Chapter 96
Blood Whisker Poison.
Among the deadly poisons crafted by the Sichuan Tang Clan, this was the one said to take effect the fastest.
Because of this, the Sichuan Tang Clan handled this poison with extreme caution, strictly prohibiting any master who wasn't a direct descendant from even touching it.
"So this is the infamous Blood Whisker Poison."
Bu Eun-seol gazed at the transparent glass vial in his hand.
Inside the vial was a liquid darker than blood-red—none other than the Tang Clan's extreme poison, Blood Whisker Poison.
"Ugh... Ugh!"
Beneath Bu Eun-seol's feet knelt a man with a gag stuffed in his mouth.
His name was Tang Pung-ho.
A member of the Blossom Wind Party stationed in the outer courtyard, he was a master skilled in covertly administering poison.
"Who sent you?"
Bu Eun-seol slowly uncorked the vial as he spoke.
"If I don't hear the answer I want when I remove this gag... then the Blood Whisker Poison in this vial will find its way down your throat."
"Ugh... Ugh!"
Tang Pung-ho trembled violently when his eyes met Bu Eun-seol's, frozen in icy stillness.
"Heuk-pyo. Remove the gag."
"Yes."
The moment Heuk-pyo pulled the gag from Tang Pung-ho's mouth, the man blurted out,
"Tang Bi! It was the Second Young Master, Tang Bi!"
"I see."
Bu Eun-seol nodded indifferently, as if he had expected this. Blood Whisker Poison was an extreme poison that only a direct descendant of the Tang Clan could obtain.
Just then, Heuk-pyo asked, sounding genuinely confused,
"Why on earth would the Second Young Master target you, Young Master?"
"Because Tang Gon isn't here."
Tang Gon had entered the Secret Cave yesterday and wouldn't emerge for another four days.
Meaning, these four days were the perfect opportunity for Tang Bi to kill Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo.
"But even so, attempting an assassination within the Tang Clan's grounds...? If word of this got out, wouldn't the murim mock the Sichuan Tang Clan for their lax security?"
Bu Eun-seol shook his head at Heuk-pyo's words.
"We're outsiders. Even if we die, no one would mourn us... and..."
He smiled faintly as he looked at the terrified Tang Pung-ho.
"The dead don't speak."
Tang Pung-ho didn't dare meet Bu Eun-seol's gaze, his head hanging low.
"Even if it's discovered that we died from the Tang Clan's poison, the blame will fall on Tang Gon. We're his guests, and this is only the outer courtyard."
Shiver.
Tang Pung-ho trembled slightly again at Bu Eun-seol's words and actions, which seemed to see through everything.
"I... I..."
Then, in a quivering voice, Tang Pung-ho looked up at Bu Eun-seol.
"May I... go?"
"Fine."
Bu Eun-seol nodded and extended a finger, lightly releasing the pressure on Tang Pung-ho's Demon Blood Point.
"Leave the Tang Clan by this road."
"Huh?"
"Do not return for a month. If I find you within the Tang Clan's grounds before then... I will sever your head without fail."
Tang Pung-ho, deep in thought, seemed to realize something and bowed his head to Bu Eun-seol.
"I am truly grateful for your mercy."
Then he sprang to his feet and fled the guest quarters like the wind.
"You spared him on purpose, didn't you, Young Master?"
Heuk-pyo watched the scene unfold with satisfaction.
"If you had let him go just like that, the Second Young Master—no, that cruel Tang Bi—would have surely killed him to silence him."
Heuk-pyo grinned.
"But in a month, everything will be over... No matter who becomes the successor, that man will survive."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"You know one thing but not the other."
"Huh?"
"Tang Bi wants him dead. Killing someone with the Tang surname within the clan's grounds would be tantamount to challenging the Sichuan Tang Clan itself."
"Even if it was self-defense against a poisoner?"
"He'll find an excuse, no matter what."
Bu Eun-seol paused briefly before continuing.
"More importantly, I spared him for another reason."
"What is it?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Uncharacteristically, Bu Eun-seol flashed a bright smile.
Seeing that smile sent a chill down Heuk-pyo's spine.
Now it was certain—Tang Bi would either die by Bu Eun-seol's hand or hover at death's door.
The next day. Inner Court, Water Cloud Pavilion office.
Tang Bi, who had been standing by the window with his lips tightly clenched, finally turned and shouted at Tang Sa-un, who stood at attention.
