Chapter 128

The barking, or maybe the meowing at this point, had transcended the levels of audacity, leaving Door-sa momentarily rendered speechless, his brain functioning on pause.

Then he suddenly yelled,

“Does that even make sense!”

“We can’t believe it either. But what can we do about the truth? Should we lie just because you won’t accept it?”

“Is your face made of iron? You’re utterly impossible to reason with. Well, I’ll need to verify if that’s true myself. You there, go in and prove your leader’s words.”

At that, one of the Tang Family masters pointed his palm outwards and replied,

“Are you talking about me? I believe in our leader.”

“I didn’t ask for belief, I asked for proof.”

“If that’s the case, I saw that cat with my own eyes, so you needn’t worry.”

Realizing that further prodding wouldn’t yield better results, Door-sa had to grit his teeth.

But if he immediately sent soldiers to storm the Tang family territory, they were sure to splash the poison they had prepared.

Door-sa ground his teeth in frustration.

Qing’s eyes sparkled at the sight.

She then sidled over a couple of steps and slyly asked the elder, who had been introduced as the high-ranking official,

“Excuse me, were we allowed to vent a little frustration? You said it was like we had to endure tremendous humiliation.”

“Our side, huh? Ah, you’ve truly made a good friend. How admirable! Here, take this.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The old man casually pulled something from his sleeve and handed it over.

It was a tiny vial, not much larger than two finger joints.

“This is a personal dose of the finest poison. If you have an enemy, mix it with their alcohol. After a while, it will loosen their muscles enough to cause a little accident.”

What a way to socially annihilate someone in one blow!

“Wow! Thank you! What a precious gift.”

Qing beamed widely as she took the special poison in her hands.

Her honest expression made the elder smile in return.

But what was this old man, some kind of poison vending machine?

Did he just hand out goodies to anyone who struck up a conversation?

The answer lay with the Grand Elder of the Tang Family, who stayed nearby worrying about his granddaughter.

He was also the one who had indulged Tang Nan-ah with gifts since childhood, igniting her unfortunate obsession with various poisons.

Finally, the Grand Elder explained,

“The Tang Family never forgets a grudge, and the boldness to crash into Sicheon Tang’s front door is indeed a grave sin that deserves death. It’s already humiliating enough to endure their audacity, so wouldn’t it be better just to scratch that itch?”

“Ah.”

“But it would be even better if someone were to make a major blunder. If they can create enough justification to go on a killing spree, that would certainly align with the laws of the Central Plain, wouldn’t it?”

Such laws had never existed throughout history.

But the elderly man wasn’t wrong either in finding the world’s logic through his experience.

“However, if one person makes a mistake, it results in annihilation. That one will die while another takes their place, making it an incredibly disadvantageous fight for us. Do you understand?”

Wait, so we can strike back?

Well, isn’t that my specialty?

Qing’s eyes gleamed.

“Then, can I join in on the fun too?”

“Your eagerness to help is truly delightful. How commendable! Here, take this.”

The Grand Elder handed her another small glass vial.

Inside were three pellets that looked like goat droppings.

“If you get someone to ingest this, it will provoke an insatiable lust while also causing them to see hallucinations. You’ll definitely want to have front-row seats to the chaos. Oh dear, I shouldn’t say such things to a young lady. How ridiculous.”

This was yet another potent poison capable of conjuring social demise.

She had no idea why he kept personalizing these substances, but Qing was dreadfully delighted to receive another treasure.

“But you see, Tang Tu-juk must have a knack for charming everyone, didn’t he? There’s no one in our family who can out-talk him, so just leave it to him, and he’ll handle it splendidly.”

Indeed, with that, Door-sa had no choice but to retreat and abandon the pursuit.

“Ahem. It seems the search isn’t going well, so let’s wrap it up for today. We should hurry and manage that poison and comply with the Emperor’s solemn commands.”

This marked a clear victory for the Tang Family.

—-

Door-sa hadn’t come merely to be mocked, so his next action was to blockade the Tang Family.

He ordered soldiers to surround every entrance of Tang family territory, ensuring that not a single person could enter or exit.

Among those supplies was food, and without sustenance, living one way or another through a revolt was not an option.

However, Qing and the Tang Family were well-fed.

Why? Because they had enough secret passages that it was a hassle to continue bringing in supplies.

Time was what the Tang Family needed, so they played along.

“Oh dear, sirs. How could we survive with our food supply blocked?”

