Invitation to the Chatroom of the Gods - Chapter 90



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Episode 90 – Plague (2)

Not much is known about what caused the plague.

Of course, the author said that the work is based on the concept of a ‘pathogen’, but he could not answer the question of ‘why’ such a pathogen exists.

All I could say was that it was just nature.

Therefore, the plague was a disease caused by ‘natural factors’, and the reason for the spread of the plague was also considered to be nature and ‘the will of heaven’.

Heaven and earth are not kind.

The heaven and the earth are not good.

All things are like a squirrel’s nut.

Using a hundred surnames to treat them like scallions.

Heaven treats all things like straw dogs, and the earth treats its people like straw dogs.

A plague slaughters countless people, but heaven and earth are indifferent, so I thought that the plague that raged in Guizhou was the same.

But the truth is that it was a plague caused by human error and hatred.

There was no room for doubt, since it was said by none other than ‘Pyeonjak’.

Still, I couldn’t easily believe it. That was understandable, because the process of making Yeommae was so horrible, and therefore the process of making it was so difficult.

First, they needed a child under the age of eight. They brought the child in, locked him in a small, dark place, and starved him until he fainted.

When the child is so skinny that he is almost dead, they lure him out by placing food inside a bamboo tube just big enough for him to fit inside.

A hungry child crawls into a bamboo tube on his own to get food.

However, the bamboo tube is too small to fit inside. Nevertheless, the child struggles and squeezes his body inside the tube.

I was blinded by the food inside the can.

The child struggles and tries to crawl through the bamboo tube. The boy is stabbed to death with a sharp knife as he struggles.

Afterwards, close the lid and seal it to prevent the spirit from escaping.

Then, the corpse of the child who died of starvation is created as the Crown Prince.

As time passes in that state, the soul of the crown prince will not be able to leave the bamboo tube and will rot and fall into it.

The most vicious and terrible loneliness (蠱毒).

Among them, the worst one called ‘Ingo’ is created.

Even just creating one poem was not easy.

Of course, according to the writer, each piece of salt made this way is capable of destroying ‘two villages’.

That is, it could be seen that in every two villages, one child was sacrificed to salt.

Thus, the plague infected the entire Guizhou Province.

I couldn’t even fathom how many children had to be sacrificed.

There was no way to know how many children had to be sacrificed for the salt to infect millions, and how many people had to be infected in that way.

In any case, this meant that they had prepared in advance.

The Demonic Cult has finished preparing to take over the world and is now starting to raise its body in earnest.

This is something that should have happened sooner.

So, the epidemic that is currently happening in Guizhou Province must have originated in Jiangxi Province first.

The mad demon who was behind the Gangseo Province salt fraud incident.

If I hadn’t caught the mad ghost, the salt sales would have continued and Gangseo Province would have become a death zone by now.

However, I was able to prevent and stop the epidemic that was ‘almost’ going to break out in Gangseo Province.

However, there was nothing that could be done about the epidemic that was ‘running rampant’ in Guizhou Province, but it was not too late.

The incident had already occurred, but it was not a complete afterthought.

└[Cheongun]

: Do you know any way to cure human suffering?

I immediately asked Pian Quan for a cure for In-go, and the answer came to mind right away, as if Pian Quan was indeed Pian Quan.

└[Compiled by Divine Doctor]

: First, we eliminate the evil spirits that have permeated the patient’s body with stronger poison.

It was a kind of poison-fighting.

And this was the reason why Tang So-hyang’s poison technique could cure the plague. And this was the reason why only Tang So-hyang could cure the plague.

Among the lonelinesss, loneliness was the worst.

In this world, there was only one person with a poison stronger than human poison, Tang So-hyang, the extremely poisonous limb.

So, while treatment was not impossible, it had clear limitations.

Tang So-hyang alone could not cure the epidemic that had spread throughout Guizhou Province.

Fortunately, there was another treatment······.

└[Compiled by Divine Doctor]

: Secondly, we have to get rid of the Crown Prince’s fiancé.

Ingo (人蠱) was a type of loneliness, a poison mixed with the magical power of the prince’s betrothal.

└[Compiled by Divine Doctor]

: The reason why human nature is dangerous is none other than the ‘wandering soul and stagnant spirit’.

As expected, I didn’t know what a wandering soul was. But at this point, I couldn’t help but ask about it.

└[Cheongun]

: I may be presumptuous, but what is a wandering soul and stagnant spirit?

The editor gave me a very detailed explanation of my question.

And, as expected, the explanations were incredibly complicated, and I couldn’t understand a single thing they were saying.

However, from what I have tried to understand, it is said that ‘the state where the soul (魂) flies away and only the spirit (魄) is entangled’ is called ‘wandering soul with stagnant spirit (遊魂滯魄).

In other words, it seemed to be a state in which one’s life force and energy are sucked out, called ‘youhonchebaek’ (遊魂滯魄).

And Pyeonjak said that if the soul of the crown prince is so powerful that it can infect the entire city of Guizhou, there must be someone who can control the soul using the ‘soul-capturing technique’.

