Tang Gon gave a wry smile inwardly.
These old foxes. The moment I mastered the family’s secret technique, they come crawling. Tang Pyo was one of the neutral elders who had never supported either Tang Ryeong or Tang Bi. Yet, upon hearing that Tang Gon had received the Pear Blossom Leaf from Tang Pae and entered the secret vault, he sought him out.
“With less than a month left?” Tang Gon asked.
Tang Pyo smiled calmly. “What do dates matter? The patriarch will decide anyway.”
“But your sudden support catches me off guard.”
“Personal skill is important, but to hold the lesser patriarch position, you need a faction’s backing. Without it, even if the patriarch chooses you, keeping the seat will be tough,” Tang Pyo said, sipping his tea before continuing. “That’s why your brothers are so desperate to build their forces.”
“I understand,” Tang Gon replied.
Even if Tang Pae wanted to choose Tang Gon, it would be impossible without a solid faction. To become the next patriarch, one needed the support of at least a third of the family’s bloodline.
“I’m here because the kin of the One Star Hall and the Healing God Hall have agreed to back you. This should be enough for you to claim the lesser patriarch position,” Tang Pyo said.
“And what do you want in return?” Tang Gon asked bluntly.
Tang Pyo nodded, pleased. “You’ve really changed. You were always polite and kind.” He sipped his tea again and nodded. “But that wasn’t the demeanor of a lesser patriarch. Now, you seem ready.”
As Tang Gon stared at him, Tang Pyo spoke in a low voice. “The condition is simple: prove you’re as capable as Tang Ryeong and Tang Bi.”
Glancing subtly at Bu Eunseol and Black Leopard, he continued, “Deal with Blood Poison Valley, which has been stirring trouble for the family lately. That will settle everything.”
“Blood Poison Valley?” Tang Gon’s face darkened.
An unreasonable demand.
Blood Poison Valley was once a minor evil faction nestled in Guangzhong Mountain. But over the past decade, it had grown rapidly, even cultivating poison-resistant warriors unafraid of the Tang Family’s toxins and hidden weapons.
Tang Gon’s current forces consisted only of Bu Eunseol and Black Leopard—far too few to handle Blood Poison Valley.
“That’s…” Tang Gon began to shake his head, but Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Accept it.”
“What? Blood Poison Valley is…”
“I have a plan,” Bu Eunseol said, his confident gaze and expression filling Tang Gon with assurance.
An inexplicable belief had formed that with Bu Eunseol, even the impossible could become possible.
“Alright, I’ll do it,” Tang Gon said.
“Good,” Tang Pyo replied, nodding. “You might think my demand is excessive, but I truly want to support you.”
He spoke calmly. “You’ve had no faction until now. If you can’t handle something like Blood Poison Valley, winning the Inner Court kin’s support will be impossible.”
His words made sense. With less than a month until the lesser patriarch was chosen, without a bold achievement, few would back Tang Gon, who had long been a loner.
“Don’t worry,” Tang Gon said, standing and clasping his hands calmly. “I’ll handle Blood Poison Valley. But you must keep your promise, Master Pyo.”
“Of course. If I were making empty promises, I wouldn’t be here,” Tang Pyo said, rising with a gentle smile. “Then, I wish you luck.”
As Tang Pyo left, Tang Gon, who had been tense, sighed and sat down. “Old foxes never miss a chance.”
“Old ginger stings the most,” Bu Eunseol quipped.
Tang Gon sighed again. “I trust you, but isn’t this a bit much?”
“Not at all,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Blood Poison Valley isn’t some local dojo—it controls the entire Heuksu region. You think the three of us can take it down?”
“You have troops,” Bu Eunseol said calmly.
“Troops? Ones I don’t know about?”
“Didn’t Tang Ryeong once offer you men from the Poison Battle Clan and the Eight Dagger Clan?”
Tang Gon looked incredulous. “You believed that? Besides, things are different now.” Back then, Tang Ryeong had offered troops to use Tang Gon to check Tang Bi.
But would he help Tang Gon now, a legitimate candidate for lesser patriarch? Tang Gon doubted it.
“Even if he’s a good man, he won’t help me this time,” Tang Gon said.
“No, he will,” Bu Eunseol said confidently.
“Why?”
“He takes pride in being the family’s eldest. If only to save face, he’ll give you some men.”
***
“Only the Poison Battle Clan?” Tang Gon asked, barely containing his disappointment in Tang Ryeong’s study at Seohwa Pavilion.
Tang Ryeong smiled and nodded. “Sorry. Even with my orders, the hall masters refused…”
Initially, Tang Ryeong had promised both the Poison Battle Clan and the Eight Dagger Clan. Now, he offered only the Poison Battle Clan—and not even its seasoned members, but freshly trained recruits.
Freshly trained recruits? Tang Gon nearly laughed at the absurdity. Throwing inexperienced fighters into a fierce battle was impossible. There was another issue: heavy casualties among these young recruits would highlight the failure.
