Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Blood's Drawn! (3)
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All matters had wrapped up smoothly. The Tang Clan had gained a new young heir, and the Poison King had demonstrated his enduring strength. All that remained was for the clan, which had briefly shrunk back, to stretch its limbs once more.
Where there is light, there is shadow.
Tang Yeon-cheon, who had caused trouble and lost the contest, stayed holed up in his room under the pretext of recovery. Zhuge Su-ran, shocked by her son's defeat, had raised her voice at the family head only to be forcibly dragged out of the head's quarters.
Supreme Elder Tang Sa-jin refrained from attending family meetings for the time being, and Tang Yeon-su remained shut away in his room as well. No matter how one sliced it, they couldn't shake their greed for the throne that had once been within their grasp.
Even with those issues lingering, they were overshadowed by the Poison King's vitality. The young heir was more than qualified to succeed him as the next Poison King. Though of mixed blood, his talents were acknowledged by all.
In Shinwon Pavilion, the hall where the family head and direct descendants gathered for meetings.
At the center of Shinwon Pavilion, a feast of delicacies was piled high. It was to honor the hero who had averted the Tang Clan's crisis—and to treat their esteemed guest.
Mujin had resolved the clan's chronic woes through their deal and nipped internal strife in the bud beforehand.
Now, he was no mere guest but a benefactor. Any neglect in hospitality would amount to insulting that benefactor.
"Everything turned out fine, so why the long face like you've been chewing on shit?"
"You want me grinning ear to ear after what you pulled?"
"What did I do?"
"You goddamn bastard!"
Tang Sa-duk's composure crumbled. Even five days later, his bones still ached from that punch. Now, rain would make his joints scream across his whole body. For an old man, joint health was everything—and this wretched punk had ruined it all.
"I held back a full tenfold for your sake, elder, and toned down the power too."
"Toned down my ass! Does that mean the fist wind doesn't hurt?!"
"Quit exaggerating. A little tap like that won't kill you. Just think of it as a health-boosting bloodletting treatment."
"You poison-soaked fry-up for the fire!"
If one knew the Poison King's usual demeanor, they'd topple over in shock. Who could've guessed the famously taciturn Tang Sa-duk would whine like this? But everyone present had witnessed it, so they stayed silent.
Only Tang Myeong-hu, Tang Myeong-jin, Baek Un-gil, Tang Yeon-u, and Cheol-ho were seated. Cheol-ho paid no mind to the stares around him, lost in the food set before him. The exquisitely blended spicy sauce had him devouring even more.
'Someone who punches his father-in-law? Unbelievable.'
'Looks like the rumors were true after all.'
'Was the former head really that hot-tempered?'
Tang Myeong-hu, Tang Myeong-jin, and Baek Un-gil struggled to hide their complicated feelings as they eyed Mujin. It wasn't enough that the Tang Clan's top fighter had been utterly crushed—he'd been one-sidedly pummeled. That was why they couldn't purely rejoice at the revival of the clan's pinnacle art, Mancheon Hwa-u.
"The Tang Clan's cuisine is exquisite. I see why people rave about Sichuan cooking."
"Spare me the flattery. So, what exactly do you want to talk about?"
"Let's eat first. We do all this to eat and live, after all."
"If you're here to spout nonsense, prepare yourself."
"Me?"
Kuh!
Tang Sa-duk clutched his nape at Mujin's deadpan reply. A shock hit him that could've felled him on the spot. But no one could deny it. This was the monster who'd taken the Poison King's full-force hidden weapons barehanded. The Tang Clan's darts and poisons meant nothing to him. What could such a monster possibly fear? Even to him, the Poison King was just a stubborn old codger in a big house.
"How did things go with the Sword Emperor?"
"No need for disappointment. In pure martial prowess, he's a touch stronger. But that's about it."
Brrrr!
Mujin was openly trolling him. Tang Sa-duk's face flushed crimson, his expression souring, but Mujin couldn't care less. Filtering it out was best for one's sanity.
The irritating part was that it still offered some comfort. Though not allied, the Poison King felt a deep kinship with the Sword Emperor.
Once the meal had progressed somewhat, Mujin cut to the chase.
"You know Tang Yeon-su had the Heavenly Yin Blocked Meridians, right?"
"And?"
"If it were an easy ailment to cure, it would've been fixed ages ago. But suddenly, one day, he's fully healed and gains Heavenly Eyes. Coincidence? Right on cue, the young heir contest reopens."
"Didn't you escalate things?"
"I didn't expect them to move this fast. Timing aside, it was bound to happen eventually."
"You're saying my brother colluded with some other faction?"
"Yes."
Tang Sa-duk's mouth soured, but he couldn't lash out blindly. The path of Tang Yeon-su's treatment was suspicious.
Tang Myeong-hu had sent men to trace it after noticing his uncle's odd behavior. The picture wasn't fully clear, but they'd confirmed contact with someone.
"What are you getting at?"
"Not some ordinary group. Extremely secretive—and powerful. Remember that human trafficking incident? Geuk-sal was just their lackey."
Mujin omitted any mention of the Mythic Demon Core Armor. When he linked the Nangong family incident and the trafficking to this shadow faction's involvement, shock rippled through them all. They'd never sensed such a malignant growth festering undetected.
"Geuk-sal, a mere underling? Hard to believe."
"Only the Tang Clan, Nangong family, and Beggar Clan know the truth now—and it just came to light."
"My brother's one of their lackeys too?"
"Less a lackey, more a disposable tool. They used parasites for his treatment, in fact. Parasites that grow with their host and warp the host's disposition."
To call the Tang Clan's supreme elder a pathetic tool was a brutal statement, hard to swallow. Yet Mujin's martial skill gave them pause from snap judgments. He had no need to reveal this otherwise.
