Chapter 6: The Yeonmok Sword Hall(2)

Go-chan's spine tingled with fear, not just from the choking but from Mok Gyeong-un's unsettling grin and eerie gaze. He finally understood why Gam had warned him about this impostor.

"He's not someone you can easily control," Gam had said. Go-chan had dismissed it at the time, but now he realized how different this man was from ordinary people. Despite having no martial arts training, Gyeong-un possessed incredible strength and an intimidating aura that made Go-chan's heart race.

Just as Go-chan felt his consciousness slipping away, Gyeong-un suddenly loosened his grip. 

"I almost killed you," Gyeong-un remarked, sounding disappointed. "That would have made becoming Mok Gyeong-un pointless, wouldn't it?"

Go-chan coughed violently, bewildered by Gyeong-un's casual attitude. Anger flared within him.

"Do you think you can get away with this?" Go-chan snarled. "Without the antidote, you'll die painfully."

He hoped reminding Gyeong-un of the poison would make him back down. But Gyeong-un just smiled and began listing off ingredients:

"Aconitum, Angelica, Adonis..."

Go-chan's eyes widened in shock. Gyeong-un was naming all the components of the poison perfectly.

"How is this possible?" Go-chan gasped. "Even master poisoners couldn't identify it so easily!"

Gyeong-un explained that he had eaten all sorts of herbs and poisons since childhood, developing a keen sense for them. He claimed to have been an herb gatherer before.

Go-chan couldn't believe it. "Even if you somehow identified the poison, you can't possibly create an antidote. That's even more difficult!"

As Go-chan prepared to flee using his martial arts techniques, Gyeong-un suddenly moved with blinding speed. Before Go-chan could react, Gyeong-un's fingers jabbed several pressure points on his chest.

To Go-chan's astonishment, Gyeong-un had accurately targeted acupoints that should have paralyzed him - if Gyeong-un had known how to use internal energy. Without that, the strikes merely caused temporary stiffness.

"Hmm, that didn't work quite right," Gyeong-un mused. "I was just copying what Gam did to me before."

Go-chan was dumbfounded. This impostor had nearly replicated an advanced technique just from experiencing it once?

Before he could process this, Gyeong-un grabbed his throat again. As Go-chan struggled, Gyeong-un casually mentioned that he didn't actually need the antidote.

"I've built up immunity to most poisons since childhood," he explained. "That amateur concoction barely affects me."

Go-chan was stunned. The poison was potent enough to incapacitate even high-level martial artists. What kind of monster was this impostor?

Suddenly, Gyeong-un bit his own finger and forced the bleeding digit into Go-chan's mouth. Before Go-chan could resist, he found himself swallowing some of Gyeong-un's blood.

Almost immediately, searing pain erupted throughout Go-chan's body. He collapsed, writhing in agony.

Gyeong-un knelt beside him, explaining nonchalantly: "My grandfather warned me never to let others ingest my blood. Apparently it's quite toxic due to all the poisons I've ingested. Our dog once licked some of my blood and had terrible convulsions."

As Go-chan struggled to speak through the pain, Gyeong-un grabbed his chin, forcing him to make eye contact.

"Don't worry," Gyeong-un said with a bright smile. "My grandfather knows how to treat this. I'm sure you'll be very cooperative from now on."

Go-chan could only stare pleadingly at the terrifying figure looming over him, realizing he was now at the mercy of this unpredictable and dangerous impostor.