Chapter 12
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Ill-Fated Tang Clan (2)
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"Tsk! A brother-in-law should be looking out for his wife's brother, not trying to put him down. This is why you can't trust men who marry into the family."
Tang Jin-wi recalled Geum Gye-seong's harsh attitude as he left the scene.
He had been naive and happy when Geum Gye-seong married his sister, but in the end, his sister, a daughter of the Tang Clan, had married some no-name nobody who brought no benefit to their family.
"Hmph! Dammit. Telling me, a man of the Tang Clan, to watch my mouth around a third-rate piece of trash like Nam Gyeong? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Tang Jin-wi believed there was a clear difference in pedigree between himself, a scion of the Great Sichuan Tang Clan, and Nam Gyeong, who hailed from some obscure, lowly place.
That was why Geum Gye-seong's advice had grated on his nerves so much.
"And what's this 'senior' nonsense? Just because he joined the Alliance a year or two before me."
Nam Gyeong was in his fifth year with the Righteous Alliance, while Tang Jin-wi was just finishing his third.
He had grown accustomed to the work of the Righteous Alliance, and he wasn't bad at handling matters at the city gates or dealing with the local citizens.
But whenever the conversation turned to the citizens or work-related matters, Nam Gyeong's name would invariably pop up.
"How dare they compare me to him."
Tang Jin-wi was a prodigy from the Great Sichuan Tang Clan, while Nam Gyeong came from some unknown sword school in the middle of nowhere.
It was always the incompetent ones who made a big show of working, making a fuss about patrols and whatnot even outside their shifts.
So he had decided to crush him.
He had not only manipulated the duty roster but also fully leveraged his Tang Clan background to drive a wedge between Nam Gyeong and the other Alliance members.
The warriors of the Righteous Alliance knew all too well what happened to those who got on the wrong side of the Tang Clan in Sichuan.
"To think he's still holding on instead of quitting. Maybe I should just kill him."
Grumbling to himself, Tang Jin-wi headed into the city.
If he returned to the local station now, he would just have to endure the disapproving glares of the third squad, who were currently on duty.
"Hmph! I feel like crap."
As Tang Jin-wi walked along, spitting, his eyes fell upon Jin Je-yong and his companions.
Having left the inn in the late afternoon, Jin Je-yong was at a teahouse with Jeok-sam and Lee Geum-yeong, continuing a conversation over a late lunch.
The most animated speakers in the group were Lee Geum-yeong and Jeok-sam.
"Honestly, Instructor Jin, how can you be such a good liar? If you had just told me you were a master, I wouldn't have been so worried."
"Didn't I tell you until I was blue in the face how incredible the instructor's sword is?"
"Well, when you say things like 'Sword of Completion' or 'the greatest under heaven'... who's going to believe that? Most people would just think you're bluffing. So naive."
Lee Geum-yeong pouted.
She looked as though she had been deceived by the people from the Sinnae Sword School all this time.
*Hah! Look at that pretty boy. Some young master from a wealthy family?*
Having spotted them, Tang Jin-wi took a seat a short distance away.
Nam Gyeong seemed to be absent due to work, likely writing up reports after the arrest of the second squad leader, Min Sik-gi, the previous night.
Instead, there was Jin Je-yong—the one who had annoyingly mocked him—leisurely enjoying tea after his meal, listening to Jeok-sam and Lee Geum-yeong chatter.
"Well, it's all in the past now, and I suppose I can just chalk it up to my own misunderstanding. So, Instructor Jin, how did you become so skilled?"
Lee Geum-yeong asked, cautiously glancing at Jin Je-yong.
Tang Jin-wi had no idea what this handsome young man was talking about.
"You can still call me Young Master Jin, as you did before."
Jin Je-yong said with a light smile.
"Well, if you insist."
Lee Geum-yeong quickly took him up on the offer.
"As for my martial arts, I learned everything from my master. I simply followed his teachings faithfully."
Jin Je-yong replied as if stating the obvious.
