Chapter 98

Tang Gon inwardly wore a bitter smile.

‘Old men. They come flocking the moment I learn a Tang Clan Secret Art.’

Tang Pyo was one of the moderates who had supported neither Tang Ryeong nor Tang Bi. Yet, upon hearing rumors that Tang Gon had received a Pear Blossom Tree Leaf from Tang Pae and entered the Secret Cave, he had sought him out.

“With less than a month remaining?”

At Tang Gon’s question, Tang Pyo smiled calmly.

“What does the date matter? It is a decision for the Patriarch to make anyway.”

“Still, I am bewildered that you would suddenly lend me your strength.”

“Individual ability must be good, but the position of Young Patriarch requires a supporting faction. Without support, even if the Patriarch chooses you, it will be difficult to maintain the position.”

Taking a sip of tea, he continued.

“That is why your brothers are also desperately trying to gather power.”

“I know.”

Even if Tang Pae wanted to choose Tang Gon, it would be impossible without a firm support base. To become the next Patriarch, receiving the support of at least one-third of the Tang Clan blood relatives was a minimum requirement.

“I came here because the blood relatives of the One Star Hall and the Medicine God Hall have agreed. With this, you will lack nothing to be chosen as the Young Patriarch.”

“Surely not for nothing. Is there something you desire?”

At Tang Gon’s direct question, Tang Pyo nodded as if pleased.

“You truly have changed. You were always polite and good-natured.”

Taking a moment to sip his tea, Tang Pyo nodded.

“But that could not be seen as the bearing of a Young Patriarch. Now, however, it seems you are ready.”

As Tang Gon stared at him intently, Tang Pyo spoke in a low voice.

“The condition is simple. You must prove you are a capable individual, no less than Tang Ryeong or Tang Bi.”

Glancing slyly at Bu Eunseol and Black Leopard, he continued.

“Deal with the Blood Poison Valley, which has been irritating the main house recently. Then everything will be resolved.”

“The Blood Poison Valley… you say?”

As Tang Pyo nodded, Tang Gon’s face turned ashen.

‘An unreasonable demand.’

The Blood Poison Valley was originally nothing more than a small Unorthodox faction stuck in Mount Guangzhong. But over the past ten years, their power had suddenly increased, and recently they had even cultivated Poison Men who did not fear the Tang Clan’s poisons or hidden weapons.

Currently, Tang Gon’s entire combat force consisted only of Bu Eunseol and Black Leopard. With just them, dealing with the Blood Poison Valley was impossible.

“That is…”

Just as Tang Gon was about to shake his head, Bu Eunseol nodded.

“Accept it.”

“What are you saying? The Blood Poison Valley is…”

“I have an idea.”

Seeing the look in Bu Eunseol’s eyes and his expression, confidence surged in Tang Gon. A mysterious belief had arisen that with Bu Eunseol, even the impossible would become possible.

“Very well. I will do so.”

“Good.”

Tang Pyo nodded.

“You must think I am making an unreasonable demand. But I truly intend to support you.”

Tang Pyo spoke calmly.

“You have had absolutely no supporting faction until now. If you do not handle a matter on the scale of the Blood Poison Valley, it will be impossible to win the hearts of the Inner Court blood relatives.”

It was a valid point.

Less than a month remained until the Young Patriarch selection. Unless he handled something this unconventional, few blood relatives would trust and support Tang Gon, who had lived as a loner all this time.

“Do not worry.”

Tang Gon rose from his seat and calmly clasped his hands.

“I will certainly handle the matter of the Blood Poison Valley. In return, Uncle Pyo, you must also keep your promise.”

“Of course. If I had come to spout nonsense, I wouldn’t have come in this situation.”

Tang Pyo rose with a gentle smile.

“Then. I wish you martial fortune.”

Finally, when Tang Pyo left, Tang Gon, who had been tense throughout, sighed and sat down.

“Old men never miss an opportunity.”

“Old ginger is spicy, as they say.”

