Chapter 26: Immune to All Poisons

Seasons come and go, spring follows autumn; a moment of glory, a moment of intoxication, how deeply moving. Faces change with the passing years, yet the birds always herald the renewal of time.

Inoue Izumi sat on a stone bench in a small gazebo, a collection of poems in his right hand and a cup of tea in his left.

Outside the gazebo, a young man wearing a tight black tank top, matching shorts, and wooden clogs held a katana with a reverse grip. He stared with intense focus at the five people standing before him—five experts, each radiating the aura of a master.

His face was one that looked inherently mischievous: thick eyebrows curved slightly, perpetually curled into a soft, gentle ripple like the bright crescent moon in the night sky. His fair skin set off thin, rose-tinted lips, and his features were as exquisite and three-dimensional as if carved by a blade. With his perfectly proportioned face and a dazzling blue diamond stud shimmering in his left ear, he possessed an air of untamed defiance.

This man was Kurohane Itsuki, seventeen years old, at an age full of vigor and ambition.

"Kurohane, while we all know you're a genius, are you sure you want to challenge all five of us Diamond-ranked assassins at once? You should know that there are only twenty Diamond-ranked assassins in all of Iga." Standing to the side, a person dressed in a long purple gown with long hair and delicate, fair skin, wearing purple lipstick, gave a light touch to their chest and spoke in a thick, slightly seductive voice.

"I am sure. Uncle Purple Butterfly, today I intend to properly learn from your 'Thousand Feather Purple Butterfly' technique."

The corners of Kurohane Itsuki’s mouth curled upward, tracing a confident arc.

"You, you, you—don't you know I’m a girl? Calling me 'Uncle,' how unforgivable! Blue Oni, help me teach him a lesson." Purple Butterfly pinched their fingers into an orchid gesture and acted spoiled toward a man wearing a blue mask standing nearby.

"Shut up, you freak. If you don't stop talking, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist killing you. Fang, don't you agree?" The man standing in the center of the five, possessing unnaturally pale skin, blood-red eyes, and handsome features, wiped his arm with an expression of disgust, shaking off goosebumps.

"What, Blood Charm? Want to fight?" Purple Butterfly’s lips curled, and a fierce, imposing aura surged forth, the tension palpable.

"Heh." A bald man standing next to Blood Charm grinned, revealing two fangs like those of a wild beast. Combined with his scarred face, he looked quite ferocious.

"Red Face, do you want to join in too?" Blue Oni chuckled, snapped his fingers, and tilted his head to look at the man on the far end, who had only a single tuft of hair tied in a braid and wore heavy eyeliner.

"If I strike, there must be blood."

"Ghost Shadow Blade."

Kurohane Itsuki kept his smile, pushed off the ground with both legs, and flicked his right wrist. The blade left its sheath; striking first, he charged toward the five at lightning speed.

The white katana, shimmering in the moonlight, instantly multiplied. Seven sharp, ghostly blade shadows swirled around him, his aura soaring as he rushed toward them.

The scabbard hit the ground; the blade arrived.

"Damn it, the kid is for real."

Seeing the blade edge less than twenty centimeters away, Purple Butterfly quickly waved their right hand. Petals resembling purple butterflies flew out from their sleeves, carrying sharp blade energy to intercept the incoming shadows.

"It really is the Ghost Shadow Blade, but your cultivation is still lacking."

Fang opened his mouth in surprise as he watched Kurohane’s technique. Even while stunned, he reached behind his back, and a meter-long spiked club instantly appeared in his hands. Like a baseball player, he swung with all his might at the incoming blade.

"Blood-Stained Wild Sand."

Blood Charm extended both hands, each holding four blood-red silver needles, and countered with a faint, bloody scent.

"Bloodthirsty Wolf Claws."

"Poisonous Fog Heart."

Clang, clang, bang, swish...

The five phantom blade energies vanished. Two real blades lunged—one toward Blood Charm, one toward Fang.

"Cling, cling, cling."

A sharp light flashed in Kurohane Itsuki’s eyes. He swung his sword rapidly, creating a series of afterimages, knocking away Blood Charm’s silver needles one by one.

"So that one was real, and this one is fake, then."

Fang adjusted the angle of his club mid-swing in an incredibly tricky maneuver, easily swatting at the remaining "blade energy."

"Hum."

The blade energy lunging at Fang suddenly let out a sword hum.

"This one is real?"

Fang froze upon hearing the hum. Only a real blade, driven by extremely fast and sharp force, would emit such a sound. In their understanding, only one of the blades in the "Ghost Shadow Blade" technique was real. How could two real blades appear in Kurohane Itsuki’s hand?

It was in that moment of hesitation that Kurohane Itsuki placed his blade against Fang's throat.

The same happened to Blood Charm.

Kurohane Itsuki now held two katanas—one against Fang's neck, the other against Blood Charm's.

Blue Oni and Purple Butterfly tried to intervene but found their feet fixed to the spot. Looking down, they were shocked to see blood-red silver needles embedded at the very edges of their shoes, positioned perfectly so as not to pierce their feet.

