Suddenly, a Big Shot Shows Up? (2)
"G, gaju?"
Even Baek Cheon, who almost never lost his composure, went pale in an instant.
The Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Just how many martial artists in this world could keep from panicking in front of that colossal name?
"Wow, he really did drag out a huge one all of a sudden."
Ah, there was one.
There.
That damned bastard never even knew what panic was. Unbelievable!
"T-the Lord of the Tang Family?" Yoon Jong, too, could not hide his shock. "This isn't some kids' squabble anymore. The Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family himself is here?"
Baek Cheon bit down hard on his lip.
He had considered the possibility of the Tang Family intervening directly. But he had never imagined it would come to the point where the head of the Sichuan Tang Family would personally show up.
And he wasn't the only one. Everyone there had been struck dumb by the sheer absurdity of the situation.
Then Jo Pyeong, who had been collapsed on the floor, came to his senses and sprang to his feet.
He shouted toward the outside,
"You mean the Lord of the Tang Family has come personally?"
"Yes! Y-yes, that's right."
"Where is the Lord of the Tang Family now?"
"He's waiting at the front gate."
Jo Pyeong clenched his jaw.
For a guest to wait outside until the host opened the door meant the Tang Family Lord still had some intention of showing courtesy.
If he had truly come prepared to spill blood, none of the people here would still be alive by now.
At least, that was what Jo Pyeong believed.
"Gul."
"Yes, Father!"
Jo Gul hurried over to Jo Pyeong, his face already drained of color.
"From this moment on, no matter what happens, don't step forward."
"What?"
"Promise me!"
"……."
"Hurry up!"
"……Yes, I understand."
Jo Pyeong turned back with a terrifying look in his eyes.
"All of you as well. You must not interfere, under any circumstances. You don't understand what it means to offend the Lord of the Tang Family in Sichuan! Absolutely do not step in. Not even once!"
At that desperate yet unwavering tone, Baek Cheon found himself nodding before he knew it.
"Hoo."
After taking a deep breath, Jo Pyeong turned with a hardened expression and left the main hall.
If he had his way, he would have told everyone to run at once.
But now that the Tang Family Lord had come all the way here, escape was impossible. The Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family was not someone who could move alone.
By now, the entire Sahae Merchant Guild had almost certainly been surrounded by the guards shadowing him from the dark.
So it really is a tiger's den.
They say that even if a tiger takes you in its jaws, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.
That wasn't exactly wrong.
Out of a thousand people, one might luck into escaping, and that person would surely be someone who kept his head.
The problem was that most of the people taken by a tiger died whether they kept their wits or not.
Jo Pyeong, his lips tightly pressed together, stood before the main gate of the Sahae Merchant Guild. There was a tiger behind this door.
No.
Something far more terrifying than a tiger had arrived here, ready to tear into him.
Seeing the men guarding the gate trembling so badly, Jo Pyeong felt a sudden gratitude toward the Tang Family Lord for waiting outside. If he had simply barged in, some of them might have fainted on the spot.
That was the kind of presence the Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family held in Chengdu.
"Open the door!"
"Yes!"
At Jo Pyeong's shout, the massive gate at last began to part left and right. Through the widening gap, a sturdy middle-aged man in green martial robes came into view.
Before the door had even fully opened, Jo Pyeong bowed deeply from the waist.
"It is a tremendous honor to be granted an audience with the great Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family."
Tang Gun-ak looked at him in silence for a moment, then gave a leisurely nod.
"It's been a while."
"Yes, Lord. I should have come to pay a visit first. Please punish me for making a man of your stature come all the way here."
"Enough with the courtesies. I have business to discuss."
Jo Pyeong swallowed dryly.
"Would you like to come inside first?"
"That would not be unreasonable."
"Allow me to guide you."
With a face stiff from tension, Jo Pyeong led Tang Gun-ak into the inner hall of the guild.
As Tang Gun-ak walked after him, Tang Pae and Tang Jan followed behind.
Last night, Tang Jan had been enough to put everyone on edge merely by appearing, but now he barely registered in Jo Pyeong's eyes. No one would spare a glance for a wildcat standing beside a tiger.
Keeping his gaze lowered and his posture as humble as possible, Jo Pyeong guided Tang Gun-ak forward with the utmost reverence. By now, his back was soaked through with sweat.
What should I do?
Truthfully, Jo Pyeong already knew.
There was almost nothing he could do. What mattered was not how he responded, but why Tang Gun-ak had come in person in the first place.
For now, if I can just somehow……
"Guild Master."
At the low voice that came from behind him, Jo Pyeong froze in place and straightened his back.
"Yes, Lord Tang!"
"Are the children inside?"
"……The children, you say?"
"The children from Mount Hua."
Jo Pyeong shut his eyes briefly.
It had come.
"Yes, they are."
Lies were meaningless. At least, meaningless in front of this man.
"Hmm."
A faint hum escaped Tang Gun-ak's lips.
While Jo Pyeong held his breath and scrambled to guess what that tiny sound meant, Tang Gun-ak spoke again.
"I think I should see those children."
Cold sweat began to trickle down Jo Pyeong's forehead.
He had expected those words.
But not this quickly.
If Tang Gun-ak's purpose had been to pressure the Sahae Merchant Guild by using the Mount Hua disciples as an excuse, he would have spent some time pushing Jo Pyeong first, never getting to the point too soon.
The fact that he had brought it up so directly meant one thing: Tang Gun-ak's reason for coming here had to do with the Mount Hua disciples themselves.
"Guild Master."
"Y-yes? Ah! Yes!"
Startled back to himself, Jo Pyeong bowed his head low.
"That shouldn't be such a difficult matter, should it?"
