Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Tang Clan's Misfortune (3)
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“Who… did you say died?”
Nam Gyeong, who had been interrogating Squad Leader Min, grabbed a colleague from the local station and asked.
Squad 2 was on day duty at the station that day.
Squad 1, including Squad Leader Geum Gye-seong, was investigating the annihilation of the Jeungbyeok Sect, while Squad 4 was preparing for the night shift.
Nam Gyeong had just finished interrogating Squad Leader Min and was about to head home to prepare for his own night shift.
“Tang Jin-wi of Squad 2. He was murdered.”
“Officer Tang?”
“Yes. The man who calls himself your master brought the body in himself.”
At his colleague's words, Nam Gyeong felt the blood run cold in his veins.
His master, Jin Je-yong, was an exceptional swordsman, but having lived his entire life in Sinnae Village, he was lacking in worldly experience.
So, while he might know that the Tang Clan was one of the Five Great Clans, he wouldn't truly grasp what that meant in the martial world.
“So you didn't arrest or detain my master, did you?”
“Unless there was a risk of him fleeing, and considering your situation…”
The colleague said with a bitter expression.
This meant the Righteous Alliance would not intervene in this case. If the Alliance arrested Jin Je-yong, it would officially be the detention of a suspect, but the Tang Clan could misinterpret it as an act of protection.
*'My situation... The Righteous Alliance is abandoning me just like that.'*
Nam Gyeong couldn't shake off his gloomy feelings.
It seemed they intended to save the Tang Clan's face by abandoning him and the Sinnae Sword School.
*'This can't go on. I have to...'*
“Don't you get involved rashly either. It's just a sword school, not a proper sect.”
Just as Nam Gyeong resolved to protect the school and Jin Je-yong, his colleague stopped him.
Nam Gyeong frowned at his colleague's words.
The difference between a sword school and a regular sect lay in the master-disciple relationship. A school taught martial arts for a fee, whereas a sect formed bonds akin to family.
“What do you mean, not a sect? My sect is the Sinnae Sword School, and my only master is Instructor Jin Je-yong!”
For Nam Gyeong, the Sinnae Sword School was more than just a sect; it was a bond stronger than blood.
When he was weak, the Child Instructor, Jin Je-yong, had painstakingly adapted a sword art to suit him, and his senior, Jeok-sam, and his juniors had comforted him when he was exhausted from training.
“Ah, no, why get so worked up... I was just saying it out of concern.”
“Forget it!”
Nam Gyeong replied curtly and went straight to the station chief's office.
The Tang Clan's grudges were vicious. His master's skill was second to none, but even two hands couldn't block ten.
If the entire Tang Clan unleashed their poisons and hidden weapons indiscriminately, even his master could be severely injured.
*'I'll stop them. Even if it costs me my life.'*
With firm resolve, he knocked on the door of the station chief's office.
A bustling sound came from behind the paper door. Nam Gyeong listened closely and heard a familiar voice.
*'Squad Leader Geum!'*
It seemed the quick-footed Geum Gye-seong had gone straight to the station chief.
Feeling he couldn't wait any longer, Nam Gyeong risked the impoliteness and opened the door.
“Who is it!”
“It's Officer Nam. Right, we should hear your side of the story as well.”
A heavy, low voice reached Nam Gyeong's ears.
This was not the usual Geum Gye-seong, who was often playful and wore a relaxed expression.
Then again, his brother-in-law's head had been sent flying, so even a man as gentle as him couldn't help but be angry.
Nam Gyeong swallowed hard.
“My master has caused a great inconvenience to your esteemed clan.”
“Yes, a great inconvenience indeed. He may have been a scoundrel, but he killed a member of the Tang Clan.”
Geum Gye-seong spoke in a calm voice.
Even though his brother-in-law was dead, his voice held more weariness than anger.
Nam Gyeong cautiously began to speak.
“As both you, Squad Leader, and the Station Chief know, my master has never left Sinnae Village in his life. This is his first time out in the martial world.”
“And?”
