Chapter 829: A Moment to Savor (4)

Ten-Sided Ambush Stratagem.

This was, long ago... (omitted).

Anyway—complete.

The meticulous manpower allocation and communications network—one that parceled out an entire mountainside—was a masterpiece finished by bringing in outside “experts.”

However.

The Ten-Sided Ambush Stratagem prepared by the Five Poison Sect and assisted by the Blood Cult did not stop at being a mere large-scale encirclement.

On top of the ambush, they shaped the terrain itself into a formation, twisting a person’s internal sense of direction and awareness and turning the area into a natural labyrinth.

Without knowing the Life Gate and the Death Gate, even forcing a breakthrough with raw power would only make you circle the same ground again and again. Relax your attention for even a moment, and you would lose the companion who had been right beside you.

In the end, those caught in this trap would be scattered apart, each forced to face countless enemies closing in from all sides.

And that wasn’t all.

No—rather, the most lethal, powerful, and dangerous part of the Ten-Sided Ambush Stratagem still remained.

The Five Poison Sect had poured out, without holding anything back, the enormous stockpile of extreme poisons it had hoarded continuously since the sect’s founding.

Poison sects, by nature, have many enemies.

The Five Poison Sect was no exception.

If someone died by poison, the grudge inevitably pointed to the Five Poison Sect—regardless of whether the poisoning was actually done by a Five Poison Sect member.

Whether it was something the Five Poison Sect sold, something sold decades ago and no longer connected, something stolen without being sold, or even a completely different poison with similar symptoms that caused a misunderstanding—it didn’t matter. People hated the Five Poison Sect all the same.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

Suppose a Five Poison Sect member won a legitimate fight against another sect’s member in a proper exchange.

If it were a normal sect-versus-sect clash, people would shrug it off as the way of the martial world, with no deep resentment left behind.

But if poison was the method?

Then even in victory, the Five Poison Sect would be condemned as having used despicable tricks, while the defeated side would refuse to accept the loss and nurse a grudge.

That was why the Five Poison Sect’s methods were cruel.

It wasn’t for nothing that the Tang Clan boasted that they repaid favors twice over—and grudges tenfold.

If a poison sect failed to instill fear, the accumulated grudges would swell and spill over the walls.

And that fear came from the poison itself—specifically, from how much extreme poison was stockpiled inside those warehouses.

To pour all of that out?

It was no exaggeration to say the Five Poison Sect had spent its entire future on this single annihilation formation.

However.

There are things in this world that must be done, even when you know they are foolish.

This ambush formation was one of them.

In the recent Sichuan catastrophe, the Five Poison Sect had lost more than half of its most precious children.

Even the first disciple of the generation had met a horrific end.

To resolve that hatred, they had to abandon even the sect’s tomorrow.

And on top of that, they had been entangled with the Blood Cult.

If that fact were exposed, the entire Central Plains would descend upon them, and the sect would be exterminated.

In truth, the Five Poison Sect had already given up on the future.

That was how deep their hatred ran.

Which was why this Ten-Sided Ambush Stratagem was all the more terrifying.

A meticulously designed plan by experts.

A formation layered atop it.

An unsparing deluge of lethal poisons.

And then, the final element—the perfect finishing touch.

That hatred. That is, fighting spirit.

No matter how perfect an ambush is, if the will of its participants does not support it, it becomes nothing more than a loose net through which the enemy slips away like fish.

Charging the enemy without fear.

Ignoring one’s own body with an unyielding resolve.

Biting with the teeth if an arm is severed; wrapping with the legs even if the jaw is shattered—clinging to the enemy no matter what.

That indomitable fighting spirit.

And that was exactly what the Five Poison Sect possessed now.

Having abandoned even the sect’s future, those who had forsaken tomorrow for today wanted only to kill their enemies.

With the preparations for this terrifying Ten-Sided Ambush Stratagem now complete, all that remained for the Five Poison Sect was for their unsuspecting enemies to crawl in of their own accord and meet the most dreadful end imaginable...

