Chapter 242: The Secret of the Tang Clan
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 242: The Secret of the Tang Clan
Huh?
Why is this guy suddenly prostrating himself?
He flew at me radiating killing intent, so I thought he was about to attack, but then he suddenly erased it all?
“O-Older Brother? I haven't even introduced you yet…”
This guy on the ground is Tang Soyeong's older brother, right? The Young Master?
Wait, if that's the case, then Tang Soyeong must really be a daughter of the Tang Clan… Was she really raised like a precious treasure? No matter how I look at it, I can't believe it.
“How could the Young Master of the Tang Clan fail to recognize the Grandmaster?”
Grandmaster!
What's with that fancy title?
I'd heard the Tang Clan revered the Gomodo. Even back when I was a Crocodile Monitor, Soyeong insisted I was a Gomodo and followed me around.
Back then, I just vaguely assumed they valued me because I was a venomous lizard. But after hearing the story of Jin-ryong and the Gomodo from Chodo, I couldn't help but think differently.
And now he's calling me Grandmaster, too.
Soyeong glanced at me, trying to read my expression.
It's true that I'm a Gomodo, but I'm not the same spirit beast the Tang Clan is thinking of. According to Chodo, I'm more like a descendant of the previous Gomodo.
Tang Soyeong was asking for permission to reveal that fact, and I gave a slight nod.
“Gekgek.”
I let out a valiant cry.
“Hero Go is a Gomodo, but he's probably not the Gomodo you're thinking of, Brother.”
“Yes. I figured as much. The Gomodo from the records was far larger than the one before me.”
So he knows there was a previous Gomodo. But he can tell just by the difference in size? Just how big was the previous Gomodo for him to recognize it at a glance?
“Even so… the fact that you are a Gomodo does not change. Is it not proper to show respect to the Grandmaster?”
What a good attitude. But I don't think Soyeong ever showed anything like that. She was more like, 'Wow, you know about Gomodo!' She never treated me like a Grandmaster.
“Wait, G-Grandmaster? What does that mean?”
Tang Muyeong, still in his full prostration, lifted only his forehead slightly.
“Grandmaster. May I speak?”
“Gekek.”
I nodded.
“If you were to ask who handles poison best in the Central Plains, ten out of ten people would say the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
It was an undisputed fact.
Occasionally, a group called the Five Poisons Sect emerges, claiming they will destroy the Sichuan Tang Clan and take the top spot, but the very fact that such situations arise is proof that the Tang Clan is the undisputed number one.
“All children of the Tang Clan grow up hearing stories about the Gomodo. Of course, the stories are not very detailed. We are simply taught about it naturally, alongside other spirit beasts, and that it is a legendary spirit beast revered by the Tang Clan.”
It didn't seem like they taught it very accurately.
I did end up becoming a Gomodo, but didn't Soyeong insist a Crocodile Monitor was a Gomodo? It seems like she just took a wild guess because I was a somewhat large, venomous lizard.
“I am the Young Master of the Tang Clan. I have inherited more knowledge than the other children.”
“Huh, really? Wow, I never took the Patriarch for someone who would play favorites like that.”
Tang Muyeong's brow furrowed as he remained in his prostration.
A moment ago, she was his precious treasure, but now she seemed to be just an ugly nuisance who dared to interrupt a conversation with the Tang Clan's divine beast, the Gomodo.
…But how long are you going to stay like that?
“Gegegek.”
“Hero Go says you can be comfortable.”
“How could I dare to do so before the Grandmaster! However… since I cannot converse smoothly in this position, for the Grandmaster's sake…”
So you were uncomfortable too.
Tang Muyeong straightened up and continued speaking.
“The story passed down to me as the Young Master is about Jin-ryong and the Gomodo.”
Jin-ryong and the Gomodo.
It was a story that not even Gongbok, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, knew in detail, and one that only Chodo knew vaguely.
And yet, a human knows about it.
It's almost certain that the Tang Clan and the Gomodo have some kind of relationship.
“And… that unlike the stories spread among the public, the truth was the complete opposite. That Jin-ryong tried to kill all humans, and the Gomodo was the one who stopped him.”
Tang Soyeong didn't know this story either. She only found out after I shared what I heard from Chodo.
So, it was clear that this man, Tang Muyeong, possessed more knowledge about the Gomodo.
But on the other hand, it wasn't exactly new information.
I'd already heard it from Chodo.
And this story alone didn't explain why he called me Grandmaster.
“I mentioned earlier that the Sichuan Tang Clan is the best at handling poison. You must surely know which martial art is considered the greatest even within our clan.”
The martial art that comes to mind when you think of the Tang Clan.
“The sky is filled with a rain of flowers, thus it is the Sky-Filling Flower Rain.”
The Tang Clan's martial art that scatters countless hidden weapons and poisons.
Of course, there are theories that it belongs to the Beggars' Sect, but if a member of the Tang Clan says it, they will unconditionally claim it as their own.
“The Sky-Filling Flower Rain is known to have originally been a martial art for fighting snakes. Throwing hidden weapons to deal with them quickly without getting bitten was the origin of the Sky-Filling Flower Rain.”
