The Snake's First Fangs

The wind that swept through the outer sect was no longer the same.

The silence that once isolated Tang Yun's courtyard had turned into tension—unseen but unmistakable. Disciples avoided eye contact. Servants whispered his name as they passed. Even elders, once too proud to notice him, now watched with guarded eyes.

Tang Yun, however, sat peacefully beneath the same willow tree, one leg crossed over the other, grinding crimson powder into a pale ceramic bowl.

Across from him, Tang Xiaomei knelt obediently, holding out a sealed gourd. Her hands were steady now. The fear that once plagued her expression had faded, replaced by something harder… sharper.

"Do you remember what I told you about the Widow's Blanket poison?" Tang Yun asked, not glancing up.

"Yes," Xiaomei replied. "It paralyzes the limbs first. Then the lungs. It leaves the victim fully conscious until the heart stops."

Tang Yun smiled faintly. "Good. But it's not perfect. Skilled cultivators can delay it by circulating qi."

He dropped a single jade-green seed into the bowl.

"That's why we add Blue Lotus Root. It anchors the toxin to the meridians."

Xiaomei blinked. "That'll make it fatal even to… the Inner Core Realm?"

"If the dosage is right. And if they inhale it unaware." He handed her the mixture. "Test it on the rats. Three drops."

She nodded and left silently, the gourd in hand.

Tang Yun leaned back and let out a quiet sigh.

The first snake has bitten. Now comes the venom's spread.

Inner Pavilion – Nightfall

The Tang Clan's Inner Pavilion was alight with flickering lanterns, illuminating scrolls, weapons, and a growing list of disciplinary petitions.

Elder Tang Baishen stood at the center, arms crossed. He was an enforcer, once a peak Martial Master, now retired but still feared. His silver beard twitched as he stared down at the newest report.

"Liansu crippled. Five disciples poisoned. Formation traps laid within clan grounds. And the culprit… invites challengers with wax-sealed letters."

He snorted.

A younger elder beside him spoke cautiously. "It was all within clan laws. The challenge was accepted. Public, even."

"The boy used a poison formation in the forest grove!" Baishen growled. "The outer sect is not a battlefield!"

Tang Jiuyuan, Ninth Young Master, sat to the side sipping tea, expression unreadable.

"We can't touch him yet," Jiuyuan said, setting the cup down. "Tang Mo protects him, and the main family is… watching."

Baishen turned. "He's just a cripple!"

"No," Jiuyuan said softly. "He's something else now. He has strategy, timing, and the clan talking about him."

He stood. "I tried to recruit him. He refused."

Baishen's eyes narrowed. "Then we force him."

Jiuyuan didn't respond he was already walking out.

Three Nights Later – West Quarry Training Field

Tang Yun stood quietly in the training field, facing off against three disciples.

They were not elders. Not even peak cultivators. But they were chosen sent to test his limits.

They circled him warily, their movements sharp, breath steady.

Tang Yun tilted his head. "Who sent you?"

No answer.

"Cowards, then," he said and flicked his sleeve.

Snap.

Three thin wires shot out, glinting in the moonlight. Silent, elegant, laced with jade-green poison.

The first disciple screamed as a line traced across his cheek and his skin began to rot within seconds.

The second charged, sword drawn but staggered mid-step, eyes wide. Tang Yun had coated the soil with Silent Blister Pollen. The moment his qi circulated, the reaction ignited, rupturing his dantian from within.

Only one remained.

Tang Yun approached slowly, his hand still behind his back.

"You can run. Or kneel."

The boy dropped to his knees.

Tang Yun turned away, flicking the remaining poison from his wrist.

"Tell your master," he said coldly, "next time, I will not be so merciful."

Elder Tang Mo's Residence

The old man sat in a quiet study, sipping tea as the report was delivered.

"Three defeated," the servant said. "Two crippled. One submitted."

Tang Mo nodded slowly. "He's forcing their hand. The clan will either strike together or fracture."

His eyes twinkled.

"And he's counting on both."

He turned to the scroll resting beside him, sealed with jade-green wax.

It read:

"Phase One complete. The web holds. Now… let the snake devour its prey."

Tang Mo chuckled, long and low.

"Good, boy. Good. Show them what poison truly means."

[Tags]: Reincarnation, Martial Arts, Poison, Scheming Protagonist, Cultivation, Weak to Strong, Anti-Hero, Cold Protagonist, Clan Wars, Hidden Identity, Revenge