The moon hung low above the Tang Clan, its light filtering through poisonous mists that clung like cobwebs to the ancient roofs. Hidden within those vapors was a tension that hadn't existed before the kind that slithered under the skin and made hearts beat a little faster.
And at the center of that slow boil stood Tang Yun.
His name was not feared yet. It wasn't even acknowledged. But like the first droplet of venom in a cup of wine, his presence had begun to change the flavor of everything around him.
Poison Courtyard – Morning
Tang Yun stirred from meditation, his breathing shallow but steady. The green vine seed from the Ceremony of the Vine now floated beside him in a porcelain dish of nutrient-rich liquid. Though others had dismissed it as a sign of weakness, he had watched it pulse under the moonlight faint, yes, but deliberate.
Like him.
He gently poked the seed with a thin needle tip, letting a sliver of his newly refined poison qi flow into it. The response was immediate. A tiny black tendril emerged, writhing and splitting the surface of the liquid.
"Good," he whispered.
He had begun refining a new technique—one that would absorb and purify external toxins into a unique qi thread he called Silken Toxin Vein. It wasn't complete yet, but he could feel his dantian strengthening, drop by drop.
Outer Courtyard – Midday
Today marked the monthly Cross-Hall Exchange, where outer disciples sparred and traded insights under the watch of lower elders. Tang Yun had avoided such gatherings until now. He didn't like the spotlight. But to grow, he needed resources.
He walked into the clearing amid a crowd of sneering faces.
"Isn't that the twelfth son?"
"He dares show himself here?"
"Probably just here to watch… if he can even stand on his legs."
Tang Yun's lips twitched faintly. The air was thick with disdain, but that was just how he liked it. Those who underestimated him never guarded their backs.
Elder Tang Min Scarlet Plume Instructor called for the match list. His crimson robe fluttered behind him as he barked names. "Tang Qiyan vs. Tang Yun!"
The crowd roared in amusement.
Qiyan was a muscular youth from one of the outer branches. He grinned wide, showing a row of sharp, tobacco-stained teeth.
"I'll make sure the Patriarch doesn't have to mourn a waste like you," Qiyan spat.
Tang Yun stepped into the circle, face blank.
The Duel
"Begin!" Elder Tang Min barked.
Qiyan charged immediately, his sleeves launching twin blades coated in green frost toxin. Fast but messy.
Tang Yun leaned to the side, letting the blades whistle past. He flicked his finger, sending a hidden thorn a Dustless Thorn toward Qiyan's exposed ankle.
The needle embedded itself beneath the skin with no sound.
Qiyan paused.
"What–"
His legs buckled.
Tang Yun calmly walked past him as the boy collapsed to the ground, frothing slightly at the mouth.
"Dustless Thorn, variant two," Tang Yun muttered, mostly to himself. "Mild paralysis. Duration: twelve breaths. Extractable."
Elder Tang Min raised an eyebrow. "Winner: Tang Yun."
Gasps. Whispers. Stares.
He didn't stay for applause or questions. He simply picked up Qiyan's dropped contribution token and walked away.
Elsewhere – Elder's Chamber
Elder Tang Mo, the Whispering Venom, observed the report with a smile.
"He's begun," he said to Tang Ren, the Frostbite Venom Master.
Tang Ren frowned, arms crossed. "The vine was dormant. His body's weak."
"And yet he beat a boy in the Meridian Opening stage without breaking a sweat. He didn't even reveal a named technique."
Tang Liansu, the Venom Scripture Guardian, nodded silently, flipping a bamboo scroll. "Let him bloom under pressure. Like poison roses… the more you trample them, the deeper they grow."
Tang Mansion – Nightfall
The mansion was a massive, multi-courtyard compound at the heart of the Tang estate. Reserved for the core bloodline, it was where six of Tang Yun's older siblings resided when not away on missions.
But tonight, it hosted an unusual gathering. The eldest Tang Jinhai had returned.
A low voice echoed in the dim hall. "The twelfth son has made a stir."
Tang Feiyan toyed with a velvet ribbon soaked in night lotus poison. "Let the runt play. He'll trip on his own thorns."
Tang Wuhen didn't speak. He stood in the shadows.
Tang Rouxi giggled, her needles dancing between her fingers. "But he's so quiet. It makes me curious."
Tang Mingzhe, chewing a bloodfruit, smiled wickedly. "Perhaps we should play with our little brother… remind him what it means to be a Tang."
Only Tang Huian, the Thousand Venom Scholar, said nothing. He glanced toward the moonlit windows, lost in thought.
Back at Tang Yun's Courtyard
Tang Yun was planting a Nightshade Root in a pot of bone ash when footsteps approached.
It was Tang Bao one of the "unknown five." He was average-looking, quiet, and rarely spoke.
"Brother Yun," Bao said, kneeling politely. "Word spreads. You won."
Tang Yun nodded. "And?"
"Your elder siblings are watching. Especially the first six."
Tang Yun didn't react. He placed another seed in the soil.
Bao added, "There's a banquet tomorrow. Not official. Just them. You'll be summoned."
Tang Yun let the silence hang before he finally whispered:
"Good. Let them all come."
Bao blinked. "You'll go?"
"No."
"...Then–"
"They'll come to me."
The Next Day – Elder Hall
Tang Yun sat with Elder Tang Liansu, receiving a set of poison scriptures to memorize.
"These are not battle manuals," Liansu warned. "They teach patience, fermentation, binding. Boring, yes. Essential, even more so."
Tang Yun studied the first scroll. He liked what he read.
A true poison does not roar. It rests in silence until silence becomes fear.
He committed the line to memory.
Liansu narrowed his eyes. "They say you refuse to attend your siblings' banquet."
"I wasn't invited," Tang Yun replied.
"Even so… you should show humility."
"I will, Elder. Once they deserve it."
Midnight – Poison Courtyard
A presence entered the courtyard. Tang Yun already knew who it was.
Tang Rouxi.
She walked with grace, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Little brother, I've come bearing gifts."
She tossed a pouch at him. It burst open to reveal a coiling black serpent.
"Let's see how well you play with family," she smiled.
The serpent lunged. Tang Yun stepped aside, flicking his sleeve. Powder burst into the air Obsidian Dust.
The serpent hissed, then fell still.
Rouxi raised an eyebrow. "Clever."
Tang Yun bowed slightly. "I'm your brother, after all."
"Perhaps not as boring as I feared," she mused and disappeared into the mist.
Meanwhile – A Silent Chamber
Deep in the heart of the Tang Mansion, past seven layers of poison barriers and silent disciples, sat the Patriarch–
Tang Qingshan – The Poison Emperor.
Eyes closed, body meditating within a toxic cocoon of black qi. His breathing was slow but thunderous.
A servant knelt beside the curtain.
"Patriarch. Word has reached us. The twelfth son has begun to bloom."
Qingshan did not open his eyes. But the air rippled.
In a voice low and deep:
"Let the world mock the bud before it flowers. But beware the bloom that drinks only poison."
"Let him grow."
[Tags]: Reincarnation, Martial Arts, Poison, Scheming Protagonist, Cultivation, Weak to Strong, Anti-Hero, Cold Protagonist, Clan Wars, Hidden Identity, Revenge