Except—

The enemies did not come.

There was no news at all.

They had sold off the sect’s future to prepare this trap, and yet the enemy did not arrive.

All sect members were eating outside, sleeping outside, enduring dry winds and cold dew, even camping overnight—

“...Where are those two?”

“That is... they have not been found.”

“How is that possible?!”

BANG!

Five Poison Sect Leader Hu Cheonchi slammed the massive strategy table.

“Did they burst out of the ground or vanish into the sky?! Didn’t you say they were headed straight for the main sect?! Then why haven’t they shown even the tip of their noses?!”

“Sect Leader, please calm yourself. They’re not exactly seasoned veterans, are they? Perhaps those thoughtless youngsters are sightseeing the terraced fields of Yuan—”

“No! Sightseeing at a time like this?! Why?! Why aren’t they marching straight in already?!”

“Well, they’re not coming to fight, so they may as well play at being knight-errants. There’s no reason to hurry. And the terraced fields are truly a breathtaking sight—”

Yes, the terraced fields of Yuan were indeed a wonder of the world—no, that’s not the point!

Hu Cheonchi ground his teeth.

In truth, he wasn’t angry at the Chief Steward.

And the Chief Steward was surely just as frustrated.

So Hu Cheonchi could only grind his own teeth in helpless irritation.

Still, he couldn’t help voicing his concern.

“And the Blood Cult—any word from them? If those bastards are hiding something—”

“They’re as slippery as ever. They only say the enemy should arrive soon.”

“Our disciples have already been camping out for five days. Tsk. Fine—serve a special meal today. But do not slacken vigilance. And also...”

Thus, the Five Poison Sect continued their nights in the open.

*****

Five Poison Sect, Main Hall.

Though the sect was empty with all disciples out on ambush duty, an inexplicably heated atmosphere lingered in the very center—the Main Hall.

Originally, this was where the Sect Leader and elders discussed the sect’s affairs, so with all of them deployed, it should have been cold and deserted.

Yet astonishingly, atop the large table that presided over the hall, a man and woman were in the midst of vigorous intercourse.

An atrocity no matter how much of a sect’s mad dog one might be.

To commit such obscene acts in the sect’s center—the most public and sacred space?

It was an insult to all the sect’s ancestors, a crime worthy of execution—or at the very least, the shattering of the lower abdomen and severing of the core tendons into lifelong crippling.

But as with all things, it only mattered if you were caught.

With no Five Poison Sect members present, who would know or rage if someone were to copulate—or roast a pig—in the sacred Main Hall?

And in any case, the one engaged in this frenzy wouldn’t have cared even if caught.

Because he was Blood Cult—no, one of the biggest Blood Cult monsters—Poison Demon, the one leading the Blood Guard Brigade.

This was the average character of Blood Cult scum.

Worse still, it was a scene hard to look at with a sober mind.

One participant was a boy—a great demonic master with the appearance of an underdeveloped youth.

The other was an old woman.

A horrifying situation that could neither be described nor should be.

And as things grew ever more intense—

That was when it happened.

“Poison Demon, something terrible—huff!”

CRASH.

A Blood Cult warrior burst through the Main Hall doors and froze solid under an utterly unexpected visual assault.

“What is it? What’s with the fuss? Can’t you see I’m busy right now?”

Poison Demon’s attitude was utterly ordinary.

It was the old woman with him who shrieked and hastily covered herself.

Poison Demon smacked his lips.

“There’s no need to shake like that. If it weren’t urgent, he wouldn’t dare barge in here. So—what is it?”

The Blood Cult warrior’s fear had a different cause.

Poison Demon was a man of ruthless practicality—had the messenger been overly polite, he might have been scolded for being too relaxed with urgent news.

Still, what man wouldn’t be shaken after seeing that scene?

I’d heard rumors about Poison Demon’s tastes, but to think they were real...!

“Well—th-the corpse-poison workshop was attacked. The mine collapsed. The Jeong Family Manor comrades were annihilated. Survivors: five, at most.”

