The Eldest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan Protects Her Family

Chapter 13: The Test

 
Deep within the dark forest, a black tree swayed violently.

Whoosh.
Perched on a thick branch, a man looked up, his gaze fixed on the branches above him. His red eyes, reflecting the moonlight, gleamed coldly.
He reached out and traced the characters carved into the tree trunk. Though difficult to see in the darkness, he deciphered the message by the feel of the indentations beneath his fingertips.

Snap.
He suddenly broke off the branch. The forest to his left vanished, revealing a sheer cliff face. Nestled within its crevices was a small opening, just large enough for a person to enter.
Whoosh.

The sound of rushing wind filled the air as figures emerged from the shadows.
“The formation will be down for half an hour,” the man said. His subordinates nodded silently.
Like a swarm of bees, they poured into the narrow opening in the cliff face.

The man glanced back, then followed them into the darkness.
Upon entering the Divine Physician’s troupe’s hidden sanctuary, the lead warriors dispersed, searching the thatched-roof houses. But they were all empty. All five houses. Judging by the herbs scattered on the roofs and platforms, this was definitely the right location, yet there wasn’t a soul in sight.
‘What is this?’ One of the warriors rubbed his neck, a sense of unease settling over him. He felt lightheaded, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. But it wasn’t simply a change in mood.

“Heok!” He gasped for air, his body suddenly weakening, his limbs heavy and unresponsive.
His vision darkened, and he collapsed, unconscious.
Thud, thud.

Like reeds falling in the wind, dozens of warriors followed, collapsing one after another.
“Stop.”
The warriors who had been approaching their fallen comrades froze at their leader’s command.

His gaze swept across the seemingly empty courtyard. He suspected poison powder, but the air was clear, his vision unobstructed, even in the darkness.
He knelt beside one of his fallen men, checking his pulse. He was still breathing, but weakly. He pressed against the pressure points on his neck and chest, but the warrior only twitched, unable to regain consciousness. He seemed paralyzed.
Forty out of the fifty warriors who had entered the village were now incapacitated.
The remaining ten cautiously approached their leader.

“It seems they’ve been poisoned,” one of them said.
“But there was no sign of poison powder, no scent, nothing,” another countered.
The leader listened, his senses heightened. However, the strong scent of medicinal herbs permeating the air made it impossible to detect any trace of poison. And if it were poison powder, it would have affected them upon entry.

‘An invisible poison?’ He closed his eyes, focusing on his internal energy. It was agitated, reacting to something foreign within his body. With each breath, his internal energy pulsed, as if struggling against a toxin that had invaded his lungs.
He walked forward, his eyes still closed, following the subtle reactions within his body.
He stopped, drew his sword, and swung. A flash of red light sliced through the wall of a nearby house.

Crash.
The sound of collapsing earthen walls mingled with the sharp shattering of pottery.
“Hold your breath until I give the order,” he commanded, his voice low. Then, he walked towards the damaged house.

He saw broken jars, what appeared to be distillation apparatuses used for brewing flower wine, filled with water. They had vaporized the poison.
He destroyed the remaining apparatuses.
Clang! Crack! Crash!

He dispersed the lingering steam with a wave of his hand, and the poisonous mist dissipated quickly.
“Poison mist, using vaporized toxins…” It wasn’t a direct ingestion of poison powder, but a subtle inhalation of diluted vapor that had infiltrated their lungs. Yet, it had incapacitated eighty percent of his force.
Whoever was responsible was clearly skilled in poison arts, capable of crafting a fast-acting toxin with water-based properties.

And the attacker hadn't even shown themselves. They had neutralized most of his force without suffering a single casualty.
The leader rubbed his chin, the sting of his miscalculation a bitter pill to swallow.
“It seems we’ve stumbled upon a nest of poison masters.”

His red eyes scanned the empty courtyard, his gaze hardening. He had been sent here to silence them, but now, he risked exposing his own identity to outsiders.
He had two choices: retreat or eliminate everyone, including the uninvolved bystanders.
“Ha…” One of the fallen warriors gasped, his body convulsing. He hadn’t lost consciousness, likely due to a less potent dose of the poison.

The leader swung his sword, a wide arc of red sword energy sweeping across the ground. The bodies of his fallen warriors were sliced apart, blood splattering across the courtyard. They had only been paralyzed, yet he had ended their lives without hesitation.
Unfazed by his actions, he focused his senses, searching for any trace of his enemies. But there were no signs of life, no discernible presence. They had escaped. They couldn’t have gone far. If they had, his men stationed outside would have noticed and sent a message.
He frowned, his gaze fixed on a swirling cloud of dust illuminated by the moonlight. One particular spot within the swirling dust behaved differently, the fine particles converging downwards, as if pulled by an invisible force.

