CFZ

Thud—!

The clattering of iron rods echoed as they hit the ground, and a man drenched in sweat exhaled heavily before turning around.
A middle-aged man with sharp, piercing eyes—Ilcheon Sword—looked at another man and asked,
“What did you say?”

At Ilcheon Sword’s question, Mun Do-hyuk, still kneeling on the floor, responded.
“…The Poison King and the Star King have made contact.”
“The Poison King?”

Ilcheon Sword furrowed his brow at Mun Do-hyuk’s words. The Poison King? Out of nowhere?
It was too sudden—too unexpected.
The Tang Clan had sealed itself away after admitting to illegal human experiments several years ago. And yet, the Poison King had shown up at the branch?

‘Sure, his daughter is still active. That much is understandable.’
The Tang Clan’s daughter, serving as vice-captain of the Azure Dragon Division, could have been a plausible reason for his visit.
But even so—

‘What’s going on?’
What business could the Poison King have had with the Star King? And why now, of all times?
‘Could he have figured something out?’

A faint unease began to creep up.
This was a delicate moment, with preparations underway—and now, of all people, the Poison King had appeared?
Could the Star King have sensed something?

‘If he did, who tipped him off?’
Ilcheon Sword’s mind raced.
Was this orchestrated by the Celestial Stream Sect’s leader from the start? Or was it yet another move by the Star King?
Given the Poison King’s involvement, could this be linked to Sichuan? If not—

‘Could there be a traitor?’
Ilcheon Sword shot a menacing glare at Mun Do-hyuk.
If there was a traitor, this man would be the prime suspect.

Should he deal with him now, before the situation spiraled further? As Ilcheon Sword’s hand tensed with internal energy and he began to move—
“B-But, fortunately, it seems they haven’t uncovered the plan.”
“...”

Ilcheon Sword stopped in his tracks at the added remark.
“Why do you think so?”
“The teacups were different.”

“Teacups?”
“Yes. The Poison King didn’t drink a single sip, while the Star King emptied his cup completely.”
The Star King had finished his tea, while the Poison King hadn’t touched his.

It might have seemed like a trivial detail, but in this situation, it carried significant implications.
The issue was—
“That’s hardly enough to be certain.”

It wasn’t definitive.
Even if the Poison King appeared not to have drunk the tea, he might have tasted it without leaving evidence.
And besides—this was the Poison King.

‘Even if he didn’t drink it, there’s a good chance he noticed something.’
While he ranked lower in raw strength compared to other martial masters, no one surpassed the Poison King on the battlefield when it came to the use of toxins.
His skill with poisons was unrivaled, and he stood at the pinnacle of that deadly art.

Could such a man really have failed to detect the poison—even if it was diluted and hidden within the tea?
Ilcheon Sword couldn’t be certain.
And uncertainty meant trouble.

At that moment—
“B-But, Deputy Leader—”
Mun Do-hyuk quickly added,

“If the Poison King had noticed, wouldn’t the Star King have refused to drink it as well?”
If the Poison King had detected the poison, it was unthinkable that the Star King would have consumed it.
That was Mun Do-hyuk’s point, and even Ilcheon Sword found it odd.

Not to mention—
“It’s also strange that the Star King remained calm….”
Even if the Poison King had sensed something, he wouldn’t have let the Star King drink the tea without warning him.

And if the Star King had realized he’d consumed poison, he wouldn’t have remained idle.
He would’ve turned the branch upside down by now. But even after all this time, everything remained quiet.
Had they really not noticed?

It would be good news if true, but the nagging sense of unease wouldn’t go away.
‘Something doesn’t feel right.’
A shiver crept down Ilcheon Sword’s spine.

Was this a variable? If so, he needed to create distance—time to reevaluate the situation.
To confirm whether # Nоvеlight # the poison had been detected or not—and—
‘Why did the Poison King come here in the first place?’

He needed to find out what had brought him to the branch.
Still, pulling back now wasn’t an option.
‘…It’s too late to retreat.’

He had already crossed the line.
He’d severed ties, allied with the unorthodox Celestial Stream Sect’s leader, and even resorted to poison.
There was no turning back.

With a sharp flick, Ilcheon Sword donned the robe lying at his feet and glanced at Mun Do-hyuk.
‘No one can be trusted.’
Not the Celestial Stream Sect’s leader—and certainly not this man.

But was this suffocating? No, it wasn’t.
‘This is how Zhongyuan works.’
He had seen it time and time again. The only thing that mattered was who survived and rose to the top.

And with that in mind—
‘This man will do.’
Mun—what was his name again? Mun something.

A man desperate to return to the Azure Dragon Division and willing to give his all.
Compared to the others, whose motives were more obscure, this one was easier to use.
Most importantly—

‘He’ll be the easiest to deal with later.’
Someone disposable.
For now, he would put this pawn to use. Smiling faintly, Ilcheon Sword spoke.

“Officer Mun.”
“Yes, Deputy Leader!”
“I understand the situation. I’ll handle the rest from here.”

“B-But—”
Mun Do-hyuk hesitated, but Ilcheon Sword approached and interrupted him.
“Do you remember what I asked you last time?”

“Y-Yes! Of course!”
Mun Do-hyuk responded eagerly, as though he’d been waiting for this moment.
“You asked me to report on the Azure Dragon Division’s activities to the Star King.”

