Chapter 173

Chapter 173
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**Chapter 173: The Essence of an Alliance**

What does it truly mean to form an alliance?

It is a covenant struck between equals, each standing guard over the other. For that reason, both sides must hold their heads high in one another’s presence. They must not flinch, nor bend to suit the prevailing mood. Even where power differs—one must never lower oneself before the other.

*This alone marks one as truly worthy of alliance.*

In all honesty, the Baek Clan still fell far short of what would make it a natural partner for the Tang Clan, even now. Yet what of it? So what?

I had every certainty that we would outstrip the Tang Clan in time. Viewed broadly, this alliance would bring the Tang Clan far greater benefits than they could foresee. There was no reason to abase ourselves or bow simply because they stood higher in the present moment.

*And even if that were not so… the Tang Clan seeks the very conviction and certainty I carry—that this future will come to pass.*

“Dang Seong, Lord of the Tang Clan, offers his apologies to the representative of the Baek Clan.”

When the Tang Clan Lord spoke those words, I knew my expectations had been entirely correct. I returned the formal cupped-fist salute in kind.

“I am Baek Yang-hui, eldest son and heir of the Baek Clan. I offer my apologies to you, Elder and Lord of the Tang Clan, for any discourtesy on my part.”

The heads of the two clans stood facing one another, exchanging salutes. Watching close by, Baek Heon-so felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine.

*Truly, he is my brother… his vision stands far above the rest of us!*

The Tang Clan Lord had tested us unilaterally, pressing down with a weight that verged on coercion. What would I have done in his place? He knew he would have bowed his head, fumbling awkwardly for words. The Tang Clan was greater by far; its lord was a senior figure across the martial world, an elder, and a powerhouse of the realm. Even having done nothing wrong, he would have grown flustered, his mind gone blank, glancing nervously from face to face.

*Brother… he saw through every layer of it from the start.*

His sworn brother, scarcely a year older than himself—and yet the gulf between them was immeasurable. *If I am to walk at his side, I must run further and faster than I ever have before.*

While Baek Heon-so silently steeled his resolve, Dang Seong felt genuine delight. He had not merely let his aura show—he had loosed his poison as well, pressing down far harder than necessary, and with clear purpose.

*Just as I thought. A figure worthy of admiration—one the Zhuge Clan would desire to have as an ally.*

Yang-hui remained unaware that the Tang Clan’s one-sided support of the Baek Clan up to this point had been driven by the influence of the Zhuge Clan. The Tang Clan traced its origins to the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans; among those five, the Zhuge Clan held a place of preeminence.

“That young man will rise far. There is no loss in walking the same path,” the Elder Zhuge had declared. “This old man gives you his word.”

*We received great grace through the Tang Martial Scripture. Yet that alone would never have justified unwavering support for a full decade to come.*

Their clan maxim held: grace repaid twofold, grudges repaid tenfold. Even calculating according to that standard, the Tang Clan had long since discharged every debt owed to the Baek Clan. To continue supporting them beyond that point was to invest in something that would soon require a return—and that was why so many elders had questioned the wisdom of this ten-year pact.

And so the test. Overbearing pressure, words twisted this way and that to lay bare one’s heart and stance. A stage was set: for the Tang Clan to judge, and for the Baek Clan to prove itself.

*This suffices.*

To demand an apology from the Tang Clan Lord to a young heir who had not yet even assumed leadership of his house—one could not do that without unshakable faith in oneself and one’s kin. It might look like reckless daring to some, but anyone acting on nothing more than bravado would never have stood here at all.

*At the very least, he has earned the full attention of the Zhuge Clan.*

This would shape even the most skeptical elders to look favorably on the alliance. Every step had been laid out in anticipation of this moment. Whether the young man guessed the deeper currents at play was another matter entirely.

