The sun had just begun to rise, casting golden rays across the rooftops of the Tang Clan estate. In the central courtyard, disciples moved in synchronized motions, practicing the foundational stances of the Tang Clan's martial arts. The sharp sound of palms slicing the air echoed rhythmically.
Tang Yun was not among them.
Instead, he sat in his secluded herb garden, methodically grinding dried lotus leaves into a fine powder. His fingers moved precisely, with the grace of someone who understood the importance of patience. Nearby, the moss-covered training dummy stood undisturbed, the Widow's Blanket now dormant and drying. The trap had already served its purpose.
Tang Fu remained bedridden. Though the clan's physicians had tried dozens of prescriptions, the inflammation in his arms continued to worsen. His right hand had turned stiff, unable to hold a brush. His screams during the night echoed through the inner quarters like a curse.
And yet, not a single elder had blamed Tang Yun.
But that didn't mean no one was watching.
Elder Tang Mo, one of the internal hall's disciplinary elders, sat quietly in the records pavilion. He was an aging man, his beard streaked with gray and his eyes sharp like a falcon's. While others dismissed the poisoning as a freak accident, he did not believe in coincidences.
"Poison that reacts only after several hours… no visible cause… no scent or trace in the bloodstream," he murmured.
He flipped through old Tang Clan manuals scrolls rarely touched by the younger generation. Then he found it: a faded parchment with sketches of the Widow's Blanket.
"A touch poison, native to shaded damp regions… releases spores on skin contact… dormant for hours."
Tang Mo's eyes narrowed. "This hasn't grown naturally in decades."
He turned toward the herb garden's registry.
"Only one person has applied for access to that courtyard in the last month."
A name was written in small script:
Tang Yun – Youngest Young Master.
Meanwhile, Tang Yun poured a thin line of poison powder into a pouch sewn into the sleeve of his outer robe. It was a diluted version of Dustless Thorn a poison that caused sharp itching and distraction but no real harm.
"Let's see how the inner disciples fare when their focus breaks mid-strike," he murmured.
He wasn't planning to kill anyone. Not yet. But he would chip away at their superiority. Bit by bit.
As Tang Yun stepped into the training fields that morning, his presence drew little attention. Most disciples ignored him except one.
Tang Mei, a sharp-eyed outer disciple, watched him curiously. She wasn't from the main bloodline, but her instincts had always been sharp. She noticed the change in Tang Yun.
Before, he moved clumsily. Now, his steps had rhythm. His breathing, once erratic, now followed a stable martial pattern. And the timing Tang Fu falls ill, and the weakest among them starts to gain clarity?
"You're hiding something," she whispered under her breath.
Training began.
Pairs of disciples sparred in mock combat. Tang Yun, as usual, was sent to practice alone on the far side. No one wanted to be paired with him.
He took a stance. He didn't perform any martial art, but instead began mimicking Qi Flow Movement a simple exercise meant to circulate qi through the limbs.
But in his case, he was doing more than exercise.
Tang Yun was testing how well his poison qi moved in the open air. Most Tang Clan techniques were designed to inject poison through palm strikes or needles, but his method focused on projection.
In his previous life, he had once witnessed a martial artist coat their Sword in qi so sharp that it sliced a leaf in mid-air. Tang Yun wanted to achieve something similar with poison instead of sword qi.
It would take months, maybe years.
But his foundation was already laid.
Later that evening, Tang Yun returned to his quarters and opened a scroll.
It was an old Tang Clan record, nearly rotted with age. It described one of the clan's forbidden arts: Thousand Venoms Veil (천독장막 – Cheondok Jangmak).
"A technique developed by the first Poison King. It allows the user to emit an aura of poison qi so fine, it forms a mist. Anyone who breathes it without protection suffers hallucinations and internal injury."
The technique was far beyond him. It required a Martial Warrior Realm cultivation to maintain safely. But it gave him a goal.
A new path.
Elsewhere, Elder Tang Mo closed the scroll in the records room.
"It could be him," he whispered. "But to accuse a child with no evidence would harm the clan's name."
He decided to watch.
For now.
The next day, during morning drills, a strange incident occurred. Several inner disciples suddenly scratched their arms and necks, their movements faltering.
Elder instructors called it an allergic reaction.
Tang Yun said nothing.
He simply stood in the shade, watching them sweat.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Cultivation Realms Introduced So Far:
1. Qi Awakening Realm (기각성경 – Gi Gakseong-gyeong):
The beginning of the martial path. Internal energy is awakened.
Tang Yun is currently in Early Qi Awakening.
2. Meridian Opening Realm (경맥개방경 – Gyeongmaek Gaebang-gyeong):
The body's energy channels are unblocked.
Tang Fu was at the Late Meridian Opening Realm.
3. Inner Core Realm (내핵경 – Naehaek-gyeong):
The qi is condensed into a stable internal core. Advanced techniques begin here.
Great Eight Clans (Updated):
1. Namgung Clan – Sword techniques.
2. Zhao Clan – Golden Body arts.
3. Lee Clan – Movement techniques.
4. Gu Clan – Formation and sealing.
5. Huang Clan – Soul and spiritual arts.
6. Jin Clan – Alchemy and medicine.
7. Wei Clan – Spear users.
8. Tang Clan – Poison (currently in decline).
Great Eight Sects:
1. Wudang Sect – Taoist sword and harmony arts.
2. Mount Hua Sect – Sword-focused orthodox sect.
3. Kunlun Sect – Spiritual and elemental cultivation.
4. Hao Sect – Mercenary and information guild.
5. Moonflower Sect – All-female sect specializing in illusions and charm techniques.
6. Beggar Sect – Vast numbers, street-fighting, and unorthodox techniques.
7. Bodhimanda Temple – Buddhist monk sect with strong defensive and spiritual cultivation.
8. Sword Sect – Ruthless blade cultivation and martial discipline.
Tang Yun was not part of their world.
Not yet.
But one day, they would remember his name—not as the useless young master, but as something else entirely.
The poison would spread slowly.
And by the time they noticed, it would be too late.
[Tags]: Reincarnation, Martial Arts, Poison, Scheming Protagonist, Cultivation, Weak to Strong, Anti-Hero, Cold Protagonist, Clan Wars, Hidden Identity, Revenge