Tang Jin-wi, listening from the side, let out a scoff.
"You mean... the Divine Sword? The Three Talents Sword Art."
Lee Geum-yeong said, her expression hesitant.
Tang Jin-wi, who was listening nearby, clicked his tongue.
*The Three Talents Sword Art? And they call him the Divine Sword? This is why country bumpkins have no idea how big the world is.*
Tang Jin-wi found it utterly absurd.
He had never heard of the title "Divine Sword," and the Three Talents Sword Art was a basic swordsmanship manual you could easily find in any market.
The Three Talents Sword Art was so fundamental that one could learn it through self-study. The very fact that someone needed a master to learn such basics was proof of Jin Je-yong's pathetic skill.
"So, what was your plan after meeting Warrior Nam?"
"I've delivered the news of my master's passing. Now, it's time to make his name known."
Jin Je-yong's gaze shifted to Jeok-sam.
Lee Geum-yeong watched the two of them, her expression still one of confusion.
Listening nearby, Tang Jin-wi also pricked up his ears, wondering what this was all about.
Jeok-sam shrugged and spoke again.
"Once the instructor shows his skills, people will start trying to dig into his background, right?"
"...I suppose so."
Lee Geum-yeong muttered, looking as if something was bothering her.
"I understand people wanting to know the origin of Young Master Jin's martial arts after seeing his prowess. But even so, what's the specific reason for seeking out Warrior Nam?"
"The instructor is strong enough on his own, but I'm not. I need someone to protect me. I could get killed by a stray sword or arrow, couldn't I?"
Jeok-sam said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Tang Jin-wi choked back a laugh at Jeok-sam's confident words.
The Nam Gyeong he knew was a low-level warrior who carried a sword but was never seen swinging it.
*What's he expecting a guy like that to protect him from?*
Tang Jin-wi was growing tired of this ridiculous master and disciple's conversation.
"Wait, so you were looking for Warrior Nam not for some other reason, but for Young Master Jeok's sake?"
Lee Geum-yeong asked, dumbfounded.
"There are other reasons, too. Like delivering the news of our grandmaster's passing to the disciples we haven't been in contact with."
Just then, Jin Je-yong set down his teacup and turned his gaze.
Fearing their eyes would meet, Tang Jin-wi quickly ducked his head and pretended to eat with his chopsticks.
"Everyone was fond of our master, so they must regret not being there for his final moments."
"Of course."
Jeok-sam replied with a bitter smile.
The group sipped their tea in silence for a moment before Jeok-sam spoke again, trying to change the mood.
"As for an opponent to showcase the instructor's great power, the Twenty-Two Masters Under Heaven would be perfect, wouldn't they?"
"The Twenty-Two Masters Under Heaven?"
"They're the twenty-two absolute masters who are considered the strongest in the martial world."
Jeok-sam set the mood as if he were a storyteller.
"Absolute warriors who have reached the heavens in their respective fields. They have never known a single defeat, standing tall in this blood-soaked martial world through victory alone. The Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, Seven Kings, Four Hegemons, and Three Fiends—we call them the Twenty-Two Masters Under Heaven."
"If my master were still here, they would have been the twenty-two pebbles beneath a god. A pity."
"To be precise, twenty-two beneath our grandmaster and you, Instructor. Hehe."
Jeok-sam chimed in with a silly grin.
As Lee Geum-yeong clicked her tongue in disbelief, Tang Jin-wi shot up from his seat not far from them.
Having listened from the side, he could no longer stand their ridiculous conversation.
"Tsk! I've been letting it slide, but... you really are from the countryside, aren't you? Truly haven't seen the sky. There's a limit to how stupid one can be!"
Tang Jin-wi dragged a chair over to Jin Je-yong's table and sat down. Then, he propped his dirt-caked leather boots onto the tabletop.
Jin Je-yong and Lee Geum-yeong quietly picked up their teacups and leaned back, while Jeok-sam alone became the innocent victim of Tang Jin-wi’s kick. His teacup was knocked over, soaking the front of his robes.