"Why hasn't there been any news from that bastard who took the Blood Whisker Poison and left at dusk? Why is that Bu bastard still unharmed?"
Tang Sa-un bowed his head.
"I don't understand it either."
If the mission had succeeded, Bu Eun-seol would be dead. If it had failed, Tang Pung-ho should be dead. No—he had to be dead.
But Bu Eun-seol was still alive, and Tang Pung-ho had vanished. Tang Sa-un couldn't make sense of the situation.
"Perhaps..."
After a moment of careful thought, Tang Sa-un spoke cautiously.
"Bu Eun-seol. Could he have seen through our plan and sent Tang Pung-ho outside the main estate?"
"Does that make any sense?"
"Bu Eun-seol might have spared Tang Pung-ho and told him to return in a month."
Tang Bi exploded.
"How the hell would he send out a Master of our main family, with all his limbs intact?"
"That's..."
Tang Sa-un opened his mouth but then closed it again.
—Second Young Master. Given your violent temperament, he might have accepted the offer. Because in a month, the successor will be decided.
He couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
"Summon the Yeongpung Cave Master. And entrust him with dealing with that bastard again."
"The Yeongpung Cave Master?"
The Yeongpung Cave Master was one of the strongest fighters under Tang Bi's faction, a powerhouse who had surpassed even the Peak Realm.
But he was old and prideful—hardly the type to stoop to assassinating a young man like Bu Eun-seol.
"Most likely, the Yeongpung Cave Master will refuse this task. He's past fifty and has too much pride to—"
"Just tell him it's my order!"
Tang Bi gritted his teeth, a cruel smile twisting his lips.
"No matter how skilled Bu Eun-seol is, he can't have surpassed the Peak Realm. The Yeongpung Cave Master will be more than enough to handle him."
Yeongpung Cave Master Tang Sa-heon.
He was a Master from the Tang Clan's collateral line, fifty-three years old this year, and had mastered the Myriad Threads Poison Sword and Lightning Swift Sword—considered the finest among the branch martial arts—to the Great Origin Realm.
'This really doesn't sit well with me.'
Clad in dark robes, he stood atop the roof of Clear Radiance Cottage and sighed inwardly.
Having reached his fifties and transcended the Peak Realm, he was a man of immense pride, poised to take the position of Head of the Inner Court.
And now he was being ordered to assassinate some young man barely past twenty?
'Well, the Second Young Master is the future Family Head.'
He had already sworn loyalty to Tang Bi. Anyone who stood in the way of Tang Bi's ascension had to be eliminated.
'Let's see.'
Carefully descending to the ground, he surveyed the area near the detached residence of Clear Radiance Cottage.
'A heaven-sent opportunity.'
Inside the garden's bedroom, a man in plain gray martial robes sat upright, practicing Inner Training.
No matter how skilled a Master was, they were defenseless during Inner Training. With all their Mental Power focused inward, their reactions would be delayed no matter their precautions.
'Is that child the only Protector here?'
Near a table, Heuk-pyo was crouched against the wall, reading a book.
Since Clear Radiance Cottage had no outer guards aside from attendants, subduing these two would be enough to end everything.
'Haa...'
Taking a silent deep breath, he began to stealthily scatter Qi-Scattering Powder into the garden.
His technique was so deft and covert that even a perceptive Master would struggle to notice.
'Now!'
Just as the moonlight in the distant sky was obscured, Tang Sa-heon prepared to unleash his Movement Technique—
"Just as expected."
Heuk-pyo, who had been reading, let out a sigh.
"Young Master was right. They came again."
'That brat detected my presence?'
Heuk-pyo looked no older than fourteen or fifteen.
How could someone so young have noticed the stealth of a Master who had surpassed the Peak Realm?
"Heuk-pyo has trained in a Movement Technique that includes concealment. That's why he's extremely sensitive to Presence and the Sound of Breaking Air."
As if answering his unspoken question, Bu Eun-seol slowly rose from his seat.
"This time, you're at least somewhat convincing."
Bu Eun-seol gazed into the darkness where Tang Sa-heon was hiding and let out a soft chuckle.
"Besides Tang Gon, does the Tang Clan have any other swordsmen?"
'So I've been discovered.'
With no other choice, Tang Sa-heon boldly pushed open the gate to the Separate Garden and stepped inside.
"Are you Bu Eun-seol?"
