The Poison Strikes
“So this is where you bastards were making a ruckus.”
Tang Cheonwi sipped tea in tiny mouthfuls from a cup that had appeared from who knew where.
“Dreaming big when you can’t even sense my presence.”
A moment later, a figure dropped down beside him.
“I’ve been looking for you for quite a while, you know.”
It was Tang Ildo.
“You’re here. Want some?”
Tang Cheonwi held out the teacup.
“Where did you get this?”
“Cheongang Clan.”
“Did the Young Master steal it? How undignified.”
“Then don’t drink it.”
“I never said I wouldn’t.”
Tang Ildo took the cup and downed it in one gulp.
“Ugh!”
“So it’s not just me who thinks it tastes terrible?”
“Ptooey! Why steal something that tastes this bad?”
“They say if you keep drinking it, you eventually understand the flavor. So I’m still trying.”
“It doesn’t suit you at all, Young Master. Alcohol, maybe—but not tea.”
“Right?”
Tang Cheonwi grinned brightly and pulled out a bottle of liquor he had hidden away.
“That’s why I stole this too.”
Tang Ildo wore the exact same bright expression as he spoke.
“If you drink that, I’m reporting you straight to the Second Young Master.”
Tang Cheonwi’s bright smile crumpled.
“You disloyal little bastard.”
He set the bottle back down.
When he kept licking his lips and staring at the liquor, Tang Ildo added a remark.
“Alcohol is bad for the body. If you want to live long, you should stay far away from it.”
“A guy who’s going to die before me sure talks a lot.”
“Pardon?”
If you counted only the years he had actually lived, Tang Cheonwi had outlived him by a year or two. When Cheonwi had turned twenty… the boy had died on a mission. Twenty-five years old. He had become a permanent guest of the underworld in the flower of his youth.
Ignorant of that fact, of course…
The boy couldn’t understand what he meant.
“Young Master, you sometimes say the most random things.”
His eyes clearly wanted a proper answer. But Cheonwi had no intention of explaining easily.
“Forget it. What about the medicine storehouse and the stables?”
When he changed the subject, Tang Ildo gave up and reported.
“The medicine storehouse is packed with trauma medicine and internal injury remedies. The stables are the same.”
“Looks like preparation for a fight, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. I don’t think they stocked up to fight nearby mid-sized sects or the Demonic Cult.”
Of course not. Every last bit of it had been prepared to fight the Tang Clan.
“You hear the noise from below?”
“They’re itching to kill you, Young Master.”
“You’re probably on that list too.”
“Why me?”
“You threatened the Cheongang Clan.”
“When did I ever?”
“Didn’t you cut their face by imitating sword force?”
“I know nothing about that.”
Tang Ildo’s shamelessness drew a laugh from him.
“They’re going to pin it on me and use that as an excuse to slip out from under the Tang Clan’s grip.”
“Aren’t they already receiving more than enough treatment from the Tang Clan?”
“Human greed has no end.”
“The Cheongang Clan alone can’t manage it. Even if they join forces with Cheongpung and Danjuk, the result is the same.”
No matter how much the Cheongang Clan’s power had grown, they could never handle the Sichuan Tang Clan. The current Tang Clan was stronger than every family in the Five Great Clans put together.
“And if someone is backing them?”
“There’s a mastermind behind this!?”
Tang Ildo was startled. His voice came out quite loud.
“They’re going to hear you down there.”
“I already know you put up a qi barrier the moment I arrived.”
“You’re surprisingly sharp.”
“Heh. There’s a reason I made it into the Black Scale Guard… wait, that’s not important right now. Young Master, do you know who the backer is?”
“Me? Of course I know.”
“Who is it? Don’t tell me it’s the Lord of Yuhongak?”
When Tang Cheonwi’s lips curved upward, Tang Ildo’s face twisted.
“So it is… Shall we wipe them out right now?”
Shrring—
Tang Ildo drew his sword from its scabbard. He looked ready to slaughter everyone below at any second.
Cheonwi stopped him.
“We can’t just kill them simply.”
For a moment, Tang Ildo felt a chill. Murderous intent cold enough to freeze the spine was pouring from Tang Cheonwi’s body.
