Beloved Sisters

Moyong Gon, the eldest son of the Moyong Clan, burst into a hearty laugh in his private chamber.

"Hahaha! What an absolute fool."

The letter secretly delivered to him bore the seal of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Inside was a request from Tang Hwi, the notorious scoundrel of the Tang Clan.

Stripped of its superficial pleasantries and flowery language, the contents were roughly as follows:

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

If the contents of this letter were true, he had absolutely nothing to lose. If Moyong Geon died, it was only natural that he, the remaining son, would become the Young Patriarch. Moreover, they could repair their strained relationship with the Tang Clan.

Even if it failed, there was no downside for him. The Tang Clan would be the ones attempting the poisoning. He had merely sent his younger brother to the Tang Clan's banquet to mend ties between their families.

Furthermore, if it succeeded, he would not only get rid of Moyong Geon but also hold a massive weakness over Tang Hwi. Revealing this to the world would severely tarnish the reputation of the Sichuan Tang Clan. It would be a perfect trump card to play in some future, high-stakes deal.

Moyong Gon simply could not comprehend why Tang Hwi would send such critical information to someone with whom he shared absolutely no trust.

"What on earth gave him the confidence to write a letter so openly declaring his desire to commit assassination? Heh. They call him a scoundrel, but it seems he's just a short-sighted fool."

"My lord, could this not be a trap?"

At the quiet remark of the guard standing silently behind him, Moyong Gon let out a smirk.

"How could this be a trap? We just need to sit back in Liaoning, watch the show, and reap the benefits. We didn't ask them for any favors, and the only evidence is this letter right here... If things go south, we can just burn it, and that's that."

Fluttering the letter in his hand, he rose from his seat.

"Let us go to the Patriarch. I shall suggest that we hold my brother accountable for unilaterally breaking the engagement. We will tell him to go and at least put on a show of apologizing."

"Understood."

The guard silently followed Moyong Gon.

A few days later, at the Murim Alliance in Hubei Province.

Moyong Geon, the second-in-command of the White Tiger Unit known as the Iron Dragon, was utterly dumbfounded by the order of his leader, Seong Ji-un.

"You want me... to go to the Tang Clan's banquet? And of all things, a banquet celebrating Lady Tang's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recovery?"

"Ahem. It is a bit awkward to say, but the Tang Clan specifically requested you."

"Even so, this is too much! You know as well as I do how the Tang Clan people glare at me. The moment they see me, they slip their hands into their sleeves, debating whether to throw a hidden weapon! Do you know how intensely they watch every bite of food I take? If I step foot near the Tang Clan Tower, I have no idea when I might be poisoned!"

In truth, this was a well-known tale in the Jianghu. Because the eldest daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan had shut herself away in isolation, her heart broken by the Iron Dragon's unilateral dissolution of their engagement, the Tang Clan treated him like a mortal enemy. Telling him to go to the Tang Clan was practically ordering him to go get poisoned.

But Seong Ji-un had his own justifications.

"My friend, didn't the Moyong Clan already instruct you to attend the banquet and apologize for the broken engagement anyway? Since you have to go regardless, just accept it."

"T-That is...!"

"They say things in life rarely go as planned. Even the Zhuge Clan, who are also from Hubei, accepted the invitation. If the Murim Alliance refuses, it will look terrible. Take this opportunity to settle things cleanly and walk with your head held high. Now, I am busy, so I must take my leave."

With those words, Seong Ji-un vanished as if fleeing.

"Haaaaah..."

Duty and responsibility clashed. As the one who broke the engagement, he had a duty to apologize in person, and as a member of the Alliance, he had a responsibility to accept the invitation. His shoulders felt heavy, and his stomach churned. He desperately wished not to go, but he had to. Such was the life of an adult in society. The days when throwing a tantrum would get him his way had vanished like the wind. Now, as an adult, the time had come for him to pay for his past transgressions.

"I need to look for an Avoid-Poison Pearl and some antidotes."

