Chapter 46: Hearing About the Godok Hall - 1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: Hearing About the Godok Hall - 1
First Young Master Tang Jeong.
He was the eldest son of Tang Jin-cheol, the Poison King and Clan Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Although he was born to the Second Wife, Lee So-ok, it was an undeniable fact that he had entered the world before any of his siblings.
Tang Jeong’s mother, Lee So-ok, and her relatives from the Lee family were incredibly ambitious. If her child became the Clan Head, the Lee family’s influence within the Tang Clan would grow to untouchable heights, granting them the power to manipulate the clan itself.
Thus, on the day Tang Jeong was born, the Lee family raised their glasses in a celebratory toast.
They provided him with everything necessary to ensure he would become the Successor—from rare martial arts manuals to precious elixirs and exotic poisons.
With their full support, Tang Jeong developed martial prowess that stood out among his brothers, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the Peak Realm. Furthermore, the Lee family mobilized all their resources to draw numerous elders into their faction, including Grand Elder Tang Hak-ju.
All preparations were complete. Tang Jeong was ready to be named the Successor at any moment.
However, years passed without any sign of an official appointment, and his younger brothers began to eye the position for themselves.
Even though his father had not made it official, it was unthinkable to Tang Jeong that anyone other than himself—the eldest of the direct bloodline—would become the Successor. Yet, the appointment was delayed year after year, and his younger brothers began building their own factions and expanding their influence.
Still, Tang Jeong wasn't particularly anxious. He possessed the strongest faction and the greatest personal strength. If not him, then who? If the Clan Head had eyes in his head, he would surely choose him.
But that certainty was shattered today.
"What!? The Godok Hall!?"
"That is correct, First Young Master."
His confidant, Tang Dae-gi, answered. He was currently drenched in a cold sweat. Though he bore the Tang surname, he was a member of a branch family and served as one of the guards for the Clan Meeting Hall. Tasked primarily with intelligence gathering, he was now reporting the day's events to Tang Jeong.
"God dammit! Those old monsters fucked everything up!!!"
Slam!
Crash!
Thud!
Smash!
Tang Jeong began hurling whatever he could get his hands on. He had waited twenty years for the Successor appointment without a word of complaint, convinced it would be him and no one else. Now, that faith had been utterly demolished.
He was livid. How much money had he spent to win over Grand Elder Tang Hak-ju and the countless other elders? To think they had pocketed all that gold and couldn't even handle this one task—it was enough to make his blood boil.
"Aaaaaaaagh!!"
Crash!
Tang Dae-gi, who had only come to deliver the report, was in a precarious position. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he felt like he was about to become the target of Tang Jeong's venting.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Why are you looking at me like that? You got a problem?"
"No, sir."
"The hell you don't! I saw you glaring with my own two eyes!"
Poke. Poke.
Tang Jeong began poking Tang Dae-gi hard in the chest.
"I apologize."
"Apologize? So you were glaring at me?"
"No, that's not it."
"Then are you lying to me? Do you think I'm a joke too?"
Thwack!
Tang Jeong’s fist slammed directly into Tang Dae-gi’s face.
"First Young Master, please forgive... ugh!"
Thud!
"Is it funny, you son of a bitch? Are you laughing because I wasn't named Successor!?"
Crack!
"Guh!"
Thump!
"Damn it, why is this bastard so annoying today!?"
Pow!
Only after a long bout of violence did Tang Jeong finally stop. Tang Dae-gi’s body was covered in dark bruises.
"Watch yourself from now on, you prick. Get out!"
"Th-thank... you..."
Tang Dae-gi bowed deeply and stumbled out of the pavilion. Once he was gone, Tang Jeong prepared to head out. He couldn't just sit still; he had to come up with a countermeasure immediately.
*
On his way to the residence of the Second Wife, Lee So-ok, Tang Jeong spotted a familiar figure.
It was a young man with a cold expression and sharp eyes—the family degenerate, Tang Se-gi.
Upon seeing his face, Tang Jeong felt a surge of malicious joy. Beating Tang Dae-gi hadn't been enough to satisfy his rage, and here was this scoundrel crawling out right in front of him.
He had heard that Tang Se-gi had once again brought shame to the clan's name and was under house arrest. Tang Jeong was ready to invent an excuse to beat him anyway, but this was a perfect opportunity.