*Thank you for granting me this chance, Clan Lord.*

Dang Seong’s brow twitched at the quiet, private message sent directly to his ear. *He saw even this far ahead.*

“Hahaha!” He broke into sudden, hearty laughter.

Yang-hui offered a faint, knowing smile. “What brings on such mirth so suddenly, my Lord?”

“An excellent question! Meeting the renowned eldest heir of the Baek Clan has filled me with such delight that laughter simply burst forth.”

“Is that so? It seems everyone reacts the same way when we meet.”

“Hahaha! Not a hint of modesty! What boldness!” Dang Seong turned to the others. “Is this not so, all of you?”

The Tang Clan elders spoke up one after another. “Unbowed spirit—such bearing marks him as a man of true talent, beyond doubt.” “To stand unaffected by the Clan Lord’s aura suggests his martial skill is extraordinary as well.” “A dragon rises within our allied house—truly a blessing to our clan.”

“A blessing, yes,” Dang Seong agreed, growing thoughtful. “Though if one were to be overly precise, it is but a modest one.” He turned earnest now, and made a proposal. “What say you to becoming a son-in-law of our house? Choose any daughter you wish—she shall be yours.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Even two would not be beyond my reach.”

“Your pardon?”

“Three?”

Yang-hui felt cold prickle along his spine. *Oh no—have I shown too much of myself?* The glint in Dang Seong’s eye made plain he spoke in all earnestness.

“I—I am truly sorry. Since childhood, I have dreamed of meeting the one destined for me, and sharing a lifetime of happiness together…”

A polite refusal of a political match. Yet Dang Seong would not be put off. “Destiny often appears where least expected.”

*I shall need to keep careful watch for a time.* Given the Tang Clan’s temperament, locking his doors tight at night would not be amiss. *Shift the conversation—speak of something else at once!*

“Speaking of which—what duties shall my brother and I take up during our stay here?”

“Ah, yes—of course. We had planned for you to train alongside our younger members, with me overseeing your progress personally from time to time… those plans must now change.”

There could be only one reason for this sudden shift. *The Sword-Horned Venom Wyrm.*

“Let me offer you my thanks now—this slipped my mind earlier. Reports have reached me that we have succeeded in taming the Sword-Horned Venom Wyrm, and your aid was instrumental. You have our deepest gratitude.”

*Just as I thought.* He had known the wyrm had long been a cherished goal of the Tang Clan, yet their reaction told him it carried even greater weight than he had realized.

“For the present, all our most skilled and senior members shall devote themselves to studying the creature. We shall not be able to give your training the attention it deserves.”

“If we walk the same road, every companion may be a teacher. Simply exchanging practice and insight with your young warriors shall be benefit enough.”

“Your words are most gracious. As for the wyrm—this great favor shall be repaid in full. We shall discuss the terms of that repayment in time to come.”

“I understand, my Lord.”

Conversation lulled. They had spoken at length; it would not be long before the Tang Clan Lord dismissed them. Yet one question remained.

“With your leave—may I ask one thing, from simple curiosity?”

“Speak freely.”

“You said all your most skilled members shall turn their focus to the Sword-Horned Venom Wyrm. Is this to lay the groundwork for integration?”

Dang Seong and the elders grew still, their expressions hardening. “It is no secret… though it is a delicate matter. You are correct.”

He fell quiet, watching Dang Seong. Recalling the aura he had felt only moments before, he probed with heightened senses. *Just as I suspected. He has not attained the Super Peak realm.*

Super Peak marked the stage where one wielded intent with total freedom—yet the poison aura he had sensed remained unmistakably physical in nature. *Which means he has not yet spiritualized his poison.*

One of the ten most powerful clans under heaven, and its lord stood no higher than Peak realm? It seemed impossible—absurd. No martial house could surpass that limit without absolute arts—divine skills—of their own.

*They have risen so far through mastery of poison and hidden weapons alone, and through backing from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.* Yet that was the ceiling. The Tang Clan could grow no broader, climb no higher. Even were the great sects and clans to give leave, their core arts themselves set this boundary.