"What the hell is this bastard's problem?"
"What? Bastard? Who the hell are you, you punk!"
"I am Jeok-sam, the first disciple of the Sword of Completion, Instructor Jin Je-yong! You bastard!"
Jeok-sam shouted, not the least bit intimidated by Tang Jin-wi's aggression.
If anything, it was Tang Jin-wi who was taken aback.
He was stunned that some ignorant lout who looked like he'd crawled out of the countryside was raising his voice at him.
"Hah, has this punk lost his mind? Then again, they say you can judge the whole by one part. This is what you'd expect from the school that produced that Nam Gyeong fellow."
"What? Has this bastard gone insane? How dare you insult our Sinnae Sword School in front of our instructor?"
Jeok-sam, furious to his very core, shouted as if he were about to grab Tang Jin-wi by the collar.
Jin Je-yong let out a long breath and spoke.
"Enough."
"Yes, Instructor."
Jeok-sam sat down as if nothing had happened.
Tang Jin-wi had intended to put Jeok-sam in his place and show them where they stood.
But a single word from the young instructor named Jin Je-yong had thwarted his plan.
*No, this is even better. I'll show this punk the terror of the Tang Clan.*
Tang Jin-wi had disliked Jin Je-yong from the moment they met. After all, the man had brought up the Tang Clan's honor and embarrassed him in front of his colleagues.
He had been thinking of repaying that humiliation someday, and as it happened, there was no one around today to stop him.
*He's just some swordsmanship instructor from the frontier.*
Although Tang Jin-wi had joined the Righteous Alliance thanks to his background with the Tang Clan and Geum Gye-seong, he still possessed the skills to bear the Tang name.
A whole cartload of second- or third-rate warriors would be no match for his hidden weapon techniques.
"You..."
"I told you to stop. Speak again, and I'll rip your mouth apart."
"From a backwater... what?"
Tang Jin-wi was unable to continue, faced with Jin Je-yong's icy voice.
Tang Jin-wi sized up Jin Je-yong once more.
His sun-darkened skin, his hair carelessly wrapped in a hero's kerchief, and his cheap, tattered martial arts uniform all looked incredibly shabby.
Tang Jin-wi, on the other hand, though not as extravagantly dressed as usual, was wearing the white uniform symbolizing the Righteous Alliance, having just returned from a mission.
"You..."
Just as Tang Jin-wi was about to shout something, he stopped, feeling a sharp sting in his mouth.
Before he knew it, a sword was inside his mouth.
"Gack!"
"To insult another's school, you must either have the skill to back it up or the resolve to die, right?"
"Hnngh!"
At Jin Je-yong's monotone voice, Tang Jin-wi could only gasp for breath.
With a blade in his mouth, he couldn't use his prized hidden weapons—neither his iron flower darts nor his iron arrows.
Seeing Tang Jin-wi's face turn deathly pale, Jin Je-yong withdrew his sword.
"My master used to say that if you believe your own school is great, you must also recognize the greatness in others'. That is the etiquette and principle of the martial world."
Tang Jin-wi couldn't close his mouth, the phantom sensation of the sword still lingering inside.
"Kughh!"
At Jin Je-yong's admonishment, Tang Jin-wi's face flushed crimson like a boiled octopus.
As fear receded, shame and anger washed over him like a furious tidal wave.
And Tang Jin-wi, having lost all reason, finally let the unforgivable words escape his lips.
"That fucking master of yours, didn't he tell you not to mess with the Tang Clan? That dog of a ma—"
The furious Tang Jin-wi never finished his sentence.
With a whisper of wind, his head shot up into the air.
*Click.*
Inside the teahouse, amidst the frozen silence, the sound of Jin Je-yong sheathing his sword echoed with startling clarity.
His head gone from his shoulders, Tang Jin-wi staggered for a moment before collapsing limply.
Tang Jin-wi's head, which had flown belatedly into the air, hit the teahouse ceiling before falling to the ground.