152
Chapter 152: You Had It All Planned Out
The White Tiger Unit of the Martial Alliance arrived at Jongnam.
The elite martial force of the Martial Alliance, one of the Four Divine Units—the White Tiger Unit was organized into four divisions. One division had come to aid the Jongnam Sect, which had recently suffered heavy losses, while the other three had come to meet Mu Hwi.
“Sword Saint. The Alliance Leader has requested your assistance.”
The White Tiger Unit leader handed Mu Hwi a letter stamped with the Martial Alliance Leader’s seal. After reading it, Mu Hwi nodded and folded the letter.
“According to the letter, the Alliance Leader is currently in Hunan, correct?”
“Yes. We’ve heard he has already clashed once with the Left and Right Guardians.”
The Black Night Palace Lord, accompanied by the Left and Right Guardians, had marched north and clashed with the Martial Alliance forces in Hunan. Because of this, the clouds of war were gathering over Hunan once again.
And that wasn’t all.
The Black Night Palace was advancing toward Hunan, while the Sacheon Alliance, led by the Frost Sound Demon King, was making moves in Jiangxi. In response, the Iron Mountain Fist King had stepped forward.
“Until recently, the Black Night Palace and the Sacheon Alliance were locked in fierce combat, but now it seems they’re coordinating.”
At Mu Hwi’s muttering, the White Tiger Unit leader nodded.
“Both sects have exhausted much of their strength from repeated clashes in Guangxi and Guangdong. The Sacheon Alliance, in particular, lost its Wolf King. It seems their current cooperation is aimed at countering the Martial Alliance, which has preserved its strength intact.”
Moreover, while the Paewangseong hadn’t directly clashed with the Martial Alliance yet, they were working to fully consolidate their control over Yunnan and crush the stubborn resistance of the Sacheon martial world. It wouldn’t be surprising if they clashed at any moment.
“Having secured Yunnan and stabilized their rear, the Paewangseong is now trying to finish off the Sacheon Alliance as well. The Alliance Leader hopes you will lend your strength to Sacheon.”
Mu Hwi nodded.
The Paewangseong’s formidable military power was a problem, but so were the Paewangseong Lord himself and the remaining Five Demon Generals.
Mu Hwi had slain two of the Five Demon Generals—the Ghost Whip King and Huang Jin-jun—but three remained, including at least one Transcendent Realm master.
“The Poison Dragon of Sacheon, was it?”
Even in his past life as the Sword Devil, Mu Hwi had never crossed paths with the Poison Dragon of Sacheon during his clashes with the Paewangseong. The Poison Dragon had been too busy with the Yunnan campaign back then.
“With the Paewangseong and the Poison Dragon of Sacheon, who had been in Yunnan, now returning to Sacheon, the battles will be tough. That’s why the Sword King has also set out.”
“The Sword King of the Baekri Family?”
Mu Hwi recalled the Sword King, whose right arm he had severed. Though a Transcendent Realm master, losing his dominant arm would make it impossible for him to display his full martial prowess.
The fact that the Martial Alliance had requested help from the Sword King, who had been in seclusion with the Baekri Family, showed just how dire the orthodox sect’s situation was.
‘Still, his mere presence will be a great help.’
Remembering the changed demeanor of the Sword King when he last saw him, Mu Hwi accepted the news positively.
“So, once the Sword King joins us, we’ll head to Sacheon together?”
“No. Given the urgency, we’ll depart separately and regroup in Sacheon. The Baekri Family’s stronghold in Shaanxi is quite a distance away.”
At the White Tiger Unit leader’s words, Mu Hwi nodded.
“Let’s depart immediately.”
After briefly bidding farewell to Seonju and Hongseon, Mu Hwi led the Plum Blossom Sword Troop and set off westward toward Sacheon with the White Tiger Unit.
***
Chengdu, Sacheon
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen and the White Tiger Unit entered Sacheon directly from Jongnam and arrived in Chengdu.
At the center of Tangjiata, a massive village where those bearing the surname Tang lived, stood the Sacheon Tang Family, one of the Three Great Clans.
At the main gate of the Sacheon Tang Family, the family head, Tang Qihu, along with his family, had come out to welcome Mu Hwi and his group.
“Plum Blossom Sword Lord, White Tiger Unit Leader. We’ve received the Martial Alliance’s letter. Thank you for coming to aid the Sacheon Alliance.”
As Tang Qihu and his family clasped their hands in greeting, Mu Hwi’s group returned the gesture.
“Please, come inside.”
Tang Qihu personally escorted Mu Hwi and the White Tiger Unit leader to the family head’s quarters and served them tea.
“This is the Eight Poison Tea.”
“Eight Poison Tea? Is there poison in the tea?”
