"Do you think the Poison King is trapped in his own world?" he asked.
"Isn't he?"
I asked my father back, certain that it was true.
Does he not think so? What kind of person does my father think the Poison King is?
But my father hadn't brought it up to tell me what kind of person the Poison King was, or what his world was like.
He had said it to ask me this.
"How open is your world?"
My father looked at me for a moment, then went back into his dwelling without another word.
I stood there, thinking about what he had said.
And then I understood.
I understood the meaning behind his words.
My father was asking me this:
What's the difference between you, shouting about a new Demonic Path, and the Poison King? To others, aren't you also trapped in your own world?
Of course, he wasn't saying I was just like the Poison King, who hated meeting people and liked to be alone.
He meant that my approach to the Poison King was wrong.
That with such a perspective, the Poison King would never open his heart.
The Poison King must have felt it.
That I saw him as someone trapped in his own world.
The gazes of countless people must have been like that until now.
I had been no different from them.
Making him sign a pledge to leave the Thousand Poison Forest was a mistake from the start.
"Thank you, Father! You truly are the wisest and most magnanimous man in the world…"
Before I could finish, the light inside the house went out.
"…and the coldest."
I bowed my head respectfully toward my father's dwelling, then turned to return to my own.
Giving me a clue put my father at a disadvantage.
But he had enlightened me.
It was the affection of a father for a child seeking help, regardless of any bet.
*
The next day, when I went to the Thousand Poison Forest, the Poison King was not in his dwelling.
I searched the surrounding forest for him.
After searching for a long time, I found the Poison King deep in the woods.
He was lying flat on the ground, having a staring contest with a snake.
The Poison King could carry on a conversation just fine, but once he became engrossed in something, he was the type of person who wouldn't notice if someone died next to him.
Even now, he was lost in a state of selflessness, unaware that I had come near.
It was because of moments like these that I thought he was trapped in his own world.
I considered him an eccentric and, without realizing it, had subconsciously thought myself superior to him.
This was what my father had made me realize.
That I shouldn't think that way.
That he wasn't trapped, but living his own life.
When I got closer, I saw that it was no ordinary snake.
It was a Flower King Seven-Step Snake, a snake that possessed one of the deadliest poisons and was considered one of the spiritual creatures.
It was called the Flower King because it loved flowers, and the Seven-Step Snake because even a martial artist with profound inner energy would die before taking seven steps if bitten.
Just then, the Poison King spoke to the snake.
"Hey, you've gotten arrogant now that you're bigger. Since when did you start holding your head so stiffly and talking back to me?"
At that, the Flower King Seven-Step Snake, which had been flicking its tongue, lowered its head.
It was unlikely, but it truly looked as if it understood his words.
"And I told you, I don't care about other things, but don't eat the Spirit Transformation Herb berries without permission. Why don't you listen? Do you want to be soaked in Fire Wine to come to your senses?"
The Flower King Seven-Step Snake coiled up and tucked its head into its body.
Does it really understand human words? It must be a coincidence, right?
I had seen all sorts of things in my life, but this was the first time I had witnessed such a sight.
Just then, another snake passed by.
This one was a Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake, which possessed a poison just as potent as the Flower King Seven-Step Snake's.
It was also a snake not easily seen.
"Wol-ah!"
The Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake stopped and looked at the Poison King.
Looking at the creature flicking its tongue, the Poison King said, "You know that fellow Wang-i is a womanizer, right?"
The Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake looked at the Flower King Seven-Step Snake and flicked its tongue with a hiss.
"If Wang-i bothers you, come and tell me. Got it?"
I couldn't tell if it truly understood him or not, but as soon as he finished speaking, the Yin-Yang Blood Venom Snake disappeared into the bushes.
"You can go now, too!"
With that, the Flower King Seven-Step Snake disappeared into the forest.
It was truly a sight hard to believe even after seeing it.
As the Poison King got up, he saw me and jumped in surprise.
"Aigoo! You scared me!"
"I'm the one who's more surprised. How can a Poison King be so startled by someone who's always beside him?"
Of course, if someone had approached with killing intent or malice, the Poison King would have noticed instantly.