*To forge divine skills of their own… to secure a place among the Five Great Clans through them. That was the dream the Tang counterpart I knew in a former life carried in his heart.*

The Tang Clan knew their limits all too well. That was why every master had been called to study the wyrm.

“We believe the creature’s unique constitution will advance our understanding and practice of poison arts immeasurably.”

The Sword-Horned Venom Wyrm was a spirit beast that fed on venom itself, thriving on toxins that would slay any other living thing. That was its nature—and they meant to unlock its secrets to break through the limits holding their arts back.

“But how did you come to know this? Surely not through Gun-er?”

“You are called the Patriarch of Hundred Poisons. A hundred is a great number—yet I wondered why not the Patriarch of Ten Thousand Poisons.”

The Tang Clan kept exactly one hundred distinct poisons in their repertoire. While endless variations and derivatives might exist, anyone who knew the antidotes to those hundred could counter every poison the clan wielded. That was one of the chains the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans held over them.

“A misunderstanding. Our poisons number nearly a thousand—‘ten thousand’ is but a figure of speech, meaning fullness and abundance. It would be arrogant to claim so vast a title, and so we modestly style ourselves Patriarch of Hundred Poisons.”

It was a fair point. When honoring an emperor, men cried “ten thousand years”—not counting years by the billion, but invoking a symbol of fullness and eternity.

Yet. *He is not yet ready to speak plainly. And why should he? I am still an outsider.*

For now, that would suffice. He had made a strong first impression, and won the goodwill of the Tang Clan’s leaders.

“I see. Thank you for indulging the curiosity of a junior so generously.”

“It is no matter at all.”

—

The Baek party was given an entire residential compound within the Tang Clan grounds—not merely guest quarters, but a residence all their own, a clear sign of respect.

“Yet for all that, we remain outsiders. Even with permission to enter the outer grounds, the inner quarters stay closed to us.”

Chui-dal lay nearby, idly tracing patterns in the air with threads from the silken bedding, and looked at him in disbelief. “Come now—what more could you ask for? Outsiders are treated far worse than this.”

“True enough… and yet.”

Baek Heon-so stood in a stable stance, practicing forms of the Heaven-Covering 108 Swords with open hand, and offered his thought. “Chui-dal, when has my brother ever spoken without reason? He speaks thus because he must—for what he plans.”

“That may be—but what if he truly did become their son-in-law?”

“What?”

“Then we would be family. Inner quarters, anywhere—we could go wherever we pleased.”

“Chui-dal, Chui-dal… your name is as it is for a reason.”

“Why? What have I said wrong?”

He chose not to explain in detail. It would do no good to waste breath. *Wait—must I be the one to marry into their family?*

“Heon-so.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think of the young women of the Tang Clan?”

“I—I beg your pardon?”

He watched Baek Heon-so flounder and flush, and sighed quietly. *The man who will one day lead the Baek Clan cannot marry into another house.*

*My mind runs to foolishness, caught up in the Tang Clan’s struggles.*

Then it happened. A commotion broke out beyond the door—shouts, the crash of something overturned—and the door swung wide.

“Young Masters Baek—are you within?”

“Uncle… I have told you, it is discourteous to burst in so—”

“Brother Hui and Brother So have only just arrived! They need rest from their journey!”

Dang Gun and Dang Yeon stood in the doorway, looking distressed. Beside them stood a man they did not know.

“I am Dang Yang, of the Tang Clan! It is my great honor to hold an elder’s seat here.”

“Baek Yang-hui of the Baek Clan—greetings, Elder Dang Yang.”

“Baek Heon-so—greetings to you, Elder.”

Introductions made, Dang Yang wasted no time, his face bright with barely contained excitement.

“Young Master Baek Yang-hui—forgive the abruptness… but may I conduct some live observations and experiments upon you?”

“…I beg your pardon?”

—