The Thousand-Year Spider
Thud. Thud.
Ten figures strode into the Tang Clan Lord's Main Hall, their boots heavy against the stone floor.
They were covered in dust, having spent a long time out in the wilds. At their head walked the current leader of the Sichuan Tang Clan and its greatest expert—Tang Munseong.
"Congratulations on your victory!"
The shout echoed through the hall, but few voices carried any real sincerity. Most gazes were cold, laced with displeasure. The ones orchestrating this frosty atmosphere were the Elder Council and the five branch families that led the outer factions.
"Thank you."
Was this anything new? Tang Munseong accepted their empty pleasantries, took his seat at the head of the hall, and allowed himself a rare moment of rest.
Yet the sweet taste of rest would have to wait. There was still work to be done.
"Thanks to all your concern, we were able to wipe out the mountain bandits around Sichuan Province and the Black Dao's Sa Hyeol Bang without suffering any major losses."
He called it "concern," but the words were a veiled jab at the Elder Council and the five branch families who had done nothing but watch from the sidelines with their hands behind their backs.
Most of them simply let the remark slide, but Tang Woo, leader of the Inryong-dan, rose to his feet with clear dissatisfaction written across his face. Lately, nothing seemed to go his way, and it showed.
"We congratulate your achievements, but I do have some concerns."
"Concerns?"
Tang Munseong was almost curious now—what excuse would they latch onto this time? The branches had a habit of interfering with every single thing he tried to accomplish.
"Hmm."
Cutting them off would only lead to a tantrum, so he decided to hear the man out.
"Speak."
The moment permission was granted, Tang Woo launched in.
"The mountain bandits are like weeds. Cut them down and more spring up in their place. There seems little efficiency in going after them so aggressively."
It was a very Tang Clan way of thinking—always weighing efficiency. But the truth was that subjugating those bandits would have been simple if the Elder Council and branch families had offered even the slightest assistance. They had given none, yet here they were complaining. Tang Munseong's mood soured further.
"Furthermore, deploying the Amryong-dae on this mission was inappropriate."
"Inappropriate?"
"Yes! If hidden experts had been lurking in those strongholds, the Amryong-dae might have taken casualties. Their primary duty is to protect the Clan Leader. They should not suffer losses on side missions."
A young member of the Amryong-dae, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
"It is only natural that we follow wherever the Clan Leader goes!"
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone else exploded as if they'd been waiting for the chance.
"Shut your mouth! How dare a mere recipient of the Tang surname raise his voice!"
"You dare speak in this hall?"
"Just because you were granted the surname doesn't make you a true member of the Tang Clan!"
Since they couldn't attack the Clan Leader directly, they went after those around him instead.
The young Amryong-dae warrior refused to shrink back despite the barrage from the elders and branch experts.
"Most of your own ancestors received the surname as well!"
The Elder Council's fury ignited first.
"That—that insolent whelp deserves death!"
"This is an insult to those who have devoted their lives to the Tang Clan! The Clan Leader must punish him personally!"
"I challenge you to a duel to the death!"
The situation spiraled out of control under the weight of their collective rage.
"Enough."
BOOM!
Tang Munseong's voice rolled like thunder through the hall, swallowing every other sound in an instant. Silence fell so completely it felt as though time itself had stopped.
Even though he spoke softly, his voice filled the entire hall. He's become even more of a monster.
This is bad!
The elders and branch members sensed that their leader's cultivation had risen another level. They shut their mouths, faces twisted with displeasure.
"I will send Tang Chiyeol of the Amryong-dae into closed-door training for one week."
They were not the sort to accept punishment quietly.
"Far too lenient!"
"Only one week?"
"Sever his meridians and seal his internal energy—"
As the suggested punishments grew increasingly brutal, Tang Munseong spoke again, his voice quiet.
"It is because he performed great merit during this campaign. There is fault, yes, but there is also achievement."
The elders and branch members rose from their seats with open discontent.
"You must reconsider this decision, Clan Leader!"
"We will not let this matter pass!"
Each of them hurled a final barb before storming out of the hall.
"How dare you leave without the Clan Leader's permission!"
A few loyalists tried to protest, but they were too few and too powerless to make any difference.
Once most of the retainers had gone, the great hall grew quiet again, as if the earlier uproar had never happened.
"Hoo..."
Tang Munseong rubbed his temples for a long time, as though nursing a headache, then slowly spoke.
"Everyone leave except for Tang Chiyeol and Tang Gaemun."
"Yes, my lord!"
As the others filed out, Tang Munseong addressed the departing Amryong-dae members.
"Amryong-dae, you have all worked hard. Rewards and promotions will be distributed in due time."
"Yes, my lord!"
When they had gone, only three people remained in the vast hall.
"Tang Gaemun."
"Yes, my lord!"
Tang Gaemun—leader of the Amryong-dae and a transcendental peak expert who had mastered Cheondok Shingong—was Tang Munseong's most loyal right hand.
"Have you received any news about the third?"
"Yes. A messenger pigeon arrived during the mission. He says he is doing well."
"Already four months..."
Despite his initial worries, every report that Tang Sanlong was managing well still managed to surprise him. He'd expected the boy to flee at the first opportunity, yet four months had passed and he remained in Guya-rim.
Ever since that day, every piece of news about his third son had been unexpected.
"And his progress?"
"We can only observe from afar, but it appears he will soon complete Odok Shingong."
"Hmm... So he's already setting his sights on Shipdok Shingong?"