└[Compiled by Divine Doctor]

: If you find a place where the soul-taking technique is performed and free the soul of the crown prince, the wandering soul and stagnant spirit will disappear, and the rest will be healed naturally.

It was the most certain way to cure the epidemic that was rampant in Guizhou Province at once.

But really······.

“This is truly amazing.”

I wondered how he knew such things in such detail.

That would be the case, since Ingo could be seen as being somewhat distant from medicine.

However, the writing was smooth and unobstructed, so I could definitely feel the difference between a real ‘divine doctor’ and a metaphorical one.

* * *

Finding a place where soul-taking techniques are practiced.

It was a way to solve the plague in one fell swoop, but it wasn’t that easy.

This was because those who practiced the art of concubine were also aware of this fact.

It was obvious that he would be hiding in a place where he wouldn’t be easily discovered, but the problem was that if he could use the art of seduction, it meant that he was also skilled in the art of formation.

“You said it would never be easily found.”

To be exact, the editor expressed it as being close to ‘impossible’.

Just like the last time when he treated Dang So-hyang, he could only teach her how to do it.

In the end, it was solely my responsibility and my role to find the place where the magic of concubine was practiced······.

“The only good thing is that it’s within Guizhou Province.”

Because if the distance is too far, the sorcery of seduction is impossible. So, if it is fortunate that the place is ‘somewhere in Guizhou Province’, then it is fortunate.

“The problem is that the scope is too broad.”

The area is the area, and about nine square kilometers of Guizhou Province was mountainous. There were so many mountains that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack······.

“Still, I have to look for it.”

But I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

I had to search the entire Guizhou Province, but if I used the new method I learned from Yi Cheol-Gwae, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

Above all, I wasn’t too worried because there was a response.

Even during the previous salt bribery incident, Eungseon was able to immediately discover the salt bribery location with his ‘eagle eyes’.

Of course, it would be much harder to find now that the formation method has been added, but Eungseon has also become much stronger than before.

Recently, Eungseon was so full of energy that he was seething from the energy he had been taking so many elixirs. Even the best masters were no match for Eungseon.

If you search for it like Eungseon, you will be able to find it, even if it is difficult.

But there was no time to delay.

“We should leave the treatment of the epidemic to the Tang So-jeo and the band of knights.”

From now on, I felt like I had to act separately.

After making that decision, the first thing I did was to find Dang So-hyang.

And in one corner, I could see Dang So-hyang sitting quietly, resting, as if soothing her tired body.

Her shoulders were still weak, perhaps because she wasn’t in good condition. Her already slender figure was even more hunched over, as she didn’t have any chin.

I approached Dang So-hyang carefully and spoke.

“How are you feeling, young lady?”

Then, Dang So-hyang shouted, “Hot!” and shook her body violently.

It seemed like she had no idea I was approaching her, but it was definitely not Dang So-hyang who was not feeling well, but was secretly eating something by herself this time?

“What are you eating this time?”

“This, this is it···?”

Tang So-hyang slowly turned her small body towards me as if she had no choice. Then she gently held out something she was holding in her hand.

“It’s the venom gland of a silver ring snake. The knights caught it and brought it to me.”

······Even if you just listened to it, it was a serious poison.

“Is that so poisonous that an elephant can’t even take seven steps?”

“No. It’s not that far… About twenty steps?”

Then, Tang So-hyang bit the venom gland with her small mouth and sucked it.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her eating a delicious snack, but then suddenly Tang So-hyang flinched! She trembled and ran away from me.

Dang So-hyang, who was far away from me, hugged her body with both hands.

And for some reason, the look in her eyes as she looked at me was so fresh.

I was wondering why it was suddenly like that······.

“You’re trying to tease me again!”

······I guess he ran away because he remembered that I said he was cute last time.

“Why am I teasing you, young lady?”

“I, really, you’re not going to······ tease me?”

“I’m not kidding.”

Dang So-hyang looked suspicious, but at my firm words, she slowly approached me again.

And as I looked at Dang So-hyang, who had become somewhat closer, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I wasn’t teasing you last time, I was just saying that because you’re really cute.”

“············Huh?”

Then, Tang So-hyang suddenly stopped. Then, she suddenly turned her head and glared at me.

“Oh, you said you weren’t going to tease me!”

“Why is it teasing to call something cute cute?”

When I made a face like I had no idea why, Tang So-hyang completely broke down.

“Huh·········?”

Both eyes were wide open like a rabbit’s, and the pupils visible between them were shaking wildly, losing their focus.

Tang So-hyang’s pale complexion also turned bright red in an instant······.

“This, this profit···!!”

It was definitely a sweet scent that had a ‘taste of teasing.’

I smiled brightly and sat down next to Tang So-hyang. Tang So-hyang, who was devastated, didn’t know what to do and couldn’t control her body properly.

I stared at her like that for a while and then slowly opened my mouth.

“It was a human tragedy.”

Then, Tang So-hyang’s body, which had been flustered, suddenly stopped.

Although many things were omitted, there was no need for much explanation to the intelligent Dang So-hyang.

“Ah···! So that’s what it was.”

Dang So-hyang simply nodded as if she finally understood.

“For some reason, the toxicity of the plague could not be controlled.”

