"We failed."

Murong Family Estate. The Deputy Lord’s office.

Now called Changryong Hall, the Chief Steward of the Murong Family delivered the grim report to Murong Bi, his face dark with unease.

"What do you mean, failed? Didn’t you say you could handle it?"

Murong Bi frowned deeply at the report.

The plan had been simple: manipulate the Joseon merchant with demonic arts, make him wreck the deal. The steward had been confident—it was the only reason Murong Bi gave the green light. And now, failure?

“We did succeed in stirring up the merchant’s desires, but things didn’t go according to plan.”

“You’re telling me it was hard to piss off that crazy bitch who loses her mind whenever someone insults her dead husband?”

Murong Bi had heard plenty of stories about how Murong Sang-ah, upon hearing a single word against her late husband, would go berserk and literally cut people in half.

Throw a few insults, stir up the merchant, and watch the deal fall apart. The steward had insisted it was that easy, and Murong Bi had nodded along.

Now, glaring at the man he’d fought to place in power, a puppet of the Demonic Sect who had replaced the former chief steward, Murong Bi’s voice was thick with accusation.

“Instead of slicing someone in half, she burned the ginseng and used it to threaten them.”

“That vicious bitch. She must be rolling in money.”

Joseon ginseng, traded by weight for silver and gold, burned like firewood. Something that should’ve been sold at a massive profit, just turned to ash.

Murong Bi could only scoff. No one but a total lunatic would do something like that.

“Even if the deal went through, it’s not a total loss. The merchants now hate her for killing their representative and torching their ginseng. Her infamy will only grow.”

“Well, that’s something, I suppose. Infamy needs to spread. No matter how hard she struggles, the rightful claim still belongs to me, doesn’t it?”

Murong Sang-ah, the woman who now controlled more wealth than Murong Bi had ever seen.

She had used that wealth to revive a faction that was on the brink of collapse, making it one of the two pillars of the Murong Family. She had even swayed the Elders’ Council to reclaim her authority as a direct descendant.

But that was as far as she’d get.

No matter how much money she controlled, the real power lay with him, Murong Bi, the Deputy Lord.

Her wealth couldn’t erase the rights of the firstborn son. The rights of the Deputy Lord weren’t going anywhere.

“Spreading those mantis-wife rumors about her was a masterstroke, my lord. Even Zhuge Liang would’ve been impressed.”

“Hahaha! The more infamous she becomes, the fewer people will want to be around her. Foolish girl! If you want to lead a family, you don’t do it by throwing money around. You need to be clever, like me. Don’t you agree?”

The one who had made sure Murong Sang-ah’s infamy spread like wildfire across the martial world was none other than her own brother, Murong Bi.

Thanks to him, even though the Murong Family had effectively been split between a brother backed by the Demonic Sect and a sister fighting against it, public opinion didn’t see it that way.

Murong Sang-ah had no part in the Kang family’s treason. She’d even taken over their fortune. But people still whispered about her behind closed doors—it was too big a scandal to ignore.

If a righteous man living as a guest in a noble house happened to overhear treason, the world expected him to leave quietly out of gratitude. That was virtue.

But Murong Sang-ah? She’d exposed her husband’s crimes and killed him with her own hands.

Wicked woman. Mantis-wife. Sorceress. Murong Sang-ah.

Even if Joseon had rewarded her for the betrayal, in a world where women were expected to be virtuous wives and mothers, what she did was unforgivable.

Murong Bi had the rightful claim as Deputy Lord.

Murong Sang-ah had the kind of wealth that could challenge legitimacy itself.

That’s how the world saw the Murong Family now.

“You really are destined to become the head of the Murong Family, my lord.”

“Yes. Let’s leave the ginseng alone for now. We expected the deal wouldn’t fall apart anyway.”

Pleased with the steward’s flattery, Murong Bi forgot all his earlier scorn and spoke like a man bestowing mercy.

“Thank you. Also, there’s talk from Changbong Hall about bringing in a physician to see your father.”

“A physician?”

“One who used to serve as a royal doctor in the Imperial Palace.”

“...Is there a chance my father could wake up?”

Murong Bi’s face twisted with unease.

He had poisoned his father himself, leaving the old man in a coma. If he woke up? That was a nightmare he didn’t want to face.

“The poison you used, my lord, was crafted over many years by one of our cult’s poison masters. Even an immortal sage couldn’t cure it.”

The steward’s voice was firm, trying to calm his master’s fears.

“Good. That’s good.”

“If you wish, I can arrange for your father to... pass on, permanently.”

“Steward. Are you telling me to commit patricide now?”

Murong Bi’s expression darkened instantly.

“No, I didn’t mean—”

“If my father dies now, where do you think the blame will go? We’ll have a civil war within the family, and we’ll both end up with nothing! Is that what the cult wants? To make me no better than that mantis-witch?!”

Murong Bi didn’t bother hiding his fury, shouting at the steward.

Changbong Hall’s guards were always with the old man, layer upon layer. If anything suspicious happened, if even the smallest clue pointed back to him, all he had fought for would crumble.

Murong Bi wasn’t about to give up what he had.

“N-no, of course not.”

“My father, damn him... If only he’d given me the position of family head, I wouldn’t have had to do any of this. Or if he’d just quietly let go of life after I made my move. What is this mess?”

He muttered bitterly, as if none of this was his fault.

“Should I allow the physician to visit, then?”

“How could a son refuse a doctor for his ailing father? But...”

“But?”

“It wouldn’t be too strange if that doctor, on the way here, ran into a little trouble with some bandits.”

“...I’ll see to it.”

“Yes. As I always say, the rightful claim is mine. We’ll just make sure that little bitch has nowhere left to stand within the family.”

Murong Bi shot the steward a sharp glare, warning him to think before he spoke again.