“Need more men?” Tang Ryeong asked, feigning ignorance despite rumors of Tang Gon’s mission to Blood Poison Valley spreading through the family.
Tang Gon no longer fell for Tang Ryeong’s kind facade.
“Not at all,” he said, smiling and shaking his head. “Thanks to you, I have the support of the Poison Battle Clan’s young recruits. I’m truly grateful.”
“Your gratitude means a lot,” Tang Ryeong said, patting Tang Gon’s shoulder apologetically. “I’ll have the Poison Battle Clan recruits sent to Cheongyang Pavilion immediately.”
“Thank you, Eldest Brother,” Tang Gon said, clasping his hands and bowing.
As he left with a calm expression, Tang Ryeong’s smile slowly hardened.
“I made a reckless promise,” he muttered, his gentle smile replaced by a venomous expression, like a snake shedding its skin. “Who knew Father would change his mind so suddenly?”
Returning from the vault, Tang Gon’s demeanor and character had transformed. Normally, he couldn’t hide his emotions, but now he concealed his thoughts like a cunning serpent.
“I shouldn’t have given him the Poison Battle Clan,” Tang Seorin, standing nearby, said softly. “Even freshly trained, those recruits are each worth a hundred men.”
“Haha, training and real combat are different,” Tang Ryeong said leisurely, his cold gaze softening back into a warm smile. “Young recruits are all bravado. Without real experience, they’ll just be a burden.”
“Will they?”
“Of course. Tang Gon will fail, and those young recruits will be sacrificed,” Tang Ryeong said, though his expression lacked ease.
Seeing Tang Gon’s changed aura and guarded demeanor, he felt him closing in on his position.
To feel uneasy about the third brother, who never caught my eye before? Shaking his head, Tang Ryeong forced a smile. No, it’s just paranoia. He’s bound to fail.
Even with the family’s secret technique boosting his martial arts, Blood Poison Valley was a formidable faction with its own power. With such a small force, Tang Gon couldn’t even scratch them.
That man…
Then Tang Ryeong realized another looming threat: Bu Eunseol, the enigmatic figure.
***
Whoosh.
Young men in black martial attire moved with wind-like speed. Each carried a short sword on their back and a deerhide pouch of hidden weapons at their waist—the newly trained recruits of the Poison Battle Clan, entering their first real battle.
Hm. Watching their movement from the rear, Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes. Better than expected.
As expected from a family renowned for hidden weapons, the recruits’ techniques were swift and disciplined for fresh trainees. In normal circumstances, Bu Eunseol might have offered praise.
But in real combat, it’ll be tough.
In group battles, experience was key. Throwing them into combat unprepared would lead to chaos and senseless deaths.
Halt. Reaching Guangzhong Mountain, home of Blood Poison Valley, Tang Gon raised his hand.
The Poison Battle Clan recruits stopped and crouched low.
“That’s Blood Poison Valley,” Tang Gon said.
The recruits looked down into the valley. Most factions named “Valley” used geographic advantages to fortify their bases like fortresses. But Blood Poison Valley had no need—its members were poison-resistant, unafraid of surprise attacks.
“From now on…” Tang Gon began, then sighed.
The recruits were visibly tense, their bodies stiff before battle.
They’ll be annihilated like this.
Bu Eunseol stepped forward. “I have a good strategy.”
“A strategy?”
Addressing the recruits, he said, “You lack combat experience, but I saw your movement earlier—quite impressive.”
Masters of hidden weapons needed quick hands and feet. As a renowned house of hidden weapons, the Tang Family excelled in both weaponry and movement techniques.
“Order them to follow Black Leopard and infiltrate Blood Poison Valley stealthily,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Infiltrate? Then what?” Tang Gon asked.
“Have them set fires in key buildings.”
“Fires?”
“Yes. They don’t need to burn everything—just draw attention. No need to engage, just hinder those trying to put out the fires.”
Tang Gon shook his head. “We’re not bandits. Blood Poison Valley may be an evil faction, but burning them down isn’t right.”
“It’s about distraction, not actual arson,” Bu Eunseol said calmly. “Blood Poison Valley specializes in poisons and hidden weapons, like your family. There’s only one thing they’d protect.”
Tang Gon’s eyes lit up. “A place like our Ten Thousand Poison Vault.”
For factions using poisons, the most critical asset was their poison repository.
The Tang Family’s vault stored countless extreme poisons crafted with secret techniques, as well as rare creatures like the White Crane Spirit Snake and the Ten Thousand Poison Golden Turtle, unobtainable even for vast sums.
Blood Poison Valley surely had a similar repository.
“Such a place is guarded by high-ranking members. Start a fire, and they’ll rush there,” Bu Eunseol said.
“I see,” Tang Gon nodded, understanding.
A feint operation.
Bu Eunseol planned to create a diversion with fires, drawing attention and forces, then swiftly eliminate the leadership.
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