The Five Poison Demons
Tat-tat-tat!
Dozens of figures descended upon the main gate of the Tang Clan.
Tang Myung and the members of the two units who had departed from the Tang Clan Castle had arrived.
Members of the Martial Alliance were also among them.
Upon hearing of the surprise attack, the Martial Alliance personnel had followed to lend their aid.
Yet what the arriving Tang Clan and Martial Alliance members saw were only five unfamiliar demonic experts.
They knew the five were demonic experts because they looked exactly like the sort of villains one would expect.
Five?
They were clearly masters, but had they truly come to strike the Tang Clan with only five men?
The five demonic experts appeared strong enough to hold elder positions in any sect, yet there were only five of them.
“Huk! The Five Poison Demons! It’s the Five Poison Demons!”
When Zhuge Jin-do recognized them, the faces of the Martial Alliance members hardened.
These were the notorious villains of the previous generation who had wiped out several mid-sized sects through poison experiments.
The fact that the Five Poison Demons had destroyed multiple sects meant they were both powerful and vicious.
Once Zhuge Jin-do identified the five, the experts from the Qingcheng and Emei Sects hurriedly drew their swords.
At that sight, Tang Myung shook his head.
“Judging by how they stand with Great-Gramaunt’s servants, they appear to have already been subdued.”
At the mention of servants, everyone turned to look at the Five Poison Demons.
The Five Poison Demons stood beside the servants.
One of the servants was writing on the ground with a tree branch while the demonic experts watched with their hands clasped respectfully.
They kept nodding their heads in deference.
“Are the servants unable to speak?”
At Zhuge Jin-do’s question, Tang Myung nodded.
“Great-Gramaunt cut out their tongues.”
“Ah……”
Zhuge Jin-do looked at the servants.
He had heard from Zhuge Mun about their tremendous martial prowess.
A sigh escaped him at the thought of Gang Qi Materialization masters serving as servants with their tongues severed.
“The Family Head has arrived.”
At Tang Mi-mi’s call, Tang Myung quickly approached her.
“This is the list of those who came here.”
When Tang Mi-mi held out the paper, Tang Myung examined the names written upon it.
He had expected as much after seeing the Five Poison Demons.
These were the very demonic experts who had attacked the Tang Clan in his previous life.
As Tang Myung studied the list, Zhuge Jin-do quietly leaned in to read it as well.
“Heavenly Mountain Divine Demon
Five Poison Demons
Spear Demon
Five Righteous of the Moon
……”
Zhuge Jin-do’s face stiffened at the titles listed.
“Does this mean all of them came?”
“It does.”
“Then where are they now?”
At Zhuge Jin-do’s question, Tang Mi-mi turned her head toward the trees.
“Buried beneath the trees. When they rot, they will become nutrients for the Heavenly Grant Forest.”
At Tang Mi-mi’s words, Zhuge Jin-do looked where she pointed.
Several patches of freshly dug earth were visible.
“Did these people truly come?”
“They did.”
Tang Mi-mi then looked at Zhuge Jin-do.
“The current Martial Alliance strategist must have come from the Zhuge Clan, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“So many unorthodox experts moved toward Yunnan, yet the Martial Alliance knew nothing?”
At Tang Mi-mi’s question, Zhuge Jin-do clasped his hands and bowed his head.
“We were aware that the retired villains of the previous generation had reappeared in the Central Plains. However, we did not know they were heading for the Tang Clan.”
“You knew, yet you did not know?”
“I am deeply ashamed.”
At Zhuge Jin-do’s reply, Tang Mi-mi glanced at the Five Poison Demons.
“Why have you come to my family?”
At Tang Mi-mi’s question, the bald elder among the Five Poison Demons bowed respectfully.
“Well, that is……”
When the Five Poison Demon hesitated, the servants glared at him sharply.
Under their gaze, the bald elder hurriedly spoke.
“The Heavenly Mountain Divine Demon gathered those who hold grudges against the Tang Clan.”
“The Heavenly Mountain Divine Demon?”
“Yes. When we reached Sichuan, there were about thirty of us. In Yunnan we were able to gather ten more. That is why we came to attack the Tang Clan.”
“There must have been pursuit from the Martial Alliance. How did you evade it?”
As she spoke, Tang Mi-mi glanced sideways at Zhuge Jin-do.
A cold sweat ran down Zhuge Jin-do’s face under that gaze.
It was a look of reproach, questioning whether he had hidden information that could endanger the Tang Clan.