“My master couldn't have known what kind of clan the Tang Clan is, or what kind of person Officer Tang was. Therefore.”
“Therefore?”
“I will take responsibility. Can my life not be used to appease the Tang Clan's anger?”
Nam Gyeong was offering to take the blame for the murder. It meant he would settle the Tang Clan's grudge in Jin Je-yong's place.
Geum Gye-seong shook his head.
“There were too many witnesses for that.”
The incident occurred at a teahouse in Jungrang Prefecture.
As it was late afternoon, the teahouse was filled not only with scholars enjoying tea but also with merchants preparing for their journeys.
“Hoo! I was just discussing this with the Station Chief. The Jungrang station doesn't want to blow this out of proportion, and I don't want to deal with this Tang Jin-wi business anymore either.”
Nam Gyeong blinked, surprised by Geum Gye-seong's unexpected words.
He had married into the Tang Clan and had a different surname, but he was still a member of the Tang Clan.
Furthermore, Tang Jin-wi's sister was Geum Gye-seong's wife. Yet here he was, fed up with Tang Jin-wi's affairs.
“My brother-in-law gave you a lot of trouble, didn't he? I warned him so many times... As his squad leader and as his family, I'm sorry I failed to discipline him properly.”
“Oh, no, sir.”
“No, an apology is due.”
Geum Gye-seong said with a bitter expression.
As his brother-in-law, he should have reined in the rampaging Tang Jin-wi, but unfortunately, his words had no effect.
Nam Gyeong cautiously spoke again.
“What does the Tang Clan plan to do about my master?”
“I've only reported it; a decision hasn't been made yet. But if I know the Tang Clan, it will be an eye for an eye, a life for a life.”
If it were an unorthodox sect, they might have targeted family or associates, but the Tang Clan was one of the most prestigious clans in Sichuan.
The Tang Clan he knew would seek to end the grudge with minimal casualties.
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life, you mean.”
Nam Gyeong muttered with a meaningful look in his eyes.
* * *
“Master! Gyeong! Gyeong! He's gone!”
Early in the morning, Jeok-sam burst into my room, out of breath.
I had heard signs of life from Nam Gyeong's room last evening, so I thought I would be able to hear his story this morning.
“Gyeong left a letter in his room.”
“A letter... It seems there was a reason after all.”
I examined the contents of the letter Jeok-sam handed me.
It said he would take responsibility for the murder of Tang Jin-wi.
It also detailed how he had been ignored and bullied by his junior, Tang Jin-wi.
Overwhelmed by the poignant emotions Nam Gyeong had left behind, I crumpled the letter in my fist.
“What does he mean, take responsibility?”
“From the looks of it, the Righteous Alliance reported the incident to the Tang Clan, and he's planning to meet the people from the Tang Clan on their way here to resolve it.”
“Resolve it?”
“Well...”
Jeok-sam trailed off, glancing at me nervously.
That alone was enough for me to guess what Nam Gyeong was planning to do.
“All a disciple needs to do for his master is to learn well. I ask for nothing else.”
My own master had done the same for me.
He generously gave his all to his disciples.
In that case, what I had to do was also clear.
To stop a disciple who had a habit of shouldering his burdens alone.
“So, I am going to the Tang Clan.”
I had heard about the Sichuan Tang Clan from my master.
During the War of Righteousness and Evil, the Five Great Clans had joined, and my master, who was a warrior of the Righteous Alliance, had fought alongside warriors from the Tang Clan, learning from them.
*'He said they're a gloomy, twisted bunch, with a victim complex to boot, making them a pain to deal with. Though he did say you find a decent one every now and then.'*
I was also taught about Tangjia Tuo, the village where the Sichuan Tang Clan was located, as well as their hidden weapon techniques and poison arts.
“Officer Yi, I'm sorry, but we'll have to part ways from here.”
“Th-Then I'll also!”
Yi Geum-yeong approached, trying to follow me again.
I held out a hand to stop him.
“Unfortunately, this is a matter for our school. There's no need for you to get involved, Officer Yi.”
