Chapter 12
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Tang Clan's Venomous Scheme
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Leaving the Yun Merchant Leader behind, his mind utterly shattered and body broken...
Gwang-il leaped back over the Yun Merchants' compound wall as casually as if nothing had happened.
If not for the terrifyingly cold, hardened expression on his face, it would have looked just like a leisurely stroll.
But inside, his mind was fully immersed in sorting and piecing together the shocking information he'd just heard.
It had all been so staggering, one bombshell after another.
And the biggest shock of all was, without a doubt...
'The Sichuan Tang Clan!'
The name of Sichuan's greatest clan, something he never could have dreamed of.
To think those bastards had been pulling the strings from the shadows all along...!
This was a fact even he hadn't known in his previous life, shaking his mind to its core all the more.
As the lord of the Evil Path Alliance, he had complete control over the Shadow Gate, which divided the world's martial information.
On top of that, thanks to his personal ties with the Dragon Head Division Leader, he'd easily obtained intel from the Beggars' Sect too.
Even if it was limited to matters concerning his sect's destruction and the Western Outer Evil Palaces.
At any rate, he'd assumed he knew the downfall of Point Cang inside and out better than anyone—like reading palms.
But the reality he'd stumbled upon was nothing short of horrifying.
'Why the hell would those bastards target our sect...?'
A secret unknown even to the Beggars' Sect and Shadow Gate of the world.
A bitter truth hidden flawlessly behind curtains for decades.
Grip!
'The nerve!'
That was why the betrayal and rage surging through Gwang-il right now were beyond measure.
Hadn't there been that history of pleading for aid from the Sichuan martial world right above them during the Beast Palace invasion, only to be coldly refused?
Unlike the other great sects or eight clans that could cite distance as an excuse, those right next door in Yunam had turned a blind eye to the end.
So with relations already sour...
To learn one of them was this deeply involved in his sect's fall and annihilation...!
'Colluding with the Beast Palace bastards! These lunatics!'
No matter how they'd divided into righteous and evil paths, piling up layers of deadly grudges over the years.
Even then, there were lines no one—righteous or evil—ever crossed: ancient taboos passed down from ancestors.
Principles no one claiming to be part of Central Plains martial arts could ever violate!
'And they crossed it without a second thought...!'
A tragedy that wouldn't even happen in the evil paths, where self-preservation and selfish desires ruled above all.
Occurring not elsewhere, but in a famed righteous clan. An absurd situation.
'Even if they're poison-crazed maniacs!'
The hidden truths confessed by the Yun Merchant Leader still echoed vividly in his ears.
"In exchange for handing Yunam martial world to the Beast Palace, the Sichuan Tang Clan gained free access to the Southern Barbarian Great Forest."
"All to harvest the rare poisons and toxic plants that grow only there in abundance."
"Extreme poison is the very source of their power, after all."
"Our Yun Merchants, once a mere small merchant group in Yunam, grew to this scale thanks to their secret, full support."
"Who could have imagined the Sichuan Tang Clan meddling in Yunam—let alone in the merchant world—to commit poisonings?"
"...I... after Point Cang's destruction, I was promised ownership of all their tea fields and farmlands... Sp-Spare me! I'm telling you everything you asked!"
'These rip-you-apart bastards...!'
Grind!
His teeth gnashed relentlessly; he wanted to storm back to the Yun Merchants, tear the leader apart, then march straight to the Sichuan Tang Clan and raze it.
"......But I can't do that."
Ignoring his heart pounding wildly from boiling rage, Gwang-il suppressed the murderous urge with superhuman patience.
Venting this volcano of fury now would be the worst possible mistake.
'Actually, isn't this a good thing? Getting such valuable intel this early.'
From what he'd heard, the Tang Clan's formal negotiations with the Beast Palace had only started a few years ago.
Separate from their earlier manipulations via the Yun Merchants shaking up Yunam's merchant world, any major crisis was still far off.
So couldn't he turn the tables with time to spare?
For instance...
'Capture a Tang spy in Yunam and find proof of their collusion with the Beast Palace.'
He could use that to pressure the Beggars' Sect, who arbitrarily scraped info here in Dali.
They took money even from resident Point Cang while handing over half-baked, superficial scraps.
And they hadn't even noticed the Tang Clan's secret schemes in Yunam.
'Given the Beggars' Sect's nature, they wouldn't sit idly if they knew about collusion with the Western Outer Evil Palaces or merchant poisonings.'
Those beggar bastards lived with immense pride in their title as the world's greatest righteous gang.
So this mess had to stem from sheer incompetence...
"Damn it. What a joke. Can't even match the black path's childish games."
Whether his own Point Cang sect...
Or the Beggars' Sect picking up scraps under their neglect...
How could they be so lacking in vigilance?
This wasn't safe Henan, surrounded by righteous forces—Yunam was wide open.
