Chapter 106
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Sour Persimmon (2)
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Tang Myeong-hu maintained his composure just as he had from the start. However, his younger brother and Chief Steward Baek couldn't hide their agitation. Even if they weren't shaken, it didn't change the fact that the interpretation was faltering.
'This guy's got no conscience. Is he asking me to spoon-feed him?'
The one who should have been the most urgent wasn't stepping up.
The clan head was leaving it entirely to his brother and the chief steward. It was as if he had no personal interest but wanted them to prove the clan needed it.
This didn't align with the Tang Clan's tradition of prioritizing tangible gains and losses. It was blatantly manipulative.
"Have you found the Poison Horn Black Dragon?"
"No reason to tell you when there's no deal on the table."
The Tang Clan's finances had grown far richer than in the past. They were more than sufficient to maintain the family. However, some materials for producing poisons and hidden weapons were otherworldly treasures. These heavenly opportunities could only be obtained by those favored by the heavens themselves. No amount of money could buy them.
By using poison on their hidden weapons, the Tang Clan had become an object of fear. Poison was absolutely crucial and intimidating in their arsenal. But the deadlier the poison, the harder it was to expect perfection from ordinary materials for the weapons.
Comparing the hidden weapons perfected with early otherworldly treasures to those in current use revealed a clear qualitative gap. Moreover, even the clan's heirloom weapons rusted and degraded over time. Time affected not just humans, but hidden weapons as well.
The reason was obvious.
The Tang Clan's poisons were vicious. They possessed immense corrosive power on their own. It would be ideal if they could last forever, but even new weapons struggled to endure a hundred years.
At present, the hidden weapons needed refurbishing. Outsiders ignorant of internal affairs wouldn't dare challenge the Tang Clan's might, but to those who knew even a little about poisons, it was a fatal weakness.
An opportunity had arisen to instantly resolve the Tang Clan's hidden plight, which would be disastrous if exposed. Could they really refuse it outright? It was a reality that would tempt anyone.
Chief Steward Baek and Elder Tang Myeong-jin hoped the clan head would make the decision. The longer the silence dragged on, the drier their mouths grew. Threatening with force was out of the question—the Beggars' Sect already knew the facts. If rumors spread that they intimidated him out of greed for the treasure, it would be catastrophic for the clan.
As the heavy silence ripened, the clan head finally spoke.
"I can't fathom what gives you such confidence. Do you think the Beggars' Sect is prepared to make massive sacrifices for you? Or are you just fearless?"
"If one can look to the heavens without a shred of shame, there's no room for fear."
"I doubt you care for platitudes. What if I decide to seize the Poison Horn Black Dragon by force?"
The clan head's threat left Elder Tang and Chief Steward Baek visibly flustered. This was unlike the usual clan head. For a clan that prided itself on righteousness, it was unjust and overly coercive. If there were no ties to the Beggars' Sect, it might be different, but if it became public, the losses would be immense.
Still, if the clan head made the call, they had no choice but to obey.
"I don't expect any regrettable incidents, but who knows what might happen with people. I'm not arrogant enough to come to the Tang Clan relying solely on the Beggars' Sect."
Mujin's calm demeanor hardened the expressions of Chief Steward Baek and Elder Tang. The Beggars' Sect alone was headache enough; anything else spelled trouble. A fair trade was the way to go. Finances weren't an issue—they could simply give him what he wanted.
"You know how to haggle. Fine. You've won. We'll welcome you as an honored guest of the main house."
"It's an honor."
Mujin unwrapped another bundle. The scales and hide of the Poison Horn Black Dragon had been meticulously prepared.
Whew!
At the clan head's decision, Chief Steward Baek and Elder Tang let out sighs of relief. It would cost a fortune, but it resolved not just the clan's known issues, but hidden ones too.
As the deal proceeded smoothly,
Mujin added a clause.
"The other party to the transaction must be your son."
"Why is that?"
"Your son took a real liking to me."
"Are you trying to steal my son?"
"Isn't he the discarded one?"
"I never discarded him."
A father abandoning his son was rare. The clan head claimed he cared for his son. But reading between the lines, it meant he alone acknowledged him— no one else in the clan did.
The uneasy glances from Elder Tang and Chief Steward Baek said it all. In the Tang Clan, Dang Yeon-u had been thoroughly ostracized and rejected. Accepting him now that he showed promise would be transparently opportunistic.
