show it?”

“You can show it freely before me.”

“I understand, Grandfather.”

I could only smile awkwardly again at this truly troublesome situation.

However, the trouble was mine alone.

Pleased with my answer, another question followed.

“Then what about the poison of the Poison Spider[4]?”

Poison Spider meaning venomous spider.

At Grandfather’s question, I gave myself another round of self-hypnosis before answering.

“Isn’t it because spider venom is usually weak, and since spiders aren’t large, it takes a lot of effort to collect the poison?”

We know venomous spiders are quite dangerous, but honestly, though the pain is great, spiders that actually threaten life are rare.

Not because spider venom is weak, but because spiders are small, so they can only inject a small amount of venom into a person at once.

Moreover, though this is another world and there would be different venomous spiders, usually the most venomous spiders are typically found in South America or Australia.

So when I answered considering such things, grandfather Ten Thousand Poisons Divine Sovereign nodded again.

“Yes, your answer is correct on this too. Though it can cause people pain, that makes it difficult to use when trying to kill people. Also, when trying to capture someone, we can use paralysis powder, so it would be troublesome if they thrashed and screamed in pain from spider venom.”

It was during this theoretical education.

The young lady’s voice came from outside.

“Grandfather, you need to come out for a moment.”

At the young lady’s voice, my assassin self-hypnosis felt rewarded.

“Look at how this fellow’s face brightens when Hwa-eun comes.”

“Ahem…”

Thinking about whether it showed so clearly on my face, I quickly went to the door and opened it.

There stood the young lady outside, wearing radiant red clothes.

They called her Monthly Rose, and indeed she was still a rose now.

Though I got to see her face when eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner since we were staying in the same courtyard house used by the Tang clan’s direct line, the young lady’s face never grew tiresome no matter how much I saw it.

‘In my previous life they said good looks and beauty are temporary. Unless you’re going to marry someone and live off their face, they said to compromise, but just looking at the young lady’s face seems filling like a miser…’

When the young lady hesitated a moment at my gaze, I quickly greeted her.

“Have you come, Hwa-eun?”

“Ah, yes. Soryong, have you been working hard at martial arts and studies?”

“Yes, Hwa-eun.”

Grandfather watched our greeting with a smile.

When our greetings seemed roughly finished, he stepped in front of me and asked the young lady.

“So, Hwa-eun, why have you come?”

“Father seems to be in a difficult situation, so I think you need to go to the Black Tortoise Pavilion[5] for a moment, Grandfather.”

“The Black Tortoise Pavilion?”

I’d been told the Black Tortoise Pavilion was the clan head’s office where he usually handled business.

When Grandfather tilted his head, the young lady spoke with a slightly darkened expression.

“The family elders…”

‘Family elders? If it’s the family elders then surely?’

Judging by the young lady’s expression and tone.

It seemed those people had come – the ones the young lady had told me about a few days ago who had given her such trouble.

And sure enough, my thoughts seemed correct. grandfather Ten Thousand Poisons Divine Sovereign frowned and asked:

“Why are those fellows at it again?”

“Um… There are two issues, one is that the medicine submitted to the Sichuan Provincial Governor[6] hasn’t worked well, so he sent a letter full of complaints…”

She trailed off mid-sentence and looked at me.

When our eyes met, the young lady continued:

“The other is about the Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons.”

“The Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons? Why?”

Something felt ominous at the mention of the Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons.

I’d noticed something wasn’t right in the young lady’s eyes.

A feeling like it might have something to do with me?

“When we said we’d put So-Soryong in charge of the venomous creatures in the Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons, the elders objected.”

‘What, are these people trying to make enemies with me!?’

Just when I was about to enjoy my hobby with unlimited support, the branch family people were raising objections.

This couldn’t be ignored.

Because they were trying to interfere with my hobby just when I’d gotten a major sponsor.

When I had secured amazing sponsorship that didn’t even need reactions, raising objections meant they were asking for a fight.

“Let’s go! Hwa-eun!”

“What?”

The young lady was startled when I quickly headed outside, but grandfather Ten Thousand Poisons Divine Sovereign followed me out.

We headed straight for the Black Tortoise Pavilion, the clan head’s office.

At the entrance to the Black Tortoise Pavilion.

Inside was already chaos.

“How dare you! Clan Head, how could you make such an important decision alone!”

“That’s right! How could you handle this unilaterally without asking our opinions!?”

“Exactly. First you pick up an orphan of unknown origins and say you’ll make him a match for our precious Hwa-eun!”

-Bang!

“Orphan!? Unknown origins!? Are you insulting my son-in-law!”

“But Clan Head, how is it an insult when it’s true?”

Loud voices came from inside, and the situation had even reached talk about me.

Grandfather couldn’t hold back anymore and burst through the Black Tortoise Pavilion’s doors, shouting as he entered.

“I ordered it! Do you have a problem with that!”

“Su-Supreme Clan Head.”

“Elder, you’ve come?”

At Grandfather’s appearance, people who had been clinging to the clan head’s desk fell away.

The young lady and I quickly entered and took positions behind the clan head.

Then the voices continued.

Though not shouting like before, dissatisfied voices continued.

“Elder, how can you handle such matters this way? What is the Hall of Ten Thousand Poisons? It’s the most important place in our caln. The venomous creatures are also treasures of our clan, so how can you entrust them to an outsider who hasn’t even had a wedding?”

“That’s right, Elder. It’s a place even we can’t freely enter, so it’s not right for an outsider yet. Moreover, though he claims to know about venomous creatures well, he hasn’t shown any ability that would convince the family members?”

In the end, they meant to use me as a pretext to make things difficult for the clan head and young lady.

In my previous life too, as the eldest grandson of the main family line, I’d experienced random people visiting during ancestral rites and saying all sorts of things, and seeing this situation made my blood boil remembering my previous life.

‘Moreover, I’m not usually one to step forward, but when my hobby is at stake, I can’t just stay quiet, can I?’

So I stepped forward from behind the clan head, made a fist-palm salute, and spoke.

“I apologize for interrupting your discussion, but since this seems to have happened because of my humble abilities, I think I should show abilities that will convince the family elders, what do you think?”

The people’s gazes turned to me.

[Soryong, what are you trying to do?]

The young lady’s startled voice transmission flew in, but I smiled and picked up a paper from the clan head’s desk.

“If I handle this matter, will you trust my abilities?”

“Soryong, you mean that?”

The clan head looked up at me with a shocked and flustered face.

This seemed to be the letter from the Sichuan Provincial Governor.