Chapter 149. The Unseen Battle is More Terrifying (4)
“Haha, thank you for coming all this way.”
“Mm.”
“I brewed the tea myself. I recently acquired some premium Longjing tea—I'm not sure how it suits your taste.”
The middle-aged man took a sip of his tea. Moyong Gun smiled faintly.
“What do you think?”
“Not bad.”
Longjing was the finest of teas. And premium Longjing was something even high officials and nobles couldn't easily obtain. Yet he dismissed it with a mere “not bad.” For the host, it was utterly deflating.
But Moyong Gun's expression didn't change in the slightest.
“I'm glad. It's something, at least, that it didn't offend your palate.”
Watching Moyong Gun burst into hearty laughter, the man spoke up.
“Come to Sichuan sometime. I'll treat you to some fine tea.”
Moyong Gun's eyes gleamed. Come to Sichuan? Didn't that mean he was willing to join hands with him?
“You've made up your mind?”
The middle-aged man—Dang Gwan, patriarch of the Sichuan Tang family—spoke in a flat tone.
“I deliberate carefully, but decide like a blade's edge. That's my creed.”
“Hah?”
“If I had no intention of allying, I wouldn't have come here.”
“Hahaha!”
Moyong Gun laughed loudly for once.
“I knew it before, but you're truly straightforward.”
“Whether you or I, we're just joining hands for mutual gain. Neither expects anything extraordinary from the other, right?”
“True enough. But both you and I are heads who sway entire families. Even after deciding, we can't ignore the possibilities.”
“A family's strength comes from the patriarch's confidence.”
That single line revealed how the Tang family operated. The patriarch there was akin to a king. Other martial families were similar, but the Tang family especially seemed to rely heavily on the patriarch's capabilities.
Like the black path's unorthodox sects.
The difference between the Tang family and black path sects lay in their subordinates' martial arts and poison mastery.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Dang Gwan nodded silently. Whether it was his naturally taciturn nature or discomfort with the situation, it was hard to tell. Moyong Gun figured it was the latter.
“By the way, your daughter...”
“What of Moyong Woo?”
He cut in without hesitation, but Moyong Gun took no offense.
“What do you mean?”
“Whether he has the competence to lead an organization.”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“Would I appoint someone incompetent as the Tang Ma Army leader?”
“Is that so.”
“This isn't just brotherly bias. He's a genius. His martial prowess goes without saying, and he's exceptionally talented in commerce too—a rare gem.”
“Mm.”
Dang Gwan's eyes sharpened.
“He's thirty now, isn't he?”
“Yes.”
“I hear he's still unmarried.”
Moyong Gun's eyes lit up. He'd sensed something off when Dang Gwan brought up Moyong Woo. And his intuition proved right.
Moyong Gun feigned ignorance.
“He's been too busy with work to arrange a marriage. It pains me, so I've been looking for a good match, but nothing suitable has turned up yet.”
“Is that right.”
“The eldest daughter of the Central Plains Merchant Guild seemed decent. I'll consider her more, and if nothing better comes up, I'll proceed.”
Dang Gwan cut straight to the point.
“Why not forge a bond with Sichuan's master instead of some merchant guild?”
Moyong Gun's eyes gleamed again.
“Are you saying...?”
“My eldest daughter is unmarried too. She's a year younger than the Tang Ma Army leader.”
In this world, marriage at that age was the norm. Even for a woman of the jianghu, twenty-nine was getting late to find a match.
Moyong Gun wore a slightly troubled expression.
“To be frank, I'd be thrilled to ally with the Tang family, but shouldn't we consider my brother's thoughts as well?”
Even the great Moyong Gun had to tread carefully. It might imply his daughter was too old.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
“Besides, men who marry Tang daughters traditionally become sons-in-law, don't they? Whether our family would accept that...”
“No matter.”
“Pardon?”
Dang Gwan gazed lazily out the window.
“I have no intention of taking a son-in-law. If he's willing, let's proceed with the marriage.”
A faint weariness shadowed the face of Sichuan's notoriously ruthless patriarch. Some unspoken circumstance, it seemed.
Moyong Gun didn't pry.
“If you say so, I'll persuade Woo. At latest, by midnight tomorrow, I'll have an answer for you.”
“Understood.”
Moyong Gun weighed the Tang family against the Central Plains Merchant Guild in his mind. Considering their influence over the jianghu, the Tangs were the obvious choice. Feared more than respected, but that power couldn't be ignored.
Yet the merchant guild's financial might was no small thing either. They boasted the deepest history among merchant groups. Even the martial world needed money to sustain itself.
A tough choice.
One thing was clear: Dang Gwan was pushing hard right now. He'd use the Moyong family, knowing they'd use the Tangs in turn.
And to abandon even the son-in-law tradition...
What had changed in the proud Tang patriarch's heart?
