Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Crash!! This Ain't the Tang Family of Sichuan! (3)
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What is the Tang Family of Sichuan?
"This much poison is nothing! Hehe, spicy food is our specialty too."
It's a clan where that's the standard line.
They're experts in poison and can handle the spiciest dishes with ease.
They even update their spicy menu every single day.
That's the kind of household they are.
They use Mancheon Hwa Woo stolen from the Beggars' Sect.
They put on a show of loyalty and spiciness that's second to none in the martial world.
Yeah, the Tang Family is obsessive maniacs, straight-up yandere types.
But this Tang Family here was on another level entirely.
"Ahh... hyung... ahaha."
"Keep sticking it out, Little Sister. Ugh, make the water a bit colder."
[Got it.]
'What the hell am I supposed to do?'
It was so bizarre that I was at a complete loss.
I figured they'd be a little eccentric, but this was way beyond.
At least they still followed the family creed of repaying favors twofold and grudges tenfold.
They didn't seem interested in picking a fight with me anyway.
So, with things as they were...
'You guys need to get "Zhuge'd" too, huh?'
I had no choice but to "Zhuge" them as well.
Honestly, wasn't it weirder to just forgive someone for randomly labeling me a Blood Ghost or Blood Demon?
Right?
What was the image of Blood Ghosts in the righteous factions?
They toy with women however they please.
They infuse their qi into masters and turn them into Blood Cult NTR victims.
That's what Blood Ghosts were.
And that wasn't even the half of it.
They kidnap people, use them as sacrificial offerings on a whim, and go around committing massacres.
Being lumped in with scum like that—what a humiliating disgrace for any righteous sect member.
Dang Soso seemed to know that full well, sniffling and stealing glances at me, gauging my mood.
'Should I make them show me what "repaying a favor" really means?'
I was pondering how to butter up Dang Soso to make myself the Tang Family's benefactor when...
"...I'm truly sorry!!"
"......"
Dang Soso came forward again and dropped to her knees before me.
"I failed to recognize a master and was incredibly rude."
"Haa... Do you even know what you did?"
"Yes......"
"......"
Well, it wasn't Dang Soso's fault anyway.
If there was blame, it lay with Snow Python for putting me in this mess.
I shot Snow Python a glare, and it flicked its tongue, averting its eyes.
'Snakes really are sly.'
With a sigh, I told her it was fine and asked her to get up.
"Please stand, Little Sister."
"......Yes."
Dang Soso couldn't even lift her head.
She knew exactly what she'd done.
She seemed to have dropped her suspicions after seeing the peach blossoms blooming around us, though.
If the Great Hero Wei had shown up, she should thank him for softening my mood.
"I won't hold you accountable any further, Little Sister."
"...!!"
"I see it as something anyone could slip up on."
"Th-thank you."
I nodded as Dang Soso bowed deeply, then pulled a candy from my pocket.
I felt a bit bad for hitting her with something so spicy.
"Here, have this."
"......"
Dang Soso eyed me suspiciously.
I just smiled sweetly and waggled the candy in my hand without a word.
The protruding candy.
Dang Soso nearly snatched it but hesitated at the last second.
'...Is this a test?'
She wondered if I was testing her right now.
If she gobbled it up without restraint, would an explosion of spiciness hit her again? The fear gripped her.
'What do I do... It's so spicy, but I really want something sweet.'
After agonizing, Dang Soso finally took the candy.
With trembling hands, she popped it into her mouth.
"...!!"
And the result?
"Sweet, right?"
"Y-yes... Haha."
It was sweet.
Sweet enough to make her feel embarrassed for doubting me.
Relieved, Dang Soso munched away happily, calming her rattled nerves.
'Haa... I nearly died of fright. He's a master, but why does he keep calling me Little Sister... How did Zhuge end up tangled with someone like him? And what's his deal with Great Hero Wei...'
Dang Soso chewed thoughtfully, her mind racing.
But she'd been feeling prickly glares from beside her. She sneaked a peek toward the source.
'Why does she keep staring like that?'
A quick glance revealed Zhuge Ji-yeon sitting there with an unhappy expression.
'I've never seen Miss Zhuge look so displeased.'
Ji-yeon's eyes burned with intensity.
And Ji-yeon had her reasons.
'Why? No, what's different? You smacked her the moment you saw her, threatened and shook her down...! You never gave her candy on the first day, so why!? Huh?'
Why wasn't she hitting Dang Soso?
Ji-yeon stared at her, face full of questions.
Dang Soso, meanwhile, broke into cold sweats.
'She must hate me for calling her a Blood Ghost......'
Every time Ji-yeon's gaze landed on her, Dang Soso whimpered, regretting her past actions.