"He secretly practiced martial arts in hiding, fretted over being found out, and even used acupoint sealing techniques. Can you really call that treating him as discarded? Is this how the Tang Clan handles its members?"
"It's a family matter. No outsider has the right to interfere. Even as an honored guest, you can't speak freely."
"How about this?"
"I won't tolerate overstepping."
Undeterred by the clan head's threat, Mujin said what he needed to. He wasn't the type to swallow words because someone interfered.
"I'm giving your son a choice. If you value him so dearly, shouldn't his love for the clan overflow?"
Mujin's proposal forced Chief Steward Baek and Elder Tang to swallow their sighs. It sounded reasonable. Even conceding a hundred times, it was logically sound. Proper treatment from the clan would have made Dang Yeon-u's choice obvious. But knowing the Tang Clan's attitude until now, it was uncertain.
Refusing now would make the clan head look like a liar for everything he'd said. It would undermine every word he'd uttered as clan head.
For the Tang Clan, it was a proposal they absolutely couldn't reject.
'...A frightening guy.'
'To come at us like this.'
It was utterly unexpected. But a little thought revealed it was advantageous. To Dang Yeon-u, Mujin could be a lifesaver. If he'd orchestrated the current situation, they couldn't afford to mishandle him.
'We were too complacent.'
'Not just some lucky master.'
He was the firstborn of a branch family, rumored to be a wastrel. For such a person to reach peak mastery overnight, they'd assumed sheer luck and fortune. But now, they couldn't dismiss it as mere luck. He had not just power, but brains. Backed by fortune, he was not to be underestimated.
"You're truly fearless. Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Who isn't afraid of death? But not right now."
"Even if the deal goes through, don't assume I won't kill you. That would be a mistake."
"That's not what I mean. The clan head alone isn't enough to instill fear in me."
...Gasp!
No one could have imagined such words.
For a moment, Chief Steward Baek and Elder Tang wondered if they'd misheard. Who would dare such insolence to the Tang Clan head? The clan head's coldly hardened expression confirmed it was no lie.
"An arrogant bastard. But without the skill to back it up, it's just bluffing."
"You asked earlier what gave me the confidence to act this way? It's me."
His reason for not fearing the Tang Clan was self-belief. It was laughable. Did he think he could handle the entire Tang Clan alone?
Otherwise, it meant he saw them as a joke.
Shing!
He could endure no more.
Ignoring the destruction of the Heavenly Fragrance Hall, the clan head struck. The Tang Clan's hand technique, Light-Piercing Three Yang Hands—based on the Return to Origin Divine Art—targeted Mujin's throat. It was the Poison Lord's signature ultimate move.
Kwaaaaang!
The reception hall shook violently, furnishings shredded by the energy wave.
No one could block such a supreme technique unleashed in a surprise attack.
Crackle!
Everyone except Mujin was stunned. It was an unbelievable, devastating outcome.
Smirk!
Mujin grinned wickedly.
"Didn't I tell you?"
His smirking face was infuriating, but they couldn't follow up. Tang Myeong-hu, who had unleashed Light-Piercing Three Yang Hands, was flung back against the wall.
Mujin, meanwhile, hadn't budged from his spot.
'Even if it wasn't full power.'
'He blocked Brother's hand technique?'
Elder Tang and Chief Steward Baek were shocked, but not as much as the perpetrator himself. A chilling impact. The Poison Lord's fame wasn't unearned. Not using poison was no excuse.
He'd elevated the Return to Origin Divine Art beyond the fleshly limit, and Light-Piercing Three Yang Hands was the pinnacle of his relentlessly honed hand techniques.
Could someone who brushed it off so casually be ordinary? For such a person to be rumored merely a peak master until now—they'd been fooled by nonsense.
"Have you crossed that wall?"
"Realm doesn't always dictate results."
"True, that wasn't my full power either."
"You should have said that before making your move."
With his true colors showing, Mujin was relentless. Too provocative for mere politeness, but now it was different.
Woooong!
Mujin unleashed his formless aura. The air in the room grew oppressively heavy. It was on another level from before. A mountain-like pressure crushed their souls.
Crackle!
The clan head, elder, and chief steward had to take deep breaths to protect their bodies—a reality more shocking the more they understood it. Known as a peak master, yet emitting the formless ki of the absolute pinnacle of the martial world.
"If we're starting, we should see it through."
Mujin's words sent chills down their spines.
They snapped to attention. It meant pay the price for testing him. At the same time, it was absurd. This was the heart of the Tang Clan. Unleashing aura so freely without regard for consequences! A madman who didn't look back.