“If you look at the list, you will see the Thousand-Li Hound. He is a master of lightness skills and tracking. He killed those who followed us.”
“From where did he begin killing them?”
“The Thousand-Li Hound joined us in Hunan, so from there onward.”
At the Five Poison Demon’s answer, Tang Mi-mi nodded.
Zhuge Jin-do breathed a sigh of relief.
“So you came to strike my family?”
“Y-yes, that is correct.”
At the Five Poison Demon’s reply, Tang Mi-mi nodded and looked at them.
She then glanced at the servants as well before speaking.
“From now on, I will assign numbers to all of you.”
Previously, she had lived alone with only four servants, so there had been no need to call them by name.
She could simply snap her fingers and give orders.
But with more of them, titles had become necessary.
“Starting with you four, you will be One, Two, Three, and Four. The five newcomers will be Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine after them.”
At Tang Mi-mi’s words, the servants prostrated themselves and bowed repeatedly.
Watching them, Tang Mi-mi turned to Tang Myung.
“The two who guarded the gate today risked their lives to protect it.”
At Tang Mi-mi’s words, Tang Myung looked at Tang Ching and the other Tang Clan expert.
“Thank you, Uncles, for upholding the Tang Clan’s honor.”
“How could we allow anyone to cross the Tang Clan’s gate without shedding the Tang Clan’s blood?”
“Exactly. It was only our duty.”
As the two spoke with smiles, Tang Myung looked at Tang Mi-mi.
At his gaze, Tang Mi-mi nodded and took out a bamboo tube from her robes.
“This is the Blood Mist Pill. I have improved the Blood Mist Poison.”
At the mention of Blood Mist Poison, a puzzled expression crossed Tang Myung’s face.
“Blood Mist Poison is an extreme toxin that kills upon ingestion.”
“And it will kill our enemies as well.”
In his previous life, Tang Min, Tang Hong’s younger brother, had consumed the Blood Mist Poison and sprayed his blood to stop the enemy pursuit.
“Those who ingest it will feel their blood boil. At the same time, they will be able to use roughly twice their usual internal energy. If wounded, the blood will vaporize through the wound like mist and spread. Anyone who inhales the blood mist will die, and anyone whose skin touches it will rot. Of course, the one who consumes it will inevitably die.”
At the ruthless explanation, the Martial Alliance members stared in shock.
Tang Ching respectfully accepted the bamboo tube.
“Thank you for granting us a means to protect the family.”
Tang Ching was overjoyed.
It was literally a weapon to kill enemies for the sake of the Tang Clan.
“However, Great-Gramaunt, if the poison vaporizes and spreads like mist, will it not harm our own people as well?”
When Tang Jang voiced his concern, Tang Mi-mi smiled.
“Only the one who directly consumes it dies. The poison that becomes blood mist is harmless to members of our family.”
“Harmless?”
“Blood Mist Poison does not distinguish between friend and foe. There is also no antidote. That is why it was listed among the Ten Forbidden Poisons. That is why I created the Blood Mist Pill. The one who consumes it dies, but it is harmless to our family.”
“Why does it not affect our family members?”
At Tang Jang’s question, Tang Mi-mi looked at the Martial Alliance members.
“If I explain it in front of them, how is that any different from revealing the antidote?”
“Ah……”
Tang Jang lowered his head.
Tang Mi-mi, who had been watching him, turned to Tang Myung.
“We should build a small pavilion here.”
“A pavilion?”
“While I waited for the Family Head to arrive, I noticed there was nowhere to sit.”
Tang Mi-mi looked up at the sky and continued.
“If we are to take turns circulating our energy, we will need a proper place to rest.”
“I will see to it.”
At Tang Myung’s reply, Tang Mi-mi nodded and looked at the servants.
“The newcomers will receive training, and you will set a rotation to guard this place.”
At Tang Mi-mi’s words, the four servants bowed their heads in unison.
They then glared at one another with stern faces.
It was as if each was claiming to be Number One.
However, three of them quickly turned their heads away, leaving one behind.
One of the servants, a Gang Qi Materialization master, had slightly clenched his fist.
Thus, the Gang Qi Materialization master became Number One.
Number One smiled brightly, looked at the Five Poison Demons, and gestured.
The Five Poison Demons approached with thoroughly cowed expressions.
As Number One led the Five Poison Demons to one side, the remaining three servants looked at one another before disappearing together.
Shortly after the servants vanished, a tremendous wave of energy erupted from afar.