Tang So-hyang was an extremely poisonous being, unaffected by any poisonous energy, and could freely manipulate all the poisons in the world.

Therefore, it was only natural that the toxicity of the plague should also be under her control, but Ingo was a poison of a different kind from ordinary poisons.

“But I had no idea that it would be a coincidence.”

It would be more accurate to say that I don’t know.

Ingo (人蠱) is the worst kind of loneliness (蠱毒) created through a cruel method called ‘Yeommae’. The opportunities to encounter it were rare, if not non-existent.

There may be ‘knowledge’ about human nature, but it is inevitable that there is no ‘experience’.

That is why even Grandfather Park Jin-Hyeon would not have been able to discover that the cause of the epidemic was human nature.

I wouldn’t have known either if it weren’t for Pyeonjak and Geon’an Samshinui.

That is, it could be said that there was no one in the world, and maybe that was why.

“How did you figure that out all at once?!”

Suddenly, Tang So-hyang’s gaze turned towards me and it was not normal.

“You are really, really amazing!!”

Her bright, sparkling eyes were filled with respect for me and various other emotions.

······But in fact, if it weren’t for the editing, I wouldn’t have known about it at all.

But since I couldn’t explain it, I just changed the subject to something vague.

“There are two ways to treat human suffering.”

And he told Tang So-hyang a detailed story about the human story.

Although he was only telling her what he had heard from the editor, Dang So-hyang’s eyes, unaware of the circumstances, gradually became more and more ominous.

So that’s the end of a pretty long story.

“So, from now on, I plan to go looking for places where you can have a wedding. I think I’ll have to act separately from the young lady and the knights.”

Dang So-hyang had no answer to my words.

To be exact, it was Dang So-hyang who kept tilting her head, but it seemed like it was a very difficult story even for the smart Dang So-hyang.

After all, it was the knowledge of none other than Pyeonjak.

Knowledge that I understood, even if only partially.

No matter how much Dang So-hyang had genius-level intellect, it was difficult to understand.

“It’s the symptom called wandering spirit and stagnant soul.”

Suddenly, Tang So-hyang’s voice was heard.

Dang So-hyang tilted her head once and continued speaking slowly.

“You said it sucks life and energy out of me.”

“Yes.”

It was actually a more complex concept, but that’s what I understood.

“You said that there must be someone who can control the soul using the soul-taking technique, and that there is a place where the sucked-in life force and energy gather.”

“That too.”

“So, Prince Yun… No, Your Majesty, you are trying to find a place that you don’t even know where?”

“You understood correctly.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better for me to be infected with the disease?”

······huh?

I suddenly wondered what this meant.

This time, when I tilted my head, Dang So-hyang immediately continued speaking.

“If it’s about sucking the life and energy of those infected with Ingo, I think I can become infected myself and teach you where the life and energy are being sucked.”

“How could you······?”

“It’s just that it can’t be controlled. It can be suppressed.”

“······ah.”

Tang So-hyang’s talent of freely handling all the poisons in the world, the Extremely Poisonous Body.

However, the toxicity of the human worm was not controlled, but could be suppressed.

Through a process that can be called a kind of ‘threat’, you will be able to see where the life force and energy that is being sucked out by the human world gather.

“If you think it’s dangerous, you can just get rid of it.”

There were no particular risk factors in the process, so I was able to realize this anew.

“Isn’t it worth a try?”

As expected, it seems like you can leave your worries to the smart Dang So-hyang.

* * *

It wasn’t that difficult to get infected with the virus.

I know it’s weird to say this, but the whole world of Guizhou Province was full of patients with the plague.

And originally, Dang So-hyang was a person who could not be infected by human poison. This was because the poison of human poison did not dare to harm her.

However, unlike the human body, the extremely poisonous limbs are under Tang So-hyang’s ‘control’.

“Haaah···!”

Suddenly, Tang So-hyang’s body began to sway.

Then, Tang So-hyang, unable to control her body properly, lost all strength like a doll with its strings cut off. Fortunately, thanks to my support, she was able to avoid the unfortunate event of falling to the floor.

Dang So-hyang, who was leaning against me, was struggling to breathe properly. She could only let out ragged breaths, as if she was barely squeezing them out.

······It seemed to be the influence of human nature.

I hurriedly checked Dang So-hyang’s condition.

“Are you surprised?!”

Suddenly, Dang So-hyang raises her head.

When I made a blank expression, Dang So-hyang suddenly stuck out her tongue and······.

“You teased me earlier. It’s revenge.”

This time, it was Dang So-hyang who smiled bashfully as if she had won.

“······.”

I was speechless.

The saying that I almost lost my mind was really fitting.

Whether or not she knew how I felt, Dang So-hyang stood up straight with a very neat body.

After a while, she closed her eyes calmly, but then I felt an ominous energy throughout her body, as if it was suppressing the evil within her.

And then it was a while.

“······I think I know for sure.”

Tang So-hyang opened her eyes and spoke. The expression on her face was full of conviction and confidence.

With that, I realized once again······.

“Just trust me and follow me!”

As for worries, I could leave them to the smart Dang So-hyang.