"By the way."
Seo Ha-yeon tossed a question her way.
"It seems you've suffered a lot at the hands of those Blood Ghosts, Little Sister Tang."
"Ah......"
Dang Soso hesitated briefly before nodding.
"...Yes. Blood Ghosts have recently appeared in Sichuan."
"Then why are you fighting alone?"
Ji-yeon asked.
Dang Soso's face turned cold and expressionless as she muttered,
"The details are confidential; I can't say."
Confidential.
Yes, classified.
There were traitors within the Tang Family.
And the fact that such betrayers could exist in other sects and families had to remain top secret.
'...She's acquainted with the Beggars' Sect's Great Hero Wei, and that aura I sensed was no different from the Nangong Family's.'
Suddenly, Dang Soso's pupils trembled as she looked at Ha-yeon.
No way.
'Is she from the Murim Alliance...?'
She wondered if Ha-yeon was from the Murim Alliance.
Come to think of it...
'The Zhuge Family has served as strategists for the Murim Alliance for generations.'
Ji-yeon might not reach those heights as a woman.
But traveling with a female master...
'......'
Like shards of broken pottery fitting together, evidence clicked into place in Dang Soso's mind.
...Mostly wrong assumptions, though.
'The Murim Alliance wouldn't just pressure the Zhuge Family without reason. Blood Ghosts are a major threat to all righteous factions...'
Support.
Yes, that made sense.
Entrusting this mission to a hidden master from the Nangong Family.
That explained why Ji-yeon was with her.
And why Ha-yeon had the Zhuge jade plaque, given only to the Murim Alliance Leader.
'...And the final clincher: Great Hero Wei.'
Dang Soso surveyed the forest blooming with peach blossoms, then stood and offered Ha-yeon a formal fist salute.
"...?"
"...?"
[...?]
Ha-yeon, Ji-yeon, and Snow Python just tilted their heads in confusion.
A rural village in Sichuan.
The only scent in the air was blood.
Corpses of women floated in what was once a flowing stream.
In the well, those who couldn't escape lay dead.
"Find the ones hiding!!!"
"For Elder Blood Demon!"
"For Elder Blood Demon!!"
Blood Ghosts, starved for blood, roamed in search of hidden villagers.
Watching the former greenwood bandits, Elder Yin Blood—a grotesque old monster in the form of a one-legged man—flashed a sinister smile.
"Foolish young ones. Seeing you rampage for Elder Blood Demon warms my heart."
"Thank you, Elder Yin Blood."
The chief of the Greenwood Seventy-Two Branches knelt behind him.
Elder Yin Blood grinned at the chief.
"Listen well, Chief."
"Yes."
"I've heard the news about the Tang Family's Hidden Fragrance Poison Phoenix. You've shaken her off nicely."
"...Yes. Do you think it's right to turn her into a Blood Ghost?"
The elder scowled at the chief's question, glaring murderously as if one more word would end him.
"...I wasn't finished speaking."
"......"
"The Hidden Fragrance Poison Phoenix is direct lineage of the Tang Family. She surely knows countermeasures against Blood Ghosts. Her dantian is probably filled with blood poison."
Try turning someone like that into a Blood Ghost rashly, and you'd get the tables turned on you.
"Keep shaking her off as best you can."
"Yes."
"And... we must keep pressuring the Murim Alliance to squeeze the Tang Family."
The Tang Family that dominated Sichuan outright.
The more they scrambled to put out fires under the Alliance's pressure, digging into their own internals...
The easier it was for Blood Ghosts to operate in secret in Sichuan.
Just like now.
And the more active these Blood Ghosts became...
"Elder Blood Demon's resurrection draws near. Prepare ceaselessly to join that glorious return."
"......"
"Monitor the Tang daughter, evade the Beggars' Sect's eyes, and ultimately..."
Strike Jeomchang.
Sichuan has blood poison.
Emei has Buddha.
To fully realize that intent, nearby Yunnan’s Jeomchang was ideal.
Striking Jeomchang, one of the Nine Great Sects...
Would send massive shockwaves through the righteous factions.
The current Sword Sovereign was weaker than the Murim Alliance Leader back then.
The Alliance itself had fallen back—what more was there to fear?
Once Elder Blood Demon returned...
Everything would bend to the Blood Cult's will.
"We must complete the Thousand Leaf Poison as soon as possible."
"Yes."
With a salute, the chief vanished.
Sending him off, Elder Yin Blood gazed at the sky.
'A star...?'
A star he'd never seen before shone in the night sky.
Gazing at its brilliant light, the elder muttered,
"Supernova......"
Something was about to happen.
He'd know what only when it arrived.