“I will do my best.”

The steward bowed deeply, trying to soothe his master’s rage.

Doesn’t want to be a patricide? The steward thought back to when Murong Bi had eagerly learned demonic arts and poisoned his father without a second thought.

Back then, it seemed like they could easily take over the Murong Family. But people reveal their true selves in moments of crisis.

Murong Bi had become obsessed with holding his position, terrified of losing anything.

“Was he the wrong choice?”

Would it have been better to use the cult’s elite fighters to take control of the Murong Family directly?

The steward regretted it now, but it was too late. Murong Sang-ah’s schemes had wiped out most of the cult’s agents inside the family.

Expecting further support from the cult was out of the question—their base in the distant Ten-Thousand Great Mountains was far too far away.

Even when they did manage to bring in new people, they were used up piece by piece in schemes. And with Changbong Hall’s massive financial power, doing nothing wasn’t an option either.

“The head of a family is meant to make decisions, not just plan.”

Sometimes, you had to take risks. «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Accept losses. Act even when you knew you’d be hated.

His sister didn’t hesitate to make decisions, even if it meant becoming infamous. But Murong Bi, with this attitude, how could he ever truly claim the seat of power?

“I’ll take my leave.”

The steward walked away, bitterly certain that the struggle was far from over.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

-----

The scouts of the Spearwind Guard had discovered something troubling—the physician’s carriage, which had gone out to meet them, was under attack by bandits.

“My lady! The physician’s carriage is being attacked by an unknown group!”

The captain of the Spearwind Guard urgently relayed what the scouts had found to Murong Sang-ah.

Bandits who didn’t retreat even after seeing the Murong Family’s banner? Suspicious didn’t even begin to cover it. The captain recalled what his lady had said before they left to meet the physician.

She had warned that while Murong Bi had allowed the physician into the Changryong Hall, it could easily be a trap, meant to lower their guard.

They had already tried to sabotage the ginseng trade—what’s to stop them from interfering with the physician’s arrival? Troublesome as it was, she had insisted on leading the Spearwind Guard herself to escort the physician.

The captain couldn’t help but admire her foresight.

“Follow me.”

Murong Sang-ah gripped her reins, drew her sword, and shouted to the Spearwind Guard.

“Stay here! We’ll handle this.”

“He’s my guest.”

“My lady! If something happens to you, we lose everything.”

“If I don’t face the danger myself, who will step forward when I’m in peril? Follow me!”

Without the slightest hesitation, the Spearwind Guard charged ahead, following their mistress who was already at the front, galloping straight into danger.

------------

The attackers relentlessly targeted the physician in the carriage, but the danger was short-lived.

Murong Sang-ah was the first to break through the enemy lines, and in an instant, the tide turned.

Among the attackers, a few stood out with their exceptional skills, and green-haired bandits—clearly Red Forest scum—kept up their assault without faltering, but that was the end of it.

With their mistress leading them, the Spearwind Guard pressured the bandits from within and without. There was no force in Liaodong that could take them on.

“Is it over? Hm? Young lady?”

After finishing off the last of the bandits, Murong Sang-ah turned her head with a calm, almost indifferent air, looking at the man stepping out of the carriage.

He was a middle-aged man, hair just starting to grey.

“I am Murong Sang-ah. I apologize for the trouble, especially in escorting a physician of your esteemed reputation.”

She bowed respectfully to the physician, who had nearly lost his life because of her.

“Ah, so it’s you. I’ve heard the rumors. Thought they were exaggerated, but it seems you’re even more impressive than the talk.”

“...”

What rumors exactly?

A praying mantis who devoured her husband, a wicked woman who betrayed her husband’s family—Murong Sang-ah couldn’t bring herself to ask, her growing infamy silencing her.

Seeing her expression harden, the physician gave an awkward laugh and quickly clarified.

“I’ve made you uneasy. I meant your appearance. I heard you were so beautiful it could leave a man dazed. Seems that description doesn’t do you justice. If anything, the rumors fall short.”

He tried to compliment the young woman who had saved him but realized he might’ve offended her, so he doubled down on the praise.

“You flatter me.”

“Flatter? I’m just speaking my mind. I’ve spent years in the palace surrounded by beauties, but in my life, I’ve only ever considered one woman to be truly unmatched. Well, now I suppose there are two.”

“Thank you.”

“Tch. I must’ve really struck a nerve. You’ve probably heard so many compliments that you’re numb to them. Let’s not dwell on this. Bandit attacks are no big deal. Let’s get on with it—I need to see the patient.”

“Escort the physician!”

After clearing the area, Murong Sang-ah and the Spearwind Guard successfully brought the physician back to the Murong Family Estate.

------------

“How is my father?”

Murong Sang-ah’s voice was tense as she questioned the physician, who had just examined her father.

If her father recovered and rose from his sickbed, everything would be over. She could tell him the truth about the Demonic Sect, and the justification would return to her.

Of course, there would be some turmoil. Murong Bi would lose his mind. The Demonic Sect would show its true face. But she didn’t care.

She would be the first to raise her sword.

“I’m afraid his condition is beyond my abilities.”

The physician’s words were no different from what other physicians had said before.

“...I see.”

Murong Sang-ah forced herself to hide her disappointment. Was treatment really impossible? Was her father doomed to remain unconscious, never waking again?

As despair began to creep over her, the physician suddenly said something unexpected.

“But I did identify the cause.”

“What is it?”

“The head of the family isn’t suffering from an illness—it’s a poison. A very delicate one, crafted to mimic illness so precisely that any physician would mistake it.”

“You said... poison?”

“Yes. And I know of a place where people skilled in handling such poisons can be found.”

“People skilled with poisons... don’t tell me...”

“How about inviting someone from the Sichuan Tang Clan to the Murong Estate?”