"......I need to overhaul everything. Flip it from the ground up."
In war, information was as vital as raw power.
And even more crucial was unbreakable resolve and spirit, no matter the adversity.
"First things first: nab those Tang bastards."
By original plan, he should head back to Iron Sword Street and regroup with his master.
'But that'd just waste time and botch everything.'
Rush back and report all this, and knowing his master's personality, he'd fixate first on Gwang-il intimidating the Yun Merchant Leader without a word.
Then add the solo raid wiping out a hundred Iron Sword Gang members.
'What a frustrating spot.'
He couldn't outright call his master incompetent or foolish.
A lifelong disciple of a famed righteous sect, after all.
As the Sect Leader's Disciple bearing Point Cang's heaviest weight, prioritizing principles and the righteous path was only natural.
Besides, from his master's view now, he was just a novice lucky enough to gain the founding ancestor's opportunity.
Not the battle-hardened Dark Heaven Emperor, Evil Path Alliance Lord—he must seem like a kid by the riverside.
Especially one suddenly empowered with immense martial arts.
How inflated must his master's inner anxieties be?
'Showing such a dominant side, totally different from before, must unsettle him too.'
Master and disciple both needed time to adjust.
That's why he couldn't return just yet.
'Can't let the Yun Merchant Leader pull any stunts.'
He was already broken by the Evil Spirit Eye, mind fully devoured.
Who'd have thought those casual evil arts from boredom would prove so useful so soon.
Having such efficient tools was a relief, but it soured his mood, underscoring Point Cang's dire straits.
'Even fortifying the sect takes more than 24 hours a day...!'
To think he had to run around in the shadows for the naive sect like this?
'Need to solidify Point Cang fast, then reel those guys back in.'
After years of just issuing orders from above, hands-on work chafed against his nature.
But what choice was there?
As the saying went: the loyal serve to the end.
'No teeth? Grit with gums and push on.'
He vowed fiercely to grind those damn Sichuan Tang Clan scum to dust.
The Tang Clan operatives' hideout was an old, rundown manor far north in Dali.
Skipping central hotspots perfect for schemes, they'd chosen this remote outskirts for obvious reasons.
'So they can bolt to Sichuan if things go south. Just like the snake-like Tang Clan—shady as ever.'
En route, Gwang-il donned a pitch-black mask, his form gliding silently like a ghost past the manor's wall.
The Tang Clan specialized in poison and hidden weapons.
They prided themselves on distance control and self-preservation arts.
Storming the front gate like at Iron Sword Gang would just give them escape chances.
'I'll wipe them out without a trace.'
He only needed one alive anyway.
The corpses left behind would suffice as proof.
The Tang forces sneaking into Yunam without a word to Point Cang already tilted justification overwhelmingly his way.
'Exact numbers unknown.'
The Yun Merchant Leader's intel was extremely limited.
Outside Yun Merchants, he knew next to nothing solid about the Tang Clan or Beast Palace.
But one thing he knew for sure:
The Venom Dragon Captain, Tang Clan's famed expert, was Yunam's overall commander here.
'This won't be easy.'
He even remembered the man's face.
A Supreme Poison Realm master, top ten in the current Tang Clan—quite notorious.
Worse, if his Venom Dragon Squad was all stationed here or nearby?
At his current level, capturing them all cleanly was no guarantee.
The Tang Clan wasn't favorable matchup for a quick-sword user, poison or hidden weapons aside.
'Hope a few are missing.'
No choice but to proceed anyway.
Iron Sword Gang news had likely reached here; the Yun Merchant Leader's secret meet might have tipped the Venom Dragon Captain too.
Given the cautious Tang nature, they might cut tail and flee.
That would tire him out completely.
Those cunning bastards never easily abandoned goals.
He'd have to constantly monitor Sichuan movements and all Yunam—tedious amid his packed schedule.
'At least one.'
Thud.
He pierced a patrolling guard's nape silently, catching the body and laying it gently in a shadowed corner.
Spreading his aura like a thin, wide net...
Gwang-il's eyes flashed with eerie light.
'Nine. Lucky.'
And no sign of the biggest catch, the Venom Dragon Captain's energy.
Meaning the top threat and target was out, away from base.
'Clear these small fry and wait.'
The Dark Heaven Emperor was a quick-sword master, not an assassin.
Yet his name symbolized colder, stealthier killing than any worldly assassin.
One-strike kills plus shedding righteous pretenses upon turning evil had forged him into a merciless reaper.
So Gwang-il was confident.
He could take down the Venom Dragon Captain easily.
'Really lucky.'
Frontal assault differed worlds from ambushing from prepared shadows.
For him, ending fights in one swift sword stroke, this was heaven-sent luck.
Relief washed over him naturally.
'First, the buzzing flies.'
Thus, without footsteps or whooshes.
Lifes flickered out one by one across the silent manor.