“How about over there?”
“Hm?”
As if shifting topics, Dang Gwan asked.
“The Myeol Sa Army. Any unusual movements?”
Moyong Gun frowned.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“...?”
“Not confirmed, but it seems the Jegal and Paeng families are backing the Myeol Sa Army.”
Dang Gwan sneered coldly.
“Scribbling bookworms and muscle-headed fools?”
A chilling remark. Even for a Tang patriarch, dismissing fellow Six Great Families like that was excessive.
Moyong Gun chuckled dryly.
“We can't dismiss them outright. Their scribbler's leader is the Muryeong Alliance's strategist, and the fool's leader is Hubei’s overlord.”
“Still, they lack the power to sway the greater tide.”
“Not wrong. But those two are propping up the Yeon family.”
“The Yeon family?”
“Yes.”
Moyong Gun knew Dang Gwan's eldest son had been thoroughly beaten by Yeon Hojeong. Not a topic for this setting, though.
“In all my years, two talents have shocked me most. One is the Yeon family's eldest son, Yeon Hojeong.”
“That brat's that impressive?”
“Simply put, a genius. Frankly, a monster.”
Dang Gwan furrowed his brow. He acknowledged Moyong Gun's martial arts. And his schemes even more so. For such a man—fit to be called a crafty hero or a scheming tyrant—to call someone a monster...
What kind of creature was this Yeon Hojeong?
“He's strong?”
“Very. Last winter, I crossed hands with him. Shockingly, his skills surpassed even elders of the Nine Great Sects and Six Great Families. Stronger than the One Dragon Three Phoenixes, even.”
“That much?”
“More astonishing is his age—just past twenty. At that level now, mark my words: if he grows, he'll become an unstoppable beast shaking the Central Plains.”
No exaggeration. Dang Gwan read Moyong Gun's eyes: pure shock, anger, admiration. He meant every word.
That much of a monster... No wonder Yangseon ended up like that.
Dang Gwan ground his teeth inwardly. Not at Yeon Hojeong, but at his own son, Dang Yangseon.
I warned him: even against a thug with no martial arts, never let your guard down.
He didn't blame his son's arrogance. The future Tang heir would rule Sichuan; some pride was fine.
But arrogance and overconfidence were different. The Tangs thrived not just on poison or hidden weapons, but ruthless tenacity. That required eternal vigilance.
His son had overlooked it, despite the warnings.
Father.
Wrinkles creased Dang Gwan's forehead.
You should have paid more attention to the child who'll lead the main house.
Dang Gwan's father, the previous patriarch, was a legend: Dark King Dang Hyeong, one of the Ten Immortal Emperors, the Tangs' greatest genius in poison and hidden weapons. Like most, he'd retired to refine his arts, but doted on his grandchildren, occasionally instructing them.
And his favorite was Dang Gwan's eldest daughter, Dang Sang-a.
Dang Gwan recalled his father's sighing voice.
What a pity. If Sang-a were born a man, she'd be the greatest patriarch in history.
Whispers spread: why not let the previous patriarch's words guide them? Entrust heavy duties to Sang-a?
Not just that. With her martial talent, beauty, and bold spirit, she became the idol of Sichuan's young warriors. Even within the family, her supporters grew.
As patriarch, Dang Gwan couldn't ignore it. As a father, it broke his heart, but family legitimacy and traditions demanded otherwise.
“If the boy's that exceptional, we must uproot him swiftly.”
Moyong Gun smirked.
“I tried. But he's no pushover.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yeon Hojeong's true terror isn't his martial arts—it's his schemes.”
“Schemes?”
“Yes. Embarrassing to admit, but I've fallen to him once.”
Hard to gloss over. Dang Gwan didn't particularly like Moyong Gun, but respected his skills and cunning. For him to be outwitted by a young man barely twenty?
“Then.”
Bubble bubble.
The untouched teacup boiled over. Astonishing inner energy control.
“We must uproot him all the more quickly.”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“I agree.”
“Wait for the right moment? Or launch an all-out assault?”
Moyong Gun smiled.
“I planned to bide my time slowly, but you seem to think differently.”
Snap!
Dang Gwan tore off the table's corner with thumb and forefinger alone. Effortlessly ripping sturdy wood.
“Know anything of poisonous weeds?”
“Who am I to lecture a Tang patriarch on poison?”
Hummm.
The wood chip on his palm floated up slowly.
“Some weeds die laughably easy. Others grow monstrously with just a sip of tea.”
Moyong Gun's eyes sharpened.
“Is Yeon Hojeong that kind?”
“Who knows. But if you call him that, he's no ordinary weed.”
“Mm.”
Dang Gwan clenched his fist.
Psssh!
The floating chip vaporized into air.
“My temper won't stand watching their childish proxy wars. Let's uproot it now.”