Chapter 115
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Shredding the Tang Leaf (1)
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A week since arriving at the Sichuan Tang Family.
- Kuhk! As expected, I knew from the first moment I laid eyes on you that you were no ordinary fellow! Hahaha! Come to think of it, Tang Mok was singing your praises to high heaven too!
Not only had I completely melted the heart of Tang Hyeok, who dared to unleash his Nine Sword Hero on me, pulling him fully into my camp.
The word of my stellar accomplishments had already spread like wildfire throughout the Tang Family.
"H-Hello there, sir!"
"Haha, little friend. Hello to you too."
"Show us your sword aura!"
A brat who foolishly mistook me for some lowlife barely scraping the Peak realm in his twenties even demanded a sparkling fireworks display.
Fwoosh!
"Wooow! Sword aura fireworks! So cool! My uncles never show me any... Hiiing..."
Reminded me of Luri for some reason, so I popped a candy in his mouth.
"I hear you've already reached the Peak realm in your early twenties? Impressive."
"Haha, how could I compare to the Tang Family's prestige?"
"Thanks to you, we could resume work at the forge. Here's a little gift—take it."
"Oh, you shouldn't have..."
An elder from the Iron Armory—seems like the smithy—strolled up casually and gifted me a finely crafted dagger that even I had to admit was top-notch.
"That sword... exquisite craftsmanship. Mind if I... touch it?"
"Ah..."
Someone drooling over the perfection of my treasured sword appeared, leaving me scrambling to deal with them.
The Tang Family was teeming with people—bored ones, curious ones bold enough to barge into the guest quarters just to chat.
Through these random encounters,
I managed to shift my view of the Tang Family a bit.
I could also feel that stopping Elder Tang Wuliang's rampage had yielded better results than expected.
A warm glow settled in my chest.
Only...
"D-Do you perhaps have a smartphone?"
"We handle opinion manipulation... ahem. Anyway, smartphones are strictly prohibited during work hours."
Most of the Tang folks I shook hands with had barcode-like usernames, and on top of that...
[Anon / [Tang] Anyone wanna grab ultimate mara tang?!!!!! (4)]
[Anon / What's going on near Dokgang-eon? (0)]
[Anon / [Tang] They say Jade-Faced Young Master's hot, where can I see him??? (3)]
[Anon / [Tang] Hitman showed up for real... (gore warning) (13)]
The closed-off gallery culture, where posts without the [Tang] tag got zero attention, still rubbed me the wrong way.
This ain't a proper gallery!
...Of course.
[Anon / 4/4 go go if you come, 1000:1 / Departed (3)]
[Crazy_Cowking / Ami Sect Supreme Patriarch Arong's final game of his life, 2/4 100:1 (1)]
[Anon / Dice showdown among men after ages, wanna go? (8)]
It was still better off than the Yunnan Gallery, where the front page was nothing but degenerates howling about gambling.
I had no idea if the Unrivaled Blade Formation was real, but seeing the Geomjeong Sect Leader hawking the name of another sect's Supreme Patriarch made my eyes hurt.
"Hmmm..."
Anyway.
Basic rapport-building was done.
I'd scoped out patrol routes on late-night strolls and pinpointed the residences of masters keen enough to sense my presence.
Which meant,
tonight,
the perfect moment for the Jade-Faced Black Ghost to make his unseen entrance.
Operation name:
Shredding the Tang Leaf.
Not content with merely visiting the Tang Family, Geum Sihyeon was swiftly winning hearts from within—a fact the Council of Elders had naturally grasped.
Deep in the Tang Family's inner compound.
People began gathering bit by bit under the patronage of the former patriarch's residence.
Their common threads:
"Make the martial world great again."
"Make the martial world great again. It's been ages since we gathered like this."
Affiliation with the Azure Heaven Society,
and belonging to the Poison Faction within the Tang Family.
Only about five or six had assembled.
Not a huge number, but including the former patriarch, their combined influence could sway the entire Tang Family.
That was why current patriarch Tang Woojun, despite his formidable poison arts as a Dark Faction leader, was being silenced.
Amid the elders seated around the round table, tea and snacks circulated as idle chatter flowed.
To an outsider, it might look like senile old coots gossiping in the back room.