As Bu Eunseol responded, Tang Gon sighed.

“I trust you, but I wonder if this isn’t a bit too much.”

“It is not too much at all.”

“The Blood Poison Valley isn’t a neighborhood training hall… isn’t it a sect that controls the entire Heuksu region? Are you suggesting the three of us go and strike such a place?”

Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.

“You have troops, don’t you?”

“Troops? Are there troops I don’t know about?”

“Tang Ryeong said he would give you the masters of the Poison Arrow Hall and Eight Arms Hall before.”

Tang Gon couldn’t hide his absurd expression.

“You believed that? Besides, the situation then and now is different, isn’t it?”

At that time, Tang Ryeong had intended to give troops to use Tang Gon to check Tang Bi. But would Tang Ryeong truly help Tang Gon now that he had emerged as a bona fide candidate for Young Patriarch? Tang Gon didn’t think so.

“No matter how good a person Elder Brother is, he absolutely won’t help me this time.”

“Not at all. He will certainly give you troops.”

“Why?”

Bu Eunseol spoke with a confident expression.

“He has pride as the eldest of the Tang Clan. At the very least, for the sake of his own face, he will give you some amount of troops.”

***

“Only… the Poison Arrow Hall?”

Inside the Seohwa Pavilion, Tang Ryeong’s office.

When Tang Gon, sitting at the table, asked while suppressing his bursting disappointment, Tang Ryeong smiled and nodded.

“I am sorry. Even though it was my order, the Hall Masters refused…”

Originally, Tang Ryeong had said he would give both the Poison Arrow Hall and the Eight Arms Hall. But now he was saying he would give only the Poison Arrow Hall. And a new Poison Arrow Hall at that, filled with members who had just finished training.

‘Members who just finished training?’

Tang Gon was so dumbfounded he almost burst out laughing. Deploying members lacking combat experience straight into a fierce battle was impossible.

There was another problem. If he took many young men and suffered heavy casualties, the failure would be greatly highlighted.

“Do you need more troops?”

Rumors that Tang Gon was going to the Blood Poison Valley had already spread widely within the Tang Clan. Yet Tang Ryeong was pretending not to know, putting on an apologetic face. Tang Gon was no longer deceived by Tang Ryeong’s gentle and kind mask.

“Not at all.”

Tang Gon smiled brightly and shook his head.

“Thanks to Elder Brother, I am receiving support from the young members of the Poison Arrow Hall. Isn’t that something? I am truly grateful.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Tang Ryeong patted Tang Gon’s shoulder apologetically.

“I will select the members of the Poison Arrow Hall immediately and send them to the Clear Rising Pavilion.”

“Thank you. Elder Brother.”

Tang Gon clasped his hands and bowed.

As he left with a calm expression, Tang Ryeong’s smile, watching him go, slowly congealed.

“I made a promise for nothing.”

Tang Ryeong’s face, stripped of its gentle smile, was venomous like a snake that had just shed its skin.

“To think Father would change his mind so suddenly.”

Tang Gon, returned from the Secret Cave, had changed completely—not just in aura, but in personality. Usually, he couldn’t hide his expressions, but now he hid his inner thoughts like a cunning serpent.

“You shouldn’t have given him even the Poison Arrow Hall.”

Tang Seo-rin, standing beside him, spoke in a low voice.

“Even if they just finished training, the members of the Poison Arrow Hall are all warriors worth a hundred men.”

“Huhu. Training and combat experience are different.”

Abandoning his cold gaze and wearing a gentle smile again, Tang Ryeong spoke leisurely.

“Young members are only ahead in vigor. Members without combat experience will only be a burden.”

“Will… they?”

“Of course. Tang Gon will fail anyway. He will only sacrifice the youths of the Poison Arrow Hall.”

Though he said so, Tang Ryeong’s expression held no ease. Seeing Tang Gon’s changed aura and hidden inner thoughts, Tang Ryeong felt him chasing right up to his chin.

‘Am I feeling anxiety from the third child, who never even entered my eyes before?’

