Chapter 123: The Great Bluff - Part 1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: The Great Bluff - Part 1
Sun-woo felt a crushing weight of guilt surge through him, as if his heart were about to burst.
It was all his fault.
He should never have sent her to the inn alone in the first place.
If he hadn't, she wouldn't be lying there covered in blood, and she wouldn't have gotten into a confrontation with the Rising Stars of the Orthodox Faction.
He had been stupid.
And he had been far too complacent.
In truth, Sun-woo had never paid much attention to Yorang’s outward appearance.
Everyone else called her a peerless beauty.
However, from Sun-woo’s perspective—having fought her for his life even before she molted—she didn't feel like a breathtaking beauty who could steal one's heart at first glance. To him, she was first and foremost a terrifying Human-Faced Spider.
That was why he had scoffed and laughed whenever people called Yorang a peerless beauty.
He knew her true essence was that of a monstrous, wicked creature.
Even when Un-jeok-ja fell for her and turned the Tang Clan upside down, Sun-woo had only questioned the man's taste; he hadn't felt any sense of reality regarding Yorang’s beauty.
He had simply brushed it off as someone else's business, thinking, I guess Yorang is pretty.
But that complacent thought had ultimately led to this disaster.
It was a failure of objectivity.
Because he didn't perceive Yorang as a peerless beauty, he had fallen into the illusion that others would feel the same.
Yorang was beautiful.
She was so stunning that even the word "exquisite" felt insufficient.
And now, this mess had happened.
He realized his mistake.
And he regretted it.
He wanted to turn back time to the moment he had pressed those silver coins into Yorang’s hand.
Why had he treated her so carelessly?
When others stared at her with their mouths agape, why hadn't he ever felt a sense of suspicion?
He was annoyed.
He was incredibly irritated with his own stupidity.
A frantic sense of apology toward Yorang welled up within him.
This was entirely his fault.
How could Yorang have any self-awareness of her own beauty?
She had likely entered the inn with a joyful heart just because he gave her some silver.
And then, to keep her promise to him, she had simply endured the beating until she was on the verge of death.
That proud predator had allowed herself to be harmed by those infinitely weaker than her.
Grrrrk.
His teeth ground together of their own accord.
It was a rage directed at his own foolishness.
The cause of this entire situation was likely the arrogance rooted deep within his heart.
Reaching the Transcendent Realm—a stage rare even in the Murim—and gaining the backing of a massive power like the Tang Clan had unknowingly planted the seed of arrogance deep in his soul.
Arrogance led to carelessness, carelessness led to complacency, and complacency led to crisis.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Sun-woo struggled to calm his racing heart.
Until now, the emotion that had truly terrified him was despair—the feeling born from a sense of helplessness, the belief that no matter what he did, he could not overcome the obstacle.
It was like that when he first met the Sword Emperor Yang Tae-san, and again when he met Lee Jae-won.
He had felt a bottomless despair and frustration at his own inability to do anything.
But now, instead of despair, it was arrogance that terrified him.
A murky, damp emotion that had seeped in without him even realizing when it took root.
An emotion that could slowly permeate everything he had achieved and everyone around him, potentially causing everything to collapse in an instant.
He was afraid.
Because of this brief moment of carelessness, he had almost lost everything he had built.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart began to pound wildly.
He had to fix this somehow.
Everything that had happened because of his arrogance.
Sun-woo tried his best to suppress his heightened emotions.
It wasn't easy to calm down, but he had to.
"Whew."
Sun-woo let out a long, deep sigh.
Though a shuddering fear rose within him, settling the situation came first.
If he handled this poorly, not only would everything he had achieved turn to ash, but his life and the lives of many others would be in danger.
"Hey."
Sun-woo finally spoke, his voice slow and deliberate as he addressed them.
"Do you really want to die? You turned that woman into this for that reason?"
Sun-woo spoke while intentionally radiating a thick murderous aura toward them.
Flinch.
The Dragon and Phoenix recoiled at the sheer pressure.
Sun-woo reached into his robes and rummaged for something.
It was an item Tang Seo-yoon had given him before he left the Tang Clan, telling him to use it in place of an identification plaque since he didn't have a household token.
He never imagined he would use it here, but it was a damn good move.
Sun-woo’s fingers closed around a circular object.
He slowly pulled the round plaque from his robes.
