The Secret Garden of the Sichuan Tang Family.
The Poison King flicked his palm towards his disciple in the middle of the training ground.
“Come here.”
Lady Tang didn’t hesitate. Poison Control Technique erupted from her hand.
Even though it was extreme poison that would melt skin upon contact, the Poison King struck it aside with one hand as if it were not worth dodging.
If it’s not at long range, then it’s close range. Lady Tang didn’t give up and followed the Poison King.
The Poison King had a chance to evade, but he didn’t step back. He played with his disciple’s hand like a child, controlling even her poison within her grasp.
“Hey!”
The Poison King teased his disciple, barely avoiding with just a paper’s width in difference. A nerve-wracking voice escaped from Lady Tang’s mouth.
If she felt an overwhelming gap, it wouldn’t be like this. She felt like she could do it, yet it was always blocked. There seemed to have been a gap, but it vanished before she knew it.
In that moment, a strange energy flowed from Lady Tang’s body.
“Your poison is leaking! Hurry up and control your emotions!”
The Poison King’s shout echoed in the garden.
“Ah!”
Lady Tang took a step back and struggled to manage the poison escaping her body.
“If you entrust yourself to instinct, what’s the difference between you and a beast?!”
Lady Tang couldn’t say a word in response to her master’s anger.
“I-I’ll concentrate.”
“Come again.”
On the distribution day of Volume 3 of The Rise of the Tang Family, the two masters were continuing their training in the garden.
—–
“Ugh…”
“Why are you sitting there looking so pitiful?”
Lady Tang raised her head after clutching her head in distress upon hearing her master’s voice.
“It’s pathetic. Master teaches me well, but I still let my poison leak.”
Even though it was her own, she couldn’t control it. Was this how a child felt when wetting the bed at night? Lady Tang felt a strange shame.
“It’s only the beginning, isn’t it? When I was your age, I couldn’t even dream of the Poison Kill Space.”
If she was scolded during training, she should also receive praise. The Poison King raised up the achievements of his frustrated disciple.
“If it weren’t for Yoon-ho, I wouldn’t have even dared to dream.”
Lady Tang didn’t puff up with pride over her master’s praise; instead, she wore a proud expression thinking of Kang Yoon-ho.
“Even Tang Jung endured through hard times thinking of his loved one. Don’t you think it’s a waste of time to be disappointed and sit idle if you both want to enjoy a hundred years of harmony together?”
“Yes…?”
Lady Tang looked at her master with slightly surprised eyes.
“What’s strange?”
“Chuckle. No, you’re right. It makes sense.”
In just a few days, the Poison King had mentioned The Rise of the Tang Family more frequently. Tang Jung did this, the martial artists should read The Rise of the Tang Family, and he even brought up the stories of Tang Jung’s woman.
Lady Tang couldn’t tell whether her master was bringing up The Rise of the Tang Family to have a conversation with a disciple, or if he was sincerely engrossed in it, but she was happy that her master was mentioning her fiancé’s book.
“That guy…”
“By the way, are you not going to the distribution of Volume 3 today?”
“Hm. I’m not going to act foolish like Elder Councilman. I’ll read it when the time comes.”
The Poison King shook his head with an air of dignity.
He had no intention of lining up in a crowded place. Even if The Rise of the Tang Family is fun, he didn’t want to act foolish like the elder council members.
“It’s super fun…”
The Poison King couldn’t help but flinch at his disciple’s disappointed murmur.
“Y-You read it all?”
“Yes. It was much more enjoyable than the draft I saw.”
“Then let’s not.”
The Poison King shook his head again to his disciple’s suggestion. No matter how much he wanted to see it, no matter how curious he was about the next volume, he shouldn’t prying into a book passed from his fiancé to her.
Of course, the Poison King’s face was dripping with disappointment that Lady Tang could pick up on.
“Can we end today’s training here and go out?”
“What are you saying? Did I say that? Are you trying to slack off now?”
Was it a mistake to praise her for not pushing harder when she made a mistake? How could she get this lazy?
Unless there’s a legitimate reason, he needed to scold her severely. The Poison King looked at Lady Tang to reprimand her.
“I asked the Tang Clan to help you get Volume 3 of The Rise of the Tang Family.”
“……Then let’s end here for today.”
That was a very legitimate reason.
———
“Where is my master?”
Lady Tang held onto Volume 3 of The Rise of the Tang Family and asked the guards at the garden.
“Poison King went into his room saying he had some research to do. He told us not to disturb him until he comes out.”
“Is that so? Got it.”
Lady Tang nodded and headed to her own room.
“I wish Yoon-ho could have seen the Tang Clan today.”
It was so lively that it hardly felt like usual Tang Clan.
Yelling When will this line end!!! I want to read The Rise of the Tang Family already!
Wheeze I’m glad I brought some snacks after listening to the kids in the guard unit. I brought mocha bread, wanna eat?
Yelling Good. Ugh! Why did you put raisins in the mocha bread?
Yelling If you’re from the Tang Family, you have to be familiar with toxins even when eating.
Yelling You can eat it!
Yelling The Poison Kill Space moves in Volume 3!!!
Yelling Get that guy! Who does he think he is, running around screaming!?
Yelling Die! Give me Volume 3 of The Rise of the Tang Family!
Yelling Aaaaah!