Hwaaaaa!
The intensity of the aura kept amplifying endlessly. The air chilled like a North Sea blizzard. A taut bowstring held its breath, seeking its target.
The killing intent of a true beast.
They'd thought him a docile cat, but his hidden claws seemed ready to shred a white tiger effortlessly.
Gulp!
They swallowed unconsciously. His seriousness pierced their skin straight to their minds. They felt the real possibility of death here.
Chwaaaa!
Like the eerie silence of the night before battle ending, the clan head blocked the advancing aura.
"Enough."
"Wouldn't that be anticlimactic?"
"You wouldn't have stood by if I said so."
"Can't win with words, huh."
The ferocious aura vanished like a lie. It had surged like a raging storm. The emission and withdrawal of internal energy showed attainment of the transcendent realm.
And then he said,
"I'm hungry. No food?"
"...?"
He left them speechless. Escalating things this far, then casually asking for a meal—it was beyond magnanimity.
'Where did this guy come from?'
The more they dealt with him, the more their heads throbbed.
The Tang Clan's leadership gathered in the clan head's chamber.
Summoned again by the clan head's order. Elders who heard the news en route looked puzzled. Treating the one who humiliated the clan as an honored guest? It was bizarre.
Tang Sa-jin, the supreme elder and clan head's uncle, spoke for all.
"It seems the clan head has some profound insight, but honoring a sinner who insulted the clan? This old man's wits are dull—I can't comprehend it."
"It's the item we agreed to trade with him for."
A cloth-wrapped object lay on the table. Unwrapping it changed the elders' expressions. They'd assumed there was reason for the honored guest treatment, but it was a treasure the clan desperately needed.
The unexpected artifact deepened Tang Sa-jin's gaze. He struggled to decide, but had to ask.
"The Poison Horn Black Dragon?"
"He brought part of it."
"Part? Does that mean there's more?"
"Guarantee the deal, and more might come."
Some elders had intended to protest granting him a guest hall after he tarnished the clan's reputation. But if the trade involved the Poison Horn Black Dragon, it changed everything.
As elders, they knew the clan's chronic issues. Substitutes would be nice, but matching a treasure's level was impossible. And though partial, its size suggested at least ten thousand years old.
"He's connected to the Beggars' Sect. He exchanged messages with Hong Mu-gae before coming."
Ahem.
Elders whose eyes had gleamed with greed cleared their throats awkwardly. It admitted they'd planned to bully him for the treasure. With the Beggars' Sect involved, any funny business would spread like wildfire.
"However, he specified Yeon-u as the trade partner."
"What does that mean?"
"Trading with Yeon-u, not the clan."
"You accepted such an outrageous demand?"
"He'll take thirty percent off."
Some elders who'd seen him as mocking the clan coughed again. Considering the Poison Horn Black Dragon's value, even partial, a discount was a blessing.
They didn't truly believe Dang Yeon-u was worth thirty percent of it. Despite his genius, he was still at the divine realm level. Securing the clan's future-boosting treasure wasn't a bad deal.
"But treating him as an honored guest is excessive!"
"He saved the direct and branch descendants. That outweighs his faults, wouldn't you say?"
The clan head's firmness silenced even Elder Jeong-imun. The treasure's value was too high to reverse the mood. It could elevate the clan's power in an instant.
'A mistake.'
Not everyone agreed wholeheartedly. Some harbored unease. The clan head's reconvening might be to gauge the elders' loyalties.
'He's still a mongrel at heart.'
Pure-bloodism was the clan's driving force. Convincing him for the contest wouldn't be simple.
At that moment.
A shadow sliced through the darkness. His destination was the secret passage. An escape route prepared for when the clan faced crisis. The Tang Clan viewed it as their final bastion, though reality differed.
The secret passage had been passed down solely to clan heads for security.
Hesitation flickered momentarily from the shadow. Could he do it? Still unsure. But it didn't last. Recalling his past self revealed vast changes. Once resolved, his resolute heart didn't waver.
'This is my choice.'
He approached the secret passage.
The slightest misalignment would trap him in the poison mist barrier. Astonishingly, inside the mist was bright as day. Despite the darkness, it was an ancient absolute formation altering even the climate.
Shwaaaa!
Emerging from the formation's void space, the escape route appeared.
The shadow flinched at the intense poison qi and aura emanating from it but soon regained composure and entered. Black energy enveloped him completely, erasing his traces.