Grandfather’s Switch Is Supposed to Hurt
All around them, the world fell silent as if a mouse had just died.
They had lost.
Tang Hak had lost.
At that unbelievable reality, everyone in the Tang Family was left speechless.
And it wasn’t even Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
He had lost to a woman who was nothing more than part of Chung Myung’s group.
No matter how high Yu I-seol’s standing might have seemed compared to the Mount Hua Divine Dragon, she was still far younger than Tang Hak.
And yet Tang Hak had been beaten…
Those watching swallowed hard.
This meant far too much.
There were countless sects under heaven, but few were as thoroughly male-centered as the Tang Family. No matter how much bloodline they shared, the Tang Family was a cold place that never passed down its core arts to daughters.
And Tang Hak, who had been judged the finest of the Tang Family’s younger generation, had been defeated by a Mount Hua female disciple of all people.
Tang Soso clenched her fist.
“...She won.”
Her eyes trembled.
Yu I-seol had beaten Tang Hak.
It was shocking enough for anyone, but for Tang Soso, it was especially devastating.
Beating Tang Hak.
It was something Tang Soso had never even imagined.
Of course, the circumstances were different. Born as a daughter of the Tang Family and never taught the family’s true arts, she would never beat Tang Hak, no matter how many times she was reborn.
But Yu I-seol had done it.
“...Amazing.”
Tang Soso stared at Yu I-seol with a dazed expression.
She watched Yu I-seol treat the poison and, after a long while, tilted her head slightly.
Huh?
Why was that person coming up again?
Chung Myung was walking up onto the duel platform, swinging his arms lazily.
The match was already over, so why bother?
Once on the platform, Chung Myung looked around at everyone in turn.
Naturally, all eyes landed on him.
Even after he had gathered their attention, he lingered just a little longer. He was waiting until everyone was properly focused on him. Only when the crowd had grown suitably impatient did Chung Myung finally speak.
“Honestly speaking.”
His voice was neither loud nor soft as he said, almost casually, “I really expected more from the legendary Sichuan Tang Family…”
He tilted his head.
“I don’t even know what this pathetic nonsense is supposed to be.”
Everyone stared at Chung Myung with widened eyes.
He was openly insulting the Tang Family.
“Oh, don’t give me that angry face. If I were in your shoes, I’d be thinking the same thing.”
With a jerk of his chin, Chung Myung pointed at Tang Hak being carried away.
“Look.”
“......”
Everyone shut their mouths.
The loser had no right to speak.
“Before you challenge someone, the first thing you do is assess your own strength and the other side’s. That’s martial arts 101. I honestly never expected the Tang Family wouldn’t even manage that much.”
Chung Myung let out a low snort.
The Tang Family members naturally bristled at that quiet sneer.
But they couldn’t quite bring themselves to lash out at Chung Myung.
They had no choice.
Tang Hak had not lost to Chung Myung. He had lost to Chung Myung’s group.
If Yu I-seol had been stronger than Chung Myung, then the nickname Mount Hua Divine Dragon would have gone to her. In other words, from the beginning, Tang Hak had never had a chance of beating Chung Myung.
And yet they had pushed through with this duel?
That was no different from openly asking to be humiliated.
Underestimating your opponent and overestimating yourself—this was something no one leading a sect should ever do.
“So I’m asking…”
Chung Myung looked around as he spoke.
“Who was the idiot who decided on this ridiculous duel?”
All eyes turned at once.
No one openly denounced him, but the instant the question was asked, a few people reflexively looked away, and the rest had no choice but to follow that line of sight.
Before long, every gaze was fixed on Tang Oe.
“Ahem.”
Tang Oe coughed awkwardly, his face stiff with discomfort.
Damn it.
Things had gone to hell in the worst possible way.
Tang Hak was no match for Chung Myung. How could Tang Oe not know that? That was precisely why he had tried to poison Chung Myung in the first place.
But Tang Hak had been defeated by Yu I-seol, and everything had been ruined.
Even if the victory had been ugly, even if it had been a hard-fought one, if Tang Hak had somehow won, then he could still have become the young family head as promised by the family head. What mattered was winning, not how you won.