“I’m going to strip Cheongang, Cheongpung, and Danjuk clean. I can’t kill them until I’ve taken everything they have.”
Tang Ildo found himself nodding without meaning to.
With the Young Master’s personality, that makes sense. But how?
Linking them through the state of the stables, medicine storehouse, or armory was impossible. They could always claim they had simply stocked up in preparation to fight the Demonic Cult or the Evil Alliance’s Red Cloud League. The justification would be too thin.
There are people from other mid-sized sects here too.
Forcibly crushing them with raw power would leave too many eyes watching. The Martial Alliance already looked poorly on the Tang Clan’s high-handedness. If they crushed Cheongang by force, the Martial Alliance would likely intervene.
Just how did the Young Master plan to bring the Cheongang Clan to its knees?
While his mind was racing, the Young Master’s voice reached him.
“The poison should already have settled in. The reaction will start soon.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow.”
The poison thunder he had planted when he touched Ham Eongye’s shoulder. The moment that poison thunder activated, the trap those bastards had laid would be exposed.
That would be the beginning.
The beginning of the Cheongang Clan’s downfall.
The day after the junior disciples’ martial contest ended.
People were gathering one by one in the banquet hall.
“I heard there was quite an incident yesterday.”
“My child told me the same. The Dark Dragon and the Tyrant won their matches, didn’t they?”
“They say it was overwhelming.”
Everyone entering the banquet hall was talking about yesterday’s events.
“The Dark Dragon is one of the top junior talents, so that much is expected. But the Tyrant’s martial prowess was a complete surprise.”
“I doubted my own ears when I heard it.”
“Wasn’t he rumored to be third-class?”
“That’s what I heard as well.”
“When they said he beat Cheongunbi, I thought I’d misheard.”
Every conversation was about Tang Cheonwi. He had become the talk of the gathering.
“But did you hear how he won?”
Only those who had participated in the contest knew the details. The rumors had come from their mouths. That was why the ears of everyone who had only heard the gossip perked up.
“Was it the Phantom Poison Sword Dance that only direct bloodline members of the Tang Clan learn? Or did he use Soul-Chasing Swallow-Tail Darts to scare Young Master Gang Unso out of his wits?”
Those listening waited with high expectations, faces eager to learn just what kind of martial arts the Tyrant possessed.
“They say he didn’t use any particular martial arts.”
“What?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He didn’t use martial arts?”
The listeners could scarcely understand. The Lord of Nakpung Sect, who had heard it from his son who witnessed the match firsthand, spoke again.
“From what I heard, he didn’t use martial arts at all—he simply beat him with his bare hands and feet.”
“Nonsense!”
“How is that possible? Young Hero Gang Unso is at the first-class realm, is he not?”
“He must have used some kind of sorcery.”
They dismissed it as absurd. How could anyone subdue a first-class martial artist without using martial arts? It was difficult unless one was a Peak master.
“The children simply failed to recognize the sorcery.”
“There’s sense in that.”
“Hah, what a thing to happen.”
“If it’s the Tyrant of the Sichuan Tang Clan, it’s entirely plausible.”
The atmosphere flipped in an instant. Praise for Tang Cheonwi turned into curses.
“Tsk tsk. Why did someone like that have to be born into the Tang Clan?”
“They say even the Tang Clan finds him a headache because of it.”
At their reaction, the Lord of Nakpung Sect smiled faintly. Then he glanced toward Gang Unso, who was standing off to one side. The two exchanged looks.
I will surely repay this favor, Lord of Nakpung Sect.
Between people who share the same boat, talk of favors is nonsense. Ahem.
Have you already taken the antidote?
I took every last bit.
I hope you enjoy the festival that is about to begin.
I truly look forward to it.
The Lord of Nakpung Sect returned to his seat. Just then, the uncle and niece of the Jegal Clan made their appearance. Gang Unso greeted Jegal Gyeong, Jegal Rin’s uncle.
“Was your lodging comfortable? We prepared as best we could—was anything lacking?”
“I slept well, thanks to you.”
“I’m glad. I fretted that something might have inconvenienced you.”
“Are you all right?”
“Pardon?”
“Your face looks fine enough… but your body seems in terrible shape. I heard you took a beating from the Tang Clan’s Young Master.”
