The person I found was a young man with blue hair, looking to be in his late teens. Despite his dazed appearance, his traits were anything but ordinary.
[Name: Peru]
[Traits: Poison Application Lv1, Agile Movement Lv1]
[Affection: 0 (Neutral)]
The trait I was looking for was Poison Application. It meant administering poison through food, tea, alcohol, or directly to a target.
Agile Movement wasn't just about physical speed. Peru was a poison master capable of slipping poison into something so quickly no one would notice.
"Heh…"
As I chuckled at him from above, the servants, already uneasy around me, shivered as if creeped out.
"Time to sleep."
I said it loud enough for everyone to hear, then returned to my room and went straight to the window to watch the servants leaving.
"Peru looks young, so he's probably stuck with cleanup and will come out later."
After some time, when I heard the corridor lights being extinguished, I opened the window and carefully climbed down.
Thanks to my inner energy, I could support my weight with one arm and descend easily.
Hiding behind a tree with dense foliage, I watched the servants head to their quarters. When most were gone, I heard two men talking.
"Man, I'm exhausted."
"But it's easier now that the young master's been quiet, right?"
"Doesn't make the work any less. Did you see him watching us from the second floor earlier? Gave me chills. So creepy."
"I saw, but he didn't say anything, did he?"
"Yeah, but it's still unsettling."
"Haha."
"Oh, right! Peru, I gotta go. I'm on bathroom duty today."
The red-haired youth talking to Peru ran toward the servants' quarters. Peru locked the back gate and walked slowly.
Now's my chance.
Moving silently behind him, I focused on using Weak Paralysis Poison. A warm surge of inner energy rose from my dantian to my hand.
That wasn't all. An arrow appeared in my vision.
The arrow moved with my gaze, pointing at Peru's head when I looked at him.
The poison seemed to be a targeting skill, guided by the arrow.
As I willed the poison toward Peru, the energy in my hand dispersed like smoke. Moments later, Peru stopped moving.
Thud.
His body trembled before collapsing.
The poison worked perfectly.
I rushed over, grabbed him, and dragged him into the bushes.
Clang!
I drew a dagger and held it to Peru's throat. Though paralyzed, his eyes flickered rapidly, his only means of communication.
A small window floated beside him.
Weak Paralysis Poison – 59:38
It showed the poison's duration. Exactly one hour for Peru.
Seeing the timer was incredibly convenient.
"I'm going to ask you some questions. Blink once for yes, twice for no. Understood?"
Blink.
Peru understood immediately, blinking once.
"Did you put poison in my soup?"
Blink.
He trembled slightly but blinked once.
"The poison was Hanyang Herb, right?"
Blink.
This question was unnecessary, but it was a trap to set up my next move.
"Was it the Marchioness who ordered you to poison me?"
Peru's eyes froze, as if deliberating. I lightly nicked his throat with the dagger.
Drip.
A trickle of bright red blood ran down his neck. Even paralyzed, his survival instincts made him twitch slightly.
"Was it Marchioness Kaina?"
Blink, blink.
Not the Marchioness? My theory was shattered. But it was odd—if it wasn't her, why hesitate instead of blinking twice immediately?
Kaina was the woman the Marquis married after Yuren's mother died. Naturally, she'd want her own sons to inherit over Yuren, so I assumed she ordered the poisoning. If not her, something was off.
Time for Plan B.
I shoved a round object from my pocket into his mouth, forcing him to swallow.
Gulp.
"What I fed you is called Chodok. You have exactly one month to live. If you don't take the antidote I give you by then, your organs will melt into a puddle of blood."
His body shook violently at my words. I'd deliberately mentioned poison earlier to make him think I was knowledgeable about it.
"Come to my room tomorrow after your duties. Got it?"
Blink.
"Oh, and keep putting poison in my food. No, put in even more. That weak stuff doesn't affect me anyway."
I said this for two reasons: consuming more Hanyang Herb would boost my inner energy and paralysis poison proficiency, and I wanted to make myself seem untouchable to him.
Blink.
Peru blinked, signaling compliance.
Thanks. The paralysis poison you can't escape? You gave it to me.
Peru was ironically helpful. He unlocked the Sichuan Tang Clan, enabled my paralysis poison, and boosted my Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit's mastery.
Oddly, his affection was neutral, so he seemed usable. Though today's events might lower it.
With 30 minutes left on his paralysis, I thought of detoxification and reached out. The timer vanished.
"Move."
"Huh?"
Peru twitched, then looked at my feet, trembling, unable to meet my eyes.
"This is…"
"Bring all the poison you have to my room tomorrow."
"Why the poison…?"
"Did I say you could ask questions?"
"Y-Yes, understood!"
I turned and walked back to the mansion, keeping up the act.
"Wow, what a cheat!"
I held in my laughter until I reached my room, then jumped for joy.
I hadn't expected Weak Paralysis Poison to last an hour. The regular paralysis poison might last half a day.
Or maybe Peru was just weak. Aside from his poison skill, he was ordinary. Still, it was an incredible ability.
"I'll sleep well tonight."
Resolving one issue eased my mind.
"And he fell for the Chodok trick! Hahaha!"
Martial arts novel fans would recognize it: villains often use delayed-action poisons, like gu poisons, to control people, forcing obedience to get the antidote months or years later.
I used that trick. Normally, it's a gu poison, but I fed Peru a ball of crushed leaves shaped like a green marble.
"This is too fun. Sichuan Tang Clan is the best!"
After laughing my fill, I calmed down and practiced Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit.
The story had shifted slightly. Like the butterfly effect, this change could snowball into a storm. I needed to grow stronger, fast.
Practicing the technique, dawn broke before I knew it. Amazingly, I wasn't tired despite not sleeping for two days.
Martial arts novels often mention using inner energy techniques to relieve fatigue instead of sleep. It must be true.
Knock, knock.
Right on time, Arin entered with her clockwork precision.
"You didn't sleep again, did you?"
"Uh…"
I should've messed up the bed to fake it, but I didn't think of it.
"I slept. On the chair."
"Hm…"
Arin eyed me suspiciously. With lying as my passive skill, I met her gaze confidently.
She tilted her head, placed the washbasin down, and went to fetch breakfast.
"Now that I think about it… novels don't recommend it."
Even in novels, they advise taking at least some sleep unless absolutely necessary. Since this world is a novel, it's probably the same.
I should start sleeping a bit from today.
While rolling around in bed, reluctant to waste time, Arin returned with food.
"Eat first."
"Thanks."
I'd told Peru to load the poison, so I was curious if he did.
"Let's see…"
[You have ingested poison (Hanyang Herb).]
[Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit absorbs the poison (Hanyang Herb).]
[Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit's mastery has increased.]
[Weak Paralysis Poison's proficiency has increased.]
Thanks to the extra poison, the soup tasted richer than yesterday. My technique's mastery and paralysis poison proficiency rose more than before.
"You're not complaining anymore."
"It makes me stronger."
"Exactly. It'll definitely help."
"Yeah, yeah."
Arin nodded enthusiastically. Her meaning and mine were completely different, but she had no way of knowing.
"Let's go."
"Young master, are you worried about something?"
"Worried?"
"You haven't slept for two days."
Arin worrying about me was surprising.
"You're concerned?"
"N-No, it's not like that."
Flustered, she shook her head and reverted to her blank expression.
"I didn't not sleep, so let's head to the training ground. I'll sleep properly tonight."
"Understood."
Arin said no more and left to prepare training supplies. When she was gone, I opened the Sichuan Tang Clan menu.
"Today's important."
It was time to unlock a new ability.
"To survive, I've got to run fast."