The White Tiger Unit leader, who had been about to reach for his cup, paused and asked. Tang Qihu smiled and nodded.
“It’s a blend of eight poisons, but they’re harmless to the body—in fact, they invigorate your energy. Please drink without worry. This is a tea you can only enjoy in our clan.”
“Poison can also be medicine. I see the logic.”
Though the White Tiger Unit leader nodded at Tang Qihu’s confident explanation, his face still showed a hint of unease as he drank.
Mu Hwi, tasting the tea, was slightly surprised. The aroma was intensely bitter, so he hadn’t expected much, but the blend of sweetness and bitterness created an oddly addictive flavor.
The White Tiger Unit leader seemed to feel the same, silently engrossed in drinking the Eight Poison Tea.
Watching the two men with satisfaction, Tang Qihu turned to Mu Hwi and spoke.
“Plum Blossom Sword Lord. You were already impressive at the Heavenly Dragon Competition, but now you’ve soared to heights even this humble Family Head dares not assess.”
Mu Hwi bowed slightly in response to Tang Qihu’s praise.
“Family Head. How is the situation on the front lines?”
“After the battle at Qizhouya, both sides have been in a stalemate. They’re waiting for the Poison Dragon of Sacheon’s arrival while also conserving their strength.”
The White Tiger Unit leader set down his teacup.
“The Paewangseong must be regrouping its forces for a full-scale push.”
“With the scattered Five Demon Generals now gathered at the Paewangseong, they’ll likely appear simultaneously on the front lines in the next battle.”
If, as Tang Qihu said, the Five Demon Generals—the sharpest blades of the Paewangseong—appeared together, it would signal the Paewangseong Lord’s determination to end the prolonged conflict in Sacheon.
“With the Dokgo Association already aiding us, plus the White Tiger Unit, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, and the Baekri Family’s forces joining later, we won’t be easily pushed back.”
“The Dokgo Association is also in Sacheon?”
At Mu Hwi’s question, Tang Qihu nodded.
“The Dokgo Association has often appeared in Sacheon to support the Sacheon Sect. Their leader’s master frequently clashed with the Paewangseong in his lifetime, so the grudge runs deep.”
Mu Hwi, the very person responsible for that grudge, could only nod silently.
‘That disciple of mine. He was in Henan, but now he’s brought his subordinates to Sacheon.’
As Tang Qihu and the White Tiger Unit leader discussed the battlefield situation and strategized, Mu Hwi found himself thinking of Dokgo Yul.
His disciple was walking the same path he once had.
Mu Hwi had long known that the Dokgo Association had clashed with the Paewangseong multiple times. To the Paewangseong, Dokgo Yul must be as much of a thorn in their side as the Sword Devil had been.
In such circumstances, knowing his disciple had personally stepped onto a battlefield twice as dangerous as usual made it impossible for Mu Hwi not to worry.
‘And I can’t just beat him up and drive him away.’
As Mu Hwi pondered Dokgo Yul, the mention of the Poison Dragon of Sacheon brought his focus back to the meeting.
“The Plum Blossom Sword Lord and his troop will likely need to handle the Poison Dragon of Sacheon and his subordinates. Of course, our clan’s members will assist.”
Mu Hwi, who had been thinking about the Poison Dragon of Sacheon, spoke up.
“I’ve heard the Poison Dragon of Sacheon is highly skilled in venom arts and hidden weapons. Thanks to that, he subdued the Diancang Sect of Yunnan with hidden weapons and the Five Poison Gate of Qishachong with poison.”
Tang Qihu nodded with a grim expression.
“I’d like to gather as much information as possible about the Poison Dragon of Sacheon. Would that be feasible?”
“Hmm.”
At Mu Hwi’s words, Tang Qihu let out a troubled sigh.
The reason Mu Hwi asked Tang Qihu about the Poison Dragon of Sacheon was that the Poison Dragon was originally from the Sacheon Tang Family.
To be precise, he was Tang Qihu’s younger brother.
The White Tiger Unit leader had only heard of the Poison Dragon’s origins and didn’t know the details, so he focused on Tang Qihu’s words.
After a moment of contemplation, Tang Qihu stroked his beard with a bitter expression and spoke.
“That child… Hated our clan for many reasons.”
“Many reasons…?”
“First, despite his superior martial arts, he couldn’t become Family Head. His ambitions were vast, so his disappointment in the family and resentment toward me ran deep.”
Tang Qihu emptied his teacup and continued.
“And, Sword Saint, you may or may not know this, but our clan was considered neither fully orthodox nor unorthodox until about a decade ago.”
Mu Hwi nodded.
The Sacheon Tang Family’s specialties were poison and hidden weapons—things not warmly welcomed by the orthodox sect.
