The Poison Spirit Dissolving Technique was not a poison-based martial art but one that absorbed all the extreme poisons of the Tang Family, directly countering the Five Poison Silk Transformation Technique mastered by Tang Bi.
Tang Bi’s eyes blazed with fury as Tang Gon casually tossed out a jest.
“You bastard…”
“Noisy. If you’re done, let’s go,” Bu Eunseol said, pointing at Tang Bi while scratching his ear. “All that shouting is hurting my ears.”
“You, you…!”
“Sorry, Second Brother’s voice is just naturally loud,” Tang Gon said, ignoring Tang Bi and giving Bu Eunseol a bright smile. He then clasped his hands toward Tang Ryeong and Gam Gok. “I’ll take my leave.”
“Tang Gon! Have you finally lost your mind?!” Tang Bi roared, reaching for the hidden weapon pouch at his waist. “You’d better be ready!”
“Second Brother—no, Brother,” Tang Gon said, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint. “I’m entering the secret vault on the patriarch’s orders. Do you understand?”
“What? Understand? Who do you think you’re talking to…?”
“If you say one more word, I won’t go to the vault. I’ll go straight to the patriarch and report that you’re obstructing his solemn command.”
“Ha, haha!” Tang Bi, momentarily stunned, burst into mocking laughter. “All that tough talk just to say you’ll tattle to Father? You pathetic…”
“Brother, Master Gam, I’ll be going,” Tang Gon said, cleanly ignoring Tang Bi’s taunts and clasping his hands toward Tang Ryeong and Gam Gok.
He then walked off shoulder-to-shoulder with Bu Eunseol.
“I’ll be back in four days. Let’s get drunk enough to stagger when I return,” Tang Gon said.
“Sounds good,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Haha! I’ll have to empty the entire stock of Southern Spring Vintage Wine brewed with the family’s secret recipe at Cheongyang Pavilion,” Tang Gon laughed heartily as he and Bu Eunseol left.
Tang Bi trembled with rage, watching them go. “That… damned bastard, how dare he!” Then, a wicked smile suddenly crept across his face as he nodded. “Heh heh heh. Fine, let’s see how this plays out.”
Without looking back, he stormed off in the opposite direction. As Tang Bi disappeared, the tense atmosphere dissipated.
Gam Gok, standing beside Tang Ryeong, chuckled as he watched Tang Gon leave. “Haha, the third young master has changed a lot after facing the storms of the martial world.”
In the past, Tang Gon was known to all as a kind and refined gentleman. To think he’d ignore someone as volatile as Tang Bi? It was unimaginable for the old Tang Gon.
“Indeed,” Tang Ryeong said, nodding with narrowed eyes. “He’s completely transformed.”
Watching Tang Gon’s retreating figure, Tang Ryeong let out a deep sigh. He had hoped Tang Gon would only grow strong enough to check Tang Bi, but now he’d become a dragon from a serpent, threatening even Tang Ryeong’s position.
It’s because of that man.
Tang Ryeong’s eyes blazed as he stared at Bu Eunseol’s back.
***
Under the bright full moon at the dead of night, Tang Ryeong stood by the window, admiring the moonlight weaving through the dark sky.
Beside him was a woman in rough martial attire, her hair tied up—Tang Seorin, the leader of his personal guard, the Poison Wind Squad.
“It’s time to make a choice,” Tang Ryeong said, taking a sip of tea from the table.
Born with asthma and later developing a chronic cough, he was physically frail, a fatal limitation for a martial artist who needed robust stamina and endurance. But his weakness was offset by exceptional intelligence. From a young age, he preferred reading over martial training.
At ten, a scholar from the Munyeon Pavilion praised his academic prowess, making Tang Ryeong the first young master of the Sichuan Tang Family to gain fame for scholarship rather than martial arts.
“Should I drink with the second, or with that man, Bu Eunseol?” Tang Ryeong murmured.
Tang Seorin, standing respectfully behind him, cautiously replied, “Shouldn’t you share a drink with the second young master?”
“Why?”
“The second young master already despises Bu Eunseol. If you meet him and prod him just right, they’ll destroy each other.”
“A scheme to kill with a borrowed knife? Haha, not a bad idea,” Tang Ryeong said, swallowing his tea with a faint smile. “But there’s a better plan than using someone else’s blade to kill.”
“What is it?” Tang Seorin asked.
“Stealing the enemy’s sharpest blade and making it my own,” Tang Ryeong said, his clear smile tinged with a childlike malice, pure yet impossible to judge as good or evil.
***
Step, step.
Guided by a young martial artist, Bu Eunseol approached the grand gate leading to the Tang Family’s Inner Court.
Creak.
As the red-lacquered gate slowly opened, the young martial artist gestured politely. “This way.”
Stepping through, Bu Eunseol was greeted by a scene entirely different from the Outer Court.
It’s different. His eyes gleamed as he surveyed his surroundings.
The Outer Court’s pavilions, where Bu Eunseol stayed, were grand and majestic, like famous landmarks in the capital. But the Inner Court’s buildings were ornate and luxurious, as if built for royalty.
“Up here,” the martial artist said, stopping at an open pavilion.
Ascending, Bu Eunseol found a table laden with delicacies, where a man with phoenix-like eyes sat elegantly—Tang Ryeong.
“Thank you for accepting my sudden invitation,” Tang Ryeong said, rising and clasping his hands respectfully.
Bu Eunseol gave a light bow. “No trouble.”