But once he had been crushed before everyone’s eyes by Yu I-seol, all those promises had become meaningless.
And on top of that…
Those looks were now pressing in on him, asking why he had pushed for this duel in the first place.
And I’m supposed to explain this out loud?
He was supposed to say that everything would have been fine if they had won by poisoning Chung Myung?
How could he ever say that!
All he could do now was take the beating. He would have to become the fool who had recklessly challenged the Mount Hua Divine Dragon without even knowing his own grandson’s ability, all because he had no sense at all.
Tang Oe stared at Chung Myung, holding back the rage that looked ready to explode at any moment.
It’s all because of that bastard!
If he could, he would leap down there right now and tear Chung Myung limb from limb. But all he could do was glare.
He couldn’t afford to be accused of a Tang Family elder attacking a younger junior because he had lost his temper.
Chung Myung looked back at him and grinned.
“Ah. So you’re an elder.”
He put special emphasis on the word elder, then tilted his head.
“But that’s strange. From what I heard, the Tang Family’s Elder Council is supposed to be the body that advises the family head. So how does someone who doesn’t even know his own grandson’s ability, or his enemy’s, give advice to anyone?”
“Y-You brazen little—!”
Tang Oe blurted it out before he could stop himself.
“Look at that. Your family head bet on us winning. Who exactly is advising whom here?”
“You…!”
Tang Oe’s face twisted.
Chung Myung was hitting him exactly where it hurt.
Tang Hak’s loss could still be managed. It was disappointing, yes, but only in the sense that they had failed to obtain what they wanted.
But having his own mistake exposed in front of so many people was fatal.
That was supposed to be his role in the first place.
The Elder Council existed to advise the family head.
And naturally, even if an adviser was not stronger than the family head, he should at least possess greater insight. If old men who had occupied the inner chamber merely by virtue of their age could not prove even that, then it was only natural they would be shoved out to the back room.
“An Elder Council does sound nice, in words. But I’m starting to wonder if all you do is drag people down.”
“Watch your mouth. There’s a limit to how long I can tolerate the insolence of a brat from Mount Hua.”
Tang Oe finally lost control and spat out coldly. But Chung Myung didn’t flinch; instead, he pointed at Tang Oe.
“There you go.”
Chung Myung snorted.
“You really don’t have any judgment, do you? You don’t even know who’s being insolent here.”
“......What did you say?”
Chung Myung shrugged and looked around again.
“You know why this happened?”
No one answered.
Those who had guessed couldn’t dare speak, and those who didn’t know had nothing to say.
“Simple.”
As if he were giving them the answer himself, Chung Myung raised a hand and pointed toward the platform.
“Because you’re weak.”
“......”
Tang Oe’s eyes widened.
“If you’re weak, then you can’t even tell how strong your opponent is. And in that state, you’re advising the family head?”
Chung Myung shook his head.
“You should be grateful if you’re not just dragging him down.”
“You little—!”
“That’s how it is right now, too. If the Elder Council hadn’t dragged its feet, none of this humiliation would have happened, and the family head would have pushed through what he wanted much faster. The price of listening to the Elder Council’s useless old men is this.”
That was when Tang Gun-ak spoke, his voice slightly lowered.
“Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”
“What?”
“Mind your words. They are elders of the Tang Family.”
“Wow. Our family head is really kind-hearted.”
After an exaggerated exclamation, Chung Myung’s expression went flat, his voice suddenly cold.
“Still coddling those useless burdens like they’re some kind of adults.”
“You brat!”
Tang Oe shot up from his seat.
“I’ve heard enough! Just how long do you think I’m going to put up with this?”
“See? You really have no judgment.”
“What?”
“I’m telling you not to hold back anymore. A man who can’t even figure that out and still calls himself an elder? You?”
Chung Myung looked straight at Tang Oe.
“Prove it, then. Prove you’re qualified to call yourself an elder.”
“How…!”
What Tang Oe had originally intended to say was, How am I supposed to prove that?
But the instant he realized that was exactly the response Chung Myung wanted, he snapped his mouth shut.
