“You’re the kid from the rumors, aren’t you?”
The Deputy Head of the Family scanned me up and down as he spoke. Did he hear about me beforehand? Then this should be easier.
“If you know about it, then call the Tang Family Head.”
I glared at the Deputy Head with a determined expression, my eyes full of intensity.
“How arrogant. The Tang Family Head is not here right now. If you’re waiting outside, I’ll call you separately.”
The Deputy Head shot me a disapproving glance for not using honorifics when talking about the Tang Family Head, then shook his head and tried to turn away.
So you’re saying to wait because the Tang Family Head isn’t in Sichuan Tang Family? Like, “There’s no one to handle this, so please call again.” What a lazy attitude—total evasion, just like a civil servant passing the buck.
Well, there’s a way around that.
“This is about an issue with the Tang Family, and you want to ignore it? Countless lives have been sacrificed to get here!!! There are people in my group who might die today or tomorrow!!!”
Hey everyone, there’s a lazy civil servant right here!
I yelled loudly so that everyone around could hear how stuck I was not being let into the Tang Family.
“Shut up! There are many ears listening.”
The Deputy Head turned back to me with a flustered expression and spoke quietly, as if this was a matter that couldn’t get out.
“What should I be quiet about—about the Tang’s illegitimate child, the poison expert, Tang Geoh, and the traitors of the Demonic Cult? Just tell me and I’ll keep it down except for that one!”
I sneered and whispered, glaring at the Deputy Head. The Poison Expert incident is the Tang Family’s dirty laundry, right? You don’t want anyone outside to know? Then let me in.
“You brat!”
“Even if you glare at me as if you want to kill me, I’m not turning away. How can I turn away when people are really dying?”
You know I’ve trained hard to withstand the killing intent of the Heavenly Killing Star. That level won’t faze me at all.
After exchanging glares for a moment, the Deputy Head let out a small sigh and opened his mouth.
“Let him in.”
With a smile still intact, the Deputy Head spoke to the soldiers behind him.
“Deputy Head! Surely the Elders Council…”
“The only orders I have to follow are from the Tang Family Head. I’ve pretended to listen to the Elders Council enough. Open the door.”
So it wasn’t just negligence—there was confusion in the chain of command.
“Understood!”
“Come in.”
We followed the Deputy Head’s lead and entered the Sichuan Tang Family.
—
Just because we got into the Tang Family didn’t mean things would go according to plan.
“Don’t even think of stepping a foot outside of here.”
The Deputy Head shoved our group into the guesthouse, surrounding us with soldiers.
One week trapped.
A few people came and went, but not a single higher-up, not even the Tang Family Head, showed their face.
Even Hyang-a was just supported with herbs from the Tang Family while unable to receive the Poison Expert’s antidote.
“They say a massive purge is underway.”
I wondered how things were going when a member of the Guard Unit brought news of the events unfolding in the Tang Family.
“A purge, you say?”
I asked the soldier with a puzzled expression.
“They’re capturing everyone associated with Tang Geoh, one by one, investigating their ties to the Poison Expert experiments and the Demonic Cult.”
“Looks like a bloodbath is brewing inside the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“Yes. It’s a problem connected to Tang Geoh, who was a direct descendant of the Tang Family. It seems since our news got in, all access points have been sealed, and they’re hunting down the rats that were hiding inside.”
The Guard Unit member reported that the atmosphere inside the Tang Family was so tense it felt like a battlefield.
Definitely shocking news.
The fact that the forbidden Poison Expert experiments were being conducted in secret by the Sichuan Tang Family is huge. And that it was happening under Tang Geoh’s direction?
That’s a story that could overturn the whole Sichuan Tang Family.
“And they say that if news of the Sichuan Tang Family collaborating with the Demonic Cult on the Poison Expert experiments leaks out, it’ll be catastrophic.”
With the Demonic Cult involved, it’s too big to chalk up to a few rogue actions.
Dozens of illegitimate children from the Tang Family have perished, and the Guard Unit members have already fallen to the joint attack from Tang Geoh and the Demonic Cult.
“Yes. Plus, it was revealed that the Deputy Head was connected to the martial arts incident with Tang Geoh’s group, so the Tang Family Head is personally pursuing the escapees.”
“That’s why the Tang Family Head is missing? But why weren’t we let in, as the main parties involved?”
When we got here, it wasn’t just us—other people were being kept out as well. Was that the reason? But why weren’t the actual parties let in?
“I can’t say for sure. There seems to be a deeper story, but it’s hard to figure out through rumors.”
The Guard Unit member bowed his head apologetically.
“You’re all doing well even in this shared imprisonment.”
But considering we’re all stuck here, it’s tough to gather such sensitive information.
“Next, let me explain.”
I was pondering how to dig up more info when we heard a voice and turned to see an unexpected figure standing there.
“The Deputy Medical Official? What brings you here?”
The Deputy Medical Official, who looked pleased to see us, approached with a smile.
—
“I’m glad everyone arrived safely.”
The Deputy Medical Official had just arrived after taking care of the injured Guard Unit members.
After a brief greeting to the soldiers, he continued to explain the internal situation he learned about.
“The situation with Hyang-a is partly the Tang Family’s fault but also involves the Demonic Cult complicating things. If they let the Poison Expert in, they might have to acknowledge all their mistakes, so it was suggested not to let them in.”
“What nonsense.”
I couldn’t help but curse.
“I heard that Master Kang stirred up trouble at the door. Thanks to you, the news almost spread outside, and those who were trying to scheme were harshly punished. Well done.”
I could almost see the Deputy Head sighing in frustration. It seems that sigh held the bitterness of being caught in the middle.
“Now that we’ve gotten in, what’s the deal with the Poison Expert’s antidote?”
