Chapter 115

• The Duel between Tang Mun-cheon and Bi Ryu-yeon

"Are you really planning to use poison in this duel?"

Tang Sam asked, with a feeling of 'no way'.

"What do you think?"

Tang Sam felt foolish for asking.

Even without asking, the answer was already decided.

Originally, the Tang Clan did not use poison in duels. Not only was it difficult to detoxify, but doing so would only get one branded as a coward. Therefore, the people of the Tang Clan refrained from using poison in duel competitions and used hidden weapons or willow leaf throwing knives, or only used ink whips.

The Tang Clan's whip technique or throwing knife technique was also famous in the Jianghu as an ultimate skill, no less than their hidden weapons and poison. But the scoundrel who secretly used poison and hidden weapons, regardless of whether it was a duel competition or a fight, was Tang Mun-cheon, who was right in front of him. Tang Mun-cheon was a person with whom such a tacit agreement did not work.

His skill in administering poison was so secret that no one noticed that he had used poison. Besides, there was no clause in the competition rules that one should not use poison. Of course, there was no clause that one should not use hidden weapons either. There was only a clause that one should not kill the opponent. The rest was up to each individual's discretion. This was especially true for the people of the Sichuan Tang Clan, who used poison for fun.

That being said, the one Tang Sam was worried about this time was rather Tang Mun-cheon. If he were not a person of the same family, he would not have cared what happened. But the deep green robe he was wearing had led him here. Tang Mun-cheon, who was sitting in front of him, was also wearing clothes of the same color as him.

It was a robe that was only allowed to the elite of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Although he would have welcomed Tang Mun-cheon being severely beaten, he wanted to prevent a person of the Tang family wearing a deep green martial robe from being publicly humiliated. Judging from his senior brother's personality, if he found out that he had used poison, he would surely try to return it tenfold. Of course, that was under the premise that he was not affected by the poison.

"You will regret it."

Although Tang Sam sincerely advised him, Tang Mun-cheon made an arrogant expression and did not listen to his words at all. It was an attitude of having no interest at all. It was like water off a duck's back.

"Hehehe! To hear advice from the mouth of a punk who has never won against me since we were young! How ridiculous."

At Tang Mun-cheon's contemptuous sneer, Tang Sam's face hardened like a stone. As he had said, Tang Sam had always played the role of the loser to Tang Mun-cheon since he was young. And very faithfully at that... So it could be said that it was natural for Tang Mun-cheon to look down on him now. But now, if he had the chance, he was planning to make him feel with his body how much he had changed. In the past, he had looked quite fearsome, but seeing him today, he felt that he was nothing special, which was unexpected even for himself. To be honest, the current Tang Mun-cheon could not put any pressure on him at all.

"I clearly warned you that you will regret it. It would be better to devise another method in a short time. If not..., you will surely lose to that person, brother."

At Tang Sam's blade-like words, Tang Mun-cheon's face turned red and blue.

"How dare you..."

Three coins were scattered forward from his hand. Since they could not use hidden weapons that would shed blood among direct descendants, he had used coins as a means of discipline instead. Even if it were an ordinary coin, as long as it was in Tang Mun-cheon's hand, it could be more frightening than any hidden weapon. Tang Mun-cheon thought that the three coins he had scattered would naturally give a disciplinary hand to the impudent Tang Sam. Hadn't Tang Sam never won against him even once until now!

The three coins, one after another, circled loudly in the air and flew in, aiming at Tang Sam from the left and right with a time difference. It was the feat of the Three-Ring Flying Spin, which had added the secret of the revolving dart. But Tang Cheol-yeong, who was called Tang Sam by his peers, was no longer the Tang Sam of the past.

Tang Mun-cheon, the Tang Sam he knew was the Tang Sam before he had gone to Mount Emei, and the Tang Sam who was standing in this place now was the Tang Sam who had seen hell in Mount Emei, and who was still seeing hell frequently these days. The difference in their skills was like heaven and earth.

For Tang Sam, who had gone through bone-cutting training in Mount Emei and was still diligently threading beads every single day without fail, this much change was nothing. It just looked like a child's play. Besides, the Three-Ring Flying Spin was a technique that he himself already knew, and now he could unfold it twice as complicatedly. The three coins that were flying in, changing their positions frequently, looked as clear as if they were stationary in the air. Tang Sam was even surprised at his own achievement.

Tang Sam turned his body three times and flicked his fingers three times, breaking the feat of the Three-Ring Flying Spin that Tang Mun-cheon had unfolded.

At Tang Sam's sudden martial prowess, Tang Mun-cheon's two eyes widened.

"You, you dare to block my Three-Ring Flying Spin... Your skills have improved a lot, Cheol-yeong!"

"There's no need to be surprised at something trivial."

Tang Sam said bluntly. A vein stood out on Tang Mun-cheon's forehead. He had felt angry.

"Go away! I don't want to see you."

An order to leave was given. Tang Sam also had no desire to be here any longer. He had already finished his business.

"I came for the sake of the affection of our bloodline and the honor of our family. With this, my responsibility for our bloodline is all over. I'll warn you one last time, but it would be better for your well-being not to use poison tomorrow. And do your best from the beginning. That will be the way to protect your honor, at least."

After finishing what he had to say, Tang Sam turned his body as if he had no more business, as he had finished all his work, and disappeared like the wind.

From behind him, only the sound of Tang Mun-cheon grinding his teeth, 'Udeudeuk!', could be heard faintly.

"What a temper..."

It was Tang Sam, who did not forget to say a word.

