You Asked for This (2)
Tang Jin could not understand.
What did this brat just say?
How dare this little bastard...
"Here I come."
Tang Jin's thoughts were cut short.
Before he knew it, Han Cheong-un had already moved.
Han Cheong-un had yielded the first move until now, but this time was an exception.
He lunged forward.
This punk.
Tang Jin was momentarily flustered, but his body reacted automatically, trained by years of practice.
The moment an enemy approached, the first thing a Tang Family martial artist did was execute footwork to retreat backward.
At the same time...
"Take this!"
Tang Jin whipped his hands forward, sending dozens of flying needles shooting out from his sleeves.
He was definitely different from the previous two.
The incoming needles covered a wide area, flying with lethal precision. However...
Whoosh!
With a single wide sweep of Han Cheong-un's spear, a fierce gust of wind whipped up, knocking the needles out of the air.
Yet, even before the needles finished falling...
"I'm not done yet."
Tang Jin's next attack flew.
Fifteen iron beads shot from his fingertips at staggered intervals, targeting Han Cheong-un's vital points.
It was a projectile capable of crushing bones with a single hit. However...
Clang!
Han Cheong-un's spear deflected the first bead with pinpoint accuracy. And that was just the beginning.
Clang! Clang-clang! Clatter-clatter-clang!
Moving fluidly along the shortest paths with minimal effort, Han Cheong-un's spear deflected every single iron bead Tang Jin threw.
"You're pretty good, kid."
Tang Jin widened the distance again and drew throwing daggers from his sleeves.
These were the Tang Family's primary projectiles, far more threatening than needles or iron beads.
The true essence of the Tang Family's throwing arts only shone when they held these daggers. And then...
"Go!"
A single dagger flew toward him, its speed and precision on a completely different level than before.
Han Cheong-un tilted his head to dodge the attack, but at the same time...
"Not yet."
The moment he dodged the first, a second dagger flew. And before the second could even reach Han Cheong-un, a third was already leaving Tang Jin's fingertips.
Three, four, five, six...
A relentless barrage of daggers rained down like horizontal sleet. However...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Han Cheong-un calmly walked forward, unfazed by the deadly assault.
Dodging, parrying, deflecting...
Not a single blade so much as grazed his collar.
"You... you monster..."
Sensing danger at last, Tang Jin threw his daggers with frantic urgency, but Han Cheong-un closed the distance with an expression of utter calm.
And finally, when Han Cheong-un closed the gap completely.
"Huh?"
"You're out of daggers, aren't you?"
It was exactly as he said.
There were no more daggers left in his sleeves or breast pocket. However...
"Eat this!"
Tang Jin pulled something else from his robes and threw it.
A thick cloud of purple powder erupted, rushing toward Han Cheong-un's face. That was...
"Poison powder?"
"Oh dear..."
The watching members of the Tang Family gasped in shock. Using poison during a duel was strictly forbidden.
Yet Tang Jin, a direct descendant of the family, had just broken that taboo.
Damn it...
Tang Chan, the Chief Seneschal of the Sichuan Tang Family who had arranged the duel, was horrified. Using poison in an officially sanctioned match?
If the boy died by mistake, the Tang Family would suffer a disgrace far worse than simply losing a duel.
"Stop this at—"
Whoosh!
It was then.
Han Cheong-un spun his spear at high speed, completely dispersing the poison powder.
Tang Jin stared blankly, dumbfounded by the exquisite move. Meanwhile, Han Cheong-un...
"I don't hold any personal grudge against you."
"What? What did you say?"
"Even though you looked down on me, acted rudely, and even resorted to poison during a duel, I still don't have any personal ill feelings toward you."
Sure sounds like you do, Tang Jin thought.
Just as Tang Jin was about to say something.
Han Cheong-un smiled brightly and said,
"So, just take it."
There was no need to ask what.
Crack!
A heavy, crushing blow landed.
It was the sound of Han Cheong-un's spear shaft slamming into Tang Jin's knee.
Tang Jin was sent flying into the air, accompanied by a pain that felt as if his kneecap had shattered.
Thud!
And the moment he hit the ground.
Han Cheong-un flipped his spear around and began to thrash him in earnest.
"Wa—wait, cough! Hey, I said wait—argh!"
Thwack! Crack!
"You lowly bastard... Ugh, argh! How dare you to a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang... Cough... Ugh. AAAAH!"