“Hmph, we’re just following orders.”

That was the tone of their conversation.

By the fourth day, Door-sa began to sense something was off.

Wasn’t it strange to have hoarded this much food?

In the meantime, two dots had appeared on the Sichuan map, both already locating the enemy stockpiles.

Only on the seventh night did Door-sa realize the error and returned with a swarm of soldiers in tow.

This time, he didn’t just have his soldiers; he was accompanied by a dazzling group of warriors clad in radiant golden silk.

“I warned you, and yet I see no sign of repentance!”

“Repentance? Where are the criminals here?”

“Hmph, Deputy Commander! Didn’t I tell you? Behold the outrageous lies of these treasonous scoundrels! They must be wiped out on the spot!”

As Qing watched the scene unfold, she asked,

“Who are those glittery folks?”

“They’re known as the Golden Guards.”

The Golden Guards, true to their name, wore gleaming garments, each belonging to an elite force directly under the Emperor.

In fact, this golden attire was reserved solely for high-ranking officials, so each one of them had significant authority.

This job was almost identical to that of the Royal Guards back when Qing’s hometown was under Imperial rule, serving as both army and secret police, the Emperor’s blade.

The explanation made the old man, no, the Grand Elder,’s face grow slightly dim.

“It seems the Emperor has made a serious decision. The Deputy Commander ranks third among the Golden Guards, so it’s rare for him to come this far, let alone down to the local level.”

In any case, yet another verbal brawl for the family’s fate was about to begin.

“It has been a week; by now, you’re surely ready to launch a campaign.”

“Oh, there was a mischievous stray cat that caused quite a ruckus in the storeroom last night, accidentally running around with a bag full of poison! The Tang Family is quite the mess now!”

It sounded like a line lifted straight from a script.

“Didn’t you say that nonsense last time?”

“History repeats itself, after all.”

“What kind of presumptuousness does that even encompass?”

Door-sa trembled in horror, and Qing couldn’t help but admire this splendid theatre.

From here, the cycle would continue, spinning on and on, definitely leading to utter chaos.

Each night before the next visit, the invincible poison-cat would ambush their supply stores, scattering toxins everywhere.

However, Door-sa was no ordinary character. He immediately recognized that this standoff could only reach a deadlock and turned to leave.

At that moment, Qing raised her voice.

“Wait! Door-sa! Just a moment! I urgently need to tell you something!”

He turned back, casting a doubtful yet somewhat hopeful glance at Qing’s face.

“…What is it? If it’s about signaling those treasonous rebels, I’ll do my best to save your neck alone.”

Qing then addressed Tang Tu-juk.

“It’s just that, Sir? Our food waste has piled up, and it’s creating a terrible odor. Could we ask these folks to clear it out on their way back? They blocked the entrance, but the ones who did should be the ones to clean.”

“Oh! What a splendid idea! Door-sa, may I earnestly make this request? Since the Chief Cook is incredibly generous, the Tang family usually has more than enough to spare.”

Their taunts implied that no matter how hard you locked us up, we had alternative channels to keep the flow going.

Members of the Tang family chuckled, joining in the laughter.

“Can’t you just be quiet! Those rebellious bastards! I’ll tear you limb from limb and throw you to the dogs! I’ll roast you on a spit and feed you to my children!”

“Ah. Are we discussing the final fate of traitors? How about we stick a wick in their belly and use them as candles? You might get away with a bit of fireworks yourself.”

That was a highbrow insult aimed at drawing parallels between Door-sa and Dong Zhuo’s appearance.

“Y-you…! Let’s go! You filthy bastards…”

In the end, with his face burning red, Door-sa fled the scene, hurling curses as he went.

Victory was declared for Sicheon Tang.

Afterwards, the old man offered Qing yet another glass vial.

“Your clever tactics are truly impressive. How commendable! Here, take this. I’ve personally enjoyed this miracle.”

This time it was an empty sealed glass vial.

“If you inhale it through your nose or mouth, for half a month, your breathing will resemble a ridiculous piping sound, a coarse wheezing. Your voice will sound even more ridiculous, so much so that you’ll struggle to suppress your laughter. If you’re already a joker, you might just laugh yourself to death!”

Every single thing he handed over appeared to be relentlessly focused on tearing down one’s dignity.

“Wow! Thank you so much. I wasn’t expecting this. Hehe. I’ll use it wisely.”

Qing happily accepted the vial again.