Volcanic Age

There was an old saying.

"Pull out the enemy's fangs before you fight."

Those who were skilled in the art of war first made it impossible for the enemy to win before waiting for the enemy to give you an opportunity to win yourself.

In other words.

The enemy's failure to win depended on one's own actions, while one's victory depended on the enemy.

"Let's cut off their fangs first, or rather, their right arm."

Zhou Xuchuan left Shandong, heading for Sichuan.

As Sun Tzu advised, he planned to reduce or eliminate the Dark Heavens Association's forces to prevent them from winning.

This strategy extended to his future plans as well.

There were eight organizations under the Dark Heavens Association Lord—The Archive and the seven arms of the Seven Stars Division. All eight had similar standings within the Association, with each leader holding equal rank.

However, among those eight, one was particularly famous within the murim of the gangho.

The Sword Demon.

In terms of cultivation, the Sword Demon was the top-ranked member of the Seven Stars Division and the strongest in the Dark Heavens Association after the Leader.

After the Dark Heavens Association revealed itself to the world, the Sword Demon defeated the First Overlord of the Ten Empyrean Overlords in a head-on battle and claimed his position.

Zhou Xuchuan swore to himself.

Yes, the Sword Demon had to be taken away from the Dark Heavens Association Lord.

***

Sichuan, Tang Family Estate.

The sun blazed down as it rose to its peak in the center of the sky. Even the breezes brought only warm air, spreading the heat to everyone they touched.

"Zhou Xuchuan."

In front of Zhou Xuchuan sat a woman holding a thorn, or rather, poison.

"It’s been a long time, Young Lady Tang."

Zhou Xuchuan opened his eyes slightly and looked down at the tea in his hand. The color seemed a little too dark for tea.

"This is…"

Zhou Xuchuan sniffed the tea.

"Poison Tea," Tang Hui answered nonchalantly.

"I put Heartbreak Poison in it. If you drink it, you'll feel the agony of your intestines splitting. Go ahead, try it."[1]

Her faint smile was terrifying. Her personality wasn't called twisted for no reason.

"Thank you for such a grand welcome. Is this your revenge for what happened before?"

"Of course not. This is just my greeting for you."

"This is the first time I've heard of the Sichuan Tang Family serving poisoned tea as a greeting, no?"

"It's called arrogance when one thinks that what they know is all that happens. Remember, there are many things in the world that you're unaware of."

"Mmm. You're right."

There was no one, no faction in the entire world, that would serve poisoned tea in a reception room and even explain what sort of poison was in it.

"By the way, what brought you to Sichuan all the way from Shandong?"

Zhou Xuchuan sighed softly, his eyes questioning how she knew that he had come from Shandong. Seeing this, Tang Hui covered her mouth with her long sleeves, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled mysteriously.

"While I haven't tracked your movements for the past half year, I still know the gist of it. You took that lunatic from the Zhuge Family all the way to Shandong and stayed with the Gold Will Merchants, right?"

Zhou Xuchuan hadn't really hidden his moves so far.

Still, judging by Tang Hui's expression, she didn't seem to know anything about what had happened in the Western Regions. After all, no matter how powerful the Sichuan Tang Family's intelligence system was, it would be difficult for them to investigate things outside of the Central Plains. That would be doubly so, considering he had gone as far as the Great Snowy Mountains, which lined the far border of the Western Regions.

"Then, have you been looking out for…"

"Zhou Xuchuan, you aren't, are you? You're not so deluded to think I was investigating you because I'm interested in you, are you? If that's the case, go throw yourself into the Yangtze River and kill yourself right now. That's an incredibly unpleasant delusion."

"I really can't say anything, can I? What a bad personality."

Zhou Xuchuan was astonished by Tang Hui’s personality. Her temper was just simply impossible to see as normal.

Tang Hui’s eyes narrowed as murderous intent boiled inside them like lava.

She seemed ready to get up and slash at Zhou Xuchuan at any moment.

"Don't glare at me. I've come here to give you a chance to get revenge."