Since arriving at the Sichuan Tang Family, Bu Eunseol hadn’t seen the Inner Court. As a central figure in the succession struggle, Tang Ryeong’s invitation was something he couldn’t have dared ask for but secretly desired, especially since he’d resolved to help Tang Gon.
“Sit,” Tang Ryeong said.
The liquor wasn’t the famed Southern Spring Vintage Wine but a pear blossom wine brewed by the family’s master brewers. The cups weren’t ordinary but carved entirely from large pieces of jade.
Extravagant cups, Bu Eunseol thought.
Noticing his gaze, Tang Ryeong smiled softly. “The jade’s green enhances the wine’s aroma.” As Bu Eunseol sat, Tang Ryeong filled a jade cup to the brim with pear blossom wine. “Have a drink.”
Gulp, gulp.
Draining the cup in one go, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened. Having traveled the martial world, he’d tasted many fine liquors, but this century-old pear blossom wine was unparalleled.
“Haha, seeing Young Master Bu so surprised makes me glad I brought out this wine,” Tang Ryeong said, chuckling with satisfaction. “This is a century-old pear blossom wine I prepared to drink upon being confirmed as successor.”
“Century-old pear blossom wine,” Bu Eunseol echoed, setting down his cup with a faint smile. “Why share such a rare wine with me?”
“Haha, for an outstanding man like you, Young Master Bu, even a thousand-year-old wine wouldn’t be too much,” Tang Ryeong said, laughing heartily as he refilled the cup. “Come, drink. Let’s have three more cups before we talk.”
The century-old wine was as potent as its aroma.
Bu Eunseol, with his deep inner strength, was unaffected, but Tang Ryeong’s frail constitution left his face slightly flushed after a few cups.
“Young Master Bu, I hear people like you dislike beating around the bush. Is that true?” Tang Ryeong asked.
Bu Eunseol nodded calmly, and Tang Ryeong’s eyes narrowed. “Then I’ll be blunt.”
Taking a light sip, he looked directly into Bu Eunseol’s eyes. “I want to be your friend.”
Bu Eunseol’s brow furrowed involuntarily. Tang Ryeong’s offer of friendship wasn’t about camaraderie—it was a proposal to betray Tang Gon and join him.
“Our ages don’t quite match for friendship,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Haha, in the martial world, age doesn’t stop friendships. Haven’t you heard of ‘friendship beyond years’?” Tang Ryeong countered.
Bu Eunseol stared at the clear wine in the jade cup and said flatly, “I’m just a wanderer of the martial world.”
“You’re a dragon among men, rare in this era. Though I’m merely the first young master of the Tang Family, I’m not unworthy of your friendship,” Tang Ryeong replied.
“Hm.” Bu Eunseol detested vague talk.
Tang Ryeong’s indirect approach had been a courtesy to save face, but his persistence left no room for further politeness.
“I don’t befriend those who hide their true selves,” Bu Eunseol said coldly.
Despite the blunt rejection, Tang Ryeong smiled gently. “A beast always hides its claws.”
He stared into Bu Eunseol’s eyes. “Like you.”
We’re the same kind. His eyes seemed to say.
But Bu Eunseol cut him off coldly. “I refuse.”
“…” Tang Ryeong shifted his gaze from Bu Eunseol to his own cup, still wearing a kind smile.
“Do you think the third can become the lesser patriarch?” he asked after a long silence.
“Honestly, his chances are lower than Tang Bi’s.” Tang Ryeong spoke with confidence. “You’re a clever man. You must know what it means to befriend the future lesser patriarch.”
I will be the lesser patriarch, and befriending me will bring you great benefits. That’s what he meant.
“You’re mistaken,” Bu Eunseol said, a rare faint smile on his lips. “Do you think I’m friends with Tang Gon because I believe he’ll become the lesser patriarch?”
Tang Ryeong’s smile vanished as he faced Bu Eunseol’s expression.
“Fine, I’ll make another offer,” he said, his face turning serious. “Leave the family after today. If you leave quietly, I’ll reward you handsomely.”
“Reward?”
“If you want wealth, I’ll provide it. If you desire divine weapons, I’ll open the family’s great armory.” To leave the family in exchange for anything he wanted—a generous offer with no loss for Bu Eunseol. Yet his expression remained unchanged.
“You don’t believe me?” Tang Ryeong asked.
“I believe you,” Bu Eunseol replied.
As the patriarch’s eldest son with many followers, Tang Ryeong could easily access the family’s wealth or weapons.
“Then will you leave?”
“I’ll refuse,” Bu Eunseol said.
There was no reason to listen further or stay seated.
Setting down his cup, he rose slowly. “Thanks for the wine.”
He turned to leave without hesitation.
“Sigh,” Tang Ryeong let out a low, heavy breath. “I didn’t want to make an enemy of you.”
He clicked his tongue, as if lamenting a broken piece of fine porcelain.
“In a month, Father will choose the lesser patriarch,” he said as Bu Eunseol paused mid-step. “But Tang Bi isn’t one to wait quietly. Do you understand?”
“Haha,” Bu Eunseol turned, baring his white teeth in a rare, bright smile. “That sounds interesting.”
He descended the pavilion slowly.
Crunch.
As Bu Eunseol disappeared, the jade cup in Tang Ryeong’s hand shattered.
“What confidence,” he said, his eyes sharpening like a blade as he stared at the crushed jade. “But this family isn’t a place a wanderer like you can handle.”
Muttering softly, his eyes gleamed with a chilling killing intent never seen before.
“Bu Eunseol, you’ll die here in the end.”
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