“Huk!”
The Martial Alliance experts turned toward the source with startled eyes at the immense presence they felt.
“What is this energy?”
“They are merely fighting over who gets to be Number Two, Three, and Four. There is no need to concern yourselves.”
Tang Mi-mi then looked at Tang Myung.
“Handle the rest.”
Swish!
When Tang Mi-mi disappeared, the Martial Alliance members watched with expressions of admiration.
None of them were weak, yet none could sense where Tang Mi-mi had gone after she vanished.
Zhuge Jin-do then took the paper from Tang Myung and examined it.
“Hah! So all these demonic experts died at Grandmother’s hands?”
At Zhuge Jin-do’s words, Mun Sun and the other experts looked at the names written on the paper once more.
“The Spear Demon died here……”
“Amitabha…… This is truly a blessing for the Central Plains. There are more than a few orthodox experts who will rejoice upon learning of the Spear Demon’s death.”
Gyeon O-sa-tae looked at Il-on Dae-sa.
“Is there a Beggar’s Union branch near the Great Menglong Temple?”
“Even if Yunnan is remote, there is no place without the Beggar’s Union.”
“Then would you deliver this information to them?”
“Understood.”
When Il-on Dae-sa looked at the disciple behind him, the disciple clasped his hands and kicked off the ground in haste.
Watching this, Mun Sun glanced at Tang Ching.
“Tang Ching, may I ask what happened?”
At Mun Sun’s question, Tang Ching looked at Tang Myung.
“I am curious as well.”
At Tang Myung’s words, Tang Ching nodded and began recounting the events.
His mouth had been itching to speak anyway.
After all, unorthodox experts who were each masters in their own right had been annihilated by a single Tang Clan elder.
As Tang Ching began to speak, the listeners’ faces turned to shock.
According to him, with each wave of her hand, the heads of absolute masters had burst apart.
“Is that…… true?”
“Of course. Why would I lie? Besides……”
Tang Ching pointed at the ground where the corpses were buried.
“The bodies with their heads smashed are buried right there.”
At Tang Ching’s words, everyone nodded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
When another series of loud explosions rang out from the distance, the group turned to look.
“They are certainly making quite a ruckus over there.”
“To think such masters are fighting over mere second, third, and fourth place.”
As the Martial Alliance members stared in disbelief toward the sounds, Tang Myung spoke.
“Let us return, then.”
Tang Myung looked at Tang Ching.
“You must have been startled today. Today, I will……”
Tang Myung glanced at Jeong Myeong and Zhuge Mun.
“Stay here with my friends.”
“No. How could the Family Head do such a thing?”
At Tang Ching’s words, Tang Myung smiled and shook his head.
“The Family Head is also a member of the Tang Clan.”
Tang Myung looked at Tang Ching.
“It is an order.”
“Understood!”
When Tang Ching bowed his head, Tang Myung turned to Tang Jang.
At his gaze, Tang Jang led the clan members and began racing back toward the Tang Clan Castle using lightness skills.
Once everyone had gone, Tang Myung looked at Il-on Dae-sa.
“I wish to speak with my sworn brothers. I apologize, but would you give us some privacy?”
“Amitabha.”
Il-on Dae-sa clasped his hands and disappeared with his disciples.
Once everyone had left, Zhuge Mun looked at Tang Myung.
“What did you want to say that required sending everyone away?”
“Indeed. The Tang Clan Family Head requesting a private audience is rather nerve-wracking.”
At their words, Tang Myung smiled and shook his head.
“I wanted to speak seriously.”
“About what?”
When Jeong Myeong looked puzzled, Tang Myung clasped his hands toward him and bowed deeply.
“Jeong Myeong, I am always grateful to you.”
‘Jeong Myeong, I am sorry and grateful and happy that you gave your life for me. I am truly thankful that you showed me our friendship was real. And I am sorry. I misunderstood you.’
Having conveyed his apology and gratitude to Jeong Myeong in his heart, Tang Myung also clasped his hands and bowed toward Zhuge Mun.
“Mun, I have always been in your debt. Thank you.”
‘Your consideration and support were of great help to my family. Once again, thank you.’
The two men were taken aback by Tang Myung’s sudden formal gesture of gratitude.
They then clasped their hands and bowed to him in return.
They did not know what had happened, but they could feel Tang Myung’s sincere gratitude toward them.
Tang Myung simply wanted to express his thanks to the two men who had shared life-and-death bonds with him, even if only in this way.