Chapter 50: What the Tang Family Had Lost
Episode 50
What the Tang Family Had Lost
The proposal made by Se-woon was accepted by the family head, Tang Mu-yeol.
More than ten members from both sides began warming up and preparing.
The sight drew simultaneous admiration and confusion from the family members watching.
"Wow, a team battle? Never expected that."
"Right? But doesn't that put the Young Lord at a huge disadvantage?"
"Tsk. You still don't get the Young Lord's deeper intentions, do you?"
"Huh?"
"Look. So far, the Tang Elite Unit led by Tang Bi hasn't won a single match."
"True."
"So this is a kind of consideration—letting them win in a team battle to save face."
"Ah, that makes sense!"
"Exactly. No matter how impressive those three have been, the numbers are nearly three to one. How could Tang Bi's team possibly lose?"
"Right, right."
The family members all assumed Se-woon's decision was an act of mercy toward the opposing side.
Of course, Se-woon's trio had shown an overwhelming difference in skill with their undefeated streak so far.
But everyone knew that was only in one-on-one battles.
In a many-versus-many fight, even that slight gap in skill would quickly be buried under sheer numbers.
Though they had taken down many opponents, the numbers still heavily favored the opposing side—eight against three.
And among the remaining members was Ha Hu-yeong, the deputy leader.
Ha Hu-yeong was the only one at the same level of mastery as Se-woon's group.
But what made the family members most certain of the Tang Elite Unit's victory was something else entirely.
"Wow, I never thought I'd get to see the 'Black Flower Killing Formation' with my own eyes."
"The rookies are about to get a taste of their seniors' power!"
"Indeed!"
Unlike the three newcomers, Tang Bi's team had spent years training together in coordinated formations.
Originally designed for twenty-four members, the Black Flower Killing Formation could still be executed in a simplified version with just eight.
This formation was one of the reasons the Sichuan Tang Family had managed to retain its status as a martial house despite its decline.
Every member of the Tang Family expected this match to end with the Tang Elite Unit's victory, paving the way for reconciliation between the Young Lord and the unit.
But unlike them—
'...Is he really trying to give them a chance to save face?'
Tang Bi was thinking something entirely different.
He let out a stifled groan, then glanced sideways.
'...No, that doesn't seem to be the case.'
His expression darkened further.
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Se-woon's face was cold and unreadable.
The mood among the Tang Elite Unit's team was heavy.
Each member's face was clouded with gloom.
"Huu..."
"Haah."
Deep sighs erupted from all sides, as if the ground itself might collapse under their weight.
The reason was simple.
Unlike the family members watching with anticipation, they found the current situation unbearably humiliating.
'This is mortifying...'
'What's the point of winning like this?'
'...I can't even lift my head.'
The fighting spirit Fan-pyeong had shown earlier had long since vanished.
After suffering defeat after defeat, the sudden shift to a battle overwhelmingly in their favor felt like a mockery.
The defeatism ingrained deep in their bones was creeping back to the surface.
Their morale was already broken before the fight even began—
"What kind of behavior is this before a battle?"
"—!!"
A voice as cold as ice cut through the air.
The members flinched and turned.
A one-eyed man with a black eyepatch was glaring at them with a murderous gaze.
The deputy leader of the Tang Elite Unit.
The Ghost Flash Dart—Ha Hu-yeong.
His usually impassive face was now twisted with unmistakable fury.
"Deputy Leader, it's just that—"
"Do you still not realize that acting like this only makes us look even more pathetic in front of the family?"
"—!!"
His words struck a chord—the members' eyes trembled as if an earthquake had hit.
As they wavered—
"The Young Lord is speaking to us."
"...!"
Ha Hu-yeong spoke without hesitation.
"He's laid out the stage for us—now it's our turn to struggle."
"...!"
"To flail with everything we've got."
"—!!"
"Since our lord has commanded it, all we have to do is show him our full strength! Am I wrong?!"
"No, sir! You're absolutely right!"
Ha Hu-yeong was a born commander.
With just a few words, he reignited the fighting spirit of his wavering men.
Step.
Leading the way onto the training grounds, Ha Hu-yeong delivered his final words.
"We will win this! Understood?!"
"Understood!!"
ROAR—!
As the members roared, the family members responded with thunderous cheers.
"Alright, let's begin the final team battle!"
As the announcement echoed—
WHOOSH!
Ha Hu-yeong and his eight-member team dashed forward first, their movements swift and precise.
Following Ha Hu-yeong's sound transmission, they quickly dispersed, forming their formation in an instant.
Ha Hu-yeong's strategy was already set.
'We go all out from the start—!'
There was no need for probing.
