The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Are You a Doctor or Something?
Yeon quickly moved Baek Cho-un onto the bed. As the group gathered around him, Baek Ju-a turned to Soso and asked hesitantly,
“Poison? What do you mean by that?”
“I... I think so. I need to check more closely, but...”
“Soso, can you take a look?”
Yeon made the request and gave Baek Ju-a a reassuring glance. Seeing her unease, she added,
“Soso is from the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“Ah!”
Though the Tang Clan wasn’t always treated with high regard in the Central Plains, when it came to poison, no one surpassed them. The doubt in Baek Ju-a’s eyes instantly vanished.
“You’re from the Tang Clan? Please, please take care of my brother.”
“I’ll do my best...”
Soso approached Baek Cho-un, examining his complexion and feeling his pulse. After a moment of focus, she asked,
“Forgive me for asking, but was your brother always slow in his speech?”
“No, never.”
“And he could move freely before?”
“Yes.”
Soso continued checking for other symptoms—vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness—but Baek Ju-a denied any such occurrences.
Soso’s expression darkened further.
“For starters, your brother’s eyes aren’t just bloodshot. If you look closely...”
“Yes, I noticed that. His eyes started looking infected, but I assumed it was from lack of sleep. No one at the agency has been sleeping well lately...”
Baek Ju-a herself had red-rimmed eyes. But was Baek Cho-un’s condition really just exhaustion?
After a long pause, Soso finally spoke.
“There’s a plant called seoksan.”
“Seoksan?”
A voice cut in from the side—Gongye, who had been silent until now. As the group turned to him, he waved dismissively.
“Oh, no, I just recognized the name, that’s all. Hohoho.”
“I expected you might. You probably—”
“Soso.”
Yeon softly cut her off before she could reveal Gongye’s identity. Startled, Soso quickly corrected herself.
“I mean, it’s commonly grown in temples. They use the starch from its bulbs for bookbinding and other purposes.”
“But how is that connected to poison?” Baek Ju-a asked.
“Because it’s also highly toxic. If consumed carelessly, it’s deadly. And your brother’s symptoms match exactly with seoksan poisoning.”
Soso’s voice carried a quiet fury—an unusual sight.
“They must have mixed it with something else, making the symptoms erratic and harder to trace. This kind of poisoning is...”
She hesitated. Yeon pushed.
“What kind?”
After a brief pause, Soso answered.
“It’s a method used for slow, secret poisoning.”
“...Ah.”
Baek Ju-a wavered, and Yeon quickly steadied her. No one spoke, but the conclusion was obvious.
In an isolated environment like this, a poisoning like this could only mean one thing—an inside job.
“Baek Sojeo, do you have any suspicions?”
Just as Yeon cautiously posed the question, the door creaked open.
A petite woman peeked in—it was Baek Ju-a’s maid, Jeong.
“Miss...? I brought the tea you asked for, but you weren’t in the main hall.”
“Jeong-ah...”
The maid looked slightly nervous as she stepped inside and placed the tray down. Soon, each of them had a teacup before them, but no one took a sip.
“Soso?”
At Yeon’s call, Soso, who had been staring into her cup, turned to Jeong.
“Excuse me, but... may I inspect the kitchen?”
****
Jeong led them to the kitchen.
“This is the kitchen,” she said, looking slightly puzzled by the request.
Soso, without explanation, began searching through the cabinets. After rummaging for a moment, she pulled out a small jar. Inside was a fine, light-red powder.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, that? It’s seoksan powder.”
Baek Ju-a visibly flinched.
“...Why is that in the kitchen, Jeong-ah?”
“The young master kept complaining about a sore throat, and I heard seoksan helps clear phlegm. It has other benefits too. Did I do something wrong?”
Her eyes were like those of a frightened puppy. Baek Ju-a turned to Soso, who was already dabbing a bit of the powder onto her tongue.
Immediately, she turned and spat it out.
“This isn’t just seoksan powder. At least two or three other substances are mixed in.”
“R-really? But I just got it from the apothecary...”
“This isn’t something an apothecary would sell. It’s not an herbal remedy—it’s a man-made poison.”
Yeon caught the flicker in Jeong’s eyes.
And it seemed Cheon-gang noticed it too—without a word, he moved to block the exit.
Baek Ju-a looked at Jeong with despairing eyes.
“Jeong-ah... why?”
“Miss... are you suspecting me?”
“How could you...? We grew up together. I never once treated you as just a servant...”
“Miss!”
Jeong’s voice rose in protest.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this to me. I’ve only ever served you loyally! Why are you listening to her over me? What does she know? Is she a doctor or something?”
“Jeong-ah! You—”
Baek Ju-a raised her voice for the first time. The tears she had held back, even when her brother collapsed, finally spilled down her cheeks.
“She’s not just anyone. She’s from the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“......!”
Jeong’s face twisted with panic. Baek Ju-a saw it—and lunged at her.
Grabbing Jeong’s shoulder, she shook her violently.
“Why? Why?! What did Cho-un ever do to you?!”
“Miss, please, don’t do this!”
Jeong shoved Baek Ju-a off and lunged at Soso, snatching the jar from her hands.
“Fine! I’ll drink it myself! Will that prove it?!”
“What?”
Tears streaming down her face, Baek Ju-a stared at her in shock.
Jeong hastily dumped the powder into a water jug, stirring it with a sharp metal rod. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
“Jeong-ah, you—”
“I said I’ll drink it!”