"Hey, Tang Se-gi!"
He shouted toward Tang Se-gi, who was walking some distance away. However, Tang Se-gi ignored the shout and kept walking.
"Tang Se-gi! It's me, Tang Jeong!"
Thinking he might not have heard, Tang Jeong called out again, but the man continued on his way without looking back.
Tang Jeong’s face turned beet red. He had called out from a short distance; there was no way he hadn't heard. The thought that even a lowlife like him was ignoring him sent Tang Jeong into a blind fury.
That dog-like bastard is ignoring me?
It felt as if the whole world was mocking him. Internal energy began to surge around his body.
I'll teach you some goddamn manners.
Step. Step.
Tang Jeong charged forward and was just about to swing his hand at him when—
Bam!
Suddenly, his vision flipped. His body tilted, and his head was slammed directly into the ground.
Perhaps it was the sudden impact to his skull, but Tang Jeong’s consciousness began to fade.
F-fuck...
Tang Jeong lost consciousness in that pathetic posture.
How much time had passed? Someone began shaking his body violently.
"Brother."
A faint voice calling him reached his ears, gradually becoming clearer.
"Brother!"
Flash!
Tang Jeong’s eyes snapped open in shock. An unexpected person was standing before him.
Fourth Young Master Tang San.
Born to the Third Madam, Geum Jeok-hwa, he was a candidate for Successor who boasted the largest faction after Tang Jeong. He was looking down at him with a sneer on his lips.
"My, brother. For someone who is the First Young Master, what is this disgraceful display in the middle of the road?"
"What!?"
"Sleeping shamelessly on the main path... you look no different from our youngest brother."
"You...!"
Tang Jeong scrambled to his feet and focused his internal energy. This bastard must have been the one who knocked him out. There weren't many people with the martial prowess to knock him out in a single blow, especially since he was at the peak of the Peak Realm. It had to be someone of equal or greater strength.
The elders wouldn't have done it, and the Clan Head certainly wouldn't ambush his own son. It had to be Tang San.
He was an insufferable brat, but Tang San was also a master at the pinnacle of the Peak Realm. Who else but him would dare to knock him out? This was clearly a scheme to humiliate him.
Fury surged within Tang Jeong. While there had been political friction between their factions, it had never escalated to physical violence. Tang San had broken that unspoken agreement.
"To launch a cowardly ambush like that... you bastard!!"
"What are you talking about? Have you been drinking in the middle of the day?"
"Don't you dare play dumb! I felt it with my own body, so how can you pretend not to know, you vermin!"
"Are you finished? I woke you up before you could embarrass yourself further by sleeping in the street, and this is the thanks I get? Is this how Lady Lee So-ok raised you?"
"What!? You must be begging for death!!"
At the mention of his mother’s name, Tang Jeong could no longer hold back. He channeled his internal energy and swung at Tang San.
Startled by the sudden attack, Tang San leaped back to create distance. There had been many subtle power struggles, but never a direct martial confrontation like this. They had both been careful to respect a certain line, but Tang Jeong had just crossed it.
Tang San also drew upon his internal energy.
"Don't blame me for this!"
"You're the one who shouldn't blame me!!"
Boom!
Bang!
Crash!
The fight between the two continued until the Clan Head, Tang Jin-cheol, personally intervened.
*
After stepping outside, Sun-woo spent a good while exploring the clan grounds. He had been walking for nearly two hours, but the estate was so vast it seemed endless. His ability to memorize the layout was reaching its limit.
Sun-woo tried his best to commit the structure of the manor to memory while looking for potential escape routes. However, finding a way out amidst the layers of pavilions was incredibly difficult.
He didn't know what kind of architectural techniques they used, but the height of the pavilions was staggering. He realized that unless he mastered the Sky-Walking Technique, moving across the rooftops was out of the question.
As for jumping over the walls on foot, the maze-like structure of the Tang Clan held him back. It was so complex he felt as if it had been designed as a labyrinth. Twists and turns were the norm, and following a path often led to a dead end.
Eventually, Sun-woo gave up on perfectly memorizing the geography and fell into despair. Without a map, mastering the layout of the Tang Clan was impossible.
'Sigh, it's so damn complicated. These Tang bastards.'
Curses escaped his lips naturally. It was then—
Whoosh!