“Of course, I am just a guest, after all.”
“And Officer Yi, you said you were from the Righteous Alliance's intelligence division, didn't you?”
Officer Yi Geum-yeong had revealed his identity as such.
He had shown me his identification plaque, but I had no way of telling if it was real or fake.
Instead, I could tell from Yi Geum-yeong's words and actions that he was not a warrior of the Righteous Alliance.
*'If Officer Yi were truly with the Righteous Alliance, he would have sought out Gyeong when he learned Gyeong was in the Alliance and asked him about his eldest senior.'*
I thought it would be fine for Yi Geum-yeong to accompany me on my journey to find my disciples, as long as he didn't get in the way. I had also hoped my master's fame might spread through him.
He also knew my eldest senior, A-mun. After finding all the other disciples, I planned to use him to find a way to meet the senior who had left the school twenty years ago.
But now, the situation had changed. With Nam Gyeong in danger, if he became a hindrance, there was no longer any need to travel together.
“I, I am...”
“That's enough. As long as you belong to the Righteous Alliance, Officer Yi, it would be best for both of us if you kept your distance this time.”
“...Yes, I understand.”
I grabbed the scruff of Jeok-sam's neck.
Then, I protected Jeok-sam's body with my internal energy and unleashed my lightness technique.
“Sam, which way to Tangjia Tuo?”
“Gak! Master, about five hundred li to the northwest...”
“Not far.”
I took a step toward the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Just as I could see the path of the sword when I held it, I could also see the path in my lightness technique.
Using this, I could run for a thousand li, even ten thousand, without tiring.
“Then let's go. To find our soft-hearted disciple.”
“Yes! It's the eldest senior's duty to discipline his unworthy junior!”
Jeok-sam replied, closing his eyes and covering his ears to brace for the impact.
* * *
“Did we pass Gyeong?”
Late in the afternoon, Jin Je-yong and Jeok-sam arrived at the main gate of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Jeok-sam staggered, ducked into a secluded alley, and emptied his stomach.
Even though Jin Je-yong had protected Jeok-sam's body with internal energy, they had covered five hundred li in half a day, which had literally turned his stomach inside out.
“Uweeegh!”
“Hmm, our Sam needs more training. To be struggling this much over something like this.”
“Ugh! Master, no matter how much I train, it'll be hard to get used to this speed.”
Jeok-sam wiped the vomit from his mouth and stood up.
His gaze lifted to the Tang Clan estate situated within Tangjia Tuo.
Located a day's journey from Chengdu, the Tang Clan had formed a village called Tangjia Tuo around their estate.
Tangjia Tuo itself was not much different from a regular village, with people making a living by farming or running businesses.
“Master, should we go back and look for Gyeong?”
“Since we don't know where he is, I'll negotiate directly with the head of the Tang Clan.”
“That's just like you, Master.”
Jeok-sam replied with a grin.
The gates of the Tang Clan were on a different level from those of the Jeungbyeok Sect, towering high.
The massive wall, about ten feet high, strictly separated the estate from Tangjia Tuo, where the branch families lived.
On the main gate between the walls, a dragon holding a wish-granting orb bared its sharp teeth.
“Then I'll step forward and speak.”
“No, that's alright. I'll do it.”
Jin Je-yong stopped Jeok-sam from trying to open the gate.
Then he stepped forward and drew his sword. The guards at the main gate were startled to see him.
“Who goes there!”
“I am Jin Je-yong, disciple of the Divine Sword, Master Jin Sang-ho, and sword instructor to Nam Gyeong.”
Jin Je-yong smiled and swung his sword, and the main gate shattered.
A guard quickly blew a whistle to signal the intruder's appearance. And unlike the Jeungbyeok Sect, they immediately threw hidden weapons. The projectiles, resembling flowers, were called Iron Flower Darts.
“And the purpose of my visit is to hold the Tang Clan accountable for insulting my school.”
The Iron Flower Darts heading for Jin Je-yong fell silently to the ground.