Smack! Crack! Thud!
"Stop. Please... My bone... AAAARGH!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thud! Bam-bam-bam-bam!
"P-please... spare me..."
Tang Jin.
In the future, he would recall this moment like this:
"The Dog-Beating Staff Technique? That's nothing. If you want to know what it really feels like to be beaten like a dog, you have to experience that."
Though there were a few twists and turns...
Han Cheong-un successfully became a guest disciple of the Tang Family.
Honestly, it was only natural after he demonstrated such overwhelming skill.
Tang Jin was a master who ranked within the top ten of the Tang Family's rising generation.
Since he had utterly thrashed such a master, how could anyone question his abilities?
Moreover, considering Han Cheong-un's age, his future potential was limitless.
Tang Chan, the Chief Seneschal of the Tang Family, welcomed Han Cheong-un warmly and gladly accepted him as a guest.
"You may use this room."
Upon arriving at the room he was shown, Han Cheong-un looked troubled. Judging by the furniture and the hanging scrolls on the wall, it was by no means an ordinary room.
"I don't need such a luxurious room. A simple guest room would be more than enough."
"Hahaha. It is the way of the Jianghu to receive treatment befitting one's skill. So do not feel burdened."
"Is Young Master Tang Jin's condition alright?"
"Ah, he is fine. You beat him quite thoroughly. His muscles are bruised, but his internal organs and bones are all intact."
Naturally. That was how he had beaten him.
Well, he couldn't say the same for the young master's emotional wounds.
"That boy has been far too arrogant and insolent for a long time. You gave him a good lesson, so do not feel sorry at all."
"Thank you."
Once the Chief Seneschal left, Han Cheong-un was left alone in the room and let out a sigh.
"Whew... Even if it was the vice-captain's request, did I go too far?"
Han Cheong-un had been a righteous hero of the Orthodox faction.
He had never harmed anyone out of personal anger or private feelings.
Yet, for the first time, he had beaten Tang Jin like a dog. Of course, he had done so because of a request from Tang Jin, who had been his vice-captain in the Annihilation Squad, but...
I suppose there was a bit of my own personal feelings mixed in, too.
To repay the contempt and disdain he received with personal violence?
In his past life, he had never committed such a barbaric and lawless act.
But now that he had done it...
"Actually, this feels great."
Wait, what?
"How should I put it? It feels like something stuffy and clogged in my chest has been blasted wide open! Hmm, not bad at all."
Judging by his expression, he looked genuinely refreshed.
In any case, Han Cheong-un was gradually adapting to his new life.
The Head of the Sichuan Tang Family.
The Poison Cloud Death God, Tang Myeong.
He usually received reports on the day's events before finishing his daily routine. And today...
"Tang Jin lost?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Frowning slightly at Tang Chan's report, he spoke again.
"Who was the opponent?"
"An unknown young martial artist. He introduced himself as Han Cheong-un."
"How young is he?"
"He said he was fifteen."
"Fifteen?"
Tang Myeong's eyes widened slightly.
If this was true, it meant his son had been defeated by a child ten years his junior.
"His sect?"
"He did not disclose it."
"Could you not even guess?"
"With my level of insight, I could not tell."
"..."
Tang Myeong fell into thought.
The Jianghu was a vast place.
It was a world where hidden masters could exist just as easily as those renowned throughout the land.
The important question was whether this individual was an enemy or an ally.
"Did you sense any hidden motives?"
"I do not know. But to find out, we will have to observe him over time."
"Indeed."
The most dangerous enemy was the one you could not see.
It was always better to keep a potentially dangerous element where you could see them. And if he was not an enemy...
Then we must do our best to bring him into the Tang Family.
A martial artist who could defeat Tang Jin at the mere age of fifteen.
Considering his future potential, it was worth considering marrying him to one of the family's daughters to bring him into the fold.
"I must see him once. Summon him tomorrow."
"Understood, Family Head."
The next day.
Han Cheong-un came face-to-face with Tang Myeong, the Head of the Sichuan Tang Family.
"It is our first meeting. I am Tang Myeong."
"I am Han Cheong-un."
This was also Han Cheong-un's first time meeting Tang Myeong in person.
So this is the current Head of the Tang Family.
Meeting him face-to-face, Han Cheong-un could clearly feel the imposing aura befitting the head of one of the Five Great Noble Families.
Yet, that only made it all the more tragic.