“Haha, it’s nothing. It was my own mistake—I looked down on Young Master Tang.”
Gang Unso forced a smile and emphasized that it had been his error. But it did not work on Jegal Gyeong. He had known from the beginning that Gang Unso was no match for Tang Cheonwi.
“Even if you hadn’t made a mistake, you would have had a hard time beating Young Master Tang. Knowing one’s place is a skill in itself.”
With those words, Jegal Gyeong walked past him. Gang Unso’s face twisted hard. His pride had been crushed once more in front of Jegal Rin.
And then—
“Oh? It’s Oppa Cheonwi.”
When Jegal Rin spotted Tang Cheonwi, she waved with a radiant face.
Gang Unso felt the last thread of his reason about to snap.
I’m going to kill that bastard today for certain!
He clenched his teeth and endured, staring at Tang Cheonwi as he swore revenge.
The final banquet of the Sichuan Regional Gathering began.
Seated in the place of honor was a middle-aged man. He was Cheongmyeongsu Gang Goui, lord of the Cheongang Clan. He raised his cup and spoke.
“It is fortunate that the Sichuan Regional Gathering has concluded without incident.”
A bald middle-aged man answered heartily.
“Let’s loosen our hearts one last time!”
He was the lord of the Danjuk Clan, one of the representative families of Sichuan—Yeomjukjinin Dan Seung. He drained his wine in a single gulp.
Beside him, a middle-aged woman rose.
“Hohoho, so the prize for this occasion should go to the Tang Clan’s Young Master, shouldn’t it?”
Yu Miryeong, lord of the Cheongpung Clan near Mount Cheongseong, pointed at Tang Cheonwi. Dan Seung spoke with visible regret.
“With the Tang Clan participating, we lose the prize.”
“No wonder they’re called the greatest clan under heaven.”
“We still have a long way to go before we can catch up to the Tang Clan.”
Then Gang Goui, lord of the Cheongang Clan, opened his mouth.
“Young Master Tang, would you demonstrate a little of yesterday’s skill for us?”
The Tang Clan’s Young Master held a status equal to the sect leaders of great sects. The Cheongang Clan was only a mid-tier sect in Sichuan—one that had grown powerful precisely because of the Tang Clan. And yet its lord was speaking down to Tang Cheonwi?
It was a clear act of disrespect.
Tang Cheonwi curled the corner of his mouth and muttered.
“If I do that, everyone here dies. You fine with that?”
Hwancheonjihwan shook its head and stopped him.
No Tyrant Blood Poison Qi. You really might kill them all.
The strength and the weakness of Tyrant Blood Poison Qi: the poison qi was viciously potent. Why was that a weakness? Because if he failed to control it, disaster could unfold. More than a few of the Tang Clan’s bloodline had reduced their surroundings to ruin while learning Tyrant Blood Poison Qi. That was how fiercely powerful that internal energy was.
Whether Gang Goui heard the muttering or not, he laughed loudly.
“Hahaha! As expected of Tang blood—your confidence pierces the heavens. That only makes me want to see the Tang Clan’s power even more. Don’t you all agree?”
He solicited agreement from the others. Those around him reacted exactly as he intended.
“I, too, wish to see the power of the Tang Clan’s eldest son.”
“I will consider it an honor and watch carefully.”
“I was disappointed I missed the contest, so I’m glad for this chance to witness the Tyrant’s strength.”
The people present each added a word. Tang Cheonwi looked around at them and muttered once more.
“They used their heads. They figure with so many eyes watching, I won’t be able to act freely. Heh.”
A laugh escaped him of its own accord. Right now he was waiting for a single signal.
“He should be collapsing any moment now.”
He shifted his gaze to Ham Eongye, commander of Cheongryu Yeong. Ham Eongye was glaring back at him. Because of Tang Ildo he did not openly show murderous intent, but his eyes said he would one day repay the humiliation without fail.
Gang Unso was no different.
“Too bad. You’ll never get the chance to take revenge on me.”
Perhaps he took the smile as mockery—Gang Unso could no longer hide his expression. It was the face of a man who wanted nothing more than to kill him.
“Because of you, the Cheongang Clan is going to have to hand over something very large to me.”
The instant those words ended—
“Ghk!”
Ham Eongye clutched his throat and collapsed.