"O-of course. It's just that……"
Jo Pyeong's lips trembled.
No matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn't think of an excuse. How was he supposed to keep them hidden when they were plainly here?
"Lord Tang. What happened yesterday was……"
"Indeed, yes."
Tang Gun-ak smiled faintly at Jo Pyeong.
"Congratulations."
"……Pardon?"
"I've heard your second son has achieved something remarkable. I was told Jan was thoroughly humiliated."
Jo Pyeong's eye twitched.
"It was nothing but luck. How could my son possibly be a match for young Lord Tang Jan?"
"Humility is a fine thing."
Tang Gun-ak's mouth curved in a smile.
"But too much humility can make the other party uncomfortable. This is something worth celebrating, so enjoy it without reservation."
"L-Lord Tang……"
Jo Pyeong stumbled over his words, and Tang Gun-ak casually turned his head.
"Tang Jan."
"Yes, Lord."
"Tell me. Do you have any excuse for your defeat?"
"None. Jo Gul was strong."
"There you have it."
Tang Gun-ak looked at the flustered Jo Pyeong and said softly,
"It would have been better if that talent had shone under the Tang Family's name, but in any case, finding a place where one can use one's abilities is a happy thing."
"Th-thank you."
"However."
The voice was quiet.
Yet the weight in it was far beyond the force of any shouted anger. Jo Pyeong's head sank little by little, as though something were pressing down on it.
"People are foolish, more often than not. When they see what a handful of gifted people have accomplished, they begin to think they can do the same. Guild Master, what do you make of that?"
Jo Pyeong's body jerked.
There was only one answer he could give.
"People may be foolish, but they do know their place. There should not be many who entertain such wicked greed."
"And you?"
Jo Pyeong's head shot up. Tang Gun-ak's face, smiling faintly, was before him.
The man's mouth was smiling, but his eyes were cold as ice. Faced with that grotesque expression, Jo Pyeong's legs almost gave out and his mouth went dry.
"Do you think you might dare to dream?"
"My dream is already with you, Lord Tang."
"A good answer."
Tang Gun-ak nodded in satisfaction.
"Bring them here. The children of Mount Hua."
"……Lord Tang. They are……"
"Can't you hear me?"
"……."
Ice settled in Tang Gun-ak's eyes.
"It's good that your son has excelled. But it seems that achievement has clouded the judgment of the Sahae Merchant Guild. I have already said the same thing twice."
Jo Pyeong couldn't even part his lips, only nodding.
"This is the third time. Bring the Mount Hua disciples before me. I will not say it again."
Jo Pyeong's legs began to shake.
His strength drained away and his head swam. It was only natural; any ordinary man who bore the full weight of Tang Gun-ak's anger head-on would have collapsed long ago.
But Jo Pyeong did not fall.
He forced strength into his legs and held himself up. Then he dragged the corners of his mouth upward by sheer force. The result was a grotesque expression that was neither a smile nor a frown. In a trembling voice, he spoke.
"Lord Tang. The disciples of Mount Hua are guests who came to the Sahae Merchant Guild. And one of them is my own son."
"So?"
Jo Pyeong shook his head. His face was already slick with cold sweat, but there was firm resolve in the motion.
"As the Guild Master of the Sahae Merchant Guild, I cannot hand over guests without reason. And as a father, I cannot hand over my own child."
Tang Gun-ak stared at him with cold eyes.
"Even if the Sahae Merchant Guild is destroyed?"
"What father in this world would give up his son out of fear of that?"
"You don't seem to understand the meaning of destruction very well. If I put my hand to it, not even a rat would survive in this place. Do you understand what you're saying?"
"If someone must be punished!"
Jo Pyeong said, eyes full of hardened resolve,
"Then let it end with my life. I alone must take responsibility for everything that happened within the Sahae Merchant Guild!"
"……."
"I trust that innocent people are not the Tang Family's way."
At that, Tang Gun-ak gave a dry, almost amused snort.
"It seems the head of the Sahae Merchant Guild has been dreaming for a moment. You've forgotten what the Tang Family's way is, have you? Very well. I will personally teach you what that way is, so you never forget it again."
Tang Gun-ak's fingertips moved slightly.
Seeing that, Jo Pyeong clenched his teeth and was just about to shout for everyone to run when—
"No, this old man here really does have a bad personality."
Crash!
The doors of the central hall swung wide open, and someone strode out from inside.
"Ch-Chung Myung s-sahoe!"
Jo Pyeong cried out in terror.
"I told you not to get involved……!"
"Come on, Guild Master, don't you get the situation? That old guy came all the way here just to do this. He's doing it on purpose. He's trying to make sure I hear it!"
"……Huh?"
Jo Pyeong turned in confusion and looked at Tang Gun-ak.
But it was true: Tang Gun-ak had already lost interest in Jo Pyeong and was staring straight at Chung Myung.
"You are the Mount Hua Divine Dragon?"
"You're not asking because you don't know, are you?"
"Hm?"
Tang Gun-ak broke into a hearty laugh.
Had there ever been anyone else who dared speak to him in such a tone?
Well, perhaps there had been.
But ever since he became the Lord of the Tang Family, this was, by his reckoning, the first time.
Tang Gun-ak smiled.
Yet no one would have called that expression a smile. How could anyone describe something so chilling with such a warm word?
Watching from the side, Tang Jan's face stiffened.
He knew better than anyone that when his father wore that expression, it meant his killing intent had deepened.
"The Mount Hua Divine Dragon, then. Mount Hua Divine Dragon. That's a little different from what I expected. No matter."
Still smiling, Tang Gun-ak started walking toward Chung Myung.
"Let's take a look. What kind of bastard you really are."
His hand slowly slipped inside his sleeve.