Shaking his head, Tang Ryeong forced a smile.

‘No, it is just baseless worry. Is it not a task destined to fail anyway?’

No matter how much Tang Gon’s martial arts had improved by learning a Tang Clan Secret Art, the Blood Poison Valley was a large faction with its own independent power. With only that many troops, he wouldn’t even be able to inflict damage on them.

‘That man…’

Only then did Tang Ryeong realize one more massive unsettling factor remained. It was the unknown existence called Bu Eunseol.

Swoosh.

Young men in black martial attire were executing lightness skills like the wind. They all carried short swords on their backs and deer-hide hidden weapon pouches at their waists. They were the members of the Poison Arrow Hall, just finished with training and deployed into combat for the first time.

‘Hmm.’

Standing at the rear and watching the lightness skills of the Poison Arrow Hall youths, Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.

‘Better than I thought.’

As expected of a renowned family of hidden weapons, their lightness skills were considerable and disciplined for members who had just finished training. If it were a normal situation, Bu Eunseol would have tossed them a word of praise.

‘But it will be difficult in actual combat.’

In a battle of many against many, not one-on-one duels, the most important thing is combat experience. If he deployed them as is, they would fall into confusion, run about in disorder, and eventually lose their lives in vain.

Cheok.

Finally arriving at Mount Guangzhong where the Blood Poison Valley was located, Tang Gon, who was in the lead, raised his hand. At that, the following Poison Arrow Hall youths also stopped moving and lowered their bodies.

“That is the Blood Poison Valley.”

At Tang Gon’s words, all the youths raised their heads to look down into the gorge. Usually, factions named ‘Valley’ utilized geographical advantages to make their interior like a fortress.

But the Blood Poison Valley had no need for that at all, because all its members were Poison Men who did not fear ambushes.

“From now on, you will…”

Continuing his speech, Tang Gon sighed. The youths of the Poison Arrow Hall were all stiff with tension ahead of actual combat.

‘If deployed like this, it’s total annihilation.’

At that moment, Bu Eunseol stepped forward and spoke.

“I have a good plan.”

“A plan?”

Bu Eunseol spoke to the youths.

“You seem to lack combat experience, but seeing you earlier, your lightness skills are quite excellent.”

Masters who use hidden weapons must have fast hands and feet. The Tang Clan, renowned for hidden weapon techniques, had a unique perspective on lightness skills as well as weapons.

“Order them to infiltrate the Blood Poison Valley secretly, with Black Leopard in the lead.”

“Infiltrate? And then?”

“Have them set fire to the major buildings.”

“Set… fire?”

“Yes. They don’t necessarily need to burn them down, just draw attention. No need to engage in combat; interfering with those trying to extinguish the fire is enough.”

Thinking for a moment, Tang Gon shook his head.

“We are not a band of bandits. No matter how vicious an Unorthodox faction the Blood Poison Valley is, setting fire to strike them is not right.”

“It’s about drawing attention. Not really burning them down.”

Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.

“The Blood Poison Valley is also a faction specializing in poison and hidden weapons. They have only one thing to protect.”

Then Tang Gon’s eyes flashed.

“You mean a place like the main house’s Ten Thousand Poison Vault.”

What factions using poisons value most is the poison itself.

The Ten Thousand Poison Vault of the Sichuan Tang Clan stored numerous extreme poisons manufactured with great difficulty using secret family recipes, as well as spiritual creatures like the White Crane Spirit Snake and the Ten Thousand Poison Golden Turtle, which could not be obtained even with a thousand gold.

The Blood Poison Valley, which primarily used poison, would naturally have a place storing poisons like the Ten Thousand Poison Vault.

“Such places are managed by high-ranking figures. If a fire starts, they will rush there immediately.”

“I see.”

Tang Gon nodded as if he had realized everything.

Diversionary tactic.

Bu Eunseol intended to cause a fire to deceive the enemy’s eyes and troops, and in the meantime, deal with the leadership in a single stroke.