Clang!
He threw it down in front of them.
Zhuge Jia flinched, thinking Sun-woo was throwing a hidden weapon.
However, seeing that it was a round plaque and not a weapon, she looked at it closely.
The plaque was circular and made of silver, gleaming brightly.
And in the center, the character 'Tang' (唐) was engraved.
Upon confirming its appearance, her face turned deathly pale.
In her memory, there was only one plaque that was silver, circular, and engraved with the character for Tang.
"The Tang Clan Token!"
At her cry, the eyes of the other Dragon and Phoenix members widened, and they all scrambled to look down at the plaque.
Just as she said, the object lying before them was unmistakably a Tang Clan Token.
And what was a Tang Clan Token?
Was it not the token of gratitude given only to the Tang Clan's benefactors or VIPs?
When people spoke of the Tang Clan, there was a famous saying that defined their nature:
[Repay kindness twofold; repay a grudge tenfold.]
If they received a favor, they would repay it twice over at any time, but if they incurred a grudge, they would repay it tenfold—a chillingly ruthless declaration.
As if to prove this, the history of the Murim was littered with sects that had crumbled after earning the Tang Clan's enmity.
Because they always kept their word, the Tang Clan was feared by many, despite being part of the Orthodox Faction.
Conversely, those who did the Tang Clan a favor received an eternal debt of gratitude.
Every year, after internal deliberations, the Tang Clan issued three grades of tokens to their benefactors: Iron, Bronze, and Silver.
All of these were called Tang Clan Tokens, and their grade determined the scale of the favor done for the clan and the level of treatment the holder would receive.
Among them, the Silver Token was so rare that it had been issued only a handful of times in the clan's history. Most people considered the Bronze Token to be the practical highest grade of the Tang Clan Tokens.
So, when a man whose identity they didn't even know suddenly threw down a Silver Tang Clan Token, they couldn't help but be shocked.
"H-How... How do you have that?"
Zhuge Jia asked him in a trembling voice.
A Silver Tang Clan Token—she had only heard stories of it and had rarely seen one in person.
Though they were said to be issued to benefactors every year, the Tang Clan was stingy even with Iron and Bronze tokens, let alone Silver.
So, what did it mean that they had issued a Silver Token?
It meant this person was someone who had done an immense favor for the Tang Clan.
"My name is Jang Sun-woo. I am the disciple of the Poison King and the benefactor who saved the Tang Clan."
His lies began once again.
*
"That's impossible!"
At his words, Zhuge Jia screamed as if it were the most absurd thing she had ever heard.
The martial arts of the Tang Clan were passed down only to direct bloodline descendants.
How could an outsider become the disciple of the Poison King?
"Why is it impossible?"
Sun-woo asked back, sounding genuinely curious.
"The Tang Clan's martial arts are only passed to direct bloodlines. A disciple of the Poison King? Are you just making up ridiculous nonsense to try and fix this situation?"
Zhuge Jia snapped at him, seemingly forgetting that Sun-woo held her life in his hands.
To claim to be the Poison King's disciple just because he held a Tang Clan Token—there was no lie more blatant than that.
Despite her rebuttal, Sun-woo’s expression didn't change at all.
He had fully expected this reaction.
Now that he had laid the bait, it was time to provide the proof.
Sun-woo slowly began to circulate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art.
Wooooooong.
A massive aura began to swirl around his body.
What is the clearest evidence of being someone's disciple?
It is their martial arts.
No matter how absurd the situation, if someone demonstrates the exact same martial arts as another, most people have no choice but to believe it.
It was the same here.
The clearest way to prove he was the Poison King's disciple was the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
Sun-woo immediately began to mimic the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
A green energy began to flow from his body.
Wooooooong.
"W-What!?"
"That's the Tang Clan's...!"
"Could it really be!?"
The Dragon and Phoenix members gasped in shock.
When he first claimed to be the Poison King's disciple, they had scoffed inwardly, thinking a fool was desperately struggling to stay alive.
How could someone who didn't even carry the Tang surname learn the Tang Clan's martial arts, which were only accessible through bloodline?
But he had just proven that impossible claim through his martial arts.
The deep, thick green energy flowing from his body was proof of the martial art he had mastered.
What was the most distinct martial art in the history of the Murim?
The Blazing Sun Divine Art, which flickered with red currents and melted everything it touched?