"What to do about that kid Geum Sihyeon?"
The topic, predictably, was Geum Sihyeon.
"With assassins getting hunted down one after another near Sichuan lately, using them seems to have backfired."
"The Nangong clan's reputation takes a hit. Music to my ears."
"Still, we must hide that our side placed the first request, right?"
"No need to worry there. Even that fool Tang Mok boasted boldly, and the kid himself hasn't breathed a word."
"True. If he knew his life was targeted, he wouldn't have set foot here."
Hardly the chit-chat of retired geezers—quite the vicious talk.
Among them, the one who looked oddly young,
the Tang Family's former patriarch, known in the jianghu as the Poison King, Dang Seoak, sat silently with a bored expression.
After listening idly to the elders' ramblings for a while,
"Leave him be."
Dang Seoak murmured lowly.
In that instant,
silence fell, and every elder's head bowed.
A decision rendered with absurd speed, making their prior debate pointless.
"What of the Poison Demon's movements?"
"Last sighted in Kunming, and nothing since..."
"I see."
Dang Seoak clicked his tongue.
Of course, he knew of the stain on his past—the son he failed to handle, now the Poison Demon wandering the Central Plains.
"When we find him, dispatch the execution squad at once."
But he couldn't air it publicly.
How could the Sichuan Tang Family bear the Blood Cult stigma?
"Dismissed. Tend to your duties."
Watching the elders bow and file out in silence,
Dang Seoak glanced skyward.
The omens of heaven were far from pleasing.
And rightly so.
Out of respect for his 6-to-1 upset feat, Geomjeong had tightly controlled info,
so the Azure Heaven Society and Dang Seoak remained ignorant of the youth who traveled with the Poison Demon.
The sun set, darkness fell.
Which meant
prime time for (former) Hong Gildong (current) Hahoe Mask to get to work.
I'll be arriving in Sichuan soon!
Hehe
Can't wait to see you already~
This...
is what it means to be in the flirting stage...?
A warm glow filled my chest.
Head cool, heart hot.
The Hahoe Mask of Justice would tonight uncover the Tang Family's sinister plot and secure irrefutable proof.
Black garb donned, jade mask affixed.
I balled up the blankets to mimic a sleeping figure, doused the lights, slipped out the window, and melted into the Tang Family's shadows.
Prior recon had flagged two prime suspects.
One was, naturally, the former patriarch's residence—the Poison King's lair.
But poking the hornet's nest center too soon carried risks.
Thus,
tonight's target: Small Flower Pavilion.
- Strolling? Sounds good, but stay away from Small Flower Pavilion. You might get poisoned.
Hardly any foot traffic, scant presence,
just thick poison qi wafting, and an eerie sense of isolation from inside and out.
Tang Hyeok's excuse was cats dragging poison sacs from the storeroom and scattering them.
Does that even make sense?
Immunity to All Poisons cats? Come on.
Even a dimwit wouldn't buy that drivel, so naturally, it topped my suspect list.
"Anyone there?"
"Hey, who d'you think's there? Don't spout scary nonsense."
Dodging occasional patrols with ease, I delved deep into the core, circled Small Flower Pavilion, and surveyed its layout.
"Definitely suspicious."
Whether rogue cats or something else,
up close, it wasn't just poison qi—there was a full formation array too.
But this body of mine,
a genius who aced Formations with top marks.
Sensing the subtle air currents to find the array's lifeline was barely trickier than eating cold porridge.
I dismantled it effortlessly and drew nearer.
"Oh..."
Not quite Mirinae-level, but the skin-prickling poison qi was potent.
Poison qi thick in the Tang Family?
Suspicion thick as well.
Peering through Soul Moon Divine Eyes,
one person inside.
A frail Peak lowbie at best, so I committed to justice without qualms.
Creak—
Suppressing my presence utterly, I slipped through a window with the tiniest noise.
Of all places, the bedroom—there sprawled a woman, grinning at her smartphone, utterly defenseless.
Chase Ghost Bro's perfect, so she won't notice...
The woman's gaze, fixed on her phone,
locked sharp on my face.
Her oddly familiar blue-tinged eyes widened, mouth gaping wordlessly.
Wait, hold on...!