"Although I don't know who is giving whom a chance… a revenge match?"

"Yes. A bet."

Tang Hui’s eyebrows flinched and trembled.

Zhou Xuchuan!

Tang Hui was burning with anger. The humiliation engraved deep in her heart flared up, bringing about a desire for revenge.

How could she forget about that time?!

She couldn't forget about it during the past six months. Whenever she thought about it, she couldn't sleep at night.

In a single morning, the name The Poison Phoenix fell. A single defeat had brought about countless bugs. Because of that defeat, many weaklings had come to bother her.

"The honorable-grade sword from before."

Zhou Xuchuan placed Frostedge on the table.

"And…"

A gold certificate quickly appeared as well.

"A thousand taels of gold…"

Tang Hui couldn’t help but be shaken. Even for the Tang Family, a thousand taels of gold wasn't a small amount. Moreover, Zhou Xuchuan had even put up an honorable-grade sword that was clearly extraordinary at a glance.

"... and what do you want?"

"The Poison Phoenix—"

Thwip!

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Hui’s sleeves fluttered as a dagger popped out, its blade pitch black.

Zhou Xuchuan tilted his head to the side, expecting the attack. The dagger passed by precariously and stuck into the wall behind him.

"…'s Poison Arts."

"My knowledge?"

"Yes. More specifically, concerning detoxification."

"You came to the right place."

Tang Hui stood up, covering her mouth with her sleeve. Zhou Xuchuan could see the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

"You can decide what we're betting over," he said.

"If you thought you'd get a rise out of me, you're completely mistaken. There's no way you're the kind of idiot who thinks offering the decision to the opponent, would provoke their pride and actually get the chance to decide first, right?"

"Again, you say such rude things with absolutely no reaction!"

***

"There’s a commotion in broad daylight."

The head of the Tang Family, Tang Youqi, straightened his bent back slightly. Still, as he was on the small side, he didn’t look that big.

His face appeared haggard as if he hadn’t slept for days, with dark circles under his eyes and wrinkles covering his entire face.

His overall build was on the smaller side.

Although he looked old, he was actually middle-aged.

In fact, this was a rare phenomenon within the murim. Usually, martial artists aged slowly due to their increased qi, a fact more apparent for masters.

"Zhou Xuchuan is here, Patriarch."

"Yes, I heard."

Tang Youqi nodded as if he knew already.

"If that isn't to your liking, we can kick him out."

"No, that's fine. He won't be able to enjoy himself for long. Give him whatever he wants."

"Understood. Master, there's something else…"

"What is it?"

"Young Lady Hui has requested to Open the Tavern."

The attendant glanced at Tang Youqi, trying to gauge his response.

"Is she trying to put him in a coffin…"

Tang Youqi frowned.

"Did Zhou Xuchuan say he would accept any bet?"

"Yes."

"Then, let’s get his consent in accordance with the procedure and secure witnesses before proceeding."

"Understood."

Zhou Xuchuan was quite well-known in the Tang Family.

It wasn't surprising, considering he was the one who had defeated the Poison Phoenix, who had been known as the undefeated legend. What was even more surprising was that he hadn't even asked for Tang Hui's hand in marriage even after winning.

"It's nice to meet you, Young Hero. My name is Qingqing, and I'll be serving you today."

As the door opened, a sixteen-year-old maid greeted him.

"I'll be in your care."

"Firstly, I've prepared your tea for you."

Qingqing served the tea skillfully.

Zhou Xuchuan looked down at the tea.

"So. What kind of poison did you put in the tea?"

"P-poison?! How, how could I dare…!"

Qingqing’s face turned as pale as her name.[2]

If a maid was caught serving poisoned tea to a guest of the Sichuan Tang Family, especially one from the venerable Mount Hua, things wouldn't end with just a simple reprimand.

"Oh, right?"

That's right, who on earth would serve poisoned tea to a guest?

"By the way, it's already been four days…"

"Oh, that's right. I was actually sent today to show you around, even without your insistence. We apologize for the delay. As it has been a long time since the Tang Family Tavern has opened, it took some time to prepare."