They say you can know the disciple by looking at the master. From that perspective, Tang Mun-cheon was very dangerous. Because there was a very high possibility that the poison Tang Mun-cheon was proud of would be useless. It was not that he had not decided to try using poison out of anger in Mount Emei. Besides, he had even done a rehearsal with a weak poison. But it was useless. For some reason, the poison had no effect at all. The reason was unknown. Instead, there was an experience of almost dying as a price for it.

How he had known, his master had pointed him out as the culprit at once. It was a terrible memory that made his heart feel cold just by thinking about it. Although it was not forbidden to use poison in a duel competition, it did not look good. It was Tang Sam's wish that his cousin, Tang Mun-cheon, would not tarnish the family's name any more. Apart from his worries, the day of the semifinal had finally arrived.

"Can he win? His opponent is the infamous Poisonous Hand, Tang Mun-cheon, even among the fourth-year students. He's not an opponent to lose to a first-year greenhorn."

The protagonist of the one eye, who was looking at the duel stage where the semifinal was about to begin. The woman with a bold spirit, with an eye patch on her left eye, Dokgo-ryeong, asked her junior sister, Na Ye-rin, who was sitting quietly next to her. The eye patch on her left eye, which would have looked ugly if someone else had worn it, was making her stand out even more.

"The outcome is still unknown. There is no guarantee that Senior Tang Mun-cheon will win this match."

Na Ye-rin seemed unable to agree with Dokgo-ryeong's opinion. Besides, there was an unexpectedly firm side to her words.

"Oh..., it's unexpected. For such words to come from your mouth, who is evaluated as having the most accurate eyes when it comes to seeing! Then does that mean that that first-year punk is a possessor of enough skill to compete with Tang Mun-cheon? In fact, the Poisonous Hand, Tang Mun-cheon, is skilled in other methods besides martial arts. That's a more difficult problem for the one who is facing him. Besides, he doesn't spare or restrain himself just because it's a duel competition. And yet, you say he's worth competing with?"

Na Ye-rin remained silent and slightly nodded her head. It was a silent affirmation.

"Oh!"

With a low exclamation, a strange light appeared in Dokgo-ryeong's eyes. She knew better than anyone that her junior sister was a person who never made empty words.

"But, that first-year student! I don't like him!"

"Did something happen?"

As far as she knew, there was no reason for Dokgo-ryeong to meet that man named Bi Ryu-yeon. And she was not the kind of person to have an exchange with such a strange (unfortunately, Na Ye-rin's current evaluation of Bi Ryu-yeon was only this much) man.

"I saw him with the Twin Ghost punks. According to the rumors, they are a gang!"

"I see."

She nodded her head as if she understood. The fact that they were a gang meant that that man named Bi Ryu-yeon was a member of the Young Lady Lovers' Society. Of course, it was a fact that she knew well, as she had the experience of entering the Young Lady Lovers' Society and swinging a sword, but her thoughts had reached how much Dokgo-ryeong hated that place. She was someone who usually treated the members of the Young Lady Lovers' Society as less than insects.

Young Lady Lovers' Society! She had also heard enough to make her ears hurt about the quite high notoriety of that place (among men, of course, and especially among women). Not only had she heard, but she had even become their persistent target. Because there was no way the Young Lady Lovers' Society would just leave alone a beauty of a country-toppling beauty, which was rare to find anywhere. But their hands had been blocked by her personal guards and had failed to achieve their intended purpose.

Naturally, she was also in a position where she could not like that place even if she wanted to. Besides, wasn't the Young Lady Lovers' Society being treated as the number one public enemy of the female academy students!

Besides, the object that the intruder who had entered her room a few days ago had taken suddenly came to her mind. Although it did not show on the outside, her face secretly reddened and felt hot. As long as she was a woman, she could not be indifferent to that matter.

Bi Ryu-yeon was the most likely suspect, judging from the traces left in the room at that time. The unfortunate thing was that there was a suspicion, but no physical evidence. Besides, there was also the incident at the Unhyangjeong, which she did not want to remember very much. It was also the most memorable thing, the more she tried not to remember it.

The man named Bi Ryu-yeon, who was standing on the duel stage there now, was up there under the pretext of keeping his promise with her at that time. Even though that promise was quite disadvantageous to him. To be honest, even she herself, who had brought up the story, had not expected Bi Ryu-yeon to make it this far.

Although she had felt almost instinctively that he was not an ordinary person from the time he was not captured by her Dragon's Eye, to think he would make it this far... As expected, it seemed that defeating the Swift Wind Sword Dragon, Wi Ji-cheon, at that time was not luck.

"If that skill is real..."

He might really keep his promise with her.

"..."

What would happen then? What on earth should she do? She still could not give a clear answer readily.

But not only Dokgo-ryeong, but all the witnesses who were now waiting for the duel were negative about him. Who was the Poisonous Hand, Tang Mun-cheon, to lose to a first-year greenhorn who had just entered this year? They were all enjoying themselves, thinking that they would finally be able to see the unsightly appearance of that impudent greenhorn. In fact, it was a miracle that that greenhorn was still remaining. And wasn't it a match that had been led purely by luck, without any particular skill!

'A greenhorn who is just lucky and has poor skills' was the common opinion of the people, and the ridiculous nickname that had been attached to him, as if to mock this, was the Great Fortune Striking Zither.

In fact, if one were to look at the content of Bi Ryu-yeon's five matches so far, there was no part where one could get a glimpse of his skills. The only thing he had shown a little was in the match with Jeon Ok-gi, which was the quarterfinal.

His matches were always just something bewildering, empty, and draining. Shall we say it was like a formless illusion? No power was felt at all. But he always won. And no one had noticed the fact that he had won in a short time. And people were overlooking the fact that that was the most important fact.

As if everyone were caught in an illusion.