Moving from five poisons to ten was considered fast, but this pace was extraordinary.
"It seems he has no difficulty consuming poisonous herbs or creatures."
"Even so, this quickly?"
Had some fortuitous encounter occurred?
Tang Munseong stroked the rough beard he'd grown during the recent campaign and murmured, "The plan to send him into closed-door training can be scrapped entirely."
"As you wish."
They had prepared the closed-door training as a shield against backlash from the elders and branches, assuming Sanlong wouldn't last even a week. But the boy had endured far better than expected, and the plan had been postponed again and again until it simply faded away.
If things continued like this, Sanlong would emerge from Guya-rim having already achieved Shipdok Shingong.
Completing it before his eighteenth birthday and coming-of-age ceremony... It made one wonder whether the boy was truly just a mediocre talent after all.
Of course, he was still slower than his genius older brothers.
"It seems all his past effort is finally bearing fruit."
"He may have wandered for a time, but the foundation he built didn't vanish so easily."
A small smile touched Tang Munseong's lips.
But the smile disappeared the moment his gaze shifted to Tang Chiyeol. His face hardened like stone.
"Tang Chiyeol."
"Yes, my lord!"
"It was excessive. Reckless. Dangerous. Individually they may not be strong, but there are many of them, and they do not hold only military power."
The reason Tang Munseong couldn't easily purge the elders and branch families was because they were deeply entangled in every aspect of the clan's operations. Removing them one by one was nearly impossible due to their tight cooperation. They would have to be cut out all at once—and that was practically unfeasible.
"Hmmm."
He had no idea what they might attempt after this incident. His worries only deepened. The direct line's power was still too weak to fully protect Tang Chiyeol from their reach.
Tang Chiyeol understood his lord's meaning, yet the injustice still burned.
"How can they twist such nonsense into an accusation!"
"Tang Chiyeol!"
"I must speak my mind!"
"Enough!"
"Both of you, be silent."
Tang Gaemun and Tang Chiyeol immediately closed their mouths.
"I understand your feelings."
Tang Munseong nodded as though he truly did, then continued.
"But this is reality."
"Ugh!"
Tang Chiyeol clenched his fist in frustration.
Tang Munseong tapped the table with his fingers for a while, lost in thought. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally spoke again.
"The moment you emerge from closed-door training, you will be assigned as Sanlong's watcher in Guya-rim. If you're out of sight, their anger should cool somewhat."
Even they wouldn't dare touch him inside the dangers of Guya-rim without cause. It would buy two months of time.
"Keep your head down for the time being."
Tang Chiyeol wanted to protest further, but with Tang Gaemun quietly urging restraint, he had no choice but to accept. After all, the one who had created this situation was himself—his own hot blood had led them here.
"...My apologies."
"It is done."
Tang Munseong rose slowly from his seat and walked away.
Hup! Hup!
I scaled the sheer cliff face that ringed Guya-rim. The rock wall looked as if it had been sliced perfectly vertical by some giant blade. Just looking at it made my stomach drop, yet here I was, climbing it with nothing but my bare hands.
Hup!
My hair had grown long and wild, reaching down to my waist, and my beard was scraggly and unkempt. I must have looked like some mountain hermit.
Urgh!
The torn clothes revealed muscles carved like living sculpture, split and defined from months of brutal training.
Ack!
My foot slipped. For one terrifying instant I hung over empty air, the dizzying drop below turning my legs to jelly.
Whew...
I steadied my pounding heart, clinging to the rock with one hand while channeling inner energy into the fingers of the other.
"Four Poison Claw!"
What had once only scratched the dirt on my first day now easily sank into solid stone.
Just a little more!
I finally hauled myself over the edge and collapsed onto the barren summit. There was nothing up here but rock and wind, yet the simple fact that I'd reached the top brought a tired smile to my face.
Whew...
On a stone slab at the peak, I'd carved countless notches marking the days. I ran my fingers over them.
"Four months already."
Which meant only two months remained until I could leave this hellish forest.
It had been an incredibly fruitful time.
While stuck in Guya-rim, I'd gained more than in all my years of training back at the clan.
First, I'd forged a body that could handle martial arts without breaking down. I didn't look massively bulky from the outside, but the way my muscles stood out like carved ridges showed just how densely they'd been compressed.
I had a natural talent for building muscle. Not quite the legendary perfect frame, but close enough. If I'd wanted to, I could have piled on enormous mass—but the Tang Clan's techniques relied on stealth and speed. Bulky muscles would only get in the way, especially for hidden weapons and throwing arts. Those required completely different muscle mechanics.
It also looked like I'd soon complete Odok Shingong. That was the real unexpected jackpot. I never imagined I'd master the five-poison stage in just half a year.
I had the hundred-year-old Eung-hyeol-sa to thank for that. They say the ignorant are brave, and I was living proof. That had been my fortuitous encounter.
Only after thoroughly studying the Guya-rim records did I realize just how insane my actions had been. Thanks to the Eung-hyeol-sa's poison, most other toxins felt like child's play in comparison.
But now I'd hit a wall.
I'd grown quickly at first, but true to my mediocre talent, I'd slammed into a bottleneck. The progress had slowed to a crawl. A genius might shatter this kind of barrier with ease, but for someone like me it was anything but simple.
"Guess the only option is to keep eating stronger poisonous herbs like an idiot?"
I muttered to myself, then my gaze drifted toward the heart of the forest.
The central region. That was the true Guya-rim.
Even most of the Tang Clan's high-level experts wouldn't dare set foot there lightly.