"The Tang Family’s Tavern?"

"Things will make sense when you get there, so just follow me," the Tang Family warrior standing behind Qingqing answered instead. However, the way he looked at Zhou Xuchuan wasn't pleasant at all.

I don't know how a bastard like you defeated the young lady, but you won't be able to beat her as easily as you did back then!

Sometimes, beauty could make one overlook everything else regardless of the beauty’s personality.

This was evident with Tang Hui. Even though she was a bit foul-mouthed, many admired and praised her.

Countless people, not just within the Family but across Sichuan and the Central Plains, had fallen for her beauty.

This made Zhou Xuchuan the target of countless jealous men, as he had monopolized Tang Hui’s attention.

"The look you're giving me is quite sharp. Is this the gaze of someone admiring a hero…"

No.

No, it isn't."

"Ahem. Good. Then let's go, Qingqing. Lead me there. I'm not comfortable being guided by that warrior. It feels like I'm going to get poisoned."

"You brat! How dare you treat a warrior of the Tang Family this way!"

The warrior turned red and blue, his fierce aura surging like a storm.

Zhou Xuchuan lightly patted the trembling Qingqing on the shoulder. Her trembling stopped instantly, as if it had all been one's imagination.

"Huh…?"

"Okay, guide me quickly. If I’m late, your ill-tempered master might poison me while I'm eating."

"You bastard! Just how much do you plan to insult the young lady?!"

Bang!

The warrior couldn't hold back his anger and lunged forward.

"Stop."

A creepy voice pierced the warrior's eardrums, paralyzing his entire body.

Gasp!

The boiling anger vanished, replaced by a bleak, dry air. Fear that numbed his flesh swept over him.

"I understand your loyalty, but the Patriarch is also waiting."

"E-elder! I… I apologize!"

The warrior of the Tang Family bowed down and apologized.

The old man the guard called Elder looked Zhou Xuchuan up and down.

Not only had he accepted the fighting spirit that the warrior had just released without even the slightest flinching, but he also shielded the maid from it.

The Elder's wrinkled eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Zhou Xuchuan.

Such careful control is not easy. Is his victory over the young lady really not related to his skill?

Seeing Zhou Xuchuan in front of him, the elder realized that the world might have underestimated the young man.

The elder turned his gaze to Qingqing.

"I'm going first, so guide him there."

"Yes, yes. I understand!"

Qingqing hurriedly lowered her head.

The elder turned his back as if his task was complete and walked forward with his pack on his back.

"Young Hero, please follow me. I'll be leading you there."

"Okay."

Zhou Xuchuan noticed the warrior of the Tang Family glaring at him again, but he ignored him and continued forward with Qingqing.

He had sensed it earlier when she had come to his door, but, possibly because she was the maid of a murim family, the sound of her footsteps was unusual for a young girl.

While they weren't the steps of a martial artist, they were still timed and precise.

"So, the Tang Family Tavern… what was that again…"

He couldn't remember, and not knowing bothered him for some reason. The tingling sensation in his brain was jarring.

"Oh. If you'd like, Young Hero, I can explain it to you…" Qingqing, who was walking with him, heard his muttering and responded.

"I'll find out anyway, but… it wouldn't hurt to hear about it in advance. Please continue."

"There is a tavern within the estate. However, it's usually closed. There are only two occasions when this tavern is opened. One is when we welcome extremely important guests and the other…"

"And the other?"

"When it's time for revenge."

"What's that supposed to…"

Zhou Xuchuan’s next words were drowned out as shouts came from far away.

"Drink Death!"

Drink and die!

"Drink Life!"

Or drink and live!

1. Heartbreak in Korean is literally 'Intestines Breaking.' ☜

2. Her name means Clear Clear or Pale Pale. ☜

Cyncoco's Thoughts

1. Tsun

2. Dere

3. does not support Tang Hui's messages, please don't throw yourselves into the Yellow River for a pretty girl who may or may not want to kill you.