Moreover, their clan motto, Repay kindness twofold, repay grudges tenfold, gave them a reputation for extremism.
But Tang Qihu, as the family head of his generation, chose to fully align the family with the orthodox sect for the sake of its future.
To that end, he voluntarily sealed away the family’s infamous lethal poisons and hidden weapons, which could cause mass carnage or upheaval in the martial arts world.
Indeed, whenever such things leaked into the martial arts world, major turmoil ensued. Few things were as tempting to those with ill intent as the Sacheon Tang Family’s poisons and hidden weapons.
This was also why the family insisted on the tradition of sons-in-law marrying into the family—to prevent their secrets from leaking out.
But the Poison Dragon of Sacheon criticized Tang Qihu for cutting the family’s strength and bending the knee to the orthodox faction, then left with his followers to join the Paewangseong.
“His goal is likely to crush the Sacheon Alliance, return to the Tang Family, and become its new head.”
“If he’s a direct descendant, can we assume he’s mastered most of the family’s martial arts?”
Tang Qihu sighed.
“Correct. He specialized in the family’s supreme hidden weapon technique, Storm of Dragon Scales, and was recognized by the previous Family Head for his talent, so he also trained in the Ghost Origin Divine Technique. On top of that, he has a gift for poison—reports say he’s developed new poisons by refining the family’s formulas.”
Seeing Mu Hwi fall into thought after hearing about the Poison Dragon of Sacheon, Tang Qihu asked,
“Plum Blossom Sword Lord. As a Transcendent Realm master, most poisons won’t affect you, but have you specifically trained your resistance to poison?”
The Poison Dragon of Sacheon’s poisons were notorious for being potent enough to affect even Transcendent Realm masters. Even the Hwasan Sword Saint, who had slain several Supreme Masters, would struggle if he faced his poisons unprepared.
At Tang Qihu’s question, Mu Hwi smiled faintly.
During the Six Harmonies Sword Assembly, he had ingested the Five Killing Poison Pill, but its effects were nowhere near enough to counter the Poison Dragon of Sacheon toxins. That’s why Mu Hwi had brought something else in preparation.
“That’s why I have a request for you, Family Head.”
“A request? Speak freely.”
Mu Hwi took out a multi-layered sealed case and handed it to Tang Qihu.
“Open it.”
Tang Qihu nodded and carefully opened the case. Inside was a crimson pill, and upon seeing it, he gasped.
Just breaking the seal and opening the case had released an overwhelming miasma of poison—so potent that even Tang Qihu, who had trained for years to become immune to all poisons, was startled.
“What in the world—! A spirit beast’s poison pill?”
“You recognize it immediately. It’s the inner pill of the Horned Fire Python.”
“The Horned Fire Python?!”
At Mu Hwi’s words, not only Tang Qihu but even the White Tiger Unit leader, who had been watching, gaped slightly.
Mu Hwi observed their stunned faces and continued calmly.
“Not just the inner pill—I also brought its blood. I preserved some after slaying the Horned Fire Python.”
At the mention of the blood, Tang Qihu could only laugh dryly before falling into thought. After a moment, he spoke.
“You want me to refine an elixir to enhance your poison resistance using these.”
“Correct. With the ingredients I brought from Hua Shan, combined with the Tang Family’s resources and expertise, it should be possible.”
“Hmm, indeed. I was originally planning to have you ingest some of our clan’s poison pills, but…”
This wasn’t just any spirit beast—it was the Horned Fire Python. Encountering one was extremely rare, let alone slaying it. Though curious how Mu Hwi had done it, Tang Qihu suppressed his curiosity and began calculating.
He mentally reviewed the family’s stock of rare poisonous and medicinal herbs, figuring out the optimal way to utilize the Horned Fire Python’s inner pill and blood.
“Since you’ve entrusted this to me, I’ll repay your trust with the finest results.”
“Will there be enough for the Plum Blossom Swordsmen as well?”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
The White Tiger Unit leader, listening to their exchange, nodded in relief. With preparations for the upcoming battles proceeding smoothly, he felt more at ease.
But Mu Hwi wasn’t done.
“Family Head. One more request.”
“Ah? What is it?”
“Would it be possible to experience the Tang Family’s hidden weapon techniques? I’ve had little exposure to them, and it would help me prepare for the battle with the Poison Dragon of Sacheon.”
Before Tang Qihu could even respond, Mu Hwi added,
“If the Poison Dragon of Sacheon has mastered Ten Thousand Petals in the Rain, I’d like to experience it. I’m not asking for the secrets—just a sparring match to gain some familiarity.”
Tang Qihu, momentarily dazed, finally spoke.
“You had it all planned out.”