They had already gauged the trio's strength from the previous matches.
'We end this quickly!'
Based on their calculations, dragging out the fight would only favor their opponents.
CLANG!
SHINK!
To prevent the trio from disrupting their formation, they unleashed a barrage of hidden weapons.
They especially focused on suppressing Dae-woong's archery.
TING!
TWANG!
As expected, the trio could only focus on defense, unable to counterattack.
And in that brief moment—
"Tang Elite Unit! Black Flower Killing Formation—Deploy!"
"Deploy!!"
In the blink of an eye, the pride of the Sichuan Tang Family—
The Black Flower Killing Formation was fully activated.
WHOOSH—!
SHAAA—!
An overwhelming surge of energy, incomparable to before, erupted from the eight members stationed in their respective positions.
The formation's power linked their energies into a single, unified force.
The eight martial artists spread out in a square (冂) formation, instantly trapping their enemies in the empty space at the center.
It was like being caught in the eye of a storm.
"Gah! They're trapped!"
"Th-there's nowhere to run!"
The spectators gasped in awe—
"Release Formation—!!"
Ha Hu-yeong roared, signaling the start of their assault.
CLASH—!
SHINK!
The eight members unleashed their hidden weapons simultaneously.
Leading the charge was Ha Hu-yeong's signature weapon—the Mother-Child Pellet.
Alongside it—throwing knives, darts, leaf-shaped blades, stone projectiles—
Every deadly hidden weapon in their arsenal bared its fangs as it rained down.
SHINK!
TWANG!
Normally, the Tang Family's hidden weapon techniques aimed for fatal pressure points.
But this was a spar.
Instead, they targeted non-lethal points—
The Jugo pressure point (where the shoulder blade and arm bones meet).
The Weizhong point (behind the knee).
The Zhubin point (on the back of the calf).
Striking these would paralyze limbs rather than kill.
TING!
THWIP!
The Jang brothers desperately swung their shields and short spears to block.
Dae-woong fired arrows nonstop to intercept.
But—
"Ghk!"
"Kuh—!"
The intervals between pained groans grew shorter.
The Black Flower Killing Formation, beautiful yet deadly, was a storm of venomous attacks.
CLANG!
SHINK!
Hidden weapons poured down like a relentless downpour.
If there had been even a momentary pause in the assault, they might have found an opening to escape or counter.
But the weapons traced countless arcs through the air—showing no sign of stopping.
'We won't let up until you fall!'
Ha Hu-yeong and his men gritted their teeth, pouring everything into their attacks.
WHOOSH—!
CLANG—!
The hidden weapons spun endlessly within the formation like a typhoon.
That was the secret—
The eight members weren't just using their own weapons.
They were catching and re-throwing each other's projectiles in an endless cycle.
"Wow! That's the Black Flower Killing Formation!!"
"How are they moving like a single entity?!"
"They're catching and re-throwing each other's weapons mid-flight!"
"Since friendly spars are usually one-on-one, they must've practiced this in secret!"
"If this is what eight can do, how terrifying would the full twenty-four be?!"
The spectators marveled at the Tang Elite Unit's display.
To them, the battle was already one-sided.
Like predators toying with cornered prey, Ha Hu-yeong's team dominated the assault.
CLANG!
SHINK!
Hidden weapons continued to rain down without pause.
Eventually, the trio began to be pushed back step by step.
'Almost there! Just a little more, and they'll be forced out—!'
Right at that moment—
The only instant Ha Hu-yeong's tension slackened—
THUD!
The reversal came without warning.
WHOOSH—!
"—!!"
Suddenly, Jang Yi charged forward at full speed.
WHOOM!
TING!
He deflected incoming projectiles by spinning his short spear overhead—
But he wouldn't last even a moment like this.
'...Did he lose his mind after taking a bad hit?'
The eight members maintaining the formation briefly entertained that thought—
But Jang Yi's mind was sharper than ever.
"For the final match, I'll propose a team battle."
He recalled the conversation he'd had with Se-woon the night before.
"Huh? A team battle?"
"But if we do that, they'll definitely..."
"Yeah. Without a doubt, they'll use the Black Flower Killing Formation."
"—!!"
"...Don't tell me, Young Lord—you've already figured out how to break it?"
The trio's eyes had gleamed like owls in the dark.
"Of course. I've prepared for it."
Se-woon's final strategy to breach the impregnable fortress had begun.
"What is it?"
"What else could it be?"
Se-woon's booming laughter still echoed in their ears, their hearts, their very souls.
"Poison arts, obviously."
"—!!"
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"The poison arts we lost so long ago."
Thump.
His heart pounded violently.
The Sichuan Overlord's—