The silence of night clung to the courtyard like a second skin. Only the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze whispered through the air. Tang Yun sat cross-legged beneath the twisted willow tree, eyes closed, the world around him slowing to a crawl.
The Dustless Thorn, a technique that seemed simple on paper, was a deceptive and elegant art. It wasn't just about hiding the weapon it was about hiding intent.
"Intention kills before the blade," he murmured to himself.
He recalled the words from one of the few surviving manuals from the Tang Clan's prime. The Dustless Thorn was a legacy technique, often misunderstood even by core clan members. While others relied on flashy poison flares or grand internal techniques, the Dustless Thorn thrived on silence, misdirection, and precision.
Tang Yun had practiced it hundreds of times in secret. The motion was slight an imperceptible flick of the wrist, a shallow step forward, the calculated angle of strike. But its genius lay in qi suppression. The user had to compress their poison qi into a near-invisible thread, thread it through the needle or thorn, and only release it an instant before penetration.
It required absolute control.
And Tang Yun had spent every stolen moment refining it.
Now, his fingers slowly moved over the delicate needle pouch sewn inside his robes. He had modified the design himself. The needles were thinner than spider silk, forged with soft-steel alloy and dipped in his handmade variant of Widow's Blanket a paralyzing poison that didn't show symptoms until ten breaths later.
Ten breaths was enough.
Enough to smile, to bow, to walk away.
Tonight, he was going to test it.
Earlier that afternoon, a rumor had reached Tang Yun through one of the kitchen servants. A pair of senior outer disciples had begun extorting weaker ones for resources and one of them had eyes on Tang Yun's storage quota.
It wasn't a surprise.
Ever since the second elder quietly shifted resource control to a merit-based system, competition among outer disciples had turned vicious. While Tang Yun acted meek and compliant on the surface, the sudden spike in bullying near his residence wasn't a coincidence. Someone wanted to squeeze him dry or perhaps bait him into a fight and have him expelled.
So he'd smiled.
He bowed.
And he invited them.
A night duel. Secret. Witnessless.
They thought he was desperate.
Now, as the heavy steps approached from the outer courtyard, Tang Yun opened his eyes. Moonlight shimmered over the garden path. Two figures entered Zhou Kang and Mu Lei. Zhou was a brute of a youth, broad-shouldered, hair tied in a warrior's braid. Mu Lei, wiry and sharp-eyed, had a thin saber hanging from his belt.
"I was hoping you'd run," Zhou Kang smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Would've been easier to claim your resources."
Tang Yun stood slowly, brushing dust off his robe. "That's not how cowards work."
Zhou Kang growled, stepping forward.
But Tang Yun raised a hand, palm open. "We agreed. No weapons."
"You expect us to follow that?" Mu Lei laughed. "We're not fools."
Tang Yun only smiled. "Then it's a good thing I brought my own insurance."
In one swift motion, Tang Yun took a single step forward and vanished from sight.
To the untrained eye, it looked like a stumble. But Zhou Kang's face went pale an instant later as a burning sensation bloomed in his chest. He staggered back, eyes wide.
"What–?"
Tang Yun flicked his wrist, already stepping back into the shadow of the tree. Mu Lei drew his saber, but the moment he lunged, his legs buckled. He collapsed to one knee, weapon clattering to the stone.
Ten breaths passed.
Neither opponent could move.
"I gave you both a choice," Tang Yun said quietly, voice without malice. "You chose greed. I chose precision."
Their mouths foamed slightly, though they remained conscious. Paralyzed, not poisoned fatally.
Tang Yun knelt beside Zhou Kang. "You'll live. The Widow's Blanket wears off after two hours. I suggest you reflect on your decisions before your limbs return."
Then he stood, retreating into the garden's gloom like a shadow retreating from dawn.
The next morning, the news spread like wildfire.
Two senior outer disciples had been found unconscious and twitching outside the training pavilion. No one saw the culprit. No one dared name a suspect.
But many eyes began to glance sideways at the youngest Tang.
Some in curiosity.
Some in quiet fear.
Back in his residence, Tang Yun sat cross-legged, meditating.
His poison qi flowed smoothly now, denser than before. The early stage of Qi Awakening was about sensing and beginning to manipulate internal energy, but Tang Yun's progress had subtly advanced. Not because of pure cultivation effort but because of application.
Real battle forced clarity. The clash of wills refined technique.
He adjusted the channels of his qi, letting it circulate through his meridians, brushing against the dantian like gentle tides. His qi was not bright or pure like others. It was murky, slow-moving, but deadly. Like a quiet swamp hiding predators beneath its still surface.
Poison qi.
The Tang Clan's infamous signature. It didn't require loud declarations. Its touch was enough.
But Tang Yun didn't want to be famous for poison alone.
He wanted to be known for strategy, for manipulation, for walking through a battlefield and emerging unscathed because all the blades had missed him by design.
He would create fear not with strength but with reputation.
As he opened his eyes, he reached for a scroll and began drafting.
His next plan.
Something bigger.
Perhaps it was time to plant seeds in the other training halls.
Perhaps a borrowed talent, a new ally… or a dangerous rumor to sow chaos among the elite disciples.
The path to power didn't begin at the top.
It began in the shadows.
Author's Note:
Dustless Thorn – A Tang Clan assassination technique that hides both movement and killing intent. It's considered one of the most difficult techniques to master due to its reliance on perfect qi suppression and precision timing.
Widow's Blanket – A paralytic poison made from five types of nightshade, refined into a delayed-release agent. It immobilizes the target after 10 breaths without causing lasting harm.
Qi Awakening Stage (Early) – The first true step into cultivation. The practitioner becomes aware of their internal energy and begins basic manipulation, forming a foundation for martial techniques.
[Tags]: Reincarnation, Martial Arts, Poison, Scheming Protagonist, Cultivation, Weak to Strong, Anti-Hero, Cold Protagonist, Clan Wars, Hidden Identity, Revenge