“Good. You have a sharp memory… dependable as always.”
“N-No, not at all!”
Mun Do-hyuk beamed at the praise, and Ilcheon Sword gave a slight nod.

‘It’s not him.’
At the very least, he could still make use of this man.
“Officer Mun, can I ask you for another favor?”

“Of course! A-Anything you need!”
“Good.”
Ilcheon Sword smirked and patted Mun Do-hyuk’s shoulder.

“This time, add one more detail to your report.”
“Add…what exactly?”
“Say that the Azure Dragon Division uncovered some unusual information and will prepare to act in a few days.”

“…!”
Mun Do-hyuk immediately grasped the intent behind Ilcheon Sword’s words.
Information? The Azure Dragon Division, as one of the main alliance’s elite units, was bound to have gathered substantial intelligence.

But this—this was deliberate.
A planted piece of misinformation.

   ******************
   

‘They’re probably making their move by now.’
I stroked my chin as I walked. It was about time for something to happen.
‘What will they try?’

By now, news would have spread about the Poison King’s visit to the branch.
I couldn’t help but wonder how Ilcheon Sword would respond to that.
Would he try to create distance and play it safe? Or would he press forward?

‘He’s more likely to push forward.’
He had already done too much to back down now. Retreat would mean falling off a cliff.
From my perspective, the latter seemed obvious—but still—

‘I can’t be too sure.’
No one could predict his actions with absolute certainty.
‘This complicates things a little.’

I hadn’t expected the Poison King to show up that day. That had thrown a wrench in my plans.
But dealing with the unexpected was part of the job.
‘Hmm.’

Still, I wasn’t too worried.
I’d already made preparations the moment the situation started to shift.
The real question was—

‘How suspicious is Ilcheon Sword right now?’
His doubts could range anywhere—from the Poison King and me to the Celestial Stream Sect’s leader and even the branch master.
There were a few others he might suspect as well, but I wasn’t too concerned about them.

As long as his suspicions stayed within those limits, it wouldn’t matter.
‘Honestly, it’d be nice if things went smoothly.’
But… wouldn’t that be a bit boring?

The ridiculous thought crossed my mind before I immediately shook it off.
‘What nonsense.’
This wasn’t a game. That creeping sense of excitement felt almost repulsive.

I focused my thoughts and glanced to the side.
“Humming~ hmm~”
Beside me, Tang So-yeol was happily humming a tune.

Watching her carefree demeanor eased some of my tension.
It was the day after the Poison King’s visit.
I had ordered my subordinates to focus on gathering information rather than training, and as soon as I woke up, I headed straight for the Tang Clan.

Tang So-yeol was walking beside me, her cheerful humming filling the air.
I turned to her and asked casually,
“How long has it been since you last went home?”

From what I knew, Tang So-yeol had been away from home for quite some time.
Her training with the Shadow King and her visit to Henan had kept her busy.
“…Hmm… A year? Maybe two?”

I chuckled at her uncertain answer.
‘So she’s been training nonstop.’
That meant she’d barely visited home during her intense training.

It made sense, though. Reaching her current level of skill would have required sheer determination and effort.
Watching her quick, light steps, I thought to myself—
‘She’s almost surpassed the Poison Queen.’

Tang So-yeol in my past life—
She had reached the pinnacle of poison techniques, earning her the name Poison Queen.
But…

‘She hasn’t mastered Invulnerability to All Poisons.’
The Poison Queen’s true strength came from her ability to reach the limits of poison arts.
I could still recall the suffocating aura she had released.

Just touching it would rot flesh, and inhaling it would kill anyone without resistance or high cultivation instantly.
It was this overwhelming lethality and endless energy that allowed her to stand against the Demonic Cult.
The Poison Queen’s ability to survive was rooted in her unmatched destructive power.

But Tang So-yeol in this life—
‘I wonder how strong she is now.’
She looked cheerful and carefree as she walked, almost like she was skipping.

Yet when I focused on her feet, I narrowed my eyes.
‘There’s no sound.’
Despite her light, skipping steps, there wasn’t a single noise.

And this wasn’t smooth ground—we were walking on a dirt road scattered with rocks.
For her footsteps to be completely silent—
‘She’s definitely improved.’

It was proof that she had nearly mastered stealth techniques.
While she might not have reached the level of the Shadow King, she was still exceptional.
She had even managed to fool my senses for a brief moment.

Her growth had leaned more toward stealth than poison, but I actually thought that suited her better.
At the very least—
‘She won’t die the same way she did before.’

In her past life, she had sacrificed herself to protect Sichuan.
That wouldn’t happen again—not this time.
“Young Master?”

“Hmm?”
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Ah.”

I hadn’t realized I’d been watching her so intently.
Tang So-yeol’s cheeks were faintly flushed.
I knew what that reaction meant now.

Not that I could do anything about it—not yet.
I looked away and replied,
“…It’s nothing. Just remembering the past.”

“The past? When?”
“A long, long time ago.”
“A long time ago? Oh! You mean when we first met?”

“Not exactly… but something like that.”
When I killed you.
It was a truth I could never bring myself to tell her.

“Something like that? What does that mean?”
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, okay.”

I pulled Tang So-yeol along before she could press me any further.
We were already approaching our destination.
Looking up, I saw the large plaque hanging above the gate.

Sichuan Tang Clan.
It had been a long time since I last set foot in this house of legends.