To think such a master died without even getting to play a part in the Great War between Good and Evil...
In the two Great Wars between Good and Evil that Han Cheong-un remembered.
The Poison Cloud Death God, Tang Myeong, had never made an appearance.
Because he...
Or rather, to be precise, the vast majority of the Tang Family had perished before the First Great War even began.
It was due to the incident that occurred shortly after the Bloodbath of Guizhou.
The Annihilation of the Tang Family.
The Sichuan Tang Family, the overlord of Sichuan.
That massive family had been utterly destroyed.
And in just a single day, at that.
When the Emei and Qingcheng Sects rushed to the scene, all they found was a toxic, deadly poison mist blanketing the entire Tang Family estate.
The poison was so potent that even Jianghu masters dared not approach; it melted not only living things but even stone and wood.
The masters of Emei and Qingcheng waited three days and nights for the poison to weaken slightly before rushing inside.
But there was not a single survivor.
This was the Annihilation of the Tang Family.
The Jianghu was shocked.
The Wulin Alliance dispatched investigators to uncover the truth.
At first, they suspected that an accident had occurred while the Sichuan Tang Family was testing a new poison.
Indeed, the Wulin Alliance concluded the investigation with that verdict.
However, the truth of the incident was only revealed after the Second Great War between Good and Evil began. It was...
"...Are you listening?"
"Ah, my apologies."
Snapped out of his thoughts, Han Cheong-un bowed his head in apology. Tang Myeong poured him a cup of freshly brewed tea and spoke.
"Do not be so tense. I only called you here to ask a few questions, now that you have become a guest of our family."
"Ask whatever you wish."
"Very well. I heard you have no sect. Is that true?"
"Yes, it is."
"Is it that you do not have one, or that you cannot reveal it?"
To Tang Myeong's sharp interrogation, Han Cheong-un replied calmly.
"I learned some basic martial arts from the Wulin Alliance when I was young, but that is all."
"..."
"I swear to heaven, I have never formally studied martial arts under anyone else in my life."
"..."
Since Han Cheong-un spoke with such confidence, Tang Myeong nodded for now.
However, suspicion still lingered.
"A fifteen-year-old boy who has never formally studied martial arts defeated my son..."
"I was lucky."
"You are far too humble."
"It is the truth. I... obtained a miraculous encounter."
"A miraculous encounter?"
"Yes. Actually, while I was hiking in the mountains of Guizhou..."
Han Cheong-un fabricated a plausible story about how he had obtained the Human-Shaped Heavenly Ginseng.
Since the Human-Shaped Heavenly Ginseng was already in his stomach, there was no risk of it causing a bloodbath. And...
"What? A massive snake with red eyes?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Tang Myeong seemed more interested in the spiritual beast guarding the place than the Human-Shaped Heavenly Ginseng itself.
"Were its scales black and incredibly hard?"
"Yes. It remained unscathed even when I thrust my spear with all my might."
"What color was its poison?"
"Let's see... Was it green?"
"Where is it? Where is that beast?"
Tang Myeong grabbed Han Cheong-un by the collar and shook him, demanding answers.
"Family Head. Please, calm down first."
"How can I be calm? I asked you where it is!"
"It is already dead. And completely dried up, at that."
"What?"
Han Cheong-un fabricated the story further, claiming the snake had died from his desperate, full-power strike.
And that when he found the snake again, it was completely dried up.
"D-dried up?"
"Yes. When I touched the scales, they crumbled into dust."
"That makes no sense. The body of a Thousand-Year Ink-Scaled Serpent could never crumble so easily."
"A Thousand-Year Ink-Scaled Serpent?"
"Sigh..."
Tang Myeong let out a deep sigh and said,
"The Thousand-Year Ink-Scaled Serpent. It is a rare creature, ranked among the top five most venomous beasts known in the Jianghu."
So it was a famous creature.
I didn't know what it was and just thought it was a big snake.
"Sigh... Can you tell me where the corpse is? Just in case, I would like to send people to check."
"Yes, that is not difficult."
Han Cheong-un readily revealed the location of the cave where he had found the Human-Shaped Heavenly Ginseng. Then, he asked cautiously,
"But is it really so valuable that you would obsess over even its corpse?"
"It is valuable. Incredibly so. And..."
Tang Myeong suddenly let out a heavy sigh and spoke.
"If only we had its inner core, we might have been able to save our Seo-yeon..."