She screamed, clutching the jug. For a moment, she hesitated—but then she steeled herself, biting her lip.
And just as she raised it to her lips—
Splash!
“Aaahhh!”
Soso screamed as the poisoned liquid splashed over her. At the same time, Jeong lunged forward, wielding the sharp metal rod—her target was Baek Ju-a.
“I’m sorry, Miss!”
Baek Ju-a, frozen in shock, could do nothing but stare at the incoming weapon. Her sorrowful eyes shut tightly.
“That’s far enough.”
With a low voice, Yeon’s figure flickered.
She vanished for an instant, reappearing right next to Jeong. With a swift kick, she knocked Jeong off balance, grabbing her wrist before she could react.
The sheer force in Yeon’s grip made Jeong cry out as the weapon slipped from her grasp.
“Agh!”
Yeon caught the falling rod but stopped herself from striking. Jeong had already lost the will to fight.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
“I... I’m so sorry, Miss. They took my family ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) as hostages. I had no choice... I’m truly sorry!”
“...Hostages?”
“It was the Red Flower Trading Group...”
Yeon’s gaze turned sharp.
Logically speaking, the claim that the Escort Chief had been assassinated was still just Baek Ju-a’s statement. However, Jeong’s confession gave weight to it. If the Red Flower Trading Group was involved in something like this, it meant they were indeed capable of such actions.
Baek Ju-a, looking utterly shattered, stared blankly at Jeong.
A heavy silence fell over the room, broken only by Jeong’s sobs.
Then, Cheon-gang approached Yeon.
“Yeon Sojeo.”
She glanced at him before wordlessly handing over the metal rod.
Cheon-gang, as if disgusted, tossed it far away.
Clang!
The rod landed near Gongye’s feet. The monk yelped and hopped backward.
“Ah, what a vile thing!”
With that, the situation was resolved.
****
Yeon sealed Jeong’s pressure points to knock her unconscious, then had her tied up and locked in an empty room. Once everything was settled, Baek Ju-a, who had calmed down somewhat, bowed deeply to the group.
“I owe all of you a great debt. Especially to Miss Tang... if not for you, I don’t know what would have happened to my brother.”
“A-ah, it’s nothing. Really.”
Soso, embarrassed, had cleaned herself up and changed clothes. Unfortunately, since there were no spare outfits, she had to borrow a servant’s uniform.
Baek Ju-a noticed and quickly apologized.
“I’m so sorry. If you wait a bit, I’ll send someone to buy you proper clothes.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Soso really did look like a servant now. Yeon felt guilty about it, but going out just to buy clothes at a time like this wasn’t ideal.
‘I’ll buy her something nice later. Definitely.’
Determined, Yeon turned to Baek Ju-a.
“You must be in shock.”
“...Yes. Lately, I did feel like Jeong was acting strange. But I never imagined... not this.”
Baek Ju-a still seemed to be in denial.
Yeon understood. If her own maid, Sojin, had done something like this, she would have reacted the same way.
“The Red Flower Trading Group took Jeong’s family as hostages... I can’t believe they’ve resorted to something this low.”
Baek Ju-a clutched her forehead, looking exhausted.
She was probably at her limit. It would be easy to give up in a situation like this.
“Baek Sojeo, let’s stop here for today.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s for the best.”
“...Thank you. Then I’ll tell you everything in detail tomorrow.”
As the conversation wrapped up, Soso raised her hand hesitantly.
“Um... can I check on your brother again?”
“You mean it?”
Baek Ju-a immediately stood up.
“I didn’t want to impose, but if you’re offering...”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just want to give him a bit of simple treatment.”
Yeon clapped her hands together.
“Perfect. Then, Baek Sojeo, you should get some rest. We’ll take care of other matters.”
Yeon and the others left the room.
“Soso, take care of Baek Gongja.”
“Yes, unni.”
Her voice was still soft, but Yeon had complete faith in her. She was once again reminded how invaluable Soso had been.
‘She’s a real lifesaver.’
With affection in her eyes, Yeon turned to the last remaining member of their group—Gongye.
“And what about you, monk? There’s no secluded place for you to meditate here.”
“Haha, you misunderstand. The location of one’s training does not matter—it is the heart that determines enlightenment.”
‘Ugh, here he goes again.’
“So, in other words, you’re going to do nothing?”
“Ahem. W-well, I’ll find something to do.”
Shaking her head, Yeon turned to Cheon-gang.
“Cheon-gang, you’re coming with me.”
“Yes.”
He loosened his shoulders slightly, as if already prepared.
Without her saying anything, he already knew where they were going. His eyes, as always, were calm—but beneath that stillness, Yeon could sense the cold fury simmering within him.
She felt the same way.
“They’ve been waiting for us, haven’t they?”
“They have.”
“So have I.”
Yeon took a deep breath and went over everything in her mind.
The Escort Chief had died under suspicious circumstances.
His daughter had resorted to harming herself to beg for help.
His son had nearly been poisoned.
And the one responsible for it all had been someone closest to them.
If this really was all orchestrated by the Red Flower Trading Group...
She wasn’t yet 100% certain. But if they were behind everything, then they had crossed a line that couldn’t be ignored.
Yeon exhaled slowly.
“Let’s go, Cheon-gang.”
Their destination was clear.
The Red Flower Trading Group.
