Chapter 164

At first, metadone, which was hard to detect due to its insidious nature, and then fentanyl at a critical moment. These were the instructions I gave to the local distributors targeting the Yongfeng Fair. Complicated techniques were unnecessary.

‘I should have refused from the start.’

In the high-class inn of Huainan Province’s capital, ‘Wang San’ regretfully recalled his decision made too late.

“First, we’ll give you one guan of silver as a down payment. And then, upon successfully completing the task after the Yongfeng Fair concludes, we will grant you another guan of silver as a bonus. Success is defined by martial artists visiting your inn expressing satisfaction with our product. That’s all.”

Five days ago, a well-dressed merchant appeared with this offer. With the bonus included, it would be a total of two guans of silver, enough to buy a fine horse.

In return, the task asked of Wang San was extremely simple.

… We supposedly had newly harvested tea leaves, but due to lacking a reputable name, it was difficult to open sales channels. If the martial artists liked it, it would help. So please distribute it freely.

‘I thought it was nothing serious.’

The commission fee was excessive, but Wang San had received similar requests in the past. After some inquiries, he learned that employees from other inns, entertainment houses, and tea houses had also received the same request. Though it seemed like too much money, he assumed it was for advertising purposes since the Yongfeng Fair was soon to begin.

Wang San distributed the tea leaves thoroughly to the inn’s guests.

“Hey, isn’t that tea you served after the meal just now?”

“Yes. Do you like it?”

“Hmm, it felt like just a plain white tea at first, but there’s something… can I have another cup?”

“Absolutely.”

From the start, the guests gave praise. What’s more, these guests were members of the Nan Gong family attending the Yongfeng Fair, including the family leadership and their children.

The Yongfeng Fair was a prestigious event. Successfully showcasing the talents of the heirs meticulously groomed for life could further elevate the family’s name.

‘I just thought it was about distributing it enthusiastically.”

But as time passed, Wang San began to feel something was off about the tea leaves.

The frequency with which the guests requested tea had gradually increased.

It wasn’t a high-quality tea leaf but rather a simple white tea. The kind that people in well-off households often drank instead of water. Yet here were the wealthy and renowned families captivated by it.

“Excuse me, tea.”

“Yes!”

After finishing the pre-fair exchange meeting, tea.

“Hey.”

“Ah, yes!”

After watching the preliminary rounds of the collateral line, more tea.

“Today’s breakfast should be porridge made with that tea.”

“…”

“Respond.”

Not only were they drinking it but now they were requesting it cooked into porridge.

These wealthy families, who could drink as much expensive Longjing tea as they pleased, were so taken with this free white tea.

Wang San, curious as to why, decided to try it himself.

And indeed, it was good. Subtly delicious in a way that was hard to pinpoint.

The chronic aches in his wrist and knees were lessened, and his mood became remarkably calm. He understood why martial artists favored it.

‘Still, this is strange. It’s too good.’

Wang San felt a subtle sense of impending danger.

There was a growing unease that continued distribution of these tea leaves might jeopardize his safety in some way. A gut instinct honed from years of work kept warning him of danger.

Finally,

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Wang San sought out the merchant who had asked him to promote the tea leaves. He returned the down payment of one guan of silver and the tea leaves, explaining that he couldn’t continue and wished to withdraw.

But the merchant refused to let him leave.

“Is your name Wang San? The item you’ve been giving to your guests was, in fact, made in the Imperial Medical Bureau.”

“Pardon?”

“It was created by the doctors of the Imperial Medical Bureau, who are responsible for the health of the royal relatives. It isn’t just tea leaves; it’s tea leaves laced with a slowly acting poison. We’ve been smuggling it out of the palace and disseminating it through people like you.”

“Ah, sir?”

This was a story that was far beyond what a lowly inn attendant could handle.

As Wang San shook his head and tried to deny the involvement, the merchant presented another narrative.

“What if I tell you it wasn’t the Imperial Medical Bureau but rather a poison concocted by the Blood Sect?”

“The Blood Sect? They perished long ago.”

“They could have a revival faction, right? No matter which is true, you’re as good as dead. If you try to withdraw, we’ll file differing reports with the authorities and the Martial Arts Alliance.”

Poison pilfered from an official source. Or poison scattered by fanatical evil-doers.

The problem was gravely serious. Once discovered, without a chance for explanation, Wang San would likely die at the hands of the enforcers.

Terrified, Wang San began trembling. He couldn’t believe he had involved himself in something so perilous for a quick profit.

Another directive came to the trembling Wang San.

“Just do one final task. Follow instructions exactly, and I’ll reward you with ten guans of silver and some gold jewelry. With that, you can run far away and start anew, right? You can report me to the authorities if you want, but I can’t promise your safety if you do.”

Eat the money and act accordingly, or face death.

Even though the merchant’s face was laced with fear, it only magnified Wang San’s panic. It was proof that even a wealthy man capable of spending ten guans of silver was afraid to get involved in something this perilous.

If Wang San refused, he would likely be killed.