Or the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which flickered with ink-colored currents and crushed everything in its path?
Neither.
Many would say that if there was a martial art so distinct it could be recognized at a single glance, it was the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
Among the countless martial arts in the Murim, only the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art emitted a green current upon reaching a certain level.
That was how the Dragon and Phoenix knew.
They knew that what this man was currently manifesting was the secret martial art passed only to the direct line of the Tang Clan, the ultimate poison art: the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
What they had dismissed as a bluff had been revealed as the truth.
They were speechless.
This was the Murim.
Martial arts proved everything and achieved everything.
He had proven it, and they had no choice but to believe.
Even the most absurd claims he had made.
Realizing his words were true, the Dragon and Phoenix fell into a state of confusion.
Why would the disciple of the Poison King attack them while they were peacefully holding a banquet?
"W-Wait a minute!"
It was then.
Zhuge Jia spoke up urgently.
No matter how much she thought about it, it didn't make sense.
"How are you practicing the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art?"
"Because I'm the Poison King's disciple."
"That's... impossible."
Zhuge Jia’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
It felt as if her entire understanding of the Tang Clan was being uprooted.
Wasn't the Tang Clan the most closed-off and bloodline-centered of the Five Great Clans?
And yet, they gave their martial arts to an outsider? Their secret martial art, no less?
She saw it with her eyes, but her mind couldn't comprehend it.
"The Tang Clan is a bloodline-centered family. They never pass their martial arts to outsiders. Unless you were his adopted son or something, it's impossible."
She argued passionately.
She wanted to know.
She wanted to know how this man had mastered the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
Hearing her words, Sun-woo frowned slightly.
It was annoying how she kept pushing even after he had shown her the martial art.
However, knowing her persistent personality from Jang Sam’s memories, Sun-woo fell into thought.
Unless he gave her a plausible reason, she would likely never let go of her suspicion.
Persistent bitch.
It was true that the Tang Clan passing their martial arts to someone not of their blood lacked credibility.
No other clan had such a precedent.
In that case, the solution was simple.
He just had to give her a reason she could accept.
"I am Tang Seo-yoon's fiancé."
Sun-woo used Tang Seo-yoon’s name.
"W-What!? If you mean Tang Seo-yoon, do you mean Dok Seo-si!?"
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, Zhuge Jia was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Who was Tang Seo-yoon?
Was she not the Greatest Beauty of Sichuan, who had earned the title Dok Seo-si after only one appearance in the world?
Furthermore, she was an idol among idols who had chosen the life of a martial artist over that of a traditional woman, setting the hearts of many female martial artists ablaze.
To be engaged to such an idol—what kind of preposterous talk was that?
"L-Liar! Lady Tang is forbidden from marrying out of the family!"
Zhuge Jia denied Sun-woo’s words, calling them a lie.
Hadn't Tang Seo-yoon become someone who could not marry because she had mastered the Tang Clan's secret martial arts?
So how could he be marrying her?
"But they can take in a matrilocal son-in-law."
Sun-woo followed up calmly.
What he said was true.
Tang Seo-yoon was forbidden from marrying out of the family, but that was a decision made out of fear that the clan's martial arts would be leaked.
If they took in a matrilocal son-in-law, the story changed.
She could still marry.
"T-That..."
Zhuge Jia cursed herself for finding his words logical once again.
Indeed, if they took in a matrilocal son-in-law, he could marry Tang Seo-yoon.
Furthermore, being the Poison King's disciple and receiving his martial arts gained a certain level of justification.
While it was rare in the Tang Clan for a matrilocal son-in-law to learn the direct line's martial arts, it was a common occurrence in other, more lenient clans.
She looked at Sun-woo with a bewildered expression.
Everything he said was suspicious as hell, but it felt like he was skillfully navigating through all the contradictions.
And wasn't the evidence to support all his claims currently radiating from his body?
As long as he had proven the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art...
She couldn't deny his relationship with the Tang Clan.
Unless he had somehow stolen and learned the martial art in secret.
Since there was evidence to back up his seemingly nonsensical words, there was no room for doubt.
"But why would the Poison King's disciple attack us?"
Even as she accepted his claims, Zhuge Jia was still puzzled.
Why would he—the Poison King's disciple, the Tang Clan's benefactor, and Dok Seo-si’s fiancé—attack them?