One should never look down on the martial arts of those who have ascended to the rank of Demon Sovereign.
A Demon Sovereign is a Demon Sovereign, after all.
If they went on a rampage, no one could know who would defeat whom.
They were simply not revealing their true skills.
"If you asked assassins which of the Eight Demon Sovereigns to kill, they'd all line up behind the Poison King's placard! Even an assassin on his first assassination mission would succeed and leave."
"If they did, they'd be bitten to death by Wang-i."
"Don't tell me you've even given the snakes names?"
"Is this the first time you've seen a Poison King who names his snakes?"
The Poison King strode away.
Of course it's the first time! Following closely behind him, I said, "Since when did you become friends with the snakes?"
"I started wandering around to catch snakes when I was seven. Wang-i and Wol-ah were around back then, too."
"You were young."
"In our time, everyone started at that age."
A look of sorrow filled the Poison King's eyes as he recalled his childhood.
It was a moment that helped me understand why he disliked leaving this place.
"If you've been here since you were seven, then this place must be your world."
The Poison King stopped and glanced at me.
"And you said you wanted to take me out of this world?"
"No. I regret saying that now."
"Why?"
"My desire to show you the outside world is still the same, but I shouldn't have said it in that way. I am truly sorry for being arrogant."
When you're sorry, you should apologize sincerely.
I didn't attach reasons to my apology for why I had acted that way.
Reasons are for the person who is forgiving to attach to their forgiveness.
But whether he heard me or not, he had already stopped and was staring at a poisonous insect on a tree.
A smile unknowingly spread across my face as I watched the Poison King get lost in something again.
What is he thinking about now? Perhaps he's trying to have a conversation with that poisonous insect.
This is his world, and this is an open world.
*
Several more days passed.
I silently focused on my work, and the Poison King still enjoyed getting lost in his own world.
What had changed over the few days was my heart's attitude toward the Poison King's world.
I now tried to understand his world.
The world where a seven-year-old boy used to chase venomous snakes.
Today, too, the Poison King was lost in thought, staring at the poisonous mushrooms growing in a wooden box.
Then, he casually turned his head and shouted, "You scared me!"
It was because I was quietly standing next to him, also looking at the wooden box he had been observing.
"Are you going to keep surprising me?"
"Watching these poisonous mushrooms grow so well puts my mind at ease. Doesn't this mean I've become a poison master, too?"
"How long have you been here to be talking about being a poison master already?"
"I think I'll just live here, too. The Thousand Poison Forest feels like my home now."
"It's a mistake to think that acting so friendly will change anything."
"It's better that nothing changes. The way you are now is just right."
"What?"
The Poison King shouted at me, "It won't work! A trick like this won't work!"
The volume of his voice, denying me, was gradually increasing.
It was proof that I was getting closer to him.
*
Sangseon always guided me from the entrance of the Thousand Poison Forest to the Poison King's dwelling.
"I can go in by myself now."
"Still, dangerous toxins could appear."
That probably wasn't the only reason.
He still led me through various confusing paths, not letting his guard down around me.
I could feel that it stemmed from a deep loyalty to the Poison King.
The eyes of someone who truly likes and is loyal to another person are bound to show it in some way.
"Elder, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"Speak."
"Since when have you known the Poison King?"
"I've known him since he was a child."
"What was he like in his youth?"
Sangseon stopped walking.
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm curious."
"He wasn't much different from how he is now. Bright, thoughtful, cheerful, and radiant. He also had the qualities of a leader."
I barely managed to swallow the words, ‘Isn't he so different now?’
It was because I didn't think Sangseon would take my joke as a joke.
His affection for the Poison King wasn't just simple loyalty, but more like that of an uncle or a parent.
Seeing him reminded me of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
*
I didn't know if the Poison King was bright, thoughtful, cheerful, radiant, and had the qualities of a leader, but one thing was certain.
He was cute.
It wasn't just because of his fresh-faced appearance.
For instance, this part.
The Poison King wore twelve pouches on his waist, and each pouch had a drawing on it.
They were the twelve animals representing the Twelve Zodiacs, but they were anthropomorphized drawings in a colorful and cute style, the kind you would see on children's clothes.