He felt a presence attempting to attack him from behind. The force behind it was so great that the sound of tearing air was clear in his ears. As the presence drew closer, the fluctuations of qi became even more distinct. It was a significant amount of internal energy.
His reaction was faster than his thought.
Using his right foot as a pivot, he instinctively spun his body to dodge the attack. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed the opponent’s temple. Simultaneously, he swept his pivoting foot to strike the opponent’s ankle.
In an instant, the attacker was lifted into the air. Sun-woo didn't miss the opening; he applied force to his left hand gripping the temple and slammed the man into the ground.
Crr-ack!
The ground dented deeply, and the opponent was knocked unconscious instantly.
"What the hell is this guy's problem?"
Sun-woo looked at the unconscious man with a bewildered expression. Then, it hit him.
Even if Tang Se-gi was a degenerate, there weren't many people who would dare attack a direct descendant of the Tang Clan—especially within the clan grounds. The attacker must have held a high position and was certainly stronger than the original Tang Se-gi.
But Sun-woo had forgotten that fact and slammed the man into the dirt.
Panic set in.
'I'm fucked. Why the hell did he try to backstab me!?'
Venting his frustration, Sun-woo scanned his surroundings. Fortunately, it seemed no one had witnessed him knocking the man out. Sun-woo activated the Wind-Dust Step and moved away as quickly as possible. He had to leave before anyone discovered the scene.
Behind him, the First Young Master of the Tang Clan, Tang Jeong, lay face-down in the dirt, unconscious.
*
Having hurried back to his quarters, Sun-woo collapsed onto his bed. His plan to scout the entire clan had been ruined by an unexpected variable.
'Seriously, because of that asshole...'
He cursed the man who had ambushed him, but there was nothing he could do now. He just had to stay as quiet as a mouse.
'If he has any pride, he'll keep his mouth shut.'
He didn't know who the man was, but since he had been knocked out by the "weakling" Tang Se-gi, he would likely be too embarrassed to show his face. Who would he tell that he'd been bested by the epitome of a pathetic scoundrel?
Sun-woo prayed the matter would pass quietly. It was then—
Knock, knock.
Someone began knocking on his door.
"Wh-who is it!?"
Startled by the sudden sound, Sun-woo shouted back.
"It is I, Tang Mu. I have come to deliver an order from the Clan Head."
Gulp.
Feeling guilty for no reason, Sun-woo swallowed hard.
'Did I get caught? Is this it?'
His liver felt like it was shrinking, and his heart began to race.
"Speak."
"You are to change into your formal robes and gather at the Clan Meeting Hall by the Hour of the Dog."
"Am I the only one going!?"
"I do not know the details. I was only told to deliver the message to Young Master Tang Se-gi."
"I see. You may go."
"Understood."
Once the footsteps faded, Sun-woo began rolling around on his bed.
'I'm fucked, I'm fucked, I'm totally fucked!!'
He had only just been placed under house arrest for causing trouble; why was he being summoned to the meeting hall now? Sun-woo clutched his head in regret. He should have been lying low, but instead, he had caused a major incident.
But the milk was already spilled. He couldn't ignore the Clan Head's order just because he didn't want to go.
"Sigh."
With a heavy sigh, Sun-woo pulled out his formal robes and prepared to head to the meeting hall.
*
The Clan Meeting Hall.
The hall was packed with numerous elders and high-ranking members. But that wasn't all.
Led by the Great Matriarch Un Ga-ryeo, the Second Wife Lee So-ok, Third Madam Geum Jeok-hwa, Fourth Madam Hong Ju-yeon, and Fifth Madam Yu Su-jin were all standing quietly in the back.
And at the seat of honor in the very center of the hall sat Tang Jin-cheol, the Clan Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan. He exuded an aura as imposing as a great mountain.
Facing him were his fifteen sons, lined up according to their age. They waited in silence for the Clan Head to speak.
"The reason I have summoned you all is, as you might have guessed, to discuss the appointment of the Successor."
Upon hearing those words, the sons all swallowed hard. This was the topic they had been waiting their entire lives to hear.
"We will be opening the Godok Hall."
In an instant, the eyes of the wives and sons were filled with shock and horror, as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
What the hell is that?
Of course, Sun-woo, currently inhabiting the body of Tang Se-gi, could only tilt his head in confusion.