"And what if you're the shadow faction's mastermind?"
"That's why I'll stay out of it. You all find the puppet master yourselves. You won't rush in now, right? You'd just lose the tail."
Only then did they grasp Mujin's intent.
He was testing them—whether the Tang Clan had the chops to uncover them. And warning against rash moves.
Mujin's strength surpassed the Twenty Heroes of the Divine Continent. He was a one-man army. For such a figure to tread so cautiously meant the shadows couldn't be underestimated. Without him, the Tang Clan would've been blindsided without a fight.
"That said, a thought occurs."
"Out with it."
"Despite no intent, we're clashing with this shadow faction. Know what that implies?"
"That they've secretly infiltrated the Central Plains' power structure?"
Coincidental incidents kept piling up. Too much to chalk to fate. Deduction pointed to the Demonic Cult of the Demon God burrowing in long ago. Even famed sects like the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families couldn't rest easy. No guaranteeing no toxic mushrooms within.
"You'll need reliable allies for sure. Expose your hand before countering, and they'll turn it against you. I guarantee it. Tang Clan alone can't cut it."
No one spoke lightly amid the gravity. In the past, they'd dismiss it as drivel—but now, it rang true.
Mujin finished his meal after speaking his piece, leaving judgment to them.
"Why spill to us after hiding it so long?"
"Why play dumb?"
As Mujin smirked, Tang Sa-duk trembled with rage. No need to say it—they knew. They'd fallen for the shadows' scheme. Too late to matter now, which only fueled the bitterness. Mujin's view of the Tang Clan was transparent.
Fuming inside, Tang Sa-duk quelled his anger. Outbursts would just spit in his own face.
"What do you want us to do?"
"For now, stabilizing the Tang Clan is priority. Can't have ugly scandals like the supreme elder and in-law scheming."
"...You saying my brother and daughter-in-law will scheme? Watch your mouth, punk!"
"They're the ones who lusted after the Tang throne. Think they'll back off quietly? For now, they'll target the common enemy first. Perfectly logical—no call for anger."
It was the brutal reality they'd ignored despite knowing. Zhuge Su-ran and Tang Sa-jin coveted the head seat. Would they accept Tang Yeon-u meekly? They'd lie low while insecure, then strike to kill him.
"So, what's your point?"
"I'd kill Tang Sa-jin and Zhuge Su-ran. Tang Yeon-cheon and Tang Yeon-su too. You don't leave seeds of discord. Assuming they've served their purpose, of course."
...Gasp!
The supreme elder and in-law of the Tang Clan. Grandchildren included. Urging their deaths without hesitation, tossed out casually amid the calm. Chills ran down spines. Perhaps this was Mujin's true nature.
Yet it was right—and taboo.
"Reckless words, boy. Could you do that to your own kin?!"
"Couldn't. That's why I say it. The Tang Clan ain't my family."
Brutally honest.
No sugarcoating. He could be cold because they weren't blood. Ruthless, but pragmatic. No one could voice such to their own. But others'? Different story.
Still, people don't say it outright. Even if hypocritical. Mujin stripped away such human sentiment.
"You can't, but expect us to?!"
"If they repent and devote to the clan, I'll retract and apologize on my knees."
If Tang Sa-jin and Zhuge Su-ran abandoned greed to nourish the clan, Mujin would gladly atone. But humans don't change so simply.
All here were no ordinary folk, bearing heavy leadership roles. Unlike mere household heads, they knew human greed best—endless. Thus, none could fault Mujin's ruthlessness.
'Deny it, and we're just hypocrites.'
A mountain cloaked in thick darkness.
Watchtowers dotted the surroundings, alongside a small shrine. It looked rarely visited—shabby and dilapidated. An abandoned shrine, long untended.
Shadows converged on the shrine. They circled behind it, brushing aside foliage to reveal the ground. Lifting the earthen cover exposed a wooden door reinforced with iron bands.
One shadow opened it and entered. The others carried sacks.
Inside, they placed the sacks in the cave warehouse and untied them. Women lay within, unconscious as if drugged. More fainted women filled the warehouse, stacked like goods, only their conditions checked.
"No odd signs?"
"None, sir."
Suspicion had spiked after the Hebei failure. Geuk-sal's death seemed to close it, but caution peaked now. No traces left, by any means.
A subordinate entered.
"Porters have arrived."
"Load the goods swiftly."
They repacked the unconscious women and headed out. Once accumulated, porters took fixed quotas. Even they didn't know the routes. Tasks divided strictly by role, confirmed only by signals. Perfect compartmentalization.
As they loaded a modified cart, Yeong-ho, leading the Shadow Unit, sharpened his gaze.
"Who the hell are you?!"
He growled low at the unseen darkness.
Soon, a figure emerged from the shadows.
"Sharp senses you've got there."
Swish!
Yeong-ho's blade slashed the dark like a beam of light, parting it left and right. Condensed saber energy roared fiercely, bisecting the target.
Claaaang!
The silent mountains roared wildly. Intense killing intent to cleave tore at the foe.
But it didn't go as planned.
'He blocked it?'
Had Yeong-ho's Yaksha Black Slayer Blade ever been so easily parried? For one who'd succeeded in ten full-power missions, it defied comprehension.
"Impatient one, aren't you?"
"Who are you?!"
An unassuming elder. But as his eyes shifted, he became a sword absolute.
Boooom!
While Yeong-ho clashed with the elder, a woman breached the Shadow Unit. Even a surprise attack should've been repelled—but no.
"Die!"
The woman's thunderous fist, laced with lightning qi, overwhelmed the unit. Warriors then encircled in formation.
That's when Yeong-ho realized.
'They're after us!'