Wang San lacked the courage to defy that fear. His only solace was the merchant’s mention that “there were others involved besides you.”

‘That’s right. It wasn’t just me who got involved.’

Thinking this as a small fortune amid misfortune, Wang San agreed to comply with the orders.

The task was to act on the eve of the main competition and then flee with the money.

***

Finally, the main event of the Yongfeng Fair arrived.

It was the moment the competition was set to officially commence.

“The sparring tournament will now begin…!”

“Wow!!”

Elite students from celebrated martial sects who had received their passes straight to the finals.

And young disciples from minor sects who had battled through the preliminary rounds.

The next generation to lead the martial world was about to showcase their skills.

Officially, the purpose of the event promoted by the alliance was friendly exchanges, but naturally, fierce competition was inevitable. The winner would receive prize money and awards, and most importantly, the prestige that was as valuable as life in the martial world.

Yet, an unusual atmosphere hung over the competition grounds.

The wuxia alliance leader, who had arrived to declare the opening of the event, expressed his perplexity with a cough.

“How strange. The audience seats are… rather sparse.”

“That’s right. We were even worried about counterfeit tickets being sold.”

“I suppose it’s because it hasn’t been long since the Emperor passed away.”

Here and there among the sparse audience, cigarette smoke rose. Some were drinking tea or alcohol.

There was nothing wrong with smoking or drinking.

However, this was no ordinary event—it was the Yongfeng Fair! Soon, the stage would be set for a dazzling display of swords, knives, fists, and palm techniques. Instead of focusing on the main event, people were immersed in smoking and drinking. Normally, it would be more common to see spirited commentary or even betting.

It wasn’t just the audience seats.

The observation stands, reserved for the dignitaries of the esteemed sects and families, were more than half-empty.

Did they not want to watch the performance of their sons or disciples? They had pushed their children to their limits in preparation for this event which only occurred once every five years.

The situation was strangely odd.

But the competition had to proceed.

“We’ll start with the match regardless.”

With a disgruntled expression, the grandmaster made the announcement, and the sparring tournament commenced. The organizers believed that the excitement of the thrilling matches would return the event to normalcy.

After all, there’s nothing more entertaining than watching a fight. The young generation would display their prowess, the audience would go wild cheering, and the most outstanding competitors would earn the honorary titles of “Dragon” and “Phoenix,” further enhancing their fame.

That’s how it had always been.

A common-sense expectation was that this time wouldn’t be different.

…

But the competition did not unfold as expected.

“This is the first match of the first group! Yang Wuzheng, the successor of Yang Family Spear School!”

“…”

“Yang Wuzheng of the Yang Family Spear School?”

“Uh, Yang Wuzheng isn’t in the waiting room. Moreover, none of the Yang Family Spear School members have appeared at the competition venue. Also, the opponent, the Senior Disciple Tan Qian from Huangshan Sect, doesn’t seem to have attended either… We don’t know where either side is.”

“What!?”

The first bout was canceled due to the absence of the participants.

“Let’s start!”

“Huh?”

“Master Peng Xuehu? You don’t look so good; is something bothering you?”

“I, I, smoked opium a couple of days ago…”

A prominent heir of a prestigious family, with glazed eyes and trembling legs, swayed as if about to fall.

The match somehow began—but—

Swish!

“Stop! Doctor! Doctor!”

“I, I didn’t mean to use a lethal maneuver! I naturally assumed he’d block it…”

“Shut up!”

It was over before it began.

Because of the swing of a single sword, the direct heir of the Peng family had been slashed across the thigh.

It was an obvious move aimed at the lower section, and yet not only was it not blocked, no thought of blocking even seemed to have crossed the heir’s mind; he allowed the strike, making the situation utterly baffling.

Even more terrifying was the fact that the recipient of the blade appeared not to feel any pain, merely blinking at the profusely bleeding wound.

“Quick! Stop the bleeding!”

“…”

By this point, almost everyone present in the arena began to tense up.

It wasn’t over yet.

An audience member collapsed unexpectedly, his breathing stopped.

A participant who had staggered onto the stage managed only to bend over dramatically and fall back.

People rushed over to assist, but his joints appeared rigid, and he remained immobile in that position. Eventually, he began struggling for breath.

The entire arena was visibly restless.

Finally,

“The competition is suspended!”

Urgently declared by the grandmaster, the competition schedule was halted immediately.

It was decided that understanding the current situation took priority.

No one voiced objections to the grandmaster’s decision.

Even gambling enthusiasts among the general audience silently stared at a nearby section of the spectator stands.

A middle-aged woman there sat bent forward, puffing away at her jade opium pipe as if the smoke was her entire world. Beside her, a man stared blankly into the distance, also absorbed in inhaling smoke.

Every onlooker remained glued to the bizarre scene.

…

Thus, the Yongfeng Fair shocked all attendees with chaos the very first day.

It was only the beginning.

After the suspension of the competition,

the horrifying aftermaths were discovered in the inns and pleasure houses near the venue. It was actually closer to widespread devastation.

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