I had overlooked them at first, but now I could see.
"You chose these yourself, didn't you?"
"I drew them."
I was startled.
He had drawn all of them himself?
"No one in the world would know. That such cute pouches contain the Poison King's deadliest poisons."
Shouldn't a Poison King's poison pouches be adorned with drawings of evil spirits, or if they have words, scary characters like Demon, Kill, Evil, or Death? If all those pouches were opened, a hellscape would unfold.
In fact, that's why it felt even more bizarre and frightening.
"Which pouch contains the most fearsome poison? Surely it's not the one in that cute rabbit pouch?"
"Shall we check?"
He started to put his hand into the rabbit pouch.
"I'll pass!"
I waved my hands and scrambled backward.
The Poison King smiled at the sight, then quickly composed himself.
It was the first time he had laughed brightly at me.
It seemed he was surprised at himself for laughing.
I pretended not to have seen any of it.
*
The next day, there was an important poison-mixing session.
Unlike usual, the Poison King explained today's poison-making process with a serious expression.
"This Heavenly Heart Poison here is a material for one of the extreme poisons I use, the Dark Soul Severing Poison. A single drop of this Heavenly Heart Poison can kill dozens of people. Now, you stand over there, far away... Ah, you've already retreated."
I was standing by the door, ready to bolt at any moment.
The Poison King looked for something on his desk.
"It was here, where did it go?"
"What are you looking for?"
"My gloves."
He was looking for the green bark gloves he used when handling poison.
"Are you perhaps talking about these?"
I held up the gloves I was wearing.
"Why are you wearing them?"
"You said it was such a dangerous poison."
"Then what about me?"
"Why does the Poison King need gloves?"
"Bring them here, now!"
I quickly took them off and brought them to him.
"What's in your mouth?"
I took out the Poison-Resistant Beads I was holding in both cheeks and showed them to him.
Seeing me with two Poison-Resistant Beads in my mouth, the Poison King shook his head with a look of disbelief.
"With all this, I don't think even I could kill you."
Of course, he was joking.
If the Poison King set his mind to killing me, even a hundred Poison-Resistant Beads wouldn't be able to block his poison.
I was also playing a prank on him.
It was also my effort to get closer to him.
If you were truly a bright and cheerful person when you were young, then those things must be dormant somewhere in your heart.
The Poison King put on his gloves and began to prepare the poison in earnest.
"If the amount is off even slightly, blue smoke will rise. That means it's a failure. You have to be extremely careful and focused. This is a preparation method that only I can do."
The Poison King showed me how to mix the Heavenly Heart Poison to create the Dark Soul Severing Poison.
Since I couldn't identify the other ingredients anyway, it was more of a demonstration of how carefully the process had to be carried out rather than showing me how to make the poison.
He could have sent me out and done it alone, but it seemed he wanted to show off to me.
"Did you see that? How carefully and cautiously it must be handled."
"Yes."
Just then, blue smoke billowed up from behind him.
"Poison King!"
"You, get out of here!"
I quickly ran outside.
The Poison King drank an Antidote from his robes and then poured a liquid that was sitting next to the source of the smoke.
Sizzzzzzzle!
The smoke billowed up even more.
"Poison King! Poison King!"
He wasn't coming out quickly, so I hesitated, wondering if I should run in and save him.
Just then, the Poison King emerged, waving the poisonous smoke away.
"Are you all right?"
"Of course I'm all right."
He fanned away a puff of poisonous smoke that came from his mouth with his hand.
"The path of Poison Arts is truly not an easy one."
"I failed on purpose. To warn you that you must be careful."
"..."
"..."
"Of course you failed on purpose. There's no way the Poison King, the best poison user in the martial world, would fail at making a poison he uses all the time..."
"Enough."
"Yes."
I smiled brightly at him.
The Poison King looked at me with an expression that said he didn't know how to react.
Poison King, you don't know yet.
You don't know who will be standing on the training grounds.
It was at that very moment.
Sangseon ran to where we were and reported quickly.
"An investigator from the Underworld Pavilion named Seo Daeryong has come to see the Second Young Master on an urgent matter."