Yelling I want to see Tang Jung quickly! We want The Rise of the Tang Family!
“Chuckle. I should write a letter next time.”
Even if it was just a glimpse, there were interesting stories galore. Yoon-ho would surely love it. Lady Tang opened Volume 3 of The Rise of the Tang Family, thinking of Kang Yoon-ho.
The content she opened to was a scene of intimacy from The Rise of the Tang Family.
“I really do love big chests.”
Lady Tang recalled a conversation she had with Yoon-ho when they lived together in the Tea Bookstore.
Yoon-ho.
Hmm?
Is the intimate depiction in The Rise of the Tang Family your taste?
Lady Tang, with her face bright red from embarrassment, threw a difficult question at Yoon-ho.
Hwarin, I only write this to stimulate a man’s dreams.
I don’t think so. It totally sounds like you like big chests. That’s your taste, isn’t it?
As Kang Yoon-ho answered with a face devoid of ulterior motives, Lady Tang gazed at him with a very suspicious expression.
Hwarin, you’re misunderstanding something strange. A man’s love for a woman can vary; it’s not always about having a small chest, but there’s never a case of loving someone solely for a small chest. Those who like big chests may be regular perverts, but those who like small ones are extraordinary perverts.
Shut it. Look at you talking too much. That’s totally your taste.
…Don’t ask me if you’re going to know.
Eventually, Kang Yoon-ho was brought down.
Chuckle. Are you pouting now?
It was such a delightful conversation.
“I’m good, but chuckle.”
When it comes to chests, it’s Lady Tang. And when it’s Lady Tang, it’s about her chest, right? She felt proud thinking that a part she usually considered a bother was a hit in a man’s taste.
The intimate scenes of The Rise of the Tang Family, while provocative to someone, were also a book for Lady Tang to discover her fiancé’s preferences.
“Yoon-ho. Do you think you’d like to try with three of us?”
Lady Tang mumbled in a shy voice. If Volume 3 also contains some ulterior motives, does that mean Yoon-ho has that taste too?
“Another woman… well. If you allowed it…”
The thought of Yoon-ho being with another woman made Lady Tang stiffen her lips while forcibly trying to calm her pounding heart.
“One wouldn’t be such a big deal. Yeah, it’s okay.”
Although Yoon-ho said he would wait, she didn’t want to be selfish. How could a man like Yoon-ho remain single over thirty? He would be pointed at for having some issues.
Even if Yoon-ho thought of her, there would definitely be some girl who would take advantage of his vulnerable moments.
She might want to grab and give her a shake, but one wouldn’t hurt. Lady Tang nodded again in acceptance.
“So should I be the one on top when we sleep together? Or should I be the one underneath?”
What would Yoon-ho prefer? Lady Tang’s face flushed as she thought of Kang Yoon-ho.
“Lady Hwarin.”
“W-What is it?”
Lady Tang jolted awake from the guard’s voice and stood up as if springing from her seat, closing the book.
What could it be? It’s still not even meal time. Was her master calling her? She opened the door, fanning her face, and the guard brought unexpected news.
“They are summoning you at the Head Family Hall.”
———
“From the Murong Family?”
Lady Tang could hear the news brought by a guest from afar at the Head Family Hall.
“It seems Tang Geoh’s poison has flowed into the Demonic Cult.”
“Wait, that poison?! The one that intoxicated the Deputy Head of Family?”
“It seems Murong Tian, the head of the Murong Family, has also been poisoned with the same toxin.”
The guards looked at the Head of the Family, who kept silent, while the Guard Unit informed Lady Tang of the happenings with the Murong Family.
“That bastard Tang Geoh is messing up everywhere.”
Lady Tang maintained a polite tone with the adults, but her temper was far from dead. Hearing news of her sworn enemy after some time, she bared her teeth.
“Ahem. So, about that…”
The Guard Unit hesitated to respond to Lady Tang’s question, shifting his gaze toward the Head of the Family. Perhaps the head has something to say.
When Lady Tang glanced at the Head of the Family, he tightly closed his lips before finally speaking to her as if he were holding back.
“Lady Hwarin. I want you to visit the Murong Family.”
That was an exceedingly unexpected statement.
“…Is it an order from you as the Head of the Family?”
Lady Tang responded reluctantly.
Lady Tang was no longer the illegitimate child of a Color Demon but had been recognized as a member of the Tang Family. She even enjoyed the privilege of being the disciple of the Poison King, allowing her to receive respect from the martial artists of the Tang Family.
However, being a member of the family also came with its obligations.
An order from the Head of the Family.
As a part of the Tang Family, she had to comply, even if she disliked it.
The Head of the Family searched for suitable words to express himself in light of Lady Tang’s unwilling expression.
“Of course, I will hear your opinions…”
“What do you mean, ‘What did you just say!!!’”
With a bang, a person burst into the Head Family Hall.
Who dares to barge into the Head Family Hall where the Head of the Family resides?
From the guards to the one who burst in, normally such actions would warrant a severe reprimand, but this time was different. The martial artist in front of her deserved that kind of treatment.
“Poison King?!”
“What do you think you’re doing?! Are you telling my disciple where to go and where not to go?!”
The Head of the Family’s aunt, a former high-ranking member of the Tang Family, and Lady Tang’s master, shouted with a deeply twisted expression.
