In Wuxia Novels, the Sichuan Tang Family Are Usually the Bad Guys

Dang Yeonmyeong. Born as the Current Family Head's younger brother, he was a direct descendant of the Tang Family, dedicated to cultivation and abstaining from Wine and Pleasures. Having lived since childhood solely for the safety and advancement of his Family, he considered it unthinkable to frequent a Courtesan House. However, Cheongwolru was different. Having visited several times before, he ascended the stairs with familiar steps, heading towards the Cheongwolru House Mistress... no, the Haomun Leader. *Thump-thump.* When he finally reached the uppermost floor, the Haomun Leader greeted him.

"You've arrived."

"Indeed."

Normally, Dang Yeonmyeong wouldn't have even deigned to speak to someone from the Demonic Path, regardless of their title, but this time, he nodded and took a seat.

A steaming cup of tea sat where he settled. As he gazed at it, the Haomun Leader spoke first.

"There's no poison in it, so please drink at your leisure."

"I know. You wouldn't be so foolish."

No matter how confident one was in their Poison Arts, no idiot would dare poison the tea of a Sichuan Tang Family Grand Elder.

Nevertheless, just in case, Dang Yeonmyeong sniffed the tea to confirm it was free of poison.

The Haomun Leader before him was no fool, but she harbored enough resentment towards him to potentially attempt such a reckless act.

In any case, this tea was certainly not poisoned. After enjoying a few sips, Dang Yeonmyeong spoke.

"Is there anything else to discuss between us? Hand it over." "..." The Haomun Leader didn't specify what she was to give him, but both knew exactly what it was. The information held by Haomun. The movements and true state of the other Five Great Families or the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance. Or anything that could be a weakness. Things that those who coveted the world wouldn't hesitate to pay a fortune for. Dang Yeonmyeong spoke of demanding these precious things with shocking ease. If the person before him had been from the Beggar's Sect, another titan of information, they would have pointed out his rudeness and demanded an exorbitant price, but... "..." The Haomun Leader simply opened the Vault behind her without a word and pulled out a thick stack of documents. Inside was all the High-tier Information and Highest-tier Information that Haomun had collected over the past few months. The Sichuan Tang Family had taken these valuable pieces of information without any compensation for several years after she became the Haomun Leader. But... *Thud.* This time was different. Instead of handing the information to Dang Yeonmyeong, she placed it directly in front of herself. At her action, Dang Yeonmyeong's eyebrows twitched as he asked, "What is the meaning of this?" At his nonchalant question, utterly devoid of guilt, the Haomun Leader could only grit her teeth. "...Before you take this, you must first pay the price." "The price?" "Why are you denying it—!! Didn't you promise, when you took the information last time, to give me the antidote this time—!!"

Haomun Leader Dang Wolhwa. Despite being born with a strong resistance to poison, she had never reached the realm of a Mature Poison Master. And that was precisely because the Sichuan Tang Family had intended it so. The process of ingesting poisons to become a Poison Master involved immense pain and after-effects, requiring an antidote to alleviate them to some extent. However, Dang Yeonmyeong, who was in charge of Poison Master Training at the time, deliberately withheld the antidote from her... and as a result, her weakened body could not become a Mature Poison Master. And the reason he didn't give her the antidote was... to use her as a puppet, just as he is doing now.

"This goes back ten years...! I joined Haomun at the age of fifteen to follow your orders...! You promised me the antidote back then... How much longer do I have to be deceived—!"

"If you became a Mature Poison Master, wouldn't you try to escape the Main Family's control? Haomun's intelligence network is still necessary for us."

Dang Yeonmyeong said this, took another sip of tea, and clicked his tongue.

"It was only with the Main Family's support that you could become the Haomun Leader at such a young age... Are you daring to forget that favor?"

"...Who asked for this kind of life?"

Indeed, the Sichuan Tang Family had supported her in becoming the Haomun Leader. And that support... involved helping her poison Haomun's Executives. By eliminating her Superiors through Poisoning, she rapidly ascended to key positions within Haomun, all while diligently consuming poisons to complete her transformation into a Poison Master. It was a life riddled with pain and guilt. She had never wanted such a life. Even though Dang Yeonmyeong knew this well, he never ceased his pressure on her.

"How... how could you do this...?"

"..."

"If you are my Father... if you were my Mother's husband... how could you do such a thing...?"

To create a Poison Master, both child and parent were needed.

Fetal Poison Creation.

To bear a child with poison resistance, Dang Wolhwa's Mother had ingested poisons from the moment she conceived her.

And... young Dang Wolhwa remembered her Mother's end.

First, her fingernails began to fall out, then Black Aura started to spread throughout her body, next her hair fell out, and finally, she met her death looking like a skeleton.

She was Dang Wolhwa's Mother, but before that, she was Dang Yeonmyeong's wife... yet he merely said this upon seeing his dead wife:

*A decent broodmare has died.*

In the distant past, there were moments when she considered him her Father.

However... from the moment her Mother died, the man before her was no longer a father, but an enemy, even now just an enemy trying to use her.

Perhaps thinking of her deceased Mother, the Haomun Leader could no longer control her emotions. And sensing the faint Killing Intent that subtly escaped her, the first to move was...

"How dare you."

...Dang Yeonmyeong.