Tang Hwi meticulously checked the guest list. Fortunately, none of those who had been sent invitations declined. As fellow sects of Sichuan, the Qingcheng and Emei Sects naturally expressed their intent to attend, and even his target, Moyong Geon, had decided to participate.

To achieve this, Tang Hwi had pulled many strings behind the scenes. He had secretly gifted a small but precious spiritual medicine to Moyong Geon's superior, Seong Ji-un. He had also invited the Zhuge Clan of Hubei and sent a letter to the eldest son of the Moyong Clan, proposing a covert alliance.

It all serves a purpose.

Seong Ji-un, having received the spiritual medicine, would have accepted the invitation, thinking nothing major would happen at a mere banquet. If the Zhuge Clan from the same region attended while the Murim Alliance refused without a valid reason, it could be perceived as regional discrimination, causing political friction. The Moyong Clan, jumping on this bandwagon, had provided an undeniable pretext that left Moyong Geon with no choice but to comply.

With this, the man who had abandoned Tang Ga-hui was guaranteed to attend the banquet. Although a surge of excitement rushed through him at the thought of killing the bastard who had hurt his sister, Tang Hwi took a deep breath, calming his wild emotions to maintain his composure.

"Fuuu. Haaa."

He could unleash these emotions when the time came. For now, he had to focus on his duties as the general manager of the event. From selecting suppliers for the banquet materials to sourcing ingredients, there were countless details to consider.

Utilizing the Sichuan Tang Clan's existing network would make the preparations easy, but that would defeat the purpose of securing this position from Tang Suryeon. Tang Hwi had demanded the role of general manager to orchestrate a natural environment where he could easily target Moyong Geon. At the same time, he wanted to demonstrate his capabilities to Tang Suryeon and completely shatter his past reputation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as a useless ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scoundrel.

Thus, he prepared everything solely through his own efforts. He personally researched suppliers and searched for chefs capable of preparing dishes that would satisfy both the Qingcheng and Emei Sects. If only the Qingcheng Sect were coming, he could have been less meticulous, but the Emei Sect was strictly a Buddhist sect. Serving alcohol and meat thoughtlessly at a banquet would only provoke a conflict. Furthermore, he had to be extremely careful to ensure that the five pungent roots were not mixed into the food.

Just then, a figure entered the room, cradling a stack of documents in her arms.

"Hwi. Are you doing well with your work?"

"Sister? What brings you all the way out here? And what is with that veil? Don't tell me you've suffered Qi Deviation again?"

"I wanted to see my beloved brother's face, so I stepped out of the Patriarch's Pavilion. As for the veil, I just wore it temporarily because I still don't want to show my face to others. I plan to take it off completely starting from the banquet, so do not worry."

Explaining this as she set the documents down next to his approval pile, Tang Ga-hui stealthily approached Tang Hwi, who was seated in his chair. Stepping lightly like a cat, unable to hide her excitement, she climbed directly onto his lap.

Using her younger brother's thighs as a seat, she gently wiggled and rubbed her hips against him. The raw desire in her eyes, palpable even through the veil, was like that of a wildcat stalking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠its prey.

"Sister... I am quite busy right now. I am sorry, but unless it is nighttime, I do not have the leisure for—"

"Shh. Do you think your sister doesn't know that? I know everything. This is just..."

Sitting on his lap, which made her eye level higher than his, Tang Ga-hui let her voice trail off as she stared down at her brother. Even though her face was covered by the veil, Tang Hwi could practically feel her intense lust. Her gaze was just that burning. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around the back of his head and buried his face into her chest.

"I have no intention of doing it with my Hwi here. It is too risky, and I cannot be a sister who gets in her brother's way. Right now, I just came because I was running low on my Hwi-dosage."

"What on earth is a 'brother-dosage'?"

His response was indifferent, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. However, seeing Tang Hwi's subsequent actions, the corners of Tang Ga-hui's lips slowly curled upward. Despite his words, Tang Hwi wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, and buried his face even deeper into her cleavage. Because his actions were strangely reminiscent of a baby, Tang Ga-hui perceived it as an adorable display of affection.

Surely,