As Tang Sa-heon unleashed his killing intent, Bu Eun-seol nodded with an expression of immense delight.
"Since this is a rare occasion, let's skip the pleasantries."
"Skip them?"
"Please don't disappoint me."
An intense energy surged from Bu Eun-seol's body as he drew Ink Sword—a mountainous pressure so overwhelming that even Tang Sa-heon, who had just stepped into the threshold of the Transcendence Realm, struggled to withstand it.
'His internal energy is formidable. Did he consume some spirit medicine or something?'
"What are you spacing out for?"
Before he knew it, Bu Eun-seol had already circled behind Tang Sa-heon, Ink Sword poised at his throat.
'Ghk!'
Screaming inwardly, Tang Sa-heon twisted his body at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the slash.
"Hahk... Hahk..."
Just dodging that single strike had already drenched his forehead in sweat. The blade had missed him by a hair's breadth.
"Not bad. You're quick on your feet."
Bu Eun-seol bared his white teeth in a grin as he raised his sword.
"But I'm a little disappointed."
"Disappointed? Don't you dare mock me!"
Enraged by Bu Eun-seol's attitude, Tang Sa-heon unleashed his full combat power, brandishing his sword technique with everything he had.
Lightning Flash Quick Sword.
The finest Quick Sword Form of the Tang Clan's Sword Studies erupted from his fingertips, leaving cross-shaped afterimages as he unleashed an unrelenting barrage.
"Hmm."
But Bu Eun-seol had already retreated to the left.
"Stop running away!"
Furious that his Lightning Flash Quick Sword was being effortlessly dodged, Tang Sa-heon shouted in frustration.
"If you're a real man, face me head-on!"
At that, Bu Eun-seol abruptly halted his movements, folding his arms as he regarded Tang Sa-heon.
"You think you can win if I face you head-on?"
"You don't seem to realize my martial arts have surpassed the Peak Realm."
"Peak Realm?"
Bu Eun-seol actually chuckled at his words.
"Realms are just boundaries to measure one's martial studies. You can't divide life-and-death slaughter into neat little tiers of martial prowess."
"All bark and no bite. Then face me properly for once!"
"I refuse."
"What did you say?"
A faint smile lingered on Bu Eun-seol's lips.
"Your swordplay is so pathetic it's killing my mood."
Tang Sa-heon had always been revered as a Master of the Tang Clan, respected by younger generations. But Bu Eun-seol's relentless mockery finally shattered his composure, and he recklessly unleashed the Lightning Flash Quick Sword again.
"You insolent brat!"
The Lightning Flash Quick Sword consisted of seventy-two forms.
Yet, since each stance contained the essence of lightning-fast slashes, unleashing all seventy-two did not take much time.
And until now, Tang Sa-heon had never needed to use all seventy-two forms in battle—victory was always decided before then.
'Y-you bastard!'
But now, Tang Sa-heon had already cycled through the entire sequence twice in rapid succession.
The problem? He still hadn't so much as grazed the hem of Bu Eun-seol's robes.
'What a naive man.'
A smirk played at the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips as he folded his arms, effortlessly evading with Ultimate Speed Shadowless.
Truthfully, he knew Tang Sa-heon was a formidable Master—which was precisely why he had deliberately provoked him. And just as expected, the man had lost his temper like a child.
"Stop scurrying around like a rat and fight me!"
His pride deeply wounded, Tang Sa-heon bellowed in fury.
"Did you train in swordplay, or just in running away like a rat?"
At that moment—
Whoosh!
Bu Eun-seol's face abruptly appeared right in front of him as he swung his sword.
"You'll regret this."
"Ghk—!"
The movement was so fast that Tang Sa-heon let out a strangled cry, scrambling to counterattack.
But Bu Eun-seol's fist was faster.
THUD!
A sound like a leather sack bursting echoed as Tang Sa-heon was sent flying, crashing into the far wall with a brutal impact to his solar plexus.
"Urgh—!"
Clutching his stomach, Tang Sa-heon vomited blood.
A single casual punch from Bu Eun-seol had inflicted severe internal injuries.
"How... how is this possible...?"
Getting punched in the gut mid-battle was something that only happened in fights between third-rate martial artists.
Tang Sa-heon was a peerless Master who had surpassed the Peak Realm and stood at the threshold of the Transcendence Realm.
Yet here he was, doubled over in pain from a single punch.