They cast suspicious glares at Blood Charm; only he had the skill to use these needles. Blood Charm, however, was staring at Kurohane Itsuki with wide eyes.

Kurohane Itsuki, now in complete control, suddenly stopped smiling. His face turned pale, and his body began to tremble as if he were freezing, his fierce aura fading bit by bit.

"Admit defeat. You’ve been poisoned by my toxin. In ten seconds, your limbs will be useless."

Red Face clearly hadn't expected Kurohane to subdue four of them so quickly, but he wasn't worried. Kurohane had made a mistake—a mistake born of arrogance. He shouldn't have challenged all five of them, especially not with him, a master of poison, in the mix.

Seeing Kurohane’s condition, he assumed the boy had fallen for his poison. He smiled triumphantly and reached into his pocket for the antidote. This was just a sparring session among peers, after all; he had to cure him quickly, or the sect leader would surely give him trouble.

During the duel between the Jia and Yi branches, Inoue Izumi had already acknowledged Kurohane Itsuki as his chosen successor. Coupled with his shocking performance during the duel against the Jiahe successor, Akimoto Rei, his peerless talent was evident. As a Diamond-ranked expert of Iga, Red Face had naturally heard the news and would not truly harm this rising star of Iga.

Just as Red Face was about to pull the antidote from his pocket, a smile returned to Kurohane Itsuki’s face. The trembling ceased, and his bright, piercing eyes looked at Red Face provocatively. His aura surged once more, bringing a pressure even greater than before—a pressure that made Red Face afraid to move. It was the kind of unstoppable, keen force they had only ever felt from Inoue Izumi.

The east wind wakes the hero's dream, laughing at the green mountains that reach the heavens.

"Haha, Five Ghosts, you lose."

In the gazebo, Inoue Izumi set down his poetry collection, stood up, and clasped his hands behind his back. He looked at Red Face, Fang, Blood Charm, Blue Oni, and Purple Butterfly, laughing heartily.

"How is this possible? Even you would be affected if you were hit by my poison. Why is he fine? Is my poison expired?" Red Face looked at Inoue Izumi in confusion. His poison, which had never failed, had no effect on Kurohane Itsuki at all.

"He has the blood of the Wolf King flowing in his veins, so he is immune to all poisons."

Inoue Izumi explained calmly. He recalled that when Mariko told him this, he hadn't believed it either. He had even gone back to examine the Wolf King's corpse, only to find that most of its blood had been drained by Kurohane. Combined with Kurohane’s own constitution, after Mariko conducted a series of tests, they concluded he was immune to all poisons.

"The Wolf King? You mean that one!"

As a master of poison, Red Face naturally knew the legend that drinking wolf blood could grant immunity to all poisons. But that was just a legend; the number of people with a constitution capable of truly absorbing the wolf's blood to achieve such an effect was rare.

"Fine, fine. You're a genius, we admit defeat. You’re a Diamond-ranked expert now. But I’m curious, why did you challenge us? You could have just gone straight to the fourth floor. Challenging us all the time just hurts our feelings. Come on, help me pull these needles out, little brother."

Purple Butterfly rolled up their sleeves, revealing arms as fair and slender as a woman’s, shaking them with a mix of resentment and coquettishness.

Kurohane Itsuki looked at the others. Having been defeated in a single move, they were too embarrassed not to concede. They nodded helplessly.

"I accept your concession."

Kurohane Itsuki retracted his blades in a single motion, gripped the hilts, and pressed them together—the two blades merged into one. He bent down, picked up the scabbard, and sheathed the sword.

Simulation shouldn't last long; only real combat could improve one's abilities.

For three years, Kurohane Itsuki had trained while challenging the members of Iga on the island. Starting from the Golden-ranked experts on the first floor, he had challenged nearly three hundred members over the last three years, save for those away on missions. Today, he had defeated the final five Diamond-ranked experts.

"Master, how is it? Is my strength sufficient now?"

Kurohane Itsuki turned around, tilting his head and looking at Inoue Izumi with a touch of cynicism.

The Five Ghosts, who were cleaning up the mess, heard this and, combined with his faint, mischievous smile, assumed he wanted to challenge the sect leader to force Inoue Izumi to abdicate. They frowned instantly.

They had to admit that Kurohane’s strength had reached a significant height, and with his astonishing talent, his achievements would surely surpass Inoue Izumi’s before long.

However, he was still too young. They heard he had never even been sent on a mission; apart from the duel three years ago, he had never stepped into the outside world. How could a child who had never experienced the world manage a large assassination organization, resolve internal conflicts, or handle the various affairs of the sect?

"Very well!"

Inoue Izumi sighed and nodded.

Watching this, the Five Ghosts’ worries deepened. Just as they were about to ask him to reconsider, Kurohane Itsuki said something that made their jaws drop.

"Great, finally I can go off the island and have some fun."

"Fun?"