“The antidote, which is the Tang Family’s secret, cannot be handed out carelessly. It requires the Head’s approval or the Elders Council’s consensus. But the Head is currently absent, and the Elders Council is raising their voices at each other over this issue.”
“There’s strong sentiment against giving Hyang-a the antidote?”
“The Elders Council considers Hyang-a a failed Poison Expert by default.”
“If they see her fight even once, they wouldn’t be able to say such things.”
If they had seen Hyang-a fight, everyone would acknowledge she’s almost a perfected Poison Expert.
However, the Deputy Medical Official nodded as he continued.
“Sadly, what they saw was Hyang-a unconscious. Some believe it would be a waste to give the antidote to an incomplete Poison Expert.”
“Didn’t I write it out in detail in my previous report? Hyang-a is a victim of the Tang Family. Plus, once cured, she could become a completed Poison Expert, so why hesitate?”
Are these Tang Family people suffering from chronic RPG game syndrome? Whether it’s an elixir or a single antidote, it must be used in the battle against the final boss.
“Yes. In fact, there were many pushing to use it. But after hearing about the Master Kang, some influential ones joined in, and their opinions have been evenly divided.”
“And what does my news have to do with the Poison Expert’s antidote?” I asked the Deputy Medical Official, my face filled with confusion.
“It seems news of Master Kang has reached the Tang Family Head and some of the Elders Council. They’re in a frenzy because the Head wants to talk to you when he returns after organizing a pursuit team.”
So my news really did get to the Tang Family Head. Hearing that my messy report reached the big boss makes me feel a bit overwhelmed.
“The news of a new son appearing for the Tang Family Head must be quite shocking.”
Aside from how I felt, it’s understandable that the Tang Family Head would be surprised. He must have been aware that he had a child with Hyang-a, so he wouldn’t deny it.
“In normal circumstances, he would only be an illegitimate child. But now the situation is really delicate. The Deputy Head’s issues, plus there’s a child who can become a complete Poison Expert suddenly appearing with Master Kang.”
The Deputy Medical Official looked at me, as if testing my comprehension of the situation.
A son of the Deputy Head, and a likely full Poison Expert—putting it all together quickly.
I see how the situation is unfolding.
“The Deputy Head is on the brink of death due to his affliction, yet a perfectly fine son appears, and that illegitimate child can potentially receive support from a completed Poison Expert. If so, it could completely upend the power dynamics of the Tang Family.”
A perfected Poison Expert isn’t just any martial artist.
If Hyang-a becomes a completed Poison Expert, just as Tang Geoh stated, the Sichuan Tang Family will effectively be Hyang-a, and Hyang-a will effectively be the Sichuan Tang Family.
If Hyang-a, now a completed Poison Expert, supports her only friend, the black-haired illegitimate son, as a successor to the Tang Family?
In the martial arts world, where bloodline and martial prowess are cherished, it would be something that wouldn’t be easily dismissed. And there would definitely be people who wouldn’t want that.
“That’s right. Some factions within the Deputy Head’s supporters, upon learning the news, are trying to stop the usage of the Poison Expert’s antidote.”
The Deputy Medical Official nodded in agreement with my assessment.
“Do you think the Tang Family Head will give the antidote to Hyang-a once he returns?”
“Rumor has it he’s dodging pursuit and finding it difficult to escape.”
“It’ll take some time.”
“Some even say that before the Head returns, they should prevent the illegitimate child from becoming the Deputy Head. So, it would be best for us to stay here until then.”
“Haha. Are you really considering an assassination?”
I said jokingly to the Deputy Medical Official.
“…The Deputy Head is one of the closest aides to the Tang Family Head.”
The Deputy Medical Official glanced at the soldiers guarding the guesthouse without quite confirming my words.
Realizing my casual jest wasn’t a joke anymore, I decided not to pursue the matter further.
—
“It’s not imprisonment, but rather protection, huh?”
After hearing everything, I murmured while gazing at the soldiers from the Deputy Head.
I thought they were guarding us so we couldn’t escape, but rather they were there to protect us from suspicious forces.
“Am I supposed to wait until the Tang Family Head arrives?”
This is a complicated situation.
If I act rashly, I might end up accused of leaking the Tang Family’s secrets, or worse, be framed for colluding with the Demonic Cult or Tang Geoh and face danger myself.
If I wait for the Tang Family Head to arrive, things might get resolved.
“But if I wait any longer, Hyang-a could die.”
The problem is that I don’t know how much time Hyang-a has left.
“If we just wait here, we’ll just be resigned to our fates, and Hyang-a’s death would definitely not be what the sacrificed members wanted.”
I spoke to the Deputy Medical Official and the other members of the Guard Unit who were waiting for me to speak.
I cannot lose my friend like this. I cannot lose the real heroine candidate. Plus, having Hyang-a alive is my ticket to surviving in this tiger’s den.
Many members have sacrificed themselves for Hyang-a. If she dies, their sacrifices would all be in vain.
Only if Hyang-a lives will it prove that their sacrifices were not worthless. Everyone nodded at my statement.
“What do you plan to do now?” the Deputy Medical Official asked me.
I glanced at the Guard Unit members for a moment.
I was ready to face the tigers in this tiger’s den.
For the sake of saving Hyang-a, and also to ensure I don’t get torn apart by them myself.
It’s time to move.
“Let’s overturn the game board.”
I began to lay out the plan I had thought up to the members of the Guard Unit.
—
“What are you looking at, Deputy Medical Official?”
One of the Tang Family members asked, seeing the Deputy Medical Official engrossed in something.
The Deputy Medical Official, seemingly prepared, presented the title of a book to the Tang Family member, wearing a face like he was evangelizing a religion.
“Have you heard of the novel, The Rise of the Tang Family?”