Why is he suddenly explaining the Sky-Filling Flower Rain?
It felt out of the blue, but considering his attitude towards me, this story must also be related to the Gomodo.
“In truth, this story has also been distorted. The Sky-Filling Flower Rain is not a martial art for killing snakes. It is a martial art created by the Gomodo to kill the white-scaled dragon of the sky, Jin-ryong.”
The previous Gomodo created the Sky-Filling Flower Rain?
At those words, Tang Soyeong's expression turned strange.
She even seemed to be smirking a little.
Don't tell me... does she remember how I relentlessly criticized the Tang Clan's Sky-Filling Flower Rain?
I did that with a long-range silent attack. How did she know?
“That is not all. The Gomodo bestowed his poison and other martial arts upon the Tang Clan. That is why he is our Grandmaster.”
The Tang Clan's poison and martial arts originated from the Gomodo.
I could see why they revered the Gomodo.
“This is also why our Tang Clan maintains a close relationship with spirit beasts. It is to carry on the Grandmaster's will.”
I could also understand why they had such a high affinity with spirit beasts.
“However, as time passed, the story of the Gomodo was inevitably forgotten, and radical factions who believe spirit beasts should be used as tools have emerged… But thanks to a fortunate connection this time, we have resolved a troublesome issue.”
What happened between the Gomodo and the Tang Clan is an event of the past. A very distant past.
So it was bound to be forgotten over time.
But a question arises. Tang Muyeong clearly knows this story, doesn't he?
If there's enough internal conflict to cause a schism in the clan, couldn't they just tell everyone the truth?
Why do only the Patriarch and the Young Master know the truth?
“If we told everyone about the relationship between the Gomodo and the Tang Clan, the problem would have been solved long ago… but we could not, due to Jin-ryong's vigilance. If he found out that the truth was still being passed down, he would use any means necessary to wipe out the Tang Clan.”
I thought he was living in seclusion in Kunlun, but for something like this, would he really make a move himself?
“The Tang Clan is on Jin-ryong's bad side. To be precise, a woman with the surname Tang earned his displeasure.”
A woman with the surname Tang. She must have been the link to the Gomodo.
“She is a woman erased from both family registers and historical records. What I know is that Jin-ryong loved her.”
It was a rather interesting story.
Even Tang Soyeong, who had been chattering away beside me, was so focused on the story that she didn't even breathe.
“It was unrequited love. She did not love Jin-ryong. Perhaps she saw through his cruel nature. In the end, she ran away, and the Gomodo graciously took her in.”
…Don't tell me they fought over a single woman, did they?
“It is an open secret that both the Gomodo and Jin-ryong had numerous wives and concubines. Jin-ryong likely coveted her body rather than truly loving her. It ended in a failed attempt, though.”
So they really are family. Seriously, what is it with these dragons? They can't control themselves around women.
“To Jin-ryong, the woman of the Tang Clan was probably just another common woman. Although, it is said her body was anything but ordinary.”
“Gerororong.”
Huh?
“That cry… No, it is nothing. Even if her body was beautiful, there are countless humans who could replace her. However, Jin-ryong is a greedy being; he tries to obtain whatever he sets his sights on, no matter what. In that process, he clashed with the Grandmaster numerous times.”
It seems the Gomodo and Jin-ryong clashed many times, and not just over women.
Wealth, women, or power. Jin-ryong, blinded by these things, and the Gomodo, trying to stop him.
Then, Jin-ryong decided to kill all humans, and a war far greater than all their previous squabbles broke out.
“After the war ended, the Gomodo withdrew, but Jin-ryong was also left in a state where he could not use his power as he pleased. Thanks to that, disaster did not befall the Tang Clan even with the Grandmaster absent.”
After the incident with the Tang woman, the Tang Clan became a thorn in Jin-ryong's side. They also apparently helped the Gomodo during the war.
“The Sky-Filling Flower Rain is a martial art created to kill the white-scaled dragon. Having passed it down to us, Jin-ryong could not move carelessly against us. Of course, a human could not kill him, but it would be possible to worsen his injuries.”
It's easy for a human to kill a bee. But if you told someone to catch a bee with no equipment, not even clothes, they would hesitate. Because they could get stung.
Jin-ryong's situation was exactly like that.
“But Jin-ryong was not to be underestimated. As he withdrew, he placed a terrible curse on the Tang Clan.”
A terrible curse!
“A curse that applies only to the women of the Tang Clan.”
The more I hear, the lower my opinion of Jin-ryong becomes.
Seriously, what kind of person curses only the women just because one of them rejected him?
Tang Muyeong looked at Tang Soyeong with sad eyes.
…Is Soyeong under the curse too?
Of course, Soyeong just had an expression that said, 'Why is this person looking at me like that?' It was clear she was hearing this for the first time and had no idea such a curse even existed.
“The women of the Tang Clan cannot feed their children to their fill.”
I couldn't believe my ears.
That's the curse a so-called 'True Dragon' would cast?
“In other words, they are cursed so that their chests will not grow.”
Jin-ryong.
You are a creature that should not exist.