The conflict between the Grand Elder and the Haomun Leader had been festering for a long time. By using the antidote as leverage to control the Haomun Leader, the Grand Elder had long since betrayed any trust. Now, all that remained was for two venomous snakes, each with sharp fangs, to tear at each other's throats. Both were venomous snakes. However... it had long been decided which held the advantage. *Whoosh—!* "Ugh—!" Poison and Internal Energy, combined just like a Poison Master's, erupted from Dang Yeonmyeong's palm. The Haomun Leader also met him, using her Poison Arts. *CRASH—!* But unlike her, an Immature Poison Master, Dang Yeonmyeong was a Mature Poison Master. Not only that, he possessed far greater Internal Energy, more experience, and was robust, unlike her body, which was already weakened by poison. *Swoosh—.* Eventually, the Haomun Leader's palm began to be pushed back little by little... *CRASH—!!!!* Dang Yeonmyeong seized her by the neck and slammed her to the floor in the opening that formed. "Ugh... you bastard..." "You have no qualms about speaking to your father like that." He said this, but Dang Yeonmyeong's eyes were not those of a father looking at his daughter. To him, Haomun Leader Dang Wolhwa was merely a tool for the Family, nothing more. He had always thought so, and thus, he felt no hesitation even in this moment.

*Squirm—.*

From his palm, a droplet of murky, poisonous energy began to form.

Even for the Haomun Leader, who had reached the realm of a Poison Master, this was a type of poison she had never seen before, and she couldn't help but be flustered.

Dang Yeonmyeong, who was subduing her, began to explain.

"I knew you would bare your fangs like this someday. So, I thought I'd give you a lesson today, and it seems quite appropriate."

"L-let go of me...!"

"You've probably never seen this before. This is called the Heart-Breaking Gu Poison. The Main Family developed it recently."

"What do you plan to do with that? I'm already—!"

"A Poison Master. Yes, a Poison Master. But even for you, who is accustomed to pain..."

A faint smile played on Dang Yeonmyeong's face as he cut off the Haomun Leader's words.

"...It will make you recall old memories."

*Flash—!*

And with those final words, he injected the Heart-Breaking Gu Poison, which had formed in his hand, into her.

At first, Dang Wolhwa was confident she wouldn't flinch. Having lived in pain since she took her first steps, she thought a new poison wouldn't be much of a stimulus. However... "Ugh—!!" ...The poison newly developed by the Tang Family felt like her already severed intestines were being reattached and then crushed in a mortar. Overwhelmed by the pain, she couldn't control her body, and her vision blurred. And above her, an indifferent voice continued. "From now on, I will give you the antidote for the Heart-Breaking Gu Poison once every ten days. If you take it, you will feel much better. However, if you defy the Main Family's orders, you will live in that pain until the very last moment of your life." "Ugh..." Dang Yeonmyeong grabbed her chin as she writhed in pain and said, "My daughter, why did you defy the Main Family's will?" "I will never... live as you wish..." "Tsk, tsk, your eyes are full of Poisonous Qi. Very well... even if you live that way, shouldn't you save your Minions?" "What...?" Minions, he said... Surely not... As she realized this, her eyes widened, and Dang Yeonmyeong nodded. "Before entering this place, I administered San Gong Poison outside." "—!!"

San Gong Poison. A poison that inhibits the Internal Energy of those who ingest it. For a Martial Artist, that was a significant vulnerability. "I instructed them to subdue all the Haomun Riff-raff if I didn't come out before One Da-gyeong passed. One Da-gyeong has long since passed." "You evil..." "The situation outside must already be settled. Still, shouldn't you save your Subordinates?" At that moment... *Thump-thump.* The sound of someone ascending the stairs reached the two of them. "It seems someone has come to report that it's over." "..." "I hope today's events make you realize your place and situation once more. You are a member of the Tang Family until your dying breath." Leaving those words, Dang Yeonmyeong released his restraining hand and stood up. The Haomun Leader, though physically free, could not move. First, she couldn't control her body because of the pain from the Heart-Breaking Gu Poison... *Damn it...* *If I make a wrong move here, I don't know what will happen to my Subordinates held hostage outside.* *Damn it...* Since her Mother's death, she had poured all her efforts into escaping the Family. But the Family clung to her relentlessly, refusing to let her go... This, too, was her defeat. *Damn it—!* As she suppressed her rage and sorrow, the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs finally reached the door. To the stranger outside, Grand Elder Dang Yeonmyeong spoke. "Is everything settled outside?" "...Huh?"

At his question, the person standing outside seemed momentarily flustered, then quickly replied.

"...Ah, yes! Grand Elder! Everything outside has been settled!"

"Good, then the neck of the highest-ranking one among them, as an example... wait a moment."

Dang Yeonmyeong was about to continue his order but stopped. The reason was... the tone of the person outside was far too impudent to be that of a Tang Family Martial Artist.

"..."

"..."

For a moment, an odd silence fell...

*Swoosh—!!!*

"—!"

Breaking that silence was a blade thrown straight through the door.

Dang Yeonmyeong reacted instantly, dodging it, but...

*Slice—.*

"Ugh..."

In the process, his neck was slightly grazed.

The black blood characteristic of a Poison Master flowed from his neck.

Thinking it had been a long time since he'd seen his own blood, Dang Yeonmyeong looked towards where the blade had been thrown, and saw...

"No, I said everything's settled, so why isn't this *Old Fart* coming out?" "...Who are you?" "Who am I?" ...A man who, in anyone's eyes, looked like a male courtesan swaggered into the room like a thug. "I'm one of the aces working here, and I came to deal with a troublesome customer. You bastard."