Yet Chung Myung’s next words made it impossible to keep holding back.
“It’s simple, really. You keep saying you’ve been putting up with me. That’s something the strong say to the weak.”
“...What?”
“So, yeah. You really are blind.”
Chung Myung tapped the scabbard at his waist.
“I’m stronger.”
“......”
“Prove that judgment of yours. If Your Eminence beats me, then you were right. If I beat you, then that eye of yours is completely useless, isn’t it?”
“Ha…”
Tang Oe laughed in hollow disbelief.
“Hah… hahaha… hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!”
At last, he burst into loud, incredulous laughter and asked Chung Myung, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “You’re challenging me to a duel?”
“Wow. I really did spend a long time explaining such a simple thing to you. I didn’t think this would be so hard to understand.”
“......”
Without meaning to, Tang Oe rubbed the back of his neck.
Every single word Chung Myung spoke felt like it was flipping his insides over. Just listening made it impossible to stay calm.
“You gained a bit of fame and lost your mind. You want to duel me, the Grand Elder of the Tang Family?”
“Hey.”
Chung Myung let out a long sigh.
“I know you’re old and don’t hear too well, but repeating myself is a pain. So what are you going to do?”
Tang Oe ground his teeth.
But if he thought about it, this wasn’t actually a situation to be angry about.
In any case, the situation was already disastrous.
If he crushed that insolent bastard in front of the Tang Family’s own people, he could at least patch things up for now.
“Family head!”
Tang Oe barked coldly.
“What will you do? If I kill that child, will you still understand?”
Tang Gun-ak answered with an expressionless face.
“Mount Hua Divine Dragon is the Tang Family’s friend.”
“......”
“So I can’t stop a friend from doing what he wishes.”
“What?”
Tang Oe stared at Tang Gun-ak in disbelief, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahahahahaha! So you really do think I’m a joke.”
In an instant, Tang Oe launched himself into the air and landed on the duel platform.
Before even his sleeves had finished settling, he glared at Chung Myung with a face like a demon’s.
“You have gone too far. You should have been satisfied and gone home at a reasonable point.”
“Be careful.”
“Hm?”
Chung Myung grinned.
“You shouldn’t talk so carelessly in front of people. Your list of things to be laughed at is growing by the second. Even after this duel, you still have to live in the Tang Family. How exactly are you planning to hold your head up?”
Tang Oe no longer answered.
There was no reason left to exchange any more words with that bastard. The only thing he wanted now was to soak that wretch in poison until he turned black, then drive a hidden blade straight through his gut.
“Ah, just in case I’m being unclear—are you going to use poison?”
Tang Oe bit his lip slightly.
He specialized in poison arts. If he couldn’t use poison arts, he couldn’t even bring out a third of his true ability.
And yet…
That alone is enough to kill him.
Just as he was about to say he wouldn’t use them, Chung Myung cut in first.
“If you’re going to use poison, let’s add one more condition.”
“...A condition?”
“Well, more like a wager than a condition.”
Chung Myung glanced at Tang Gun-ak.
Tang Gun-ak quietly nodded.
He didn’t know what Chung Myung was planning, but for now, he trusted him. But the words that followed made even Tang Gun-ak recoil in shock.
“If you win, we’ll grant everything you originally wanted. Mount Hua will leave the Tang Family’s affairs alone from now on, and that idiot from earlier? The young family head? Sure. The family head can make him the young family head.”
“...Wha—?”
Even from Tang Gun-ak’s mouth, a startled sound slipped out.
But once Chung Myung had said he could do it, he couldn’t take it back now.
Tang Oe glared at Chung Myung in disbelief.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Don’t worry. I’m perfectly sane. But in that case, I need to change the condition on my side.”
“...And what is it?”
“If I win…”
The smile on Chung Myung’s face gradually turned cold.
Don’t keep popping back into my head.
I’ll give you what you want, so just shut up already. You damned bastard.
Taking a slow breath, Chung Myung snapped icily, “Disband the Elder Council and step down. The Tang Family head doesn’t need advisers like you at all.”
Chung Myung’s cold voice cut clearly into everyone’s ears.