He identified the spot where the dust settled, then looked up, his gaze fixed on the mountain path.
“Go outside and tell the Third Unit to move to the opposite side of the gorge,” he commanded, his voice low.
Only ten of his men remained.

“Yes,” one of them replied, immediately heading towards the cave entrance.
The leader started towards the swirling dust, then suddenly stopped, sensing a faint tremor beneath his feet.
Thump. He stomped his foot, and the tremor intensified.

There was a passage beneath the ground.
He raised his sword, preparing to strike, when a sharp, metallic sound pierced the air.
Clang! Kaang! Kang! His remaining warriors, reacting instantly, intercepted a volley of throwing knives.

The leader’s gaze slowly rose, settling on a figure perched on a nearby rooftop, casually tossing throwing knives between his fingers.
“I have a proposition for you,” the man said, his tone calm and conversational. “People make mistakes. They hold grudges. I’m sure there’s a reason you’ve come here, your eyes bloodshot, chasing after those half-dead men. I understand.”
His tone was condescending, almost paternal, a jarring contrast to his youthful appearance.

A young-looking elder, skilled in poison arts, a presence that had gone undetected by his elite First Unit…
A name flashed through the leader’s mind.
Black Heaven Dark Ghost of the Sichuan Tang Clan. The monster whose hidden weapons darkened the sky. Even he, who had been away from the central plains for so long, knew of him.

Black Heaven Dark Ghost clasped his hands behind his back and continued, his tone almost admonishing, “I have no interest in your petty squabbles. You can butcher them, bury them, I don't care. It’s none of my concern. However…” His smooth, almost jovial tone shifted, his voice lowering as he got to the point. “Do it out of my sight.”
Tang Min glanced at the masked figures before him and shrugged. “I took a look at those you’re after. They’re not ordinary folk. They’ll be up and about within a day. So, why don’t you all leave Sichuan together tomorrow and settle your differences elsewhere? Then, I can pretend I never saw you.”
A strange smile played on the leader’s lips, a smile that Tang Min found displeasing. He scowled. “Why aren’t you answering? An elder is offering you a generous proposition. Show some respect.”

The leader chuckled. “A kind offer, indeed. It seems the rumors of Black Heaven Dark Ghost’s temperament are… exaggerated.”
Tang Min’s frown deepened. “Look here! You know who I am, but I have no idea who you are. And yet, I'm offering to let you go without any questions. Don’t you see how generous I’m being? If you survive this, spread the word of my magnanimity.” He clapped his hands together, as if impressed by his own generosity. “Now, get out of here. Go back to Anhui, or Hubei, or wherever you came from. I’ll make sure those you’re after follow you.”
The leader’s eyes narrowed, the murderous intent in his red eyes unmistakable. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“Tsk, kids these days have no sense of romance. A little deception, a little betrayal… that’s how grudges are formed, how relationships blossom.”
The leader’s gaze was cold and steady. “Elder, are you certain you don’t know who I am?”
“Huh? Don't be so full of yourself, child. How would I know who you are?”

The leader chuckled softly.
“I appreciate your response.”
“Appreciate my foot. That creepy chuckle is making me sick. Wipe that smirk off your face.” At Tang Min’s words, his subordinates shifted their stances, ready to attack. But the leader simply laughed, dispelling the tension. “By the way, Elder Black Heaven Dark Ghost, you seem confident in your assessment of my character. Why offer such a proposition? Are you trying to buy time?”

“Well, that, and…” The throwing knife that had been spinning between Tang Min’s fingers stopped, balanced between his index and middle fingers. “I wanted to see if you were the type to cross the line, or the type to hide in the shadows.”
“Hmm. And? Did I pass your test, Elder Black Heaven Dark Ghost?”
“Tsk, you have a high opinion of yourself. Someone like you could never meet my lofty standards.”

“So, I failed?” The leader’s eyebrows drooped slightly, as if disappointed.
“Indeed. And that’s a problem.” The playful tone vanished from Tang Min’s voice, replaced by a chilling coldness that sent shivers down the spines of the Blood Cult members. “You know what happens to those who set foot in the central plains. And yet, you dare to look me in the eye with those blood-red eyes of yours.”