“What?”

Poison Demon’s face crumpled.

“What about Sejeong?”

“Sejeong-nim... has died...”

Annoyance flared on Poison Demon’s face.

Do you know how long it takes to raise a poison alchemist? To train a sharp kid into a proper asset—only for him to die?

“No. Who dared—who did this?”

“The culprit calls herself the Supreme Thief Overlord, the rice-eater, Elder Bandit Lotus. Estimated to be a Transformation Realm expert.”

Poison Demon’s expression twisted further.

Supreme Thief Overlord? Who uses a title like that?

The rice-eater? A rice-eating thief?

It made no sense. And if a Transformation Realm expert had such a ridiculous title, she’d be famous for it—yet he’d never heard the name.

And Elder Bandit Lotus?

Lotus was a beautiful name, but not one you’d give to someone with the surname Do.

Clearly a mockery—an alias and name chosen by a master hiding her identity.

But who?

Well. He could just beat it out of her himself.

She dared touch his subordinates?

Poison Demon flicked his tongue.

“And Jeong the Young Master and Warrior Dong sustained severe injuries—”

“What?”

“Their condition is very poor.”

“Why are you reporting that to me? Call that ghost thing and have it reported to the Sword Demon.”

“The condition is extremely poor. He lost his sight, his hearing, and his tongue was cut—”

“That’s exactly why—ah, wait? Oh. That’s quite the vicious knight-errant. Hm. Hm. I was wondering how to deal with someone who dared touch what’s mine. That... that’s not bad.”

Poison Demon began pulling on his clothes.

“Go tell Jaeryun. I’ll depart within the hour—have him gather suitable people. And also—tell the Sword Demon. I’ll package that bastard the same way and send him over. He’ll owe me one. Right. That’s that.”

At that moment—

A faint breeze passed, and beyond the open doorway stood the figure of an unfamiliar woman.

“Ah. Poison Demon. Just a moment—are you finished with that... dreadful act?”

“What are you talking about, ghost? And dreadful? You may not know this, but sharing affection between man and woman is not dreadful at all.”

“But she’s an old woman.”

“Then what? At my age, should I be rolling around with the young? Wouldn’t it be dreadful for a decrepit old man to be clinging to a young girl?”

“Oh? Is that so? Anyway. Ahem.”

The woman adjusted her voice—

And then dropped the act.

“The Guild Master orders: a rebellion has broken out in Southern Yue. Poison Demon is to go personally and deal with it. That is all.”

“Now? At a time like this?”

“The order came down earlier, but you were so... engrossed that I couldn’t even approach.”

Poison Demon frowned.

“If it was the Guild Master’s order, you should’ve informed me first. Hm. Then what about that one?”

Leaving a Transformation Realm opponent to subordinates always got someone killed or maimed.

If it were another brigade that only knew how to swing weapons, fine—but his Blood Guard Brigade members were trained in both martial and civil arts, poison arts included. They were hard to raise.

After a moment’s thought, Poison Demon snapped his fingers.

Didn’t the ancients say use barbarians to control barbarians?

“Right. Not our kids. Let the Five Poison Sect handle it. Release the reserve unit the Sword Demon sent and have them lure that woman into where the Five Poison Sect is lying in ambush.”

“But will the Five Poison Sect agree? They’re desperate to kill their enemy.”

“The one they grind their teeth over most is the Heavenly Flower Sword, right? Then say Elder Bandit Lotus’s true identity is the Heavenly Flower Sword. They’ll charge in to kill her. If it turns out not to be true later, we’ll just say we were fooled too.”

The more he said it, the better it sounded.

The Five Poison Sect would gnash their teeth—but they were the desperate ones, not the Blood Cult.

However.

As the saying goes, even a blind cow can catch a mouse by backing into it.

If Qing had known, she would have found it deeply unfair.

Or perhaps—

Perfect.

If they didn’t run and came straight at her, she might even welcome it.